hi guys

im travelling to kuwait on the 13 of nov and i have couple of question:

1.is it ok to go around in kuwait and take pics?
2.is the border open betwee iraq and kuwait cuz iwana visit basra.

thanks in advance

hi and welcome to kuwait in advance :)

1. yes you can take photos of anything, but be careful near vital area like oil refineries and such where security is tight around these areas.

2. to my understanding the broders are closed, but to be sure you should ask the embassy where you should have approvals from ministries of interior or defence.

^^thanks for the welcome Kuwaitis are very much known for their hospitality:)
well i hold both Iraqi and Australian passport so i don't need a visa to enter Iraq
but what concern me is that the border with Iraq some times get closed.
cheers and thanks for the info:)

u r welcome to kuwait karar

I think the border is open now couse there is alot of iraqies felows are coming to kuwait but better to ask kuwaiti embessy to make sure that you r in a safe side

good luck man hope you injoy :)

hey guys the forum has been dead for days now!! where the hell are you people :P ?? :lol:

^^ Were listening to the new Nawal album! :P

Crazy why did you pick Van G's drawing as your profile image?

well, i paint and i research a lot of techniques and stuff for drawing and painting, but the starry night painting is just amzing my favourite, the sky.... well i get lost in it if you know what i mean :)

http://www.ihasaids.com/upload/data/1229313488.gif

http://www.hostthenpost.com/uploads/4f7743ec0ab2af5991aa976a009b87b2.gif

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/1293/6d6df197aa928d535ba47cbfw8.gif

Hi guys,

I'd be grateful if you could provide me a list of architectural consulting practices working in KW (both local and international).

Thanks very much in advance!

English is not our native would u please clarify what u exactly want?

I think he is asking about architectural consulting firms working in Kuwait.

الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر... بنسخة كويتية!

قالت مصادر نيابية إسلامية لـ «الراي» انها ستدعم استقلالية الإدارة العامة للمباحث التابعة لوزارة الداخلية ومنحها صلاحيات أوسع لمكافحة الجريمة، مع القيام بدور إصلاحي وتوعوي ومراقبة السلبيات ومعالجتها وفق منظور شرعي وإسلامي، يندرج تحت مسمى «الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر» ولكن بطريقة قانونية ودون استخدام الاسم المتداول للمقترح النيابي السابق من إنشاء هيئة للأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر، مشيرة إلى إدراكها حساسية هذا الاسم من جهة وأن الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر لا يحتاج إلى هيئة من جهة أخرى
.
وأضافت المصادر أن مجموعة من النواب الإسلاميين يدعمون هذه الخطوة سواء بإصدار قوانين لصالح وزارة الداخلية تتعلق بإنشاء فرق لمكافحة الجريمة بأنواعها، وانتهاء بإجراءات تنظيمية للأسواق والفنادق والحفلات وتصاريح الدخول كما هو معمول به الآن، مع صلاحيات أوسع تضبط العمل بطريقة ترضي الإسلاميين تجاه بعض مايرونه من مخالفات شرعية تثير أزمة بين فترة وأخرى.

وأوضحت المصادر أن لجنة مكافحة الظواهر السلبية ستكون الداعم الأكبر لهذا التوجه، وهي بمثابة المراقب العام للأوضاع المسيئة للمجتمع من جميع الجوانب والاتصال بالجهة المختصة وهي وزارة الداخلية لمتابعة المخالفات بدلا من التشتت بين وزارات التجارة والإعلام والداخلية كما هو معمول به الآن، رغم أن الإجراءات الإدارية كلها تصدر عن طريق وزارة الداخلية.

وأشارت إلى أن هناك رغبة ماسة في ضبط التأشيرات العمالية والزيارات لمنع التسيب الحاصل الآن وفق قولها، مع الأخذ بعين الاعتبار أن هذه الخطوة ستحقق للإسلاميين مكاسب كثيرة وفق القانون ودون حساسية قانون إنشاء هيئة الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر، لاسيما وأن هذا الأمر، كما تقول المصادر، لا يحتاج غير مكافحة الظواهر السلبية وحماية المجتمع من الأمور المخالفة له شرعيا واجتماعيا

http://alraimedia.com/Alrai/Article.aspx?id=98044

the islamists are dieing for something like this in kuwait! what nerve they have to tell people what to do and what they dont! personally i cant wait for the day when these a-holes move out from the parliament for good! enshala ilyom gabel bacher enshoof il 7al :lol:

why dont they just fucking go saudi where they would feel more like home!

Or they can go join the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Even Saudi is moving away and slowly implementing reform. King Abdullah made some changes a few days ago.

I hope the Amir would take a stand against these people.

well i dont know about that but one thing is 4 certain. kuwaiti youth r sure very bad in terms of morals they need some force to stop them from wrecking chaos on our bueatiful street other wise no tourists would want to come to our country.

what do you call zawaj mesyar, zawaj friends, zawaj bo sa3a madry shino ysamona!

and not all the youths are morally SUK ( by your words ) and we have to thank nabeel il 3awa`6i oo shakilta and their morally corrupt summer camps where they they go and fuck little kids to teach them how islam works! lol please

LETS NOT GET RACISTS K. I DID NOT MEANT TO INSULT THE SHI3AS AS I MENTIONED I CAME FROM A SHI3A FAMILY SO THE SHI3A R MY FAMILY TOO.

please refine from posting/debating any religious related topics as you can see Skyscrapercity.com is urban related forum

ohh can you please lose the CAPS it is pretty irritating

well i dont know about that but one thing is 4 certain. kuwaiti youth r sure very bad in terms of morals they need some force to stop them from wrecking chaos on our bueatiful street other wise no tourists would want to come to our country.

Bad as in how? Like they litter the streets?

bad as speeding while their driving bad as screaming and making fun of others bad as justb straing (5az) and bad yes some of em do litter.

^^ yea. i think you just need common sense and manners not to do those things.

these things should be taught in school.

also, the police can deal with bad driving and littering etc

I think he is asking about architectural consulting firms working in Kuwait.

Exactly :)

I was looking in the Yellow Pages for Kuwait but I haven't found many.

Kuwait’s divorce rate highest in the world after US

Kuwait is second to the US in the rate of divorce cases in the whole world, reports Al-Qabas daily quoting participants at a seminar organized by the Family Security Society recently under the slogan “Divorce Cases.” No details were provided. Dr Khadija Al-Mahmed explained the society is focusing on maintaining family stability in the country.

She said the society has compiled comprehensive files on regulating the rights of workers and sponsors to protect maintain family security, which were presented to the Council of Ministers. Disclosing the society has opened a file for forgotten Kuwaiti women, Al-Mahmed affirmed “we approached several authorities without causing any media uproar in the country. Many children are victims of broken homes. I am still confused whether our problems lie in the constitutional provisions or the implementation of the law.”

On the other hand, Dr Kazem Abul said several researchers have completed designs of advisory and curative programs aimed at encouraging divorced couples to maintain family ties. “There is a global study on the best methods that parents can use to help their children handle the repercussions of divorce. It includes ways to prevent the negative consequences of divorce on the academic performance of the children. We should curb the alarming increase in the number of divorce cases in our society as well as take care of divorcees,” he recommended.

Family Consultative Center Director Munira Al-Ridwan has attributed disharmony and destruction to the word ‘love’. She said true love denotes mutual respect and understanding between couples. She asserted bad moods begin with nagging and consistent exposure of the other partner’s weaknesses directly or indirectly. She went on to say that women feel bad when their husbands compare them to other women. “Couples must be careful in dealing with each other to avoid escalation of little domestic problems, live in peace, and reduce the rate of divorce in our society,” Al-Ridwan pointed out.

www.arabtimesonline.com

at least we're good at something! :lol:

could some 1 plz answer this gentelman hes been asking 4 quite some time

i meant CKM

how r u doing this skouli ?! :poke:

allah ya kobr 3alam spain bl banner yeeew ;s

(sorry i kno this is not a chit chat thread)

^^ I know, that boggles me considering that our banner was rejected because of the presence of the flag in it.

and what about the chest of the lady

hey boobies are ok!!

ʞɐǝɹq ɐ ǝʞɐʇ oʇ pǝǝu ı

sǝnssı sʇɔı1ɟuoɔ ʇuǝɯɐı1ɹɐd ssǝ1ǝsn ǝsǝɥʇ ɥʇıʍ ɥbnouǝ pɐɥ ı ʎɐp ǝuo ɹoɟ ʎɐʍɐ ǝq 11ıʍ ı sʎnb ʇɥbıɹ 1ɐ

:wave:

could some 1 plz answer this gentelman hes been asking 4 quite some time

lol still no response

lol where are you going skouli :P ?

lol where are you going skouli :P ?
off to beirut

you know its a bigger mess out there with their weird elections :P :lol:

im going to dubai and abu dhabi next week! COLDPLAY CONCERT WOOOOOHOOOOOO !!! :rock:

you know its a bigger mess out there with their weird elections :P :lol:

im going to dubai and abu dhabi next week! COLDPLAY CONCERT WOOOOOHOOOOOO !!! :rock:

OHHHHHHHH I wish I CAN GOOOOOOOOO there but i do have a lot of projects to do :'''''''''(

7a'6eeeek 7mayen yallah 9aweeer o warneeeey

what did you reserve diamond standing

but I hate it when it comes to Abu Dhabi I really LOVE Dubai concerts specially Dubai festival city

yeah we reserved diamond standing, but im afraid ill get tried from all the standing!! :lol: and its in the emirates palace grounds so ;)

sure ill take lots of pics :)

yeah we reserved diamond standing, but im afraid ill get tried from all the standing!! :lol: and its in the emirates palace grounds so ;)

sure ill take lots of pics :)

GOOOOOOOOD actually last year I went to Kylie Minogue and, Maroon 5 concerts

and the Atlantis opening indeeeed

But I really wish to go to ColdPlay's concert EEEEEEEEEEEEEEeEEeEEeEEeeEE :P

yallllah etrooo7 wetreeed bel salama

bala hathy deera enroo7 dowal thanya for some excitement and a concerts! ma fee shay fe deeratna!

magool ela malaat!

bala hathy deera enroo7 dowal thanya for some excitement and a concerts! ma fee shay fe deeratna!

magool ela malaat!

KAKKAKAKAK

Tara deratna fehaaa bas kella private parties and if you entered them you'll be shocked :nuts:

and if you need a guider for Dubai am here DON"T be SHY :P

ahmed i dont want private parties in some pervs basement! i want to have fun publically! i want real concerts, real artists!

i dont want to dance to an amatuer wannabe dj :tongue2: and no need to for a guide :lol:

hey guyz i have a dream about q8 regaining its good music, amazing theater and educational position. ANYBODY ELSE DREAMIN ABOUT THOSE???
P.S last time i went to duabi was 2002 could any1 plz provide some pics about the new places.

ahmed i dont want private parties in some pervs basement! i want to have fun publically! i want real concerts, real artists!

i dont want to dance to an amatuer wannabe dj :tongue2: and no need to for a guide :lol:

Ya3ney matabey guider haaaaaaaaaaaa........ waaaaaallllllllaaaaaaaaaah.............

OK kafeeek :lol:

bas 7mayeeen ethaaaa coldplay '3anaw Talk please record it for me :)
o ba3ad 9awerly el stage as long as you are dimond standing :P

ok lool,, i'll try with my phone :P

ok lool,, i'll try with my phone :P

THANKS OWE U BIG for the both of us me and JAM (plz try to focus on the new things and the ones that are different cuz i still doubt a revisit to dubai is worth it.

Hello?! is anybody here in the forum ? :P :lol:

beside me? :banana:

lol, yeah kuwaiti forum has been sleeping through two days :lol:

loooooooooooool

Crazy maybe ur too busy taking the pointless quizes on facebook! loooool! (like me)

LOL 7ada!! its been a while since i last went on an update trip in kuwait city :lol:

and college sucks this course!! EWW

Skouli, i think u should make a new sub-forum named "Proposed/Vision/Neverbuilt" coz these projects are mixed up in the projects and completed project sub-forums...
wht do u say?

we also need to make a new sub-forum named ON HOLD PROJECTS becuase there are too many

I got this funny email! LOOL!



اسماء اعضاء مجلس الامة بالانجليزي
صيفي الصيفي Summer The Summer

يوسف الزلزلة Yousif The Earthquick

ضيف الله ابورميه God Guest the father of the Shooter

سعد الرشيدي Happy The Wise man

عادل الصرعاوي Justice The Epilepsy


جاسم الخرافي The Divider The Legand

معصومه صالح المبارك No Errors The Good Man The Belssing

وليد الطبطبائي Just born The Doctor


صالح عاشور Good Man the 10th


فيصل الدويسان The Divider The stepping Over


مخلد راشد العازمي The Long lasting The wise man The Determanal



حسن عبدالله جوهر The Good Person Worshiping God The jelwery


عبدالله الرومي Worshipping God The Turkey


خلف دميثير العنزي The Left behind The little Covered The goat


خالد السلطان The forever The Crown Prince


جمعان الحربش The Collector The Hot Bush


عسكر العنزي The Army man the Goat


روضان الروضان Graden The Graden


سلوي الجسار Quitness The Brige Maker


مرزوق الغانم God Giving The Rich

خالد الطاحوس lasting forever the Hard Working


اسيل العوضي Flood The Instead of


ناجي العبدالهادي The Surviaval Worshipping


مسلم البراك Muslim the blessed


نامي النامي Growing The Growing

^^ The army man the goat is my favorite!!! looooool

KAAAAAAAAAAAAK worshipping God the turkey !!! LOOL :lol:

this just cracked me up lol :hilarious :hilarious :hilarious

خلف دميثير العنزي The Left behind The little Covered The goat :nuts:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=108382606600

http://rekuwait.wordpress.com/

guys try to comment on this blog.

extremely talented 6 years old boy

dailymail.co.uk (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1203226/Pictured-Incredible-watercolour-paintings-boy-aged-just-SIX.html)

Stolen Picasso painting 'The Naked Woman' found in Iraq
A Picasso painting stolen from Kuwait during Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion has been discovered in southern Iraq.
27 Aug 2009

Iraqi police arrested a man who was planning to sell "The Naked Woman" during a raid on his house in southern Iraq, officials said on Wednesday.
The painting was apparently among the artwork looted from Kuwait by Iraqi forces, said police spokesman Maj. Muthana Khalid.

It was seized on Tuesday during a raid near the mainly Shia city of Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad.
Mr Khalid said the man was trying to sell the painting for $450,000 (£275,000), but some Iraqi experts who saw the painting said it was worth as much as $10 million.

The painting, which was signed by Pablo Picasso and bore inscriptions from "The Museum of Kuwait", was being held as evidence while the suspected was interrogated, Mr Khalid said.

Goods and artwork from the neighbouring country's wealthy homes and its national museum were hauled back to Iraq after the invasion, which led to the 1991 Gulf War

www.telegraph.co.uk

I hear there was a sewage problem in Kuwait resulting in an overflow of ammonia leaked into the Kuwaiti shore that is polluting the environment and could exterminate many marine habitats. Also, theres now a high Cholera alert... Pfft, we're turning into a 3rd world country despite all the oil and wealth we have. Pathetic!

How many minutes to earn the price of a Big Mac?

http://i32.tinypic.com/2wf0hmc.jpg

www.economist.com (http://www.economist.com/daily/chartgallery/displayStory.cfm?story_id=14288808)

I hear there was a sewage problem in Kuwait resulting in an overflow of ammonia leaked into the Kuwaiti shore that is polluting the environment and could exterminate many marine habitats. Also, theres now a high Cholera alert... Pfft, we're turning into a 3rd world country despite all the oil and wealth we have. Pathetic!

srry to let u down but Kuwait ranks top among Arabs in human development: UNDP

بقلم: د. محمد السقا*
منذ أكثر من 5 أعوام، حدث انقلاب واضح في بلدية الكويت، تبعه إعلان التمرد على القيود التقليدية للتراخيص التي تمنحها البلدية للمباني في دولة الكويت، سواء السكنية أو الإدارية، حيث بدأت البلدية في انتهاج أسلوب التوسع الرأسي في البناء. ربما كان ذلك، والله اعلم، استنادا إلى أن البقعة المتاحة للبناء في الدولة محدودة، أو ربما، والله أعلم أيضا، لأن أسعار الأراضي باتت مرتفعة جدا لأسباب عديدة يعلمها الجميع. الأمر الذي اقتضى ابتكار حلول غير تقليدية تجعل من العائد على الاستثمار في العقار أمرا مجديا بالنظر إلى التكلفة المرتفعة جدا لمثل هذا الاستثمار، وتعظيم العائد الاقتصادي على التكلفة المرتفعة لشراء المتر من خلال السماح ببناء مساحات أوسع. المهم أنه ومنذ ذلك الوقت انقلبت أنماط عمليات البناء في الدولة رأسا على عقب.
ليس هناك أي مانع في أن تتبنى البلدية حلولا غير تقليدية لتوفير المساكن في الدولة، سواء أكان ذلك للسكن الإداري أم للسكن الأسري، إلا أنه من المؤكد أيضا، أن ذلك الأمر لا بد أن يسير في إطار علمي يأخذ في الاعتبار، ومن جميع النواحي، الآثار المتعددة لعملية التوسع الرأسي حاليا وفي المستقبل، بصفة خاصة السلبية منها، لكي لا يخلق مثل هذا التوسع آثارا جانبية حادة على البنى التحتية للدولة ـ قد تتطلب اللجوء إلى حلول غير تقليدية أيضا، وقد تكون تلك الحلول مكلفة جدا للدولة للتعامل معها، مثلما أصبح عليه الحال الآن في الكويت.

ارتفاع الأبراج
مدينة الكويت، عاصمة الأعمال في الدولة، تشهد منذ فترة ثورة في نوع محدد من المباني، وهو المباني الإدارية، حيث شهدت المدينة زيادة غير مسبوقة في عمليات بناء أبراج السكن الإداري وبأطوال لم تعهدها الدولة من قبل، بلغت في بعض الحالات 70 طابقا، وذلك استنادا إلى التوقعات التفاؤلية التي سادت حول مستقبل الاقتصاد الكويتي منذ 2004، والتغيرات الهيكلية المحتملة فيه، خصوصا بعد أن أعلنت الكويت عزمها التحول إلى مركز مالي وتجاري، مع ما سوف يصاحب ذلك من ضرورة زيادة الطلب على السكن الإداري، الأمر الذي يجعل هذا النوع من الاستثمار أمرا مجديا من الناحيتين الاقتصادية والاجتماعية.
ولقد أدت عمليات البناء غير المسبوقة هذه إلى زيادات فلكية في أسعار الأراضي المتاحة لمثل هذا النوع من البناء. وأصبحت المدينة من أغلى الأماكن في العالم تقريبا بالنسبة لثمن المتر المربع من الأرض، وفي الوقت ذاته حدث توسع واضح في المساحات المتاحة للتأجير لأغراض الاستخدام المكتبي. غير أنه للأسف، يعتبر جانب كبير من هذه المساحات، التي أضيفت إلى العرض الحالي من السكن الإداري، غير قائم على أساس دراسات جدوى اقتصادية دقيقة حول التوقيت المناسب لهذا التحول في الطلب على السكن الإداري. والنقطة الزمنية التي عندها يأخذ هذا الطلب في التوسع، والحجم السنوي لتدفقات هذا الطلب، ومقارنة ذلك بتدفقات العرض المتاح سنويا من المساحات المتاحة للتأجير لمواجهة هذا الطلب، بحيث لا يكون هناك مساحات فائضة عن هذا الطلب، أخذا في الاعتبار التكلفة العالية جدا لإضافة متر واحد من عرض هذا النوع من السكن.

الإطار العشوائي
ومن المؤكد أن هذا التحول يعد جيدا جدا من الناحية الاقتصادية، بل على العكس هو أمر مطلوب، شريطة ألا يتم في إطار عشوائي، مثلما يحدث حاليا. فقد أدت عمليات البناء غير المخططة جيدا إلى عمليات بناء لا تستوفي الشروط التي يجب أن تتأكد منها البلدية عادة، بصفة خاصة بالنسبة لأثر مثل هذه التوسعات الرأسية الجديدة على الطلب على التسهيلات المجتمعية اللازمة لهذه الوحدات من مياه وكهرباء وصرف صحي، وخدمات صحية وأمنية. والأهم من هذا كله أمران هما توافر عدد مناسب من مواقف السيارات والذي يسمح باستيعاب الحجم الأقصى من السيارات في أوقات الذروة حتى لا يتسبب مثل هذا الحجم الهائل من مساحات السكن الإداري في أزمة مواقف. والثاني والأهم، هو الضغط الكبير الحالي والمحتمل على الطرق ومن ثم على السيولة المرورية المستقبلية. توقعاتي أنه مع استكمال كل مشروعات البناء الإداري في مدينة الكويت، وعندما تعمل تلك المشروعات بطاقتها القصوى سوف تواجه مدينة الكويت أزمة مرورية خانقة قد تهدد نجاح المدينة في تحقيق الأغراض المستهدفة منها في تسهيل أداء الأعمال في عاصمة أعمال عصرية. ومما يزيد الأمور تعقيدا أن الجانب الأعظم من الطرق الحالية في المدينة قد تم إنشاؤه وتخطيطه في الستينات وذلك في إطار خطة لم تأخذ في الاعتبار اعتبارات التوسع المستقبلي للمدينة، حيث لا تزيد معظم طرق المدينة حاليا عن حارتين فقط.
دعونا الآن نفترض أن السيناريوهات التي قامت عليها مشروعات السكن الإداري الحالية في مدينة الكويت صحيحة، وأن سيناريوهات الطلب المحتمل على المكاتب سوف تتحقق، وأنه بالفعل في يوم ما سيكون المعروض من تلك المساحات حاليا وفي المستقبل هو قيد التشغيل. إذا حدث ذلك فان تلك البقعة الصغيرة التي تمثلها مدينة الكويت حاليا سوف تتحول إلى قطعة من جهنم بسياراتها اللامتناهية وأزماتها المرورية الخانقة. ومن المتوقع أن تعاني مدينة الكويت من الأمراض التقليدية للعواصم القديمة في العالم مثل القاهرة أو نيودلهي أو مكسيكو سيتي.. الخ، وإن كان ذلك على نطاق أوسع أخذا في الاعتبار سيناريوهات العدد المحتمل للسيارات التي ستدخل وتخرج من المدينة يوميا والمساحات المحدودة لتسيير تلك السيارات فيها.
من الواضح إذن الآن أن الكويت تحتاج لعاصمة أعمال جديدة، تدخل بها القرن الحادي والعشرين. ملامح هذه العاصمة لا بد أن تأخذ في الاعتبار خصائص العاصمة العصرية، بصفة خاصة من حيث البنى التحتية اللازمة لتسهيل عمليات أداء الأعمال فيها، من طرق واسعة ومواقف تتسع لعدد كبير من السيارات في آن واحد، وذلك في إطار دراسات علمية هندسية دقيقة تجري على هذه العاصمة لكي تحسب بدقة، الطاقة الاستيعابية لشوارعها في أوقات الذروة حاليا ومستقبلا لكي تضمن سلاسة وانسيابية المرور فيها. هذا هو السيناريو الأول لمدينة أعمال المستقبل في الكويت.

ماذا عن العاصمة الحالية؟
ولكن ماذا لو تذمر المستثمرون العقاريون الحاليون في المدينة من أن إنشاء مدينة أعمال جديدة سوف يترتب عليه أن تلحق بهم خسائر هائلة تتمثل في فقدان الجانب الأكبر من الاستثمارات التي قاموا بها في المدينة، وأن الدولة سوف تستجيب لهذه الدعوات باعتبارها دعوات عادلة، وأنه لا ينبغي أن تخسر الدولة استثماراتها الهائلة التي تمت في المدينة حاليا، إذا حدث ذلك فإنه لا مناص من إعادة تخطيط مدينة الكويت لكي تصبح عاصمة أعمال عصرية وهو السيناريو الثاني لمدينة أعمال المستقبل.
التخطيط الجديد لمدينة الكويت يتطلب تبني مجموعة من المشروعات الحيوية لكي تسمح بأداء المدينة لوظائفها بالسهولة اللازمة، وأهم هذه المشروعات مترو أنفاق يربط مدينة الأعمال بالمناطق السكنية الرئيسية في الدولة وبحيث تقل الحاجة لدى الجانب الأكبر من رواد المدينة في استخدام السيارات. المشروع الثاني هو إنشاء شبكة أنفاق أرضية وكذلك شبكة جسور علوية تسمح بتوسيع الطاقة الاستيعابية لطرق المدينة من السيارات وبحيث تضمن الانسياب السهل لتلك السيارات من دون عوائق مرورية ومن دون تعطيل وقت مستخدمي السيارات في المدينة. أما المشروع الثالث فهو أن تخصص البلدية عددا كافيا من قطع الأراضي لأغراض إنشاء مجموعة كبيرة من المواقف المتعددة الطوابق لمواجهة الطلب المستقبلي المحتمل على خدمات توقيف السيارات، والتي من الواضح أنها سوف تكون تجارة رابحة في المستقبل في مدينة الكويت، وبحيث تأخذ في الاعتبار الحلول التي لجأت إليها الدول المتقدمة للتعامل مع أزمة مواقف السيارات من أجل استيعاب أكبر عدد منها في أقل مساحة مكانية ممكنة.

my sugestion:


http://www.polak.ro/uploads/image/multilevel_car_park.jpg

liberty tower is not recognized among world tallest building http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001338.html. not even wiki

Banff squirrel photo gets huge attention




http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr71/yellowfever_2008/1890374.jpg
An Alberta ground squirrel is poised to become Canada's most famous animal after the creature inserted itself hilariously into a timed photo being taken by a U.S. couple at a lake in Banff National Park. Minnesota resident Melissa Brandts' photo was selected as nationalgeographic.com website's photo of the day Aug. 13, 2009. The image is set to go viral on the Internet after getting splashed this week on a host of media websites around the world.
Photograph by: Melissa Brandts, nationalgeographic.com

So how do u feel about the PM's questioning? Are ppl bothered at all..? Bothered it was behind closed doors?

Anyone looking forward to another parliament dissolution? lol

So how do u feel about the PM's questioning? Are ppl bothered at all..? Bothered it was behind closed doors?

Anyone looking forward to another parliament dissolution? lol

questioning is part of the democracy but since most of the idiots that dont understand democracy dont like it I think the best solution is to hold any further questioning till 2 years pass for the current parliament at least for the sake of continuing this ill democracy...
secondly. y isn't the thread for Alhamra tower called something like the tallest sculpted tower or the tallest stone-claded tower or even both. atleast the tallest building in kuwait.

honestly B, i dont care anymore!! lol seriously these morons dont know what to do with their lives so the question people on things that are being resolved by the court or by the audit bureau... plus most of the questions are for pervious government held offices which makes them unconstitutional, but waht can we say they're trying to save a weird democratic system we have lol.

I must say since things went Okay... I Feel Optimistic for Kuwait's Future, Something I Have not Felt In a Long Long Time.

"Members of religious groups not sanctioned in the Quran, such as Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists, are not allowed to build places of worship or other religious facilities.[71] However, these groups are allowed to worship privately in their homes and can engage in religious activities, including public marriage and other celebrations, without government interference."

Is this true.. No hindu/buddhist temples at all..?

"Members of religious groups not sanctioned in the Quran, such as Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists, are not allowed to build places of worship or other religious facilities.[71] However, these groups are allowed to worship privately in their homes and can engage in religious activities, including public marriage and other celebrations, without government interference."

Is this true.. No hindu/buddhist temples at all..?

It is true. Our government allows churches and other places of worship related to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. These three religions are related by ONE GOD, and that's why our government doesn't allow temples for religions that don't worship God. See that's why ;p

Hey I got some random question lol

Are there many Persians in Kuwait? I read online that about 30-35% of Kuwaiti citizens are Persians, but then I can never properly find any info about them, unlike about the Persians in Bahrain, which I find strange because Bahrain is so small in comparison to Kuwait. Why is this? Is it maybe because Persians in Kuwait have been assimilated into the Arab culture and society now, so there isn't really anything Persian about them anymore?

Can anyone tell me what they are like in Kuwait? And also, like when did Persians start arriving in Kuwait :)

Thanks!

Persians started arriving to Kuwait something like 100 - 50 years ago. My great great grandfather is Persian, but because he lived in Kuwait during that time the government gave his a Kuwaiti civil ID. So I am a Kuwaiti, not Persian, but I am one of those 30-35% that are Persian originated in Kuwait.
The thing is that there isn't something called pure Kuwaiti. People from Saudi Arabia, Persia, and a few from Iraq came to Kuwait to live, and thus were called Kuwaitis.

All what I said above is from my personal knowledge, and some people may oppose to what I have said. ;p

Greetings from SSC Cebu, Philippines!


http://i861.photobucket.com/albums/ab178/djxd/views/cebupanorama30.jpg

guys why i cant find any of Salmiya threads such as The white or wafra mall or symphony !
there are a real works in salmiya need more update and photos about them

shaggy's new song is amazing,, sorry is it the chat thread :P

i just found this site about Salmiya Park (http://salmiyapark.com.kw/)
i cant find the thread !

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=261893&highlight=salmiya+park

i just found this site about Salmiya Park (http://salmiyapark.com.kw/)
i cant find the thread !

Guwwa ya ikhwa,
I am trying to reach some of my childhood Kuwaiti friends from when I lived there in the mid 70s until the Ghazwu. I have a 7 digit number 433-XXXX which has now changed to a 8 or 9 digit number. They live in Jeleeb Al Shuyukh and I'm hoping one of you can help me with the new prefix for this area. I'm calling from the US, so it's 011-965-??433-XXXX.

Allah yatikum alafiya.

Guwwa ya ikhwa,
I am trying to reach some of my childhood Kuwaiti friends from when I lived there in the mid 70s until the Ghazwu. I have a 7 digit number 433-XXXX which has now changed to a 8 or 9 digit number. They live in Jeleeb Al Shuyukh and I'm hoping one of you can help me with the new prefix for this area. I'm calling from the US, so it's 011-965-??433-XXXX.

Allah yatikum alafiya.

just add 2 , so the number will be 00965 2 433

just add 2 , so the number will be 00965 2 433

Appreciate your quick response. Is it an addition of 2 for all numbers in Q8, or there are different prefixes for Ahmadi, Jabriya, Salmiya, etc. or by muhafazat?

all land lines have 2 infront of them, comapnies have 1, mobile phones have 9, 6 or 5 depending on the service provider.

yipeeeeeeeeeeeeee summer holidays start schoolzz closed!!! :) :)

Interactive Infographic of the World's Best Countries (http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/15/interactive-infographic-of-the-worlds-best-countries.html)

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/4489/hateyou.jpg

It was not me ;) I swear!!!
LOL It happens with me many times...

http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/7874/randomtuesgif7.jpg

ahahahahaa creepy!!

Hey guys! Just wanted to ask whether there is thread on Salmiya Park as I can provide updates on that

Hey guys! Just wanted to ask whether there is thread on Salmiya Park as I can provide updates on that

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=261893

Kuwait City might be bidding for the 2020 Summer Olympics.:) -Doha and Dubai will also possibly bid.

http://www.meed.com/sectors/construction/infrastructure/olympic-dream-is-far-fetched/3073149.article

lol wtf! yes come to the summer Olympics in kuwait city.... the 48 degrees weather and the ice cold orange juice awaits.

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/3826/awephotos11.jpg

Kuwait is the largest country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by Denmark, to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic, to the south by Austria and Switzerland, and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Kuwait is a federation of 16 states, each with its own distinct and unique culture. Kuwait is one of the most influential nations in Western culture. Known around the world for its precision engineering, high-tech products, and modern economy it is equally admired by visitors for its old-world charm and Gemuetlichkeit, or guest-friendly-ness! Kuwait has many historical regions and much local diversity for its relatively small size.

LOOOOL couldnt laugh more thats come from etihad airways page lol

http://www.etihadairways.com/sites/Etihad/kw/en/home/Pages/flights-to-kuwait.aspx

lol we're in central europe and we didnt even know that! nice..

Why has this not been posted yet?

TV studio ransacked
Posted on » Tuesday, October 19, 2010

KUWAIT CITY: An armed mob stormed the offices of a privately-owned Kuwaiti TV station and destroyed its equipment after the channel aired shows critical of the country's ruling family, employees said yesterday.

At least 100 people wielding guns and knives broke into Scope TV's studios on Sunday, cameraman Fahad Al Rashed said.

"They forced us off the air and started smashing computers, sets, studio equipment and cameras."

Scope TV, a small operation employing about 70 people, has come under fire for programmes critical of religious leaders and the ruling family. Most recently, a comedy show poked fun at Kuwait's limited strides toward democracy, which have given it an elected parliament.

Station owner Fajr Al Saeed said authorities detained and questioned her last week about the show, which included jokes about overthrowing Kuwait's rulers.

Al Saeed said one of those in the crowd that descended on the station on Sunday put a gun to a security guard's head and demanded entry.

"Even if (the mob) didn't agree with something we had aired, there is no reason to use force to make their point," she told the AP.

The station's administration put the damage at just over $1 million.

Interior Minister Shaikh Jaber Al Khaled Al Sabah said that authorities had the attackers in custody.

we live in a sand jungle

:( SHAME on US !

Haha, Scope TV got busted! :D

and you're happy about TV channels being attacked and private property being damaged just because they disagree... i thought we had a judicial system that gave everybody their rights if they were affected one's actions, but i guess culturally we still have not evolved from being primitive primates.

hello fellow kuwaitis...what's a good hotel to stay at? and/or the best hotel in town...

hello fellow kuwaitis...what's a good hotel to stay at? and/or the best hotel in town...

Sheraton Kuwait is the oldest and most prestigious and most respected

hello fellow kuwaitis...what's a good hotel to stay at? and/or the best hotel in town...

I love the Courtyard! Modern, spacious, friendly, adjacent to Al Raya Mall.

thanks guys they both looked great!

it depends, if you wanna stay in the downtown area, there is the Ibis Sharq, JW Marriott, Courtyard, The Sheraton or Four Points Sheraton, Holiday Inn downtown.
Salmiya Area, The commercial district, most of the malls and shops, nice beach and walk. There is the Ibis Salmiya, Safir Marina Hotel.... If resorts, they are a bit far from the downtown area, Movenpick Resort Al-Bida'a or Movenpick Free Trade Zone, The Hilton Resort.

Great to see the Kuwaiti banner. It's awesomw:rock:

Someone posted an article that taking pictures in the public with a DSLR is now forbidden in Kuwait. Is that correct?

^^

I guess it's true!

Kuwaiti people are so psychedelicaly random.

So you can't take pictures now? I'm pretty sure you can do that ANYWHERE in the world...North Korea, Nazi Germany, Afghanistan under the Taliban, Iraq under Saddam, Hell?....Anywhere. Just not in Kuwait lol

Ahaha....god this picture thing is so retarded. You need to get permits from 3 ministries to take a f***ing picture!:

http://tv.kuwait.tt/Videos.aspx?type=2&Id=2801

http://1.1.1.3/bmi/www.meed.com/pictures/586xAny/0/8/5/30085_Kuwait.jpg
There is cautious optimism that Kuwait, while far from overcoming its bureaucratic shortcomings, is finally moving in the right direction

Invasions, conflicts and the global financial downturn have meant that Kuwait’s project developments have fallen far short of the country’s potential in the past 20 years.

The country’s $104bn five-year infrastructure development programme is the focus of this renewed hope. Private sector expertise will help deliver $28bn in new projects.

A $7bn metro system, the country’s first independent water and power plant, a $3bn tourist development and the expansion of Kuwait airport are all planned.

In the past megaprojects such as these have failed to get off the ground. Although this has done little to damage Kuwait’s macro-economic stability as the world’s fourth-largest oil exporter, its weakness lies in its political system.

Multibillion-dollar projects have been hampered by open debates and confrontations in parliament.

This time, there is more of a political consensus surrounding the plans.

Kuwait’s parliament must now work to remove its reputation for being an obstacle to the implementation of the country’s development and apply a structured approach to realise its ambitions.
meed (http://bit.ly/eOxjF0)

So can we now say, kuwait is officially a badou jungle?

goodbye our beloved country, welcome Bedouin state :(

I heard the ban on taking pictures r lifted now.

WOW, banning pictures in public! That is a good way to boost tourism!

So can we now say, kuwait is officially a badou jungle?

Wasn't it always?

Haha, kidding.. But why do u say this now?

http://www.alqabas.com.kw/Article.aspx?id=656899%20&date=05122010

http://www.alqabas.com.kw/Article.aspx?id=656899%20&date=05122010

Whose this guy and who did they shoot him?!

wth halawala, ween bel article maktoob they shot him! They gathered around him like 30 plus people from supporters of a few opposition MPs...
The guy is mohamed al juweihel, he has a TV channel, hes very vocal against some MPs, and against people with dual citizenships, and illegal bedons... and they hate him for it.

So basically, they beat up a guy because he disagrees with them and because he has the constitutional right to freely express himself, legally under law.

And for that, the barbarians decide to beat him up. What a disgrace and this is not in our 3adat wa taqaleed.

I hope they catch whoever did this because the guy ended in a coma. This is an assault that could have cost him his own life. This is very similar to someone getting shot at, so I think the guilty parties need to be thrown into jail, receive their own beatings and be sentenced for at least 7-10 years in prison, without bail.

Oh yeah and as for the photography ban, another backward mentality in our country. Wallah in Kuwait sometimes they just ban for 3inad. No other reasons, just out of pure deliberation to piss people off. Maybe the guy who proposed the idea of banning photography envies a photographer's wife or something. It's always like that.

hey guys ! I'm visiting Kuwait in a couple of weeks (as I do almost every year), I'm don't wanna be arrested for taking photos in public :bash:

Are you guys serious about this photo ban story ?? I think it's crazy :nuts:

Theres no photo ban.. it seems the rumour was started by kuwait times newspaper and picked up by tv channels and no ministry or authority said its true.. lol

I agree with Mohammad. There is an unfortunate amount of effort being dedicated at making Kuwait less and less open.

First, the photography 'ban.' Although that thankfully turned out to be nothing more than a blown-up rumor, people still get in trouble at public places like The Avenues or outside buildings in downtown Kuwait by security guards who ask you to delete whatever you photographed or even try to confiscate your camera. Security reasons, fine, but inconvenient nonetheless. You get this all over the world, so whatever.

I also came across a few articles that Islamist MPs are pushing for a full bikini/female sportswear ban, with punitive sentences like deportation or a one-year jail sentence for those who do not follow the ban. RIDICULOUS.

The beating of Mohammad Al-Juwaihel: he criticizes Bedouins for being uncivilized, and what happens? He gets beaten black and blue by Bedouins. [Or so I've read... forgive me if I'm wrong.] I have no hatred or any form of discomfort towards any people of any background or origin, and while I feel that Al-Juwaihel expressed his opinion, however radical, he shouldn't have gotten what came to him. Not only does that prove what he's trying to say about this group of people, it's a complete embarrassment and disgrace to us as Kuwaitis.

Another example - to those of you who have been to P.F. Chang's at The Avenues, you may remember that there were two large horse statues outside the restaurant's entrance. Those were allegedly removed because they represent 'animal idolatry.' Animal idolatry. Really.

Some idiotic members of parliament and a sad percentage of our citizens are focusing their efforts on such trivial, spurious tasks rather than targeting greater enemies. Instead of working towards better infrastructure, improving education and health or promoting a sense of greater living in Kuwait, they're pushing to turn Kuwait into a fifth century fundamentalist hellhole.

What a terrible, terrible shame. I can only hope that we can all establish a common ground to express our ideals and work towards a brighter, better Kuwait for Kuwaitis, Arabs and the world as a whole.

CT

at this point i dont see a better brighter kuwait, sorry.

I agree with Mohammad. There is an unfortunate amount of effort being dedicated at making Kuwait less and less open.

First, the photography 'ban.' Although that thankfully turned out to be nothing more than a blown-up rumor, people still get in trouble at public places like The Avenues or outside buildings in downtown Kuwait by security guards who ask you to delete whatever you photographed or even try to confiscate your camera. Security reasons, fine, but inconvenient nonetheless. You get this all over the world, so whatever.

I also came across a few articles that Islamist MPs are pushing for a full bikini/female sportswear ban, with punitive sentences like deportation or a one-year jail sentence for those who do not follow the ban. RIDICULOUS.

The beating of Mohammad Al-Juwaihel: he criticizes Bedouins for being uncivilized, and what happens? He gets beaten black and blue by Bedouins. [Or so I've read... forgive me if I'm wrong.] I have no hatred or any form of discomfort towards any people of any background or origin, and while I feel that Al-Juwaihel expressed his opinion, however radical, he shouldn't have gotten what came to him. Not only does that prove what he's trying to say about this group of people, it's a complete embarrassment and disgrace to us as Kuwaitis.

Another example - to those of you who have been to P.F. Chang's at The Avenues, you may remember that there were two large horse statues outside the restaurant's entrance. Those were allegedly removed because they represent 'animal idolatry.' Animal idolatry. Really.

Some idiotic members of parliament and a sad percentage of our citizens are focusing their efforts on such trivial, spurious tasks rather than targeting greater enemies. Instead of working towards better infrastructure, improving education and health or promoting a sense of greater living in Kuwait, they're pushing to turn Kuwait into a fifth century fundamentalist hellhole.

What a terrible, terrible shame. I can only hope that we can all establish a common ground to express our ideals and work towards a brighter, better Kuwait for Kuwaitis, Arabs and the world as a whole.

CT

Well, you guys had horses in PF Changs,

We had 2 Oryx statues in a roundabout once and they removed it because there were rumours that people worshiped them. it was replaced by a giant globe, which during a storm fell and started rolling down the street. LoooL! They put the Oryxes back to the top of the roundabout. I think people should just calm down and let people live as they please. If people are insulted by seeing boobies, then dont go to that beach. Im sure Kuwait or any other Gulf country have plenty of coastline to have many different beaches!

And I know that people have freedom of speech and all that blah blah blah... But if you know that when you insult a group of people (especially the b>>>>>) they will retaliate and kill you, your mom, your dad, hold your son ransom, and burn your house--because you called them fat.. LOOL OK I might be exhaggerating, but its true. I think dont ask for a fight when you know you'll be getting kicked in the ask.

Some people have a differentn mentality as us. No matter how hard you explain to them that its just an opinion, they will take it as the wish.

Ahmad al Sarraf is cute....Château Salwa, LOL

http://www.alqabas.com.kw/Article.aspx?id=659239&date=14122010

http://http://www.alqabas.com.kw/Temp/Authors/8dfb6180-3841-4eeb-b71d-ac98a613c0be_author.jpg


«شاتوه» سالمية.. و«شاتوه» سلوى!

كتب الزميل العراقي عبدالله السكوتي الحكاية التالية، ولا أدري مدى صحة ذلك، والتي «بطلها» رئيس وزراء العراق الأسبق نوري السعيد، حيث قال إن مجلس النواب في عهد السعيد صوّت مبدئيا على قرار إغلاق الملاهي والحانات والنوادي الليلية، لكن الحكومة اختارت عدم الامتثال للقرار، وجادل السعيد النواب عدة مرات للعدول عن التصويت النهائي، فلم يوافقوه على ذلك، وكانوا مصممين على موقفهم! وقبل اتخاذ القرار النهائي دعا السعيد النواب إلى داره لتناول طعام العشاء، وأمر من يقوم على خدمتهم بغلق جميع المرافق الصحية والحمامات، وأولم لهم بما لذّ وطاب من مشروبات وطعام، وحين أراد النواب الذهاب إلى الحمامات وجدوها مقفلة، هذا بعد سمر طال أمده. واحتج نوري السعيد بشتى الحجج ليبرر غلق حمامات قصره، فما كان من النواب إلا استخدام الحديقة لقضاء الحاجة، فدبت بينهم الفوضى والروائح الكريهة والمناظر غير السارة، وحين
عاد النواب من الأعيان والشيوخ ألحوا على نوري السعيد معرفة سبب تصرفه الغريب. فقال: أنتم تريدون إغلاق النوادي الليلية والمراقص والملاهي، وحينها سيفعل الناس ما فعلتم، وستمتلئ الشوارع والأزقة والمناطق السكنية بمن يريد ممارسة ما تمليه عليه غريزته، وسيصبح «الميدان» في كل المناطق، وستكون المشارب هي الطرق، فلماذا لا تدعوا الأمر مقنناً، وله أماكن يرتادها روادها؟ حينها اقتنع النواب وألغوا تصويتهم على القرار!
ولو نظرنا إلى أوضاع دولنا لوجدنا أن غالبيتها تعيش حالة شديدة من النفاق المخزي! فهي تعلم إلى أين يسافر مواطنوها عند أول فرصة وعطلة وإجازة سنوية، وتعلم جديا لماذا يسافر هؤلاء ولأي غرض، لكنها اختارت ان تكون كالقرود التي «لا تسمع ولا ترى ولا تتكلم»، وتُصر على المكابرة، وتخاف من «البعض» وتتردد في تقنين تناول المشروبات مثلا، وهي هنا ايضا تعلم تمام العلم أنها تتوافر في كل ميدان، وأن من يود الشرب فلن يعدم الوسيلة، لكن بمخاطرة أمنية وصحية كبيرة وبثمن مبالغ فيه، فبورصة أسعار المشروبات الروحية معروفة وأنواعها معروفة، حتى الجهات التي تقوم بتهريبها، وهي المستفيد الأكبر من هذا الحظر، تكاد تكون معروفة. كما تنتشر في طول البلاد وعرضها مصانع «تقطيره»، فهناك «شاتوه» سالمية و«شاتوه» سلوى وغير ذلك. وأقسام الحوادث في المستشفيات أكثر الجهات، علما بما يحدث آخر الليل من مدمني المخدرات ومتناولي «الزفت» من المشروبات! لكن هذا قرار الأمة «المتخلفة»، وعلينا الانصياع له

i love this guy! lol

I agree with Mohammad. There is an unfortunate amount of effort being dedicated at making Kuwait less and less open.

First, the photography 'ban.' Although that thankfully turned out to be nothing more than a blown-up rumor, people still get in trouble at public places like The Avenues or outside buildings in downtown Kuwait by security guards who ask you to delete whatever you photographed or even try to confiscate your camera. Security reasons, fine, but inconvenient nonetheless. You get this all over the world, so whatever.

I also came across a few articles that Islamist MPs are pushing for a full bikini/female sportswear ban, with punitive sentences like deportation or a one-year jail sentence for those who do not follow the ban. RIDICULOUS.

The beating of Mohammad Al-Juwaihel: he criticizes Bedouins for being uncivilized, and what happens? He gets beaten black and blue by Bedouins. [Or so I've read... forgive me if I'm wrong.] I have no hatred or any form of discomfort towards any people of any background or origin, and while I feel that Al-Juwaihel expressed his opinion, however radical, he shouldn't have gotten what came to him. Not only does that prove what he's trying to say about this group of people, it's a complete embarrassment and disgrace to us as Kuwaitis.

Another example - to those of you who have been to P.F. Chang's at The Avenues, you may remember that there were two large horse statues outside the restaurant's entrance. Those were allegedly removed because they represent 'animal idolatry.' Animal idolatry. Really.

Some idiotic members of parliament and a sad percentage of our citizens are focusing their efforts on such trivial, spurious tasks rather than targeting greater enemies. Instead of working towards better infrastructure, improving education and health or promoting a sense of greater living in Kuwait, they're pushing to turn Kuwait into a fifth century fundamentalist hellhole.

What a terrible, terrible shame. I can only hope that we can all establish a common ground to express our ideals and work towards a brighter, better Kuwait for Kuwaitis, Arabs and the world as a whole.

CT
Well said Ct, and thanks for the friend invitation. :)

Sometimes, a part of me says that we shouldn't have a parliament or democracy in Kuwait. But usually it's just a knee-jerk reaction I get whenever I read about how people today are abusing the system. Then again, I do agree with the idea that a good iron-fist leader is probably better than a corrupt democratic state. If a country has a good person to become a one-man show leader, then why not? At least he can take the country forward, without getting any institutionalized resistance by a few people who abused and hijacked a faulty system. Sometimes I think that's the best solution for us as Arabs and Muslims. And it isn't necessarily a bad thing. Democracies might work well for other groups of people but I'd take a good one-man leadership any day, as long as the leader is just, generous and caring for his people and country's prosperity. Case in point, we have people like Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid of Dubai, Sheikh Nahayan of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Hammad Al-Thani of Qatar, etc.

At least without the bureaucratic red tapes, provided our leadership is wise and honorable, our country can excel itself and join among other ranks. In the mean time, however, Kuwait is spending too much money on 99.999% of its adult population, since almost all of them are government employees, with exception to a few minority independents. Meanwhile, a few MPs in parliament bark like dogs and demand Kuwait's government to DOUBLE or TRIPLE or even quadruple the salaries of those government employees for practically no legitimate reason whatsoever. I mean, what more are they doing, other then sitting behind their desks all day long and not even being efficient in their tasks. Ergo, look at our baladiya and how they 'monitor' the environment by ensuring it remains un-littered. Yeah right.

Or the fact Kuwait is spending millions on salaries for students to go abroad and study degrees that will offer no significance to the Kuwaiti society when they return. The fact they've made it so easy for anyone to apply for a scholarship, for any dumb degree they could find, just for the sake of traveling abroad.

It's a shame that our country's wealth is being drained by its own people like that. Kuwait is being raped and pillaged more by its people than by what Saddam did. Just take, take, take and take. And give absolutely nothing back.

And then they complain that our country isn't building mega projects like Qatar or quickly transforming the country into something dynamic and self-sufficient.

Sadly, our country is being put to shame. No initiatives are being taken to bring in Ivy league school branches in Kuwait, despite the fact we have the brains to enter these universities and we have human resources. No initiatives are taken to do anything.

Somehow I think many of these problems can be solved if democracy was unavailable for the likes of a few rotten eggs to halt us from progress. But the only scary thing about having no democracy is that people will have an open-ticket to steal as much money as they want and nobody can stop them. God knows how much stealing is occurring in countries where democracies don't exist, whereby a guy takes 100 million for a project, spends 50 million and puts the other 50 in his bank account. If there's one positive aspect of our democracy, it's the fact this kind of stealing cannot happen. But the irony is, our democracy will ask the government to pay its workers/employees double the salaries for no reason whatsoever. Technically speaking, that's also stealing.

So in essence, having no democracy is dangerous but having the same kind of democracy we do today is also dangerous for our country's health. When you think of the capital invesment % our country is spending according to the wealth it generates per year, it's only 3%. Believe this crap? Only 3%? I wonder where the rest of the money is going (not gonna have to repeat myself)... Yet in countries like Qatar, the capital investment per the wealth they generate each year is around 35-40%.

We can build a country and system that will make us not only the best in the region but eventually independent on exporting oil. But we resort to paying bank checks for our lazy employees instead. Tens of billions, that could be used to build a country within a country.

So yeah, in conclusion, I'd say the most effective form of governing would be a reformed democracy.

There needs to be a democratic reformation in Kuwait. Without democracy, we can be blessed with a good leader who can make us shine, or we might be cursed with a one-man show who fails to see how much stealing takes place from big-shot monopolizers. Conversely, our current democracy might prevent such 'stealing' but we will have another form of stealing, which is known as 'daylight robbery'. Example? Doubling or tripling salaries, buying bedouin homes and giving them extra cash for no reason, etc.

Solution? A more democratic democracy. Something like UK's system. Prime Minister perhaps from a non-ruling family and not an elite entrepreneurship family either. Political parties to be established and a balanced status quo that would prevents Islamists from becoming grizzly bears, thieves from stealing, parasites from feasting and will pave way for pioneers to build the country.

What the f**k is La Plata city? And where the hell is the Kuwaiti banner?

I talked yesterday with shay3 alshay3 naeb raes majles il baldi about madeenat il 7reer
he said in 10 years from now ra7 ykoon fee nas sakneeen fee madeenat il 7areer :)

Hahahah,, i think he was joking :P

^^^^^^
he was serious i was talking with him bil diwania
talking about jaber causeway 4th ring road and madeenat il 7reeer

jaber causeway is going ok but deewan il mu7sba is checking if everything is ok

4th ring road there is only 4 houses and a gas station that was aganist the mashroo3
so thats why it took long time for il mashroo3
the houses refusing to sell or tahmeen i dont know i forget really :P

madeenat il 7areeer

gitla im6wala il salfaa??????

galeee eee yabeeela ba3ad it3rif rab3naa :P !!

chan agoola inzain 3a6ny tagreeeban miitaaa gally inshallaa 10 sneeen min al7eeen ra7 fee nas sakneen ib madeenat il 7reeeer

ee thkart
there is some good news for the metro and train ..
:)

^^^^^^
talking about jaber causeway 4th ring road and madeenat il 7reeer

jaber causeway is going ok but deewan il mu7sba is checking if everything is ok

4th ring road there is only 4 houses and a gas station that was aganist the mashroo3
so thats why it took long time for il mashroo3
the houses refusing to sell or tahmeen i dont know i forget really :P

:)

OMG, if it was in Qatar, they would take these houses for the "manfa3a el 3ama" without even second thought! Cant beleive they actually have a voice there!

OMG, if it was in Qatar, they would take these houses for the "manfa3a el 3ama" without even second thought! Cant beleive they actually have a voice there!

At least that way we get things done ASAP, not to mention that the so called "houses" owners are refunded.

The house owners here get refunded, and get a more cash than a normal sale of the land... But in Kuwait, property owners and individuals have a say on what they want to do with their land.

Guys, is there a common thread for unknown or upcoming mid-rise projects?.. i have a few photos of some of these ..but no clue where to post 'em. The problem being i dont want to start a new thread that would end up having just that one post with no follow up.

Well there is the low rise buildings thread, i think you have to search for it.

Guys, is there a common thread for unknown or upcoming mid-rise projects?.. i have a few photos of some of these ..but no clue where to post 'em. The problem being i dont want to start a new thread that would end up having just that one post with no follow up.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=234191

^^ Skouli the thread is closed

Guys, something is confusing me :nuts: Bear with me
i logged onto the sheraton website (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/search/results/grid.html?brand=SI&country=KW&numberOfRooms=01&numberOfAdults=01)
It says" There are no Sheraton hotels in KW. However, we did find 2 Starwood hotels in the area "

i checked out the Starwood webpage (http://gulf.destinations.starwoodhotels.com/kuwait.htm), n i found the 2.

Now, the original Sheraton comes under the " Luxury Collection" brand, and the other under " four points" brand. Both of them have "sheraton" in their names but dont appear on their website
and all are "Starwood" properties...

so i'm confused.. :lol:

^^ Skouli the thread is closed

^^sorry for that

thread unlocked

edit

MAAAAAAALLLAAAAAAAAATTTT 3ALA L'BAMYA





http://buzfairy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/7-star-hotel-in-place-of-Salam-Palace-in-Kuwait.png


http://buzfairy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/salam-palace-old-days.jpg


:puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke:

I don't get it, hotel wala markaz thaqafiii... the design of the palace does not suit a hotel. we3 they don't know what to do with their money!

phillistines, boors.....money-hungry, uneducated monkeys

THIS IS RIDICULOUS.

I've always admired the Al Salam Palace and hoped that it would one day be restored and turned into a museum or public venue for people to see a no-longer-practiced architectural style or to canonize a piece of history. Knocking it down for a hotel - what good does that do? Hell, they'd probably let Safir manage it.

If the government is intent on building a hotel in that location, why don't they renovate the current building and integrate it into the new structure? Many buildings in North America that occupy the sites of older/historic structures find cohesive ways to merge the old and new buildings together. See Toronto's Living Shangri-La or Washington DC's Marriott Marquis, for example.

Go ahead. Turn Kuwait into the Middle East's latest, faceless, anonymous attraction. You know, because that isn't happening already.

CT

I believe for the right amount of dinars she can find a "abd" waseem wa muhadhdhab.


KUWAIT CITY, June 25: A few weeks after creating waves with the suggestion that Kuwaiti men be allowed to keep concubines to satisfy their urges, former national assembly candidate and activist Salwa Al-Mutairi has called for issuing a law that would allow Kuwaiti women to buy good looking men from Muslim countries. The men, however, should have ‘slave qualities’ and should be ready for marriage.

According to Al-Mutairi, the proposal would solve the problem of spinsters in Kuwait and would help face the phenomenon of increasing divorce rates in the country.

Talking about the qualities of a slave man, Al-Mutairi said “the purchased man should be polite, modest and good looking. He should obey the orders of his wife and treat her well, so that she spends her life with him in a beautiful way, away from clashes, fights and disputes.”

Salwa added that such ‘husbands’ should be recruited through offices in Islamic countries, not just from Russia, and said ‘wanted husbands for women’ advertisements should mention that the candidate should either be a Muslim or should be willing to embrace Islam.

A Kuwaiti woman can select her husband by looking at the photos of the applicants, she said, adding the proposal will also help eugenics in Kuwait. Al-Mutairi said she would do the job if she was given legal authorization and would visit European and Asian countries which have large Muslim populations and hire men who have the qualities needed to satisfy Kuwaiti women.

Salwa also claimed that a former minister who spent 14 years in his position proposed to her and that he loves her very much but she refused to marry him because he is 30 years older than her. She said she is ready to get married to a young good looking European, even if he is poor.

Meanwhile, Islamic thinker Mohammad Al-Ansari described the proposal on purchasing slaves as “strange, odd and not in tune with the current times.”

LOL




SHOE-THROWING TEENAGER DESTROYS KUWAIT’S MOST EXPENSIVE CHANDELIER (REALLY)

http://static03.mediaite.com/mogulite/uploads/2011/08/chandelier.jpg

You know those days when you’re at the mall and you really want an Auntie Anne’s pretzel but the kiosk is closed and you get so angry that you take off your shoe and throw it at a $1.8 million chandelier in the middle of the promenade, causing it to come crashing to the ground? No?

Well, apparently that’s just happened in Kuwait! Minus the Auntie Anne’s part.

A teenager was apparently apprehended at the 360 Mall in Kuwait (“a complete experience for the shopper with taste”) after taking off one of this shoes and throwing it at a prized chandelier, according to the Kuwait Times. Compounding problems for the young hooligan? This was apparently a $1.8 million chandelier, reportedly the most expensive in the country. Wow.

The vandal’s motive is unknown (and likely not pretzel-related), but during the interrogation he claimed that “he didn’t expect the action to be strong enough to knock the huge chandelier to the ground.” Sure. Because throwing your shoe at a chandelier in the mall is totally normal when you’re positive that it’s securely hitched to the ceiling.

Oh, and I almost forgot the best part: guess what shoes the guy was wearing? Crocs. Kuwait’s most valuable chandelier was destroyed by a Croc-wearing teenager.

The obvious question (beyond “why would someone do this?”) is, naturally, why was such a valuable item displayed so precariously in a mall? If the world’s flimsiest shoe could take it out, what else would have done the trick? A strong breeze?

http://www.mogulite.com/kuwait-chandelier-destroyed/

Lol, wallah hal hailag! I say some jail time and some nice ass rape with a pair of crocs would do him justice.

^^ omg! is this for real?? 1.8 mil just gone down the drain! haha it's so sad but funny at the same time...

I'm confused right now...

Someone in the comments section claims only a small portion of the chandelier was damaged. Yet the Kuwaiti media stated otherwise, and that's where the author of that article got her information from.

So did the whole thing crash down or is the article wrong? :dunno:

I'm confused right now...

Someone in the comments section claims only a small portion of the chandelier was damaged. Yet the Kuwaiti media stated otherwise, and that's where the author of that article got her information from.

So did the whole thing crash down or is the article wrong? :dunno:

There've been a few conflicting reports. I initially heard that the whole chandelier came down but then I saw a photo with only a few shards of glass surrounding the errant Croc.

I checked the chandelier out for myself and found out that only two flowers were broken. Apparently the guy behind this is a sub-18-year-old [14, I think] Bedoon boy with a dead father and a mother in the hospital for cancer treatment. Don't know what the motive was, but 360's management dropped the charges against him upon discovery of his background.

Sad situation, but why vent your frustration on a work of art? No comment.

Hope that helps.

CT

His mother is in the hospital for cancer and he's in 360 breaking chandeliers! wtf is wrong with people, ya3ne shako, oh well, the management shouldn't have dropped the charges in my opinion, being bedoon is not a get out of jail card!

http://www.kabobfest.com/2011/10/the-gatsbyian-nature-of-underground-parties-in-kuwait.html



The Gatsbyian Nature of (Underground) Parties in Kuwait

http://www.kabobfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/greatgatsby_kabobfest_02.jpg

“The bar is in full swing, and floating rounds of cocktails permeate the garden outside, until the air is alive with chatter and laughter, and casual innuendo and introductions forgotten on the spot, and enthusiastic meetings between women who never knew each other’s names.” - The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

Recently, I found myself at a party. Within this modern ritual, I nestled myself in a corner (something I tend to do in these events) to drink in the scene that lay before me. Honey-colored liquid courage held softly in my right hand, whilst the other toyed with a cancer-stick. It was a decent-sized living room, on the ground floor of a house, transformed into a field of pleasure.

Before me, in the dim-lightened space, hands and feet and heated bodies swayed to the hum of a discography of the “top” Billboards Chart’s that loudly lurched out of the speakers, chosen by the self-appointed DJ (who, perhaps, was immersed in their own delusions of grandeur). Among the hum, the babble of small talk, wild shouts, and artificial empathy salted the air. Servants invisibly and cautiously whisking about, cleaning up the discarded cups and emptying the over-flowing ashtrays before the mess overtook the room. Others worked quickly over the make-shift bar where different bottles of social-lubricant lay. A few servants, outside in the dry heat of night, waited to handle the anthology of cars as they stream into the street throughout the evening.

Not all parties in Kuwait are like this, only a few. Most are more modest, less crowded.

As I stood there, my thoughts wandered. I started to sense resonance of something I have read years before. It was from the Great Gatsby.

For those of the uncultured (in other words: the scum), the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a tragic love story set in the roaring 1920s New York, during the beginning age of Prohibition after WWI. More so, it is a novel that muses on the nature of wealth, class, social reputation, isolation, and elitism. Passage after passage in the book, describes the opulent parties that Gatsby (the namesake of the novel, and not the protagonist) would throw in order to garner social credit in an attempt to win back his lost love, Daisy, who has shacked up with a rich fellow (Spoiler: He doesn’t get the girl and proceeds to blow his brains out. There’s a lesson here somewhere).

For the briefest of moments as I stood in that corner that night, I felt the themes and musings of wealth and power manifesting itself before me. As I left the bash tired and slightly buzzed, I began to ponder the nature of parties, in general, and, more specifically, the nature of parties in Kuwait. Parties, the way they are structured, conducted, and who participates, is a murky reflection of society in general and the various social, cultural, political, economic facets, whether as rejection or ratification, influence the nature of parties. In other words, each party is defined by the context of where and when it takes place.

Such festivities are fundamentally understood as a moment of liberation, a moment to put your troubles away the instant you enter, a moment to let loose, a moment to celebrate. Such environments leave those who seek control fretting. Yet, such settings can be restrictive and harmful in their own ways.

Kuwait is a small country that is marked by schizophrenia and contradiction. It is restrictive and conservative, yet generates pockets of extreme liberalism and self-scrutiny. There is stupendous oil wealth and contemporary forms of slavery bonded together. There is constant struggle of identity, regionally, internationally, and inherently, in the face of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, and the United States.

There is decency and there is obscenity. It is unique and at the same time completely usual.

Parties of the flavor I found myself in are formally criminalized. Parties do occur, but certain parties that allow gender intermixing (curiously, the rigid acceptance of gender segregation is a recent phenomenon), an array of mind altering substances, and other various forms of so-called debauchery are classified as “illegal”. The biggest taboo is sex. Parties that allow occasion for sexualization can lead many, if caught and without the right connections and luck, to generally be…ahem…****ed. Inevitably, such obstacles do create backlash as people attempt outrageous things in hosting and participating in parties.

Thus, as “illegality” increases within the party zone, a correlation occurs with “exclusivity” – the limitations of those who are allowed to participate. This is so because of an underlining fear and paranoia prevalent in the background; the fear of judgment, the fear of being caught, the fear of being “outted”. It must come as no surprise then that most parties in Kuwait are held in the safety of houses or chalets (like a summer home located outside the urban centers near the coast) away from prying eyes. This is a public secret. Hush, don’t tell (Even when I spoke to a few friends on writing this, it was met with some unease and calls for caution).

Participants of parties are unconsciously afflicted by this fear and paranoia. More so, there is always the social baggage that restrains many peoples’ actions, where there is always that sense of judgment, a potential tarnishing of reputation, which could result in a perceived sense of social seppuku. This is most likely the higher one goes up the social ladder. The subtext of essential individual and collective isolation permeates, as the participants are always guarded.

Due to the nature of Kuwaiti society and the risks involved in throwing a party, it becomes naturally very cliquey. It becomes absurdly incestuous and familiar, where the same people are running in the same circles. Intermixing between the various social groups is limited, but nonetheless do occur. Such instances of different social groups coming together are rare, awkward, and fraught with potential drama (and oh, how we all hate drama no?). The social decentralization element exists because there is no unifying social space and the different social groups are trapped in their own respective bubbles.

A question rears its head: If parties are supposedly spaces of liberty and escapism, how are we, the attendants, truly free if we are constantly isolated, paranoid, guarded? Aren’t these parties subsequently just beautifying an inner and shared prison?

The ability to throw parties that include alcohol and other “no-nos” are restricted to those who can afford such leisure. Alcohol and drugs are strictly forbidden publicly, thereby providing a massive boon to the black market (a bottle of, say, Johnny Walker Red Label is marked on average at about $120 dollars; Beer is a delicacy, ridiculously hunted and valued). To be able to host such parties are limited to those who own roomy houses or chalets (i.e. the rich folks, and typically Kuwaiti).

This begs another thought: How does a laborer, who earns about $30 to $50 a month and mainly lives in crapped quarters with about five to ten other individuals, party and how do they get away with it if caught?

Furthermore, these parties are bizarro-like in their mimicry of what parties should be, as absorbed from (mainly Western) pop culture and lifestyles. Here, I’m not saying that there should be a “culturally authentic” party (as in, one where people are supposed to authentically act “Arab” or whatever) and I’m not confident enough in firmly saying how people should act; yet, I do get whiff of that stench of cultural imperialism lingering about. Predominately, mainstream pop trash music from Europe and North America are always playing, usually English is the dominate language utilized in these gatherings, and the art of wooing has been crudely absorbed from Western pop culture (this is so for parties hosted and participated by those of “international” – European and neo-European – private schools, those who are sarcastically known as the ‘Chicken Nuggets’ [light brown on the outside, white on the inside]). In effect, there is a sense of artificiality in these settings, where people are acting out an imperfect role that they, and we, have seen time and time again in the various ‘party’ movies, teenage melodramas, and the typical mainstream representation of young adult angst. True, there are underground parties by individuals coming out of government and Arabic schools, but those parties try even harder to reach that “desire” of being and creating a “perfect bash” (one that is perceived to require little sobriety and the eventual morning-after self-loathing).

Another thought creeps up: How do we manufacture a “natural” party, without the trappings of cultural imperialism and artificiality? One where we are truly comfortable in representing ourselves?

Don’t get me wrong here; I do think the celebrations and social gatherings are a lifeline, especially in environments where control is seemingly ubiquitous. Not all parties in Kuwait are sub-textually repressive, isolated, and perpetuate the problems, there are indeed some that are comfortable, healthy, and intimate. They are unfortunately rare.

And, this is quite important to note, Kuwait, as exceptional as it is in its own ways, is not alone in these deficiencies in terms of parties. I’ve seen similar problems elsewhere in the region and in Europe and North America. This is essentially, and beyond my current scope to write, the universal tribulations of celebrating in this volatile age. Elitism, isolation, artificiality, judgment, exploitation, self-harm, and manufactured desires are always at hand. They were at play in the elaborate affairs of the 1920s New York, as seen in the Great Gatsby, and they are in display now in the underground gatherings of 2011 Kuwait.

The questions and ideas above are simply social observations, distorted and filtered. Frankly, I do not know how to create a “perfect” party. But I do think that in our search for a sliver of liberty, reassessing our moments of celebrations and our means of escapism is necessary, because sometimes it seems like we are unintentionally deepening our chains and furthering our isolation.

Yazan Al-Saadi holds a BA Honors in Economics from Queen’s University, Canada and a Master’s of Arts in Globalization, Development, and International Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. He is currently working as a journalist and editor for an English-language newspaper in Kuwait and is a freelance researcher and writer.

umm I got a question:

The Sky Diwaniyah subsection in this forum suppose to have 200+ threads (according to the main page). But there are only four threads in it ! What's going on exactly ?

It only shows the threads updates in the last month... you should go to the options at the bottom and change the "showing threads" from the beginning and not one month.

^^ ahha ! and i'm suppose to be a mod :facepalm:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ipqkVtwXPWRCFxTW2VHlAlF_QA9g?docId=CNG.a7531fdac8c142d68b402738294123a2.981



Kuwait foreign minister quits over graft case: report

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/media/ALeqM5iH9LU_tLQWrgfiCfBe0ecVougXqg?docId=photo_1318918887449-1-0&size=l

KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sabah, a senior member of the ruling family, has resigned, local media reported Tuesday, amid tensions over a graft scandal involving several MPs.
Citing "high ranking" sources, Al-Anbaa newspaper said Sheikh Mohammad, who has been foreign minister in the oil-rich Gulf state since 2003, "submitted his resignation on Monday and did not attend the cabinet meeting."
"The minister preferred to resign from a government that does not carry out true reforms regarding the (illegal) multi-million bank deposits," the term used to describe the scandal, the daily cited the sources as saying.
The resignation was reported by most of Kuwait's local media outlets but the government has so far not commented.
The resignation will only be considered official when it is accepted by Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.
If approved, Sheikh Mohammad will become the second senior ruling family member to quit the cabinet since June when former deputy premier Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al-Sabah resigned over an alleged power struggle with the prime minister.
The move came as Kuwait's opposition mounted a campaign demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad Al-Sabah's government.
The public prosecutor last month opened a probe into the bank accounts of about 14 MPs in the 50-member parliament on allegations they received some $350 million in "political" bribes.
The resignation of the Harvard-educated minister came as leading opposition lawmaker Mussallam al-Barrak threatened to make public classified documents about alleged overseas money transfers through Kuwaiti embassies.
The opposition has alleged that some of the funds were transferred to bank accounts held by some MPs abroad, linking them to the graft scandal at home.
Barrak, who sent a list of questions to Sheikh Mohammad over a month ago about the issue, threatened Monday that he would make the documents public at an opposition rally if he does not receive the answers by Wednesday noon.
The lawmaker however distanced Sheikh Mohammad from the allegations.
Opposition MPs plan to file a request to question the prime minister on Thursday over allegations the government failed to deal appropriately with the corruption scandal.
Kuwait, OPEC's third largest oil producer, has been rocked with almost continuous political disputes since Sheikh Nasser became premier in February 2006, stalling development despite abundant oil income."]KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sabah, a senior member of the ruling family, has resigned, local media reported Tuesday, amid tensions over a graft scandal involving several MPs.
Citing "high ranking" sources, Al-Anbaa newspaper said Sheikh Mohammad, who has been foreign minister in the oil-rich Gulf state since 2003, "submitted his resignation on Monday and did not attend the cabinet meeting."
"The minister preferred to resign from a government that does not carry out true reforms regarding the (illegal) multi-million bank deposits," the term used to describe the scandal, the daily cited the sources as saying.
The resignation was reported by most of Kuwait's local media outlets but the government has so far not commented.
The resignation will only be considered official when it is accepted by Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.
If approved, Sheikh Mohammad will become the second senior ruling family member to quit the cabinet since June when former deputy premier Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al-Sabah resigned over an alleged power struggle with the prime minister.
The move came as Kuwait's opposition mounted a campaign demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad Al-Sabah's government.
The public prosecutor last month opened a probe into the bank accounts of about 14 MPs in the 50-member parliament on allegations they received some $350 million in "political" bribes.
The resignation of the Harvard-educated minister came as leading opposition lawmaker Mussallam al-Barrak threatened to make public classified documents about alleged overseas money transfers through Kuwaiti embassies.
The opposition has alleged that some of the funds were transferred to bank accounts held by some MPs abroad, linking them to the graft scandal at home.
Barrak, who sent a list of questions to Sheikh Mohammad over a month ago about the issue, threatened Monday that he would make the documents public at an opposition rally if he does not receive the answers by Wednesday noon.
The lawmaker however distanced Sheikh Mohammad from the allegations.
Opposition MPs plan to file a request to question the prime minister on Thursday over allegations the government failed to deal appropriately with the corruption scandal.
Kuwait, OPEC's third largest oil producer, has been rocked with almost continuous political disputes since Sheikh Nasser became premier in February 2006, stalling development despite abundant oil income.

British embassy in Kuwait shuts as UK citizens 'urged to exercise caution' over growing terror threat



Britain has suspended embassy operations in Kuwait City and urged UK businesses there to review security measures due to a terror threat.
It comes less than two weeks before a planned visit to the country by Prince Charles to mark the 50th anniversary of its independence.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: 'We are aware of an increased terrorist threat against the British Embassy in Kuwait.


'We have therefore taken the precaution of temporarily suspending embassy services,' she added.
Services will be suspended until at least after the weekend - the spokeswoman declined to comment on whether the closure is linked to the royal visit.


All non-essential staff have been sent home.
In a wider caution to Britons in the country, she said: 'We cannot rule out the threat against other British interests in Kuwait, and have therefore urged British business and organisations to review their own security procedures


UK citizens are also being warned to take extreme caution as a result of 'maritime restrictions' issued by Kuwait last month.

Prince Charles is scheduled to make a short visit to the Middle-East on October 31 and November 1 en route to Africa.

He will go to Kuwait to celebrate the 50th anniversary of independence as the guest of the Amir and the Crown Prince, and will then stop briefly in Qatar for discussions with the Emir.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2051354/British-embassy-Kuwait-shuts-growing-terror-threat.html

HALAAAAAAAAA FROM SUDAN

Happy National Day, fellas. :)

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x334/ZoolaSudaniya/baladihaha.jpg

Hey Kuwaiti people :P

Might I know how developed Kuwait City is compared to Doha and Dubai ?

Hey Kuwaiti people :P

Might I know how developed Kuwait City is compared to Doha and Dubai ?
Depends on your definition of being developed.

If it's only about skyscrapers and fancy buildings, Dubai comes first, followed by Doha. If it's about the amount of things you could do and the amount of facilities available, Doha and Dubai are neck and neck recently, especially after Doha opened several museums and cultural areas. Then again, Dubai probably still has the upper-hand. If it's about shopping malls and hotels, it's definitely Dubai. Apartments? Dubai. Organization? Dubai > Doha > Kuwait City.

Academically speaking, Doha beats all other cities in the region.

In terms of healthcare, I say it's Kuwait City, although that's rapidly changing as healthcare in Dubai is eventually going to overtake us, but I'll reserve the first spot for Doha in the long-term.

In terms of infrastructure, nothing beats Dubai, although Kuwait City's infrastructure lasted for decades, but is beginning to deteriorate due to lack of care. We're still ahead of Doha, though, only because Doha is fairly new to this. They're still building their main roads and all, but I expect them to overtake us and Dubai in the next ten years, just like in healthcare.

Politically, Kuwait City is more advanced than both Dubai and Doha put together.

Overall, we're way behind.

I think Doha is the city of the future, after all the academic, cultural and sporting plans they have laid out. Dubai is reserved mostly for tourism and business, while the city lacks the universities or museums that Doha has or will have. Then again, Abu Dhabi will become the city that competes with Doha in culture, healthcare and education, in the future. In any case, Kuwait City is nowhere near as developed as Dubai, and will probably be overtaken by Doha, if not already.

Lmao

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/kuwait-mistakingly-plays-borat-spoof-anthem-kazakhstan-sports-medal-ceremony-article-1.1050145?localLinksEnabled=false

Hahahahahaaaaaa

Hahaha 7araam LOL

LOL

Depends on your definition of being developed.

If it's only about skyscrapers and fancy buildings, Dubai comes first, followed by Doha. If it's about the amount of things you could do and the amount of facilities available, Doha and Dubai are neck and neck recently, especially after Doha opened several museums and cultural areas. Then again, Dubai probably still has the upper-hand. If it's about shopping malls and hotels, it's definitely Dubai. Apartments? Dubai. Organization? Dubai > Doha > Kuwait City.

Academically speaking, Doha beats all other cities in the region.

In terms of healthcare, I say it's Kuwait City, although that's rapidly changing as healthcare in Dubai is eventually going to overtake us, but I'll reserve the first spot for Doha in the long-term.

In terms of infrastructure, nothing beats Dubai, although Kuwait City's infrastructure lasted for decades, but is beginning to deteriorate due to lack of care. We're still ahead of Doha, though, only because Doha is fairly new to this. They're still building their main roads and all, but I expect them to overtake us and Dubai in the next ten years, just like in healthcare.

Politically, Kuwait City is more advanced than both Dubai and Doha put together.

Overall, we're way behind.

I think Doha is the city of the future, after all the academic, cultural and sporting plans they have laid out. Dubai is reserved mostly for tourism and business, while the city lacks the universities or museums that Doha has or will have. Then again, Abu Dhabi will become the city that competes with Doha in culture, healthcare and education, in the future. In any case, Kuwait City is nowhere near as developed as Dubai, and will probably be overtaken by Doha, if not already.


thanks, I really appreciate how much did u write for me :)

would you please list for me top 5 cities in middle east " in living + health care, education, safety , income
after making reasrch here are the cities that after counting the points in each category
1- Doha
2- Abu Dhabi
3- Dubai
4- Ryidha + Kuwait
5- Manama
am I right ?

thank you

https://instagr.am/p/MGRXDCBp8T/media/?size=l

lol wat da hell is that?^

..Kuwait's Emir on Monday took the unprecedented step of activating article 106 of the constitution, giving him the right to suspend the National Assembly for one month. It marked the first time in Kuwait's 50-year parliamentary history that the assembly has been suspended in this way, although it was twice dissolved unconstitutionally (in 1976 and in 1986), and has been dissolved constitutionally four times since 2006 alone. Two days later, the Constitutional Court issued an even more momentously abrupt decision as they ruled that the February 2012 election was void and ordered the return of the previous assembly. The ruling by Kuwait's highest court is final and cannot be challenged, and followed a challenge to the constitutionality of December's decree that called for new elections following the dissolution of the previous assembly on December 6 2011.

Both actions took politicians and the public completely by surprise. They herald the beginning of Kuwait's deepest political crisis since the post-liberation restoration of parliamentary life in 1992. Leading opposition MP Musallam al-Barrak, who had gained the highest number of votes in Kuwaiti electoral history in the February election, immediately described the court ruling as "a coup against the constitution." While unexpected, these moves did not occur in a vacuum. Rather, they represent the culmination of a period of escalating instability as two broader trends in oppositional politics intersected with deep divisions within Kuwaiti society.

The February 2, 2012 election had produced an opposition landslide, as predominantly Islamist and tribal candidates won 34 out of the 50 parliamentary seats. Their gains came largely to the detriment of Kuwait's well-established liberal and merchant elites (as well as the four female MPs who all lost their seats). The results reflected the sharp bifurcation in Kuwaiti society, in part between a traditional political class dominated by hadhar (settled) urban elites tracing their lineage back to the pre-oil era, and newer arrivals largely from tribal backgrounds (badu) as a result of the large-scale naturalization projects of the 1960s and 1970s. Although far from monolithic in social or political objectives, debates and clashes over the direction of policy often took on cultural and class-based overtones and became as much a struggle for the future orientation of Kuwait as a contest for political power.

In addition to this volatile mix, an intergenerational shift has added to the reconfiguration of Kuwait's political culture. Since 2006, new youth movements have appeared on the scene. Initially mobilizing around demands to change Kuwait's electoral districting, they became known as the "Orange Movement" in a reference to Ukraine's color revolution in 2004-5. In a precursor to the methods of political organization that so powerfully reshaped the parameters of protest in North Africa in 2011, they used text messaging, internet blogging, and online social networks to coordinate and plan their activities and articulate their demands for reform.

The emergence of these new social groups tested Kuwait's creaking parliamentary machinery to its limit. In particular, they exposed the weaknesses in the balance of power between an elected parliament and an appointed cabinet. Uneasy at the best of times, it has become almost unworkable over the past decade. Beginning with the separation of the posts of Crown Prince and Prime Minister in 2003, the bar of oppositional politics has steadily risen, encompassing such milestones as the first interpellation of a sitting Prime Minister in 2009, and culminating in the mass popular demonstrations that eventually ousted Sheikh Nasser Mohammed Al-Sabah last November. Although the separation of powers in 2003 was motivated largely by the Crown Prince's debilitating illness, it nevertheless signalled that the Prime Minister was fair game for political opposition and public criticism.

The result has been political paralysis and a succession of stalled development projects. Constant friction and an inability to work together hampered the five-year premiership of Nasser Mohammed. Three elections failed to produce decisive results, and seven different cabinets rose and fell with depressing regularity. Meanwhile, a series of major projects, such as the planned construction of a fourth oil refinery and a $17 billion joint venture between the Petrochemical Industries Company and Dow Chemical, were cancelled after parliamentary threats to scrutinize and reopen the agreements. With neighbouring Qatar and the UAE powering ahead with regional mega projects and Saudi Arabia massively expanding its own petrochemical and value-added industrial sectors, Kuwait became a laggard in a region it had once led in development.

This decade-long trajectory of opposition converged in 2011 with a second set of protests inspired by (but not derivative of) the momentous changes taking place across the region. Initially small-scale, anti-government protests started in June and called for the resignation of the Prime Minister. They escalated exponentially in September following the uncovering of a political corruption scandal involving the transfer of funds and payment of bribes to up to 16 MPs. Furthermore, a wave of strikes involving oil sector and customs workers and employees at Kuwait Airways added to the perception that the government was floundering and losing its grip. So, too, did the resignation of the capable Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed Sabah Al-Sabah, in October, in protest over allegations that overseas money transfers to MPs were made through Kuwaiti embassies without his knowledge.

Popular and political tensions peaked in mid-November after the Constitutional Court blocked a parliamentary attempt to question the Prime Minister over the corruption scandal. Around 100 protesters stormed and briefly occupied the National Assembly building on a night of high drama on November 16, and attendance at rallies calling for the resignation of the Prime Minister swelled to tens of thousands. Despite the Emir's vows not to bow to street pressure, a final, mass demonstration on November 28 drew more than 50,000 people and culminated in the replacement of the Prime Minister and the dissolution of parliament a week later.

However dramatic these events were, even to seasoned observers of Kuwait's rumbustious politics, they failed to address the root causes of Kuwait's flawed political structure. The new Prime Minister, Sheikh Jabir Mubarak Al-Sabah, was previously the deputy Prime Minister, and while he was more popular than his predecessor, the fundamental fault-lines running through Kuwaiti politics remained unchanged. These were on full display both during the turbulent election campaign -- which featured an attack on a television station and the burning down of one particularly divisive candidate's campaign tent -- and in its aftermath, as all sides digested the opposition landslide. It took nearly two weeks of tense negotiations to form a government, with the opposition Majority Bloc demanding nine cabinet positions (out of 16) and then rejecting the government's offer of three posts. That would in itself have been a milestone in Kuwaiti politics, but the opposition refused to join the cabinet, setting the stage for the fireworks that followed.

In the four short months of its existence, Kuwaiti parliamentarians filed eight interpellations against government ministers, two of whom resigned -- Finance Minister Mustafa al-Shamali on May 23 after a marathon grilling session, and Minister of Social Affairs and Labour Ahmed Abdullatif al-Rujeib on June 12, ahead of a scheduled interpellation. In addition, firebrand opposition MP Mohammed al-Juwaihel had filed a motion to question the Minister of Interior, Sheikh Ahmed Homoud Al-Sabah, on Tuesday, but that was overtaken by the Emir's decree suspending the assembly.

The parliament also became known for a series of measures proposed by tribal and Islamist MPs that appeared to threaten Kuwait's record of being the most tolerant and politically progressive society in the Gulf. After an early attempt to amend the constitution to make sharia the rather than a source of legislation failed, conservative lawmakers called for the introduction of "morality police" to monitor the behavior of women in public spaces, overwhelmingly approved a legal amendment stipulating the death penalty for blasphemy (subsequently rejected by the government), and generally reinforced the atmosphere of growing conservatism that saw one man (Hamad al-Naqi) sentenced to ten years imprisonment for a tweet deemed insulting to Islam and to the rulers of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. At the weekend, another MP called for putting on trial "screeching crows" who criticized Saudi Arabia's recently-deceased Crown Prince Nayef on Twitter.

So where does Kuwait go from here? Aside from the troubling indications of spiralling social and political tensions, there is a danger that the opposition will respond to the voiding of the election by urging its supporters to once again take to the streets. Individual (now-ex) MPs threatened to do precisely this even before the brazenly provocative judgement of the Constitutional Court deprived them of their parliamentary success. Having witnessed how the mobilization of tens of thousands of supporters effectively forced the Emir's hand last November, an emboldened opposition may well attempt to repeat the trick this time around.

In terms of due process, the ruling by the Constitutional Court cannot by itself dissolve the parliament. This the Emir must do, by reconvening the previous assembly elected in May 2009 in order to dissolve it (correctly) and announce fresh elections, presumably sometime after the end of Ramadan in August. There is already feverish speculation about the ways that the opposition could try to obstruct or derail the process, and the road ahead undoubtedly has many twists and turns. Yet if one thing is clear from Kuwait's dramatic last three days, it is that the convergence of longstanding tensions (and distrust) between the executive and legislative branches of government have brought the country to the brink of political meltdown.

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen is a research fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science

Meanwhile in Hasawi....



Underground ‘flesh market’ booming in ‘staid’ Kuwait – Prostitutes, pimps change style amid police crackdown

Holding a shopping bag, an umbrella and a mobile phone, Jayanti (who claimed to be from North India) could be mistaken as a working class lady who was just coming out of a shopping mall. But after a chat with a Kuwait Times reporter who posed as an undercover ‘customer’, Jayanti revealed her true identity – a sex worker. “How much will you pay me,” she asked with a smile. After negotiating, she agreed to take KD 15 for two hours. When asked why she was carrying a shopping bag filled with food items, she said “if you walk alone on the street empty handed, the cops (police) will suspect you, but if you carry a shopping bag, they will think you went shopping.”

A few minutes later, Kuwait Times spotted another woman in her mid-thirties roaming around near Apollo Hospital in Salmiya, who turned out to be a prostitute too. “Why are you following me,” she queried at first. After a while, she entered one of the baqalas in the area – pretending to be buying some things, but when she noticed that we were not cops after our interactions with her, she started bargaining on the price. “How long do you want it and how much will you give?” she asked. At the end, we agreed to meet the following day for KD 20.

HOME DELIVERY, PROSTITUTION ZONE
Prostitutes and pimps in Kuwait are getting smarter and adopting new strategies to avoid detection, as authorities clamp down on their illegal activities. From Ahmadi to Farwaniya governorate, the sex business seems to be flourishing with the stakeholders devising different ways to navigate through their underground sex trade routes. Recently, police in Hawally arrested two men accused of running a prostitution service and using cafes to lure their customers. The suspects, an Arab man and an Indian, admitted during investigations that they helped set up customers with Asian prostitutes for KD 10 a night. Also in Farwaniya, police raided 10 vice dens and arrested 16 suspects and 45 young pleasure seekers, according to another report.

In Hasawi, a Kuwait Times reporter who acted as an undercover customer was led to a brothel by a pimp who offered to set him up with a prostitute for KD 5, but eventually settled for KD 3 (per round). It seems Kuwait governorates have been divided into prostitution zones. Whereas Ahmadi governorate is controlled mostly by Filipinos, Hawally governorate is dominated by Ethiopians while the Farwaniya governorate and part of Salmiya are controlled by South Asians (Indians, Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis). “We control this area. We don’t have Ethiopians here. If you want Ethiopians, go to Hawally,” one Bangladeshi pimp boasted when a Kuwait Times reporter (undercover) sought an Ethiopian prostitute. “I can connect you to the Arabs including Kuwaitis who are into this business but you have to pay me KD 8 to get their contacts. They collect big money and you have to be very careful while dealing with them,” the Hasawi pimp advised. He gave the contact of another pimp (known as Big Mama) in charge of Salmiya area, and introduced us to her.

When contacted, Big Mama asked us what age limit we want and how much we were willing to pay. “I have between 25-30 and 30-36 year-old ladies,” she said. “If you want, I can bring them to your house. You don’t need to come and pick my girls, I will tell my special taxi to bring them to you,” she added. After first, she wanted to make sure we were neither Arabs nor South Asians. When asked why she doesn’t deal with Arabs and South Asians, she said “they don’t like to pay and if you demand your money, they will threaten to call the police. Also, some of them are working for the police. Police pay them to catch us (prostitutes),” she added as she narrated their ordeals and ugly encounters with bad clients, police and the health hazards in the prostitution business. Even against all odds, money is still changing hands. Most of our sources requested anonymity for reasons of safety and protection.

CHINESE STYLE
In one of the shopping malls in Salmiya, three Chinese ladies were sighted giving out their numbers to selected lucky guys. “How are you! Good man! Call me ok,” one of the ladies said as she clandestinely handed a piece of paper to the undercover reporter. “They always come here in the evening to look for jobs and customers. They come in groups,” one of the shop attendants told Kuwait Times. When asked what kind of job, he said “prostitution of course”. We eventually made the call to bargain. But when asked why they are selective, the Chinese prostitute echoed the same reason given by Big Mama. “Although they (Arabs) are our main customers, they can put you in trouble. They normally don’t like to pay,” she said.

RISKS AND DEADLY BUSINESS
According to most of the prostitutes Kuwait Times interviewed, prostitutes make above KD 160 as monthly income. The risks involved in this illicit business include violence, arrest, slavery, jail term, deportation and infections among others. In Hasawi, we (the Kuwait Times undercover reporter and a Bangladeshi pimp working for us) were attacked while covering this story by some pimps who accused us of being police agents. Our guide told us that the owner of the brothel in the area is enslaving girls and will do anything to protect his business.

“These prostitutes don’t have resident visas and do not undergo medical tests. This could be very dangerous when they are infected with any sexually transmitted diseases. They will just pass it to their clients who will then pass it over to their wives and kids as the chain reaction continues. Also, the prostitutes can as well be infected by their customers,” Dr Andrew O, a pediatrician at Sabah Hospital warned.

By Chidi Emmanuel, Staff Writer

I know this has been covered time and time again, but seeing as it's the only channel to vent one's frustration, where else can one go?

Where is the government in Kuwait? Why doesn't some form of supreme authority step in and draw lines when everyone can see that this country is clearly diving out of control? Words fail me, I just don't understand - how can so much go so wrong so quickly?

- PARLIAMENT: this disastrous sideshow is a cancer that nobody is recognizing. We clearly have issues stalling our national development, infrastructure and future planning because those bearded idiots are too busy squabbling about deporting women wearing bikinis, putting blasphemy laws into action and "helping our Muslim brothers in Syria and Myanmar." I'm all for humanitarianism and support, but really? Bikinis will be the death of this nation? WE HAVE REAL PROBLEMS. DEAL WITH THEM.

- DEVELOPMENT: Economic Plan 2030: stalled indefinitely. What happened to Madinat Al Hareer? The Failaka Redevelopment? KIA Terminal 2? The Metro? These are key projects that we need today before tomorrow.
Madinat Al Hareer: Kuwait City is too expensive to live in and getting too packed to properly function given its lack of proper planning, so where do we go? Push out and south towards and past Fahaheel?
Failaka: a long-term cultural and tourism project that could easily net us millions of tourist and local dollars, yet is dead.
Terminal 2: our airport is a crumbling wreck. It's already operating over its capacity of seven million passengers per annum, it's old, bits of ceiling are falling off outside and the "renovations" that are currently being done on it are tacky and low-end. Hello, Terminal 2?
Metro: 2020? Have planning authorities noticed the traffic during weekday mornings? Our demented national psyche of "ew, Indians" and inability to maintain public transportation is destroying us. Why can Dubai have clean, modern buses but ours look like rolling death traps? Get the metro done, ASAP.

- INFRASTRUCTURE: potholed highways, dead plants, weedy sand lots, hospitals that wouldn't look out of place in Silent Hill, ghetto schools... Heck, the First Ring Road has been under construction for six+ years and isn't even done yet.

- KUWAIT AIRWAYS: three to five planes are finally getting grounded this week, but after what? The multiple-engine failure that nearly brought down a Jeddah-bound flight? The cracked windshield on a flight out of Dhaka? An engine surge that nearly caused a flight from Cairo to crash? The fleet is ancient, maintenance isn't properly enforced and the joke that is privatization has been going on for the better part of a decade. What's taking so long?

- LAW: who enforces the law? We Kuwaitis are almost anarchic, and those of us who do follow the law look like fools. Police chill by the side of the roads texting away on their phones while people roll by in the emergency lane next to them to bypass morning traffic, buses turn left from the farthest right lane sans indicator, the majority of people staffing our police stations and government agencies operate on the rule of "kaifi" ["I do what I want"] - lazy, inefficient and self-entitled.

- MONEY: government spending of late has been nothing short of reckless. Our recent salary increases have simply been met with an increase of commodity price shortly thereafter, and what for? We don't work that hard or that much. Hell, some of us don't work at all, yet all we get is more money. People protesting? Here's a thousand KD, now go spend it all in Dubai or buy iPads in New York. Billions of dollars are burning through the country's treasury and bringing it closer to the edge of oblivion with no semblance of a back-up plan. The IMF report of Kuwait exhausting its oil savings by 2017 should be a major wake-up call.

Everything happening is not something that should be. Doesn't the authority realize that they're damning this country by not interjecting and putting things in check? The people we've elected were and are idiots who are incapable of doing anything right, yet we blew the chance we got this year to make a difference by bringing Hayef & Friends back in our own rendition of George W. Bush, 2004. How'd that work out for ya, Kuwait?

GOVERNMENT: DO SOMETHING. We're one of the richest countries in the world, yet look, feel and operate far from it. I know I'm not the only citizen and person to feel this way, but... what can we do?

CT

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zKF9Ct_LPDo/TrFRY2QtsGI/AAAAAAAAD-w/29Pco_Mo-YM/s1600/eid-mubarak-in-saudi-arabia.jpg

Construction planned in western regions: official

http://www.arabtimesonline.com/Portals/0/Images/2012/aug/05kwt.jpg

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 4, (Agencies): Municipal authorities have signed the project of development of the western region, said Saad Al-Muhailbi, the director of structural planning of Kuwait Municipality.
Al-Muhailbi told KUNA on Saturday that the 13-month five-phase venture includes data gathering and analysis, planning studies, alternatives to structural planning, detail planning and final reports of the project.
The venture is being executed in the fifth region, located on the western territories of the country. The 2,396-sq-km area stretches along Al-Salmi road.
Moreover, it is aimed at specifying usage of plots, securing public utilities and planning for future construction.


http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/186414/reftab/36/Default.aspx