Search: “kuwait”

According to the Prada Kuwait store manager, Prada will be opening at 360 Mall on November 15th.

Last night I got the chance to watch the premier of the new James Bond movie Skyfall at Grand Cinemas in the Al Hamra Tower. As soon as I got to the floor Grand Cinemas was located on we were given a goodie bag by Aston Martin, that included an iPhone 5 case with the Skyfall logo on it and some other Aston Martin branded merchandise. The attendants were quite helpful, answering our questions and giving us directions to which theater we’d be seated in. We then were able to get some popcorn and soda. They only had regular popcorn available and no water, that will obviously change once Grand Cinemas opens. The first thing I noticed as soon as I entered the theater was just how cold it was. Movie theaters tend to get chilly, but it was incredibly cold, much colder than other theaters. The seating was quite comfortable and the only real negative thing (beside it being too cold) that bothered me was that they kept the “Exit” signs lit up throughout the movie which caused a green glare on the side of the screen which was slightly distracting at times.

Once the show started, about 15 minutes of advertisements for Aston Martin played which wasn’t a big surprise since it seemed like they were the ones who helped put this event together. Once the movie began, I instantly noticed how the image seemed crisper and sharper on the screen. It was a good sign. Then about 10 minutes into the movie, the sound was acting up, we couldn’t hear what the characters were saying but we could still hear the music and the sound effects. It felt like we were watching a silent movie. After a few minutes of that the entire sound cut which happened a minute or so before the movie intro credits started rolling. This situation also made things kind of awkward because you could hear people all around you just crunching away at their popcorns while the theater stayed surprisingly quiet throughout this whole ordeal. This went on for a good 10 or 15 more minutes, I was thinking of walking out of the theater because the movie was basically being spoiled. Then one of the guys in charge walked in and made an announcement that the theater amplifier blew out and that they needed a few minutes to switch it out. Not sure how an amp could blow out at the very first show, but apparently it did. As soon as he left they thankfully stopped the movie. Sure enough a few minutes afterwards the movie had started, the movie was rewinded to where the technical errors began and the sound was working. After that it was smooth sailing, I really liked how crisp the image was and the volume of the movie was just loud enough. Did I mention how it was cold? It became nearly unbearable near the end to the point that it became distracting.

Now about the movie. I’m going to come out and say this right away, Skyfall is probably my favorite Bond movie. Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem were both fantastic and seemed to feed off each others on-screen energy. Bardem’s role as the villain was really memorable and his character will be remembered for a long time. Sam Mendes did a great job at directing this movie which includes one of my favorite fight scenes that I’ve experienced in a movie, the cinematography, the lighting, the intensity of the scene, it was just beautifully shot. The movie had some amusing moments, some charming Bond moments, it was aggressive when it needed to be and it was surprisingly dark at times, especially for a Bond movie. Bond movies are usually more upbeat and they’re typically about Bond being nearly superhero like, saving the day. Let me put it this way, Skyfall is to Bond as The Dark Knight was to Batman. This movie release is going to coincide with the 50th anniversary of James Bond and the movie features some neat little nods to past Bond movies and in a way, there were segments in the movie that felt like old-school Bond. It’s a little on the longside though, running at about 2 hours and 30 minutes long but it is definitely worth the watch.

So all in all, I feel like Grand Cinemas will be a great addition to Kuwait. Except for that little incident regarding the sound which was fixed, the only downside of last night was how cold it had gotten, I’ll just remember to bring a coat next time I decide to watch a movie there.

Posted by Patrick

The Voice for Success program was initiated by en.v to give greater visibility to social activists who are trying to make a positive impact on their society and community. The videos and articles were created by en.v to celebrate the achievements of people we consider successful, not in the traditional sense of being C.E.O. of a company or a film star, but because they have dedicated themselves to a specific cause / issue, doing what they can to make a positive contribution.

The Voice for Success program recently announced the winners to their online competition. The three winners were Dr. Alanoud Al Sharekh, a leading Kuwaiti women’s rights activist, academic and political researcher; Maali Al Asousi, co-founder of the Business and Professional Women’s Kuwaiti chapter and founder and chairwoman of Tamkeen, a non-profit organization promoting development in the Arab world; and last but not least, Zeina Al Sultan, founder of the Special Mothers group working to raise awareness about adoption and promoting the rights of orphaned / abandoned children and adoptive parents in Kuwait.

The video above is for Dr. Alanoud Al Sharekh. [YouTube]
Here is a link to Maali Al Asousi’s video [YouTube]
Here is a link to an article on Zeina Al Sultan [Link]

The largest cinema chain in the Middle East is opening in Hamra Tower this coming Friday with the movie Skyfall. The theater once open will have a total of 9 screens with one of them being a VIP theater which I’ve previously been told will rival those of Dubai. [Link]

Green Turtle Rescue 2012 from John Peaveler

Last week we were called out to the Chevron camp at Al Zour to help with a turtle found on the beach. A resident had found the turtle exhausted on the beach with fishing string wrapped around its flipper. We arrived very quickly as we had been working in the Chevron area all day. Since we have no experience with sea turtles, we went to the experts. First we paid a visit to Dr. Jill at Royal Animal Hospital. She gave the turtle a good prognosis since there was good movement, nothing broken, and just some minor bruising and swelling. An injection of antibiotics and a topical antibiotic were the only treatments and we were out the door in 20 minutes headed to our final stop: the Scientific Center in Salmiya. Those folks were amazing. They opened their doors late, took the turtle in, and gave me a behind the scenes tour of their tanks. They have an entire area dedicated to rehabilitation. The last clip in the video is from their green turtle rehab tank where you can see several healthy turtles ready for release. The Scientific Center will be doing all of the really hard work on this one. We are just happy we could help. Many thanks to everyone involved in helping this turtle get a new lease on life.

As always, please ‘like’ our Facebook page. Our sponsors want to see the support of our community. Your ‘likes’ save lives.

Post by John Peaveler
Managing Director
Kuwait Society for the Protection of Animals and Their Habitat (K’S PATH)

The map above is of all the roads that will be closed to day because of the First Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) summit which is being hosted in Kuwait from October 15th to the 17th.

The roads will be closed from 10:00am to 2:00pm and from 4:30pm to 9:00pm today.

Expect traffic. A lot of traffic. I have a flight at 9PM tonight so no idea what time I should leave and what roads to take.

Thanks Rula

Update: Left my house around 6PM. Fahaheel Expressway was packed so I took the 4th Ring Road all the way to the 60th to get to the Airport. Took nearly an hour because of the amount of traffic.

My friend sent me the image above which he’s seen a number of times under various bridges in Kuwait. Does anyone know what these are? Is it a viral campaign of some sort?

Saluki Rescue September 2012 from John Peaveler

Whenever we are asked to help with a population of dogs that is disturbing a residence, business, or ministry, the first thing we do is an assessment. A couple of weeks ago a Colonel with the Kuwait MOD contacted me looking for a humane solution for a pack of dogs at the Al Rawtain military complex in northern Kuwait. Fortunately, we were already operating near the Iraqi border handling a half-dozen dog and snake complaints in KOC areas. So it was, so to say, on my way. An assessment of a dog population at a remote military camp is fairly straightforward. First, we wake up all the dogs and make sure we get a pretty accurate count. We use a working dog for this, or several hours of foot and vehicle patrol while distributing canned dog food. During the assessment, we are counting, but we are also prioritizing. Seriously injured dogs get the highest priority, then sick dogs, then pregnant mothers, then nursing mothers, then puppies and adolescents (if weaned and abandoned), then friendly adults, and then feral adults. Crazily enough, there are actually even more categories that may move a dog up or down the list, such as an omega dog (picked on by all others), a dog that is friendly or semi-friendly with a caretaker who opts for surgical sterilization, animals that are obviously escaped or abandoned pets, and more. Long story short, we have to gather information as quickly as possible to come up with an action plan that utilizes our limited resources in a way that benefits the greatest number of animals. At Al Rawtain, that meant a morning of following the working dog around sheds full of tanks and armored fighting vehicles, around the perimeter, and out the gate. That was how we found Sheba.

Sheba was the only dog out of more than 20 that didn’t get up to either bark at or investigate my working dog and myself. That set off alarm bells in my head. She didn’t get up, because she couldn’t walk; the bones were sticking out of her front leg. And the injury wasn’t new. It was at least a week old, swollen, and horribly infected. We didn’t need a vet in the field to know that what she needed was emergency surgery to remove the leg. We administered a light dose of anesthesia to prevent pain during transport, and rushed her into surgery at the Royal Animal Hospital. The video tells most of the rest of this story, but Sheba’s story isn’t over yet. Her physical wounds have healed. Now she must overcome her mild fear of people and learn how to balance on three legs.

Sheba needs a home. Interested? Email me via [email protected]

And don’t forget to ‘Like’ our Facebook page: K’S PATH

Post by John Peaveler
Managing Director
Kuwait Society for the Protection of Animals and Their Habitat (K’S PATH)

The BBC show Big Meets Bigger came to Kuwait a couple of years back and when the episode was finally aired it was uploaded online to the BBC website but no one outside the UK could watch it. Today though someone uploaded the video onto YouTube and it’s now finally available for everyone to watch. The episode is divded into four parts, the first part is above and I’ve listed the rest below.

Big Meets Bigger – Kuwait 1
Big Meets Bigger – Kuwait 2
Big Meets Bigger – Kuwait 3
Big Meets Bigger – Kuwait 4

GulfRun have opened registration for GulfRun 8 which will take place at the Bahrain International GP Circuit at the end of January 2013. If you’ve never heard of GulfRun before it’s an event in which people send their car to Bahrain and spend two days racing on the Formula 1 circuit with other drivers from Kuwait. I’ve been to a few of them and it’s a great way to meet new people and speed as much as you want. Below is a video from a previous GulfRun event and it should give you an idea of what to expect.

[YouTube]

For more information on GulfRun 8 and to sign up click [Here]

[YouTube]

NOMADIC 2, the latest album by Kuwaiti musician BigMo just got released yesterday. The album features the popular single Wake Up (video above) along with new previously unreleased songs. You can stream the album or download it for free from [Here]

You can also support the artist by purchasing a tshirt from the same website as well. I’ve just been listening to a few tracks off NOMADIC 2 really and this guy is good.

BigMo on Twitter
BigMo on Facebook

Harley Davidson are holding an open house this coming Friday as a way for them to introduce their new range of bikes for 2013. Additionally, the event will help raise funds for the United Nation’s World Food Programme (WFP) to feed school children.

The open day is for both riders and non-riders and if you’re a rider and have a bike you’ll be able to take part in the parade which starts at the Harley Dealership at 4PM and then returns back at around 5:30PM where the 110th anniversary bikes will be revealed.

For more information click [Here]

The progress on the Salmiya Boulevard seems to be going very slowly but based on what I saw from my friends apartment, it looks like the main structures are nearly done. Originally the park (located opposite City Center Salmiya) was supposed to house a museum, restaurants, shops, a fitness center and even a veterinary clinic. But I heard that a lot of the original plans changed so not sure whats still left from the original plan and what got canceled.

Their “About Us” page still hasn’t changed since I last poked fun of it. They still think the Boulevard is one of “the most wonderful green places to visit in the State of Kuwait” and also “the largest touristic hub in the country”.

Check out a very large panoramic shot of the park I took [Here]

The Historical, Vintage & Classic Cars Museum is holding a parade on Wednesday, October 10th 2012. The parade will start at 4pm from Kuwait Towers and will head towards the museum in Shuwaikh. There should be lots of photo opportunities as well as lots of cars to check out.

A completely revamped and organic Burger Boutique is reopening again on October 15th. Burger Boutique used to be one of my favorite burger places before they closed down for an overhaul. They’re still going to be located on the second floor of Arraya Complex in Kuwait City. [Link]