BEN CHAN was unsure how to move on after his breakup. Bitter, lost and angry, Chan felt like a failure. Just three days after being dumped by his girlfriend, he found himself at his brother’s fifth wedding anniversary celebration at a luxurious hotel in Kuala Lumpur. “And I had to give a rousing speech about how I admire him for his success in life and marriage,” Chan recalls. “It was ridiculous. I gave a flat, monotonous speech because any display of joyous emotion felt hollow when my own life was in pieces.” As if the night couldn’t get worse, his car broke down on the way home – vandalised, with sugar poured into the fuel tank. “It felt like I was in a bad rom-com,” he says. Now 25 and running an online banana cracker business, Chan decided to go online in search of guidance. He wasn’t looking for pity. He wanted to rediscover his confidence and reclaim his “mojo”.” “I just needed someone to show me how to be a man again,” he admits. Soon, Chan stumbled upon male influencers on X who preached the art of “being a real man.” “At first, I found influencers talking about self-improvement – hitting the gym, reading books, or travelling. That seemed fine. “But then I saw others promoting outright hate against women.” One saying particularly disturbed him: “Men age like fine wine, but women are just milk.” Chan had unknowingly entered the “manosphere,” a collection of websites, blogs and forums focused on men’s issues and interests. Emerging in the early 2000s, this subculture began as a space for men’s rights and self-improvement but has since veered into darker territory. Manly journey: The manosphere subculture began as a space for men’s rights and self-improvement but has since veered into darker territory — TNS Today, parts of the manosphere normalise misogyny, offering toxic views on gender roles under the guise of self-empowerment. Influencers like Andrew Tate have become emblematic of this shift, often promoting polarising ideas that blur the line between confidence-building and outright bigotry. The manosphere’s influence has reached Malaysia, where some local influencers mimic the sexist rhetoric and mannerisms of figures like Tate. Based on an article by life coach Julien Florkin, the manosphere trend in Malaysia is still relatively new but gaining traction – it often focuses on traditional gender roles and the perceived erosion of these roles due to modern societal changes. These messages stray far from the concept of healthy masculinity, which encourages men to express themselves freely, pursue physical health and develop life goals. Instead, misogynistic manosphere often reinforces rigid stereotypes and criticises feminism for undermining men’s rights. Another main concern over such a misogynistic manosphere is this – the line between promoting healthy masculinity and a toxic one is often blurred, leading to a potential detriment to impressionable minds of boys looking for role models. Registered counselor Raymund Jagan sees the manosphere as a reactionary response to feminism. “In its early days, the manosphere may have been a counterbalance to feminism. It is more widespread in the United States or western world.” The manosphere in the US is more established and diverse, with various subgroups such as Men’s Rights Activists (MRAs), Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW), Pickup Artists (PUAs) and the Red Pill community. These groups often have a more pronounced presence and influence in the US, partly due to the larger population and more extensive use of social media platforms. The US manosphere, Jagan says, benefits from larger populations and greater social media reach, but this influence also brings risks; extreme ideologies, some of which advocate for radical societal changes, are not uncommon. A study by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) foundation highlights how some influencers use pseudo-science and decontextualised psychology to legitimise misogyny. They cherry-pick quotes from philosophers like Aristotle and psychologists like Carl Jung to validate harmful narratives. Jagan stresses that young people can protect themselves by cultivating healthier online environments. “Your experience depends on the echo chamber you create. If you don’t look for toxic content, you’re less likely to encounter it.” He also emphasises the importance of parenting, particularly for fathers. “Better fathers can serve as better role models, so boys won’t need to seek validation from toxic figures online.” For Chan, the manosphere offered an initial glimmer of hope, but its toxic undercurrents ultimately pushed him away. “I just wanted to regain my confidence. I’m still nervous around women. Unless I’m convincing them to buy banana crackers, I freeze up at the thought of asking someone out.” But Chan refuses to adopt the manosphere’s blanket negativity toward women. “A woman hurt me, but that doesn’t mean all women are the same. You know what I mean?” As he serves the writer a bowl of banana crackers, Chan smiles faintly. His journey to rebuild his confidence may be far from over, but he is determined to forge his path without falling into the manosphere’s toxic traps.New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, who has been dealing with a toe injury, is active for Sunday's home game against the Indianapolis Colts in East Rutherford, N.J. Nabers was listed as questionable after missing practice on Thursday and being a limited participant on Friday. He had called himself a game-day decision on Thursday. Nabers, 21, has been one of the few bright spots for the Giants and leads the team with 97 receptions for 969 yards and four touchdown catches in 13 games (12 starts). The Giants (2-13) long have been out of playoff contention, while the Colts (7-8) are fighting to stay alive. "It's tough on everybody. It's not just tough on me. It's tough on everybody," Nabers said of the team's troubles. "I'm continuing to keep my mental (attitude) strong, continue to move forward, continue to try to better the team, better myself. Lead by example. I feel like that's really all we can do in this state of mind that we're going through." Selected sixth overall out of LSU, Nabers has caught 10 or more passes on three occasions but has just one touchdown catch over the past 10 games. Nabers needs three receptions to join former Giants Steve Smith (107 catches in 2009) and Odell Beckham Jr. (101 in 2016) as the only players in franchise history to haul in 100 receptions in a single season. The Giants inactives are defensive lineman Cory Durden, inside linebacker Micah McFadden, center John Michael Schmitz, cornerbacks Greg Stroman and Dee Williams, and emergency third quarterback Tim Boyle. The Colts inactives include quarterback Anthony Richardson, who already was ruled out. The others are defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore, defensive end Isaiah Land, tight end Will Mallory and guard Dalton Tucker. --Field Level Media
best job
。
Melody Chen Unbabel chief executive Vasco Pedro predicts people will no longer be undertaking translation work in three years. The Portuguese startup, founded by the artificial intelligence expert, used its latest AI model to translate "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius, with the results holding up well when compared to human translations. The archaic English used in the text posed a considerable challenge. Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor from 161 to 180 CE, wrote the book to record his private notes and ideas on Stoic philosophy. The model was also used to translate a wide range of content, from casual messages to complex legal documents. Pedro said that while AI has developed, human involvement currently remains essential for high-quality translation, which is why humans account for about 95 percent of the global translation industry. Experts in languages and specific fields like legal translators handling contracts currently perform better than machines. But Pedro still believes that it's hard to imagine AI won't completely surpass humans within two or three years. The godfather of AI, Geoffrey Hinton, warned that the pace of technological change is much faster than expected, and there is a 10 to 20 percent chance that artificial intelligence could lead to human extinction within the next 30 years. Hinton said that most experts believe AI that is more intelligent than humans will be developed within the next 20 years, which is a frightening prospect, and he called for stronger government regulation.NoneThe building that once housed the Morrison Hotel — featured on the iconic cover of the Doors ’ 1970 album of the same name — suffered significant damages Thursday after a fire tore through the downtown Los Angeles property. No one was injured in the blaze, which caused the roof to collapse on the 110-year-old, four-story, mostly vacant building; once a transient hotel — which it was when the Doors were photographed there — the Morrison Hotel had been vacant for over a decade, although the houseless frequently squatted in the structure. “There were some unhoused persons exiting the building,” an LAFD spokesperson said following the fire Thursday ( via CBS News ). “We did have firefighters place ground ladders to fire escapes because they could see there were a couple of people coming to the fire escapes.” Photographer Henry Diltz, who captured Jim Morrison and company inside the hotel for the album cover, would later co-found the Morrison Hotel Gallery in New York. In a 2020 remembrance of his fame d photograph , Diltz wrote, “We were at a transient hotel in Downtown LA on Hope Street. The Doors didn’t have permission to take pictures, so when the lobby was empty, they ran in quickly and sat behind the window. One roll of film shot before we got asked to leave.” A post shared by Henry Diltz (@henrydiltz) Following news of the Morrison Hotel building’s fire, Diltz wrote on social media, “Sad to hear the original Morrison Hotel in downtown LA caught fire yesterday... It was a great old wooden building with many small rooms upstairs where transients and drinkers used to sleep it off on a cot for $2.50 a night! I think the beautiful front window with ‘Morrison Hotel’ in red letters was the best part of it... & So did The Doors!” The building was purchased by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in 2023, with that nonprofit planning on transforming it into affordable housing. However, while development on the property continued, the houseless continued to trespass on the Hope Street structure. Ironically, in recent years, the vacant building had been used by firefighters as a training space, the Associated Press reports .
An archbishop's knock formally restores Notre Dame to life as winds howl and heads of state look on