LOYACY Magazine May 2012 by LOYACY Magazine

LoYACY [Lo - yak - e]

May 2012 6th Issue

Happy 1st Birthday!

Contents

Tree of Life pg 7

oing on 15 pg 32

Twen ty

G ive

N Take on Qa tar

Help “The Help” p

so r en

How

in the Deser t pg Rose

a Kony Article pg

to C

Pr o g re

Monologu

S An M s s:

Ar t

s ta Mu

fa Said pg 16

La D

Profile pg 46

olce Vita pg 48

AMG Roadster p g1 SLS

How

to Assasinate

b in Ar a

the You pg 52

and Bones pg

4 / Issue 6: May 2012

ride: yB

Photoshoot

pg 5

Forza Milan pg 2 8

Run w

Skin

Ma y

D a y pg 58

an g Ch

ing a Career pg

68 ‫ص‬

60 ‫الكاديميه‬ ‫دة ا‬

70‫ص‬

‫الصيفي‬

‫مج‬ ‫ا‬

‫جري‬

‫ال‬ ‫برن‬

‫ص‬ 62

‫من انا؟‬

LoYACY is now online!

Check it out on issuu.com/loyacy for our latest issues 2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 5

LoYACY Staff Nadia Al Saqqaf Editor in Chief Nora Al Ruwaished Staff Writer AbdulMohsen Al Mayyas Staff Writer Photographer Abrar Al Shammari Staff Writer Ahmed Nassar Staff Writer Rana AbdulRahim Designer F160 Cover Artist

6 / Issue 6: May 2012

Contributing Writers Mrs.Fareah Al Saqqaf Bandar Al Saeed Bibi Al Falah

Letter from the Editor Dear Readers, Sixty days since I have last written to you and yes, I have missed secluding myself with my ancient MacBook to pour my heart out to you all on a bimonthly basis, but this time I have an infinite amount of good news to share with you! LOYAC has officially turned 10! Celebrating this monumental moment in our history was quite the emotional rollercoaster for the entire LOYAC family, old and new members alike. From the preparations for the big day, to the delicately thought out campaign, to the year long production of our documentary film, annual report, archives, and photo book, every member of the LOYAC family pulled together to produce an unforgettable night for everyone; a true example of synergy at work. Congratulations LOYAC! Hold up, I’m not done with Birthday announcements; this is LOYACY’s 6th issue which means we have successfully survived the year! On this occasion, I would like to dedicate this issue to the two young women who took on the daunting task of committing to this magazine from day 1 and became integral contributors to making LOYACY the unique publication it is today: Rana AbdulRahim and Nora Ruwaished. Happy Birthday LOYACY! Now that I’m done with the birthdays; this issue will be taking on health, fitness and labor rights in honor of MS Awareness month and Labor Day coming up in May. We have delved into eating disorders, inhumane working atmospheres, relapsing MS, the May Day General Strike, and much more. We have reported all the exciting news of the LOYAC Academy of Performing Arts as well as the AC Milan Soccer School. We’ve brought you a little sneak peek of the gorgeous new Mercedes SLS Roadster, and the art of a pretty special inter-racial princess. We’ve uncovered the glories of Qatar and chronicled one young woman’s experiences with growing pains. My sincerest apologies go out to Abrar Al Shammari, our talented little spit-fire of a writer, whom we mistakenly robbed of a by-line in the Americani Culture Center article from last issue. Sorry my darling, you know we love you! Wave goodbye to your school year and say hello to a productive summer with LOYAC’s brilliant Summer Program. But whatever you end up doing this summer, have a spectacular May and June, and I’ll be counting the days till I get to write to you again for our July issue. Sincerely yours, Nadia Al Saqqaf

LoYACY is composed of a group of young writers with the goal of publishing abstract viewpoints and relatable information to the masses. We seek to capture the essence of the Kuwaiti youth in an array of articles ranging from intellectual topics to current news and local events. We attempt to reach our audience through a multimedia publicity effort underlined through the guiding principles of honesty, vigor and exceptional journalism. As always, we are looking for new voices to contribute to our growing relationship with the youth. We encourage independent freelancers to contribute, so please share your voices and help us become a true embodiment of our generation. You can get in touch with us through the “Contact Us” section on blogyac.com or twitter.com/blogyacy. If you opt for a more old school approach, you are more than welcome to drop by our offices in Sharg, At Al Qibliya School, Ali Al Salem Street. 2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 7

8 / Issue 6: May 2012

Written By: Abrar Al Shammari

Tree f Life

t’s always so inspiring to see young men and women being active members of society which is why I would like to applaud an initiative taken by a high school student, Tamara Ghuneim.

Tamara is a junior at an American school, and with the help of her peers, organized a cancer awareness week, where a variety of fundraising activities were held for money to be raised for cancer research. My personal favorite, which was actually non-profit and simply for the sake of emotional support, was the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life, Tamara says, is a symbol of growing, prospering hope; an impressive number of students and teachers at her school took part in this activity, where they would write the names of any cancer survivors or victims they know of and hang it up on the tree. As I watched, I saw that most people would write more than two names. ‘For Daddy’, ‘for my brother Scott’, ‘for Tata’, ‘for my dog’. Students and teachers would choose between two cards: ‘In Honor Of’ and ‘In Memory Of’. The ‘In Honor Of’ card was designated for cancer survivors, and ‘In Memory Of’ was for victims of cancer who had not survived. Thank you Tamara for making a difference. 2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 9

Social

Written By: Nora Al Ruwaished

Help ‘The Help’

irport personnel might as well have two lines—one for ‘Muslims’ and one for “Everyone Else,’ because after 9/11, being an Arab means you are going to be discriminated against. You accept that you are going to go into the room of shame where a stranger will violate you and pat you down for ten minutes until every fleck of metal and each button has been discovered to ensure there are no bombs. You will surely arrive to your destination with your suitcase looking like you packed a wild animal inside of it after multiple customs officers have dug it apart and searched for shady business. Likely all they found was underwear and dress shoes, but they are on a mission as they eyeball your beard or your hijab and scan their eyes over your belongings. The people behind you are huffing and puffing 10 / Issue 6: May 2012

because you are now the reason they are running late, and they hope that you aren’t on their plane. You feel like an ant, and there is nothing you can do, and this is probably the closest reality you will ever have about the way the domestic workers and laborers of Kuwait feel. Dehumanized. To understand the emotions that come with this disgusting act due to first hand experience should prevent the victim from doing it to others, but sadly this is not the case. Take a journey through a laborer working in Kuwait. The phone rang in my mother’s purse, persistently and equally as silent. We had just finished having lunch and reflecting over the conversation we had just with an expat who has been living in Kuwait for a six years and who has faced some major difficulties from her employers. The

Thai restaurant was quiet, with the four women who worked in it playing a game of Uno and it pleased us to see that at least some of these laborers in Kuwait were having a nice time at work for the time being. “Four missed calls and a text message! No one ever calls me that much,” exclaimed my mother. The story that unfolded preceding the lunch was enough to prove my point in this article, but the text message was about to turn a common story into a very harsh reality. A reality my family then got to experience first hand. The names of the people in these articles have been changed for their own protection. The message read, “Hello, this is Sara. I was just arrested and I am at the police station. I just wanted to tell you goodbye,

rac·ism [rey-siz-uhm] noun a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule others. as they are going to deport me, and thank you for listening to my story.” We were the last people to have a conversation with this woman before she was swept away, making me even more compelled to write this article. Sara wasn’t frail, she was tall and strong and she held her head high when she walked. She used words like “absolutely” and made comments like “oh please do tell my story, I’d love for someone to care for once.” Although she was a victim of previous sexual abuse from her old employer, and after filing complaints against her abuser ended up terminated from the company, she fought for her rights regardless. “He used to make sexual references to me and then became touchy, to the point that I could not stay

silent anymore. I assumed by speaking up, someone would care enough to protect me and help me, but instead I was fired from my job. Imagine if this was a Kuwaiti woman, what an outrage this would be and what punishments he would face. All I ask for is the same respect. It isn’t too much, is it?” This termination forced her to seek a job in a company who made empty promises, at times withheld her underpaid wages from her, and who refused to write her contract so she could stay in Kuwait to work legally. Having no choice but to wait and hope, she anticipated her court hearing on April 15 to make her stay legal. This woman wasn’t able to make it through the last few days. She was stopped in a taxi, and without her paperwork she knew what was in store for her. My mother and father rushed to the police station to try to help, but it was no use. All they could do was give her a blanket, some snacks, a toothbrush and their best wishes. The jail cells were miniscule and cold, jam-packed and unlivable. My mother came home in tears going to the cupboard for four more toothbrushes for the other women she met there. One of the women was a maid who was in jail because she had ran away from her employer’s home after she had been severely burned on purpose because she broke a glass by accident. She looked frightened and her eyes begged for just an ounce of kindness. They called my mother ‘aka’ which means sister, after

a few days of her visiting them and bringing them a few supplies to make their stay a little more pleasant. This woman said that her owner used to be so aggressive that she felt fear walking through the hallways from her bathroom to the kitchen. She felt her whole life was lived in hiding and fear and she was actually thankful to be in her jail cell where she was safe, but was worried about not being able to send money to her family. Every now and then I read a book that hits so close to home it’s as if the author took the thoughts that I had always had but never said aloud, and wrote them down in a logical and genius manner. The last time I felt this deep 2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 11

Social dis·crim·i·na·tion [dihskrim-uh-ney-shuhn] noun Treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit: racial and religious intolerance and discrimination. connection to a book was to ‘The Help’ written by Kathryn Stockett, with which I felt increased uneasiness in my stomach with the turn of every page. I realized the parallels I was drawing between the handling of the slaves during 1962 in Mississippi were far too similar to the treatment of the domestic laborers and service workers here in modern day Kuwait. What really got to me was that in actuality, the slaves in this novel were treated better than some of the individuals who endured the horror stories I have collected from expats in Kuwait, and for all you know may be living amongst you presently. In the novel, the housekeepers raised the children, cooked the food, cleaned the homes and made the lives of the southern woman simple so they could tend to the salon, their ladies’ gatherings, and go to the country club. Though the slaves were allowed to engage in all these activities that are normally the jobs for the women of the household, they were not allowed to use the same restrooms or the same eating utensils. They couldn’t wear clothing that they themselves chose, and definitely were not allowed to talk back to their employers or stick-up for themselves. They were less than their employers, they were property, and this racism was accepted.. They formed a community, with blues songs and a public sphere to let out their frustrations, a luxury our laborers don’t have. Most are here alone, seeing little but the inside of the 12 / Issue 6: May 2012

prej·u·dice [prej-uh-dis] noun, verb, prej·u·diced, prej·u·dic·ing unreasonable feelings, opinions, or attitudes, especially of a hostile nature, regarding a racial, religious, or national group. home they work in, forced to live in silence in a prison with their own emotions. The laborers, specifically domestic workers in Kuwait, have it worse in many cases than the slaves in Mississippi had in 1962. Where is the progression? Why are we advancing in technology, in education and in health, but not in the way we treat the people who do the jobs we ourselves are unwilling to do? Words are just words, but words turn into actions. Prejudice (noun) and racism (noun) turn into discrimination (verb), and when it reaches that point it can either be verbal, physical or mental. Recall those times at the airport when your Kuwaiti nationality means nothing. You are dehumanized and you are ‘just another terrorist’, regardless

of your last name. You only feel this when you travel and you know what to expect, but what if this was the treatment you received your whole life? What if you were beaten, yelled at and mistreated just for being born into your body? What if your employer held your hard earned pay and you couldn’t support your family who you are not even able to see because you broke one of fifty glasses stacked in the kitchen? Have you ever felt hungry because your owner deprived you of food? When you crave something, you get into your luxury car, pull our your wallet which costs ten times more than you pay your housekeeper, and you stuff yourself. On the drive home, you are not thinking about laundry, a messy house or even the struggle of removing yourself from the couch to get the remote if you don’t want to. There is nothing to be said about this tragedy except that it needs to change and it starts with you. Humble yourself and accept that you have most likely been a culprit of racism, prejudice and discrimination and make a conscious effort to rid yourself of this disease and try to convince others around you to do the same.

‫‪ / 13‬عدد ‪ : 6‬مايو ‪2012‬‬

Health

Written By: Mohammed Ayyad

Progress: An MS Monologue

rogress, progress is usually a good thing— progress in your career, your studies or progress in your everyday life. The word progress is usually welcomed but what if progress is the one thing you dread most? I have had remitting relapsing multiple sclerosis for 4 years and my one wish is that my condition does not progress. When I woke up on March 18th 2008 I couldn’t feel my left arm, leg even the left side of my face was numb rendering me weak with a speech impediment that made me sound like I had a mental disability. This was very frustrating especially because I 14 / Issue 6: May 2012

was always quite sharp and eloquent. After sometime and various tests, cat scans and MRI’s at Amiri Hospital it was confirmed that I had remitting relapsing MS. I had no idea what it meant. Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system. Visible lesions, which show up on your MRI as white blotches on your brain and spinal chord, confirm it. I thought that I was safe after it was explained to me that remitting relapsing MS is no where near as harmful as progressive MS. Progressive MS sufferers have a

fast decline in motor skills and are usually in a wheelchair within a couple months. After my initial attack and diagnoses I enjoyed 3 years of remission. When meeting me you could not tell I had a serious condition. I lived my life the way anyone would (except for a weekly Avonex injection I gave myself) other than that I almost forgot I had MS. I traveled, enjoyed life with friends and family and was happily married. After a painful divorce my lifestyle changed. I didn’t eat well, didn’t drink enough water, smoked too much and didn’t

sleep enough. As a result I went blind. A black spot in my vision grew until I was completely blind. I spent a week in terror being told that this was not permanent. After a week of cortisone treatment I did regain my vision but there was a problem, double vision. The way it was explained to me was that my eyes did not “work together” so I had to cover one at all times with an eye patch. When I removed the eye patch what I saw was double or triple and very blurry. My motor skills also suffered, my hands shook violently my legs as well, I lost my balance and found it hard to walk in a straight

line. Mentally I was crushed, I was only 28 but felt like an old man, this was a relapse! I went abroad to undergo the controversial CCSVI surgery. People have named it the “Liberation Surgery” the veins in your neck and chest are widened to allow more oxygenated blood to reach your brain. It was performed under local anesthesia so I was awake throughout the surgery. I heard and felt every widening. I don’t know if it was the drugs they had me under but I laughed out load as I heard the bubbling sound you hear when fin-

ishing a juice carton right behind my ear. It’s been a year now since my liberation surgery and I am thankfully in remission at the moment. I take a monthly Tysabri infusion instead of the weekly Avonex this apparently lessens the chance of relapse. I begin each day with a cocktail of vitamins and drink at least 2 liters of water a day. My vision is almost back to normal and my motor skills are fine except for occasional numbness. I continue living my life with a few precautions, I live day by day and hope for no progress.

2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 15

Political

A Rose In the Desert Asmaa Al-Asaad

Written By: Bandar Al Saeed

“Marie Antoinette. Imelda Marcos. Asma al-Assad.”

hese are not the names of the women we all owe our puberty to. Nor are they household names in most Kuwaiti homes. These three names, however, do share something in common – and it’s not just that they are likely the source of almost all of Christian Louboutin’s sticky underwear. Like her iconic predecessors, the Syrian First Lady Asma al-Assad has provided the world with a cult of personality unparalleled by most women in history. It’s no surprise journalists have moved to label her as a “rose in the desert”; her Western outlook became 16 / Issue 6: May 2012

a breath of fresh air in a pre-Arab Spring political arena where the best we could do for presidential wives were a moneylaundering Leila Ben Ali and ‘stay-at-homeI’ll-cook-for-you-habibi’ Suzanne Mubarak. Indeed, Asma’s timing was impeccable. The Arabs of the turn of the century had become fed up with the growing political stability and economic growth that characterized the pre-9/11 era. Back then, our dictators preferred long walks on the beach to Kalashnikovs. Instead, we began to look to the West for a dictatorship, not of human rights, but of inspiration, creativity, and beauty – someone to lead the Arab

pursuit of these Western ideals. Enter our Lawrence of Arabia: elegant, composed, well rounded; championing a suave British accent and a suppressed sadomasochism with the poise and imperialism that the infamous British army liaison became notorious for. After marrying a publically awkward and often monotone Bashar in 2000, Asma proceeded to revitalize the Syrian president’s image, Evita Peron style – minus the Andy Lloyd Weber soundtrack, of course. Born Asma al-Akhras, she was raised in the U.K. to Syrian-born parents and from the very start, it became clear that her childhood would never have a working

class aura about it. Numerous characteristics of Asma’s childhood had reinforced her ‘privileged’ status; namely, her father’s fruitful profession as a prominent Londonbased cardiologist, her European complexion, that is reported to have been so strong that it compelled her elementary school friends to attribute a more appropriate Western name for her in ‘Emma’, and, of course, a diplomatic passport courtesy of her mother’s foray into Syrian politics. Her post-adolescent years saw her attending King’s College in London to study computer science and French literature. Always the Francophile, she had given many interviews in her beloved French throughout her career. These interviews, given entirely at the discretion of the Syrian president, were consistently praised for being conducted with the panache and linguistic proficiency of a true dame, even prompting one French newspaper to label her an “element of light in a country full of shadow zones”. After taking a relatively time-consuming and wholesomely purifying Ba’ath upon her settling in Damascus in the early 2000s, Asma began to focus her political efforts towards being a leading Syrian advocate for women’s rights and educational reform. Inevitably, the allure of undertaking the ‘MILF’ responsibilities (Queen Rania had eerily expressed a desire to be relieved of such duties) on behalf of all Arab First Ladies overwhelmed her, and she quickly found herself acquiescing to this cornerstone of Arabian heritage. Ostentatiously glamorous apparel became her trademark as Asma thrust herself into the global fashion eye. As the end of the first decade of the 21st century approached, Asma had already rooted herself as the legitimate voice of the Syrian government. By then, she had propelled Bashar’s popularity to a pinnacle previously thought unreachable by the Syrian commanderin-chief. She, quite literally, provided the “Vagina Monologues” to her husband’s iron-fisted regime. Up until the ramifications of the Syrian revolt were felt around the world, she, almost exclusively, provided the delicacy needed to combat the acidity of the Ba’ath party, particularly as Shi’ia tensions escalated in neighboring countries. The regime’s response to the attempted

“She, quite literally, provided the “Vagina Monologues” to her husband’s iron-fisted regime” revolt, however, altered the dynamic of the couple’s image entirely. Bashar, although not surprisingly, had asserted autocratic authority in certain regions of the nation, prompting mass UN unrest. To make matters worse, public access to the leaked emails of the President and his wife yielded a surprising discovery: Asma al-Assad was not everything she made herself out to be. Her previously radiant humanitarianism mysteriously dissipated when it came to addressing the often brutal interactions between her Syrian state and its populace. Instead, she appeared at pro-regime rallies organized by the Party, cementing her support for her husband’s oppressive regime. And thus Lady Macbeth arose from the ashes… As she would later come to discover, loyalty came at a price. The peacekeeping world, disheartened by the unfortunate moral ambiguity of their prime sponsorship icon, reacted violently to her actions. Recent EU sanctions on Asma effectively froze her assets and placed a travel ban on her and several of her family members. The sole shimmer of hope in Bashar’s otherwise dark regime disappeared, and along with it, the potential to solidify a truly contemporary iconic symbol of Arab womanhood. The image of the Arab First Lady has suffered immensely from Asma’s downfall, the second disappointment we have expe-

rienced in recent years, after Queen Rania’s stubborn refusal to trudge moral and ethical lines was met with dissatisfaction by Arabs and admirers of her beauty alike. As Mr. Louboutin weeps for his fallen muse Syria crisis threatens to deteriorate exponentially, most of us are already growing wary of the lack of an appropriate substitute. Jehan Sadat may as well have taken the legacy of the Arab First Lady altogether (and why did Um Kalthoum never marry a diplomat, dammit?!) At any rate, the search is on. If all else fails, it isn’t entirely out of the question to re-accept Asma al-Assad as our perpetual epitome of the Arabian example. After all, every rose does have its thorns. 2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 17

Political

Written By: Abrar Al Shammari

Mustafa SAID Voice of the Revolution

hroughout the turmoil of the explosive ups and disappointing downs of the Arab Spring, every single form of resistance has risen to the surface. Passive, aggressive, literal, journalistic, theatrical, artistic, musical, strategic, humanitarian, anarchist, political - active, persistent, unceasing/unrelenting. Revolutionary men 18 / Issue 6: May 2012

and women made history as they went out to the streets and took their freedom into their own hands, no longer waiting for someone to give it to them. Calling for political reform and democratic states, Arabs all over the world created a domino effect that soon encouraged non-Arab spectators to stand up for their own rights

as well. Starting with a simple cart-owner in Libya setting himself on fire, spreading to the Occupy Wall Street Movement, and even South Africa with their SlutWalk; it opened peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes to the truth behind the power structure of the world. I discussed all of this with a young Egyptian man who was one of the many heroes who

revolted and overthrew a dictator. I was given the privilege of meeting Mustafa Said, a blind Egyptian composer who wants to revive his country’s rich culture using music. Developing an intimate friendship with music early on in his life, Mustafa Said began teaching music to others at the young age of sixteen in Mutariya, Cairo. Through that job, his eyes were opened to a number of talented people whom he felt lacked motivation. Yet, being a witness to that was the precise reason that revolutionary ideas soon began to flourish in his mind. An intimidatingly large military tank was no match for thousands of weaponless civilians since January 2011 onwards. “No airplane will kill one million,” Said boasts. The Egyptian musician grew restless with the military regime’s dictatorship, and opposed the government’s views. He underwent numerous investigations and detention throughout his life as a result of the oppressive regime, which detained an endless number of political prisoners for the most minor of infractions - infractions that, in an anarchist state, would have been natural rights to freedom. On January 25th, 2011, Mustafa Said stood in Tahrir Square with rebels, ex-arrestees, revolutionaries, freedom fighters, and sang with them. His passion for music and the new victory against the Mubarak regime overwhelmed his heart and soul. During the first few days of the revolution, it had been too chaotic to be able to carry the musical instrument he has known and loved since the young age of 11 in 1994, the Oud. It was not until January 31st that he had been able to carry his Oud in Tahrir, and played the Sufi Inshad tradition there amongst his fellow Egyptian brothers and sisters. A year later, as many of the protesters have expressed disappointment over the outcome of the revolution, Said’s faith remains strong. The resistance is still ongoing, and has not been shaken. Said doesn’t mind allowing freedom to take its sweet time, for it would allow the future ruler to properly comprehend the now very-real alternation of positions. “The ruler now works for the citizen. Whoever wins presidency must remember that it was the people who chose him.” Mustafa expressed his grief over his nation, how it’s been almost a century since Egypt

“He firmly believes that national resistance is not dying, despite the fact that the people who went to the streets at first are now getting nothing”

has worked on its own inner development; everything has been imported, and that destroys the element of authenticity. Said dreams of Egypt re-opening the gate of development of civilization, through preservation of heritage, respecting others’ cultures and differences, using other people’s experiences as opportunities to learn and grow. Today, Mustafa travels between Beirut, Morocco, Egypt, and Vienna, though he permanently resides in Beirut, as his studio is located there. His studio is an audio archive studio, and the main task there is to take music from the past and bring it back to life, building on his nation’s historical, original tunes. 2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 19

Cars

SLS AMG Roadster: The Mercedes Sizzle

Written By: AbdulMohsen Saad al Mayyas

any would agree with me if I were to say the Mercedes SLS is just about the hottest car on the road, not to mention the sexiest modern interpretation on a retro design I’ve seen yet, the only disappointment is that Mercedes didn’t come up with it sooner. Not only that, dare I say it most probably ranks as one of the world’s best cars at the moment? You have to understand that saying that is extremely difficult since personally I think that nothing out does the Aston Martin DBS, but truth be told by creating the new SLS AMG Mercedes Benz have outdone themselves. 20 / Issue 6: May 2012

It’s more powerful than a Ferrari 458, it’s just a little bit louder than a Lambo and according to the test drives and reviews a lot more fun than a Porsche 911, Audi R8, or anything I may have mentioned before. It is in every sense a true supercar. While it can manage huge distances in great luxury and comfort, what it is at heart is a loud, snarly, tail-happy, gull-winged lunatic, and that’s why I fell in love with it.

pable of the kind of heroic acceleration and grip that vaults the SLS into the same rarified air as the Nissan GT-R, Porsche 911 Turbo, Chevy Corvette ZR1 and Lexus LFA. The engine is Mercedes’ own 6.3-liter (yes, that’s really a 6.208-liter) V8, linked to a flappy paddle double clutch gearbox that sits at the back for perfect weight distribution so that it feels like the entire car pivots around you. In design, it’s a stunner.

The SLS is Mercedes Benz AMG’s first complete car. Each drivetrain built by a single engineer by hand, each copy ca-

The most obvious feature to the iconic SLS are the trademark Gull-winged doors dating back to the 50’s, but riding the nostal-

gic wave with its heritage-tinged SLS AMG was not quite enough of a ride for Mercedes Benz. This successor of the legendary 1950 300 SL Gullwing needed a sibling, and the roadster was born. They altered it slightly, to the better, if that’s even possible. The roadster is veritably the coupe, tweaked. The engine remains the 6.3-liter V8 with 571 horsepower and 479 poundfeet of torque at 4,750 rpm. And through the twin pipes out back; it continues to emit a subterranean bellow that’s a mating call for Godzilla. But no matter your state of relaxation or anxiety, you will look very, very good behind the wheel. The car is unconscionably low – so low you have to look up to make eye contact with the ladies. The removal of the roof eliminates the aesthetic issues arising from the stubby cap of the gullwing, so that the portion of the car behind the engine appears more stretched out and relaxed. Additionally, with the roof now gone it positively soaks the cabin in exhaust music, so that any other noise – your passenger speaking, for instance, or actual music through the 1,000-watt, 11-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system – has to work its way through that low-level-earthquake medium. Even with the slot-in wind deflector, the cabin isn’t quiet. Don’t be sur-

“And through the twin pipes out back; it continues to emit a subterranean bellow that’s a mating call for Godzilla” prised if you become a man, or woman, of few words when behind the wheel. But really, why would you be talking, anyway? With most of the SLS’ silhouette occupied by the engine and transaxle, there’s not much space left behind for passengers. The cabin’s short on leg and headroom. The three-layer cloth soft-top surrounds bones of aluminum, magnesium and steel, but one of the roadster’s most welcome features is its AMG Ride Control suspension, with adaptive damping. The basis for this is the innovative body design: the chassis and body are made

of aluminum, a design combining intelligent lightweight construction with high strength. With a curb weight of 1,660 kilograms, the result is a remarkable power-to-weight ratio of 3 kilos per hp. The SLS Roadster weighs about 272 kilos more than a Porsche 911 and about 36 kilos less than an Aston Martin DBS, nonetheless it’s still awesome. Wrapped around its heart is the aluminum space frame and lightly adorned body. The space frame itself is seven kilograms lighter than the engine, and roadster’s body is but two kilograms heavier than the coupe. All up, the roadster is 40 kilos heavier than its gull-winged brother. Now onto the important stuff, speed! From the first moment you lay your eyes on the SLS there’s no escaping the improbably long nose. At speed, those awkward proportions cease to negatively impact its performance. The convertible SLS AMG accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 3.8 s (0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds), and the top speed is 317 km/h (197 mph), electronically limited - which means that the Roadster has almost identical performance to the gullwing. Response time? Mated with the sevenspeed dual clutch gearbox, it is fast to rev and shift thanks to the “instant shift.” What it does is it more or less sets up the next gear, before shifting, so when you shift 2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 21

Cars

it’s literally already engaged and shifts far quicker than humanly possible. It’s one of the most exciting features in the car, besides all the horsepower of course, but there’s no way you can possible shift faster in a manual car. This sharpens the throttle and transmission responses, which just makes pushing the limits of what’s possible way too easy. Now we know it’s incredibly fast, but is it safe? According to test drives it’s rock steady. Fifty percent of the intelligently designed, weight-optimized aluminum spaceframe is made of aluminum sections. The entire vehicle has been designed to achieve the lowest possible center of gravity. This applies both to the low connection points of the powertrain and axles, as well as to the arrangement of the rigid body shell structure, which has been kept as low as possible. The extensive safety features include the fixed roll-over protection system, electronic stability control with traction control, threepoint seat belts with belt tensioners and belt force limiters, and eight airbags: adaptive front airbags and knee-bags for driver and passenger, two seat-integrated sidebags and two window-bags deploying from the door beltlines and Blind Spot Assist. The standard Blind Spot Assist helps the driver with a visual warning symbol and acoustic alert if the danger of a collision with another vehicle is detected when changing lanes. Standard features include a sport-tuned suspension, 19-inch front/20-inch rear wheels, Bi-Xenon high-intensity headlights, 22 / Issue 6: May 2012

sport seats with leather trim, dual-zone automatic climate control, Sirius satellite radio, Bluetooth wireless connectivity and aluminum interior trim. Options also include carbon fiber interior trim, AMG carbon ceramic brakes, AMG performance suspension and AMG carbon fiber exterior mirrors. For further thrills, you can turn on the AMG Performance Media, introduced with the new SLS, and replace the navigator screen with a series of digitally reproduced analog dials that monitor everything from fluid temperatures to power and torque output and throttle and brake position, to acceleration and quarter-mile times, to G-forces. You can even teach the system a racetrack and keep track of lap and programmable sector times. Since you won’t have time to watch the screen while you pilot – well, not if you’re doing it right – you can download the information to a USB stick in the glove compartment and bask in your own motoring afterglow on a PowerPoint-worthy presentation. It’s one of the hooks that give this supercar its light layer of modernity. There’s nothing dated about its performance, or its appeal. For about KD 60,000 ($214,500), the 2012 MercedesBenz SLS AMG connects the dots in time between the original gullwing and today’s hyper performers—and it does it with more than the customary panache. The SLS AMG gullwing might be the most badass SLS, but make no mistake about it, this, the roadster, is the perfect SLS.

‫‪ / 23‬عدد ‪ : 6‬مايو ‪2012‬‬

Dr. Al Barrak Book Signing Dr. Saad Al Barrak, former CEO of Zain, and the author of his new autobiographical book A Passion for Adventure

honored LOYAC with his presence at the Al Qibliya school for a lecture and book signing. He spoke of his experiences with Zain and his plans for the future. Each of the attendees walked away with a personalized autographed copy of his spectacular book.

24 / Issue 6: May 2012

MC Group Dinner LOYAC held a dinner in honor of MC Group, the advertising and PR company which had decided to spend an entire year

sponsoring LOYAC in regards to designing a complete advertising and branding campaign. Mr. Ahmed Ajouz and Mr. Ali Ajouz as well as the entire MC Group family of employees graced LOYAC with their presence at the Qibliya school for a lovely evening of appreciation and celebration.

2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 25

Health

Written By: Nora Al Ruwaished

Skin and Bones, Needles and Groans

he had the feeling of lethargy and the inability to stand up or focus at school after the first month. Her hair was falling out in clumps and was clogging up in the drain of her shower, her skin was dry and flaking, her cheekbones were sunk in and her ribs were protruding for the world to see. She was shrinking by the day and her teachers were the first to notice, followed 26 / Issue 6: May 2012

by her family. Her father whom she lives with here in Kuwait doesn’t know much about eating disorders. He did all he could to try to make her eat, but when she said she was full, he accepted it and let her be. For Meryem Hanna it wasn’t so much a reluctance to eat but a disgust of food that made her anorexic in High School. She explained that after her boyfriend broke

up with her in the 11th grade her appetite disappeared and just a few bites of food would make her full. “I guess the roughest part of the journey was trying to overcome it, after being hospitalized and being able to see my ribs, which always kinda’ freaked me out, but not enough to stop my dangerous habit,” said Meryem. The excerpt above was from an interview I had with an acquaintance at university who reached out to me after noticing I consumed salad on a daily basis. It was an awkward question to be faced with, I must admit, when Hanna said, “You aren’t doing the salad only diet are you? I always notice what you are eating in the diner and its because I am a recovering anorexic and don’t want anyone to go through what I went through.” I can admit that I, along with many other girls, have a constant fear of calories because we want to look like the girls in the media. My human instinct was to defend myself, and explain that no, I just really love salads. My journalistic instinct allowed me to open up to her more, and when I asked Hanna, said she’d willingly share her war against anorexia with Kuwait. I admire her for being so brave and so passionate about preventing others from her experience that she allowed me to interview her and include her name to turn just another fictitious story into reality. Why is a stick-thin figure something sought out for by so many girls? Marketing a product through images in media is the most effective and common strategy that advertisers use to sell their merchandise. They do so by displaying whatever they are selling on or near the model that has the characteristics of what they deem reflective of the ideal body type, and what they think is aesthetically pleasing to society. What today’s mediums portray as the accepted sexy body type for a woman is one with long legs, flawless skin, pouty lips, cleavage and a body fat percentage of 17 percent and below, which are the specifications of an anorexic female. They are normally dressed in skimpy clothes or bikinis, even when targeting a female audience. The male’s ideal body type is depicted with rippling muscles, broad shoulders, and a six-pack. Often times we see them halfnaked in athletic gear or in a business suit, with one of the women described above

pulling off their tie. So how do these stars and models look this ‘perfect’? Photoshop is advertisers and plastic surgeon’s best friend, and society’s worst enemy. Photoshop does much more than remove wrinkles and dark spots, shrink figures and create six-pack abs. Photoshop opens up a world of delusional images for obsessive media consumers to indulge in and feel the need to strive after nonexistent waistlines and bulging biceps. Photoshop is the gateway to creating false perceptions of what the body should look like, which can lead to a world of eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia, the consumption of unhealthy diet pills or for some the injection of human growth hormone, and other types of steroids. It is causing people to go to extremes, and dangerous ones at, that to achieve an unrealistic body image, as opposed to leading healthy lives using proper diet and exercise. Meryem’s road to recovery began with a decision that she wanted to stop after her hospitalization and near death experience. At the time, her family didn’t have an operational car, and she had to walk to the hospital in her frail condition seeking treatment for her starvation. For most people with an eating disorder, this step is nearly impossible to reach on their own. It normally requires medical interference and living in a rehabilitation center, but Meryem’s mother traveled from Austria to help the recovery process. Day by day she tried to eat, even if she wasn’t hungry and slowly

but surely she gained her weight back… and then some, and then some more. She regained massive amounts of weight because her body was in shock after starvation mode and was storing her food as fat. She was eating unhealthy foods or wasn’t putting thought into the types of food she was consuming to recover. Her goal, and mistake that could easily be corrected by a medical professional, was to simply eat anything and everything she could. Sadly, there are few places victims of eating disorders can turn to in Kuwait. It is not a topic that anyone discusses, and similar to many so-called taboo issues, society assumes if it isn’t talked about it doesn’t exist. According to an article in Kuwait Times, Dr Vincenza Tiberia, Psychologist at Kuwait’s Al-Razi Clinic said, “Professional mismanagement, misdiagnosis and malpractice in the treatment of eating disorders are serious problems, as it will often deter people from seeking treatment in the future.” Since there are no awareness campaigns, help lines, or specialists in Kuwait that deal with eating disorders, people like Meryem are left to self-recover. Dr. Tiberia claimed, “In the absence of a psychological mind-set, eating disorders may go unrecognized and be seen as normal or acceptable, fueling their prevalence even further.” According to Tiberia, even when cases are noticed and acted upon, sufferers may face difficulty in receiving proper treatment. What people need to do is recognize that it is not nor-

mal for brides to starve themselves prior to a wedding or run to the bathroom and purge each time they eat. These are serious issues, and should not be taken lightly or remain ignored, accepted or encouraged. “When you recover you have to start a lifestyle change. No more diets and no more starving. Healthy foods and a good exercise program to shed the unwanted weight, and keeping up with that to maintain a positive self image is key,” said Meryem. Seeing a nutritionist and perhaps a trainer is a good way to start if you or someone you love has an eating disorder because it is the only lifelong cure to these types of diseases. Al- Cor2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 27

Health

niche Club’s trainer, Dutch, bases a majority of his workouts off boot camp-style training that he brought to Kuwait with his experience in the British Army for over 27 years. Dutch said, “The best thing you can do if you want to gain weight is eat, and the best thing you can do if you want to lose weight is eat. In both cases, eat mindfully. Food is fuel for the body. It is just an equation of calories and ensuring you make healthy choices based off the results you strive for. You need to be even more mindful if you are working out, and everyone, even the skinny people out there should exercise. If nothing else you need to at least exercise your heart and your lungs through cardiovascular training.” Think of it this way: If you have the willpower to starve yourself, you have 28 / Issue 6: May 2012

“I guess the roughest part of the journey was trying to overcome it, after being hospitalized and being able to see my ribs, which always kinda’ freaked me out, but not enough to stop my dangerous habit,” said Meryem. the willpower to control what you eat as far as healthy choices and to break a sweat. I was moved by Hanna’s story and reflected on my job as a media producer and my field of study at university, which is Mass Commu-

nication. Would I one day feel responsible for having to construct these harmful images if I continued with my career path? While I am taking a requirement class, “Images in Media” revolving around images that injure, my “Graphic Design” requirement class is teaching me the skills on Photoshop to create these exact images that harm society. I cannot change the business, but I can clarify the facts. Ethics are the key to good journalism, and while we as media producers cannot stop these misconceptions through images, we can spread awareness about the truths behind the perfections, and the damage they can cause if consumers perceive this as a truth. They say nothing tastes as good as skinny looks, but who are ‘they’ anyway, and how do ‘they’ know what looks good?!

‫‪ / 29‬عدد ‪ : 6‬مايو ‪2012‬‬

Sports

Forza Milan

the road to the international peace tournament Written By: AbdulMohsen Saad Al Mayyas

he fields are wet, just slightly. The smell of grass is apparent as a swift breeze blow on by. Above the green patchy field all you see are young soldiers in black and red. Between the nurturing shouts of the coach and the intensity of the workout is a story that’s pure gold. It’s incredible— no scratch that, it’s miraculous how when all the right components come together almost like a Mendelossohn symphony, jolly and progressive. And like those orchestrated tunes the plays on the field are built up with the conductors, Faisal Al-Haroun, Salman Al-Rashood, the Kuwaiti legend Jassem Al-Huwaidi and none other than coach Alessandro Pasquali on the side lines. It just takes the right people and the proper amount of dedication with a twist of young innovation to make it flourish. By now many of you would have real30 / Issue 6: May 2012

ized from the images surrounding this text that I’m talking about the AC Milan Soccer School— a partnership between LOYAC, a local non-profit organization, and one of the top world-renowned Italian clubs. So why the build up you may ask? Even though the AC Milan Soccer School has been around for 2 years (or 3 seasons), anyone that has seen this year’s team will tell you the same, that there’s something exquisitely exceptional. Those aren’t only my words, but after following them for the brief time that I have, it’s hard to argue otherwise. The coaches and staff did a brilliant job in training these kids— training sessions on tactics, positioning and the roles to enhance their skills and control. This was all in preparation for the International Youth Peace Tournament in Verona, Italy. Even though the tournament

is extremely competitive the other teams were shocked at the level of preparation the Kuwaiti team had committed to. The amount of attention invested showed in the tournament as the AC Milan players proved to be more of a threat this time. With training matches five times a week as well as gym sessions at Inspire Gym with some of the best personal training specialists in the region they were prepared in everything from the physical fitness to even their diet and nutrition. Their commitment this time reflected, they felt truly as part of a professional team, a family and not just a training camp. Individually they achieved the fulfillment of acquiring a higher level of gameplay, but coming into the tournament as the underdogs they managed to prove themselves as a real challenge to the rest. Last

year they participated in the same tournament in Verona, and being the first Arab team to ever participate in this tournament’s history they didn’t realize the magnitude of the competition and the skills required. According to them, they were an easy three points to any team in 2011 but returned to be a shocking challenge to the gigantic Germans and the tactical Czechs. They’re very funny yet seriously committed. I had the honor of watching them train, play, compete on and off the field and one this is common, they’re dedicated to one another. Their love for the game is not the only reason behind what they do, but their realization to how significant each and every member is to the composure of the team as a whole. This is why this is such a critical time for the team, where the 18 and 19 year olds would have to part ways with the younger players and the team next year. This is why their competition in Verona was even more essential than it ever was. To prove to themselves and everyone else there, that the Kuwaiti team have a chance between the gigantic Germans and the tactical Czechs. That the hills of Verona would witness them in a shape and form like never before, and almost like a fairy tale, it all seemed to be coming true. The other teams were frustrated and surprised that the Kuwaiti team was so capable.

“gym sessions at Inspire Gym with some of the best personal training specialists in the region they were prepared in everything from the physical fitness to even their diet and nutrition” It was heartwarming though, to see that even in knowing they will be parting ways with many essential members of the team, it did not shake their faith even a little bit. Gharaballi, one of the young players on the team and the team captian said, “It’s true, we will lose leaders of course, but the young members will be leaders next year,” as passing of the torch already began with the guidance of Coach Alessandro. Vouched for by all as a great coach, but what does that even mean? What makes him so significantly special? I mean anyone who loves their team and believes in it would probably say the same, right? They say you refer to your mother tongue to express truly intimate and emotional feelings and the first thing to come out of Coach Alessandro’s mouth as he walked

up after his they’re training session to sit next to me was “sono felice!” which is “I am happy” in Italian. It’s his third season with AC Milan Soccer School in Kuwait and has been coaching with AC Milan since the year 2000. In his long experience he said that he is truly happy and content here. 2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 31

Sports

He’s like a father figure to them. The biggest advantage to them is he was once a player himself. From his experience as a player for Lazio, he understands how they feel on the field. When they make a mistake he cheers them on. They played against 3rd division teams, a professional rank, and he always believed in his team and as an outcome the players did their best. “They take what they do very seriously…” coach Alessandro said, as he sat down on the steps in front of me leaning onto the wall behind him. “…They are always on time, but the fun and motivational part is still there, which is really important.” From what I understand, he is a tough coach, only when it comes to values and behavior, and never when there is a mistake on the field. He explained, “I was a player once and I know it’s difficult to play when you know that on the bench there is a coach that’s ready to kill you.” “LOYAC will help you with your target because they are so involved…” he explained, “…it’s not only business, and this is the key to successful results.” He expressed his honor and pleasure of being involved with AC Milan and LOYAC and beyond the obvious developments they’ve made, the first thing he noticed was the passion these kids had for football and for life in general. 32 / Issue 6: May 2012

The passion was contagious, so contagious I wanted to join them onto the field, but what they needed was the opportunity to use it and the AC Milan School is their outlet. “It wasn’t only about the performance in the field…” Alessandro says, “… what it shows to others and myself it that we should completely eliminate the prejudice that Kuwaitis are lazy or spoiled and have no commitment.” It’s proof that if you give trust, opportunity and motivation the achievement in results are fantastic. They managed to beat some of the toughest teams in their division, fighting it out until the end and almost like the fall of the great Italian giant AC Milan in the Champions League against Barcelona, they too suffered the same fate. Two penalties severed their chances of going through, and despite that they left with elevated spirits knowing they did the best and that unfortunately luck was not on their side. Yet, they showed up with a smile and left with the same knowing that their defeat does not reflect the pride they felt in standing their ground until the end of the end of the qualifying rounds. In the end of this story, and just like any story you’re left with a glimpse of what remains. Leaving you with just enough to hope that it only ends happily and lasts forever after.

‫‪ / 33‬عدد ‪ : 6‬مايو ‪2012‬‬

Health

Written By: Shahad Al Shammari

25 going on 15

es, that’s correct. I am twenty-five, by rule of legal documentation and according to my mother. But I do feel, and my doctor seems to think, that I have regressed. I am aging backwards. How’d that happen? Not before I was diagnosed at the age of sixteen, with Multiple Sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis is a neurological, often disabling condition which affects young adults and seniors. Very rarely are children, or teenagers, diagnosed. In my case, it was an early diagnosis which affected both my private and my public life. I won’t go into the boring, tedious details 34 / Issue 6: May 2012

of what it means to have MS, the agonizing symptoms, the unpredictability of the course of the disease and its many manifestations. My reaction to the diagnosis was specifically the following: I shrugged my shoulders. Perhaps it was a lack of knowledge. Perhaps it was denial. Or, maybe I was a heroic figure who believed I could take on the world. What was a little bump along the way going to do to my self-image? A few years later, the bump, the obstacle, the annoying rock in my path, grew, and began to make sure I tripped over it at every corner. Literally. I was eighteen years old when I fell flat on my

face, right in front of the gates of the American University of Kuwait, where I had decided to apply. How humiliating, right? It’s bad enough when we do fall down. But it wasn’t as simple as that. A professor saw the incident and harassed me with questions and insisted that she file a report. I responded as politely and as neutrally as I possibly could. Finally, I informed her that I was only an applicant, and I had MS. She looked at me, baffled, and asked if she should call an ambulance. I replied with a “Please just let it go.” That was my first initiation into the public realm of MS. People hardly ever under-

stood. I’d walk into pharmacies, for example to grab so and so medication and would ask if it was bad for Misers. Pharmacists would ogle me and say: “You don’t have MS. That’s for old people.” A friend’s parent once reprimanded me for claiming I was afflicted by the disease, saying it wasn’t nice to lie about such things. At the age of 18, I understood that sometimes, almost always, people did not understand, and I would have to be the one to “just let it go.” So the years went by, every day was an interesting experience, to say the very least. I learned that having all my senses was a real blessing. I learned to check for the functionality of all my senses the minute I opened my eyes in the morning. I learned to live for today, as cheesy as that sounds, and to shrug my shoulders at the future’s long threatening speech, that very same speech that my neurologist and doctors insisted on replaying: I would never have a “normal” life, because MS steals everything normal from you. No more normal days, no more normal lifestyle. At twenty-three, I went for an experimental treatment that involved stem cells. The operation, or as I like to call it, “procedure” was a nightmare. A friend laughs heartedly every time I refer to it as a procedure, for it was anything but a simple procedure. It was agonizing, torturous, and did not proceed without killing me. Literally. And I was

“It was agonizing, torturous, and did not proceed without killing me. Literally.” resurrected, brought back to life, after moments of “seeing the light.” That’s the positive way of putting it. I was reborn. But, like every rebirth, I had to die first. My body, my nerves, my eyesight, my limbs, everything stopped functioning. I sound brave as I relate the events. I was a child, calling out for my mother, begging the doctors to stop. And I am not one to cry, and certainly not one to beg. They did ignore me though, and continued to torture me (of course in my humble view it was torture) until my system reset itself. Or so they claim. I was skeptical, and perhaps still am a bit skeptical. Today, two years later, I am not “better” nor am I “cured.” I am a teenager all over again. I am hormonal. I am developing acne again. I am angry, I am happy, and I am most definitely moody. I won’t go into other hormonal changes as not to offend anyone, but I can tell you, I’m a teenager in every meaning of the word. Now, maybe my sys-

tem did not reset itself, maybe I am not better, but I am younger. Physically, not mentally or emotionally- thank the Lord for that -- although my mother and sisters would argue that. I could be regressing mentally and emotionally too – but I should hope not, as I would like to be taken seriously. We never take teenagers too seriously, do we? I can tell you that I am now a changed person. I can see past the obsession and preoccupation most people have with the future and “getting it all right.” I don’t want to get it all, I would just like for it to be “alright.” Most people I meet are constantly running after something, running away from something, or simply running directionless. It’s the age of running. Rarely do people stop. To take a breath. To reflect. To ask the inevitable question: What if I can’t run anymore? I was told that no matter how fast I ran, that no matter how hard I tried, I would eventually fall. So how do you cope with that? I take every day as it is, one step at a time (or sometimes two steps at a time, to beat MS) and I have learned to shrug my shoulders, not helplessly, but to simplify it all. My mother taught me, that in the face of all troubles, in the face of all adversaries, of all disasters, to “simplify things”. Make them smaller. So I continue to simplify and make smaller. Hopefully I don’t shrink to a pocketsize version of me. 2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 35

Nora

T a k e

& Mi7sen

Qatar 36 / Issue 6: May 2012

o n

Qatar airways was actually a pleasant flight considering all the staff were some of the most friendly I have come across. The round-trip ticket ended up costing about KWD63 and the flight was just under an hour which was even less than the flight to Dubai. The issue wasn’t in the airlines itself, but the long transit from the plane to the bus to the extremely crowded line for anyone who wasn’t a GCC or Qatari citizen. The friends I was with held American passports and this line was the dead giveaway that the majority of people living in Qatar were expats. I never flew on Qatar airways before to be honest, and as my first flight it actually wasn’t so bad. The service was great and the flight was short, but be careful not to upset the flight attendant with something ever so miniscule like having an electronic device in hand while the safety announcement is on, she might get a little worked up. Even if the plane is still on the ground. Other than that it wasn’t too shabby and for a short flight you got everything you may need.

Accommodation We spent two nights in The W hotel, which was very nicely set up in the heart of the city. I loved the dark ambiance and the low seating area when you arrive. They offer you refreshments and chocolates at the reception as you wait, and the only issue we had was that they didn’t provide us with the two beds like we had booked. When we arrived to our room they said that they did not have any rooms available with two beds, but with a bit of persistence they arranged the room. Overall, it was clean and had a nice view. The hotels in Doha are amazing. I got a change to stay at the Ramada, but I also took a miniature tour of the city and visited some of the more extravagant hotels like the W Hotel and the La Cigale Hotel. Even the smaller and less

extravagant hotels looked pretty good, and the only reason that was the case is because everything there has been built recently, like in the past six years. So all the buildings and towers look ever so fresh and so clean. Unfortunately I was only there on a work related trip and didn’t get to see as much of it as I wish I could. Despite that the city itself and the surrounding hotels looks a lot like an up and coming Dubai.

Food I have to hand it to The W with their complementary buffet that they serve in the morning up until 11am. It was filled with fresh fruits, cold cuts, cereals, different salads and eggs with endless coffee and fruit juice choices. The better buffet though was the Friday buffet which isn’t inclusive but which is totally worth it for the wide array of sushi, seafood, sliced meats, steaks, salads desserts and the most delicious assortments of cuisines you can fathom. This was definitely my favorite meal of the trip and is definitely worth going for even if you are not staying at The W. Personally I don’t like to stick to the food at hotels. So I went out to explore and the first and closest place to go to was the City Center Mall. The mall is pretty big and has the usual mall attributes, the abundance of Starbucks-es and the fast food court. Then something caught my eye. It was a steak house, well to be completely honest all I saw at first was the word “steak” and I was already walking towards the door. The Hippopotamus Steak House,

2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 37

is a French steak house chain that only opened there recently. With a great selection of different cuts but I just went all out and got the porterhouse, medium of course. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this picture of my plate should tell enough.

Shopping We went walking around The Pearl, the beautiful shopping area and eatery near the Marina overlooking the skyline of Qatar, which seems to be expanding immensely. Some of the most well known designer stores are there, as well as a Maserati dealership and several coffee shops and restaurants. It is nice to see people walking around in a more relaxed dress code that ours here in Kuwait, as well as seeing people in traditional conservative dress. It shows that both worlds are capable of coexisting peacefully while enjoying a stroll outdoors. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do that much shopping, a flip-flop here, a t-shirt there. Other than the obvious fact that they have a wider collection of stores and brands, one thing I noticed is that they had a lot of non-commercial and local stores and resellers. This means only one thing that it must be a lot easier to start up your own business or store. They had them everywhere, in the mall, outside and in the market places. It was amazing to see that to be honestâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; More power to them.

Differences The major differences I noticed were the traffic, which was much more organized and much less crowded than our streets in Kuwait. You are not stalked as you drive down the street as a girl either, which is a huge plus. The skyline was absolutely gorgeous and was much bigger than ours, and on any of the new construction sites they are forced to cover them with an aesthetically pleasing covering in order to keep the city looking its best during the building stage. When you go out to nicer places, you see more expats than locals, and they arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t working they are enjoying their time out with family and 38 / Issue 6: May 2012

friends. People treat the laborers much better. Also, there is grass. Real, green, beautiful grass with tons of trees and flowers everywhere as opposed to tons of sand and a strange assortment of flowers as you drive to the Kuwait International Airport. Overall, Qatar is definitely up and coming and it was a nice place to see as well as a good change of scenery from Kuwait or Dubai. The first difference I immediately noticed was how much cleaner it was. When I walked out of the airport to get some fresh air and a smoke, I failed to find a single cigarette bud on the floor. The floor was so clean that I actually thought I wasn’t even supposed to smoke there. The same applied to everywhere you went. I was amazed and slightly saddened by the fact that Kuwait couldn’t be the same. People there actually care about how clean their country is and I wish we did the same. I also heard that their laws are actually implemented and not just written and forgotten. In six years Qatar managed to surpass Kuwait in a few different yet essential ways. The laws, cleanliness, the road systems, the infrastructure and yes they do have a smaller population but there is no reason for us not to have the same. They built their entire country on their money, why can’t we just use ours in better ways.

2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 39

Political

Written By: Bandar Al Saeed

How to Censor a ‘Kony’ Article

(Inspired by Shahriar Mandanipour’s “Censoring An Iranian Love Story”) ِّ ‫يصدق‬ “‫ «الربيع في قلبي»؟ جبران خليل جبران‬:‫تاء إن قال‬ ‫”من‬ ِّ َ َ ‫الش‬

n a spring day in Kuwait City, the scent of freshly watered grass, carbon monoxide, and the musky arrogance of a Golden Age gone by whisper together. On its laptop screens, ‘#KONY2012’ hash-tags wedge themselves between words, images, emotions; happening upon them is populace intoxicated by the philanthropy of social me40 / Issue 6: May 2012

dia, a group of bodies so compelled by the cultural phenomenon that is Joseph Kony, that revolt of the highest standard is not only possible, but an obligatory measure. When the melancholy sound of the athan quiets down, Kuwait hears, it does not listen to, bullets fired by an LRA-employed Ugandan child. Filtered by the ears of a so-

ciety edified by a cause, these decibels resound loudly. In a living room not far from a mosque, quivering eyes hurry to smuggle meaning between the tawdry lines of newspaper articles. Jason Russell’s Kony 2012 video plays in the background. An American father and his child take the screen, to be followed shortly by Bin Laden and Hitler…

through it, ensuring this line never reaches the pure eyes of his beloved Kuwait. The emphatic aftermath of this video in Kuwait is plain to see; its citizens rushed to their Twitter/bank accounts to lend their support to Invisible Children. The San Diego-based organization determined to stop Kony’s exploitative and abusive behavior in Uganda. A la Occupy Wall Street, an invasion of the realm of injustice beckons. The verdict? Leader of the Christianoriented LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) Joseph Kony must be stopped. Russell’s video effectively mobilized a planet - but it also spoke to the hearts, and minds, of people in need of a desperate distraction from the tumult of an Arab Spring whose blossoming flowers do not seem to be in any danger of wilting. Even with the heavy wave of criticism that ensued, the bright blue and red of ‘STOP KONY’ Facebook profile pictures illuminated the path to our hearts. Then why, you might ask, are the words you read crossed out? I am writing about the notorious Joseph Kony after all, a man whose evil is unique to such an extent that even an atomic bomb-wielding hegemony cannot triumph against it. If talking about a revolution sounds like a whisper, how does one mitigate the revolutionary qualities of the written word, if its sinewy connotations and ever-encouraging ellipses (…) allow room for the expression of individual thought? Somewhere behind the decrepit façade of the Ministry of Information, an elderly mustachioed man in an exquisitely pressed dishdasha is answering that very same question. On a daily basis, this gentle-

“it also spoke to the hearts, and minds, of people in need of a desperate distraction from the tumult of an Arab Spring whose blossoming flowers do not seem to be in any danger of wilting”

As he proceeds through the article, he notices something strange. Despite the gentleman’s censorship, the writer’s assertion that revolution is an obligatory measure becomes quite stubborn. It refuses to leave his mind. To make matters worse, the dangerous half-sentence has now lent its vulgar and ignoble images to other words on the page; “melancholy,” “decrepit,” and “exploitative” begin to change shape in front of his very eyes. The whiteness between the lines now resembles a secret passageway for the reader to subvert his/her thoughts. The page has become a labyrinth…

man receives piles of novels, articles, commentaries, and columns to be approved by his holy pen prior to publication. This individual has a moral and religious responsibility to ensure that seditious words and phrases do not appear in front of the eyes of the innocent and simple people that inhabit Kuwait. He comes across a piece entitled “How to Censor a Kony Article” and a droplet of sweat begins to form on his brow. The name ‘Alsaeed’ triggers a slight memory in his head of a man he used to know. The presence of ‘spring’ in the first sentence pacifies him; the ‘musky arrogance’ of the writer’s Golden Age does not. Nevertheless, Kuwait is a democratic country and free speech is sold by the kilogram. “People are entitled to their own opinions,” he reasons, and allows it to pass. There is absolutely no room, however, to characterize revolution as an “obligatory measure” – the black ink of the gentleman’s exalted pen strikes

There is very little doubt that the Kony 2012 cause is one that advocates revolt, albeit one that does not need to be classified into an Arab Spring. The Kony 2012 revolt is one that has been in a constant state of reconstruction since a time when Arabs didn’t involve seasons in their politics. The location of the battle is within the rounded corners of laptop screens and it is fought with the public’s necessity to analyze this phenomenon in the ‘I agree with Invisible Children’ vs. ‘I don’t agree with Invisible Children’ binary. There are no rules in revolution; no one asks you to label yourself ‘Islamic’ or ‘liberal’. The Kony 2012 example may have confirmed the collective pathology of previously acceptable standards of free speech, but above all, it reminds everyone of an Arab Spring-induced affinity to structuralize the word within conceptual dichotomies. There’s no reason springtime can’t smell of carbon monoxide, is there? 2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 41

‫ﺷﻜﺮ ‪..‬‬ ‫ﺳﻤﻮ اﻟﺮﺋﻴﺲ‬

‫ﺗﺘﻘﺪﻡ ﻟﻮﻳﺎﻙ ﺑﺨﺎﻟﺺ ﺍﻟﺸﻜﺮ ﻭﺍﻟﺘﻘﺪﻳﺮ‬

‫ﻟﺴﻤﻮ ﺭﺋﻴﺲ ﻣﺠﻠﺲ ﺍﻟﻮﺯﺭﺍﺀ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺸﻴﺦ ‪ /‬ﺟﺎﺑﺮ ﺍﳌﺒﺎﺭﻙ ﺍﻟﺼﺒﺎﺡ‬

‫ﻋﻠﻰ ﺭﻋﺎﻳﺘﻪ ﻭﺣﻀﻮﺭﻩ ﺍﺣﺘﻔﺎﻟﻴﺔ ﻟﻮﻳﺎﻙ ﺑﺼﻤﻨﺎ ﺑﺎﻟﻌﺸﺮة‬ ‫ﻭﻧﺆﻛﺪ ﺍﻥ ﺣﻀﻮﺭ ﺳﻤﻮﻩ ﻟﻪ ﺑﺎﻟﻎ ﺍﻷﺛﺮ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺗﺸﺠﻴﻊ ﺍﻟﺸﺒﺎﺏ ﻭﺩﻓﻌﻪ ﳌﺰﻳﺪ‬ ‫ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﻌﻤﻞ ﻭﺍﻟﻌﻄﺎﺀ ﳋﺪﻣﺔ ﻭﻃﻨﻪ ﻭﺍﻧﺴﺎﻧﻴﺘﻪ ﻛﻤﺎ ﻧﺸﻜﺮ ﻣﻌﺎﻟﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺸﻴﻮﺥ ﻭﺍﻟﻮﺯﺭﺍﺀ ﻭﺍﻟﺴﻔﺮﺍﺀ ﻭﻛﺒﺎﺭ ﺍﻟﻀﻴﻮﻑ ﻭﻛﻞ ﻣﻦ ﺣﻀﺮ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﻜﻮﻳﺖ‬

‫ﻭ ﻟﺒﻨﺎﻥ ﻭ ﺍﻻﺭﺩﻥ ﺍﳝﺎﻧﺎ ﹰ ﻣﻨﻬﻢ ﺑﺄﻫﻤﻴﺔ ﺭﺳﺎﻟﺔ ﻟﻮﻳﺎﻙ ﻭﺃﻫﺪﺍﻓﻬﺎ ‪.‬‬

‫‪ / 43‬عدد ‪ : 6‬مايو ‪2012‬‬

Press Release

Written By: Nadia Al Saqqaf

LOYAC Celebrates its Tenth Anniversary

nder the patronage of his Highness the Prime Minister Jaber Al Mubarak Al Sabah, LOYAC celebrated their 10year anniversary at the Al-Qiblia School. Several Ministers, members of parliament, members of the royal family, representatives of different government bodies, members of the civil society and the Board members of LOYAC Kuwait, Lebanon and Jordan, attended the celebratory event on March 28, 2012. The celebration commenced with the national anthem played by a live orchestra 44 / Issue 6: May 2012

followed by an introduction by media figure, Abdulla Buftain in which he said LOYAC has imprinted not only the 10 fingerprints, they have also contributed to Kuwait with the development of thousands of Kuwait artisans, musicians, artists, athletes, employees and volunteers. Buftain then gave a brief introduction to LOYAC’s new musical anthem composed by Bader Nouri. Following the musical performance by Nouri’s ensemble of LOYAC’s new anthem, the LOYAC Academy of Performing Arts,

LAPA, presented an interpretive dance encompassing LOYAC’s theatrical history by weaving snippets of past productions in a colorful display of song and dance. The nostalgic performance chronicled LOYAC’s history from its inception as just a dream through the developments it made to become the organization it is today. After the dazzling performance, LOYAC premiered its documentary short which briefed all the attendees about LOYAC’s work and contributions to the

Arab society over the passed 10 years. Afterwards, Abdulla Buftain interviewed Dhari Al Huwail and Fatima Al Awadi who spoke about their successful experiences with LOYAC and how their experiences benefited them both in their personal and professional lives. This was concluded by a set of heart-warming adjectives describing LOYAC. Then came the time for Chairperson and Founder Fareah Al Saqqaf’s speech in which she thanked all the companies, embassies, sponsors, and contributors to LOYAC’s success, in particular the His Highness the Prime Minister’s patronage of the event. The Prime Minister then congratulated and recognized the LOYAC youth representatives’ contribution in varying fields. For Athleticism: Faisal Al Haroun and Salmaan Al Rashoud For Success stories: Mariam Al Khudari and Laith Al Mutawa For Humanitarian efforts: Fahad Al Kandari and Saoud Al Kandari For Dedication: Duaij Al Oun and Aisha Bilal For Creativity: Lulwa Al Shamlaan and Faisal Buhairi For Career Impact: Aymen Al Saleh and Muhammad Al Ameen For Awareness: Ahmed Al Arbash and Abdul Aziz Ashour

For Leadership: Khalid Shabaan and Manayer Al Qallaf For Artistic Talents: Abdulla Al Hassan and Shareen Haji And finally his Highness the Prime Minster concluded by expressing his gratitude to be part of the LOYAC 10 Year Anniversary Ceremony and to be a witness of the unique youth and their powerful impact. The Ceremony continued even as His Highness the Prime Minister walked towards his car, on his way he greeted the LOYAC AC Milan team, he watched a segment of LOYAC’s break dance team Electric Crew and he autographed the LOYAC handprint wall along with all of LOYAC’s youth volunteers. 2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 45

‫لوياك تهنئ‬

‫نجوم البصمات العشر‬ ‫‪46 / Issue 6: May 2012‬‬

‫‪ / 47‬عدد ‪ : 6‬مايو ‪2012‬‬

Arts

holds a lot of color and emotion where it feels like the artwork is jumping at you.” She started painting in Kindergarten and as she grew older, her art grew with her— in size that is. She began to paint bigger things and liberating her inner artist on her bedroom walls. “I take my inspiration from various artists,” she said, and like a sponge, absorbing whatever she sees around her portraying it in her own style. One of her favorite artists is Alex Pardee, she loves his style of deforming normal images and his use of a lot of bright colors, which you can see, is relevant to her style as well. Looking at some of her previous work she enjoys using water paints, which is her favorite medium, to create various abstract pieces incorporated with realistic images. Mixing realism with her personal abstract style to exhibit her vivid and flowing paintings with the colors pouring down. “I love when things drip down…” she said, “…it gives this messy affect, and I’m a very messy artist.” She enjoys using what ever she can get her hands on from paint, chalk and even nail polish at times and fueled by her vividly colorfully and slightly cartoonish imagination she persistently exports images and ideas from her mind until she gets the result she wants.

Written By: AbdulMohsen Saad Al Mayyas

Young Talents

Inke Timm, a half German half Gha-

naian 16 year-old AIS student. Her pride in her background is a great influence behind her work. She uses her art to con48 / Issue 6: May 2012

nect to her heritage saying, “African art is really deep. The realism in western art is amazing, but African art seeks a more emotional and spiritual response. It

Her description of her art is that it is unusual, things you would normally visualize in your head put onto a canvas. “Art, I think, is about something unusual that you’ve never seen…” she said, “…Something that maybe multiple people have imagined but have never had a way to portray. It kind of gives people something to open up to.” Her attraction to African art and her love for the use of colors works really well with her style. She went on to explain that, “It makes viewers wonder, and you can stand there for a while thinking of how it was composed. That’s what I try to achieve. I always like to make the viewer wonder.” For now it’s just a hobby, but she hopes to see this opening other doors in the future. Possibly displaying her work in Kuwait and even Kuwait if she found the right outlet. For now we’re displaying a small collection of her fascinating artwork in Loyacy for all to see.

‫‪ / 49‬عدد ‪ : 6‬مايو ‪2012‬‬

Socio - Culture

La Dolce Vita The Quarter Life Crisis

Written By: Nora Al Ruwaished

y coworker and I just burst into song, belting out “Turn Around Bright Eyes” by Bonny Tailor. It happened directly after he said, “Stop reading about what to write about for this article and just think.” Since our 25-year-old brains are both overworked by our mundane thought processes reflecting on our quartercentury crises, turning the office into a ‘Glee’ scene seemed to be the next best option. Around the age of 25, you may start to go over your life goals checklist because it is a point where you have probably graduated university and began the ultimate comparison of yourself to your peers. You may find 50 / Issue 6: May 2012

yourself continuously clicking to the year 2008 on your Facebook timeline and scrolling through your pictures when life was carefree and fun. You wonder why the stupid timeline exists anyway. “It was way cooler back in my day,” you think to yourself. Then you get the sinking feeling when you realize that even Facebook is taunting you with the reality that “your day” might be over. Death is an eerily harsh reality, the idea that it is the time to get married may have weaseled into your brain, you don’t know what you want to do as a career, and there it is. Smile and wave at it, you have just entered your quarter-life-crisis. Only you aren’t

stopping to snap a picture next to this milestone like you did when you saw the ‘Welcome to Las Vegas” sign back in 2008. In fact your camera may be collecting dust under your bed because you have sworn off taking pictures. You like to live vicariously through the display picture you have had up for the last two years, refusing to have evidence that the most exciting thing you do during your days now is walk to the coffee machine every hour on the hour from your desk. I can recall being 16 and thinking that when I was 25 I would definitely have it all together, whatever ‘it’ was that 25 year olds do. I assumed that much like my obnoxious

alarm which goes off in the mornings at exactly the time its programmed to, my rights of passage would occur at the precise time I desired, suddenly and effortlessly, allowing me to glide gracefully into adulthood. 16 is a faint memory as it came and went long ago, and 25 is just around the corner for me, and most of my friends are now over 25. While we are supposed to have it all go together, the common trait amongst many of us is this unsure and uneasy feeling, with a lack of direction and general confusion of what we want and where we are going next. What is it about this age that is so frightening and confusing? Maybe the consequences for error have become more severe. The people we date could be, or want to be, candidates for marriage as opposed to spring flings and casual relationships, signing contracts may bind us to careers our majors leave us no choice but to fall into. Some may be leaving to do their masters because they are not sure what to do otherwise. That’s what this age seems to be. Making choices because we think that we have to, so that we have an explanation as to what we are doing, when truly all we are doing is buying time and and hoping our endeavors lead us to some sort of epiphany that will guide our life with ease and clarity. In these similarities between us, we have some differences, and these are the titles I have noticed society placing on us quarter lifers.

The Wanderer: It is as if you are searching for exactly what to do next, and instead all you are finding is your parents at the lunch table continuously asking and commenting, “When are we going to have grandchildren? We aren’t getting any younger you know. Why are you traveling this weekend, you have responsibilities at work and you will be too tired if you arrive on the 7am flight from Dubai on a Sunday morning. What do you do in Dubai anyways that you can’t do in Kuwait? When your older sister was your age she was married and taking care of your nephew Azooz. Please go cut your hair it looks unprofessional. You need to lose weight, who is going to want to marry you with this extra weight you gained at university?” Translation in your head: “Blah blah blah, blah blah! Blah? Blah! Dubai. Blah blah and blah, Dubai, Blah.” You wish you could just tape their mouths shut and walk away because they are not helping your decision making any further, but instead you do the next best thing and book your flight to Dubai to clear your head after this headache of a conversation. Maybe your future spouse is going to Dubai as well. The Overachiever: You are doing numerous activities, and though they may be impressive in your eyes, people say you are doing them just to say you are doing something and that this is only to

divert the attention away from the fact that truly, you are not doing anything substantial towards your career life, love life or future goals. This constitutes activities such as taking a year off of school and work to travel the world, climb to the highest peak and dive the deepest seas, which others think translates to, “I am terrified of growing up and I need to stall as long as possible before I am forced into boring adulthood, sans my freedom.” They have no idea how clear your skin is from that mountain air, how healthy your lungs are from all that diving and how many experiences you have went through that have molded your personality. The Introverted and Confused: Gals: The conversations you and your friends used to have about how you just wanted to be single, travel and dress cute have become hours of obsessing and planning out the next five years of your lives, because naturally, women’s lives are over at 30 if they are not married by then, right? Then come the rhetorical questions you ask each other and then nod, “Will his mother like me? Will I like his mother? Will we have to move into her house, or does he plan to move into an apartment. If I ask him about marriage will I seem too demanding and anxious? Do I even love him? What is love anyways? You know what, I should break up with him. Seriously, he isn’t ‘the one’. Is there just one? 2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 51

Socio - Culture

“You may find yourself continuously clicking to the year 2008 on your Facebook timeline and scrolling through your pictures when life was carefree and fun” Oh my god. There isn’t just one, there are two. What do I do?” The 25-year-old female is a pretty subject, but beware of the crazy look in her eye. It is there for a reason. Guys: You are at the diwaniya, and are obviously in the exact same traumatized state as the girls, as you are also seriously stressed out about you want from your female confidants. You ask similar questions such as, “Dude why is everyone getting married! What is going on? Whatever they are all stupid, lets order pizza. I can’t wait for our trip to Eastern Europe. It’s going to be awesome. Blonde girls, oh yeah! Too bad I don’t make any money! Everyone around me is rich. 52 / Issue 6: May 2012

I need to get rich. While I think of how to do that, guys, should we play FIFA or watch the Manchester United game?” Sorry guys, I know you aren’t cavemen. That low blow was more for comical relief. But usually 25-year-old guys are not on the same page as 25-year-old girls, and that makes it so much fun to date people who are the same age as you during this time. * Eyes Rolling * As put together we may pretend we have it, none of us are entirely confident in our direction and many of us are still on the path to finding what we really want from life. The only difference between 25 year old us and 16 year old us is that we have

seen a lot more and know a lot more, which opened our eyes to the fact that we do not know everything and that we never really will. Find comfort in the simple fact that you are not alone, and keep this quote in mind as you take a little well deserved personal time to find your place in this world for now. You have the rest of your life to settle into it. This is the only time in our life that you are not living for and answering to your parents any longer, and you are not dedicating all your time to a family of your own. Take the time to yourself now while you still have the opportunity, and let go of the guilt.

‫‪ / 53‬عدد ‪ : 6‬مايو ‪2012‬‬

Culture

Written By: Abrar Al Shammari

How to Assassinate the Arab in You

hold my flawless essay on Fahrenheit 451 in my young, 15-year-old hands, my head held up in pride at its sheer beauty. It didn’t have a single grammatical or spelling error, it not only met but exceeded the creative language expectations of my then10th-grade English class, and displayed impressive analysis skills. I was sure that once we began peer-editing in class, none of my peers would be able to find a thing that I should change - and I would take great pleasure in turning their clean papers into a hot mess covered with red ink corrections. But that was not to be. “Okay, so when you’re having any English54 / Issue 6: May 2012

written work edited, one of the most important parts is to make sure you have a native English speaker editing your work, because they’re the only ones you can trust to truly know the language and be able to point out any mistakes that you may have made.” Sorry, what? “So you can just ask any of your American or Canadian classmates to look over your essays.” Canadian? You want me to ask the Canadian kid who only five minutes ago had said, “I’m done my work” and butchered the grammar of

that statement? You can’t eliminate the word “with” simply because you feel like it. I wasn’t letting that kid anywhere near my work, not when I had put such careful thought and precision into creating it. I admit to have been the odd type of 15-year-old that didn’t let these things slide. I made a mental note to pay attention to any other possibly Arab-discriminatory remarks that she would throw at the direction of myself and my other 15-year-old classmates who just might believe her. I decided that the best way of retaliating would be to pick up on all the ‘non-Western’ characteristics that she had, and to throw them

in her face whenever she told us how uncivil we were, how desperately in need of Western guidance us lost Arab creatures were. I had my golden moment of victory when she was discussing the difference between the Western code of ethics and Middle Eastern definitions of morality. Of course, the Western definition was ‘civil’ and ‘enlightened’ and ‘peaceful’ - the War on ‘Terror’ was meant to protect people and spread democracy, after all. Likewise, the Middle Eastern definition was savage, beast-like, primitive, and monstrous. At some point I zoned out. Eventually one learns to block out the voices that only want to listen to themselves. But I snapped back to reality with an amused sparkle in my eyes when she picked up a black marker and wrote “conscious” on the white board, her voice thundering: “You need to develop a conscience!” I couldn’t control myself. I laughed at the irony of it all. I laughed at how serious her tone was, how she looked like she was desperately trying to get through to a bunch of serial killers with hollow, empty souls and attempting to convince them to be good people. I laughed even harder at the look on her face when I burst out laughing the moment she was telling me to “develop a conscience”. I laughed a lot more when I imagined what must’ve been going through her head: “Oh this Arab girl is long gone, hopeless case. She can’t even show some manners to respect the seriousness of what I am discussing.”

“I’m sorry, is there something you would like to add?” “You want us to develop a conscious.” “No sweety, that’s another word with a different meaning. I want you to develop a conscience.” “You wrote the other word with the different meaning.” She turned her back to the board and cocked her head of smooth, ‘tamed’ brown hair to the side. “How do you spell conscience?” “C-O-N-S-C-I-E-N-C-E” “So, con-science?” Con-science? “Yes...” I hesitate, “Con-science.” Breaking down ‘conscience’ in that manner was probably the single most idiotic thing - grammatically speaking, anyway - that had left my mouth, but it was a small price to pay for the sake of proving to my racist teacher that her 15-yearold Arab student was a better speller than her own Western teacher in all her glory. It’s safe to say that Arabs make up the majority of private, Western-education schools in Kuwait. I think it might also be safe to say that this one incident could be one of many that take place on a daily basis within school premises - the teacher, a figure of authority, demeaning his or her student, someone who will absorb the information given to him by this trustworthy figure in his life, simply for the sake of maintaining the global hierarchy of race.

When the Western teacher treats Arab students as the inferior group and glorifies his or her Western students regardless of their level of intellect, it creates a dangerous cycle of orientalism, where the West objectifies the East and depicts them to be savage, primitive, ignorant, illiterate, ever-dependent on the West’s guidance. One of two things can occur as a result of this objectification, both with equally possible chances. The first, frightening possibility is that the Arab student may believe the Western teacher and accept his or her words as truth, reality, unquestionable fact - keeping in mind that most students are at a stage of mental development where they consider teachers to be credible, reliable sources of information. The teacher is a role model, a figure of authority, a river of knowledge and ‘enlightenment’ - so picture the tragic irony of the situation when the teacher does the exact opposite, and instead leads the student into darkness. The second possibility is for the teacher’s actions to backlash - the student considers the teacher’s air of superiority an incentive to push himself and surpass the Western standard not just for Arabs, but for universal intellect. A negative action does not necessarily equal a negative reaction; in such cases, it can be an opportunity to prove the other end wrong. This can apply to a variety of different situations and not just ones that involve ethnicity, such as the older generation’s negative perception of the younger generation, or even stereotypes based on social standing. For stereotypes to be broken, laying the blame strictly on the person making assumptions would be too simplistic. One must defy stereotypes, not only by not living up to its perceptions, but surpassing them and becoming the polar opposite. It is a battle that is not as simple as ‘us’ against ‘them’, but also involves an inner struggle where we must fight our own innate demons.The key to surpassing the stereotypical image of an Arab is not by imitating the Westerner and denying your own ethnicity, but by becoming a better human being. Carry qualities that will dazzle the world with their brightness so that what background you come from won’t make a difference. 2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 55

Runway Bride Prague Royal Gardens Photography By: Nadia Al Saqqaf

56 / Issue 6: May 2012

‫‪ / 57‬عدد ‪ : 6‬مايو ‪2012‬‬

58 / Issue 6: May 2012

Wonder Woman Photography by: Faith Al Fahad

2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 59

Socio - Culture

Written By: Abrar Al Shammari

May Day: When Freedom & Flowers Blossom

ay 1st; spring season. When the flowers bloom, the birds sing, the fluffy clouds float above us, the sun shines down on Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s simple inhabitants, the girls put on their flowing skirts, the guys sport their beige shorts, feminine feet are painted with pleasant, pastel colors, and everyone blows winter a good-bye kiss - till next year. 60 / Issue 6: May 2012

May 1st, 1886. Labor workers gathered on the streets of Chicago demanding an eight-hour law be implemented; they argued that workers should spend eight hours working, eight hours sleeping, and eight hours for their own recreation - a fair division of their 24-hour day. Chicago police showed up and tried to disperse the peaceful crowd, clashing with the protesters. An unknown

third party threw a dynamite bomb amidst the commotion, killing seven police officers, four civilians, and wounding several others. Eight anarchists were unjustly convicted of conspiracy; seven of them were given a death sentence, one of them sentenced to 15 years in prison - though investigations clearly showed that it had not been any of the anarchists or the protesters who had thrown the bomb. One of the men sentenced to be executed committed suicide in his cell on the eve of his designated date of death. The Haywire Martyrs, also known as the Haywire Massacre. Their lives are commemorated each year on May 1st - International Workers’ Day, a cause that seeks to end slavery in all its forms and to celebrate the social and economic achievements of labor workers. Considered an official, national holiday in over 80 countries, it seeks to protect all workers - domestic workers, factory workers, company employees, and anyone else whose job requires more than just to sit back and observe his elves slaving away for his company - of course, this man would be in the top 1% that exclusively does not belong in the labor workers’ category. Commonly called ‘May Day’, May 1st has grown to be an opportunity for protesters to express their displeasure towards the corruption of the worldwide market place, which has led to mass unemployment, low wages, high taxes, and legal penalization of all those who do not own the majority of the world’s resources. The concept of a ‘General Strike’ arose from May Day, and the General Strike’s principles stand for migrant rights, jobs for all, peace, acceptance, women’s rights, queer rights, abolition of racial discrimination - all in all, a fight against the deliberate oppression and fostering of divisions by the elite 1%.

This year, the May 1st General Strike is being organized by

the Occupy Wall Street group, and has spread all over the United States and parts of Asia, including Lebanon being the only Arab country taking part in it. Participating cities can officially strike on May 1st. M1GS is encouraging citizens of non-participating cities to strike anyway, by a variety of methods. Call in sick to work. Don’t show up to school. Don’t go shopping. Organize a school walk-out. Disrupt the flow of capital on May Day. Cause financial disruption. Host public art events. Use social media as a tool to raise awareness and encourage people to revolt rather than to spread Britney Spears’ latest scandal. Organize left-wing rallies and have a representative speak to the assemblies on the endless issues of workers’ rights. Create agitational literature and propaganda. Offer your medical, legal, cooking, and hair-dressing skills to people for free. The point is to withdraw from capitalism for a day and explore the creative and liberating aspects of a culture of resistance. From that point on, people can do what they love as an act of protest. Block parties, rallies, protests, marches, family BBQ’s – this is a day when the 99% take a stand against the way the system has enslaved them and pushed them down — by taking a day for themselves, for being human again, spending time with families and friends. Their bosses dictate everything to them — but not on May Day. The holiday of the working class, the 99%. It’s a day for immigrant rights and migrant, for social justice, for civil liberties & ending a police-led state, for housing, education, and health care as human rights, for women’s rights, LGBT rights and gender equity - for everything that has come as a result of the wealthy elite exploiting the blind submission of the middle and lower class in order to maintain their iron grip on the government and finances of countries. “We will show those who claim power, where the true power lies. We are many. They are few. The time has come to rise - together.” 2012 ‫ مايو‬: 6 ‫ عدد‬/ 61

Social Written By: Bibi Al Falah

How Changing a wcareer

have never been an advocate of change, shying away from it at every possible opportunity just to remain in a familiar environment. After time, I finally succumbed to the fact that change is inevitable, therefore you should be in control of it. If you don’t strategically plan certain changes in your life, they will happen anyway and not the way you want them to. In the case of work, if you are miserable at a job your performance will eventually start to slack. You enthusiasm will fade day after day and you had better believe that management be there watching. How will this force change? It will eventually get so bad that you will either never get recommended for a promotion or, worst-case scenario, you will get fired. If you had just taken the initiative to realize your happiness is worth more, you could have avoided this entire situation by searching for another job and leaving on good terms. People are bound by fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of taking a chance, and fear of abandoning routine. I was one of these cowardly souls until I realized that life is worth the risk, and the only thing worse than fear is regret and wondering “what if”. I was at a job that someone else would have loved, but I knew there was something else waiting for me just around the corner. This led me to take initiative and actually see what else I could get. Now I wake up in the morning with a sense happiness that comes with having a job that fits just right. What makes me most happy is actually not knowing what will happen at work next week because things keep moving and changing. Coming from a painfully routine past, I never thought I could appreciate that. So this is my advice to all of you that feel you are stuck in the mud. Whether you want to start your own business or change your job (or both), don’t let fear stop you. If you are a student, this can also apply to university. My greatest advice is to choose wisely before applying to a university. Do your research and evaluate what is important to you the most. Don’t go somewhere easy to get into just because it is in the right location, and don’t go somewhere you would be miserable just because you think you should. Evaluate pros and cons because university should be a well-rounded experience. If you feel you’ve made a mistake, it’s ok to transfer. Always make sure you work hard the first two years of university because the classes are easier and higher grades will give you the ability to transfer if you feel the need to do so. My brother told me once that applying to university is like a lottery; apply to as many as you can because you can never have too many chances. Hesitation will be your worst enemy, so don’ t think twice about making a leap in a completely new direction. I never imagined myself saying these words, but all it took was a little nudge from family and friends in the right direction and I feel a change for the better. I have witnessed close friends doing the same exact thing, and not one of them regrets it. I hope everyone can believe in themselves because that’s what life is about. Good luck!

62 / Issue 6: May 2012

‫‪ / 63‬عدد ‪ : 6‬مايو ‪2012‬‬

‫كادمييه‬ ‫‪ 100‬فلس‬

‫رئيس التحرير أحمد نصار‬

‫ممثلين األكاديمية على شاشة‬ ‫التليفزيون‬

‫األكاديمية تشارك السفارة األمريكية‬ ‫اإلحتفال بعيد التحرير األمريكي‬

‫لعب ممثلين األكاديمية من الشبان‬ ‫والشابات أدوارهم بثقة وثبات أمام‬ ‫الكاميرات التى دارت لتصوير أول إعالن‬ ‫توعوي تنفذه لوياك وبدعم من شركة داو‬ ‫للكيماويات واإلعالن هو إعالن توعوي وطني‬ ‫يدعو للوحدة والتعاون من أجل مصلحة‬ ‫الوطن ومن إخراج األستاذ رسول الصغير‬ ‫يذاع اإلعالن على شاشة تليفزيون الراي‬ ‫الشريك اإلعالمي للوياك ويذاع أيضا على‬ ‫شاشات شركة السينما الكويتية‬

‫للفنون‬ ‫لوياك‬ ‫أكاديمية‬ ‫شاركت‬ ‫اإلستعراضية فى الحفل الذى أقامته‬ ‫السفارة األمريكية بدولة الكويت بمناسبة‬ ‫عيد التحرير األمريكي وذلك من خالل تقديم‬ ‫فقرة إستعراضية فى البريك دانس لفريق‬ ‫إلكتريك كرو والذى ترعاه لوياك وقد القت‬ ‫إستحسان الحضور والسفير األمريكي ووزير‬ ‫اإلعالم الكويتي الشيخ ‪ /‬محمد عبد اهلل‬ ‫كما قدمت الفنانه راوية من لوياك النشيد‬ ‫الوطنى الكويتى ‪.‬‬

‫المدرسة العالمية األمريكية تحتفل‬ ‫باليوم العالمي برعاية لوياك‬ ‫إحتفلت المدرسة العالمية األمريكية باليوم‬ ‫العالمى وذلك بتنظيم يوم مفتوح تضمن‬ ‫وجود عروض لثقافات دول عدة وكذلك‬ ‫عروض مسرحية حضرها أكثر من ألف طالب‬ ‫وطالبة وشاركت لوياك من خالل تقديم عدة‬ ‫فقرات مميزة كالعزف على البيانو للطالب‬ ‫فيصل البحيري والذى شارك طلبة المدرسة‬ ‫قصة نجاحه ووصوله إلى الفوز بجائزة شوبان‬ ‫العالمية كعازف بيانو ولم يتخطي عمره‬ ‫العشرون عاما كما قامت الطالبة مريم مراد‬ ‫بتقديم أغنية وصاحبها فى العزف على‬ ‫البيانو الفنان مبارك كرم وقدم كذلك فريق‬ ‫إلكتريك كرو فقرة إستعراضية فى البريك‬ ‫دانس أحبها الطالب والحضور وقدم السيد‬ ‫‪ /‬فيصل الهارون مدير أكاديمية لوياك أى‬ ‫سي ميالن عرض توضيحى عن األكاديمية‬ ‫وما تقدمه للمنتسبين إليها حضر الحفل‬ ‫من لوياك السيدة ‪ /‬نادية السقاف مدير‬ ‫أكاديمية لوياك للفنون اإلستعراضية‬ ‫والسيدة ‪ /‬سامرة الريس مدير عام المدرسة‬ ‫العالمية األمريكية‪.‬‬

‫‪64 / Issue 6: May 2012‬‬

‫جريدةالأ‬ ‫العدد ‪2 :‬‬

‫إبراهيم مزنر وأولى لوحات الخيزران‬ ‫زار الكويت مؤخرا مصمم اإلستعراضات‬ ‫الفنان إبراهيم مزنر وذلك للعمل مع طلبة‬ ‫وطالبات األكاديمية على أولى اللوحات‬ ‫اإلستعراضية للعمل المسرحي (الخيزران)‬ ‫وجرت التدريبات لمدة أربعة أيام متواصلة‬ ‫عمل فيها إبراهيم مزنر على الموسيقى‬ ‫واإلستعراض والجدير بالذكر أن كل‬ ‫المنضمين إلى هذا العمل المسرحي هم‬ ‫طلبة من هواة المسرح ‪.‬‬ ‫العمل من تأليف الكاتبة ‪ /‬فارعة السقاف‬ ‫وإخراج ‪ /‬رسول الصغير والذى من المنتظر‬ ‫عرضه حالل العام الحالي‪.‬‬

‫‪ / 65‬عدد ‪ : 6‬مايو ‪2012‬‬

‫‪-‬‬

‫الكويت‬

‫‪ 6‬صفحات‬

‫طلبة األكاديمية أبهرو الحضور‬ ‫بأدائهم فى حفل لوياك‬

‫األكاديمية تستضيف كوكو يورك‬ ‫ومايك ديل فيرو‬

‫قدم طلبة وطالبات األكاديمية أداء فنى‬ ‫راق أبهر الحضور الذى تقدمه معالي رئيس‬ ‫مجلس الوزراء الشيخ ‪ /‬جابر المبارك الصباح‬ ‫فى إحتفالية لوياك بمرور عشر سنوات على‬ ‫إنشائها وقد قام طالب األكاديمية بتقديم‬ ‫عدة فقرات ولوحات إستعراضية لخصت تاريخ‬ ‫األعمال المسرحية التى قدمتها لوياك على‬ ‫مدى العشر سنوات الماضية مثل «جاالتيا «‬ ‫«أكون أو ال أكون» «خطر» «مايم مينيا» وأخيرا‬ ‫لوحة إستعراضية قام بتصميمها الفنان‬ ‫إبراهيم مزنر‪.‬‬

‫فى إطار تعاونها المثمر مع السفارة‬ ‫األمريكية فى دولة الكويت إستضافت‬ ‫األكاديمية المطربة األمريكية كوكو يورك‬ ‫وعازف البيانو مايك ديل فيرو والمعروف‬ ‫أنهم قاموا بعمل عده جوالت عالمية قاموا‬ ‫خاللها بالغناء والعزف مع أكبر المغنيين‬ ‫على مستوى العالم مثل كالرك تيري‬ ‫وليونيل ريتشي وبي بي كينج كما شاركوا‬ ‫أيضا فى عدة مهرجانات كبرى لموسيقى‬ ‫الجاز وقد قاموا بعمل صف تعليمي لمطربي‬ ‫وعازفي البيانو لمده ساعتين أعقبه على‬ ‫مدى ساعة ونصف حفل موسيقي غنائي‬ ‫حضره عدد كبير من الجمهور من مختلف‬ ‫الجاليات ‪.‬‬

‫جريدة الأكادمييه‬ ‫العدد ‪2 :‬‬

‫‪-‬‬

‫الكويت‬

‫‪ 6‬صفحات‬

‫‪ 100‬فلس‬

‫رئيس التحرير أحمد نصار‬

‫‪66 / Issue 6: May 2012‬‬

‫جريدة الأكادمييه‬ ‫العدد ‪2:‬‬

‫‪-‬‬

‫الكويت‬

‫‪ / 67‬عدد ‪ : 6‬مايو ‪2012‬‬

‫‪ 6‬صفحات‬

‫‪ 100‬فلس‬

‫رئيس التحرير أحمد نصار‬

‫جريدة الأكادمييه‬ ‫العدد ‪2 :‬‬

‫‪-‬‬

‫الكويت‬

‫‪ 6‬صفحات‬

‫‪ 100‬فلس‬

‫رئيس التحرير أحمد نصار‬ ‫وزير اإلعالم يزور أكاديمية لوياك للفنون‬ ‫اإلستعراضية‬ ‫قام وزير اإلعالم الشيخ محمد العبد اهلل‬ ‫بزيارة إلى مقر أكاديمية لوياك للفنون‬ ‫اإلستعراضية إجتمع خاللها بالسيدة‬ ‫فارعة السقاف رئيس مجلس إدارة لوياك‬ ‫والعضو المنتدب والسيدة نادية السقاف‬ ‫مدير أكاديمية لوياك للفنون اإلستعراضية‬ ‫وذلك لبحث أساليب التعاون المشتركة فى‬ ‫المستقبل ‪.‬‬

‫‪68 / Issue 6: May 2012‬‬

‫جريدة الأكادمييه‬ ‫العدد ‪2 :‬‬

‫‪-‬‬

‫الكويت‬

‫إلكتريك كرو يحتل المركز الثالث فى‬ ‫بي بوي باتل ورلد كالسيك‬ ‫إحتل الثنائي حمد بورسلي وصالح المال‬ ‫المركز الثالث من بين سته عشر فريق‬ ‫مشارك فى بطولة بي بوي باتل ورلد‬ ‫كالسيك والتى أقيمت الشهر الماضي فى‬ ‫دولة قطر وتنص قوانين البطولة على أن‬ ‫يتأهل صاحب المركز األول إلى البطولة‬ ‫العالمية والتى من المقرر إقامتها فى‬ ‫هولندا‬ ‫وتجري البطولة بحيث تتم التصفيات فى‬ ‫منطقة الشرق األوسط إلختيار أفضل ثنائي‬ ‫للتباري أمام أربع فرق ثنائية من أفضل ثمان‬ ‫العبين فى العالم‬

‫‪ / 69‬عدد ‪ : 6‬مايو ‪2012‬‬

‫‪ 6‬صفحات‬

‫‪ 100‬فلس‬

‫رئيس التحرير أحمد نصار‬

‫واإلنسانية ‪ ،‬لم أكن قد حددت الدور بعد‬ ‫لكن تطوعي في الجمعية الثقافية النسائية‬ ‫كان عامال مساعدا إليجاد ذاتي ‪ ،‬وزياراتى‬ ‫االسبوعية لنزيالت الطب النفسي واالستماع‬ ‫لمشاكلهن وهمومهن ساعدتنى كثيرا‬ ‫على تعزيز حسي اإلنساني ودفعي إليجاد‬ ‫دورى االنساني فيما بعد ‪.‬‬ ‫وبالبطبع كان للكتب التى أقرأها دور كبير‬ ‫في مساعدتى خالل الرحلة وخصوصا في‬ ‫تجاوز األزمات النفسية التى كانت تظهر بين‬ ‫الحين واآلخر نتيجة مواجهة الذات المستمرة‬ ‫واستعادة الصور الحزينة أو المؤلمة خالل‬ ‫المشوار‪.‬‬ ‫أحد أهم الكتب التى يمكن أن تساعد‬ ‫في هذه المشوار هو كتاب ‪The Book of‬‬ ‫‪ Secretes‬لمؤلفه الدكتور ‪Deepak Chopra‬‬ ‫يطلق ‪ Chopra‬على خبرات الطفولة وتاريخ‬ ‫البشرية المتراكم في ذاكرتنا من الحروب‬ ‫واألحداث المؤلمة تعريفا يسمى بـ ‪Shadow‬‬ ‫‪ energy‬وهي طاقة سلبية كامنه في كل‬ ‫منا تظهر عندما يتوافر لها المناخ المالئم‬ ‫للظهور وتدفع بصاحبها ألعمال سلبية قد‬ ‫تكون مدمره إذا لم نعرف كيف نتعامل معها‪.‬‬ ‫وضع ‪ Chopra‬خطوات ممكن استخدامها‬ ‫للتقليل من تأثير ما أسماه بالـ ‪Shadow‬‬ ‫‪ energy‬منها تسليط الضوء على هذه‬ ‫الخبرات المؤلمه ومواجهتها بدال من الهروب‬ ‫منها ‪ ،‬بل وينصح بكتابتها والحديث عنها‬ ‫في جو آمن والتفاعل معها وإيجاد مبرر‬ ‫عقالنى يزيل اإلنفعاالت السلبيه المصاحبه‬ ‫لتلك الخبرات القديمة وكتابة جمل إيجابية‬ ‫مدعمه للثقه بالنفس ‪ ،‬الرحلة مع هذا الكتاب‬ ‫تعلمنا باختصار كيف نتخلص من الخوف‬ ‫ونحب أنفسنا لنكون قادرين على محبة غيرنا‪.‬‬ ‫من المؤكد أن عدو اإلنسان األول هو الخوف‬ ‫و الطريق األمثل لمجابهة الخوف هو طريق‬ ‫المحبة ‪ ،‬كلما زادت مساحة المحبة في نفوسنا‬ ‫كلما تقلصت مساحة الخوف وتراجعت ‪،‬‬ ‫فالمحب ال يخشى أن يفقد شيئا والشخصيات‬ ‫اإلنسانية الرائدة التى ضربت لنا أمثله في‬ ‫المحبة تثبت لنا ذلك فسلوكها يدل على أنها‬ ‫تجاوزت حاجز الخوف بشكل كبير مثل األم‬ ‫تريزا التى لم تخش الفقر أو المرض وضربت‬ ‫نموذجا فريدا في المحبه المطلقه ‪ ،‬والمهاتما‬ ‫غاندى الذي لم يخفه السجن أو الجوع أو‬ ‫حتى الرصاص وقاوم الظلم واالحتالل بسلم‬ ‫ومحبه ‪ ،‬وكذلك نلسون مانديال ‪ ،‬يجتمع هؤالء‬ ‫العظماء على أمر واحد وهو المحبة التى‬ ‫مألت قلوبهم وغمروا اإلنسانية بها ‪ ،‬فتالشى‬

‫إنسان عادي مثلي أن يفترض مسئوليته اتجاه‬ ‫رحلة البحث عن الذات رحلة‬ ‫ما حدث ويبادر ليكون له دور في أمر بهذه‬ ‫ضرورية ال تتوقف علينا ان‬ ‫الخطوره وبهذا الحجم ؟ هل لدي المقدره‬ ‫نخوضها ألننا نتطور وننمو عندما على التغيير رغم محدودية دائرة تأثيرى في‬ ‫ذلك الوقت؟‬ ‫نتساءل ونبحث عن إجابات لها‬ ‫فكرت كثيرا وكتبت كثيرا ولكنى كنت أمزق‬ ‫كل ما أكتبه في هذا الموضوع ألننى كنت‬ ‫أعتبره محاوله ناقصه غير مكتمله ‪ ،‬إلى أن‬ ‫الخوف تماما من قلوبهم ‪.‬‬ ‫وجدت نفسى في يوم من أيام فبراير ‪2002‬‬ ‫الوعي لهذه الحقيقة ساعدنى على تحديد‬ ‫أكتب برنامجا متكامال للشباب متذكره مقولة‬ ‫الطريق الذي أردته لنفسى إلى أن جاء يوم‬ ‫غاندى « إذا أردنا أن ننشر السالم ونشن حربا‬ ‫من أيام سبتمبر ‪ 2001‬ليجسد أمام عينى أحدى‬ ‫على الحرب فعلينا أن نبدأ بصغارنا « ‪.‬‬ ‫أكبر جرائم البشريه وهي تفجير مبنى التجارة‬ ‫بعد انتهائي من كتابة البرنامج تيقنت بأن‬ ‫العالمي في نيويورك ‪.‬‬ ‫تطبيقه سيخلق المحبه والسالم والفرح في‬ ‫ألكثر من شهر كنت أتابع فيها تداعيات‬ ‫نفوس الشباب ‪ ،‬فهذا هو طريق المحبة‬ ‫الحدث لم أسمع سوى جمله واحدة تتكرر‬ ‫الذي سيقلص مساحة الخوف والغضب في‬ ‫وهي « الحرب على االرهاب « ساعدتنى الكتابه‬ ‫نفوسهم وينشر السلم في نفوسهم‬ ‫اليوميه على رصد مشاعرى اتجاه العنف ‪،‬‬ ‫والسالم في مجتمعاتهم ‪ ،‬وحينها أيضا‬ ‫فهل يعقل أن نقابل العنف بمزيد من العنف‬ ‫تيقنت بأننى قادره على تنفيذ البرنامج ‪ ،‬إن‬ ‫وإذا كان هذا خيار الدول الكبرى ‪ ،‬وبعض‬ ‫أنا جمعت حولى المجموعة التى تتفق مع‬ ‫المنظمات اإلرهابيه إذا ما هو خيارنا كأفراد‬ ‫رؤيتى واهتماماتي القادرة والمؤمنه بضرورة‬ ‫وهل سنبقى مجرد متفرجين لموجة العنف‬ ‫التحرك ‪ ،‬ومنذ تلك اللحظه علمت بأن دورى‬ ‫التى سادت العالم وتمركزت بشكل أكبر في‬ ‫قد بدأ وأن هذا هو الهدف األكبر الذي كنت‬ ‫الشرق األوسط منذ عقود بل قرون مضت ‪.‬‬ ‫أبحث عنه ‪.‬‬ ‫كانت شخصية غاندى الذي حرر بالده دون‬ ‫طلقه رصاص واحده تقفز إلى ذهنى كلما اكتشافي للدور الذي كنت أبحث عنه أدخلنى‬ ‫أمسكت بالقلم ‪ ،‬وكلما تساءلت على الورق مرحله جديده من مراحل الوعي والتطور‬ ‫كيف لنا أن ننشر السالم ؟ وهل لي دور في ولكن هل أجاب على السؤال األكثر أهمية في‬ ‫هذا رغم أننى لست في موقع سلطه يخولنى حياتى من أنا ؟ ولماذا أنا هنا ؟‬ ‫البقية في العدد القادم‬ ‫لعمل شئ في هذا المجال ؟ وهل بإمكان‬ ‫‪70 / Issue 6: May 2012‬‬

‫األداة الثانية التى كان لها دورا كبيرا في‬ ‫المحافظة على رؤيتى واإللتزام بخارطة‬ ‫الطريق التى اعتمدتها لحياتى الجديدة هي‬ ‫الكتابة ‪ ،‬فالكتابة اليومية كانت بوصلتى‬ ‫التى تذكرنى بطريقى وتكشف لى موقعي ‪.‬‬ ‫ساعدتنى الكتابة على تصحيح اخطائى‬ ‫باستمرار ‪ ،‬وقربتّنى أكثر من نفسي‬ ‫وساعدتنى في اكتشاف ومحاصرة المشاعر‬ ‫السلبية وخصوصا تلك التى يصعب على‬ ‫النفس اإلعتراف بها كالغيرة مثال ‪.‬‬ ‫كتابة هذه المشاعر السلبية وإقرارها بوضوح‬ ‫على الورق كانت كفيلة بإبعادها فالكتابة‬ ‫اليوميه كانت األداة الرقابية التى كنت ومازلت‬ ‫أمارسها على نفسى ‪.‬‬ ‫كنت عازمة على التغيير وكنت أرى بوضوح‬ ‫أين أود أن أكون ‪ ،‬أردت أن أعيش حياة تنطلق‬ ‫من خيالى ‪ ،‬من صورة جديدة لنفسي كمبدعة‬ ‫محبة ذات شخصية مبادرة غير منفعلة قادرة‬ ‫على العطاء ‪ ،‬صورة رسمتها لنفسى لم‬ ‫يرسمها لى أحد ‪ ،‬بهذا الخيال وبهذه الصورة‬ ‫قررت أن أعيش حياتى المقبلة ‪ ،‬وحتى يتحقق‬ ‫لى ذلك كان البد من االلتزام والرقابة الذاتية‬ ‫‪ ،‬وكان المشوار طويال وليس سهال وال يوجد‬ ‫له مختصر ‪ ،‬لذلك كنت بالطبع أنسى أحيانا‬ ‫وأنفعل وأفقد السيطرة وأعتذر ‪ ،‬وكان ذلك‬ ‫يحزنى ويجعلنى أشعر بأننى أتراجع ‪ ،‬إال أننى‬ ‫كنت أعود مرة اخرى لبوصلتى وأذكّ ر نفسى‬ ‫أن الطريق ليس قصيرا وليس سهال وأننى‬ ‫يجب أن التزم وأعيد المحاولة في مشوار‬ ‫التغيير ‪.‬‬

‫بقلم‪ :‬فارعه السقاف‬

‫من انا ؟ السؤال األهم في حياتنا‬ ‫ك‬

‫(الحلقة الخامسة)‬

‫ان أحد أهدافي الرئيسية في رحلة تطوير‬ ‫الشخصية هو التحول من شخصية‬ ‫إنفعالية « ‪ « reactive‬الى شخصية مبادرة‬ ‫ومؤثرة « ‪ « proactive‬أوال ‪ ،‬ثم إيجاد دور لي‬ ‫في خدمة الناس ثانيا ‪ ،‬لكنى كنت أعلم ان‬ ‫ذلك قد يتطلب الكثير من الصبر والمثابرة ‪،‬‬ ‫وقد يكون أقرب الى الترويض وكأنها عملية‬ ‫إعادة خلق لشخصيتى ‪ ،‬لذا كان البد من أدوات‬ ‫تساعدنى على عملية الخلق الجديدة ‪ ،‬كانت‬ ‫‪ ،‬إحدى أدواتى هي الرقابة الذاتية لتصرفاتى‬ ‫وأحاسيسى وانفعاالتى ‪ ،‬إذ كنت أفصل‬ ‫‪ / 71‬عدد ‪ : 6‬مايو ‪2012‬‬

‫رحلة البحث عن الذات رحلة ضرورية ال تتوقف‬ ‫علينا ان نخوضها ألننا نتطور وننمو عندما‬ ‫نتساءل ونبحث عن إجابات لها ‪.‬‬ ‫لكن من المهم ان يكون التساؤل مصحوبا‬ ‫كاف يحمينا من االنزالق في ممارسات‬ ‫بوعي‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫قد تكون مدمرة لنا ولغيرنا ‪ ،‬فالوعي بأهداف‬ ‫الرحلة هو حماية لنا والوعي يحقق قفزات‬ ‫كبيرة ونوعية في رحلة التطور والنمو في‬ ‫الشخصية التى ينشدها اإلنسان ‪.‬‬ ‫للتحقق من إلتزامنا باألهداف الكبرى للرحلة‬ ‫ومن الوعي الكافي لما نريد تحقيقه البد من‬ ‫أدوات ترافقنا في رحلتنا كالكتابة اليومية‬ ‫‪ ،‬والعناية بأنفسنا بشكل يومي بالرياضة‬ ‫والراحة الكافيه والموسيقي وغيرها ‪..‬‬

‫نفسى في كثير من األحيان وأتخيل أننى انظر‬ ‫لنفسي من ارتفاع ‪ ،‬فإن حصلت مواقف مثيرة‬ ‫ومستفزة النفعالي راقبت ما يحدث بداخلى‬ ‫جيدا ‪ ،‬وهو ما يسمى « عين العاصفة – ‪The‬‬ ‫‪ ، « eye of the storm‬فإن شعرت بالضيق أو‬ ‫اإلنقباض من تصرف ألحد ممن حولى تتبعت‬ ‫أحاسيسى ومشاعرى ثم غادرت المكان حتى ما بين األعوام ‪ 2000‬و ‪ 2002‬كنت قد حددت‬ ‫ال أنفعل أو أقول قوال قد أندم عليه الحقا ‪ ،‬في أهداف الرحله وكانت كتاباتى اليوميه طقس‬ ‫تلك الفترة بالذات حاولت قدر المستطاع ان من الطقوس التى التزمت بها باإلضافة الى‬ ‫أبتعد عن الشخصيات السلبية حتى وإن كان رياضة اليوغا ‪ ،‬أحد أهم أهدافي كما ذكرت‬ ‫صاحبها أحد أفراد العائله ‪.‬‬ ‫كان البحث عن دور لي في خدمة المجتمع‬

‫الصيفي‬ ‫واللقاءات األسبوعية صورة جماعية للتوعية والمعرفة‬

‫أما األنشطة فتجمع ُأ َسري لعائلة لويـــــــاك بكل محبة‬

‫‪« 2012‬صيفنا أحـــــــــــــــــــلى» انضموا لعائلة لوياك بالتسجيل عبر موقعنا‬ ‫‪www.loyac.org‬‬ ‫‪72 / Issue 6: May 2012‬‬

‫البرنامج‬ ‫العــمــــــــل بالصيف مع لويـــــــاك يزرع فينا المسؤولية وااللتـــــــزام‬

‫والتطوع يثرينا بالمشاركة الفعالة والعطاء الصادق‬

‫قيم لويــــــــــاك ليست حبر على صفحات من ورق‬ ‫قيم لويــــــــــاك واقع زيـــــــن حياتنا بحسن الخلق‬ ‫‪ / 73‬عدد ‪ : 6‬مايو ‪2012‬‬

‫ــــــــــــــارض‬ ‫الحدث ‪ :‬معرض هوريكا ‪HORECA‬‬ ‫الفترة‪2012 / 01 / 24 – 22 :‬‬ ‫الجهة المنظمة‪Leaders Group :‬‬ ‫مكان المشاركة‪ :‬قاعة الراية‬

‫لم يكتف المتطوعين بالتعريف بأنشطة وبرامج لويــــــــك المتعددة‬ ‫من خالل بوث في معرض هوريكا‪ ،‬إنما كان لهم الدور األكبر في‬ ‫تنظيم هذا المعرض بكل احترافية‪ ،‬وتم تكريمهم من السيدة نبيلة‬ ‫العنجري تقديرا وامتنانا لجهودهم‪.‬‬ ‫‪74 / Issue 6: May 2012‬‬

‫المعــــــــــــ‬ ‫الحدث ‪ :‬مهرجان القرين الثقافي الثامن عشر‬ ‫الفترة‪2012 / 01 /28 – 09 :‬‬ ‫الجهة المنظمة‪ :‬المجلس الوطني للثقافة والفنون واآلداب‪.‬‬

‫مكان المشاركة‪ :‬مسرح الدسمة‪ ،‬مكتبة الكويت الوطنية‪ ،‬متحف‬ ‫الكويت الوطني‪ ،‬مركز عبدالعزيز حسين الثقافي‪.‬‬ ‫أثبت طلبة لويــــــاك المتطوعين جدارة غير مسبوقة في حسن‬ ‫التنظيم واتقان بروتوكول استقبال الضيوف والذي نال استحسان‬ ‫الجميع‪.‬‬ ‫‪ / 75‬عدد ‪ : 6‬مايو ‪2012‬‬

‫ــــــــــــــارض‬ ‫الحدث‪ :‬ملتقى كويتي وأفتخر الخامس‬ ‫الفترة‪2012 / 03 / 10 – 06 :‬‬ ‫الجهة المنظمة‪ :‬كويتي وأفتخر‬ ‫مكان المشاركة‪ :‬أرض المعارض بمشرف –صالة ‪8‬‬

‫وسط األجواء الكويتية في معارض كويتي وأفتخر‪ ،‬برز طلبة‬ ‫لويـــــــــــاك المتطوعين بمجهودهم في التعريف بأنشطة وفعاليات‬ ‫وبرامج لويـــــــــــاك وانجازاتهم من خالل تلك البرامج وكيف أنها تنمي‬ ‫لك يا كويت بأبناء‬ ‫شخصياتهم لخلق جيل المواطنة الحقة‪ ،‬فهنيئا ِ‬ ‫يحبوك‪.‬‬ ‫عرفوا كيف‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫‪76 / Issue 6: May 2012‬‬

‫المعــــــــــــ‬ ‫الحدث‪ :‬مسابقة الكويت للسيارات الفارهة‬ ‫‪Kuwait Concours D’elegance 2012‬‬ ‫الفترة‪2012 / 02 / 18 – 15 :‬‬ ‫الجهة المنظمة‪ :‬متحف السيارات التاريخية والقديمة والكالسيكية‬ ‫مكان المشاركة‪ :‬مارينا كرسنت‬

‫اقام متحف السيارات التاريخية والقديمة والتقليدية مسابقة الكويت‬ ‫للسيارات الفارهة لعامها الثالث على التوالي‪ ،‬بحضور سمو الشيخ‬ ‫ناصر المحمد وتحت رعايته الكريمة والذي ُقدم فيه شكر خاص لطلبة‬ ‫لويــــــاك المتطوعين من سموه ومن الديوان األميري وإدارة المتحف‪ ،‬لما‬ ‫بذلوه من جهود جبارة في تنظيم فعاليات هذا الحدث‪.‬‬ ‫‪ / 77‬عدد ‪ : 6‬مايو ‪2012‬‬

78 / Issue 6: May 2012

‫‪SU DOKU‬‬

‫‪ / 79‬عدد ‪ : 6‬مايو ‪2012‬‬

80 / Issue 6: May 2012

‫‪ / 81‬عدد ‪ : 6‬مايو ‪2012‬‬

Horoscopes

82 / Issue 6: May 2012

Aquarius: Your friendships are tested this month, and you can expect a change in your career. You will attend a lot of parties but may have technological issues such as a computer crash. Keep mind of small details as they will either help you or destroy you this month. Finances are generally good just remember the small details.

Leo: Your relationships with your friends and family will be tested, but try to be as patient as possible with them. Although your career is strong this month it is a good time to take a break when you feel necessary. You are creative when it coms to ‘tech’ oriented objects. Your love life isn’t your main focus.

Pisces: You are redefining your image and though your family may be resilient to the change, be patient. You may feel nostalgic this month missing something in your past, but all it is, is that you are subconsciously resolving issues you have had in your past. You may have a psychological breakthrough which will be for the best.

Virgo: This is a month for foreign travel and your interest in foreign culture increases. Try to rest and relax when you can, and prepare for a change in your business if you have one. Dirty laundry in your family relationship is now being cleaned, and although it may not be comfortable it is generally for the best.

Aries: The pace of life slows down for you. Patience is key. You may be dependent on others and their good graces, so try to adapt to this as best as possible, now it is time to hone in on social skills and cooperate with others. You may be taking important tests and exams and you will do well, and upgraded equipment is coming your way.

Libra: This is a ‘happy-go-lucky’ and optimistic period for you where you may enter jet-setter style travel. You are realizing that yes, you can have whatever you dreamed and you have developed a can-do attitude, regardless your limitations. If you are entering college rest assured you will end up where you are meant to be.

Taurus: Changes are occurring, either in regime, practice or attitude. If you have new ideas it is a good time to attract investors. Your health is goo but you can enhance it by paying attention to the respiratory system. All your carnal desires are being met, but weight may become a problem this month so beware of that.

Scorpio: Your personal power and self-will are not up to their usual standards and it is time to review your personal goals and desires, especially those that relate to your image and body. Now is time to gain mental clarity about your relationships and love decisions are better off delayed. Major financial changes are in store for you.

Gemini: Look for a happy and successful month; you have the power to achieve realistic goals you set for yourself. You are romantically and socially in demand as you are being courted. Getting the body and image in shape is in plausible this month and you will end this month shining.

Sagittarius: You will face major changes in love, meaning existing relationship issues will be resolved, married will want to be single, and single will want to be married, but whatever happens you will be very happy. Job seeker need to do research before signing a contract, and avoid travel during the end of the month.

Cancer: You always have an active dream life but pay attention to it this month. It is the time for you go correct old karmas and mistakes and clear your psychological debris, which is obstructing your clear mind. You will come out of this month with a new look, perhaps hairstyle or wardrobe change.

Capricorn: Conditions in your work environment change drastically, and you are extremely focused on health this month. Your relationship will end if it’s shaky and prevail if it has been strong lately. You are at a social peak and find yourself enjoying your companions more and taking life a little less serious than usual.