Don’t Call, Text, or Sign on to Internet . . .
until you arrive”
From today’s Kuwait Times
‘Avoid cell talk, SMS, life you save maybe your own’
KUWAIT, March 15, (KUNA): Ninety percent of road accidents are coupled with lack of attention while driving, Assistant Undersecretary for Traffic Affairs at the Ministry of Interior Major General Mahmoud Al-Dousari said Sunday.
His remarks came on the occasion of hoisting flags of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, announcing the commencement of the unified GCC traffic week; themed “Don’t Call Until You Arrive”. The ceremony was attended by traffic directors and their deputies of all six governorates, as well as a host of senior officials in Kuwait and the Gulf. This year’s theme aim at conveying an awareness message, cautioning from the use of mobile phones while driving, and depending on other means such as hands’ free and Bluetooth in order to stay focused on road and steer clear of accidents, Al-Dousari noted, pointing out that more studies had proven the theory suggesting the association of lack of attention with using mobile phones while driving.
The issue was not limited to speaking on phone, it went beyond that to include text messaging, or even logging on to the Internet while driving; which would turn them into major distracters, Al-Dousari said, adding that consequences of such behavior would eventually lead to tragic endings.
Al-Dousari advised that the best way to remain focused on road was to divert all incoming calls to voice mail, as well as receiving and sending SMS messages after pulling off the road. Some 18,773 violations were registered since the law that prohibited the use of mobile phones while driving was implemented last year, he noted.
“The Traffic Week aims to raise awareness, as it includes a host of various educational programs. It is not a week of firmness, stake out and issuing tickets like some might think,” Al-Dousari said, pointing out that injuries resulting from accidents had significantly decreased in the past two years. There are strict orders to deport any expatriate who commits serious traffic violations such as reckless driving, driving on the wrong side of the road, speeding, violating the red signal and assaulting security men, Al-Dousari concluded.
General al-Dousari, how many expatriates have you exported for serious traffic violations?
If you want to see fewer people on mobile phones, texting, signing on the the internet, running red lights, weaving while overspeeding, and assaulting security men, enforce your laws, enforce them all the time, and enforce them equally against every offender. If you enforce your laws, equally, against all offenders, traffic violations will decrease, traffic deaths will decrease, and all our lives, and those of our children, will be much safer.
These photos are from a Flikr search for car wreck/Kuwait and, unfortunately, it is just a random selection among many. many. many.
St. Patrick’s Day Coming March 17
St. Patrick’s Day is coming – tomorrow – March 17th. St. Patrick’s Day is not, as it would sound, a particularly religious holiday. While it is a huge celebration, in the United States it is more about being Irish than it is about St. Patrick. Most of the Irish, when they came to America, had about as much status as the Bangladeshis in Kuwait – they were at the bottom of the social heap. It was a long long struggle to achieve respectability; even longer to be free of the prejudices against them.
The Irish celebrated the election of John F. Kennedy the same way the African Americans celebrated the election of Barak Obama – it was the ultimate sign of being part of a united America, full citizenship – “one of us” could be President.
Here are previous posts I have written telling more about St. Patrick, and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations:
St. Patrick and the Wearing of the Green
We visited Ireland several years ago, a visit AdventureMan recounts with relish. I made all the arrangements, bed and breakfasts, travel plans, etc. and AdventureMan was uncommonly unenthusiastic. Once we got there, I understood why. Being THE MAN, when we are in the car together, most of the time, he drives. Arriving in Ireland, you have to drive on the “other” side of the road (I did not say the “wrong” side!) Many roads in Ireland are narrow. Cool calm AdventureMan had met his match. He HATED driving in Ireland.
The part of the trip I loved the most was going to Cashel, one of the St. Patrick sights in Ireland:
It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. The weather was glorious, warm and sunny without being too hot.
From Cashel, Ireland, website:
Cashel has a very ancient history, albeit only documented since the 4th Century. The Rock of Cashel, with its well preserved ecclesiastical remains, is one of Ireland’s most spectacular landmarks, rising above the surrounding plain and dominating the land route southward.The large Cathedral, ancient round tower and the very early Romanesque Cormac’s Chapel , perched on a dramatic outcrop of rock, were silent witnesses to many of the stirring events of Irish History; St.Patrick converted the local King Aenghus, here in the 5th century; Brian Boru was crowned King of Ireland on this spot in the early 11th Century. The Vicar’s Choral has been restored and the site, one of the most visited in Ireland, now provides an interpretative centre, (multi lingual) an interesting museum, guided tours and superb views over the extensive and beautiful plains of Tipperary.
We were visiting in Mid-July. It rained a lot, but the day we drove to Cashel was gorgeous. Even on the rainy days, there were periods of blue sky and sunshine, and the air was crystal clear and sweet. I guess the rain is the reason Ireland is so green, so piercingly beautifully green. I would go again in a heartbeat, but I think this time we would hire a driver!
Citizens?
Here is what I don’t understand. Sometimes, it is very clear who did what to whom, and sometimes it is not. In the first paragraph, they talk about a serious car accident with six injured citizens, two Sudanese parents and their son and an Iranian female. OK, that’s four people. Who are the other two citizens? A citizen lost control? Which citizen?
I thought a citizen was one who had citizenship, and all the rest of us are Sudanese, Iranian, British, Irish, American, etc. etc. etc. These accident and crime reports are ambiguous, at best. Why so oblique?
From today’s Al Watan:
KUWAIT: Due to a serious car accident which occurred on the Fifth Ring Road heading to Jahra near the Surra area, six citizens, two Sudanese parents and their son, as well as an Iranian female, sustained serious injuries. It was reported that a citizen lost control of his speeding car and hit another other car which overturned. The injured were rushed to Mubarak Hospital by ambulance to seek medical assistance.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a citizen suffered serious injuries after his car overturned near a roundabout located in the Abdullah AlـMubarak area. After the operation room received a phone call informing them that a citizen had a car accident and was trapped within his vehicle, police officers and fire brigades rushed to the scene. Firefighters from the Jleeb AlـShuyoukh Fire Station, lead by First Lieutenants Mishari AlـTourah and Bader AlـKandari, managed to rescue the man from the wreckage. The man was taken to Farwaniya Hospital by paramedics to seek medical assistance.
Weather Goof
Weather Underground says there is a light haze. There is a haze – it is not what I would call light. When I got up this morning, there were even brief rainbursts – at one point, sheets of rain, but for mere seconds, barely enough to damp down the dry dust floating around. Looks like a fairly serious haze for drive-to-work time. Aaarrgh.
Painful Sight
Everytime I go to Fehaheel – not all that often, but maybe two times a month – I see water overflowing from two manholes. Sometimes, it is a LOT of water. It makes a terrible hazard along Gulf Road, where traffic is chaotic at best, and worse – in a dry and thirsty land, it is a terrible thing to waste water.
Sometimes the water stinks like sewage. It makes me wonder where this water is coming from? It also makes me nervous because if it is sewage water, it comes up, it dries on the ground, a wind comes along and blows it on to my salad as I sit outside with AdventureMan having lunch – and I haven’t a clue what I have just ingested. Not good!
This isn’t something that happens rarely. It happens often, often enough that I think it is every time I am in Fehaheel. This isn’t just bad for the environment, it is also very bad for our health. Whatever is going wrong here needs a permanent fix.
Irish Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day
Here is a really bad joke people used to tell about the Irish people:
Q How do the Irish people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?
A With a seven course meal
Q What do they serve?
A A six-pack and a potato
The Irish were stereotyped as being poor (only having potatoes to eat) and drunkards, who loved their beer.
Here are some recipes for foods the Irish really eat:
IRISH SODA BREAD
from all recipes.com
SUBMITTED BY: Arlene Costello/Agnes Walters PHOTO BY: MommyFromSeattle
“This recipe was given to me by my mother, Agnes Walters. It is made with sour cream and always comes out moist and keeps for several days.”
PREP TIME
10 Min
COOK TIME
1 Hr
READY IN
1 Hr 10 Min
Original recipe yield 2 loaves
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 pint sour cream
• 1 cup raisins
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease two 8×4 inch loaf pans.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, sour cream and raisins and mix until just combined. Distribute batter evenly between the two pans.
3. Bake loaves at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 1 hour.
COLCANNON (Irish Potato Salad)
FROM FoodNetwork.com
Recipe courtesy Jason Priestley
Show: Paula’s PartyEpisode: Primetime Cuties Party
• Cook Time
• 25 min
• Level
• Easy
• Yield
• 3 to 4 servings
Ingredients
• 5 russet potatoes
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 large leek-halved and thinly sliced
• 1 bunch kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped
• 1 head napa cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2/3 cups chopped green onion tops
Directions
Cut and steam the potatoes until tender. Return to the still hot pot and add 1/4 cup butter, milk, kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoons pepper. Mash together.
Melt the remaining butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add shallots and leeks. Saute until they begin to soften. Add the kale and toss until soft and wilted but still bright green, about 3 minutes. Add the cabbage and toss until tender-crisp, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with nutmeg, salt and the remaining pepper.
Mix the cabbage and mashed potatoes together well. Sprinkle with the green onion slices before serving.
CROCKPOT IRISH STEW
from about.com
By Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, About.com
Let your crockpot do the work on this hearty Irish stew made with lamb and vegetables. This recipe may easily be converted to oven or stove-top methods.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 hours,
Ingredients:
• 2 pounds boneless lamb cubed, browned, and drained
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups water
• 1 small bay leaf
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch slices
• 2 small onions, thinly sliced
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca (optional – see Note)
• 10 ounces frozen peas
Preparation:
Sprinkle browned lamb cubes with salt and pepper. Place lamb in the crockpot along with water, bay leaf, carrots, onions, potatoes, and tapioca. Cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours, adding peas to the stew during the last hour.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Note: If you do not wish a thickened gravy, omit the tapioca.
This was one of the very few dessert recipes I could find that did not use whiskey, Guiness or Bailey’s, LOL. I have had this, and it is delicious!
BANOFFEE (IRISH DESSERT)
From Recipe Gold MIne.com
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 bananas, sliced
2 cups heavy whipping cream
Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter and ginger until well blended. Press mixture into a 9- inch pie plate. Cool in refrigerator.
Pour sweetened condensed milk into a 9-inch pie plate. Cover with aluminum foil; place in larger shallow pan. Fill larger pan with very hot water. Bake at 425 degrees F for 1 hour or until thick and caramel-colored. Beat until smooth. Let cool for 15 minutes. Pour toffee into pie crust. Allow to cool.
Slice bananas over toffee.
Whip 2 cups of cream and spoon it on top of bananas.
Refrigerate before serving.
This one is funny; I think the only thing that makes it “Irish” is the green food coloring used in the glaze, but I include it because I think a green cake would be a hoot, and it is very very easy to make:
EMERALD ISLE CAKE
From recipe gold mine.com
Posted by Elaine at recipegoldmine.com 2004/2/26 16:27
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
In a bowl cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in vanilla extract.
Combine the dry ingredients and add alternately with the milk, beating until smooth. Spread in a greased 9-inch square pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 40 minutes or until tests done.
Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons milk or Irish whiskey
2 drops green food coloring
Slivered almonds, sliced
Combine the sugar and liquid, beating until smooth and fairly thin. Add coloring and spread on the warm cake. Sprinkle with almonds.
Tuesday’s Dust Storm
I didn’t think Tuesday’s dust/sand storm was that bad – I was out, driving here and there (and everywhere LOL); you could see about a hundred meters, enough to stop. I was on side streets, mostly, not going all that fast and I never felt like it was that bad. I didn’t even think the tiny bit of rain we got was a problem (we need rain so badly) until I saw the outside of my car; it looked like I’d driven from Dakar to Paris; it looked hmmm. . . weathered!
My first sand storm was in Doha, Qatar. My niece and I were grocery shopping, and suddenly we saw people outside with their gutras and scarves wrapped around their faces like Lawrence of Arabia (you don’t see that a lot here.) When we went out, it was gritty. The air was full of sand, but you could still see.
Using our worst judgement, we decided to go driving along the Corniche. Hunhhh – there wasn’t a lot of traffic; we had the roads pretty much to ourselves and the wind was whipping and the sand got thicker and thicker and everyone we saw was covering their faces – at some point, good judgement kicked in and we crawled slowly back home, exhilarated with our sandstorm adventure. It really was a sand storm. There were drifts of sand all over the road.
In Kuwait, the grit is a lot smaller. These are mostly dust storms – your face is stiff and tight if you are out for any length of time, and I find I am having to wash my hair all the time, even twice a day, if I have to go out, because it is like my fine hair has suddenly gone coarse – the layer of dust adheres to hair and makes it thick and tangly.
Here are a couple photos from the dust storm on Tuesday:
I love the lushness of the palm trees thickly surrounding this mosque.
I love it that private citizens put up these sabilles, to provide drinking water to the thirsty. I love it even more when the sabille is beautiful, fun, or unusual in some way that takes it out of the merely serviceable and into the realm of imagination. This is a take-off on the huge Kuwait water towers, unique to Kuwait, a symbol of the city.
Requiring New Contracts
This is from today’s Al Watan, and is pertinent to the labor issues we have been discussing on Here, There and Everywhere. Bad surprises happen from top to bottom.
This applies to everyone – the contract you think you are signing when you come to Kuwait may not be what really happens. It depends a lot on the company, on how you are recruited, etc. For example, if you are recruited by a US company doing business with the government here, things are fairly straight-forward. Read your contract carefully before you sign. If you are recruited by one of the manpower agencies – be very very very careful.
Expat workers protest job contract fraud
Ricky Laxa
Staff Writer
KUWAIT: Embassies in Kuwait have been receiving many complaints from expatriate workers of being forced by employers to sign new job contracts with salaries that are far lesser than what they had initially agreed upon back in their countries before arriving in Kuwait. A number of Filipino workers, who recently arrived in Kuwait, have resorted to the Philippines Overseas Labor Office to file complaints against the agency that was responsible for their employment in Kuwait.
In an exclusive interview with Al Watan Daily on Thursday the complainants provided copies of contracts and other documents, which have been signed by the employer and the employees in the Philippines, in addition to another set of contracts, which indicate that their salaries have been reduced by more than half with totally different job descriptions.
A complainant said she has been asked to settle the amount of 40,000 Philippine pesos (335 Kuwaiti dinars) as placement fees. This amount does not include other expenses like medical checkـup, health insurance and other expenses. She added that most of the fees have been overpriced on receipts that are handwritten on ordinary sheets of paper “The receipts issued are not official ones as required by the Philippines” government, and the concerned authorities have ignored their malpractices,” she said. An embassy official indicated that most of these placement agencies are registered under Filipino representatives, who are usually the owners” wives, girlfriends or Filipino nationals who had previously worked in Kuwait and these are the people who make the manipulation of contracts an easy task.
Al Watan Daily managed to acquire some original copies of the contracts, which have been signed by the employers and the employees. In one of the job contracts, a salary of KD 200 has been signed by both parties with the job description cited as ”Receptionist” and in another contract bearing the same name the salary has been slashed to KD 100 with the job description cited as “Cashier.”
“Two hours prior to our departure, we were asked to sign letters of undertaking stating that we have agreed to the alterations on the contracts. We refused to sign the new contract s yet for some of us, we had no choice but to agree to the amount,” added another complainant.
Al Watan Daily spoke to the agency”s representative who was asked by the Philippines labor official to meet the complainants and resolve the cases. The representative initially denied the allegations but fearing being exposed she admitted to the change in contracts.
She stated that the employer called a few hours before the scheduled flights and she was told to reduce the salaries under the pretext of the global economic crisis, which the labor official ignored and dismissed.
Al Watan Daily also found out that the license of the said agency to recruit workers from the Philippines has been suspended for unknown reasons. “Our company is employing fifty medical staff at the end of the month and we have signed agreements with other big companies,” said the representative.
A settlement has been reached between the complainants and the employer in the presence of the labor official on Thursday and some of the complainants have agreed to accept KD 150 instead of KD 200. Other workers opted to be repatriated without a refund of the placement fees that were paid to the Philippine agency.
“How many more agencies such as this will continue to mislead and cheat overseas workers? Agencies are literally taking undue advantage of the poor situation that these people are faced with back in their countries. Most of them leave their countries after paying huge amounts just to be able to finance the requirements needed to work abroad. These agencies should not be allowed to recruit locally and internationally. Strict legal measures must be taken against those who violate the terms and conditions drawn in the original contracts,” stressed an embassy official.
Informed sources also told Al Watan Daily that an alarming number of Western nationals also experience similar situations. In a lecture concerning employees and employers” rights that was held recently by a local organization, a relatively large number of Western nationals raised questions on the alteration of articles drafted in contracts.
“My contract stipulates specified allowances for house rent and education fees for my children. I agreed to sign the contract and came to Kuwait with my family only to find out that education fees for my children will not be provided,” complained a British national who attended the lecture.
He also said that school fees allowance is an important factor, which made him agree to sign the contract knowing that the salary he agreed on will not be sufficient to finance the education of his children. The company eventually agreed to provide half of the amount.
Meanwhile, an American teacher complained that the accommodation provided by the school is being relocated to a remote area and that traveling between the two places is very time consuming. She was also said that she would be given her own flat only to find out that she would have to share with another teacher.
“These conditions were not mentioned in the contract and we were informed that the situation is temporary but it has been a year since. I am definitely not renewing my contract,” stressed the teacher. Similarly, a South American manager of a spa complained about extra working hours being imposed on her, in addition to a 24ـhour onـcall policy. Her contract clearly stipulates nine working hours and a day off per week. During an orientation, she was handed over a company handbook, which defines her job functions. Rules require her to manage the spa and administer treatments as well. She recently resigned from work.
When you read articles like these, you can understand how some employer/employee relationships are doomed from the start. A family asks an agency for a maid, and when she arrives, having been told she will earn far less than she expected, she will not be a receptionist or a cashier, but a housecleaner / cook / nanny, and her working conditions are not covered nor guaranteed by labor law, she shows up sullen and angry. The family, expecting someone who is happy to be earning a good salary, (and who often paid those fees that the maid is also being charged for) are dismayed at this ill-tempered and sullen employee, and the employee is resentful and depressed at being tricked and in servitude. It’s not a great start for a good relationship.
The same is true for higher level professional positions. Once hired, some employers here seem to think that the employee is a human resource – on call. It’s like they think the contract implies some kind of ownership. When people complain, salaries are late, conditions worsen and the employee is STUCK. Worst case, you have a travel ban placed against you and you can’t even get out of Kuwait.
About 85 – 90% of the population of Kuwait is from somewhere else. You have few rights. This is a true story – a western employee driving on a ring road – a fast road – hit a man who ran across the road. The western employee had to go to jail while they waited to find out if the man hit would survive. The man survived, and was discovered to be here in Kuwait illegally, and was deported. The western man was allowed out of jail, but when his contract ended, could not leave the country because a travel ban was posted against him. He could not be brought to trial because the witness against him – the man who had run in front of his car – could not be found. He could not be found because he had been deported. It took forever for this poor man to leave Kuwait, and it was pressure brought by the newspapers publishing his story that finally got the case . . . resolved? dropped? There is no explanation. Maybe someone had to cross an official’s palm, who knows?
It doesn’t matter who you are, or where you are from, it doesn’t matter if you are a maid, a cashier, a waiter, an accountant, a teacher, a consultant; if you are an expat worker, the law and the enforcement of the law, at the current time in Kuwait, is not your friend.
Weather – or Not?
This morning, Weather Underground (you can go see for yourself by clicking on the temperature widget over at the right) says it is “clear”.
I don’t know what “clear” looks like in your neck of the woods, but here is “clear” from our vantage Point:
The “clear” sunrise
“clear” over the water
First, do you see that thin layer of yellow? Usually we see that about a couple of kilometers out, but this morning, it is barely 200 meters off the shore and approaching. Second, the thick – and thickening – haze is white today, not yellow or red. It may be dust, but it may also be air pollution of some kind.
Yesterday I had a weird headache. Not a killing headache, but a persistent low grade headache that would not go away, not until the sun went down. I took aspirin, it did not go away. I was fine until this morning, felt fine when I woke up, but once I had been up for about an hour, this persistent low-grade headache is back. I think it is weather related. I think this is SMOG. I never have headaches!
Bah! humbug!
Final Entry Bu Yousef: The Great Kuwait National Holiday Challenge
Just one entry from Bu Yousef, but oh, what a great one! Thank you, Bu Yousef and Umm Yousef! 🙂
You know, I think I am going to skip the voting. The photos are all so different, and all so good. Thank you, all, for your participation. You had some truly spectacular photos.
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