Surveillance Cameras Law to Be Approved Next Week Two Opposition Activists Jailed Over Barrak’S Speech
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The dying Aircraft lands on Pelicans subdue businesses US Capitol lawn; Spurs to snatch in Kuwait4 pilot10 in custody playoff46 berth Min 22º Max 35º FREE www.kuwaittimes.net NO: 16493- Friday, April 17, 2015 AssemblyAssembly eyeseyes CCTVCCTV lawlaw See Page 9 Local FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015 Kaffeeklatsch What’s the issue with tissue? By Shakir Reshamwala [email protected] t’s obvious that people in Kuwait have a soft spot for facial travelling back to their home countries take this fixation with sue paper in bulk, but it is mostly in the form of kitchen rolls tissues. Boxes of it can be found everywhere, from the them, bewildering family and friends as they festoon the or toilet paper. Ihumblest abodes to the glitziest palaces. Go to any event, house with boxes of tissues. Many people even keep boxes Getting a bit philosophical, maybe one can view this tis- meeting, party or reception, and there it is - ubiquitously of tissues in their cars. sue mania metaphorically as a manifestation of the ‘disposal- occupying pride of place on every tabletop and mantelpiece. Retailers, ministries, hospitals and even mosques have got able’ mentality that is prevalent here, which can be seen in Observe images of official meetings and you will find, along- into the act, with their own custom-designed boxes of tis- the amount of food chucked in the garbage, the rampant side the customary bottles of water and juices, the tissue box sues. Kleenex has gone lowbrow (and lowercase too), with consumption of electricity and water and even human in its own bespoke cover emblazoned with the logo of the dozens of generic kleenex brands vying for customers, who resources that are laid waste, from unpaid workers to abused concerned authority. buy them by the cartful. Visit any supermarket and you can maids. Gone are the days too when children and workers carried find shrink-wrapped packs of up to 11 boxes of 150 2-ply tis- Or maybe it’s just a matter of convenience and ease of handkerchiefs to schools and offices. Pockets now are stuffed sues selling for under a dinar. That’s a mind-bogglingly use, even if it only involves blowing one’s nose. Whatever the with tissues, invariably leading to laundry day disasters as cheap price to pay. Of course tissues are used all over the reasons - and they are mostly as flimsy as the tissues - this wash loads emerge from the tub smothered in lint. Expats world and shops in other consumerist countries also sell tis- obsession doesn’t look like it’s going to end anytime soon. Scribbler’s Notebook When a saloon isn’t By Jamie Etheridge [email protected] ll across Kuwait, residents and locals will be heading to their favorite saloon over the weekend for a bit of relax- Aation. They won’t be knocking back shots of gut rot whiskey, playing rounds of poker or carousing with Mae West, though if you were a newly arrived American, you might be for- given for thinking otherwise. The word ‘saloon’ to an American immediately conjures up images of the Old West, of John Wayne movies and gun fights at the OK Corral. Watch any of the Hollywood Westerns from the 1950s and 1960s and you will see the word ‘saloon’ flash across the screen each time Gary Cooper or Clint Eastwood walked into a bar. Saloons have a very rough, low reputation. They are the places where cowboys caroused, swilled beer and mingled with saloon girls (aka prostitutes). So it’s ironic whenever an American arrives in Kuwait that they find saloons on almost every corner - but not a drop of legal alcohol to drink. Typically places where haircuts and other personal groom- ing are performed are called ‘salons’, parlors or shops as in beauty parlors or barber shops. The word salon is derived from the French salon or sala and can also mean a gathering place like a living room in a private residence or a public hall or gath- ering as in the literary salons of early modern France. There is a bit of debate about the origins of the use ‘saloon’ to denote hairdressers in Kuwait. Some suggest that it was imported by sub continental barbers. Others have suggested that it’s due to the transliteration of the Arabic word which results in the extra ‘o’. Whatever the case, the use of the word saloon in Kuwait to signify a barbershop or beauty parlor rather than a bar from the Old West is a testament to the diversity of the venerable English language. All languages that hope to survive must grow and evolve over time. The global lingua franca, English is the epito- me of a viral-like language that adapts to its surroundings. It is a hodgepodge language with origins in Germanic Anglo-Frisian but also deeply influenced by Latin, Ancient Greek, Dutch, French and other languages. It is a living lan- guage and as such can be modified or adapted to local use. In Sociology College organizes ‘A Day for Women’ event other words, history tells us a saloon is meant to be a gathering KUWAIT: In collaboration with KU’s Women researches dean, Professor Abdul Redha Aseeri’ in a statement place for drinking and not a barbershop, it can now mean both. unit, the public relations department at Kuwait stressed that women always deserved the best and that In Kuwait, we lack bars to hang out in but we have plenty of University’s Sociology College organized a special open the exhibition displays projects and services presented by saloons. day under the title of ‘A Day for Women’. The college women and for women. — KUNA Local FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015 Local Spotlight Fake doctors a KUWAIT: A herd of risk to society camels is seen pass- ing by a road near Jahra. — Photo by Joseph Shagra By Muna Al-Fuzai [email protected] olice recently arrested a fake doctor who helped several women abort their fetuses. The Psuspect admitted that he is not a qualified physician and gathered information from the Internet to help him carry out the procedure! He told the police that he had helped nine women abort their fetuses. The police must verify the state of health of the nine women and the circumstances that led them to take this drastic step. This guy knows very well that abortion is prohibited in Islamic countries and it is forbidden by law except in very rare cases, such as when there is a danger to the mother’s life. Nevertheless, the abortion must be carried out in a hospital by licensed doctors and not in a secret place or private residence. I’m sure these women got pregnant out of wed- lock, so continuing the pregnancy here would have had legal consequences and abortions through the hospital are not available. Maybe they found this ille- gal process easy and convenient. None of them thought of the possible side effects and no one would dare to expose the other and end up in jail. While I was writing this article, I found a lot of information about home abortions on the Internet, including the methods and tools to use. It’s scary because such information entails health risks, espe- cially when carried out by non-certified doctors. This man was telling the truth when he said that he obtained his info from the Web and practiced it on those women. They were lucky not to die. That is why I think it is important to find these women and make sure that they are fine. A few years ago, a strange incident occurred in Kuwait when a government hospital found out that one of their Arab doctors didn’t hold any medical qualification. He had already conducted 200 surger- ies over three years. He escaped from Kuwait before he was arrested. These fake doctors want to conduct illegal opera- tions and get quick cash, and must receive tough punishment. We also need awareness campaigns for women to make them aware of such risks. This man has been arrested, but there must be a follow-up to find the women who underwent abortions and the reasons that led them to commit such operations. Al-Sabah hospital to educate public on asthma, allergies KUWAIT: Internal medicine ward of Al-Sabah Hospital holds an awareness day at the country’s largest and most visited mall, the Avenues, for public education on asthma and allergy today. Dr Fatma Al-Hreish, head of the breathing unit, indicated in a statement that the activity is a necessity, taking into consideration the high number of patients suffering from these cases, being admitted at the country’s clinics and hospitals. Many patients have expressed no knowledge of causes and preventive measures while being examined by doctors, she said. She also noted such negligence proved to be costly at a health and financial level. She also urged nationals and residents to make the best use of the free education being provided about these diseases. Owners get creative to stay in business Dying businessesin Kuwait By Chidi Emmanuel other latest digital devices have pushed the photo studio businesses to the brink of extinction. “Things are not the same. People hardly come here to print echnological advances have resulted in a number of businesses and oc- photos unlike a few years ago. They only come now for passport photos or cupations becoming obsolete in Kuwait. It’s been said that if you’re not Photoshop jobs,” said Kumal, an Indian graphic designer working in one of the Tgrowing, you are dying.