Dispatches Magazine October 2011

AUTUMN 2011

ISSUE 64

AUTUMN 2011

ISSUE 64

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BRITISH BUSINESS FORUM

DISPATCHESAutumn 2011

Dear Friends,

Welcome back. Since I know many of you

attended the BBF Intro to Kuwait on the 7th, I

trust everyone is getting back in the swing of

things here in Kuwait.

For newcomers, Intro to Kuwait is a great way to

discover what’s happening here in Kuwait. For

those of us who’ve been around for a while, it’s a

good way to shake up any routines we’ve gotten

into. I hope everyone found something new and

interesting that will add to their quality of life

here.

Of course, Dispatches is also a pretty good

resource for that as well. In this issue you’ll

find information about our next to big events,

probably the biggest event to hit London since

1948, some surprising “green” thoughts and a

lot more. So, grab a cuppa and relax for a few

minutes while you give Dispatches a read.

Take care,

SueSusan Day

Editor

Dispatches and Advertising Manager

Adriaan VickeryTelephone (+965) 6775 3962

Email [email protected]


DISPATCHES

British Business Forum

The Voice of the British Business in Kuwait

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2232 20382232 2040

Rose William

email [email protected]

DISPATCHESDISPATCHES

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DISPATCHESDISPATCHESAutumn 2011

DISPATCHES

Dispatches

Dispatches

Dispatches

Contents

• BBFBoardofDirectors 6

• LetterfromtheChairman 8

• LetterfromtheAmbassador 9

• BBFSectorGroupsDefined 10

• AMessagefromBaronessNicholson 14

• TheBBFAwardsforExcellence 15

• ThisandThat 16

• BBF’sPopularIntrotoKuwait 17

• ChillOut 24

• AMessagefromtheDukeofYork 26

• AMatterofPrinciple 30

• MentoringStrategies 32

• BusinessNetiquetteinTen 36

• TheLanguageEverySuccessfulBusinesspersonNeedstoKnow 37

• HowGreenismyDataCentre? 42

• OneSmartCookie:AnnaGarforth 44

• Consumerism,Environment&Art 46

• GlobalWarming? 48

• MeetWenlockandMandeville 50

• HostingtheGamesisGREAT 52

• DentalImplants 56

• KESStudentsReportonLondonExperience 58

• NESAchievesBSOApprovedStatus 62

• LoveItorHateIt-anUnsavouryDispute 63

• Marmite’sCloseCousin 66

• SeatBeltsSaveLivesCampaign 68

• CarCare 70

• PlacesofInterest 72

• CarlainKuwait 74

• BBFMembershipInformation 76

• BritishEmbassy 82

• CommunityGroups 84

• MembershipForm 96


I am heading tostudy Engineering at

Purdue UniversityIndiana - USA

Hussein Al Kazemi

I will be going to study

Architectural Engineering at

Concordia UniversityMontreal - Canada

Nayiri Bidanian

I am going to studyChemical Engineering at

TUMMunich - Germany

Anugrah Ramadhan

I am off to studyEarth Sciences at

Imperial CollegeLondon - UK

Isha SharmaHead Girl

I applied to study Economics at

Columbia UniversityNew York - USA

Saeed Saeed

I am planning to study at

LAUBeirut - Lebanon

Michel Chiti

I will be studying Psychology at

Stirling UniversityScotland - UK

Khaled Ghazi

I am planning to studyJournalism at

Leeds UniversityLeeds - UK

Dimiter Dakov

I have been offered a place at

Georgetown UniversityWashington D.C. - USA

Hanan Gaith

I have been offered a place tostudy Pharmacy at

Kings College,London - UK

Ahmed Malik

I am heading to

Miami UniversityFlorida - USA

Akshay JetwaniHead Boy

Jabriya, Block 12, Street 1Tel: (+965) 25318060 I Fax: (+965) 25319924

Email: [email protected]

www.neskt.com

BBF Board 2011/2012

Paul McKayChairman

Events

Arthur BarberVice Chairman

Dispatches

Graham KennyGeneral Secretary

Governance, Contracts

Chris BakerTreasurer

Pierre BanooriDirector

Membership Benefits

Donald Teale Director

Sector Group

Brian DawesDirectorStrategy

6



BBF Board 2011/2012

Linda Asfour Director

Rose WilliamAdministration Manager

Hanna JerczynskaDirector

Lesley WatsonDirector

Commercial Activities

Musaed Al NajjarDirector

Press Relations

Adriaan VickeryDispatches & Advertising

Manager

George MhawechEvents Manager

Jes BunceDirector

Membership

7



DISPATCHES 7


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We have plenty more ahead of us in the coming season, and look forward to a further period of promoting British interests, to the mutual benefit of both countries. As many of you know there are three special BBF events in this period: the BBF Introduction to Kuwait Exhibition for expatriates and Kuwaitis at the Hilton Beach Resort in October, the BBF annual charity fund raising Poppy Ball at the British Embassy in November and the BBF Business Excellence Awards Gala Dinner in January. We hope you enjoyed the Intro Night and are looking forward to your participation in the Poppy Ball and Excellence Awards Gala. I cannot conclude my message without expressing my sincere gratitude to all the people who support our activities including the sponsors for the help they provide throughout the year.

We are especially appreciative of the constant encouragement, inspiration and active support of H.E. Frank Baker, the British Ambassador. I am happy to say that there has never been such a fine sprit of commercial co-operation between the Embassy and the BBF. He has encouraged the BBF Directors towards further growth in its membership and activities, in the interests of promoting British-Kuwait trade and investment.

I look forward to you joining us in our informal networking sessions, special business sector groups, monthly meetings, events and activities in the upcoming year. I am also keen to hear your thoughts on how to continue our progress and wherever necessary and possible, make improvements.

Paul McKay

ChairmanBritish Business Forum Kuwait


Many of you will be reading this on your return to Kuwait from your summer break or indeed as a newcomer to the country. If, so, I hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable time, and have arrived refreshed to face the excitement of a new season in the Kuwait business scene. Dispatches magazine is the ‘Voice of British Business’ in Kuwait and the British Business Forum (BBF) is the focal point of the community: both business and social. I hasten to add our BBF calendar year is one quarter complete and the work of expanding our membership continues unabated with a volume of new corporate members joining and packed audiences at all our monthly member’s meetings.

Most immediately, as many of you will know, the BBF is on the move; I see our relevance in Kuwait growing in a fundamental and positive way. I am delighted to report that in the last two years we have progressed in meeting fresh and new objectives to increase our appeal and effectiveness as a business organisation. The Board of Directors made a commitment to develop a new strategy revolving around our core mission because we were convinced that doing pretty much the same was not enough. As part of that strategy, we will continue to engage with key business leaders, government officials and UK ministers giving us greater insight into the marketplace and supporting the good bilateral relations between UK and Kuwait.

Trade remains an important pillar of our relationship. The creation of a UK-Kuwait Trade & Investment Task Force, a new commitment to double our trade to US$4 billion a year by 2015, and a Memorandum of Understanding on business, trade and technical co-operation will position British business as the partner of choice for Kuwait going forward in support of the National Development Plan. At a time of real dynamism in Kuwait, we are preparing to support a number of visiting UK Trade Missions including Railway and Metro, International Airport Development, Ports, Infrastructure & Construction, Education & Training, Finance & Banking, Bar Council, Oil & Gas and Public Private Partnerships. Featured in this Dispatches is a special BBF report on the first of the UK-Kuwait Task Force business meeting hosted by the Duke of York held at St. James Palace in June.

Letter from the Chairman

9DISPATCHESAutumn 2011

The BBF, working with the Embassy, has the opportunity to help us deliver this legacy by promoting UK expertise internationally; identifying the opportunities for UK

Welcome back from what I hope has been a relaxing and enjoyable summer for you all. My staff and I have returned fully refreshed and ready to tackle what I can confidently predict is going to be the busiest time for bilateral business between the UK and Kuwait in our recent history. This will build and expand on the significant progress made over the last eighteen months as we look to meet our self imposed target of doubling UK-Kuwait trade by the end of 2015.

Our planning already takes us to the end of this year and beyond as we look both to support British business already in Kuwait and to encourage more UK companies to enter the local market. The strong relationship we enjoy with the BBF will be an important part of that strategy and I will shortly be discussing with the Board how we can expand still further our joint activity.

One strand will be the London Olympics - now less than a year away. Staging the Games is a unique once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase the UK throughout the world and to showcase a legacy of globally competitive and innovative businesses. The Olympics will be a defining moment for the UK and the Government – and a successful and sustainable economic legacy will be a tangible return on significant public investment in the Games. Delivery of these legacy objectives will depend on coordinated, effective marketing of the UK. This will include leveraging our status as Olympic hosts domestically and internationally to deliver a substantial boost to the UK economy.

Message from the Ambassador

HE The British Ambassador

Frank Baker

THE BRITISH EMBASSY

companies to export their goods and services to other major events; and attracting high-value foreign direct investment using the unique selling point of our host status to underpin the opportunity to potential investors.

From the Royal Wedding to the Diamond Jubilee to the Olympics and Paralympics, the UK has entered a period that will see unprecedented levels of international attention on our country. It is for us to take advantage of the opportunities that this presents. With this in mind, on September 21 Prime Minister David Cameron spoke to a business audience in New York to announce the government’s programme of activity to deliver the Olympic legacy and introduce the new GREAT campaign, aimed at promoting the UK overseas. As he said then the 2012 Games are about three things: great sport, great legacy and Great Britain.

Of course, it is always great to be British. And the next year is going to be something very special in our country’s history. We are all looking forward to being part of those celebrations here in Kuwait.

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T he British Business Forum of Kuwait currently has a range of sector groups, open to anyone who has an interest in the respective business

sectors. Each sector group has a convener who is a point of contact for the group and who arranges periodic meetings throughout the year, normally at least once a quarter.

BBF Sector Groups Defined

The sector groups are usually the first point of contact for British firms looking for assistance in entering or doing business in Kuwait, and provide a useful forum for exchanging ideas for members with similar interests. The sector groups are seen as a key function of the BBF. If you are interested in joining any of the sector groups, or starting a new group, please contact either the sector group coordinator Donald Teale at [email protected], or the respective sector group convener.

Aviation, Travel & Hospitality

The Aviation, Travel & Hospitality group is the most active sector group within the BBF with regular quarterly meetings. The ethos of the group is to mix business with pleasure in a nice environment. This has been achieved by meeting in some of the most prestigious hospitality establishments in Kuwait. The format typically includes a presentation from a member of the industry followed by an informal networking session over dinner. Previous presentations have been delivered by representatives from airlines, hotels, and travel companies, and even a concert exclusively for the group by internationally renowned violinist, Michal Cwizewicz. If you are interested in joining this group or wish to attend the next meeting, please contact the sector group convener Hanna Jerczynska at [email protected]

Banking and Finance

The Banking and Finance Sector Group is open to any members of the financial industry sector including banking, insurance, investment companies, and related services. The group is a forum for exchanging ideas and latest industry and market information, assisting both companies entering the Kuwait market and Kuwait companies wishing to do business in the UK. The financial industry sector in Kuwait is one of the largest in the region and a major contributor the Kuwait GDP after the oil and gas industry. If you are interested in joining this group or wish to attend the next meeting, please contact the sector group convener Geoff Webster at [email protected]

Construction and Consultancy

The Construction and Consultant Sector Group is one of the original groups within the BBF, lead by Jeff de Lange, who recently hosted HRH Prince Andrew on his trade mission to Kuwait. Construction is a key pillar of the Kuwait Five Year Development Plan generating large scale opportunities for British industry. British companies are already successfully involved in projects such as the new Kuwait Metro System, the new terminal at Kuwait Airport, and numerous other major infrastructure projects included in the Kuwaiti Five Year Development Plan. The sector group meets roughly once a quarter and meetings are usually arranged around site visits to innovative and


interesting construction sites in and around Kuwait. Meetings last year included a visit to the Al Hamra Tower in Sharq, the tallest building being constructed in Kuwait. Jeff and the group seem to have a desire to be the first members of the public to drive across the Sheraton Roundabout fly over, showing an admirable confidence in their profession. This group covers a range of sectors, including construction, design, power, and professional consultancy services and is a focus for networking amongst BBF member and other interested parties, as well as providing a support for visiting British trade delegations. If you are interested in joining this group or wish to attend the next meeting, please contact the sector group convener Jeff de Lange at [email protected]

Defence

The defence sector in Kuwait is one of the cornerstones of Kuwait-UK relations. Since 2003

Britain has approved 444 defence related export licences for Kuwait, worth a total of £102.3m. This cascades into opportunities for UK defence related service companies to assist in the training and development of Kuwaiti companies. This group is open to any member interested, either directly or indirectly, in the defence or security industries within Kuwait. If you are interested in joining this group, please contact the sector group coordinator Donald Teale at [email protected]

Fashion

Building on the successful “Best of British Fashion” show, held at the embassy last summer, the BBF have started a new sector group dedicated to those involved or interested in fashion. Kuwait has an unusually high number of informed consumers in this area with shopping being one of the most popular local pastimes. If you are interested in joining this group or wish to attend the next meeting, please contact either of the sector group conveners Linda Asfour or

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Hanna Jerczynska at [email protected] or [email protected]

Healthcare

Healthcare is one of the key pillars of the Kuwait National Development Plan, looking at meeting the needs of an increasing population and providing services to regional customers. The UK has already been very successful in developing links between high profile UK hospitals and institutions and Kuwait companies to develop joint venture opportunities to bring high quality care services to where they are in demand. This sector group has brought some of these success stories to the wider interest of the BBF membership, resulting in British Excellence Awards for two individuals from Great Ormond Street Hospital for their work in developing a palliative care centre for children in Kuwait. If you are interested in joining this group or wish to attend the next meeting, please contact the sector group convener, Dr. Linda Asfour, at [email protected]

Information Technology

The information technology sector is open to anyone with an interest in the subject and industry, whether it be key users such as company CIOs or service providers. Kuwait and the Middle East are now becoming the focus of attention of many large IT organisations looking for new and developing markets. Last year Kuwait and the UK moved closer together signing a Memorandum of Understanding on collaborative actions to fight cybercrime in order to combat terrorism. This sector group meets on an informal basis, typically once a quarter to discuss innovations in the industry and development in the local market. If you are interested in joining this group or wish to attend the next meeting, please contact the sector group convener Ian Mills at [email protected]

Oil and Gas

It is probably no surprise that the oil and gas sector group is the largest sector group in the BBF, with many British companies and nationals providing a range of services to the industry. The members include representatives from all the major UK and international companies working in Kuwait. The group meets quarterly at a variety of locations around Kuwait and is an informal networking opportunity for people in the business. In the last twelve months the group has hosted several trade delegations from the UK and has lead the BBF’s interest in developing a forum for those interested in doing business in Iraq, including a round table workshop chaired by Emma Nicholson, the Baroness of Winterborne (Chairperson of the IBBQ). Presentations have also been delivered by the country leaders of a broadrange of international oil and petrochemical companies. If you are interested in joining this group or wish to attend the next meeting, please contact the sector group convener Brian Dawes, at [email protected]

Training and Education

Training and education is one of the most successful UK exports to the Middle East, building on the prestige of high quality services available from UK nationals. The group meets regularly in informal surroundings to discuss a wide range of industry related topics, including the long term training requirements of the country, the impact of Kuwaitisation on recruitment, and the evolution of mentoring. The group intends to produce a series of articles for the BBF magazine Dispatches this year. If you are interested in joining this group or wish to attend the next meeting, please contact the sector group convener Dr. Sean Toner, at [email protected]

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It gave me great pleasure to present awards to the winners and recipients at last year’s British Business Forum (BBF) Kuwait Excellence gala dinner event.

A Message from Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne

I have been impressed by the quality and variety of applications that the Forum receives each year. I welcome this opportunity to offer my warmest congratulations to all past winners. They have made an important contribution to Britain in Kuwait and I applaud their hard work and commitment to sustaining and growing their businesses.

I hope their success serves as encouragement to other high performing organisations and individuals to apply for a BBF Award in 2011. I would like to encourage any individual who is active in the field of UK business promotion to consider nominating

themselves or someone they know for this year’s prestigious awards ceremony.

I also congratulate the BBF Kuwait for playing its role in fostering UK and Kuwait business relationships. Well done and I wish you all success for another year.

Baroness Nicholson of WinterbourneHouse of Lords

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About The BBF’s Awards for Excellence: criteria

The BBF’s Awards for Excellence have been operating in various forms since 1997, developing over the years into the current format. Attracting high profile support and involvement, the Awards publicly recognise individuals for outstanding achievement and companies for contributions to promoting and enhancing British Business Excellence.

Any entrant may submit an application on behalf of him/herself or another business person. The overriding principle being the heart of every nomination is clearly demonstrable British business success. Entries are invited across all business disciplines such as marketing, customer service, IT, innovation, PR, sales, staff training, process improvement, projects, entrepreneurialism, corporate social responsibility and international expansion to name but a few.

Each entry must include a photo of nominee in high resolution digital format and supporting documentation, e.g. data and examples that support innovation and business value, any client testimonials, recommendations, personal profile, business and product summary, brochures, press awards, certificates, past awards, etc.

Nominations will close 31 December 2011. An independent, bespoke, judging panel will review each entry. If you would like more information about the awards please email the BBF Office at [email protected] or visit the office at Dar Al Awadi Mall & Tower, TQLS Head Office, First Floor of Shopping Mall (+965) 2232 2038 or (+965) 6684 1114

Presentation ceremony will be conducted at the British Embassy on Friday 27 January 2012 at a black tie gala dinner under the patronage of the British Ambassador.

“Whoever I am, or what-ever I am doing, some kind of excellence is

within my reach”

This information is correct at time of publication. For additional information please contact [email protected]

BritishBUSINESS

EXCELLENCEAWARDS

2O11Since applications are judged solely on merit, there is a wide variety of individuals and companies applying and winning each year, with enterprises varying in size from large international companies to small businesses comprising just a couple of employees to individuals.

The Excellence Awards aim to recognise and reward business people across all sectors, private and public. Open to organisations of any size, entries are encouraged from those who feel they have a made a discernible difference to create a business edge. By entering for the awards, business people gain recognition and publicity for their achievements and accomplishments along with the opportunity to promote and celebrate success.

British Business Forum

The Voice of the British Business in Kuwait

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This and ThatFrom 31st October British Airways will be serving the Kuwait – Heathrow route using a Boeing747-400.This aircraft will offer 14 suites in First Class, 52 Club World flat bed seats, 36 premium economy seats, and 235 World Traveller economy seats daily.

Offers in our continuously updated BBF Membership Benefits package represent true value. Astute members should easily be able to recoup their membership subs. Quid pro quo, participating suppliers look to a mutually beneficial upturn in business. Underlying mantra? Use it or lose it!

Dispatches Editor – Sue Day – plans a feature on “How much do I need to retire (to UK)?” Compared with information available to US nationals there is, apparently, a paucity of such information available to Brits. If you know different and can add to the discussion, please contact Sue via [email protected]

In similar vein, articles and short editorial contributions to Dispatches are always welcome. Interesting, different, amusing, topical, human, business, Kuwaiti, - why not give our regulars some respite?

Our Sector Groups are intrinsically essential to our core support of British business interests, and rely entirely on members’, and their colleagues, support and participation. We focus on a wide variety of special interests for all types of like minded individuals. Convenors aim to encourage useful, informative, sometimes social networks. Getting to know you, through your participation, can only enhance the BBF’s ability to effectively advise, inform, and to direct opportunities, within Kuwait and from the UK.

BBF events are proving to be ever popular. Last minute applications are oft denied on a “first come first served basis”. Deadlines are governed by security and related issues. Advice is to book and pay early to avoid disappointment!

A full house September monthly meeting featured a presentation on the UK Bribery Law and its US equivalent. With gentle humour and a lawyer’s realism Orlando Vidal of SNR Denton guided us through the essentials and essence of individual and corporate

responsibilities, how to deal with the issues, the liabilities and the penalties.

Members are able to add value to their membership by helping to point us to potential advertisers and sponsors, amongst their employers and networks. The Board and our Events and Dispatches team will eagerly respond to any leads or advice.

Membership numbers, new and retained, corporate and individual, are encouraging. Response to applications, on occasions patchy in the past due to workload strains, is greatly benefitting from Jes Bunce’s attention to improving database and website linked administration.

Future Editions

The countdown to the London Olympics and Paralympics 2012 is in motion. We hope to explore the massive benefits which will accrue in many areas – prestige, business, tourism, travel, and massive worldwide exposure.

June 2012 will see the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, a remarkable milestone. Following on from intense worldwide interest in the Royal Wedding earlier this year, not least of all in Kuwait, we are planning and preparing a very special edition of Dispatches for publication immediately after the great event.

December’s edition will see a feature on the Kuwait Fire Service – Marine Division which, in November, is expecting to take delivery of the world’s largest fire fighting vessel.

Kuwait International Airport faces an interesting future. We are invited to an inside view of upcoming developments and improvements, to existing facilities, and, the major New International Airport.

English – the business language of the world? Strongly influenced and enhanced, arguably sometimes denuded, by other cultures and nationalities. Suitable topic(s) to discuss? We intend to!

Continuing the prevailing corruption theme we aim to examine the Kuwait Transparency Group its “raison d’etre”, its operations & ramifications, in Kuwait and internationally.

17DISPATCHESAutumn 2011 In

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Aside from the informational aspect, there was music and entertainment by the young people of the British Academy of International Arts and the Kuwait English School Band. There was shortbread and oatcakes, cream cakes and dainty sandwiches, silly hats and balloons, a bagpiper, and the traditional raffle.

Seemingly, there were London cabs everywhere! Indeed The Ambassador, Frank Baker, turned up in one! Despite only having returned from London that morning, in order to be at the show, and having cut the traditional ribbon, he insisted on visiting all 60 display stands, included a short concert, and seemed to be enormously popular with one or two of the younger generation! His support and involvement helped, in no small way, towards a successful event.

Friday 7th October turned out to be a momentous occasion in the BBF calendar. The One, that popular Friday breakfast venue for Brits, was deserted. Everyone, it seems, was at the

Hilton Resort in Mangaf, indeed more than 2000 turned up for the 16th annual “Introduction to Kuwait” show, a combined business and family event, designed to acquaint newcomers, and all, with what is available in Kuwait and where to find it – new friends, new pursuits and pastimes.

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Sponsors of the event, Wataniya

Telecom and Burgan Bank, supported

by London Limo, Gulf Insurance

and the Printshop, actively and

enthusiastically, played their part, as

did the whole BBF team. The ultimate

expressions of appreciation, the smiles

and satisfaction, came from the many

who attended. The impressive press

and TV presence will surely ensure that

the day will be well remembered.

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PHOTO CAPTIONS:1) Emad Nasser Al Mossawi,

General Manager of London Limo and Austen Read - Executive Chef, The Regency

2) Eman Abbas3) Welcome Ambassador!4) A London Limo welcome

for Paul McKay 5) Hanna Jerczynska, Arthur

Barber and Fiona McKay6) BAIA’s Patricia Whelan7) Adrian Holis and Frank

Baker8) Anne Napier and Beefy

9) Piper Bader Mohamed10) Top to Toe11) Lisa Marchant with Carl

Hakim and Hannah Crockett

12) Michael is EEK!13) Gulf Bank’s Latifa and

Mohannad14) With Gulf Insurance15) Mohamed Adel Boresly

of Wataniya Telecom receiving a Certificate of Appreciation

16) Musaed Al Najjar17) Hisham Khalil, British

Council

18) Iddris Seidu from the Arab Times19) Abdulaziz Bestaki and Jinan Al Kassem20) Raffle winner Boris Barna21) Rachel from Top to Toe receives a Certificate of

Appreciation22) Frank Baker with Majed Al Jaleel, Chairman of Burgan

Bank23) With the Holiday Inn team


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Chill Out – A Night of Smiles

T here was a full house at the first big occasion of the BBF year and, by all accounts, it was a very successful

evening. Our events manager, on his first outing, paced around nervously but visibly

relaxed as the evening wore on, the atmosphere developing to the point where nobody wanted to go home. “We should have one of these every month!”


Switchback sang their own song “You” for the first time and performed a whole range of new material in a programme of all genres of music spanning the tastes of the generations, as evidenced by a continually crowded dance floor. Laser lighting and a professional stage set-up created a most enjoyable ambience.

Security restrictions allowed only limited photography but we hope that we captured most that came through the front gate. In additional to the pictures here, the complete gallery will be placed on the new website

Plaudits aplenty are due to George Mhawech and his team of professionals at GM Event Management who acquitted themselves well in what we hope will be a the first of many in a successful partnership.

On to the Poppy Ball!

26 DISPATCHESAutumn 2011

Business Opportunities between the United Kingdom and the State of Kuwait - The Duke of York hosts a Seminar at St James’s Palace London.

Following discussions with the Amir and the Prime Minister of Kuwait during an official visit to the State in 2010, The Duke of York decided to hold a high level seminar at St James’s Palace

to highlight to British companies the opportunities afforded by Kuwait’s ambitious National Development Plan. The Plan includes £93 billion for infrastructure projects in a sequence of projects which look forward to 2035. UK companies have already secured £2 billion of contracts in connection with the Plan.

The commercial relationship between the State of Kuwait and the United Kingdom is strong and growing. The Duke of York opens the seminar at St James Palace.

The seminar was attended by both the Kuwaiti and British Ministers of Trade and Industry, Dr Amani Bou Resli and Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint. Dr Bou Resli was accompanied by a delegation of over 30 Kuwaiti business leaders from a range of sectors including financial services, health, education, energy, transport and infrastructure.

The British Government was also represented by Gerald Howarth MP, Minister for International Security Strategy and Lord Marland of Woodstock, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Energy and Climate Change. The Kuwaiti Ambassador HE Mr Khaled Al Duwaisan and HM Ambassador to the State of Kuwait Mr Frank Baker were guests. The event, which was attended by over 100 leaders of British businesses, was chaired by Dr Gerard Lyons, Chief Economist at Standard Chartered Bank, and included the following speakers:

In the chair, Dr Gerard Lyons highlighted the many business sectors involved with the development of Kuwait: Health, Construction, Education, Defence & Security, and Financial Services. He then introduced the Kuwaiti Minister for Commerce and Industry, HE Dr Amani Khalid Bou Resli who expanded on the theme and noted the numerous laws that were being extended and introduced to help Foreign

Direct Investment (FDI). These included Private-Public Partnerships (PPP) laws in support of the work being done by the centralised Partnerships Technical Bureau (PTB), who have been supported from time to time by Infrastructure UK – a subset of HM Treasury. Such moves should improve the climate for doing business in Kuwait across the board.

BUSINESS NEWS BUSINESS NEWS


From right to left HE Dr Amani Khalid Bou Resli Minister of Commerce & Industry, Jeff De Lange Deputy Managing Director Gulf Consult & BBF Member, Keith Clarke Chief Executive Officer Atkins Global, Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint Minister of State for Trade & Investment, Dr Gerard Lyons Chief Economist and Group Head of Global Research Standard Chartered Bank, Ali Al Ghanim President Kuwait Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI), Adel Al Roumi President Partnerships Technical Bureau (PTB)

The chairman then expanded on his opening statement before introducing the panel; emphasising in particular:

• The demographics of Kuwait and other Gulf States were such that the increasing ratio of young to old and the threat of unemployment were a strategic issue for the Kuwait Government and one of the underlying causes for the current civil unrest across the Arab world.

• Diversification downstream and/or away from the oil and gas industry was recognised by most Gulf States but alternative business models disassociated from the finite resource of oil and gas had yet to be properly addressed.

• Differentiating one country from another amongst those associated with the Arab Spring, if not essential, certainly needed to be recognised, and faith maintained in those who were well-placed politically, socially, ethnically, and culturally from those who were not. Kuwait should not be considered in the same way as others. A similar parallel might be the UK in relation to the rest of Europe, notably Greece and others defaulting over loans.

HE Dr Amani Khalid Bou Resli Minister of Commerce & Industry talks of the national development plan and the numerous laws that were being extended and introduced to help Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

Lord Green outlined UK’s foreign policy drive led by exports, commercial diplomacy and the role of UKTI. He highlighted the roles Embassies must play in developing potential High Value Opportunities (HVOs). The Chairman of the PTB and the Chairman of the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) both pointed to the opportunities associated with the Kuwaiti Development Plan, notably those involving PPP/BOT. One of the main elements of the Plan is to restore the leading role of the private sector, primarily through the introduction of various reforms and incentives, to stimulate private investment. Accordingly, half of the envisioned investment outlays under the Plan are anticipated to come from the private sector, either as direct investments or in the form of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP).

The Chairman of KCCI recommended any company going to Kuwait should call on the Chamber as a matter of course. Keith Clarke and Jeff De Lange, the latter a long-term resident in Kuwait and convenor of the BBF Construction Sector Group, made the point that the companies that have succeeded the most were those who had remained in Kuwait. The days of carpet baggers were over. If a company wished to progress in the long-term there was a need to maintain a presence.

The discussions at the Seminar concluded the following:

• International trade is crucial for the UK’s economic growth and the British Government has put



commercial relations with the Gulf at the centre of this strategy.

• Energy has been a key part of Kuwait’s economic success but the country needs to diversify its economy to boost the private sector and create jobs for its growing population of educated young people.

• Kuwait is at a ‘tipping point’ with a long term vision for 2035 and a series of ambitious development plans. There are improved signs of the Kuwait Government’s commitment to implement vital reforms with a number of new laws already passed and it moving from its role as an operator to that of a regulator.

• The Kuwait market and particularly the National Development Plan, present UK businesses, large and small, with genuine opportunities for engagement in a diverse range of sectors. Specific High Value Opportunity (HVO) projects included;

o Kuwait International Airport Developmento Kuwait City Metro and GCC linking Rail

Networko Kuwait Hospitals & Healthcare Development

Planso Boubyan Island & Ports Developmento Public-Private Partnerships Schemes

• Under the National Development Plan Kuwait will build on three strands of infrastructure:

o Hard Infrastructure – construction of hospitals, schools, transport links

o Soft Infrastructure – human capital (education, training, skills transfer)

o Institutional Infrastructure – regulation, legislation etc

Right to left Ali Al Ghanim President Kuwait Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Adel Al Roumi President Partnerships Technical Bureau responds to questions on Doing Business in Kuwait

• Government and the private sector are looking for turnkey solutions, rather than offerings which form individual parts of a project solution. British companies need to work together in consortia to provide tailored packages that provide for the design, construction, management, training and service delivery of a project. In this context medical solutions were discussed as a potential area for consortia.

• Achieving the ambitious objectives the Kuwaiti development programme will require significant levels of external support. Kuwait is expected to adopt a focus on packaged solutions for major and complex projects in the future. The UK reputation for quality and robustness is highly regarded but is often outweighed by packaged consortium proposals from elsewhere. It is clear that UK companies must be more willing to cooperate together and deliver solutions to complex developments.

• Companies should not expect to sell yesterday’s equipment and technology. Kuwait is a highly competitive market, and only the best will survive. To succeed, offerings must be world class.

• While Kuwait is not the easiest market to work in, and there are significant challenges, including transparency, nevertheless it is certainly worth UK companies engaging in Kuwait.

There is much that UK can win

in the market as Kuwait

needs British expertise

in moving forward.



The BBF Chairman was invited to the seminar as a voice of British business in Kuwait and afterwards to a lunch reception at the Kuwait Embassy hosted by the Kuwaiti Ambassador HE Mr Khaled Al Duwaisan. The BBF was prominently represented in discussions with its construction sector group convenor and former BBF Vice Chairman, Jeff De Lange contributing as a keynote speaker on the panel.

Duke of York closes the seminar - Kuwait market and particularly the National Development Plan, present UK businesses, large and small, with genuine opportunities for engagement in a diverse range of sectors.

Whilst UK companies are well placed to secure significant business from the numerous development opportunities which the Kuwait Government has planned for the next few years, there are a number of real or perceived issues in doing business in Kuwait. In broad terms these stem from: a lack of accurate knowledge; concerns about corruption and procurement processes; the real need for long-term commitment; and the importance of working collaboratively with other UK or international partners.

These are issues that both Kuwait and UK will need to consider how best to address but there are signs that Kuwait’s bureaucratic process is improving as the government moves from operator to regulator roles under Law 7/2008 which sets the foundation for the implementation of infrastructure PPP projects. The state has also ratified the UN Convention against Corruption in 2007, adopted a National anti-corruption strategy in 2008 and recently a series of new draft laws were presented to establish a national anti-corruption authority.

But it is not all about current issues. Since Kuwait’s independence in 1961, the UK has lost market share – to the USA, Germany, France, Korea and China; the UK needs to re-establish its position as Kuwait’s Partner of Choice. UK is not number one anymore with economic relationships not as strong as its political ties. Kuwait has compared the lack of support of the British Chamber of Commerce to stronger competition from other Chamber of Commerce and offered suggestions on how British companies might be better able to contribute. The British Government and our British companies need to be firmly committed to closer economic co-operation in hand with Kuwait’s political changes, as is the need of the BBF and its business community in forging closer relationships, networks and partnerships as the leading British Trade Association in Kuwait.

Kuwait places great emphasis on trust and the importance of the family. It is therefore imperative that UK companies understand and consider local culture and expectations when seeking business, especially the importance of forming strong personal relationships with potential partners and procurement bodies, long before business is finally sought. Kuwaiti buyers naturally favour proposals from known and trusted individuals. The relationship-building process takes time and several visits may be required before that can be attained. Once a relationship is formed, business growth will be rapid.

British companies that come to Kuwait will need a local partner, and should plan to be in Kuwait for the long term. The business relationship is based on personal relationships, one to one. Those who flit in and out will not gain business. The BBF advice is to be patient, establish a local presence, and foster a relationship of trust with your Kuwaiti partners. Many British SME firms offer products and services that are highly attractive in the Kuwait market, but they simply lack the knowledge and resources to exploit the opportunities and to compete successfully. If you are therefore expanding into Kuwait for the first time then you will need to be supported by expert advice.

The BBF can help. Working closely with the British Embassy UK Trade and Investment the BBF can provide impartial and dependable business assistance from within its expert members working across the many business sectors. Contact us at [email protected].



A Matter of Principle

Corruption is as deadly as the HIV/Aids virus – it’s a cancer, whether it is the 12 official signatures needed on a license, the official taking bribes at the border or the goods that are paid for but not delivered (Bono, The Guardian 23 May 2006).

Two thirds (of surveyed FTSE 100 companies) said it was not possible to do business in some countries without being involved in bribery. The World Bank estimates that widespread corruption can cause the growth rate of a country to be 1% point lower than that of a similar country with little corruption. It is estimated that systemic corruption can add 20-25% to the costs of government procurement, and frequently results in inferior quality goods and services and unnecessary purchases. A conservative estimate of the annual total of bribes paid worldwide is US $1 trillion; roughly the amount that the UN believes is needed to eradicate global poverty.

Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index 2010 rates countries according to the perception of corruption in the public sector. Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore are the good countries at the top of the list; bringing up the rear is Somalia, slightly trailing Myanmar, Afghanistan and Iraq. Germany

is ranked 15th, UK 20th, USA 22nd and France 25th. The same index rates Kuwait 54th out of 178 counties but behind its GCC neighbours. The World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business index also places Kuwait 74th out of 183, trailing the GCC despite being classified as a high income economy.

Kuwait is an exciting place to be and it’s a fascinating period, offering business opportunities with its ambitious national development plan, yet its business reputation is at stake with everyone talking about the corruption we are living with. It is argued that, on average, approximately 70% of central government expenditure turns in one way or another into contracts. Contracts are sources of power to those who give

With the world in general and the region in particular in turmoil, it is only too understandable that corruption; however provocative and volatile a subject to discuss, first needs to

be addressed effectively and then generally brought under control. It is the menace that plagues effective functioning of governments in democratic and authoritarian forms of governance. It is an insidious disease that reflects patronage, nepotism, red-tape, ineffective revenue generation, under counter payments in procurement and failure in service delivery. Corruption shines through in business, in politics and in the street.



them out and targets of ambition for those who may receive them, making public contracts particularly prone to abuse at the expense of public need. The risk of corruption in public contracting exists even before the contracting process has started, perhaps even at the moment when public budgets are allocated, and it perpetuates beyond the awarding of a contract to its implementation. Massive market inefficiencies can also arise from corruption and, in the extreme, lead to the destruction of development opportunities. In many business dealings, corruption is exacerbated by large amounts of red tape and bureaucracy.

Bribery is increasingly subtle. Until recently bribery was seen as a normal business expense which could be claimed for tax deduction purposes. That has all changed. The UK has reinforced its reputation as one of the least corrupt countries in the world with the UK Bribery Act that came into force in 2011. The Act introduces a corporate offence of failure to prevent bribery by persons working on behalf of a UK business, makes it a criminal offence to give, promise or offer, or accept a bribe and increases the maximum penalty for bribery from seven (7) to ten (10) years imprisonment with an unlimited fine. The British Business Forum featured anti-corruption as its subject at its September members’ meeting. Corruption has now become something to be scared of to those who engage in it.

Corruption is almost an inescapable aspect of daily life and experience of ordinary people. A major difficulty in fighting against corruption is due to the inherent paradox that the cost of corruption is invisible and spread over a large number of people whereas the visible benefits are limited to a few corrupt people in power positions. Getting even a lobby to fight against corruption is thereby a difficult proposition. There is also widespread public cynicism in our community about anti-corruption intervention. Political indifference, bureaucratic inertia and citizen’s apathy make anti-corruption effort much difficult.

As a result of corruption, private mansions are being built instead of bridges; swimming pools are dug instead of irrigation systems; funds destined to run hospitals and buy medicines find their way into the pockets of corrupt officials; economic growth is held back; and public trust in government is undermined (OECD/ADB ‘Curbing Corruption in Public Procurement in Asia and the Pacific).

Most certainly there is a silver lining. There are signs that Kuwait’s bureaucratic process is improving as the government moves from operator to regulator roles under Law 7/2008 which sets the foundation for the implementation of infrastructure PPP projects. Kuwait has also ratified the UN Convention against Corruption, has adopted a national anti-corruption strategy and recently a series of new draft laws to establish a national anti-corruption authority. The world has also observed the Arab Spring with Islamist movements quickly mobilizing national campaigns designed to unveil a new image. Paranoid rhetoric about Muslim identity has given way to a younger, better educated, better informed society with political messaging that could have been lifted from any western democracy.

Corruption is a problem that all counties have to confront. It is not enough to merely point an accusing finger at corrupt officials, tax evaders and criminals in the annual trillion-dollar illicit-money equation. The recipient side of the equation must be highlighted as well. Solutions can only be home grown. Leaders need to take a stand. Civil society plays its key role as well. The British Business Forum, the voice of British business in Kuwait seeks to engage with and support all officials and business people to ensure a more level playing field for companies seeking business opportunities in Kuwait.


Mentoring Strategies in Context: Human Resources or People Dynamics?

The shift of emphasis, of course, has given rise to a discussion of the nature of talent. Is talent an asset that occurs naturally in certain people or is it something that can be developed? The question certainly provides food for thought. It is generally accepted, however, that we all have talents but they need to be nurtured and developed. Another issue that requires a lot of

thought and discussion is the meaning of the phrase “Human Resources”. Are “Human Resources,” like workstations or computers, to be considered in the budget as another static overhead or are your people really and truly the essence of business growth and therefore need to be continuously ‘grown and cared for’ ?

We cannot consider the benefits of a mentoring strategy without putting it into the context of how we view HR. My own understanding of HR, having worked within it for some years, and, like everybody else, having had to interact with it over a working lifetime, is that there are two arms to it: Administration and People Development. Administration and the bureaucracy that is required to make it work has little to do with growth and development and in my view should be


In a previous article for Dispatches I mentioned how mentoring, peer mentoring, E mentoring and group mentoring are ways in which we can grow or develop people. People development

is presently seen as important, if not essential, for a company’s HR programme. Training is only one route to knowledge and skill acquisition, others might include short or long term coaching and mentoring. This is why companies are even renaming ‘Training Department’ as HR Talent Development.


quite separate to HR and People Development. The second arm of HR, which is the development of people, is more of a recent addition but many companies still regard this as a burdensome extra, often using excuses such as: ‘Our staff are already qualified when they are recruited. Why should we develop them?’

My views on HR and on mentoring in general were greatly affected by results from my research into peer mentoring when I realized that people are so unlike ‘a resource’ that no one intervention will all the time please them or inspire them. They change every day. They are all different, they all have their own approach to professionalism, they all have their moods, likes, dislikes, and preferred ways of learning. But, more than all of that, they are in no way static. They have to interact with people of different persuasions every day and this is a dynamic interaction. The thrust of the way they learn from each other is dynamic.

Jump now to a phrase that a friend used during one summer holiday in Greece. I was asking some Greek friends how they referred to Human Resources in Greek. They had to think a little because it is not a concept that permeates Greek business life; it has not ‘taken off’ in Greece yet. However it dawned on one of them what the Greek equivalent is. ‘Anthropiko Dynamiko’ he said, ‘That’s what we call it’. Dynamos in Greek means essentially ‘power’ and dynamiko means ‘exhibiting power, movement and growth’. In this case I think the word is exactly right.

Ironically, in a country where they don’t invest a great deal in HR, I got the title that best matches a business approach which goes to the heart of the matter – ‘People Dynamics.’ Developing people is a dynamic process because people themselves are dynamic. This leads me to my supposition that HR should really be called People Dynamics (Human Dynamics sounds too much like a subject studied in medicine or physics).

Given that our businesses will, in future, run a department called People Dynamics, then we need to seek a dynamic way of growing our people. To me there is no better way of doing this than by using the natural process of everyday dynamic interaction, harnessing the learning power in this process by putting people into pairs or teams to learn from each other. In this way we imitate the growth of a child into an adult.

Psychology has supplied plenty of evidence that points to peer learning being a much more powerful influence than learning from elders. Peer pressure creates this dynamic environment whereby people want to learn, compete and grow. This competitive learning dimension kicks in when the young child is starting to ‘go out on its own’ and does not need to have its hand held any more. A rapidly changing world creates a requirement to keep up with the changes and with the pace within and outside of an organization. The learner will do this through adapting to peers and absorbing the skills and aptitudes of those who naturally need to expand their thinking and stay ahead. What we can say about peer mentoring in this way is that the more diverse the staff, the more opportunities to learn, whether it be cultural, skill based or attitudinal learning.

Needless to say, we should employ facilitators who have the wisdom and experience to know how to harness this dynamic growing potential. These people are the super mentors, those who realize that their own body of knowledge and skills is limited and easily or quickly outdated. Any attempt at traditional mentoring could be a transfer of dated knowledge and skills. These super mentors are better off helping their mentees by allowing them to learn from each other in a form of collaborative learning. Further to this, the super mentor uses wisdom to place them in small groups or pairs where they are able to learn strengths that they do not yet have: the more diverse the backgrounds in a group, the more the learning




opportunities. The super mentor also has to have the wisdom and skills to facilitate goal setting, glean and note what has been learned and to lead discussion between peer mentors on the quality of learning. The job of super mentor should be a full time job and could involve the facilitation of learning for many more than one person (since the super mentor is not actually leading mentoring sessions with any of the mentees.)

This kind of peer mentoring is dynamic or powerful for a number of reasons:

• Research in psychology indicates that people learn better from peers

• There is an everyday and all day interaction

• Healthy competition comes into play

• The wider the peer contact the more the potential for learning

• Natural and dynamic in a multi-cultural business environment such as prevails today

• Avoids passing on dated/one tracked skills or knowledge (as possible in traditional mentoring)

• Allows for positive and negative input from colleagues (learn from mistakes as from successes)

To sum up I recommend changing the term ‘Human Resources’ to People Dynamics and I recommend companies to advocate peer mentoring as the main

strategy for growing their people since this kind of collaborative learning lends itself to dynamic professional growth. Every day we interface with so many others whose strengths and skills are different from our own. Another suggestion is to employ super mentors (as opposed to supervisors) who facilitate this growth by helping to set goals, to provide learning opportunities and to collate and assess the quality of learning.

Dr Sean Toner is a Kuwait - based consultant in Education and Training. His particular interest lies in the area of Mentoring and Coaching. The above article is written specifically for Dispatches but will, like others in this series of articles, be the ground work for chapters of a book he is writing on the Power of Peer Mentoring. In a future article he will expand on what he means by peer mentoring and give several real life examples taken from his action research data.

BUSINESS NEWS


First the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Now You!Business Netiquette in Ten

Rule #1: Do not spam.

Rule #2: Do not rely solely on e-mail. Sometimes you need to tackle a situation face-to-face.

Rule #3: Similarly, balance work-related e-mails with telephone calls. E-mail may be more efficient in the short run, but relationships are built faster and stronger with personal contact.

Rule #4: Be aware that e-mails can sometimes read rude. Be careful.

Rule #5: Send professional messages at work unless you know the recipient personally as well. A professional acquaintance may question the ability of a colleague who sends a :-) in business e-mail.

Rule #6: Spelling counts! So does grammar and punctuation!

Rule #7: Don’t respond to e-mail immediately. It is easy to hit the reply button and type up a quick response, but this has downsides.

Since its founding, the internet has truly become a ‘community’ and, like most communities, rules have evolved to ensure that members of the community know what is consider to be

acceptable behaviour and what is not. This code, unofficial of course, defines the appropriate “netiquette” for ‘net users – specifically those using the internet in business situations.

You will appear to be constantly reachable to colleagues, and too eager to clients or upper management. Unless it is urgent wait a couple of hours to respond so you can form a plan, and keep focused on your task at hand.

Rule #8: DO NOT TYPE IN ALL UPPERCASE. This is the ‘net equivalent of SHOUTING.

Rule #9: Do not type in all lowercase either. Best case scenario, it looks unprofessional; worse still, it makes you look lazy, ignorant or both.

Rule #10: Use the same salutation at the beginning of an email as you would if you were addressing the recipient in person. While e-mails may feel more informal, you should wait until you are asked by the recipient before using a first name or nickname.



The Language Every Successful Businessperson Needs to Know . . .

and it’s not English

Are you lost? It’s not a surprise. For a long time, Internet lingo was the purview of kids and techies. Of course, at that time, the Internet itself was dominated by kids and techies. Today, however, things have changed.

Ten years ago, 513 million people – 8.6% of the world population - used the internet (which was a huge jump from December 1995, when only 16 million people used the ‘net). As of June 2011, 30.4% of the world population used the internet, that’s 2,110 million people.

Last year, Amazon alone did $9.91 billion in sales. eBay reported 1st Q 2011 earnings o f $2.5 billion. An Australian research group estimates that approximately 4% of all US retail sales are ‘net-based; they predict that the sales forecast for 2014 will reach $240 billion.

Doing business online is inevitable AFAIC, so you may want to take a few moments, CYA, and work on translating the acronyms that are creeping in from text messaging and on your Net Lingo (courtesy of www.netlingo.com). You may be surprised to learn that there is a word or phrase for most of what you experience online. YW.

Administrivia

Refers to the administrative details that are found on a Web site. For example, the legal, copyright, liability, and licensing information. In the past, privacy issues were also categorized as “administrivia”, however, with the increased awareness for security on Web sites, privacy is viewed as a more prominent topic.

Backhoe day

The information industry’s equivalent of a snow day, or what happens when employees are sent home

I f a colleague emails you that a company of interest is LOPSOD but you still omit DD that may be a CLM due to a very big WOMBAT.

after a network outage blamed on careless backhoe work along the buried fiber line.

CEO-speak a.k.a. ceo speak

This is the language of corporate leadership. “CEO-speak” explores the metaphors and persuasive strategies used by leaders of the corporate world, for example “The current downturn reached sufficient strength this quarter that we could not power up against it,” and “We are an issues-focused firm with high-end engagements across the board and we want to be the market leader in the industries we serve.”

Dog whistle

Business jargon used to describe a situation in which a client cannot see the difference between a professional graphic designer’s work and that of an amateur (or competent) graphic designer. For example, if a client is evaluating two new logo designs and the professional one costs $30,000 and the amateur design costs $2,000 but they look somewhat similar, the client may perceive the $30,000 one to be twice as good as the $2,000 design, but not 30 times better.

Elvis year

The peak year of something’s popularity. “Barney the dinosaur’s Elvis year was 1993.”

Fat finger

To make an error in typing, as in, “Oops, I didn’t see that misspelling. I must have fat fingered it.”

Idea hamster

Someone who always seems to have his or her idea generator running. “That guy’s a real idea hamster. Give him a raw concept and he’ll turn it over ‘til he comes up with something useful.”



Jitterati

A play on the term digiterati, this is what the digital generation becomes after drinking too much coffee.

Kevork

A term which means “to kill” or “put something out” it can be used in the present or past tense; for example, “We kevorked that project last week.”

Loser error (also spelled as: luser error)

A play on “user error,” this refers to an error caused by a user who, in turn, blames it on the computer.

Meatloaf

Unlike spam, which is unsolicited commercial e-mail (UCE), meatloaf is unsolicited personal e-mail. It’s circulated by friends or office mates via group e-mail lists. Meatloaf consists of jokes, anecdotes, and other trivia. The term is a variation on spam to reflect that these messages are “homemade.”

Office drone

The classic definition of a “drone” involves several aspects including (1) Male honeybees which gather no honey; (2) One who lives on the labors of others; a lazy, idle fellow; and (3) That which gives out a monotonous tone or dull sound. Leave it to the worker bees to come up with a term called “office drone.” It is a nickname given to the laziest person in the cube farm, or the one who tries to pass off as much work as possible while still maintaining the semblance of productivity (see also: throw it over the wall).

In other words, if your life resembles a Dilbert character, your colleagues may be secretly calling you the office drone behind your back. However most office drones are keenly aware of their sluggardness and openly acknowledge it, for example “As the token office drone, I am constantly looking for ways I can break free of the monotonous, death pit of Entry-Level Temp Work.”

Plutoed a.k.a. to pluto something

In reference to the fact that the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union decided Pluto no longer met its definition of a planet, “to pluto something” or “plutoed” refers to demoting or devaluing someone or something. This term was chosen as the Word of the Year for 2006 by the American Dialect Society; it won in a runoff against “climate canary.”

New Top 50 Popular Acronyms Used in Business:

1. AFAIC - As Far As I’m Concerned2. ASAP - As Soon As Possible3. BHAG - Big Hairy Audacious Goal4. BOHICA - Bend Over Here It Comes Again5. CLM - Career Limiting Move6. CYA - Cover Your A**7. DD - Due Diligence8. DQYDJ - Don’t Quit Your Day Job9. DRIB - Don’t Read If Busy10. EOD - End Of Day -or- End Of Discussion11. EOM - End Of Message12. EOT - End Of Thread (meaning: end of discussion)13. ESO - Equipment Smarter than Operator14. FRED - ****ing Ridiculous Electronic Device15. FUBAR - ****ed Up Beyond All Recognition (or Repair)16. FYI - For Your Information17. GMTA - Great Minds Think Alike18. HIOOC - Help, I’m Out Of Coffee19. IAITS - It’s All In The Subject20. IANAL - I Am Not A Lawyer21. KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid22. LOPSOD - Long On Promises, Short On Delivery23. MOTD - Message Of The Day24. MTFBWY - May The Force Be With You25. MYOB - Mind Your Own Business26. NRN - No Reply Necessary27. NSFW - Not Safe For Work28. NWR - Not Work Related29. OTP - On The Phone30. P&C - Private & Confidential31. PDOMA - Pulled Directly Out Of My A**32. PEBCAK - Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard33. PITA - Pain In The A**34. QQ - Quick Question35. RFD - Request For Discussion36. RFP - Request For Proposal37. SBUG - Small Bald Unaudacious Goal38. SME - Subject Matter Expert39. SNAFU - Situation Normal, All F***ed Up40. SSDD - Same Sh** Different Day41. STD - Seal The Deal 42. SWAG - Scientific Wild A** Guess 43. TBA - To Be Advised44. TBD - To Be Determined45. TWIMC - To Whom It May Concern46. TIA - Thanks In Advance47. WIIFM - What’s In It For Me48. WOMBAT - Waste Of Money, Brains And Time49. WTG - Way To Go50. YW - You’re Welcome

Netlingo (thanks to www.netlingo.com)

BUSINESS NEWS

Ransom note a.k.a. CAPTCHA, security letters

A string of letters or numbers that dynamically appears on some Web pages, ransom notes require that you type this sequence of characters exactly as they appear into a form field below the image in order to gain access to another Web page. The reason ransom notes exist is because some search engines and Web sites have become abused by bots and automated services, so they employ ransom notes to ensure that an actual human is accessing or requesting this information. Often seen on link submission pages, this type of submission process has been designed to prevent people from being able to make automated submissions. Ransom notes generally resemble the image as seen here, and are accompanied by an instruction such as “Enter the Following Code to View More Results” at which point you must enter the code in order to advance to subsequent pages.

The term CAPTCHA (for Completely Automated Public Turing Test To Tell Computers and Humans Apart) was coined in 2000 by Luis von Ahn, Manuel Blum, Nicholas Hopper and John Langford of Carnegie Mellon University.

Send storm

A deluge of private chat messages while one is trying to do something else online. “Sorry, I’m currently the victim of a send storm. I’ll be with you in a moment.”

The farmer died

A phrase used to reflect a major change in management that, up until that point, had been the same for a long time. For example, if there is executive turnover at a dot-com resulting in a change of business plans (or M&A of the company), then it can be said, the farmer died. It comes from the time when a farmer made all of the decisions regarding his land, and when he died, someone else decided what to grow or whether or not to sell the operation.

Vulcan nerve pinch a.k.a. three finger salute or quadruple bucky

Slang for keyboard commands that tax the hand’s ability to reach all of the appropriate keys. For instance, the soft boot for a Mac II involves simultaneously pressing both Control keys, the Command key, and the Power On key. On a PC it refers to pressing the Ctl-Alt-Del buttons on your keyboard at the same time.

Whack-a-mole

The “game” one has to play to quickly close the interstitial ads and other windows that pop-up on some commercial Web pages (especially porn sites). These pages will sometimes generate new windows every time you close a previous one, creating a situation similar to the action in the popular arcade game “Whack-a-Mole.”

Xerox subsidy

Euphemism for swiping “free” photocopies at one’s workplace.

Zen mail

E-mail messages that arrive with no text in the message body.

Haiku poetry error messages

In Japan, they have replaced the impersonal and unhelpful Microsoft error messages with Haiku poetry messages. Haiku poetry has strict construction rules, each poem has only 17 syllables; 5 syllables in the first, 7 in the second, and 5 in the third. They are used to communicate a timeless message, often achieving a wistful, yearning and powerful insight through extreme brevity (and are much better than “Your computer has performed an illegal operation.”) Here are some:

The Web site you seekCannot be located, butCountless more exist.

Chaos reigns within.Reflect, repent, and reboot.Order shall return.

Program aborting:Close all that you have worked on.You ask far too much.

Yesterday it worked.Today it is not working.Windows is like that.

Stay the patient course.Of little worth is your ire.The network is down.

Three things are certain:Death, taxes and lost data.Guess which has occurred.

Dispatches invites all readers to adopt this approach when responding to difficult situations and submit any Haikus that you compose in the process. Email submissions to [email protected].


BUSINESS NEWS

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CY S&S BF Ad.pdf 10/1/11 3:26:41 PM

A recent Hewlett Packard report on sustainability cited an EPA report estimating that data centres will consume a total 100 billion kilowatt hours of energy by 2011, compared to 61 billion kilowatt hours in 2006 – an increase of over 60% in 5 years. Other sources estimate that the manufacturing, use, and disposal of information and communications technologies generate about 2% of the world’s CO2 emissions, rising to 3% by 2020.

UK taxes on high power consumers?

The corporate data centres are the bête noire but they link in turn to hundreds of desk top products used to access a range of corporate and Internet applications, used extensively on a 24/7 basis. In the UK there are questions about the taxation that would be applied to the higher power consumers. Efficiencies may be improved by consolidating several smaller data units into a larger overall construction.

How Green is my Data Centre?

T here are conflicting opinions about global warming, fossil fuel usage and the associated energy consumption. However it is clear that energy usage is increasing, and the corporate “bête

noire” is the traditional data centre. UK corporations that consume more than 60 megawatts of power must now report on that usage, together with their efforts to reduce their carbon emission, either in absolute total or per unit of production. Failure to comply can result in fines.

Ian Mills

Carbon tax uncertainties have negative effects on growth: the Financial Times reported on 28 August 2011 that “Memset, a web and IT hosting provider, had cut back plans to build its own centre in the UK due to the uncertainty of Carbon Offset taxation.” Another FT article: “IT Sector Fears Impact of Carbon Targets” presents a gloomy future - such development opportunities might go to Ireland (tax incentives there) or France (cheaper electricity).

So what can individuals do?

What can any individual do to save the planet from IT consumption of power? Well there is a useful guide for individuals and companies - EPEAT® styling themselves “the definitive global registry for greener electronics.” (See www.epeat.net) They provide world wide registration for environmental rating of electronic products, providing environmentally sustainable manufacturing and usage.

Education initiatives in Kuwait


Shown here pushed back looking like a normal socket. The concept is cube-shaped socket developed by Russian art collective Lebedev Studio that pulls out to reveal four more connections. My information is that it is now available only as the DIN standard (European) shown here.

Education is also a key. Kuwait is incorporating environmental awareness education into its schools curricula to change the cultural perception. The long term goal is to teach the future generations an awareness of environmental sustainability. The K companies (KPC, KOC, et al) have launched corporation wide projects on environmental awareness, developing teams of qualified professionals in a range of areas including Green IT, where the training and certification is provided by the British Computer Society. (See www.bsc.org/greenit/promo)

At home

It is easy to leave the IT system switched on all night – especially in Kuwait with very cheap local energy. Best practice - Switch It Off.

Other best practices taken from international standards help, such as using a correctly fused and moulded BS1363 plug for power lines to your PC equipment rather than wedging a (DIN standard) 2 round pin plug into the square socket on the wall.

The average 21st century home – and office - has a wide range of items charging, on stand-by and otherwise requiring a mains connection. This can often outstrip the sockets provided in your apartment or villa and so extension leads and adapters become useful and provide evidence of capacity limitations. This leads to webs of wires behind shelves or cupboards housing TV, PVR, Hi-Fi and such core components of the home electronics. The capacity planning of most works spaces does not keep pace with the proliferation of devices that “must” be supported. Power systems management is still

constrained by design / build of typically 20 years ago.

One neat solution to reducing these wandering leads is an original and functional design known as Rozektus 3D,

Electric cars?

One significant point about electric cars – often overlooked – they maybe cheap to run in terms of gas emissions, but have significantly high costs of production, maintenance and eventual disposal, all of which use additional energy. The car to watch, however, is the new Vauxhall Ampera reckoned to be the stuff of fantasy in the real world – “an electric vehicle for everyday driving, its revolutionary Voltec propulsion system gives the Ampera up to 50 miles of battery-powered driving with zero tailpipe emissions and the extended range technology (ERT) can give you up to an extra 310 miles between re-charging.” (see www.vauxhall-ampera.co.uk) The ERT is giving you about 175 mpg from the generator that takes over running the electric engine but still with a low CO2/km emission.

Ian Mills has 30 years experience in Kuwait as an IT Systems Consultant. This is a synopsis of an original longer paper. The complete paper can be obtained from Ian Mills at [email protected], tel: 9964 9504 or 2561 6303. He is also available for any discussions through Facebook his handle is GreenMilo (what else!)


44



Anna Garforth is an urban land artist, who mixes an interest in urban ecology and sustainability in her creative practice. She works with a diverse range of materials and skills to create experimental work, often typographic, for events, community projects, workshops, campaigns, publications and exhibitions. With a satisfied client list that includes Nature Valley, Albion advertising, Arte TV, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and Deutsche Bank, the 26 year old artist from East London is making her mark on communication by integrating typography with unusual media, such as cookie dough, moss, and honey.

“My respect for the wild merged with my love of the city,” explained Garforth. “As a result, the essence of my work is inspired by the juxtaposition of urban and natural environments.”

In a recent article Fast Company brand identity expert David Brier presented “an amazing talent who uses the world around her as a canvas, injecting as much magic as an episode of Harry Potter.”

The subject of such a strong description? Anna Garforth, in his words, “the latest phenomenon to come from England.”

One Smart Cookie: Anna Garforth


Gary MoranMembership Director

Geoff WebsterGeneral Secretary

Stephen JonesBusiness Relations Director

Two projects demonstrated this juxtaposition. ‘Head gardener’ is a guerilla gardening project that turns milk bottles into plant containers. Showcased around urban areas, these containers are treated like characters with overflowing plants doubling as hair. ‘rethink’ is an installation set up in front of London’s Regents Canal which is an electrical power site with two main resources: gas and water. “The word communicates a need to rethink what our society consumes and how we collectively use our resources.”

BUSINESS NEWS


During the sixties, new artistic practices concerned with environmental, ecological and consumerism issues began to appear. The aim was to highlight the importance of the

relationship between man and his environment.

Consumerism, Environment & ArtMlle Dominique Malarde


Termed variously Environmental Art, Land Art, Earth Art, Eco Art etc, the pieces use natural elements – leaves, wood, and rocks – to allow an artist to bring the environment into the gallery. Others worked in the landscape, using digging, ploughing, excavation to create large-scale pieces often set in remote locations.

British artists were among the leaders in this radical new art form; e.g. Goldsworthy, Long, and others produced delicate works from wood, leaves, rocks, set in the landscape, while In the United States, one could begin to discover monumental artworks consisting of reforestation, depollution, the reintroduction of flora and fauna in deserted areas.

Within the Land Art genre artists have develop ways to draw attention to issues of pollution, recycling, consumerism and waste. Observers can renew their experience of the natural environment and landscape,

drawing attention to ecological and environmental disturbances. Such observation offers opportunity for study, and can support solutions for sustainable development and urban planning.

Here in Kuwait AUK students have identified issues of local and global pollution, recycling, ecological protection, the protection of animals, and the waste of consumerism. Their project work with Mlle Dominique during the summer has produced a number of entertaining, though-provoking and visually significant and attractive pieces and installations. Exhibitions are planned later this year in several locations in Kuwait.

Mlle Dominique Malarde is a professional artist based in the American University of Kuwait. Dominique is currently supervising students’ work for a new exhibition later in October featuring environmental art and installations. For more information call mobile 66944361 or email: [email protected].

BUSINESS NEWS

Global Warming? An Alternative

Business Approach?


It is argued that excessive carbon emission from industry contributes to the “global greenhouse” warming effect and there has been pressure on growing economies – China, India – to play their part in limiting emissions and “saving the planet”. (Pessimistically, it’s actually about saving ourselves – the planet will continue with or without us).

It is a moot point on how the new industrial giants will perceive the new message from the USA. Do they now feel that they have the freedom to go ahead unchecked?

Environmental scepticism

However, not all scientists agree with the carbon emission arguments. One such sceptic is Bjorn Lomborg, the Danish political scientist who published his controversial “The Skeptical Environmentalist” a few years, ago and has since been heavily criticised for his contrary views.

Arthur Barber

Mr. Lomborg’s later publications indicate that he does now accept the reality of global warming after his initial caution, based on the science. However he maintains that the current approaches, following the Kyoto Protocol etc, will not work, arguing that:

• taxes on carbon emissions will not work;

• they will cost a lot and will achieve little;

• the burden of cuts to carbon emissions falls unevenly on individual countries;

• the associated international negotiations are increasingly more divisive and fraught with uncertain outcomes; and

• the present technological approach is also flawed.

An alternative approach

As an alternative, Mr. Lomborg recently published a study from the Copenhagen Consensus Centre which he directs. A panel of more than 20 economists, including 3 Nobel Laureates, reviewed a number of research papers. Various techniques for managing climate change were ranked by the group, based on their effectiveness and cost:

It is announced that the US Government appears to be softening – back-tracking?

- their previous hard stance on global warming. The previous demands on industry to limit carbon emissions are now being relaxed, based on the argument that business will suffer. There is much support for this view on this side of the Atlantic.


Summary

In summary, it seems that Mr. Lomborg will continue to be an outspoken advocate for technology-based solutions to global warming, and rejecting the present conventional market-based approaches. To his credit his voice is growing; and it has to be said that there is no room for error in this crucial matter which is already affecting all of us. This open, critical and rigorous debate must be encouraged as urgently as possible.

Sources and references:

“The Skeptical Environmentalist”, 2001

“Cool It”, 2007

Various press and syndicate papers (e.g. Al Watan English version; International Herald Tribune).

Arthur Barber is based in Kuwait as an Environmental Consultant, and has followed Bjorn Lomborg’s progress and work for several years. Contact: [email protected]

• Geo-engineering–theuseoftechnologytochangethe climate;

• Increased investment in alternative energytechnologies – bypassing fossil fuels – oil, coal- but also excluding the environmentally-clean but cost-inefficient solar, wind and geothermalsolutions.

• Carboncapturewasalsoidentifiedasapossiblecost-effective method for reducing carbon emissions – this is technology to route excesscarbon towards natural ‘sinks’ i.e. subterranean, submarine.

Carbon tax – a non-starter

Critically, the Copenhagen group also opined that settingglobaltaxesoncarbonemissions–throughamarket mechanism evolving as part of a cap-and trade system, currently ranging from USD1 up to USD 68 per ton, is possibly the worst way to a solution; if the tax is too low there is no effect on the atmosphere; if too high the people become impoverished in return forinsignificantbenefits.

BUSINESS NEWS

Meet Wenlock and Mandeville:London 2012 Mascots

I n the past Dispatches has published interviews with ambassadors, CEOs, members of the Royal family, and other dignitaries. However, it is doubtful that two

individuals more bound for glory have ever been featured between our covers. Wenlock is the London 2012 Olympic mascot and his friend Mandeville is the Paralympic mascot.

aswego–ofcourse,we’reespeciallyexcitedtofindout about all the Olympic and Paralympic sports.

D: What’s the significance of your names?

M: My name is inspired by Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire, the birthplace of the Paralympic Games.OnthesamedayastheOpeningCeremonyof the London 1948 Olympic Games, Sir LudwigGuttmann held his own sport competition in StokeMandeville for World War II soldiers with spinal injuries.Itwasnocoincidence–SirLudwigdreamed

Dispatches (D): Welcome. I know that our readers are curious to know how you came to represent London 2012?

Wenlock (W): We were created from the last drops of British steel used for the London 2012 Olympic Stadium. That’s whywe’re so shiny, reflecting thepeople, places and things we meet along the way as we travel around the UK.

Mandeville (M):Youmight see yourself reflected ifwe meet you! We’ll be capturing everything we learn


LONDON 2012

of a ‘parallel Olympics’ for athletes with disabilities. The StokeMandeville Games grew and grew untiltheybecametheParalympicGames.

W: Like Mandeville, my name was also inspired by an important site in Britain. Much Wenlock in Shropshire is at the heart of Olympic history. In the 19th century, Baron Pierre de Coubertin was invited there to watch the‘MuchWenlockGames’inspiredbytheOlympicGamesofancientGreece.DeCoubertinwasinspiredby theWenlockGames too, andwent on to foundthe modern Olympic movement. The Much Wenlock Gamesarestillheldannuallytothisday!

D: How would you describe yourselves?

W: Do you like the light on my head? It’s inspired by the lights on London’s iconic black taxis. The shape of the front of my head is based on the shape of the Olympic Stadium roof. My eye is a camera lens, capturing everything I see as I go.

If you’re wondering about the three points on my head–well,theyrepresenttheplacesonthepodiumwhere successful athletes stand to receive their medals. I can’t wait to meet some of Britain’s London 2012hopefuls–andI reallyhopetheywillachievetheirpersonalbestattheGamesandgettostandonthe podium too.

M: My eye is a camera lens too. On my head are threeprongs–theyrepresentthethreepartsoftheParalympic emblem. Like my tail and my hands they’re aerodynamic, which is really important as I’m a ‘spirit in motion’, always rushing around. I’m constantly tryingtobeatmypersonalbest–thepersonalbesttimer on my wrist helps me keep track, as well as making sure I’m focused on London 2012.

Ialsolovethelightonmyhead–inspiredbythelightsfound on London’s iconic black taxis! And it helps me see where I’m going, which is always useful.

I’ll be honest – I’m on amission. On amission to be the best I can possibly be. Because that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?

There’s nothing I like better than having a go at something new – offer me achallengeand I’ll take it!And if at first Idon’t succeed? Well, as they say, I’ll try, try and try again.

D: You haven’t said much Wenlock . . .

W:That’swhatIloveaboutsports–thededicationto “try, try and try again.” I love all the Olympic sports –andcan’twaittofindoutmoreaboutthem!I’vegotfrom now until summer 2012 to learn everything I can –there’salmostnothingIlikemorethandiscoveringnew things. The only thing better is making friends and seeing other people make friends. The bracelets on my wrists are friendship bands, in the colours of thefiveOlympicrings.Ican’twaittomeetasmanypeople as possible, around the UK and even the world.

D: Mandeville, have you met any of the Paralympic athletes yet?

M: There are some amazing people around the UK who are inspiring me to push harder than I ever thought I could – even when the going getstough. And among those amazing people are the Paralympic athletes I’m meeting. Some people call them‘athleteswithdisabilities’.I’mfindingoutthat’snotquitethecase–infact,thesearepeoplewithanalmost superhuman ability.

W: There are so many fantastic people who are positive and upbeat involved in the Olympics and Paralympics. They really inspire me to do my personal best. I will do everything I can to help you do your best as well!

D: That’s a lovely thought on which to end. We all need to do our best don’t we? Thank you Wenlock and you too Mandeville. See you in London this summer.


LONDON 2012


HostingtheGamesisagreathonour,andIamproudthat Britain is all set to stage a spectacular summer of sport. But it is also a great opportunity; a chance for the world to re-discover everything our country has to offer.

You might know us best for our castles and cathedrals, ourhistoryandourheritage–andyes,aswesawwith the Royal Wedding earlier this year, tradition is alive and well in Britain. But that’s just one side of the British story. Today we’re a country that is modern, creative, one of the very best places in the world to visit, study, work, invest and do business.

SoIwanttodomorethansimplyinviteKuwait’sfinestathletes to London next year. I want to extend that invitation to the whole of your country.

If you are an entrepreneur or investor, it’s a chance to discover new opportunities in a country which is rolling out the red carpet for people like you. My government is determined to make the UK the best place to start up a new business. We’re cutting corporation tax to the lowest rate in the G7,we’ve increased tax incentives to favour start-ups and high-growth companies, and we’ve brought in a new visa especially for entrepreneurs, to attract the best to our shores. You can now set up a company in Britain in less than two weeks – that’stwice as fast as the average time it takes in Europe. Little wonder that a new company starts up every 100 seconds in the UK.

Next year, when the Olympic and Paralympic Games come to London, the most exciting show on earth will arrive in one of the most dynamic cities on the planet.

If you’re a student, 2012 is a chance to find outmore about a country which has four of the top ten universities in the world. We’ve already got more than 80 Nobel Prizes for science and technology to our name – andwith investments in science, researchand innovation centres, we want to see that number grow. One of the biggest draws to Britain’s universities are their close links with major global brands in everything from pharmaceuticals to engineering. So if you’re looking for fantastic opportunities to learn and get on, see what we’ve got to offer.

For everyone else – tourists and visitors – we’reinviting you to take a fresh look at Britain. This is a country where great home-grown bands like Coldplay and Radiohead play at buzzing festivals like Glastonbury. It’s a place with breathtakinglandscapes and fascinating heritage, where you can walk in the footsteps of figures likeHenryVIII and

Winston Churchill. Three of the topfivemuseumsintheworldare in the UK, and beyond that there is cutting-edge music, theatre and art to be enjoyed in every city and town. Above all, Britain is a country that is tolerant,openandfriendly–aplace where you’ll get a warm welcome.

The British may be known for our reticence and reserve, but in 2012 we have plenty to celebrate, shout about, and be proud of. It will be a great moment for Britain, and we are determined to ensure that the whole world can be part of it.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Hosting the Games is GREATPrime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron

LONDON 2012

Dr Linda Asfour


FOR YOUR INFORMATION

Professor Branemark theorised that the titanium elements insertedintothebonecouldsupportfixedprostheses. The first patients were successfullytreated this way in 1965.

Osseointegration is defined as a phenomenon ofa direct contact between living bone and a metal (titanium). This integration is done through the titanium oxide which covers the surface of the implant. Bone cells do not recognize the titanium as a foreign body if the implant is machined in a certain way and under a very precise and aseptic condition. Thisallowstheimplanttobefixedpermanentlyinthebone and anchored to the crown, providing support for chewing.

Benefits of dental implant

One important benefitof dental implants is improved appearance .Each tooth is made up of a crown and a root. The crown is visible while the unseen root anchors the crown to the jawbone, providing stable support. Many options are available for replacing a crown but

Advanced dental science is offering artificial tooth roots which fuse with the jawbone to form a secure foundation for tooth replacement. This concept for oral rehabilitation was

developed more than 45 years ago by a Swedish scientist and orthopaedic surgeon Professor Per Ingmar Branemark.

Dental Implants

only dental implants can replace its root. If the root is not replaced, shrinkage of the jawbone occurs, causing the face to appear older.

Otherbenefitsincludeimprovedcomfort,speechandmastication. Since implants are anchored securely to the jaw bone, they feel, look, and function like natural teeth.

Finally, an implant helps maintain healthy adjacent teeth. With traditional treatment of a missing tooth, two teeth adjacent to the missing tooth must be ground down to place a bridge. Dental implants eliminate the need to modify healthy teeth, resulting in a more conservative and aesthetic restoration.

In the case of a total loss of teeth in one or both jaws, a full denture may work for the short term, but without tooth roots the jawbone slowly shrinks causing the denturetoloseitsfitness.Thiscanleadtodiscomfort.Graduallossofjawbonecanalsochangetheshapeofthe face and appearance. With dental implants, once the implants are fused in the jaw can be restored with afixedbridgeorover-dentureandthatwillkeepthebone healthy and the teeth securely in place.

Treatment procedure

A comprehensive examination should be taken prior to implant treatment including panoramic x-ray and CT scan to determine the bone quality and quantity, to


locate the vital structures, providing a guide for ideal placement of the Implant. After the dental implants are placed, they are covered with gum tissue while the bone heals. During the next three to six months, the implants will bond with the jawbone. Temporary crowns, bridges or over dentures are optional during this bone healing period. Once the dental implants have fused with jawbone, a post is attached to each implant. While the gum tissue is healing, temporary crowns, bridges or over dentures should be in place.When the gum tissue has healed an impression is taken to be used in designing the final dentalrestoration.

The success rate of the implant depends mainly on the operator’s skills, the bone quality, the oral hygiene of the patient and the patient’s general health. Studies haveshownasuccessrateof95percentforthefixtureimplant and higher for the bridges they support.

Absolute contraindications to dental Implants are: Insufficientboneabovethemandibularnerveinthelower jaw or under the sinus wall; bruxism (tooth clenching); uncontrolled type 2 diabetes; heavy smoking and active chemotherapy. In case of insufficientboneanartificialbonegraftorgraftsfromthe iliac crest (hip) or from the chin can be used.

Dental implants can develop a condition called peri-implantitis, which is defined as an inflammatoryreaction with loss of supporting bone in the tissues surrounding an implant. The overall frequency of peri-implantitis was reported to be 5%-8%.In individuals with history of chronic periodontitis( Gum disease)the incidence of peri-implantitis was 4-5 times higher than individuals with no history of periodontitis. Heavy smoking, diabetes, poor oral hygiene are usually associated with this condition. Treatment of peri-implantitis consists of plaque control, mechanical and surgical instrumentation of the affected area combined with systematic antibiotic and oral hygiene instruction.

Dr Linda Asfour is Convenor of the BBF Health Sector Group and practices as a Dentist in Kuwait.


KES Students Report on London Experience(with help from Miss Clarke)


Miss Clarke Head of Senior Music, Kuwait English School

After hearing of this amazing opportunity for school bands within Kuwait to win a trip to record at the Metropolis Studios, I applied that Kuwait English School may be involved. We were granted permission to do so and the journey began. The bands within the school wrote their own songs and performed them at a public concert in the main hall attended by judges from the BBF. All the bands did very well and after a hard decision the judges decided the winning band was ‘The Lights’.

During the following months the band rehearsed constantly improving and developing the song until finallythedayofthetriparrived.

Walking into the Metropolis studios was truly amazing and the students were all perfectly behaved and in awe of their surroundings. All members of the band worked hard when recording their individual parts and coped extremely well as the recording session took a total of 10 hours! The second day saw the sound engineer, Sam Wheat, working incredibly hard in order to record the best version of the song, and gave the students a valuable insight into the working of a recording studio that day.

The end result was an amazing song and accompanying video and I am so very proud of the seven students that worked so hard. I would like to thank the BBF for this amazing opportunity and David Battersby for his organisation and company throughout this experience.

Arnab Gogoi Yr 12, Singer

Early in January 2011, music students at K.E.S were told about a fantastic opportunity presented by the British Business Forum. The opportunity to be able to compose our own song, perform it and possibly win an all-expense paid trip to London where we would go to the legendary Metropolis Studios to record the very song we composed with professionals. We were shocked and surprised; we even had a 2 minute silence after our music teacher told us! Nevertheless, we grasped the opportunity in our hands and got down to work from day one. I managed to bring together a few of my musical friends and we began rigorous composition sessions and eventually 3 months down the line came the day of the judging. I can certainly say, even though many of us have had much performance experience, we were petrified,especially with such a grand prize at stake. After two hours of intense and close performances, we pulled throughandtheadrenalinerushwasterrific.Weweregoing to London!

How our band felt about going to London could probably not be described in words. We were overjoyed and full of anticipation of what was in store. Leading up to our trip was our end of year exams, and I can assure you that whilst we were in the hall, trying to solve the quadratic equation on the page in front of us, we must have ALL been thinking about Londonandjusthowamazingitwilldefinitelybe.

We felt awe, shock, excitement and then, that sudden feeling of being surrounded by some of history’s greatest artists as we walked into the Metropolis Studios. Whilst being taken around the studio, we


were shown exact spots where some famous artists sat, recorded, and spent their time and we felt SO honoured and amazed. But nevertheless, we never felt alienated. Being teenagers in a famous recording studio, we expected to be shunned or even ignored, but the people could not have been friendlier. They were all welcoming and extremely kind and never minded going out of their way to explain things around the studio.

I think Sam Wheat, our producer and sound engineer, HAD to be one of the most enjoyable characters of the trip. He was extremely friendly and approachable and always shared his knowledge with us about the music industry and bands. Although the best part had to be, when he was awesome enough to let us try out the various instruments around the studio for ourselves and we had a dream come true for one afternoon.

As the singer, my fondest moment was when I went into the ‘Dead Room’, which was the singer recording station, named after the fact that it is absolutely sound proofed and no sound echoes off the wall. The feeling just before I began to record, the feeling during my firstbreathbeforeIstartedtosing,musthavebeenthe best of my life as I actually genuinely lost myself to the place right there. I actually felt like a famous singer of a band, recording one of his songs and that it just felt so surreal and unrealistic that I couldn’t help not smiling about later on in the hotel room. It was in that room, those few minutes that I felt like a true singer.

Daniel Berger Yr 12 - Guitarist

The BBF had decided to set up a song-writing competitionforthefirsttimewhichtookplaceinKES,thanks to Miss. Clarke a Music teacher here. We had a deadline to write a song and then the judges would choose the best one, our band ‘The Lights’ won the competition and so we were on our way to London.

I felt very nervous, anxious and excited at the same time I knew that this would a trip I would remember, a trip we’d all remember. I didn’t actually know what was going to happen in London, but I knew we’d have a great time.

When I walked into Metropolis Studios I had the feeling of awe - the Studio was remarkable and had everything you would ever need in well, a Music Studio. It was quite exhilarating seeing a Studio as grand as the Metropolis and so I tried to take in every single detail I could. But not only was the building

homely, so were the people that worked there. They treated us as equals even though we were amateurs at this, although we did beat them once in a game of pool!

Recording the song was probably the most memorable time I had in London, it was very new to me but I had a splendid time. We were all called down one by one to record each separate part of the song, which of course made me nervous - somewhat scared to make a mistake in front of a professional sound engineer. But in the end I was frightened for no reason, I had a blast and so did the rest of the band.

I’d have to say the best memory of the trip was undoubtedly the time we all shared in the Studio A’s greenroom with the rest of the band just hanging out playing music and waiting impatiently for our own time to record.

Hagop Momjian Yr 12, Drummer

Originally ‘The Lights’ had no drummer. At the competition I had my own band; however, we only made it to second place. Arnab, the male vocalist from ‘The Lights’, then approached me and asked me if I would like to drum for them in London. I agreed to his offer and therefore went on the trip to London. I wassoexcitedwhenIgottoLondon.Gettingthereput everyone in their happiest mood.

Seeing the beautiful views and the tall buildings in the city was simply amazing. You could sit and listen to the street performances for hours and still be entertained.Icouldn’tbelieveitwhenwefirstwalkedinto Metropolis Studios. The thought of students like us having a chance to record at one of the world’s best studios was unbelievable. It even gave me hope that in a few years time, maybe I could be a sound engineer inastudio thatbig.Whenwefirstwalkedinto the ‘green room’, I was a bit nervous, but later on it was just a big thrill as we started the actual recording.



I really enjoyed the recording because it brought all of us closer together. In London we complained about how tired we were after spending long hours at the studio, but now I’m glad we did so. We went from being friends to becoming a family, and most importantly, we all had a fun time playing music, because after all, music is our passion. My favourite memory of the London trip was the time I played Freddie Mercury’s piano. The fact that I played his piano was amazing. I will never forget this trip. It’s a memory we will all keep with us for as long as we live.

Bethel Embaie Yr 10 - Singer

We formed a band called ‘The Lights’ when we competed in the song writing competition at Kuwait English School. We wrote the song ‘No Tomorrow’ and we won this recording trip to London.

It was my first trip to London and it is certainly aremarkable city. The buildings are so marvellous and spectacular.Evenaftertheexhausting6hourflight,Ifelt energised by the refreshing smell of clean air and the view of the green countryside.

The moment I entered the Metropolis Studios, I was speechless with astonishment. I was overwhelmed by the fact that I was living my dream. It was magnificently built with original designs to dampenthe sound. I learned many fascinating things about recording music that made me love it even more.

Recording the song took some time but it was definitely worthwhile. I discovered strengths andweaknesses in my voice and musical skills, which helped me improve. I especially like jamming and trying different instruments while waiting! Moreover, recordingthefinalpiecewasatremendousmomentas I felt like a star in the spotlight.

I also loved seeing a live musical called ‘Blood Brothers’. It made me cry, what a fantastic show and

I was amazed to see the raw emotion and tears in the eyes of the cast as they took their bows.

Aliak Bedirian Year 12 - Pianist

The BBF and the KES head of Music had set up a song writing competition for bands around the school of any genre and age. In total, five bands wrotesongs and performed them at this competition. The Lights got together for this competition, and we won, therefore getting the prestigious opportunity to record at a professional studio in London.

I knew what to expect from London in terms of the area because I had been there before, but I had never actually been to a studio, so I felt extremely excited when I got to London, because of that prospect.

WhenIfirstwalkedintotheMetropolisStudio,myfirstemotion was nervousness. We were at a professional studio being treated like professionals and I didn’t want to mess something up and make a fool of myself. As we took the tour, I got a little bit more comfortable with my surroundings and actually enjoyed being at thestudio,andoneofthefirstthoughtsthatcametomy mind was: “this is amazing!”.

I really enjoyed the fact that recording had a whole different process to it, it was not like putting on a live concert. We had to record our parts separately, whilst listening to each other’s recordings on our headphones. Also, while we recorded the parts our headphones had a ‘click’ set up that kept us all in time when we recorded. I really enjoyed this whole system, and I don’t think there was anything I didn’t like about it.

Myfavouritelastingmemoryofthistripdefinitelyhasto be playing and recording on Freddie Mercury’s piano. This was an incredible memory that I will definitelyrememberfortherestofmylife.


Until now schools describing themselves as British have not received any formal approval or recognition from theBritishGovernment.TheGovernmenthasput in place a voluntary inspection scheme and the intention of the scheme is to inform parents of pupils in British schools overseas how the standards in these schools measure up against the standards that apply to independent schools in Britain. Inspectorates approved by the Department and monitored by Ofsted will be authorised to inspect British schools overseas and produce inspection reports, which will be available to parents and prospective parents of British schools overseas.

Schools need to demonstrate that they offer a broad and balanced curriculum and teaching that will equip pupils with the skills and qualifications to enablethem to progress in the UK education system at school, college or university level as appropriate. In addition, British schools should be able to provide opportunities for a wide range of extra-curricular activities and strong welfare support. They should promote a general knowledge and understanding of modern British life, particularly in relation to the values of tolerance, democracy and respect for freedom of expression.

The inspection covers the quality of the curriculum, quality of teaching and learning, the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, student welfare, health and safety, the suitability of the proprietor and staff, the school’s premises and accommodation and a school’s complaints procedures. An essential part of the inspection is considering the extent to which the British character of the school is evident in the ethos, curriculum, teaching, care for pupils and pupils’ achievements

British schools overseas are a diverse collection of Institutions which in varying degrees provide instruction in English, have teachers who are native English speakers and which provide

their pupils with a broad and balanced curriculum.

Schools are inspected against the criteria which are given in the ‘Standards that inspectorates must meet’ document. This scheme is voluntary and approval enables parents to acquire better information about the quality of provision within the inspected school and its compatibility with independent schools in the UK.

The New English School is proud to announce that the recent inspection carried out by inspectors from Penta International gave the school the recognition provided by the scheme.

Further information and the school inspection report at www.education.gov.uk.


New English SchoolAchieves BSO Approved Status



Love It or Hate It – an Unsavoury Dispute

There is no doubt that Marmite is controversial – and not just for its taste.At the end of May, a spate of media stories began to appear reporting that it had been banned in Denmark.

Marmite is the dark, deeply savoury spread with a unique and controversial flavour. Invented byaccident in the late 19th Century by a Germanscientist, Justus Liebig, who discovered that brewer’s yeast could be concentrated, bottled and eaten. In 1902 the Marmite Food Company was founded in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, where the raw material was readily available from the town’s brewers. The original recipe contained salt, spices and celery. Later folic acid, vitamin B12, thiamin and riboflavin - vitamins which occur naturally in somefoods - were added in high concentrations.

The Marmite name is derived from that of a French casserole dish called a marmite (pronounced Marmeet). IntheNormandyportofDieppe,apopularfishstewisknown as a Marmite Dieppoise. Ever since the 1920s the red and yellow label on the jar has had a picture of a marmite on it.

Letter to the Times 26th May 2011 – Sir, The Danes should remember Prohibition (“Danes ban Marmite” May 25th). Within

weeks there will be a thriving Marmite black market. The Danes will be overrun by Marmite racketeers, and secret dens serving hot toast and Marmite will proliferate. Copenhagen will become the Marmite Chicago



A sculpture has been built in Marmite’s honour. The sculpture, nicknamed Monumite,, takes pride of place next to the main library in Burton-on-Trent.

The official Marmite website draws on the emotion and amusing hysteria surrounding the “Love it or Hate it” tag by dividing the site to reflect the two opposing opinions

GPs often recommend it for people with vitamin deficiencies, busy lives or special dietary needs. The Danish authorities deem it too rich, however, with too high levels of folic acid. They are concerned that people may exceed their recommended daily intake of vitamins.

As with the feelings about the spread itself, the response to the reported ban was extreme. Fans were outraged, threatening riots, setting up numerous groups on Facebook, including one declaring 6 June as ‘Ex-pats Marmite Day’.

Some shops in Denmark became worried about the future of their business, and started a ‘Bring Back Marmite’ campaign. There was talk of smuggling it in from nearby Sweden or Germany. Nutritionists were up in arms.

There were those who ventured the theory that banning Marmite was a plot by the Danish government, worried about immigration levels, to get foreigners to leave. Serious concerns for future of Danish economy without highly skilled foreign workers were voiced.

Some proposed banning Danish bacon, Lego and Sandi Toksvig in retaliation – and only half-jokingly.

Thus the story about how ‘the Danish Marmite ban’ was received by angry consumers became a rather bewildering saga in itself.

Edward De Bono advising the Foreign & Commonwealth some years ago suggested that Marmite was the missing link in the Middle East peace process. Tenuously, he suggested that a lack of zinc tends to make men belligerent. As most people get their zinc from bread, consumers of unleavened bread – such as flat pitta bread – are very low in yeast and, therefore, according to Professor Bono, more likely to be aggressive. The solution would be to make good the deficiency with Marmite. All unsold jars of Marmite, preferably XX Special Strength should be imported in to the Middle East at once..

There is, however, a flaw in the argument as reflected in a further letter to the Times 27th May 2011 – Sir, Your leading article (“Marmite is right”, May 26th) is typical of the short-termism that plagues global politics. You completely ignore the “You either love it or hate it “ paradigm. Spreading Marmite across the Middle East will cause divisions with global conflict ramifications..



Marmite’s Close Cousin ALSO Stirs International Incidents

As you will see from the article excerpts below, Marmite is not the only yeast extraction to create international incidents. A perfectly cordial meeting between Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard and US President Barak Obama was almost marred by Vegemite in March. More recently, Aussie Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd ran into problems with US Customs and again, the culprit was Vegemite . . .

CBC News Report (excerpts). . . Vegemite also was a source of disagreement when Julia Gillard made her only visit to the United States as prime minister in March. She and U.S. President Barack Obama visited a high school in Virginia where an Grade 11 student asked what Vegemite was.

“It’s horrible,” Obama exclaimed.

“I love Vegemite,” Gillard said, noting that their opinions of the spread serves as a “little bit of division” between the two of them.

It sparked international curiosity when “a Vegemite sandwich” was mentioned in the lyrics of Australian band Men at Work’s hit song Down Under that topped the U.S. and British charts in 1983. Former Prime Minister John Howard claims that more Australians know the lyrics of a Vegemite advertising jingle written in 1954 than know the Australian national anthem.

Defence and trade dominated her talks with Mr. Obama but it was Vegemite that dominated discussion with a group of high school students who received a surprise visit from the two leaders. Mr. Obama told a group of schoolchildren that the iconic Aussie spread was “horrible” and that Australia played an odd code of football. Otherwise, the nations were firm friends with close and unique bonds.

The Australian invention, launched in 1923, has a high Vitamin B content and is marketed heavily on its health benefits for children. Australians abroad commonly bemoan how difficult Vegemite is to find outside Australia.

Vegemite Nearly CausesInternational IncidentFareed Zakaria, CNN

We all like our comforts of home, even world leaders. Colonel Gadhafi always traveled with his tents.

Queen Victoria reportedly traveled with her own bed. President Bush had his own pillow. But such needs almost caused a diplomatic incident this week. Australia’s foreign minister, Kevin Rudd, wanted to bring his beloved breakfast treat to New York with him this week.

But according to Mr. Rudd’s Twitter feed, the airport authorities in New York tried to confiscate it. The culprit - vegemite, yes the spread that most Aussies love and the world hates.

Vegemite has scored itself another bout of international infamy after foreign minister Kevin Rudd was forced to bring out the might of “ministerial intervention” to get his breakfast through US Customs on Sunday.

The suspect little jar of brown stuff that saw Rudd questioned en route from Mexico to New York was actually his breakfast, a supply of emergency Vegemite he’d stashed in his carry-on bag.

“Only problem travelling to NY is that they tried to confiscate our Vegemite at the airport. Needed Foreign Ministerial intervention,” Rudd tweeted following the incident.

Luckily, Mexico’s Foreign Service came to the rescue, and the jar was eventually allowed to accompany him on the plane.

Meanwhile, the BBC also sought to explain the substance to its UK-based readers: “Vegemite, a savoury paste made from yeast extract, is popular in Australia,” read its report. “It is similar to Marmite, which is widely eaten in the UK.”

No, it’s nothing like Marmite.


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LOCATE is a new service from the Foreign Office that lets you

register your whereabouts while you’re abroad. So, if there’s

an emergency and you need to be contacted, we can find you

more quickly.

and clicking on Register with LOCATE by visiting www.fco.gov.uk/travel

LOCATE.


The campaign was held in Souk Shark from 26th May until 27th May, where it showcased the importance of seat belts and how they can help to save an adult or child from serious injury or death if they are in a car accident.

The campaign featured a Seatbelt Convincer workshop in which members of the public experienced what it is like to ‘crash’ at speeds of up to 12 miles an hour.

Kuwait Shell’s Chairman, Ahmed Mouti said: “People have many excuses for not wearing seat belts while driving, Shell Kuwait and KOC have taken the initiative in this campaign to demonstrate the value of seat belts and how they can actually save lives in case of a car accident.

Our priority is to benefit the community we live in and this campaign successfully demonstrated the importance of wearing a seatbelt.”

The ‘Seat Belts Save Lives’ campaign is part of Kuwait Shell’s ongoing regional ‘Road Safety’ initiative which began in 2008. Research has shown that one of the

Kuwait Shell, in partnership with Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), hosted a new road safety campaign entitled ‘Seat Belts Save Lives,’ which seeks to improve driving habits, encourage and

educate the public in the use of seat belts and child restraints.

Kuwait Shell and Kuwait Oil Company Launched ‘Seat Belts Save

Lives’ Campaign in Kuwait

best ways to stay safe during a car accident is by wearing a seat belt.

Mr Saeed Al-Shaheen KOC’s Well surveillance group manager commented: “When adults buckle up, their children learn to buckle up too, reducing the chance of injuries or death.

At KOC we believe in the importance of road safety, hence our partnership with Kuwait Shell where we hope our message comes across to the public. The safety of every individual on the road is our utmost priority and concern.”

At the ‘Seatbelt’s Save Lives’ stand, attendees were given the opportunity to observe hourly performed demonstrations by Dr. Ibrahim El-Mahdy Kuwait Oil Company HSE & Road Safety consultant and Noor Al-Assar, Kuwait Shell HSE Lead.

The stand welcomed over 800 visitors over the course of the two day campaign where they had the chance to experience the importance of wearing their seat belt while driving on the roads.

Made in the UK, MK products have been serving reliably since 1919.

More than 6 million 2 Gang Socket Outlets — just a part of the MK product line —

are produced, tested and distributed by UK employees each year.

Kuwait’s favourite wiring accessory brand for more than 50 years.For more information visit www.me.mkelectric.com or www.keckuwait.com

WE REALLY SHOULD BE NAMED ELECTRIC.UK





WE REALLY SHOULD BE NAMED ELECTRIC. UK












Susan Day


Kuwait is a great place for cars. For people who are really into them, everything is available – from an old Nissan Sunny to a shiny new Maybach. For the rest of us, it’s still above average. The lack of taxes make cars cheaper than elsewhere; labour costs are less here so maintenance is affordable; and the roads are pretty good.

However, and we’re getting to the point of this article, car care takes on a whole new meaning in Kuwait. Forget everything you’ve learned or experienced elsewhere; trust me, it doesn’t apply.

My introduction to the unique aspects of car care in Kuwait came early one morning about two months after I bought my (used) car. I tried to start it and it was dead. Luckily I had a mechanic across the street and he came over to see what was wrong. After about two minutes he kindly chewed me out for not putting water in the battery like I was supposed to.

Now, I started driving in the US in 1976. I bought my first car in 1977. I’ve had several cars in the thirty years that followed and not once did I have a battery that I had to put water in. I do remember hearing about those batteries, but it wasn’t part of my automotive history.

So, tip number one: Don’t assume you have a closed cell battery. Check it out.

That’s just first on the list, there is more. Car batteries last an average of about 22 months. If yours is older, you might want to have it evaluated or you could be in for a surprise one morning.

My friend Gene Pepper had to rescue me the other day as my 19 month old battery died. I parked at Starbucks to run in for a coffee, left the car parked in the sun and when I came

out . . . nothing. I have to confess I wasn’t completely surprised as several times in the preceding weeks I’d made quick stops and then had to wait while my car struggled back to life when I turned the ignition key.

Car Care (for Those Who Really Don’t Care)

Tyres last about the same period. In the summer the asphalt gets so hot it literally cooks the rubber, making it brittle. Forget about 5 years/50,000 miles, you want to inspect them monthly after about 20 months.

Tyre pressure is a bigger deal here than most places, as the temperature variations are so extreme. In perfect tires, the rule of thumb is for every 12 Celsius change in air temperature, your tire’s inflation pressure will change by about 1 psi (up with higher temperatures and down with lower).

Brake pads seem to react similarly. After about 8 months (or six months if summer’s there), have them checked and be prepared to replace them.

Given the heat and the dust, you want to check and probably change your oil filter every 3,500 km or 12 to 15 weeks. It won’t hurt to have the cooling system checked out while the oil is dripping out – water evaporates faster here. And, touch wood, I haven’t had a problem with belts and hoses, but have the mechanic also look at those during the oil change.

Finally, because you don’t want to be driving around even for one day without AC, have your AC checked at the beginning of the summer (personally, for me that’s late April!). It worked hard last season and deserves a little pampering.

If you’ve got a new car, check the battery and follow the recommendations of the service centre. If you’ve got a previously owned gem like me, take heed.

Happy driving.


Why?

• Dad asked Mum if she wanted a summer job out here. I jumped in saying ‘Me! I do!’, and not really expecting anything to happen. Here for 5 weeks.

• Work experience. Just finished my NVQ Level 2 City and Guilds qualification in Hairdressing. Starting level 3 in September. Girls at college are all very envious of the opportunity.

• Visiting dad. First visit to Kuwait, although not to the Middle East. Picked the best time to come out! If I can stand this heat then I should be able to survive here the rest of the year.

What I’m doing here:

• Working. Work experience in a western salon run by Rachael Gibson. Newly opened salon called Top To Toe in Egaila, like ‘a little sanctuary in the madness of Kuwait’.

• Also work experience at Oxford Learning with a class of 11 young Kuwaiti children ranging from 3-7 years old who are learning English. Having lots of fun there.

• Working with dad, some admin work in the office.

• Was invited to play piano at Movenpick, Shuwaikh and have been re-invited, think the customers enjoyed my playing. It makes me happy to find and be able to play a piano here, as at home I’m used to playing every day. Piano withdrawal symptoms; not good.

Where I’ve visited;

• Been to the embassy on several occasions. Very lucky to have been so often in such a short space of time.

• BBF meetings and events. The AGM, Armed Forces Day, F1 Day.

Carla in Kuwait

• Have seen lots of malls, always enjoyable. Been to a few souks, really enjoy visiting places like this.

• Have attempted a few times to go go-karting but it’s not really the best time to go, either too hot or too dusty.

Would I come back?

• Definitely.

• I plan on coming back at some point, possibly come back for much longer when I’ve finished my college education.

• There are better job opportunities here than there are in the UK. e.g. In the UK; after 18 months of job hunting I’m still trying to get a job, right now it almost seems impossible but I’ve got to keep trying… In Kuwait; before I came out I had several job opportunities and after 1 week of being here I had 3 work experience opportunities, with an invite to come back after my visit if I wanted.

• No major complaints, actually no complaints really at all. I was told a lot of things about Kuwait that might put me off staying here again. It hasn’t really fazed me; I’m a very understanding and patient person. The crazy driving I was told about, to be honest doesn’t feel that crazy, it’s quite laid back in a sense. Yes they swap lanes like it’s some sort of game of weaving through the traffic to get to the finish line first but there’s no real ‘road rage’ like there would be in the UK if the same thing was going on there.

• Been kept busy most days I’ve been here, working or out visiting places, no time to rest here, this is definitely not a holiday.

• Strangely I only met one Kuwaiti to speak to – a lovely lady.

Since leaving Kuwait I have enrolled in a TEFL English (for non native speakers) teachers course and will soon be back to seek a “proper” job.


Cost per 4 insertions, paid in advance, attracts a discount of 10%

The time of year is with us again: Time to join or renew your membership in the British Business Forum (BBF).

For current members: We hope you will have found value, not only in your business activities, but also in the social activities that have been arranged by the Forum and that you have been able to broaden the scope of your operations as a result. If there is any change in previously submitted form (2010-2011), please take a moment to complete/update the attached 2011-2012 application, which along with your 45KD membership fee can be given either to any Board Members or dropped in at BBF office (attached map). The coming year promises to be an exciting one and we believe that your continuing support will cause us to grow and become stronger. If you are a member who has reached the end of their tenure in Kuwait we

British Business Forum 2011-2012Membership and Membership Renewals

wish you well, wherever you go and would thank you for all your support during your time here. Please let me know if you wish to be removed from the mailing list. For potential members: As you’ve surely discover just from flipping through this magazine, the BBF is an active group of professionals working – directly or indirectly with British businesses here in Kuwait, in the region, and beyond. Please join us for a meeting to see for yourself how the BBF can enhance both your professional life and your social life.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries or require any information regarding the BBF and its activities. Rose William BBF Administration Manager P: +965 2232 2038 F: +965 2232 2040 Email: [email protected]


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As a member of the BBF you enjoy discounts on many exciting goods and services. We encourage you to patronise these friends of the BBF who are going that

extra step to serve you.

Membership Benefits 2011-2012with Valid BBF Membership Card

Valid through end of June 2012 (unless otherwise stated)

10G Technologies10% on all IBM servers, storage, tape libraries

5% on all Microsoft licences

10% on all Cisco switches, routers, firewall/IT

10% on all VM ware licencing

10% on all Sonic wall UTM devices

25% on all professional services

Valid to 1st May 2012

Tel 2495 4155

A One Car RentalIndividual members 10%

Corporate members 15%

Tel 2227 3900

Alghanim TravelDar Al Awadi Office Only - personal visit

Exclusive offers for BBF members & families

[email protected]

Current offer on BBF website

Avanti Palace Restaurant15% discount

Valid to 15th March 2012

Tel 2575 1081/2

Gulf Union Solar Solutions10% discount on all products

Valid until 25th February 2012

Tel 2491 5044

Holiday Inn Kuwait Salmiya25% discount at the following restaurants:

L’Aroma Café, Sakura Japanese Restaurant•

Tang Chao Chinese Restaurant•

Ayman Zaman Lebanese Restaurant ,•

Rib Eye Steak House &•

Al Diwan International Buffet•

10% discount on outside catering

20% discount on banqueting

Tel : 1847 777 x 5302

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Ibis Salmiya & Sharq Discount offer (to members & friends, family,

colleagues & clients when booked the member)

10% discount on rooms on published rates

15% discount on food & beverage in all outlets

Tel 2573 4247

Inchcape Shipping Services Worldwide Movers10% on domestic packing & removals

Tel 2243 4993

Kei Japanese RestaurantJ W Marriott

15% in all restaurants

Valid to 17 May 2012

J W Marriott Tel: 2242 2650

Kuwait Medical CenterSalmiya Branch

15% on all treatments by Dr Linda Asfour

Surgical & cosmetic dentistry•

Root canal treatment•

Peridontal treatment & surgery•

Crowns & bridges•

Ceramic crowns & veneers•

Implants (Branemark, ITI System)•

Wisdom teeth operations•

Childrens dentistry•

Tel 2575 9044/45/46

London LimoIndividual members 10%

Corporate members 15%

Tel 6000 5466

Movenpick Hotel - Shuwaikh 20% in all restaurants

Tel 2461 0033

Napket Restaurant - Avenues15% discount

Valid until 14th January 2012

Tel 2571 5084

Spalon - Spa & Salon for Men15% discount

Valid until 14th January 2012

Tel 2242 2244/ 9900 1717

Top to Toe Hair & Beauty SalonTaiba Mall, Egails Commercial Complex

10% discount on all beauty services

(excluding hair)

Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any

other seasonal promotion

Tel 9938 9358


From The Tower to the Towers

You may have noticed, in downtown Shuwaikh and around the malls, that Oxford Street icon, the “black cab”, recently arrived and here to stay. Not just in

black, but bright hues of white, silver and bronze which seem somehow appropriate in the Kuwaiti sunshine. These are not taxis that can be hailed with a whistle; there is no meter, no garrulous font of information and opinion on any subject that you can think of, posing as a driver. “The Knowledge” is provided by Satnav, guiding a uniformed chauffeur, proficient in Arabic and English.

This altogether more comfortable concept is the brainchild of London Limo, in partnership with Al Zayani and the London Taxi Company. Utilising the vehicle’s spacious design, luxury enhanced to include flat TV screens, DVD, internet connection, laptop rests, client to driver intercom, and the service also includes newspapers and such essential reading as the latest copy of Dispatches in each limo! London Limo also caters for clients with special needs including easy wheelchair access ramps and anchoring facilities, for comfortable travel

The “style and comfort” epithet has been successfully adopted by Avenues visitors, where London Limo is now the official provider of choice, and further introductions to the fleet will support London Limo’s ambitious plans to provide the “experience” to a much wider market.


‘For Hire’ Takes On a Whole New Meaning

These days when a taxi is ‘for hire’ you can’t assume that that means it’s empty and ready to transport you to the destination of your choice. It could also mean that the

contract for the top to tyres advertising is about to run out and the entire surface of the taxi is for hire. The London taxi has caught the eye of many advertising agencies because of their unique body style. The practice dates back more than a decade and today it is is common to see the vehicle wrapped with advertising and used for marketing events in the UK.


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THE BRITISH EMBASSY

Consular Section

(For a full update on the consular section see page 88. )

Since 1 June 2010, applications for full validity passports for British

Nationals are no longer processed at the British Embassy, Kuwait.

All passport applications from Kuwait are processed and printed centrally in the Passport Processing Centre in Dusseldorf, where you need to send

your application. These changes have been implemented throughout

the Gulf and are part of a global initiative to streamline and modernise

the UK’s overseas passport operation. The UK remains one of

the few countries printing passports in Embassies and Consulates

abroad. This is expensive to do and is less secure as we have to transport blank passports around

the world. Our aim is to reduce the cost of running the operation, while improving security and maintaining a high standard of customer service.

How long does this service take?

You should allow up to 4 weeks to submit your application before

travelling. Dusseldorf aim to process straightforward applications within

10 working days upon receipt of the correct documentation and payment. Applications for first time applicants may take longer. Please ensure you allow extra time for delivery at both

ends of the process.

If you need to travel for urgent reasons, please contact the Consular Section here at the British Embassy,

Kuwait on 22594358.

Full details are on the British Embassy website: www.ukinkuwait.

fco.gov.uk

The Consular Section Public Counter hours are 08:30 – 10:30, Sunday –

Thursday.

LOCATE:

If we can’t find you ---- We can’t help you Register with usIf you are a British national, and travelling or living abroad, or planning to do so, use our LOCATE service to tell us. Our embassy and crisis staff can then give you better assistance in an emergency such as a tsunami or terrorist attack.

We are encouraging all British nationals travelling and living abroad to register with us on LOCATE at: https://www.locate.fco.gov.uk/locateportal/ …. even for short trips.

From 3rd February, more than 50 improvements have been introduced to enhance the performance of LOCATE – the FCO registration and crisis management system. These improvements include:

Being able to register on LOCATE without needing to input your • passport details.Clearer labelling to make the public site easier for customers to use • and understand.LOCATE will now send auto email reminders to the email address • provided by the registrant in the trip details as well as to the email address used to create the registration account.If you don’t receive the account verification email after first registering • you can return to the main LOCATE page and click on a link “Never Received Your Confirmation Message?”. Once you’ve entered your user ID, you will be faced with a simple logic puzzle. This meets FCO I&TD concerns about automatic spam bombarding the website and allows visually impaired people to complete the puzzle (Facebook and Google style logic puzzles do not meet FCO standards).

These changes should make LOCATE easier to use.

These improvements were introduced as a direct result of feedback from LOCATE users and customers across the network. FCO has heard your concerns about the reliability and functionality of LOCATE and have been working hard to introduce the changes you want to see.

How to contact British Embassy Kuwait - Consular Section:

Tel: 22594355/57/58 Fax: [email protected]

DISPATCHESWinter 10/11

THE BRITISH EMBASSY

Visa Section:

UKBA Kuwait:

Since September 2007 over 120,000 applicants have lodged their visa application for the United Kingdom at our Visa Application Centre (VAC) in downtown Kuwait. Numbers continue to rise and with over 50,000 applications lodged in this nancial year it proves that the UK is the destination of choice for trade, education and tourism for those living in Kuwait.

UKBA Kuwait continues to process visa applications very effectively with around 95% of all applications processed within 2 working days. Paul Dryden, the Entry Clearance Manager says, “Our staff in the section consistently meet the Customer Service Agreement set by the UK government where over 90% of all straightforward applications are processed within 24hrs of receipt within the Embassy, this is a phenomenal achievement considering the numbers lodged especially during the busy summer season”.

Since May 2008 anyone who has made an application for a UK visa at the VAC has been able to track their application online and receive updates by SMS on the progress of their application.

The online tracking system is available free via the VAC website at www.vfs-uk-kw.com and needs just an application reference number and date of birth. Alternatively you may wish to call the VAC on 2297 1170 or 2247 7490 to check the status of your application.

The VAC also provides additional services such as the sale of Travel Insurance by AIG and Visit Britain goods such as Oyster cards and over 75 tourist attractions throughout the UK. If you are travelling to the UK shortly you may wish to purchase these goods which are excellent value for money.

The VAC is open between 09:30 and 16:00; Sunday to Thursday or if you wish to make an appointment you may do so till 16:30. To make an appointment or receive more information about applying for a visa for the UK please phone 2297 1170 or 2247 7490.

UK Trade and Investment Section:

We would like to draw your attentionto changes in our contact details:

Embassy Switchboard: Tel.: 2259 4320 Fax: 2259 4368

Head of Trade and Investment: Duncan Hoyland – 2259 4362

Deputy Head of Trade and Investment: Irene Ronald – 2259 4365

Trade and Investment Ofcers:Josephine Muhyedden – 2259 4363

Elvis Noronha – 2259 4367Gula Al Shara – 2259 4366Anju Verghese - 2259 4364

87


THE BRITISH EMBASSY

Visa Section:

During the last financial year (1 April 2010 – 31 March 2011), UKBA Kuwait processed over 57,000 visa applications. Numbers continue to rise, year on year, proving that the United Kingdom is the destination of choice for tourism, business and higher education for those living in Kuwait.

UKBA Kuwait continues to process visa applications very effectively with around 95% of all applications processed within 2 working days. Paul Dryden, the Entry Clearance Manager says, ‘Our staff in the section consistently meet the Customer Service Agreement set by the UK government where over 90% of all straightforward applications are processed within 24 hours of receipt within the Embassy, this is a phenomenal achievement considering the numbers that are lodged during the busy summer season’.

As an ongoing process to improve the overall service, UKBA Kuwait and VFS Global, introduced mandatory online appointments from 10 April 2011. Paul explains ‘During the summer season we become the victim of our own success and the visa application centre (VAC) sometimes becomes overcrowded with delays for our customers. To ensure that this does not happen again this summer or in the future, we have introduced mandatory online appointments for all applicants. This ensures that all applicants are given a specific appointment time during the day which will reduce bottlenecks at certain times. If an applicant does arrive at the VAC without an appointment they will be offered an appointment slot at a later date or they may use our Premium lounge but will be required to pay an additional charge. Between 14 May and 23 July the VAC will open 6 days a week (Friday closed) to ensure customers can lodge their application at their convenience; the opening hours are 09:30 till 16:30 (Sunday to Thursday) and 10:00 till 16:00 (Saturdays). Please ensure that you apply at least 10 working days prior to your journey to avoid any disappointment. For more details please access the VFS Global website at www.vfs-uk-kw.com

VFS Global Kuwait also has a number of Visit Britain products on sale at their VAC. These include items such as Heathrow Express tickets, Oyster cards (multi transport ticket for London) and various tickets for major tourist attractions throughout the UK. They are competitively priced and are available to visa applicants and non visa applicants during opening hours.

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Head of Trade & Investment:Duncan Hoyland – (+965) 22594362

Senior Trade & Investment Advisers:Paul McKay – (+965) 22594363Irene Ronald – (+965) 22594365

Trade & Investment Advisers:Romeo Rosario – (+965) 22594364Gula Al-Sharafi – (+965) 22594366

Defence & Security

Alec Gribble – (+965) 22594336

General Enquiries:

Fax: (+965) 22594368 or 22594339

[email protected]

British Embassy Switchboard:

Tel: (+965) 22594320Fax: (+965) 22594339

DISPATCHESWinter 10/11

THE BRITISH EMBASSY

Visa Section:

UKBA Kuwait:

Since September 2007 over 120,000 applicants have lodged their visa application for the United Kingdom at our Visa Application Centre (VAC) in downtown Kuwait. Numbers continue to rise and with over 50,000 applications lodged in this nancial year it proves that the UK is the destination of choice for trade, education and tourism for those living in Kuwait.

UKBA Kuwait continues to process visa applications very effectively with around 95% of all applications processed within 2 working days. Paul Dryden, the Entry Clearance Manager says, “Our staff in the section consistently meet the Customer Service Agreement set by the UK government where over 90% of all straightforward applications are processed within 24hrs of receipt within the Embassy, this is a phenomenal achievement considering the numbers lodged especially during the busy summer season”.

Since May 2008 anyone who has made an application for a UK visa at the VAC has been able to track their application online and receive updates by SMS on the progress of their application.

The online tracking system is available free via the VAC website at www.vfs-uk-kw.com and needs just an application reference number and date of birth. Alternatively you may wish to call the VAC on 2297 1170 or 2247 7490 to check the status of your application.

The VAC also provides additional services such as the sale of Travel Insurance by AIG and Visit Britain goods such as Oyster cards and over 75 tourist attractions throughout the UK. If you are travelling to the UK shortly you may wish to purchase these goods which are excellent value for money.

The VAC is open between 09:30 and 16:00; Sunday to Thursday or if you wish to make an appointment you may do so till 16:30. To make an appointment or receive more information about applying for a visa for the UK please phone 2297 1170 or 2247 7490.

UK Trade and Investment Section:

We would like to draw your attentionto changes in our contact details:

Embassy Switchboard: Tel.: 2259 4320 Fax: 2259 4368

Head of Trade and Investment: Duncan Hoyland – 2259 4362

Deputy Head of Trade and Investment: Irene Ronald – 2259 4365

Trade and Investment Ofcers:Josephine Muhyedden – 2259 4363

Elvis Noronha – 2259 4367Gula Al Shara – 2259 4366Anju Verghese - 2259 4364

87


During Cultural Season 17, the DAI will be providing more than 10 times 10 activities. This season is about more: more lectures, more music, more workshops for adults, more opportunities for young people, more chances to interact with parts of the collection, and more.

The Monday Night speakers at the al-Maidan Cultural Centre are drawn from a broad geographic expanse and represented the widest array of talent that the DAI has ever presented. And the subjects . . . they’re even more diverse than the lectures.

The DAI Forum events, held Tuesday nights at Amricani Cultural Centre, will feature documentaries, book club meetings, lectures, and adult art workshops. Highlighting the skills and knowledge found in Kuwait, these interactive activities offer something for almost everyone.

Those looking for music with have to wait until Wednesday. Starting this season, there will be a musical performance virtually every week. From the Vienna Boys Choir to the Emerald Dust rock band, the al-Maidan Cultural Centre will truly present a comprehensive mix of music genres.

On 17 October 1995, the curator of the Tareq Rajab Museum Professor Géza Fehérvári launched the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah’s

first cultural season. There were 10 lectures that year and a trip to the Arab Fund building. Quickly, having a representative of the Tareq Rajab Museum open the season became a tradition – one that continues this season with Ziad Rajab giving the opening lecture. That, however, is one of a very few things that hasn’t changed.

Making Its Mark: DAI Cultural Season 17

Theatre hasn’t been overlooked. For the first time, celebrated Kuwaiti writer/director/producer/actor Sulayman al-Bassam, with specially selected international guests, will host five workshops for those working in the performing arts and five lectures for those just curious about the theatre arts. In addition, he will present a new production in February.

Participation is also an important part of this season’s cultural education programmes. In addition to the art workshops, the DAI has a docent programme for adults and will be launching a junior docent programme for children between the ages of 13 and 16. The Children’s Art Workshops are back for the 4th season, with activities for kids between 6 years old and 12 years old.

Later in the year two additional programmes will be added to the CS17 calendar. Family Day at Amricani will offer activities that encourage parents and children to explore the museum together. DAI Classroom will provide a similar opportunity for schools eager to expose their students to the collection.

All these activities are open to the public and everyone is welcome. For more information on any of these programmes, email [email protected].

www.darmuseum.org.kw

MAKING ITS MARK: DAI CULTURAL SEASON 17

On 17 October 1995, the curator of the Tareq Rajab Museum Professor Géza Fehérvári launched the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah’s rst cultural season with a lecture on “The Art of Lacquer in the Islamic World.” There were 10 lectures that year and a trip to the Arab Fund building.

Quickly, having a representative of the Tareq Rajab Museum open the season became a tradition – one that continues this season with Ziad Rajab giving the opening lecture. That, however, is one of a very few things that hasn’t changed.

This season, Cultural Season 17, the DAI will be providing more than 10 times 10 activities. This season is about more: more lectures, more music, more workshops for adults, more opportunities for young people, more chances to interact with parts of the collection, and more. Like the signet rings and seals that are the visual representation of this season, the DAI plans to make its mark this season on more people in many more ways.

Seals and signet rings, like those chosen, had two functions. First, they indicated ownership and certied the authority of the person using the seal. Second, and more important, they stated boldly that an individual had made his mark on paper, property or a process. That is what we intend to do – to make our mark on the community. Unlike a seal or signet ring, our mark won’t be evidenced in a brand or insignia but in the increased awareness of and appreciation for Islamic art and culture in all its many forms.

MONDAY NIGHT LECTURES ARE BACK:CS17 GETS UNDERWAY ON 26 SEPTEMBER

LEARN AND LOVE IT . . .

MAKING A JOYFUL NOISE . . .DAI MUSIC CIRCLE

WORKING THEATRE

TUESDAYS WITH THE DAI

Magic happens when people and art connect. When, all of a sudden, a child can see specic motifs of Islamic art in a favourite carpet; when the absence of sapphires in the Mughal jewellery stops being a mystery; when the links between culture, history and art seem obvious. That “when” moment is magic.

This season the DAI is oering everyone 6 and older the chance to feel the magic. For more information on any of these programmes, email [email protected] or [email protected]

Children’s Art Workshops: In the 4th series, children between the ages of 6 and 12 will explore some old favourites and a few new subjects. In all cases, they’ll be having so much fun they won’t even realize how much they’re learning. The rst session is 1 October, when the participants will talk about Islamic art motifs in preparation for a visit to the Arab Fund Building.

DAI Classroom: Schools are invited to send classes to the Amricani Cultural Centre for 90 minute, age-appropriate programmes that are fun and educational. Students will explore one or both of the exhibitions and have the chance to demonstrate what they learned in the process. Visits are being scheduled now for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, starting in November.

Docents: Volunteers who are truly Part of Art, DAI Docents are well trained, enthusiastic leaders who share their knowledge of and anity for the treasures held in the Amricani Cultural Centre. We will begin training the next group of docents in October, sign up now.

Junior Docents: This is a new programme for young people between the ages of 13 and 16. Junior Docents will learn about the two exhibitions in Amricani, art history and be introduced to the various aspects of running a successful museum. Sign up now for more information.

The success of the DAI Music Circle (DMC) continues to grow well beyond expectations. Bringing music to the al-Maidan Cultural Centre virtually every Wednesday, the DMC committee has produced a programme that will have a world of music echoing through the theatre during CS17.

Throughout the season, which starts with a piano recital commemorating the bicentennial of Franz Liszt on 28 September and ends on 30 May with a celebration of Kuwaiti music, the audience will enjoy everything from Baroque organ to acoustic rock. A cine-concert and a marionette performance mix visual and musical arts. Yemeni performers share their traditional music, as do a classical Flamenco guitarist and the Vienna Boys Choir. Jazz from Uzbekistan, Raga from India and Maghrebian music from North Africa; the oerings this season are as diverse as the countries from which the performers are drawn.

Under the direction of celebrated Kuwaiti writer/director Sulayman Al-Bassam, this season the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah expands its performing arts programme to include the theatre arts. Over the course of the season, ve international theatre workshops will be held at the al-Maidan Cultural Centre. The three-day seminars will be led by Al-Bassam and an internationally respected visiting artist, selected to present his/her speciality to Kuwait’s young theatre professional. Dramatic writing, directing, scenography and various technical skills will feature in the workshops. In addition, on the Tuesday evening following the workshops, the visiting artist will give a 60 minute seminar open to the public. Targeting all those interested in learning more about dierent aspects of the theatre arts, the conversations are sure to be revealing and informative.

Al-Bassam is the founder and creative mind behind SABAB, an independent, international touring theatre company based in Kuwait. The company is working internationally across national and cultural boundaries and uses theatre to engage with issues of identity, history, language and culture. SABAB has achieved worldwide acclaim and recognition for its productions, performing to audiences across four continents. Recent works written/adapted and directed by Al-Bassam include: The Speaker’s Progress, Richard III: An Arab Tragedy, commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) for the Complete Works Festival; The Mirror for Princes / Kalila wa Dimna co-produced by the Tokyo International Arts Festival, Barbican bite06 and Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, Kuwait; and The Al-Hamlet Summit, co-produced by the Tokyo International Arts Festival.

Recognising the wealth of talent in Kuwait, two seasons ago the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah launched the DAI Forum. The Forum is a community-based programme designed to provide an opportunity for local experts to share their knowledge with people here at home. This season the expanded Forum becomes part of Tuesdays with the DAI.

In CS 17, the Forum features lectures, the book club and lms. The lectures get underway on 27 September, with a discussion on the accessibility of art and continue, covering Arabic poetry, feelings and movement, the cultural impact of urban renewal, and architecture and the environment.

12 Angry Lebanese, on 11 October, starts the lm programme. It will be followed by Deema Al-Ghunaim’s lm/lecture Sensations of A Moving Machine on 15 November and Amreeka, directed by Cherien Dabis and co-produced by Al-Zain al-Sabah, on 20 March.

In one of the few anomalies in the programme, the book club actually kicks o on Sunday, 9 October. The Blair/Bloom book Islamic Arts (Art and Ideas) is expected to spark a discussion of what is and isn’t “Islamic art”. Other books being read this season include Jerusalem by Karen Armstrong, The Edge of War by Alex Darwin, The Rumi Collection, and Bill Moyers’ Genesis.

Previously the bailiwick of those ages 6 – 12, this season the workshop opens up to adults. This season, you have the opportunity to learn about and experiment with dierent aspects of Islamic art. Starting in October, with an Introduction to Glass Painting, continuing in November with ceramics, January with creative writing, and nally, a four session calligraphy course in April/May; the workshops give participants the chance to discover both a bit about the art of Islamic world and about their own creativity. A short brief about the subject as it relates to Islamic art and an explanation of any necessary art techniques will be followed by the opportunity to apply what you’ve learned. At the conclusion of the workshop, you’ll have a work of art all your own.

Finally, we have our rst series of conservation-oriented workshops this season. Over three weeks in March and April, DAI consultant curator Sophie Budden will provide practical advice for caring for your collectibles, including metals, wood, textiles, paintings ceramics, glass, stone and plaster.

Conservation workshops, art workshops, lectures, movies, and books: Tuesdays with the DAI brings new life to mid-week.

WORDS AND ACTION The 17th Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah Cultural Season will be launched on 26 September, with a lecture

on kiswas, the holy covers on the Ka’aba in Makkah. And with this lecture, an amazing journey will begin.This season the speakers are drawn from a broad geographic expanse and represent the widest

array of talent that the DAI has ever presented. Lecturers will be coming from the around our region, Europe, Asia, and North America. There will be professors from such prestigious institutions as Harvard,

SOAS, and the Islamic Studies faculty at the University of Sarajevo. Two museum directors will participate, including the 1st woman museum director in Iran. The VP of the European Union of Arabists and Islamists, and a former UK MP and head of the country’s National Heritage organization will both speak during the season, as will a musicologist, a eld anthropologist, an artist/sculptor, an archaeologist, and several research specialists associated with leading institutions and foundations.

And the subjects . . . they’re even more diverse than the lectures. From Makkah, subsequent speakers will take us to al-Andalus, Yemen, Bosnia-Herzegovina, India, Iran, Europe in the Romance period, and, closer to home, the Gulf shores and Hijaz. Speakers will talk about Islamic objects in Western hands; Western classical music in the Islamic world; the connection between the Latin and Islamic worlds, and architecture around the world. Islamic heritage in Saba and central Europe will be discussed, as will the music of western Saudi Arabia and pearls from the Gulf. The scents and sensibilities of Islamic gardens will be presented along with lectures on the sense and sensibilities of the Holy Qur’an and aspects of Islamic law. Safavid textiles and Abbasid and Fatimid textiles will be explored, as will Persian painting and sculpting. The Silsilename of three artistic Ottoman families will be explained and Ottoman talismanic protections will also be discussed.

The journey starts at 7 PM on 26 September. You don’t want to miss it.

COMMUNITY GROUPS


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Ziad RajabLecture

26

Guillem R. BordoyLecture

10

9

Jassim al-SadahLecture

27

11

4

Fazliddin HusanovPiano Recital

28

Young Kuwaiti PerformersConcert

12

Trudy KawamiLecture

14 Kenan MusićLecture

9

Deema al-GhunaimLecture

15 Book ClubThe Rumi Collection

10

Kuwait Camerata Concert

16 GCC MusicConcert

11

Annie MontignyLecture

5

6

Recital for Two PianosConcert

7 Amiri Sea BandKuwaiti Music Concert

4

Lisa UrkevichLecture

12

Jarno PeltonenLecture

Book ClubThe Long Way Back

13

Polish Music NightConcert

14

Vienna Boys ChoirConcert

5

Glass Painting Workshop

Kuwaiti TalentConcert

2

1

24

Juan SoutoLecture

31

22

23International Theatre Workshop 1

21

22


25

Ray FarrinLecture

18

Augsburger PuppenkistsMarionette Theatre

26

Dreams and PassionFlamenco Concert

19

16

Christiane GruberLecture

17

Ali Akbar and FriendsConcert

18

23

Creative Writing Workshop

31

Theatre Seminar 1Visiting Artist


24

Yemeni Music Concert

25

Souad AliLecture

19

Futha Al-AbdulrazzaqLecture

20

An Evening of Acoustic RockConcert

21

Egyptian Music NightConcert

28

Anna ContadiniLecture

2117

CeramicsWorkshop22

Trio EnsembleConcert

23

Iris GerlachLecture

28

CeramicsWorkshop

29

Folk MusicConcert

30

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International Theatre Workshop 2

10

11

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Music of the Baroque Era Concert

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Elisa Gagliardi-Mangilli Lecture


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4


1

Music for Violin and PianoConcert

2


7

8

9

10

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11

7

Book ClubGenesis

8

Samy Ibrahim and More FriendsConcert

9

Voice and Clarinet through the Ages Concert

1

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18


19

20

D. Fairchild RugglesLecture

13

Book ClubThe Edge of War

14

Amin “Mr. FaRi” AbdalLecture

15

20

21

Ramzi YassaPiano Recital

22

Layla DibaLecture19

Film NightAmreeka

20

Messilah Chamber EnsembleConcert

21

May FarhatLecture

16

Sandra al-Saleh Lecture

17

Vienna’s Musical HeritageOrgan Recital

18

Tamer el LeithyLecture

14

Calligraphy Workshop

15

Kuwait’s Young TalentConcert

16

Parviz TanavoliLecture

26


27

Emerald Rock DustConcert

28

Jochen SokolyLecture

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Sunday

Monday

23

30


24

Sounds of IndiaConcert

25

21

22

The Music of Iraq Concert

23

Valerio CappozzoLecture

28

Exhibition of Workshop ArtworkThrough 7 June

29

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Ziad RajabLecture

26

Guillem R. BordoyLecture

10

9

Jassim al-SadahLecture

27

11

4

Fazliddin HusanovPiano Recital

28

Young Kuwaiti PerformersConcert

12

Trudy KawamiLecture

14 Kenan MusićLecture

9

Deema al-GhunaimLecture

15 Book ClubThe Rumi Collection

10

Kuwait Camerata Concert

16 GCC MusicConcert

11

Annie MontignyLecture

5

6

Recital for Two PianosConcert

7 Amiri Sea BandKuwaiti Music Concert

4

Lisa UrkevichLecture

12

Jarno PeltonenLecture

Book ClubThe Long Way Back

13

Polish Music NightConcert

14

Vienna Boys ChoirConcert

5


Kuwaiti TalentConcert

2

1

24

Juan SoutoLecture

31

22


21

22


25

Ray FarrinLecture

18

Augsburger PuppenkistsMarionette Theatre

26

Dreams and PassionFlamenco Concert

19

16

Christiane GruberLecture

17

Ali Akbar and FriendsConcert

18

23


31



24

Yemeni Music Concert

25

Souad AliLecture

19

Futha Al-AbdulrazzaqLecture

20

An Evening of Acoustic RockConcert

21

Egyptian Music NightConcert

28

Anna ContadiniLecture

2117

CeramicsWorkshop22

Trio EnsembleConcert

23

Iris GerlachLecture

28

CeramicsWorkshop

29

Folk MusicConcert

30

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10

11

12




13

Music of the Baroque Era Concert

14

Elisa Gagliardi-Mangilli Lecture


3

Jazz from UzbekistanConcert

4


1

Music for Violin and PianoConcert

2


7

8

9

10

Quator Cello MusinemaCine-Concert

11

7

Book ClubGenesis

8

Samy Ibrahim and More FriendsConcert

9

Voice and Clarinet through the Ages Concert

1

Theatrical ProductionSABAB Theatre

18


19

20

D. Fairchild RugglesLecture

13

Book ClubThe Edge of War

14

Amin “Mr. FaRi” AbdalLecture

15

20

21

Ramzi YassaPiano Recital

22

Layla DibaLecture19

Film NightAmreeka

20

Messilah Chamber EnsembleConcert

21

May FarhatLecture

16

Sandra al-Saleh Lecture

17

Vienna’s Musical HeritageOrgan Recital

18

Tamer el LeithyLecture

14


15

Kuwait’s Young TalentConcert

16

Parviz TanavoliLecture

26


27

Emerald Rock DustConcert

28

Jochen SokolyLecture

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

23

30


24

Sounds of IndiaConcert

25

21

22

The Music of Iraq Concert

23

Valerio CappozzoLecture

28

Exhibition of Workshop ArtworkThrough 7 June

29

Samy Ibrahim and FriendsConcert

A Celebration of Kuwaiti Music

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British Ladies Society

The launch of the new season has already started with a rush to renew memberships or sign up to benefit from the chance to make new friends, join in the 23-plus monthly activities, and get discounts from over 60 businesses in Kuwait. In our calendar year beginning September 2011 we have already planned for 6 Dinners, 2 Bazaars, 4 large-scale fundraising events plus the additional excursions and events that somehow slip into the schedule along the way.

As well as all this socialising, we have a thriving lending library with over 3,000 titles and two active reading groups. This year we are delighted to

2011 has turned out to be one of the busiest years for this friendly and active society of some 250 ladies from the British Community together with around 60 friends who hold

Associate Membership from a host of other nationalities.

announce that our Telecoms partner, Wataniya, has become a major sponsor enabling us to provide free wi-fi access in our premises as well as ensuring our website and telephones are up to scratch!

Since its inception in 1993, the BLS has raised over KD 215,000 for a number of charities both home and abroad. This year we are supporting Ruqayah Alqatami Breast Cancer Foundation (formerly Hayat4Cancer) in Kuwait and Help for Heroes in the UK, thereby forging stronger links between our communities through working together on our fundraising efforts.

88

COMMUNITY GROUPS


We also have close ties with other groups and societies in Kuwait, the British Business Forum being first among equals and enjoyed another successful Introduction to Kuwait event on 7th October 2011 at the Hilton in Mangaf.

The BLS has a printed handbook which is famous for providing invaluable information on how to get the most out of your life in Kuwait which is provided within the membership fee (which has remained the same for 5 years). However, even if you cannot join us as a member, you can still purchase this great guide and gripping read. Our website at www.theblskuwai t .com has additional tips and info to help you on your way.

Here are a few dates for your diaries and we very much hope to be able to welcome you either into our Society or as a guest at one of our many activities and events in the very near future!

Tuesday 1st November Dinner at the Movenpick Hotel al Bida’aFirst week in November tbc Firework Party at Green IslandSaturday 26th November Christmas Bazaar at BSKTuesday 6th December Christmas Dinner at the Crowne Plaza HotelTuesday 10th January Dinner at the Movenpick Hotel al Bida’aFriday 17th February Valentines Ball at the British Embassywww.theblskuwait.com tel: 6665 0381 email: [email protected]

COMMUNITY GROUPS


COMMUNITY GROUPS

Kuwait Scorpions

Welcome to the Kuwait Scorpions,

the oldest rugby football club in the Gulf. We were

established in the late 1940’s after the Kuwait Oil

Company and the British Army played the region’s

first ever recorded rugby fixture. For 2010 the club

has reverted to its original name of ‘Scorpions’ and

will no longer use ‘Nomads’ as its name.

Today the Scorpions have over 200 playing

members of all ages from more than 18 different

countries including Kuwait, Iran, Lebanon and Egypt.

In addition there are many hundreds of supporting

members in Kuwait and throughout the world. The

Scorpions is now the biggest expatriate organization

in the country and association with the Club provides

wide-spread exposure both here and throughout the

Gulf region.

Jon Law

Chairman [email protected]

Qais AlDoub

Vice Chairman [email protected]

Steve Allan

Club Captain [email protected]

Ahmadi Music Group

The Ahmadi Music Group is a choral group which

rehearses and performs at the New English School,

Jabriya. The Group sings a wide variety of music and

encourages small group and solo performances as

well. AMG usually performs two concerts a year;

Community Groups

one in December and the other in May. A wide variety

of nationalities have been attracted to sing with the

group, which has a very professional approach to

singing, but makes sure that being part of the choir is

fun for everybody.

If you have an interest in choral singing and would

like to find out more about the group, and what it

does, please visit our website where you will find up

to date contacts and information.

Email : [email protected]

Web : www.ahmadimusicgroup.com

Kuwait Saracens

It is our mission to continue

to preserve the spirit of rugby and

to promote and develop the game of rugby at

all levels in Kuwait society.

We ensure that:

Training is structured, progressive, and presented •

by coaches that are qualified for the age groups

they coach.

Our players have access to the best possible •

training equipment and the most up to date

coaching methods.

All players can learn, practice and play in a safe •

environment.

All our teams have the opportunity to travel and •

play enough competitive matches to enable them

to continue to develop their skills.

We provide training for age groups from 5 – 19 •

years old. All coaches are IRB certified.

[email protected]

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2011 / 2188 / ``g - ä

´ / 2011 / 401 / Ω - ä


COMMUNITY GROUPS

Kuwait Caledonians

Kuwait Caledonian Society is a charitable society

for the promotion of Scottish culture in Kuwait,

Membership is open to those who are Scottish

by birth, married to a Scot or have at least

one Scottish parent. Associate membership is

available to those demonstrating a genuine regard

for Scottish culture. Our gatherings are amongst

the most colourful and popular in the expatriate

social calendar and each year raise substantial

amounts for Scottish and Kuwaiti charities. Details

for all events will be publicised in the local press.

Specific enquiries may be addressed to:

Nanette McCulloch Tel : 9983 0865

Sam McCulloch Tel : 9971 6840 Email : [email protected]

Kuwait Irish Society

The Kuwait Irish Society is a non profit organisation whose aim is to promote and celebrate Irish culture, craic and sport in Kuwait. We seek a multicultural membership from all walks of life and of any nationality. The society organises and runs several events throughout the year culminating in the celebration of St Patrick’s Day in March.

Through all of our activities the Irish Society tries to raise as much money as possible for charitable causes in Ireland and here in Kuwait. Becoming a member of the society is free and easy and we give our members priority notice of any of our activities. For more information about any of our upcoming events, cultural experiences and membership please contact us at:

[email protected]

Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah

Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah’s 17th Cultural Season, organized in conjunction with the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, got underway on 26 September 2011. Virtually every Monday night at 1900, the Maidan Cultural Centre opens its doors to gifted lecturers and talented performers. The Friends of the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah (DAI) plays an important role in the growth of the DAI. As a “Friend”, you will be part of a success story that you help maintain – a success story that is recognised internationally and appreciated locally.

Zeinab

Tel : 2563 6528


DAI Music Circle

For the third season, people interested in music should take note of the DAI music programme. This season, every Wednesday night is set aside for the DAI Music Circle. The concerts are held at the al-Maidan Cultural Centre in Maidan-Hawalli and are open to everyone.

Helena D’Souza

Tel : 2240 0992, ext 19


AnzikAre you an Australian or New Zealand woman in Kuwait? ANZIK is an information group of women here that started on a small scale last year. If you would like to hear about our monthly get-togethers (no committees!), please email: us at

[email protected]


COMMUNITY GROUPS

93

a performance as possible, whilst still ensuring it is

fun for singers and audience. The Kuwait Singers

present two performances a year; a seasonal concert

in December and a more varied one in May. We also

perform at several other venues on a less formal

basis. Rehearsals are held at Atakamul International

School, Sabah Al-Salem on Sundays from 7.30-

9.30pm. For more information:

Mike Kempster, Musical Director

Tel : 66683770


PAWS - Protecting Animal Welfare Society

We are an active group of local and international volunteers committed to protecting animal welfare in Kuwait. PAWS runs Kuwait’s first officially licensed animal shelter. The educational mission of our society is to promote responsible pet ownership and to advance the humane treatment of all animals. Our work is supported entirely through the donations of our members and supporters. Through the generous hearts and hands of people here in Kuwait, we can ensure that animals who come into our care will receive veterinary treatment, care and shelter, while we seek to place pets in caring homes. Join us online as a member and support our work at the shelter. Visitors and prospective pet parents are very welcome! For further information about the

organization, please contact:

Tel : 99440089


Web : www.paws-kuwait.org

The BLS Kuwait (British Ladies Society)

The BLS is one of the busiest and most popular societies in Kuwait, run by women for women and families. We meet for friendship and support, and run fund raising activities for charities in UK and Kuwait. We organise over 20 events or activities each month: coffee mornings, library sessions, mothers and toddlers club, children’s music group, evening events, book clubs, and excursions to places of interest. We’re also a network for women seeking work: members find employment or voluntary work through connections made at the BLS. Membership is KD 30 including free Kuwait Information Guide, free Christmas dinner and free diary. Members get discounts at over 60 organisations, restaurants, coffee shops, retail outlets, health clubs, beauty salons, and more. The BLS Kuwait Information Guide (fully sponsored by the Avenues) is for sale at KD 5. Sale profits go to our two charities, chosen annually by our members: in 2009/2010 we are supporting Operation Hope (Kuwait) and Breakthrough Breast Cancer (UK).

Contact details:

[email protected]

+965 6665 0381

www.theblskuwait.com

Kuwait Singers

The Kuwait Singers is a mixed voice (SATB) choir of

over fifty singers made up of people from all walks

of life who share a love of singing. We are always

willing to welcome new members. Whatever your

previous experience you are guaranteed a very

warm reception! We perform all kinds of music from

classical and opera to light pop and songs from the

shows, with the aim of producing as professional

Girl Guiding

British Guides in Foreign Countries (BGIFC) is part of the Guide Association, Girlguiding UK, offering girls the opportunity of taking part in the Guide programme whilst living abroad. Whilst our units maintain a membership of at least 50% British girls, we do welcome all girls who wish to join, subject to places.

All our uniformed leaders are trained volunteers. BGIFC Kuwait District currently comprises 5 units: 1 Rainbow Unit (5-7yrs) 2 Brownie Units (7-10 yrs) 1 Guide Unit (10-14 yrs) and 1 Senior Section Unit (14 and over). Girlguiding is a registered charity. If you are interested in finding out more about Guiding in Kuwait, or wish to help as a leader or parent, please contact :

Amanda Wheldon

District Commissioner

Tel : 66405350

e-mail: [email protected]


COMMUNITY GROUPS

Kuwait Mantas

The Kuwait Mantas is an overseas branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club (BS-AC). Divers trained by any organisation are welcome to join the club and enjoy the corals and fish found in the warm waters of the Gulf. Dives are organized on our own boat every weekend and occasionally we camp out on one of the islands. We organise socials during the week. There are training courses for beginners.

For more information contact:

Mike Dalton

Tel : 9960 4865

Web : www.kuwaitmantas.com

KBFSA

KBFSA has started life as a website initially to connect ex-pat Brits with a passion for the beautiful game! The site will be maintaining a register of Brit football supporters so that they can arrange to meet up to watch live TV matches especially World Cup Qualifiers etc and share their mutual enthusiasm together. We are hoping to set up a regular meeting night and then hope to set up a calendar of events such as quiz nights, video evenings and of course live match nights! Please register with the website so that we can contact you as soon as possible and get KBFSA off the ground.

Contact : www.kbfsa.co.uk

Kuwait Writers Workshop

The Kuwait Writers workshop meets most Saturday evenings in the working year, taking turns to host in each others homes. Members who are native or virtually nativespeakers of English, critique each others’ writing in progress. We concentrate only on creative writing eg poetry, short story, drama plays, travelogue etc. Group has met since 1993. Several members have published over the years.

Contact : 6632 7130

E-mail : [email protected]

KTAA - Kuwait Textile Arts Association

Kuwait Textile Arts Association is a multi cultural, not for profit organization based at Sadu House. The Association aims to nurture and promote the art and craft of textiles and fibre arts and to facilitate sharing and exchanging of ideas, knowledge and skills in Kuwait and the Gulf region. Membership is open and meetings are held at 19:00 at Sadu House, on the Arabian Gulf Street. Members also enjoy a programme of demonstrations, workshops, stitch and quilting groups, a textile library and international cultural tours. KTAA sponsor an annual exhibition of members textile work and a children’s textile arts day.

For further information, please contact:

Kathy Hendrickson

Tel : 9715 2637

email : [email protected] or

[email protected]

Kuwait Offshore Sailing Association

The Kuwait Offshore Sailing Association (KOSA) meets on the first sunday of each month from October to June - 7:30 PM at the BLS Library in Rumaithiya for social gatherings and sailing talks on specific topics. KOSA offers social sailings and fortnightly races as well as the opportunity to sail further afield at Bahrain and Dubai Regattas. KOSA also offer tuition and training course for beginners and experienced sailors alike. KOSA welcomes visitors and anyone with an interest in sailing in a friendly relaxed club atmosphere.

Website : www.kosaq8.com

E-Mail : [email protected]

Yahoo Group : http://groups.yahoo.com/

group/kosa-group/

Commodore Ross Ferguson - 9732 3359


COMMUNITY GROUPS

Expat Mums Kuwait

Expat Mums of Kuwait is a group of English speaking expat mums from more than 25 countries who gather regularly for weekly coffee catch ups, mums only dinners, playgroups and more. For more information visit the

Website: www.expatmumskwi.com

Bright Horizons Toastmasters Club

Toastmaster’s International helps you develop your public speaking skills, giving you more confidence professionally and personally. Bright Horizons Toastmaster ‘s sessions are held at Better Books in Salmiya.

For more information


Kuwait Little League Baseball

Kuwait Little League Baseball is a volunteer organization that fields 25 teams for children between the ages of 5 and 17 – no experience required. The season runs from October to April and volunteer coaches, scorekeepers and umpires are always needed.

For more information or to volunteer or sign up your child visit

Website : www.q8ll.org

E-mail : [email protected]

Children’s Art Workshop

The Amricani Cultural Centre is hosting the Children’s Art Workshop programme designed to introduce children between the ages of 6 and 12 to the art and culture of the Islamic world. Classes are held in the Workshop at the Amricani Cultural Centre on Saturday mornings, from 9:30. The classes for 8 – 12 year olds last 2 hours; the classes for 6 – 8 year olds last 90 minutes; and the combined classes for 6 – 12 year olds last 2 hours.

OCTOBER 1 Islamic Art Motifs (ages 8 – 12) 8 Visit to the Arab Fund Building (ages 6 – 12) 15 Archaeology Explained (ages 6 – 8) 22 Archaeology Explained (ages 8 – 12) 29 Creating Artefacts (ages 6 – 12)

NOVEMBER 19 Archaeological Dig (ages 6 – 12) Finding artefacts the kids created and we buried in the sand

DECEMBER 3 Intro to Textiles in Islamic Art (ages 8 – 12) Visit to Sadu House 10 Textile Project (ages 8 – 12) 17 Textiles in Islamic Art (ages 6 – 8) Visit to Sadu HouseFor more information or to sign up your children,

Email: [email protected]

Q8 Bridge Club

We are constantly on the lookout for people who enjoy a good game of Bridge. We meet Sundays and Tuesdays at 8 PM at the Sea Club in Ras Salmiya. We are a small and very friendly club of English speakers and will make you feel most welcome.

For more information:

Website : http://q8bc.blogspot.com


96



2011/2012

!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!"#$%$&'!"(&$)*&&!+,#(-!

! !!The Voice of British Business in Kuwait

2011/2012

Membership Application Form

Surname

Forename

Nationality Passport number/ Civil ID No.

Company Position in company

Nature of business

Years in Kuwait

Telephone home

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Fax home

Fax office

Mobile number

Pager number

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Proposer’s signature

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Date

I am willing for my contact details to be circulated to other members Yes No

I am willing for my contact details to appear on the BBF website Yes No

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Banking & Finance Construction & Eng. Education & Training

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Associate Member: Please indicate your British business interests For Office Use Only

Date paid Email sent

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Date approved Previous member

Email: [email protected] Enquiries: 66841114

!!!!!!!!!!!

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2011/2012


Surname

Forename



Nature of business

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Email personal

Email company

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Proposer’s name


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Date












!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!"#$%$&'!"(&$)*&&!+,#(-!


2011/2012


Surname

Forename



Nature of business

Years in Kuwait

Telephone home

Telephone office

Fax home

Fax office

Mobile number

Pager number

Email personal

Email company

Company address


Proposer’s name


Seconder’s name



Date












!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!"#$%$&'!"(&$)*&&!+,#(-!


2011/2012


Surname

Forename



Nature of business

Years in Kuwait

Telephone home

Telephone office

Fax home

Fax office

Mobile number

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Email personal

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Company address


Proposer’s name


Seconder’s name



Date












STAYJOYFUL.

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Eng. Suhaila MarafiDirector – Department of Studies and ResearchMinistry of Electricity and WaterDr. Hashem Al TabtabaeiTechnical Team LeaderPartnership Technical Bureau (PTB)Ministry of Finance, KuwaitEng. Mahdy Al DakheelDirector of Projects Department – Kuwait International AirportDirectorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)

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Dispatches Magazine October 2011

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Transcript of Dispatches Magazine October 2011