No Home Activities for Welfare Societies
A sudden and unbelievable decision bans welfare activities in private homes. This could have far reaching effects – are not most welfare activities taking place in Kuwait privately organized and funded? I have been to so many private fund raisers for charities I support – bazaars, game nights, line dancing classes – almost all in private homes. I suspect this is legislation that means well, but discourages people from reaching out to meet needs not met by the city or state.
Welfare societies banned from organizing activities in private homes
Al Watan staff
KUWAIT: Welfare and charitable societies are facing a new challenge after the Municipality has decided to suspend any such activities from taking place in private homes.
The Municipality has sent 62 official letters to the Ministry of Water and Electricity demanding that power be cut off to certain buildings in Jabriya and Salmiya after these private residencies were found to have been involved in activities of welfare societies. Undersecretary at the Ministry of Water and Electricity Yusuf AlـHajiri confirmed in a statement to Al Watan that the ministry will disconnect the electricity from properties involved in violations of housing regulations.
Representatives from a number of welfare societies and charitable organizations expressed their bewilderment at this decision and said that all their activities are licensed and were often inaugurated under government sponsorship. They added that many people will suffer from what they described as a “hasty decision.”
The decision to ban activities in private homes came directly from the Municipality General Manager Ahmad AlـSubaih who on Tuesday gave formal instructions to suspend all such activities on grounds that they violate private home regulations.
Local Municipal Councils are now able to issue violations and communicate directly with the Ministry of Water and Electricity to disconnect the power of any property which is found to be violating the terms and condition of housing tenancy.
Welfare societies and charitable organizations have already sent an official letter to the Cabinet requesting that they be allowed to expand their charitable activities and receive donations in cash to facilitate their work.
Last updated on Friday 21/11/2008
GKS&S Challenge: You Can Do Better!
See, it’s my challenge, I make up the rules, and wow. I am so glad I did. The first challenge came because I truly could not find a decent sunset photo, and you showed me they exist, and you showed me they could be totally WOW.
The second challenge, Sand and Surf, is because I love Sand and Surf, and I am so glad I cannot compete (it’s my contest, remember? Like it would be dirty pool for me to compete, and how would you know if I won fair and square, or if I used wasta with myself?
So just to encourage you, I am going to show some of my favorite sand and surf photos, but now that I have seen yours, I know that these are not particularly good, I just like them. YOU can do better. It’s OK with me. 🙂
Here is sand and surf and everything I love on Mnemba Island, a CCAfrica camp, off the coast of Zanzibar:
Here is a scene I found here in Kuwait:
Here is another shot from Kuwait . . . well there is surf . . .
Here is a shot from another favorite place I visit, Oman, near Sur:
Here is a shot taken in Seattle:
And here is a shot from the Oregon beaches with a little bit of everything – sand, surf, sunset and even a dancing dog:
Have a great weekend, Kuwait.
You still have time to get your photos in. The contest will close this coming Saturday, and the poll will go up, insh’allah, the same day. (Are you thinking of ideas for the next one? I am! 🙂 )
Sharing Faith
Several years ago, a woman put a book in my hands and said “I got this for you because I think you will love it.” It was kind of a shock; I didn’t know this woman all that well, but she knew me better. I loved the book, and I ordered a workbook to go with it, and I loved doing it. It was a forty day study called The Purpose Driven Life.
If you think I am trying to convert you, I’m not. Just as this woman wasn’t trying to convert me. The Purpose Driven Life is all about trying to make your walk in faith more meaningful. It starts with the premise that each one of us is uniquely created, and has a unique function to fill. The book has changed how I live my life. Intrigued? Go read the book!
I also subscribe to their daily e-mail, and today it was all about gaining wisdom from reading THE BOOK, learning from our own experiences and those of others:
Write down the major life lessons you’ve learned so you can share them with others. We should be grateful Solomon did this, because it gave us the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, which are filled with practical lessons on living. Imagine how much needless frustration could be avoided if we learned from each other’s life lessons.
Mature people develop the habit of extracting lessons from everyday experiences. I urge you to make a list of your life lessons. You haven’t really thought about them thoroughly unless you’ve written them down. Below are a few questions to jog your memory and get your started:
So what?
What has God taught me from failure?
What has God taught me from a lack of money?
What has God taught me from pain or sorrow or depression?
What has God taught me through waiting?
What has God taught me through illness?
What has God taught me from disappointment?
What have I learned from my family, my church, my relationships, my small group, and my critics?
It felt like a jolt of electricity going through me when I read those questions. Sometimes, I think I am not very bright; sometimes I don’t even learn from my own experiences and mistakes! As I read these questions, I started thinking how the financial crisis has energized us and changed our plans. We thought we would have a hunk of money to work with when we retire, and suddenly that hunk has shrunk! Meanwhile, we are instigating all kinds of new strategies to make our money go farther. You would think it would be depressing, but the truth is . . . we are having fun! I’d forgotten the thrill of the hunt; getting items for good prices, finding substitutes . . . and the questions above reminded me that at one time we knew a lot about stretching money.
AdventureMan is a great cook, and truly, if we ate fewer meals out, we probably wouldn’t have to worry about our waistlines. I used to bake all our bread, when we lived in Tunis, and only had access to wonderful baguettes. I even baked English muffins, my favorite.
Every one of the questions he asked today reminded me of a lesson I had learned . . . and then kind of let go. I didn’t exactly forget, but now all these life-lessons are fresh again!
You don’t have to be Christian, or Moslem, or a even a believer to think about these questions. Take a look at the questions and see what YOU have learned from life’s circumstances.
Where do YOU find wisdom?
Erratic Vacation
Please forgive me, dear blog-friends, but we are traveling and I am not always able to connect. I know, I know, you are wondering, as I did “is that even possible? Are there places where you cannot connect in the whole world anymore?” and the answer is yes. There are times and places and circumstances where you cannot connect – or where you are just too absorbed in life itself. We are moving from spot to spot and I won’t know about connections until I get to each location.
I know many of you will also be travelling soon, or enjoying the new “Staycation,” where you stay at home for your holiday. The weather in Kuwait could not be more perfect for exactly that kind of vacation! Lucky, lucky you! Visiting friends and family, celebrating Eid with all those delicious foods! Maybe a little shopping, with gold down to around $743/oz.
We will also be celebrating with family and friends along the way, and I will keep you informed as best I can. Meanwhile, I will check in on you, too, when I can, to find out how you are doing.
Someday(Red) Challenges the Pros! Great Kuwait Sand and Surf Challenge
Just when I thought nothing more was going to happen – Someday(Red) sends in this total WOW and asks if it is appropriate for the Great Kuwait Sand and Surf Challenge.
Appropriate? Readers, what do you think? Remember, in this round, it does not have to be taken in Kuwait (remember the last one it was a CHALLENGE to find a great sunset in Kuwait) but it has to be taken by someone connected in some way to Kuwait. Or living here. Or Kuwaiti. Or someone who lived here and is now away at school. It’s a little looser this time.
As for me, it just totally knocks my socks off. I feel like I am THERE. Someday(Red), where is this taken? I can hear the waves!
Man Jumps to Save His Honor
From today’s Arab Times. Rape is despicable, whether committed on man, woman, or child, daughter, sister, son, brother, neighbor, domestic or wife. Despicable. It’s a crime of power, of humiliation, of ownership and it is robbery as well as assault.
Man dies saving ‘honour’
KUWAIT CITY : The Court of Appeals Monday set Nov 19, 2008 to issue a verdict in a case of four Kuwaitis and two Bedoun, who have been convicted of causing the death of a Kuwaiti man after they kidnapped him and tried to rape him.
Case papers indicate on April 20, 2007, five of the six men agreed to kidnap and rape the victim. One of the accused talked to the victim from the Internet chat room and pretended to belong to the third gender.
The man invited the victim to his place to have sex. He went, along with another accused and took the victim in the car of the latter to a flat which was rented by yet another accused for the purpose of prostitution.
When they arrived at the place, one of the accused locked the door of the apartment and others who had been hiding in the apartment showed up. When they tried to rape the victim, he jumped out from the ninth floor window and fell to his death.
On June 18, 2008, the Criminal Court sentenced the first, second, third and fifth suspects to 15 years in jail. The court sentenced the fourth suspect to seven years in jail. The court sentenced the sixth suspect to three years in jail and ordered the deportation of the fifth and sixth suspects after serving the sentence.
The session was presided over by Judge Faisal Khuraibet.
By Moamen Al-Masri
Special to the Arab Times
First Female Police Class Graduates
Congratulations to the first class of female police academy graduates! I remember when women were first integrated into the US Military, my husband was assigned one of the first female lieutenants in Europe. I remember him saying, a year or two later that many of his best soldiers were women. I expect that that it will take some getting used to in Kuwait – just as it does in any country – and that the country will be the better for it in the long run.
These brave women have had the courage to break a barrier. God bless their work!
Al Watan staff
KUWAIT: The Support Authority at the Ministry of Interior held an open day on Wednesday for the parents of the first group of female cadets who joined the police academy this year. The event was held under the patronage of Undersecretary for Training and Education Brigadier Sheikh Ahmad AlـNawaf AlـSabah.
Brigadier Yusuf AlـMudhika welcomed the parents and sponsors of the event and said that Kuwait is grateful to the Kingdom of Bahrain for “making this dream a reality.” Bahrain has provided Kuwait with muchـneeded expertise in this field as it has already established a police academy for female cadets.
AlـMudhika explained that the new training for women has been designed to conform with Islamic teachings, customs and traditions and that the female cadets have proved to be as efficient and punctual as their male counterparts. He also referred to the curriculum and their daily timetable and said that their uniform has also been carefully selected to suit the cadets and that military accessories are being used to give a professional and disciplinary appearance.
He also mentioned the CCTV cameras within the academy and said that the parents had toured the cadets” dorms and shown satisfaction with their daughters” daily activities and their living quarters.
Last updated on Friday 14/11/2008
State Blocks Diwaniyas on State Land
I can understand the state not wanting to allow the people to build on public land, land reserved to preserve right of way, land reserved for parks, land to protect the ability to see around a corner. We watched all the illegal diwaniyas come down in our area, carted away on trucks, to be replaced with outdoor diwaniyas, which are lovely – but what to do when the temperatures start going up again?
Many of our friends have diwaniyyas – one – or more (!) built into their homes. An outdoor diwaniya is a luxury if you have the space for it. It looks to me like more homes are being built with a permanent diwayiya designed to match the house.
My real question is – How does this differ from the chalets? Are the chalets not also built on state property? Is there a bureau from which you get a permit? Is there any contractual understanding, like the land is deeded to you for 99 years before you put up an expensive chalet? Or do you build, knowing the government can reclaim that land at any time?
State succeeds in blocking diwaniyas bill
Al Watan staff
KUWAIT: The Parliament rejected a controversial draft law on Wednesday that called for regulating the construction of private diwaniyas on State property.
After a discussion, the proposal was overruled by a vote of 34 against and 26 in favor.
A number of MPs had presented the proposal, which was aimed at allowing the construction of private diwaniyas on State property adjacent to owners” homes provided that a license is obtained from the Ministry of Finance in exchange of an annual fee of no more than 0.250 Kuwaiti dinars per square meter.
Moreover, the Parliament also rejected a proposal to form a committee to investigate violations committed by the team tasked with removing all structures that have been illegally built on State property.
This proposal was voted down by 35 of the 61 legislators who were present at the session.
Earlier, the Parliament”s Finance and Economic Affairs Committee had rejected the draft law regulating the construction of private diwaniyas on State land, saying that it will have a negative impact regardless of the traditions related to these forms of gathering places.
It said the construction of these structures on State property will increase security, administrative and financial burdens on the State.
This issue was first discussed during Tuesday”s Parliament session, but a lack of order in the Abdullah AlـSalem Hall led to an adjournment of the session.
The Kuwaiti government had opposed the bill since the beginning, saying it bears many implementation difficulties and encourages encroachments on State property in a disorganized fashion.
Last updated on Thursday 13/11/2008
The Feast of St. Martin, and St. Martin’s Goose
I’ve always loved St. Martin’s Day because the children of the villages in Germany gather with laterns and walk the cobbled streets singing a song “Laterne! Laterne! . . . .” There is usually someone dressed in a large red cloak who rides a horse, as St. Martin.
Something else happens on St. Martin’s Day – it is the beginning of goose season! There is only about one month, in Germany, when you can eat this speciality, St. Martin’s Goose. It is baked, served with a very fatty gravy (sounds horrible, but it is delicious), red cabbage and potatoes. You can get a quarter goose, a half goose or you can go as a group and have an entire goose feast. The smell of roasting goose is yummy, and the goose itself, when well prepared, is succulent and tasty.
Here is how to roast a St. Martin’s goose:
Preparation: 1 hour
Cooking: 1/2 a hour by kg
Ingredients (for 6 persons):
– 1 goose of 6kg approximately
– 500 g of chopped pork – 1 egg – 4 shallots
– 1 small stalk of thym
– 200 g of crumb of bread (or gingerbread!)
– salt, pepper, nutmeg, parsley
– 100g of walnuts and chopped hazelnuts
Mix the various ingredients of the practical stuffing. Stuff, and let it gild on all the surface in its fat of goose, in the owen. Put then the goose in the oven and cook in its own juice (half an hour by kg). It came from This Website on European Cultures.
The stuffed goose uses surrounded with purée of chestnuts or with whole chestnuts cooked in a little broth then in the juice of the goose and accompanied with a Riesling of Moselle region.
Here is the story of St. Martin by James Kiefer from the Lectionary.
(I’ve always wondered why St. Martin tore his cloak in half, and didn’t give the whole cloak to the begger, since he probably had on warm clothing underneath.)
MARTIN OF TOURS
BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397)
Martin was born around 330 of pagan parents. His father was a soldier, who enlisted Martin in the army at the age of fifteen. One winter day he saw an ill-clad beggar at the gate of the city of Amiens. Martin had no money to give, but he cut his cloak in half and gave half to the beggar. (Paintings of the scene, such as that by El Greco, show Martin, even without the cloak, more warmly clad than the beggar, which rather misses the point.) In a dream that night, Martin saw Christ wearing the half-cloak. He had for some time considered becoming a Christian, and this ended his wavering. He was promptly baptized. At the end of his next military campaign, he asked to be released from the army, saying: “Hitherto I have faithfully served Caesar. Let me now serve Christ.” He was accused of cowardice, and offered to stand unarmed between the contending armies. He was imprisoned, but released when peace was signed.
He became a disciple of Hilary of Poitiers, a chief opponent in the West of the Arians, who denied the full deity of Christ, and who had the favor of the emperor Constantius. Returning to his parents’ home in Illyricum (Yugoslavia, approximately), he opposed the Arians with such effectiveness that he was publicly scourged and exiled. He was subsequently driven from Milan, and eventually returned to Gaul. There he founded the first monastary in Gaul, which lasted until the French Revolution.
In 371 he was elected bishop of Tours. His was a mainly pagan diocese, but his instruction and personal manner of life prevailed. In one instance, the pagan priests agreed to fell their idol, a large fir tree, if Martin would stand directly in the path of its fall. He did so, and it missed him very narrowly. When an officer of the Imperial Guard arrived with a batch of prisoners who were to be tortured and executed the next day, Martin intervened and secured their release.
In the year 384, the heretic (Gnostic) Priscillian and six companions had been condemned to death by the emperor Maximus. The bishops who had found them guilty in the ecclesiastical court pressed for their execution. Martin contended that the secular power had no authority to punish heresy, and that the excommunication by the bishops was an adequate sentence. In this he was upheld by Ambrose, Bishop of Milan. He refused to leave Treves until the emperor promised to reprieve them. No sooner was his back turned than the bishops persuaded the emperor to break his promise; Priscillian and his followers were executed. This was the first time that heresy was punished by death.
Martin was furious, and excommunicated the bishops responsible. But afterwards, he took them back into communion in exchange for a pardon from Maximus for certain men condemned to death, and for the emperor’s promise to end the persecution of the remaining Priscillianists. He never felt easy in his mind about this concession, and thereafter avoided assmblies of bishops where he might encounter some of those concerned in this affair. He died on or about 11 November 397 (my sources differ) and his shrine at Tours became a sanctuary for those seeking justice.
The Feast of Martin, a soldier who fought bravely and faithfully in the service of an earthly sovereign, and then elisted in the service of Christ, is also the day of the Armistice which marked the end of the First World War. On it we remember those who have risked or lost their lives in what they perceived as the pursuit of justice and peace.
Veteran’s Day Sunrise
This is for you, AdventureMan, your own Veteran’s Day sunrise.
To anyone who has ever served in a nation’s armed forces. We salute you. Today and every day, we honor the service you gave to your country.
If you talk to any Kuwaiti veteran of the Gulf War and Liberation in Kuwait, you will learn that even a very short time in service can be a transformational experience. Those memories are vivid, and last the rest of your life.
Have a great day, Kuwait.
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