Illegal Taxis

It seems some expats are taking advantage of people needing rides to the base now. Who needs a license when they can use their private vehicles to take people around Kuwait. It's all good until someone gets into a problem with these guys. I watch as the gang pull up and drop people off with money exchanged, I think it's like 3 KD from Mangaf area to the base which is 15-20 minutes away. After dropping people off they stand around harassing people trying to get more business.

It's bad enough with the legitimate taxis stopping for people and making accidents, now we have to watch out for private ones as well? Some expats are out of control.

Augmentin Antibotics banned in UAE

I wonder if this is the same one they give out here. Every time I take my kids to the clinic they give Augmentin like it's going out of style.


"The Ministry of Health has banned an antibiotic medicine commonly used for the treatment of children after it was found unit for human use.

The health authorities have issued a circular to all pharmacies, medical centres and hospitals to withdraw Augmentin 250 Suspension with Batch No. 517,999 and manufactured by pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline.

Dr. Amin Hussein Al Amiri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health and Assistant Undersecretary for Medical Practices and Licences, Chairman of the Vigilance Committee Pharmaceuticals, said the circular was part of the ministry's keenness to preserve the public interest and community health.

The health ministry has asked the manufacturer to withdraw the product from the market because it contains small pieces of plastic in the medicine which got mixed while manufacturing. The ministry also asked the manufacturer not to import new contaminated bottles from the same batch as the medicine is unfit for human use.

The ministry has asked the manufacturer to provide registration and administration details of the drug and also the results of the withdrawal, Dr. Amiri said.

The manufacturer has also been asked to ensure supply of medicine from the other batch numbers so there is no shortage of the medicine in the market.

The Ministry of Health also alerted healthcare practitioners to inform their patients in this regard to avoid using drug from this batch if they have it at home.

Dr. Amiri advised that in case of any side effects, please fill out the form for side effects of the drug ADR which is available on http://www.cpd-pharma.ae or contact the following numbers: Telephone: 02-6117391 or 6117642 or Fax 02-6313742 or email pv@moh.gov.ae.

The undersecretary confirmed that this warning is directed to all healthcare practitioners to follow their patients, pointing out that the circular was distributed to all stakeholders and relevant health and bodies operating in the country."

I will have to keep an eye out for this product.

US rapper 50 Cent to play Dubai in October

US rapper 50 Cent to play Dubai in October - Arts - ArabianBusiness.com:

 Hip-hop star 50 Cent is perform in Dubai in October.

The 'In da Club' star will headline the Atelier/Festival on Friday 19 October at Meydan.
50 Cent, real name Curtis Jackson, will bring his band G-UNIT, made up of Tony Yayo, Kidd Kidd and Paris.
The rapper was scheduled to perform at a Shoppiesta gig in Dubai last year, but pulled out at the last minute.
He is sure to be joined on the bill a raft of US music stars, following on from the first Atelier festival in April, which featured Ne-Yo, Leona Lewis, Jay Sean, Natasha Bedingfield, Taio Cruz, Skylar Grey, Edward Maya and the Sugababes’ Amelle.
Organisers are expecting up to 20,000 people at the festival to see 50 Cent perform tracks including his latest release 'New Day'.
Atelier founder Mac.S.Far said: “50 Cent is a legend in urban, hip-hop and rap, and is a brand himself. All people of all ages know him and are familiar with his music, which is perfect for this all-ages music festival. Without exaggeration, in my opinion, he is the most popular hip-hop/rap artist that lives.”

Now all of the 50 cent wannabes aka 50 fils can go visit their favorite rapper. If they bring Eminem then all of the wannabe rappers who hang out in Salmiya would have their dreams fulfilled.

Funny Stuff

Failblog is great.

Will Heritage Village ever be Completed?

I'm sure most people have seen the block across from Sharq Mall which is supposed to be the location of Kuwait's "Heritage Village". Until now it hasn't been completed even though they started the project in 2007. Does anyone know what happened to it? I tried to contact the real estate company but all the contact numbers and email aren't working. I was really looking forward to it being built and hope one day it can be completed.

They have pictures of what it's supposed to look like on their website (link). I didn't see any updates past 2010. 

Old Kuwaiti Houses- Salmiya

These are some of the last remaining houses behind Marina Mall and they sit on prime real estate. I think the first pictured building is going to be demolished as it evicted the stores that were located there. The other houses are on the opposite side of the road and are fenced in as well waiting for a buyer. Where is the National Council of Culture, Arts and Letters? Why isn't this council trying to save the few remaining buildings?

Is someone doesn't stand up to save these buildings they will be lost forever.

Hoodlums breaking bus Windows

On Friday, the last night of Ramadan I was on my way home around 8 pm when I stopped at the traffic light two cars behind a public transport bus. I notices a group of teenage boys gathered beside the bus and kicking and banging on the doors. They pulled the rubber off one of the windows and the glass came crashing down. As I pulled up with my camera they were in shock to see me filming their faces and took off running. Later on I saw two of the boys from the incident walking on the street close to my building. I went to the Abu Halaifa police station to report the incident.

When I arrived there were four policemen sitting on their butts drinking tea and chit chatting which was not surprising at all. I showed one of the guys my video and reported to them what I saw. They couldn't care less about the situation. The officer told me " yeah ok, I will send someone out there" BS he didn't send anyone even though I told them exactly where the boys were.

I decided to take a drive around the area and spotted them in front of their apartment building. They got the shocked when they saw me pull up again with my camera recording them. They took off running as I caught them on video. I pulled around to the front of their building and a greasy Arab mechanic guy came up to me asking what happened. I told him I saw them break the windows and his response was that everyone knows they are trouble makers and just go on. I told him it was people like him who enable these kids to continue to terrorize everyone.

No one cares, not the parents, police or witnesses and that's why the violence continues. Everyone chooses to look the other way until they become victims.

Cow slaughter outside my Window

Yesterday was quite a day for me. I woke up to my daughter telling me there's a cow downstairs in the dirt lot. I saw a poor cow in the back of a truck that had been there all night and it was so tired. I took my kids to see it and the worker guy told me it was for the Eid and they were going to butcher it. That afternoon we returned home to find the Indian workers had hog tied the cow and was going to butcher them right there in front of the apartments in front of everyone. I started yelling at them from the window and threw an egg to get their attention. I had just came back from the hospital with a sprained ankle and couldn't move fast enough and hoped to get there before they killed it.

I hobbled down to the dirt lot and went over to the cow and started yelling at them not to kill it there. I guess it really shocked them and they got confused. I told them in Arabic to take it somewhere else and kill it not in front of kids. Finally a old Kuwaiti man and the haris backed me up. The next step was to get the cow back on the truck and that took forever. It was one of the saddest things I saw and I couldn't let it happen that day.

Here is the videos, caution it's pretty graphic:

The second part:

I tried to explain to them that it was a dairy cow not a cow to eat but I don't think anyone cares here. This is definitely not the halal way of killing an animal and they should be ashamed and punished for what they did.

Expat students exempt from overdue tuition fee - UAE

Something that would never happen here, they won't even help citizens get out of debt.

Expat students exempt from overdue tuition fee - Emirates 24/7:

All expatriate students at Abu Dhabi public schools were exempted from overdue tuition fees for the past three years upon directives from the President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
A total of 15,750 expatriate students in Abu Dhabi will be exempt from paying a total Dh192 million according to Sheikh Khalifa's generous initiative, Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) said in a statement.
The most recent generous initiative by Sheikh Khalifa aims to provide dignified life and stability for all residents of the UAE and to relieve their families of financial burdens ahead of the Eid El Fitr and the forthcoming new academic year as the government of the emirate of Abu Dhabi places education as a top priority and a pillar of development and growth as well as of the country's efforts to achieve excellence and put the UAE on par with advanced nations and promote creative competitiveness, Adec said.
Relieving the expatriate families of financial burdens will positively reflect on the community as they are part of the social fabric the preservation of which is among the government's high priorities, Adec noted.
The UAE nationals, the nationals of other GCC countries, children of UAE national women, children of diplomats, orphans sponsored by UAE nationals, families who already benefit from previous decrees issued by Sheikh Khalifa and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai

People can be so rude Sometimes

As a Muslim American working on an American military base I have seen many sides of people. Being from California I know about life on that side of the states and some things about the south as my family lives in that part. I've since learned about the differences in culture and the English language as well. I never knew about the lives of people in some of the states like NC/SC, they are totally different that Californians.

Those who are close to me know that I am a Muslim but I don't display it because of the way people think about Muslims or Kuwaitis. They compare me with Kuwaitis because I've been here so long and I associate with Kuwaitis rather than Americans. A little while ago one of the guys in my section was asking me about some passes for the ports, I told him Eid is coming up and all agencies will be closed for a while. He made some comment about people should work for their money and so on.

I have to really bite my tongue working here. People just talk all kinds of crap about the religion, about Kuwaitis and so on and I try to ignore it because if I don't I may get into a big fight and lose my job. When he made the comment about working I said I'm Muslim and I'm working. He was rather shocked and asked how long I had been Muslim, I told him since I was 2 as my mother converted when she was young. His response was "Oh, I'm sorry" in which I replied "Well, I'm not". People tend to think I converted because I married my husband but that's not always the case. He's the second American in my company to say "oh, I'm sorry" when they find out I'm Muslim.

The other guy was a manager and starting saying negative things about Kuwaitis when I told him my husband was Kuwaiti. Do these people have no shame or are they just flat out ignorant? If someone comes to me and talks about their religion I just listen without commenting as it's their right to practice what they want. Many times I've been confronted by people trying to convert me back but I just smile and walk away because I'm comfortable with my self and my religion. After my daughter was verbally attacked in Pensacola Florida for wearing hijab I would not consider going back to the states. Kuwait may have it's faults but at least I know we won't be persecuted for our beliefs.

Eid Holidays 2012

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 14, (KUNA): The Civil Service Commission announced today that Eid holidays will fall on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday in the event that Saturday is determined to be the first day of the holidays.

Moreover, Tuesday will be added to the three days as an extra day of rest, said a statement issued by the Commission.

On the other hand, if it is determined that next Sunday should be the first day of the Eid holidays, then Saturday will be considered an extra day of rest, and the holidays will fall on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Kuwait’s Meteorological Department announced, on Tuesday, that Eid Al-Fitr will fall on Aug 19, completing 30 days of the Holy Month of Ramadan.

In a press statement the department noted that it would be impossible to see the birth of the new moon (the crescent) that ends the holy month of fasting before that day.

He stressed the Eid crescent will be born on Friday, Aug 17, therefore; Aug 18 is going to complete 30 days of the holy month and Eid Al-Fitr will be on Sunday, Aug 19.

Home-based catering is Illegal

A reminder for those selling food from your house. I know of several Americans who cater from their houses. So be aware it's illegal and someone might report you.

Illegal home-based catering businesses thrive in Kuwait

KUWAIT: During the last few years, many have taken to running home-based catering businesses. Many people cook, bake and prepare different food items and sell it to people. Maha is a 35-year- old Kuwaiti wife and employer who started her business about four months ago. She currently sells only two kinds of food items – stuffed onions and vine leaves. “I sell the plate for KD 7, and the quantity is substantial. I sell at a cheaper rate than a restaurant, and is cleaner, as I supervise it myself at home. Customers have to call me a day in advance to prepare their order for the next day,” she told the Kuwait Times.

“I began this as a hobby, and then I turned it into business, as my husband encouraged me. Now I prepare the food and my husband delivers it. I do most of the work, and the maid helps me sometimes. I only sell this food to relatives and friends. Maybe in the future, I will expand my business to new  customers. I have never heard of having to obtain license for conducting any home-based activity. No one I know who is into this business possess a license,” she added.

Expatriates are active in this business. Umm Ahmad is an Egyptian citizen entered the field more than three years. “If my business was not successful, I would not continue in it for more than three years. Nobody ever asked me to produce a license, as people have tried my cooking and trust me. My reputation is testimony to the quality of my products,” said Umm Ahmad who specializes in selling appetizers.

These businesses are considered illegal as no licenses are obtained from the Municipality or the Ministry of Commerce. The Municipality is responsible for checking the safety and cleanliness of food in restaurants. There is no authority that checks on this. A source from the PR and Municipality noted that the Municipality warns people against selling homemade food products. “The inspectors from Municipality can go to any house that sells such unlicensed products and may even disrupt power supply to the homes. Inspectors enter homes after obtaining a warrant from the Public Prosecution Department, which may take a day or two. A new proposal is being discussed which will allow the them to enter homes without it,” he pointed out.

He said that inspectors from Asima governorate of Municipality have cut off electricity supply in Dahiyat Abdulah Al-Salem for holding unlicensed exhibitions. “They first issued a three day notice, when they failed comply, electricity was cut off. The inspectors usually act upon a complaint made by neighbors, and people can always complain to the nearest Municipality. “In fact we have violations committed by people from different nationalities. We also detained a bus that was delivering about 700 meals made by an unlicensed kitchen, so we confiscated it,” stressed the source. The rules apply to those promoting food stuff or other products at malls. According to the source, only products from a licensed food company can be sold.

Old Kuwaiti house near Kuwait City

 My husband took me to this house near Kuwait City. I guess he thought it was some kind of museum but it turns out to be a place that sells expensive Moroccan items. When we entered the house was loaded with Moroccan furniture, doors, tables and so much more. When we asked about a beautiful ornate door we were told it was over 1000KD. not within our budget. As I took pictures a Moroccan lady came and told me I couldn't take pictures because of people copying the items or something like that.

I wasn't interested in the items only the house itself. After some chit chat we left but I couldn't get over the beauty of the house. So simple yet so elegant.

They do have beautiful Moroccan pieces, I guess I will have to visit my in-laws in Morocco to get a better deal.

It's freaking Hot!

This is at 1 pm on my way home from work. Hot!!!!!!

Fireman killed in traffic Accident

Fireman killed in traffic accident | Kuwait Times: KUWAIT:

A firefighter died and three of his colleagues were injured in a horrific traffic accident while responding to the call of duty. General Fire Department staff expressed in a press statement yesterday their great sadness at the death of Sergeant Yousef Talaq Al-Rasheedi and the injury of three of his fellow firefighters from Al-Mangaf fire station. The department staff added that the accident occurred when the group of firefighters headed to Fahd Al-Ahmad area after receiving a call from the operation center informing them about a family trapped inside a residential elevator.
Lieutenant Hussein Ashkanani, Sergeant Mohammad Zabin Al-Mutairi, Sgt Yousef Talaq Al-Rasheedi and Corporal Mishari Al-Kharaza were all inside the fire car which was involved in an accident, preventing them from arriving to Fahd Al-Ahmad, they added. “The other firefighters sustained fractures and bruises and were administered first aid before being admitted to Al-Adan Hospital,” the staff said, noting that the Deputy Director of General Fire Dept Brigadier Yousef Al-Ansari and Deputy General Director Brigadier Khaled Al-Mukrad and a number of commanders and firefighters visited the injured firefighters at the hospital. The department prayed Allah the Almighty to accept the martyr, heal the injured and save everyone from all harm.

Such a sad accident. May his soul rest in peace.

The Mask Party

H - Entertainment presents (THE MASK PARTY) Featuring: Dj Acid, Dj UD, Dj MJ, Dj RJ.. Entry: Female 6kd / Male 8kd.. Time: 6pm until midnight.. Date: august 23rd, thursday.. Location: Asia Asia, Al wathiya complex, Kuwait City, Behind Sheraton hotel.. First floor... Tickets available at the venue.. More info contact: 55 083 733/ 50 506 371 /50 616 617... Thanks..!

AWARE Center Activities- Eid in Kuwait and other Gulf States

AWARE Center: 14 Aug 2012, 8:00 pm By Noura Al-Zouman

Muslims conclude Ramadan with a big celebration of Eid. What does Eid mean? It is an Arabic word which stands for festivity. Eidul Fitr is a three-day holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. It is also an occasion where people show gratitude to God as well as being more kind and generous to their fellow human beings. All those interested in the topic are welcome at AWARE on August 14th, 2012 at 8:00pm. Noura Alzouman is a Kuwaiti - majored in English and graduated from the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET). She currently teaches English at Alshaya Elementary School. This year, she was nominated one of the three most distinct teachers in her school. She is fluent in both Arabic and English, and has intermediate reading, writing and speaking skills in French. She loves traveling and cooking and spends most of her free time doing so.

Kuwaiti Christians

Yes, there are Kuwaiti Christians living in Kuwait...

The vast majority of Christians in Kuwait are foreigners, although there are native Christians in Kuwait. Roughly 200 Christians in Kuwait are locals/natives, who have Kuwaiti citizenship. Around 50 of them are considered to be 'Kuwaiti', despite originally coming from Turkey and Iraq, as they and their families have been in Kuwait for over a hundred years, and speak Arabic with a Kuwaiti dialect. They have more or less assimilated into Kuwaiti society, with no trace of their original homeland in their cuisine or culture. The rest, roughly 150 or so, are more recent arrivals in the 1940s, mostly Palestinians who left Palestine after 1948, as well as a few families from Lebanon and Syria. Their dialect and culture remains more Levantine than Kuwaiti, and their cuisine is also a sign of their ties to their original homeland. Although they are not as assimilated as the former group, the latter group is just as patriotic and tend to be proud of their adopted homeland. Most of Kuwait's local Christians belong to 12 large families, with the Shammas (from Turkey) and the Shuhaibar (from Palestine) families being some of the more prominent ones.

Kuwait is the only GCC country besides Bahrain, Qatar and Oman to have a local Christian population.
A 1980 law prohibits the naturalization of non-Muslims. While Muslim Kuwaiti male citizens are allowed to transmit their citizenship to both their spouses and descendants, Christian Kuwaiti males are only allowed to transmit their citizenship to their descendants, and not to their spouses.

In Kuwait, it is not allowed to proselytize Muslims. Christian publishing houses are not permitted. Organized religious education for religious groups other than Islam is prohibited. However, the constitution allows for religious freedom. Many Churches exist in Kuwait, though they are mostly villas and apartment complexes which are rented out by their respective churches and converted into churches. Kuwait's largest cathedral is situated in the eastern part of Kuwait city- Wikipedia

                                                                     (more info)

There are some 350 Kuwaiti Christians by birth today, most of whom belong to 12 large families ,A landmark occurrence for Kuwait’s Evangelical community was the ordination of a Kuwaiti citizen as priest and pastor of National Evangelical Church on January 8, 1999. Emmanuel Benjamin Gharib, born in Kuwait in 1950 and educated in Egypt, is the first Gulf Arab to become head of any Protestant church. “We all feel proud of being Kuwaitis,” he declared. “We were among those who stayed here during the Iraqi occupation.” Gharib told the Kuwaiti press that he planned to initiate Muslim-Christian dialogues in order “to show love for our home which has nearly 200 Christian citizens.” The Evangelical Church embraces more than 40 Evangelical denominations and is frequented by a diverse community of about 16,000 worshippers throughout the week.