End of Ramadan Sunrise
The end of Ramadan is coming with the end of the great heat of summer. I checked Weather Underground: Kuwait this morning, and by Thursday, we will have our first day under 100°F /37°C. WOOOO HOOOOO, Kuwait!
Here is what might be the last sunrise of Ramadan:
How to Help: Animal Friends League
The newest newsletter from the Animal Friends League is out, with many exciting events to help them help abandoned, abused and neglected animals in Kuwait:
Hello all,
Many of you express the desire to do more for us but face limitations on your time. Attending our fundraisers is a great way to support us for one evening while having a great time with friends and family. Below is a list of upcoming events. Please show your support for the animals by giving us a call or sending us an e-mail and booking your ticket!
QUIZ NIGHT
Friday 10th October
6:30p.m. to 11:00p.m.
So you think you?re a rocket scientist?
Well if you are, then you are coming to the wrong quiz night!
Animal Friends is having another fun filled middle of the road quiz night.
Admission is 10KD per person, which includes dinner.
Teams consist of 6 people.
Bookings are essential, please e-mail info@animalfriendskuwait.org or ring Stephanie at 6657 9560 to confirm your team booking.
If you don?t have a team, don?t panic, we may be able to put one together for you!
Attached is a flyer that you can post anywhere!
CHILDREN?S HALLOWEEN PARTY
Friday 31st October
5:00p.m. to 9:00p.m.
Animal Friends is hosting its annual children?s Halloween party! We will have great food and lots of games for the children including a costume contest.
Admission is 5KD. Please call 6657 9560 or e-mail info@animalfriendskuwait.org for further details.
THANKSGIVING DINNER AND DANCE
For the benefit of Animal Friends and Operation Hope
Saturday 29th November
7:00p.m. to 11:00p.m.
Animal Friends is hosting its annual Thanksgiving dinner and dance.
Each ticket will cost 15KD and will be held at the Holiday Inn Downtown.
Please call 6700 1622 or e-mail info@animalfriendskuwait.org to reserve your tickets.
We look forward to seeing you all soon!
Kind regards,
Ayeshah Al-Humaidhi
Animal Friends League of Kuwait
P.O. Box 26112
13122 – Safat
Kuwait
+965-657-3430 (Kuwait)
+965-244-3859 (Fax)
http://www.animalfriendskuwait.org
Loneliness Makes You Cold
A recent study presented on BBC Health News shows that those who are excluded or left out feel colder than those who are included.
Loneliness ‘makes you cold’
Turning up the thermometer could lighten your mood
Loneliness and coldness are often associated in everyday language, but psychologists have found that social isolation does make people feel cold.
The University of Toronto team found people feeling excluded said a room was colder than those feeling included.
And people who felt left out also chose comforting hot soup, rather than an apple or soft drink.
A UK psychologist said the findings could help people feeling isolated, particularly in the winter months.
‘Unpopular’
In the first study, 65 students were divided into two groups.
One group recalled a personal experience in which they had been socially excluded and felt isolated or lonely, such as being rejected from a club.
The other group recalled an experience in which they had been accepted.
The researchers then asked everyone to estimate the room’s temperature.
The estimates varied from about 54F (12C) to 104F (40C) – with those who had thought about an isolating experience giving lower estimates of the temperature.
In the second experiment, the researchers asked 52 students to play a computer-simulated ball game.
It was designed so that some of the volunteers had the ball tossed to them many times, but others were left out.
Afterwards, all the volunteers were asked to rate the desirability of hot coffee, crackers, soft-drinks, an apple, or hot soup.
The “unpopular” participants were much more likely than the others to want either hot soup or hot coffee.
The researchers suggest their preference for warm food and drinks resulted from physically feeling cold as a result of being excluded.
‘Coping mechanism’
Dr Chen-Bo Zhong, who led the research, which is published in the journal Psychological Science, said: “We found that the experience of social exclusion literally feels cold.
Pilot Impostor almost Succeeds in Kuwait
Very scary story from today’s Arab Times
Expatriate impersonates Brazilian pilot, ‘manages’ to enter cockpit
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 26: In a shocking incident that reflects on the level of security at Kuwait International Airport, an Egyptian expatriate is said to have managed to enter the cockpit of a plane ‘Al-Mottaheda’ impersonating a Brazilian pilot and when he failed to operate the plane, he allegedly tried to fly another, sources told Al-Seyassah. The suspect reportedly wanted to fly a Luxor-bound flight and asked an employee about the plane’s location. This time around he impersonated a Brazilian engineer whose identity card he found in the cockpit of the first plane. The alert employee, however, noticed that there was no similarity between the man on the ID card and the holder and promptly called securitymen who rushed to the scene and arrested the suspect.
Securitymen are investigating how the Luxor-bound passenger penetrated a high-security area and managed to reach the planes’ hanger. Minister of Interior Sheikh Jaber Al-Khaled is personally following-up the developments in this case and sources say stringent action will be taken against employees who are found to have been negligent in their duty.
By Mizyed Al-Saeedi
Special to the Arab Times
Reflecting Al Kout
AdventureMan is so patient with me.
“Just one minute!” I say to him while he is starving, and I am busy with a photo I can’t resist.
He never grumbles. He just patiently waits while I shoot away.
Last night at the Al Kout Mall was just such a night – when we got there (and got a perfect parking place because YOU were still breaking your fast with family and friends) the fountains were not on, and the pool was a perfect Taj Mahal like mirror for reflecting the Al Kout lights.
“Just a minute!” as I shot from one angle.
“Oh, just one more!” as I see it again, from another.
Same camera. Same settings. Different angle – so why is one so much more golden than the other, which is more sparkly white?
Which to you prefer?
I would feel a whole lot better about my skills as a photographer if I knew how to reproduce the results I get, if I understood better how I got the shot I did. As it is, most of my best photos are the result of being in the right place at the right time with a camera. I hate to say it about myself, but it is a result of being prepared and dumb luck. I give myself full credit for having a camera with me when a shot appears, but making it that perfect shot? I need to learn more.
Prosper the Work of Our Hands
This is from today’s Psalm 90, the very last verse:
17Let the favour of the Lord our God be upon us,
and prosper for us the work of our hands—
O prosper the work of our hands!
My wish for you today is that Mightly God prosper the work of your hands, and mine. 🙂
For my non-Islamic friends, in this culture there is a greeting I love – God bless the work of your hands! (Sounds like: Allah ya teek’ ala fee ah) (If that is not quite right, I welcome correction; that is how it sounds to me.)
This verse reminds me so much of that.
Sulphury Saturday Sunrise
Another sweet, clear morning, a whole blockade of fishing boats between me and the horizon, and a totally different sunrise from yesterday – a very yellow, sulphury sunrise:
It’s a mere 77° F / 25° C, a cool September morning, these last few days of Ramadan. Good morning, Kuwait!
Sweet Friday Sunrise
It’s a temptation to linger outside on my balcony this morning. At 0700, it is a sweet 84°F / 29°C, there is a breeze blowing and look! There are sweet little clouds in the sky! Winter is coming! There is a chop in the surf, the air smells clean, and that band on the horizon is down to a thin wispy layer . . . if only the whole day could be like this.
Yesterday I ended up spending a lot of time outdoors. Early in the day, it wasn’t bad, it was even pleasant, but by mid-day, it was barely bearable.
Ramadan is the season of drawing closer to God / Allah, and thinking on those who are poor, and are not fasting to deprive themselves, but fasting because they have nothing to eat. As I found myself outdoors, unshaded, in the midday heat, I found myself thinking of you who are fasting, and how very difficult this year has been with the heat and humidity. The days of dry heat just leach the moisture right out of you; the days of humidity you drip, losing moisture either way that you can ill afford to lose when you must get through the day without drinking.
It is truly sacrificial, and my prayers are with you, that you find satisfaction in your fast, and draw closer to God.
For myself, at the end of the day, AdventureMan and I found ourselves exhausted and with that little dehydration headache you can get. I am feeling very thankful for the coming of cooler weather, insh’allah.
Stonehenge a Center for Healing
This is from BBC News: Nature, and you can read the entire article by clicking on the blue type, but I wanted you to know about the upcoming BBC Special on Stonehenge, September 27th.
Archaeologists have pinpointed the construction of Stonehenge to 2300BC – a key step to discovering how and why the mysterious edifice was built.
The radiocarbon date is said to be the most accurate yet and means the ring’s original bluestones were put up 300 years later than previously thought.
The dating is the major finding from an excavation inside the henge by Profs Tim Darvill and Geoff Wainwright.
The duo found evidence suggesting Stonehenge was a centre of healing.
Others have argued that the monument was a shrine to worship ancestors, or a calendar to mark the solstices.
A documentary following the progress of the recent dig has been recorded by the BBC Timewatch series. It will be broadcast on Saturday 27 September.
The mystery of Stonehenge, it’s origins, is purpose, has fascinated people for centuries. How amazing that one twelve day dig has discovered so much information – new pieces for a hugely complicated puzzle with lots of work left to be done.
As I write this post, I am also reminded of one of the all time funniest movies I have ever seen – This is Spinal Tap, one of those mocumentaries, this one about a rock group. Not a very bright rock group. It is a very funny movie.
They ask a set designer to create a magnificent recreation of Stonehenge, and give her a napkin with how they want it to look. The result is . . . hysterical:
Travel Advisory
Just in time for Eid travel . . .
The truth is – I feel safe here. The truth is also that it only takes one crazy person, or one small group of crazies, and bizarre and terrible things can happen.
To: All American Wardens
From: Consular Section
Subject: Warden Notice 2008 – 18
Please circulate the following message without additions or omissions
immediately to all American citizens within your area of responsibility.
Begin Text.
TRAVEL ALERT – ARABIAN PENINSULA AND PERSIAN GULF
1. This Travel Alert is being issued to warn Americans about heightened security
concerns in and around the Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf. U.S. citizens
traveling to or already in the region are reminded to maintain a high level of
vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness.
This Travel Alert expires on February 22, 2009.
2. The security threat level in the Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf region
remains high after the September 17 terrorist attack on the U.S. Embassy in
Sana’a, Yemen, in which several security personnel and innocent bystanders,
including one U.S. citizen, were killed. Credible information indicates that
al-Qaida and affiliated organizations continue to plan attacks against U.S.
interests in the region. These attacks may employ a wide variety of tactics
including suicide operations, assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings and
bombings. While conventional weapons such as explosive devices are a more
immediate threat in many areas, the use of non-conventional weapons, including
chemical or biological agents, must be considered a possible threat. Terrorists
do not distinguish between official and civilian targets. Increased security at
official U.S. facilities may lead terrorists and their sympathizers to seek
softer targets such as public transportation, residential areas
, and public areas where people congregate, including restaurants, hotels,
clubs, and shopping areas.
3. Potential targets are not limited to those companies or establishments with
overt U.S. ties. For instance, terrorists may target movie theaters, liquor
stores, bars, casinos, or any similar type of establishment, regardless of
whether they are owned and operated by host country nationals. Due to varying
degrees of security at all such locations, U.S. citizens should be particularly
vigilant when visiting these establishments. From time to time, the Embassy
may restrict official Americans from restaurants, hotels, or shopping areas.
U.S. citizens should exercise caution and take prudent security measures,
including maintaining a high level of vigilance, avoiding crowds and
demonstrations, keeping a low profile, varying times and routes for all travel,
and ensuring travel documents are current.
4. U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad are encouraged to register with the
nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department’s travel
registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ so that
they can obtain updated information on travel and security. Americans without
Internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or
Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or
Consulate to contact them in case of emergency.
5. U.S. Government facilities worldwide remain at a heightened state of alert.
These facilities may temporarily close or periodically suspend public services
to assess their security posture. In those instances, U.S. embassies and
consulates will make every effort to provide emergency services to U.S.
citizens. Americans abroad are urged to monitor the local news and maintain
contact with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
6. As the Department continues to develop information on any potential security
threats to U.S. citizens overseas, it shares credible threat information through
its Consular Information Program documents, including the Worldwide Caution,
available on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov.
In addition to information on the Internet, travelers may obtain up-to-date
information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the
U.S. and Canada or,outside the U.S. and Canada on a regular toll line at
1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Monday
through Friday, Eastern Time (except U.S. federal holidays.)
End Text.
American citizens with any questions or concerns may telephone the Embassy at
259-1581, 259-1583 or 259-1240. In case of an emergency outside business hours,
American citizens may reach the Embassy duty officer by calling 259-1001.
For the latest security information, Americans should regularly monitor the
Department’s web site at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide
Caution, Travel Warnings, and Travel Alerts can be found. Up-to-date information
on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the
U.S., or, for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll line at
1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern
Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays.)
This message may be accessed on the Embassy website, http://kuwait.usembassy.gov
American citizens in Kuwait who would like to receive future Warden Messages
from the Embassy directly by e-mail may sign up for this service by sending an
e-mail to the following address: join-wardenmessagekuwait@mh.databack.com
American citizens resident and visiting in Kuwait who are not registered with
the Embassy, or whose registration information has changed, are urged to
register as soon as possible.
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