Sunset Someday
Awwwww. . . .I couldn’t resist. Here is the Great Kuwait Sunset Challenge entry from Kuwait Blogger Someday (Red) who actually found a vantage point for a sunset WITH NO STREETLIGHTS!
Woooo Hoooo on you, Someday!
I totally love the way she framed the photo with palm branches, don’t you? She urges you to look closely, there really is a setting sun in the photo!
Seven Day Warning: Blog Action Day October 15
Only one week to go! Today is Wednesday, October 8th – just one short, sweet week before Blog Action Day.
They sent this reminder today:
7 Days to Go – Have you Registered?
Hello Bloggers!
We’ve got just 7 days to go before Blog Action Day 2008 – and we want to make sure everyone who participated in 2007 has had a chance to register their blogs to post up on October 15th and join us once more in shaking the internet!
Register at: BlogActionDay.org
In 2008 we’re discussing Poverty and we’re all set for a huge year with thousands of bloggers registered to participate, including dozens of top bloggers like TechCrunch, LifeHacker and more!
Additionally we have members of both the Spanish and English parliaments planning on participating, a ton of great organisations including the United Nations Millenium Campaign, Friendster, MySpace, Kiva, BlogTV, Blog.de, and lots more.
Head over to BlogActionDay.org for all the updates and news!
We have a lot of material here in Kuwait. I see we already have a lot of Kuwait bloggers registered! Wooo HOOOO on Kuwait! 🙂
“Illusions Driving Market Havok”
A fascinating article in today’s BBC News sheds light on our cascading stock markets. . . it isn’t rational, but it is explainable:
‘Illusions driving market havoc’
City traders may be seeing patterns that ‘aren’t really there’
The mind naturally creates illusions and superstitions at times of stress – and this could be adding to the global financial crisis, say scientists.
US researchers say feeling “out of control” makes us more likely to misinterpret information as we search for signs of order.
The study in the journal Science found investment decisions of volunteers were adversely affected by these feelings.
Simple psychological techniques might improve their performance, they said.
The researchers, from the University of Texas and Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, believe that humans cope with feeling out of control by trying to impose order subconsciously – even in situations where there is none.
At a simple level, they demonstrated the principle by asking volunteers to look for images embedded in “snowy pictures”.
Those whose feelings of control had earlier been undermined were more likely to claim to have seen an image, even where none existed.
However, the researchers believe that other kinds of illusion, from conspiracy theories to superstitions, stem from the same basic subconscious problem, and that it may be contributing to the current havoc on the world’s financial markets.
Read the entire article Here.
600 Speeding Tickets Issued over Eid Holidays
600 speeding tickets issued over Eid
From today’s Al Watan staff
KUWAIT: Highway Traffic Police launched a campaign against reckless and speeding drivers during the Eid holidays, which was aimed at eliminating tragic car accidents. According to instructions passed by Major General Mahmoud AlÙ€Dousari, Highway Traffic officers set up surprised checkpoints along the King Fahed Expressway.
They succeeded in handing out over 600 speeding tickets and seized 20 violating vehicles.
A reliable source said: “A reckless motorist driving a German car was speeding on the safety shoulder of the highway bypassing all other vehicles, which were lined up at a security check point. Highway patrols pursued the speeding driver before arresting him.”
I wish they had the police out regularly. The roads yesterday were full of people weaving in and out, too fast. We watched one car clip another entering the speedway, neither of them slowed a bit.
Good Samaritan
This is from today’s Arab Times, but I think there was a very brief write-up of it before – a Kuwaiti, coming out of mosque during Ramadan, saw her walking naked and dazed down the street, wrapped a “cloth” – I am guessing his gutra – around her and took her to the hospital. I remember thinking what a good, decent man this was, coming from mosque, during Ramadan, having compassion on this poor abused woman. Or maybe that was another, totally separate incident where four young men abduct, gang rape, and dump an Ethiopian maid. (sigh)
Police hunt gang rapists: Police are looking for four young men who allegedly kidnapped and raped an Ethiopian girl, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily.
Police received information about a girl in a semi-naked state in Kabad and rushed to rescue her. The girl said four youths dumped her in the middle of the road after having forced sex with her successively.
I tag this Women’s Issues, but if you read the papers, you will know that young men are as vulnerable to abduction and gang rape as young women.
St. Francis and Animal Friends Bazaar
Good Morning, Kuwait! Today is the Feast of Saint Francis, the patron saint of animals, and kindness to all living creatures. In his honor, we are posting an announcement for a bazaar benefitting the Animal Friends League in Kuwait. One-of-a-kind items, beautifully made, and many unique and high quality vendors will be there, all to help out Animal Friends.
Give to Everyone Who Begs From You
Months ago, I wrote a post about people asking for money in Kuwait, and when should you give and when should you not. It’s a problem that bothers all of us from time to time – when to be generous, and when are you throwing your money away?
Here, the instructions are clear – give to everyone who begs from you.
To me, that means keeping money on hand that I am comfortable will feed someone for a day – half a dinar to a dinar. Bread, beans, water . . .
When we lived in Tunis, my husband had his own beggqr – a man who came by the house from time to time. One time my husband followed him home, and when he came back, he said no matter how much we give this man, it will never be enough, he and his family live in a hovel. When the man came to us with a wound on his arm, my husband took him to the clinic and saw that he was cared for properly. The truth turned out to be that it benefited my husband, and our family, in the long run to be in a relationship with this beggar.
I’ve been taken by cons – the dripping medical bag, the fake leg gash – and I still believe it is better for us to error on the side of compassion.
Luke 6:27-38
27 ‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 ‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.* Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37 ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’
Running Red Lights (3)
I first blogged about this on April 14 and then again in July. I was on this road again yesterday, and oh look – nothing has changed, except the one remaining red light has become even dimmer in the 6 months. I have seen other lights changed – and cleaned (part of the problem here is the humidity and the sand gumming up the lights) but c’mon, this should be a part of nightly traffic maintenance! This is a disaster waiting to happen at a busy intersection:
Can you even see the red light? You have to know it is there, I think. It is the top right light. Now – can you see it?
Traffic department: These lights are at the intersection of the southern Gulf Road/ 7th Ring Road/ 209 and Highway 30. Please, clean up these lights and put in fresh bulbs!
Great Kuwait Sunset Challenge
The votes are in – based solely on sheer volume, I am crowned Queen-of-the-Sunrise. It’s a question of location – I am presented with the perfect opportunity almost daily (not, like today, when it is haze from horizon to horizon) and I take it.
Sunsets, however, are another matter. I rarely see the sun go down and think “oh! I have to get a photo of that!”
For example:
How pathetic is that?
Here is my challenge to you, Kuwait bloggers. Find a Kuwait sunset. Shoot a photo. Post it on your blog and come back to tell us here that it has been posted. I want to see Kuwait sunset through your eyes. Make it speak!
International Medical Corps Thanks YOU
This announcement was in the e-mail this morning. I love it when a striving non-profit finds a cost-effective way to spread the word and compete for the funding they need. Smart non-profits get grants, get corporate donations and use the least costly ways to raise additional funds from individual donors. They maintain a very low expenses rate and a high services rate.
Hi again,
I am so excited and wanted to thank you so much for your help! There were more
than 87,000 votes cast and thanks to you & everyone who blogged & voted, our
project, “Saving the Lives of Malnourished Children,” is now in the Top 5 of
American Express Members Project. It got pretty close at the end and we only
made it by 147 votes. We really couldn’t have done it without you!
We are now guaranteed at least $100,000 in funding, but we still need your help.
The second round of voting has begun and the project with the most votes will
receive $1.5 million. Your vote and the votes of your readers will determine how
many lives we can save. I would be so grateful if you could repost to keep the
conversation and awareness out there and if you could thank your readers for
voting for us too.
http://internationalmedicalcorps.smnr.us/
Please let me know if you can post and please vote again for “Saving the Lives
of Malnourished Children.” Voting ends October 13th. Thank you so much.
Chessia
—
Chessia Kelley, International Medical Corps
ckelley@imcworldwide.org
http://imcworldwide.org
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