2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003
This is not a bad idea actually, they should probably introduce something similar here in Kuwait.
The list of banned styles includes ponytails, mullets and elaborate spikes. However,quiffs appear to be acceptable, as are fashioning one’s hair in the style of Simon Cowell or cultivating a 1980s-style floppy fringe.
[Article]
Paul the octopus has predicted Spain will win the match against Germany. [YouTube]
Thanks John
A reader sent me this article that appeared in The Guardian a few days ago about the state of Football in Kuwait and the UAE. The article talks about Kuwait’s football achievements in the 80s and the demise of it today.
While middle-aged Kuwaiti men are genuinely proud of the football team their country produced in the 1980s – champions of Asia in 1980, World Cup qualifiers in 1982 and Gulf Cup winners in 1982 and 1986 – the same cannot be said of the current crop of players. Dubbed the “gel team”, these shebab (young men) have been branded prima donnas by the older generation, more concerned with applying gel to their intricately styled coiffures and handing out their phone numbers to doe-eyed female admirers than with training and winning.
The article starts off with the question, “Is it because family riches spoil potential players that these countries’ sporting glories lie in the past?”. Personally I have no idea why football in Kuwait today is not as good as it was in the 80’s and early 90’s, but maybe someone else can answer that question. [Article]
Thanks Pureorama
The list of the hottest emerging markets for retail just got released and for the first time ever Kuwait made it onto the list but not only that, Kuwait somehow managed to rank the second hottest market place in the world for retail! China is in first place as expected, India in third and Kuwait squeezed in between the two. This probably has to do with Alshaya being based in Kuwait and bringing in and opening all these foreign brands. I’m still waiting for some kind of news on Shake Shack..
“Kuwait is an attractive opportunity,” said Deepa Neary, a retail industry consultant at A.T. Kearney. She cited the country’s location in the Middle East, which is quickly becoming an exciting region for retailers, and its highly concentrated urban population, which helps make the market more accessible for retailers.
According to Neary, Kuwait can serve as an entry point into the Middle East.
Here is the top 10 list:
1- China
2- Kuwait
3- India
4- Saudi Arabia
5- Brazil
6- Chile
7- United Arab Emirates
8- Uruguay
9- Peru
10- Russia
You can read the article by following this [Link]
Thanks Zoogi
Thats the list of most read news on the Arab Times website. Can anyone spot the subject that’s in common? [Link]
Thanks Anmol
Someone in Russia painted a 65 meter large penis on a draw bridge and every time the bridge gets raised so does the penis. It’s a true story, it’s in the news right now. Very funny stuff. If I was Viagra I would quickly go and stick my logo on the bridge. [Link]
My dad yesterday had trouble viewing the World Cup opening match so he went down to Hawalli to get some help from one of the Satellite shops and to his amazement the whole area was flooded with cars and people. It seems he wasn’t the only one facing problems, majority of the people were having the exact same issue so everyone headed to Hawalli at the same time to find out what was wrong with their receiver. Turns out the Al Jazeera World Cup broadcast was sabotaged. Someone was blocking the signals and Al Jazeera are pissed and are vowing to catch the culprits behind the jam.
“We do not know yet who is behind the interference, but we will go after whoever has caused this terrible act that has deprived millions in the Arab world from watching the start of the World Cup,” said Nasser Al Khalifi, the chairman of Al Jazeera Sports.
“We are shocked by what happened because the World Cup is not a political programme that someone wants to block. It is a global sports event and we had spent months negotiating with Fifa to enable viewers in the Arab world to enjoy some matches for free. Unfortunately, there are some people who have political motives, but we will go after them,” he said.
I have no idea who the people he’s referring to, I don’t know how anyone can take advantage politically by blocking the World Cup signal. For more information here are three sources [Article 1], [Article 2] and [Article 3]
Guess who made this list and coming in at #4?
4) Kuwait
Population: 2.8 million
Percentage of Millionaire Households: 8.2%The rising price of oil has led to more millionaires in this tiny country. With some 100 billion barrels of crude, Kuwait has been growing rapidly. But the oil-dependent nation now plans to spend up to $140 billion over the next five years to diversify away from oil and to attract more investment — a move that could help it ascend this list’s ranks. Such a strategy may help billionaire Nasser Al Kharafi, chairman of one of the most diversified and largest conglomerates in the Arab world. His food division, Americana, has the Middle East franchise rights to KFC, Wimpy, TGI Fridays and Pizza Hut, among others.
They’ve messed up big time though by having a picture of the Babylon Gates from Iraq as a visual representing Kuwait. I guess the Kuwait Towers was just too cliche? Here is the link to the full [Article]
Thanks Zaid
Bye bye Iraqi Airways. Should be interesting to see if this means Kuwait won’t get anything from Iraq. [Article]
I love it how Kuwait always makes it to the most random lists. This time Kuwait is ranked #5 on CNN’s top 10 most shocking moments in the World Cup.
5. France v Kuwait, 1982
France were coasting to victory in this group game in Valladolid, Spain. Leading 3-1 and with the clock ticking, Alain Giresse burst through unchallenged to add a fourth goal.
However, the Kuwaitis claimed they stopped playing because they had heard a whistle, and TV replays clearly picked up the sound of a whistle, presumably blown by somebody in the crowd.
This infuriated Kuwaiti FA president Prince Fahid, who promptly stormed onto the pitch and demanded that his players walked off in protest. Inexplicably, Russian referee Miroslav Stupar bowed to the Kuwaiti protest and chalked off a totally legitimate goal.
To make the situation even more bizarre, France defender Maxime Bossis then went on to score his only international goal in 76 matches to revert the scoreline to its rightful position with just a minute remaining. [CNN Article]
I’ve already mentioned before that I think thats actually one of the coolest moments in the World Cup but I can see how some people might see it otherwise. You can watch a summary of the match in question narrated by Sean Connery by clicking [Here]
Great photos from the Boston Globe. [Link]
There is an article on CNN about Kuwait and obesity in which they’re blaming obesity on fast food joints and the fact that there is little to do in Kuwait but eat. I personally would have to disagree with that idea since blaming fast food joints and the lack of activities is the easy thing to do.
Fast food joints are everywhere in every country and the only way they play a role in obesity is if you go and eat there. Its people who make the decision to go with fast food when other healthier choices are available. If I can quit junk food ANYONE can quit junk food. I also disagree with the lack of activities part since other than clubbing and pubbing there are a ton of activities to do. Now if it was 1994 then yeah I might agree with that but today there are way more things to do then back then (we only had ice skating!).
Eat healthier people and keep reading Fahad’s post. Here is a link to the CNN article [Link]
Just saw these pictures taken in Saudi Arabia. Looks like they had some serious flooding because of the rain. [Link]
Update: The pictures above are from yesterday. You can see more pictures, videos and even read up on it via a Saudi blog dedicated to the torrential rains [Here]
The video below on the other hand is from last year and it shows a dramatic rescue of a woman from a car that was just about to get swept away by a flood. [YouTube]
