When karaoke turns deadly

by Josh Lew on

Karaoke is deadly. Deadly boring. That is, unless you happen to be quite drunk or with someone you are physically attracted to. I’ve never gone out to find a place to sing karaoke. But I have spent a lot of time in East Asia, where karaoke seems to seek you out. I’ve witnessed some violence as a result of the sing-along phenomenon. Usually, it stems from “you took my beer” rather than “hand over the mic.” Come to think of it, people get the most agitated when someone doesn’t sing, rather than when they sing too much.

But that wasn’t the case in Sandakan, Borneo recently. A 23 year-old man was stabbed to death in a fight that began when he refused to give up the karaoke mic. Abdul Sani Doli, the deceased, was apparently feeling the groove that night. Unfortunately, others in the bar were not. When he refused to give up the stage to the next person in line, an argument broke out. It only ended when Doli was stabbed by at least two other patrons on the street as he fled the scene.

Malaysia Airlines First in Asia to Offer In-Flight Mobile Phone Service

by Josh Lew on

Malaysia Airlines has received and installed an in-flight mobile phone system designed by AeroMobile on one of its Boeing 777s. Passengers will be able to safely use their cell phones and PDAs during the cruise portion of the flight without interfering with the aircraft’s navigational controls and communication.

The system has been tested extensively over the past few weeks. Cabin crews will be given the green light to “advise” especially chatty passengers to be mindful of others during long haul or overnight flights. The service will be available on regional and international flights to Australia, Africa and the Middle East.

Passengers who choose to use the service will be billed by their own cell phone providers. Roaming, international and out-of-network charges will be applied. Currently, AeroMobile is working with Malaysian cell phone service providers to ensure that users won’t hit any snags if the try to make in-flight calls while in international airspace.

[Via My Sinchew]

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.

New Species of Malaria?

by Erik McLaughlin on

Malaria, the ever changing, always-evolving, world-sized killer, is responsible for 350-500-million infections and over 1,000,000 deaths per year. Further, 41% of the world’s population lives in a “malaria-risk zone.” Malaria is an illness that any traveler to the tropics needs to consider, and begin to plan for, months before a trip. And with a newly discovered species of malaria, things could only get worse.

For those of you keeping score, there are currently four types of malaria:

  • Plasmodium Ovale (uncommon outside Western Africa)
  • Plasmodium Malariae (low level infection possible for years)
  • Plasmodium Vivax (can lay dormant in liver)
  • Plasmodium Falciparum (the worst, most drug resistant)

A recent article in the Clinical Infectious Disease journal discussed a newly recognized type of malaria, not previously thought to cause illness in humans, called Plasmodium Knowlesi. The new species is thought to be frequently misdiagnosed as the more-benign form, Plasmodium Malariae. It’s also suggested to be as deadly as Plasmodium Falciparum, the worst, most drug-resistant species known today.

Malaysia suffered several deaths from what was believed to be the usually benign form of Plasmodium Malariae in recent years. Studies have shown that these cases were misdiagnosed and deaths resulted from this new species of malaria. Travelers to SE Asia, especially Malaysia, should ensure that, in the unfortunate event that they contract malaria, their diagnosis of Plasmodium Malariae is not the new, more dangerous Plasmodium Knowlesi. This is especially important if there is a high parasite load, meaning there is a lot of infection.

Always check with your primary health care provider to determine what is right for you!

When in Space, Which Way Is Mecca?

by Iva Skoch on

Think being a Muslim on this planet is not easy? Try being a Muslim in orbit. For starters, which way do you face while praying? (And how do you lay down your prayer rug?)

Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor of Malaysia, a crew member on the 16th mission for the International Space Station, is lifting off to space today in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, Wired reports. The ten day trip will take place during the holy month of Ramadan.

Being a devout Muslim, the astronaut is planning to do what he has to do. To start with, he will fast. Where will he face while praying, you ask?

Malaysia’s space agency, Angkasa, convened a conference of 150 Islamic scientists and scholars last year to wrestle with this and other burning questions and published “A Guideline of Performing Ibadah (worship) at the International Space Station (ISS)”. According to the report, determining the qibla (a direction a Muslim should pray toward Mecca) should be “based on what is possible” for the astronaut, and can be prioritized this way: 1) the Ka’aba, 2) the projection of Ka’aba, 3) the Earth, 4) wherever.

Wherever? Is that just north of Orlando?