Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Dispatch from London

Beautiful sunny day in London. This is not my usual time to visit, but the workload meant that it was either get away now or never.

Whenever I run into people that I know who live here, the first question they ask is "Are you here on holiday or for work?". A totally legitimate question in a city that is as much a major tourist destination as it is a major business centre.

Maybe someday we can ask visitors to Kuwait the same question....

16 comments:

  1. You are missing SO much by being away.....


    Im going to a "special" dinner now....hope it goes well

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  2. Zaydoun, the question asked to visitors in Kuwait is not "Are you here on business or pleasure?"

    Its "Why are you here??!?" with a worried expression on ur face!

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  3. Business, definitely..

    But tourism? I call for disbanding the so called Touristic Enterprises, closing the tourism department in the ministry of Disinformation, and a gag order on Nabeela Al-Anjari followed by her forced retirement!

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  4. HWKW... my thoughts exactly. We can't be all things to all people, so we should focus our energy on becoming a major business centre and leave it at that. And the first step toward that is get rid of everyone who stands in the way, i.e. the armies of bureaucrats and the ministers and MPs who support them

    msabah... I'd be interested to see what the Americans think of our bureaucracy as compared to our GCC neighbors

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  5. msabah, I'd have to see it to believe it.

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  6. الطيور طارت بأرزاقها

    Anyways Im going skiing in hell

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  7. msabah, if this happens, it'll Kuwait will be in the right track. We are beyond governmental-led economic reform, its time the private sector takes the lead. The government's role is irreplaceable during the start-up phase of our economy, but if it keeps spoonfeeding the people, we will continue to be lazy socialists rather than inventive & hardworking capitalists. Oh & i've thought of this argument (socialist vs. capitalist econs) and example speaks louder than any text book: Why is the USA the largest economy in the world? Because of its natural and human resources which were accessible for investment by its people.

    Why is China the next largest economy in the world? Because of natural and human rescources which are becoming more accessible for investment by its people. The Republic is becoming more 'hands off'.

    I must add that the move from a welfare/socialist state to a capitalist state must be well controlled and systemized to insure a smoothe change over and avoid troubles like we saw in the USSR to Russia. And no its not too far off of an example, when you look at how the issue of privatizing the North Oil fields has been managed and how oil was the major attraction in Russia when it took off its big red hood.

    One more thing to add, the move is needed and that has been idenified by the governemnt, but we need not to be shy that we need experts to take our hands and lead us through this.

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  8. Why couldn't tourism happen? You have beaches and things to see don't you? Someday I hope to be able to travel into the middle east and I know I am not alone. Why not a stop in Kuwait too? I don't see it as too far fetched to attract visitor's from America.

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  9. I'm reading Friday's alQabas and thinking it's time you wrote something about your dad alla yer7uma.

    How's the vacation going?

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  10. i was thinkin of "Are you here on business or pleasure?" but Q has already said it... cuz thas what they ask usually all ova the world

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  11. Shurouq..

    Vacation is going great, and I never got to see Al-Qabas's friday edition.

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  12. Zaydoun now is the time to put that promise of yours to the test. I am in London as well so are you willing to meet up or not ? ;) let me know as quickly as possible to make my own arrangements.

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  13. highlander... would love to, but I've been in and out of London

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  14. Zaydoun, it does not matter London or another place in UK if you are still here that is ... I will still be in Britain for a while ...let me know what do you think and how it can be arranged as you obviously love secrecy ;) ... also if u email me i could leave my cell phone ..then it's up to you to contact me and we can arrange a meetup

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