#viets represent!

[just-some-friendly-fun]

Maybe, I sound a little nitpicky here, or some other word that I can't figure out right now to determine the current tone of my words but.

Looking through some of the fanfiction, in regards to Bi-Han, I think some baffled me in particular and it's not even that big of a deal or anything but it just scratches beneath my skin a little. Like, oh! Bi-Han cooking something for you! I can see that!-- what do you mean he's making you a complete English meal.

Unless it's something that the reader enjoys, and he's making it in favor to their taste preference, then that's sweet! But.... Where's my stuff..... Where's the chicken congee... Where is- where is all the traditional recipes he should know? I get that making eggs, bacon, and french toast are easy (sometimes) but-- there is other easy to make stuff. I'm not expecting Bi-Han to be headcanoned as some top tier chef but, him knowing some traditional home recipes should be natural thing to him, no? Maybe he learned from his mother, or some other. I think that'd be neat to think about, just simple basic home meals he's learned and makes for himself and rarely, but sometimes, for others. I think all in general, I just really want to see like some proper representation of Bi-Han, or just even Kuai Liang, maybe even Tomas adapting to some of his adoptive family's behaviors while he was raised, like some stuff like how some people can't properly apologize so in form of apology, people mainly serve a plate of fruit as an act of forgiveness rather than outright saying it, or just ANYTHING ELSE.

[ladefense]

https://investtovietnam.com/notes-to-set-up-a-representative-office-in-vienam/

Finding The Right Legal Representative in Vietnam

[keereejou]

i could probably go on for hours about the lack of south/south east asia in media whilst eastern asian nations thrive overlaps with the fetishisation of eastern asians but i think if i posted about that i would literally explode out of an anxiety induced shock

[novy2sirius]

SPIRITUAL NOTES BY NOV ༉‧₊˚.༄

As I’ve talked about before, colors have vibrational energy. Certain colors are better for certain energies. For example, 1 life paths should avoid wearing red. 1’s are the biggest targets for corruption and lust so wearing red will only enhance that even more. Too much lust can be damaging to your root chakra

Wearing orange projects confidence (can make you come off more confident which is attractive to most people). Orange can also be a good color for home decor (orange lighting, lamps, etc)

Purple is a good color for protection (especially spiritual protection). You could simply visualize a purple aura/energy around you for protection if you feel you need it. Visualizing this color can also help you solve problems if you’re currently facing any

Eating pomegranates cleans your pineal gland and can help purify it. Thus, helping you become more spiritually connected and giving you more vivid dreams. Sleeping in complete darkness and Vitamin D are also a good way to wake up your pineal gland

5-9 minutes before your enemy hour in vietnamese astrology you have extreme luck. If you don’t know what your enemy hours in viet astro are then you can look at my post about them here

In my personal opinion focusing on numerology is way more powerful than moon phases will ever be. Both are important and powerful tools though

Blue is the matrix’s favorite color and intertwined with the matrix. Blue often puts people at ease and comfort which is why it’s often everyone’s favorite color. If you’re about to go into an intense environment where you’re not sure if others are that trusting of you, wear blue. “Feeling blue” actually isn’t a negative thing. It represents your return to nature spiritually (especially the ocean, rivers, lakes, etc). Staring up at a clear blue sky can make you feel better

In numerology things are pillar to pillar when it comes to compatibility. To check if you’re compatible with someone you go life path number to life path number, day number to day number, month number to month number, year number to year number, attitude number to attitude number, etc. In other words life path is not the only thing that can show enemy energy or friend energy, but is most important when it comes to compatibility

11 has a lot of good attributes, but a negative trait of the numerical energy is terror. Scary things can happen under 11 energy. I don’t recommend going on roller coasters, flying, going on a cruise, etc under this energy

Red is not the color of love like people make it seem. It’s actually the color of lust. Hence the root chakra being red and the heart chakra being green. The people higher up just want us at a lower vibration, so they can have power over us and when someone is overly lustful they will be

Wearing red a lot has its ups and downs. It can make you come off sexually attractive to people and make them lust over you and it can make people addicted to you, but wearing it too often can actually attract conflict or aggressive energy to your life. We often see red used negatively in society like in hospital logos, police sirens, etc but often when you see red a lot it’s more so a sign from the matrix to pause and analyze the situation around you carefully. Note: Even when people are attracted to you when you wear red it isn’t a long lasting effect (just like lust in general is temporary, the opposite of love)

Master numbers are usually smart and very spiritually connected, but the one’s that aren’t can be dangerous to be around. They may drain your energy

Our energy can be drained in this matrix. We are like the batteries for the simulation. You have to be careful who you surround yourself with because of this

DO NOT READ IF YOU’RE UNDER 18 - A lot of the traps to take our energy in the matrix are sex related since sex is a gateway to earth (through women). You must be careful. P*rn is one of them. When men finish through masturbation to p*rn their energy can be taken by negative entities. When women finish to p*rn they can absorb the negative energy of negative entities during that time. Women absorb energy and men push out sexual energy. These negative energy vampires only come around during this time (they’re obviously not visible to the human eye). P*rn is really bad for you spiritually because of this. Masturbation is not though and is healthy for you spiritually if it is something you do about 5 times a month. Doing it too much can be bad though. Semen retention doesn’t actually do anything spirituality that’s the placebo affect doing its work. Shows how powerful our minds and thoughts are. Anyway, if you’re not someone who’s spiritual there’s also many studies done that talk about p*rn being horrible for your mind

Green is the most important color to earth. Snakes have green eyes which is why they can see a lot of things others can’t (people with the viet sign). This applies to people with green eyes in general as well

[kemetic-dreams]

Jamil Abdullah al-Amin (born Hubert Gerold Brown; October 4, 1943), is an American human rights activist, Muslim cleric, African separatist, and convicted murderer who was the fifth chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the 1960s. Best known as H. Rap Brown, he served as the Black Panther Party's minister of justice during a short-lived (six months) alliance between SNCC and the Black Panther Party.

He is perhaps known for his proclamations during that period, such as that "violence is as American as cherry pie", and that "If America don't come around, we're gonna burn it down." He is also known for his autobiography, Die Nigger Die! He is currently serving a life sentence for murder following the shooting of two Fulton County, Georgia, sheriff's deputies in 2000.

Brown's activism in the civil rights movement included involvement with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Brown was introduced into SNCC by his older brother Ed. He first visited Cambridge, Maryland with Cleveland Sellers in the summer of 1963, during the period of Gloria Richardson's leadership in the local movement. He witnessed the first riot between whites and blacks in the city over civil rights issues, and was impressed by the local civil rights movement's willingness to use armed self-defense against racial attacks.

Brown later organized for SNCC during the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer, while transferring to Howard University for his studies. Representing Howard's SNCC chapter, Brown attended a contentious civil rights meeting at the White House with President Lyndon B. Johnson during the Selma crisis of 1965 as Alabama activists attempted to march for voting rights.

Major federal civil rights legislation was passed in 1964 and 1965, including the Voting Rights Act, to establish federal oversight and enforcement of rights. In 1966, Brown organized in Greene County, Alabama to achieve African voter registration and implementation of the recently passed Voting Rights Act.

Elected SNCC chairman in 1967, Brown continued Stokely Carmichael's fiery support for "Black Power" and urban rebellions in the Northern ghettos.

During the summer of 1967, Brown toured the nation, calling for violent resistance to the government, which he called "The Fourth Reich". "Negroes should organize themselves", he told a rally in Washington, D.C., and "carry on guerilla warfare in all the cities." They should, "make the Viet Cong look like Sunday school teachers." He declared, "I say to America, Fuck it! Freedom or death!"

In this period, Cambridge, Maryland had an active civil rights movement, led by Gloria Richardson. In July 1967 Brown spoke in the city, saying "It's time for Cambridge to explode, baby. Black folks built America, and if America don't come around, we're going to burn America down." Gunfire reportedly broke out later, and both Brown and a police officer were wounded. A fire started that night and by the next day, 17 buildings were destroyed by an expanding fire "in a two-block area of Pine Street, the center of African-American commerce, culture and community." Brown was charged with inciting a riot, due to his speech.

Brown was also charged with carrying a gun across state lines. A secret 1967 FBI memo had called for "neutralizing" Brown. He became a target of the agency's COINTELPRO program, which was intended to disrupt and disqualify civil rights leaders. The federal charges against him were never proven.

He was defended in the gun violation case by civil rights advocates Murphy Bell of Baton Rouge, the self-described "radical lawyer" William Kunstler, and Howard Moore Jr., general counsel for SNCC. Feminist attorney Flo Kennedy also assisted Brown and led his defense committee, winning support for him from some chapters of the National Organization for Women.

The Cambridge fire was among incidents investigated by the 1967 Kerner Commission. But their investigative documents were not published with their 1968 report. Historian Dr. Peter Levy studied these papers in researching his book Civil War on Race Street: The Civil Rights Movement in Cambridge, Maryland (2003). He argues there was no riot in Cambridge. Brown was documented as completing his speech in Cambridge at 10 pm July 24, then walking a woman home. He was shot by a deputy sheriff allegedly without provocation. Brown was hastily treated for his injuries and secretly taken by supporters out of Cambridge.

Later that night a small fire broke out, but the police chief and fire company did not respond for two hours. In discussing his book, Levy has said that the fire's spread and ultimate destructive cost appeared to be due not to a riot, but to the deliberate inaction of the Cambridge police and fire departments, which had hostile relations with the African community. In a later book, Levy notes that Brice Kinnamon, head of the Cambridge police department, said that the city had no racial problems, and that Brown was the "sole" cause of the disorder, and it was "a well-planned Communist attempt to overthrow the government."

While being held for trial, Brown continued his high-profile activism. He accepted a request from the Student Afro-American Society of Columbia University to help represent and co-organize the April 1968 Columbia protests against university expansion into Harlem park land in order to build a gymnasium.

He also contributed writing from jail to the radical magazine Black Mask, which was edited and published by the New York activist group Up Against the Wall Motherfucker. In his 1968 article titled "H. Rap Brown From Prison: Lasima Tushinde Mbilashika", Brown writes of going on a hunger strike and his willingness to give up his life in order to achieve change.

Brown's trial was originally to take place in Cambridge, but there was a change of venue and the trial was moved to Bel Air, Maryland, to start in March 1970. On March 9, 1970, two SNCC officials, Ralph Featherstone and William ("Che") Payne, died on U.S. Route 1 south of Bel Air, when a bomb on the front floorboard of their car exploded, killing both occupants. The bomb's origin is disputed: some say the bomb was planted in an assassination attempt, and others say Payne was carrying it to the courthouse where Brown was to be tried. The next night, the Cambridge courthouse was bombed

Brown disappeared for 18 months. He was posted on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Ten Most Wanted List. He was arrested after a reported shootout with officers in New York City following an alleged attempted robbery of a bar there. He was convicted of robbery and served five years (1971–76) in Attica Prison in western New York state. While in prison, Brown converted to Islam. He formally changed his name from Hubert Gerold Brown to Jamil Abdullah al-Amin.

After his release, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he opened a grocery store. He became an imam, a Muslim spiritual leader, in the National Ummah, one of the nation's largest African Muslim groups. He also was a community activist in Atlanta's West End neighborhood. He preached against drugs and gambling. It has since been suggested that al-Amin changed his life again when he became affiliated with the "Dar ul-Islam Movement"

On May 31, 1999, al-Amin was pulled over while driving in Marietta, Georgia by police officer Johnny Mack for a suspected stolen vehicle. During a search, al-Amin was found to have in his pocket a police badge. He also had a bill of sale in his pocket, explaining his possession of the stolen car, and he claimed that he had been issued an honorary police badge by Mayor John Jackson, a statement which Jackson verified. Despite this, al-Amin was charged with speeding, auto theft and impersonating a police officer.

On March 16, 2000, in Fulton County, Georgia, Sheriff's deputies Ricky Kinchen and Aldranon English went to al-Amin's home to execute an arrest warrant for failing to appear in court over the charges. After determining that the home was unoccupied, the deputies drove away and were shortly passed by a black Mercedes headed for the house. Kinchen (the more senior deputy) noted the suspect vehicle, turned the patrol car around, and drove up to the Mercedes, stopping nose to nose. English approached the Mercedes and told the single occupant to show his hands. The occupant opened fire with a .223 rifle. English ran between the two cars while returning fire from his handgun, and was hit four times. Kinchen was shot with the rifle and a 9 mm handgun.

The next day, Kinchen died of his wounds at Grady Memorial Hospital. English survived his wounds. He identified al-Amin as the shooter from six photos he was shown while recovering in the hospital[citation needed] Another source said English identified him shortly before going into surgery for his wounds.

After the shootout, al-Amin fled Atlanta, going to White Hall, Alabama. He was tracked down by U.S. Marshals who started with a blood trail at the shooting site, and arrested by law enforcement officers after a four-day manhunt. Al-Amin was wearing body armor at the time of his arrest. He showed no wounds. Officers found a 9 mm handgun near his arrest site. Firearms identification testing showed that this was used to shoot Kinchen and English, but al-Amin's fingerprints were not found on the weapon. Later, al-Amin's black Mercedes was found with bullet holes in it.

His lawyers argued he was innocent of the shooting. Defense attorneys noted that al-Amin's fingerprints were not found on the murder weapon, and he was not wounded in the shooting, as one of the deputies said the shooter was. A trail of blood found at the scene was tested and did not belong to al-Amin or either of the deputies. A test by the state concluded that it was animal blood, but these results have been disputed because there was no clear chain of custody to verify the sample and testing process. Deputy English had said that the killer's eyes were gray, but al-Amin's are brown.

At al-Amin's trial, prosecutors noted that he had never provided an alibi for his whereabouts at the time of the shootout, nor any explanation for fleeing the state afterward. He also did not explain why the weapons used in the shootout were found near him during his arrest.

On March 9, 2002, nearly two years after the shootings, al-Amin was convicted of 13 criminal charges, including Kinchen's murder and aggravated assault in shooting English. Four days later, he was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole (LWOP).He was sent to Georgia State Prison, the state's maximum-security facility near Reidsville, Georgia.

Otis Jackson, a man incarcerated for unrelated charges, claimed that he committed the Fulton County shootings, and confessed this two years before al-Amin was convicted of the same crime. The court did not consider Jackson's statement as evidence. Jackson's statements corroborated details from 911 calls following the shooting, including a bleeding man seen limping from the scene: Jackson said he knocked on doors to solicit a ride while suffering from wounds sustained in the firefight with deputies Kinchen and English. Jackson recanted his statement two days after making it, but later confessed again in a sworn affidavit, stating that he had only recanted after prison guards threatened him for being a "cop killer". Prosecutors refuted Jackson's testimony, claiming he couldn't have shot the deputies as he was wearing an ankle tag for house confinement that would have showed his location. Al-Amin's lawyers allege that the tag was faulty.

Al-Amin appealed his conviction on the basis of a racial conspiracy against him, despite both Fulton County deputies being black. In May 2004, the Supreme Court of Georgia unanimously ruled to uphold al-Amin's conviction.

In August 2007, al-Amin was transferred to federal custody, as Georgia officials decided he was too high-profile for the Georgia prison system to handle. He was first held in a holdover facility in the USP Atlanta; two weeks later he was moved to a federal transfer facility in Oklahoma, pending assignment to a federal penitentiary.

On October 21, 2007, al-Amin was transferred to ADX Florence, a supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. He has been under an unofficial gag order, prevented from having any interviews with writers, journalists or biographers.

On July 18, 2014, having been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, al-Amin was transferred to Butner Federal Medical Center in North Carolina. As of March 2018, he is incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary, Tucson.

Al-Amin sought retrial through the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Investigative journalist, Hamzah Raza, has written more about Otis Jackson's confession to the deputy shootings in 2000, and said that this evidence should have been considered by the court. It had the potential of exonerating al-Amin. However, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected his appeal on July 31, 2019.

In April 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from al-Amin. His family and supporters continue to petition for a new trial.

[autistic-ben-tennyson]

Steven Universe: A Complicated Relationship

I’m starting to fall out of love with this show. I used to be obsessed with it and it was important to me as a way of figuring out my gender and sexuality. Yet, my relationship to it has become more complicated as of late. I’ve defended it myself and have been passionate about it, yet seeing the way a lot of stans have acted has kind of ruined it for me especially due to dismissing any criticism. This is not me saying I hate it or think it’s irredeemable Nazi propaganda but not everyone who dislikes it watches Lily Orchard and there are valid things to criticize about it.

There’s definitely bad faith criticism of the show such as flanderizing Steven into a crybaby with those Jack Horner/Hitler memes or claiming it was made to attack Christians but some people do have valid points. The episodes Bismuth and Gem Harvest may have not intended to come off as racist but one could interpret them as forcing people to forgive their abusers or bigoted relatives. As someone who’s Asian and knows about the way we’re represented, the way Priyanka and Doug were portrayed in the early seasons as tiger parents has not aged well.

One other criticism I’ve seen is that the show copies a lot of old sci fi or anime tropes without recognizing the issues with them or removing them from their original context. I and others have compared the show’s ending to the Highbreed arc from Ben 10 Alien Force. The difference is that the Highbreed were treated as supremacists who needed to be stopped, not as abusive family. People can debate over whether they should have gotten more consequences but they were not treated as dorky relatives. The only one Ben befriends was a low ranking officer who became the new leader and convinced the high council to accept having their DNA changed. There’s also the human zoo, another sci fi trope that’s aged badly with the racist implications.

The series is also compared to a lot of anime. There’s references to Ghibli, NGE, Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball and many have compared the show’s idealism to that of magical girl shows like Madoka Magica. The difference is that those shows didn’t use subjects like colonialism as a backdrop for family drama. SW suffers from that as well especially with the rebels only wanting to restore the old liberal system while taking imagery from the Viet Cong. People who wanted a revolution story weren’t necessarily wrong as that’s what the early seasons did set up.

Some will accuse me of fandomizing the war but I’ve noticed a lot of the hardcore stans are white queers who support Israel or demand complete support for democrats. Not saying every SU fan is a bad person btw. There are a lot of decent people who are anti Zionist and like the show but a lot of these pop progressive cartoons as well as SW, Disney and Marvel/DC are used by people with gross beliefs to infantilize themselves and dismiss any criticism from POC fans. If mainstream kids media is where you’re getting your all political takes from then maybe you do need to branch out and watch more mature stuff. Watching NGE helped me grow up a lot and learn nuance.

As a recap, I’m not saying SU is a bad show or that people are bad for liking it. It was important for my own development as well as a lot of lgbt youth and was a jumping point for a lot of my current interests such as classic anime or Lisa Hannigan, who’s an amazing musician and is pro Palestine btw. Future did help me a bit with mental health yet people are allowed to dislike it or find that even if it wasn’t intentional, there are some implications that should be addressed. I don’t hate it and there’s some stuff worth defending in it but it’s not the greatest show ever and people who get all their politics from it need to grow up. Between it, TOH, Dead End and She-Ra, I think a lot of the pop progressive media that we have today will not age well and that’s something we need to accept.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

Why would a battle fought 54 years ago provide key insight on what Hamas' strategy is today?

Asymmetric Warfare. It's a term that most people don't really understand. Before I did this, I was a United States Army Green Beret and I did a couple of combat tours in Iraq. And needless to say, asymmetric warfare was kind of our thing.

So, in practical terms, it is a type of war between belligerents whose relative military power, strategy or tactics differ significantly. And as a result of this, the weaker opponent will use unconventional tactics in order to maximize one's strengths against a stronger opponent's weaknesses or vulnerabilities.

For instance, an Insurgent force does not have the freedom of movement or firepower necessary to attack a forward operating base or a heavily armed column. So instead, they focus on softer logistical targets. They may choose to use a remotely activated roadside bomb instead of engaging in direct fire.

In many situations, the weaker adversary has fewer personnel and resources. And so, a significant part of their strategy is to preserve those limited resources and use the munitions that they have to the greatest possible advantage.

But here's the thing. To pull this off long term, you generally need a consistent means of supply combined with enough territory to hit, run and then hide. And Hamas doesn't have these things, at least not in sufficient supply to win against the IDF.

So, what's their strategy? What can Hamas leverage that will allow them to conduct offensive operations against a much stronger opponent and then avoid getting destroyed by the IDF's vastly superior military capability?

And the answer to that question as horrific, as it is, is civilian casualties, but probably not the ones you're thinking.

To understand this, let's discuss that example 54 years ago. The Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War virtually wiped out the Viet Kong. It was by every objective measure, a complete tactical failure. But strategically, it was invaluable. Because while achieving none of its military objectives, the Tet Offensive shattered Americans' perspective on the situation on the ground.

Opponents of the war were able to effectively use the offensive as a demonstration of the futility of American involvement. Hollywood, Academia and many in the mainstream media went to work convincing the American people that the war couldn't be won. Or perhaps just shouldn't even be fought. And in a representative government, when the electorate decides that a war is lost, it is, regardless of the situation on the ground.

Now, understand something. I'm not making an argument for the pros or cons of fighting the Vietnam War. I'm merely illustrating a point about modern Asymmetric Warfare. The lesson of the Tet Offensive is when fighting the West, you don't defeat their military. You win their electorate. And the way to do that is through the institutions which shape culture in the West, namely Hollywood, the Media and Academia.

If Hamas had decided to engage in a conventional military attack directed at only legitimate military targets, the IDF would have effectively destroyed their war fighting capability within days, and Hamas knows it. So, they engaged in asymmetric strategy.

Once we understand this, their actions on October 7th, as horrific as they are, begin to make more sense. Hamas didn't just target civilians because they were easy targets or because they despise Jews, although both of those things are true. The attack and the subsequent taking of hostages was actually designed to elicit a major response from the IDF.

But why? Well, maybe it's because to achieve their strategic objectives, Hamas needs civilian casualties. And more specifically they need Palestinian civilian casualties. And this is why.

The two entities in this conflict that lose the most from a greater peace agreement in the Middle East are Iran and the terrorist organizations they support. Upsetting this process requires much more than the random launching of rockets into Israel or strikes against legitimate military targets. The IDF is more than capable of handling such incursions, and the Israeli people have become all too accustomed to weathering such attacks without demanding an overwhelming military response. something more significant was required.

And October 7th created the kind of conditions that demanded a significant and sustained response. They needed something so obscene that Israel would have no choice but to hit back hard.

And this is where the second component of Hamas' strategy plays out. How to get Palestinian casualties. Any government actually worried about civilian casualties dedicates resources to evacuating their own civilians from hostile areas and attempts to separate the civilian population from legitimate military targets. So what conclusion should we come to when a governing body decides to do the exact opposite?

In this asymmetric environment, Hamas is not only incentivized to kill Israeli civilians, they're incentivized to maximize their own civilian casualties in the short run in order to elicit Western intervention on their behalf. As easy as it might be to explain Hamas's strategy away as nothing but mindless bloodlust, it is actually more sinister than that.

Hamas is responding to the incentive structures certain elements within the West have created. Hamas understand that the real Battlefield is not in Gaza but in the streets, University halls and newsrooms of the West. And so that is their target. And while a ceasefire seems like a humanitarian response to the tragic death of civilians, leaving Hamas intact as an operational and governing body will ultimately just reinforce that the perverse incentive structure remains the same.

And that while the West may claim to "not negotiate with terrorists," they always seem to force Israel to as soon as it becomes politically inconvenient for them.

So here's the hard reality. If you actually want to achieve anything resembling a lasting peace in this part of the world, you're never going to achieve it by creating conditions where terrorists are incentivized to hurt both the civilians of their enemies, and their own in order to achieve their political objectives.

==

This, of course, was completely obvious from the moment of the al-Ahli Hospital hoax, where Western outlets worked overtime to spread Hamas propaganda without regard for truth, all the way through to the present-day "protests" which are anything but organic or grass-roots.

[delugedecade]

SHE'S VIET

SHE'S VIETNAMESE

JUNO MARTIAN VIETNAM REPRESENT

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Just randomly remembered the show “Deadliest Warrior”. Y’all remember that one? It was the show where these supposed scientists and combat experts would get together, take these warriors from all over history, and determine who would win in a fight to the death. So you’d get episodes like “Spartan vs. Ninja”, “Samurai vs. Viking”, and so on.

But what I really remember from the show were the times where they went extremely tasteless. From what I remember, the most tasteless episodes were:

1) Irish Republican Army vs. Taliban

2) Nazi Waffen SS vs. Viet Cong (I remember at the end of the episode, one of the experts said he didn’t feel good about the result since it seemed like he was watching a match between two bad guys)

3) Somali Pirates vs. Medellin Cartel

4) Saddam Hussein vs. Pol Pot (they even brought in an actual survivor of the Cambodian genocide to represent Team Pol Pot)

And then they went whacky specifically for one episode with “Vampires vs. Zombies”. That was a fun one.

[thecutiecollective]

Ilona Kachurova

IG: _Kachurova_

Represented by Jul’s Model Management

📷 Viet Phuc

[famousinuniverse]

Art of Xòe dance of the Tai people in Viet Nam

Inscribed in 2021 (16.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Xòe is a form of Vietnamese dancing with movements that symbolize human activities in ritual, culture, life and work. It is performed at rituals, weddings, village festivals and community events. There are three main types of xòe: ritual, circle and presentational. The ritual and presentational xòe dances are named after props used during certain performances. For instance, there is scarf xòe, conical hat xòe, fan xòe, bamboo pole xòe, music xòe, stick xòe and flower xòe. But the most popular form is circle xòe, wherein dancers form a circle and perform in harmony.

The basic movements include raising and opening the hands, then lowering them and clasping the hands of the adjacent person. The dancers follow rhythmic footsteps, slightly arching the chest and leaning backwards. Although simple, the dance movements symbolize wishes for community health and harmony.

The dance is accompanied by various musical instruments, including gourd lutes, mouth organs, drums, gongs, cymbals and reed flutes. The instrumental music blends with the vocals and the jingling of the silver jewellery hanging around the waists of the women. Transmitted from generation to generation within families, dance troupes and schools, the xòe dance has become a symbol of hospitality and an important identity marker for the Tai people in north-western Viet Nam.

Art of Xòe dance of the Tai people in Viet Nam - intangible heritage - Culture Sector - UNESCO

[ladefense]

https://investtovietnam.com/notes-to-set-up-a-representative-office-in-vienam/

Finding The Right Legal Representative in Vietnam

[cinnamonspicewritingroom]

More Than Diamonds

Pairing: Prince Friedrich x Princess! Reader Description: Britain has gained themselves a new royalty nearing the debutante ball of 1813. Princess Amelia of Siam was sent as the new Ambassador of Siam. In Britain Princess Amelia was able to find her family, but will that be all? Tags: Slow burn, Coming of age, Time-Travel, Back to the past, Friends to Lovers, Royalties, Oblivious!FLxObvious!ML, Jealous! Friedrich, Slightly Possessive! Friedrich, Black cat gf, Golden retriever bf Timeline: S1&S2

Chapter 8: Put-on-a-show kinda girl

This was it, the start of the social season and the day her cousin, Daphne Bridgerton is going to debut in front of the Queen of Great Britain, Queen Charlotte. While the actual presentation is not going to start in several hours, as the Queen has promised, Amelia is going to see the procession of the debut and has sent a carriage to pick her up as a guest. Amelia will also be introduced as the Ambassador and Princess of Siam making her an official guest of the country. 

“Princess Amelia.” Amelia saw Queen Charlotte walking toward her with open arms. Behind her was her ladies-in-waiting and Brimsley in tow. Amelia quickly curtsied to the Queen. 

“Hello, your Majesty. You look magnificent today, just like any day. The Palace too is beautiful as always.” She smiled at the ladies-in-waiting who curtsied at her and Brimsley who bowed his head. 

“You look perfect.” The Queen took her face on both of her hands, turning her face around before stepping back to see her whole attire, nodding in satisfaction. 

“I am glad you are here, child. Come now,” Amelia nodded and quickly walked beside Queen Charlotte as she was explaining the set up and decorations of the Palace today. 

***

After being toured around the Palace, the Queen brought Amelia to the room where the debut will begin. At first Amelia was about to be placed next to the Queen on the podium, but then she explained how that will not be good for her image as she is here only to observe and to be introduced as guest, therefore she came up with another alternative after all the debutantes are done. 

“... Rather than them introducing themselves to me, I am here as a guest of Great Britain, so I should introduce myself to them. I will do that after all the debutantes get their chance.” The Queen hummed as she contemplated, but then her mouth started to form a cunning smile. 

“Well then, Princess Amelia. You better put on your best show today as the representative of Siam.” Amelia chuckled. 

“Fortunately disappointment does not exist in my dictionary.” She smiled at the Queen. 

As now she will actually be introduced in the crowd and not to simply be mentioned, she needs her formal Siamese clothes. She cannot represent Siam wearing a westernised gown. Amelia quickly checked on her wrist watch, there were still a good one and a half hours and fortunately based on protocols she always kept extra clothes in the carriage. 

Amelia quickly told Lynn on the change of plan. Lynn told her it is okay as she already did her hair and makeup, so only the clothes were left. There are around 100 to 130 debutantes. Daphne’s name is in D, so she could just join the Bridgertons on the side and change her clothes after she is done. Yep, everything is according to plan. 

***

Despite the frequent sarcastic exchange between them, he could say he has grown considerably close with Amelia. They could talk about plenty of things he could not talk about before with his family members, either because they are female or they do not get it. 

Last month, during the preparation of Daphne’s debutante dress with Amelia’s Dai Viet seamstresses, Anthony even asked whether his mother will sponsor Amelia for debut, unfortunately when they asked Amelia she rejected with the sole reason of she is from Siam and it is a bit too late to prepare for such an occasion.

However, despite whatever she said, why is she here in the debutante room? Anthony could feel his eyebrow twitched in annoyance.Their eyes met and Amelia briefly waved at him. He trudged towards her with the rest of his siblings. 

“Why are you here? I thought you do not want to debut,” He hissed lowly at her ear. 

“I have no choice!” Amelia hissed back at him, making him confused, then Amelia remembered that he was not there in her house when she offered Daphne to use her seamstresses. Amelia looked around, making sure nobody was looking before she hissed back at him. 

“I was personally invited by the Queen!” She huffed, crossing her arms. 

“She thought I wanted to debut and offered me the Royal Family’s seamstress, but as I did not know anything about this season's- culture, I told her I’m going to just watch this year and decide next year if I want to debut.” Anthony let out an ‘Ah,’ so that was probably why Amelia asked about the social season.

“You do know this means next year you probably cannot reject her;” Benedict who was listening the whole time whispered, making Amelia look at him pointedly.

“Not if I can do something about it,” Benedict looked amused. 

“My brother or my father can prevent me debuting by rejecting the Queen as I am not searching for a suitor. Marrying outside of Siam means they will lose their best diplomat. As if brother or father will allow that to happen.” Amelia explained before Eloise butts in. 

“What are you guys talking about? Daphne is next-” This made Amelia take a sharp breath. After her cousin, she will need to change into Siamese clothes. 

“Miss Daphne Bridgerton- Presented by her mother, the right honourable, the Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton.” The door opens to reveal Daphne Bridgerton, her cousin, looking extremely beautiful. White dress with gold accents and the back that form trains. Her hair was up in a bun and accessorised with white feathers giving her an angelic look. 

She walked alongside her aunt, Violet Bridgerton, both looked extremely elegant. Then in the middle Daphne walked by herself, approaching Queen Charlotte, dropping into a curtsy. As trained, she waited, but then the Queen herself lifted her by the chin. 

“Flawless, my dear.” before proceeding to peck Daphne on the forehead. 

Silently, Amelia slipped out of the room just as planned and was briefed to every staff member. Outside, she quickly met Lynn and Hugo who were waiting for her.

“Princess, let’s go.” Amelia nodded and followed Lynn and Hugo to a room provided by Queen Charlotte. Hugo opened the door as Lynn and Amelia walked in, then he closed the door for them, waiting outside the room. 

“Are you ready, Princess?” Hugo’s eyes went to Amelia, next to him, standing tall and straight. In front of them is the giant double-door to the debutante room. 

“Hugo, according to Britney Spears, There's only two types of people in the world, the ones that entertain, and the ones that observe-” Then her eyes met Hugo, his confusion well apparent on his face. 

“Well baby, I'm a put-on-a-show kinda girl.” Her eyes returned to looking straight ahead as the doors opened.

***

After all the debutantes got their turn, they all thought it was the end, when the debutantes and their mamas were ushered inside the room. Daphne and Violet quickly found the Bridgertons. 

“What is going on?” Eloise asked as she watched the debutantes filled the room. In all her years, this has never happened before, therefore Violet could only shrug her shoulders as she shook her head. 

“I do not know, this has never happened before.” Violet looked around, chatters were everywhere. Suddenly the chatters got louder as they saw Queen Charlotte stood up from her throne and raised her hand in motion to ‘calm down’.

“Good morning my people. I know this is unexpected, however this year, Great Britain is welcoming a guest from the Kingdom of Siam. I would suppose several of the Parliament members have met her before, the new Ambassador of Siam.” The chatters returned, especially among the men in Parliament. 

“With frequent involvement between Siam and Great Britain that will come in the future, I will ask you to treat them with respect and kindness. Now I would like to invite the Princess of Siam with me.” Queen Charlotte motioned to the Palace staff.

“Presenting, Her Royal Highness, Princess Amelia Chaiya Kanika from the House of Chakri.” The door opened revealing Amelia. 

(Left: The Clothes, Middle: Bun, jewelries, tiara, Sbai and sash belt, Right: Makeup and bangs)

She looked very different, elegant and mature as she was clad in a blue traditional Siamese clothing, the Siwalai, that is more tight-fitting than what the women in Great Britain wore. Her makeup was light, only her eyes stood out and her hair was up in a bun with a glamorous tiara adorned by diamonds. The amount of diamonds she wore rivalled the Queen herself. 

However, that was not what caught them off guard, but that she was escorted by the Prince Regent, George IV himself. He escorted her like all the mothers did to the debutantes before pausing to let Amelia approach the Queen and performed her curtsy. 

Watching her walk like this reminded Anthony of the first time he saw her in the Palace of Westminster 3 months ago. Like before, her presence effortlessly commanded the room. Her walk was as graceful and fearless as before, without hesitation and full of confidence. Then better and more stable than other debutantes, she dropped, performing a perfect curtsy. That day everyone was grateful the Princess was not a debutante. 

***

It was such a shame that Princess Amelia of Siam is not a debutante, if not Queen Charlotte would have named her Diamond of The First Water instead of Daphne Bridgerton. Her first public appearance and introduction as the Ambassador of Siam is similar to debut. 

The Queen could also see several eyes captivated by the mere sight of Princess Amelia. It seems like debut or not, the Princess of Siam will receive plenty of callers. What a shame, Queen Charlotte sighed. She would have enjoyed playing matchmaker for the Princess. Although 10 years older, the new Duke of Hastings is eligible and so is the Duke of Wyndham. Well, there is always next year. With that she exited the room followed by her ladies-in-waiting and Brimsley.

***

Anthony could sense it, the many eyes on both Daphne and Amelia. His sister, he can understand, after all she is a debutante and searching for marriage prospects, but Amelia? She is not even a debutante. His protectiveness over both girls rose. The audacity of these men, thinking that they deserve either of them? He would definitely crush their spirits down.

“I never thought I would see the Prince Regent here…” Colin remembered the fiasco earlier. 

“Yeah, what was that about, Mel?” Benedict looked at their cousin as Amelia blinked. 

“Ah, I broke my heels,” She lifted enough of her skirt to showcase the broken heel making them gasp at the sight of it. 

“Hugo was supposed to help me, but then Prince George came over and asked me what happened. After I explained, he said he will escort me as a show of friendship between Siam and Great Britain.” Hyacinth came to her side. 

“You were great Mel, like an actual Princess.” Amelia would have given her a snide comment that she is an actual princess, but she just looked so cute.

“I am sorry to interrupt,” Hugo bowed his head before standing straight. 

“Princess, we need to go now. You have a meeting with Prince Edward and the new Duke of Hastings after lunch time.” Hearing this Anthony opened his mouth, but Amelia defeated him. 

“Right. I will be going first, I need to bid Queen Charlotte goodbye.” Amelia curtsy and turned around, everyone created a path as she approached the door. 

***

Amelia found the Queen in the green house, drinking tea with Lady Danbury. The servant who saw her quickly told Brimsley of her presence. After a while, Amelia was allowed to meet the Queen. 

“Your Majesty, Lady Danbury.” Amelia curtsy as them, as perfect as her introduction. 

“Princess Amelia. I heard you were officially introduced as the ambassador?” Amelia nodded at her with a smile. 

“I was, it was quite a spontaneous plan tho,” She chuckled as Queen Charlotte shook her head. 

“I think it was magnificent. You were flawless dear. If you were a debutante I would have made you Diamonds of First Water.” Lady Danbury looked impressed, while Amelia just laughed and thanked her graciously. 

“What brings you here, my dear?” Amelia looked sheepish as she told the Queen. 

“I am here to bid my goodbye as I am needed in the Palace of Westminster.” As much as the Queen wants them to eat lunch together, what can she do when it is work related. With that Amelia bid them goodbye.

Words: 2089 words

More Than Diamond's Master List

IMPORTANT NOTES A/N: Hello, how are you guys? I hope you are well. Regarding this story that is following Julia Quinn's hit series, Bridgerton, I would start by saying I read the book first before I watch the Netflix series, thus I apologize if there are some differences with the Netflix version, but I will try to make it as similar as possible. I would also ask the readers to be kind when criticizing this story as this is my first time to actually publishing my work in the open. For the story, as you can see there is a time-travel tag. Our reader was sent back to the past with all the knowledge from the future. If you are also confused with Davika's education, I actually based her using Spencer Reid, a character from Criminal Minds. I also made Friedrich to be a year younger than Benedict when in actuality, he was born in 1794, 2 years younger than Daphne. If you are not interested or felt like those 2 themes ruined a historical romance story, then please do not leave any bad comments as you can just stop reading this story. Thank you for waiting this story to update, I was on vacation an went to many countries abroad for several weeks. Thank You Very Much! Much Love, Cinnamon Meilleure's Writing Room

[endlingmusings]

[ Several captive Southern white rhinoceroses. ]

“John Hume, the owner of the world’s largest private rhino herd, is auctioning off his rhino farm, the starting bid being US$10 million. The question is, what are Hume’s rhinos really worth?

In recent weeks there have been quite a few emotional appeals from John Hume and his supporters to ‘see the value’ in what is being offered. I get that many people believe that this is John Hume’s life’s work, but the US$150 million the one-time billionaire reportedly spent on this enterprise is, in business terms, the project’s sunk cost. It is a business risk he chose to take, as he farmed rhinos with a view to selling the horn.

When he started, over a decade ago, the international sale of rhino horn was already banned and the domestic trade was banned in South Africa for a number of years until John Hume and Johan Kruger launched legal action, saying it is their constitutional right to sell rhino horn. Izak du Toit, the lawyer who represented the rhino owners to overturn the domestic trade ban, and who appears to be Hume’s legal representative in the current auction, said at the time, [If the domestic trade ban was overturned] “We would sell [rhino horn] to the poachers to prevent them from killing rhinos,”.

With all the effort to overturn rhino horn trade sanctions, both domestically and international, there was always an inherent risk in Hume’s strategy that the trade ban would remain, and he accepted this risk as legalising the trade in rhino horn was the only way to recuperate his investment. Hume has said that his 10-tonne of stockpile of rhino horns is negotiable as part of the current auction, adding that it is worth more than US$500 million on the black market. A curious message to give out.

The fact that there is still a ban on the international trade of rhino horn doesn’t change the lack of trying by Hume and other South African private rhino owners. Over the years they put forward models for a ‘regulated’, international legal trade in rhino horn. The business plans have loopholes big enough for a Mack truck to drive through and, in all this time, they have never invested in a consumer analysis. The pro-trade supporters have previously stated that, “What they [rhino horns] are used for is hardly relevant. The fact is that people are willing to pay.”. Even now, after more than a decade of pushing to legalise the international trade, the response to the FAQ page question, “Does anyone know what the demand for rhino horn is?” is, “There is no reliable data on the size of the market. The best way to determine the characteristics of a market is to engage in legal trade.”. Mmm, quite a risky approach if your goal is to save rhinos from poaching.

At least now they acknowledge that an international trade won’t stop rhino poaching, the response to the FAQ page question, “Doesn’t the market value ‘wild’ horn more than harvested?” is, “Possibly, yes. If there is a preference for ‘wild’ or whole horn, this will be reflected in the price buyers are willing to pay.”. A far cry from their earlier, evidence free, assertions that the supply from the privately owned rhinos in South Africa could satisfy demand in Viet Nam and China and that consumers would be willing to substitute farmed horn for horn from wild rhinos.

Legalising the trade in ivory for two massive one-off sales did not stop elephant poaching, it made it worse. There is every reason to believe the same would happen with rhino horn – as soon as you can legalise advertise you can create new demand; something else they have never been willing to factor into their pro-trade push. Further, those who can afford genuine rhino horn will pay for a ‘wild’ product. Consumers have been known to ask for the tail/ears of the rhino to be presented with the horn to show it was killed in the process and the horn didn’t come from a stockpile.

This rhino sale mess is a perfect demonstration of the misguided obsession with the commercialisation of wild species. John Hume and the other private rhino owners managed to overturn the ban on domestic trade in South Africa, but that did not create a market for a product nobody needs. Hume’s rhino horn auction in 2017 was a flop, as was his later attempt to launch a cryptocurrency backed by rhino horn.

John Hume’s 2,000 rhinos and his reported 10 tonne stockpile of rhino horn have zero commercial value as long as the international trade remains closed. Reinstating the South African domestic trade in rhino horn was seen a precursor to overturning the international trade ban, providing hope for the pro-trade rhino owners. The result was they were happy to devalue rhino horn from a poaching perspective but they have never wanted to devalue horn from a consumer perspective, as they didn’t want to undermine the potential for future profits.”

- Excerpt from “What Are John Hume’s Rhinos Really Worth?” by Lynn Johnson.

[akajustmerry]

I still don't get what was wrong with the roman gifset. What about the reader's interpretation? You know, death of the author. Sometimes everything feels like a cage.

hi. it's not about interpretation, and death of the author is not a get-out-of-jail-free card for totally disregarding the context of certain works. basically, to use the poetry of ocean vuong, whose poetry is about his experiences of racism and homophobia as a gay viet migrant in the US, on a gifset of roman roy is disrespectful. not only does it openly disregard the context of vuong's writing, but it uses his writing to humanise someone who narratively represents people who profit off and are the source of so much racism, homophobia and oppression that vuong and ppl like him have experienced. it's just in bad taste! no one, including me, can stop you from interpreting anything however you want to. but maybe consider that the poetry of a gay vietnamese migrant is not pretty fodder for evoking sympathy for a rich white fascist character, no matter how sad or vaguely gay he is. it's fundamentally disrespectful of what Vuong's work is about and who its for.

[todaysdocument]

A wounded American serviceman salutes a United States representative as the serviceman is released from Viet Cong custody on March 5, 1973.

Record Group 127: Records of the U.S. Marine Corps

Series: Black and White Photographs of Marine Corps Activities in Vietnam

File Unit: Divider/Subject - 280 - Operation Homecoming (Repatriation of U.S. Marine POWs)

Image description: A servicemember raises his hand from one of his crutches to salute a man in a dark-colored uniform whose back is to us. They are outdoors in a tiled area. In the background we can see North Vietnamese soldiers, and other people watching the event. 

Transcription: 

Hanoi, North Vietnam

5Mar73

4x5 Negative

OPERATION HOMECOMING---A wounded American serviceman, released from Viet Cong custody, salutes a United States representative.

DEFENSE DEPT. PHOTO (MARINE CORPS)

ECC A900047

127 GVB-280