Here There and Everywhere

Expat wanderer

US Housing Market Takes Another Hit in December

US home sales see steep drop in December
From BBC News

Sales of previously-owned US homes fell 16.7% in December, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has said.

Sales had risen from September to November as first-time buyers took advantage of tax credits.

The decline in December was expected as buyers rushed to complete deals before the original 30 November deadline.

The first-time buyer tax credit has since been extended until 30 April, and the NAR said there was likely to be another surge in sales in the spring.

December sales fell to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 5.45 million from 6.54 million in November, but are 15% higher than the level seen in December 2008.

The average sale price of a previously-owned home was $178,300 (£110,200) in December, up 1.5% on a year ago.

Total sales in 2009 were almost 5% higher than in 2008 – the first annual gain since 2005.

“It’s significant that home sales remain above year-ago levels, but the market is going through a period of swings driven by the tax credit,” Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist said.

“By early summer the overall market should benefit from more balanced inventory, and sales are on track to rise again in 2010.

“However, the job market remains a concern and could dampen the housing recovery – job creation is key to a continued recovery in the second half of the year.”

January 26, 2010 Posted by | Family Issues, Financial Issues, Interconnected, Living Conditions | Leave a comment

Trade Expo and AdventureMan

“Hey! I’m coming home early and I’m taking you to the TradeExpo!” AdventureMan told me with excitement in his voice. He doesn’t often like going places at night after a long day at work, but to him, this sounded like fun.

Jockying for a parking place was not so much fun. We’ve been here long enough, though, when AdventureMan spied a free sidewalk space, up we went, perfect parking spot, right under a streetlight. Short walk to the Expo.

I watched his face as we walked around, changing from excitement to confusion. “Where are all the booths with little flags?” he asked, “and all the booths with home cooked foods from other countries?”

LLLOOOLLL; he thought this was the DIPLOMATIC Bazaar!

Some years they do the diplomatic bazaar and some years they don’t; depends on if the diplomatic wives have the time and energy to get it all organized and bring in all kinds of specialties not normally seen here.

This was a trade expo. There was a lot of underwear, and children’s clothes, not the expensive kind, this was the utilitarian kind, and not-very-nice furniture, and overly ornate but not nice bric-a-brac. Really bad perfumes and some really awful, cheap make-up. The whole thing was over-hyped and low quality, schlocky, and we didn’t spend a dirham. The only food was Costa Coffee!

So not every Doha adventure is such a fun one, but better to try than to miss something wonderful.

One visitor to the Trade Fair actually took some really good photos and posted them on QatarLiving.com. They are very nice photos, and when I saw them I thought “this makes the trade fair look a lot better than I remember it!”

January 22, 2010 Posted by | Adventure, Arts & Handicrafts, Cross Cultural, Doha, Events, ExPat Life, Experiment, Family Issues, Financial Issues, Living Conditions, Local Lore, Marketing, Shopping | Leave a comment

Bu Yousef’s Haiti Challenge

My Kuwait blogging friend, Bu Yousef, is about to send a donation to the World Food Program designated to help Haiti. He has set a challenge to all bloggers and blog readers. Please, go comment on his post. For every unique comment he gets on his post (one per person), his donation will go up $1 from a minimum $50 to a maximum of $200. It’s up to us.

I would love for BuYousef to hit his maximum. I would love for him to be so overwhelmed, that he ups his maximum to $250. 😉

Please go say good morning/good evening to BuYousef, and do it NOW! Thank you!

Bu Yousef, AdventureMan and I will match your donation. 🙂

January 21, 2010 Posted by | Blogging, Charity, Cross Cultural, ExPat Life, Family Issues, Financial Issues, Health Issues, Hygiene, Interconnected, Kuwait | | 13 Comments

Chinese Parents Abort Females; Men Can’t Find Mates

There is a part of me that thinks “What were you thinking??”

Of course, you know by now if you’ve been reading Here There and Everywhere that I don’t hate men, and also that I see RED when women are undervalued because they are women and not men. Equal rights, equal pay for equal work, equal citizenship – my battles to fight.

So what happens when poor people are told they can have only one child, and they all abort their female children – or they disappear shortly after birth – and only little boys who can grow up to take care of their parents are born?

Dearth of Women to Leave 24M Chinese Men Unwed

From AOL News Sphere where you can read this entire article by clicking on this blue type
Terence Neilan
Sphere

(Jan. 11) — More than 24 million Chinese men of marrying age could find themselves without a woman to wed by 2020, and a Chinese proclivity to abort female fetuses is a major contributing factor, a major study has found.

Gender imbalance among newborns is the most serious demographic problem facing the country’s population of 1.3 billion, the study by the government-backed Chinese Academy of Social Sciences says.

“Sex-specific abortions remained extremely commonplace,” the academy said, “especially in rural areas,” where the cultural preference for boys over girls is strongest.

January 13, 2010 Posted by | Family Issues, Financial Issues, Generational, Living Conditions, Social Issues, Women's Issues | 14 Comments

Volunteer Day at Animal Friends Kuwait

God bless the work of your hands, all you who work to help those who have no voices, who rescue the animals, give them food and shelter, and adopt them.

Animal Friends and K’S PATH will be hosting its bi-annual Shelter Open Day where everyone is invited to come out, visit with the animals and learn all about their rescue and care. Visitors will be able to walk the dogs, cuddle the cats, play with the puppies, brush the donkeys, watch the baboons and so much more. The weather is beautiful, so come and make a day of it.

When: Friday 29 January, 2010, 11:00am to 3pm
Where: Animal Friends Shelter and K’S PATH sanctuary in Wafra
Cost: Free, although we certainly appreciate donations
Notes: Please leave your own pets at home and refreshments will be available for sale.

Huge Yard Sale — antiques, collectibles, book worm’s treasure trove, gently used infant clothing and toys, gently used adult clothes and shoes, Indonesian teak furniture, home wares, gourmet kitchen gadgets, dishes, pots and pans and so much more. Come on over and rummage through the goods and you might find a treasure. All funds will go to support Animal Friends.

When: Saturday 6 February, 2010, 10:00am to 3pm
Where: Fintas, Block 4, Street 11, House 29
Notes: Refreshments will be available for sale.

January 13, 2010 Posted by | Charity, Civility, Community, Cross Cultural, ExPat Life, Financial Issues, Fund Raising, Kuwait, Living Conditions | | 7 Comments

“Cut Reliance on Maids!” Qatari Family Statistics

Qataris urged to cut reliance on maids

By Anwar El Shamy in today’s Gulf Times

A recent study has warned against the growing reliance on domestic helpers by national families, saying that demand on housemaids has reached “unprecedented levels”.

The ‘Qatari Family’ study prepared by the Permanent Population Committee, said that domestic helpers constituted 24% of the number of people living in Qatari families.
Figures quoted by the study showed that each family had 2.3 housemaids and servants.

“The demand for housemaids to take care of the domestic work and take care of children has increased in a way that made it impossible for families to do without them and that number of domestic workers can exceed the number of family members in several families,” the study added.

It also urged the citizens to cut reliance on housemaids, saying that childcare should be the responsibility of parents rather than domestic helpers.

“It is necessary that parents should be trained and educated through the institutions concerned on how to take care of their children without depending on domestic workers who will never be able to inculcate the society’s specific values, beliefs and traditions in them,” the study indicated.

The study estimated the average number of the Qatari family members to be 9.5 in 2008, from 8.6 in 1997. “Contrary to what happened in several countries where the size of families decreased, Qatari family size increased mainly due to the growing demand on domestic helpers with each family having an average of 2.3 domestic workers,” the study said.

According to the Qatar Statistics Authority, domestic helpers are included in the population census conducted by the Authority.

Without domestic helpers, the study put the national family’s average size at 7.3 persons, which the study said, was “still relatively high”.

About marriage levels, the study said that some 54.9% of males and 55.8% of females, aged above 15, among the Qatari citizens are married, which the study said, signified some sort of “marriage stability”.

It also warned against the growing rates of marriage between close relatives, which increased from 10.3 in 1997 to 23.7% of the total number of marriage contracts in 2007.

“Young people should be educated on the negative effects of the social phenomena like marriage between relatives, early marriage and divorce,” the study said.

On life expectancy at birth for the national family members, the study pointed out that the age has increased from 76 years in 2005 to 79.5 in 2007, which the study said, showed an improvement in life quality.

About the national families’ monthly income, the study put a majority of 71.6% of families in middle and above middle income group ranging from QR10,000 to 50,000 a month, while 27.2% were getting more than QR50,000 in 2007.

January 11, 2010 Posted by | Community, Cultural, Doha, ExPat Life, Financial Issues, Living Conditions, Marriage, News, Statistics, Work Related Issues | 1 Comment

3 Months for Killing, One Year for Stealing

These articles are in today’s Gulf Times, under Court Roundup.

Jail term, fine for death crash
A local motorist has been sentenced to three-month’s imprisonment for reckless driving that led to the death of a 56-year-Pakistani pedestrian.

The Doha court of first instance imposed on the 26-year-old motorist a fine of QR20,000.
The fatal accident took place in the Old Airport area on September 27, 2008. According to the traffic report, “the accident occurred because the motorist was speeding.”

A traffic official told the court that the motorist was driving at 80kmph on a busy street.
Family members of the deceased can claim blood money in a civil court.

Man sentenced for stealing

A Sri Lankan driver has been sentenced to a year-imprisonment for stealing items including two gas cylinders and a vacuum cleaner from the labour camp of a private company. Four of the co-accused were sentenced in absentia to five years in jail.

The theft took place on July 21, 2008 in New Rayan area, the charge-sheet said.

Two Egyptians, who witnessed the incident, testified that they saw five men loading the items, estimated to cost QR4,000, on to a pickup from a store inside the camp.
The Egyptians said they captured three of the workers while the others drove away in the pick-up.

The police arrested all the accused and four of them were deported on an administrative order before the commencement of the trial.

January 11, 2010 Posted by | Bureaucracy, Character, Crime, Cultural, Doha, ExPat Life, Financial Issues, Interconnected, Law and Order, Qatar, Values | Leave a comment

Heart of Doha Creates Beauty out of Destruction

‘Heart of Doha’ construction work to begin
Web posted at: 1/11/2010 1:47:59
Source ::: The Peninsula / By Huda NV

DOHA: Dohaland, a subsidiary of Qatar Foundation, is all set to begin the construction work of its signature project “Heart of Doha”. Under the patronage of

H H Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, Chairman of the Qatar Foundation, the foundation stone will be laid at a special event on Wednesday at a specially build venue at the Corniche.

“Heart of Doha has all together brought in a new language of architecture by understanding the essence of the place which led to rediscovering its poetry,” said Jawaher Al Khuzaei, Assistant Manager, Public Affairs.

“We have finished the preparation stage of the first phase of the project which is expected to be completed by February 2012. Embodied in traditional Qatari architecture are the timeless aspects of beautiful proportions, robustness, simplicity, ornament, along with tried-and-tested local responses to the hot climate and intense daylight. Local traditions have been studied and analysed to distil the essence of Qatari architectural character rooted in the past, appropriate for the present and looking to the future.”

The first stage – Phase 1A has Diwan Emiri Quarter which includes Emiri Diwan annexe, Emiri Guard head quarters and the National Archives. It also has a heritage quarter which includes the Eid prayer ground and four heritage houses – a Company House, Jalmoot House and Houses of Mohammed bin Jasim and Abdullah bin Jassim. Dohaland is working with Qatar Museum Authority to make the best use of the houses.

The first phase infrastructure includes central cooling plant, utilities and waste provision, basement service roads and parking. In the second stage, which will is expected to begin this year and conclude in 2013 a multimedia centre for arts, central hotel and serviced apartments, luxury shopping street, exclusive town house, a primary school, the Ferjan Square mosque and see the first satge of rebirth of Al Kahraba street. The later stages will include a connection to souq wakif, a retail mall, more hotels, offices apartment, shops, a tram system and an underground Metro station hub apart from to Nakeel Square.

“We have also done archiving of photographs of the area prior to demolition. The area will be for mixed use and will have house more than 25,000 people.”

The project with an estimated cost of QR 20 bn, and an area of 35 hectares is expected to be completed in 2016 in five phases. Heart of Doha will become a hub of activity as a place to live, work, shop, visit and spend time with family and friends once completed

THE PENINSULA

Update: Dohaland has been renamed Musherib.

January 11, 2010 Posted by | Arts & Handicrafts, Beauty, Building, Character, Doha, ExPat Life, Financial Issues, Living Conditions, News, Qatar | Leave a comment

German Lingerie Ad: Liaison Dangereuse

A German company finds a fresh new take on selling lingerie; found this on AOL Finance News 🙂 Very clever.

Sexiness for everyone from Glow Berlin on Vimeo.

January 8, 2010 Posted by | Beauty, Cross Cultural, Customer Service, Financial Issues, Germany, Humor, Marketing, Shopping, Women's Issues | 2 Comments

‘No Madame, Don’t Tip, Management Takes the Tips’

From today’s Gulf Times

When I was new to Qatar, and thrilled to find my hometown Starbucks going great guns here, I asked “Where is the tip jar?”

Every Starbucks has a tip jar. Everywhere. Baristas don’t get paid that much; you always tip. Often they are young people stretching to pay the rent while they go to school, or trying to raise a child as a single parent. A tip is a way to allow God to redistribute income in the world; you let it go freely and He sends it where it should go.

The barista reached down and pulled out a jar, but did not look encouraging.

“Why is it down there?” I asked, naively.

“We don’t get these monies,” the barista said. “The Management takes everything.”

So I started asking at every Starbucks, and the answer was always the same. The workers don’t get the tips. Management takes everything.

Jesus said it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for rich people to get into heaven. When I hear stories about the workers not getting the tips, or workers being exploited, being treated as a resource or commodity rather than as partners in operations, I fear for the people who would take these monies out of their own greed. I fear for them in the afterlife. If we are not open handed, using our wealth to help others, maybe it will be our burden in the next life, and we will regret having to carry it around. Maybe it will be a barrier, and we can just peek over to see the life of the spirit we might have had. I fear for people who cannot overcome their greed, and share the wealth.

‘Hidden charges’ at restaurants slammed
By Sarmad Qazi

Irked by having to pay what they call “hidden charges”, some customers have expressed their displeasure at the increasing practice in restaurants of adding “service charges” to their final tab.

Patrons say they do not mind paying the extra so long as any additional charge is written visibly on the menus and the money actually goes to who it is originally charged for – the staff.

“The fact that my bill had a 10% service charge came as a surprise. The font size used on the menu to announce the charge was smaller than a bank’s fine print,” a customer of a fine dining restaurant said.

Debate on the subject is raging across the region. Just last week, the UAE outlawed the practice and warned restaurants and cafés to do away with the practice by February 1 or face fines ranging between Dh5,000 to Dh100,000. Exempted from the rule are restaurants located in hotels.

Service charge, often added to the final bill at dine-in and table-service restaurants (not applies on take-outs, home delivery), usually ranges from 5% to 20% depending upon the quality of the outlet. The practice is allowed at restaurants inside hotels but has caught up outside too.

Restaurants, however, yesterday defended the service charge and maintained the money went towards staff waiting tables and inside the kitchen.

“Various establishments use it for different purposes. We use it as a motivational factor for our staff,” said a senior official at a food and beverage company which manages some of the leading franchised restaurants in Qatar.

But customers also accused restaurants of pocketing the extra money rather than giving 100% to employees.

“If all of the service charge is not passed down to staff then restaurant use the money to cover breakages (glass, cutlery etc) by employees rather than managements increasing the cost of products (on the menu),” a general manager of an American franchised chain of restaurant said.

The practice is not restricted to branded restaurants only as some local fine dining restaurants in Qatar also take service charges. Most officials Gulf Times spoke to were not sure whether a prior Baladiya or Ministry of Business & Trade permission was taken before the charge was introduced.

Industry officials also dismissed suggestions that instead of a separate service charge they should increase the price of products as “impossible”.

“This can’t be done. Increase in prices will make the customer move to a competitor,” a restaurant official said.

“We do however waive the service charge if a customer insists or if they do not feel like they received the level of service they expected,” he added.

January 6, 2010 Posted by | Bureaucracy, Character, Charity, Community, Customer Service, Doha, Eating Out, ExPat Life, Financial Issues, Interconnected, Lies, Living Conditions, Values, Work Related Issues | 7 Comments

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