Dr Bertha Chin (she/her)

A few more days left to submit your abstract!! #fanstudies #transculturalfandoms

Commentary: What Venezuela and Greenland really tell us about Trump’s America What the world is witnessing is far more consequential than the temporary phenomenon of US President Donald Trump testing the limits of his power, says veteran newspaper editor Han Fook Kwang.

There is another explanation: They are signs of the decline of a great power struggling to keep its place at the head of the table in a world that is rapidly changing.”

www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/t...

Anger as branch of ICE to help with security at Winter Olympics ROME: A branch of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will help with security for the Winter Olympics in Italy, it confirmed on Tuesday (Jan 27), sparking anger and warnings they were not...

As long as the western world enables them, their actions will be normalised. They’re already behaving like private militia so what’s stopping them from firing against anyone they see fit? We’re hinging on the “morality” of an immoral man. It’s bonkers

www.channelnewsasia.com/sport/us-ice...

For a moment, I thought it was going to be a bittersweet and sad ending, #TaxiDriver3. I hope there’ll be a season 4 🤞🏼

Yes, well, you set the precedent when you didn’t condemn him for invading another country and kidnapped its leader right under everyone’s eyes, no matter how problematic you seem said leader was. And now you expect Trump to not be emboldened by that? Funny.

Dr Sim: Sarawakians who don’t come home to contribute are not truly successful KUCHING, Jan 9 — Sarawakians who choose not to return to their homeland to contribute to the state’s development are not truly successful, said Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian.The...

What is it then when you’ve gone back to try and do exactly this but your expertise and contribution are gaslit and spat back in your face? Hazing? A test of mettle to prove you’re really successful and thus can withstand workplace bullying?

www.malaymail.com/news/malaysi...

Grok Is Undressing Women and Children. Only Elon Musk Is to Blame The abuse is widespread. But instead of apologizing, Musk has gleefully encouraged the behavior, praising Grok’s ability and promoting the tool.

“Grok is generating at least one non-consensual sexual image every minute”

FSNNA 2026 Committee Application FSNNA held its first conference in October 2018 to gather fan studies scholars in one place to meet, share new research, and promote the study of fanworks and fan cultures. During the Covid-19 pandemi...

Psst! Hey you!
The FSNNA Organizing Committee is recruiting new volunteers to bring fresh perspectives & ideas to the committee, and we'd love it if you applied!

Applications are open till Jan 31, 2026. Don't miss out!

Agreed. Plus the animation is just breathtakingly beautiful for me - like paintings I can spend hours reflecting on. Totoro as well, the countryside scenes always make me miss Japan.

Definitely a soft spot for Kiki! Princess Mononoke was a close one for me, because it was the first one I saw in the cinema but nothing beats Howl’s.

Definitely Howl’s Moving Castle

It’s not about drugs. If it was, Trump wouldn’t have pardoned one of the largest narco traffickers in the world last month.

It’s about oil and regime change.

And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from his sinking under Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.

Just got off the phone with @SecRubio He informed me that Nicolás Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant This action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack Thank you, @SecRubio, for keeping me apprised

As we all said, international law, such as it was, no longer exists. The United States, following Israel’s precedent, considers itself to have the explicit authority to blatantly violate sovereignty anywhere in the world and abduct even leaders of other states.

There are no guardrails whatsoever.

‘It’s frightening’: How far right is infiltrating everyday culture Extremist messaging now woven into music and YouTube videos, with one expert saying: ‘You can be radicalised sitting on your couch’

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

I’m so sorry to hear this. I mean, foreigners can just very simply choose not to go like I’ve done so. And it’ll be so complicated and frustrating for you.

Tourists to US would have to reveal five years of social media activity under new Trump plan Plan would apply to countries not currently required to get visas to the US, including Britain and France

It’ll just be like entering any other country ruled by dictators that the West have loved to criticised. 🤷🏻‍♀️

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Waiting for the outrage…

📢 #CallForPapers for the Trans #Asian Transcultural #Fandom Symposium happening on May 28, 2026 prior to @mechademia.bsky.social in #Singapore🇸🇬

Deadline for 500-word abstract⏳Feb 1
Find out more ▶️ transasianfan.wordpress.com

We welcome your submissions🫰

@berthac.bsky.social @profweiyu.bsky.social

Call for Papers: Trans-Asian Transcultural Fandom Symposium

Description of the CfP

A list of potential topics for the symposium

Details of the organising committee, 500 word abstract + 100 word short bio to be emailed by 1 Feb 2026 to transasianfan@gmail.com

CfP: Trans-Asian Transcultural Fandom Symposium happening next May @ NUS, Singapore. More announcements to come, but we're hoping this will kickstart conversations and collaborations for scholars in the region working on transcultural fandom

#AcademicSky #FanStudies #TransculturalFandom #CfPs

I'm looking for participants for my master's study about transmasc/trans men fans of manga and anime! Please fill out my 10-minute survey:
form.jotform.com/253308772919...

#transmasc #t4t #ftm #nonbinary #transresearch #transsurvey #nonbinarysurvey #transresearchbytransrsearchers

I’m not into rom-coms in general, but I must say “Nice to Not Meet You” is endearing. It’s all the Lee Jung Jae factor for me!

Australia social media ban: Get rid of harmful content instead of us, say teens From 10 December, social media firms must ensure Australians aged under 16 cannot have accounts.

"Ban harmful content from social media instead of us, say Australian teens" www.bbc.com/news/article...

Whenever Hong Kong TVB dramas (Queen of News 2) start out well, you can almost always expect it to descend into chaos midway through with questionable tropes and/or character regressions. Or OTT character back story. 🤔

Tai Po in flames - Lausan How Hongkongers are reviving mass action and mutual aid in the wake of the deadly fires in Tai Po.

The tragic fire in Tai Po has deeper roots: Hong Kong's market-driven, capitalist system that promotes predatory business interests over working people's safety. Read our latest on how Hongkongers are supporting each other through mass mutual aid:

lausancollective.com/2025/tai-po-...

This is such a great article by Eva Cheuk-Yin Li & Ka-Wei Pang about a specific incident in fandom in which discourse around AI deepfakes was weaponised by fans. Beyond the incident itself, it offers a thoughtful example of how to engage with fandom incidents with care and respect.

‘Troll Most Hated’: Man who rushed at Ariana Grande at Wicked premiere in S’pore a serial intruder The Australian national also recently interrupted Katy Perry's concert in Sydney. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Initial media reports identified him as a “fan”, and for the general public, this kind of behaviour is immediately relegated to fans. And this is what infuriates me.
www.straitstimes.com/singapore/tr...

Oooh! I quite enjoyed the plot and the set design was amazing! And so was the cast! It was an interesting experience having to read the subtitles quickly on the side and then paying attention to their acting.

Then the Chinese couple next to me started snickering when a fan of Park Hae Soo’s told him his fans are called “Hae Soo Nation” (witnessed a fan service moment with my own eyes!) But also got annoyed with the Chinese couple for trying to gatekeep the fan about how to “watch a play properly”. Ugh!

Attended my first play in Singapore — a Korean production of Chekov’s The Cherry Orchard starring Park Hae Soo and Jeon Do Yeon — and got super annoyed during the post-show conversation when the host (white lady) reworded every question from the audience. Condescending much?! 🙄

ChatGPT accused of acting as ‘suicide coach’ in series of US lawsuits Chatbot was first used for ‘general help’ with schoolwork or research but ‘evolved into a psychologically manipulative presence’, plaintiffs say ChatGPT has been accused of acting as a “suicide coach” in a series of lawsuits filed this week in California alleging that interactions with the chatbot led to severe mental breakdowns and several deaths. The seven lawsuits include allegations of wrongful death, assisted suicide, involuntary manslaughter, negligence and product liability. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

ChatGPT accused of acting as ‘suicide coach’ in series of US lawsuits