What is the Favorite Bahraini food in Ramadan?

You would imagine Bahrain’s favorite food in Ramadan would be something traditional, say Harees or Threed or something similar, BUT NO!! Its not!!
Jasmis is the Favorite food people eat in Ramadan!! Everyone I know had at one point Jasmies in Ramdan. Just go to the drive thru at any Jasmis in Ramadan and see how many cars are lined up!! Be honest did you eat Jasmis this Ramdan???

Bahrain’s strategic National Development Plan

We are hearing a lot these days about Bahrain’s strategic National development plan. Apparently the EDB has the study and it has been ready for a while now.
This strategy is supposed to solve our housing problem and set the strategy for the next 30 years. I have talked about this before (http://silverbahrain.blogspot.com/2007/05/bahrain-2030-national-planning.html).
My question is why the delay?? The strategy was developed a while back and the EDB keeps promising people it will be released soon.
Head of EDB says “Shaikh Mohammed said only 20 per cent of Bahrain's lands were structurally planned whereas the target is 100pc to facilitate the delivery of basic services to citizens.” http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=195424&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30195
So that means 80% of the land is unoccupied. Now, consider what the housing minister said a few weeks ago about going vertical because we don’t have enough land.
Conflict huh??
Another point worth mentioning is that there is an important change in strategy, the government is aiming to move away from building new towns to the expansion of currently existing villages so that citizens will remain in the area they have grown up in.
Nice one!! No new town huh?? This needs a separate article, I will let the viewers judge.

Ahmedi Najad speech at the University of Columbia

A few days ago I heard a lot about Ahmedi Najad visit to the US and his awaited speech at the University of Columbia. To its credit, the university has defended its decision to invite Ahmedi Najad to speak.
Last night around 9:30, I saw the speech live on TV, surprisingly the University president started by attacking his guest!! He was extremely disrespectful to the president of Iran, the following are some quotes from the opening remarks of the university president:
“Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator."
"You are either brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated," Bollinger told Ahmadinejad about the leader's Holocaust denial. "Will you cease this outrage?"

I found what the president of Columbia University did was extremely disrespectful to not only the president of Iran but also to the people of Iran, whether they support him or not, he does represent the people of Iran and he is an elected president of Iran.

I thought Ahmedi Najad handled it very well, I even watched many political analyst on US TV networks giving him credits. Ahmedi Najad started by saying, in Iran we do not disrespect our guests and Ahmadinejad retorted that Bollinger's opening was "an insult to information and the knowledge of the audience here." "There were insults and claims that were incorrect, regretfully”.
On the issue of the holocaust, he asked two questions, why aren’t people allowed to approach it from a different prospective? We never stopped studying physics and math, why should we stop studying the holocaust??
His second, question was, if we take the holocaust as given, It happened in Europe, why are the Palestinians paying for it for the last 60 years?

To tell you the truth, I never thought he is that intellectually advanced, his opening remarks was very thoughtful and displayed a signs of a very knowledgeable and intellectual person. I had my reservation on the guy, I still do, but after last night I have a lot of respect for him
If you missed the speech, please try to watch it on youtube, it had a lot of sparks and was very interesting.

There is a lot of discussion of what have been said, if anyone finds an interesting article,please post the link in the comments so we all can read about it.

Bahrain Map is gone

As of two days ago, one of Bahrain's famous icons is no more. Bahrain Map has been demolished!!

We all refer to the area as Al-Kharitah (the Map) area. I never understood what value this icon had, its nothing historic and its like every other statue we have in the streets, why Bahrain Map is so famous???

After all the reclamations i dont think it was accurate anymore, so it had to go!!

The truth is the icon have been demolished to make way for a new desperately needed over fly.

Bahrain International Hospital

I have decided to post some articles that were written by my friends. So to all my friends if you have any thing in mind please send it to me and i will post it, whether i agree with it or not

The following article is by my friend nick named Golgo13

A not-for-profit corporation is a corporation created by statute, government or judicial authority that is not intended to provide a profit to the owners or members (Source: Wikipedia). Examples of that are Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, International Hospital of Bahrain………WHAT!!!! Wait a minute Bahrain International Hospitals is a not-for-profit institution …Yes I am afraid that's what they have posted on their Web page " We are a not-for-profit organization. We put back all excesses in charity work, and assistance to the Community, as well as updating services and equipment for the service of the Community". http://www.ihb.net/index1.asp?id=about
As far as I know they are they are the most expensive Hospital in Bahrain (45 BD for a consultant), number one public enemy for insurance companies, patients have nightmares about their bills, you don't get treated unless you pay first ( emergency cases included a Few years back ) and I even heard that Doctors have a target to meet. American Mission Hospital is also a non-profit institution but look at the difference.
So next times if you visit BIH remember that the Dinars you are spending are going for a good cause.

The Ramadan confusion begins!!!

I think Bahrain, as small as it is, is the most confused country when it comes to Ramadan. Last years we had 3 different dates for the start of Ramadan!!

When it comes to Sunnis they go with whatever the government (so do some Shiaa). The government hold a Ramadan committee which have never ever seen the moon, so they out source it to Saudi. The good thing about Sunnis, they are united on when Ramadan starts and ends.

Now when it comes to Shiaa, the confusion begins. Every Shiaa Sheikh has his own committee, Shaikh Al Asfoor has his own date for Ramadan so does Ayatollah Najati, the same goes to Shikh Essa Qassim and so on. They keep people wondering until midnight about when Ramadan starts!
I don’t know how Iran does it but they do know in advance ( they use some sort of calendar) . I don’t understand why the Shiaa is Bahrain can adopt one system and get it over with.
With all these advance technologies how can we not know when it starts?? They only reasonable person I find when it comes to Ramadan is Aytollah Fadhlullah (with all the reservation some Shiaa have on him) , I think he is only voice of reason. He uses advance Astronomy, he is a believer is science. Thursday is the beginning of Ramadan according to science and it’s when I begin my Ramadan.

I think the main reason why we in Bahrain are confused so much (especially shiaa) is because it’s a struggle for power, each sheikh wants to showoff or confirm the power they have.
I suggest we make a deal with NASA and send 2 Shaikh (one Shiaa and one Sunni) on a space shuttle, when they reach out of space, open the window for the sheikhs and make sure they see the moon and then get back!

Shaikh Khailfa going for RED!!

Picture of the Year