40-Something-ism

I'm 40-something...been so for some time.

In some circles that sentence would naturally elicit a compassionate look, or a sympathetic expression of some sort. In the West, for example, they would say, "Aw come on, you're still young, there's lots that life has still to offer for you". 

Bullocks..

Vaping & Lovin' it!

I started smoking relatively later in my young life. I say 'relative' because most people in this part of the world start smoking at around 17/18 years old, and in some instances, earlier than that. For me, my entrance to the smoking stinky-poo category began when I was 20/21 years old. 

Before I go any further, let me be clear; I am by no means endorsing Vaping, I'm just expressing my opinions, and showing you where and how I came to those opinions. Smoking and nicotine are still considered dangerous, so just be cautious. 

Kuwait's Ministry of Unhealth

I took my 4 year old to have her regular vaccination shots the other day, as per the Ministry of Health's schedule that was handed to me after her birth. We first drove to the Faiha clinic, as usual for all the previous vaccinations, only to be told that the schedule's changed and now they only do vaccinations on mornings!

WHY??? I don't know.

So I drove to Adailiya's Al Sager Clinic, and asked where to go for children vaccinations, and sure enough, it was there, on the first floor at the Preventative Health department, and I was directed to the first floor, pulled a number and waited patiently.

Patience & Endurance

I've been reviewing the country's latest developments for some time, trying to make sense of all the greed and selflessness that's rampant as far back as the times immediately after Kuwait's liberation in 1991. I've come to a very obvious and sad conclusion; This country won't last another century.

Consider the facts at hand, Kuwait's Oil supply, the country's primary-and only-source of usable income, is estimated to last for another 80-odd years, while the world at large is seriously considering switching to alternative sources of power, such as Solar, Wind and Hydrogen. Heavy investments  and strict controls made by heavy players are already making strides into this avenue of Earth's history, soon to reach a point where fossil fuels will go the way of the steam-powered ships of the 1800's. For a country like Kuwait, this means imminent doom to it's economy and society.

Poll: What's In a Burger?

I was surfing through some Burger Recipes, and came across 248am's survey of the best burgers in Kuwait, which made me think about different tastes & whims when it comes to the average burger connoisseur. I wonder what it takes to make a burger "the" best burger to some people. Personally, I prefer a simple setup, no guacamole toppings, no weird names, a simple patty & bun combination, with some ketchup & mustard, maybe a couple slices of pickle.

Of course, the patty has to be of good quality as well, preferably beef, because that's what a burger is really all about, otherwise the carnivorous taste would be diffused amongst all that flavor, at least in my opinion. So anyway, without further ado, as they say, I've put up a poll to gauge what's most important in a burger. I hope you all participate-bring a friend, too.

Elections '09: Thinking Out Loud

What defines a 'good' candidate? Is it someone who can make miracles for his constituents from within the Ministries Complex? Or is it someone who can win against the Government in a shouting match? Or is it someone who can successfully make small but evelasting changes to Kuwait's social & economic DNA towards the realization of tribal or political ends?

Actually, some would say that a 'good' candidate is someone who had made some positive achievements, or whose stand on certain issues are 'admirable', or even someone who did not waste time in helping out his constituents in getting jobs or overseas medical treatment or scholarships for their kids or something. 

But that's during or after a Parliament...what about during elections?

In my humble opinion, a 'good' candidate is someone who portrays himself-through his words-as a leader and a visionary. It's someone who is able to identify and provide practical solutions-however simplistic-to a running or upcoming problem or crisis. It's someone who is able to accurately gauge Kuwait's needs (not just the Kuwaiti Individual) and presents a reformation program to address these needs.

Kuwait needs a revamped educational program, a well-supplied health care system, a sound economic plan, a practical social development plan, since it's only when these issues are addressed correctly can we turn towards addressing the individual needs, such as job security, family planning, housing, etc.

Thinking out loud, I believe that an ideal candidate is someone who;

-Calls for prioritizing educational reforms as opposed to segregating classrooms.

-Promotes the Government Stimulus plan, not free cash handouts

-Provides practical alternatives to Oil as the country's source of income and energy, and not it's further utilization.

-Understands the theories behind 'Socialism' and 'Capitalism', and can employ these theories in his speeches and programs.

-Is, by nature, pragmatic, not a politician.

-Is not related in any way to a tribal or  religiously-inspired political movement

If we find any candidates that fit this description, we've got ourselves some winners! F

Fingers Crossed!

Saleh Al Mulla: Get Well Soon!

I don't usually read the weekend papers until later in the afternoon, so I was shocked when I learned during lunch that MP Saleh Al Mulla had suffered a heart condition recently.

I hope he pulls through it safely, Kuwait needs someone like him, especially in these times of uncertainty and threats.

I hardly know the man, I didn't even spent the effort to visit his electoral headquarters, and I'm not even registered in his district, but I see in him the man who is best capable to represent me and what I believe in, and I'm sure there are many like me that feel the same way.

I hope he gets well soon, Kuwait and it's people need him, and there's still a lot of work to be done.

Useful thoughts for Useless People.

If you were one of those registered voters who didn't vote in 2008, or realized that you'dvoted for the wrong people, then you're as useless as MP Mohammed Hayef's Questions to the Prime Minister! It's very easy for the potential voters to get lost among all the statements and actions of the current and future Candidates, so I decided to shed some light on some of the issues that we, as voters, should be hearing from the Candidates in the upcoming elections:

1. Housing: Calls to allocate adequate residential areas for Kuwaiti families, reducing the waiting time from 15 years to 5 max. Advantage: Productive society
2. Employment: Calls to employ more skilled and educated people in both the private and government sector, and to 'enhance' the currently employed workforce with more skill sets, reducing bureaucracy and increasing efficiency. Advantage: Professional workforce.
3. Updating Government salaries: More and more people are asking for special allowances in accordance with the nature of their jobs; Judges, Engineers, Firemen, etc...by increasing the minimum salaries to compensate for cost of living, the government would have a more streamlined balance sheet, and reduce the cost of 'Social Allowance' benefits. Advantage: Lower operating costs for the Government
4. Education: Calls to update the Kuwaiti Educational system in line with the existing plan laid out by Ms. Nouriya Al Sabeeh and give it time to mature. Advantage: A brighter student community.
5. Higher Education: Calls to revoke previously-awarded accreditation to shady and questionable universities & colleges overseas, thereby reducing the corrupted rubbish they throw back at us! Advantage: A more enlightened and educated workforce.
6. Health: Calls to renovate all the existing Hospitals, and proceed with building 4 new ones within 3-4 years. Advantage: A Healthier society & more job opportunities.
7. Economy: Calls for extreme measures with long-lasting solutions to combat the current financial crisis, not a band-aid! Also, calls for an oversight & legislative body with executive authority to regulate the KSE. Advantage: Better resource allocation, gradual economic sustainability.
8. Stateless: Calls to deny the Kuwaiti Nationality to those that do not meet the minimum requirements, and to offer residency permits to the rest, while restricting their activities based on educational qualifications and worth to society. Advantage: Less cannon fodder to the opportunists.
9. Women in Leadership: Calls to encourage skilled women to take up leadership positions within the government. Advantage: Utilizing untapped skillsets within the workforce.
10. Security: Calls to closely monitor and scrutinize the internal security of the country by establishing a system of checks & balances that would off-set the misuse of 'Wasta' in issuing Kuwaiti Nationalities. Advantage: A more stable government & society (in many ways!)

At the same time, one should be suspicious of those that call for the following:

1. Loan write-offs, buyouts, reductions
2. Segregation of sexes in educational and work areas
3. Implementation of religious jurisprudence in all affairs of state
4. Stopping the removal of Diwaniyas & other unlicensed structures
5. Increasing employment in government and private sectors without a career path
6. Increasing allowances over and above basic salaries
7. Nationalization of all Bedoon on "humanitarian grounds"!
8. Amending the constitution to include such issues as the enforcement of Sharia as the 'only' source of legislation, and the limitation of executive and/or oversight powers of the MP's.
9. Public attacks on members of the government and ruling family
10. Shouting off about everything and basically saying nothing new!

I could go on.....but I think you get the idea.

A Whopper in the Whopper!

Apparently, this report shows some poor junk-food junkie bit into a condom! Not much news, right? But he's suing Burger King for pain and suffering, distress and medical expenses as a result.

Good luck with that flying off in Kuwait! The best you'd get would be a coupon for a free meal!

GPS and Kuwait

In a world of technological advancements and constant lack of time, devices have been invented to aid and assist us in performing many (if not all) of our daily chores. Alarm clocks to wake you up for work, automobiles to drive you to work, traffic lights and roads to allow you to drive to work safely and efficiently (sometimes!), elevators to lift you up to your office, networked PC's to aid your work load, a coffee machine to keep you pumped up, etc. etc..

Not all of them were affordable, or powerful enough, or even portable, however. For example, the first-ever computer was so large it was built permanently inside a factory! The Computers that were used in the Apollo 11 & 12 missions were less powerful than some of today's high-school calculators! The same goes for GPS navigation devices.

I remember back in 2000, an 'affordable' hand-held GPS device from Garmin was as big as a 0.5ml bottle of water, and was only able to provide small monochrome screens that displayed coordinates and destination tracking. But today, right now, in fact, I own a GPS-enabled mobile phone with much more features & functions, and at approximately half the price of a standalone GPS device of 7 years ago.

Do I need it? In tiny Kuwait, of all places? Well, it's a big YES! Nowadays, GPS devices come pre-installed with localized maps that show you directions and places of interest on anything from the main highway to the smallest grocery store, with recommendations for alternatives as well! More of a 'piece of mind' kind of thing, its useful to have a GPS on board, especially if you're looking for something for the very first time, like a private medical consultant's office, or the nearest Police Station or clinic, or a camping area.

Desert navigation is where the GPS is best used. If all else fails, and you're lost somewhere in the desert at 12am, with no lights whatsoever, just consult your GPS and ask it to drive you home, that simple.

One thing is for sure, ill sure be using my brand new GPS device for some off-road navigation this winter!

Is Kuwait Safe?

I've been sounding like the boy who cried "Wolf!" recently about this Nuclear Iran thing, but the fact of the matter is, it's scaring the hell out of me, pure and simple!

We've been bombarded by newspaper headlines about corruption and setbacks within the Government and the Parliament, while avoiding or refusing to see the more immediate dangers facing us as a nation-A workable Nuclear Power Plant, just 300KM's from Kuwait City!

(Yet again!) Think about it; We're a stone's throw away from a potential Nuclear catastrophe. Whatever may happen in the Nuclear Plant at Bushehr WILL affect us in Kuwait, be it a military strike or an industrial accident, or simply operational hazards.

What if the plant seeps out nuclear waste into the Gulf, while we in Kuwait are almost 100% totally dependant on the Gulf for our water supply?

What if the Nuclear plant experiences an accident that may somehow forces it to leak radiation into the atmosphere? Cancer cases in Kuwait would spike almost overnight!

What if Iran, prone to earthquakes, suffers a damaging earthquake that affects the plant? Cracks in the core, or damage to the cooling mechanisms, or whatever would spill out into the open.

Logically, Iran must have instituted a dedicated team of experts and agents, both to defend it's Nuclear program and to protect the general population from any catastrophes, but with less than 300KM's, we in Kuwait would actually be able to see and smell them working!

How would Kuwait's civilian population be evacuated? Where would it be evacuated to? How fast would it react efficiently before order and law completely broke down? How long before Kuwait would be safe to live in again?

We are in no position to re-allocate the country or it's citizens to a safer haven, nor do we have the capability to mitigate the potential nuclear threat by running into the ground to escape the nuclear fallout. And unless the Kuwaiti Government has plans to vacate one of our Oil fields and convert it into an underground city (like in the SciFi movies) there's absolutely no way for Kuwait to outlive a nucear disaster. No one in history did it, not even Hiroshima & Nagasaki, who are till this day, recording high radiation levels, almost 70 years after WWII.

The more affluent of Kuwait would quickly fly to Europe and stay in their homes or apartments until 'a solution' is found, leaving the rest of the masses to drive south to Saudi Arabia, or West to Jordan/Syria/Egypt/Lebanon, and live out the rest of their lives as refugees.

Girl with 8 limbs faces surgery

This story struck me as totally wierd! A 2 year old girl who, while still as a fetus, was joined with another twin, was born with organs for 2 people, both inside and outside ger body.

But what really touched me is the way the Indians are handling it. For example, the owners of the hospital he's in have decided to operate on her on their own expenses, using 30 doctors and a small army of medical support staff and-logically-heaps of expensive medical equipment and supplies...all for free!

This form of benevolence is not uncalled for in our part of the world, but in other forms, like government spending on overseas treatment of the common cold during the summer time!

Science Meets Science Fiction: Human-Animal Hybrids are possible!

Sounds something from the X-Files, doesn't it?! But it's true. Read on...

Not many people enjoy-or even want to tolerate-Science Fiction works. To each his own, I guess. I'm a big SciFi fan myself, as previously blogged. I enjoy how Scifi reflects the borderline between human imagination and scientific achievements. If you think about it, many avenues of technology we consume and use in our daily lives are either offshoots of science fiction or a result of it. Scientists like Einstein, Oppenheimer, Heisenberg,

For example, Jules Verne , H.G. Wells , and my favorite Scifi author, Isaac Asimov, have all been termed the "Fathers of Science Fiction" in one time or another. Their novels have inspired scientists and inventors to come one step closer to such Human achievements like Space Exploration, the Appolo moon landings, the Skylab project, the Hubble Space Telescope, underground dwelling concepts as a deterrent to Nuclear wars, Undersea dwellings for research, even the creation of Robotics, Bio-mechanics and Quantum Physics as new fields of science, to name a few examples.

Another example, take the Star Trek Teleportation Devices, where people are 'beamed' from the spaceship to another with the kind assistance of Scotty!! Research has shown that at some point in quantum mechanics, it had actually been created in a lab, using sub-atomic particles of light, but nevertheless, it's proved the theory!

Again, taking a Star Trek adaptation, Warp Speed. New research based on previous research has proven-in theory-that Warp speed, or FTL (faster-than-light) travel may be possible, and that it's simply a matter of enough energy generated to enact this in fact, and the invention of 'exotic matter' to build the engines...not far off, but one step closer!

Another popular SciFi literature, Buck Rogers, utilized Einsteins paper 'On the Quantum Theory of Radiation' initiated - albeit loosely - the concept of the Ray Gun, or the Laser, which is being used in different ways, even right now on our CD/DVD devices.

My point is, with imagination and creativity, science can re-create science fiction. But what this report shows is sheer imagination in practice!! Imagine humans cross-bred with animals, and you'll see what I mean. The Ethical problems alone outweigh any Religious decisions to begin with, but it's research drawn from a creative community of scientists, inspired by Creative works like Science Fiction.

Of course, the scientists discuss the research as a tool to find out how Stem Cells can be manipulated more efficiently to suite humanity. Again, drawing from Science Fiction, and more closely, Star Trek's "Eugenics Wars". (I just HAD to put that in there!!)

Dream on...maybe we can find someone that can alter the weather so it'll be a standar 23 degrees celsuis all year :)

Something ugly's about to happen....

We live in dangerous times, I understand that very well. If anything, the Government should be very concerned with the internal security of the state, especially so during these trying times. The MOI's State Security Apparatus should be ever-vigilant in it's mandate to protect the State, the government and the people of the country from all Domestic and International threats. One thing concerns me, though...

We share borders with three major powers: Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran, and all three affect Kuwait's stability and security in more ways than one can imagine. If anything, the bombings of 1983 and the attack on the late Emir's motorcade back in 1985 are a testament to the need of the state to protect itself and it's citizens and leadership.

True, the State Security Apparatus in Kuwait has dealt with numerous homicides, political grey area cases and blue-collar crimes with excellent (near-perfect) success in the past, and should be well-commended for it's vigilance in these issues.

Case in point, however, what business do they have in apprehending a website administrator when there are hundreds of illegal residents thriving on 'wasta' and 'bakhsheesh' and other forms of corruption to stay in the country, flooding the markets with contaminated and fraudulent goods, destabilizing the economy and security of the country? What concern is it of theirs in arresting two journalists for anonymous comments posted on a public forum when corruption runs rampant and loyalties are bought & sold openly at campaign headquarters during the Kuwaiti elections? Where are these fighting men of the Interior from those that dare to sow the seeds of ethnic segregation and tribal supremacy in a country built on principles of equality and free association?

Has the position of "Emir" become more important than the continued supply of power and water and security for the country's residents? Is it not a security threat to have a power shortage? Imagine Kuwait completely blacked out because of a brownout; Food will be spoilt due to lack of refrigeration, Oil production-the country's main and only source of income and hard currency-will cease, Shops and stores will be looted, emergency services will be overwhelmed, hospitals will be filled with patients that need special attention and road accidents, etc.. In other words, total social collapse. Is this not a state security threat? I don't see the Security men detaining those responsible for negligence as far back as the power outage in 2004!

The Emir of Kuwait is the father figure for us Kuwaitis, and is to be respected and followed, and I do not accept nor allow anyone to attack his office of responsibility, as it represents the Kuwaiti Populace as well as the constitution, first and foremost.

However, let us not forget the responsibilities of the father towards his children.

I forsee more trouble as a result of the recent detention of the two journalists a few days ago, and believe it to be the first of many salvoes of attacks against the current state of affairs in Kuwait. I also predict that, if things are not in order, Kuwait will resort to further chaos and economic stasis very soon, while at the same time, it's neighbours will welcome the 21st century with social, economic, academic and democratic progress rapidly, and with super-heated vigor.

If it turns out that, the apprehension of the two journalists was constitutional and legally sanctioned, the I completely condone the MOI for their vigilance. If, however, it is proven that it acted with blatant disregard for constitutional rights and procedures, and without the due process of the Law of the Land, then I condemn it as an apparatus of an emerging dictatorship that is thriving uncheked among the political and constutional ignorance of the general public and the elected Parliament.

Today, it's two journalists we read about in the newspapers, but what about tomorrow, when it's your son or daughter??

Medical Charts

These are actual writings from various hospital charts.

1. The patient refused an autopsy.
2. The patient has no previous history of suicides.
3. Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.
4. She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband states she was very hot in bed last night.
5. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.
6. On the second day, the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.
7. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.
8. The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.
9. Discharge status: Alive but without permission.
10. Healthy appearing decrepit 69-year old male, mentally alert but forgetful.
11. Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.
12. She is numb from her toes down.
13. While in ER, she was examined, x-rated, and sent home.
14. The skin was moist and dry.
15 Occasional, constant infrequent headaches.
16. Patient was alert and unresponsive.
17. Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.
18. She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life, until she got a divorce.
19. I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.
20. Both breasts are equal and reactive to light and accommodation.
21. Examination of genitalia reveals that he is circus sized.
22. The lab test indicated abnormal lover function.
23. Skin: somewhat pale but present.
24. The pelvis exam will be done later on \nthe floor.
25. Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities. "

Kuwait's Success Story: Cookies & Cream

I had an opportunity to visit the nice new shop at Bneid Al Gar. This shop is a choco-holic's dream come true: cookies, brownies, truffles, cakes, muffins, you name it, they make it. None of that 'diet' stuff either, it's all full-cream, butter & Nutella-filled goodies!!

The great thing about it is, it's run by a nice young Kuwaiti woman, who is as cheerful as she is passionate about her creations, and doesn't mind one bit if you tried all of her creations before you buy.

How to get there is fairly easy if you know how to get to those 'Iranian Kebab' shops just off the main highway in Bneid Al Gar, just drive past them and take a right, you'll find it on your right, no problems. Click on this link to get the map.... BYO Coffee!

Kuwait Prepares for War with Iran

In my earlier post, I talked about the Gulf Area's readiness to confront an attack on Iran by U.S. & (possibly) coalition forces in the area, under the pretext of a continuation of the War on Terror. And much earlier in the year, there were some reports (here and here and here and here) about escalation stages leading up to a final confrontation between Iran and it's 'enemies'.

The U.S.A. has 2 Aircraft Carrier Groups within the Gulf Area, U.S.S. Stennis and Nimitz, not counting it's forward deployment and support bases littered all over the GCC Countries (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, U.A.E., Qatar, Bahrain, Oman) as well as bases in Turkey, Diego Garcia and Eastern Europe.

For comparison one Carrier Group has - on average - over 80 Aircraft, 50 of them are fixed-wing attack aircraft. This means that there are about 150 attack aircraft targeting Iran launchin from U.S. carriers alone!

There's also a French Carrier Group around the area, the Charles De Gaulle, which I'm assuming is part of the Combined Task Force 150 currently based in Bahrain, along with the U.S. 5th Fleet.

Well, now everybody's talking about it openly, and it's being mentioned more frequently than ever before (psychologically preparing the masses??). The following was printed in one of Kuwait's newspapers today, (an English Kuwaiti newspaper also reported it here)representative of Kuwait's state of preparedness in the event that Iran becomes the U.S.'s next target:

• Fuel: 35 days' worth
• Water: 2.3 million Imperial Gallons, enough for 3 months
• Medicines: 6 months
• Food: 6 months
• Blood Bank: ample supplies
• Electricity: Small portable electricity generating units are available.
• Security plan:to combat any uprisings, violent demonstrations that may erupt around the borders.

Consider this: Kuwait is only 300Km's away from the Bushehr Nuclear Reactor. If Iran was hit.....POOF! Just like that, the nuclear dust - alone - that would rise from Bushehr would effectively cover the entire northern coast of the Gulf-inlcuding Kuwait.

The nuclear comtamination would eliminate Kuwait's stored water, food and blood supplies and Oil for the next 100 years. Anyone living in Kuwait would soon develop cancers & diseases as a result of the contamination, and NO CURE IN THIS WORLD would be of much use.

All indications show some sort of showdown some time later in 2007, maybe after the summer, when all the currently-running and previously planned training exercises are complete, and readiness reports are issued to the commanders all over the area. Or maybe when the weather is adequate enough for Air operations (fair & clear skies, calm waters, etc.)

This means we all have until the end of Summer to consider migrating to a safer corner on this 3rd rock from the sun!

A Greener Apple, and a Greener Response

This is what I call corporate responsibility! Apple's Steve Jobs has responded to many campaigners, asking him to remove all environmentally-unfriendly chemicals and elements within Apple's product lines by 2008. He's even issued a statement in response to these campaigners. Way to go Steve! If I can find just one Kuwaiti company that has some sort of environmentally-aware prorgam, I'd be just that much happier (i won't be complaining as much!)

WARNING: Dieting Actually Damages Your Health!

I KNEW IT!!! I've always known it! I always felt in in my bones, discouraged myself from following it through or even condoning it to any of my well-rounded acquaintances...dieting in any way, shape or form is counter productive to any healthy weight loss program, as outlined in this article, and again in this article.

Now, if these articles are anything to go by, this means that relaxing in front of a TV, watching your favorite show or the latest DVD, or playing your favorite PS2/3 game. Personally, I've always preferred a Big Mac Meal (Super-sized, with Sprite), a Double-Cheesburger (with egg) and a box of Chicken Mc Nuggets, all being enjoyed while watching the latest (AHEM) downloaded episode of Battlestar Galactica or Lost or The Unit, or even the Leno/O'Brien/Letterman shows. Basically, anything that involves lazing about & NOT dieting!

Of course, that doesn't mean one goes to town with the closest refrigerator, or gets superglued in front of the TV or computer either....although I-for one-will understand if that happens! It just means that one has the basic three square meals per day, with lots of healthy, good liquids, along the lines of a moderate, healthy program.

My all-time favorite would be a home-made sandwich, filled with a light layer of mayonnaise, iceberg lettuce, buffalo tomatoes, Edam cheese and slices of Beef Mortadella, all lightly garnished with some naughty Tabasco Sauce and Ketchup...dee-lish! A couple of these beauties, coupled with a cup of icy-cold 7-Up and a side order of fries or salted chips would make for a very tasty and healthy lunch or dinner.

To see if you're a healthy eater, try this test....Bon Apetite!

Programmed Admission of Fault = No Punishment for being careless!

I woke up this morning, switched on the bedroom lights, walked to the bathroom, switched on the lights there and began my daily routine of washing up & dressing up for work. Switched everything off & left home in my car. In short, my usual routine, which is the same for just about every working man or woman, give or take a few alterations or so in the routine (driving kids to school, dropping off spouse, picking up breakfast, etc.)

It never occurred to me to consider - in this time, in this day & age - that my government, the Kuwaiti Government, whose Emir has just donated KD 8 Million to establish a world-class Cardiac Treatment Center "Along the lines of St. Luke's Roosevelt Center in the USA, has begun to ration the country's Electricity & Water services.

I never imagined that a country like Kuwait, whose companies include those that have the bargaining power to purchase Globally-successful Automobiles like Aston Martin, and DaimlerChrysler, and whose banks have worldwide coverage and amazing Returns On Investments, would have a Ministry of Electricity & Power (and not a privatized power company yet), whose employees present the audacity to ration these essential services to the consumers! Those very same consumers that buy & use Aston Martins, DaimlerChryslers and Maybachs, and bank with the best banks of the world, let alone the country!

This is what Kuwait has been reduced to; A bunch of inept government employees making brain farts that pass off as ideas & decisions to other, similar manufacturers of Greenhouse gases in higher levels of the government, and who actually approve this sort of action.

OK, agreed, last year's fiasco is being mitigated and will be addressed properly in due course, but why did it take so long in the first place, one has to ask..why, after the constant outages througout Kuwait over the last 3 years (yes, it's been that long) was there no effort-until late last year-to combat the rising demands of power & water?

Sadly, I'm fearful that images such as this will be more common in the near future.