I pass by this mosque all the time. At night its just so breath taking that I decided to stop and take some night shots the other day. I'm actually not 100% sure about its name, but thats what I got when I asked about it.

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The family and I went to Youm AlBahar in Salmiya on Friday (talk about crowded). It was really fun getting an idea of what our grandparents must have lived like, it was probably a lot less fun for them though. We watched the dancers dance, and the singers sing, then we rode the human operated children rides, and finally we ate authentic Kuwait yirish. You're going to kill me for this but I actually had to ask the indian sales person to explain to me the difference between Harees and Yirish, and he looked at me like *you're the one in the full lenght abaya, and you're asking me what yirish is?*. I am glad I asked, and I am doubly glad I went with the Yirish because I loved it! Yum yum! Anywho, I recommend going to Youm AlBahar on Friday evenings, I dont know if that is the only knight they put on a show, but its the one I've witnessed. Oh if you'd like to see pictures from Youm AlBahar from another trip we took *click here*.

I hope the flickr video looks fine, I'm not a big fan of moving photos.. but I thought I'd give it a try.

EDIT:

I dont know how to get it to embed the video, it just wont work. So, here is the link to the video *click*

Obama repeatedly shunned soldiers on his way to the Clamshell - a recreation tent - to "take his publicity pictures playing basketball."

Obama was supposedly intended to shake the soldiers hands before he entered the Clamshell.

The statement from Army top-brass?

Obama didn't play basketball at Bagram or visit the Clamshell, she said. Home-state troops were invited to meet him, but his arrival was kept secret for security reasons.

Not that I needed the top brass to verify as much because the now popular Youtube video of Obama swishing a 3-pointer at a foreign base, guess where it is.

Kuwait.

Even the smearers are getting lazy.

-Marc-

This post has three sections: I) Student Desk Arrangement Issues; II.) Features Which Can Disturb Students; and III.) Enhancements Which Can Help Students.

I.) STUDENT DESK ARRANGEMENT ISSUES

Best Directions of Students:

Should students be arranged according to their best directions--either facing their best direction, or with their best direction at their back? I don't think so. In most classrooms, students are moved around every few weeks determined mostly by classroom behavior issues. It would be entirely unworkable for the teacher to calculate each student's best direction, and arrange him according to that plan. If the teacher is arranged according to HIS best direction, this is sufficient. Perhaps if one or two individual students were having a lot of trouble, it might be worth trying placing only those students according to best direction.

Desk Arrangements within the Classroom

Feng Shui practitioners all recommend AVOIDING desks in straight rows. Here is one acceptable arrangement, as in these two photos--the island arrangement:

[caption id="attachment_576" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Desks in an island arrangement"][/caption]

An even better arrangement is the semi-circle:

According to one expert, rounded forms in the classroom increase harmony; and enhance concentration.

One of the biggest problems many teachers (like myself) face is lack of space. Many times, desks are crammed in, or arranged in rows because there just isn't room to do anything else. I was interested to see how the Chinese dealt with this problem (since Feng Shui originated in China, and the practice was preserved in Hong Kong and Taiwan when thrown out by leaders in mainland China). I thought maybe they would have a better solution, but I found it wasn't necessarily so. I did find that they do sometimes have desks in straight rows.

Other times, they try when possible for u-shaped arrangements; or desks in three sections, with each section at a slightly different angle.

This classroom has a severe space problem, and has used a U-shaped arrangement similar to what I have tried in my own classroom these past three years. (This year I may see if I can cram all the desks in to a semi-circle arrangement.)

Here are some other ideas:

Here are some other good arrangements I found:

II.) CLASSROOM FEATURES WHICH CAN DISTURB STUDENTS

A.) Color

Red represents the fire element, and is known to increase aggression.

Used in excess, it can produce stress and anxiety. Small accents of red (in a photo, candle, book, or pillow) can enhance interest and add motivation for students in various classroom bagua sectors. (There are several methods of placing the bagua, but the simplest one is to place the career center on the same side as the entrance to the classroom.)

Beware of other too-bright colors. I used to substitute in a Colorado school with bright orange (and some bright yellow) on classroom walls. A terrible school shooting later occurred in that school--it was Columbine High School.

I will never forget hearing about it on the news--yes, even here in the Middle East. After the shock, my very first thought (long before I knew about Feng Shui) was that the color of the walls (and I hope it has now been changed) certainly contributed to the problem. As a follow-up to this series, I will write a brief post on what I saw in Columbine High School in the mid-80's.

If you should ever find yourself in such a school, I suggest you COVER YOUR WALLS with every kind of blue and green picture, poster, or fabric that you possibly can (blue and green being colors that promote relaxation, and green being the easiest color on the eyes).

B.) Classroom Clutter

This is a big problem for teachers who have insufficient storage space, or for those who have no counters, tables or space for additional work areas, other than their own desk tops. I am one of these teachers, and I never got this year's mess cleaned up until after the students were gone!

I plan to try something new this year. I'm going to keep each separate on-going project in a box on top of some shelves in the back of our class. So that the boxes don't look like a mess (we don't have the nice boxes with lids that stack, so I will just have to use ordinary shipping cartons), I plan to cover each with a piece of colored fabric. I will probably try to choose something like blue, green, or a pale pink.

Messy desks are the other main source of clutter which can keep students from feeling organized and on top of things. Don't be tempted (as I always am) to skimp on desk-cleaning time if you're behind on lessons! With elementary students, have a surprise inspection (random five students at a time only) with foil stars for a reward for orderly desks. Or put up a poster displaying the names of students who keep their desks clean!

Messy teacher desks can also disturb students. With my new "carton" idea, I hope to be able to keep my desk under control (it's barely bigger than the student desks). I saw an idea which can help "revitalize" the desk area that should help make both me and the students who come to my desk feel a little better--I'm going to put a live plant on the corner of my desk. Right next to me, I should be able to handle keeping it watered.

C.) Sharp Corners

Sharp corners tend to increase aggression. If you are already in a very crowded classroom, pay attention to this. Sharp corners can be countered by trying to "round" them in some way. One solution is to put live plants (without spiky leaves or thorns) in the corners of your room. Another method is to drape fabric from one wall to the other, effectively rounding the corner (and behind which boxes could be stored without looking "cluttered" if you need extra storage space).

D.) Overhead Lights, Overhead Beams, and Overhead Fans

D-1.) Overhead Lights

Overhead lights can be very disturbing if they are hanging down over students. If they are hanging low, and can be raised, by all means, do it. But most of us don't have the option to make any changes.

In my own classroom above, a light bulb from the light hanging down at the far corner exploded all over the student desks (luckily, students were not seated below, and were lined up in the corridor ready to come in to the room, as I turned on the light). After that, I did do some research on light bulbs, and found that sometimes inexpensive bulbs purchased from third-world countries are sometimes defective in strength, and tend to explode more easily than light bulbs from first-world countries. (Incidentally, you can see below the best arrangement of desks that I've been able to come up with so far.)

D-2.) Overhead Beams

Overhead beams are a really tough issue to do anything about in a classroom situation. I don't see that much can be done about this unless you are in a music classroom--then others might not question your sanity if you mounted flutes (the usual suggested remedy) on the overhead beams (and claimed they were "decorations").

In our class, we also have to deal with heavy, overhead beams. At least they are painted white, like the rest of the ceiling, and are not in a contrasting color. In any case, our room has at least twelve-foot ceilings, so there would be no way of reaching them!

One site suggested, "Tall plants with a strong vertical shape can help offset the oppressive chi of overhead beams or a slanted ceiling." However, I think tall plants would be difficult to place in a crowded classroom directly under the beams, as it would block students' view of the board!

If it is possible, try to position classroom aisles under those beams, instead of having the student desks directly under them.

If it is not possible, my suggestion is to worry about the things you can do something about, and don't worry too much about the things you can't do anything about. Anything you are able to do in your classroom is likely to be helpful, and at the end of the day, each small change helps make the classroom a better learning environment than it was before.

D-3.) Overhead Fans

If your classroom has overhead fans, you probably need them! Even though it is not desirable, from a Feng Shui point of view to sit directly below this sort of cutting energy, my suggestion is (if possible) not to position student desks directly below the center point of the fan, but as outward from the point of the fan as possible. Try to position the aisles between desks directly under the fans. It will be better for your students.

Wall fans are preferred to ceiling fans (but they don't do nearly the job of cooling).

E. Classrooms without Windows

Classrooms without windows are best remedied by placing a large scenic picture (or poster) of a mountain scene at the back of the class, behind student desks. A SPARSE quantity of red accents in the room can enhance students' energy (don't overdo it, as in the case of Columbine High School).

An alternative strategy is to place several plants along the back wall.

F. Classroom at the End of a Long Corridor

or

For classrooms at the end of a long corridor, I have seen a suggested remedy of hanging a small mirror outside the classroom door (to deflect excess energy). For safety reasons, I don't think that would be allowed in a lot of schools. I think a large plant at the door (without spiky leaves) would serve the same purpose. It probably would not be allowed in the corridor, but would be allowed just inside the door of the teacher's own classroom.

III.) ADDITIONAL ENHANCEMENTS WHICH CAN HELP STUDENTS

A.) Color

If you have any choice in the color of your classroom, choose nourishing and/or relaxing colors, in shades that have a connection with nature. Stay away from dark colors, as they tend to be overwhelming. Use darker colors only as accents (for example--red, dark blue, dark brown).

B.) Music

If you use music in your classroom, avoid discordant music (unless it serves another educational purpose, of course). One Feng Shui expert specifically recommends the use of Mozart.

I use music while my third-grade students trace handwriting sheets (which can be quite boring). Last year, our cassette player was stolen from the classroom over the summer, so I read stories to students. But I like to use the opportunity to introduce my students both to Classical Music and to World Music (different types of music from all over the world). I also play American Classics from different decades (1950's thorugh 1980's).

Studies have also been done (about ten years ago) showing specifically that children's math abilities can be enhanced if they listen to Classical music while working on math, a left-brained activity (because Classical-type music engages the left brain, whereas most other types of music, such as Rock, engage the right brain).

C. Enhancement of the Knowledge Area of Classroom Bagua

Feng Shui expert Stephen Skinner recommends that students can be helped to pass examinations by enhancement of two bagua sectors. The "children" area should be cleaned out of all clutter, and the "examination" (knowledge) area should be enhanced with symbolically-applied stick cinnamon.

The knowledge area could be further enhanced by a photo mounted on the wall with students graduating, or passing exams (photos of the students' own faces cut out of pictures, and mounted on top of the magazine picture of students' graduating, or passing exams). The photos should be mounted in a classroom location where students will see them every day.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, remember that, "Every long journey begins with a single step," and that every small change brings a small improvement!

I wrote this post because I had trouble locating all this information in one central place, and it took a lot of time to search out individual pieces. I hope this has helped others to find all of this collected in one post. I'd be pleased to know if anyone finds any of these photos or suggestions helpful!

Eileen

How come everytime I ask a friend of mine who she likes from the L Word she tells me Carmen?
Come on, girls, what the hell? First of all she totally emasculated Shane. Second of all, her style is terrible (totally heelgya). And from the entire cast, she is probably the only one other than the "Manny" who really has no acting skills. And to honest, she's not that good looking either.. :/

So why? Why? Why does every dyke in Kuwait like Carmen?
I am completely puzzled. 

The only nice thing about her has to be her hair. And it looks like it hasn't been washed for ages in this photograph. I rest my case!

While I was picking up my heavy cary-on and placing it on the belt for a quick scan, the man ahead of me was stopped and further investigated due do a foreign object that kept showing up on the x-ray screen.  He was wearing a black Red Hot Chilli Peppers t-shirt and tight fitting cargo pants, his nationality unclear to me.  The two police men kept asking him what was in his wallet, and he just stood their dumbfounded by their inquiries.  Nervously rummaging through his wallet, they found a fresh, sharp and polished razor blade.

I'd love to tell you more, but my plane is currently boarding.  If you don't hear from me, you know why.

اليوم حولت كل فلوسي على حسابي اللي في الكويت .. وماظل عندي الا 90 باوند حق هالـ 5 ايام .. وطبعاً فلوس الآيبود تش محطوطه داخل ظرف التذكره !! :D

شنو بعد .. ماكو .. كل يوم انظف الدار اكثر واكثر واقط الملابس والاغراض اللي ما احتاجها .. الدار تقريباً فضت..
حالياً اللي موجود: جنطتي .. ملابس راح تنقط محطوطه بجيس .. ملابس المطار زاهبه بالكبت .. بنطرون وبلوزه ألبسهم حق طلعات هالايام اللي بقو .. وبس !

تكرمون بالحمام ماعندي شامبواتي ولوشناتي وعطوراتي والفرشه .. كل شي راح ينقط لأن مابي اثقل على نفسي .. اللهم جم عطر .. وبالنسبه حق المطبخ .. اليوم قطيت كل صحوني وقفاشي وكل شي :D كلها 5 ايام قزرها مطاعم وانت اللي خالص :D

مقزرها طول اليوم نت و PSP و ... أعد الأيام ..

www.atoneplace.com

Summer is upon us and with this time of year comes the seasonal abandonment of dogs and cats all over Kuwait. As we rush to bring these animals to safety, we need your help in doing so. In addition to having many wonderful dogs and cats up for adoption, we are always in need of shelter volunteers, foster homes, and donations from our wish list:

Wish list:

Clorox
Canned Dog and Cat food
Dog and Cat toys
Tide
String Cheese
Peanut Butter
Frozen Chicken
Large Capacity Garbage Bags
Extra Large capacity Washer / Dryer

Animal Friends League of Kuwait
"Saving One Animal at a Time"

TEL: 700-1622
Email: info@animalfriendskuwait.org
Website: www.animalfriendskuwait.org

The latest incarnation of the chain email of lies against Obama is one purportedly from a Captain Jeffrey S. Porter. Just so I'm not accused of selective editing, here's the entire email:

Hello everyone,
As you know I am not a very political person. I just wanted to pass along that Senator Obama came to Bagram Afghanistan for about an hour on his visit to 'The War Zone'. I wanted to share with you what happened. He got off the plane and got into a bullet proof vehicle, got to the area to
meet with the Major General (2 Star) who is the commander here at Bagram. As the Soldiers were lined up to shake his hand he blew them off and didn't say a word as he went into the conference room to meet the General. As he finished, the vehicles took him to the ClamShell (pretty much a big top tent that military personnel can play basketball or work out in with weights) so he could take his publicity pictures playing basketball. He again shunned the opportunity to talk to Soldiers to thank them for their service. So really he was just here to make a showing for the American's back home
that he is their candidate for President. I think that if you are going to make an effort to come all the way over here you would thank those that are providing the freedom that they are providing for you.

I swear we got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheer leaders than from Senator, who wants to be the President of the United States . I just don't understand how anyone would want him to be our Commander-and-Chief. It was almost that he was scared to be around those that provide the freedom for him and our great country.

If this is blunt and to the point I am sorry but I wanted you all to know what kind of caliber of person he really is. What you see in the news is all fake.

In service,
CPT Jeffrey S. Porter
Battle Captain
TF Wasatch
American Soldier

I can understand the notion that this is one man's opinion, but here's the problem. This thing is spreading like wildfire. And here's the bigger problem: it's not true. At best, it's a misconception. Check out this video (it's on the right side of the web page).

Now, unless those are bushes and trees (camouflage) interacting with Obama, the video clearly shows him talking with the lower ranking soldiers, eating breakfast with rank and file soldiers, and note that the gym is filled with soldiers. Also, note that after he makes his basketball shot, he takes a microphone so he can talk with those soldiers. Further, this video was shot by the Department of Defense, so no one can claim this is Obama election spin. Captain Porter may have seen a snippet of Obama's trip and not been impressed, but this video makes clear that Obama was not haughty, was not aloof, and that he DID meet with the rank and file members of our armed forces. He sure wasn't "scared" of them.

I've posted before that you can be for McCain all day long, but be for him based on the facts -- not lies or misconceptions.

The Download bandwidth is way less than 7.2Mbps.

My advice: Use ADSL is way better than Zain e-Go shit.

The Result:

In a report from QTV’s Balitanghali on Thursday, four of the Filipino children will be accompanied by officials from the Philippine embassy because their parents are still taking care of their immigration papers.

Meanwhile, the three babies and the remaining child will be accompanied by their mothers. - GMANews.TV

المشكلة اني كل ما اقول بعدل شقتي اليوم .. أقول باجر باجر بعد في وقت !!
اليوم لازم اشتغل .. وأقط اللي مابيهم .. خصوصاً وأن اليوم يوم تاريخي .. وأخيراً يت سيارة الزباله [ وأنتوا بكرامه ] ونظفت الفريج بعد أكثر من اسبوعين !!

فـ قررت اني انظف اليوم .. ولكن مو الحين .. لأني بطلع بروح أتغدى ولما ارجع يصير خير !! :D

ملاحظة: تم إنشاء صفحة [ بروفايل: أحـمـدو ] شوفوها عاليمين

In this morning's Kuwait Times, it's like they say - deja vu all over again.

KUWAIT: Communications Minister Abdulhahman Al-Ghunaim has ordered the establishment of a committee to improve Internet services by finding ways to stop the spread of pornographic websites, which contradict local cultural and religious values.

It will also work continually updating the country's systems to ensure that they are on a par with the latest technological developments to put an end to the spread of pornographic sites, in addition to establishing a map for joint coordination between all ministries.

You can live in a country a long time and barely scratch the surface. I honestly try to figure out what is going on, and even so, I get surprised often. I feel so encouraged when I see people tackling a problem, but then, so often, it turns out to be just meeting, just talking - no fixing.

As I have said before - I hate pornography. It isn't part of my country's values, either. It is certainly counter to my values. And yet, when I think of spending a country's resources on trying to fight pornography, which we have had with us since probably the earliest times, I just feel tired. I don't think you can win a fight against pornography. I think, to eliminate pornography, prostitution, alcohol and drug abuse - you have to change the way people think. Haven't you noticed? You restrict something, it only makes it more attractive. Look at the countries that brutalize people arrested for possession of pornography - Saudi Arabia and Iran - have they been successful in eliminating access to pornography - on the net, or elsewhere? Where there is a demand, there will be suppliers, or that is how it seems to me. How do we eliminate the demand?

Who accesses and downloads porn the most, do you think? My bet would be on the 15 - 35 year old male, the most technologically savvy group in any population. How long do you think it will take them to break through any barriers you can place? And how many nanoseconds before they spread the "fix" all over the internet?

There is another article today, one on the air conditioning breakdown at Ibn Sina hospital, patients keeling over from the heat and humidity and then sewer-dwelling insects swarming into the children's ward. How disgusting is that?

Attack the problems you can solve. Put people first. Fix the infrastructure - the roads, the hospitals, government services, licensing, visas. Make Kuwait state-of-the-art in communication accessibility. Kuwait is RICH, Kuwait can do anything. I hate pornography, but I don't think any nation has the capacity to stop it.

Operation Hope Kuwait would like to promote a used shoe drive to benefit farm-hands working in Abdalli, Kuwait… preferably sports shoes and/or work boots. Last Saturday a small group of dedicated volunteers went to Abdalli to deliver used clothing, which was collected by AGILITY LOGISTICS. While there they noticed that many of the workers had barely any sole left on the shoes they wore.

Currently am hoping a local private school will open its doors to receive donations from August 1 - 10. If you’ll stay in touch with me I can get you the final drop-point details.

Again ~ many thanks for your support! God bless, Sheryll

I don't know about you, but I tend to buy new athletic shoes often - I like a fresh springy step :-). She probably isn't looking for your daintiest 4 inch spikes from last season, but shoes with some life and some support left in them. As she gives out further information, I will keep you informed. Meanwhile - gather your old shoes and save them for Operation Hope!

It is 91°F / 33°C at 0530 in the morning - and it was still 98°F at 0300 this morning - imagine! No wonder most of the flights take off at night!

"The workers staged a peaceful sit-in Sunday morning but today (Monday) they are staging strike at their barracks saying that they will not join work until their company fulfils their demands," said Shahriar Kader Siddiky, labour counsellor of Bangladesh embassy in Kuwait, when contacted yesterday.

The workers are placed by the company at royal palaces, hospitals, universities, oil companies and other important establishments under the ministries of education, health, oil and defence.

The company pays them only 18 Kuwaiti dinars (1 dinar is equivalent to Tk 258) a month instead of 50 dinars they were promised, the counsellor quoted workers as saying.

Kuwaiti newspaper Arab Times in a report yesterday said one of the workers alleged that the company has not paid two months' wages to a number of workers, and is not giving them weekly holiday.

Some of them are even forced to work 16 hours a day without any payment for overtime work, he said.

Another worker said the manager of the company beat up some workers for no reasons, and deducts five dinars per day if any worker fails to turn up for work due to illness."

* Ebenfalls im Streik befinden sich mehr als 50 BusfahrerInnen der Cars Transport Corporation in Bahrain um eine Lohnerhöhung von mindestens 40% durchzusetzen, das Arbeitsministerium des Landes, welches als das "liberalste" in der Region gilt, erklärte den Streik für illegal. (Quelle: LibCom)

* Die in der IWW organisierten Beschäftigten der Starbucks-Filiale in der Mall of America (dem meistbesuchten ) in Bloomington/Minnesota sind am gestrigen Tage in den Streik getreten, um gegen die anstehenden Massenentlassungen bei der "Coffeeshop"-Kette zu protestieren und die Übernahme der in den 600 von Schliessungen bedrohten Filialen arbeitenden Baristas durchzusetzen. Die Streikaktion stellt auch eine Art "Premiere" dar: Erstmals seit dem Bestehen des Einkaufstempels hat eine Gewerkschaft in der Mall of America öffentlich Präsenz gezeigt. (Quelle: Industrial Workers of the World)

* Auch die Streiks in verschiedenen Nobelhotels in Québec gehen weiter. (Quelle: Solidarité Ouvrière)

Now I'm at Kuwait for my summer vacation "I know there's big ?", here in Kuwait the general degree is 50 C shit it's hottest from the hottest.

If you walk in the street at noon there's chance to be dead I'm not joking it's hot like hell.

Please Allah help us.

• For the big ?, i spend my vication with my family "Brother and Mother" in kuwait.