January 2008 Archives
Don't believe the hype.
There is no way in hell Kuwait is ever going to be a 'financial hub' unless a cultural, legal and work systems revolution takes place.
Parliament and the Government can pass as many laws as they can muster but they are doomed to failure unless government employees begin to serve the people, the state, the financial apparatus, not the other way around (and they need to be efficient, patient and professional doing it); outdated laws are overhauled, updated and bilingual (as well as enforced in order to gain transparency to both local and foreign business) and state of the art Administrative and Financial systems are integrated into institutions (so projects, expenditures and general income are kept track of).
We must eradicate 'corruption' by applying the full extent of the law, because corruption is not just relegated to 'bribes,' it affects the environment, it fuels crime, it propels jobs and positions of leadership to the wrong people, it instills despair and hopelessness among the populace, it devastates our infrastructure and resources, it stimulates bureaucracy and human rights abuses, tarnishes our image and collective pride, among many other concerns.
We need to clean house before we start talking big, unrealistic ventures.
It's the difference between you and your kids living comfortably and leading a productive life in Kuwait by the year 2025 or your children becoming expatriates in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha because their state squandered its intellectual, natural and financial resources.
The stakes are very high.
RAMBO (Lionsgate)
Following on the heels of PG-rated action heroes such as Jason Bourne and James Bond (including the recent DIE HARD sequel), audiences in the mood for an R-rated action splatter-fest will love RAMBO.
RAMBO is a furious, ultra-violent, and kinetic piece of celluloid, aided by an amazingly somber mood throughout. It isn't just one of the most rousing action films produced the last decade but a tight drama with poetic moments of brutal elegance (the Karen natives forced by the evil Burmese (Myanmar) army to run across mine-field-laden rice paddies) and brutal savagery (the army's vicious slaying of a whole town, including women and children). RAMBO contains a no-holds barred viciousness, realistically depicting human rights atrocities and the carnage of war, beyond anything seen in films such as THE KILLING FIELDS, raising the gory, graphic action quotient to levels that films such as 300 cannot even match.
RAMBO is another return to form for Sylvester Stallone, following the surprisingly first-rate ROCKY BALBOA (which he also directed). Moreover, this film's protagonist is closer in spirit to the stoic, minimalist portrayal of John Rambo in FIRST BLOOD; however, the body count is way higher (see chart above). RAMBO delivered the goods, bloody decapitations, flying limbs, stabbings; graphic shootings - definitely not for the squeamish. Indeed, it's the most engrossing and enjoyable RAMBO flick since FIRST BLOOD: savage, morbid and incredibly bloody, devoid of the cartoonish elements of its sequels.
Score: B+
Note: The only Ministry of Information edited sequence was a rape scene; the rest of the movie seemed intact by the censors (it is rated '18' by Cinescape). At around a brief 85 minutes (after censorship), I saw it at Mohallab 3 (the large auditorium), the surround sound was first-rate, although the picture was out of focus during the opening of the film (I wish Cinescape hired competent projectionists who effectively know how to calibrate an image). Nevertheless, I highly recommend watching this with some friends at the cinema; especially a late screening where the audience can go nuts.
U.S. President George W. Bush's official visit to Kuwait has ended.
CNN has released the following report by Ed Henry from Kuwait City, detailing the visit. [LINK]
Salmiya, Sunday, 6.1.08, 6:45pm
What a day.
An environment consisting of bitter cold, fierce wind and dust is sweeping Kuwait.
It's like being trapped in an hourglass, under the brunt of falling sand.
Stay home.
It's been a busy couple of weeks. I do have some interesting posts in the pipeline but it might take a few days for them to see the light of day.
Lately I have enjoyed reading a much larger variety of blogs than usual (I use the Feed Demon RSS Engine to subscribe to my favorites) and the thing that caught my eye is that almost every other blogger I either meet in RL or check out online seems to be a Gemini. I guess there is some truth that Geminis are great communicators and/or are into communication. As Rick James used to holler, "It's super-freaky."
Yes, I belong to the Twins category as well.
