World’s biggest hat ever made has been unveiled here on the sideline of the Middle East Exhibition and Conference for Professions, Education and Training 2006 opened here on Tuesday in Bahrain.
The 6 m x 6 m x 4.5 m – hat will be officially estimated by representatives of Guiness [sic] World Records Encyclopedia. The university hat symbolizes efforts of the Government aimed at enhancing Bahrain’s position as a pioneering educational hub in the Middle East.
Bahrain News Agency :: 18 Apr ’06
How utterly sweet! An exhibition on education and training and they attempt to get listed in the Guinness World Records as making the largest hat in the world.
Brilliant.
God grant me patience. Please!
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I daren’t say what it looked like when I first saw it!
How very inappropriate lol
Is international recognition the only thing that matters nowadays? Years ago Bahrain was working on itself not for the sake of its people, but to attract foreign investors, how sad is that? At least now if someone asks me how productive the country is, I can say “we make larger-than-life hats, they’re really big. HUGE.”
if only we had the big brains to fill this hat.
sadly, we only have big heads (and plenty of them) that will fit snugly.
hang on hang on. i just read the press statement again and noticed this amazing sentence:
WTF?!!
How does it stand up like that, is it full of hot air? It would indeed appear to symbolize the efforts of the government.
Erections! Thoughts have the power too! 🙂
It’s not really that impressive, it looks like someone shoved a walrus in there to maintain its unnecessary length. What is the point of having a hat that long?
Do you mean Parliamentary Erections?
…. another cock up?
The only relevance to the Education Fair I can see is if they put a big “D” on it and get the Education Minister to wear it and stand in the corner of the hall. That would make a good photo.
Sounds to me like making hats is easier than going ahead with reforms
I utterly condom, condemn, condone that remark. Oh, whatever.
Do you ever think of the people who think about these things ? I mean, what they must be thinking ?
*Team of Education Ministry Staff*
Minister: Now guys, we have problems in our schools. The system needs to be reformed, im going to do a good job on this all, and were all going to work together.
Employee: Hats off to you sir, you are really doing a…
Minister: WAIT ! (5 minute pause) Hats ? Off ? Off as in Faceoff ? As in competition between two ? We need to compete with everyone else for the worlds biggest hats. Thats how we will fix everything all at once.
If we have big hats, then we have big heads, then we have big brains !
Employee2: Umm Sir, couldnt it be that we have thick skulls that are taking up most of the space of our brains ? I saw it on newsweek, its really…
Minister: SILENCE ! Remove the funding we recently diverted to the handicapped schoolchildren fund, and channel it to the Hat fund. Its what this country needs.
So now we have the world’s biggest flag, the most candels lit in an hour if that worked out, and THIS .. THE WORLD’S BIGGEST HAT! Finally, I can go up to an American and say it proudly, WE, THE BAHRAINIS, HAVE IN ADDITION TO ALL OF THAT.. THE WORLD’S BIGGEST HAT!
We Finally Did It!
Why is Bahrain so unhealthily obsessed with size these days?
Why does the Island want to boast about having the biggest flag, hat etc? Is this all from some strange size-obsessed inferiority complex?
One of the nicest things about Bahrain is the fact that it is a small, compact, hospitable and welcoming State (……sorry, KINGDOM).
Can someone tell the officials in charge that your “Biggest” obsession just makes the country look a little bit ridiculous – especially now that you have descended from flags (symbols of patriotic pride and achievement) to rastafarian head muffs.
And all this has something to do with Education? My God!!
I’ll say no more….
I think the BNA guy who composed that piece of news is quite absentminded and should be blamed for making it sound like a brain fart.
He did say it was a university hat but he didn’t emphasize enough!
According to Al Wasat:
“وسيتضمنالمعرض ÙÂعالية عرض أكبر قبعة جامعية ÙÂيالعالم عرضها 6 أمتار ÙÂÙŠ6 أمتار وبطول 4,5 أمتار، وسيكونÙÂيالمعرض ممثلونمنموسوعة غينيس للأرقام القياسية العالمية خلال تنظيم المؤتمر لتسجيل أكبر قلنسوة جامعية ÙÂيالعالم رمزا لجهود ØÂكومة البØÂرينالرامية إلى توطيد مكانة المملكة باعتبارها مركز التعليم ÙÂيمنطقة الشرق الأوسط.
”
So it’s a graduation cap.. Sounds more related!
Not that I encourage futile efforts but the truth has to be said 🙂
I wonder what Mahmood will look like if he wears it. lol! 😛 I really want of those… they seem cool to me. I mean if you are a fu*ked up sycho you would wear it, why don they make something that can be used by everybody and yet its a new thing, just brainstorm goddamit!
Still doesn’t make sense, and even if the hat is a “graduation” hat, how is that related to actual learning? Would they have spent that money even in starting a program to evaluate job-market needs in education and its graduates, I would have applauded them, but creating a big hat just makes an ass out of them and their so called education.
Print a book, or buy a few school bags and stationary supplies to needy students, plant a tree in a school garden, buy an A/C for a bus, and another million uses would have been better than this “marketing” exercise.
I remember a couple of years ago they had the biggest Kabsa plate, and also the longest charity rope last year. Dubai used to do this when they started their boom and they still sometimes do it. Regarding Bahrain aspiring to have the biggest and best stuff I don’t see why not. Projects like F1, Durrat Al Bahrain which is one of the biggest man made islands in the world and Bahrain World Trade Tower which is the only Building in the world to generate electricity power from the wind, are all projects that contribute to Bahrain being more well known around the world and may help in starting a new tourist launch for Bahrain if they get other things right too.
I’ve always thought that Bahraini organizations and ministries were rigid and traditional. This is slightly hip and out of the ordinary, so why not do it!
As for the money that is being spent for the wrong purpose, this I can’t argue against. But hello..isn’t that a common case in Bahrain? How’s this different? هيخاربة خاربة
OMG:-O .. this’s creepy.. I am starting to excuse the pointlessness in this country!!
Sorry but …. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!! That really made me laugh.
Everyone always complains that Bahrain doesn’t do anything…Dubai is this and that and Bahrain is falling behind…and when someone tries to do something fun, they slam it…
Sorry Tariq. Explain to me the value addition of this huge hat in simple words so that I understand. Especially as it pertains to education.
The hat got you interested to mention it in your blog Mahmood. Now how about a real photo of the hat, some posters think it’s the one in the pic.
It’s just something fun like Tariq said, why not.
Fair enough Adel and Tariq and SilverGirl and all those who agree with this. With all due respect I do not, as I find it something trivial and more importantly something that is completely disconnected from what I expect from the educational institutions here and their overseers.
Tariq, Adel, and Silvergirl… speaking of graduation.. do you know anyone graduating from University of Bahrain this year? They’ll only graduate students with a GPA of over 3.0… students that finished the program 2 YEARS AGO!! I would forget what I F*&%ING MAJORED IN TWO YEARS AGO!!! To add insult to injury, they get 1 ticket per student.. whats that all about? Dinner with a guest coupon in the yellow pages? The reason is the ministers will be there and they need the extra space for their luggage.
I don’t know if some people find a big hat entertaining.. I certainly was not when I drove by a banner that said “come see the biggest hat in the world”, but I believe that money was much better spent if they rented a decent convention center to commence the nations best and brightest that want to celebrate the event with friends and family. Its redicilus.
Come on Joker! Some people in the US drive all over the country to see the biggest ball of twine, the largest frying pan, the worlds largest Q-tip. etc etc etc. It is great for tourism! However one could see all of the largest things in Bahrain in about 30 mins.. With TRAFFIC!
BTW, New Zealand is about to organize the biggest pillow fight in the world..
What would the value of that be other than having fun?
Okay..since I really don’t know which side I am taking anymore regarding this hat issue, I might rub salt into the wound and point this to you:
http://www.alwasatnews.com/topic.asp?tID=93899&mydate=4-19-2006
“ÙÂجامعة البØÂرينالتييدرس ÙÂيها ما يقارب العشرينألÙÂا (ثلثانمنهم إناث)ØŒ وهو ما يعادل 80 ÙÂيالمئة ممنيدرسونالدراسات العليا، والباقييتوزع على الجامعات الخاصة، تØÂتاج لمزيد منالعناية والاصلاØÂØŒ ÙÂالنتائج ÙÂيها Ù…ÙÂزعة، 25 ÙÂيالمئة ÙÂقط منالطلبة الداخلينكلية العلوم يتخرجون، ÙˆÙÂيكلية الهندسة 34 ÙÂيالمئة ÙÂقط يتخرجون، أما إذا سألنا عننسبة الطلبة الذينيكملونالدراسة ÙÂيالجامعة، ÙÂهي43 ÙÂيالمئة ÙÂقط للبكالوريوس، Ùˆ22 ÙÂيالمئة للدبلوم، والباقي(35 ÙÂيالمئة) ÙŠÙÂصلونأو يتسربون،
”
3aaady kela balawi! Jaat 3ala hal quba3a el faqeera?!
Silver Girl, Bahrain University has a Diploma program in which you have to pass with 3.0 GPA or 2.5 I’m not sure, before you can continue with your Bachelors . And come to think of it with what I hear about the standard of graduates I thank god for that program. The numbers you mentioned are normal for most good Universties.
Back to the hat, it revolves around itself at a rate of 3 turns a minute. Was designed and constructed by 22 teachers and 28 students from Sh Abdulla Bin Isa Al Khalifa school, and took 5 weeks to be built .
hmm 22 teachers and 28 students, I can promise you that my grandmother can do 5 of these hats and even bigger in 3 days and she hasnt even went to high school. The thing is that this project or whatever cannot be condsidered as educational project and I think this where our opinions differ at.
I dunno, I guess maybe I’d have to agree with Tariq on this. I mean yeah the hat is sort of condomish but its fun, and its a nice gesture. As well the fact that it was a project that was done by cooperation of both teachers and students is a good symbol to associate with a drive for educational reform or the like (if thats what its meant to).
I do not see it as an educational project if thats whats being argued but it is a good symbol and I think its a good mental deviation from our focus on development development development, just so long as the actual act of reform and actions taken to enhance development are not diverted by this, which I’d assume they definatly would not be.
“took 5 weeks to be built . ”
Maybe they should use those five weeks to reform the education sector in Bahrain.
I didn’t realize it would be that easy to get in the Guiness book of world records. Watch out Bahrain, I might make a bigger hat:)
Guys it’s not the hat in the picture. You must be enjoying this Mahmood
Minister of Education has received the Guiness certificate yesterday. The hat weighs 440 kilos, 6m width , 5.4m height, and has a base which can hold 70 students.
I bet now someone would say, so thats why it’s so long he has 70 students on his head.
TREMENDOUSLY!
Come on Adel, it IS mentioned that the hat in question is 6 m x 6 m x 4.5 m, the picture of that dickhead above (thus the shape of this hat!) obviously differ from the measurements given. People can do the math I think, but if they can’t.. well, they have a bigger problem to contend with than this sillyness.
ok ok, here’s the actual biggest hat created, for the record:
Hiya Mahmood,
You touched a naked nerve!!!
In my opinion, the big hat idea reflects our small head education dignitaries!!!
The EDB is doing tremendous efforts in this regard. But, before considering the academic program reforms, dignitaries’ appointment strategy has to be reconsidered and modified…
Educational reforms should start from training potential leaders. Certainly, I am talking neither about our current Minister of Education, University President, VPs, faculty chairs, nor school principals…
Those positions shouldn’t be given according to political reasons what so ever…
I look forward a better Bahrain!!!
Oh I absolutely agree! Once the tribalism and wasta goes out of the window (which will take a hell of a long time by my reckoning) will be the time that nothing will stop our development and integration with a respectful world.
40 odd comments about a hat!
Well, I know which country I’d rather be educated by – the one that makes a fuss about a fancy hat, as opposed to the one that tries to enrich uranium!
Is that a map on the top, or has it started growing moss?
The hat in itself is okay. I can see it being a fun project for a bunch of engineering/art students.
What is absolutely retarded is the BNA statement which asserts that the hat “symbolizes efforts of the Government aimed at enhancing Bahrain’s position as a pioneering educational hub in the Middle East.” The Ministry of Info is such an embarassment to this country.
hear hear Chan’ad, and the really disarming thing about is that no matter who heads it, it continues to be an embarrassment! So the problem I think is not just the top (but the chosen ones are certainly to blame too) but the middle and higher-up managers, well even the low level ones now.. they’ve been believing and propagating lies since inception that they themselves completely believe in them now… that’s why I propose to completely do away with this embarrassing organ altogether and put in place a “government spokesperson” instead.
I propose JJ to take over that position.
On the other side of the Gulf, the big hat thing is not very elevating. If someone passed a kulah (hat) on you, he is certainly fooling or playing a con (or a chutzbah) on you. Hence the iraqi “klauat” (frauds). Not to be confused with clausewitz !). mr
You are a King among men 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂