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Princi is a beautiful bakery and restaurant located in the Soho area of London. A large section of the place is dedicated to the bakery which displays freshly baked goods and you buy what you want and eat it in a large cafeteria-like dining area where everyone sits down on the same long tables. On the other hand, they also have the pizzeria with its own private dining area and à la carte menu. Since we got there early we decided to sit in the dining area which usually has a long waiting list. We ordered the heritage tomato salad with buffalo mozzarella to start with, 3 different pizzas and the wild mushroom linguini. We then followed lunch with dessert from the bakery which included tiramisu and a pear and chocolate cake.

Everything was delicious even though the pizzas were a bit on the heavy side. My favorite item was the pear and chocolate cake which I thought would be a strange combo at first only to be surprised by how moist and yummy it was. Pizzas cost around 10 pounds each which like everything else in London is not cheap.

Princi is located on 135, Wardour Street. Get there really early if you don’t want to wait. [Link]

I honestly have no clue what this is, but I can’t help but feel very intrigued. It sounds beautiful. [Vimeo]

Update: Turns out Samsara is a concert taking place next month at GUST. The below is from the Samsara Facebook page:

Please join us this November for Nawaf Gheraibah’s Samsara; A night of live music under the stars, featuring a talented orchestra of musicians and vocalists; Wednesday 13th November, 8PM @ GUST University Amphitheatre, Mishref.

The show is free of charge & invitations will be available for pick up ten days prior to the concert.

[YouTube]

So the news of Kuwait banning gays from entering Kuwait by “detecting” them has been picked up by news sites all over the world including the Taiwanese company that create the hilarious news animations. They made one on this subject and it cracked me up. Check it out here.

Jimmy Fallon also mentioned Kuwait in his opening act which you can watch below starting at 4:36.

[YouTube]

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

[YouTube]

As part of his world tour, the popular French-Tunisian street artist eL Seed was in Kuwait and tagged his work on the rooftop of an abandoned building.

eL Seed’s graffiti incorporates traditional Arabic calligraphy, a style he calls ‘calligraffiti’. You can check out more of his work on his website [Here]

Kuwait will conduct medical screening tests to “detect” homosexuals who attempt to get into the Gulf kingdom, according to a senior official.

Yousouf Mindkar, director of public health at the Kuwaiti health ministry, said that the routine clinical screening of expatriates coming into the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) will include tests to identify LGBT people who will then be banned from entering the country. [Source]

Good luck with that!

Hey everyone, just like Mark promised I am going to talk to you a little bit more about q8books, and just like a lot of you already know most of the books (and shelves) came from the old q8books. My fabulous team made a short video on how the new q8books came together:

[YouTube]

If you want the longer version that Mark thinks is boring click [Here]

The bookstore is non-profit, all the interior was done by an awesome team who worked on it for nearly 3 months, we have around 15,000 books made of but not limited to the following genres: science, music, art, hobbies, history & politics, biographies, families, self help & motivation, cooking, travel, foreign languages, business, reference, romance, women’s fiction, thrillers, mystery, suspense, children, young adult, classics, sci-fi.

Location: We are outside Bayt Lothan right next to Marina Mall on the Gulf road [Google Maps]

Timings: 5PM to 9:30PM on weekdays and 10AM to 9PM on weekends

How the bookstore works
The average price of a book is 1-2KD but it goes down to free and up to 5KD. 50% of the price of the book is a deposit the other 50% is a reading charge. When you bring the book back you get the deposit 50% back as STORE CREDIT (not cash).

You can also donate English books to us, or swap them for store credit.

We have been blessed that Bayt Lothan has supported our cause of promoting reading in Kuwait and have given us a very charming place free of charge, and because of that we are able to have policies like;

1) If your in a writing club or reading club, you can meet free of charge at our bookstore,
2) If you’re a local writer feel free to have your books at the store free of charge
3) We have art pieces donated by a lot of supportive local artists, and we are just happy that we are able to really be a community project.

For more info please follow is on instagram and twitter @q8bookstore or call us on 97182730 or email us at [email protected]

Post by Fajer Ahmed

The Kuwait Historical, Vintage & Classic Car Museum just finished building a race track and will be officially introducing it to the public on October 10th. The race track was built across the street from City Center Shuwaikh in the empty desert space right next to the car museum.

Once the track is open it will be available to anyone who wants to race on it. The track will be used for a variety of different activities including racing, karting, drifting, car dealership test drives and even a 4X4 experience.

They still haven’t finalized how much it will cost to use the track but I’ve been told it will be a minimal fee. For more pictures check out their Instagram account [Here]

Track photos above by zDistrict

A Bahraini family in Kuwait escaped unhurt when armed GCC nationals robbed them of a lion and 35,000 riyals, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily. It all started after the family members bought a lion for 40,000 riyals from an unspecified GCC country. Unknown to other members of the family, a 14-year old member was interacting with one of the suspects who offered to pay 47,000 riyals for the lion, although the boy informed his uncle about it later.

Upon their arrival to the country, the family contacted the man and set a date to complete negotiation and purchase, but they were surprised when seven people pulled knives and threatened to stab them. One of the suspects had even fired gun shots in the air as warning until they fled the scene with the lion and aforementioned money. The family lodged a complaint in the police station immediately and pictures of the suspects were displayed on Instagram. The search is ongoing to arrest them. [Source]

I thought people were smuggling exotic animals into Kuwait but turns out they just drive them over the border…

Photo not related.

Coloring the Past is an exhibition and lecture that will be held at CAP (Contemporary Art Platform) and co-hosted by the US Embassy. The exhibition is opening on October 6th and will feature the artists Kate Seelye and Ammanda Salzman who will be exhibiting 19 artworks which illustrate their family’s rich past in the Middle East, in addition to a video with footage of their family in Kuwait and elsewhere in the 50s.

The artists will also be delivering a talk on October 7th where they will share the history of their family’s rich past and talk through the methods and inspirations of their work. They will also be screening photo slides that will explore the family’s journey through the region, specifically Kuwait.

Coloring the Past Exhibition
Date: Sunday October 6th to October 27th, 2013
Time: 7:00PM (for opening reception)
Location: CAP (Contemporary Art Platform)

Coloring the Past Lecture
Date: Monday October 7th, 2013
Time: 6:30PM to 8:30PM
Location: CAP (Contemporary Art Platform)

I got an email from Q8geeks asking me if I would be interested in trying out the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. He had one and had set it up at his stand at the KuwaitySteps event so I passed by awhile ago and tried it out.

My first impression was the Oculus Rift was pretty light. When you see the device you expect some heft to it but then you pick it up and you’re like thats it? I got to try the headset with a quick round of team fortress followed by a virtual roller coaster ride and then a trip to Norway to check out the Northern Lights. The headset works really well and tracks your movement very accurately. When I first started the roller coaster demo for example I was sitting facing the back of the roller coaster so I had to physically turn around so I could face the front. I loved that. The biggest issue with the Oculus Rift for me was the size of the pixels on the internal screens, they’re pretty large and visible but then again this is just the developers kit and the actual device when released will have a better updated screen (amongst other things).

If you’re interested to try out the Oculus Rift you can pass by the KuwaitiSteps exhibition and try it for free. Q8Geeks has a stand there when you first walk in called GuuStore where he’s also selling micro-controllers such as the Arduino and Raspberry Pi.

Location: Tent outside Safir International Hotel [Map]
Time: 5PM to 11PM
Date: Till Saturday October 5th
Price: For some odd and silly reason there is a KD3 entrance fee

[YouTube]

Arabyoyo.com (the #1 online Arab yo-yo community) yesterday organized a local Yo-yo contest in which returning champion Abdel-wahab Nayef “Kimo Chone” won the event. You can check out his winning performance in the video above.

If you’re a yo-yo fan then check out Arabyoyo.com for a lot more information and video.

A falcon was recently sold at an unbelievable price: KD 209,000. This is a record price for a bird of any kind. The unique falcon was sold during an auction held in Jahra.

…

This falcon is a unique Iranian Farsi falcon which was hunted by Kuwaitis in Al- Nuweisib when it was flying over Kuwait from Iranian mountains during the migratory season, seeking warm weather. According to a local daily, these hunters were training their falcons in the area, and when they saw this unique falcon, they immediately sent a hunting pigeon with a net to capture it.

…

According to Al-Ruwei, if the falcon was hunted in Kuwait while it was flying over the country, its price would be higher than if it was hunted abroad. “People who love this hobby spread news about this on social media, so they always know where the falcon is hunted and when the auction takes place. When a falcon is imported into Kuwait, its keen followers will immediately know when exactly it entered Kuwait and passed through the customs,”

There’s a whole different world out there… [Link]

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.

Metal detectors may soon be installed at all mall entrances in Kuwait following the fatal stabbing of a man on Thursday.
Minister of Interior Major Raed Buslaib said the ministry had agreed to increase security at malls after residents were shocked by the public killing.
“The ministry is now discussing the security systems in the malls. We agreed that the number of surveillance cameras should be increased and alarms and metal detectors should be installed at mall entrances and maintained regularly,” Buslaib told the Kuwait Times. [Arabian Business]

I hope that’s not going to happen just because based on current security setups around Kuwait at hotels and even at the airport, I don’t think it’s going to be effective since security tends to slack off. Also even if they did stop people bringing knives in from outside the malls they could still buy them once they’re inside.

Kuwait Times also have the full story on this weekends stabbing, turns out it wasn’t over a girl. [Link]

Since FlyDubai started flying out of the Sheikh Saad Terminal I’ve been getting emails from readers asking if they have long term parking. So I called the airport and found out they do have long term parking but it costs KD5 a day which is more than double the cost of long term parking at the main airport. The reason for this probably has to do with the fact there are a lot less parking spots available at Sheikh Saad Terminal.

Back when the airport was serving Wataniya Airways they had valet service who charged KD1 a day to park your car. An affordable alternative to parking your car yourself. But, I checked and there is no longer any valet service at Sheikh Saad Terminal so long term parking is your only option if you’re planning to take your car.