Kuwait Paper Dump Badge
I admit it. When I saw Ansam on her new blog had a Kuwait Paper Dump certificate, I was green with envy! I knew I didn’t deserve one – I have only contributed once, and even my contribution wasn’t truly acceptable because I don’t have a fax, so I took photos and sent them to Abaid.
Yesterday, when I opened my e-mail, I almost cried. He sent me a badge for my support and positive mentions. Honestly, it is the best badge I have ever sported on Here, There and Everywhere.
I’m from Seattle, remember, where recycle cans are issued, and sorting and recycling is mandatory. I’m also from the hippie generation, the back-to-the-earth movement that springs up every now and then, you know, make your own paper, make your own soap, grow your own tomatoes and basil. That my son, his wife, my sisters and my nieces and nephews and this new generation of Kuwaitis are all into saving the environment – it is just icing on my cake. And the candle on my cake is the new badge. You can see it here, and you can see it for the rest of the life of the blog under Kuwait Paper Dump in the Blogroll.
For those of you not familiar with the website, 3baid gathers up paper from around Kuwait from restaurants, service providers, Kuwait resources, events, etc. and publishes them all in one place, eliminating our need to keep track of all those papers. When you want to know what the possibilities are from a particular restaurant, you will find the menu there. When you want to know who has mushroom pizzas, you can click on “mushroom pizzas” and find out which places have them. It is an amazing public service they provide at Paper Dump, and they do it entirely as volunteers, serving the community.
I am so totally honored. Thank you for the badge. Thank you, too, for your quiet, persistent leadership in the Kuwait environmental/Green movement.
Busted
Today, as I was getting ready to leave the church services, one of my very special friends hugged me and said farewell, and then said “But of course, I can keep up with you on your blog.”
It was as if time stopped for a second, then started up again.
“My blog? You read my blog? You know?” I stammered, not loudly because there were other people around.
She laughed.
“I figured it out when you described this guy,” she said, punching AdventureMan lightly on the shoulder. “I KNEW it was you.”
When we got into the car, AdventureMan had a big smug grin on his face.
“I almost told her I read your blog quickly first, to see if I’m in it,” he said, “but then I was embarrassed that I am so vain.”
LLLOOOLLLL!
I’ve gotten less careful. It’s becoming less and less relevant as I get closer to leaving.
WordPress Special – Post by E-mail
New function out today by WordPress: Post by e-mail where you create a secret address, and can send a message to that secret address WITHOUT OPENING A SPECIAL SERVER – like from your office, you can send a post from your office computer, even when WordPress is blocked. It gets published, just like that.
Pretty imaginative new function!
Breaking all the rules
I’m breaking all the rules I made for myself. I didn’t know how to tell you I was leaving, but I thought I would tell you after I left.
Actually, I am not gone yet. My husband and I just grabbed an opportunity for a quick Mother’s Day getaway (Americans celebrate Mother’s Day this coming Sunday) and I am in France, drowning my sorrows 🙂 and walking and eating really delicious salads and pretending I am not up to my ears in boxes.
There are lilacs blooming everywhere, and wisteria. There are still some tulips. There are hydrangea. It is a riot of new life, color and growth. I am enjoying myself immensely. Very soon, it will be over and I will be back in Kuwait, packing boxes.
I will tell you more later, and even share some photos with you.
You are all so dear to me. I can’t tell you how much it hurts to move on. Usually, I cope by not thinking about it, just doing it. Somehow, in this situation, I don’t think that’s going to work very well.
Thank you for all your sweet thoughts. I haven’t decided if I will keep blogging; circumstances change . . . I will have to see if I even have anything to blog about!
Unbelievably Slow
Since sometime late yesterday afternoon, when I try to get on the internet, it is so unbelievably slow that I can’t do anything. Is it me? Have I caught some kind of virus? Or is there some major slowdown? Aarrgh!
Free Speech in Fiji
It was prime drive time in Kuwait, and I almost laughed so hard that I might have been a danger on the road. A brief news article on BBC News featured the national leader in Fiji saying “free speech is nothing but trouble.” The news reporter was saying that the only real news in Fiji right now is from the bloggers. Here is a fragment of an article on BBC April 15th:
Free speech ‘trouble’
In an interview with Radio New Zealand, Mr Bainimarama said he was determined to carry out what he described as reforms.
He defended the introduction of emergency regulations that include an edict that the local Fijian media publishes only positive news, saying Fiji does not need free and open public discussion about current issues.
“That was how we ended up with what we came up with in the last couple of days,” he told Radio New Zealand.
“The circumstances have changed. We [the government] now decide what needs to be done for our country, for the reforms that need to be put in place for us to have a better Fiji,” he said.
Fiji’s Court of Appeal ruled last Thursday that the Bainimarama regime, in power since staging a 2006 coup, was illegal under the country’s 1997 constitution.
In response, the country’s ailing President Josefa Iloilo sacked the judges, dissolved the constitution and reappointed Mr Bainimarama, who then said there would be no democratic elections until 2014.
Amer al-Hilal on Global Voices
Kuwait Community blogger Amer Al-Hilal has accepted the invitation to be one of the Kuwait desk editors at Global Voices, an aggregator followed by many who want to keep up with the blogging scene all over the world. An active and passionate blogging community member himself, Amer will be trolling the Kuwait blogs for interesting bits to compile.
Amer is a former Kuwait diplomat and a frequent columnist in the Arab Times. He has his own business – and a family – and still makes time to keep the blogging scene relevant and engaging. Alf Mabruk (a thousand congratulations!) on your selection, Amer, and many many thanks for accepting the responsibilitiies of promoting the Kuwait blogging community. 🙂
Bu Yousef – World Digital Library
Thank you, Bu Yousef, for your focus and your generosity. Because his blog(s) are special interest – photography, Mangaf, bird-photography – he passed along to me this information on the World Digital Library, which he heard about on BBC during his morning drive. Because my blog is . . . well . . . here, there and everywhere . . . he knew I would love to share this with you.
This is what the World Digital Library looks like when you go there:
Of course, the first thing I had to do was go to the Middle East, where there are all kinds of early maps of the Gulf – and this! Look! The old trading routes through the Sahara!
WARNING! WARNING! You could lose hours of your life on this website!
Speaking of hours of fun, my friends, please go visit Neubronner, Bu Yousef’s new web page about his pigeons, and watch his movie of his pigeon, Charcoal, flying around his neighborhood. He even has a photo of a pigeon with the camera strapped.
Sunrise March 21, 2009
For all your Kuwaiti students back in the USA who check in daily to see what Kuwait looks like – I am sorry to tell you, you are missing one of the most beautiful days of the year. The sun rose over a sea so still it is like glass; it looks so solid you could walk on it:
You wonder how I know you are Kuwaiti students? I use this wonderful software called StatCounter which I love.
What is STATCOUNTER?
A free yet reliable invisible web tracker, highly configurable hit counter and real-time detailed web stats. Insert a simple piece of our code on your web page or blog and you will be able to analyse and monitor all the visitors to your website in real-time!
It allows me to see where people who check my blog are checking in from – like if you are at University of Arizona, for example, it might show me that. People who have commented are identified from previous comments. It is a great little utility, and a lot of fun when you have a little time to spare.
For those of you in Kuwait – look at this week to come:
It doesn’t get any more beautiful in Kuwait. Get outside today! It is gorgeous out there!
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Blog Comment Scam
I’ve noticed a random few times recently that frequent commenters have double comments. When one showed up today with the same added line of a previous one, different commenter, something like “forgot to say – great post!” it made me look a little closer. Like someone who comments says they like your post, what’s to check, right? But when it shows up, exact same working, it’s time to check.
First time, Daggero, second time, exact same comment but “great post” added – only it’s some cell phone salesman, if you follow the blue hypertext on the name. Today it was 1001 Nights, but the copy-cat was selling acai berries.
If you get these duplicate comments showing up, no matter how flattering, check them out. It’s likely some scammer, trying to get you to their site to sell you something.
April 27, 2009 Posted by intlxpatr | Blogging, Lies, Marketing | comment scams, scams | 6 Comments