Comedy Break: Borat with Regis

I still can't get enough of this guy... LoOoL (YouTube)

Tair El Himamee

Oo tair el himamee... "lai aftali bakra fee wast kachra lah talah gashra wil shakil sinjab" LooL (YouTube)

Here is the original song (Youtube)

RR Phantom Mobile Store in India

What do you get when you cross a mobile store with a RR Phantom?.... An actual "mobile" mobile store!!! Now if you think about it, renting an actual store would cost about just the same and it would look only half as cool... but if it sells, why not sell and look cool too?

P.S.: I absolutely love the plastic on the floors. It gives the phantom that rustic, ghetto look.

More information and pictures at Team-BHP

Upcoming Cinema Venues in Kuwait

Here is a list of the upcoming cinema venues in Kuwait...

1. Al-Bairaq Cinema: 3-screens (Late 2008)
2. Project 360: 16-screens including VIP theaters and IMAX (2009)
   
3. Al-Hamra Tower: 10-screens including VIP theaters and IMAX (Mid 2010)

More on the iPhone Nano

The news will be official next week, but the rumors are pouring in. XSKN  is already selling silicone cases for the iPhone Nano HERE

Comedy Break: How to Fight English

So this is how they train for football game after-fights... Is bringing the Asians in a good idea though? Are they outsourcing this too?

New Average Speed Cameras!!!

I just got this in an e-mail...

These are not just nicer looking radar cameras - they are a lot more lethal, so be careful. (So far this is just in the UAE.... Hopefully it won't catch on here in Kuwait)

First thing is that these cameras do NOT flash. They can take photos in complete darkness through ultra-light sensors, so even if it does not flash, it could have caught you. They also automatically read your number plate from the picture taken.

Now, comes the thing that catches most people. These cameras are continuous photo-taking cameras and they will take your photo regardless if you have been speeding or not. Then the next camera in 3-5 kms again does the same. Now, instead of checking your speed through advanced radars, these cameras are very simple and all they do is calculate how fast you traveled between the 2 cameras. If you arrived at the next camera with an average speed of faster than 120 km/h (or whatever the speed limit is) then you get fined.

What does this mean?
It means that you can stop speeding up between cameras and slowing down as it does not matter anymore. If you are speeding in between 2 cameras you will get fined.
Furthermore, don't be fooled by no flash flashing that the camera is not working.

The Solution?

After the first camera speed-up to over 200 km/h and just before the second camera stop at the side of the road and have a coffee break for 5 min. That way your average speed will be 20-30 km/h and you won't get fined.

Internet is Slooooow!!!

I noticed that the internet has been slow for quite a while now (even restarting the router and main server doesn't fix the problem like it usually does). Apparently, two undersea cables in the Mediterranean suffered severe damage and are the prime cause of this dilemma. This will take several days to fix and will affect internet connection speeds and cause disconnections to some due to the high traffic experienced in the remaining cables.

According to Times Online...

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) throughout the region, including those in United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, also reported problems. International telephone calls, which have also been affected, are being rerouted to work around the problem. (Times Online)

UPDATE: It turns out that 3 out of the 4 cables are cut. (Engadget)

UPDATE 2: Slowly but surely, speeds are getting back to normal.

UPDATE 3: Repairs begin on undersea cable.

According to BBC...

They (the cables) were cut within 5 minutes of each other, possibly by a trawler net... It is unclear how long repairs will take, as a ship could have dragged the cables several kilometres from their normal positions. (BBC)

"FLAME" Body Spray by Burger King

This must be the weirdest body spray out there. Ever crave that exquisite Whopper scent? Now you can have it with "FLAME" by Burger King. "FLAME" captures the essence of the Whopper and gives it to you. Behold the scent of seduction, with a hint of flame-broiled meat!!!.... What next? A cologne for men that captures the mild, tantalizing aroma of smoking tires after a good burnout?

Only $3.99, check it out here ----> Burger King "FLAME"

Chris Tucker in Hajj!!!

Actually it's his body-double Omar Regan, a Hollywood actor who appeared as a double for Chris Tucker in the film Rush Hour 2.  He seems to be  great, down-to-earth guy... All the best Omar.

Spy Shots: 2010 Nissan Patrol

I don't like the look of this at all, it looks too Land-Cruiser-ish.... The interior is better, but the exterior has gone downhill. 

According to Autoblog...

It is expected that the new Patrol will remain body-on-frame, and that it will pick up a 4.8L V8 for the engine bay. Other engine options will likely include a 4.0L V6 and 3.0L V6 diesel (co-developed with Renault) that is rumored to produce 265 hp and 405 ft-lbs of torque. (Autoblog)

Better transportation for troubled times

Efficient, effective, cheap maintenance, reliable, no taxes or harmful emissions... what's not to like about this?

Comedy Break: Mcain & Palin - Vice President

I know the elections are over and this video is outdated... But it's really, really funny!!! (YouTube)

A new pizza chain in Kuwait - Pizza Inn

Pizza Inn has just opened in Al-Rai and is going to open a in a second location before the end of the year. In my honest opinion I don't think we need any more pizza stores here; What we do need is something diverse like a Waffle House.... Mmmmmmm, Yummy!!! (FoodReview)

Trailer Time: X-Men Origins - Wolverine

This is going to be an amazing movie... Spiderman & Batman move over, this is on track to
become my new favorite superhero movie!!!

Here is the official site for the trailer: Myspace.com/x-menorigins, 

Here is the official site for the movie: X-MenOrigins.com.

Release Date: May 1, 2009 (IMDB)

Comedy Break: Shanghai lady drives off with a tow truck

A Chinese Chevrolet Captiva owner is angry that her SUV is going to be towed so she gets into her car, starts the engine, and begins driving off... while pulling the tow-truck with her. (YouTube)

Is this the iPhone Nano?

The pictures above are a mock-up of the skin (case/cover) to be sold as an accessory for the upcoming Apple iPhone Nano. This same thing happened for the iPhone 3G and it turned out that the mock-up cases were real and true to the 3G's size and design. This occurs because Apple sends their upcoming phone dimensions and designs to the case/cover producer ahead of time so that the cases would be on sale on or sometimes before the release date. The iPhone Nano is said to be a shorter, chubbier version of the iPhone 3G. According to iDealsChina sources, the phone will apparently have EDGE data, but otherwise seems identical in specs to other iPhones, other than the obviously smaller screen. All I can say is we all have to wait for MacWorld in January to know if this is true. (Engadget)

$50 Billion fraud by one man - Bernard Madoff

This is being called a scandal as big as Enron... To have made away with that much money and not get caught until reaching the $50 billion mark, I categorize this man as a genius. On the other hand, not fleeing to Mexico or anywhere in South America after his first $10 or $20 billion gets him an idiot status too. (Yahoo News)

View the alleged Ponzi scheme victim list HERE

Fluteboxing

What do you get when you mix a flute melody with beat-boxing? Absolute rhythmic genius!!!

Upcoming Hotels in Kuwait

Yippee!!! Kuwait is finally picking up the pace and starting to focus on touristic endeavors. It's about time they started doing this... Now build that bridge to Sabiyah so you can start on the Silk City project in order for my grandchildren to enjoy it's Grand Opening in 2108.

According to the Kuwait Hotel Owners Association, over twenty-five new hotels are planned or in construction, including the following:

• Golden Tulip Kuwait - Opening late 2008
• The Regent Messilah Beach Resort & Spa - Opening late 2008
• Hotel Missoni Kuwait - Opening Q1 2009 (the world's first Hotel Missoni)
• Hilton Olympia Kuwait - Opening Q2 2009
• The Monarch Luxury Hotel & Conference Center - Opening late 2009
• InterContinental Kuwait Downtown - Opening early 2010
• The Square Capital Tower - Opening late 2010
• Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at The Gate of Kuwait - Opening 2011

Crazy Japanese inventions

I thought I was crazy with the idea of inflatable bumpers for cars (That way we could crash into one another and just bounce back). These guys have gone that one step further and put their ideas into production. I have to be honest though, I love the idea of the baby floor cleaner thingamajig (They crawl all around the house, why don't they clean the floor while they're down there?... Great idea!!!)

Bentley GTC on the dunes of UAE

Another sad case of too much money but no brains!!!

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum gifts an island to Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher just got a piece of "The World" as gift from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum. The island is estimated at $7,000,000 and will be located in the southern hemisphere as part of the "Antarctica" island cluster. This island is expected to have it's own professional go-kart racetrack too!!! (The one above is just a photoshop) (EuroSport)

The Meat Co. Kuwait

I found this on The Meat Co.'s website. I'm guessing that they are either opening in The Avenues Phase III or in the new 360 Mall. Whether it's this or that, expect to indulge yourself in a scrumptious piece of steak in 2009. (The Meat Co.)

A keyboard for blondes

This keyboard is for real (priced at $50) and it is something else LooL... "Enter" is "Yes I Want It", "Delete/Backspace" is"Oops!", but my favorite must be the "Caps Lock" which is "WARNING! Size XXL Letters." Repaint this grey or black, translate into Arabic, and resell it as a perfect Kuwaiti Grandparents learner keyboard (No more headaches explaining what that button with the up-pointing arrow or left-pointing arrow does anymore).

More information on Keyboard For Blondes

LSE Range Rover Coupe

This SUV really looks nice; Aggressive, yet elegant (Also, I'm betting that this is waaaay better quality than the UAE job). However, I'm guessing that the guys at LSE didn't get the memo about the worldwide financial crisis because prices for this chopped-up Range Rover start at $250,000... Oh, and only 200 will be built so get your orders in ASAP.

According to GlobalMotors...

LSE Coupe comes with LED running lights, custom panels and bumpers. In addition to all the digital goodies passengers can take a good look at the outdoors via the Sport Coupe’s full-length panoramic glass.

Engineers have also worked on the engine and thanks to hardware and software upgrades LSE Coupe has more than 500 bhp. Customers can choose either 20-, 22- or 24-inch wheels for their custom built LSE Coupe. Behind these massive wheels you can find either Brembos, vented steel discs or carbon ceramics. It’s up to your wallet!

Financial times maybe hard, but this car should go fast as only 200 units will be built, out if which only 50 will make it to the States. Prices start at $250,000. For more information contact LSE Design Limited.

Heroes Webisodes

Heroes have come up with online episodes where us, the viewers, have made and voted for the character. I think this is a cool idea and these episodes are worth watching. You can either watch them on the original site or on YouTube. Also, there are a bunch of interactive stories on the Heroes website which seem to be interesting.

Hotel Missoni Kuwait

This seems to be good news in the way that there still is investment in tourism in Kuwait. A modern hotel for a modern Kuwait opening in April 2009. It's stated that it would be the first of it's kind (which I doubt will happen due to delays in kuwait construction projects) with the second opening in Scotland. All in all, this looks good.... although the design elements do create an eyesore followed by a severe headache.

More information on Wikipedia

Kuwait banks to dismiss employees

I have been hearing rumors about the upcoming lay-offs for quite some time now. With the current crisis this move should have been easily foreseen. People just have to hope for the best but prepare for the worst I guess.

According to Zawya...

KUWAIT: Mansour Ashour, the Chairman of the General Union of Banks announced that some local banks plan to dismiss a large number of employees, in the wake of the global economic meltdown. 

This move will negatively impinge on bank employees who rely on their salaries to provide for their families, reported Al-Qabas. Ashour said that employees are apprehensive about the banks' decision to cut jobs and that he has requested the Governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait to intervene. Ashour said that the Central Bank should lay down certain conditions before shoring up local banks. (Zawya)

Busta Rhymes (Feat. Ron Browz) - Arab Money

Hahaha... I guess rappers gave up on rapping about US money because it is on it's way to being worth less than the paper it's printed on. However, this does seem to be a bit on the racist/ offensive side, especially with the words "hallali halli la la". Any Arab rappers out there want to sing a song entitled "We gettin' rid of US money"?

Geant to open in Kuwait

French hypermarket Géant is set to be introduced in Kuwait with the opening of the 360° Kuwait Shopping Center in the Spring of 2009. Designed as a massive 13,000 square meter store, Géant will surely be a large part of the mall. You might have seen a couple of these stores  in Bahrain, UAE, and Saudi Arabia. The basic concept of this store is similiar to Carrefour where they have all kinds of items available under one roof - from common household items and food to computers and home theater systems.

Officially official: US is in a recession

It's about time they published this... I can understand pride in one's financial system; but come on!!! A little too late... A 5 year old can spot that the US is in recession right now with one question "Mommy, what am I getting this christmas?" and to this the mother only replies "You are getting the wheels for a new bike, for your birthday you might get the frame, and the horn is what you got on thanksgiving". There, the five year old got it in one question and these people analyze an endless amount of data to arrive at this conclusion. Just get your heads out of the ground and when you begin to see that Americans have already begun buying medicines from Canada or fuel from Mexico or that CostCo. (Discount Store where you buy in large quantities for a fraction of the price) sales have gone up you might notice this too. In brief, here's what the geniuses had to say...

"…a peak in economic activity occurred in the U.S. economy in December 2007. The peak marks the end of the expansion that began in November 2001 and the beginning of a recession. The expansion lasted 73 months; the previous expansion of the 1990s lasted 120 months… A recession begins when the economy reaches a peak of activity and ends when the economy reaches its trough. Between trough and peak, the economy is in an expansion." 

Full article HERE

For all you wanting investment tips, I would suggest investing in the following...

1. Obesity: store you hard earned money on your hips, cheeks and arm flaps.
2. Buy an Iraqi oil field: "Iraqi Oil Fields open to bidders (CNN)" Why worry about rising energy cost when YOU could be making tons of money with it. Forget about the puny little discussion about drilling offshore and get the Oil directly from the Middle East. Secure your claim NOW!

3. Become a gun dealer: undercut competition and import some guns from Russia and China (if it's from China be sure to get your money upfront and go for one-time deals... they might be faulty or cheap knockoffs).
4. Open a Guinea Pig restaurant: Guinea Pigs are nutritious and thanks to recession overly abundant in pet stores. Start your own Guinea Pig restaurant and be one of the first to cash in on the new fashion trend.
5. Rice: Invest in Rice! Check the recent development of Rice on the global markets and you will realize that the price has nearly tippled. There is no end in sight and the price of rice will keep going up and if it does not, you can still eat your investment. What other investment does nourish you during bad times? Essentially you cannot go wrong. Either sell the rice back to the market or live off it.

But seriously, what I suggest as good investments (NO JOKES HERE) are the following...

1. Precious Metals: Precious metals, such as gold, silver and platinum, are a tried and true investment for those looking to get out of the stock market. Many currencies were tied to precious metals in the past, which solidified their place as a currency hedge. Gold, silver and platinum, while they correlate somewhat to each other and the stock market, do not correlate absolutely, which makes ownership of each precious metal a good diversification option.
2. Timber: Timber is a solid commodity with steady demand that does well during stock market declines because it is not correlated to the market. Its returns reliably outperform the market, and its value increases over time, even without investor input.
3. Foreign Currencies: As the U.S. economy weakens and the dollar continues to lose value, it makes sense for investors to consider owning blocks of foreign currency. “Currencies have different pricing mechanisms, and low correlation to other dollar based assets, therefore providing an excellent diversification tool, and hedge against a falling dollar,” Chuck Butler, president of the EverBank World Markets, said.
4. Equities in countries with low correlation to the mother country: Investments in foreign countries whose economies aren’t tied to the U.S. economy could be helpful for investors hoping to diversify their portfolios in case of recession. (Risky at time of Global Recession)
5. Real Estate: Real estate can be a prime investment in times of recession. In times of financial uncertainty, real estate investors should focus on cash flow (Rental Properties) rather than appreciation. Cash flow is easy to see—the numbers either work from the start or they don’t.

Paris Hilton Towers Dubai

These guys have totally lost their minds!!! Was the Jessica Alba Tower project already taken? I have an idea... How about I propose building a tower made out of pancakes with a waterfall of maple-syrup and a parking with cars made out of large genetically-enhanced strawberries.... Dubai, Would you build it? What if I promise it will be the biggest and the only one in the world?

More information on GulfNews

Comedy Break: T.BearSACHS Financial Tips

Now you know what to do with your money... Hide it under you mattress and bail out!!!