My teddy is called Mohammad

In a region where the name Mohammad ranks number one, it is not difficult to understand why children in school would want to call a dear toy by that name. If calling your teddy Mohammad is disrespectful, what about then nicknaming people with that name "Hamoodi", because that is in its own right a mutilation of the sacred name.
I think what the Sudanese government did was way out of order. I feel sorry for Ms. Gibbons who strived to teach those kids in a culturally understanding way but then got a smack across the face for doing so.
I'm glad that she got freed and didn't have to endure a worse ordeal...

I just wonder, will the Iranian government roar if a child calls his toy/pet Ali?

Please Muslims, wake up and start synapsing for God's sake

Feed the hungry

According to the BBC, this site has been the most successful method in drawing the attention to world hunger.
The concept is simple and addictive. Every time you answer a question correctly, you manage to donate 10 grains of rice. It is very addictive, especially for someone who enjoys vocabulary.
Click on the link and start feeding.

Movie Review: Quinceañera

I heard about this movie early last year through trailers on TV. I enjoy watching foreign movies as well as low-budget movies, as they have a charm of their own.
Being addicted to downloading most of what I watch on TV, supporting piracy for that matter, I recently persevered with the lowest rate of download for a whole week just to watch this film.

For those of you who do not know what quinceañera is, it is a coming-of-age celebration for girls who reach 15 years. This event is commonly practiced in Latin America and traditions vary from one country to the other.

Back to the movie, It was a refreshing, well portrayed exposure to a tradition that one doesn't hear about often. It starts really cute, with a lavish party for a rich 15-year old Hispanic girl and a bunch of old ladies slamming the tequilas. it quickly then diverts your focus to Magdelena, played by Emily Rios, who did a great job. Her acting was mature and natural. While watching the movie, you couldn't help but really feel it was a low-budget movie, I just couldn't get into it so well for me to forget that fact. I felt that its target audience were teenagers. It lacked the adult feel to it in the story-line (and I don't mean by that porn!), however you do come across homosexual references in the plot. I also was disappointed towards the end, when the movie becomes Americanised. By that I mean, script lines referring to things as 'Miracle' and a certain person as a 'Saint' and an attitude of 'I can conquer the world'. What I also couldn't understand in the movie was, how come Magdelena's bump grew bigger, yet her butt remained the same size!

This movie won 2 awards in the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and was screened in the 2006 Berlin Film Festival.

Will I watch it again? I don't think so. I actually trashed it.

The day & month of atonement

People around the world fast during Yum Kippur and Ramadan, yet neither parties can or know how to get along...

Images obtained from moos & MSN respectively.

Sumo

Below is an article from Reuter's website:

"TOKYO (Reuters) - A woman invaded a sumo ring -- a sacred arena from which females are banned -- in Tokyo during a major tournament, domestic media said on Thursday, then was pulled down by a referee and one of the sport's huge wrestlers.

The middle-aged woman dashed from the side of the Kokugikan sumo stadium on Wednesday and shoved away a female security guard before rolling onto the ring just as a bout was set to begin, the Yomiuri newspaper said.

The Japan Sumo Association insisted that though the woman did enter the raised platform around the batting ring, she did not set foot on the ring, or dohyo, itself.

"It's bad for the heart," said Takamisakari, a popular wrestler who helped catch the woman, told the Sports Nippon daily. "What was the person trying to do while we were wrestling seriously?"

It was not clear why she had attempted to reach the ring during one of the sport's heavily televised six big tournaments, but she was carrying a bundle of flyers saying "help, bad spirits," Nikkan Sports daily reported.

Such an intrusion would be a severe faux pas for the ancient sport, which is so serious about keeping females out that a female governor of Osaka had to delegate prize-giving duties to a male subordinate at a 2001 tournament.

Japan's giant wrestlers battle it out in a ring with a diameter of 4.6 meters (15 feet) set in the centre of a sand stage raised around 50 centimeters (19 inches) from the ground.

Tradition forbids women from entering the ring on the grounds that it is sacred and their presence, considered unclean, would pollute it.

"It's just the way it's been from the past," an official from the sumo association said.

Women were also banned in the past from climbing mountains or entering mines in Japan."

I beg to differ, I think this lady was trying to break the sumo taboo in Japan. Whatever the flyers were saying, I think this women was trying to tell the Japanese population, and the whole world, that we are not subordinates, dirty or pollutants. Men were just afraid that the whole world will witness no harm happening to the sport once a woman steps onto the ring. So as to protect themselves from ridicule, they shoved her to th side...

Islamic Swimathon

I recently got back into exercise, and I feel great. And so to avoid boredom with doing a routine workout, I included swimming into my weekly schedule. On my first day in the pool, I noticed that all the women, and I am not exaggerating, were wearing spandex shorts under a half-sleeved bathing costume and one or two were in the full attire as the picture. I initially thought that it is related to one's lack of self-esteem when it comes to exposing the famous Arab hips and thighs. However, I was very wrong. There were even slim women present who were wearing the same outfit. I am facinated by the surge in trend of what they call 'Islamic bathing suite'. It is originally designed to allow Muslim women to participate in outdoor water activities. Yet, I do not understand why a woman needs to wear it in an indoors all-ladies swimming pool. One has to bear in mind that, Islamically, women should conceal in the presence of other women the area from the naval to the knee. Therefore, it baffles me why ladies in Kuwait feel the need to cover from neck to ankles when going into the swimming pool. I am not implying that they should all go topless, however, there is no harm in being in an ordinary bathing suite...it is just easier on the eyes.

Note: apology goes to eshda3wa & lady says for the technical hiccup

I'm sensing a cool breeze

It seems that my blog was blocked for some reason since I last posted. I wonder why?

'Dalag Suhail' was spotted yesterday, so we will be anticiptating a slight drop in temperature. Happy news for the Ministry of Energy, as they will stop threatening the country with power outages.

Sex Education

It was announced today that the Ministry of Education has rejected the offer of including a 'Sex Education' module in schools. They claimed that the inclusion on such subject is culturally unacceptable. Furthermore, such subjects in other Arab countries were proven useless and failed to provide additional benefit to students.
On another note, four days ago, it was announced that 'celibacy' did not reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases nor teenage pregnancy. In other words, celibacy is not synonymous with safe sex. This revelation was based on a study done in America as a response to Mr. Bush's believe that celibacy is the way forward for a better society.

Therefore, I think you should make your own conclusion on the matter.

Congratulations Kuwait, it is official and it is in numbers! the weekend switch will be in a month's time. Expect confused traffic...

Tarsheed feedback

I sent an e-mail to the tarsheed group, raising the point of the governmental institutions noncompliance with conserving energy resources. and guess what? I got a response!

" We would like to thank you for your e-mail, and yes what is happening at the ministries is attributed to our society's (Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaitis) nonchalant behaviour, which has to change and tackled from within.

We again appreciate your feedback."

We all know that it is because of their 'nonchalant behaviour', but what are your strategies to tackle it?

Religion: a personal matter

A while back, I sat listening to a conversation which was initiated by the fever of the University elections and somehow ended in sectarian prejudice. I observed alarming comments from the people who were involved in the dialogue. They were explaining that for a Kuwait University student, joining a party is all about who constitutes a majority. For example, if the mustaqela (independent party) is a majority of Shiite, they will choose to be a member of, for example, a Democratic party. They elaborated that as Sunni Muslims, they did not want the stigma of a Shiite sympathizer. How shameful!

I view the University Student’s Union election as a training step for the youth to learn about politics, political life and leadership. It is like a mini-trial of what is awaiting them in the future, if they choose to pursue a life in the political arena, or if they wish to exercise their political rights properly. However, some people find it useful to brain-wash the youth in academic institutions to think in an unhealthy manner. They muddle the brains with tribal thoughts. It feels like, this country instituted a political system as a step forward towards being more civilized. However, some would like to push it backwards by promoting standing up for your tribe/religious sect.

I think religion is the root of all evil. Now, you might consider this a very strong statement, but I have my reasons for stating it here. I am not displaying hatred to religion, I am portraying how when the religious institution is the driving force for societies’ desires, civilizations are destined to doom. Just look at the various examples of blood-shed, war and destruction in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Bosnia. All have one thing in common; fighting in the name of religion. Little can they realise, that they are fighting against the core teachings of their religions.

Going back to our subject, Academic institutions, such as Kuwait University, should try to dampen the effect of religious extremism. They should teach their students about religious and sectarian tolerance. They should institute modules that teach them about how to be a good Muslim, rather than how to perfect performing your Islamic rituals. Students should also be taught how to have an opinion and avoid being a conformist. Sigh, I think I'm just day dreaming...!

Consumers lessons in economisation

I am sure a lot of you agree with me that Kuwaitis are renowned for their high consumption. Let's see the examples, they love consuming foods, love to shop 'til they drop, cruise around the coastal road with frequent splurges on gas. These displays of extreme expenditure is an evolution of an old cultural Arab costume: GENEROSITY. Obviously, times have changed and currently the Kuwaiti citizen doesn't fancy being labeled stingy. Therefore we, as a nation, had to explore other avenues to express our extreme urge of showing generosity.

Following the Iraqi invasion, there was a sudden boom in the real estate market (I am not going to discuss the financial side here). This boom meant that every Kuwaiti aspired to having a bigger house, with more rooms and a larger reception area with more lighting involved. Kuwaitis developed a taste for large flasher-lights which showed the tasteful/tasteless exterior of their houses. Other green-oriented individuals, opted for the vast gardens which included exotic vegetation that required extensive maintenance and watering. And with the larger houses, came the increase in the number of man-power, i.e. gardeners, maids and the lot.
The summing result of the evolved Arab costume and the exuberant life-style meant that more water and electric power is needed to keep up with the demand. So guess what we are facing right now?

Who would believe that a wealthy country like Kuwait faces challenges in providing power during the longest season of the year. Not to mention, water supply too when it is most needed. Couldn't they speculate that a crisis like this would happen when they decided to air-condition every possible venue in Kuwait? I am not implying that it is not necessary. Couldn't the government try to clamp down on the aspiration of people who think bigger-is-better? It's a shame that an educated society needs to be taught how to conserve resources in the twenty-first century. Yet again, bad management is kicking in. I'd imagine a crisis like this happening to India, China where there are billions scavenging electric power and water, but not Kuwait.

Looking on the positive side, the 'tarsheed' campaign is taking the better-late-than-never approach. They are working at full force doing their educational bits on TV, billboard advertisements and newspapers. I am proud that the Kuwaiti society is doing well so far, but I could also attribute the reduction in consumption to the fact that half of the country is away on vacation.

Just a note from my Buddha, how come the governmental institutions are not setting an example by switching off lights and air-con in vacant offices during peak-consumption hours?