Fuschia Morning
It doesn’t take much. When Yousef at Some Contrast asked for more fuschia photos . . . honestly, it was just the excuse I needed.
Fuschias are Sooooo luxurious. They come is so many gorgeous color combinations, and the stores get them in just in time for American Mother’s Day, usually around May 9 -10-11-12. You can actually grow fuschias in the ground here, in the right micro-climate (see, I am sounding like a Master Gardener now, aren’t I – and no, no, I am not) but once the weather gets too hot, they stop blooming. They are just made for the Pacific Northwest.
So Yousef, here are all kinds of fuschias for you, and then, at the very end, your other favorite – I found some lucious shades of tulips for you, too. Thank you for giving me the inspiration. 🙂
I’m sorry this one is fuzzy, but I included it so you could see the color – it is just yummy.
Three fuschia trees:
Colorful Display
This display caught my eye – WOW! Underwear so colorful that you either have to wear something that really covers it . . . or the intention is that it be seen. I can’t help but wonder where we are going, but I love the colors!
Today’s Grin
WordPress keeps hooking me up with blogs I would never otherwise come across. Today, I was connected with 4yoursoul and found this great joke, which I have shamelessly copied to share with you. Please go to 4yoursoul for more gems:
A new blonde employee calls the Help Desk to complain that there’s something wrong with her password. No, it’s not the usual caps-lock problem.
“The problem is that whenever I type the password, it just shows stars,” she says.
“Those asterisks are to protect you,” the Help Desk technician explains, “so if someone were standing behind you, they wouldn’t be able to read your password.”
“Yeah,” she says, “but they show up even when there is no one standing behind me.”
No Release, No Travel, reports Darwish
In today’s Kuwait Times, Badria Darwish informs us that:
“the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) has decided to ask all expatriates before exiting the country – whether on holiday or permanently – to obtain a certificate of clearance from the ministry. The certificate is only valid for one month. If the expat doesn’t have it, he will be returning from the airport the same day . . . “
On page 2, a news article confirms her report.
“The Ministry of Electricity and Water announced it is in the process of issuing a legislation. It said it instructed the Assistant Undersecretary Jassim Al-Linqawi, in charge of consumer affairs at the ministry, to coordinate with the Interior Ministry to enforce the legislation. The legislation, it added, will mandate all expatriates planning to proceed on vacation to obtain a clearance document from the Ministry of Electricity and Water that they are clear of all pending bills. All expatriates having arrears will not be permitted to travel either through the airport or the various surface borders around the country. The legislation is expected to be enforced soon . . .
The Ministry of Electricity also instructed the Interior Ministry to empower their employees, who collect electricity dues, to force their way into the residences of all those residences of al those residents who refuse to let them check the electricity meters. . . . “
Oh! Those pesky expats, running red lights and neglecting to pay their electricity and water bills. Yeh. Right.
This does present the bureaucracy with a fascinating challenge. First, to immediately construct a way in which all consumers can receive bills, like through a postal system. Second, to collect the accurate information for each customer, making sure that “no one is above the law.” Third, to bill consumers in a way that they know that they have been billed, and to have a follow up procedure – you know, like warnings, and a way to turn off the service? Fourth, a way to follow all this by computer – accurately. Oh, yes, and co-ordinating between the MEW and the MOI. And have it ready to be enforced “soon.”
No WordPress on Safat?
I was just checking Safat – none of my posts are there for today. None for any of the WordPress bloggers I follow. Has WordPress been banned from Safat?
Money Magazine’s Advice to Indiana Jones
I could hear AdventureMan chuckling in the living room and I called out “what’s so funny?” He came into the kitchen and read me a small tongue-in-cheek article from Money Magazine discussing financial and career advice for fictional character Indiana Jones (the new movie will open May 22, WOO HOOOO!)
Unsolicited Advice for a Mid-Career Adventurer
After nearly two decades away, the big screen’s most adventureous archaeologist will once again be dodging bullets and laughing in the face of danter when Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull opens on May 22. It’s more fun than the average middle-aged guy gets on the job. Bit in returning to the jungle himself, career coach Cynthis Shapiro says, Indy isn’t exactly being whip-smart. An entrepreneur his age ought to think about taking on more of a management role.
° Be the Boss
Jones ought to delegate the dirty work and manage other treasure hunters for a cut of the take. That leverages his experience and gets him out of the snake pit.
° Choose a Successor
In this flick he gains a young sidekick (Shia LeBeouf) a protege whom he can train to head field ops one day. Meanwhile, he has plenty of contacts in exotic locales to hire as staff.
° Make the case
So clients don’t balk, Jones should play up his staff’s experience and the fact that local help lowers expenses. If he plays it right, profits rise and risk falls. That’s the holy grail. (Kate Ashford)
I always thought Jones was a university professor, so I figured he was funded by grants. And archaeologists – isn’t that what they do for fun, get their hands dirty? Go to the field? We got a good laugh from the Money magazine perspective, and we also think that not all success is to be measured in terms of money and moving up the ladder. Indiana Jones might experience a lot of job satisfaction by being the hands-on guy in the field!
NBK Shines
We complain about our banks and we write about all the goofs and stupid policies, so it is only fair, when a bank does something right, to share that side of the story, too.
I was invited yesterday to the Mother’s Day celebration benefitting Operation Hope and the Animal Friends League. I used to do fundraising, so I am always interested in just how much of the ticket price will actually benefit the charity.
It was a glorious event, from start to finish. More than 160 gathered to celebrate Motherhood and to support Operation Hope and Animal Friends. During the meal, hostess Sheryl Mairza from Operation Hope announced that because NBK had stepped up to the plate and covered the cost of the breakfast, the entire cost of every ticket would go to benefit the two charities.
WAY TO GO! It is every fundraiser’s dream to find generous corporate sponsors, so that not a penny is wasted and every – oops – fils can go toward the intended charity. Bravo,NBK! I don’t know if banks get tax incentives in Kuwait, as they do in the US. In the US, we know that most major corporations have designated charitable funds and it is our job to encourage them to donate those funds our way. It is by far more difficult to get corporate sponsorship in a country where there may not be such significant tax benefits. Again, Bravo NBK. Thank you for sponsoring Operation Hope and Animal Friends, and for covering the cost of the breakfasts.
Conversation in the Background (Fiction)
“Hey, ‘Bama, how’s it going?”
“I am so fried, Hilary. Hey, you looked great at the congressional hearing today. Who prepared your questions? They did a great job.”
“Thanks. You look tired. Are you getting enough sleep?
“No. Are you?”
“I don’t need a lot of sleep, remember? I’m there to answer the phone at 3 a.m.”
(Mutual laughter)
“Hil, my team is going to hit you tomorrow on your candor issue. Just wanted to give you a heads up.”
“Is this necessary?” (she sighs)
“C’mon Hil. One of us has to take second place. You’ve given this a great fight, but I’m beating you everywhere.”
“It ain’t over ’till it’s over. Anything can happen. And I have Bill in my corner.”
“That’s a mixed blessing.” (They both laugh)
“You can stop any time, you can have the #2 slot on MY ticket. Besides, you really do look tired. You can sit back for four years, learn the ropes, and then we can talk about your presidency in four years – or so.”
“I don’t think so, Hil. Hey, good luck. Talk to you tomorrow.”
“Night, ‘Bama.”
Abandoned Baby
This is for my friend, Mrm, or Mirim the Mirim, a blogger friend with a fiendish eye for the sublime and the ridiculous. She hasn’t blogged for a while and I am concerned about her absence. I am hoping this photo, dedicated to her, will lure her back into the blogging world.
Actually, AdventureMan spotted the baby sitting on a garbage bin, but it was I who whipped the camera out and shot a photo.
Who would abandon this beautiful baby?
Wonders 1 and 2: Good Morning America
Yesterday I posted a photo of the skywalk, featured on Good Morning America’s 7 Wonders of the U.S. series and people wondered what the first two are.
The first wonder selected was the National Mall and National Park in Washington DC, a celebration of Democracy, “where American voices are heard.”
The second – and by far my favorite – was the Arctic National Wildlife Preserve, a brutal place where there are still huge herds of caribou, shaggy buffalo, polar bear . . . and where George Bush tells us we wouldn’t be paying so much for gas if we would only give him and the oil companies the go-ahead to go in and exploit the oil resources there. (See #1 George Bush – the American people raised their voices and said “NO!”)
The Grand Canyon was the third wonder announced.
There are still four more wonders to be announced. Good Morning America comes on America Plus Monday – Friday in the afternoon, maybe two or three in the afternoon, in case you want to catch the rest, or you can just click on the blue hypertext above where it says Good Morning America, and you will go to the ABC website for the Seven Wonders.
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