I have yet to find a place selling the product. This could either mean that the product hasn’t been received well or it is being sold as a premium brand in specialized shops (or maybe I haven’t looked hard enough). I will have to check when I go to Dubai next February.

Dubai firm’s world first with camel-milk chocolate

By Andy Sambidge, 23 October 2008

A Dubai-based company has become the first in the world to produce camel milk chocolate for the mass market.

Al Nassma Chocolate has been working for the last two years with a team of international experts to bring the uniquely Arabian product to fruition.

Following sampling during the recent Eid celebrations, the product has now gone on sale to the general public.

The name of the chocolate - Al nassma - has its roots in the Arabic language and depicts a seasonal breeze which brings respite to the people of the desert.

Dr Ali Ridha, chairman of Al Nassma Chocolate, said: “This is a historic moment, we at Al Nassma are very proud to present the world’s first camel milk chocolate.”

Martin van Almsick, a chocolate aficionado and former manager of the famous Cologne chocolate museum, worked together with experts from Austria and Germany to create the camel-milk chocolate.

The general manager of Al Nassma added: “Our product development for this exclusive chocolate has been meticulous and we have chosen only the finest ingredients to make sure we develop a premium product.”

A recent study revealed that the chocolate market in the UAE is robust with 98 percent of respondents claiming to consume chocolate at least once a week.

Globally the chocolate industry is valued at more than $41.6 billion.

Al Nassma’s product line consists of five different flavoured 70 gramme bars.

On the back of the launch, the company plans to open a farm shop in Umm Nahad near the Camelicious camel farm from where the milk is supplied.

In any case, found this old article. It’s quite amusing:

Top 10 Sin Cities of the World

Here an excerpt:

“Number 8: Manama, Bahrain

Welcome to the party oasis of the Middle East. Connected by a causeway to nearby Saudi Arabia, Manama is a popular spot for Saudis to kick back from their country’s restrictive laws. Here they can get hammered, go clubbing, mingle with the opposite sex, and if they’re really daring, they can pick up prostitutes — a practice that’s illegal but widely available. While Manama is still largely a Muslim city, a third of its residents are foreigners, so it has led to a much more liberal culture that gave women the vote in 2001, and let them drive cars. For many Saudi males this proximity to an open culture is irresistible and many jam the causeway and fill flights to the city every weekend.

Do you want to see what happens when Saudis cut loose and leave the rules behind? You may need to get in line.”

Christmas-New Year is usually a busy time in Bahrain. The few days before Ramadan are also busy since liquor is prohibited in most places during the Muslim holy month.

Someone has also put a speech bubble on the Saudi-Bahrain causeway on Google Earth:

Saudi girl band challenges the rules limiting women

A Saudi girl band is defying the strict Islamic regime’s taboos on female expression of emotion and identity.

* Click here to listen *

he band, called the Accolade, has written an underground hit called Pinocchio, that has been downloaded from their MySpace page. While they cannot perform in public, the four students have been able to stage gigs in private compounds and make studio recordings of their material.

Saudi Arabia maintains a strict code of control over women, based on Islamic precepts. The rules prohibit women from appearing in public alone or without an enshrouding veil. Women officially cannot make independent travel, education or medical choices without permission from a senior male relative.

There is even an injunction against women drivers.

One of member of the band told the New York Times that its formation was a demonstration of generational change. “The upcoming generation is different from the one before,” said Dina, 21, a founder member and guitarist. “Everything is changing. Maybe in 10 years it’s going to be OK to have a band with live performances.”

But there are considerable risks in the limited exposure the women have sought.

Lamia, the lead singer who has piercings on her eyebrow and lip, said it had been difficult to come as far as they had. “In Saudi, yes, it’s a challenge,” she said. “Maybe we’re crazy. But we wanted to do something different.”

The women claim they will not challenge the conservative kingdom’s ban on female public performances - enforced by the stick-weilding officials of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice - but hope to stage a concert in more liberal Dubai.

“It’s important for them to see what we’re capable of,” said Dina.

Pinnochio’s English-language lyrics include explicit references.

WTF. Seriously.

Red is Banned till Fri.

Monday, 11 February 2008

By Suzan Zawawi

RIYADH - Agents of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice visited flower and gift shops in the capital Saturday night to instruct them to remove all red items - from red roses and wrapping paper to boxes and teddy bears - from their shelves, shop workers said.

“They visited us last night,” said a couple of florists Sunday morning.

“They gave us warnings and this morning we packed up all the red itmes and displays.” The florists asked not to be identified.

Sunday was the last day people could buy red roses in Riyadh, until Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14 passes.

Every year, Commission agents visit flower shops a couple of days before Feb. 14 to issue warnings. On the eve of Valentine’s Day, they start their raids and confiscate any red items that are symbols of love, florists here said.

But as a result of the ban, there’s a black market in red roses.

“A single rose costs around SR5-7 but today the same rose costs SR10 a piece and the price will go up to SR20-30 on Valentine’s Day,” said a florist who caters to customers on Valentine’s Day from his apartment.

Loyal customers place orders with the florist days and sometimes weeks before Feb. 14. “Sometimes we deliver the bouquets in the middle of the night or early morning, to avoid suspicion,” said the florist.

Islamic scholars around the Kingdom such as Sheikh Khaled Al-Dossari preach that celebrating Valentine’s Day and other non-Islamic celebrations is a sin. “As Muslims we shouldn’t celebrate a non-Muslim celebration especially this one that encourages immoral relations between unmarried men and women,” Dossari, a scholar in Islamic Studies and the Shariah, said.

However, many young hearts are planning to celebrate in their own way, whether in secret, abroad or on the Web.

“I send e-cards to all my special friends online,” said Famita Hakeem, a young Saudi university student.

“We are planning on going to Dubai Wednesday night to celebrate Valentine’s Day as a couple,” said Hannan Radi, a Saudi wife and teacher.

With Valentine’s Day coinciding with the mid-term break, some Saudis have already left the Kingdom. With Bahrain so close to Al-Khobar, many Saudis who cannot travel further are planning on driving to Manama this weekend.

“I expect the bridge to be packed full,” said Mahmood Naseeb, a Khobar resident.

“This happens every year on Valentine’s Day but this year it might be worse because many people are on vacation.”

-End of the Article-

I personally do not celebrate Valentine’s in its exact sense as I believe that love cannot and should not be restricted to a single day; one which has been commercialized just like every major holiday out there. Those who wish to celebrate it, however, are free to do so.

Luckily, over here in the eastern part of the country, you can manage to buy red roses and teddy bears all year long, including today. Nonetheless, you still wouldn’t find a shop that would explicitly advertise any special Valentine’s campaign like it is done in Bahrain (and where florists enjoyed a 90% surge in sales). Then again, since it is Thursday (the first day of the weekend over here), I bet many will be on their their way across the causeway (aka Johnnie Walker Bridge) to Bahrain in order to enjoy a little more freedom.

Back to the main topic, those scholar are surely hypocritical. They say that Muslims only have two celebratory occasions (Eid’s) during the year; after the month of Ramadan and on the 10th of the last Arabic lunar month. And yet, the national day is celebrated here. It wasn’t during Fahd’s reign but when Abdullah came to power, he made the celebration official. I don’t see anyone complaining? Hello…..

Girls, naturally, celebrate Valentine’s more than boys and they give each other gifts. They also wear something red over their school uniforms. Since the Valentine’s falls on the weekend this year. One can expect that next Saturday (the first day of the second semester for schools) would be a celebratory day for them. The practice is frowned upon and is punished by the powers that be. All red attires including scarfs, coats and the like are confiscated. As a defiance note, many girls would simply buy Kit Kat’s and put them on their pockets.

No matter what the authorities do, you can never confiscate the freedom of people.

Toward the end of The Professional, Detective Stansfield is about to go after hitman Leon, and Stansfield tells his second in command “Get me everyone.” When his second asks what he means, he screams “I… mean… EVERYONE.” Something like that must have happened in Osaka, Japan, when the police department got a bead on a man wanted for assaulting police officers.

Twenty-seven-year-old Hirofumi Fukuda, driving a white Lexus sedan, was approached by a patrol car for running red lights. When he saw the police, he did what any self-respecting lawbreaker would do: he took off. That’s the easy part. The double-take comes when it took 2,240 police officers, 460 police cars, and one helicopter two hours to catch the man. The city of Osaka is just 85.4 square miles — about the size of Baltimore. Which is a lot of police in a little space looking for one single guy. And in fact, they didn’t catch him: he crashed into a bridge support and sustained minor injuries. If he ever gets out of prison, he’ll be a great guy to play Grand Theft Auto IV with.

Click to view the video report (Japanese)

Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 21/01/2008

Saudi Arabia is to lift its ban on women drivers in an attempt to stem a rising suffragette-style movement in the deeply conservative state.

Government officials have confirmed the landmark decision and plan to issue a decree by the end of the year.

The move is designed to forestall campaigns for greater freedom by women, which have recently included protesters driving cars through the Islamic state in defiance of a threat of detention and loss of livelihoods.

The royal family has previously balked at granting women driving permits, claiming the step did not have full public support. The driving ban dates back to the establishment of the state in 1932, although recently the government line has weakened.

“There has been a decision to move on this by the Royal Court because it is recognised that if girls have been in schools since the 1960s, they have a capability to function behind the wheel when they grow up,” a government official told The Daily Telegraph. “We will make an announcement soon.”

Abdulaziz bin Salamah, the deputy information minister, said the official reform programme had been dogged by debate over the issue.

“In terms of women driving, we don’t have it now because of the reticence of some segments of society,” he said. “For example, my mother wouldn’t want my sister to drive.

“It’s something she cannot grapple with. But there is change on the way. I think the fair view is that one can be against it but one does not have the right to prevent it.”

If the ban on women driving is lifted, it could be years before the full impact is seen. Practical hurdles stopping women obtaining licences and insurance must be overcome.

Mohammad al-Zulfa, a reformist member of the Saudi consultative Shura Council, which scrutinises official policies in the oil-rich state, said reversing the ban was part of King Abdullah’s “clever” strategy of incremental reform.

“When it was first raised, the extremists were really mad,” he said. “Now they just complain. It is diminishing into a form of consent.”

Saudi Arabia maintains a strict segregation of the sexes outside the family home.

An unaccompanied woman must shop behind curtains and cannot hail a taxi.

Critics believe allowing women to drive would be the first step towards a gradual erosion of the kingdom’s modesty laws. A woman would have to remove the traditional abaya robe to get a clear view behind the wheel.

“Allowing women to drive will only bring sin,” a letter to Al-Watan newspaper declared last year. “The evils it would bring - mixing between the genders, temptations, and tarnishing the reputation of devout Muslim women - outweigh the benefits.”

Saudi women have mounted growing protests. Fouzia al-Ayouni, the country’s most prominent women’s rights campaigner, has risked arrest by leading convoys of women drivers. “We have broken the barrier of fear,” she said. “We want the authorities to know that we’re here, that we want to drive, and that many people feel the way we do.”

Source: Telegraph

Image: Autoblog

Source

Cold, dust and mild wind doesn’t really mix >_<