hunalkuwait

Kuwaiti MP calls to move Arab League to Venez | Qatar Living

2009-01-16T17:26:00.001+03:00

Interesting move by Chavez but nothing surprises us from him anymore.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez "has proved that he was more Arab than some Arabs," after he expelled the Israeli ambassador in protest against the Israeli onslaught on Gaza.

Chavez expelled Israel's ambassador to Caracas on January 6 and Israel retaliated a day later, saying it was expelling Venezuela's charge d'affaires.
[From Kuwaiti MP calls to move Arab League to Venez | Qatar Living]

kuwaitis and the freedom to express

2008-05-02T14:27:00.001+03:00

A small thought just occurred to me while reading some blogs and viewing photos produced by Kuwaitis online:

Some of the material portrays an immense latent talent in culture and the arts that has heretofore been hidden from public view and only now brought out for easy access on the web for all.

The web is providing an amazing platform for many people to express themselves freely (or sometimes not so but still trying) and liberates them from the suffocating constraints of old media and the bureaucratic controls imposed on them.

The liberties granted by this medium are mind boggling and lead one to think about the repercussions as this unstoppable (is it so?) paradigm shift propagates across the planet.

There are, of course, examples of places that take a much more stringent and authoritarian approach by blocking a population of greater than a billion people from blogging or accessing blog and public information sites. Big brother society can still be a threat and can allow certain groups to impose mind blocks upon people and alter their view of the world without them knowing it.

An information curtain is, however outlandish it sounds, within reach and ability of some governments and should be resisted strongly.

In the case of Kuwait it has always been a highly vocal and outspoken society, for better or for worse, but there is always the risk of this being perverted in the future by a change in management that decides we don't need so many people speaking their minds. It’s happened before elsewhere and vigilance against such a disaster is paramount.
In the United States, there are organizations solely dedicated to free speech and many more that include it with their basic principles (http://www.aclu.org). I think it is vitally important to set up and develop these watch groups to ensure that people are able to live as they desire within the rights granted to them as humans and citizens of the world.

Wow! April snow in Kuwait!

2008-04-12T10:48:00.002+03:00

What a scene. I just found this on the front page of the Alqabas newspaper and was shocked to see so much ice as a result of yesterday’s powerful storm that took out trees around the country and brought much traffic to a standstill.

There was a wall of wind and dust that dramatically swooped upon central Kuwait’s major urban areas but did not get far beyond to the southern areas such as Fahaheel and its neighbors.

In our lot alone were three partially fallen trees among the wreckage.

obscure kuwaiti history - alsamita

2008-04-06T01:14:00.001+03:00

maybe i'm a little bit behind on my modern kuwaiti history, but i looked up this incident after hearing a reading a brief reference to it and found it quite interesting partially because I don't think I ever heard of it before:

"Against this background, another important inci- dent occurred in March 1973 when Kuwaiti and Iraqi troops became engaged in a border clash at an Iraqi military installation inside Kuwait at al Samita.63 The Iraqi soldiers had been stationed within Kuwaiti territory since 1969 with the passive acceptance of the Kuwaiti government on the grounds that this presence was a temporary response to Iraqi problems with Iran. In March 1973, Baghdad attempted to expand this presence and perhaps make it permanent leading to a skirmish in which two Kuwaiti troops and one Iraqi soldier were killed. Kuwait responded to the incursion by declaring a state of emergency, closing the border, and recalling its ambassador to Iraq."

i took this passage out of a document i found on the web titled "KUWAITI NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE U.S.-KUWAITI STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP AFTER SADDAM" that looks like an interesting read in itself.

when it comes to kuwait's history, it seems that there's no single and/or definitive source of information especially given the rather volatile geographical position the country occupies and the colorful neighbors its had. any useful links and sources are welcome.

for anyone interested the link is: www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/pub788.pdf

investment and deposit

2008-04-01T16:17:00.001+03:00

reading a piece by paul krugman in the op-ed section of todays IHT led me to think about how investing has evolved around the world in recent years for the average middle class person.

the culture of stock market investing has been a direct beneficiary of the increased exposure of people to 24 hour financial channels, commercially oriented exchanges with hefty marketing budgets and vanity for better or for worse. its become a matter of pride to say one owns 'investments' here or there even thought they are very little understood.
regardless of the reasons for the increased allure and exposure to stocks, statistics have repeatedly shown that the participation of people in equities will only continue to increase. Krugman argues that non-depository institutions in the US have continued to be exempt from much regulatory oversight that has been a part of the conventional banking (deposit taking) institutions since the great depression with the enactment of the FDIC and contingent controls.

even though I am not a fan of regulation as a fail safe measure, I think that enough 'average' people that would traditionally have kept their savings in a bank or similar fixed income instrument now consider the stock market to be a viable and comparable option with the little concern for the excess risks involved. Of course over the long term the stock markets move gradually upward but in quite a lumpy way and as a whole - two principles that the aforementioned 'average' investors do not seem to follow. in fact, if anything, they seem to want to trade daily and with concentrated bets mirroring a casino mentality.

normally I would say they deserve whatever they get themselves into but, given that the ramifications to society could be severe, we must consider providing a level of oversight and regulation to avoid having the whole pay for the few and massive government bail outs at the expense of the taxpayer. america will eventually come to terms and figure it out but it could take a while and require committed leadership not present in the current outgoing administration.

in kuwait we have seen the disaster that is due to lack of firm and clear policies for dealing with sociocommercial disasters in the souk almanakh crisis of the early eighties. this was a disaster that crippled a generation and whose impact is felt more than twenty years later. imagine the same thing in america but with consequences the world over.

copycat restaurants

2007-06-29T19:26:00.001+03:00

in yesterday's IHT is in a interesting article quoted below that touches on the increasing imitation going on in the restaurant world. it got me thinking about how it is in kuwait with every successful (and sometimes not) new restaurant spawning numerous copycats in a little as a few weeks. think maki/wasabi, burger boutique/burger hub/burger co, zaatar w zeit/shay w nana and many others.

originality is in dire demand.

Restaurant war: Lawsuit cites 'intellectual property' - Print Version - International Herald Tribune

Ed's Lobster Bar copies "each and every element" of Pearl Oyster Bar, including the white marble bar, the gray paint on the wainscoting, the chairs and bar stools with their wheat-straw backs, the packets of oyster crackers placed at each table setting and the dressing on the Caesar salad.

be proud of your failures

2007-06-10T18:25:00.001+03:00

i've noticed that kuwaiti (and arab) culture has a problem with admitting failure. local custom seems to frown on anyone that admits they have made a mistake even years or even decades after the fact has been established.

heck we refuse to acknowledge that we lost the lead centuries ago in the civilization game so i think the trait is pretty endemic to the region.

as the old saying goes: the first part to solving a problem is admitting you have one and i think its about time for a change in thinking to at least recognize that we have problems and then work on solving them.

my connection with this reality is even closer to home: i find that the older generations give us little in the way of problems and pitfalls from their own lives that can be learned from. not only do they not document it but they refuse to even speak about it unless cornered by someone that has found out through other sources.

i think its about time we make a change and be proud of our failures. we need to take every slap in the face that is legitimately earned with a sense of appreciation that this is a learning experience and a path to development. self-reflection is undoubtedly preferable to blaming someone else. the former leads to enlightenment and the realization that we are going somewhere while the latter is only a waste of time.

taller and better?

2007-06-04T10:10:00.001+03:00

i, for one, don't understand the need to go ever higher with skyscrapers. well i do know that they lend a sense of pride to the people behind it but who in their right mind wants to leave so high that they fear a lost pilot ramming into them? that is not considering the potential for natural disasters as well as running down more than 100 floors in an emergency.

then i came across the below article and couldn't help but laugh at the suggestion that a taller building is an existential statement and that without it no city is complete. tall is fine and good but tallest will always be fleeting.

The Seoul Times

experts say the drive to go tall also reflects the aspiration of Asian and Gulf nations to join the ranks of the developed world, and to assert that their long-awaited moment in history has finally come

what's worse is that many cities that have gone all out asserting their dominance have usually not lasted long after it. (with 'long' being very subjective)

it must be an eastern thing (excessive niceties in iran)

2007-06-01T18:02:00.001+03:00

this was an interesting article from an iranian jouranlist. i thought it reflected quite well what kuwaitis are used to:

Taarof Nazila Fathi - openDemocracy

Taarof is an aspect of routine cultural behaviour among Iranians, used in their daily interactions with old and new acquaintances alike. It is a hollow system of flattery and false modesty to make others feel good; often, a practice of polite dissembling, where people express nice sentiments that they do not truly mean or feel. Iranians are not offended by taarof. In fact, a person who fails to engage in the system of taarof stands out as a person unfamiliar with Iranian culture and traditions. Taarof governs different aspects of social life. It may come into play when a host offers food to the guest. The system of taarof may demand that the guest declines politely, another form of taarof, waiting for the host to say taarof nakonid, which might be rendered as an emollient “don’t do taarof.” The exchange of taarof over this simple matter can go on for a long time. Taarof can be very tricky.

problems with importing foreign products...

2007-05-01T16:23:00.001+03:00

take a look at the great packaging here...

Specially Thickly at 2:48AM [The B-Sides]

control societies and the dependency habit

2007-04-24T11:32:00.001+03:00

i came across an interesting post by another (kuwaiti?) blogger with a perspective on kuwaiti business and society and how its run by people with the aim of creating dependencies. short and worth a read:

q80economics: Family Business

but that's how the family figurehead keeps control of the business and ensures dependency of all others! How similar!

israeli hegemony in the middle east

2007-04-20T16:32:00.001+03:00

is there anymore proof needed that the US unilaterally supports Israel in a historically unprecedented way?

Gates Reassures Israel About Arms Sales in Gulf - New York Times

Mr. Gates said he made clear that the United States would help Israel maintain its military advantage over its Arab neighbors

i realize this was not the point of the article but the implicit and explicit US kowtowing to Israel is always reason for amazement i find.

disclosure: i am not against anyone's free will and freedom to believe in whatever they chose nor am i a supporter or opposer of any specific causes.

another dusty day in kuwait

2007-04-19T10:41:00.001+03:00

this weekend looks to be a disappointment.. too bad. was planning a sea voyage tomorrow but it doesn't look like it will let up anytime soon.

house where the Prophet Muhammad was born was torn down to make way for a bathroom

2007-03-09T01:31:00.001+03:00

can this be true? read the IHT article below and ponder how interesting are the times we live in...

The profane crowding out sacred in Mecca - Print Version - International Herald Tribune

the glowing chmaq

2007-03-02T12:25:00.001+03:00

check out the glowing handle that alerts you when there is a rain forecast:

im sending a suggestion to this company to develop a chmaq that glows when its dusty outside so we can avoid surprises like yesterday's!

'the daily star' is online

2007-02-05T10:06:00.000+03:00

i just thought of looking up some daily star (kuwait) articles online and realized they have a pretty snazzy (new?) website. it seems to be mostly eye candy for now although i hope they will buck that trend and make this a really powerful kuwaiti english news site.

i have to say that i wish it was not affiliated with the local arabic tabloid al-watan. its like saying the new york times is delivered along with the national enquirer but i guess we can't always have it the way we like...

one thing i believe is needed on their site is an RSS feed as this is how i get almost all of my news online these days. if i feel an article needs further exploration then i will go to the source an poke around but it is quite essential for any constantly updated media source online to have one.

Gloom over boom for Mid East in 2007

2007-01-30T11:07:00.000+03:00

The Doha trade talks will “collapse”, the region is “slowly destabilising”, the US has a “35% chance of entering into military conflict with Iran” and Turkey will not become a member of the European Union (EU) for “another decade”, a senior economist at the World in 2007 forum has gloomily warned.

the information revolution hits kuwait - finally?

2007-01-15T12:25:00.000+03:00

its interesting to see what happens when private professionals are brought in to handle a project vs. the obfuscation and opacity of all things government.

when was the last time you saw an announcement for a major puclic works project in kuwait with a website providing full details and explanations?

check out 1-rr.com and tell us what you think...

why altercate?

2007-01-13T17:46:00.000+03:00

all disagreements are problems of communication

mashaer (HAJ & UMRAH SERVICES CONSORTIUM CO)

2007-01-08T23:19:00.000+03:00

take a look at their profile page on KSE:

http://www.kse.com.kw/Market/StkProfile.aspx?stk=644

and then take a look at their website on that page:

www.mashaer.net

and then go to that page and wait for the surprise!

deadline in arabic?

2006-12-24T17:42:00.000+03:00

thinking about this question got me wondering - is there no such word as 'deadline' in arabic? i can't recall ever hearing an arabic work that clearly and succinctly connotes the sense of urgency in a word such as deadline.

could that be one of the reasons that we have such an easygoing mentality in kuwait when it comes to getting things done? is the lack of the word because it would be redundant or is it the other way around - we're slow because we can't communicate urgency? but we have 'yalla' so that can't be it... hmmm..

starbucks is such a mess

2006-12-24T12:37:00.000+03:00

in the process of ordering an espresso and having it delivered in a paper cup instead of dine-in china like i requested explicitly to the cashier, i realized how little options we have in the city to have a quick and good brew.

in no way am i implying that starbucks has anything near real gourmet coffee. that's like saying mcDonalds has real french fries made of real potatoes.

im just saying that we need to have OPTIONS and costa (my current quick pure coffee favorite) is not strategically located in kuwait city.

a note to starbucks kuwait: start paying attention to quality service. too many mistakes and snot-nosed faggoty cashiers ruin whatever image you have left.

2006-12-05T18:10:00.000+03:00

i found this on a (kuwaiti?) blog and it cracked me up especially the last part. the rest is worth reading too:

"I believe these ads are trying to capitalise on the fact that there really aren't that many Kuwaitis out there who have discovered a zest for living. They have cars, 5 million inch plasma screens, jacuzzi jets in their pools to tickle their nether regions, and lots of children from different women and livestock."

complete blog post

The Bridge to Nowhere

2006-10-21T20:32:00.000+03:00

There is a very worthwhile drive that you can do to Bubiyan Island (follow "Subiya" signs from Jahra). Bubiyan is a barren uninhabited island up by the border, the ownership of which has long been disputed with Iraq and Iran. To reinforce their claim, Kuwait built a large bridge to link it to the mainland. You drive over this bridge, do a u-turn and drive back across it. It is known locally as the "bridge to nowhere". There is still a fair bit of war damage visible with the ruins of the police post and a few destroyed trucks and artillery pieces. The Iraqis had blown out the centre span during the occupation and the bridge reopened a year or so ago after rebuilding.

It is about 50kms from Jahra and it is a pleasant drive along the road that follows the line of the Mutla Ridge and eventually climbs over it near Bubiyan. The landscape is less spoilt than the rest of Kuwait and there are nice views of the Multa Ridge on one side and Kuwait Bay on the other. You will usually see a hundred or so camels grazing at the side of the road. About half way along, you will find that the road is fenced on both sides and you will reach a grandiose gate on either side with large signs saying "Kuwait National Park". The guards will, of course, not let you through the gate and there appears to be absolutely nothing to see anyway. Being photographed under the sign in the middle of nowhere is one of Kuwait's peak tourist experiences!

John & Rosemary Hillard, Australia (Dec 01)

summer rain over the desert

2006-09-05T12:54:00.000+03:00

wow its amazing to hear of rain in torrid Kuwait at this time of the year. in fact, it hasn't rained in Kuwait during the summer since 1944! we're seeing a sixty-plus year appearance but unfortunately most people missed it since it did not rain in the city. more detail in the article below:

Summer rains rare, temp to stay high

KUWAIT: Commenting on the recent rains in Nuwaiseeb in the south of Kuwait, astronomer, Prof Saleh Al-Ojairi said that such rains were very rare at this time of the year.
Al-Ojairi noted that the last time summer rains fell was 1944. He also said that it was still premature to say when the winter will begin and when cooler temperatures will be felt across Kuwait.
Al-Ojairi predicted that high temperatures would be still felt throughout September while natural clouds would be seen by mid October and rainfall in December, reported Al-Watan.
"This summer has been so hot and dry," said Al-Ojairi, pointing out that temperatures (officially) reached 48C, 49C and 51C in some western areas of Kuwait.
"However, the current rain took place as a depression coming from north India was loaded with clouds on crossing the Arabian Sea, which led to rainfall that was affected by high humidity levels," he explained.

Technorati Tags: kuwait, weather

Why I Love Beirut

2006-08-31T15:33:00.000+03:00

Why I Love Beirut (author unknown)

A member of A Small World answered the question: "Why do you love Beirut?" with the following:

I love Beirut for its opposites.

I love Beirut because I see a girl in a mini skirt and her sister in a chador.

I love Beirut because it is neither West nor East it is both.

I love Beirut because one can party till 6 in the morning and not realize that it is Tuesday morning.

I love Beirut because Beirutis live as if they are going to die tomorrow and party as if they are going to live forever.

I love Beirut because I can be swimming in the morning and 30 minutes later I'm on the slopes skiing or doing après ski.

I love Beirut because I have never seen the sun this strong anywhere in the world.

I love Beirut because I can see 6,000 years of history.

I love Beirut because Christians and Muslims are living an understanding and do not need to have Christian Muslim understanding classes.

I love Beirut because every Beiruti has a political opinion and will share it with you even if you could careless about his and you want to share yours with him.

I love Beirut for all the conspiracy theories and how many people actually believe them.

I love Beirut because any night I can find a friend to go out with.

I love Beirut because I do not need to call my friends to go and see them at their houses I just stop by.

I love Beirut because as soon as I arrive at one of my friends houses his mom takes me to the kitchen and becomes the spokesperson of the refrigerator.

I love Beirut because one can smell gardenia, and jasmine.

I love Beirut because strawberries taste like strawberries and fruits taste like fruits.

I love Beirut because the food is so good that one gains pounds even if she tries to lose.

I love Beirut because although the Lebanese women at times look alike as some did their surgeries at the same plastic surgeon they are the most elegant women I have ever seen.

I love Beirut because when I go out at night I don't know at which women to look at as each one is gorgeous in her own way.

I love Beirut because everyone knows me by name.

I love Beirut because I don't have to explain myself.

I love Beirut because of the traffic jams and the people you meet because of them.

I love Beirut because of the noise pollution from cars honking.

I love Beirut for the spirituality of the people whether Muslim or Christian.

I love Beirut because I'm the first to call my Muslim friends on Ramadan and they are the first to call me on Easter.

I love Beirut because on May 1st I see Muslims visiting Harissa (Virgin Mary) just like I see Christians.

I love Beirut because we can differentiate between a Jew and an Israeli.

I love Beirut because on the 22nd of every month I see Muslims going to Mar Charbel and believing that a miracle will happen.

I love Beirut because women look like as if they are out of a Vogue magazine.

I love Beirut because you eat to live and live to eat.

I love Beirut because one leaves one cafe to go to another and one does this all day.

I love Beirut because all the Lebanese living outside want to come back and the Lebanese who are in Lebanon envy the ones who are living abroad not realizing what it means to live away from Beirut.

I love Beirut because my sister and her husband are there and my niece and nephew who are 5 are waiting to see their uncle.

I love Beirut because my niece asks me to bring her a pink skirt and tells me: "I love you".

I love Beirut because a girl or a guy can easily tell you I just had a couple of Lexo or Xanax as if they just had a chewing gum.

I love Beirut because for every Lebanese we have a singer.

I love Beirut because the Lebanese star singers sing in nightclubs.

I love Beirut because women go into the swimming pool with full make up.

I love Beirut because guys go in with their cigars.

I love Beirut because it has been destroyed 7 times in History and has risen.

I love Beirut because since 1975 the Beirutis have withstood the PLO, Syrians, and the Israelis.

I love Beirut because the Beirutis will not accept anyone to occupy them and rule over them.

I love Beirut because we feel that it is better to die on our feet than to live on our knees.

I love Beirut because each street is a two way street even if it is a one way officially.

I love Beirut because one can park anywhere and not get a ticket.

I love Beirut because one can go as fast as his speedometer.

I love Beirut because MEA lands there. I love Beirut because on MEA we can clap in union when we are about to land.

I love Beirut not because it is my city, but because it is the city of every Lebanese.

I love Beirut because it welcomes every exile freethinker, independent mind of the Arab world.

I love Beirut because we have hundreds of newspapers and our press is finally free.

I love Beirut because most Arabs dreams of coming to Beirut and wishes his capital was more like Beirut.

I love Beirut because when I explain Beirut to my Western friends, my friends see the passion of Beirut in my eyes.

I love Beirut because there is so much misconception about Beirut in the media and in the minds of people who have never visited.

I love Beirut because when I tell my friends that I'm going to Beirut they tell me can you take me with you.

I love Beirut because we argue over who is going to pay the bill at a restaurant as everyone wants to pay it.

I love Beirut because although many whine about not making enough money everyone is living.

I love Beirut because if I do the cross before I start driving the person next to me does not ask me if I fear that I'm going to get into a car accident but instead does his cross as well.

I love Beirut because we accept our differences as we disagree with each other.

I love Beirut because it serves as a beacon of freedom to the rest of the Arab world.

I love Beirut because to paraphrase what Gibran said about Lebanon "Had Beirut not been my city I would have chosen it to be."

I love Beirut because there is no city like it.

I love Beirut because even if Beirut is being destroyed you are still beautiful and will remain beautiful no matter how disfigured you are.

I love Beirut because you are always on my mind. I love Beirut for no reason. I love Beirut for all the reasons of theworld..."And another one: I am a beiruti. I love Beirut with all my heart and soul.

I love its people, its energy, and its unique beauty. I love so many small things. I love many small parts of Ashrafieh, Monot, Abdel Wahab, Rue du Liban, Sursock, and the trees that arc over the roads bringing shade and shading off rain. I love getting lost in it...

I love the Corniche at dusk and dawn, the magnificent Beirut sunset from anywhere, the AUB campus, Bliss Street, Hamra Street and the smell of falafel, shawarma and sweets.

I love that you can be stuck in traffic at 3am somewhere...I love how informal our darak are with us drivers sometimes...I love the "everything goes" attitude. I love how I hear three languages all the time and it's totally normal. E.g."Maitre, El Hseb Please"I love Zaatar W Zeit after a heavy night of partying...always finding a place to sit in thatteeny place.

I love sitting at Casper & Gambini's overlooking the ancient Roman Ruins.

I love Martyr Square. I love the churches and mosques scattered around the city. I love how complex being Lebanese is. I love how people ALL around the world keep telling me that someone they know or heard of or their parents has been to Lebanon and talks about its gorgeousness and amazing people.

I love the Mediterranean, and we will clean it! I love our amazing cuisine, so proud of our HOMMOS and FALAFEL and MEZA and the worldwide reputation of our food (people now refer to Arabic food as Lebanese Food!)I love the world class:Censored: rest, bars and night clubs we have.

WOW I love the old B-018...and the new one...and the Classic one too...I love our new and upcoming Lebanese designers (clothes, shoes, bags, jewelry)... and their gorgeous little shops...

I love Sour, Saida, Jounieh, Tripoli, Baalbak, Chouf...I love the smell of the city after the rainfall, and the spring smell of gardenia...or the boys who sell you gardenia necklaces at traffic lights...I love how we get wild flowers growing everywhere in sprint, red, white and yellow...I love the energy of the people, their eternal optimism, faith in their city and country, resilience, passion, love, hospitality...

Technorati Tags: poetry, current events, society

amazon sells kuwaiti paraphernalia

2006-08-27T07:25:00.000+03:00

some witty, rude and interesting t-shirts sporting kuwaiti-related phrases are available on amazon.com. no amazon really does sell everything - take a look

Technorati Tags: kuwait

cataclysm

2006-07-28T00:26:00.000+03:00

الله بالخير

للتفكير
27/07/2006

لأهمية ما ورد في مقال ابن الأخ نجيب.. أترك له العمود ليحل ضيفا.. والله من وراء القصد.
محمد مساعد الصالح

العم العزيز بو طلال

قرأت مقالك المنشور في جريدة 'القبس' بعنوان 'للتفكير'، يوم الثلاثاء 2006/7/25 لذلك فكرت.. والله يستر.
قرار الحرب أو قرار السلم، لا أعلم أيهما أسهل.. فقد فشل العالم العربي في تحقيق الاثنين.

حين وصفت المملكة العربية السعودية التحريض للأحداث في لبنان وغزة عن طريق خطف جنود اسرائيليين ب'المغامرة' التي ينقصها الدعم المشترك والتنسيق، كان ذلك في نظري بمنزلة تفسير جيد لوصف الحالة التي يعيشها العالم العربي اليوم - نتيجة لمغامرات مشابهة على مدى العشرين او الثلاثين سنة الماضية - في كلمة واحدة.

خلال الهجوم الاسرائيلي الأخير على لبنان، استمعنا من خلال الفضائيات الى نتائج استطلاعات الرأي العديدة التي تجريها وسائل الإعلام المختلفة حول رأي الشعب الاسرائيلي في ما تفعله حكومته في لبنان، وعلى ما يبدو فإن هناك تأييدا شاملا من الشعب الاسرائيلي للإجراءات التي تتخذها حكومته لعلاج المشاكل الناتجة من المغامرات في جنوب لبنان وغزة. في اعتقادي ان هذا التأييد الشعبي هو بالفعل القوة الحقيقية للجيش الاسرائيلي، وانه لولا هذا التأييد لما نفعت الاسلحة الاميركية مهما كانت قوتها وحداثتها. والتاريخ مليء بأمثلة لانتصارات عديدة دون استخدام الاسلحة. اذا لا بد من الحصول على تأييد شعبي لقضايانا 'على مستوى العالم العربي' قبل الخوض في أي حروب في المستقبل، والا فإن النتيجة ستكون الفشل.

نحن تنقصنا القدرة على الصبر لنتمكن من تجربة القوة التي يمكننا ان نجنيها خلال فترات السلم، والى حين اقتناعنا بقدرتنا ونعيد لشعوبنا الأمان والاستقرار والثقة بالنفس قبل الخوض في حروب نتائجها السلبية معروفة مسبقا.

منذ الهجوم الياباني على الولايات المتحدة الاميركية في بيرل هاربر بواسطة طيارين انتحاريين 'كاماكازي' وحتى هذا اليوم لم يتحقق اي انتصار في حرب جنودها افراد يفضلون الموت على الحياة.

علمنا التاريخ انه ليتحقق النصر لا بد ان يقتنع المقاتل بأنه يقاتل ليس من اجل ان يموت شهيدا بل من اجل حياة افضل له ولوطنه.

ان المواطن العربي الإنسان هو العنصر الاهم والأساسي في أي معادلة يتم التوصل اليها سواء في حالة السلم او الحرب، وما قيمة الارض اذا كان الانسان المقيم عليها ذليلا منهارا لا يمكنه تصحيح وضعه الا بالانتحار.

وبعد التفكير ايضا قررت ان النصر يمكنه ان يتحقق عن طريق الحرب كما يمكنه ان يتحقق عن طريق السلم، اذا كان النصر يعني الحياة الآمنة المستقرة النامية.

العم بو طلال

كما ذكرت في مقالك 'للتفكير' فإننا ضعاف من الناحية العسكرية، ولا يمكننا الانتصار على اي عدو في وضعنا الحالي عن طريق الحروب العسكرية. هناك خلاف حول من هو العدو الحقيقي، وخلاف حول من هو الصديق الحقيقي، وخلاف حول الأسلوب الأمثل للمعركة، وخلاف حول الهدف، ومعنى النصر، 'حيث ان ما قد يعتبره حزب الله نصرا ربما يعتبره لبناني آخر غير ذلك'.

لذلك وبعد المزيد من التفكير ربما علينا محاولة الانتصار على العدو من خلال السلم وتنمية الإنسان اولا. لا شك في ان ذلك قد يتطلب بعض الوقت، لكن النتائج ربما تكون اكثر ايجابية مما جنيناه عبر العقود الماضية.

الشعوب العربية في حاجة الى فترة لا تقل عن عشرين سنة من السلم والأمان، للتنمية والتعليم ولاتاحة الفرصة لاجيال جديدة تتمتع بثقافة عالية وثقة بالنفس باستطاعتها اختيار نوعية الحروب التي ترغب في خوضها ونوعية السلاح والتوقيت المناسب لها. اجيال تفضل الحياة على الموت، تحارب للحصول على حياة افضل بدل الاستشهاد، جيل تنجب فيه العائلة ابناء يساهمون في التنمية ويكافحون لحياة افضل، يستمتعون بنعم الله في الأرض مثل باقي البشر.

أعتقد بعد التفكير ان الوقت قد حان.

نجيب حمد مساعد الصالح

Technorati Tags: kuwait, politics, society

unhappy kuwait

2006-07-22T23:07:00.000+03:00

kuwait ranks 159 out of around 180 nations surveyed for the happy planet index (www.happyplanetindex.org). its quite telling - in an index that ranks based on life satisfaction, life expectancy and environmental impact - that kuwait is close to the bottom of the list below countries such as saudi arabia, tunisia, morocco, lebanon, colombia and most of the rest of the world. the only few countries below kuwait are mainly impoverished african nations.

these results were highlighted in the local press and provide a telling insight into the fact that money seldom buys happiness. even if it did, could you really feel happy if everyone around you was unhappy?

smiley

kuwaiti diaspora

2006-07-20T20:57:00.000+03:00

how big is the worldwide kuwaiti diaspora? the question occurs to me whenever i see kuwaitis living abroad permanently. i know there must be at least a skeleton diaspora given that i know or have seen quite a few kuwaitis (and former kuwaitis) make their homes in different parts of the globe.

i predict a decent migration to occur in the next kuwaiti recession. the rationale for this expectation is that now that the country has notched up its unproductive consumption to no end (causing inflationary pressures), there will be a very hard landing for many of the educated young professionals that are able to find better opportunities elsewhere.

if the depression turns out to be more severe than even i expect (including diminishing oil reserves and no visible alternatives), then the next tier of the population (less educated but still ambitious) will contemplate living elsewhere and possibly causing a snowball effect for the rest of the country.

eventually, this could lead to a gradual decline in population and a disappearance of the migrant worker class. i know this is probably an armageddon scenario for most kuwaitis but its something that should be considered and prepared for.

nauru

Murgab Skyline

2006-07-20T14:01:00.000+03:00

Murgab Skyline, originally uploaded by darkroom.

brilliant shot of a kuwaiti sunset. kudos to the photographer!

Is it always us against them? does there always have to be a them?

2006-07-19T11:49:00.000+03:00

Iran Against the Arabs

by Michael Rubin
Wall Street Journal
July 19, 2006

Most Arabs perceive Israel as small. Egypt -- home to one of every three Arabs -- has enjoyed a cold peace with Israel for more than a quarter-century. Gulf states, on the whole, would rather make money than directly fight Israel. While they do not like Israel's existence, Jerusalem presents no threat. Not so Tehran. A giant with 70 million people, Iran is no status quo power. Its ideological commitment to export revolution is real. Across Lebanon and the region, Arab leaders see Hezbollah for what it is: An arm of Iranian influence waging a sectarian battle in the heart of the Middle East.

An old Arab proverb goes, "Me against my brother; me and my brother against our cousin; and me, my brother and my cousin against the stranger." Forced to make a choice, Sunni Arabs are deciding: The Jews are cousins; the Shiites, strangers. U.S. diplomats may applaud the new pragmatism, but the reason behind it is nothing to celebrate.

Mr. Rubin, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, is editor of the Middle East Quarterly.

-----

The is a short excerpt. The rest can be found on the ME Forum site.

Technorati Tags: current events, kuwait, politics

internet problems kuwait-wide

2006-07-18T17:45:00.000+03:00

it seems that the internet has been spotty all over the country since yesterday. when i say spotty, i mean that you have no service for 30 seconds followed by spurts for 20 seconds or so.

further investigation indicates that this internet problem is through kuwait's fragile internet gateway (shamefully dependant upon one or two other gulf states exclusively). this chronic breakdown would not go unnoticed in more developed places (among other things). down with monopolies!

Kuwait city skyline.

2006-07-16T02:25:00.000+03:00

Kuwait city skyline., originally uploaded by durran_amsterdam.

nice picture/interesting effect.

Israel strikes Beirut airport, blocks ports

2006-07-13T12:30:00.000+03:00

its quite hard to comprehend the callousness of isreal in attacking people's home in palestine and now in the lebanon. when does this country respect human rights and start accepting a responsible role commensurate with its standing in the world?

i know there are many moderate jews that object to the expansionist ambitions of israel and share the same principles as other rational people. i just hope their voice can be heard among the rancor.

finally, i hope all the people in lebanon (including all the kuwaits spending their holidays there - many i know) make it out of this safely and continue to resist attacks on their rock-solid foundations.

parking and corruption

2006-07-11T21:23:00.000+03:00

In a great paper for the National Bureau for Economic Research, two researchers have found that the number of parking tickets that legally-immune foreign diplomats acummulate in NYC and refuse to pay is a great measure of how corrupt their home countries are.

Corruption rank Country Violations per diplomat

1 Kuwait 246.2
2 Egypt 139.6
3 Chad 124.3
4 Sudan 119.1
5 Bulgaria 117.5
6 Mozambique 110.7
7 Albania 84.5
8 Angola 81.7
9 Senegal 79.2
10 Pakistan 69.4

The paper ranks country corruption according to the number of parking violations per country diplomat, and finds that the results match up remarkably well with findings from rough survey-based estimates on the topic. Who are the worst violators? Kuwait blew away the competition with a whopping average of 246 unpaid parking tickets per diplomat over a 5 year period. Diplomats from countries famed for their good political behavior like Canada, Sweden, and Norway didn't have any unpaid tickets. And countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America - regions widely accused of corruption - all had countries at both the top and bottom of the ranking. Some of the surprises? Colombian and Ugandan diplomats paid up almost all their tickets, while the Italians are overdue on about 15 unpaid tickets per diplomat.

Analysis: Kuwait`s elections and reforms

2006-07-02T10:27:00.000+03:00

AMMAN, Jordan (UPI) -- The democratic exercise in Kuwait`s early parliamentary elections may have given the oil-rich emirate something to boast about, but the polls seem to have backfired against the regime with the opposition`s sweeping victory.

The new emir of the oil-rich Gulf state, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, dissolved parliament on May 21 and ordered early elections in an effort to end a political crisis between the government and legislature over electoral reforms.

But the results of the June 29 elections, which brought to parliament an even bigger opposition of liberal and Islamist members, constitutes a setback for the al-Sabah regime as the new parliament is expected to push harder for democratic reforms and fighting corruption.

The opposition swept two-thirds of the 50-seat parliament as a coalition of 33 liberal and Islamic candidates won, up from 29 members in the dissolved legislature, with several independents who can sway in favor of reforms.

Although these were the first polls to include women in this small oil-rich state, none of the 28 women candidates managed to grab a parliamentary seat.

While al-Sabah congratulated the candidates on their victory as Kuwait set a democratic example for the rest of the Gulf and Arab region, analysts say the emir, who assumed power in January, has more to worry about now as he takes the next two weeks to form a new government, in which fifteen cabinet members are entitled to vote in parliament.

The reformers in the dissolved parliament, most of whom were re-elected, had threatened to stop cooperating with the government if it did not reduce the number of voting constituencies from 25 to five in an effort to stop vote-buying and other irregularities. The opposition had rejected a government offer to reduce the districts to ten and the dispute gave birth to a so-called 'orange revolution' of active, yet tame, youth taking to the streets calling for reforms to fight what they say is state-sponsored corruption.

The straw that broke the camel`s back and prompted the emir`s dissolution of parliament was a threat by reformer parliament members to grill the prime minister, Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Sabah, a nephew of the emir.

Analysts say with a larger opposition in the new parliament that ran on a platform of reforming the electoral bill and fighting corruption, the ruler of Kuwait will now need to shape a new government that excludes key ministers the opposition accuses of corruption and inefficiency, such as outgoing energy and information ministers, Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahd al-Sabah and Mohammad al-Sanousi respectively.

While the Kuwaiti parliament has no constitutional powers to vote out cabinet or prime ministers, it can declare its refusal to cooperate with the government, leaving the next step to the emir, who would either dismiss the prime minister and appoint a new cabinet, or dissolve parliament and call for new elections.

Analysts say the fact that reformers gained yet more ground under the disputed 25-constituency system should give more weight to the pro-government forces seeking to maintain so many districts. The pro-government forces could argue these polls prove that the number of districts has no effect on the voting exercise and does not necessarily favor one trend over another in a country where political parties are banned, but groups of different political trends are free to work.

However, the opposition victory -- even under the disputed system -- has given more strength to the reformers in their demands to change the elections bill and has put the emir in a tight position that may lead him to finally yield to diluting the voting districts to five.

Kuwaiti analysts say if the emir wants to avoid plunging the country into another political crisis between the establishment and the reformers, who are gaining more grassroots support, he would need to name a new government with clear instructions to agree on the sought-after elections bill. After that, he may resort to dissolving parliament again and order fresh polls according to a five-constituency system. Otherwise, the emir would allow parliament to live out its four-year term and hold the next elections in 2010 under the new system.

Either way, the opposition would have achieved a peaceful victory unseen in the conservative Arab Gulf region where free elections are practically non-existent. Such a victory could also set a precedent that may unleash more demands for deep-rooted reforms deemed taboo and revolutionary, threatening the status quo of ruling families.

The campaigns during Kuwait`s elections saw unprecedented sharp criticism of the government, and by de facto the ruling al-Sabah family, questioning its role in the running of the state`s affairs where the emir has the final say in all matters.

Some Islamist candidates, having won 21 seats in parliament, are even seeking to turn the emirate, which sits on 10 percent of the world`s oil reserves, into a constitutional monarchy where the prime minister and cabinet members are not appointed by the emir and his relatives.

However, once the issues that united the forces from the far-left to the far-right under the umbrella of the opposition have been resolved, the coalition of the reformers may easily collapse and restore strength to the regime.

The new reformer parliament members extend from Islamists seeking an Islamic state system and opposing women participation in the elections, to secular liberals aspiring for a more westernized Kuwait.

Analysts expect the government to capitalize on the disharmony between the two sides to weaken the opposition and move on with its agenda that would maintain the status quo as much as possible.

In the next few months, Arab eyes will undoubtedly remain fixed on this tiny state in anticipation of the kind of change the people hope, and ruling families dread, would infect the rest of the region.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International

parliamentary nominations start today..

2006-05-25T16:32:00.000+03:00

so the they're off again today it seems. doors are open for nominations to the cesspool posing as a legislature in kuwait. too bad - they have a nice building whose architecture i still marvel at every time i pass by. old glory (was there ever any? i dont think anyone alive is old enough to remember).

i will vote for the woman whoever she is. actually i should first hope that a woman nominates herself for such a despicable job. i wouldn't unless i was a brazilian drag queen (political satire rocks!)

hahaha

2006-05-25T16:24:00.000+03:00

when surprised at tarek aziz's continued support for saddam, one insider noted: "what do you expect: the guy used to salute his phone when saddam called!"

Technorati Tags: politics

kuwait. aided by american transparency at its finest...

2006-04-28T19:16:00.000+03:00

alsha3ab weeklly, the oft-controversial weekly of kuwaiti politics, publish in its latest issue highlights of a meeting between the editor-in-chief of alrai al aam newspaper and members of congress visiting kuwait. the quotes were apparently retrieved from a broadcast on C-SPAN (the US congress cable channel) with extremely bold assertions and reflections on kuwaiti politics and current affairs.

needless to say, the issue was sold out in record time and it was hard to get a copy but resourceful people always know where to find things.

now the question is, why do people that benefit from the status quo and political magnanimity bite the hands that feed them? syriana comes to mind again...

update:

looks like all hell's breaking loose. the videos are already online here. more bloggers espousing hate here.

Technorati Tags: kuwait, politics

the 99 previews...

2006-04-26T18:37:00.000+03:00

im proud to say one of our very own kuwaiti innovators has moved ahead on his plan to close the cultural divide and bring new media formats to middle east youth.

check out www.the99.org to see more...

what the !@$@!

2006-04-19T20:58:00.000+03:00

why is boingboing.net blocked in kuwait?? when will this censorship insanity ever stop. granted boingboing sometimes has offensive content but haven't the censors watched LBC or whatever recently? what's her name - mary? haifa? ruby? more like the playboy channel but no one's blocking it right?

muggy waters

2006-04-16T20:00:00.000+03:00

what nice weather we're having today... yeah, right. more like "what tha @#$%^$%^ is that!"

well another day in idyllic kuwait town. honestly the weather had potential but there was something there. you could just sense it going for your guts and ripping them out while at the same time caressing your lips. shit maybe it was a flyby ho. we get some of those these days it seems.

next: power showers in rio

i love mornings!

2006-04-03T07:30:00.000+03:00

i love mornings.. kuwait absolutely dazzles on a crisp april morning at 6am. the air is clean and cool, the streets are quiet and the people are somewhat agreeable ( a rare sight these days). makes me wonder why more people don't enjoy 'morning bliss'....

interesting blogging widget

2006-03-07T20:42:00.000+03:00

i just stumbled accross this nifty little thing called the blogger widget and this is officially the first post away from a browser. if this works then cool! (should be able to rant more often)

no rush

2006-01-17T20:24:00.000+03:00

'it is absolutely necessary that you should curb that very keen eager desire of missing nothing' - Robert Morris' advice to his junior partner. Advice that Morris, years later, did not heed and that bankrupted him.

kinky people...

2005-08-10T20:30:00.000+03:00

kuwait is full of kinky people. they lurk everywhere but especially online. they write posts like this thinking it will deflect attention from themselves.

so what's a kinky person you ask? kink - a protrusion. in this case its a mental protrusion that cannot be seen but can damn well be felt. those kinkos are all around us and out to get us so watch where you turn....

(n.b. the village people are not kinky people - they are gay people to avoid any confushon)

Dubai is a creepy but intriguing place

2005-07-22T16:34:00.000+03:00

check out this link for a window on psychedelic dubai...

the ambitious - an endagered species

2005-07-16T19:25:00.000+03:00

...something i've noticed in kuwait recently is that we have a large number of ambitious youth(quite amazing given the laid back lifestyle afforded here) that seem to be lacking the tools with which to pursue those amibitions and make their dreams a reality. we know what we want but cant find where to start and our school textbooks dont have the answer. its a personal inclination towards curiosity and resourcefulness that has to be developed to help decipher the clues and provide the answers....

i surmise that this has a lot to do with the simplistic view of education embraced in recent history. the lucky ones have had a confluence of diverse experiences and lucky stumbles but the majority need a conscious approach to guide them en masse. im a believer in that - if given the opportunity and resources - our youth could achieve amazing results in a short period of time. the problem, though, is not one of will but of personal interests and this goes back to the political landscape and those dastardly entrenched interests!

when the pigeons come to roost....

2005-06-02T23:41:00.000+03:00

Thinking over the matter of expats/foreign workers in Kuwait (and the surrounding region in general) has brought me to the following realizations:

? Its never the "best of breed" that come here to participate and work EVEN IF they are paid more (I surmise they would need at least triple their home pay or more to consider it). And the reasons are that jobs for most people are more than money and include the following intangibles:
§ Sense of being a valued part of a business/team with an impact on its progress
§ Environment: easy access to culture, leisure, relationships, values
§ The ability to own their own homes and build the most basic form of equity (currently restricted to local citizens)
§ Communication: being able to interact without feeling out of place or viewed as a foreigner.
§ Career mobility: It is simply harder to move to different or better positions simply because they don't exist.
? Because of the above, we're left with certain types of expats that are relatively undesirable that include:
§ Deadbeats: the ones unable to get jobs in their own homes. (many of these)
§ Economic refugees: people with talent and ambition that are unable to find opportunities in their own countries. (relatively few of these and not easily identifiable)
§ Tax refugees: these follow from the deadbeats mentioned above but are a notch better since they look at the marginal savings here vs. their homes and find it ideal to work here.
§ Con artists: these are the smart ones that lack ethics and are willing to do whatever it takes to mislead people into giving them money and power one way or another. They're the hardest to contain by definition and can have significant impact in terms of the destruction they leave in their wake. This category also includes minor cons such as certain "journalists".

? We're left with a few expats that are beneficial and make significant positive impacts:
§ Expat locals: people of talent who are originally from the area but had left a long while back for one reason or another and have suddenly decided they want to be closer to their motherland and relatives.
§ Adventurers: expats who like to test themselves in an alien environment and expand their cultural horizons.

? My definition of expats: wide and not confined to any specific national or ethnic group and simply means foreigners that work here and do not consider this their main or permanent domicile.

? Thinking constructively - we need to work towards creating a agreeable, integrative destination for people to come to as well as keep what little local talent we have. This requires a holistic approach to defining country, city, culture, career.

ThinkBlog: The Wild, Wild East

2005-05-03T22:45:00.000+03:00

an excellent and concise article on why the world should pay more attention to china. it's a culture long appreciated but little respected and it seem that the pendulum of history is shifting again!

open your heart fellow man...

2005-04-29T15:39:00.000+03:00

its no secret that we seek to keep the best for us, then our brothers, then our cousins and then our country and then the rest of the world. this heuristic is not specific to any one culture and permeates all of mankind to differing degrees but lets examine how some may have succeeded by overcoming a basic tendency. the USA has achieved immeasurable success since its founding because of its willingness to accept people for what they could offer. a few good people were openminded and convincing enough to forward the notion of equal opportunity in america and the results speak for themselves.

i recently came across a great article in Forbes that elucidated the notion and advises americans to look beyond. i would recommend it to everyone and not just americans. we should be retaining the best foreign talent that stumbles into our fold and make them feel valued as well as going to foreign lands and seeking their wisdom to add to ours - its a collaborative effort.

turkey drops its turkeys...

2005-04-29T15:16:00.000+03:00

turkey has finally decided to drop six zeroes from their currency. what a relief for all the poor tourists (like myself) that had to quickly count when paying the taxi 20million lira and avoid getting ripped off (as i was!).

At midnight on New Year’s eve, Turkey will cease to be the land of millionaires and billionaires.

That is when the government drops six zeroes from the national currency and Turkey loses the dubious distinction of being the country with the largest denomination in circulation, the 20,000,000 lira, worth only about $15.

[…]For many Turks, the new money will simply end the confusion of dealing in a currency in which the smallest coin in general circulation is the 50,000 and a short taxi ride can set you back 5-10m.

for anyone who's not been there you really have to experience being a billionaire for free (who needs hard work anyway?)

zagat kuwait where are you?

2005-04-15T12:05:00.000+03:00

while wondering where to have lunch on a friday with a sudden yen for italian, i realized there isn't one (or two or ten) reliable sources for centralized and somewhat objective restaurant information, news and reviews. i think that historically there hasn't been much to talk about on the restuarant scene in kuwait compared to soho or saint germain but for god's sake there should be something i can page (or surf) through to get a quick idea of what's out there!

now i feel for those poor few visitors to kuwait that seem perplexed to figure where to go and have to get lucky to bump into a non-indian for directions (assuming they're not after chapati)!

anyone got any thoughts out there?

how can the rest of the world ever compete....

2005-01-08T18:42:00.000+03:00

no wonder the chinese are swarming to kuwait by the second. i'm sure most people have notice their recent prevalence on construction sites crowding out arab and other asian builders. well i just came accross this article that confirms what we already know - the average chinese worker makes around $0.64 (64 cents!) vs. $21 for americans!

and btw - that includes total cost of a employee including labor support taxes, wages and other costs to the employer!

imagine what a 200KD freebie would do for those guys - and they'd probably invest it too. the chinese - in case you haven't heard - have one of the world's highest individual savings rates.

i think i know where the sun will rise tomorrow.

whimsical

2004-12-11T15:43:00.000+03:00

never be a slave to your own whims...

audible aid during presidential debates!

2004-11-01T00:02:00.000+03:00

here's an interesting snippet - it seems that the venerable dubya had some assistance during his 2004 debates! hey - we can't all be comfortable public speakers ->

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/10/29/bulge/index_np.html

btw- i'm not responsible for the accuracy of this info and don't always believe what you read...

check out this cool animation!

2004-10-28T20:43:00.000+03:00

here's a cool distraction - http://www.rio.com.br/animation/iconstory.htm - check it out and tell me what you think. its amazing to be talented AND creative!

update - and here's another one on the US presidential elections http://www.badmash.org/dishoom.php that is NOT what you expect :)

childish commentary...

2004-10-23T19:42:00.000+03:00

unfortunately not all well-spoken people have something to say....

on the recent interview of a young kuwaiti female on oprah. a sense of embarrassment overcame me for a split second until i realized that i don't really allow myself to be angered by the media. fight fire with fire. if we don't like what we hear then we should say otherwise. that's why i like blogging to some extent. i feel its a conduit for many positive (and not so positive) opinions to enter the public domain. eventually i expect many bloggers to sharpen their skills and participate in more open discourse (come out from behind your veils people!)

and now my advice to the sweet lady that felt selfish enough to indulge herself at the expense of her countrymen to be featured on one of the greatest 5 minutes of fame around:

make room for others with a more real (read grassroots) story to tell. don't escape your ivory tower at their expense.
realize when you are used as cheap entertainment. you were more a parlour act than a human being. (someone must have told her that right?) did you realize the audience was indulging their fantasies at our expense?
don't waste a valuable opportunity to do some real good. seeing that you were too self-centered to let someone with a real story go on the air, you should have at least been more progressive than the hackneyed discussion about kuwaiti shopping habits. (and no, that passing swipe at female voting rights didn't count)
stop for a few minutes on any main street in kuwait, get out of your car, and talk to some REAL people with REAL problems. i think this is self-explanatory but you can do some more research before you represent a whole country in a public forum.

it has crossed my mind, though, that i may be a little naive. what are the chances that she did not know what she was talking about? it must have been planned to a degree for her to only give a gilded image about kuwait. the problem is she could have done a better job even if she'd avoided the bad - by talking about valuable traditions, social ties, filial piety and more.

'nuff said.

need water!

2004-10-15T17:24:00.000+03:00

i write this with the maghrib athan (call to prayer) in the background and i think "I'm not really hungry!"

I AM THIRSTY!!! fell asleep extremely thirsty and kinda forgot that i was supposed to hydrate for this venerable day....

all of you enjoy the month and take it easy on the knafa!

"laayk shimsawya intay...."

2004-09-06T19:53:00.000+03:00

what a mess this country is turning into. i think people are traveling too much nowadays and bringing back more than shopping. it's not enough that we have the scourge of hip-hop turning us into disgusted audiophobes - we now have to grapple with the different accents that have been grafted from masri, lebnani, ali G, franglais, sindi and newspeak (i'm not even going to touch on the disaster of incoherent fashion that tends to accompany such changes).

its actually amazing that kuwaitis have held out against the onslaught of foreign tongues for the last few decades since the discovery of oil but now the change is coming from within. the boomers that have grown up on broadcast satellite and 24/7 connectivity are making sure the job is complete. its not negative as i'm not as paranoid as the french. the world is vastly small - ripe for discovery and assimilation. true - many societies lose a unique sense of cultural differentiation but is that so bad? if it can bring healthy new thoughts and views then i'm all for it....

"what will be, will be"

truffles in the sand...

2004-09-02T14:28:00.000+03:00

i'm not an expert on truffles in kuwait but i've observed people in ecstasy over the coming season enough to wonder about it. what's so special about those things anyway? and why do i feel they taste like weird potatoes? hmmm...

well at least the whole world seems to agree on the delectableness of truffles so we're not alone... must be an acquired taste though. i've still got to try those black and white truffles of europe - they could be different and i've come accross quite a bit of info on cooking and storing them such as in cognac! (where there seems to be a reciprocal benefit - the cognac and the truffle both taste better)

oh and apparently when iraq invaded kuwait in 1990 some people were more distraught about losing truffles than homeland! (can't confirm this though - sounds urban legend-y to me)

are the sandy truffles of the desert the same as the white ones of europe? a definitive answer from any of you out there would be appreciated...

grapes and prunes in the desert...

2004-09-02T14:22:00.000+03:00

females and jobs: is there a inverse correlation between age and job prospects ? i was just informed that if you are not young/supple/fresh then your chances of getting a job as a female in kuwait were pretty meager regardless of your abilities. i thought that as one progressed in their career they would logically add value to themselves (as well as a zero or two to their paychecks!). add one more gripe about the local job market!

SKILEB.com - Skiing and Snowboarding in Lebanon

2004-08-31T20:17:00.000+03:00

SKILEB.com - Skiing and Snowboarding in Lebanon i came across this site while looking through the menajet.com site (a mideast version of easyjet). thought it was quite interesting especially since i am a ecstatic fan of lebanon and its sights! haven't delved into the details of this skileb site but it seems that they feature more than skiing. might be useful for you adventurous types. we don't need more armchair tourists!

Kuwait plans to allow GCC citizens to own real estate

2004-08-25T13:46:00.000+03:00

"Kuwait plans to allow GCC citizens to own Kuwaiti real estate and to allow non-Kuwaitis to buy shares in local companies"

i am skeptical as usual and justifiably so given the disappointing record of reforms. we're still reactive when it comes to anything that furthers progress and i don't expect the near future to bring anything better especially not with oil prices going into the stratosphere.

i actually watched an analyst (don't know him so cant vouch for his credibility) say that he expected oil to go to 80$ sometime in the long-term but not likely in the next year. regardless of the timeframe, oil at $80 anytime in this decade will most definitely cause severe dislocations in price inflation that i shudder to imagine. that is why i think there will be meaningful attempts to minimize consumption either directly or indirectly by the main consumers. i heard some statistics the other day that said the Arab oil embargo of the 70's brought many salutary and unexpected benefits to developed nations in the form of prudent consumption, etc. i don't doubt that if the trend continues there will be similar consequences (that i support from a humanistic perspective)

Emaar plans to create floating offices at Dubai Marina!

2004-08-25T13:34:00.000+03:00

Emaar Properties announced it would create floating offices as on-water facilities for marine enthusiasts at the Dubai Marina, the region's premier waterfront life-style development.

Conceptualised by Emaar's marina specialists, the floating offices will be the first of their kind in the Middle East and will be integral to the new 100-berth waterfront marina, now under construction and due for launch shortly.

They will be located at the water's edge and will allow people to shop for their boating needs, including the latest in marine gear, boat products, fashion and food.

maybe it's not such a bad thing....

2004-08-23T10:05:00.000+03:00

THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS. BANGALORE - Man electrocuted while using cellphone
Kollam, Aug 10: A youth was electrocuted while ‘using the mobile phone instrument on Monday night at Chavara, near Kollam. He was identified as K. Viswajith (31), who was working as sales manager of a private insurance company in Kollam.
He is survived by wife Rejitha and a son. Viswajith was electrocuted when he aft ended a call on the mobile phone which was kept for charging. The body was cremated after conducting the postemortem

---
i know some people i would like to do that to! FYI - i got this as a scanned email of the actual newspaper clipping so it appears geniune. verrrry strange!

servile sods....

2004-08-22T00:28:00.000+03:00

its become a hackneyed argument but the topic of imported/temporary labor in kuwait continues to be an important one. for anyone that hasn't heard of it (probably many), "Walls Built on Sand" by Ann Marie Longva is an interesting and detailed demographic and psychographic study of the people that give up their lives to work in Kuwait. the views are interesting and it reads like an academic text peppered with some gripping anecdotes.

i'm thankful for any such works and its the only one i know of covering the subject.

wisdom...

2004-08-19T14:20:00.000+03:00

i'm quite amazed at the response to bill clinton's latest self-indulgent biography but i guess i should have expected it given his notoriety. the man's greatest credit to civilization has been to turn the world "lewinsky" into a verb and alienate half his support base therefore paving the way for dubya to mosey on in to the white house.

one thing he did do right - i think - was his appointment of robert rubin as treasury secretary. i've been reading his autobiography "in an uncertain world" and appreciate his sharp insight into some of the major crises of his time. in fact many of them have never been heard of because he did his job so well as to avoid their potentially devastating repercussions. the man worked selflessly and gave up a highly lucrative career on wall street to pursue his interest in public policy and social contribution. his modesty is also quite striking both in his personal and professional life. he seems at times oblivious to the impact he makes in people's lives prefering to objectively analyze cause and effect. he no doubt understands the importance of his contributions but nevertheless keeps his refreshing veil of modesty.

i keep hoping we can get a bunch of similar minded reformists to pull us out of our rut of rhetoric and recrimination. we instead have people that view their public positions as commercial opportunities for personal gain with no end. the mentality is manifestly obvious and encouraged in every new government recruit all the way up the system.

"for every bad borrower, there's a bad lender"

2004-08-16T20:24:00.000+03:00

Kuwaitis are so used to complaining about the weather. "it's too hot" or "waaay ghbaaar!" (damn dust) or even "its too cold" (beleive it or not in the winter!). on that note i've been complaining that i don't have hot water in the shower for the last few days! in the middle of what's likely the hottest inhabited spot on Earth.... (i called the plumber - don't think he's seen this problem before). i think they may have installed one of those water coolers (yes we have them in kuwait!) and run them through both pipes. i do have to admit that i am getting used to it though... i once had a kook of a teacher that used to bathe in ice water every day - he said he was a former navy seal and got used to it with the training.. i think he was just a moron...

anyways to get to the point here - take a look at the price florida is paying for its weather... charley sure got angry! Hurricane Charley

skype and IP telephony...

2004-08-16T10:33:00.000+03:00

i've been using a service called skype for making calls to friends in the US, lebanon and some undesirable countries and the connection has been unbelievable. its freely downloadable at skype.com and for calls to another skype user its free. they also have a service called skypout through the same interface to dial to non-skype users (ie regular phones).

i was skeptical about skype's claim that they are better than conventional phones but when i made a call yesterday to the US without any special hardware (not even a headset or mic) it was like we were in the same room! if anyone uses it then please share your experience.

there is another interesting and cool service that i haven't used called vonage(.com). in short it allows you to have a virtual landline - any phone number in the world can call you without software, internet connection, etc. i think so far they can issue numbers in most of the US as well as the UK and other telecom developed countries. this is the first of a wave that's quite shocking as conventional carriers morph into pure IP-based providers - the implications are quite startling!

identify YOURSELF!

2004-08-13T19:33:00.000+03:00

you, me, us, they, I - all words made to differentiate. i had this discussion the other day with someone and i'm always surprised at the different reactions it evokes...

by calling myself an Armenian for example, i am not simply pointing to my geographic origin but putting out a sign saying this is what i believe and think is right and so i am different (and most times that means better) than the other guy. now the comparison factor is at many times useful - its the impetus for the individual to strive towards bettering himself and those that depend on him.

note the word "strive". it implies some sort of effort or work. the problem arises when the inert and unproductive components of society (individuals, groups or countries) use comparison as a shield for resisting change. the say i am Cymruain, for example, with all the implied traits of that nationality. this causes an unconscious mental motion to defend the "home turf". put out the markers. dont smile at the neighbors lest they think they are one of us. well what it gets to in simple terms is the creation of unrest and discrimination. by allowing these rifts to form for sometimes trivial reasons, people overlook the fact that at some point the advantages and disadvantages are shared. its just been hard to see that throughout man's history.

to follow on a recent theme - globalization and connectivization can and will bring more of an awareness to the average individual of the consequences of every thought, frown, laugh and slap that they engage in. its one benefit - we won't be able to hide behind our identities. think about it - one day almost every action we could possibly do could be predictable. i for one hope that is far off but the implications are staggering - we will be computed...

i'd like to end this with a book and writer that i greatly admire. he's formed many of my opinions and i recommend him highly. amin maalouf and the only non-fiction book that i've read by him "on identity". its a short yet impressive gem.

2004-08-13T13:56:00.000+03:00

i'd saved this quite a while back and just came across it. for those of you who haven't seen it. no comment:

washingtonpost.com
At a Kuwaiti Feast, a Lot To Chew Over
By Peter Carlson
Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, September 11, 2003; Page C01

There was no booze in the ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown last night because the Kuwaitis don't drink alcohol. But there was plenty of food -- tabbouleh and hummus, huge trays of beef shawarma, tuna and salmon sushi, and silver bowls piled high with shrimp as big as bananas. And a roasted lamb that looked like a lamb, complete with cute little legs, the front ones tied around its cute little head.

Out in the middle of the ballroom stood the guest of honor, a man who had spent the morning meeting with President Bush -- His Highness Sheik Sabah Ahmad Jaber Sabah, the prime minister of Kuwait.

Prime minister? Isn't Kuwait ruled by a hereditary monarch called the emir? Did we somehow miss the news about a hard-fought election for prime minister of Kuwait?

Maybe Ken Minihan knows the answers. Minihan, a former U.S. Air Force general, now works for the American-Kuwait Alliance, a group that promotes business ties between the two countries, the group that sponsored this party. Gen. Minihan, how does one get to be prime minister of Kuwait?

"I haven't a clue," he says, then hustles off to join the receiving line.

Maybe Rima Sabah knows. She's Lebanese by birth, but she's married to Salem Abdullah Jaber Sabah, who is Kuwait's ambassador to the United States. Mrs. Ambassador, how does one get to be prime minister of Kuwait?

She pauses, her brow furrowed in thought beneath her long, frizzy blond hair.

"Hold on," she says, "I don't want to give you incorrect information."

She grabs Tahani Terkate, who is the media attache in the information office of the Kuwaiti Embassy, and asks her how somebody becomes prime minister of Kuwait.

"He was appointed by the emir," Terkate says.

The emir, she adds, is the prime minister's brother.

And now the prime minister is standing in the ballroom, wearing flowing white and black robes and a white cloth called a dhutra atop his head. He has a big white smile below his thick black mustache. He looks younger than his age, which is 74.

He is pleased, he says through a translator, that the Iraqi government that conquered and occupied his country in 1990 has been overthrown.

"We have helped in getting rid of this regime," he says, "because we feel that the Iraqi people and the Kuwaiti people were both victims of the same regime."

How many Kuwaiti troops are fighting in Iraq? he is asked.

"None," he says through the translator. Kuwait has sent only humanitarian aid to Iraq, no troops.

Why?

"We didn't think of sending anybody to Iraq to fight," he says. "We think it would be very sensitive for Arabs to fight Arabs, particularly Kuwaitis."

At that, Ambassador Sabah suggests that the interview is over.

But His Excellency Sheik Ahmad Fahad Sabah is eager to talk. He is Kuwait's minister of energy. He is wearing a dark suit and holding a copy of a book called "Bush vs. the Beltway," which was just presented to him by its author, Laurie Mylroie.

He is optimistic, he says, that Iraq can become a democracy. "It will be a very democratic country very soon," he says, smiling.

And what about Kuwait? Can it become democratic soon?

He looks stunned. "We are a democratic country," he says.

But what about that deal where the emir appointed his brother prime minister?

"This is the institution that was approved by the Kuwaiti people," he says. "Ask any Kuwaiti for his opinion. I believe there is agreement by everyone in the country."

He pauses. "Until now," he adds. "I don't know about the future."

John McLaughlin, the boisterous TV pundit, is standing near the bowls of shrimp, eating heartily. Between bites, he ponders why Kuwaiti troops are not fighting in Iraq.

"I think they're being encouraged by us to stay out of the fray, lest we make a complex situation more complex," he says. "I don't know of any Arabs who are fighting alongside us, do you?"

He hands his tray of shrimp remnants to a waiter who is passing by.

"I'm not a military expert," he says. "Although I rise to the occasion when the tube is on."

© 2003 The Washington Post Company

great discourse on group dynamics....

2004-08-12T23:19:00.000+03:00

the Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki. just read it. he makes the point - in short - that diverse groups of people (crowds), regardless of how uninformed they are, are the best way to get the best answers and make the wisest decisions. i liked it and to be honest (as i "read" this in audible format) i kept drifting from time to time so i will definitely go through it again albeit selectively.

the book contains a ton of anecdotes and examples (and i got the abridged edition too!) like the fact that 40% of Americans polled during the height of the cold war thought the Soviet Union was a member of NATO but then goes on to prove that this is immaterial in the larger scheme of things.

it actually got me thinking about how the theory would stand up in a place like kuwait? i had somewhat assumed that the country's democracy was vibrant yet its individual constituents lacked the decision-making skills (i.e. education) to make wise decisions. there is also the tendency to value selfish short-term interests over the more salient long-term interests of the society which the author also touches on in a way (via his Enron example). i think his book has quite a few useful insights on tweaking any consensus-based system....

2004-08-11T13:28:00.000+03:00

i want to be a taxidermist...

yesterday i visited this gorgeous late 19th century house in beirut with my father. we were with a real estate advisor that was showing us a bunch of properties and we ended up at this beautiful french-islamic colonial villa on a promontory overlooking the Raouche. while admiring its rundown beauty my father noticed the humming of the air conditioners. just as he mentioned it we saw this lady staring out the window at us and realized the house was inhabited when we had no idea - we'd assumed it was an abandoned relic! she comes out and with a friendly smile greets us as we apologize for inadvertently trespassers on their property. just then a car pulls in and out comes a elegant yet modestly dressed lady that looks like she's in her fifties... she greets us warmly and, after the usual pleasantries, insists that we come inside to take a look at the place.

it turns out that they've been tenants for 40-odd years and have immaculately preserved the place. I really can't describe the inside - it was like touring an ancient palace and reminded me of the Domabache Palace in Istanbul. utterly breathtaking! and since it was lived in what i enjoyed were her old family pictures and portraits as well as the family's coat of arms - apparently our dear host was from a very distinguished/aristocratic lebanese family. she was also from a very artistic family - her brother was a famous architect and others were painters and sculptors and their work was all over the place. the ceilings seemed 6 meters high or so and were finely painted with gorgeous pastel hues with obvious signs of age. she then took us onto the terrace and it was probably one of the most memorable vistas i had ever seen! all the way down there was rich foliage with ancient trees and patches of rubble and out ahead you could see way out to see with the waves hitting the rocks all around the Raouche.

to my delight our gracious host turned out to be a book publisher focused on heritage books about lebanon. she collected images and artifacts to feature in books that were published the three main languages of lebanon - arabic, french and english. she was also reprinting ancient out-of-print editions by the early orientalist explorers of the 19th and early 20th centuries. her aim was to develop more appreciation of the country's varied history and make the material accessible to the average reader (some of those old originals were on the market for $20,000 a pop!). i could have spent the whole day there - i think i'll be ordering a bunch of her works after seeing what care and passion she had for her work!

even more of a surprise was when she talked about the tenant on the second floor. "he's a kuwaiti and his name is..." where she couldn't recall his last name wherein my father smiles and fills in the blank! it turns out his uncle lived in the place for twenty years or so including when my father went to school there in the late 60s/early 70s. he'd even once visited his uncle in that same house and it was slowly coming back to him that this was actually the same place... "i thought it looked familiar.." it's like he'd stepped back in time 35 years - it was still the same old place and apparently his uncle was still paying the rent for the second floor although he hadn't been there in years! (i need to ask him for the keys - such a waste not to live there)

our hosts' generosity didn't end there. she had just married of her daughter and gave us a gorgeous custom-made cup and saucer from the wedding as well as an old copy of the herald tribune where they'd featured the house and here publishing and preservation work. i still can't believe her hospitality towards a bunch of strangers - truly made my trip to beirut worthwhile!

it was very encouraging to see her passion and caring for her work - i so wish we could do the same in kuwait!

2004-08-08T00:05:00.000+03:00

"the destiny of nations depends upon their manner of eating" - more pertinent in this age than ever!

getting high on OPM.....

2004-08-07T20:32:00.000+03:00

since i'm on an economic bent here i will touch on a recent trend that's becoming more and more apparent.... companies have hit upon a great moneymaker: using Other People's Money to make a quick buck..

to elaborate - company A (usually a listed company) has a stellar year with great profits and cashflow.. at the same time the financial markets are going wild and hungry for opportunity especially given that there aren't too many attractive local investment opps. the board of company A sits around the nice expensive conference table debating how to take advantage of this great climate! buHmood tells buGhazi that they should set up new companies to further profit from the growth. they say hey lets get this shell company (or set it up from scratch), put in a million KD and bring in another 19million from a public offering. now it doesn't matter what this company does/they don't care. they just know that if they dress it up nicely and put a secretary and an office boy at the door it should somehow find its calling and make some money! the fallacy is in the motive. there should be a dual objective of making money as well as making lives easier somehow (inventing a product, providing a needed service,etc). the problem is their brains are blank - or more aptly said they are stuffed with banknotes and notions of more....

now some people may wonder why these companies don't set up a fund and offer it to investors as a pooled vehicle. the following will also explain why the company model is such an attractive proposition:

- they can charge around 5% for setting up a new company as placement and structuring fees. in the hypothetical 20million KD company above - thats a nice million KD (so in effect they've invested their 5% in the company for free).

- no minimum investment limits - kuwaiti law requires that the sponsor of a fund invest 5% of the capital. this does not exist with a new company private placement. they could put in naught and still make money of the fees.

- they can run the company as a small fiefdom (for a while at least) - since they develop and place the company they are in the best position (regardless of their ownership stakes) to influence the management of the company. they can achieve this by not selling too large a stake to any one investor and so have virtual proxy authority over the owner base. this allows them to reward themselves and friends with seats on boards with other people's money! capitalism at its best?

- this is a corollary of the one before - they get to drive the new company's business to benefit their mother company. this creates a bias, a conflict of interest and a violation of fiduciary duties (if they exist) in most cases. if you want to picture it for those of you that know the way govt corruption is in kuwait - its basically the minister that sends contracts his friends' way. a nudge here, a tug there and a few million for the buddy and I.

- the final and probably most important point - the company can be listed (sometimes quite quickly!).\

the end result is that the poor schmuck that put his money in as an ordinary investor (the little guy with 10,000KD of savings) may not see his money back or maybe just some of it because of a bunch of bums that wanted to vacation in st. tropez or st. barts.... he could get lucky but there are more enjoyable ways of gambling (i.e. Monte Carlo and Las Vegas).

i like seeing action and initiative - it makes me think that others are thinking (have you ever realized how little people actually "think"). the problem is its too short term oriented. no one cares about building value. an employee is just there as a warm body and transitory. in short there's no corporate culture to talk about - except on of greed begetting greed.

i will end this on a positive note. there's a budding young generation that's intent on changing things - but will they achieve critical mass before its too late? they're optimistic, talented, motivated (with the right reasons) and hopefully ethical. where there's a will there's a way...

is MTC overvalued?

2004-08-07T17:13:00.000+03:00

a friend working at a local investco relayed a bit of advice from his local market guys - sell mtc! i said why when a recent valuation had pegged a fair value at 3.7KD (its currently 3.1 or so). said its on a technical level. anyways its not like im a big trader or anything. i beleive telcos in kuwait and the region and certain other parts of the world have humungous growth potential (not to mention that they are phenomenal cash generators)! its a nice strategic investment - dont think i will touch it for now... he was advising based on technicals though and may be right in the short term but im not looking to trade really...

public disclosure - i own or have previously recommended owning the following -> MTC, watania telecom, public warehousing company, commmercial facilities company and global investment house. all as long term strategic holdings (dont have the time to daytrade).

oil's up and the market's dancing....

2004-08-07T17:06:00.000+03:00

well there seem to be a number of conflicting developments that could potentially affect the local economy mainly:

- high oil prices - $45 a barrel.. it seems like just yesterday that the american were bawling over oil at $35! now they just wish it would stabilize at 40! one always has to be thankful i guess. well what this means given the likelihood of high to somewhat high prices over the next year is that kuwaiti foreign reserves will just keep building up and given a rather overprudent approach to spending it should be another bumper year.. (in other words there will be huge contracts galore and a money glut that may make the last year look pale in comparison - where's greenspan with his irrational exuberance now?)

- interest rates have (rather rightly) been raised 50bps. this is much tamer than the previous point. relatively speaking this will not do much given that deposit rates still look paltry when compared to the gains to be made by investing in the products of the previous point (oil induced spending it can be called).

no wonder business class to kuwait has been sold out for the last year with no slowdown in sight... the carpetbaggers are back!

slow and subtle awakening....

2004-08-06T22:36:00.000+03:00

i hope i'm not being too optimistic here but i think we may be seeing the seeds of a cultural awakening in kuwait. a number of encouraging signs:

- i was just on the gulf road and saw the beautifully renovated colonial style structure that is the old "medical employees residence" (or so it says on the gorgeous restored sign). looks like a lot of care was taken with this - not the usual shoddy job. if you're looking for it, it's adjacent to the new and starkly contrasting diabetes centre.

- art galleries abound! regardless of the motives (profit or pleasure) behind them this is definitely a positive omen. from what i've seen so far the main instigators are usually art and design lovers under 30. they've been organizing regular events and trying to develop original local talent (however little it may be).

- the publishing industry is mushrooming it seems albeit with questionable quality. what i find lacking in this area is the lack of journalistic standards (as well as half-decent spellcheckers!). most of the them though are society focused rags but we have to start somewhere i guess. and of course the inevitable crime and intrigue mags have to pop up although i never thought i'd see enquirer style articles in kuwait! (we have to pay the price somehow i guess)

the main problem remains that we are too xenophobic in the areas that matter - knowledge, social introspection and culture. when we finally decide to let the rest of the world visit this country maybe eventually we can get a bit of diversity and new ideas!

testing mailtoblogger functionality

2004-08-06T08:49:00.000+03:00

OIL AT $44 a barrel....

well since i'm already sending this - let me comment on the super-significant developments of the last few days re. oil prices. it truly is a double-edged sword. kuwait will definitely benefit along with the cartel in the short-term but if this could have adverse effects on the global economy leading to some long term systemic effects.

i'm just stating the obvious and posing the question - what are the consequences and which scenario is ultimately better from kuwait's perspective?

and on the topic of the price itself... how do you ever predict it? its almost futile to make accurate predictions given the myriad of factors involved and given our current data-processing ability (we still don't have computers powerful enough to digest all the possible inputs). we may get there someday but we're still far from it....

2004-08-05T00:38:00.000+03:00

so the new companies seem to be moving in finally. BNP paribas was not who i expected to be first but anything is good at this point. we need to move the tepid waters and bring some new ideas/energy into this economy. we need competition. we need good management. in short - we need a lot of what the converging global economy has that has passed us by. but can we get our place on the ark before the flood?

2004-03-27T08:21:00.000+03:00

here's a very useful initiative that contrasts with our half-hearted attempts at developing the private sector:
Newsday.com - Business: Long Island and New York City: "Small Business Development Centers offer valuable resources for entrepreneurs"

2004-03-27T08:16:00.000+03:00

this is the inaugural post to this blog - which is in itself a new idea/suggestion that we should improve channels of communication in kuwait. we're living in a highly advanced world and have the fiancial resources to buy designer labels so why not spend a little on enabling the population with a channel of thought and discourse and positive change. hence the first blog i know of dedicated to to this topic (not that it matters)