Category: Information

Kuwait ranked 31st in the world in computer ownership. Doesn’t sound that bad until you realize Estonia, Slovania Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Latvia scored higher than Kuwait. Not that I have anything against those countries mind you! [Link]

Update: I just purchased the ebook version of The Pocket World in Figures 2008 and here are some interesting facts I found related to Kuwait…

– Kuwait ranks second in lowest death rate per capita. UAE is first, Qatar is third.

– Kuwait ranks 20th in most deaths in road accidents, I used to think we were first?

– Kuwait ranks 2nd in most injured in road accidents, Qatar is first with more than 3 times the amount!

– Kuwait ranks 3rd in death by diabetes, UAE is first, Saudi is second.

– Kuwait ranks 2nd in largest amount of carbon dioxide emissions per person. UAE is first.

– Kuwait ranks 4th in “Proportion of a country’s population residing in a single city”. That city being Kuwait City which doesn’t make sense since not many people live in Kuwait City.

– Kuwait ranks 3rd in Least economically dependent on agriculture. I don’t know if thats a good thing, I doubt.

– Kuwait ranks 1st in Largest consumption of energy per head (oil). UAE is second, the US is 5th.

– Finally, Kuwait ranks 5th in most crowded road networks. Qatar is first, Hong Kong second and Germany third.

It seems Starbucks is having a Toys Drive where all toys collected will be donated to the orphans at Dar Al-Atfal. A reader spotted the sign above with a basket full of toys at the Starbucks branch located at The Palms so I don’t know if this is something that’s exclusively being done at that branch or if all branches are participating in this. If someone can clear that up it would be great and also does anyone know when will this toys drive end?

Thanks Someday Red!

Update: The following email was sent to me from Alshaya containing more details on the Toys Drive…

Thank you for your interest in Starbucks “Holiday Joy” toys drive. I am happy to share with you an overview of the toys drive, the first time to launch in the Starbucks Middle East Markets, in selected stores in Kuwait, UAE & Lebanon.

Participating stores in Kuwait are:
Al Kout, Palms, Mishref, Jabriya, Behbehani, Keifan Sporting Club, Flagship, Hilton Hawally Plaza, Souk Sharq, Shamiyeh and Free Zone.

Duration of the drive is from 1st week of Dec. till 1st week of January.

The idea originated mainly as we were looking for ways to give back to our communities, especially during the holiday season, so we are inviting our customers to join our partners (employees) in sharing the joy of the season, by donating a toy to an orphan.

Warm regards,

I got the following in my email today:

You are all cordially invited to attend FIVE60’s first Flea Market featuring handcrafts and arts, anime cartoonist, fashion & accessories, gardening & nurseries, food vendors (candy + pancakes + desserts + corndogs) and more.

The market is held on December 26th – 27th from 4:00PM to 10:00PM in FIVE60 HQ @ Al Rawada – Block 5 – St 60 – House #4.

For more information please give us a buzz +965 9785 3033 or drop us an email [email protected]

Cheers!
FIVE60 Group

Some Contrast posted some pictures of the plane a couple of days ago but I couldn’t until I got approval from Wataniya Airways since they are my client. The above and below are pictures of the plane parked in Toulouse, France where Airbus plant is located. Hopefully next month I am going to be in Toulouse for the official unveiling and take some of my own photos but for now here are some of the photos taken by Airbus. The Kuwait Towers are proudly displayed on the tail of the plane and I think it actually looks pretty good. Definitely much better than the new MEA design which I HATE.

Had the same problem again with my contact form, just fixed it so if anyone has sent me an email via the contact form this past week I didn’t get it. Looking for a better contact form now so that I don’t have this issue again!

Because of the Hit Bush with a shoe game my site got double the regular hits yesterday. Yay!

Interesting fact, did you know that the Kuwait National Assembly was designed by the internationally known architect of the Sydney Opera House, Jørn Utzon? Jørn Utzon sadly passed away late last month on November 29th at the age of 90.

I just found out that Office Depot is going to be opening up in Kuwait at the Avenues. Alshaya will be bringing the brand over which is great but I think there are more important things to get first like Wendy’s, Cheese Cake Factory, Best Buy or even a Costco!

Found this shop at Tilal Complex yesterday which I thought was pretty cool. Its basically a store that sells outdoor gear like tents, sleeping bags, bows and arrows, flasks etc. Too bad I don’t go camping here.

I missed out on GulfRun this year but from what I’ve heard it was even more fun than last years. Lots of action and I am just waiting for everyone to start posting their pictures. Tonight at 11PM Watan TV is actually going to broadcast GulfRun 4 so if you want to check it out just tune in.

Update: Pictures are [Here]!

Update2: Its 11:12PM and it still hasn’t started, there is another show on so I guess the timing I got was wrong.

Sultan Center have introduced some new milk products which I spotted yesterday. They now have Mars, Starburst, Maltesers and Nesquik flavored milk. Their prices though are outrageous, the Mars milk costs KD2.150, the Starburst KD1.950, the Nesquik KD1.550 and finally the cheapest was Maltesers at KD1.450.

Does anyone know who the composer was for the Kuwaiti National Anthem? I just tried finding out with Google but couldn’t find anything.

update: Never mind found this…

The Kuwaiti national anthem is by poet Ahmad Meshari Al-Adwani, Ibrahim Al-Soula composed the music and Ahmad Ali arranged the composition. [Source]

According to SomeContrast KDD have started dropping their prices. Is this because oil has dropped down in price, the economic situation, loss of business or something else? [Link]

Ace Hardware is one of the few places in Kuwait that has actually improved over time instead of getting worse. I pass by usually once a week either to pick up some treats for my dog or just to aimlessly wonder through the aisles checking out the totally random stuff they have. That’s my favorite part about Ace and its that they carry items that you don’t need until you really need it. I don’t know if that made any sense but in my case I’ve passed by items that I never imagined I had any use for or even knew what they were until one day while I’m working on a project I find out that I really need this one item and seeing it at Ace.

Abyat and Platform were both rumored to be competition for Ace Hardware but now that they’ve launched its obvious they aren’t. Although they carry hardware and home improvement items they don’t carry the wide range of smaller random items that Ace does. If you haven’t passed by Ace Hardware you should. They’re located in Al-Rai near the Pirelli and Dunlop dealership.

According to The Avenue’s website Arby’s is opening there! They have a list of all the restaurants that are open and opening at The Avenue’s and Arby’s is on that list!! Just go to their website, click on restaurants and then on the burger picture. [Link]