Jim Paull

PETALING JAYA: Two PAS leaders have voiced strong support for Dr Zakir Naik who faces an imminent bid by New Delhi to seek the extradition of the fugitive Indian preacher for trial on terrorism-related charges.

Pasir Mas MP Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Aziz urged Putrajaya to stand firm in defending Naik who has permanent residence status in Malaysia.

Nik Abduh said the Malaysian government must have cleared Naik of any links to terrorism before making him a permanent resident.

“Therefore, PAS urges the government to reject any application by India to extradite Naik who is respected for his expert knowledge in comparative religions by Islamic scholars and Muslims around the world,” he said.

Last Saturday, the Indian government was reported to have taken another step towards compelling Naik to return to his homeland to face charges related to money laundering for terrorist activities.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), India’s central anti-terrorism body, has submitted a detailed investigation report about Naik’s alleged terror activities.

The Times of India reported that the agency had been given approval by the Indian home ministry to prosecute Naik.

Meanwhile, PAS information chief Nasrudin Hassan said Naik must not be extradited even if the Indian government requests for it.

“Naik is recognised and esteemed worldwide for his religious knowledge. He even received the Tokoh Maal Hijrah (from Malaysia) in 2013.

“His discourses on comparative religions have inspired many to embrace Islam. This is what others fear,” he said in a statement.

Nasrudin dismissed the allegation of promoting terrorism as the usual pretext used to curb Muslim preachers.

NEW DELHI: Air pollution in New Delhi hit 18 times the healthy limit on Friday under a thick, toxic haze after a night of fireworks to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali – despite a court-ordered ban on their sales.

Residents of the sprawling Indian capital, which already ranks among the world’s most polluted cities, complained of eyes watering and aggravated coughs as levels of PM 2.5, tiny particulate matter that reaches deep into the lungs, rose alarmingly.

Air quality usually worsens in New Delhi ahead of Diwali, the festival of lights, and the Supreme Court temporarily banned the sale of firecrackers, aiming to lessen the risk to health.

But many still lit fireworks across the capital late into the night, either using old stocks or buying them from neighbouring states.

Some environment activists said the court order was poorly enforced and firecrackers were still available to celebrate one of north India’s biggest festivals.

“Breathe nitrate and ammonia, home grown, hand made!” said environmentalist Vimlendu Jha in a Twitter post calling for city authorities to declare a public emergency.

An index of air quality had crossed the “hazardous” limit of 300 on Friday, the most severe level on a US embassy scale of measurement which rates a reading of 50 as good and anything above that as a cause for concern.

Some parts of Delhi such as Mandir Marg showed an air quality reading of 941, close enough to the maximum level of 999 beyond which no readings are available. The index measures concentrations of PM 2.5, PM 10, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide among other indicators.

A hazardous level is an alert in which everyone may experience ill effects and are advised to stay indoors.

Apart from the firecracker ban, the Supreme Court also ordered diesel generators and a power plant to be shut down to try to reduce the pollution. The Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority also ordered some brick kilns to close and a halt to the burning of rubbish.

Dipankar Saha, a scientist at the government’s Central Pollution Control Board, said the still weather had also played a part in the toxic haze hanging over the city.

But pollution levels were better than at last year’s Diwali when crop burning in nearby states and firecrackers combined.

“It was going to be hard to beat last year’s level in any case,” he said.

Snuggle up in one of these popular microplush fleece blankets for 15% less today.

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Here are ten of the best photos that readers added to the Consumerist Flickr Pool in the last week, picked for usability in a Consumerist post or for just plain neatness.

Want to see your pictures on our site? Our Flickr pool is the place where Consumerist readers upload photos for possible use in future Consumerist posts. Just be a registered Flickr user, go here, and click “Join Group?” up on the top right. Choose your best photos, then click “send to group” on the individual images you want to add to the pool.

KUALA LUMPUR: Seorang wanita tempatan berusia 51 tahun didenda RM4,000 atau 4 bulan penjara hari ini kerana menawarkan perkhidmatan seks kepada seorang anggota polis di kaki lima sebuah kedai pakaian 2 hari lepas.

Majistret Zuhair Rosli menjatuhkan hukuman itu terhadap Tang Moy Lan selepas dia mengaku bersalah menawarkan khidmat seks kepada Lans Koperal Mohamad Yusoff Abdullah, 56, dengan bayaran RM100 untuk sekali perkhidmatan itu.

Kesalahan itu dilakukan di kaki lima kedai pakaian Hari-Hari, Jalan Petaling pada 10.40 malam Selasa lalu. Dia didakwa mengikut Seksyen 372B Kanun Keseksaan, membawa hukuman penjara maksimum setahun atau denda atau kedua-duanya.

Tertuduh yang tidak diwakili peguam bagaimanapun gagal membayar denda itu.

Terdahulu, ketika diminta mengemukakan rayuan oleh Zuhair, tertuduh hanya menggelengkan kepalanya.

Timbalan Pendakwa Raya, Siti Hajar Mohd Ashif memohon mahkamah menjatuhkan hukuman setimpal berbentuk pengajaran kepada tertuduh.

In August, I took my Dad on a father/son trip to Egypt and Jordan, two countries neither of us had been to. The last time we had traveled internationally as a duo was in 2011 on a mileage run — in coach! — from New York (JFK) to Rome (FCO), Istanbul (IST) and Amsterdam (AMS). My how things have changed! This time we flew in business on Egypt Air from New York to Cairo (CAI), then to Amman (AMM) before I continued to Botswana to meet a friend for a safari, flying in first class on an Emirates 777. I sent my Dad home from Amman through Doha (DOH) while his last leg took him home to Philadelphia (PHL) aboard Qatar Airways’ A350. We explored Cairo, Amman, Petra and Wadi Rum so stay tuned for those reviews. And while I was able to visit some wonders of the world, my favorite part of the trip was my unfettered access to my dad. After he left, I sat in the Amman airport writing this list of why I love traveling with him so much.

1) It’s fun to see what I’ll be like in 30 years.

While we are starkly different in many ways, at the core we are the same person. In fact, I’m named after him and he was the third son of three boys and a girl — as is the case with me. He was the frequent traveler when I was a kid — I often call him The Original Points Guy — and he taught me how to use points and handle business travel with class. Even though I’m taking the lead with the reservations these days, it’s fun to see him always keeping his cool and notice his fun quirks, like always falling asleep before takeoff and in the lounge.

2) He makes waiting in lines so much more fun.

We got hit with a brutal TSA line at JFK — sadly, Egypt Air doesn’t participate in PreCheck! — but hanging with him during the line made it fun, whereas I’d normally be mean-tweeting the TSA (okay, I did once) and mad about every minute in line being one less minute we’d spend in the lounge. But with my Dad there, we were both so excited and made the best of it.

3) He’s a savage wingman.

Before flying Egypt Air — a dry airline — we wanted to buy cans of beer from an airport bar since we didn’t have enough time to buy anything in the duty free shop thanks to the long TSA line. The battle axe bartender rebuffed my request, but my old man charmed her with his toothy smile and Dad humor — lo and behold, we soon had four brewskis to go, which certainly helped dull the dull experience of flying on EgyptAir! We even met TPG reader Mo in Cairo, who took us to Zööba, an amazing restaurant in the city that I highly recommend.

4) He makes me realize how hypercritical I can be.

I probably would have torn EgyptAir apart for having a dated product and flight attendants less engaged than US Airways agents during the merger with AA, but he was blown away by the legroom and it was comfortable enough. So instead of being a full-blown snob, it made me realize that this trip was more about the destination and less about the journey — something us plane snobs can sometimes lose sight of.

5) He helps me hone my Dad jokes.

Seriously, his jokes are epic and they even translate internationally — well, most of the time. Our tour guide joked with us about drinking camels’ milk and my Dad ran with that for the two days we were in Cairo. Don’t worry, I’m not rude and still laugh at them — well, some of them…

6) Role reversal is fun!

He sacrificed so much for us growing up — traveling a ton, missing ball games and birthday parties — but did it all to put us through college. Now, its awesome to be able to pay him back in a way that’s meaningful since he would never accept cash from me and that would be uncouth.

7) It was healing for me to be with my Dad — exploring the world and tearing down short-sided mindsets.

We left shortly after the tragedy in Charlottesville and after the terror incidents in Europe. The world can feel like it’s out of control and upside-down, but what you really need to focus on is what you control — spending time with those you love and those who love you. We both were a little uneasy about visiting Cairo since it’s so hard to get a good read on a situation when you only hear about it through the media.

8) He’s an amazing photographer.

Look at this!

9) He’s the least needy person I know!

He hates crowds like me and if a tour is hot or boring, he’s always down to go back to the hotel and get in some downtime or take a lazy afternoon nap.

10) He’s a great decoy for me because I sometimes tire of tour guides.

And he’s always interested in what they’re saying and has an arsenal of questions ready!

11) He’s a great seat mate.

Dad sleeps most of the time and wants to talk only when you want to.

12) He keeps me on my toes regarding trip reports.

I caught him filming a video report of his bubble room at Wadi Rum — he’s a natural!!!

13) Surprising him with his first helicopter ride was more of a treat for me than for him.

As a New Yorker, it was so cool for him to see his city from above for the first time.

14) He’s 6’3″ and mean looking — so no one messes with us!

No, that’s not my body guard leaving the helicopter — that’s my Dad!

15) He goes along with whatever knucklehead plans I have…

…like crawling through a tunnel under the pyramids — and never complains.

16) He reminds me of Joe Biden and Conan O’Brien.

And that’s an awesome mix.

17) He is a constant reminder of the type of man I want to be.

And I value every single second I’m in his presence.

If you happen to have plans to be in or around Charleston, South Carolina the weekend of November 10, you will be in luck. Not only is historic Charleston extra pretty that time of year, but it's also where you'll be able to find a massive flea-market-style sale on Le Creuset items.

(Not planning on being there during that time? Perhaps you should look into making some travel arrangements. Just an idea.)

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US government documents actually show the US playing a much more active role in the Indonesian genocide than this New York Times headline (10/18/17) suggests.

There’s a story in the New York Times today (1/18/17) headlined:

US Stood By as Indonesia Killed a Half-Million People, Papers Show

“Standing by,” however, is not what the United States did during the Indonesian genocide of 1965–66; rather, it actively supported the massacres, which were applauded at the time by the New York Times.

Indonesia in 1965 was run by President Sukarno, an anti-colonial nationalist who had irritated Washington with friendly ties to the Indonesian Communist Party, known as the PKI. When an abortive coup attempt was dubiously blamed on the PKI, this was seen by both the Indonesian military and the US as an opportunity.

“Events of the past few days have put PKI and pro-Communist elements very much on defensive and they may embolden army at long last to act effectively against Communists,” the US embassy in Jakarta told the State Department in a now-declassified telegram (10/5/65). While advising the US to “avoid overt involvement as power struggle unfolds,” US Ambassador Marshall Green urged the government to

covertly, however, indicate clearly to key people in army such as Nasution and Suharto our desire to be of assistance where we can, while at same time conveying to them our assumption that we should avoid appearance of involvement or interference in any way.

Notably, the embassy identified propaganda as a key role for the US to play:

Spread the story of PKI‘s guilt, treachery and brutality (this priority effort is perhaps most needed immediate assistance we can give army if we can find way to do it without identifying it as solely or largely US effort).

The Indonesian military used the coup attempt to justify an ongoing series of massacres, targeting not only PKI members but also the ethnic Chinese community that was their primary base. As the scope of the bloodbath became clear, the US cheered on the killing, with Ambassador Green (10/20/65) writing that the Indonesian army had been “working hard at destroying PKI and I, for one, have increasing respect for its determination and organization in carrying out this crucial assignment.”

This Washington Post headline (12/2/15) frames US involvement in a more active light.

The Washington Post (12/2/15), marking the 50th anniversary of the genocide, ran a piece by historian Kai Thaler that summarized the active role the US played in supporting the mass killing:

[Secretary of State Dean] Rusk affirmed US support for the “elimination of the PKI.” US officials also provided detailed lists of thousands of PKI members for the military and anti-communist civilians, with American officials reportedly checking off who had been killed or arrested.

Amid reports of massacres throughout the country, in late October, Rusk and U.S. national security officials made plans to unconditionally provide weapons and communications equipment to the Indonesian military, while new US aid was organized in December for the civilian anti-communist coalition and the military. By February 1966, Green stated approvingly that “the Communists…have been decimated by wholesale massacre.”

Compare that to the New York Times‘ account, by Southeast Asia bureau chief Hannah Beech, which puts the US in an altogether more passive light:

It was an anti-Communist blood bath of at least half a million Indonesians. And American officials watched it happen without raising any public objections, at times even applauding the forces behind the killing, according to newly declassified State Department files that show diplomats meticulously documenting the purge in 1965–66….

When a group of hard-line generals blamed Communist Party operatives for a failed coup attempt in 1965, with China accused as a mastermind, Washington did little to challenge that narrative.

The United States government largely stayed silent as the death toll mounted at the hands of the Indonesian Army, paramilitaries and religious mobs.

It was not that “Washington did little to challenge that narrative” being used to justify hundreds of thousands of murders; rather, spreading that narrative was seen by the US ambassador as “perhaps most needed immediate assistance we can give army.”

The New York Times (7/12/90) went out of its way to cast doubt on evidence of US participation in the mass murders.

This is not the first time that the New York Times has downplayed US culpability in the Indonesian bloodbath. When Kathy Kadane of States News Service (Washington Post, 5/21/90) broke the story that the US embassy had provided lists of PKI members to the Indonesian military at the height of the murders, the Times‘ Michael Wines (7/12/90) wrote an unusual attempt to discredit the story:

A dispute has developed over a report that 25 years ago, United States officials supplied up to 5,000 names of Indonesian Communists to the Indonesian Army…. The dispute has focused on whether the decision to turn over the names was that of an individual American Embassy officer, or was coordinated with the Central Intelligence Agency and approved by senior embassy officers.

The New York Times‘ most cheerleading coverage of the Indonesian genocide came from future executive editor Max Frankel (e.g., 10/11/65).

As FAIR noted at the time (Extra!, 7–8/90), the Times‘ reluctance to admit that the US had actively participated in the Indonesian genocide may have been related to its enthusiasm for the genocide as it was happening:

While some of its coverage did invoke the horror of the massive killing (as early as 1/16/66), in general the Times’ commentary and analysis viewed the destruction of the Communist party quite favorably. “A Gleam of Light in Asia” was the headline of a James Reston column (6/19/66). “Almost everyone is pleased by the changes now being wrought,” C.L. Sulzberger commented (4/8/66). The Times itself editorialized (4/5/66) that the Indonesian military was “rightly playing its part with utmost caution.”

But perhaps the most enthusiastic of all the Times’ writers was Max Frankel, then Washington correspondent, now executive editor. “US Is Heartened by Red Setback in Indonesia Coup,” one Frankel dispatch was tagged (10/11/65). “The Johnson administration believes that a dramatic new opportunity has developed both for anti-Communist Indonesians and for United States policies” in Indonesia, Frankel wrote. “Officials…believe the army will cripple and perhaps destroy the Communists as a significant political force.”

After the scale of the massacre began to be apparent, Frankel was even more enthusiastic. Under the headline “Elated US Officials Looking to New Aid to Jakarta’s Economy” (3/13/66), Frankel reported that

the Johnson administration found it difficult today to hide its delight with the news from Indonesia…. After a long period of patient diplomacy designed to help the army triumph over the Communists, and months of prudent silence…officials were elated to find their expectations being realized.

Frankel went on to describe the leader of the massacre, Gen. Suharto, as “an efficient and effective military commander.”

To acknowledge that the US has looked upon mass murder as a positive project worth supporting is risky when the Times itself saw that same mass murder as worthy of support.

It’s not that the Times‘ piece today is wholly uncritical; it even admits, in a backhanded fashion, that the US did more than “stand by” during the massacres:

In 2015, Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico reintroduced a resolution in the Senate calling for Indonesia to face up to its traumatic history. He also held the United States to account for its “military and financial support” there, which included providing lists of possible leftist sympathizers to the Indonesian government and, as one cable released Tuesday showed, pushing to bury foreign news coverage of the killings.

But this information, appearing two-thirds of the way through the article, does not overcome the message in the headline and much of the text that the US sinned by omission, not commission. Framing Washington as a passive onlooker rather than active participant not only lessens the government’s (and the New York Times‘) culpability; it also tells readers that if the US is to be faulted, it’s to be blamed for not doing enough. That’s a handy attitude to cultivate for the next time you want to sell a “humanitarian” war.

You can send a message to the New York Times at letters@nytimes.com (Twitter: @NYTimes). Please remember that respectful communication is the most effective.

The Edwardian Era, also known as "La Belle Epoque" and "the Gilded Age," spanned from the late 1890s to 1914. The Gibson girl was a popular inspiration when it came to fashion and hair. Most of the hair of that era were voluminous, wispy updos, but there were other styles as well, such as buns and braids. Edwardian women often resorted to using mesh or wire frames for their hair, but there are other ways to do the same styles using simpler techniques.^[1][2]

EditSteps

EditCreating the Gibson Girl

1. Add volume to your hair, if needed. If you already have thick, wavy/curly hair, you may not need to do this. If you have thin or straight, hair, however, you will need to add some volume to it. There are several ways you can do this:
   
   • Backcomb or tease your hair, including the top; leave the under layers smooth.^[3]
   • Start with wet hair, then blow-dry it upside down.^[4]
   • Add a volumizing powder or mousse to the roots.^[5]
2. Separate the hair from your hairline in a thick band. Part your hair vertically on each side, right in front of the ears. Section off a 2-inch (5.08-centimeter) thick band of hair across your front hairline, running from ear-to-ear.^[6]
   
3. Gather the rest of your hair into a bun, except for the bottom layer. The bottom layer needs to curve in a 2-inch (5.08-centimeter) thick band along your back/bottom hairline. Secure the bun with a hair tie or hair clip.^[7]
   
   • This bun is temporary; you will come back to it later.
   • Save yourself some work later on and make a ponytail instead. Twist and secure the ponytail with a hairclip.
4. Roll the front section of your hair back, then pin it. Gather the sectioned-off hair from your front hairline. Use your forefingers to wind that hair backwards, then secure the roll with a bobby pin or two.^[8]
   
   • The section needs to be the same length as your forefinger.
   • Keep the roll loose. It should be big enough to comfortably fit both of your forefingers.
5. Repeat the process on the rest of your hairline. Continue working in finger-length sections around your hairline, including the temples and sides. Don't worry if a few wisps of hair come loose; this will give you a more romantic look that is suitable for the period.^[9]
   
   • The nape will be a little tricky. Check your work in the mirror.
   • Tease the sections of hair as needed before you roll them back.^[10]
6. Sweep your bangs back and pin them, if needed. Pull your bangs back over the front roll, and gently pin them in place. Be careful not to squash the roll, however!^[11]
   
   • Skip this step if you don't have bangs.
7. Turn the bun into a ponytail, then split it in two. Go back to the bun from the very beginning. Undo it carefully, so as not to disrupt the rolls, then re-tie it into a ponytail right in the center. Split the ponytail in half so that you have a left side and a right side.^[12]
   
   • If you make a ponytail then clipped it into a bun earlier, simply remove the clip.
8. Roll, flatten, and pin each side of the ponytail towards the center. Take the left side of the ponytail, and roll it towards the center. Press the roll flat, and pin it just above the ponytail. Repeat the process for the right, but pin it just below the ponytail.^[13]
   
9. Loosen the style, if needed. Gently tug out a few wisps of hair around your hairline, especially at the temples, nape, and side burns. If you want to, you can set your style with hairspray to help it last longer. This is not really necessary, however; they did not have hairspray back then!^[14]
   

EditStyling the Wrap and Roll

1. Start with long hair that's parted down the middle. This style looks like a rolled and tucked bun, except that the roll is more pronounced. The longer your hair is, the more voluminous the style ill be. For best results, your hair should fall well past your shoulders.^[15]
   
2. Section off the front part of your hair. Use your thumbs to separate the hair that's in front of your ears from the rest of your hair. The sections need to extend from your side burns all the way up to the center part. Drape these sections over your shoulders and brush the rest of the hair back.^[16]
   
3. Tie the two sections behind your head in a loose ponytail. The ponytail needs to sit at about ear-level. Keep it loose enough so that you can still tuck your fingers behind it, but tight enough so that it doesn't droop don. Use a mini hair tie that matches your hair color or a clear hair elastic to secure it.^[17]
   
4. Flip the ponytail a few times until the sides twist into ropes. Slip your finger up behind the tied sections. Hook it around the ponytail, then pull the ponytail through the gap. Do this a few times until the tied hair sections become twisted.^[18]
   
5. Gather the ret of your hair into a loose, low ponytail. You want to include the first ponytail in this one as well. Secure the ponytail just below the first one with a hair tie that matches your hair color. Keep the ponytail loose enough so that you can slide your finger behind it.^[19]
   
6. Flip the ponytail once or twice. Slide your finger up through the ponytail, right behind the hair tie; you want your finger between your head and the actual hair tie. Hook your finger around the ponytail, then slide it down through the hole. Tug down enough so that the ponytail comes out of the hole, but not the hair tie.^[20]
   
   • If you have long, thin hair, you may need to do this twice.
7. Roll the ponytail upwards. Gather and smooth your ponytail. Rotate it around your two forefingers as you roll it upwards towards your head. Keep the roll loose enough so that your forefingers can rotate freely inside of it. You want it to have a slight, oval shape, o that it extend above the initial roll from the previous step.^[21]
   
8. Secure the roll to your head with bobby pins. Make sure that you are only pinning the underside of the roll so that it is nice and voluminous. You will need at least two bobby pins, one on each side of the top of the roll. If you have thick, heavy hair, you may need another set or two of bobby pins along the sides.^[22]
   
9. Set the style with hairspray, if desired. You don't have to do this, but you can if you want to. Hairspray will help the style last longer, but skipping the hairspray will be more authentic to the period. In fact, a few loose strands will give you a wispy, romantic look that's perfectly suitable.
   

EditDoing an Adaptable Hairstyle

1. Start with long hair, parted down the center. This method will show you how to do three simple Edwardian hairstyles. They all start out the same way, but end different on the final step. In order for these hairstyles to work, your hair should fall well past your shoulders.^[23]
   
2. Gather a section of hair in front of each ear. The sections should extend from your side burns up to your hairline. Keep the sections relatively thin, about 1-inch (.54 centimeter) thick.^[24]
   
3. Tie the sections into a loose ponytail behind your head. Use a clear elastic or a hair tie that matches your hair color;. Make sure that ponytail is loose enough to drape under the curved part of your head, right above the nape.^[25]
   
4. Twist the ponytail a few times. Slip your fingers behind the tied section and grab the ponytail. Pull it down through the hole, just like making a flipped or topsy-turvy ponytail. Do this a few times until the tied sections are twisted into ropes, all the way up to your hairline.^[26]
   
5. Finish off with a braid, flipped ponytail, or tucked bun. This is where the magic of this adaptable hairstyle occurs! Gather all of your hair, including the twisted ponytail, and everything beneath it. Next, finish your style by doing one of the following:^[27]
   
   • Braid: split your hair into three sections, with the tied ponytail in the middle section. Braid your hair down, then secure it with a hair tie.
   • Flipped ponytail: Make a ponytail that's level with the twisted ties. Poke your finger up through your hair, behind the hair tie. Grab the ponytail, and pull it down through the hole.
   • Tucked bun: Do a flipped ponytail, but keep flipping it until you run out of hair. Tuck the ends into the hole, then secure them with bobby pins.
6. Set your style with hairspray, if desired. If you really want to get authentic, you can skip this step. If you want to keep your style looking smooth throughout the day, however, lightly mist it with hairspray.
   

EditTips

• Use bobby pins and hair ties that are close to your hair color.
• You can try creating the Gibson girl style if you have shorter hair, but you may need to use more hairspray to set the rolls.
• If your hair is too short, you can use extensions or even a wig.
• You can also use foam or mesh inserts for your hair. Pin them to your head first, then wrap and roll your hair around them.^[28]
• Look at reference pictures to get more ideas.

EditThings You'll Need

EditCreating the Gibson Girl

• Brush
• Hair tie
• Hair clips
• Bobby pins
• Volumizing mousses or powders (optional)
• Hairspray (optional)

EditStyling the Wrap and Roll

• Brush
• Hair ties
• Bobby pins
• Hairspray (optional)

EditDoing an Adaptable Hairstyle

• Brush
• Hair tie
• Hair clips
• Bobby pins
• Hairspray (optional)

EditSources and Citations

Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found

While in Hong Kong this month to check out the swanky new Centurion Lounge, Amex invited me to attend a By Invitation Only event at The Peninsula Hong Kong, which featured world-renowned chef Massimo Bottura. These events are exclusively for Platinum and Centurion Card Molders, but they aren’t free (this one was $1,500 per ticket); they’re pretty spectacular in that they give guests access to the world’s best athletes, chefs, celebrities — experiences you simply can’t buy.

True, dinner at Chef Bottura’s Osteria Francescana is only about $200 by comparison, but add in wine (and they had great wine flowing all night long) and you’re easily nearing $500 per person — and you still have to get to Modena, Italy! For Amex Card Members in Hong Kong (and even some from other countries who flew in) it was a chance to also get one-on-one time with the chef.

In the past I’ve attended other BIO events — like the premiere of the Bond movie Spectre in Mexico City and the Kentucky Derby — and they’re always spectacular. I’m pretty sure Amex doesn’t turn a profit on these events, but they do them to build a brand all about experiences — which is what we all want. This event also tied into their new Global Dining Collection, which launched along with new Platinum Card benefits in March 2017. The Global Dining Collection gives Platinum and Centurion Card Members access to exclusive, one-of-a-kind culinary events, experiences and off-the-menu perks with incredible chefs like Bottura, Thomas Keller, Daniel Humm, Stephanie Izard and José Andrés.

Through the Global Dining Collection, Card Members also get access to reservations at thousands of top restaurants across the globe through the Platinum Concierge program. I took advantage of it this summer twice to dine at Eleven Madison Park’s summer pop-up in collaboration with American Express in East Hampton, NY; it was incredible and reservations were only available to Amex Card Members.

In Hong Kong, back on October 7, I got a chance to speak with the chef behind the restaurant that earned him the top slot on the World’s Best list in 2016 , Osteria Francescana, located in Modena, Italy. He has a zest for life (and quality) that became apparent to me the second I heard him speak. (In fact, his afternoon session on his cooking style reminded me more of a TED Talk than a cooking demo: It was about going against the mold — taking what is old and giving it a new contemporary twist.) 

I was able to get some time with the man behind the three-Michelin-starred restaurant and we chatted about many things including how to combat jet lag and eating on planes. Read on for my interview with Chef Bottura:

Brian Kelly: What are your tips for combatting jet lag?

Massimo Bottura:  Eat well. Eat the right things. Nap whenever you can because it is extremely important — extremely important — especially for creativity. I’m sure this afternoon I’m going to take a nap! [Energy] is one of the most important things [so my advice is] sleep when you feel it.

BK: Do you drink when you fly?

MB: Never ever — I don’t drink alcohol, even on the plane, even in first class. [I don’t drink much ] except for last night when we went crazy and opened an unbelievable bottle; I couldn’t say no to some crazy wine. If there’s something that can make a difference and can help you [learn], do it. It’s not drinking to drink. It’s drinking to learn.

BK: Do you eat on airplanes?

MB: Sometimes, yes. Most of the time, no. It’s very difficult because how can you prepare good food? Maybe you can make the right choice with a cheese selection or if you want chocolate … or, if in the middle of the night you wake up and you want ice cream, I really appreciate that. But [as far as] cooking stuff … no.

BK: Would you ever consider eating in a lounge?

MB:  A lounge is different, you can create good food. Very good food. In general, though, that is not where I want to go. At least there are airlines that have great service like Singapore Airlines. They’re so nice; they don’t want to show you anything other than their joy and culture of serving you well.

BK: Would you consider being an airline chef or doing food for a lounge?

MB: When they asked me to do it, I said no, because the money didn’t matter to me. It’s because the quality — I’m obsessed with quality. The quality of the idea, the quality of the ingredients, the quality of the materials, the quality of everything!  

BK: What destination have you not been to that you’re most excited about?

MB: I’ve been everywhere! I’m like Johnny Cash!

BK: What about Africa?

MB: Places there are very inspiring — like South Africa and Namibia; the north — they’ve been touched by the Mediterranean. They’re very reaching cultures; it’s very inspiring how they mix up spices and things like that.

BK: Do you do anything to unwind? Or are you always thinking about food?

MB: No, food is my passion but I live in my passion. To me, my other passions are sports: soccer, Formula One. I’m from Modena!   

BK: So you must drive an Italian car…

MB: Maserati! And Ducati. It’s the double-cylinder; it’s just the sound of it. For me, it’s about passion. When you have the sound of an eight-cylinder, like the Maserati, it goes directly into your brain.

All images courtesy of American Express

Make this tangy, spicy slaw once and you'll want to bring it to every potluck you ever attend. At least, that's how this recipe makes me feel, and I'm certain it will do the same for you. With the crunchy texture of carrots and red cabbage and the bold flavors of vinegar, Dijon mustard, and jalapeño, this dish wins people over with just one bite. No one will ever be the wiser that you pulled this together in just five minutes. Yes, it is really that easy.

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PETALING JAYA: A survey on electricity usage in Malaysia has found that about 75% of the people do not use solar power but would like to start, and some 62% of youngsters shower with hot water, even on a hot day.

It also found 46% of Malaysians must sleep in air-conditioned rooms every night, regardless of whether the weather was hot or cold.

Dubbed ‘Malaysian Power Gila Survey 2017’, the project by Cilisos.my revealed these and various other eccentricities in the power usage habits of Malaysians, good and bad.

Cilisos managing editor Lydia Kwan said today a total of 7,688 respondents participated in the online survey from Aug 4 to Sept 5.

She said the respondents hailed from all states, with the top five locations being Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Penang and Perak.

According to the findings, 58.9% of Malaysian users think they can outsmart robbers by turning on the lights when they go out, while 53% do their laundry more than twice a week.

It also found that Sabah and Pahang racked the highest monthly electricity bills at more than RM141 per user account, while the most “kedekut” or thrifty energy savers were men, whether single or married with children.

Other interesting and quirky insights revealed by the survey include discoveries such as:

– More Malaysian men prefer to charge their phones overnight (37.8%);
– Most Malaysians (69.9%) turn their plugs off, but leave them in the sockets;
– 51% do not know the main source of Malaysia’s energy; and
– Most Malaysians (44%) experience power blackouts at home “a few times a year”

Kwan said while all age groups were represented, 22.4% of the respondents were aged between 21 and 25.

More details on the survey are available at https://cilisos.my/survey-results-7-interesting-facts-about-how-the-average-malaysian-uses-electricity/ .

Simple and inexpensive ways to go green

It’s not often that Amazon features a laptop as one of its deals of the day, so anyone who uses a desktop at home or work should definitely check out this pair of refurbished Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga for their portable computing needs.

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Here are twelve of the best photos that readers added to the Consumerist Flickr Pool in the last three weeks, picked for usability in a Consumerist post or for just plain neatness.

Want to see your pictures on our site? Our Flickr pool is the place where Consumerist readers upload photos for possible use in future Consumerist posts. Just be a registered Flickr user, go here, and click “Join Group?” up on the top right. Choose your best photos, then click “send to group” on the individual images you want to add to the pool.

SINGAPORE: A robot masseuse named Emma is offering Singaporeans high-tech back rubs with a gigantic metal arm and warm silicone tips which its creators say perfectly mimic the human touch.

The robot, the brainchild of local startup AiTreat, began work at a clinic in the city-state this week and performs “tui na”, a type of massage practised in traditional Chinese medicine.

Emma, which stands for Expert Manipulative Massage Automation, consists of a white metal arm with heated silicone tips that mimic the human palm and thumb, with customers massaged while lying on a bed.

For Sg$68 (US$50), customers at the traditional Chinese medicine clinic get half an hour of robotic massage — on the back or other parts of the body that are aching — five minutes of massage by a human therapist and around 20 minutes of acupuncture.

Calista Lim, a Beijing-trained physician at the NovaHealth TCM clinic, said the robot eases her workload, allowing her to focus on seeing more patients.

“There are days that… humans feel a little tired or under the weather and they may be a little reluctant to do extra work,” she told AFP.

“But for Emma, once I say go, then she goes to work.”

She said the massage robot is also useful in plugging a labour shortage, as it can be difficult to find good therapists in Singapore.

“Tui na” involves applying pressure to certain points of the body. Practitioners of Chinese medicine believe it can help relieve various ailments from headaches to depression.

Zhang Yizhong, chief executive of AiTreat, which was nurtured by the city-state’s Nanyang Technological University, said Emma uses sensors to detect stiffness in the human body and how well blood is flowing to more effectively massage patients.

Still, Lim conceded some patients were initially apprehensive about being massaged by a machine “because they watch a lot of horror movies”.

But most warmed to the idea after trying it out.

Elaine Low, 35, who suffers from back pain, said she enjoyed the experience.

“It feels very warm, very comfortable,” she said.

Traditional Chinese medicine, which uses herbal medicines and techniques such as acupuncture, is popular in Singapore where most of the population are ethnic Chinese.

Amazon, a company Jeff Bezos invented to piss off everyone in the book industry simultaneously, likes to make books as cheap as possible. To that end, this spring they moved third-party options up to the top of the page, sometimes even listing third-party sellers as the default buying option. You might see a “new”…

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Months after Coach went on a shopping spree, picking up rival Kate Spade for $2.4 billion, the company has changed its name to Tapestry. 

Though the Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman brands won’t officially be living under the Tapestry umbrella until Oct. 31, the new corporate name and logo are already all over the company’s website.

CEO Victor Luis said in a statement that following the 2015 acquisition of Stuart Weitzman and this year’s purchase of Kate Spade the company had transformed into a “mono-brand specialty retailer” and needed a new name.

“We searched for a name to reflect these values while also expressing the cultural diversity of our people and our brands for today and tomorrow,” Luis said.

With Tapestry, the company says it found a name that “speaks to creativity, craftsmanship, authenticity, and inclusivity on a shared platform and values.”

Additionally, the new name will allow the brands to expand beyond their current categories — namely shoes, purses, and other accessories, Luis says.

Making Changes

The name change is just Coach’s latest step in its three-year-long strategic plan toward “reinvention.”

That reinvention centered on Coach attempting to regain sales by pursuing wealthier customers and selling more high-end bags.

Other measures Coach has taken in recent years include closing stores, pulling back inventory from department stores, and excluding its products from department store sales or coupons. These changes resulted in promising results for the company earlier this year.

Usually if you’re running on a runway, something bad just happened. However, once a year, thousands get the chance to do so on Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport’s fifth runway. This year, I was one of them.

Hosted by Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed, the “The Mayor’s 5K on the 5th Runway” had its third annual race Saturday, September 30. In order to limit the impact on air traffic, the race starts promptly at 6:30am and all walkers must clear off the course by 7:30am. The runway is cleared and swept for debris so that it can be re-opened no later than 8:30am.

Registering

The cost of registering for the 2017 event was $40 if you wanted an official time, t-shirt, medal, drinks and snacks before and after the run. For those of us going with the idea of just going for a fun run, you can save $5 by registering without chip tracking. Either way, there’s a few-dollar processing fee, so my wife Katie and I ended up paying $38.95 each.

Getting There

We were staying at a nearby Holiday Inn Express (College Park location — which turned out to be great for plane spotting ATL’s south runways). We wouldn’t have minded a warm-up walk over to the course, but the roads around the area weren’t walkable — especially in the dark. As the race organizers sent out 20% off Uber and Lyft codes, we figured there would be high demand and low supply due to the early morning for rideshares. But, there turned out to be a few drivers free in the area, and our driver was completely unaware of the event yet.

It seems like almost everyone either drove and utilized the free parking at the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC) or took MARTA to the airport. The race organizers arranged for shuttles to run from both of these spots to the race meeting point at Fire Station #33.

On Site Registration and Security

As this is at an active airport, security is still a high priority. In order to retrieve your race bib, you’re going to have to show government-issued identification. Then, each racer undergoes a full search from TSA officers using metal detector wands to enter the fire station.

The festivities kick off as soon as you get inside the fire station, including a dance floor and music to match. After a welcome from the Atlanta Mayor Reed and two US Olympic gold medalists, a marching band played the runners out to the start line, located on taxiway Sierra Golf.

Before we kicked off, walkers and un-timed runners were encouraged to give way to the runners at the front of the pack. Mayor Reed climbed the stairs to the top of the ATL firetruck and counted down to the slightly-early 6:20am start.

The Run

Since it was still dark when we took off, race organizers had set-up floodlights at certain critical turns, set up cones to avoid runners twisting their ankles on the taxiway drop-offs and issued each runner a flashing red armband. In the darkness of the predawn hour, the sea of blinking red lights was quite a mesmerizing sight.

As this is a flat course, many may be prepared to set a new personal best. However, we hadn’t done much training and figured we’d just enjoy the experience rather than rushing through it. However, one thing to note for those going for a personal record: go around the black marks! You know those black tire marks you see on runways? Turns out those are very sticky.

For those curious, the runway lights were turned off and large “X” signs were set-up on both ends of the runways to make sure that pilots didn’t accidentally line up on it. However, active aircraft weren’t far away. Throughout the run, we could hear the roar of aircraft taking off or using reverse thrusters on landing on the nearby runway 9R.

One benefit of taking your time on the run: you get to enjoy a wonderful sunrise as your finish the run.

As with most races, there are a slew of photographers near the finish line. Usually it costs a decent amount to get a professional shot of you hurrying to the finish line. So, I was surprised to get an email “FREE Photography for the Mayor’s 5K on the 5th Runway 2017!” after the race. Sure enough, each racer can download photos for free. While mine weren’t the best, the TrueSpeedPhoto photographer got a great shot of Katie:

After the run, there’s drinks, recovery snacks and more dancing in the fire station. Meanwhile, many runners took the opportunity to get shots of themselves on ATL taxiway or with one of the airport’s Oshkosh firetrucks. T-shirts and medals were handed out to all participants:

However, we couldn’t hang out for long. Less than three hours from finishing the run, we had a flight to Rome (FCO) via Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to catch. We were easily able to get an Uber driver located on the far side of the airport to pick us up from the fire station.

Overall Impression

It’s probably not going to take much convincing for some of you, but this was an awesome experience. If you’re an AvGeek or runner in the Atlanta area, watch for this event in September 2018. If you’re looking for a fall trip to the Atlanta area anyway, it might be worth scheduling the trip around this event.

Other Runs on a Runway

From what I can find, here are some other runway runs held across the US:

• Race the Runways 2018: Brunswick, Maine (NHZ); scheduled for April 28, 2018
• Run for the Angels 5K Pompano Beach Airpark 2018: Pompano Beach, FL (PPM); scheduled for May 5, 2018
• TPA 5K on the Runway 2017: Tampa (TPA); 2,000 runners; held in April
• JFK Runway Run: New York JFK; held in April
• Dulles Day 5k/10k on the Runway: Washington Dulles (IAD); 2,500 runners; held in September
• 5K on the Runway Yankee: Detroit Willow Run (YIP); held in September
• Runway 5K: Ithaca, NY (ITH); held in September
• Airbus 5K on the Runway: Mobile Downtown Airport (BFM); held in September (cancelled in 2016 and not held in 2017, but organizers say it will return.)

When it comes to finding inexpensive storage solutions for your home, IKEA is a great place to start. The same is true when we're talking about pantries, specifically. The last thing anyone wants to do is spend a ton of money on stuff that's gonna get hidden away in a tiny room that very few people will ever see, right?

The pantry solutions at IKEA are affordably priced, smart, and not terrible to look at (should guests end up hanging out in your pantry during your next dinner party). Here are our favorites — none of them are the RASKOG cart (because you already know about that) and all of them happen to be $10 or less.

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To say that I'm frugal isn't exactly accurate. I have survived on a very meager salary; used Dove soap bars to wash body, face, and hair; and eaten rice and beans for an entire summer due to insufficient funds (my fault for lending a guy all of my savings, only to find he used the money to pay off his credit card bills). I am also a minimalist when it comes to things, so the temptation to buy something just because it's pretty is tempered by the anxiety I get from having too much stuff.

But still, I have always been willing to splurge on things that make me happy.

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Want to end your Monday on a high note? Make this creamy balsamic mushroom chicken. It's a 30-minute, one-skillet meal with crispy bacon as a star ingredient. What more could you want from dinner?

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Welcome back to Sunday Sustenance! It is 57 degrees at the time of my writing this, which means Fall is finally here. In New England, that means our cellars and porches will soon be flush with bushels and pecks of apples for the next three to four months, and is there a better use for them than pies?

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The city of Dubai (DXB) doesn’t have a ton of traffic, and its city planners intend to keep it that way. The first public test of the city’s pilotless flying taxi took place September 25 at Jumeirah Beach Park on the outskirts of the United Arab Emirates’ largest city. The two-passenger drone, called a Volocopter, flew unoccupied for about five minutes at a height of roughly 650 feet. Video of the test shows the aircraft set against the Dubai skyline:

The electric Volocopter is an vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle that can fly for roughly 30 minutes on a two-hour charge. The German company that designed the Volocopter claims that the aircraft’s 18 rotors are engineered to operate in a narrow frequency band so that together, they only sound as loud as two rotors — a key consideration for a flying vehicle intended for intercity use.

The Volocopter test is just Dubai’s latest attempt to encourage transportation innovation. Last year, the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority signed an agreement with Elon Musk’s Hyperloop One to connect the UAE cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi with a hyperloop vacuum system that transports travelers through tubes at high speeds.

“Encouraging innovation and adopting the latest technologies contribute not only to the country’s development but also build bridges into the future,” said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, in a statement.

The Volocopter is just one of several VTOLs under development around the world. A3, the Silicon Valley-based division of Airbus, has stated it hopes to have a single-person flying car in production within the next four years. DeLorean Aerospace — run by the nephew of the man who created the iconic DeLorean, one of the best-known fictional flying cars from Back to the Future — has proposed a two-seat personal air transport vehicle called the DR-7 to roll out in the next five years. Last month, the start-up company Passenger Drone made test flights of its two-seat prototype with actual human passengers aboard.

As far as the Volocopter itself, its manufacturer aims to have the aircraft on the market by 2018, but you’ll likely still have to wait a bit before boarding a pilotless taxi. While Dubai’s goal is to have 25% of its local passenger trips take place in driverless vehicles by 2030, there is still much to do in terms of setting regulations, safety standards and other logistics — so don’t delete those Uber or Lyft apps just yet.

H/T: National Post

Featured image by Nikolay Kazakov, Karlsruhe/Volocopter.

KUALA LUMPUR: Prominent writer Mustafa Akyol’s departure from Malaysia followed interventions and concerns shown by a who’s who of personalities representing the top echelons in Turkey and Malaysia, a far cry from the treatment he received at the hands of Islamic authorities, it has emerged.

Among the names mentioned to FMT include former Turkish president, Abdullah Gul, who is believed to have contacted important personalities in Malaysia after Akyol’s arrest at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Monday.

Akyol himself confirmed this on Twitter yesterday, hours after arriving in Boston, US, where he is a senior visiting fellow at the Denver University.

“I am deeply grateful to former President of Turkey Abdullah Gül for his key role in my release from arrest in Malaysia,” said the New York Times columnist, who was in Malaysia last week on a lecture tour organised by the Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF).

Gul, a former foreign minister who rose to become the 11th president of Turkey, was best known for his role in demilitarising the country’s politics. He is a founding member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), but has been careful not to support his successor Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose government launched a major crackdown on critics after a failed coup last year.

Following his release, news about Akyol’s ordeal in Malaysia quickly reached Turkish social media users, and had been trending for six hours.

“I hope the ‘trending’ incident may help initiate some national debate in Malaysia on the ‘religion enforcement police’,” said Akyol, who has frequently spoken out for free speech in Muslim countries.

Among those present to see Akyol off at KLIA on Tuesday night were Redzuan Kushairi, a member of the Perak Royal Council who is also part of G25, the vocal group of prominent moderate Malays, as well as several others who prefer not to be named.

They were joined by former deputy higher education minister Saifuddin Abdullah and former treasury secretary-general, Mohd Sheriff Kassim.

According to IRF director Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa, Akyol used a special departure hall normally reserved for VIP passengers.

Speaking to FMT before his flight, Akyol said it was his first experience being detained.

“I never got arrested before for anything, much less for giving a few talks. This was not something I could imagine. I could imagine this happening in Saudi Arabia maybe, but I thought Malaysia was a more open society,” he said.

Akyol is a strong advocate of free speech in Muslim countries, and has frequently criticised both the Islamists and secularists in his home country.

His presence this time, his fifth trip to Malaysia, drew protests from some conservative Muslim groups, as well as Islamic authorities who accused him of breaching a law requiring those speaking on Islam to have official credentials.

The Federal Territory Islamic Department had summoned Akyol for questioning over a charge of “teaching Islam without credentials”, before pressuring organisers of a forum featuring him to call it off.

It said Akyol was arrested based on a “complaint from the public” over a speech he made at a roundtable discussion titled “Does freedom of conscience open the floodgate to apostasy?” at the Royal Selangor Golf Club in Kuala Lumpur.

Jawi has also summoned Farouk for questioning, on a charge of “abetting” Akyol.

PETALING JAYA: Fifteen civil society organisations today came together to condemn the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) over its recent treatment of renowned Turkish intellectual Mustafa Akyol, saying the “alarming episode” was in contrast with so-called “comparative religion” programmes featuring fugitive Indian Muslim preacher Zakir Naik.

The Coalition on Plan of Action for Malaysia (GBM), an umbrella group of 28 organisations, also condemned the authorities’ harassment of Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa, the director of the Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF) which hosted Akyol’s trip to Malaysia.

“Akyol is free now, but Malaysian Muslim academics and intellectuals are not free to speak on religion and comparative religion, even in universities.

“Malaysians need to think hard where this country is going, having just celebrated its 54th birthday,” the group said in a statement to FMT today.

On Monday, Jawi summoned Akyol and Farouk for questioning over a charge of “teaching Islam without credentials”, before pressuring organisers of a forum featuring him to call it off.

The prominent Turkish journalist, who is attached to the Denver University in Boston, United States, was subsequently arrested at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) as he was preparing to board a flight to Rome. He was released some 18 hours later.

Jawi said his arrest was based on a “complaint from the public” over a speech he had made at a roundtable discussion titled “Does freedom of conscience open the floodgate to apostasy?” at the Royal Selangor Golf Club in Kuala Lumpur.

It was Akyol’s fifth trip to Malaysia, but his visit this time stirred protests among several conservative Muslim groups over his views on religious freedom.

GBM in its statement asked if Jawi was acting as Malaysia’s “thought police” who go after Muslim intellectuals for speaking on religion without official credentials.

“Do universities and research institutions now need to seek clearance from state religious authorities before having any Muslim speakers on topics involving religion?” it asked.

It added that in contrast, Naik, who is wanted by Indian authorities on charges of money laundering, was allowed to belittle other faiths.

GBM warned that the actions by authorities to curb intellectual freedom “will graduate” to extremism and radicalisation and destroy “our social fabric with sectarian supremacy, segregation and distrust both within Islam and between Islam and other faiths”.

“This will undo not just the Malaysian government’s international PR-campaign called ‘moderate movement’, but the very idea of Malaysia as a diverse and inclusive nation-state,” said the statement which was endorsed by, among others, rights group Suaram, the Japan Graduates Association of Malaysia, the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH), the Muslim Professionals Forum (MPF), Aliran and Pusat Komas.

(Image credit: Kirbie Cravings)

If you're not sold on Brussels sprouts, it's probably because you haven't had them prepared the right way. These crispy panko-coated sprouts are far from the mushy, bland ones you used to push around on your dinner plate while your mom watched from across the table. These Brussels sprouts are so crunchy and flavorful I guarantee you won't be able to stop eating them once you start.

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You might believe that cats are impossible to train, but really, you can use a similar approach to training a dog. As you can see in the above video, cats can learn a ton of tricks! With some effort and patience, your cat will also have a few tricks down pat.

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(Image credit: @nigellalawson)

A question for the ages: If you spend an hour in the kitchen creating a wholesome, nourishing, delicious meal from scratch and don't Instagram it, did it ever really happen? (More importantly, who is actually eating all those smoothie bowls on Instagram?)

Nigella Lawson, whose new cookbook hits shelves this week, recently wrote in the Guardian about the many ways in which the internet has changed the way we cook.

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PETALING JAYA: Berikut harga minyak seluruh negara bermula malam ini.

PETALING JAYA: The Sultan of Johor has warned a laundrette in Muar to stop its practice of allowing only Muslims to use its services or he will personally shut it down.

The order by Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar comes as the issue of the “Muslims-only laundrette” generated much debate over the past few days, after a photo of the laundrette with a sign, “Only For Muslims”, had gone viral on social media.

“I cannot accept this nonsense. This is Johor, which belongs to Bangsa Johor and it belongs to all races and faiths. This is a progressive, modern and moderate state.

“This is not a Taliban state and as the Head of Islam in Johor, I find this action to be totally unacceptable as this is extremist in nature,” the Johor ruler was quoted as saying by The Star.

Sultan Ibrahim told the daily that he had also ordered the state Islamic religious affairs committee chairman Abdul Mutalip Abd Rahim, the religious council and the district council to investigate the matter.

“From now on, I am directing the state executive council and all the councils to insist that any business owners who carry out such blatant discriminatory practices should have their licences revoked. Don’t mess around with your narrow-minded religious prejudices,” Sultan Ibrahim was quoted as saying.

Taking particular aim at the owner of the laundrette, Sultan Ibrahim said his actions were an embarrassment to the state.

“I want the owner to apologise to me and the people of Johor. He has made Johoreans very angry and embarrassed because this is not the Johor we want.

“The owner has gone against the vision of a united, harmonious, moderate and tolerant Johor. If he still insists on carrying on the Muslim-only practice, he can leave Johor.

“I suggest he set up shop in Afghanistan. His thinking is sick and goes against everything that Johor stands for,” Sultan Ibrahim was quoted as saying by The Star.

The ruler also warned the owner not to be coy in trying to diffuse the issue after the laundrette had been said to have changed its sign from “Muslims-only” to “Muslim-friendly”.

“Don’t try to be clever. It’s still the same. The owner needs to have his brains cleaned up.

“I want to put a stop to such extremism. Extremism has no place in my state. We take pride in being Bangsa Johor and I want to know where the owner of this launderette learnt his Islam?

“Islam teaches the faithful to be tolerant and respect other people and faiths,” Sultan Ibrahim said, according to The Star.

The Johor ruler also criticised the laundrette owner over the implications of having a “Muslims-only” policy for his business.

“Is he saying only the clothes of Muslims are clean and those of non-Muslims are unclean? That’s what he means, I believe.

“I wonder where this launderette owner washes his clothes when he is overseas?” The Star had quoted the ruler as saying.

Sultan Ibrahim’s response to the whole debacle follows that of his son, Tunku Idris, who had taken to Instagram on Monday to criticise the Muslims-only laundrette in Muar.

Tunku Idris had posted a picture of a news report on the matter and added the caption: “Is this for real? This is too extreme. I’m appalled.”

In two subsequent posts, Tunku Idris uploaded an image with the text: “The Quran says, ‘speak good to people’ and that it doesn’t say to ‘speak good only to Muslims’.”

The second image was of a Quranic verse which states: “For you is your religion, and for me is my religion”.

Meanwhile, Sultan Ibrahim said that he was “deeply appalled” by the laundrette owner’s actions, adding that if such matters were not stopped, it would lead to more narrow-minded actions in the name of Islam.

“I could not keep quiet on the issue, as if this was allowed to go unnoticed, then next we will have taxis for only Muslims or non-Muslims.”

Laundrette operator: I’m not racist, I just want cleanliness

No rules against laundromat barring non-Muslims, says Johor exco

Muslim-only policy by Muar self-service launderette