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Below is this months schedule for Cinemagics rooftop movie nights. If you’ve never been to them before, they’re held twice a week, every Thursday and Saturday on top of the building that has Xcite in old Salmiya. A couple of the movies from this month were supposed to show last month but got canceled so they’re showing again this month. Check out all the movies and their timings below:

Thursday, January 9th 2014 at 7:30PM
REPO MAN
Considered one of the more unique Science Fiction films, and a standout essential film of the 80’s, as well as being ranked #7 on the top 50 cult films of all time, Repo Man follows a Punk Rocker who after getting fired from his job as a clerk, becomes a repo man and is jolted into a new lifestyle that he quickly begins to enjoy. All that is flipped on its head when he meets a girl who tells him of a 64 Malibu that contains four dead aliens and that there’s $20,000 for the man that can repossess it.

Saturday, January 11th 2014 at 7:30PM
CACHE
Winner of Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival, Cache comes from the mind of visionary filmmaker Michael Hanneke (whose Amour won him universal acclaim at the 2012 Academy Awards). This film, starring Juliet Binoche follows a married couple who are terrorized by a series of surveillance videotapes left on their front porch.

Thursday, January 16th 2014 at 7:30PM
SURPRISE FILM OF THE MONTH
Every month we’ll be playing a surprise film, where you won’t know what you’re watching until just a minute before the film begins. One thing is for sure, every month the surprise film will be either my favourite film of the list, or the most unique in one way or the other. This month’s film was won and was nominated for over 30 awards worldwide including the Oscars, Golden Globes, Independent Spirit Awards, and the Baftas. A unique, hilarious, bizarre, and poetic little film.

Saturday, January 18th 2014 at 7:30PM
PIETA
Winner of the Golden Lion (Best Film) at the Venice Film Festival, Kang-do is a heartless man who has no living family members and whose job is to threaten debtors to repay his clients, the loan sharks who demand a 10x return on a one month loan. To recover the interest, the debtors would sign an insurance for handicap, and Kang-do would injure the debtors brutally to file the claim. One day he receives a visit from a strange, middle-aged woman claiming she is his long-lost mother. Over the following weeks, the woman stubbornly follows him and he continues to do his job. But he is slowly moved and changed by the motherly love expressed from this woman.

Thursday, January 23rd 2014 at 7:30PM
TALK TO HER
Winner of over 27 awards worldwide, mostly for Best Film or Best Foreign Film, Talk to her is considered by many fans of the legendary Pedro Almodovar to be his best film. Two men meet by chance at a private clinic, each looking after a woman in a coma. Marco’s girlfriend Lydia was a bullfighter who was mauled, and Benigno looks after a young ballet student. The lives of the four characters flow in all directions, past, present, and future, taking them to an unsuspected destiny.

Saturday, January 25th 2014 at 7:30PM
OFFSIDE
Winner of the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, and carrying a 97% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Offside follows a group of girls who try to sneak into a football stadium to watch a World Cup qualifying match. Female fans are not allowed to enter football stadiums in Iran on the grounds that there will be a high risk of violence or verbal abuse against them. The film was shot in Iran during a real live match, but its screening was banned there.

Thursday, January 30th 2014 at 7:30PM
TOUKI BOUKI (Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project)
Every month, we’ll be playing a film from the World Cinema Project. Established by Martin Scorsese in 2007, the World Cinema Project expands the horizons of moviegoers everywhere. The mission of the WCP is to preserve and present marginalized and infrequently screened films from regions generally ill equipped to preserve their own cinema history. This month’s film is Touki Bouki. With a stunning mix of the surreal and the naturalistic, Djibril Diop Mambéty paints a vivid, fractured portrait of Senegal in the early 1970s. With a stunning mix of the surreal and the naturalistic, Djibril Diop Mambéty paints a vivid, fractured portrait of Senegal in the early 1970s. In this French New Wave–influenced fantasy-drama, two young lovers long to leave Dakar for the glamour and comforts of France, but their escape plan is beset by complications both concrete and mystical. Characterized by dazzling imagery and music, the alternately manic and meditative Touki bouki is widely considered one of the most important African films ever made.

Cinemagic is organizing these events as part of its efforts to contribute to the development of an internationally competitive Kuwaiti audio-visual production industry, partly by bringing the filmmakers and audiences together and by increasing the public’s interest in – and appreciation for – the art of film-making. Cinemagic movies are screened in the old Salmiya, on the rooftop of Xcite and LG [Map]. There is no entrance fee. Here is a link to their Facebook group [Link]

2013 was a pretty good year for gaming consoles since there was a pretty large variety of AAA and indie games to enjoy. I’m generally not very picky when it comes to video games and I enjoy a wide range of genre’s but when one genre is over-saturated (like first person shooters), I tend to choose something that tries to offer something unique. My time was evenly spent between four consoles, the Wii U, the PS3, the 360 and the 3DS and picking my favorite game was not as challenging as I originally thought it would be. But, two games in particular stood out from the whole range of games that got released this year and both these games deserve more awards than any of the other games.

1 – The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

What’s not to love about this game? It’s Challenging, beautiful to look at and features a captivating world filled with secrets and dungeons.

2 – The Last of Us

A brutal, intense and emotional roller coaster. There really hasn’t been a game (in a long time, or really just ever) that has affected some of us like The Last of Us has. I used to just play it two or three times a week because I knew there was always something bad around the corner. You would find and pick up a journal entry or a note you to either read a great story of survival or a really sad story about death or loss. The amount of detail that went into the environments to support these stories were also impressive. This is one game I loved, but would probably never play it a second time.

3 – Super Mario 3D World

When the E3 trailer was revealed, most of us had written this off as a quick-cash in before Nintendo released the true successor to the Galaxy franchise, but since its release its been getting rave reviews. 3D World includes some of the most unique and entertaining level designs while pushing the series forward making it one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences of the year.

The Playstation 4 was released in North America on the 15th of November and sold a million units in 24 hours. We’ve had to wait until earlier this week to see the PS4 officially released in Kuwait and the Gulf and as of this post, it’s pretty much sold out with supposedly no new shipments arriving until early January. So what’s the noise all about? Do you need to own the PS4 now? Are the launch games worth it? These are some of the questions I’m going to be answering in this post.

The PS4 itself is designed nicely, it’s as small as the slim Playstation 3 (maybe even a bit smaller) and it’s pretty light. Complete opposite of the first iteration of the Playstation 3 which was huge, bulky and ugly.

The second thing I’m going to talk about is the new controller, the Dualshock 4. I wasn’t a big fan of the Dualshock 3 and preferred the 360 and Wii U controllers over it. The Dualshock 3 felt light, cheap and didn’t fit well in my hands. I also wasn’t a big fan of the design as it was difficult to clean due to the dirt getting caught on all the edges. The Dualshock 4 changes all of that – the design is nice, sleek and clean, it fits comfortably in my hands and it doesn’t feel cheap. The small touchpad on the face of the controller works well and isn’t overly sensitive to touch (unlike the Sony Vita’s rear touchpad). The controller also features a mono speaker that plays some sounds as you’re playing games. It takes a few minutes to get used to the fact that the controller doesn’t feature a “START” and “SELECT” button like the majority of controllers have had throughout the years, those buttons have been merged into one “Options” button. One of the new additions that’s been making some headlines is the “SHARE” button. When you press it, the PS4 will create a screenshot of the moment and a video clip of the last 15 minutes of gameplay. You then decide where you want to upload them to Facebook or Twitter. If you also feel like broadcasting what you’re playing to the rest of the world, you can also do that through the services of Twitch or USTREAM. All this is done seamlessly and I was surprised to see how Sony have simplified the process.

One thing I dislike about the controller is the light bar which is located on the back of the controller. The light bar displays different colors to alert you on things like low health (it’ll glow red), but it’s kind of a useless feature unless you’re looking at your controller as you’re playing. If you sit directly in front of your television as you’re playing, the controller creates an annoying reflection on your TV when the games you play feature dark levels or segments – it just breaks the immersion. Hopefully there’ll be an update in the future that’ll allow us to choose whether we want to keep the light on or not.

The next thing I want to bring up is the Playstation 4’s user interface. This is another feature that I think could be improved. I’ve never been a huge fan of Sony’s user interfaces, whether it’s the Playstation 3’s menu or the Vita’s terrible use of bubble icons. The Playstation 4’s user interface has three sections. The first is the main menu; icons for your games, the browser, music, video, etc are all accessed from there. The second section (when you press down on your D-pad) is specific to the application or game you’ve selected. So for example, if you press down when Killzone: Shadow Fall is selected, a menu will appear that shows your recent activity, a shortcut to the community, multiplayer modes, and the game manual. If you press up on the main menu, the third section of the menu system appears and this is where you can access the Playstation Store, Friends List, Trophies, Settings and a few other options. I just don’t find this system to be intuitive at all. Why is the Playstation Store icon not located in the main menu and instead hidden in the upper section? Why aren’t the menus customizable? Nintendo and Microsoft both offer menus that are somewhat customizable, so why can’t Sony?

Moving on to launch games. I was given two games to try out by Sony that were launched exclusively for the Playstation 4, Knack (a 3D platformer adventure game) and Killzone: Shadow Fall (a first person shooter). Knack was developed and designed by SCE Japan Studio and Mark Cerny, both have an impressive repertoire of games and so I was surprised to see the below average reviews for this game. An hour into the game and you could see why it’s been getting poor review scores. First off, all the characters (especially Knack) are bland. Think of all the great characters in 3D platformers that we’ve seen in the past; Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Crash Bandicoot, Banjo-Kazooie, Ratchet & Clank, Jak and Daxter, These games featured a whole cast of colorful, interesting characters and most importantly, the main characters were memorable. Knack’s design is forgetful and pretty ugly. He’s made up of all these tiny pieces and shapes and as you progress through the levels you start to grow as you gain more of these pieces until you’re huge and you’re able to do massive amounts of damage. The combat in this game is just “X, X, X” repeated, until you fill up your special power gauge and then you can perform a special move. The level designs are incredibly linear and lack any sort of inspiration. How linear are they? Well, there’s only one path through the level – no little deviations, no hidden paths, no shortcuts. There are “secrets” behind walls that have very large cracks to visually tell you that the wall can be smashed. Those are placed along the paths so they’re not even really hidden. There’s literally no sense of exploration and the platforming segments aren’t even challenging. Very young kids (younger than 10) might enjoy it, but I recommend most of you to skip this game if possible.

Onto Killzone: Shadow Fall. Before playing this game I had only ever played and beaten Killzone 2 which I thought was fun with very intense firefight, but also had a forgettable story with forgettable characters. The characters were beautiful and had fluid animation but the level layouts (which were well designed) were visually boring to look at. Everything seemed to be just a variation of grey with some brown tacked on. Shadow Fall seems to continue the trend of having forgettable characters and horrid writing but has much more beautiful and varied level layouts. The first level you play is vivid and colorful (there’s a bit too much lens flare for my taste though), the second level is the opposite, it’s dark, gloomy and kind of freaky. The shooting and firefights are really fun. Graphics? Not a massive leap from the PS3 but for a launch game it looks really good. You’ll enjoy this game if you go in expecting a straight up first-person shooter with a fun single player experience and multiplayer modes. But, you’ll be disappointed if you’re looking for a FPS that has an interesting plot with memorable characters.

Now the important question, is it worth buying the Playstation 4 now, or should you wait? The controller has been improved, the console is designed nicely, it isn’t heavy, it isn’t bulky and it has a promising line-up of upcoming new games. There’s no doubting the potential of the console, just one look at Killzone: Shadow Fall will tell you that. 2014 will be a good year for gaming with titles like Tom Clancy’s The Division, Witcher 3 and Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes coming out. My issues with the PS4 are minor. The light bar on the controller, the menu system and the lack of a media server wont affect my enjoyment that I’ll get from playing games on the machine. Still though, I’ll wait a few months before purchasing one. None of the exclusive launch games interest me and the ones that aren’t exclusive I’ve already played on my 360/PS3/Wii U. If you can’t wait and want to pick one up now, the games I recommend are Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Killzone: Shadow Fall, FIFA 14, Battlefield 4, and Lego Marvel Superheroes.

Posted by Patrick

Below is this months schedule for Cinemagics rooftop movie nights. If you’ve never been to them before, they’re held twice a week, every Thursday and Saturday on top of the building that has Xcite in old Salmiya. I think this is the first time where I haven’t seen a single movie from the list they’re playing. Usually I would have watched at least one but this time none. Actually the only one I’ve even heard of is Caché. Check out all the movies and their timings below:

Thursday, December 5th 2013 at 7:30PM
DEAD MAN
On the run after murdering a man, accountant William Blake encounters a strange North American man named Nobody who prepares him for his journey into the spiritual world.

Saturday, December 7th 2013 at 7:30PM
SHADOWS
Cassavetes’ jazz-scored improvisational film explores interracial friendships and relationships in Beat-Era (1950s) New York City.

Thursday, December 12th 2013 at 7:30PM
TO THE WONDER
After falling in love in Paris, Marina and Neil come to Oklahoma, where problems arise. Their church’s Spanish-born pastor struggles with his faith, while Neil encounters a woman from his childhood.

Saturday, December 14th 2013 at 7:30PM
A MAN ESCAPED
French Resistance activist Andre Devigny is imprisoned by the Nazis, and devotes his waking hours to planning an elaborate escape. Then, on the same day, he is condemned to death, and given a new cellmate. Should he kill him, or risk revealing his plans to someone who may be a Gestapo informer?

Thursday, December 19th 2013 at 7:30PM
CACHE
A married couple is terrorized by a series of surveillance videotapes left on their front porch.

Saturday, December 21st 2013 at 7:30PM
SURPRISE FILM OF THE MONTH
Every month they’ll be playing a surprise film, where you won’t know what you’re watching until just a minute before the film begins. One thing is for sure, every month the surprise film will be either one of their favorite film on the list, or the most unique in one way or the other. This month’s film won and was nominated for over 30 awards worldwide including the Oscars, Golden Gloves, Independent Spirit Awards and the Baftas. A unique, hilarious, bizarre and poetic little film.

Thursday, December 26th 2013 at 7:30PM
MUD
Two young boys encounter a fugitive and form a pact to help him evade the bounty hunters on his trail and to reunite him with his true love.

Saturday, December 28th 2013 at 7:30PM
NO
An ad executive comes up with a campaign to defeat Augusto Pinochet in Chile’s 1988 referendum.

Cinemagic Kuwait, is organizing these events as part of its efforts to contribute to the development of an internationally competitive Kuwaiti audio-visual production industry, partly by bringing the filmmakers and audiences together and by Increasing the public’s interest in – and appreciation for – the art of film-making. Cinemagic movies are screened in the old Salmiya, on the roof on top of Xcite and LG and there is no entrance fee [Map]. Here is a link to their Facebook group [Link]

[YouTube]

Brix is another Kuwaiti rapper and up until a few minutes ago I had never heard of him until a reader shared the link with me. I’m curious to why a lot of local rappers seem to be able to produce music videos while other kind of music genres aren’t making them. I know there are a lot of local bands so why aren’t they producing any videos?

You can follow Brix on Instagram @brix_q8

‘Playtime’ is a short film by Kuwaiti writer and filmmaker Hamad Al-Tourah. Last year I posted about him when he was trying to raise funds so he could make this short movie and he ended up getting all the funds and making it. Now the movie will be premiering at the Dubai International Film Festival as one of the 15 short films chosen to play at the festival. The movie is about Matthew, 10, who lives with his mother in Kuwait. One night,when his mother leaves him alone, Matthew finds company in Dalal, a Kuwaiti girl who lives down the street and eventually makes a plan to escape with her. You can watch the film trailer above. [YouTube]

Since the weather is beautiful right now Cinemagic is starting their weekly rooftop movies again. If you’ve never been to them before, they’re held twice a week, every Thursday and Saturday on top of the building that has Xcite in old Salmiya. This month in addition some great movies they’re also hosting a Palestinian Film Festival over a period of two days. The list of all the movies and their timings are below:

Thursday November 7th, 2013 at 7:30PM
Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance
Shot by the visionary director behind Baraka and Samsara, Koyaanisqatsi is a haunting look at our world. It is a visual concert of images tot eh incredible score by Phillip Glass. Like Samsara and Baraka before it, the film is a plotless experimental art piece that has a definite scenario and underlying themes covering nature, movement, man, and the world we’ve built. A moving and powerful experience that will leave you speechless by the end.

Saturday November 9th, 2013 at 7:30PM
Band of Outsiders (Bande à Part)
Named one of the best 100 films of all time by both Time and Empire Magazine, and referred to as “Godard’s most delicately charming film” by renowned film critic Pauline Kael, as well as being the inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s production company “A Band Apart”, Band of Outsiders follows two young men with a love for old Hollywood B-movies who meet a young woman living with wealthy benefactors, who happen to keep a pile of 10,000 francs locked in their room. Living out their dream to become the gangsters they see in the movies, the men convince her to help them commit a robbery.

Thursday November 14th, 2013 at 7:30PM
Badlands
Cinematic master Terrence Malick’s first film is a lyrical and sometimes beautiful look at disturbing events. Based on the Starkweather-Fugate killing spree of the 1958, in which a fifteen-year-old girl and her twenty-five-year-old boyfriend slaughtered her entire family and several others in the Dakota badlands, Badlands was the film to launch the career of the multiple award winning filmmaker and is still called by many critics to be his best film.

Saturday November 16th, 2013 at 7:30PM
Encounters at the End of the World
On over 15 top ten lists of 2008, and winner of Best Documentary at multiple film festivals, veteran documentarian and madman Werner Herzog takes his camera to the McMurdo Station in Antartica, looking to capture the continent’s beauty an investigate the characters living there.

Thursday November 21st, 2013 at 7:30PM
Surprise Film of the Month
Every month we’ll be playing a surprise film, where you won’t know what you’re watching until just a minute before the film begins. One thing is for sure, every month the surprise film will be either my favourite film of the list, or the most unique in one way or the other. This month’s film is the winner of over 61 awards worldwide, carrying groundbreaking performances and the work of a visionary director on top form. Unmissable.

Saturday November 23rd, 2013 at 7:30PM
The Devil’s Backbone
From visionary filmmaker Guilermo Del Toro, who brought us the incredible Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone is a unique horror film that is both elegant and heartbreaking whilst also being creepy and nightmarish. After Carlos, a 12-year-old whose father has died in the Spanish Civil War, arrives at an ominous boy’s orphanage he discovers the school is haunted and has many dark secrets that he must uncover.

Thursday November 28th, 2013 from 6PM to 10PM
Independent Palestinian Film Festival Day 1
Ajami
Nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Film Category, Ajami is a poignant portrait of Palestinian Muslims and Christians living in an impoverished district of Jaffa

Budrus
A worldwide crowd-pleaser, this documentary is a testament to the potency of peaceful resistance & the human spirit. Budrus will dispose of any preconceptions one may have of the conflict.

Saturday November 30th, 2013 from 6PM to 10PM
Independent Palestinian Film Festival Day 2
Amreeka
A strong single mother and her son leave the West Bank to search for greener pastures in America. They are naively unaware however that they have left post-Intifada Palestine only to enter another hostile territory, post-9/11 America.

Promises
Of all the countless films revolving around the Israel-Palestine conflict, none are more compelling than this Academy Award nominated documentary. The resin being that Palestinian children, who of all others are affected the most by the war, are rarely provided the luxury of expressing their thoughts and emotions in front of a world audience.

Cinemagic Kuwait, is organizing these events as part of its efforts to contribute to the development of an internationally competitive Kuwaiti audio-visual production industry, partly by bringing the filmmakers and audiences together and by Increasing the public’s interest in – and appreciation for – the art of film-making. Cinemagic movies are screened in the old Salmiya, on the roof on top of Xcite and LG and there is no entrance fee. Here is a link to their Facebook group [Link]

The second mezzanine floor at Salhiya Complex is getting a makeover. The floor which has the Maki Restaurant is getting the ceiling height raised and a lot of clothing stores were closed down and instead restaurants will be opening up in their place.

A video of youngsters kissing in a car went viral yesterday and controversy followed. Information on the youngsters names, job positions and even stuff about their families started spreading between people. I am bitter, I think if you do see something that might harm a person’s reputation or get a person in legal trouble then DO NOT SHARE!

Lets look at Article 198 from the Kuwait Penal Law,

“Any person who makes an indecent sign or an act in a public place in such a manner that he is seen or is heard by whoever is in a public place, or he imitates the other sex in any form of forms, shall be punished with imprisonment for a period that shall not exceed one year and a fine that shall not exceed one thousands Dinars or by either of the penalties”

The Article is very vague and includes a variety of acts as crimes. Let us break it down:

1) “an indecent sign or an act in a public place” – this means anything from making out, to giving the middle finger, to writing a swear word, seriously who decides what is indecent?

2) “in such a manner that he is seen or is heard by whoever is in a public place” – so it doesn’t have to take place IN the public place as long as it could be seen/heard FROM a public place, so basically in your car, your office if the windows are open and your not private twitter account are all applicable.

3) “he/she imitates the other sex in any form of forms” – and who decides this too? Its 2013, products are turning unisex, seriously me and Mark have the same purple shorts.

What they did was not smart but let us just hope that they just get fined, and I quote Mark – “that’s excitement in Kuwait for ya”

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.

Biggest thing going on today is the video that went viral of the guy getting kissed by the two girls in the car. That’s excitement in Kuwait for ya. The video above is a hilarious spoof of it that’s also been making rounds on whatsapp. [YouTube]

1- Caribbean Hut Restaurant
2- Tatami
3- Mais Alghanim
4- Al Boom Steak and Seafood
5- Edo
6- The Chocolate Bar
7- Fish Market
8- Solo Pizza Napolitana
9- Maki
10- Slider Station

That top 10 list is based on Trip Advisor and even though I don’t think I agree with it, I’m having trouble putting together my top 5 list yet alone top 10. My #1 would be Open Flame Kitchen but after that things get blurry. Whats your top 5 list?

[YouTube] Warning: Graphic video of dogs being shot

About a year ago, I was asked by Mark to post on his blog from time to time on issues related to animals in Kuwait. I don’t get a chance to post very often, and when I do, it’s usually on an issue that’s particularly important to me or K’S PATH, the organization where I work. This particular post was prompted by what is certainly the most prolific case of animal abuse I’ve yet witnessed during my tenure in Kuwait.

On Friday, the 2nd of August 2013, a three-year-old girl was attacked by a pack of at least six stray dogs in Khairan area. The victim incurred serious although not life-threatening injuries, and has been reported to be recovering well. While the management of K’S PATH holds the victim and her family in its thoughts and prayers and extends its heartfelt condolence in this difficult time, the ensuing inhumane and brutal massacre of more than 80 reported stray dogs (to date) perpetrated by a group of individuals must not be condoned.

This statement questions the nature and objective of actions taken in retaliation to the attack, offers an insight into the nature of Kuwait’s stray dog overpopulation crisis, discusses the shortcomings of official animal control methods adopted to date, and concludes by proposing a long-term, safe and effective alternative successfully tested by K’S PATH.

The mauling and risk of assault of an individual by a pack of stray dogs is a serious concern that warrants definitive action by the relevant authorities to safeguard the community through humane measures – which in this case is incumbent upon the Public Authority for Agriculture and Fish Resources (PAAFR). PAAFR currently lacks the funding, equipment, or expertise to implement and enforce preventive and remedial measures. In most cases of such nature, members of the community approach K’S PATH as it is presently the sole organization with demonstrated capability in capturing and handling stray dogs in Kuwait.

Unfortunately in the aftermath of the recent incident, some of the individuals involved chose another route by taking matters into their own hands through vigilante actions. As this statement goes to press, there are conflicting reports of as many as 80 dogs shot or killed so far; some of them by stabbing, running over, and dismemberment or decapitation.

This original group of animal abusers blatantly publicized their actions on Instagram in a boastful fashion with graphic imagery of cadavers of murdered dogs, which further encouraged other individuals to follow suit by killing more dogs in what appears to have now taken a form of barbaric competition to slaughter as many dogs as possible to seemingly ‘avenge’ the attack on the little girl.

Indisputably and as a responsible measure to avert recurrences, the dogs that attacked the girl should have been identified, captured, and humanely euthanized (killed using a ‘good’ process of death). In fact, none of the dogs roaming Kuwait’s streets belong here.

What we must ask ourselves as a concerned community is whether a responsible and sustainable solution to Kuwait’s stray dog overpopulation lies with the impulsive and brutal recourse of a few individuals with hatchets, shotguns, rifles, and knives running around on a violent campaign of death, or whether we should instead adopt a more effective, humane and safer form of animal control.

Personally, I don’t believe Kuwait has any need to resort to violence to solve this problem. In point of fact, I have spent the last four years developing a program of animal control for Kuwait that is humane and effective, with the purpose in mind of making our communities safer.

In Kuwait, and across many countries, the initial program of animal control adopted used lethal gunshot. However, program administrators and field technicians soon concluded that gunshot is messy, ugly, dangerous for the community, and ineffective in two ways. Firstly, in order to ensure the death of an animal, the projectile must pass through the brain and enter the spinal cord. Any other single shot is very likely to merely injure or cripple the animal causing great suffering and potentially creating a more desperate, aggressive animal. Secondly, it is nearly impossible to eradicate an entire group of stray dogs through this method because dogs will not tolerate the sound of a gunshot. The dogs that flee will be extremely difficult or impossible to catch, eventually becoming what in this field is termed ‘capture resistant’. Gunshot did not last as a form of dog control in Kuwait for these very pragmatic reasons, and it is now forbidden for anyone to shoot dogs.

As gunshot was phased out, poisoning became the preferred method of control. It still is, though it is in the process of being replaced with the method I will propose last. Poisoning fails as a medium for dog control because only a fraction of the intended number of dogs will eat it. Of those who do ingest it, not all of them will die because quantity consumed is a crucial factor. Poison is extremely inhumane to the animal as it takes anywhere from 20 minutes to 72 hours to kill, again depending on dosage, rate of digestion, etc. Furthermore, poison will kill a stray dog as easily as an owned dog as well as a fox, a cat, an eagle, or a child. It is entirely indiscriminate.

Lethal gunshot and poisoning as forms of dog control have never been used effectively as a large-scale, long-term form of population control anywhere in the world. They have been used to affect short-term reduction in the overall population size, but they have never solved a large-scale dog problem. Both have been tried for many years in Kuwait with neither succeeding, leaving no possibility that either one will suddenly solve our stray dog problem. The most important factors to consider with these two forms of dog control are that they are unsafe, ineffective, and inhumane. Furthermore, they are outdated and have no place in the modern world. It is the equivalent of investing in steam technology to power our busses when there are much safer and frankly better methods available.

K’S PATH has the answers to this problem; we’ve painstakingly developed them over the course of many years. Read on to find out more.

Warning: Graphic photos below of the massacre after the link

Everybody’s got a preference, right? Some people like Nutella. Some people like peanut butter. Some like their peanut butter plain. Others like it with jam. I like my peanut butter with bananas. And bacon. In a cronut. For those who have no limits when it comes to caloric intake (and if you’re a human garbage disposal like me), keep reading.

This can be put together in any vessel you like; toast, crackers, artisan bread.. I just happen to like the idea of a deep-fried croissant-donut hybrid holding it all together. I mean, look at this baby. Wouldn’t you?

Let’s get busy.

Cronuts! Making cronuts was a challenge – I tried several croissant dough recipes until I found the one I like. Make your dough and chill it in the fridge. Working with cold dough is really important; the flecks of cold butter will give your cronut the layers of deliciousness you’re looking for.

Roll our your croissant dough on a floured surface and cut your donut rings out – you can find donut cutters at Williams-Sonoma in Grand Avenue. Make ’em as big or as small as you like. Bigger cronut = more nomz; you know what to do. Deep-fry those babies till they’re golden brown and puffed up. If you’re the kind who can’t resist sneaking bites (read: me), fry up the cronut holes and eat those to hold you over.

The filling is pretty basic: creamy peanut butter (or crunchy if you like texture), caramelized bananas, and bacon! Fry up your bacon till its nice and crispy, yeah? Soggy half-assed bacon is against the law here. For the bananas, slice a banana on the diagonal and sprinkle it with a bit of sugar before you fry it in some butter. Once you see the sugar start to brown, take the bananas off the pan.

Now, slice your cronut in half, heap your favorite PB on both “slices”, and layer the crispy bacon and bananas. Close your eyes, say a prayer, and take a bite. Heaven, right?

Damn. I just realized how fatty this is. Not sorry and you won’t be either, enjoy!

Posted by Farah Bishara

KMWFCT Opening Ceremony – Behind The Scenes

I didn’t know about this until just a few moments ago but last week was the Kuwait Mini World Futsal Club Tournament and the opening ceremony looked pretty impressive. The video above is of the making of the ceremony and once you’re done watching that you could watch the actual opening ceremony which was around an hour long [Here] (starts at the 18mins mark)

After finding out about the Nutella Kunafa a few days ago I asked @PinkElephant73 if she could attempt to replicate it since she had already replicated Cronuts a few weeks ago. Next day behold I get a large pan of Nutella Kenafeh delivered to my door. Surprisingly, Kunafa and Nutella do mix well together (then again what doesn’t mix well with Nutella). It’s an extremely heavy and super fattening dessert thats for sure. No idea how many calories and not interested to know either. I felt so guilty after eating a quarter of the tray that I went for an 8KM run right after to try and burn off whatever I could. If you’re interested in making it yourself, @PinkElephant73 was nice enough to share the recipe along with pictures. Check it out below:

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Let me start by saying that this recipe is not for the faint at heart – it’s basically a lot of butter, a lot of Nutella, and only some kunafa dough. But it’s freakin’ awesome.

The cast of characters! Yes, that is 400g of butter (Sorry, Mark!). You won’t be using the whole thing, I promise! But, it makes for a more flavorful kunafa! Also, a big jar of Nutella and some kunafa dough that you can find fresh or frozen from Sultan Center.

First things first: preheat your oven to 220°C! A nice hot oven makes for a great crunchy kunafa!

Cut the kunafa dough with a pair of kitchen scissors till you get small shreds. If you’re going to use frozen phyllo dough, be sure to thaw it a few hours before using it! It makes cutting it so much easier.

Next, pour the melted butter onto the kunafa little by little and stir it in to ensure all of the dough is evenly coated with butter. Watch out for this step! You don’t want to over-soak the kunafa with butter; otherwise you’ll get a really greasy crust, and no one likes a greasy crust.

Spoon and press the buttery dough into two 9″ round pans. In one of the pans, press some more of the dough up and around the sides of the pan to make a shallow “well” for the Nutella. Bake those babies for 30-40 minutes, checking immediately after 30 minutes to make sure they haven’t burned.
When the crusts are a deep golden brown, they’re ready! Take ’em out and let them cool.

Then, pour the Nutella into the pan with the kunafa sides as little or as much as your heart desires. Resist the urge to lick the spoon when you’re done (I couldn’t).

Flip the other kunafa onto the Nutella-filled one. I couldn’t take a picture of this step because I was too busy trying not to royally screw it up. I would say this is the hardest part.
Then, flip the entire thing onto your serving dish and voila! Nutella Kunafa!

You can do deconstructed versions of this by just toasting the buttery phyllo dough on a sheet pan as you would granola and layering it with Nutella into small serving cups. However you choose to eat it, factor in some time for a quick work-out after you’re done. Enjoy!

– @PinkElephant73