2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

[YouTube]

With the Kuwait League match between Al Nasr and Al Arabi deep into extra time, and the home side Al Nasr 1-0 up and nearing victory, the referee Saad Al Fadhi had the temerity to award a stonewall penalty to the visitors. What happened next would lead to the man in black doling out a less legitimate form of justice.

After being surrounded by irate Al Nasr attackers, upset at seeing a win potentially slip from their grasp, the referee let fly with his fists – flooring the Al Nasr No11 Abdulaziz Farraj with a left-hander, kicking him shortly after he had picked himself back up, then dismissing him from the pitch with a prompt red card.

More was to come. After his assistants stepped in to control the melee, Al Fadhi went on a red card rampage, doling out another on the pitch. With matters concluded, he completed the job by wandering over to the bench to wave a red card in the general direction of the assorted sheikhs and substitutes gathered there.

With order apparently restored, Al Arabi buried the penalty and levelled the match – only for Al Nasr’s understandably piqued No9 Zabn Al Enazi to hoof the ball directly at the referee from the re-start. Cue another red, another touchline melee and both teams trooping disconsolately from the pitch.

I found this hilarious. [Source]

Last night I attended “Last Night(s) of the Proms” by the Ahmadi Music Group which was held at the British Embassy. It was my first time attending an event by the Ahmadi Music Group and I left not only impressed but the first thing I did once I got back home was to try to sign up to their mailing list (it’s not working) so I would be informed on all their upcoming events.

The event was held outdoors inside the British Embassy where a stage and seating area were beautifully set up in their garden. The Ahmadi Music Group last night consisted of 46 members of the orchestra performing alongside 79 members of the choir so the stage was pretty packed. The conductor Richard Bushman did an incredible job introducing every piece to the audience before it was played explaining what we were going to hear and why it was important. He was very entertaining to listen to and I think he helped make the event more accessible to people like me who don’t know much about operas or orchestras. My only criticism would have to be with the sound setup. The majority of the sound was coming from one speaker on the right side in back which made the whole thing uncomfortable to watch.

Next year will be the Ahmadi Music Group 60 year anniversary which is an incredible accomplishment. I would have posted about this event ahead of time but a friend got me my ticket while I was in London and I honestly only found out what I was there to watch as I was walking into the embassy. I will be posting about their future events from now on and here is a list of their upcoming events that was listed at the back of yesterdays program:

December 6, 7: Family Seasonal Concert
February 20, 21, 22: George Frideric Handel, Acis and Galatea
April 10, 11, 12: Gloria! Music by Vivaldi, Mozart and Rutter

For more information on the Ahmadi Music Group and their events, check out their website [Here]

Note: No cameras or electronics were allowed into the embassy so the pictures above are from their 2012 performance.

Kuwaiti Runner is a new iPhone app that came out yesterday. It’s a simple side scrolling running game where the aim is to avoid various obstacles while collecting different power-ups. What makes this game interesting is the fact it’s based in Kuwait and features the characters and sound bites of Kuwaiti rappers Sons of Yusuf whom I posted about just the other day.

Not the best game in the world but it’s free and available to download from the Apple Store by searching for “Kuwaiti Runner” or you can download it by clicking this [Link]

It’s at the intersection of Khaldya and the 4th Ring Road. [YouTube]

This isn’t a law post but I asked Mark if I could post it and he was ok with it. I was grocery shopping at Sultan Center last year when I found a farmers market stand and what caught my attention were the Alban Dairy products. I fell in love with the brand and I wanted to see the farm for myself but due to my tight schedule I only got to do so last week. It took us around an hour to get to Yasmin Farms where Alban Dairy operates from. As soon as we walked into the farm we spotted a cute little shop that sells a wide range of dairy products, spices, dried fruits and baked goods. Their prices are good too and their banana muffin was delicious.

Their business development executive (Bader) was hospital enough to takes us on a lovely tour around the farm. Our first stop was the cow barn as it was milking time. The cows are milked daily at 6AM and 4PM and the milking has to be done in those times as cows are used to schedules, otherwise they get annoyed and wont produce as much the next day.

The cows walked in a line to be taken into a room where they stood to be milked. Bader explained to us the importance of hygiene at Yasmin Farms and therefore we weren’t allowed to walk anywhere where the cows would pass so that our shoes didn’t carry anything foreign into their territory. After the cows we visited the goats who unlike the cows needed to be lured by food to be milked as they aren’t as obedient. After the goats we went and saw the free range chickens. Free range is when the chickens can roam around freely and the chickens on Yasmin Farms are allowed to roam inside or outside the barn as they wish. Our final stop were the vegetables. I found the cabbage and lettuce fascinating since they were all being grown on little sponges.

Even though I found the farm impressive I was actually more impressed with Bader. His determination to have a clean farm producing all natural products is just amazing, he really makes me proud as a Kuwaiti. He knew the names of every employee we passed by and he is also humble enough to serve random visitors himself. Personally, after touring the farm I will now always prefer to buy their products over others.

The farm was amazing and you can go and visit it yourself every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8AM to 5PM [Map]. All their products are found at Sultan Center and you can also order online. Also make sure you check out their instagram account @albandairy

Post by Fajer Ahmed

Gravity was finally released in Kuwait on the 17th of October, but for some odd reason it wasn’t released in IMAX (instead they chose to show some Metallica documentary in IMAX, how are they even still relevant?). Gravity can be seen in the majority of theaters in Kuwait and I highly recommend to watch it in 3D since I haven’t seen any movie make use of 3D as well as Gravity has.

Gravity has a beautifully simple premise. Two astronauts have to fight for survival after a catastrophe strikes their space shuttle mission. Alfonso Cuarón directs this brilliant movie and does a spectacular job at creating one of the most realistic space movies and possibly the best space movie ever made.

Now the problem with watching Gravity in Kuwait (besides it not being in IMAX) is the fact that two scenes were censored. One scene was briefly cut due to dialogue (which wasn’t important to the narrative) and the other scene that was cut was at the very end, the last scene to be exact. The movie was already done and the story resolved by the time that scene came about but it was still an annoyance. Would I still have watched the movie knowing about these two details? Yes. Definitely.

If you enjoy a good movie experience then you should definitely not miss this even though there are two scenes cut. Watching this movie at home wouldn’t do it any justice.

Posted by Patrick

Note: The comments below might contain spoilers so don’t read them if you haven’t watched the movie

We at Kuwait Zoo have a male Bengal Tiger over 15 years of age who needs a new loving home. The Zoo wants to euthanize him because of lack of space. Please advise. We are looking for any facility anywhere in the world that could take him. Preferably somewhere close to Kuwait so that he wouldn’t have to travel far.

Thank you.
Kuwait Zoo

That’s just sad. [Source]

Update: The original request in the forum was deleted and replaced with one line that says “incorrect information”

I posted about Gia back in August when the place was still closed but according to their instagram account they’ve now opened up. I’m outside Kuwait right now so I’m not able to pass by but based on the photos, it looks like a cozy cafe serving pastries, salads and sandwiches.

They’ve opened in my neighborhood and in Al Khalid Complex which is why I’m so interested in the place. As I previously mentioned, I think Al Khalid Complex can turn into an amazing place. Check out Gia on Instagram [Here]

Photo on top from @sumayabb

[YouTube]

I saw the video above of the “Sheyaab” performing at Arabs Got Talent on 7ajidude and I recognized them as the people who were dressing up like old men and going around Kuwait dancing Gangnam Style.

[YouTube]

Their videos were going viral and I guess they decided to take what they were doing and perform it on Arabs Got Talent. Smart although if I hear Gangnam Style playing one more time I’m going to go on a rampage.

This Halloween the Kuwait Little Theatre is holding a quiz night. The entrance fee is KD4 and it will include light refreshments, a costume contest, and a hauntingly fun evening in the KLT garden. There will also be prizes for best costume and best dressed team.

Date: Thursday, October 31st 2013
Time: 7:30PM
Location: Kuwait Little Theatre

Visit thekuwaitlittletheatre.com or call 99373678 to book your spot.

Its been a while since I have written about laws you don’t need to know (part of a series), this one is for everyone that just came back from Hajj. Decree No. 34 from the year 1960, Regarding the Health Control Procedures for Pilgrims Returning to Kuwait:

(Article 2) “every pilgrim must come to the health environment doctor, in the area where he resides, within 24 hours from the time of his arrival for a medical examination. He must then come 48 hours after the first examinations and a third time 48 hours after the second examinations”

(Article 4) “the public health department shall have the right to sterilize the pilgrims luggage, if necessary it shall also have the right to destroy it”

(Article 5) “all violators of this law shall be imprisoned for a period that shall not exceed 3 months and a fine that shall not exceed 300 hundred rupees”

I personally found a lot of interesting things about this law but the most impressive to me was how organized Kuwait was back in the day to consider the safety of the other people and to state something like biological tests (we’re talking 1960 here). I just find that fascinating.

Post by Fajer Ahmed – Legal Counsel
Have a Kuwait law related question? Email me at [email protected]

The legal opinions expressed in this post are those of the author Fajer. Opinions expressed by Mark or any other writer on mark248am1.wpenginepowered.com are those of the individual’s and in no way reflect Fajer’s opinion.

Photo above from 1954 taken from [Here]

The above is a preliminary sketch of the Kuwait Airways logo sketched by then acting CEO Harry Pusey in 1958. Pusey was inspired by a bird ready to leave a tree branch while at a cafe in Beirut. This is what he had to say about the logo:

While designing the logo, I had to review the company’s image and develop a new logo and brand identity. Therefore the bird with its beak held high, reflecting my hope that to whichever destinations KU aircraft may fly, it must always be safe in the sky and there must not be any accidents.

The logo is still used by Kuwait Airways today.

I took the photo above from @kuwaitairways where they also posted the picture below which is a view from the Safir Airport Hotel. That’s an amazing view.

K’s PATH are organizing their third Bark in the Park event which includes the popular dog show competition and which will be held at the beautiful Japanese Gardens again.

Date: Saturday 26th October 2013
Location: KOC Ahmadi Japanese Garden (GPS Co-ords: 29.091577,48.074874)
Time: 11:00AM to 4:00PM

Mutt Competitions:
1. Best Look Alike
2. Best Dressed
3. Best Rescue
4. Best Child Handler
5. Most Adorable
6. Agility Round
7. Temptation Alley
8. Best Mixed Breed

– Registration closes Thursday, Oct 24th

Register online by clicking [Here]
The online form also guides you to calculate entry fees, which can be paid at the door on the day of the event.

For more information on the event and the original flyer click [Here]

I had a problem with my email last week and now have around 4,000 emails currently in queue on the server waiting to get delivered to me. If you sent me an email and didn’t get a response back yet I’ll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

A few days ago The Global Slavery Index was released ranking 162 countries. The ranking was based on a combination of three factors:

– estimated prevalence of modern slavery by population
– a measure of child marriage
– a measure of human trafficking in and out of a country

A number one ranking is the worst, 160 is the best and Kuwait came in at 100 which is bad but compared to neighboring countries Kuwait did better. That’s not saying much but still, UAE ranked 88 for example while Saudi Arabia came in at 82 and Bahrain and Qater both at 86 96.

You can download the PDF with the full rankings along with more explanations and further details by clicking this [Link]