2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003
[YouTube]
Last night I was on my way to the Harvey Nichols launch event when I somehow ended up getting stuck in my car right in the middle of the demonstrations. I was with a friend and we decided to take the 6th Ring Road since we figured it would be quieter than the 5th but suddenly traffic started slowing down to a standstill and people started parking their cars on the side of the road and walking towards a pedestrian bridge.
Suddenly there were cops all over the place, people shouting and demonstrating and we were just sitting there bewildered to how we ended up being stuck right in the middle of the demonstrations that were supposed to be held miles away on the Gulf Road.
Then all of a sudden the riot police started firing flashbang’s and tear gas all over the place with a few canisters landing on cars ahead of us. It was crazy and that shit is strong! I opened the window for a bit to take pictures and the tear gas just overwhelmed my eyes and nose like nothing I had ever experienced before. Finally traffic started moving again after being at a standstill for at least 30 minutes and we got off the 6th and headed towards Avenues. A completely random night.
Note: I am closing the comments on this post since I don’t want to turn it political, this is just a post about my experience.
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]
Big D released a new music video yesterday directed towards all the people on 248AM that have hated him. The music video starts off with Big D reading the comments about him on this blog and then goes into an angry fit. The music then starts and while he’s rapping, various quotes from different commentators flash up on the screen. So if you’ve left a negative comment about Big D before you might see your comment in this video. [YouTube]
The BBC show Big Meets Bigger came to Kuwait a couple of years back and when the episode was finally aired it was uploaded online to the BBC website but no one outside the UK could watch it. Today though someone uploaded the video onto YouTube and it’s now finally available for everyone to watch. The episode is divded into four parts, the first part is above and I’ve listed the rest below.
Big Meets Bigger – Kuwait 1
Big Meets Bigger – Kuwait 2
Big Meets Bigger – Kuwait 3
Big Meets Bigger – Kuwait 4
An abandoned building in Fahaheel started collapsing earlier tonight at around 8:30pm. The building is currently leaning forward and looks like it’s going to collapse on the adjacent apartment building. According to a reader, the surrounding buildings have been evacuated and the area has been cordoned off.
Thanks Hansel
Photos taken by Mohamed Harsath
According to the blog Qortuba Valley, Kuwait’s approved LTE frequency is 1800 MHz which means iPhone 5’s purchased from the UK will work in Kuwait while ones purchased from the US will not. [Link]
Update: Arab Times also confirms the approved frequency is 1800 MHz [Link]
The Guardian published the photo above of Kuwait at night taken from space. The photo was one of many photos captured by the European Space Agency and Nasa satellites last month. The description of the photo says:
A night view of Kuwait City, the coastal city which serves as Kuwait’s political and economic capital. The metropolitan area has a population approaching 2.5 million
Check out The Guardian article [Here]
Below is another photo taken from space back in August also showing Kuwait at nigh. It was previously featured as a NASA image of the day.
NASA have a pretty good writeup on the photo above as well as a higher resolution photo which you can check out [Here]
Thanks Khalid
A friend just messaged me telling me an apartment building collapsed in Salmiya near the corner of the Fahaheel Expressway and the 4th Ring Road. Lots of cops and firefighters on the scene.
I don’t have any pictures or information right now other than the above. Hopefully it was an abandoned building and no one was hurt.
Update: One of my readers with more information shared the following
Apparently an old building was being demolished and collapsed sideways on the side building. No one is hurt but authorities are searching as it fell on a temporary room. -NAK
I passed by around 8:30PM, 3 hours after the incident took place and I couldn’t see any fire trucks or police cars on the scene. I did spot the building though which is located right behind Texas Chicken on the 4th Ring Road in Salmiya.
Update2: I added the photo above which was taken by Namastey Kuwait. More photos on their Facebook page [Here]
Expat and the City has an interesting post on how Chinese prostitutes have taken over American housing areas in Fahaheel and Mahboula. The girls are trying to pick up guys during the day and night without even trying to stay low key. Where are the cops? Nowhere in sight. The reason I’ve chosen to highlight her post is because it’s related in a slight way to my 5àsec post from yesterday and my numerous complaints on how cops parked traffic lights on the Gulf Road watch cars run red lights and not care.
It’s easy and obvious to blame the cops for not doing their job but personally I no longer blame them. I think the cops are frustrated and have just given up caring but for good reason. Why should they waste their time handing out tickets or arresting people when everyone has wasta to get out of a ticket or a misdemeanor? I can imagine how demoralizing this must be for them.
Check out Expat and the City’s post [Here]
The above is the latest video by K’S PATH and below is the description:
This short film features the release of a Scops Owl and a Steppe Eagle. The owl was found being sold by children while the eagle was found exhausted on the beach, presumably having exhausted itself flying against the wind during the day. Our community responded wonderfully by calling K’S PATH and helping to catch and transport these majestic creatures. Both birds were promptly given a clean bill of health after being seen by K’S PATH veterinarian Dr. Madhulal Valliyatte. Thankfully, they were both released the following day.
If you find a wild bird in distress, call 6700-1622. If it’s safe for you and the bird, you can use a towel and cardboard box to catch it. Keep the bird covered in the box, in the dark if possible, and in a quiet place. Avoid heat and noise. You may give a bowl of water if necessary, but don’t attempt to feed a wild bird. The wrong food can be much worse than no food for a short time. Our phone is switched off at night but all missed calls are returned in the morning. A message will get the quickest response.
Let’s be a community that works together to take care of wildlife.
[Vimeo]
I was leaving the house this morning when I got a phone call from Xcite letting me know they received the new iPhone 5 and if I was interested in picking it up to check it out. Luckily traffic wasn’t that bad and I was over at their head office 15 minutes later picking up the phone.
The new iPhone 5 looks smaller than my iPhone 4s even though it’s taller. It looks very slick and slim while the iPhone 4s which I didn’t have a problem with an hour ago now looks pretty bulky sitting next to the iPhone 5 on my desk. I have the black iPhone 5 with me which is black all over including the side trimming which is what is also helping the iPhone 5 look smaller than it actually is.
Even though I was expecting the iPhone 5 to be light based on the reviews I read online, I wasn’t expecting it to feel this much lighter than the 4s. It’s really the first thing that grabbed my attention when I picked it up and it kinda feels like the phone is hollow on the inside. The second thing that grabbed my attention was the aluminum back of the phone. To me it doesn’t look or feel like aluminum but more like a plastic. I think it’s because I was expecting the metal to have some sort of texture which is doesn’t.
I booked my nano sim card from Viva [Here] but I still haven’t received the sim card yet nor do I know when they’ll be available. So right now if you want to use the iPhone 5 you’re going to have to cut and sand your sim card down to the size of the nano.
If you want to check out the iPhone 5 yourself you can since Xcite have it on display right now at their Avenues location. They aren’t selling them just yet nor have they priced them since they’re waiting to secure a large quantity of phones first. If you have any questions or curiosities about the phone let me know since I’m going to have it with me for a few more hours.
Update: Xcite just informed me they’re now selling the iPhone 5 starting at KD299
Want to help make a difference? Using Instagram take pictures the good, the bad and the ugly and hashtag the shots with #welcometokuwait
Spread the word.
I’ve driven by the site and I have to say it’s going to be HUGE. [YouTube]
According to a friend of mine this happened last night and the owner was found dead. I haven’t confirmed the story so no idea if that’s true or not.
Photo was taken from @3abdalla78 on Instagram.