Changing Times

This is an interesting finding:

"A study by the Bahrain Centre for Studies and Research conducted this year revealed that 41 per cent of the people in Bahrain prefer to spend their holidays in shopping complexes and going to the cinema. Parks are the choice of 21 per cent, while game halls are attracted by 12 per cent and coffee shops by 5 per cent.

"Shopping malls have inexorably impacted people's lives in Bahrain, with the cinema as the most crucial vehicle for change.

"In half a generation, the movie-going experience in the country has developed into an outstanding social phenomenon and a huge business."

On a related note, Abu Aardvark calls attention to this article on whether the growth of Arab satellite TV is leading to "affluenza.".