otics may lead to future antibiotic-resistant infec - Kuwait Times

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012
Local Spotlight
Don’t be too sensitive
By Muna Al-Fuzai
muna@kuwaittimes.net
Many people don’t want to be hypersensitive,
but can they help it? I think there are many
aspects in life, towards which, one needs to
be sensitive in order to feel, enjoy and share them.
I wish I hadn’t been so sensitive but unfortunately,
it looks like we are born with such traits. You will not
be liked by many people, but surely you will be
respected. Being sensitive means getting into trouble
with even your closest family members and friends.
This is because you will be hurt when someone
makes a comment or joke about something that is
interpreted as being harmful and annoying!
I received an e-mail a couple of weeks ago from a
man who got into trouble with the residents of his
building thanks to his hypersensitivity. He claimed
that he could hear his next door neighbour’s maid
crying all the time, and that she was being abused by
her master and imagined her being beaten and
harassed. He decided to call the janitor and the
police.
He spoke with the residents of the entire building
on the issue. Finally, an investigation revealed that
the maid was addicted to watching old Indian movies
every evening and would break into tears on watching
melodramatic scenes! Indian movies last for three
hours or so, and that was the time this man heard her
sobbing, and assumed she was in great pain.
He became the butt of all jokes, but says that he
felt comforted to know that she was doing well! It
was his sensitivity that made him take the trouble of
reporting the incident. He cared about people. I think
it is a blessing to be surrounded by empathetic people
who are willing to take risks, even if they end up
being questioned by police.
Now, don’t get me wrong. If you see or hear something
inappropriate please verify it before rushing to
call the police. If you call the police for no reason, you
could land up in jail!
Happy weekend!
KUWAIT: Air traffic at Kuwait International Airport is normal
despite dusty weather conditions, announced the
Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) here yesterday.
The DGCA’s Head of Operations Essam Al-Zamel told
KUNA that air traffic was smooth despite the weather,
noting that the field of vision (for aircraft) was at 500
meters. Flights are allowed to operate within 250 meters
visibility for incoming carriers and 150 meters for departing
ones. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat
By Sawsan Kazak
sawsank@kuwaittimes.net
Local
Satire Wire
10 years, one verdict
Thomas Lubanga, a Congolese warlord, was convicted
by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on
Wednesday for using child soldiers. The court, located
in The Hague, delivered its first-ever verdict during its 10
years of operation. Apparently, the verdict was ‘hailed as a
legal landmark in the fight against impunity for the world’s
most serious crimes’ and believed to be a ‘deterrent to
armies around the world not to conscript children.’
So let me get this straight; armies, and more specifically
warlords, around the world will look at Congo’s Lubanga
case and say: “Oh we better not recruit children for our
army because we might be indicted by the International
Criminal Court years from now, spend a decade in the
country awaiting judgment, and years after we have
accomplished what we wanted, terrorized and killed hundreds
of thousands of people, we might get a guilty sentence”.
I’m all for being thorough, but 10 years and one
guilty verdict seems to be a little too thorough.
It appears that being thorough is not the only problem
the Netherlands-based court is facing as it was scrutinized
last week for being unable to arrest any war crimes suspects
or even intervene in the ongoing conflict in Syria.
Joseph Kony, who rose to international notoriety last week
By Jamie Etheridge
local@kuwaittimes.net
when a video featuring him went viral, was indicted for war
crimes seven years ago by this court. The court has yet to
arrest or make any progress on the Kony case. But I’m sure
Kony is scared after what happened to Lubanga. I’m sure
he’s thinking to himself: ‘I better stop what I am doing right
now so that 10 years from now, I don’t get a guilty verdict.’
The minute Kony got a glimpse of his impending future, he
released his army and turned his headquarters into a soup
kitchen.
The court’s inability to be productive could be due to
the fact that it has no police force of its own, and can only
investigate in the 120 countries that have recognized its
jurisdiction. Powerful countries like Russia, China, Syria and
the US are not even members. This demonstrates a lack of
importance placed on legal ramifications war criminals
should face or the retribution the victims and their families
deserve.
For an international court to be successful, it needs
international support and funding. Without proper backing,
this court will continue to take decades to deliver one
verdict and not prevent any future crimes; as it is intended
to do. I am all for the idea of worldwide justice, but if not
implemented correctly, it would seem like a waste of time.
In my view
A ‘To do’ list for Kuwait
They say that the older you get,
the wiser you become. I wish I
knew who came up with this
idea. I would find him and punch
him in the face! Okay, probably I
wouldn’t resort to violence, but I’d
definitely give him a piece of my
mind, at least what’s left of it these
days.
It seems that getting older has
made me stupid - or at least more
easily confused. I find myself standing
at traffic lights and in restaurants,
wondering should I go or stay? What
did I order? My mom has gleefully
pointed out that forgetting small
things is part of the process, especially
when your life becomes so
complex and busy with work, family
and friends etc.
Making ‘To do’ lists has become
my key to survival. I write down
everything: Take the kids to school.
Check. Email my sister. Check. Shop
for groceries. Check. Get a manicure.
Check. I have a ‘To do’ list at work
each day, and I even make them for
my husband. The problem arises, of
course, when I forget where I’ve put
the list or when I don’t finish it and
then forget to transfer the left over
items to a list for the next day.
I’ve started making a list of things
to put on my ‘To do’ list and keep
spare notepads in the bedroom, the
car, the bathroom and next to the
baby’s crib. This way, I hope, I will
catch most of the ideas before they
slip through my increasingly sievelike
brain.
The great thing about ‘To do’ lists
is that you can use them not only to
remember what needs to get done,
but also to prioritize the order in
which you do them. For instance, I
might list nine errands on any given
day but will try to put ‘Feed the kids’
or ‘Pick up vitamins’ near the top of
the list. That way, if I run out of time,
I’ve fed my children rather than
bought flowers or renewed my
newspaper subscription.
Prioritizing is key
A year from now, it will hardly
matter if I missed a manicure or forgot
to water the plants but failing to
take my baby to the doctor or forgetting
to go to the airport could cost
huge in lost health, time and money.
That’s why I’ve been thinking,
maybe, the people of Kuwait could
put together a ‘To do’ list for
Parliament. Every day on Twitter,
someone lists out the problems they
see: Education system out of date,
hospitals ill-equipped, doctors and
nurses overworked, roads that need
repaving or rebuilding, a bureaucracy
bloated, labyrinthine and unworkable,
an economy that needs privatizing,
fresh graduates that need jobs
etc.
A national ‘To do’ list would be a
great way to lay out all the things
that Kuwait should, would or could
do and then prioritize the list based
on the urgency and desire of the
people. I’m willing to bet that a law
dictating ‘decent’ clothing and other
personal choices would fall pretty far
down on the list, if it made it at all.
A modernized school system that
taught the youth of the country the
skills and knowledge necessary for
them to compete effectively in the
global economy would definitely get
my vote and I’m sure many others
would agree.