Search: “kuwait”

Today I noticed Kuwait Times got redesigned. I used to really hate their old layout since it looked really outdated but the new design is the complete opposite. Their typography and grid layout is very clean and it’s just wayyy more enjoyable to read now. You can check out their new design by viewing their digital edition online [Here]

I also spotted Arab Times ads on buses saying they will be updating their design in the coming few days as well.

This is definitely the coolest thing Kuwait Times have ever done. Today’s issue of their free Friday Times newspaper was wrapped with a copy of their first issue ever dating back to September 24, 1961. Their first issue was only 4 pages but there are enough gems in there to make it worth picking up. Here are the coolest things I found in the paper:

– An ad announcing a new 1962 model of an RCA TV arriving at Morad Yousuf Behbehani

– An ad from the then not yet opened Gulf Bank (pictured below)

– Kuwait Airport arrival and departure timings. The only destinations were Bahrain, Damascus, Beirut, Abadan, Doha and Cairo. No European or any other countries

– A classified ad for a car “Immediately available Austin 55 – 1969, roughly used by it’s careless owner, with one head lamp broken (by courtsey of a fellow motorist) dented all over it’s sleek frame, springs making noise only when driving on bad roads (bad roads non-existent at Kuwait), if you are still interested, send offers to K.T. Box, No. 524 Kuwait.” What I found funny is the honesty and the fact you need to send him a letter if you’re interested. The postal service must have been very reliable back then

– Kuwait Cinemas schedule, Psycho was playing at Al Andalus, Al-Hamra was closed due to repair, Al-Firdous was playing The Golden Horde, the open air cinema in Hawalli was playing Bayabit Al Ward and finally the open air cinema at Fahaheel was playing Tomb of Love.

I highly recommend you pass by a bakala or newspaper stand and pick up today’s free issue of the Friday Times. And if anyone from Kuwait Times is reading this, if you still have all your old issues, please convert them to PDF and upload them online!

Thanks Q

I hadn’t heard of Cookie Time until around 15 minutes ago. It seems they’re a very popular cookie chain from New Zealand who had previously held the record for the largest cookie in the world. According to an article I just read, it looks like they’re currently in negotiations to open up four stores here in Kuwait. Sounds good to me. [Link]

The Dasman Diabetes Institute is putting together a collection of anonymous, but real stories from real people, here in Kuwait.

They’re searching for personal stories concerning the following categories:
-Diabetes – Asthma -Cancer – Obesity – Arthritis – Multiple Sclerosis – Heart Disease -Social Issues (Loss of a loved one or the effects of divorce on a family) -Maternity (Pregnancy, breastfeeding, postpartum depression) – Health Conditions and Illness (Any disease or condition which is not already mentioned above)

Why is it so useful to share these stories?
3 reasons…

First of all, it gives hope to those many people out there who think they are “the only one going through this”

Secondly, sharing your story can have a positive effect on someone else’s life, and bring comfort and support to many

And thirdly, it can raise awareness about an illness or a condition. This can lead to better understanding and more compassion from the wider community.

How can you share your story?

To share your story visit hope.dasmaninstitute.org
No personal details will be required.

For more information visit their Facebook page [Here]

Blogger chillnite posted pictures of what looks like a replica of the Taj Mahal that is being built here in Kuwait. According to him it’s a new mosque located off the 7th Ring Road. The picture above is of the Kuwaiti Taj Mahal while the one below is the original one in India. [Link]

Thanks Amir

Ibrahim Al-hulail is a Kuwaiti student who’s currently studying in Japan and wanted me to share this video he put together of Japanese people trying to speak Kuwaiti by saying “7ad ouma bard” which basically means it’s very cold. [YouTube]

BBC News have a nice piece on the state of Kuwait’s theatre industry. Gone are the golden days of plays like Bye Bye London but there are a few people who are still trying to bring the theatre back. I really hope they can, like New York is known for Broadway Shows, Kuwait could be known for theatre as well. I couldn’t embed the video on my blog so you’re going to have to view it on the BBC website [Here]

Thanks Nibaq

Last week I posted about the Gran Turismo 5 Time Challenge that’s taking place across the Middle East and how Kuwait wasn’t even ranked in the top 10. Well the competition is finally over and it turns out Kuwait came first. Pretty cool (although slightly geeky) achievement. [Link]

Cinemagics have launched a film festival in hopes of paving the way for the new generation of film makers in Kuwait. You can find information on this competition on their website but here is the list of categories you can participate in:

– Cinematography
– Editing & Sound for cinema
– Advertising for Cinema & New Media
– Acting for Cinema
– Directing & Filmmaking

This competition is only for students (school/university) and people under the age of 30. If you are interested in participating in the film festival you can visit their website for more information and details. There is plenty of time to create something if you don’t have a film ready since the submission deadline is March 10, 2011. [Link]

Just found out Alshaya are bringing IHOP to Kuwait. IHOP stands for International House of Pancakes and is an American breakfast chain. I don’t think they’re open anywhere outside of North America.

In non-food related news, Harvey Nichols will be opening their first store in Kuwait in Avenues Phase III. Originally Harvey Nichols said they were opening the store in the summer of 2011 but not sure if that’s still the case since I thought Phase III still needed more time then that to be completed.

Thanks damdy

The Huntley Film Archives emailed me to tell me they’ve uploaded another video of Kuwait this time it’s a compilation of old commercials. The first commercial in the reel is actually of Al Muthana complex which I found really funny due to all the sci-fi sounds and digital effects. [YouTube]

The previous Kuwait video they had digitized and uploaded onto YouTube was Close Up on Kuwait – 1962.

The beautiful new McLaren is currently being exhibited privately somewhere in Kuwait. The price starts at KD60,000 and goes up depending on the options. If anyone can get me an invite to check the car out please email me!

Update: Turns out the McLaren dealer will be Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive Company who are also the dealers for BMW, Land Rover and the Mini. The car is also currently being displayed in private at Marriott Al Raya. iLSuL6ana was lucky enough to get an invite!

Update2: Here is a video of the McLaren from todays event via iLSuL6ana

[YouTube]

Update3: And here is a picture taken by a reader

نـــــــــــبــــــــــي طــــــــيـــــــــارة
الحملة الوطنية للمطالبة بشراء طيارة يديدة
AIRBUS A380
ليش ما عندنا وحده منها
lel7een msaween 18 menha !!
متى نحط شعار الكويتية عليها بسنة 2020 ؟؟؟
we don’t even have an order yet while others have received their custom made aircrafts :S

Ya Kuwait Airways .. naby A380 is actually the name of this Facebook group I found. Funny. [Link]

A reader just pointed me towards this old Kuwaiti movie from the 70’s called the “Wolves Don’t Eat Meat”. Supposedly the movie is banned but I have no idea why. It looks like one weird and trippy movie! Where can I get it from? Does anyone know if it is banned and if yes why?

Thanks axed-gamer

Update: Found the full movie and embeded it above. It’s bad cuz there is sex and nudity.

[YouTube]

I contacted Chris, the guy who uploaded the original video of Kuwait 1984 – 1987 that included the old Salmiya and asked him if he could upload some more videos if he had any. He told me he would try his best and since then has uploaded 3 more videos. Sadly a lot of his videos were not readable but he’s sharing whatever he found working. I already posted the video of the car exhibition from the mid 80s the other day and the video above and below are two more new ones.

The video above features the Gulf Road (back when you could drive into the Green Island?), some of the old Salmiya, other residential areas and Kuwait City (including Muthana Complex during its prime). The video below features some National Day celebrations.

[YouTube]

Thank you Chris for sharing your personal family videos with us.