Thats 50,000 non-active workers in total in the public sector. Reading an Economic Brief by NBK I see that as of 2008 262,700 Kuwaitis were employed in the public sector. If we do some arithmetic, this means that about 20% of the total labor force is deadweight!Al Watan has learned that 30,000 government employees in the public sector have not reported to work for several years, and that 20,000 employees attend to their duties for one or two hours a day maximum. Many are to said to report to their department merely to sign in while other individuals sign them out on their behalf because they are relatives or friends, or in some cases, even for money.
Here in Kuwait, we note the change in season not by the turning of colors in the leaves, but rather the phasing out of white and cream-colored dishdashas for ones of dark gray, navy blue, and all the possible shades of tree-trunk.
Watch out for BANGS, and his Sudanese rap, moving up the massive belly of the youtube expanse. Combining the stream of consciousness, dork factor of Lazy Sunday, coupled with the innocence of some early LL Cool J, I present to you "Take U to Da Movies." Hat tip from N.C.A.!
I would normally get fair trade products for certain key items, such as coffee and bananas that are personally important to me (I used to live in several countries in Central America). How can we get grocery stores, particularly for example Sultan Center, to incorporate more fair trade products on their shelves. Anybody have thoughts?
The Kuwait Transport Public Company has a bus fleet comprising of some of the most polluting, exhaust-emitting vehicles on the roadways. While some of the buses are more modern, the older ones really need to be phased out. If you have ever been behind some of the more "antique" buses, they produce a horrendous black cloud behind everything they pass. Honestly, flowers and plants must wilt instantaneously in their path-they are like the shadow of the Angel of Death! Please continue the modernization and updating of these remaining buses. With many people fighting to decongest the roads by cutting out the number of old, run down vehicles on the streets, these buses set the wrong example to residents and citizens!
I read an op-ed article last week (I am sorry but I cannot recall in which paper) stating that ideas are circulating to privatize co-ops. Let me just say that I love this Kuwaiti institution and do not think they should be privatized. It's a great source and potential channel for community engagement and I believe the model, as is, should be only expanded upon.
I saw this movie last night and really was mesmerized. Similiar to Persepolis, the soundtrack of the movie takes on a central role, so I am including the track listing below, along with the German and American trailer for the movie. It is an Israeli film depicting the role of the army in the Sabra and Shatila massacre during the 1982 war in Lebanon.
Transparency International has come out with its rankings of perceptions of corruption for the year 2009. As you can see, Qatar ranks lowest in terms of perceived corruption, while Kuwait, unfortunately fares the least well for the Gulf Region. You can see the interactive map here.
Abu Dhabi is planning to build three new cities to shelter foreign low-income laborers and workers of the construction industry. The plan to build enough houses to accommodate 400,00 people and are geared at single and double room occupancy.
The cities have been constructed according to the highest international standards, the director of facilities management at Abu Dhabi’s Higher Corporation for Specialised Economic Zones (ZonesCorp) told UAE daily Al Bayan.
The cities will be comprised of single and double rooms that will accommodate workers, technicians, supervisors and engineers working in the industrial and construction sectors in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Yes, you heard it! That happened in Virginia, reports United Press International, where a slumlord was forced by law to serve 70 days of his 100 day sentence on property maintenance violations living in a small house owned by his own company. Wouldn't it be great if slumlords here in Kuwait were made to do the same?
RICHMOND, Va., Nov. 10 (UPI) -- A Virginia slumlord was sentenced to jail time and house arrest in one of his properties where he had ignored property maintenance violations, officials said.
Oliver C. Lawrence, of Richmond will serve the first 30 days of his sentence in jail, and will spend the remainder of his 70-day sentence with electronic monitoring in a small house owned by Bayou Properties, his company, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Tuesday.
Home incarceration is desirable because it means there will be one less vacant property that could attract drug activity and other crime, the report said. Further, if other slumlords face the prospect of being compelled to live in their properties someday, it may induce them to make improvements, Greg Lukanuski, an assistant city attorney who prosecuted the case, said.
Lawrence will also be required to work on a sheriff's crew that cleans up neglected properties.
Lawrence owns 150 to 300 properties, the city said, adding that he owes fines of more than $177,000.
"As long as (Lawrence) still owns property and they're not up to code, we will still continue to issue notices of violation on them," John Whealton, a city property inspector, said. (link here)
I am very excited about this. I really enjoyed the REUSE 2.0 and thought it was great, plus env is my favorite magazine coming out of the region...but the Avenues? seriously?! Promoting Recycling Through Art. www.projectreuseme.com
Building on the success of last year’s REUSE 2.0 event, en.v announces a third and more elaborate installment of ‘REUSE’, under the patronage of Zain Telecommunications Company, Kuwait’s leading mobile telecommunications provider.
REUSE 3.0 will be hosted at The Avenues, Parking Lot D9, from the 7th to the 9th of December and will feature a dynamic mix of original artistic works by professionals, artists, students, and youth in general. The exhibition will be open to the public from 6pm to 9pm in addition to an allocated time for primary school student trips during the hours of 9am to 1pm.
About REUSE
REUSE is a 3-day exhibition whereby community members come together to recreate innovative design solutions in the realms of shelters, furniture, sculpture, artwork and more from scrap found around and about Kuwait.
OBJECTIVES
Culture & Youth
To incorporate the various roles that different sectors of society play in recycling and sustainable living and give youth ready access to information regarding environmental sustainability and its importance in daily life.
Social Responsibility
To raise awareness, serving as a means for dialogue and action amongst the private sector and the community.
Environment
In accordance with en.v’s ethos towards environmental responsibility, Reuse will be devised, executed and introduced as a “carbon neutral” event. Ensuring environmental concerns are addressed during every phase of the initiative as well as offsetting all damage done to the environment through investing in “green” projects after a carbon footprint audit is completed.
The American Civil Liberties Union has compiled a video of several different former Guantanamo inmates-all of whom entered without a real charge and left years later without a charge, still trying to piece together why this happened to them and now dealing with lost time from their lives and loved ones that they must now recuperate. Very powerful testimonies.
Here is an article by the BBC on mosques' efforts in Switzerland to work on a public relations campaign in preparation for an important vote that will decide whether to ban the construction of minarets or not. Switzlerland, where I used to live, is a curious place.
Muslims in many parts of Switzerland have invited the public into mosques - three weeks before a vote on whether to ban the construction of minarets.
Muslim organisations say they hope their open day will counter what they say are fears and prejudices. The conservative group that initiated the vote - the largest party in the Swiss parliament - says minarets are a symbol of Muslim political power. Opinion polls suggest the proposed ban will be rejected by voters. A Muslim community leader in Zurich, Tamir Hadjipolu, said the proposal - launched by the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) - was "open discrimination".
Preaching to the converted?
Switzerland is home to 400,000 Muslims, who have about 200 places of worship. Only four have a minaret, local media say. The open day was held on Saturday in 12 cantons, including Geneva, Vaud and Freiburg. "We hope these meetings will build a dialogue and better understanding," said Hisham Maizar, a senior Muslim representative in eastern Switzerland.
The BBC's Imogen Foulkes, who visited a mosque in Zurich, says the many non-Muslims who came enjoyed themselves. But the debate is raging outside the building, our correspondent says, and the Muslims inside were likely to be preaching to the converted.
You might recall one of my rant and raves posts about the visa services in the airport. I gave a vehement, scorching, terible, horrible, no good very bad critique of the visa counter and the officers working there.
This week, a lot is going down in Kuwait. Here are some of the events (that I know of) that you might be interested in taking a look at...you're welcome!
Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of "chit chat", it rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds. It's a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace.
PKN #3 Presenters: Farah Behbehani, Ismael Abedin, Dana Al-Hasan, Fareed Abdal, Loaay Ahmed, Teddy B, Abd Al-rahman Al-Terkait
A husband, wife and two children come from an industrial city to the countryside, to the husband’s birthplace, to stay in his father’s old house. In contrast to the old setting, the new setting is Nature. It is a setting of breathtaking rolling hills, the bottom of a prehistoric sea, and fertile land, all lying in the ruins of dislike. It is sad even though it is proud. It doesn’t let on. It will demand great sacrifice. And no one will hold back the hand the father raises against his son. The voice crying out will not be heard. The lamb will not replace the son. For the one who rises the knife has ears that cannot hear, eyes that can not see, and a heart that can not feel. Yet his belief in the “law” of human pride is vehement and inexhaustible, as vehement as his remorse.
I'm a big Mike Davis fan, having read both City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles (done in 1990 and which predicted many of the inherent tensions of LA that would result in the 1992 riots) and LOVING it, as well as the more recent Planet of Slums, a look at the slumming up of urbanization in many developing country cities in the world, which is a passionate issue for me that I think he highlights on extremely well. I just happened to find out that he is at it again with a new book deliciously titled Evil Paradises: Dreamworlds of Neoliberalism. I am dying to get my hands on a copy. Some brand him as too apocalyptic but he is a wonderful critic of some of the human dangers in current urban ecologies of unfettered capitalistic development and whim. How can I get a copy!?
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