Search: “kuwait”

According to Al-Qabbas newspaper Kuwait is the third largest consumer of gasoline in the world per capita after Canada and the United States. The average per capita consumption in Kuwait is 0.9 gallons while in Canada it’s 0.93 and the United States 1.22. Keep in mind both Canada and the US are advanced industrial nations so the fact we came third is just insane. [Link]

This is something completely random I just fell upon but found really interesting. It seems there was a series of UFO sightings in Kuwait at the end of 1978 and it was supposedly the first time UFO’s were sighted in our region. Reports of the sightings were published in newspapers and even the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) got involved. Below are some quotes I got from various places but at the end of the post is a link with a lot more details.

Finally, the investigating committee established by the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research held a press conference on January 23, spurred on, they said, by the Arab Times photograph, to which “The committee attaches special importance….” They admitted that they were “groping in the dark,” and said they could neither confirm nor deny the appearance of UFOs over Kuwait. – The Muffon UFO Journal 1979

Some local wags have made light of the first UFO sightings which came near the end of the long and traditionally exuberant holiday celebrations of Eid-al-Adha. However we have learned recently of an event coincident with one of the UFO sightings which has confounded some of our most level-headed Kuwaiti friends, and may have been what persuaded the GOK to make a serious investigation of the matter. A senior Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) official told us the the “UFO” which first appeared over the northern oil fields seemingly did strange things to KOC’s automatic pumping equipment. This equipment is designed to shut itself down when there is some failure which may seriously damage the petroleum gathering and transmission system and it can only berestarted manually. At the time of the “UFO’s” appearance the pumping system automatically shut itself down and when the “UFO” vanished the system started itself up again. This event was not addressed by the KISR committee report – Message sent by the American Embassy in Kuwait City to the State Department in January 1979

I believe. Check out these two links for more [Link 1] [Link 2]

Kuwait: Continuing its slow climb. Kuwait (9th) rises three spots as its economy grows steadily and outlook remains favorable amid increasing consumer spending and a greater presence of international retailers.

In line with an optimistic economic outlook for 2013, the retail sector is expanding and demand for retail space is growing despite expensive real estate. The country’s largest mall, The Avenues, opened its phase-three extension in 2012, and other developments, such as the Gate Mall, are opening their doors in 2013. The country’s mostly urban and suburban population has high levels of disposable income, and Kuwaitis are drawn to luxury products and high-end concepts. The Avenues’ new extension includes a street area of high-end standalone shops to cater to this luxury demand.

Kuwait is typically the second MENA location (after the UAE) for international brands. International retailers Cheesecake Factory, Victoria’s Secret, and COS entered in 2012 with franchise agreements with Kuwaiti retailer M.H. Alshaya Co. Prada opened its second Kuwait store at The Avenues in early 2013.

While the luxury market remains bright, Kuwait is a difficult environment in sectors with slim margins. In grocery, for example, large and well-established retailers (such as Sultan Center, City Centre, and Casino), expensive retail estate, and limited space for expansion pose obstacles for entry by foreign grocery retailers.

It’s all very interesting but I’m more interested to know where this Casino is located please. [Link]

This Earth Event was held at the end of April but I just found about this video and decided it was still worth sharing. The event was organized by Khaled al Hamed and based on the video it looked very interesting. [YouTube]

Thanks Sarah

Found this funny headline along with a 10 day weather forecast for Kuwait on Reddit. In case you missed it, Arizona has been all over the news because of the heatwave they’re currently facing which, when compared to the weather in Kuwait really is just another summer day.

Last week I posted about the cheapest sashimi in Kuwait and a reader mentioned Sakura’s open buffet might be considered cheaper since it’s basically all you can eat sashimi (and everything else) for a set price. Although I disagree with that fact it did remind me of a Japanese buffet a friend had told me about. Fusion (the one next to the Kuwait Towers) have an all you can eat Japanese buffet for KD7.950. Compared to Sakura’s KD12,900 it’s a pretty good deal.

I passed by last night with some friends to check it out and honestly, it’s clearly not award winning food but there was a lot of variety and you can’t go wrong with sashimi. I ended up eating a ton of salmon sashimi, some spicy grilled chicken on skewers and a shrimp with veggies dish so I managed to keep it mostly healthy stuff although the eat all you can eat shrimp tempura they kept freshly frying for us wasn’t really helping my cause. They also have eat all you can eat teppanyaki and a whole variety of regular and unhealthy/mayo/cripsy sushis as well.

Again, don’t expect to have the best Japanese food in Kuwait but for the price it’s really hard to beat. I’m not sure if they have the buffet for lunch or just dinner but here is their number 22418901 if you want to find out (I’m too lazy to call and ask).

A few days ago I found out one of my friends (Abdulwahab Alansari) has the strangest/coolest/wtf/successful/creative local business which I thought would be amazing to share as an example of how local businesses don’t have to be all about cupcakes and burgers.

My friend manufactures cheer leading outfits in Kuwait for the UK market.

I thought he was pulling my leg at first but turns out it’s true. Back when he was in university in Liverpool he used to coach their gymnastics and cheerleading team and he was really good at it helping them go from an average team to a team that would come in first place in two out of the three annual competitions. Cheerleading kits in the UK were very over priced and of low quality so he did some research and decided to manufacture his own kits so he could help out his team. Ironically though, his team only placed an order for kits just 8 months back… after supplying over 5,000 kits over a period of 2 years to other universities and private clubs. In fact his small Kuwait based business now supplies 30-50% of UK universities and well over 30 private clubs. His clients include all the universities in Liverpool as well as the big ivy league unis in the UK like Oxford University.

Sebs Cheer Apparel don’t design outfits although they do help teams with elements of their design. Their main focus is manufacturing the outfits with the fabrics ordered from suppliers in LA, China and sometimes Kuwait. The outfits are all manufactured locally and then shipped to the various teams in the UK.

The name “Seb” was Wahabs alter ego and what most people in the “cheer world” knew him as. It’s that recognition that got him his first 10 clients since coaches and athletes he worked with respected him as an athlete and knew he would do a good job of getting efficient kits out. The business started off small with him supplying people he knew but soon word of mouth spread and more and more universities wanted to do business with him.

So there you have it, an interesting and successful small Kuwaiti business that doesn’t involve cupcakes. If you want to find out more about his business you can check out the following links:

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

If you’re eager to get your hands on a PS4 or an Xbox One on launch day without having to pay ridiculous Kuwait launch day prices this is probably your best option. You can pre-order the consoles from Amazon AND Amazon will ship them directly to Kuwait bypassing your US forwarding mailbox (Shop&Ship/Borderlinx) and saving you a ton on shipping.

According to Amazon, shipping either of the two consoles to Kuwait via their AmazonGlobal Priority Shipping (averages 3-7 days) will cost you just KD14. If you’re interested here are the links to Amazon:

PlayStation 4: Standard Edition
Xbox One Console – Day One Edition

Thanks BAJS

Mapbox is a website that allows you to check out the geographical usage patterns of various mobile phone devices in Kuwait. iPhone and Android seem to be very close with the BlackBerry lagging behind the two. [Link]

Thanks Az

Al Jazeera is featuring some great black and white photos of the bidoon community in Kuwait with all the photos taken by award winning photographer, Greg Constantine. Check them out [Here]

That’s actually not a bad idea, 360 Dewan has more details [Here]

[YouTube]

Thanks Musaed

The cheapest salmon sashimi I am aware of is at Satchi, 5 good sized pieces are for KD1.850. Is there any other place in Kuwait that serves salmon sashimi at a cheaper price?

Update: I stopped going to Satchi since the last few times I went there I noticed the sashimi portions were half the size compared to my photo and they were a very light pink orangish color and didn’t taste as good anymore.

According to the 2013 Global Fire Power Index, Kuwait ranks 63 worldwide in military strength. It’s a low ranking but thats because the index doesn’t take into consideration foreign military support. The highest ranking GCC country is Saudi Arabia in 27th place. Below are some interesting numbers related to Kuwait’s military:

Active Frontline Personnel: 14,500
Tanks: 368
Armored Fighting Vehicles: 932
Total Aircraft: 108
Helicopters: 44
Coastal Craft: 39

For the full ranking list and more details click [Here]

The scale model (above) of the Kuwait Cultural Centre (rendering below) is currently being exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts for the summer. From all the projects that are currently being worked on this is the one I am most excited about. I just love the design.

Check out the scale model [Here]
Check out more info and renderings [Here] and [Here]