What does it mean to Kuwait to have women in the government? Actually, what does it mean in any government? I think there is reason to hope. All of the things that I have complained about could be addressed with women in power (education, environment, lawlessness, etc.). Not that men can't address the issues, rather that they haven't. Too much testosterone seems to lead to progress constipation, so my hope is that the women will be true to their nature and give this country some long needed nurturing.
I know, I know, not all women are the same, but let's face it, that is what we need here in Kuwait, a mother's eye for prioritizing, organizing, and getting things accomplished!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Prioritize: Who is really Influential?
The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the ‘Peanuts’ comic strip. You don’t have to actually answer the questions.Just read the e-mail straight through, and you’ll get the point.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of Miss America .
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people with whom you enjoy spending time.
Easier?
The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Perhaps the Truth about Swine Flu
Interesting background and not so available information about this global worry -click on the link for more to the story of the Swine Flu....
Sunday, April 12, 2009
What is Being Said About Cleanliness in Kuwait
Judging just by what is being said in Kuwait Times, it is apparent that there is a big disconnect between the powers that be here, and reality!Mahboula residents suffer from municipality's negligence
...Driving on these roads is damaging to the cars," said Metwali, an Egyptian expat who lives in Mahboula with his family. "The area is filled with garbage and it isn't taken care of. When we the residents asked about it, we were told that the cleaning company's contract has expired. This didn't make sense to us; how come the health and safety of the residents can be dependent on a contract with some cleaning company? Did any officials ever check before the contact ended? This isn't a simple matter than can be neglected this easily.(...)
Municipality hosts 'To Make Kuwait Clean' workshop
The Kuwait Municipality held a workshop titled, 'To Make Kuwait Clean' at its premises yesterday. During the workshop, different issues like the renewing the contracts of cleaning companies were discussed. "The level of cleanliness in Kuwait is excellent, so we always aim at making Kuwait more beautiful," said Dr. Fadhil Safar, Minister for Municipality Affairs and Public Works during the workshop.(...)
Special needs children clean Salmiya marine environment
...The activity also aimed to increase the public's general awareness about the dangers associated with pollution on coastal and marine environments. It also aimed to teach children with disabilities about volunteer work and serving society by adopting good habits that include keeping the environment they live in clean.(...)
Thursday, February 12, 2009
How a Government is Like a Parent
So I got to thinking...I hear all the time, being an American, how the US doesn't treat its citizens the same way that Kuwait does.
"Kuwait takes care of its people better than you do in the US," they say.
After hearing variations on this theme again an again, I found myself reflecting on the notion of 'taking care of' and all of its connotations.
I grew up an educator's child, and this afforded me a view into a world that was at once mine and also not. Being part of a world of highly privileged people and in some ways being one myself, just not to the level of some of my counterparts, I became an adept observer of life.
So many of my good friends worked diligently to get the highest grades, participate in athletics and extra-curricular activities, and generally polish themselves into well-rounded, educated, cultured people.
There were some other of my friends, however, who coasted along not worrying too much about their grades or their future, for that matter. For them, their family dynasty was awaiting, and they needn't be bothered so much about the interim; they knew they would be taken care of.
In the end, after college, where some friends attended 'A' list and some 'C' list, and the early learning years of careers, both types of my friends ended up as 'successful' people, meaning that they were still a part of the economically privileged. Often they ended up living in the same neighborhoods, driving the same cars, having children in the same private schools, and being members of the same country clubs, but owing to the decidedly different modes of arriving at that point, some inherent difference between the two types of people must exist. How is this difference manifest, and is it significant? My short answer to that question is a decided yes.
And here is where my analogy starts to come into play. You see, my friends who were never encouraged to worry about developing and educating themselves never evolved that much and remained much as they were in high school: self-involved, self-serving and inward-looking people. That is not to say that they weren't nice people, but they just never got much beyond their own little world and their own needs. I also noticed that they carried a dependence on their family into their adult years that rendered them juvenile in many ways.
My other friends who worked hard to get where they were understood the value of hard work, and that there are many ways of solving a problem. They had a sense of accomplishment that could never be given to them by anyone. In short, they had evolved; they had come across a problem, set a course to tackle it, and they had achieved their goal. They had learned that they could stand on their own two feet.
The funny thing is, both kinds of friends had loving, well-meaning parents, whose only goal, I feel sure, was to take care of their children. And there are many ways to skin a cat, so to speak, but in the end, what is most beneficial to the survival of a species, is to produce productive, contributing, creative, compassionate individuals who can do something to make the world a better place to live in, if even in only some small way.
It ultimately falls to the parent to decide what is the best way to encourage such an outcome.
"Kuwait takes care of its people better than you do in the US," they say.
After hearing variations on this theme again an again, I found myself reflecting on the notion of 'taking care of' and all of its connotations.
I grew up an educator's child, and this afforded me a view into a world that was at once mine and also not. Being part of a world of highly privileged people and in some ways being one myself, just not to the level of some of my counterparts, I became an adept observer of life.
So many of my good friends worked diligently to get the highest grades, participate in athletics and extra-curricular activities, and generally polish themselves into well-rounded, educated, cultured people.
There were some other of my friends, however, who coasted along not worrying too much about their grades or their future, for that matter. For them, their family dynasty was awaiting, and they needn't be bothered so much about the interim; they knew they would be taken care of.
In the end, after college, where some friends attended 'A' list and some 'C' list, and the early learning years of careers, both types of my friends ended up as 'successful' people, meaning that they were still a part of the economically privileged. Often they ended up living in the same neighborhoods, driving the same cars, having children in the same private schools, and being members of the same country clubs, but owing to the decidedly different modes of arriving at that point, some inherent difference between the two types of people must exist. How is this difference manifest, and is it significant? My short answer to that question is a decided yes.
And here is where my analogy starts to come into play. You see, my friends who were never encouraged to worry about developing and educating themselves never evolved that much and remained much as they were in high school: self-involved, self-serving and inward-looking people. That is not to say that they weren't nice people, but they just never got much beyond their own little world and their own needs. I also noticed that they carried a dependence on their family into their adult years that rendered them juvenile in many ways.
My other friends who worked hard to get where they were understood the value of hard work, and that there are many ways of solving a problem. They had a sense of accomplishment that could never be given to them by anyone. In short, they had evolved; they had come across a problem, set a course to tackle it, and they had achieved their goal. They had learned that they could stand on their own two feet.
The funny thing is, both kinds of friends had loving, well-meaning parents, whose only goal, I feel sure, was to take care of their children. And there are many ways to skin a cat, so to speak, but in the end, what is most beneficial to the survival of a species, is to produce productive, contributing, creative, compassionate individuals who can do something to make the world a better place to live in, if even in only some small way.
It ultimately falls to the parent to decide what is the best way to encourage such an outcome.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
One Thing That Kuwait Needs Most
Why can't Kuwait have a police force that is effective? I don't think I have ever seen anyone getting pulled on the highway. Many are the times that I wish I could become a police officer and pull some of these idiots who fly down the highway with absolutely NO regard for human life. Also, I would love to slap a fine on the jerks who toss their trash so casually from their cars.
Maybe, Kuwait could contract the job out and get some police that would be able to enforce the laws here. I truly think that if there was effective law enforcement here, then you could get so much accomplished in the way of straightening this country out. Heck, you could impose labor punishment for violators of littering. Imagine how embarrassed ol' 'Bader' would be to have to don an orange work suit and pick trash up along the highway.
And why is it that other Gulf countries don't seem to have the same problems with respecting their own countries and their respective laws? Why don't people here get enraged about having to live in all of this trash...and where is the government?????????????????????
Maybe, Kuwait could contract the job out and get some police that would be able to enforce the laws here. I truly think that if there was effective law enforcement here, then you could get so much accomplished in the way of straightening this country out. Heck, you could impose labor punishment for violators of littering. Imagine how embarrassed ol' 'Bader' would be to have to don an orange work suit and pick trash up along the highway.
And why is it that other Gulf countries don't seem to have the same problems with respecting their own countries and their respective laws? Why don't people here get enraged about having to live in all of this trash...and where is the government?????????????????????
Monday, January 12, 2009
Killing My Laundry
Does anyone know what the heck is wrong with the water in Kuwait? And if so, how to remedy it? I am so sick of the water killing the colors in our laundry. All of the colors fade and the cotton pills (makes small balls). I don't think it is the detergent because we have tried all of the different kinds and nothing helps. I am assuming that either there is too much chlorine or the water is too hard...I don't know...anyone?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
