2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

According to the 2014 Global Rights Index by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman are the best countries to work in the Gulf and are on a par with working conditions in the US. The index was created based on 97 indicators such as whether employees were exposed to systematic physical violence, threats and intimidation, had the right to strike and were guaranteed protection under the law.

Kuwait came in category 4 which is similar to countries like the US but also similar to countries like Yemen and Iraq so factors like country stability and the social scene were obviously not included in the study. The 97 indicators are strictly related to workers rights and civil liberties. Check out the full study [Here]

Thanks Zainab
via Gulf Daily News

Last week when I got a hold of the really old Cinescape movie theaters I also got a hold of pictures of the old Cinema Salmiya before it got demolished. That’s the second movie theater I had ever been to (Octupussy at a dodgy cinema in Lebanon was my first) and I remember the movie I had watched was Steven Seagal’s “Under Siege“. I also remember the video store outside the theater where I picked up “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” from. Good days.

The Souk Sharq branch of Sultan Center has a new large organic/healthy section that I’m hoping they’ll start introducing into their other branches. I found lots of products which I hadn’t seen before in any of their other locations and the whole section looks like something from Whole Foods.

Speaking of healthy food, for some reason Natureland has increased the price of their quinoa and they’re now selling 500g for KD2.990. They used to sell it for KD2.050 so that’s a whopping 45% increase. Luckily for us, there are a lot more options for quinoa nowadays and Sultan sell a few options including one which costs KD2.500 for 500g.

Koryokwan, the Korean restaurant located in Carlton Hotel is opening a new location in Symphony Mall in Salmiya. My guess is that they will be moving out of their current location in Carlton Hotel since the building is very old and in the summer the air conditioning isn’t that great. The new location will be located in the basement of the mall right next to Party Land and hopefully it’ll end up looking as good as their current location.

For those of you who’ve been following the blog for a long time, you will know the story of the old photographer. Sadly, I just found out he passed away recently at the age of 84. May he rest in peace.

I’m planning to purchase some shares and was wondering what online trading software you guys use and why? I previously used NBK’s Watani Brokerage but wanted to know if there is anything else better locally. I’m not interested in US based websites since they seem complicated to setup and from the few local ones I found they either seem outdated or they didn’t look very trust worthy.

I was at SaveCo yesterday and noticed they’re now selling Click & Grow products. Click & Grow is an automatic plant growing system where sensors, processors and special software take care of the growing for you. They’re not cheap though, the Smartpot with Basil is being sold for KD35 while most refills are KD10 each. So if you’re considering saving money by growing your own products look elsewhere.

I shot the video below while waiting at a traffic light a couple of nights ago. I noticed the car on my left was creeping forward and figured they were most likely going to run a red light so I started recording the car. A few seconds later as expected, the car ran a red light for absolutely no logical reason. But running a red light, driving on the emergency lane or parking illegally are just very common occurrences because people rarely get punished for their actions.

[YouTube]

So why don’t we crowdsource the police work? Awhile back when I posted about the Deera App in which you could report garbage around Kuwait, a reader emailed me and told me about how in Qatar you could report traffic violations using their app called Metrash2 (You can watch one of their ads for Metrash2 below). So why don’t we do the same in Kuwait? People are already taking photos of people people illegally parking in handicap spots or people driving on emergency lanes. So why not allow these incidents to be officially reported like the Metrash2 app?

[YouTube]

The old abandoned parking lot in Salmiya that was popular with graffiti artists was demolished today. I thought it was going to get refurbished since a new mall opened up right next door and now I’m wondering if it will be rebuilt as a parking lot or more likely… another mall will be built in it’s place.

The Bowling Club, said Al-Huwaidi, will be the largest of its kind in the Middle East with the main bowling hall providing 58 lanes for this sport’s enthusiasts. He indicated that a hotel, a gym, and a 1,000 capacity parking lot will be built alongside the club, hoping that such high tech facility will help boost the status of bowling in Kuwait. [Source]

Seems like overkill for an outdated activity like bowling. It actually sounds like a project from the 80s that was just given the go ahead now, kinda like if tomorrow they decided to build the largest roller skate arena in the Middle East, no one would care.

Traffic during Ramadan is a hot mess. The roads are either empty or they look like a scene from an apocalyptic film where everyone is trying to escape the city. But, there is one thing I’ve doing this Ramadan and that is checking the real time traffic information on Google Maps before heading anywhere. Google Maps on iOS and Android both have an option that allows you to overlay traffic information on top of the map. So, before I head to a destination I just take a quick glance over the route to make sure it isn’t covered with lots of red lines, if they are I’ll just try to find another route.

If you’re looking for away to avoid traffic, this could help you out a bit.

Although I’d like to believe that I’ve watched every movie related to the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, I obviously haven’t since I just found out about a film called Lessons of Darkness (thanks to reddit). The movie is directed by the German director Werner Herzog and was released in 1992. The style is similar to Baraka and Samsara where epic footage is combined with beautiful music except in this case, the beautiful footage is mostly of horror and destruction.

At the end of the Gulf War, following the troops’ withdrawal, Herzog travelled to Kuwait in order to explore this conflict in situ, filming a landscape as inhospitable and desolate as it is unnerving and perversely attractive: the devastation of war is exacerbated by the numerous oil wells in flames, towers of fire that appear to emerge from the earth, resulting in a deeply moving spectacle. With this backdrop, Herzog’s camera narrates several stories at once: the complex and extremely dangerous operation of extinguishing these fires, the psychological and emotional scars the war has left on the country’s inhabitants, and the harmful environmental consequences Kuwait must face. The images are often sublime, combining beauty and horror in a single shot. Despite the music used in several sequences, silence is ever-present: a woman and child serve to testify that even the inhabitants themselves have become mute. Ultimately the film affirms that it is impossible to express anything when faced with such horror. And, all we can do, once again, is thank the German director for having gone there to film it.

You can watch the trailer above and the movie is available to download via torrents or you can buy it from Amazon.

Update: The full movie is now on YouTube, watch it below

Post by Amy Freeman

As we approach the middle of Ramadan, energy levels start to drop as energy reserves are getting low. I always say to my clients that training during Ramadan should be a time for maintenance and active recovery. It’s not the time to go for PB’s or peak in a training cycle. I’m also very aware that it can be hard for people to get to the gym as often as they did due to chaotic traffic, family obligations and other commitments.

So this week I wanted to put up a full body weight, circuit style workout you can do at home or at your own convenience. This should be completed one exercise directly after another with as little rest as possible between exercises but with a 2-4min rest between rounds.

Complete 10-15 repetitions of everything and 3-5 rounds:

– Push-ups
– Squat Jumps
– Tricep Push-ups
– Forward Stepping Alternating Lunges
– Alternating Plyometric Lunges
– Burpees
– 30 to 60 Seconds Abdominal Plank

Remember although we want your heart rate to be high, take it at your own pace, listen to your body and rest as needed.

Ramadan Mubarak,
Happy Training Kuwait

Post by Amy Freeman, a Strength and Conditioning Coach from New Zealand and currently a Personal Trainer at Inspire Pure Fitness in Kuwait.

There haven’t been many events taking place during Ramadan and Not Just a Pop-Up is actually the only event since Ramadan began that actually has interested me. So if you’re looking for something to do tonight check out the event page for more details [Link]

I managed to get my hands on some old photos of Cinescape (KNCC) movie theaters. Some of these photos were taken back when the theaters were still active while others were taken I am assuming before they were demolished. I wasn’t aware we had open air cinemas before, I knew of the open air drive-thru cinemas like the Ahmadi one but didn’t know we had seated open air cinemas. Must have been an interesting experience watching a movie outdoors in this heat.