Another Sleepless night.

It was around 4:00 am in the morning and i was still wide awake. I tried gulping down numerous glasses of water, i got up and walked around, i did some push ups in a effort to tire my self out. I also picked up my son's PSP and played for a while, seeing that it too was not having a effect on me, i turned to reading.

I remained awake until 7:30 am, when i finally fell asleep and did not wake until just after 12:00 in the afternoon.

So why did i have such a hard time sleeping? You ask.

The reason is simple, i have a big chip on my shoulder when comes to the issue of ownership of Land or a house in our country, Bahrain.

I logged on to the net yesterday after an absence of two to three weeks and one of the few sites that i must visit first had posted an article on this matter.

It's a point of view, the experiances of one person on his plight to achieve peace & security. But it's not the whole picture of what is going on in our society.

Yes, there are lots of Bahrainis who own land, and yes, some saved, other got loans from Banks and yet others got assistance from their parents.

I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth, or one lying anywhere close to me for that matter. I was lucky that my parents put me through private school which led me to getting a good job after graduating from high school. I was not lucky enough to continue my studies until now. I have worked hard to get where i am today but i still have not achieved my goal of owning my own home, this is because of some bad decisiond and the every elusive good luck, which i have none.

Now, you can't get away by saying that people blame the Government for all their problems or only seek assistance from them to get out of a problem, or that people don't bother to get off of their lazy asses to work hard to increase their purchasing power, or save up as much as possible and then apply for a long term housing loan for the remaining amount, there is more......

People have expenses, yes there are people out there who spend like there is no tomorrow and then bitch about the fact that they are unable to afford their own residence and are forced to live in a rented apartment.

Ok, people should learn to spend less and save a bit more, if they haven't started already.

But, when you are not given an opportunity, when the flood gates are opened to GCC nationals and foreigners who have loads and loads of money, levels up to which you are unable to compete, then here is the biggest dilemma. Not the only, but the BIGGEST, which is totally out of our control while the other factors may be in our control.

The price of land was increasing in Bahrain, but not at the rate that is has in the last couple of years. In 2005, i read a statistic posted in one of the GULF financial magazines, if I'm not mistaken (IF I FIND i have retained a copy i will surely post it later on when I get back home). I was astonished to find that Bahrain, the smallest land mass in the GCC had over 4000+ foreigners who owned private land, and non of the other countries, not Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE or Qatar or any other, had foreign ownership anything close to that figure. The point being LAND ownership.

So one can be forgiven if they believe the root of problem in Bahrain is only due to the facts that (a) we do not save enough, (b) or don't work hard enough, (c) or for any other reason for that matter..................The fact of the matter is we are trying but each time we get near the dotted line, it gets moved a couple of notches by policies made and implemented by the Government.

Bahrainis need to get good high paying jobs, but to do that they are required to have a high level of education to enable them to compete against the influx of highly educated foreigners' brought in by Employers. Additionally, while on the subject of employment, Employers should be restricted from recruiting a foreigner as a replacement of a Bahraini who has received a better opportunity somewhere else and has left. This is happening more and more, opportunities that must go to Bahraini graduates are being sold off abroad. (Don't get me wrong, I'm no hate monger but one must be fair and honest about the on goings within our country)

So................ go ahead and write your columns, and the self help advise that may or may not help others, it's a point of view that should be out there so everyone can read and get a complete picture of the ins' and outs' of the problems we are facing. This is our god given right.

Me, it's going to take another couple of days to get this out of my system, but by posting my views on this blog, i have vented a lot of the frustration and despair built up in me.
Yes, i will go ahead and read your articles, and maybe i might pick up some pointers on how to achieve my goal of owning the roof that is over my head; and I'll continue to save, and look for better opportunities to increase my income; i might even place a couple of dinars in the local Bank's saving schemes in the off chance that i might actually win something, but i won't hold my breath nor will i be sitting impatiently by the phone for the call telling me of my winnings.

No, I'll be hard at work, trying to climb the corporate ladder, advancing my education and keeping a look out for any off the chance opportunities that come my way to buy a piece of Land or a home.

Would one die from 'Chewing Gum'?

Early one morning, just after having a delicious local breakfast, my wife pulled out a pack of chewing Gum from her hand back and offered to share some with the rest of us.

I politely thanked her and declined her offer, but her brother who was sitting across her at the other end of the living room accepted gleefully.

She tossed the chewing Gum across the room, at her brother and it shacked him in the knee, her mother immediately screamed out, "What, are you trying to kill your brother?”

What? I thought to myself, is if possible for someone to actually die from Chewing Gum. We all remember being told white lies by our parents when we were little, of the dangers of swallowing chewing gum, but this was only so that we would spit them out rather that each them and get indigestion, wasn't it?

But lets see, we chew gum, some swallow it & others spit it out. We may shove loads off gum into our mouth to achieve that ever elusive perfect bubble gum, the over inflated bubble that POPS and covers our chin, nose and hair if we are not so lucky, which i am not.

My curiosity got the better of me so i searched the net and came up with the following;

Chewing Gum headlines: (there are many more but i have listed only two)

• SHANGHAI, June 27 -- A LEXUS driver is believed to have choked to death on a wad of chewing gum that slipped into his trachea thanks to the big bump he ...
  
• Adult sudden death caused by aspiration of chewing gum

The Histroy of 'The Chewing Gum' (as stated on the net)

Many years ago, archaeologists made a surprising discovery! It seems prehistoric men and women chewed on lumps of tree resin for pure enjoyment, making them the first-ever gum chewers in recorded history.

In the early 1880s, two brothers, Henry and Frank Fleer, began experimenting with chicle, the sticky substance found inside a sapodilla tree. Henry Fleer covered the tasteless chicle with a sugary white coating and named his invention "Chiclets." Meanwhile, brother Frank put together a recipe for the world's first bubble gum, originally called "Blibber Blubber Bubble Gum."

-----------------

I am off to the local store to get be some safe gum.......maybe i could make a bundle if i invent something ......naaaaaa... what's life without taking a little risk now and then...

I'm now officially on Leave! So where have i been for so long? You ask.

As usual, i'm posting this rather late...but what the heck?
I know you'll understand.

It's been ten days now that i have been relaxing away from the pressures and demands of work. Yes, i'm on my annual leave and have flown the coupe.

The weak before my last day at work was hectic, I had a ton of work outstanding and a heck of a lot more to do at home.

Fret not, as i had three check lists, one for the pending work that needed to be attended to before my escape, one for the chores that had to be done at home (if i did not want my wife to come back as get me the hell out of the house), and of course, one for the items I needed to purchase before my flight on Thursday the 19th of Jul 2007.

You see, one of the many bad habbits that i have is to leave thingsd till the very last minute, as this time was no exception, i had a gajillion things to do before i got the go ahead from my manager.

To cope with the load i stayed late at work, there by ensuring that i complete my daily chores and ticked off the pending tasks as well, gradually by weeks end I was almost done.

I’d whiz out of the office, late of course, and prowl the malls of Bahrain looking for the items that i needed to buy, of which the most important was a rather good pair of sun glasses which i had to make sure would protect against the UV rays of the sun.

I also stayed up very late, past midnight and into the early hours of the morning so that i could complete the house chores and clean up the mess i had made, while the misses was away for a month visiting her relatives.

Thursday finally approached. I had convinced my manager that I’d come in and leave by 12:00 noon so as to catch my 4:30 flight.

By 11:50 that morning, i had finally completed all my work, after extensively running around the work premises like a mad man, finishing off task after task that were dependant on the participation of others. By 12:15pm i was standing up right at my manager’s desk, panting frantically, and looking at him with a grin on my face, holding up my hand against my chest revealing the wrist watch which was now showing the time approaching 12:16pm. He got the message and told me to literally, PISS OFF home!

I logged off my laptop, packed up and ran to the car park building where my trusty steed was patiently waiting for my arrival.

I was at home by 12:45pm, I was running into the flat and ripping off my clothes at the same time, my sister was supposed to drop me at the airport by 12:30 and i was already late. I jumped into the shower and performed the ritualistic THREE S's ($#!t, Shower & Shave), got out, dried myself and changed into my travel clothes.

On the way to the airport we picked up my son from his grandmother's house. We arrived at 1:45 and had checked in by 2:15pm. We were now free to roam the shops and have a bite to eat at Jasmis. If you're interested we both has the fish sandwich, it was wet!

We walked to the departure gate at the specified time by low and behold, the flight had been delayed. The plane finally departed at 5:30pm and we arrived in Shiraz, Iran at 6:30pm local time.

I was now only a few days away from getting my Lazic eye operation.

I will blog about that shortly..........

End of our National Team.

It saddens me that our national football team has reached this level of mediocrity.

I remember ten to fifteen years back, when the last batch of players were playing, their skills were slowly deterioration and the BFF were unwilling to come to terms and start the rebuilding process.

It took some time before the younger players were given opportunity to play to prove them selves and help then national team improve.

This batch, I fear have also reached the end of their journey and must now give way to the next generation of players.

As usual other Gulf countries have already started this process; Oman are now considered a young up and coming team.

We now have a team of has been's, could have been's, and should have been's.

It is now time to face facts and start the


BUT AS IS ALWAYS THE CASE, the Coach will be blamed and replaced.

Not the players, nor the management or the Bahrain Football federation, who are really at fault.

4 - 0, Huhhhhhhhh

The Bahrain National Team is playing today, I fear the worst but am hoping for the best.

I reluctanly write this blog in fear of the jinxing our team, but it must be said.

It's only a feeling that i have, but my gut tells me that Saudia Arabia may out perform us today.

They have some deadly strikers in Yasser Al Qahtani and CO (i can't remember their names now), who move around very well without the ball, who are hard to defend and almost always utalize the opportunities that come before them in front of the goal.

In our last game against South Korea, we won through shear guts and determination, all the players, each and every one of them, defending the goal like its was their lives on the line, where one defender fell back another took his place, it was an ugly win, but a win non the less. Korea had numerous opportunities to finish us off, but they just could not get the ball to cross the white line between the goal posts.

Best of all, the Chess master at the side lines, knew exactly when and who to substitute. Brilliant.

Now, against Saudia Arabia it may be a differenct scenario (I prey to God it's not). I'm hoping that Machella has another trick up his sleaves which he has now revealed to the players.

My FEAR as always is that the players do not play with heart and determination. Although other teams in the tournament may have more skills, faster players and a more experianced front line, our players have proven that they have what it takes to finally achieve what has been lacking in Bahrains long Football history, an Asian Cup trophy and the respect thaT goes with it. BUT i fear...........

So i'll be at work while others wil be sitting at the TV, watching nervously, jumping up and down, nervously as each second passes by.

While my fears turn to reality...................

Update:
The game has started and we are alreacy 1 - 0 down.

BUT i know if the guys play all out, we can DO ITTTTTTT.

Now, back to work...

Three events that lead to the decline of our National Football Team, and now..

On the evening on Tuesday the 3RD of August 2004, what was meant to be the defining moment in Bahrain’s Football history sadly turned out to be the start of its rapid decline into obscurity.

ONE
It was the semi-final match of the 2004 Asian Football Cup held in China and we were one victory away from reaching the final, something that we had never ever achieved, and I believe had we made it through we would have won it without a doubt.

The last dying seconds of the match brought our downfall, we had just come back from a 2 – 1 deficit and were leading 3 – 2, with a few minutes of remaining. It looked very good for us as we were one man up; what happened next can give sports fans nightmares, we just imploded. The defences just began to crumble, the players began to slag and tire and did not return back onto their assigned players, we were unable to clear the football from our half and two critical defensive errors led to Japan tying the match at 3 – 3 and then leading 4 – 3 in the added extra time. When the final whistle blew and the dust settled, our national team fighting spirits receded with the lost opportunity, and it has yet to return.

Following this lacklustre end of game performance, the National team slowly declined into obscurity. Don’t get me wrong we still had, and continue to have good players, but that team in my mind, was the best group of BAHRAINI players that could have achieved a lot; had they won the Asian Cup final, it could have then taken the Gulf Cup in 2004, and also have reached the 2006 World Cup finals much earlier rather than having to play the additional matches, up to our eventual loss to T&T.

Had the former occurred, it would have changed Bahrain’s football history for the better and put us on the ASIAN & GCC Footballing MAP.

TWO
The continued decline was evident in the 2004, 17TH GCC Gulf cup which was hosted by the State of Qatar, the eventual winners. We barely go through to the second round after a fiercely fought match against Saudia Arabia, but we were then bettered by Oman, an up and coming team. We had the professional players but they had the better ones, who played with heart and determination.

THREE
The pinnacle of our demise was the eventual one nil loss to Trinidad and Tobego on 16 November 2005 in the very last qualifications play-off match that would have taken us to the 2006 world cup; we were one player short from reaching the World Cup for the first time in our Country’s history. We lost 1 – 0 in that match and 2 – 1 on aggregate. Mohamed Salmeen had been suspended in the first leg of the qualifying play-off match for a second book able offence; his absence affected us and reduced our firing power and ball movement in the middle of the field; yet another great achievement that was not realised.


What went wrong?

Well for one, some of the players got too full of themselves; they turned professional playing in the regional Leagues and lost sight of the hard work, sweat, defeminisation and the fighting spirit (playing till the whistle is blown) that had gotten them there. Their attitudes changed, they became more like cry babies and hot heads rather than professionals, and dependable members of a National team. Each player was now playing defensively trying not to get hurt, so as not to forfeiting their PAID professional careers.

For another, our best scorer, Alah Hubail got injured and has now lost his finishing touch. The fact is we do not have alternative players, there is no pool of scorers from which we can pick and choose. The players on the National team don’t shoot the ball with any accuracy; they just kick and hope the ball goes to wards the goal. Scorers have to have the touch, and take the opportunities count as they come, in cases of minimal chances playing against tough teams, a superstar takes over and creates his own chances; again, we lack the presence of a player of that calibre.

WHY IS THAT?

Consider how much the other GCC states spend on their football teams or their football federation initiatives to create a pool of players from which they can pick when needed.

We do not have a forward minded presence in our Football Federation, if we did, three would be visits by coaches to the public & private schools where the young players would be taught the basics of football, where the sports instructors in those schools would be put under a vigorous training regime that would improve their knowledge and thereby lead to better training of the students.

Additionally, the exceptional players selected based on their superior skills could then be taken and trained under the wings of professional coaches.

This would start a chain reaction that would positively impacted the younger players and aspired them to play at much higher levels, this may also convince the Bahrain Football Federation to spend more on them and send the exceptional ones to professional Football training schools for further improvement and growth. Sadly that is not to be…

……………………………

Alas, today was day one of the 2007 Asian CUP; and we just lost 2 – 1 to Indonesia.

Need I say more………

BanderGate, CNN & now the LA Times; all raising the issue of promoted Secretarianism by factions within the Government. What now?

The article in yesterday's (7th July 2007) LA Times has put the spotlight back on to our country, the last time this happened was with the Bandergate incident.

Transparency, Trustworthy & Accountable; three words that do not come into the picture when talking about entities within the Government.

Why is there still a division?

Well, for one, there are many economical, social & political reasons leading to the continued division;

Some of the more apparent causes are:

a) a high rate of unemployment, even if the Government entities dispute the calims, the figures they release can't be confirmed or refuted by an independant body,

b) continued discrimination of shia majority in Government positions that are considered too sensitive,

c) The mistrust by the Government in its population believing that external bodies are influencing their decisions, thus the target populous can't be trusted or depended on,

d) The previous two points leading to the government continuing to employ foreigners in its Civil services & Armed forces'
Quote"Independent observers have criticized the government for regularly staffing security forces with non-Bahraini Sunnis."Unqoute

e) A widening gap between the poor and the rich,

f) A low standard public education system that has not been updated to today's requirements

and many more.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A blogger mentioned in an article earlier this year that the only way forward, was if the Government come out and accepted responsibilities for the role it played in past events, and sincerely apologised for the tragic deaths of many civilians and the torture of prisoners. This would not clear the slate clean but it would prove their seriousness in moving forward and enable progressive dialogue to ensue, with the aim of a better future as one nation. It is not enough to say that we are one nation; we should actually feel like one nation, and not a nation within a nation.

I wholeheartedly agree but also, as the article rightly states;
"King Hamed bin Isa AlKhalifa, the ultimate authority in Bahrain".

Yes His Highness is the ultimate authority in Bahrain and he has on many occasions clearly stated his wishes, both in the past and by reiterating it again on the 20th of June 2007,
QUOTE from another blog
His Majesty King Hamad vowed yesterday that Bahrain’s human rights clock “will never turn back”. He told members of Bahrain Human Rights Society and Bahrain Human Rights Watch: “We will not tolerate any injustices or violations of Bahrainis’ or expatriates’ rights.”
“Our doors have remained open from the beginning for all to report their grievances,” His Majesty said.

With His Highness, the King in the forefront, and assistance from the Prime Ministry, His Excellency Shaikh Khalifa Bin Slaman Al Khalifa, and backed by our forward minded Crown Prince, Shaikh Salman Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, i hope these factions are convinced that the best way forward is together as one nation, we can not and should not support the hard line ideology nor should we as a county, replicate the events that are occurring in countries around us like Saudia Arabia, Afghanistan & Iraq where fundamentalism is rampant or an Islamic state such as Iran or Saudi Arabia; this may lead to the break down of the fabrics of our Society; this is a fact that has been realised by some of these Government who are now having a difficult time combating the movements.

Our loyalty remains with God (Allah), our King (His Highness King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa) and our Country (the Kingdom of Bahrain), it is high time the rest of the faction realize this and allow the cycle of healing to commence. We need to go forwards not backwards.

CX movie review - Shrek the Third

Dated 28 June 2007, but as usual lost in transit.

My intentions were to go to the cinema this weekend to watch the newly released movie ‘PREMONITION’, but because my son was accompanying me, WE (meaning my son) decided to watch ‘Pirates of the Caribbean – At World’s End’ instead; unfortunately since there were no seats available at the 8:00 pm screening except for the very front rows, we settled on ‘Shrek the Third’.

The Plot
The frog king is on his death bed, and very soon after the movie starts, he passes away, well eventually.
Shrek is then left with the predicament of taking over as the Kind of Ever Ever land, which he is not comfortable with; with the knowledge of the existence of another heir to the throne, he sets off to find his replacement…..

What I really thought of it:
The third episode of the SHREK trilogy is not as good as the original, which had taken us all by surprise; there were a few new ideas, and many new characters.

My favourites (a) the scene where Pinocchio tries not to lie but tell the truth in twists and turns making it hard for the prince to comprehend, and then the pigs squeal, and (b) close to the end a combination reaction between Shrek’s kid burping and Donkey’s kid sneezing resulting in a fire ball.

I didn’t appreciate the adult themes like the ‘Hooters’ sigh and the Bra burning incident, after all their main target audience are still children, even though a lot of adults will also be watching, me included.

Close to the end, the moral of the story is slowly poured on to us and it’s rather touching, up to then I was wondering what the kids watching the movie would be getting out of it, I was relived.

So, in the end the movie was Ok, not great.

The CX Rating

It started off at a 6, went up to an 8 but then ended at a 7, so the final average rating is 7.

It’s ok to watch it in the cinema, though by now it may have been taken off, just make sure there are no kids in the cinema with you with the exception of your child, aaah but that’s too much to ask.

Enjoy.

Advise Please!In 2 weeks time while on Holiday, I'll be getting 'Lazic' eye surgery.

I'll be flying out on leave in two weeks time; while on leave, I’ll also be getting a Lazic eye surgery/operation (corrective eye surgery) performed.

My eye sight is -4.0, in each eye.
I would like anyone who knows anything on this matter or has performed the operation to post a small description of what I should expect and any precautionary measures to take, or anything else that comes to mind.

A little Background;
I have been wearing glasses since I was 11 years old, 22 years back. Soon after i started working in December 1993, I was able to afford a pair of contact lenses and have been wearing contacts ever since.

I've grown tired of not being able to see clearly without the aid of glasses or contacts, getting up in the middle of the night is a pain, so is long distance flights, going to the pool with family and friends, playing sports, showering, and anything else that comes to mind.

It's become very bothersome getting up every day, washing my face and then putting the freaking things on, even after thoroughly rinsing them, a small particle of dust or a hair line somehow gets in underneath them, and rubs into my cornea, and it burns like crazy.

The simplest things that others take for granted I have a difficult time with.

At nights without the aid on contacts or glasses, my vision is completely blurred, and squinting does no good.

Just think about it, you wake up morning and the first thing you do is feel for the glasses using your hands.

I decided on Lazic surgery a couple of years back, but i was always reluctant because of the stories I’d heard of botched up procedures and failed operations not having a fruitful result.

But it's high time now, I'm praying for a favourable result.

I'll post the results and my experience as it occurs.

CX movie review - Transformers

Yesterday, I went to the cinema with my son to catch the 12:00 midnight screening of Transformers.

The Plot
Eighty years ago, an all powerful cosmic CUBE called the ‘All Spark’ fell to earth. The Cube had the power to transform electronic & mechanical gadgets into living megabots exoskeletons robots.

The CUBE is perused by the Evil Lord Megatron master of the Decepticons, a race of mebabots that were originally given life to by the CUBE; his aim, to use the cube to transform all the gadgets on earth into megabots and turn them loose onto the human race.
In his attempt to enter the earth’s atmosphere he looses control and falls into the Arctic Ocean where he is frozen solid by the sub zero water of the depths.

The CUBE is lost.

Present day, young Sam Witwicky is attempting to sell off his Grand father’s glasses on ebay to get some pocket money.

The good guys, Optimus Prime & his band of Autobots who are also megabots created by the CUBE, land on earth in a race against the collaborators of Lord Megatron to find the CUBE before it is too late for the man kind.

It takes the Autobots, the US army and Sam Witwicky’s bravery in the toughest of times to defeat the Decepticons.

The movie has a perfect ending with the song ‘What I’ve Done’ by Linkin Park echoing in the back Ground.

Now, at some point of time the word ‘Masturbation’ is uses, and immediately my son turns to me and asks, “Dad, what does that men?”, I was stupefied, what should I say? I looked at him, trying to keep a straight face and told him that I would explain it to him later when the movie ended. I have not and he has not asked, yet. My fear now is that when he watches the movie again on DVD, he’ll surely hear the word AGAIN and come running to me for an explanation. What in the world do I do then? My only option seems to be to lie to him and tell him that they will never release the DVD for financial reasons, and hope he believes me. I AM NOT SURE IT’S RIGHT TO SIT DOWN WITH MY 9 YEAR OLD SON AND EXPLAIN TO HIM WHAT ‘MASTERBATION’ IS. I STILL HAVE A COUPLE OF YEARS LEFT FOR THAN, I HOPE!

What I really thought of it:
I absolutely loved watching the movie; it was exciting, hilarious and utterly entertaining. Ali, my 9 year old son liked it as well though not as much as me.

So why did I like it so much? Well, firstly it really was a superb movie and very (very) entertaining but what really captivated me was the fact that it took me back 25 years to when I used to watch the transformer cartoons on TV, during my school heydays, I was no bigger than my son is now.

Also, let’s not forget that it’s produced by Steven Spielberg and anything he touches turns into gold.

Overall, the script was very well written, the acting of Shia LaBeouf was absolutely amazing. He was very funny in the scenes and was the glue that moulded the script together.

The CX Rating

It deservedly has to be rated as high up as a 9 out of 12, without question.

And YES, you must watch it in the cinema.

I suggest you watch it at the Al Jazeera cinema in Muharraq as it will cost you only BD2 per person.

Have a blast.

Transformers, more than meets the eyes…………….

Isn't it high time we get our very own Railway (Monorail/Metro) system?

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Monorail systems have been built in many countries around the world, many of them on elevated tracks through crowded areas that would otherwise require the construction of expensive underground lines or have the disadvantages of surface lines.

Isn't it time for a Railway System here in little old K.O.Bahrain?

Again, Dubai beat us to the punch a long time ago; back in 1997 they commissioned a feasibility study known as R7100, which was completed by 2000, it concluded that Dubai could no longer wholly rely on Roads Transport System to cater to its escalating traffic demands. The findings also recommended a need for a transit system to ease congestion.

Quote from their site: Dubai Metro
The Dubai government commissioned studies to “evaluate most efficient and cost-effective solution to combat traffic congestion” that resulted in the birth of Dubai Metro. Termed as the flagship project of the Roads and Transport Authority, this 15.5 billion Dirhams project will be a benchmark in terms of its state-of-the-art engineering, being an architectural showpiece and for its direct role in providing social benefits.

The project will be delivered in two phases wherein the first stage will construct the Red Line and will run along the famous Sheikh Zayed Road, on a viaduct. The second phase that will deliver the Green line will be built mostly underground. The Red line (Phase I) is marked for completion on September, 2009 while the Green Line (Phase II) is scheduled to be completed in March 2010.

SO WHAT ABOUT BAHRAIN?
An article published in the GDN on 21 June 2007 under the title ‘Mega railway project is discussed’, may be a hint that our Government has now somewhat realized that we too require a railway system or metro that is most appropriate for our needs.

Their aim should be to providing a cheaper and alternative mode of transport; it should be a means to ease the dependency on cars and thereby reduce traffic congestion.


The implementation of the metro will not only ease congestion but will also help to improve economic development and urban regeneration, and help reduce pollution. (I stole this like from the Dubai metro site)

WHO SHOULD OWN & PAY FOR THIS VAST PROJECT?

Lets be realistic, the people who can most afford such a project (other than the Government) and actually be adversely affected by its implementation, if they are not part owners or involved, are the recognizable names like E.K. Kanoo, Zayani Group, Almoayyed, BinHindi, National Motor, Behbehani and so on…. Yes, all the giant CAR Dealership owners who are currently wreaking the benefits of an extraordinarily high car sale figure for the past couple of years.

Yes, if such a project becomes reality in the K.O.Bahrain, provided it’s a carefully thought out and intricate network that covers all or most of the areas around the Island, then believe you me when I say that you will get a lot less demand for cars.

There would be a lot less demand for continuous usage of cars; the roads would be less congested, exceptions would be for very long distances not covered by the railway; usually trips to be taken abroad via the Saudi Causeway and later the Bahrain Qatar causeway, the latter may not really necessitate your own personal car as the talk going around is that there will also be a train system built onto the bridge.

Exciting times or NOT!

Ooh, I can just dream of such a day, it would be a huge leap for our country. Sadly, my biggest fear is this may only remain a dream and never a reality, taking into view the fact that a few weeks back, the newspapers indicated that the Government hand a long term Roads Transport System modification plan that goes past 2020. ??

What the hell is that? If we take their word for it, then the projected date for an online fully functional up and running system would be 2080.

I don’t believe I’ll be alive by them, you never know.

BUT for now, I will continue to use my car, and wait impatiently in the long queues, or at the redundant Traffic lights, or search desperately for a vacant parking spot near my residence; while other countries in the GCC surpass us.

WHAT OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE TO US?
a) Mono Rail - A monorail is a single rail serving as a track for a wheeled vehicle; also, a vehicle traveling on such a track.

b) A rapid transit, underground, subway, tube, elevated, or metro (politan) system is a railway—usually in an urban area—with a high capacity and frequency of service, and grade separation from other traffic. In most parts of the world these systems are known as a "metro", in London the system is called the "underground", while in most of North America and in Glasgow, Scotland it is a "subway".



c) To be updated shortly.

OOPS they did it again, MPs confess that they do not know what the hell they are doing!

Well, almost…..In yesterday’s Bahrain Tribune an honorary MP confesses that they actually did not know what they were approving, when they signed the 1% forced unemployment contribution into law, that which has now become a thorn in our sides.

They really did not read it, did they? Nor did they understand the implications it would have. Who blames them?

You ask me, the whole useless lot of them, went to work that day, punched in their card so as to make sure they got paid their undeserved dues, voted ‘Yae’ on all the petitions without reading them and then left to go back home to rest after such a long and hard day’s work.

Yes, thinking, or actually trying to think takes a lot out of anyone not used to it.

What’s new?

We, the people of K.O.Bahrain F’ed up when we elected each and every one of them; whether it being members of the Al Asala, Al Wefaq, the Independents, the Government stooges or any other trigger happy Bahrainis who’s motives for acquiring a seat in the Parliament was to get the benefits that went with the coveted position and the pension that will ensue soon after they are kicked out; which will definitely happen since they have already exposed their true colors during the first term.
They have proven this by their unsatisfiable greed which is driving them to further improve their already hefty benefits rather than do what they were elected for, which was to cater for the people’s need, better their lives and protect them against the Government’s unilateral decision & policy making and lack of transparency.

“Why has this happened?” You ask yourself.

I’ll tell you why, because the first year we elected the good for nothing MPs we got diddle, all they achieved was to fattening their pockets and of course continue to benefited from the gifts bestowed upon them, tokens of appreciation from the Government to bud out of their affairs. They exercised a blind eye and were deservedly kicked out by the end of the first term.
So what did we then go out and do?

Don't get me wrong, i not blaiming the Government, who the hell would not try to take advantage of a group of people who really do not know what their duties are and where their loyalty should lay. (I'm not trying to bash the Government at each opportunity i get, but they have become used to their old ways and it's going to be a very hard journey for them to reform)

Poor misguided and ignorant us, we went out and elect another bunch of good for nothing MPs.

What now?

Well, in a little over two and a half years time we will yet again get another opportunity to shove another hot iron rod right up our @$$es, for the third straight term.

I’m looking forward to it.

You know, how does the saying go?

‘Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me’.

I can’t wait to see us get fooled again. Trust me it will happen again; there is too big a divide between the Bahraini citizens now, and this weakness will be further fuel and taken advantage of by the next batch of graduates (illiterate) candidates.

The only way out of this $hit hole is to elect intellectuals and highly educated Economists, Doctors, Engineers, Professors and Scientists; no religious fanatic, no wolves in sheep’s clothing and especially no Government stooges.

FAT CHANCE!

Oh yah, take a good look at the mannequins in the shop windows, they will probably disappear very soon being as they are so sexual in nature and continue to turn us guys in to horny, brain dead perverts.

I’m going to take the MPs word on this.