Playlist September 22-28

Yes I know you've been waiting for this week's playlist.... here goes:

1. David Gray - Life In Slow Motion: Get the whole album. Excellent production. Highlights: Nos Da Cariad, One I Love (quite cheery even thought it's about a man bleeding to death)
2. India.Arie - Purify Me: I thought this was her new single, but it turns out it's from the soundtrack of "Diary of a Mad Black Woman". Still, it's perfect.
3. Stars - Ageless Beauty: You know who you are!
4. توصّى فيي - يارا: Great song, beautiful singer.. What's not to like?

This week's classic rock pick is You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet by Bachman-Turner Overdrive. A great highway song.

Special thanks to 1814 for his cool mix CDs!

زواج الأجنبيات

لن أدخل إلى موضوع اليوم من منطلق العنصرية البغيضة التي يتميز بها الكثير من الناس من أمثال كتاب الوطن وقرائها. ولن أدخل من باب شفيهم بناتنا الكويتيات، عليهم قاصر؟ لأن القلب أدرى بما يحب... وسأخصص النقاش للزوجات غير العربيات

موضوعي معني بفئة من الشباب الكويتيين الذين ذهبوا للدراسة في الخارج وذاقوا طعم الحرية والاستقلال والإعتماد على النفس بعيداً عن قيود الأهل والمجتمع. تعرفوا هناك على فتيات جميلات ووقعوا في حبهن، ثم طلبوا يدهن في الزواج وأتوا بهن عبر القارات والمحيطات ليعيشوا هنا في الكويت حياة أقل ما يقال عنها أنها مصابة بانفصام الشخصية. فبعد أن عاش هؤلاء الشباب حياة مستقلة في الخارج رجعوا إلى ديارهم ليقيموا في بيت الأهل مع زوجاتهم الأجنبيات، وفرضوا عليهن حياة لم يألفوها من قبل مع أسر محافظة لا تتكلم لغة غير العربية، في بلد غريب ذو عادات غريبة

تنظر الأسرة إلى العروس الأجنبية بشك وريبة وضيق صدر، ويتركها الزوج الذي تركت بلدها وأهلها لأجله في البيت ليسهر هو مع الربع في الديوانية أو الشاليه. يمنعها من العمل لأنه لا يريد لأحد أن يكلمها. ليس لديه أصدقاء كويتيين متزوجين من أجنبيات لتتمكن المسكينة من تكوين صداقات، بل يصل مرات إلى حد منعها من الإختلاط بأي شخص من بلدها يقيم في الكويت حتى لا تفتح عينها على حياة غير حياتها معه... وغير ذلك من قيود لا يصدقها العقل

ما هذه الأنانية؟ ويوم انكم تبون وحدة تقعد في البيت ولا تتحرك ليش ما أخذتوا بنات عمكم بدال ما تجنون على بنات خلق الله وتسحبونهم من بلدهم وتحبسونهم مع أهلكم؟؟

ليس جميع الشباب هكذا طبعاً، وكان من الأولى أن تتحقق الأجنبيات من طبيعة حياة أزواجهن في الكويت قبل الموافقة على الزواج والانتقال هنا. البعض ممن يعيش حياة عادية بدون قيود الأهل قد يوفر حياة هنيئة لزوجته الأجنبية، وقد تكون سعيدة جداً معه لأنه لم يخدعها بشخصية أخرى عندما تعرف عليها بل عرفته على حقيقته وقبلت به وأحبته، ثم تزوجته وجاءت لتعيش معه... وبيننا أمثلة كثيرة ناجحة والحمد لله

200,000!!

I know the counter on the right is not very indicative but who cares? 200,000 is a cool number to show and I sincerely thank you all.

Just for the record, I was almost there but I got impatient and refreshed the page a few times to hit 200,000

Yeah I cheated... sue me!

;-)

The Nanny Diaries

أمس المغرب نزلت أتمشى على البحر، كان الجو حلو والهوا خفيف... كل ما مريت جدام شاليه أشوف مجموعة أطفال يلعبون على الرمل ومعاهم مجموعة مربيات، هنديات أو فلبينيات، وحدة لكل طفل، ومرات عددهم أكثر من اليهال

ما أذكر لما كنا صغار ونلعب في نفس المكان اذا نزل معانا أحد غير أهلنا.. يمكن ما كنا كشخة. وبعدين إذا تطلب الأمر وجود مربية تشرف على الأطفال لأن الأهل مشغولين، ليش هالعدد الكبير؟

وبما أن الشيء بالشيء يذكر... ليش الكويتيين اللي يحسبون نفسهم كشخة لما يطلعون مع عيالهم ياخذون المربية معاهم ويصرون انها تلبس هدوم الشغل - اليونيفورم - خارج البيت؟ يا جماعة ترى هم بشر، واذا بتاخذونهم معاكم مارينا مول يوم الجمعة علشان يدزون عربانة اليهال، خلوهم يحسون انهم طالعين معاكم كجزء من أسرتكم مو كأنهم خدام

والله عيب

Playlist Sept 15 - 21

The playlist is back after a summer break, and to make up for the long absence this will be a Bumper Edition. There's a lot of good stuff out there that you may have heard quite a lot already, most of them have a summer feel to them.. which is alright since summer is far from over in Kuwait. And Shurouq already beat me with Green Day.

1. Jamoriquai - 7 Days in Sunny June: Back in top form, Jamiroquai's best single in years could be heard all over London, day and night. My favorite song of this summer and an instant classic.
2. خذني معك - مروان خوري: The genius Lebanese composer returns with another beautiful song. The man can do no wrong!
3. Supafly vs. Fishbowl - Lets Get Down: A Marley-sounding vocal gives this simple dance hit an extra dose of "beach".
4. Jem - Wish I: Ridiculously catchy summer pop, with steel drums too!
5. Death Cab For Cutie - Summer Skin: Don't let the band name put you off. This is a truly beautiful "end of summer" song.
6. Longview - Further: My taste for epic British pop/rock ballads with soaring choruses shows no sign of diminishing.
7. A Studio - SOS (Skylark Club Mix): A mindless, monster club hit. Only sounds good on a massive speaker system.
8. ورقو الأصفر - فيروز : A perfect September song, ورقو الأصفر.... شهر أيلول تحت الشبابيك

It's been a while since I awarded a song the "Dishonorable Mention" prize for being so downright awful and offensive to human ears. Ricky Martin's latest song called "I Don't Care" is the unfortunate winner this time round. Apparently he "doesn't care" that it's the worst thing anyone has sung in years!

Two classic picks this week: Earth, Wind and Fire's "September" is an obvious choice and a great R&B classic. And in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, this week's classic rock pick can only be Led Zeppelin's "When The Levee Breaks", which could either be perfectly suited for the occasion or highly inappropriate.

في ذكرى الوالد

اليوم حلت ذكرى وفاة والدي رحمه الله الذي وافاه الأجل المحتوم إثر حادث أليم قبل اثنان وعشرون سنة. طالما حاولت أن أتعامل مع هذه الذكرى وكأن شيئاً لم يكن، وأقصد هنا أنني أتعمد عدم التذكير بهذا اليوم الأليم وتخصيصه لذكرى المرحوم لأن كل يوم بالنسبة لي هو يوم بدونه والفراغ الذي تركه في حياتنا بعد وفاته لازلت أشعر به يومياً. لا يمر يوم دون أن يخطر ببالي ودون أن أتساءل عما كان ممكن أن يكون رأيه بالنسبة لأي حدث أو موضوع سواء فيما يخصني شخصياً أو يخص أسرته أو فيما يخص الأحداث التي مرت بها الكويت منذ وفاته، وما أكثرها... لازال أحد أصدقائه المخضرمين يقول أنه لو لم يتوفى بحادث سير لمات من القهر على ما آلت إليه الأوضاع في الكويت والمنطقة

البعض منكم يعرفني شخصياً ولذلك لست بحاجة لسرد سيرة والدي الشخصية، فقد كان المرحوم غنياً عن التعريف، وأتمنى أن أنجز يوماً ربع ما أنجزه في حياته. أما بالنسبة لبقية القراء الأعزاء يكفيني فخراً أن الكويت لم ولن ترى رجلاً مثله، مثالاً في النشاط والثقافة والحيوية والإخلاص لبلده، وسوف أدلكم على كتاب "أين الطريق: نظرات في السياسة والفكر والاقتصاد" الذي جمع كل المقالات التي كتبها في جريدة الوطن قبل وفاته. ولدي فكرة مشروع نقل الكتاب بكامله إلى موقع خاص على الإنترنت ليتعرف على كتاباته الجيل الجديد من الشباب النشط والواعي. كنت أفكر بهذا المشروع منذ أكثر من سنة لكن مشاغل العمل والحياة حالت دون تنفيذه، فهل تساعدوني يا شباب؟

ختاماً أقول... رحمك الله يا أبو زيدون وطيب الله ثراك وأسكنك فسيح جناته، وأرجو أن أكون قد واصلت ولو جزء بسيط من مشوارك عبر هذه المدونة المتواضعة

ابنك المخلص دائماً
زيدون

عندنا وعندكم خير

تتفشى الواسطة والمحسوبية بشكل مخيف، حيث يتم تعيين أشخاص عديمي الكفاءة في مواقع حساسة لا لشيء سوى أنهم يمتازون بالولاء التام والأعمى للسلطة. وعندما تقع الكوارث يتنصل هؤلاء من مسؤولياتهم ويحاولون الاختباء وراء من عينهم وساندهم، ويتم تشكيل لجان للتحقيق في تلك الكوارث تنتهي أعمالها بدفن الحقائق وإبعاد أصابع الإتهام عن المسؤولين الحقيقيين

قد يعتقد القارئ لأول وهلة أن الكلام أعلاه مقصود به كويتنا الحبيبة، وقد يكون هذا الإعتقاد في محله لأننا تعودنا على سير الأمور هكذا حتى أصبحت للأسف جزءاً لا يتجزأ من نظامنا السياسي. لكني لا أقصد الكويت هنا بل الولايات المتحدة حيث كشف إعصار كاترينا مدى تفشي الواسطة والمحسوبية في إدارة الرئيس بوش، حيث عين لإدارة هيئة الطوارئ - التي كانت مثالاً يحتذى به في المهنية أيام الرئيس كلينتون - شخصاً لا يملك من الكفاءات شيئاً سوى أنه كان "روم ميت" لأحد أصدقاء الرئيس... يعني على نمط ولدنا يستاهل وانتوا كلكم خير وبركة... وها قد وقع الفأس بالرأس ورأى الشعب الأمريكي وسكان الولايات المنكوبة بأعينهم الفشل الذريع لهيئة الطوارئ تحت إدارة صديق الرئيس.. ورغم ذلك استمر بوش بالإشادة بأداء مايكل براون (أو براوني كما يسمى بين الربع) إلى أن خضع للسخط الشعبي وتمت إقالته اليوم

يا سبحان الله، عندما جاء رئيس أمريكي تربط أسرته علاقات قوية مع منطقتنا نجده يتطبع بأطباعنا المشينة، وكأننا لا نملك ما هو أفضل من ذلك لتصديره للأمريكان

لكنه في النهاية استجاب لإرادة الشعب واستغنى عن صديقه الذي سود وجهه... انشاءالله تتعظ حكومتنا وتستغني عن الذين يسودون وجهها ليلاً نهاراً احتراماً لنا ككويتيين

George & Katrina

Sadly not a title for a lame TV sitcom, but what is shaping up to be a colossal disaster previously unimaginable in the US of A.

In a feeble attempt at spin control in yesterday's cabinet meeting attended by the press, President Bush vowed to "find out what went right and what went wrong." Note how he pushed the word "right" ahead of "wrong" in order to convey to the public that it's not all that bad.

Um... I hate to break it to you, Dubya but with over 10,000 people DEAD - and that's a lot more than the number of people who died on 9/11 - I'd safely say NOTHING went right!

Always the class act, Dubya's mother Barbara Bush toured the Astrodome in Houston, and along the way she opined that many of the refugees from New Orleans were so poor to begin with that they ought to be pretty happy with their temporary digs in Houston. "What I?m hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas," Barbara Bush said in comments first aired on the public radio program "Marketplace" and reprinted by Editor & Publisher. "Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them."

In the midst of that last line, you can hear the former first lady chuckling.

While Dubya and his mother compete in the insensitivity play-offs, you can make a donation to add to the generous amount already donated by Kuwait's government.

CLICK HERE

Barees

Last week I was fortunate to travel to Paris after Austria, and after I finished my morning meeting I decided to skip the usual Parisian locations that most Kuwaitis stick to and head down to the Marais area, where I just strolled around with a good friend, taking in the sights and sounds, the galleries and little brasseries.

It was a warm, sunny day and Parisians (or maybe other tourists) were out in full force. I would've gone to check out Paris Plage but leave it to the French to shut things down just because les enfants are back in school.

These are pictures I took at Place des Vosges, the most beautiful square in Paris, and a personal favorite of mine. We got some ice cream and just hung out on the grass all afternoon.

Bliss!


Below is Ile Saint Louis, one of the oldest and most exclusive residential neighborhoods in Paris. I took this picture from the bridge that leads to Notre Dame.

!بسنا فلوس

According to this article in The Daily Star, Kuwait is expected to post a surplus of up to $26 billion in the current fiscal year which ends in March on the back of soaring oil prices, a local economic report forecast on Saturday. NBK's latest economic report also said that Kuwait's revenues would range between $47 billion and $50 billion, depending on the price of crude.

In another article, Jassem al-Saadun, head of Kuwait's Al-Shall Economic Consultants accused Kuwait and other Gulf states of using the surplus to buy political loyalty rather than spend it on much needed infrastructure projects. The recent salaray increases for non-productive government employees in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are proof of this approach.

So where is the rest of the money going? And what do you think it should be spent on?

The Hills Are Alive....!!

Steyr is a little town, that doesn't even attract many tourists. I guess when you've seen one pretty Austrian/Tyrolean town, you've seen them all. However, among its claims to fame are the facts that the composers Schubert and Handel both spent significant time here.

The surrounding countryside is beautiful, and I can see Maria and the Von Trapp kids dashing on their bikes, even if it ain't Salzburg.

Anyway, here's the view from my hotel room before I headed out this morning

Biz Trip

My God... I just got back from vacation, and now I have to go on a business trip to a small town in Austria called Steyr. Never heard of it before, but it looks like a typical Austrian postcard town. I hope it will be sunny, because postcard towns are no fun when it rains!

I'll try to take pictures and post them here.

Meanwhile, where is Anti-Reason when you need him? Still in Austria?

Bye Bye Landan

Aaaahh London...

Whenever I mentioned to anyone before I went away that I was going to London, they invariably said "how unoriginal". شنو فيها لندن غير اجوار رود؟ said one idiot who I almost strangled.

Of course, that's because most Kuwaitis don't know anything in London beyond the area around Hyde Park, from Edgware Road to Marble Arch to Oxford Street.. and - if you have a bit more taste, not necessarily more money - to Knightsbridge and Kensington. Piccadilly and Leicester Square for entertainment, and then maybe Covent Garden which some would actually consider an adventure, or a day trip in itself! And for hip Kuwaitis "in the know", there's Notting Hill.

But there is so much to see and do in London beyond what I just listed. It truly is one of the world's greatest cities, and it is made of several neighborhoods that function as little towns attached to each other. I am fortunate to have friends scattered around London, so I got to visit them in Hampstead, the East End and Battersea and many places far off the Kuwaiti radar.

The weather was phenomenal. The August heatwave everyone was dreading never materialized, and I spent as much time outdoors as I possibly could in perfect sunny temperatures. I kept daydreaming about buying a small place and moving there, until the one day it rained and I changed my mind. I hate rain!

I didn't see that many Kuwaitis other than the few that I know, but I did see tons of Emaratis stalking the streets of Knightsbridge, trying to decide whether to have their 5 pm "lunch" at Harrods pizzeria or the 5th floor cafe at Harvey Nichols. A study in anthropology, I assure you.

I also went to Copenhagen for a few days. More about that later...

I'm just mad I missed the Mona Taleb/Sundus AbulHassan showdown at the Sheraton Park Tower!

Post-Vacation

I'm back, ladies and gentlemen... but allow me a few days to get over my post-vacation depression

It's never long enough!!

Tate Modern

Saw this at the Tate Modern as part of a display.... not sure what to make of it.

Dispatch from London

Beautiful sunny day in London. This is not my usual time to visit, but the workload meant that it was either get away now or never.

Whenever I run into people that I know who live here, the first question they ask is "Are you here on holiday or for work?". A totally legitimate question in a city that is as much a major tourist destination as it is a major business centre.

Maybe someday we can ask visitors to Kuwait the same question....

Outta Here!

I'm off on a 2-week break... I might post something from my travels if I feel like it, but don't count on it ;-)

Stay safe, be good, and I'll see you when I get back!

ما أوصيكم

One blog created every second

Compared with the summer of 2004, it seems Kuwait's bloggers are either bored or have become very scattered across an ever increasing number of blogs, where it becomes very hard to keep up. Time constraints and a desire to maintain a normal life away from the PC also mean that there is no way to keep track of what's out there.

Around the world there's a new blog created every second, which means that we're all engaged in the blog equivalent of TV channel surfing. There's so much out there that audiences have become very fragmented as they set out to discover what they like. Eventually, we all settle into the few blogs (and TV channels) that we're comfortable with and stick to them until something really exciting comes along.

So go forth, trusty bloggers... go out and explore this wonderful world and come back to me with some cool and interesting stuff. I'm sure there are some gems right here in our back yard, but who has time to look?

2/8

New York has its 9/11, London now has its 7/7... but we've had our 2/8 way before them. So much has happened since that fateful day, both during the occupation and in the years that followed.

We had hopes and dreams that Kuwait would seize the opportunity of a new start and set itself on a path to progress. But did that happen?

You tell me.... how do you feel Kuwait has changed or developed since 1991? Have we learned anything from that bitter experience? Where do you see Kuwait's future heading?

Reader Response

The Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg has a technique for responding to angry, nasty emails. It's one of those emails that I wish I had written... to quite a few people!!

Dear Reader:

I received your email message. Sadly, I no longer permit myself the pleasure of personally responding to snide remarks from dissatisfied individuals, as doing so inevitably leads to time-wasting arguments and annoying exchanges of insults. Since such encounters often end with the reader complaining to my boss, it seems that this is what rude writers really want to do all along - to provoke me so they can satisfy some inner schoolyard desire to squeal. You may do so now by emailing the editor in chief, Michael Cooke, at mcooke@suntimes.com, though I should point out that his reply will be a form letter, so his reaction probably won't have the sense of fresh outrage you desire.

Otherwise, I would like to point out that the piece of writing that upset you is a column of opinion, that the opinion being expressed is mine alone, and the fact that you disagree with or were insulted by my opinion really is not important, at least not to me ...

If you have cancelled your subscription, I am sorry, though I am also confident, as you wade through the arid world of the competition and the barren void of television, that you will eventually soften and start reading the Sun-Times again, and would remind you that you can always skip my column; that's why it always has my name and picture on the top.

If there were a shred of politeness or sense in your email you would not be receiving this letter, but as you are, I would urge you to re-examine your life, and suggest that you reach out to all the people you have no doubt hurt with your brusque and offensive manner and beg their forgiveness. I will myself set a good example by forgiving you now. It can be a terrible world, and I'm sure you have reasons for being the way you are.

Best regards,

Neil Steinberg