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Showing posts with label credible information. Show all posts
Showing posts with label credible information. Show all posts

Saturday 22 April 2023

Malaysian Scientist in Tsinghua leads space stem cell research at top varsity

 

Prof Dr Kee Keh Hooi from the School of Medicine, Tsinghua University in Beijing.

 Kehkooi Kee-School of Medicine, Tsinghua University 

https://www.med.tsinghua.edu.cn/en/info/1352/1446.htm

Guest: Prof Dr Kee Keh Kooi (Scientist, Tsinghua University)

Kampung boy leads space stem cell research at top varsity 

KUALA LUMPUR: It may seem like a galaxy far, far away when human beings from earth can stay for a long period of time in a spacecraft or even on the moon or Mars, but Malaysian scientist Prof Dr Kee Keh Kooi is already doing research on its effects on human bodies.

The Tsinghua University lecturer is heading a team to study how gravity and even radiation affect the development of human embryonic stem cells in space.

In short, understanding how human reproduction will affect human beings who will spend a long time in space.

The research is also to find answers as to how the human embryonic stem can differentiate in space.

“It is already happening as Chinese astronauts could stay for a period of time in a station on the moon, astronauts could orbit around the earth, and even ordinary people could travel to space,’’ he said.

The Sitiawan-born renowned academician was interviewed online from Beijing by Star Media Group adviser Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai on his webcast programme @realchunwai on Thursday.

His accomplishment was highlighted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim when he spoke at Tsinghua University during an official visit to China last month.

China recently announced its readiness to start its lunar base on the moon within five years, ahead of landing astronauts there in subsequent years.

Dr Kee has also conducted his research via China’s first cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou-1, which was launched in 2017.

Its main task was to deliver fuel and supplies to the orbiting Tiangong 2 space lab, but it also played host to ground-breaking scientific experiments conducted remotely by earth-based scientists in China.

Dr Kee specialises in stem cell research and how it can be cultured for medical technologies to help patients suffering from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases and even spinal cord injuries.

Besides devoting his time in laboratories, he also lectures undergraduate and post-graduate students at Tsinghua, which is regarded as China’s top university.

He spent decades in the United States, where he obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Iowa State University. This was followed by a PhD at Weill Cornell University.

Later, he worked at the University of California, San Francisco, before taking up a three-year stint as a research associate at Stanford University.

The opportunity for him to take a leading role as a principal researcher came when he applied for a post at Tsinghua University after seeing a vacancy advertised in an academic journal in 2009.

“There was an opening for stem cell research at the university, and it caught my interest immediately,’’ he said.

Asked about the differences in the manner in which research is conducted in China and the United States, Dr Kee said that in the United States, individual research was common, while in China, a team of between 50 and 100 people could be involved in a big project.

Despite having spent over 12 years in Beijing, Dr Kee, who grew up in Johor Baru, makes it a point to visit Malaysia annually, especially during Chinese New Year.

His parents, who moved to Johor Baru from Sitiawan to run a coffee shop, are still operating at the premises in Gelang Patah.

Dr Kee is a former student of Foon Yew High School, one of the elite independent schools in Johor.

“Balik kampung is always on my mind. The minute China reopened its border, I took my family home to Malaysia for three weeks,” he said.

Dr Kee, who was born in Kampung Remis, a small fishing village, described himself as a kampung boy. His family, he said, is “a simple Teochew family”.

Dr Kee said he would be happy to conduct talks on his work at Malaysian universities if there are opportunities.

His advice to Malaysians who wish to study at Tsinghua or Peking University is simply to study hard, get good grades and be focused.

However, he added that there are many other universities in China besides these top two.

He said Tsinghua also offers other disciplines, especially at the post-graduate level in economics, architecture, and law, which are conducted in English for international students.

To watch the full interview with Dr Kee, follow @realchuwai on Facebook and YouTube. 

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Tuesday 28 March 2023

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND I; Cybercriminals exploit chatbots

In just a matter of months, people have started integrating generative chatbots and other AI tools into their work processes.

 



Loh says it’s neces­sary to provide a lot of con­text for chat­gpt to give a good out­put. — Loh chi FUNG
By adding chat­gpt to her work­flow, Gan has been able to open up a whole new world of cre­at­ive pos­sib­il­it­ies. — Joey Gan

 

 Venese uses both dall-e and chat­gpt to gen­er­ate ref­er­ence mater­i­als for the early stages of his work. — VENESE ren­gasamy.

 

IN case you tuned out of the news cycle the past few months, here’s a rundown on the tool that has reignited the artificial intelligence (AI) craze: CHATGPT.

CHATGPT, built by Openai with its Generative Pretrained Transformer 3.5 (GPT-3.5) language model, is essentially a chatbot that can produce startlingly human-like responses.

Trained on content from the Internet up to 2021, the chatbot is capable of composing everything from essays to poetry and even providing detailed instructions for just about anything.

However, it comes with the caveat of “hallucinating” from time to time – the term used when the chatbot loses grip on reality and makes incorrect assumptions or quotes sources that don’t exist.

Despite that, it’s been hyped up as a major disruptor in the way we work and how we obtain information from the Internet.

Betting on bots

As tech companies scramble to take the lead when it comes to AI, people are finding ways to harness its power too.

Sydney, an accounts executive with a marketing agency who wanted to stay anonymous, says the technology has seen mass adoption in her company, with CHATGPT being the primary tool.

“We’ve integrated it extensively into our work process, and our editorial team uses it for their first drafts and researching projects.

“At the end of the day, it still has to go through a human for fact-checking and verification before it’s finalised.

“Whenever we receive a new client and need to familiarise ourselves with their company and industry background, CHATGPT breaks it down and takes care of the heavy lifting.

“This in turn makes the information more digestible and allows us to focus more on our role as consultants,” says Sydney, adding that before CHATGPT she would spend three to four hours drafting each document, which now only takes half the time because of the chatbot.

Sydney describes CHATGPT as a more useful version of Google search, saying that it’s great at providing concise information on unfamiliar topics, which has streamlined her work.

She has also used the chatbot to translate text from English to Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin, and believes it does a better job than existing options on the market.

Others have also made use of this technology to handle tasks outside of their primary roles, which is the case for system administrator Seth Lee.

“It hasn’t really had that much of an impact on my main day-to-day work, but when it comes to communicating with clients, it’s been very helpful.

“Since the nature of our work can get quite technical, this saves me the headache of having to simplify my explanations manually, which can be tough since some terms are especially technical.

“My primary role isn’t client-facing, so ideally I want to minimise time spent on writing emails so I can focus on my actual job,” he says.

As a copywriter, Benjamin Steve Richard makes use of CHATGPT as a productivity tool for his advertising campaigns, particularly during the early brainstorming stages.

“Usually, once the client brief is given, I’ll think of ideas or concepts that will fit their needs.

“I’ll include other parameters like tone and manner in my request to CHATGPT so that it gives me variations in the directions I’m after.

“Then I repeat this a few more times on different concepts before pitching them to the client,” he adds.

Like Sydney, Benjamin Steve stresses that there’s more to it than just copying and pasting, with the output still requiring a human to vet.

Meanwhile, Malaysian market lead for Precious Communications, Joey Gan, has been using the chatbot on a daily basis, saying, “Incorporating CHATGPT into my writing, planning and brainstorming has been a game changer for me, as it has significantly reduced the time required for these tasks.

“However, what’s even more exciting is that as I’ve grown more comfortable using CHATGPT, I’ve discovered that my ideas are expanding and taking on a life of their own.

“By using CHATGPT proactively to generate topic ideas and find alternatives, I’m able to tap into a wealth of creative possibilities that I might not have considered otherwise.

“Of course, while CHATGPT is an incredibly useful tool, we have to be aware of its limitations and ultimately, we are the final judge of our own work,” she says.

Bigger picture

Ai-powered tools are also being used in the sphere of creative design, as freelance motion graphics designer Venese Rengasamy has discovered.

“I have used Dall-e (an AI image generator) to put placeholders in my work to get a stronger vision of the project’s direction before creating my own assets.

“It can be difficult to find a specific picture that conveys a certain style or mood otherwise, so being able to describe what you need with keywords helps.

“CHATGPT has also been useful in generating scripts that I reference for my videos.

“I usually request the AI to write a script using the main points that I provide, and from there, I extract whatever I find useful and paraphrase it,” he says.

Dall-e isn’t the only image-generating AI tool, with Midjourney and Stable Diffusion being some notable examples.

The same can be said for Openai’s CHATGPT (with the newly released GPT-4 powering Microsoft’s Bing), which sees Google’s Bard and Meta’s LLAMA as rising competitors.

Even though CHATGPT made headlines for being able to pass the law exams overseas, the reality of the matter isn’t so simple.

A freelance paralegal service provider who wanted to be identified as just Nicko says he has been using AI to trim turnaround time.

“I’ve used CHATGPT to draft simple agreements for clients, but it can be hit or miss.

“If it’s for a legal submission, for example, you need to feed it with a lot of cases before you can get something decent.

“But even then, the results aren’t good enough for the courts. For simple legal agreements or even standard ones, it’s pretty good, provided you get the prompt right.

“You will still need to go through it since there may be irrelevant clauses. And, of course, always check with a lawyer after you’ve drafted it,” he says.

CHATGPT has also earned a reputation for being able to provide code based on users’ descriptions of the program.

According to software developer Lee, her company has been using an Ai-assisted coding tool in its workflow even before CHATGPT began making waves.

“I personally think CHATGPT is like a fancy Google search. It’s nice for inspiration and ideas, but not really helpful if you need something specific.

“For instance, people who can’t read code may copy and paste codes from CHATGPT but will not know how to read or tailor them to fit their needs.

“Using it involves a mix of knowing the right keywords and commands to get the output you want.

“I don’t really like it and prefer to just use the old school way of using Google search and reading off forums,” she says.

For context, standard Ai-assisted coding tools function to provide code based on requirements set by programmers with intrinsic knowledge of coding.

On the other hand, a tool like CHATGPT will give you code based on just a description, even if you don’t know anything about programming.

However, this will run the risk of possibly failing to meet all of the program’s requirements and being incomplete, which may render it non-functional.

Wong, a software engineer who wished to remain anonymous, echoes this sentiment.

“CHATGPT is capable of giving advice on technical issues, but directly searching Stack Overflow (a Q&A website for programmers) gave a better answer.

“Chatgpt’s answer had portions of the Stack Overflow solution, but it was incomplete.

“We needed to update the .Net core hosting bundle, which was entirely missing in the chatbot response,” he says.

One pattern consistent with CHATGPT use is that AI tools like it are being used in the initial stages of a project or for simple tasks, requiring careful verification by humans. And there are other hurdles that must be crossed before one can use CHATGPT efficiently.

Garbage in, garbage out

CHATGPT is capable of a lot, but the quality of its responses is reliant on user input, so the old computer concept of “garbage in, garbage out” couldn’t be more true.

According to Sydney, her company organised tutorials on the use of the CHATGPT, covering both the standard operating procedure (SOP) as well as tips and tricks.

“I can see AI tools being heavily integrated at other companies in the future, especially considering how they’ve already become an important part of ours.

“When working with CHATGPT, at times, you’ll need to ask for more information or request a change in sentence structure.

“But those are small things that can be fixed quickly with a change in wording or request,” she says.

The tutorials offered by her company covered basic how-tos and things to look out for, which were mainly for those that were less tech savvy.

For Gan, the amplification of bias from the datasets the AI was trained from is a concern, especially from the perspective of data integrity.

“As a PR professional, or any professional for that matter, it is integral to ensure transparency and that our sources are verified and validated.

“With AI, it can be hard to know what goes on behind the code, which means that using the output from generative AI requires manual interpretation and assessment.

“AI is also unlikely to decipher and understand intent, so if one has malicious intent, such as writing a phishing email, there’s no stopping the AI from helping with that,” she says.

Some companies, on the other hand, are more apprehensive towards the technology.

The insurance industry in particular has been wary about this technological change, according to an insurance admin who wanted to be identified as just Mark.

“A core part of our industry is evaluating the truth when it comes to claims made by all parties involved.

“The nature of AI being unable to provide critical evaluation of a scenario makes it a poor fit for our industry’s needs at this point in time.

“Coupled with how much sensitive information our industry deals with, management is very hesitant to allow its use, for good reasons.

“Since we handle a lot of personal data that is safeguarded under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) 2010, it’s difficult for us to make a move towards this tech.

“Doing so may expose confidential data to a third-party that has not been contracted to handle it, which goes against our strict policy,” he says.

Mark also cites the costs associated with transitioning to and implementing Ai-powered tools as another reason for his company’s wariness.

SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) operator Loh Chi Fung brought up the fact that one needs to have a certain amount of knowledge about the topic that the AI is being used for.

“You need to provide a lot of context for CHATGPT to work and give you a good output.

“Sometimes, laymen like me don’t have all the inputs needed, particularly when the task at hand is a legal one.

“Plus, with the database it was trained on being dated to 2021, newer developments are not taken into consideration.

However, with new models arriving on the scene, much of the limitation faced today may likely just be a problem of the past.

By CHRISTOPHER FAM lifestyletech@thestar.com.my

Cybercriminals exploit chatbots

 CHATGPT has gained a lot of attention for its ability to generate realistic human responses to text-based input, particularly in academia.

So far, it’s been used for multiple legitimate purposes. Some major companies have turned to the tool to conduct business.

But the Better Business Bureau explained recently that cybercriminals have also taken advantage of the program’s AI’S capabilities for malicious purposes, like phishing, impersonation and even romance scams.

“Scammers have historically been on the cutting edge of technology and I don’t see this being any different,” Tom Bartholomy, CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Piedmont and Western North Carolina, said.

“As they see that work, as they see people engaging with it, they’re just going to continue to refine it and continue to find other scams that they can feed that same technology into.”

Harder to spot

Bartholomy said most of the CHATGPT scams so far have involved phishing and impersonation.

For example, scammers posing as Amazon send out emails notifying customers that their accounts have been deactivated and later requesting personal information.

“One of the tells that we’ve always cautioned people on when they get an email or a text is that if there are any misspellings, if the grammar is poor, or if the sentence structure is just off, that can be a pretty good sign that you’re dealing with a scammer. CHATGPT takes all that away,” Bartholomy said.

“It’s going to make it easier for the scammers and make it more difficult for us as consumers to be able to discern what’s legitimate and what’s fake.”

Chatbots have been around for years, especially for business customer service assistance.

Bartholomy explained that Chatgpt’s advanced conversational model has made it harder for consumers to pick up on red flags.

That type of technology has been around longer than CHATGPT ... where you think you’re engaging with someone on a live chat.

“It’s actually just a bunch of canned responses until you give them a question that they can answer.

“Now with CHATGPT, that conversation can continue based on the questions that you have and the database that they’re pulling information from,” Bartholomy said.

Protect yourself

The Better Business Bureau recommends that online consumers watch for any suspicious activity.

> Be cautious of unsolicited messages.

> Verify the identity of the person you’re chatting with by asking for contact information.

> Scrutinise the text for red flags.

> Use two-factor authentication for your online accounts.

> Use a password manager to generate and store strong passwords.

> Be careful when downloading files or clicking on links.

;– The Charlotte Observer/tribune News Service

 

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China’s opening-up resonates with the values of the world, Boao Forum for Asia

 

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Immediately following the three-day China Development Forum 2023 (CDF) which concluded on Monday, the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023 kicks off on Tuesday. Senior political figures from various countries, heads of international organizations, and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies have visited China intensively these days, and their strong expectations for the Chinese economy and their urgent desire to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with China are self-evident. The two high-level forums, one in the south and the other in the north, have created a hot atmosphere throughout China, bringing spring warmth to the global economy in the cold wind.

The CDF primarily is a platform for large multinational corporations. This year's theme is "Economic Recovery: Opportunities and Cooperation." The Boao Forum for Asia focuses on inviting more political leaders from various countries to participate, with the theme: "An Uncertain World: Solidarity and Cooperation for Development amid Challenges." Both forums underline the keyword "cooperation" and have received positive responses from the outside world. Despite the continuous gloomy international situation, it cannot conceal the common aspiration that seeks opening-up, cooperation and win-win development, instead of seclusion, confrontation and monopoly. This will effectively hedge against many uncertainties currently arising and provide a stable anchor for the giant ship of human society's shared destiny. 

Currently, the variability and complexity of the international political and economic environment are unprecedented. Problems such as high inflation, high debt, slow economic growth, and energy and food crises have emerged in both Eastern and Western countries. In this circumstance, many countries hope to find a cooperative space to maintain sustainable economic growth. Previously, the G20 Bali summit has proven that cooperation is possible. Although there are still voices hyping decoupling and outsourcing, the global trend of solidarity and cooperation in seeking economic recovery is irresistible. What the world needs is to unite this hope, combine efforts, and involve the maximum range of countries, striving not to let any country fall behind. China is the biggest driving force and certainty factor in this endeavor.

The world has turned its attention to China, and China has also opened its arms to embrace the world. This positive interaction has been deepening. The holding of the two major forums once again proves this point. In the past decade, China's average contribution to global economic growth has exceeded 30 percent, and according to IMF's forecast, China will contribute one-third of global economic growth this year. A 1 percentage point increase in GDP growth in China leads to 0.3 percentage point increase in growth in other Asian economies, on average. In addition, there have been continuous bank failures in the US and Europe recently, and a financial crisis is approaching. However, China does not have significant pressure from inflation or deflation, and its monetary policy has a greater room for maneuvering. The stability of China's economy and finance will also provide positive spillover effects for the volatile international financial market.

As the most active and sensitive tentacles of globalization, moves of large multinational enterprises are representative. We have noticed that many American media outlets are paying close attention to Apple CEO Tim Cook's trip to China and at the same time mentioned the "dramatically different treatment" that TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew received in Washington a few days ago. In China, Cook "gave an optimistic speech that was met with applause." He described Apple's relationship with China as "a symbiotic kind of relationship that we have both enjoyed." However, in the US, Shou Zi Chew faced several hours of questioning, which was a "politically motivated crowd-pleasing drama." Such a contrast is obviously very strong.

This shows that cooperation has urgent practical significance at present. Because some people continue to create obstacles, the world needs to form a powerful force to overcome and correct them. It requires joint efforts from all parties. China has always stood on the side of peace, development, and cooperation. From the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China to the two sessions and to the two major forums, China has sent extremely strong signal to promote high-level opening-up. Multinational enterprises have felt the warmth of being "one family" on this land. This will, in turn, promote the international community's vigilance and resistance toward decoupling. In fact, the more daunting the challenge is, the stronger the collective resistance against it will be, and this is determined by the strong inherent driving force of peace and development.

The holding of the two major forums not only shows China has met the world halfway in the economic field but also represents a resonance of Chinese values with the international community. From Global Development Initiative to Global Security Initiative and to Global Civilization Initiative, the interaction between the world and China has already surpassed the economic and trade level. Chinese values have taken root and are bearing fruits. The appeal and attractiveness it creates have appeared at the venues of the two major forums and in the enthusiastic interactions between multinational enterprises and China. It will appear in every corner of the world in the future. 

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  • China's contribution to regional, global devt in focus at Boao Forum

    Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2023 and deliver a keynote speech in South China's Hainan Province on Thursday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Monday, marking Li's first address at the major Asian forum after becoming the Chinese Premier earlier this month.

 
 

 

 

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Sunday 5 February 2023

Substance over style/form: ‘Dress down’ to suit current times

 

https://schoolings.org/substance-over-form-concept-in-accounting-definition-how-to-identify-substance-over-form/

New style seen to project less bureaucracy

In a new dress-down era, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his Cabinet are paving the way with their ‘tie-less’ approach, which highlights less bureaucracy and formality. There is no point having government leaders in designer suits if they lack emotional intelligence and are corrupt, say image experts.

Less formal: Anwar is setting a trend for workplace dress code.


 

PETALING JAYA: The “dress down” culture of the government is being well-accepted all around, with experts saying the new approach highlights less bureaucracy and formality.

The post-pandemic environment has ushered in a trend of informality in the workplace, according to professional image consultant Dolly Kee.

ALSO READ: One-year break from donning ties in Dewan Rakyat

She said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who these days seldom wears a necktie, was conveying an image of a leader who wants to be seen as relatable, genuine, relaxed and approachable.

Anwar had opted for a pair of baju melayu and sandals when clocking in on his first day in office on Nov 25, 2022.

The PKR president chaired a no-tie Cabinet meeting on Dec 7, 2022. “It is definitely his deliberate choice which, when in the right environment and when he has confidence and stylish intention, can certainly work,” she said.

However, Anwar has been photographed wearing a complete suit and tie as well as songkok when having an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and other rulers, including the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, and the Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

“The suit-and-tie look is highly recommended as a complete set for most professional and formal events or occasions.

“This is especially true for events involving an audience with royalty and high-level meetings with country heads and senior foreign dignitaries, as well as while attending parliamentary sittings, where the highest degree of decorum is to be expected,” she said.

She pointed out that batik shirts and the baju melayu could be vibrant alternatives to the formal suit-and-tie look.

“We are blessed with our beautiful batik shirts and baju melayu for men. The quality of each of the dress choices, such as long-sleeved batik shirts, offers our senior top officials the classy-style equivalent of the suit and tie.

“Generally, be it in the civil service or the corporate sector, if your boss doesn’t wear a tie, jacket or blazer, any subordinate who does will inadvertently commit the faux pas of ‘outdressing the boss’,” said Kee.

Urbane Academy Sdn Bhd founder Georgianna Das said times had changed as far as the professional dress code was concerned.

“Everyone should be comfortable wearing what they want to, as long as it’s not garish, vulgar or jarring to anyone. Malaysians would want leaders who have integrity and put the welfare of all citizens in the country first.

“There is no point having government leaders in designer business suits if they lack emotional intelligence and practise corruption, nepotism or cronyism,” said Das.

Deputy Health Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni said most of the ministers and senior officers opted for the no-tie look as they wanted to display the same image as the prime minister.

“It’s a matter of individual choice and style whether to wear a tie or otherwise when attending official programmes,” he said. 

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Related stories:

 

One-year break from donning ties in Dewan Rakyat

 

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      Anwar: No govt interference | The Star Bersatu's accounts frozen more than 2 weeks ago, says MACC chief  https://www.freemala..

 

2+2=22 The videos below show a teacher telling a student that he failed because he wrote the incorrect answer – that 2 + 2 equals 4, not 2...

Alternate World Where Math Is Different. 2+2= 22 And Not 4

 
An elementary school math teacher is challenged by parents, the principal, and even the mayor, when she tells a student that “2+2=4”.
 

 

Saturday 4 June 2022

Is it arrogance or inferiority to engage in ‘critical dialogue’ with China?: Global Times editorial

China US Illustration: Liu Rui/GT China US Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

The Chinese-language website of Deutsche Welle on Tuesday published a commentary entitled "Maintaining critical dialogue with China is more important than ever." The article is filled with clichés about so-called "human rights issues in Xinjiang," which are not worth reading. But the phrase "critical dialogue" in the headline is intriguing. It is in fact the main attitude of the US and other Western countries in communicating with non-Western nations in recent years.

This is, in most cases, an unconscious revelation of American and Western elites' inner feeling of superiority. But now they put it forward consciously and promote it as an "effective way" to deal with China. This cannot be explained simply by "pride and prejudice." They did not articulate it in the past, but Western countries have been practicing and enhancing the so-called critical dialogue with China. It has become an approach or even a weapon in the West's strategic game with China. In other words, they are trying to "lecture" China under the cover of "dialogue."

In global interactions, disagreements are common. It is also normal to express different views or even criticize without mincing words. However, equal dialogue cannot be based on the premise that some values are superior to others. It also cannot be only one party lecturing or accusing the other. The US and the West's "critical dialogue" is condescending, and the implied logic is that only they have the ability, qualification and power to determine right and wrong. This means that one party already claimed the moral high ground before the "dialogue" even begins, which dwarfs the development level and moral image of other countries.

Colonialism has long been discarded as something despicable, but Western-centric power structures and mentality have not disappeared completely. Colonialism has been subtly transplanted into various aspects, lurking in Western political language and communication methods. Some elites in the US and the West, with a strong sense of superiority on civilization, regard non-Western countries as candidates waiting for their "approval." With ideological pointers in their hands, they took to the podium to oversee exams, judge papers, and then grade them based on the "performance" of these countries to determine whether they passed the exam. As for the standard of scoring, it is drawn by the US and the West according to their own historical and social formations, and "Western-centrism" is the only correct answer in all the exams.

In their eyes, only the West is right, civilized and advanced, while those who differ from them are branded as "evil," barbaric and backward. They forcibly create a dichotomy between "civilization" and "barbarism." On this fictional premise, they attach moral labels on different practices of other countries, trying to dwarf them in image so that they can "attack others from a high position" as they wish. It is for this reason they recklessly fabricate the lie of "genocide" in Xinjiang, audaciously call for "punishing China" by various means, and frantically threaten to bomb China "back into the Stone Age."

Sometimes, arrogance is a kind of overbearingness; sometimes, it is also a kind of deep inferiority. In the face of the rise of emerging market countries, including China, and their own troubles, the US and other Western countries are becoming increasingly overwhelmed. Faced with the narrowing gap between them and emerging market countries, they have to rely on slogans of "human rights" and "democracy" to maintain their "absolute advantage." The reason why they are so sensitive to their position in the dialogue is that they are aware of the disappearance of the absolute advantage they used to have. As a result, they have to deliberately highlight their discourse power to maintain the obsolete power structure behind it, which has become a subconscious reaction.

Even in the fields of human rights and democracy, the US and the West are increasingly lagging behind, relying only on slogans, posturing and fist-pumping to show their "self-esteem," which is actually laughable to the rest of the world. The West's self-confidence is collapsing, as the democratization of international relations is increasingly popular and as developing countries' awareness of their rights is strengthening. Today, if someone still wants to engage in colonialism and ideological hegemony, or even imagines leading other countries by the nose like livestock, no country with national pride and a sense of independence will obey.

Returning to the "critical dialogue," China has never been afraid of criticism, but firmly opposes hegemony. Times have changed, and US and Western elites should learn to be equal and respectful. Dialogue is necessary, and we welcome "constructive dialogue," but we reject "critical dialogue." We would also like to remind that a condescending posture is dangerous, because the farther you are from the ground, the harder you may fall. 

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Chinese envoy to the United Nations on Thursday sternly refuted the allegations of “genocide” made by the US and the UK over human rights situation in China's Xinjiang region, after the two countries took a Security Council meeting on international law and maintaining peace and security as a chance to attack China on Xinjiang-related issues. They have also called on another “investigative” trip to Xinjiang on Thursday after they found that the UN human rights chief's recent visit to Xinjiang had failed to support their “genocide” fallacies about the region.
 
US govt 'biggest producer of terrorism within or outside America,' victims around the world should sue: experts

After frequent gun shooting cases nationwide in the US that caused heavy casualties, including children, the White House and Capitol Hill are trying to show that they are trying to find a solution under pressure from society, as US President Joe Biden said Congress "must act to pass gun control legislation." 

 

The US, whose flag flies over 750 military bases in more than 80 countries and regions, seems to be sitting on pins and needles after witnessing China sign ONE security cooperation framework agreement with the Solomon Islands. On Tuesday local time, US President Joe Biden met with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in the White House. Their “shared concern” about China's security agreement and “China's Pacific ambitions” were soon placed under the spotlight of Western media outlets.

 

 

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Moral vacuum at the heart of modernity, now embodied in US laws!

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` In short, historically it was the Church that gave the moral blessing for colonisation, slavery and genocide during the Age of Globalisation. The tragedy is that the Doctrine of Discovery is now embodied in US laws.
 

Sunday 22 May 2022

Act swiftly to prevent data breaches

 


The Most EFFECTIVE WAYS to Prevent a Security Data Breach

 

THE allegation that the personal data of 22.5 million Malaysians born between 1940 and 2004, purportedly from the National Registration Department (NRD), have been stolen and sold on the dark web is a serious concern.

According to local tech portal Amanz, the 160GB database containing information such as a person’s name, identity card number, address, date of birth, gender, race, religion, mobile number, and Base54-based photo, is being sold for US$10,000 (about RM43,885) at a well-known database marketplace forum.

In a screenshot shared by the portal, the seller claimed that the database was an expanded repository from the one he sold in September last year.

In the incident last year, the personal data of four million Malaysians were allegedly leaked from the MyIdentity API (application programming interface) and put up for sale at RM35,419.

MyIdentity is a national data-sharing platform that allows government agencies to access individuals’ details from a centralised repository.

This is not the only government database that has been put on sale this year. Apparently, a couple of weeks earlier, the same seller had posted a database allegedly belonging to 802,259 Malaysian voters, obtained from the Election Commission’s website, on the black market.

And sadly, these are not the only incidences of government database breaches.

While the Home Affairs Ministry has denied that the latest database leak was from NRD, the police, on the other hand, have already started their investigation into the breach.

But whatever the outcome is, with the rising number of cases involving government personal data leaks, the authorities must be held accountable for such breaches.

Heads, especially those given the task of ensuring the safety and security of these public data, must roll.

They must be held accountable for their failure in protecting the people’s interests and in ensuring the safety and security of their private details, which could easily be abused.

The government must also act swiftly to address the weaknesses in their system and reassure Malaysians of a better solution to safeguard data stored by government departments and agencies.

It is a question of public safety.

Scammers could use the stolen data to cheat people of their money, while telemarketers would have a field day making unsolicited calls from the leaked telephone numbers of Malaysians.

To prevent leaked data from being misused, the government, including the police, must work harder to go after scammers, who could use such information to trick victims, especially via the Macau scam.Last year, 1,585 Macau scam cases were reported nationwide, resulting in RM560.8mil in losses. This year, the number has already reached 1,258 cases as at April 19, involving RM65.4mil in losses.

As for telemarketing, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) must be more vigilant and introduce sterner measures to prevent unsolicited calls.

Actions to stop the scammers and unsolicited calls would restore people’s confidence in government agencies despite the data breach.

Lastly, as the custodian of all Malaysians’ data, the government must also be held accountable for any breach.

Currently, the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA) does not apply to the federal and state governments. Instead, it only covers commercial entities.

While proposals to amend the PDPA, including making the government accountable, have been made, the amendments have yet to be tabled in Parliament.

Therefore, lawmakers should seriously consider the urgency of the amendments to make Malaysians’ personal data safer in the public domain, preventing them from falling into the wrong hands for illegal use.

This has to be done quickly to prevent more of such data breaches before it is too late and puts national security at risk. 

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 Related:

Hisham: Data leak won't affect national security

'Govt must also be held accountable' | The Star

Public fuming over another likely data leak

CLICK TO ENLARGECLICK TO ENLARGE

PETALING JAYA: The public are outraged over another alleged data leak containing the information of 22.5 million Malaysians born between 1940 and 2004, stolen from the National Registration Department (NRD).

Many are anticipating more scam calls and SMSes as well as fraudulent online transactions to occur over the breach.

Businessman Amirul Asraf, 31, from Wangsa Melawati, said such incidents were the root cause for many the scam calls people are receiving on a daily basis.

“With these data, scammers can convince people that they are calling from the banks, courts, police and authorities. This will make people’s lives harder.

“I read a case where a poor man who obtained assistance from his local assemblyman was cheated after a scammer emptied him out. The assemblyman had to help the victim again as a result.

ALSO READ: ‘Govt must also be held accountable’

“These scammers are heartless. They don’t care if they take a lot or a little or whom they trick, as long as they get the money,” he said.

Software engineer Ahmad Ridzwan, 30, from Bukit Jalil, could only say “Malaysia Boleh” in relation to the leak taking place.

“Not sure what else to comment. This is the worst possible leak because our identifiable data is out in the open and the identity card is the most important one of all,” he said.

Sales executive Shivaendra Gunasegaram, 30, from Petaling Jaya, said smartphones and social media companies already had all data pertaining to the individuals.

As such, all personal information was accessible to many people, he said.

“As long as there are no unauthorised transactions from our bank accounts, I feel that there’s nothing to worry about.

“The advantage of being poor is that they probably won’t target my account because there’s not much in it,” he said jokingly.

Meanwhile, the data leak report continued to create a buzz in online forums and on social media, with many people expressing their unhappiness over the government’s inability to protect vital information from being leaked repeatedly over the years.On Facebook, user Zaidi Rudy said: “Brace yourselves, scam calls are coming in.”

Dennis Ooi said: “Was SOLD mean somebody have to go jail. Any action taken on those responsible. Or tangkap lepas again.”

Wan Meng Lee questioned: “Why the rakyat confidential information can be sold off is it not kept safely omg.”

Abdul Hamid said: “If they know the data being sold, they definitely know who is the seller.”

In the Lowyat forum, user bananjoe said: “Habis go and overhaul the whole new mykad. This is epic ridiculous. Government IT staff doing what ???”

Sycamore said: ”So absurd. But why am I not surprised? Absurdity is the reality.”

Radiowarrior1337 said: “This needs to kena and people head must roll. Tidak apa attitude and biar la dah hack kan so mari lepak minum teh now to discuss what scenario he obtains the data.”

Wednesday 4 May 2022

Young designer aims to show pride, passion China’s homemade aircraft carrier Shandong brings

http://1253985869.vod2.myqcloud.com/ee20c49fvodtransgzp1253985869/54591bcc387702300148005698/v.f100040.mp4

 



Sailors in the fashion clothing pose in front of the aircraft carrier Shandong for the street style photos. Photo: Courtesy of Glory Made

Sailors in the fashion clothing pose in front of the aircraft carrier Shandong for the street style photos. Photo: Courtesy of Glory Made



Editor's note:

China's first white paper published recently on its youth describes its young generation as "confident, aspirant and responsible". According to the document, Chinese youth possess a global vision and stand at the forefront of the times bursting with commitment: pursuing lofty ideals with a firm belief in socialism with Chinese characteristics. Young people are also described in the paper as full of patriotism, displaying the sterling quality of living up to responsibilities and striving to be contributors to the country's development.

Wednesday marks the national Youth Day, which falls on May 4 to honor the patriotic youth movement - the 1919 May Fourth Movement that began 103 years ago. On this special occasion which also marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Youth League of China, the Global Times presents a series of stories about four prominent figures of the young generation, who were nourished in great times with ample opportunities and have been sparing no efforts in promoting Guochao, also known as Chinese trends or "China chic", to the international stage. Looking ahead to the new era, their stories fully showcase that youth is the most active and vital force in society and the hopes of a country and the future of a nation lie in their hands. This is the second part in the series in which we can get to see these young faces, a young designer who is helping popularize China's aircraft carrier culture centering the Shandong vessel.The rest stories are Gen-Z director amazes world with ancient dancing show, pledges to be cultural promoter, and Young Chinese culture promoter presents traditional handicrafts to Oxford Uni and Milan Fashion Week.

It was April 23, the PLA Navy Day in China, and 24-year-old Tang Ziwei was even busier. The designer behind the fashion line of the Shandong, China's first domestically designed and built aircraft carrier, had to catch up for new products to meet the enthusiasm among young people for China's own fast developing naval culture.

"Not only the whole team including me but also thousands of China's navy fans are so excited about the day, when we can cheer for China's navy," the 1998-born Tang told the Global Times. "What's more, I feel even prouder to part of it, being able to contribute to the country's own navy culture with my talent and the understanding of China's culture".

Three years after the Shandong vesselwas launchedin 2017, the Glory Made, the studio that Tang works at, released the first culture products for the ship from baseball cap hats to toy models. "It turned out to be a great success among young public, who show great interest in the Shandong vessel and our navy," recalled Xie dahuan, who runs the studio. "All sold out. People need to make orders first and wait for weeks before receiving them."

Sailors in the fashion clothing pose in front of the aircraft carrier Shandong for the street style photos. Photo: Courtesy of Glory Made

Sailors in the fashion clothing pose in front of the aircraft carrier Shandong for the street style photos. Photo: Courtesy of Glory Made



Passion for PLA Navy

The passion and pride for China's own homemade aircraft carrier influence ordinary people who are willing to get close to it, but also the designers like Tang who make it their own dream to getting more people fall in love with China's own naval culture.

In order to achieve that goal, the Glory Made released the fashion clothing line in the summer of 2021, which includes T-shirts, jackets, shorts and even the popular flight jackets full of China's own design languages and culture elements.

"You see the logo that we designed, the Chinese characters as well as the pandas graphic designs ... they are unique and represent our young people's cultural confidence," said Tang, who visited the Shandong ship for inspiration only months after joining the studio.

Having been fully prepared to see such a large ship, 300 meters at length and over 20 floors tall, she was still stunned to stand in front of the 75,000-ton sea giant. "It is too spectacular. Words can't even express my feelings that time: pride, excitement, joy and more," she recalled.

Claiming she wasn't a military fan herself, the young girl fell in love with the ship after the trip. "Stepping on the ship and talking with these young people, soldiers, pilots, most at my age, help me make up the mind to introduce to more people with the pride feeling, passion and positive energy that I learned from them and experienced myself," she said. Even her PC's wallpaper is a picture of the Shandong vessel.

Photo: Designer Tang Ziwei

Photo: Designer Tang Ziwei



Chinese aesthetic culture

How to make young people be attracted to these cultural products has been something that Tang and her colleagues started to plan from the very beginning. Every detail has been carefully added with China's elements like propitious clouds embroidery on the baseball cap.

To Tang, create things with Guochao or China chic style is the reason why she started. "Staying true to my original heart means that I need to apply these inspirations that our own culture brings and show the cultural confidence that wearing these products can bring," she said. Tang hopes to spread traditional culture among her peers especially those born after 1995.

As one of them, Tang knows better than anyone else. "We are growing up during the country's fast developing period and witnessing the strength of China. So we are eager to tell the world about our sincere patriotic feelings and cultural pride."

Clothing is the best carrier of that cultural onfidence. In Tang's designs, the name of the Shandong ship in Chinese characters is embroidered on the front of their most popular flight jacket, bring a feeling of "fancy and high class"; "Serve the People," the Chinese writing of the Communist Party of China's motto is also attached on several styles of T-shirts that both young people and sailors on the Shandong ship love to wear.

A series of street-style photo shoots that the sailors and pilots in these clothes posed in front of the ship has been widely covered by both Chinese media outlets and overseas ones like CNN.

According to Tang, the T-shirts imprinted with the image of a robot panda are also popular with young sailors due to the design which they find cool, half of the lovely beast in the suit of a jet pilot and the other half in the X-rayed mechanical structure while its claws being boosted with jets.

Besides, due to the safety requirement on the ship, these sailors have to wear clothes made of pure cotton in some occasions. "Xinjiang cotton, one of the best in the world has been wildly used on the whole clothing line. It feels soft and comfortable," she added.

From the raw material and designs, Tang and her colleagues are choosing the best of the best of the Shandong cultural products. "Young people like me, who refuse the idea of tangping (lying flat), are working in every area to let the world see the strength of Chinese people, the power of Chinese design and feel the warmth of Chinese culture," Tang said. 

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