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I had a meeting earlier today with a person that wants to remain anonymous. The person I met is connected to one of the local ISP’s and wanted to meet me so he can set some things straight regarding the internet caps.

First just a brief intro on how ISP’s get their internet. They have two ways generally, one is via satellite and the other by cable. Satellite is too costly and has limited bandwidth so most ISP’s go with cable. Now all communication coming in or out of Kuwait needs to go through the Ministry of Communications. They act like border immigration and this rule applies to both internet providers as well as telecommunication companies. The MOC charges the ISP’s for the various kind of lines that passes through them. You can check the documents at the end of post for details on this. Since 2007 the Ministry hasn’t decreased their prices and they also haven’t been investing in their infrastructure.

Now ISP’s have cables from their main headquarters to the MOC, and then from there they head to different countries. An example of a route might be ISP-HQ to MOC to Dubai to UK. Now the problem from what I understood is that because the Ministry of Communication hasn’t upgraded their infrastructure the ISP’s can’t get more lines and bandwidth into Kuwait. At the same time the amount of internet users in Kuwait is increasing. So if back in 2007 there were lets say a thousand people using 1 cable, the same cable today is providing to 1500. This is just an example and the numbers I mentioned are not accurate but just to help you visualize the problem.

So high demand and limited supply and add to that the price war that was taking place between the ISP’s and they all got to the point where they had a lot more subscribers than they and the MOC could supply bandwidth. The situation became critical and so for the first time ever, the ISP’s united and decided to increase and unify their prices during the last expo since the demand was was more than the supply. The ISP’s were hoping the increase in prices might also spark an outcry from the consumers which would in return put pressure on the MOC but that didn’t happen.

Since nothing changed after the expo and the ISP’s were still lacking bandwidth, they didn’t have a choice other than to set limits. The ISP’s came together for a second time and decided to place download caps on all their users and here we are today. The good news is that the caps resulted in an outcry that triggered the MOC to take action. I’ve also been told that both parties are currently in talks and it looks like everything is going to get fixed soon.

I’ve attached a few documents below related to everything I spoke about above. If anyone has any questions you can post them below and I’ll try to either to get you an answer. Here are the [Files]

If there is anyone from the MOC reading this, please contact me so I could get your side of the story.

I’ve criticized the Avenues no smoking policy before since although they made a big event out of it the ban was never properly enforced among other things. But truth be told, there really isn’t much Avenues can do about it. This weekend I noticed they removed the majority of their garbage bins from around the mall which I am guessing is a move to try and stop people from smoking. It’s not working and I think it’s a dumb move since I had to walk halfway across the mall with my trash looking for a place to throw it… but hey, at least they’re trying and I respect them for that.

Why don’t we have an official law banning smoking in public places? At least if there was an official ban then Avenues could have a couple of policemen walking around the mall ticketing people who break the law. Is there an organization or politician fighting for a smoking ban? How can we help?

Kuwaitism (yes he’s back) posted a BBC report he found on Kuwaiti entrepreneurs. It’s a very short piece which is disappointing since it’s a very interesting topic. I really couldn’t figure out what BBC was trying to say with this piece, all I understood was that the Kuwaiti government helps Kuwaitis set up their businesses, so why aren’t there more entrepreneurs? That’s fine as an intro but they spoke to just 2 entrepreneurs and one government official and we’re really left with no investigation or conclusion. For example I’m sure laziness isn’t the only reason for lack of entrepreneurship, what about the fact that the market is flooded with international chains? Maybe rents are too high as well? I’m not sure since I am just guessing here which is why I would have liked BBC to really dig into this subject. If you can’t see the video above for some reason here is the [Link]

BoConcept currently have a sale going on. They actually started before I left on vacation but now they have even further discounts on some of the items. I tweeted one great deal, a couch which was originally priced at KD1,375 and is now going for KD343. Their lamps are also 75% off and I ended up getting a cool looking one. Not everything is 75% off since most items have just 50% off and other items without any discounts at all. But still you might end up finding a great deal on an item you really want.

Compared to our flashy yellow plastic ones I think theirs look a lot nicer.

Remember back in May I posted about how Paris HIlton’s show My New BFF was being filmed in Dubai? Well the show ended a couple of days back and the contestant that won the competition is Kuwait’s very own Reem Al Alnezi (pictured above). She’s now Paris Hilton’s new best friend which I have no idea what that means. I guess they’ll go shopping together and partying together every time Paris comes to the Middle East? Not really sure… [Link]

Thanks Fatemah

Back in January I posted about how they dug up the middle sidewalk in the old Salmiya. They decreased the walking space and created new dirt space around the already planted trees to add more greenery. I was against the idea since first of all they shrunk the sidewalk and second of all I knew it wasn’t going to work. The new Salmiya near Sultan Center and Al Fanar has never had a green middle sidewalk and somehow my old Salmiya was going to? A lot of you were against me and said I was being pessimistic, well the picture above is how it looks like 6 months later… very green indeed. It’s always going to be just sand exactly like how it’s always been sand in the newer Salmiya so I hope everyone now understands why I preferred to have a full proper sidewalk instead of “greenery”.

Check out the picture above. Do you know what that is? I think it was back in the late 80s or very early 90s someone decided to build a public bathroom right in the middle of Salmiya. I think it was functional for a month and then got destroyed by vandals and became so dirty that no one was using it and it just got abandoned. That was like 20 years ago, today it’s nothing. It’s not a bathroom, there are no doors, no toilets, no sinks or anything. Just a place to store red cones or whatever garbage is lying around. Recently as you can see in the picture they dug up the area around it to replace the floor tiles with newer ones but they left this abandoned ugly block of cement right in the middle. Couldn’t they have just demolished it?

Another strange thing happened recently, someone realized how much garbage was filling up the streets of Salmiya and so came up with a brilliant solution. They decided to put bright yellow garbage bins all over Salmiya and at around 10 meters apart. Check the video above I shot today. I drove maybe 200 meters and I counted around 66 bright yellow garbage bins! And that only includes the middle sidewalk and some of the sidewalk on the left but completely ignoring the right sidewalk since it was in the video. It’s the most horrifying scene since all you can see on the street now are the garbage bins. Do we really need that many bins in the middle sidewalk? [YouTube]

I’ll say it again, I love Salmiya and I want to be put in charge of it or at the very least Salem Mubarek Street. I’ll seriously make it the most beautiful place in Kuwait. I’ve been requesting this since back in 2006, so what do I need to do to make this happen? I’ve watched enough episodes of Parks and Recreation to know what it takes. Salmiya is my Pawnee.

A friend and colleague of mine who’s attending the Cannes Lions right now tweeted some pictures of Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa (Creator of The99) on stage presenting. I believe he’s the only Kuwaiti to ever take the stage at the Cannes Lions yet alone present.

The Cannes Lions is one of the largest and most prestigious advertising festivals in the world.

The Lebanese store Lama recently opened a new and much larger store near my house in Salmiya. They’re mostly known for importing and supplying the local supermarkets with Lebanon fruits, but if you visit their store you’ll also find other interesting food products. Most of the products don’t mean much to anyone except the Lebanese in the same way strangers to Kuwait won’t understand the obsession with Sunkist and KDD Gold for example. But, if you’re Lebanese you’ll be interested to know that Lama carries some of our favorites including Gandour products like Tarboush, Unica, Pik-One Safari, dry biscuits and more. They also carry BonJus, SMEDS, Picon, Lebanese bread from the Wooden Bakery as well as Taanayel dairy products.

If you’re interested in passing by they’re located in the street that’s parallel to Baghdad Street. Just take a right after Dodo and head down until you reach the main road, the store should be in front of you.

For other In Focus posts click [Here]

This is like the 3rd or 4th one this year. According to Al Watan breaking news they say the fire is in a garage. A reader sent in the picture above which he took from his office at Abyat. Looks like the fire is in the Behbehani warehouse and it looks huge. More pictures [Here]

Thanks urmania

I spend all week on a very strict diet that includes the likes of grilled chicken, tuna, lots of salad and boiled eggs, but when the weekend comes, the fat person inside me takes over and it’s not a pretty sight. Yesterday I had lunch at Elevation Burger as I said I would last week. But this time, instead of the double patty I went for the triple patty which I realized is the right way to do it and would highly recommend going that route over the double.

Today on the other hand I passed by Cocoa Room to test out their new burger. Every time I fall asleep and dream of burgers and unicorns, the burgers always have one thing in common, they’re thick and juicy. Ever since I’ve know Basil I’ve been asking him to make a thick burger and it seems my wish has finally come true. It’s still in the concept stage but he’s got the most important ingredient perfect right now which is the patty and what a patty… I already told him it’s magical. He’s going to end up having only one burger on the Cocoa Room menu but he’s still deciding between two different kinds although I think he’s leaning towards my favorite which is the one in the picture at the very top of this post. It’s a super thick wagyu patty with aged cheddar cheese and charred onion brought together with a hard crust bun. The second burger above has a similar patty but contains Swiss cheese, onion marmalade and a soft bun instead. When the burger is complete, it’s easily going to be the holy grail of all burgers.

There’s so much good burgers in Kuwait right now that someone needs to officially slap the Burger Land moniker on us. AHT are you listening?

My sister who’s currently in Dubai sent me the picture above which her friend took of the latest issue of Harper’s Bazaar (Interiors Arabia Edition). A few months back, Harper’s Bazaar was in Kuwait and I met with them and showed them around Kuwait a bit. They were planning to have a piece on Kuwait and it looks like it’s in their latest issue. I’m in it (bottom right of the page above) as well as the vertical gardens at 360 Mall and Open Flame Kitchen. I can’t really tell much else from the low resolution picture I got and the magazine it’s out yet in Kuwait but once it is I’ll obviously be getting a copy to check it out.

I found out about a cool website the other day called Architecture of Kuwait. The website (or maybe it’s a blog) talks about various design and architecture projects in Kuwait which I always find very interesting. My only comment is I wish they provided even more details on the projects since some of the posts just have pictures with a tiny snippet of text. It’s still very interesting so check it out [Here]

Note: The picture above is of the Al Sharqeyah School for Boys which looks amazing

Yesterday I finally got the chance to pass by Elevation Burger at The Avenues. I had heard from a friend that they’re always packed so I tried to pass by early and got there around 1:45 which clearly wasn’t early enough since the place was already full. Luckily I found one table clearing up in a corner and had Nat wait at the table while I ordered at the cashier. The interior is pretty dull and kinda reminds me of a food court which is fine since it’s more like an upscale fast food joint then a restaurant but one thing that really bothered me was the lack of proper ventilation. I quickly tweeted that and the owner of the place replied saying they’re working on it. That’s great because I already have a hard time getting Nat to go to a burger place yet alone a burger place that will also make her smell like burgers.

I took a quick glance at the menu and right away knew what I was going to have. I ordered the Elevation Burger which is a double patty double cheese burger and added Elevation sauce to it, I also added a side order of french fries and a fountain drink. I took my receipt and went and waited for my order. A few minutes later my burger arrived and it looked really good. I quickly took my picture and then dug in. The burger was pretty thick, a lot thicker than it looks in the picture since after I picked up the burger I noticed the patty had slid down to the other side. Note to everyone, I love thick burgers. I took my first bite and in under a minute it was gone. I was originally worried the bun wouldn’t be soft enough but it was and it also did a good job of soaking up all the burger juice which there was a lot of. The beef patties were super greasy, by the time I was done with the burger there was a large pool of grease lying at the bottom of my plate. I thought the sauce could have been thicker since it was washing away with the grease but it might have been thick to start with and then got diluted with the grease I’m not sure. In any case the burger was good and I was considering ordering a second helping but since I still had my fries I decided not to.

I’m not a fan of their fries and wouldn’t order them again. If you’re a fan of home made fries you’ll like the Elevation ones but the next time I’m there I’ll be skipping the fries and ordering a second burger instead. The main direct competitor for Elevation burger right now at the Avenues is Johnny Rockets but in a few months time it’s also going to be Shake Shack. Would I go back? Yes I would. It’s located in a convenient location, it’s a no frills in and out dinning place with good burgers. The biggest issue really is their ventilation which is getting fixed this week. Elevation Burger is located outside in Avenues Phase II, on the top floor.

According to Arabian Business, Magnolia Bakery will be opening in Kuwait within the next 18 months. Magnolia are known for their cupcakes but I personally think they have an amazing chocolate swirl cheesecake. Whenever I passed by their New York locations they always had a queue of people lined up outside. In Dubai on the other hand whenever I passed by it was always empty which is obviously a lot more convenient.

So now we’re going to have Magnolia and The Hummingbird Bakery in Kuwait along with Shake Shack. It’s going to be hard to stick to my diet. [Link]

Thanks Lomo