Time Travel Question 25: Medievalish I

These Questions are the result of suggestions from the previous iteration.

Please add new suggestions below if you have them for future consideration.

The first person who suggested this one first was incredibly poetic in the notes.

Batang Kali Massacre in Colonial Malaya

Today Al Jazeera published an article about the Batang Kali massacre in colonial Malaya (now known as Malaysia) where 24 innocent people were killed by British forces.

I won't go into the details of the atrocities committed by the British in Batang Kali here (i suggest you go read the actual article on Al Jazeera). But I do want to share the following excerpt:

The British forces falsely accused these innocent people of being communists to justify murdering them. To this day, the families of the deceased have not received any justice.

The article goes on to describe how halfway around the world in Ireland, the same injustices occurred:

It talks about the similar incident, the Ballymurphy massacre in Belfast, and how in 2021 they were able to get legal justice.

In my opinion, I think these incidents is an eerie parallel to what the Israeli forces is currently doing to the people of Palestine - killing them and then justifying it by saying they were Hamas or hiding Hamas. Or committing crimes and then labeling the victims as Hamas to justify it.

None of this happens in a vacuum. It is all interconnected.

I don't think people understand the long lasting multi-generational impact this kind of horrific acts have on victims and their families. This is an excerpt from the Batang Kali article that describes that:

Colonization impacts people for generations. On a personal level, my grandparents and others in their generation were all impacted by the British colonization and Japanese occupation of Malaya.

Our grandparents were once young people living in occupation. They were young girls hiding from the military to avoid becoming comfort women. They were young boys who were made to do forced labour by the occupiers. Young people who fought and rallied for our freedoms today. They survived for our freedom.

History is already repeating itself in Palestine. Justice for Palestinians does not stop at a ceasefire - just as it did not stop at the end of World War II or after Malaysian and Irish independence. But we have to start somewhere.

And to any Palestinian reading this, in some weird way, I hope that this may bring you hope. These atrocities happened over and over again throughout history and yet, here we are - our people survived. I am here and you are here. Isn't that beautiful? I hope you know that you are not alone in this fight. Its not pretty and its not immediate, but justice will prevail and Palestine will be free in our lifetime.

Ceasefire now.

You can read about the Al Jazeera article about the Batang Kali massacre here:

On This Day In History

August 9th, 1965: Singapore is expelled from Malaysia. Singapore remains the only country to date to gain independence unwillingly.

Tan Twang Eng || The House of Doors

Booker Prize Longlist 2023 I was quite reluctant to read The House of Doors, I did not know whether a novel about a famous writer would interest me. I am glad I gave the novel a chance. It turned out to be as much about people around the famous writer as about him, it also gave voice to something that was never spoken about in his time and age. Main character in The House of Doors is not…

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Who was going to tell me that the rest of the world has pretty squirrels.

This is the Malaysian black giant squirrel. He looks almost prehistoric, I think he's awesome

The is the Indian giant squirrel. I'm in love, look at that fur color????

Malabar Giant squirrel. He's so technicolor I love it.

From Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Jan 24. 1959

1989-Cathryn Lee (李元玲)

Gogu: Even after independence, the Tamils continued to be managed similarly to the colonial times. European estate managers remained involved in Malaysian plantations, and the political direction and policies of Malaysia did not undergo significant shifts from the colonial period to benefit the Indians.  As indentured labourers, the Tamils were seen as mere tools for profit and deliberately dehumanised. The oppression they faced was evident in every aspect of plantation life. From the regimental morning roll-call to the hierarchical divisions based on caste, from the promotion of toddy consumption to destroy their consciousness to the extremely small and substandard housing, and from being kept separate from the development of the new nation to limited access to education, everything was cunningly designed to strip away their self-respect and dignity, keeping them as ignorant slaves. Sadly, many Tamils were unaware of the extent of their oppression, as they were kept comfortable enough not to revolt.  It is indeed heartbreaking to see the lasting impact of the oppressive system on Tamil communities even today. Despite advancements in wealth, the chains of oppression have not been fully broken. The slave mentality still persists, hindering our ability to realise our true potential and independence. In the realm of arts, we continue to be enslaved to the influences of South Indian cinema and Hollywood, preventing us from exploring the true meaning of our existence in this land. I think when the Malaysian Tamils watch themselves represented truthfully in cinema, one step towards finding our identity would be taken. We must reclaim our narrative; that is our liberation!

— ‘Plantation Life: As It Was’ Documents And Reclaims The History Of Tamil Indentureship

people in the notes of prev post being shocked that others don't know about deepthroat watergate as though everyone on this website is american and aware of random cringe details from us political scandals but also, please tell me literally anything about the 1mdb scandal that's been turning malaysia upside down for the last several years and resulted in our former PM serving a prison sentence without googling, i'll wait here patiently

MAN CRUSH FANDOM • MADE IN TAIWAN

•CHANG SHUO HANG

[Nickname/aka: SEAN CHANG also LEO ZHANG]

•LINUS WANG

BAM- BEAUTIFUL ASIAN MEN:

LINUS WANG

You like cats, right, Giovanni? Have you ever heard of the nekomata? They're two-tailed cat spirits from Japan!

"I have! One of the older thralls the Master had when I rejoined him in Sugbu was a Japanese pirate named Akitake! I think he was a disgraced lord from Edo who joined Datu Dalugdog and many other pirates of the South China Seas by the time. Either way! He told me about the nekomata and other creatures in Japan like the tanuki and the Orochi beast! Supposedly when a cat has lived a long enough life, its tail will split in two! I think they also become especially wise or powerful!

"Ohhh, I'd love to befriend a nekomata! I will give it all the love and hugs and cuddles and pets and treats it will ever ask for!!"

apa benda yang kau merepek ni sial

History 101: Famous Malaysian Indians & Their Major Achievements

Malaysia’s rich cultural tapestry is woven together by the diverse communities that call this beautiful country home. Among these communities, the Indian diaspora has played a significant role in shaping the nation’s history and development since achieving independence, known as Merdeka, in 1957. Image source: Aliran Continue reading History 101: Famous Malaysian Indians & Their…

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The Sweet Story of Condensed Milk

This Nineteenth-Century Industrial Product Became a Military Staple and a Critical Part of Local Food Culture Around the World.

— Daily.JStor.Org | By Katrina Gulliver | February 20, 2024

An advertisement for Gale Borden Eagle brand condensed milk, 1887 via Wikimedia Commons

Condensed Milk is a kitchen standard for many of us. There’s a chance you have a small Nestlé tin in the back of your pantry. It’s also a product of a mechanized food culture, representing agricultural progress, a need to address food supply in remote areas, and a triumph of marketing a Western dietary staple (Cow’s Milk), to the rest of the world.

Condensed Milk is milk which has had around 60 percent of its water content removed and sugar added (Evaporated Milk, with which it is sometimes confused, is also milk with water removed, but without the additional sugar). As a technique for preserving milk, it was useful for an industrializing world involving more long-distance travel. Anyone without access to a cow (or refrigeration) could have milk products to use.

Gail Borden was among the first to produce it commercially in the US in the 1850s. Borden himself was a serial entrepreneur, with as many misses as hits, but the timing for the milk was right. As Joe B. Frantz describes it in his essay on Borden’s business career, “When in 1858 Frank Leslie exposed the ‘fresh’ milk producers in New York for selling swill, Borden, scenting opportunity, ran the first newspaper advertisement stating that his milk was not only pure but would keep indefinitely.”

The business wasn’t an immediate success, notes Frantz. As a new enterprise, it “suffered the pangs of slow growth until 1861, when during one noon hour a customer walked in and after asking a few questions, announced that he wanted 500 pounds of condensed milk for the United States Army.” Soldiers fighting in the Southern theaters of the American Civil War were soon being nourished with canned, condensed milk.

“In the Days Where Milk Safety was a Real Public Health Issue (and Children Died From Tainted Fresh Milk), the Option of Mixing up Canned Milk May have Seemed a Safer Choice.”

Borden Became a Military Supplier, and Condensed Milk became known to thousands of soldiers. With its high sugar content, it packed a real caloric wallop in a small can. (It would be in servicemen’s ration packs again in the First World war). Condensed Milk (usually prefaced with the word “Sweetened”) soon became a standard product on grocery shelves in the United States. In Europe, its production was associated with the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, a forerunner of Nestlé, which led to it being referred to as “Swiss Milk” in English.

In the early part of the twentieth century, condensed (and evaporated) milk were common in recipes for home-made baby formula. In the days where milk safety was a real public health issue (and children died from tainted fresh milk), the option of mixing up canned milk may have seemed a safer choice, even as some Doctors Pointed Out That— Despite Its Boosters’ Claims—It Was Still Often Bacteria-Laden.

(These old recipes were also not nutritionally ideal for infants. During shortages of commercial baby formula powder in recent years, they started circulating online as alternatives, leading doctors to issue warnings against feeding babies Condensed Milk.)

But its civilian usefulness came with bringing milk to hot climates. Condensed Milk soon became part of the daily life of tropical countries and is so culturally entrenched it didn’t disappear with the arrival of the household Frigidaire. Its global popularity has seen it adapted to regional tastes and fashions, and in each place (as with Maggi Sauce), it seems to be quintessentially local.

From the Dulce de Leche of Latin America to the Singaporean and Malaysian Kopi (Coffee with Condensed Milk), condensed milk is a mainstay around the world—long after refrigeration made fresh milk a convenient option. This is partly thanks to Nestlé, who globalized the taste for their dairy products.

Although the problem it was created to solve (Access to a Safe Milk Supply) has largely disappeared, Condensed Milk found its own market. It became a key ingredient in recipes, and inventive cooks finding new opportunities to put it to work helped to build its own fanbase.

Asklepios, Caduceus, and the Symbol of Serpent

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