August 2006 Archives

Here is an update on the power outages in Kuwait (Link). Electricity has been going out in different areas of Kuwait today, sometimes for an hour or more. They are expected to last for between five to ten days and may occur in the afternoons

So get those candles and supplies out just in case your area gets affected. Considering it's over 50 degrees outside, this won't be easy.

I'm going to refrain from my usual rant about government inefficiency and lack of planning (you can all rejoice!).

Can Someone Fill These Up, Please? (Photograph by Mark)

I live in a residential area within the city. There is no water.

This is the third time this summer that I have had to call a water truck to pass by the house.

The "planning" in this country is appalling. What use were all the ministries (planning, interior), "supreme councils," census bureaus ad infinitum if they could not predict years ago that - based on our growing population - we would have a water crisis? And if they did come across such a piece of information, why didn't they act on it.

The last five years have been very good to us. An oil windfall. We are fat with cash and still basic services (water, mail, phones etc) are lacking. It is the government's responsibility to effectively use resources to provide its citizens basic goods and services, not Parliament's.

The Kuwaiti government desires to implement Income Tax in Kuwait? A government that cannot even allocate basic services such as water, electricity and an efficient postal system?

You've got to be kidding me.

The powers that be will spend more time fighting over who or what company gets what cut than actually implementing anything.

Due to the alarming, tragic humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, Sheikha Freyal Al-Sabah - spouse of Kuwait Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheik Dr. Mohamed Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah - has established and organized a charity: "The Joint Kuwaiti-Lebanese Committee For Solidarity With The People of Lebanon."

The charity urges your kind donation.

Whether you are intending to pay part of your zakat or want to do your bit to help alleviate suffering in Lebanon, you can wire the donation to the following account:

The National Bank of Kuwait
Account Number: 0006500210101

قامت الشيخه فريال الصباح حرم وزير الخارجية الدكتور محمد صباح السالم الصباح بإنشاء اللجنه المشتركه الكويتيه لمناصرة الشعب اللبناني ولمن يرغب بالتبرع ايداع المبلغ في بنك الكويت الوطني حساب رقم 0006500210101

Charity Contact Details: اللجنة المشتركة الكويتية لمناصرة الشعب اللبناني

It has been 16 years since the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

The sound of thundering blasts and gunfire shook the country, propelling it into dark and brutal occupation.

This was not a run of the mill invasion; it was a complete annexation of the country from day one.

There were no Red Cross convoys traversing into Kuwait distributing supplies and taking care of the injured.

There were no reporters on the ground covering the killings, torture, and systematic looting of the country's resources via satellite.

No charities were established to raise money for the Kuwaitis or Expatriates who were caught in the crossfire.

No demonstrations or marches sprouted up supporting Kuwait's liberation (unless they were organized by Kuwaitis themselves in cities such as London).

And if you were out of Kuwait, it did not matter what you owned, who you knew, how much money you were worth; you were a refugee, forever stuck in no man's land, fingerprinted and scrutinized wherever you visited.

Today, let's just keep the above in mind and remember the heroic ones - in and out of Kuwait - who helped unshackle us from those vicious chains.