Malaysian company plans to produce “Islamic Cars”

by Justin Glow on

Most you know that Muslims are required to pray 5 times a day with their bodies pointed towards Mecca. Facing the proper direction, however, can be hard to determine if you’re traveling (especially in space!) away from home. To deal with this, Malaysian carmaker Proton will begin producing “Islamic Cars” for the global market. AP reports,

“Proposed by Iran, the collaboration would include installing features in automobiles such as a compass to determine the direction of Mecca for prayers, and compartments for storing the Quran and headscarves, Proton’s Managing Director Syed Zainal Abidin told national news agency Bernama.”

I don’t really get it. Sure, it’ll be easier to determine which way Mecca is, but don’t most new cars have some sort of compass installed already? And what about the “compartments for storing the Quran and headscarves?” Sounds like a good, old-fashioned trunk to me. But hey, if there’s a market for it, why not?

Joey, have you ever been to a Turkish prison?

by Justin Glow on

There are worse things that can happen when traveling, I’m sure, than getting arrested and thrown in a foreign prison, but I can’t think of anything right now. This is such a regular occurrence that studies have been done and cities have been ranked. Here are the top 10 foreign cities for Americans to get arrested, along with the number taken into custody:

  1. Tijuana: 520
  2. Guadalajara: 416
  3. Nuevo Laredo: 359
  4. London: 274
  5. Mexico City: 208
  6. Toronto: 183
  7. Nassau, Bahamas: 108
  8. Merida, Mexico: 99
  9. Nogales, Mexico: 96
  10. Hong Kong: 90

It’s no surprise that 6 of the 10 cities are in Mexico. What with the close proximity to the U.S. and it being a prime drinking spot for underage revelers, I’m surprised the numbers aren’t higher. So tell me, have you ever been thrown in jail in a foreign country? [via World Hum]

Is the beer too cheap in Britain?

by Justin Glow on

Apparently, some people in Britain are mad because stores are charging less for beer than they are for bottled water.

When I was in parts of Czech Republic and Poland last month, beer was always cheaper than water. And did it affect me? Well, yes, it did — but that’s because I had a hard time discerning which bottles of water were carbonated or not. There were times when I never did figure it out, and if I’m going to drink a bubbly beverage, it’s not going to be water. And you’d have to take out a small personal loan to pay for 7 ounces of Coke Light, so what am I supposed to do? Get the cheapest thing available: beer.

But some people in Britain feel differently. They’re afraid that lowering the cost will increase sales and therefor increase binge drinking. It’s hard, for the most part, to disagree with them — it makes economic sense. If you lower the cost of an item people are regularly buying, chances are they will purchase more of that product.

“Evidence from Finland also suggests a link between price and consumption. There, tax on alcohol was slashed by 40 per cent in 2003,” according to an article by This is London. “Since then, drink sales have soared 11 per cent.”

They are, however, failing to make a link between increased sales and binge drinking. Someone could be buying a bunch of the cheap beer and storing it in their basement for all the government knows. Can you assume that lower cost equals increased consumption? I, for one, welcome the cheap beer.

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Veterans Day memorials and the Tomb of the Unknowns

by Jamie Rhein on

Years ago, when I was visiting my great aunt who lived near Ft. Knox, Kentucky, she took me to the base’s officers’ club for dinner. She was a major. Here’s the thing. She became a major during WWII, and, years later, whenever she passed onto the base, she had the honor of being saluted at the gate by a young strapping male. She was in her mid 80s. Sweet. I was impressed.

With Veterans Day being today, I thought of her. This got me thinking about memorials as well. There’s no better memorial bounty than Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. Here’s the line-up. If you click on each, you’ll get a mini history lesson: Civil War Memorial, Spanish American War Memorial, World War I Memorial, National World War II Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, and Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

One of the most moving places at the cemetery, I think, is the Tomb of the Unknowns. Here there are four white marble sarcophagus, one for WWI, WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Inside each is a soldier (or soldiers) from that particular war who was unidentified. That soldier stands for all the other soldiers who died from that particular war and were never identified.

Stop by during the Changing of the Guard, an elaborate feat of solemn pageantry. As I was looking for more information about this tomb, since I haven’t been here since I was perhaps in the 8th grade, I came across the Society of the Honor Guards Web site. This organization is made up of soldiers who have guarded the Tomb of the Unknown Solider (It’s more common name) since the 1920s. The page of FAQs provides info like the number of steps the guard walks with each pass of the tomb. Answer is 21. The number symbolizes the 21 Gun Salute.

With DNA testing, it seems never being identified is not as likely to happen. Even the tomb for the unknown soldier from the Vietnam War is empty. In 1998, DNA tests were done on the remains of this soldier and he was identified as Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie. It’s even known what happened to him. He was shot down near An Loc, Vietnam. Since he was exhumed, the tomb has remained empty. That’s haunting and as poignant, I think.

It’s not such a small world, after all

by Catherine Bodry on

Although the Disney company doesn’t admit that plus-sized tourists are causing “It’s a Small World” boats to bottom out, longtime Disney watcher Al Lutz notes that “heavier than anticipated” loads have caused boats to come to a standstill on more than one occasion. The problem has become common enough that Disneyland has built a platform next to one tricky area where boats commonly get stuck.

Disney denies that weight issues are the cause of stuck boats. Instead, the company suggests that “layers and layers” of fiberglass have built up where maintenance teams have patched and re-patched problem areas.

Nevertheless, “It’s a Small World” will be getting an inch more of water, and some lighter boats. The ride will be closed for ten months beginning in January 2008.

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