2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003
Kuwait came in 66th place which lies somewhere above the middle of the list while Lebanon came in a low 128th place and the UAE in a pretty good 27th position.
The most corrupt country in the world is Somalia while the least corrupt is Denmark. [Link]
The winners of the 2011 Emporis Skyscraper Award was recently announced and Kuwait’s Hamra Tower came in second place. The Emporis Skyscraper Award is a renowned architecture prize for new skyscrapers and the winners were chosen from over 220 skyscrapers completed in 2011. The tower that came in first place was the 8 Spruce Street which looks pretty impressive as well. [Link]
I have no clue who’s smart idea it was to turn the empty piece of land behind my building into a garbage dump. That yellow truck on the left actually came, dumped some garbage and then left!
Update: Another truck just came and dumped more garbage. Kinda reminds me when the garbage contractors were having a turf war on the HBO show The Sopranos. Someone is really pissed off at someone.
Update2: Looks like we’re in a handover transition period between two different garbage contractors and this issue should be temporary. According to Arab Times the new contractors are charging around KD5,000,000 a month to clean up the garbage, a lot more than the previous company because they’re supposed to do a much better job and adhere to a higher standard. You can read the article on Arab Times [Here]
I’m not a fan of The X Factor but for those of you who are you might be interested to know they will be coming to Kuwait to hold auditions on November 30th at Courtyard by Marriott Hotel starting at 8AM. If you’re interested in trying out check out The X Factor Arabia website for more details [Here]
On the other hand I’d love to try out for the Fear Factor if they ever bring that to the Arab world.
Thanks Rayboy
I can’t believe the picture above is in Kuwait. CNN have an article on how land that was used during the 1990 invasion as an important base for Saddam Hussein’s army has now flourished into the beautiful landscape you see in the picture above. The article is not too long and they also have a short video about the reserve, both of which you could check [Here]
I was on the first ring road earlier this evening when I noticed lights and music coming out of the huge Kuwait City park across from the Tijaria Tower. Turns out there was a big event taking place where the new golden jubilee monument of Kuwait’s constitution was revealed. Buz Fairy has pictures and more information on the monument and event which you can check out on her blog [Here]
Inside the Middle East have now uploaded their report on Kuwait’s love affair with fastfood. You can check the report above or read the article on CNN [Here]
On Saturday GMC were planning to break the record for the largest convoy of GMC vehicles in the world and according to a reader who participated in the event they were able to break it.
Does anyone have a list of all the records Kuwait currently holds? I’ve honestly lost count and there are 7 more that will supposedly be broken during the fireworks show on the 10th.
Here are some pictures of the event [Link]
Thanks Ahmad
Early on in the week I posted about the huge fireworks show that’s going to be taking place this month on the Gulf Road. The show supposedly cost four million Dinars and will be held on the occasion of the 50th year anniversary of the constitution. Well it turns out the event won’t be taking place on the 11th as I wrote but instead the show will be taking place on November 10th.
The day will start off at 2PM with a parade and various performances from Green Island all the way to the Kuwait Towers. Then at 8PM the fireworks show will begin. This won’t be your regular fireworks show since there are a bunch of surprises that will take place (I’m not allowed to say what) but I can tell you it will include fireworks, sound, lasers and 3D projections. The fireworks show will take place from Green Island to Kuwait Towers, a 4.4km distance and the show will last for a total of 64 minutes. That’s over an hour of non stop fireworks. The event is expected to break a total of 7 Guinness World Records!
FYI: The best place to be to watch the show is the area between Kuwait Towers and Chilis although the show will be visible from much further distances.
Preparations are currently underway for the epic fireworks show thats going to take place on November 11th 10th here in Kuwait on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the constitution. Speaker systems and projection boards are being setup all along the coast starting from the Green Island and going all the way to the Kuwait Towers. They’ve also started setting up the fireworks which reportedly is costing over KD4,164,000.
The event company behind this epic show is Filmaster MEA who’ve also worked on other large scale events like the Turin 2006 XX Olympic Games (opening and closing ceremony), the Juventus new stadium opening ceremony and the UAE 40th National Day Anniversary.
This so far looks like an event that shouldn’t be missed and will probably be the biggest show that Kuwait has ever put on.
Update: Check this link for more information [Link]
Last night I got the chance to watch the premier of the new James Bond movie Skyfall at Grand Cinemas in the Al Hamra Tower. As soon as I got to the floor Grand Cinemas was located on we were given a goodie bag by Aston Martin, that included an iPhone 5 case with the Skyfall logo on it and some other Aston Martin branded merchandise. The attendants were quite helpful, answering our questions and giving us directions to which theater we’d be seated in. We then were able to get some popcorn and soda. They only had regular popcorn available and no water, that will obviously change once Grand Cinemas opens. The first thing I noticed as soon as I entered the theater was just how cold it was. Movie theaters tend to get chilly, but it was incredibly cold, much colder than other theaters. The seating was quite comfortable and the only real negative thing (beside it being too cold) that bothered me was that they kept the “Exit” signs lit up throughout the movie which caused a green glare on the side of the screen which was slightly distracting at times.
Once the show started, about 15 minutes of advertisements for Aston Martin played which wasn’t a big surprise since it seemed like they were the ones who helped put this event together. Once the movie began, I instantly noticed how the image seemed crisper and sharper on the screen. It was a good sign. Then about 10 minutes into the movie, the sound was acting up, we couldn’t hear what the characters were saying but we could still hear the music and the sound effects. It felt like we were watching a silent movie. After a few minutes of that the entire sound cut which happened a minute or so before the movie intro credits started rolling. This situation also made things kind of awkward because you could hear people all around you just crunching away at their popcorns while the theater stayed surprisingly quiet throughout this whole ordeal. This went on for a good 10 or 15 more minutes, I was thinking of walking out of the theater because the movie was basically being spoiled. Then one of the guys in charge walked in and made an announcement that the theater amplifier blew out and that they needed a few minutes to switch it out. Not sure how an amp could blow out at the very first show, but apparently it did. As soon as he left they thankfully stopped the movie. Sure enough a few minutes afterwards the movie had started, the movie was rewinded to where the technical errors began and the sound was working. After that it was smooth sailing, I really liked how crisp the image was and the volume of the movie was just loud enough. Did I mention how it was cold? It became nearly unbearable near the end to the point that it became distracting.
Now about the movie. I’m going to come out and say this right away, Skyfall is probably my favorite Bond movie. Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem were both fantastic and seemed to feed off each others on-screen energy. Bardem’s role as the villain was really memorable and his character will be remembered for a long time. Sam Mendes did a great job at directing this movie which includes one of my favorite fight scenes that I’ve experienced in a movie, the cinematography, the lighting, the intensity of the scene, it was just beautifully shot. The movie had some amusing moments, some charming Bond moments, it was aggressive when it needed to be and it was surprisingly dark at times, especially for a Bond movie. Bond movies are usually more upbeat and they’re typically about Bond being nearly superhero like, saving the day. Let me put it this way, Skyfall is to Bond as The Dark Knight was to Batman. This movie release is going to coincide with the 50th anniversary of James Bond and the movie features some neat little nods to past Bond movies and in a way, there were segments in the movie that felt like old-school Bond. It’s a little on the longside though, running at about 2 hours and 30 minutes long but it is definitely worth the watch.
So all in all, I feel like Grand Cinemas will be a great addition to Kuwait. Except for that little incident regarding the sound which was fixed, the only downside of last night was how cold it had gotten, I’ll just remember to bring a coat next time I decide to watch a movie there.
Posted by Patrick
The Voice for Success program was initiated by en.v to give greater visibility to social activists who are trying to make a positive impact on their society and community. The videos and articles were created by en.v to celebrate the achievements of people we consider successful, not in the traditional sense of being C.E.O. of a company or a film star, but because they have dedicated themselves to a specific cause / issue, doing what they can to make a positive contribution.
The Voice for Success program recently announced the winners to their online competition. The three winners were Dr. Alanoud Al Sharekh, a leading Kuwaiti women’s rights activist, academic and political researcher; Maali Al Asousi, co-founder of the Business and Professional Women’s Kuwaiti chapter and founder and chairwoman of Tamkeen, a non-profit organization promoting development in the Arab world; and last but not least, Zeina Al Sultan, founder of the Special Mothers group working to raise awareness about adoption and promoting the rights of orphaned / abandoned children and adoptive parents in Kuwait.
The video above is for Dr. Alanoud Al Sharekh. [YouTube]
Here is a link to Maali Al Asousi’s video [YouTube]
Here is a link to an article on Zeina Al Sultan [Link]
The largest cinema chain in the Middle East is opening in Hamra Tower this coming Friday with the movie Skyfall. The theater once open will have a total of 9 screens with one of them being a VIP theater which I’ve previously been told will rival those of Dubai. [Link]
The U.S. Embassy is hosting an (Early) Voting Day for eligible U.S. citizens. Below are some details.
Who: Eligible U.S. Citizen Voters
Date: October 21, 2012
Time: 1:00 to 4:00 PM
Location: U.S. Embassy (Masjid al Aqsa Street, Bayan)
If you have any questions you can contact them on [email protected] or visit their website [Here]
