Lavigne Too Hot For Malaysia?

by Josh Lew on

Malaysia’s main opposition party called on the government to cancel a concert featuring Canadian pop/punk princess Avril Lavigne. Why? The singer’s on-stage moves are too sexy. The Pan Malaysian Islamic Party’s youth wing made the request.

The government wrote off the request as moralist nonsense, right?

Actually, they took the advice seriously and canceled Lavigne’s concert. Aside from being “too sexy,” there was also something in the explanation from the Arts, Culture and Heritage Ministry about the concert being held on August 29th, just two days before Malaysia’s independence day.

How have other “sexy” artists fared in Malaysia in the past? Gwen Stefani was forced to cover up more than usual for a recent show. The Pussycat Dolls were actually fined for indecency in 2006. Beyonce moved her recent concert to Indonesia and Christina Aguilera opted for Singapore. The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party even protests at some concert by Malaysian artists. One wonders how the censorship is going to jive with Malaysia’s Vision 2020, an ambitious project to join the list of fully developed nations by the year 2020.

Daily deal – refurbished Magellan Maestro 3100 GPS unit $79.99 after rebate

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal of the day for today is the Magellan Maestro 3100 GPS unit. Despite the insanely low price, this is actually a good solid device with pretty decent reviews.

You get 750,000 points of interest stored in the unit, maps of North America, turn by turn spoken directions and 3D maps. The Maestro 3100 has a 3.5″ anti-glare display and automatically adjusts for night or day colors.

Included in the box is the unit itself, a windshield mount, car charger cord, USB data cable and an adhesive disk (for mounting the unit on your dashboard).

To get the low price, you need to submit a $20 rebate, and be aware that you are purchasing a refurbished unit. Refurbished means that it was once sent back to Magellan, where it was returned to its “as new” condition. You still get the full 12 months manufacturers warranty, so there is very little risk involved.

The refurbished Magellan 3100 is $99.99 “out the door”, and shipping is free. To purchase this unit, head on over to Radioshack.com or Amazon.com. The rebate is valid on purchases made until August 31st.

Delta, JetBlue to waive fees due to Tropical Storm Fay

by Jeffrey White on

Following up my post from yesterday, about the scores of U.S. Airways passengers recently stranded in the Dominican Republic due to Tropical Storm Fay, I just read that Delta and JetBlue Airlines are planning on waving fees for passengers who have their flights that Fay impacts.

Both airlines are being flexible with flights out of select Florida and Georgia cities.

Delta is allowing passengers on certain flights from Florida and Georgia cities to change their itineraries with penalties or fees. JetBlue is also waiving fees and fare differences, but only for customers traveling from select Florida airports.

More information can be found on the airlines’ Web sites.

Shopping in Manhattan’s Diamond District

by Meg Massie on

Manhattan is a great place to find the best of something. Best theater, best food, best art — and definitely best shopping, as long as you’ve got some padding in your bank account. One of the greatest places for a girl to shop in Manhattan is on 47th St between 5th and 6th Avenues, also known as the Diamond District.

New York’s Diamond District is a full city block of sparkly goodness, and whether you want to buy or just gawk, this is the place to come for fine jewelry. With over 2,600 independent businesses in the Diamond District (seriously!), you have no excuse not to shop around. If you get a bad vibe from someone, stay away — you have plenty of other options. Some jewelers have shops of their own, but most operate booths in large jewelry exchanges, which can have hundreds of different vendors all under one roof.

If you want to have a good experience and not get ripped off, start by dressing the part. The more money it looks like you’ve got, the more attention you’ll get. And the more knowledgeable you appear, the less likely you’ll be ripped off. Don’t just throw around buzz words, though. Diamond vendors can tell when you’re just regurgitating some pamphlet on the four C’s. If you want to really know your stuff, take a good look at the Personal Gemologist series at AisleDash. Learn how to tell quality from crap. If a vendor describes something in terms you don’t understand, don’t buy it. While you may be looking at a very pretty ring, you may be buying a synthetic stone, or artificially enhanced piece of jewelry. Find more helpful shopping tips on the Diamond District website here.

Lastly, it’s not in the Diamond District, but your Manhattan jewelry experience isn’t complete until you visit Tiffany & Co, located at 57th St & 5th Ave.

How 1920’s Englishmen found their way around

by Scott Carmichael on

Forget GPS, Google Maps, Mappoint and the new iPhone; this is how navigation was done back in 1920. Drivers would insert the tiny scroll maps into the watch, and turn a little dial as they progressed.

Sadly, back in 1920 there were not enough drivers to make this a successful product, and it would take 80 years for personal navigation units to become popular, though clearly not as fascinating as this watch.

The watch is part of a large collection of 19th and early 20th century gadgets on display at the British Library business and intellectual property center in London. The gadgets come from the private collection of Maurice Collins OBE, author of Eccentric Contraptions and Ingenious Gadgets.

Other gadgets on display include the first automatic food processor and a cup specially designed to let mustached men drink their soup without getting bits of soup stuck in their stache.

The exhibition opened last Thursday, and will be open until Thursday November 10th 2008.

(Photo courtesy of British Library Business and Intellectual Centre/PA Wire)