Kuwait: The Heart of a Lion….The Brains of a Mosquito?

 

According to recent figures published by the Gulf Cooperation Council (G.C.C), Kuwait sits ‘proudly’ a top of  the ”foreign investment” throne when compared with its 5 other member nations.

 Yes, that’s right - Kuwait LOVES to send its money abroad in an effort to reap foreign dividends and stimulate more (apparently) ’needy’ economies…….Well - that’s all very nice and romantic – but in the real world - it highlights everything that is wrong with Kuwait.

Did you know that many of those mega projects which are on-going in Dubai were originally designed to be implemented in Kuwait? Did you know that Kuwaitis are one of the biggest investors in Dubai’s recent transformation into a business and touristic powerhub?  Can someone tell me why? Long ago, there was the old excuse about investing outside Kuwait - because of the threat of Saddam…..Well, what’s today’s excuse?  

 No matter what even the most patriotic of Kuwaitis will try to convince you of - Kuwait is far from the perfect ’Utopian Society’ which was originally defined by a certain Sir Thomas Moore back in the 14th century. There are plenty of things which need improvement, things which could be rectified with such ease - that it makes me angry just thinking about them.

Take for example some of those nasty, bumpy roads that I have to drive across on a daily basis. And No, I’m not talking about Jleeb or some of the poorer districts of Kuwait. Has anyone taken a look at the backstreets of Salmiya ‘The Entertainment Capital’ recently?  Some of those back roads are a disgrace and would look out of place in Bangladesh – one of the World’s poorest nations. 

What about all these electrical cuts? We are a country of only 2.8 million people. We are a country who sits on 10% of the Word’s Oil Reserves. Given that we have been blessed with such incredible resource, shouldn’t we have a ’state of the art’ infrastructure which is the envy of the world?  Are we living in 2006 or 1946? Sometimes I wonder.

What about the schools’ in Kuwait? Has anyone taken a look at any of them recently? Many run-down, poorly equipped, poorly maintained old buildings. Only now are the Government talking about refurbishment. Why?

Let’s look at another source of contention:

Notice that whenever a (Natural / Non) Foreign Disaster Occurs, who is always the first to open the bank vault and start start distributing Financial Aid? 

• Lebanon Attack - $300 million gets sent immediately. (This was a donation, a $500 m deposit was also made into the Lebanon Central Bank, Billions more have apparently been agreed for loans)

• Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans – $500 million is sent for relief efforts

• Tsunami Indonesia – $20 – $200 m (numbers are still very vague) 

 Whilst I do not in anyway condemn such efforts, on the contrary, I think it’s wonderful that Kuwait can always be relied upon to be one of the first to dip its hand into its deep pockets - but let’s face it – there are some serious issues that need to be both embettered and rectified on our own front door step BEFORE we start catering to the needs of others.

Next time you are driving down one of those bumpy, dark roads and suddenly hear one of your wheels crunch into a pot hole - don’t curse Kuwait, don’t curse the road - curse those who see it fit to send theirs and our money abroad to fund yet another useless Mega Mall or seemingly other ‘more worthy’ cause. 

Toxy’s Top 5 TV shows

In the last few years I seem to have gone back to watching a fair amount of Television shows. Prior to that, I really had no interest in anything but news, current affairs and sports. Here’s a quick run down of my favorite TV shows:

 

1. Nip Tuck – Despite a very poor 3rd Season, the two prior seasons of Nip Tuck were fantastic which earns the show my accolade of best overall TV picture. Raw, nervy and definitely not for the feint hearted, Nip Tuck is a show which constantly pushes the boundaries of comfortable, acceptable television viewing. During the course of it’s 3 seasons, the stories have tackled everything from the obscene to the obscure to the downright taboo. Look out for season 4 debuting this September 5th.
2. Prison Break – No surprises here. This show is just a thrill a minute…. Enough said.

3. The Apprentice – Donald Trump’s enormously successful Reality TV Show based on 2 Teams competing against each other in a series of Business Orientated Tasks. One unlucky loser will of course get to hear Donald’s now infamous line ” you’re fired.”

4. Entourage – A throwaway, testosterone orientated dramedy which always ends way sooner than I would like. It’s about the trials and tribulations of a bunch of best friends living in L.A – one of whom happens to be a huge Hollywood actor. After an episode of this show, I always questioned why I never ventured into Hollywood!
5. The Shield – An ultra gritty crime show about a group of highly corrupt L.A. Cops. A very eerie, very powerful and ultimately very disturbing look at the grey areas of being an L.A. Cop.

Let your Ghutra Hang Low….

 

Having first heard this tune on HBO’s TV show “Entourage” a couple of weeks ago, I immediately sensed that this was going to be a big Rap hit.

Irritating catchy – kiddie driven - nursery rhyme chorus, I fear that this will be played on mobile phone jingles from Amman to Zimbabwe for the next few months.

Brace yourselves for the sounds of  the St. Louis teenage rapper  “Jibbs” with his interestingly titled ”Chain Hang Low,” which incidentally, is based on that old nursery rhyme ‘Ears hang low.’

 Don’t say I didn’t warn you! Click the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMJqX0ZWL-0

Punjabi ‘Pop’ Idol….Aboo Laykkkk

 

This is a classic clip from the UK TV Show ‘Popstars - The Rivals.’ How this Punjabi dude can perform this routine with such a straight face, I will never know.

Love it!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9084894507074145473&q=Pop+Idol&hl=en

Check it out: Amman Blogging

If you’re interested in discussing and learning more about what’s going on in Amman, Jordan – check out one of my buddies new blogs setup to discuss pretty much ‘anything’ and ‘everything.’

He’s got some pretty entertaining insights into Jordan life along with the usual mix of trivia and pop culture. Of course, he’ll never admit my site is cooler, but it’s a good effort nonetheless..  ;-)

www.osati.wordpress.com 

New BMW X5 to be launched in Kuwait shortly

 

The next generation of the ever popular BMW X5 ”S.A.V” (Sports Activity Vehicle) will be unleashed onto the streets of Gulf in the upcoming months. 

The original X5, which was launched back in 1999, sold well over 580,000 units and has been considered a major success for the BMW group.

 The new model boasts 2 newly designed engines; a 4.8l (350hp) V8  and a 3.0 (260 hp) V6. The interior contains  a 3rd row of seats for extra carriage space, a windscreen projected ’Heads up Display,’ and BMW’s now infamous “I Drive” System.

These pictures are probably the best I have seen. The ‘actual,’ non dynamic pictures are not nearly as exciting. I’ll wait to see it on the road (in the flesh) before passing my full judgement on the re-styling.

Bling Bling….Bling Bling…….. (again)

 I just saw this phone up close and personal. It’s the Motorola Razr V3 ’D & G’ Edition.

I’m not sure how much Dolce and Gabbana actually contributed to the intrinsic workings of this phone  (other than blingy paint job and dangley letters which are hanging off the side)….but my reasonable guesstimate would be - er…not a lot.

Hmmm….Gold phones, Pink Phones, Titanium phones – will we stop at nothing to be exclusive nowadays? 

Simple Traffic Congestion Solution for Kuwait

 The traffic problems in Kuwait have started to become pretty irritating - particularly at peak times during the day. Whilst we are not in anywhere near as bad a position as Dubai, it’s starting to become a tedious affair to travel even the shortest of distances. 

In certain States in the US, drivers are allowed to make a RIGHT Turn at a Stop Light. Let’s think about this logically for a moment. You pull up to a Red Light, you want to make a RIGHT – you look to your left – and if it’s clear you proceed. This has helped the overall flow of traffic immeasurably.

Now we all know that Kuwait isn’t exactly blessed with the finest drivers in the world, but I think such a scheme WOULD benefit the country and help overall traffic flow. What do you think?

  

Screaming Kuwaiti Cops

 

Is it just me or does anyone else get seriously irritated by the Kuwaiti cops screaming on their in-car megaphones?

 In every other country in the world, a couple of flashes of the lights and a quickburst of the siren is suffice to stop the ‘culprit.’ In Kuwait, on an all too frequent basis, I hear some over excited dude shouting at the top of his lungs for the person to pull over. It seems like the Kuwaiti cops can’t get enough of those megaphones installed in their 5 series BMW’s.

Seriously Funky

 

I like the sounds of the new Robbie Williams tune ‘Rude Box.’ The song borrows heavily from that old school classic ‘ Boops! Here To Go’ by the 80’s duo Sly and Robbie.

I’m not a big fan of the chorus, but the beat alone (accompanied by that early 80’s Casio Keyboard Melody) is seriously funky….instrumental dub mix please….check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3iriJN2K58

Just what the Doctor Ordered…Heritage Village, Kuwait

 

The proposed Heritage Village looks like a very interesting project. It’s not just another nonsensical mall with another set of useless, boring outlets - this looks like a decent enough concept which promotes both the heritage of Kuwait and perhaps more importantly – the vision of turning Kuwait back into a touristic destination of choice throughout the gulf.

 

Although specfic details are limited, the proposed location for this project will be Abdullah Al-Ahmad Street.

• 80,000 sqm location
• New Buildings, Restoration of old buildings
• Village should include: Restaurants, Arts Galleries, Art Showrooms, A Heritage Craft Workshops, A Museum, Traditional Souks, archaeological excavation Sites, Restaurants and ofcourse a multitude of coffee shops – after all what would we do without them eh?

Let’s hope they really make this project something special. It will be such a nice and welcome change from the boring bright lights and over-packed noisy malls. It will hopefully also offer a more diverse source of recreational entertainment.

Underground Monster to be unleashed?

 

If they can ever get the sample cleared (it’s on / off /on at moment) - there is a fantastic bootleg remix of Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ causing some major club frenzy. It’s been out for a while now, but I thought I’d alert you to it just in case you hadn’t heard it.  It samples that old classic tune from 1979 ‘Another brick in the wall.’

Eric Prydz vs Pink Floyd – No Education (2006 remix)