Latest Malaysian culture Stories

Michael Harper for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online There’s a lot about chewing gum and the act of chewing gum to wonder about. Chew as we might, we never break it down, never digest it, and never receive any nutritional value from it. In many ways, it can be seen as an exercise in futility or a transformation from human to bovine. A recent study published in the British Journal of Psychology has found some good could come from chewing gum. According to these researchers,...

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, July 14 /PRNewswire/ --Ramuan, a little-known secret to unlocking health, beauty and overall wellbeing from ancient Malaysian culture, will be revealed to a global audience for the first time this summer with the launch of a new book, Health and Beauty from the Rainforest: Malaysian Traditions of Ramuan, and line of spa and wellness products inspired by these traditions. A lifestyle approach to wellness, ramuan literally means in Malay language a healthy and...

By Hafidah Samat; Shuhada Elis KUALA LUMPUR: The voices of protest against the conferment of a datukship on Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan are growing louder. Yesterday, the Artistes Association of Malaysia (Seniman) said it would hand a letter to the Ministry of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage stating that the award by Malacca was "irrelevant". Seniman president Datuk Mustapha Maarof said the letter would be handed to the ministry's secretary-general, Datuk Dr Muzahet Masruri, at a...

By Hafidah Samat KUALA LUMPUR: Get your act together or leave. That was the hard-hitting message from the Music Council of Malaysia chairman Datuk A. Rahman Hassan to critics of his proposal to increase the value of the local music industry to RM300 million annually. The proposal was tabled at a music seminar at the National Arts Culture and Heritage Academy earlier this month. Rahman stressed that the industry should strive to achieve the target in three years to generate job...

By Lee Chyen YeeTAOYUAN, Taiwan -- It tastes bitter, turns your teeth black and causes cancer, but it also gives you a buzz and is served by scantily clad young women.And that is why it is proving hard for Taiwan's government to get its heavy betel nut chewers, mostly blue-collar workers, to kick the habit despite the widely known health risks and the red stains left on the sidewalks where users spit out the juice.Truck drivers in Taiwan, like their counterparts in China, India, Indonesia and...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Betel quid chewing is a strong independent risk factor for pharyngeal cancer (cancer of the back of the throat), but not laryngeal cancer (cancer of the voice box), according to findings published in the International Journal of Cancer. Chewing betel quid, which consists of betel leaf from the Piper betle vine, is popular in many parts of Asia. Betel quid is chewed for its stimulant effects, to satisfy hunger and as a social and cultural practice. "The...