Stealing Kuwait’s Telephone Resources?
From the August 6 Arab Times:
(Once again, the government is getting tough on crime. The 23rd richest country in the world is worried about losing the revenue from poor Indians calling home and people using the internet to call their friends and family:)
KUWAIT CITY: Four government bodies — the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Communications, Kuwait Municipality and General Customs Department — have agreed to launch a joint inspection campaign against all illegal international call operators, reports Al-Jareeda daily. Reportedly, they obtained permission from the Public Prosecution to raid all suspected houses and shops conducting such illegal operations and arrest all those involved in the trade. They will also issue citations to people who illegally obtain a landline connection. According to sources, stealing international telephone lines amounts to stealing public funds and culprits will be suitably punished. A security committee too has been formed to follow-up and investigate all such thefts.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Communications is planning to engage international companies to study and find ways to overcome illegal calling through internet. Kuwait considers such internet facilities an infringement of its resources and intends to safeguard its rights. In another development, sources say Kuwait will become the first country to have fully installed the optic fiber communication network. Government had earmarked a budget of KD 36 million for the first phase and another KD 80 million for the second phase of the project. Also, telephone connections will be available by next year in three new areas — Ashbiliya, Sabah Al-Naser and Abdullah Al-Mubarak areas.
Meanwhile, Director General of General Customs Department Ibrahim Abdullah Al-Ghanim says his department has been foiling all attempts to smuggle equipments used for stealing telephone lines.
Reportedly, the Ministry of Communications earlier showed department officials the kind of equipment needed to steal telephone lines and “the department has been working hard to foil all smuggling attempts,” he added.
Draft Law: No Car Talk
From August 4th Kuwait Times (yep, they are back online)
Note: Before arriving in Seattle, my oldest friend warned me that in Seattle you now get TWO tickets if you are seen talking on a mobile phone while driving, one for talking on a phone, and one for reckless endangerment. Each ticket is $101. Ouch! I don’t see anyone here talking while they are driving anymore.
Drive, don’t talk…Big Brother is ‘watching’
Published Date: August 04, 2007
By Nancy Oteifa, Staff writer
KUWAIT: A draft law criminalizing motorists for using mobile phones while driving that was announced recently, has suddenly become a cause for concern among several residents in Kuwait. Officials at the Traffic General Department are said to be taking the issue into serious consideration and seem adamant in penalizing all those who use their mobile phones while driving, claiming that it’s one of the major causes of accidents in Kuwait. The draft law of course has not been finalized yet, and officials claim that it has also not been ascertained whether there would be traffic fines to be paid or jail sentences or even both.
Although it is also not confirmed if this law would be enforced or not many people seem to be against its enforcement, while some others were in agreement – with the hope that this might reduce the increasing number of accidents occurring in the country every day. This Kuwait Times reporter spoke to people on the issue where they expressed different opinions and comments.
You can read the rest of the article HERE.
Against the Law?
From today’s Arab Times of course, because the Kuwait Times can’t find a way to get themselves back on line (!)
Woman in fireman’s outfit: Police are looking for an unidentified young woman who was reportedly seen dressed in a fireman’s outfit and driving a vehicle similar to the one used by firemen, reports Al-Watan daily. An unidentified person informed the police when he saw the woman parking her vehicle outside the Al-Sabah Maternity Hospital and walking inside the hospital. Police waited for the woman to return to the car but she did not show up. It has been reported this is not the first time the woman was seen riding the vehicle and wearing a fireman’s uniform.
I suppose it might be suspicious to be wearing fireman clothes and driving a vehicle that might appear to be an official fire vehicle . . . but a crime? I’m sorry, I can’t help it, I love stories like this and wish I knew the rest of the story!
Obesity Contagious
Obesity ‘contagious’, experts say
This report is from BBC Health News.
The study looked at data collected over 32 years
Having a friend, sibling or spouse who is overweight raises a person’s risk of being obese too, US researchers say.
They said data on more than 12,000 people suggested the risk was increased by 57% if a friend was obese, by 40% if a sibling was and 37% if a spouse was.
They argued this showed social factors, such as the body sizes of other people, were important in developing obesity. . . .
“Rather, there is a direct, causal relationship. What appears to be happening is that a person becoming obese most likely causes a change of norms about what counts as an appropriate body size.
“People come to think that it is OK to be bigger since those around them are bigger, and this sensibility spreads.”
The study was actually about heart disease, and this result was a by-product of the study.
Guilt Free Littering
Friends, this is from The Onion. It is SATIRE; don’t go getting all worked up!
New Eco-Friendly Packaging Triggers Boom In Guilt-Free Littering
July 21, 2007 | Issue 43•29
ROCKFORD, IL—Nick Sundin used to be neurotic about littering. The 37-year-old pediatrician admits he kept trash bags in his car, and would even pick up and throw away garbage he found on the street. Since boyhood, Sundin said, he was keenly attuned to the environmental degradation littering caused, an attitude triggered by the famous Keep America Beautiful “Crying Indian” public service announcement he saw on television as a young man.
Not anymore.
“These ‘eco’ products are amazing—they’ve totally changed my life,” Sundin said. “Now, I just toss my used Seventh Generation–brand paper plates out the car window, knowing they’ll soon be absorbed into the earth.”
The growing “green” trend in product packaging, which emphasizes the use of recycled, biodegradable post-consumer paper-based materials and relies less on petroleum-derived polymers like styrofoam, has unleashed a spontaneous trashing of sidewalks, roadsides, and pristine wilderness by gratified consumers. Though some environmentalists and scientists were caught off guard by the movement, experts say it is here to stay.
“The stigma attached to littering is at long last being put to rest,” industry analyst Tom Schneider said. “As long as manufacturers are packaging their goods in unbleached paper and biodegradable, cornstarch-based plastics, more and more consumers will discard their refuse wherever they please, knowing it will safely decompose within 10 to 20 years. Call it the ‘New Compost.'”
From The Onion; click here to read the entire article.
My comment: What is so sad, is that this looks like places in Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, where people have just dumped stuff without any regard to the environment.
Father and Son Find Viking Treasure
A father and son in England, who spend their weekends treasure hunting stumbled across a treasure buried in a farmer’s field, worth an estimated $2 million. Buried more than 1000 years ago, the treasure has remained hidden in the ground all these years.
You can read the story <a href=”“> at Viking Treasure Found.
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What I don’t understand is why they believe it was buried by the Vikings, rather than buried by someone trying to hide the wealth FROM the Vikings?
Banning “Unhealthy” News?
Did you see this in today’s Arab Times? My friends, pay attention! This would erode any claim to freedom of the press as guaranteed by the Kuwait Constitution.
Islamist MPs planning bill to shackle Kuwait media; ‘Set up watchdog’
KUWAIT CITY: Islamist MPs plan to submit a proposal to the National Assembly to form a Higher Media Council to keep a check on the activities of the media and prevent the publication of ‘unhealthy news reports’. According to these men, the Kuwaiti media has run out of control and it has been tackling issues which affect the national unity and threatens peace and harmony in society. MP Ali Saleh Al-Omair told the Arab Times the establishment of a media watchdog will help the mass media to avoid what he called the negativities which are being published from time to time. He indicated several observations have been made and their publication of some reports in newspapers, radio or television has not pleased many Kuwaitis.
Al-Omair added the establishment of this body became necessary after it was evident a section of the media had deviated from its objectives “by publishing misleading information which affected the national unity”. He explained freedom of the press is guaranteed but dangers and red lines exist in every society and they must be accepted particularly since this scenario exists even in civilized countries. He indicated the people of Kuwait get upset when they see what is being published by the mass media, particularly the negative news reports which affect national unity. He indicated the proposed council can include media experts, religious personalities, writers, psychologists to talk to the media from every angle to highlight how certain news reports can harm the society.
By Ben Arfaj Al-Mutairi
Special to the Arab Times
What would examples of unhealthy news be? The rising AIDS rate in Kuwait? The transmission rate from men – men vs men – women? Divorce statistics? Reduction of crime reporting, because it is just too embarrassing?
WHO makes that call? Who are the watchdogs? It give me an Orwellian shiver!
News from Florida
In Kuwait, the free press is still very cautious. They might hint at a story, they might give a few details, but they are still cautious about crimes which in other countries would be a matter of public record.
Here is a very sad story from the Florida news scene today:
State Representative Arrested for Prostitution Charge
State Representative Bob Allen was arrested Wednesday after offering to perform oral sex for $20 on an undercover male police officer, authorities said.
Veteran’s Memorial Park was under surveillance when Allen, Republican – Merritt Island, was seen coming in and out of a restroom three times. . . Allen, 48, then approached an undercover officer and was arrested.
He has been charged with solicition for prostitution, which has a maximum penalty of one year in jail. Brevard County officials said Allen posted a $500 bond.
For my Kuwait readers, a state representative is an elected official who helps make the laws. The Republican party is considers itself the guardian of public morals. So there is some irony in this story, as well as infinite sadness.
Chocolate ‘lowers’ blood pressure
A mouthful of dark chocolate each day could reduce blood pressure, cutting the risk of stroke, research suggests.
Forty-four people with raised blood pressure were put into two groups. One ate six grams of dark chocolate daily, the other the same amount of white.
The first group saw blood pressure fall slightly, but the others saw no change, researchers wrote in the Journal of American Medicine (JAMA).
The British Heart Foundation warned chocolate was a “treat not treatment”.
You can read the rest of the article at the BBC Health News here. Heh heh heh – sounds like a ‘treatment’ to me!
Update on Chinese Seafood
From AOL Health Watch originally taken from an article by Andrew Martin at the New York Times. You can read that article, and several similar articles, there.
The problems with Chinese seafood are evident in a database of products that the FDA stops at the border. In May, for instance, the FDA. turned away 165 shipments from China, 49 of which were seafood.
Monkfish was rejected for being filthy. Frozen catfish nuggets were turned away because they contained veterinary drugs. Tilapia fillets were contaminated with salmonella.
The problems were even worse in April, when 257 shipments from China were rejected, including 68 of seafood. Frozen eel contained pesticides, frozen channel catfish had salmonella and frozen yellowfin steaks were filthy, the records show.
The word “filthy” resonates with me. I am going to stick with Kuwaiti fish!
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