View from 19th Floor - Kuwait

I work on the Army Base called Arifjan in Kuwait. The company I work for has an office for Business Support Services like HR, Contracts, Finance in a different office off base. We are moving to a new office.  Below is the view from the 19th floor - our new office.

A Memorial - Stephen Shaw

A Memorial

On Saturday October 13th a coworker was killed on Gulf Road in Kuwait by a hit and run driver. I made the official identification, witnessed the body being sealed a coffin for transport, and escorted the coffin from Kuwait to San Francisco.

Stephen Shaw

For the last 5 months of his life, I was Stephen Shaw's boss, teammate, and friend. We were both on loan from the TAC-SWACAA program to help out on the Recruiting Team. The team's assignment was to achieve 100% Manning for TAC-SWACAA and maintain 100% of all job vacancies are filled with qualified information technology professionals. Stephen's contribution to achieving this goal was significant. Stephen brilliantly found qualified technical candidates and interviewed them for vacant positions. The candidates he found and recommended for hiring were top-notch.

Working in the Middle East, we are far from friends and family. We become each others family while we are there. The Recruiting Team was Stephen's family in Kuwait.

We work 12 hours a day, 5 days a week from 7:00AM to 7:00PM East Coast Time of the US which is 2:00PM to 2:00AM in the morning Kuwait Time. We work behind a computer or on the telephone all night. To take a break in the middle of the night, some of the team would walk down from the 19th floor of the building where we work to the ground floor. However, as you can imagine, only a few would walk back up 19 stories. Stephen and I did.

We stopped every 5 stories or so to rest. We tried to make it half way up to the 10th floor for our first rest break. Every day one step at a time, we climbed up 19 stories. Every day one step at a time, we achieved 100% Manning for the Program.

Stephen had a great attitude -- always upbeat, smiling, and helpful to others. He was recently promoted to the Southwest Asia Cyber Center (SWACC). Another co-worker on loan to Recruiting, worked in the Cyber Center but was new to Kuwait. On Saturday, that fateful day, Stephen was planning to meet with him to share information about Kuwait and learn about work in the Cyber Center.

We do not know exactly what happened but we do know that Stephen rode the bus from where lived to the Sarah Complex where he was to meet his new friend. He crossed three busy lanes of traffic to the median in the middle of the street. Before he could cross the second set of traffic lanes he was hit by a vehicle and the driver drove away. Stephen was always cautious crossing that street so it is hard to imagine what happened. A bad thing happened to a very good man - a father, husband, and brother to a beautiful family.

Stephen's Kuwait family is very sadden by this loss of a team mate and friend. Stephen leaves behind a wife, three grown children (two sons & one daughter), a son-in-law, a brother and two sisters. The family traveled from Taiwan, New Jersey, and Texas to attend the funeral service in California. Stephen's final placement is at the Chapel of the Chimes in Hayward, CA. The funeral was Friday October 26, 2012

Life In Kuwait

I have been living in Kuwait for nearly 12 months now since May 2011.  Life here, in many ways is like the US, but in many ways different. 

Kuwait is in the desert. The weather is very pleasant from October through March and April.  During May through September it is hot and dusty.  There was a big dust storm in March 2011.  You can look on YouTube at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD1Ff1h_4so

Kuwait has a very diverse population of Indians, Filipinos, Egyptians, Other Arab Countries, Chinese, American, Europeans.  People from other countries do the work while the Kuwaitis have the money and own all the businesses. Some pictures from YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIIiTgAylG0

More pictures:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHzz_bTPHbM

Driving is crazy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R33IWKCImkQ

 Wrecks are abundant - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3qWN0huyuc

I live on the 11^th floor of an apartment building on Gulf Road right across the street from the ocean -a beautiful view.  The apartment is modern, 2 bedrooms, 2 bath, living room, dining room, kitchen, and laundry room.  The building has a workout room and a pool 

State of California forces Coke and Pepsi to change formula

In the news today -- the State of California forces Coke and Pepsi to change a chemical used in the product around the world.   Cokes and Pepsi drinks are not healthy but I do not want the state of California dictating what they can put into their formulas.http://www.google.com/

I do not smoke but I do not like the government telling me that I cannot smoke in public places.

I do not eat trans-fat but I do not want the City of New York telling restaurants they cannot put trans-fat in their foods.

Not all parents fix the healthiest lunches for the children but I do not want the government run schools in North Carolina to inspect the lunches that pre-Kindergarten kids bring to school and then decide that chicken nuggets provided by the school are healthier than the a turkey and cheese sandwich provided by the mom.  http://www.theblaze.com/stories/

I personally know an organic farmer near Des Moines IA who was told he could not pack lunch for his kids; they had to eat the food the school provided. 

Do you trust anyone in government to decide what is healthy or not healthy for you to eat or smoke.   Stories abound about the government wanting to control the food we can eat or not eat. 

USDA Buys 7 Million Pounds of ‘Pink Slime’ For School Lunches - http://www.theblaze.com/stories/

Does the FDA, USDA, or Government-funded Scientists have our best interests or health in mind when they want to decide and control what we eat.

What if you were starting to check in to a hotel and were told:

• You have to check in at the hotels convenience and be placed in a room that that hotel chose 
• If they hotel was not ready, you had to wait with many others in a waiting room until they were ready
• You will be disturbed when the hotel decides to knock on your door and disturb you
• You will share your room and bathroom with one or more strangers who are sick and my be dying
• You will be expected to sleep at a time the hotel chooses. The room to your door will be left open so that you will be exposed to noise, light, and passing personnel throughout the night
• You will be exposed to many harmful bacteria, which could lead to an antibiotic-resistant infection that might kill you
• The hotel cannot tell you how much money they will charge you because they do not know yet how many doctors will examine you, what tests and procedures wil be performed on you, and how long you will remain in the hotel
• Even though you may be curious why the hotel personnel keeping sticking needles in you, strapping you on to machines, putting fluids in you, giving you enemas, and inducing other discomforts, we are not obligate to inform your our reason for these procedures
• You cannot check out until the hotel gives you permission to leave and forces you to sign all kinds of papers.

(Adapted from Disease Prevention & Treatment from Life Extension Media)

The best advice is to stay out of them – Hospitals.

Sun 29 Jan - 2nd Amendent Comments

Yes, I proclaim to be a Yogi and Yoga does teach non-violence. But Yoga also teaches self-defense. The right for self defense is a god-given right not a government given privileged.   Better for the people including "rednecks" to keep and bear arms than many of the dictators and state leaders around the world.

Some of the world ‘s dictators for the 20th Century help us understand the need for the citizens to have the right to bear arms.

“One man with a gun can control 100 without one. ” -- Vladimir Lenin

"The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the supply of arms to the underdogs is a sine qua non for the overthrow of any sovereignty. So let's not have any native militia or native police. German troops alone will bear the sole responsibility for the maintenance of law and order throughout the occupied Russian territories, and a system of military strong-points must be evolved to cover the entire occupied country." --Adolf Hitler,

"Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."  -- Mao Tse-Tung.

18 Sep Sunday - Cost Of Living – Kuwait

For a change of pace I thought I would go to an American Restaurant Saturday Night. Most all my American friends eat at American Restaurant for lunch and dinner.   I am planning to go an American Movies today Sunday to see the Rise of The Planet of The Apes. It may be telling my age but I saw the original planet of the apes with Charleston Hesston at a first run movies theater – not on TV and not on DVD.

But back to Saturday night >>>> I ate at a polar American chain inside one of the many shopping malls in Kuwait.  Chili’s has over 2,000 restaurants in 24 counties. Chili's is said to be the most popular restaruant in Kuwait.  Chili's started as a hamburger joint in Dallas, TX so for “ole time’s sake” I ordered a hamburger with French Fries which is staple food for Americans but I had not had one of more than a year.  It was a very big hamburger and large order of French Fries. For 10 Kuwait Dinars (KD) the waitress brought to me one hamburger, order of French Fries, Southwestern Spring Rolls with black beans as appetizer, one ice tea, and a bottle of water.  The total cost was more than $36.00 USD (10 KD). I could only eat half and it was not that good.  Dinner in an American restaurant can cost $30 - $40 per person with no alcoholic drinks. Alcoholic is against the law.

In contrast today, I shopped at the food market and purchase about 2 weeks of food – about 40 meals for 15 KD or $54 USD for 2 weeks!  I eat primarily vegetables and fruits raw in a green smoothie. Google Green Smoothie to find many recipes.  Many times I will fix lentils (Dahl) with rice. Or fix a variety of Chinese or Indian dishes. 

It is very expensive in Kuwait to eat in American restaurants but very affordable to prepare your own meals and sometimes eat in the locally owned Indian or Chinese restaurants.