Kuwait: Just Give Me My Espresso  · Global Voices
Abdullatif AlOmar

With Kuwait still recovering from last week's storm, blogger G, over at G's blog, posts a couple of pictures of the damage left behind. They include this:
… and the following remark:
This morning I arrived to work early, mostly my usual, and when I crossed the street i saw this. I felt really sorry for the people who had their cars under it
Moving from the storm, Fonzation speaks of the new traffic penalties that the Kuwaiti Interior Ministry is imposing. He writes:
Just read an article on Arab Times about expats who fail to respect the traffic rules.  Apparently, now they can be deported if they jump a red light and have previous traffic violations
And K The Kuwaiti talks about how impossible it has become to order his morning dose of espresso:
A simple order of an espresso in the morning is extended into a ridiculously long banter about the million different variations of beans and water that they offer. They ask you if you want to add several layers of caramel, chocolate, vanilla, coconuts and almonds. After the exhaustive repetitions of the word no, no, no… They attempt to sell you yet another drink which has absolutely no correlation to your intended order. You want an espresso? Then how about you try our frozen cinnamon mango shake with a crushed snickers bar. By the time your order is complete, your constant begging for an espresso has evolved into a seven shot caramel affogato accompanied by a chicken quiche.
About next month's parliamentary elections, Bint Alshamiya discusses the issue of election bribes. She writes (Ar):
عندى صديقه عزيزة علي من أيام الجامعة
من الصبح دقت على وصوتها متغير شويه
سولفت معاها وسألتها شلونكم مع الإنتخابات
مسكينه كانت إتحلطم…نسيت لا أقول لكم
صديقتى العزيزة من سكان صليبيخات
قالت الله ما يرضى بهالكلام …كل من يتكلم عنا
وعن بيع ذممنا مقابل رشاوى يدفعها ناس فاسدون
لناس أفسد منهم…… أنا ما أنكر إن هناك ناس يشترونهم
بالمال السياسي….بس مو كل صليبيخات
جم نسبة الفاسد من بين جموعنا….10% 20% اكثر
إذا هم قبضوا فهم مرتشين
بس مرشحينكم هم الراشين
بس الباجين شرفاء ما يبيعون الوطن من أجل حفنة دنانير
I have a dear friend from my university days. She called me this morning and there was a strange tone in her voice. I chatted with her and asked her about the elections. The poor thing was nagging. I forgot to mention that my friend is from Sulaibikhat. She said that God doesn't accept what is happening, and how everyone was talking about them – about selling their conscience in return for elections bribes paid by corrupt people for those more corrupt than them. I don't deny that there are people whose votes are bought with political money ..but that doesn't apply to the entire Sulaibikhat. How many people amongst us are corrupt: 10% or 20%? If they have accepted bribes then their candidates were the ones who bribed them. But the remaining people are honest and will not sell their country for a few dinars (Kuwaiti currency).