Malaysia Prihatin

Today is Merdeka! Today, Malaysia turns sixty-four. 

And this year’s theme is the same as last year – Malaysia Prihatin – and it summons Malaysians to continue to care for each other as the country battles Covid-19. 

I thought I’ll share 3 of my favorite Merdeka 2021 videos. 

Teladan: DiGi's tear-jerker of a video shows the perspectives of primary school children who witness their parents' struggles and perseverance.

 

Lockdown Blues: Yoodo's "Bila Larut Lockdown" tells the hilarious yet heartwarming story of a man who realises his imagination is running wild when he begins to talk to his perabot.

 

#KitaJagaKita: Based on a true story, this short film “Ahchoo” by Etiqa showcases neighbors who find heartwarming ways to keep in touch with one another while staying at home.

 

Happy Merdeka, everybody!

Selamat Hari Merdeka!

Israel Decrees Covid Booster Shots for Everyone Above 12

Israel now offers Covid booster vaccine for ages 12 and above. 

On Sunday, the country’s head of public health Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis (right) reiterated that the effectiveness of the second Pfizer vaccine dose wanes after six months – therefore making a booster necessary before disclosing the expanded booster push. 

“The third dose brings us to the level of protection achieved by the second dose, when it was fresh. That means, people are 10 times more protected after the third vaccine dose”, she said. 

Those eligible for the third shot can receive it provided at least five months have passed since their second jab. 

Hoping to curb the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, Israel began administering the booster to its older population a month ago and has been gradually lowering the age of eligibility. It stood at 30 before Sunday’s announcement. 

So far two million people out of a population of 9.3 million have received three doses. 

In yesterday’s Scottish Premiership match between Old Firm derby rivals, Rangers beat Celtic 1-0. 

A big achievement for the former given that Covid had denied them their manager, Steven Gerrard; their captain, James Tavernier; and their top two goalkeepers, Allan McGregor and Jon McLaughlin. And still they found a way to win. 

All that was needed was as BBC Scotland's Tom English said, “one piece of accuracy, one piece of hesitancy, one piece of barrelling belligerence from a defender-cum-attacker who wanted nothing more in those seconds than to get his head on a ball and put it in the net”. And it came in the sixty-sixth minute. 

It shows that for all the progress the Celtic manager feels he has made, he must surely know that he has a way to go in rebuilding the team.

Delta Tears Apart the Herd Immunity Narrative

As the Delta variant continues to spread, health experts are questioning whether the long-held goal of achieving herd immunity from Covid-19 through vaccination is still viable. 

Herd immunity is achieved when a certain threshold of the global population has either been inoculated against a pathogen or has recovered from infection.

I agree with Stuart Ray, MD (right), professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine that herd immunity is a dangerous strategy for tackling Covid-19. 

He is of the view that rushing toward herd immunity by ignoring risky behavior in the hope that infected people will survive, become resistant and reduce the susceptible population is an approach that will increase deaths and disability, and should be avoided. 

And even if there are those who still opt for this strategy, I'm maintaining a stance that herd immunity is not achievable. With the regular emergence of more infectious strains, it would appear that I am right. 

Just consider the Malaysian situation. It's really bad and some may even say, it's getting out of hand. Already, 60 percent of Malaysia's adult population have been fully vaccinated but Covid cases remain stubbornly high. In fact, the country has been steadily climbing higher and higher, and now ranks at #23 among countries with the most number of infections todate!

“If the question is ‘will vaccination alone allow us to dampen and control the pandemic?’ the answer is: No”, epidemiologist Mircea Sofonea (left) told AFP. 

He said herd immunity hinged on two basic factors. “That’s the intrinsic infectiousness of the virus and the efficacy of vaccines to protect against infection. And at the moment, that efficacy isn’t there”. 

Delta has shown to be roughly 60 percent more transmissible than the Alpha variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and up to twice as infectious as the original strain that emerged in late 2019. The more effective the virus becomes at infecting people, the higher the herd immunity threshold becomes. 

“Theoretically, it’s a very simple calculation to make”, said eminent French epidemiologist Antoine Flahault (right). For the original virus, which had a reproduction rate between zero and three – meaning each infected person infects up to three others – herd immunity could have been achieved with around 66 percent of people immunized, Flahault told AFP. 

“But if the reproduction rate is eight, as with Delta, that puts us closer to 90 percent”, he said. 

Were vaccines 100 percent effective at stopping Delta infections, that 90 percent could conceivably be possible. Unfortunately, they aren’t. 

Notwithstanding the above, Flahault said “what scientists are recommending is to get the maximum number of people protected” through vaccination. 

Eventually, of course, all pandemics end. 

Sofonea said it’s likely that Covid would become another endemic disease over time, “just not with vaccines alone”. 

As I have said all along, it’s really time to accept the fact that we have to co-exist with Covid. The world doesn’t really have a choice.

Covid Vaccine Mock-ups

We know the world is scrambling to inoculate populations against Covid. And in Malaysia, the deceased gets a chance to get their jabs too.

There’s this store owner in Johor Bahru, Johor whose ‘handmade’ vaccines have become popular prayer offerings during the ongoing Hungry Ghost Festival. 

During this time of the year, people leave out food portions for their dearly departed and burn incense and make offerings made of paper resembling things the deceased may have wanted. 

FYI, this ‘celebration’ centers on the belief that the spirits of the dead return to Earth during the seventh month of the Chinese Lunar calendar. 

This year, a box set of a syringe and two vaccine vials are among the fastest-selling items for the festival at Raymond Shieh’s shop which specializes in selling prayer paraphernalia. 

Shieh explained: “The Covid-19 situation in our country is quite serious and many people passed away before receiving the vaccine. I hope this ‘product’ can help the deceased to fulfil their dying wish”. 

BTW, each set costs RM22.80 and Shieh said he has sold more than 200 sets so far. 

The spirits of the dead are here to enjoy a month-long vacation in the human world. So, it’s comforting to know that they are free to safely wander about because they too have received their vaccination. 

Yesterday, at Anfield, Liverpool fought hard against Chelsea in this fast and furious Premier League encounter but they ended with a 1-1 draw. 

It was the latter who took the lead in the twenty-second minute – but just seconds before the break, they had one defender sent off for a handball on the line. In the process, the former won a penalty which saw Mohamed Salah convert.

In the next 45 minutes, the Reds with a numerical advantage bulldozed their way forward to try and score but the Blues frustrated them at every turn. It was like playing against nine defenders. 

Anyway, it was a defensive masterclass from Chelsea and Liverpool weren’t able to find that all-important winner. And so, the latter forfeited two precious points. A real waste. 

Probably The Most Affordable Electric Car in the World

An electric car is on sale in China for just $2,100 (RM8,830). 

At this price, ElectricKar K5 is probably the most affordable electric car in the world – but be warned, one shouldn’t expect much in terms of performance or even comfort. It does look cute though. 

With a curb weight of 255 kg, an atypical look and endowed with very compact dimensions, it can accommodate two occupants, does not go faster than 40 km/h, and its 72 V battery takes no less than eight hours to recharge. 

Marketed on the Alibaba e-commerce site, it is actually an electric quadricycle. It is produced by Regal Raptor Motors, a manufacturer specializing in the production of electric motorcycles and scooters. 

Keep in mind, however, that this “car” may not be able to be driven in every country, as it would be subject to being approved for the road. 

On Thursday, I joined Ahmad Fakhri et al in a mini-workshop “Communicate with Confidence” conducted for top law firm, Azmi & Associates:

Cold-blooded Murder

Tortoises, especially the terrestrial varieties are generally known to be herbivorous. 

But scientists in the Seychelles captured footage of one of the hulking reptiles engaged in an act of cold-blooded murder.

The video shot on July 30, 2020 showed an adult female Seychelles giant tortoise (Scientific name: Aldabrachelys gigantea hololissa) slowly approaching a lesser noddy tern chick with its mouth open, which is a typical aggressive gesture. 

It appeared that the chick had fallen from its arboreal nest in the treetops and was stranded on a log. Although it backed away to the edge of the log and defended itself from the tortoise with pecks, it was all a futile effort. The larger tortoise clamped its jaws down on the bird’s head, effectively killing it. 

The tortoise then climbed off the log to retrieve the dead carcass and swallowed it whole, making it a protein-rich addition to its plant-based diet. The whole morbid interaction took place in seven minutes. 

This incident was recorded in a study authored by Anna Zora of the Fregate Island Foundation in the Seychelles and Justin Gerlach of Cambridge University and published in Current Biology.

 

According to the study, the footage is the “first documented observation of a tortoise deliberately attacking and consuming another animal” and represents “an entirely novel behavioral strategy for any tortoise species”. 

The team wrote: “There are reports of Galapagos giant tortoises squashing birds under their carapace and we have heard of tortoises on Aldabra squashing crabs, but these are anecdotal and although it is implied that the act is deliberate, this is unclear”. 

What caused the tortoises to change its diet? The extensive environmental restoration on the island which led to a boom in both tortoise and tern populations might have led to this eventuality. 

When tern chicks fall from their tree nests, they are prey for a variety of predators such as lizards and crabs. The island’s tortoises might have simply adopted its diet to get easy meals.

“At present we do not know how extensive the behavior is on Frégate; future studies will determine whether it develops further or expands more widely in the tortoise population”, Zora and Gerlach concluded.

The Old Broken Wooden Cabinet

Malaysia's six-day-old Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced his cabinet today. 

And Malaysians have been duped. There's no new cabinet. Only a secondhand one and it's broken. 

Pathetic but what do you expect?  It's the same old, same old! 

What we have is a rotation of portfolios among the same group of twats. 

This is my Malaysia where stupidity reigns and incompetency rules.

#KerajaanBodoh 2.0 #KerajaanGagal 2.0

Horror Movie Tricks

The most effective horror movies play on viewers' senses. 

From Alfred Hitchcock to M Night Shyamalan, horror-film makers have always loved messing with our visual and auditory perception, using camera trickery, calculated shot composition, immersive sound design and other ruses. 

In the fascinating episode below of Movies Insider, we learn seven horror movie tricks used to build tension and scare the hell out of us or at least they try to:

Celtic pulled off a lucky escape yesterday! 

They survived a torrid night in the Netherlands to edge past AZ Alkmaar with a 3-2 aggregate to reach the Europa League groups for the fourth season running. The Scottish side had been playing well in recent matches but on Thursday, it turned nightmarish – an error-strewn game that caused them to surrender to the Dutch side. 

Kyogo Furuhashi's third-minute opener put Celtic ahead, but their Eredivisie opponents soon pounced on an error from goalkeeper Joe Hart to level just three minutes later and then center back Carl Starfelt's calamitous own goal gave AZ the second-leg lead. 

To their credit, Celtic dug in and saw the task through. 

Ange Postecoglou's men go into Friday's draw despite the end of their six-game winning run, while AZ drop into the Conference League.

Minimalist Comics Without Dialogue by Karlo Ferdon

There are times when it’s good to keep things simple. 

And when it comes to simple things with deep significance, that's exactly what comic artist Karlo Ferdon's art portrays. He’s a Chilean cartoonist who shows us that you don’t need words to make someone laugh and convey an important point. 

The artist creates minimalist comics without dialogue about all kinds of absurd and silly situations in everyday life – and we think that it's pretty much impossible not to squeeze out a laugh or, at the very least, not to identify with the messages passed in them.

Pfizer Vaccine Efficacy Diminishes

My blog post this morning reveals the Israeli experience with Pfizer booster shots specifically and vaccine efficacy in general. 

I have decided to probe deeper into the latter – and indeed, managed to dig up additional new info.  

A Wall Street Journal news report on July 23 had highlighted that data from Israel had suggested Pfizer’s vaccine had become less effective in preventing infection of Covid-19, although it remains a robust bulwark against serious illness. 

The findings, which are preliminary and based on a small sample, suggested that after two shots, the vaccine was 39% effective at reducing the risk of infection and 40% effective at reducing the risk of symptomatic disease during a period when the Delta variant dominated cases in Israel, according to the country’s Health Ministry. 

I had also located a BMJ report (2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1920, published July 30, 2021) that mentioned that the efficacy of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine fell from 96% to 84% over six months – after the second dose – according to Pfizer data that had been released. The preprint, which contained the latest data from the original clinical trial, found an average decline in vaccine efficacy of 6% every two months. Hmmm, this definitely raises concern!  

This is supported by a “real world” study, conducted by the University of Oxford and the Office for National Statistics and published Thursday in a preprint that analyzed more than 3 million PCR tests from a random sample of people for a detailed picture of infection patterns as Delta became the dominant variant this year. And its findings showed that the Pfizer vaccine lost effectiveness in the first 90 days after the second jab. 

And when vaccinated people did get infected with Delta, they were shown to have similar levels of virus in their bodies as those who hadn’t had shots. This suggests that vaccinating large portions of a population might not protect those who don’t get inoculated, casting doubt on the idea of achieving herd immunity. 

Anyway, the third jab has already raised ethical concerns. 

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (left), the Director-General of the World Health Organization, has urged rich countries, including Israel, to send the doses to poor countries that cannot provide even a first vaccine to their citizens. 

But not surprisingly, this has largely fallen on deaf ears.

A Low-Carb Pizza Tease

Domino's Australia have taunted takeaway lovers with a healthy take on a pepperoni pizza on TikTok – and which led their followers to declare it 'worse than pineapples on pizza'. 

It’s a watermelon base pizza and it’s a 'low-carb' option. 

Sharing the recipe on TikTok and Instagram, Domino's Australia filmed a staff member putting the unusual creation together. 

The pizza restaurant chain got the idea from UK cook Oliver Paterson, whose video of pizza on a watermelon was viewed more than three million times on TikTok. 

"Y'all keep asking us for a low carb crust option. When we saw him make a pizza on a watermelon, we had to give it a go. Would you try it?" Domino’s inquired. 

Giving it a go, the Domino's ‘chef’ slathers a thick slice of watermelon in barbecue sauce, piling grated cheese and pepperoni on top before whacking it in the oven. 

Once it's ready, the toppings do look as delicious as ever – but there's no hiding the fact that you're chomping on a thick, fruity base. 

Methinks, it may distress the Italians – they are likely to consider it an act of sacrilege! After all, the pizza represents Italy!

Since sharing the idea, Domino's video has been viewed more than 380,000 times – with traumatized fans calling it a "war crime". 

"WTF, I am Italian, and this is an insult for us", one wrote, while another said: "You guys are very strange and weird". 

To be fair, there was some support for this offbeat pizza – one of them even ventured: "I'd try it – it looks refreshing".

To each his own.

I read an Al Jazeera news report dated Monday that more than 1.3 million Israelis out of a population of 9.3 million have received three doses of Pfizer so far – after the government have approved giving the booster to everyone aged 40 and above. 

Yet, there have been “breakthroughs”: some people have become infected with Covid despite having received three shots. No figures were given as far as I can tell and which leads me to suspect that it is probably a significant number. 

I’m thinking out loud. If the third jab still produces “breakthroughs” – then, at some point in time, would a fourth jab become necessary?

One reason that has been suggested to explain the "high" (an adjective used in the said report) rate of infection is that "most" Israelis were vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, which is now believed to be less effective. 

I think I may need to shovel up more info about the Pfizer jabs. The world is likely to face up to the 'booster' issue, sooner or later.

A Look at Covid in 3 Countries

From the above, it is easy to spot the country that fares the worst insofar as Covid-19 is concerned. 

Anyway, New Zealand today recorded its highest increase in Covid cases since April 2020.

Still, authorities must be relieved that the numbers are not rising exponentially. Of the 41 new cases, 38 are in Auckland where the latest outbreak started and three are in Wellington. The total number of infections now stands at 148 cases. 

Its health ministry said today that it would not be unexpected to see a rise in daily case numbers at this stage of the outbreak and that at its peak last year New Zealand had a daily total of 89 new cases. 

I did say yesterday that Covid is loving it in NZ! 

China, however, continues to shine! 

As at Monday, there had been no new domestic confirmed Covid-19 cases reported and I expect it to remain this way. This means that the country's latest widespread outbreak is under control in just 35 days! – and which proves the effectiveness of China's anti-epidemic model. 

Well done, China! 

A country of 1.4 billion people can contain Covid but a country of 32.7 million people struggles – and as we can see below, the daily numbers for the 4 days from Friday to Monday were disquietingly disturbing! Even today, it is just as bad! 

It is pertinent to note that both New Zealand and China are embracing a Covid Zero strategy. Malaysia, on the other hand, prefers the “Que sera, sera” (Whatever will be, will be) approach, which, of course, explains our massive numbers.

Eminem Song Squeezes 225 Words in 30 Seconds

Eminem (right) is my favorite rapper. Since making his debut on the worldwide stage with 'My Name Is', Eminem has had 22 Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, with 5 of them reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. In total, a massive 90 songs made it to the Billboard Hot 100. 

With an impressive fan following, he is renowned for his speedy yet witty rapping abilities. But do you know how good he is in numbers? 

The stuff of urban legend, there was always that one person in your university halls who believed that being able to rap Eminem's 'Rap God' was a personality trait, a party trick that would be brought to life at each event over the course of the following three years. And somehow, people never seem to tire of this impressive feat. 

The 2013 hit, 'Rap God', saw Eminem rap 97 words in no less than 15 seconds, equating to 6.46 words per second. This however would later appear to be a modest achievement compared to his later work. 

Half a decade later, Eminem broke his own record in 2018 as a guest on Nicki Minaj's 'Majesty' with a mouthful of 78 words in 12 seconds, 6.5 words per second. 

Seemingly not satisfied with the already award-winning speed of his lyrics, Eminem pushed even further, revealing 225 words across a 30 second segment, meaning that an incredible 7.5 words per second left the rapper's mouth on 2020’s track, 'Godzilla'. And thus, creating the title of the fastest rap in a No.1 single on January 25, 2020, recognized by Guinness World Records.

If you fancy listening for yourself to marvel at his talents, the verse in question begins with the line “Fill ‘em with the venom and eliminate ‘em” at 2 minutes and 57 seconds into the track and concludes with the line “I’m not afraid to pull the…” at 3 minutes 27 seconds.

 

Including the section of verse three from the line “Trigger happy, pack heat, but it’s black ink” (from 2 minutes 45 seconds), Eminem spits out 284 words in 42 seconds, creating an average of 6.76 words per second and claiming victory previously held by 'Majesty' and 'Rap God'. 

In total, the 3 minutes, 31 seconds long track 'Godzilla' contains 959 words throughout its duration, an average of 4.54 words per second. 

This is considerably less than the 1,560 words that appear in the 6 minutes, 4 seconds long 'Rap God' which still holds the title for the most words in a hit single. 

Anyway, 'Godzilla' graces Eminem's 2020 chart-topping album 'Music to be Murdered by' and features the late Juice WRLD in the chorus. 

On January 30, 2020, the song debuted at No.1 on the UK's Official Singles Chart and when the album also debuted at No.1 in the same week, resulting in a UK chart double. This is Eminem's 9th consecutive studio album to make it to the top in the UK charts.

You should also know that cumulative “Godzilla” streams from all streaming platforms have surpassed way beyond 1 billion. 

An awesome feat by an awesome rapper!

Covid is Loving It in New Zealand

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (left) today extends New Zealand’s strict nationwide Covid-19 lockdown saying the current outbreak of the Delta variant of the coronavirus has not yet peaked. 

The Level 4 national lockdown is extended by three days until midnight on August 27 while Auckland, the epicenter of the outbreak, will have restrictions in place at least until August 31. 

She says: “If the world has taught us anything it is to be cautious with this variant of Covid-19”. 

There are more than 320 locations of interest linked to the outbreak and 13,000 contacts have been recorded, far more than in previous outbreaks. “Delta has changed the rules of the game”, Ardern said. 

Today, New Zealand reported 35 new cases of Covid-19 taking the total number of infections in the outbreak to 107. Obviously, Covid is loving it in NZ!

UMNO’s Ismail Sabri Yaakob hasn’t even warmed his PM seat in Putrajaya – and already, Bersatu roared to tell the whole country that Perikatan Nasional are the government. 

On Saturday itself, Muhyiddin Yassin himself had announced: “I give my full support to (Ismail Sabri) and insya-Allah will continue to help the PN government serve the people”. 

On Sunday, Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu echoed the ex-prime minister’s stance: “For us, this is still a PN government. You can do the mathematics. We have a significant number of seats (members of Parliament) and our friends on the other hand have 41”. 

Hmmm, two parties wanting to be puppet masters. Who shall prevail, UMNO or Bersatu? 

To be honest, I don't care! It's still the same shit anyway! Besides, all the 114 MPs who support Ismail are the same lawmakers who once supported Muhyiddin!

The Definitive Coffee Quotes

If you love coffee, you really love coffee. 

You love making it, tasting it and drinking it. You love thinking about it, reading about it, and talking about it. 

And it's probably for all of these reasons that you'll love this definitive round-up of the 18 all-time quotes about coffee. Really, these are the best things people have ever said about coffee: