vivalife apr - june 2011

8/6/2019 Vivalife Apr - June 2011

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Managing Editor Sunil Pvee Senior Editor Yacoub Omar Editorial Assistant Marcel AssousiContent Contributors Jon Butcher - Ken Rubin - Leena Ayyad - Martin Tobola - Rick Schefren

Art Director Reyas Ensign Design & Layout TMC Kaur Web Designer Mohammed AbbasPhotography Ashraf Hassan Marketing Analyst Namaya JayamanaeSales Co-Ordinator Michelle PauleFor Content [email protected] ForAdvertisement [email protected] For more info [email protected]

Website www.vivalife1.com

TIMES Group Publication - All rights reserved

5 Editorial

6 Kuwait Panorama

9 Amir of Kuwait

12 Kuwait Kaleidoscope

20 Business Bits

24 Travel Roundup

27 The Dragon & The Crescent

29 Eliminate Fuzzy Thinking

33 Water and its Pollution

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According to a recent report, cyberspace now not only covers approxi-mately two out of every three individuals on earth, but also that itscenter is gravitating from the West to the East and South. As moreof humanity moves online and as the demographics of this popula-

tion shifts from developed world to the developing and underdevel-oped world, cyberspace is progressively taking on the characteristicsof other social, economic or political spaces where growth is fueled bytango of cooperation and competition.

The Arab Spring, which has so far overturned two ossied regimes inthe Middle East region, can trace its origins to a simmering cauldronof unemployment, income disparity and a lack of freedom in the re-gion that had reached close to boiling point. Throwing in the relativelyopen cyberspace into this gurgling pot of discontent acted as a catalyst

in accelerating this renaissance.The new generation of digital natives,who propelled these upheavals, was born into a world of satellite tele-vision, mobile phones and internet. They were plugged in, switched on,and keyed in, to rapidly communicate and network in ways which weredifcult for security forces to detect and disarm.

However, many other states have erected counter measures. Accord-ing to the work of the Citizen Lab and the OpenNet Initiative be-tween a third and a half of the worlds online population lives in stateswhere cyberspace is deliberately censored, monitored, or otherwisecontrolled. National rewalls and an army of content-censors work

diligently to sanitize the web, of content deemed inappropriate by gov-ernments, and provide their citizens with a vision that is in line withthe wishes of the regime.

This arbitrary online content ltering process risks slipping into a bog-gling mire. Online prying and content censoring could be justied ascountering terrorism in one country, while the same could be used tomufe the opposition in other countries. Similarly, faith and culture-based ltering could encompass anything that challenges existing re-gimes and helps maintain the social and political status-quo.

Today, we are faced with the challenge of deciding the future of cyber-space. Are we going to allow it, to evolve freely into a global commonwealth where the ow of knowledge, creativity and capital are gov-erned by openness, transparency and accountability or are we goingto build walls that corral cyberspace into private enclosures governedby our social, cultural and political beliefs?

An Editorial Note ...

SunilPvee


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Kuwait, situated to the northeast of Ara-bian Peninsula at the northwest end ofthe Arabian Gulf is one of the smallestcountries in the world, with a total landarea of 17,818sq km. Enclosed to thenorth and west by a 242km boundarywith the Republic of Iraq, and to south

and southwest by a 222km border withthe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait hasa coastline that stretches 290km alongthe Arabian Gulf in the east. In additionto its mainland, Kuwait also has nine is-lands which range in size from 863sq kmon Bubiyan Island to Qaruh Island whichis less than 0.5 sq km.

Much of Kuwait, which enjoys the dubi-ous distinction of being the only countryin the world without a lake or naturalreservoir, is at sandy desert with thehighest elevation being 306m abovesea level. With a maximum distance of200km from north to south and 170km

from east to west, the country has acoastline that is clearly demarcated bysandy beaches along the Arabian Gulfand mudats bordering Kuwait Bay andthe northern Subiya Creek area.

Lying between latitudes 280 and 310Nand longitudes 460 and 490E, Kuwaitenjoys a warm tropical climate. Theweather is characterized by a dry hot

summers that stretch from April to Sep-tember, when maximum temperaturecould go up to 50C, and winters thatlast from November to February, whentemperatures could dip to an extreme of20C or lower.

The country enjoys pleasant balmyweather in March and this is probablythe best time to visit the country, alongwith the months of January and Febru-ary, when the desert is splattered with

Kuwait PanoramaOn the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Independence , the 20th anniversary

of Liberation and the 5th annivesary of the ascension of His Highness SheikhAhmad Al Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah as Amir of the State of Kuwait, we are

pleased to include in this edition a special section on Kuwait.


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owers and plants. Annual rainfall aver-ages less than 125mm and occurs main-ly between October and April.While June and July are notable forthe northwesterly wind, locally called

shamal that brings with it strongsandstorms, generally, winds from the

northwest are cool in winter and hot insummer. The southeast winds tend to behot and damp between July and Octoberand hot and dry in early summer.

Despite being a desert with little waterand extreme temperatures, there areover 400 species of plants and owersgrowing in Kuwait. The desert is alsohabitat for a variety of reptiles and small

mammals like rabbits, wolves and ga-zelles. However, urban expansion andunrestricted hunting has brought manyof these animals to near extinction.While there are only few birds endemicto Kuwait, the country nevertheless lieson the annual migration route for manybirds. Hundreds of species of sh alongwith sea-snakes, dolphins, whales andporpoises inhibit Kuwait waters.

Kuwaits natural resources are limitedto a large natural harbor, sparse freshwater acquiers and an abundance of oil its primary natural resource and themainstay of its economy. In 2006, Ku-wait also discovered large quantities ofnatural gas.

Archeological evidence that date back to2000 BC, point to Kuwaits Failaka Island

being a trading outpost of the ancientDilmun Empire. In and around 375 BC,the ancient Greeks under Alexander theGreats general Nearchus built an out-post on Failaka Island and named thesettlement Ikaros. The name Failaka isprobably derived from the Greek word

fylakio meaning outpost. Remnants ofa temple to Artemis, the Greek goddessof hunting and several Greek artefacts

excavated, point to this period in history.


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Despite these early evidences of humanhabitation, Kuwaits recorded historyonly begins in early 17th Century, whenthe Bani Khalid, a loose grouping ofnomadic tribes and settled clans, ruledthe eastern Arabian Peninsula stretchingfrom present day Kuwait to Qatar.

In mid-17th Century, the Sheikh of BaniKhalid tribe set up his Kout or smallfortress, in the little seaside village thatthen came to be known as Kuwait. How-ever, Kuwaits existence as an indepen-dent political entity starts in early 18thCentury, when the Utub tribe, whichcomprised of several major tribes ofAnaza from the Najd region of Central

Arabia, began migrating to Kuwait fromtheir initial landing site on Failaka Island.

Over the years, the weakening of theBani Khalid led to ascension of the Utub.In 1756, Sabah bin Jaber bin Adhbi(Sheikh Sabah the First) was chosenby the Kuwaiti merchants to administer

justice and look after local affairs. Sincethen, the descendents of Sheikh Sabahthe First have ruled Kuwait as Amirs.

Because of its location at the head of theArabian Gulf and endowed with a natu-ral harbor in the form of Kuwait Bay, thecountry became a convenient entrepotfor the hinterland, as well as an impor-tant port for much of the transit tradebetween Europe, Asia and Africa. In the19th Century, attracted by its economicprosperity, people migrated and assimi-

lated into Kuwaiti society from Arabia,southern Mesopotamia and Persia.

The countrys political strength wasfurther enhanced in 1899, when SheikhMubarak the Great, considered to be thefounder of modern Kuwait, signed anagreement with the British, under whichKuwait would be provided protectionagainst outside threats. By the end of

Sheikh Mubaraks reign in 1915, Kuwait

was a closely-knit political entity witha recorded population of 35,000 and aeet of large and small boats engagedin pearl-diving and trading. However,following the opening of Suez Canal in1868, the importance of Kuwait as aseaport for overland trade with Europe

waned and, with the introduction of cul-tured pearls from Japan and elsewhere,pearl diving too took a dive.

The country regained its strategic im-portance only in 1938, when oil was rstdiscovered and exports began in earnestin 1946. On June 19, 1961, Kuwait be-came independent of British protectionby an agreement signed between the

then Kuwaiti Amir, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem and the resident British diplomat.By the end of 1962, the Kuwaiti consti-tution was established and the rst elec-tion to the National Assembly was heldsoon after. Subsequently, Kuwait joinedthe world community by becoming amember of the Arab League and theUnited Nations.

On August 2, 1990, Kuwait was invadedby Iraqi forces under Saddam Husseinand the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber AlAhmad Al Sabah was forced to ee thecountry. After seven months of occupa-tion, marked by the martyring of hun-dreds, the pillaging of wealth and thetorching of oil wells, an international co-alition, sanctioned by the United Nationsand led by the United States, drove outthe invaders and freed Kuwait on Febru-

ary 26, 1991.

Following the passing away of the lateAmir, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-JaberAl-Sabah on January 15, 2006 andthe abdication by the late Father Amir,Sheikh Saad Al-Abdulla Al-Salem Al-Sabah, due to his deteriorating health,His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-AhmedAl-Jaber Al-Sabah was promulgated as

Amir of Kuwait, on January 29, 2006.


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His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad AlJaber Al Sabah, born on June 16, 1929,

was the fourth son of Sheikh Ahmad AlJaber Al Sabah, the tenth Amir of Ku-wait. Following his primary education atAl-Mubarikiya School in the 1930s andfurther education under private tutors,he attended educational and trainingcourses abroad that helped formulatehis thoughts and visions in the years tocome. He joined the governmental ser-vice in 1954.

After more than six decades as a BritishProtectorate and with the abrogation ofthe British Protection Treaty on 19 June,1961, Kuwait became an independentnation with full rights and responsibilitiesto charter its own course on the worldarena. On 28 January, 1963, at the ageof 33, when the countrys rst post-independence cabinet was formed, HisHighness was appointed as Foreign Min-

ister. He held this post for over 40 years,

making him one of the longest-servingforeign ministers in the world.

With over four decades dedicated to

strengthening Kuwaits foreign relationswith other nations of the world, in politi-cal, economic, information, media, cul-tural and other relations, it is no surprisethat His Highness holds a broad globaloutlook and clear vision for the future ofKuwait.

Kuwait became the 111th member ofthe United Nations on 14 May, 1963.

Representing Kuwait as its Foreign Min-ister and making his rst speech to theUN body, His Highness stated, Ku-waits participation in internationalactivities clearly indicates that theindependence of Kuwait and itsmembership in the UN are not anend in themselves, rather, they area means by which Kuwait wouldshare the responsibility of improv-ing the lives of people in our coun-

try and around the world. For nearlyve decades, as a responsible memberof the international community, Kuwaithas contributed greatly to the service ofhumanity by actively participating andbenevolently contributing to the variousinternational bodies of the UN.

In 1992, His Highness was made rstDeputy Prime Minister and Foreign Min-

ister and following the formal separationof the posts of Crown Prince and PrimeMinister, His Highness was appointed asPrime Minister on 13 July, 2003. On thepassing away of the late Amir, SheikhAhmad Al Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah andabdication by the Father Amir SheikhSaad Al Abdullah Al Sabah on accountof deteriorating health, His Highness waspromulgated as the fteenth Amir of the

State of Kuwait by Parliament, on the 29January, 2006.

Amir of Kuwait


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Kuwait along with Bahrain, Oman, Qatar,Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emir-

ates established the Gulf CooperationCouncil (GCC) in May 1981. The GCCframework was created on the basis ofthe. Reecting the brotherly ties be-tween the Gulf Cooperation Counil mem-bers, one of the rst foreign visits by HisHighness on becoming Amir was to theGCC states.

With the aim of strengthening the GCC

framework, which was created on thebasis of special relations between the sixcountries, their similar political systemsbased on Islamic beliefs, joint destinyand common objectives, the Amir helddiscussions with his brothers the leadersof the GCC. The talks helped strengthenbilateral relations in various elds andcoordinated positions and policies for thebenet of the peoples and countries ofGCC.

As a member of the Arab League sinceJuly 1961, His Highness has addressedthe League on several occasions. Speak-ing at the 20th League of Arab Countriesheld in Syria, the Amir called for a Sum-mit to nd ways to strengthen economiccooperation among Arab countries. Inthis regard, the Amir initiated a two bil-lion dollar fund, to nance projects sup-

porting private sector small and medium

enterprises in the Arab world, with anoutlay of 500 million dollars from Ku-

wait..

Kuwait was also one of the foundingmembers of the Organization of IslamicConference (OIC) at its establishmentin September 1969. During the IslamicEconomic Forum, held in Kuwait in April2008, the Amir reiterated Kuwaits sup-port of OIC, and its endeavors to servethe interests of Islam around the world

and pledged an increase in Kuwaits con-tribution to 12 percent of the total capi-tal of Islamic Development Bank, and afurther contribution of 500 million dollarsto the Islamic Solidarity Fund.

As one of the ve founding members ofthe Organization of Oil Exporting Coun-tries (OPEC) in 1960, Kuwait has beencoordinating petroleum policies amongmember countries. At the OPEC sum-

mit held in Riyadh in 2007, His Highnesscalled on producers and consumers tocooperate to stabilize oil markets andencourage global economic develop-ment. In line with OPEC themes of stableenergy markets, sustainable develop-ment and environment, the Amir an-nounced Kuwaits contribution of 150million dollars to support a program forscientic research on the environment,

energy and climate change.


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During his various trips abroad to meetwith world leaders and at internationalconferences, His Highness has burnishedhis credentials as a doyen of diplomacy

and has always emphasized Kuwaitsdesire to work with regional and interna-tional organizations to reach the goals ofachieving a secure and stable world.

At the high-level meeting on Dialogueamong Civilizations held at the UnitedNations General Assembly, in November2007, His Highness stated, As lead-ers of nations and as citizens of this

world we have the historical respon-sibility to ght extremism and dis-crimination by spreading dialogueand moderation. Clarifying thatpositivity in dealing and interacting witheach other would ensure that we cantransform the culture of hatred, intoler-ance and war, to a culture of dialogueand coexistence the Amir stated, Weare all collectively responsible forhuman capabilities and developing it

for the benet of humanity.

His Highness intuitive visions on thenational front are as equally far-sightedas his global visions on the internationaland regional arena. At his inaugura-tion as the Amir of Kuwait, His Highnesscalled for a new approach in politicalwork and a new vision in national work,based on, anticipating the future

without denying the past looking

to internationalism without aban-doning regionalism being keen onmodernization while retaining a rmgrip on our traditions, within the

framework of xed values and prin-ciples that Kuwait has been broughtup on for generations.With the goal of transforming Kuwaitinto a commercial and nancial center inthe region, His Highness called for layingout of strategies, plans and executiveprograms, as well as necessary legisla-tions to realize this vision through coop-

eration between the private and publicsector, and between the legislative andexecutive arms of the government.

Inviting the private sector to be an inte-gral part of the countrys development,the Amir said, You have hoistedup the torch of explorations in thepast and today you are invited toparticipate in making the future.

The Amir called for moving towards, Anew Kuwait that is a home of secu-rity and peace, enjoying prosperityand stability and strengthened byits loyal sons and daughters whoare shielded by modern education; aKuwait that stands by the historicaldemocratic roots, while always mov-ing forward... A Kuwait that is notrestricted to one group or other, a

Kuwait that is for all.


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Fueling the Future

With the price of oil continuing to soaron the international market and with

no letup in the upward trajectory in theforeseeable future, it is understand-able that Kuwait is increasingly looking

at exporting the bulk of its oil produc-tion. Kuwaits oil production which cur-

rently stands at 2.59 million barrels perday (bpd) is expected to rise, subject tothe prevailing OPEC quotas, to 2.90bpdin 2014. During the same period, do-mestic consumption which is roughly310,000 bpd today is estimated to riseto 340,000 bpd.

With one of highest per capita energyconsumptions in the world, it is no sur-

prise that Kuwait is looking at alternate

sources of energy to fuel its domesticdemands. While renewable sources ofpower like solar and wind have manybenets including its green credentials,

the economic feasibility and maintain-ability, as well as the environmental sus-tainability of these projects have been

questioned. Another source of powerthat has supporters touting its advantag-

es, and detractors highlighting its dan-gers, is nuclear power, which in the wakeof the nuclear asco in Japan has comeunder even further examination.

While the often acrimonious debate onrenewable fuel continues, Kuwait is look-ing to wean its local power generationfacilities away from its dependence on oilto using natural gas. Towards this end,

the government is looking to boost the

Kuwait Kaleidoscope


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production of natural gas from new andexisting elds. Speaking during a recentconference, Sami Al-Rushaid, the chair-man and managing director of the Ku-wait Oil Company, said that Kuwait plansto raise gas production from its current32 million to 127 million cubic meters(m cu m) per day to meet domesticdemand. It is important to note thatcurrently 28m cu m of gas production

is directly associated with its oil extrac-tion process, and only 4m cu m per daycomes from non-associated gas produc-tion facilities.

However, even the planned increase maynot be sufcient to meet daily shortfallsas the current consumption of 62m cum a day is expected to reach 141m cum by 2030, more than doubling presentconsumption and four times greater thancurrent local production. This long-termgap is raising concerns in the countrysoil sector.

Some of the projected increase in Ku-waits gas production is expected tocome from the associated gas that willarise from KPCs plans to boost oil out-put by around 33 percent by 2020. How-ever, the greatest increase will come

from dedicated non- associated gasexploitation projects that are currentlyon the anvil. Kuwait is believed to haveuntapped domestic reserves that someestimates place at over 1.7trillion cubicmeters.

However, plans to exploit Kuwaits gasreserves hinges on arriving at an ami-cable agreement with Iran over devel-

oping and sharing the gigantic offshore

Dorra eld. With estimated reserves ofbetween 370bn and 566bn cubic me-ters of non-associated gas, Dorra eld,which lies in the Arabian Gulf, is equallybordered by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia andIran. While Kuwait and Saudi Arabiahave reached a deal on their shared

maritime border in 2000, no such treatyhas been signed with Iran. And, thoughtalks are continuing, the maritime dis-pute between Kuwait and Iran that hasstretched for over ve decades is un-likely to be resolved any time in the nearfuture.

Building with Billions

Kuwaits ambitious national developmentplan that aims to transform the countryinto a commercial and nancial centerin the region has imposed the need forsignicant investments in the countrysinfrastructure sector. In line with thisstrategy, the Ministry of Public Works(MPW) recently announced that in addi-tion to projects worth billions of dollarscurrently underway, the ministry wouldcontinue to invest extensively in infra-structure in the coming years.

Kuwaits announcement in February2010, that it would invest to the tuneof KD30bn ($106bn) in a massive ve-year national development plan, markeda clear break from the previous veyears of sustained under-spending. Thisspending spree was all the more signi-cant in that despite the global economic

crisis and nancial crunch in 2008, thegovernment had not made any signi-

Kuwait plans to raise gas pro-duction from its current 32million to 127 million cubicmeters (m cu m) per day to

meet domestic demand.

With 139 separate projectscommissioned in 2009-10,the government expendi-ture in the construction

sector during the 12 monthperiod totaled KD2.84bn

($10.02bn).


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cant investments in infrastructure forover two decades.

With the dual aim of containing ina-

tion from budget surpluses arising fromsoaring oil prices, and thwarting anystagnation from a downturn in the localeconomy, the government developed astimulus spending package that envi-sions major spending in infrastructureand other construction projects.

The governments commitment is borneout by the latest gures released by

MPW in December 2010. With 139 sepa-rate projects commissioned in 2009-10,the government expenditure in the con-struction sector during the 12 month pe-riod totaled KD2.84bn ($10.02bn). And,with 132 further projects on the anvil, itis believed that government investmentsin the construction sector will match theprevious years investments. Obviouslythe local construction industry will con-tinue to benet from the governmentscommitment to spending in the infra-structure and allied sectors.

While initially the details on how the al-located funds would be disbursed werenot very clear, it has now been estab-lished that infrastructure spending willbe of primary concern. Beyond invest-ment in hydrocarbons, health and edu-cation, the government is beginning to

stress the importance of upgrading the

countrys transport infrastructure. InDecember 2010, the Ministry of PublicWorks announced that KD3bn ($10.6bn)had been earmarked for road develop-

ment projects. Under this package theroads department is working on 14 proj-ects, including the construction of newhighways linking many outlying commu-nities. Another package of contracts forthe second, third and fth ring roads isexpected to be oated in the rst quar-ter of 2011.

Meanwhile, the Central Tenders Com-

mittee awarded the project for design-ing and constructing the Jaber Bridgeto the Korean Hyundai company forKD739 million, following various stagesof reviewing the nancial, technical, andengineering assessments for the BridgeProject. The project involves designingand constructing two sea bridges onelinked to Subbiyah and the other linkedto Doha. The project aims to reduce thedistance between Kuwait City and Subbi-yah City from 104km to 37.5km.

Supplementing the road and bridgebuilding programs, the MPW revealedtwo further large-scale infrastructureprojects that would offer substantialpackages for engineering and construc-tion works that contractors in Kuwaitcould look forward to. The rst is theexpansion of Kuwait International Air-

port, where the project will be put up for


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However, the report did highlight areaswhere Kuwait needs to improve healthservices, particularly in the ratio of phy-sicians and beds available to the public.In both instances, the number was just18 per 10,000 of the population. Whilethis gure is higher than many other

countries in the region, it is below theaverage for the UNDPs high human de-velopment bracket.

The government and the Ministry of Healthare currently striving to increase the num-ber of doctors, nurses and the ratio ofbeds to the population, through efforts toramp overseas recruitment drives and totrain more local medical

personnel. The govern-ment has also outlineda new healthcare infra-structure developmentplan that promises anupsurge of potentialopportunities for medi-cal and allied servicesvendors in the coming5 to 10 year period.

According to the plan approved by Ku-waits Ministry of Health, eight new hos-pitals and extensions with an allocatedbudget of $1 billion will be constructedin the coming 5-year period. In addi-tion, the Ministry of Public Works hasdedicated a budget of USD 4.19 billionfor a further nine new hospitals to beestablished in the country. This initiativeby the government is expected to create

an additional 3,334 hospital beds in thepublic sector and an estimated numberof 15,000 healthcare professional posi-tions in the country.

Over the last three decades, the rap-id pace of modernization in Kuwaitshealthcare infrastructure has led to in-creased life expectancies, decreasedinfant mortality and a general decline

in illness rates. However, the lifestyle

changes that have accompanied the risein income have brought about its ownset of challenges.

Kuwait, as elsewhere in the GCC, hasone of the highest incidences of diabe-tes in the world, with some 26 percent

of the population suffering from thedisease. Up to 80 percent of Kuwaitisare classied as overweight or obese, aproblem that easily leads to cardiovascu-lar disease and other adverse complica-tions.

While these high incidence rates can beput down to inactive lifestyles, a pro-

liferation of so-called

junk food and a lackof education in regardto healthy eating hab-its, it is difcult to pina gure on the cost tothe economy of theseillnesses from loss ofproductivity.

With a budget allo-cation of $3.8bn for the nancial year2010-11, the Ministry of Health is setto take direct aim at addressing thesehealth issues. Apart from building newhealth facilities, recruiting new staffand training others there has also beenan increasing drive to reinforce healthawareness through schemes aimed atprevention rather than cure.

In a recent interview, Dr Ibrahim Abdul-

hadi, the undersecretary at the Ministryof Health, said that alongside improve-ments in health infrastructure, therewould be more emphasis placed on pro-moting a healthy lifestyle.

Reforms have also been proposed thataim to establish an independent author-ity which deals with the administrativeside of the medical and health service

under the direct supervision of the cabi-

Kuwait, as elsewhere in the GCC,has one of the highest incidenc-es of diabetes in the world, withsome 26 percent of the popula-tion suffering from the disease.Up to 80 percent of Kuwaitis areclassifed as overweight or obese,


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net. This would allow the ministry tofocus on core functions, such as reduc-ing the incidence of lifestyle-related ill-nesses, said Abdulhadi. If these reformsare adopted, the ministry will, be ableto focus on providing preventive andmedical services at the highest level, he

added.

Consumer Condence

Kuwait governments plan to pump over$125 billion into the economy throughits massive National Development Plan(NDP) for the period till 2014, has givenbuoyancy to the market that has notbeen visible for a long time. The NDP,

along with the recent benevolent con-

tribution by the Amir, during Kuwaitstriple celebration in February, to citizens

purses, has led to general economic op-timism that is translating into renewedactivity by consumers at retail check-outcounters.

According to ratings agency MoodysInvestor Service, Kuwaits GDP growthis set to more than double in 2011 to4.5 percent. The agency also expectsination which stabilized at 4 percent

in 2010 to fall back to 3.4 percent in

2011. The economic growth and easingof ination are both expected to furtherencourage consumer spending.

Substantiating these expectations ofMoodys, a recent survey conductedby online employment agency Bayt.

com and research specialists YouGovSiraj showed that a growing number ofKuwaits consumers will be inclined toopen their wallets in 2011. The surveyrevealed a 5.5 point rise in the countrysPropensity to Consume Index (PCI) the proportion of annual income spenton consumption of goods and services.The Consumer Condence Index survey,a measure of consumer expectations

and various elements of the economy

including ination, job opportunities andthe cost of living, also found that 50 per-

cent of Kuwaitis were optimistic that theeconomy will improve and that 51 per-cent were condent in the future of theirpersonal nances. Just 4 percent be-lieved they would be worse off in 2011.Research group, Companiesandmarkets.com, predicted in September 2010 thatthis renewed condence in the economyis expected to be reected in overallsales, and the value of sales would rise

from $7.55bn in 2010 to $10.04bn by


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the standard of education, based on herfailure to make the right decisions.Despite such opposition from the verypeople charged to impart education, themove to extend school hours was wel-comed by the development community.

In July 2009 the World Bank warned thatif the government cannot reform theeducation system, international aca-demic institutions may cease to recog-nize Kuwaiti high school certicates. Thebanks chief concern was the number ofschool days: the state system averaged

just 528 teaching hours in 2005/06, wellbelow the OECD average of 800 hours ofprimary-level education per year.

Despite high levels of spending in theeducation sector, the quality of educa-tion in most state run schools has beenat best, mediocre. The most recent

World Bank data available (2006) showsthat Kuwaits expenditure per student,as a percentage of GDP per capita, inthe primary, secondary and tertiary levelreached 11.1 percent, 14.6 percent and82.8 percent respectively.

However, in the 2007 Trends in Mathsand Science Study (TIMSS), which mea-sures countries against internationaleducation benchmarks, Kuwaits 8thgraders averaged a score of 354.This score was the fth lowest in the8th grade section of the survey andthe third lowest in the region, aboveonly Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It wasalso well below the international median

level of 500.

The discrepancy between amount spentand quality delivered in the educationsector is a source of constant worry tothose concerned about the falling levelsof education in the country. A nationaldebate on the issue has initiated differ-ent views on the most effective way toreform the ailing education system.

This debate is critical, given the prevail-ing demographic conditions. Accordingto the most recent census, conductedin 2005, the school-age populationof Kuwaiti nationals represents 40percent of the total population, or426,000 people. This is well abovethe average for OECD countries such asFrance or Germany, where the schoolage population stood at 21 and 18 per-

cent, respectively.

According to a World Bank survey, in2008, gross primary enrolment in thecountry was 95.5 percent, nevertheless,the country ranks in the middle of edu-cation levels for the region, above SaudiArabia, Oman, Syria and Lebanon, butbelow UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan.


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Business Bits

Al Rajhi Bank Ofcially LaunchesOperations in Jordan

Abdullah Bin Suleiman Al Rajhi, Manag-ing Director and CEO of Al Rajhi Bank,recently announced the ofcial opening

of the banks rst branch in the Hash-emite Kingdom of Jordan. He added thatinitially there would be two branches inthe country, which he hoped would serveas stepping board to facilitate the launchof several other branches in other Jor-danian cities in the future.

With this expansion, Jordan is consid-ered the third market out of Saudi Ara-

bia where Al Rajhi Bank offers its prod-ucts and services after Malaysia andKuwait. This comes in line with its welldesigned expansion strategy, aimed toachieve the banks strategic objectivesthat will have a positive impact on thebanks future prots.

The Managing Director stated that Al Ra-jhi Bank in Jordan will offer all its prod-

ucts and services to retail and corporate

customers in Jordan. Distinguished bythe different needs they cater to, theseservices and products have achievedgreat success in Saudi Arabia and in

other markets where it operates. Al Ra-jhi Bank is the leader in terms of marketshare in Saudi Arabia, and is consideredas a main competitor in Kuwait and Ma-laysia.

He added that the branches in Jordanwill play a vital role in the developmentof trade and commerce between bothcountries, afrming that the bank will of-

fer all services and products according tothe highest standards and the best inter-national banking techniques.

The Managing Director concluded hisstatement, on behalf of the chairmanand Al Rajhi board member, by givingthanks and appreciation to the monetaryauthorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Ara-bia and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jor-dan for their support of the Bank.

It is worth mentioning that the bank of-cially launched its operations in Malaysiain October 2006 through 12 branches,and have currently increased to 20, andin the third quarter of 2010, the bank of-cially launched its operations in Kuwait.Indications show that Al Rajhi Bank ownsthe largest network of branches coveringall parts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,

reaching a total of 466 branches, 101female divisions and 137 remittance andmoney transfer centers.

The bank also received several local andglobal awards, including, on a globallevel, the Euromoney magazine awardfor the Best Islamic Bank in the MiddleEast for 2010, and the Best Bank of Sau-di Arabia award for 2010 from the same

magazine.


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Euromoney Kuwait Conference

Euromoney Conferences, the worldsleading organiser of conferences for

capital markets and cross-border invest-ment, recently held the 2011 EuromoneyKuwait Conference at the Arraya Ball-room, Courtyard by Marriott KuwaitHotel.

The Ministry of Finance was the ofcialpartner of the conference and H.E. Dr.Mustafa Al-Shimali, Minister of Financeand H.E. Sheikh Salem Abdulaziz Al-Sabah, Governor of the Central Bank ofKuwait, delivered the opening keynotespeeches.

Speaking on the sidelines of the confer-ence Richard Banks, Director of Emerg-ing Markets for Euromoney Conferencessaid that this years Euromoney KuwaitConference, entitled Developing Fi-nance: Financing Development, conven-ing at this precise time is a clear dem-

onstration that Kuwait is taking the needto revitalize its nance and investmentenvironment very seriously.

He added, Although parts of the regionexist in a state of some turmoil this isnot true of Kuwait and I can think of nobetter time for us to be here. Meanwhile,there is a fundamental need for Kuwaitto put its capital to use developing the

country and to move away from govern-

ment procurement towards a pragmaticuse of more diversied capital struc-tures Mr. Banks said. The EuromoneyKuwait Conference 2011 provides theenvironment in which to explore howthis may be done.

Euromoney considered topics such asbank capital structures, project nanc-ing, accessing international capitalmarkets, making development plans areality and many more. Euromoney con-ferences offer nanciers and policy-mak-ers the opportunity to exchange ideas,develop new contacts and participatein informed, impartial and leading edgediscussions.

The Euromoney Conference businessgrew as extension of Euromoney, thestrategic magazine of international -nance, money and capital markets thathas long been regarded by the bankingand investment community as the lead-ing publication in its eld.

Oula Fuel Marketing Achieves Net

Prot of KD. 2.887 million

Oula Fuel Marketing Co., achieved a netprot of KD. 2.887 million for the scalyear which ended on 31st of Decem-ber, 2010, while the total income wasKD. 11.045 million, and the earning pershare reached 9.65 ls.

Oula announced these results at theGeneral Assembly Meeting, held in thepresence of the Chairman, Mr. Abdulhus-sain Al Sultan, Managing Director Mr.Hamzah Bakhash, and the members ofthe board. The board approved distribut-ing bonus shares for 10 percent of thepaid capital, equivalent to 10 sharesper each 100 shares. The total assetsof the comapnay reached a value of KD.46.968 million, while the shareholdersequity totaled KD. 37.982 million.


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The Al Oula chairman stated that anincrease in revenue is expected in thenear future due to the natural growth indemand for fuel and the opening of newstations, in addition to the increase inrevenue from ancillary services. He alsostated that the companys new ExecutiveManagement embarked on new initia-tives to increase operational efciency,develop relevant policies, and establishcorporate governance which will yieldresults in the near future.

As for the Oula achievements in 2010,Al Sultan said the company concentratedits efforts to reinforce its leading positionin the Kuwaiti market. He added thatOula has completed the Face Lift proj-ect which included the rehabilitation of

15 stations in all governorates, which re-ects Oulas concept of service stationsand was applied to all stations.

The company launched a new servicestation in November 2010, located inMubarak Al Abdullah area, which actedas a turning point in the concept of fuelstations in Kuwait as it provides inte-grated services. In addition to the basic

services such as fuel, oil change and carwash, the station now offers a C-Store,fast food outlet, coffee shop and otheroutlets making Oula the leader in offer-ing a new meaning for service stations,catering to diverse demands and needs.

Continuing on the topic, Al Sultan men-tioned that Oula will begin a new projectto extensively upgrade other stations to

full service, bringing the total full servicestations to 26. The call center has also

been further supported to provide effec-tive and timely response to Oulas cus-tomers.

Al Sultan also claried that Oula is keenon applying the highest standards ofsafety at the service stations, men-

tioning that it has managed to obtainpreliminary qualication from the regu-latory authority as a pre-requisite to-wards Petrol station qualied operatorlicense, making Oula the rst companyin Kuwait to complete this auditing withexcellence. This audit represents thenal step of a chain of steps commencedtwo years ago, through which Oula wasgranted a certied permit to operate

according to the highest worldwide stan-dards for quality.

Following onto Oulas achievements,Al Sultan stated that Oula was able toachieve 100 percent Kuwaitization at su-pervisory level employees in its stationsand achieved 50 percent Kuwaitizationat the head ofce, highlighting the em-ployment opportunities for the citizensin this signicant service industry. In

compliance with its social responsibility,Oula left clear prints in 2010 where AlSultan afrmed the companys keennessin committing towards the communityand towards its shareholders, as a resultof its employees efforts and board mem-bers guidance and complimenting com-mittees.

During 2010, Oula sponsored several so-

cial events and conference organized bylocal civil societies and professional as-sociations on a national level. The com-pany also took part in several activitiesaimed at serving local communities.Al Sutan concluded by expressing histhanks and gratitude to the shareholdersfor their valuable trust and condence,promising them that the company iscommitted to exert all efforts towards

achieving their interests and visions.


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ydubai enlarges eet

ydubai, one of the worlds fastest grow-ing airlines with one of the youngesteets in the world, welcomed its 16thaircraft in March of this year. Mark-

ing another milestone in the carrier'sgrowth, the new Boeing 737-800NG air-craft will support the airline's expandingnetwork of 33 routes cross the MiddleEast, Asia, Africa and the fringes of Eu-rope. The new aircraft is the seventh tobe tted with Boeing's new Sky Interiorand the revolutionary Fibre to Screen in-ight entertainment system by Lumexis.

Welcoming the new aircraft, ydubaiCEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith said, We startedout with one aircraft. A couple of des-tinations and the determination to beunique as well as accessible. Less thantwo years after operations began, wehave a eet of 16 aircraft, a growingnetwork that offers travellers affordableconnections to a wide range of destina-tions across the GCC, Middle East, Afri-

ca, the Indian Sub-Continent and Russiaand the former CIS.

Recently ydubai celebrated anothermajor achievement with the announce-ment that all maintenance and engineer-ing for the airline will from now on behandled in-house by ydubais own staff.

Al Ghaith, said: This is a tremendous

achievement for the airline. The recruit-ment, engineering and maintenanceteams have done a great job and Iwould like to take this opportunity tothank them for making this next stage inydubais development a reality. Bring-ing this function in house is a furtherexample of our growing maturity as anairline.

More than 75 engineers have been re-cruited from more than 15 nationalitiesto provide a dedicated round-the-clockservice to ydubais rapidly growingeet, which currently stands at 16 Boe-ing 737-800NG aircraft. In addition tostaff, the team has had to secure prem-ises, tools, vehicles, parts and IT sys-tems sufcient to provide world classmaintenance and engineering support toDubais world class low cost carrier.

ydubais Head of Maintenance andEngineering, Mick Hills, said: Im sopleased that we have reached this point.This has been a huge investment andweve worked hard to ensure weve gotit right rst time.

In addition to the staff, parts, toolsand premises, weve also invested in

new technology to control our techni-cal records and ensure we are schedul-ing maintenance and ground time in themost efcient way possible. This ensureswe keep our aircraft ying, which is whatmakes the airline money, he added.

Im really excited by this new develop-ment for ydubai and am condent thatthe future of ydubais engineering and

maintenance is in very safe hands.


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Travel Roundup

Qatar Airways recently announced an ar-ray of special offers and promotions fortravellers around the world to celebrateits 100th destination launch.

The Gulf carrier will reached the his-toric milestone on April 6 when it began

scheduled ights to the ancient Syriancity of Aleppo, a mere 14 years after theairline launched operations.

Effective March 15, customers can signup for the promotion on www.qatarai-rways.com/100 for a chance to win freetickets to over 100 destinations. Theairline has 100 pairs of Economy Classtickets to give away to lucky passengers.

The airlines frequent yer loyalty pro-gramme Privilege Club is offering mem-bers bonus Qmiles and a special dis-count on award tickets redeemed atwww.qmiles.com. For Qatar AirwaysQNB co-branded credit card holders, ad-ditional bonus Qmiles are on offer. Fur-ther details on these offers are availableat www.qatarairways.com/100

Qatar Airways Holidays, the airlines holi-day division, is introducing an attractiveDoha stop-over package at special ratesgiving travellers a chance to explore thesights of Qatar before continuing to theironward destinations.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive OfcerAkbar Al Baker said that the airlines100th route launch was a major mile-stone and the promotions were a way ofsaying thank you to the travelling pub-lic. We are marking a great milestoneby reaching 100 destinations, a remark-able achievement in the few short yearswe have been operating. This wouldnot have been possible without the full

support of our valued partners, be theytravel agents, corporates and, of course,our leisure customers.

The airline sincerely appreciates allthe goodwill and encouragement thatwe have received since re-launching in1997, and we are pleased to be cele-brating and sharing this historic momentwith our existing customers and newones, said Al Baker.

Qatar Airways announces exclusive offers to celebrate100th destination launch


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Today, the airlineies to 99 key busi-ness and leisuredestinations acrossEurope, Middle East,Africa, Asia Pacic,North America and

South America witha modern eet of95 aircraft. The lat-est route launch wason March 6 to theGerman city of Stut-tgart.

By 2013, Qatar Air-ways will have sur-

passed 120 destina-tions worldwide andwill shift the goalposts even further withfurther expansion. Our ultimate goal isto be widely recognised as the best air-line in the world.

Qatar Airways is today ranked the thirdbest airline among the top 10 carriersin the world in the prestigious annualSkytrax audit of global passenger travel.

Ranked Five Star for excellence bySkytrax, the airlines competitive prod-uct focuses on comfort, cuisine, in-ight

entertainment, award-winning in-ightservice and a eet of aircraft that isyoung and modern averaging just lessthan four years old.

On June 5, Qatar Airways embarks ona busy month of further route growth,launching ights to its third destination

in Iran to the southern city of Shiraz.Flights to Venice, the carriers third Ital-ian gateway start on June 15, and theairline spreads its wings to Canada forthe rst time with new services to Mon-

treal, beginning onJune 29.

On July 27, QatarAirways starts new

ights to Kolkata(Calcutta) its 12thIndian gateway followed by the Bul-garian capital Soaon September 14and the Norwegiancapital city of Osloon October 5.

Aleppo-Syria

Kolkata - India


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ydubai adds Addis Ababa to Afri-can portfolio

ydubai, Dubais rst low cost airlinealso became the rst low-cost airline toserve the Ethiopian capital when it an-nounced that it would begin ights to

Addis Ababa on 22 April, 2011.

When combined with ydubais existingights to the African continent, whereit serves Egypt, Sudan and Djibouti,the new route, which will operate threetimes a week on Tuesdays, Fridays andSundays, underlines the airline's com-mitment to support-ing trade and busi-

ness ties betweenthe UAE and Africa.

Following on fromthe Fourth AnnualComesa Confer-ence, which re-cently took placein Dubai and dis-cussed investment

and business oppor-tunities in Easternand Southern Af-rica, the new routeaims to continueto encourage busi-ness and tourism toEthiopia.

Ghaith Al Ghaith,CEO of ydubai,

said: There are signicant ties betweenthe UAE and Ethiopia that have regis-tered steady growth over the past fewyears. The announcement of ights toAddis Ababa will not only help to developthese further but also provide an afford-able travel option for business peopleand tourists alike.Home to the AfricanUnion, Addis Ababa is often called thepolitical capital of Africa due to its histor-

ical, cultural and political signicance. It

is also home to three million people frommore than 80 different nations.

Ethiopia's economy, meanwhile, is pre-dominantly driven by agriculture withcereals, pulses, coffee, oilseeds and sug-arcane forming the bulk of the nation's

produce. Key export partners rangefrom Germany and Italy in Europe, tothe UAE, Saudi Arabia and Japan in theMiddle and Far East. The non-oil tradebetween Dubai and Ethiopia currentlystands at more than $76 million.Flights will depart Dubai Terminal 2 at1615hrs, arriving in Addis at 1915hrs lo-

cal time. The return ight departs Addisat 2000hrs, landing in Dubai at 0355hrs.A one-way fare to Addis Ababa fromDubai starts from AED 900, including a20kg checked baggage allowance, onepiece of hand luggage weighing up to7kg and one small laptop bag or handbag. Checked baggage starts at AED 50for 20kgs. A seat with extra legroomcosts AED100. Flights from Addis to

Dubai start at AED 935.


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I have just nished a week of meetings

with leading Chinese companies. I wentto Beijing to discover the Chinese reac-tion to the Arab spring and to learn ifrecent events had changed their percep-tions of the Middle East as a destinationfor partnership and investment.

China had ambitious targets for its ODI(overseas direct investment plan) as akey part of the recently announced 12th

Five Year Plan. Chinas economy is over-invested and needs to cool and theenergy of Chinese rms has beeninstructed to turn outwards Chinaneeds and wants to go out.

Every company I met was interestedin the MENA region. They all view theregion as one of vital strategic impor-tance to China and to its vision of the

Asian century.They werealso all veryconcerned atthe unrest inthe region.Most said theywanted to in-crease their in-vestment andbusiness in

MENA but alsosaid that theywere unlikelyto do so untilthe politicaldirection of theregion be-comes clearer.

China is, of

course, al-

The Dragon & The Crescent

ready here.

It had, forexample, anestimated40,000workers inLibya (whomhave allbeen evacu-ated withoutincident in

a missionpersonallysupervisedby the Chi-nese PrimeMinister). Ithas projects in many of the countries ofthe region. But its involvement is smallcompared to what it could be. One of themajor Chinese policy banks has a com-mercial loan book of$150bn committed to emerging marketsworldwide. Only $500million of that is inthe MENA region.

What must therefore be done to increaseows of investment and capital betweenChina and the Arab world?

First, the political turmoil needs to settle and that will happen at its own speed.

Chinese companies are just as sensitiveas American, Japanese or British compa-nies to the destabilizing impact of politi-cal unrest and uncertainty maybe evenmore so.

The people and the new politicians ofthe region must understand that stabilityand predictability are essential to invest-ment. Free speech comes with a price

responsibility. There comes a point

Richard Banks, Director, Middle East, Euromoney Conferences looks here atChinese investment in MENA and emphasis its potential and problems.

One of the majorChinese policy banks

hasa commercialloan book of$150bn com-

mitted to

emerging marketsworldwide. Only

$500million of thatis in the MENA

region.


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Get ready to do some serious thinkingtoday.Oh, you have already done some think-ing, have you?Well, great. But maybe not so great...

Because from my experience, a vastmajority of entrepreneurs run their busi-nesses day-to-day without any clearthinking, at best, with some sort ofFuzzy Thinking.

So today we are going to put on ourthinking cap and give your think tankabove a tune-up.. This will hopefullyhelp elevate your business to new levels.

When you are nished with our short ex-ercise, you will be able to clearly answerthese three questions that are critical toyour success, and your future prosperity.

What is absolutely necessary for you tohave the success you desire? And, whatis the Fastest and Easiest Way to get it?Answering these questions correctlymust become one of your top priorities

Are you fatigued by Informationoverload?Are you feeling unsure about yournext steps?Are you jumping from one strategyor tactic to another?

Are you lacking the condence and

certainty you need to achieve yourbusiness dreams?Are you not clear about when youwill reach your goals?

All of these issues (and many more)can be traced back to one of the big-gest challenges struggling entrepreneursface: a lack of focus.I call this fuzzy thinking. And, FuzzyThinking Stems from Neglected CriticalKnowledge. Too many entrepreneurs aremissing critical information. Not havingthis information inicts incredible dam-age to their chances of success. Becauseit makes the path to reach their dreamsremain out of focus, fuzzy.

And you cannot follow a fuzzy path. Soentrepreneurs bounce around, get con-fused, become overwhelmed, and at-

tempt to purchase short-cuts... But thepath that will lead them to businessgoals still remains out of focus.

What is worse is that most online entre-preneurs are unaware that this informa-tion is absolutely essential. They do notrealize it is missing, so they never trackit down and think it through.

In order to go from fuzzy thinking tofocused thinking, you need to know theanswers to three questions...

What exactly do you want?What is the absolute minimum nec-essary to have it?What is the fastest and easiest wayto get it?Fuzzy thinking can be traced back toone of these questions not being clearlyanswered.

Eliminate Fuzzy ThinkingBy Rich Schefren


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Sound far-fetched? It should not be.

Think about it for a moment. If youknew exactly what you wanted, theminimum necessary to have it, and theexact steps that would get it for you inthe fastest and easiest way possible...

would you not already have it?Answering these three critical questionsis necessary for your success.

Now, do not be fooled by the simplicityof this solution. Answering these ques-tions - especially question three - re-quires heavy-duty thinking. And nobodycan give you the answer; you have tothink your way to it.

Which means, you cannot purchase it orcopy it. That is why most entrepreneursnever follow the fastest and easiest pathto their business dreams: they do notrealize they have to develop it them-selves.

When you shift your thinking from fuzzyto focused, you will know the specicsteps you must take to dramaticallyreduce your efforts, reach your dreamsfaster, and make a lot more money thanyou do now.

Many entrepreneurs are so emotionallyinvested in their dreams and the differ-ence it will make in their lives, they areunable to think as clearly and as focusedas they need to.

They mistakenly believe that since theywant something bad enough, they areclear enough about how best to achieveit. But they are not.

Do your best to look past the emotionalattachments you have to your dreams.Pretend you are your own coach, andyour job is to ensure your client is clear-ly focused on the outcome they desire in

business, knows exactly what is required

to achieve it, and understands the stepsthey will take to reach it.

You want to accurately assess the an-swers to the three questions I men-tioned above.

Let us take a closer look...What Exactly Do You Want?

How do you specically dene the busi-ness success you are seeking?

It is rare I meet an entrepreneur whohas got a well-thought-out answer. Sure,you want money and freedom. Whodoesnt? But what exactly do you want

your business to do for you, your team,and your customers? And what does thatlook like? How can it be objectively mea-sured?

If you are unclear about what you arestriving for, you pay the price for yourfuzziness daily. Why? Because uncleargoals make it impossible for you to knowwhich actions will produce the best re-sults. You cannot distinguish betweenthe essential and the non-essential. Youcannot distinguish between worthlessand worthwhile tasks.

Typically when entrepreneurs lack clari-ty, they default to improvising. Routines,guru proclamations, and rote responsesreplace critical thinking, cause and effectanalysis, decision making, and better

judgment.

Without clarity, your day becomes a se-ries of haphazard steps designed to dealwith symptoms often mistaken for realproblems. Symptoms like anemic traf-c, unnished projects, low conversionrates, etc.

All of this leads to a common symptomfor struggling entrepreneurs: Confusing

activity with accomplishment!


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Consequently: If you are not crystalclear about what your business successlooks like, you are wasting a lot of timedaily. Worse, your chances of successare slim to none. What is the MinimumNecessary to Have It?

Once you are clear about what businesssuccess means to you, the next questionis just as vital: What is absolutely neces-sary to getting the success you desire?

It shocks me how many entrepreneurscannot answer this question. If you arenot absolutely clear about what is nec-essary for your business success, thenguess what? You are

also not clear aboutwhat is NOT neces-sary. And once again,that is a big problem.

What is the leastnumber of ways youneed to get leads?Of all the ones avail-able, which ones areabsolutely necessaryfor you to achievethe business suc-cess you desire?

How about converting prospects intocustomers and clients? Of all the strate-gies and tactics possible, which methodsare vital for you to be victorious in yourbusiness-building quest?

How many products do you need? One,ten, a hundred? What price do they needto be? If you are stumped on any ofthese questions, you have got a prob-lem. Your thinking is fuzzy. And yourthinking cannot get focused until youhave got the answers.

I often tell clients, Before you focuson how-to, you must rst focus on

what. But opportunity seekers and

struggling entrepreneurs make this mis-take all the time. They buy a programbased on its promises... overlooking thefact it is not necessary in the rst place.Wasting their time, their effort, theirmoney, and all the while diminishingtheir chances for success.

In fact, this is one of the chief causesof failure . There are simply too manyoptions for every essential element ofa business to employ even a fraction ofthem. All these options make it easy togo off in a million different directionsat every turn unless you know what isabsolutely essential to your success. And

that is exactly what

happens when yourthinking is not asfocused as it needsto be.

In order to piecetogether the few-est elements thatwill produce thebusiness of yourdreams, you needto make manydecisions. Deci-sions that require:

(1) you have a general knowledge ofwhat is required, and (2) You are famil-iar enough with your options to choose afew amongst the many alternatives.

What is the Fastest and Easiest Way toGet It?

Say you have got a clear business goaland you know the minimum necessaryto get it. There is no doubt you are al-ready making progress. But you wouldlike it if success came faster. Who wouldnot?

For successful entrepreneurs, impa-tience gets channeled into searching forthe fastest path to their goals and then

acting with urgency. For opportunity


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seekers, this impatience gets channeledinto a search for immediate gratica-tion, desperately believing the hype, andbuying multiple magic bullets with bigpromises.

There is almost always a shortcut. A

faster path to getting the business suc-cess you desire. But you will not nd itin a box or an online course. It is justnot that simple.

What it requires is thinking. Not day-dreaming. But real mental effort. Thetype that leaves you exhausted afterdoing it for an hour or so. And you can-not even engage in this level of think-

ing until you rst have your answers toexactly what you want and the minimumnecessary to achieve it.

Now that we have covered these threecritical questions, answering them mustbecome one of your top priorities. Onceyou have your answers, most of the is-sues you are struggling with right nowwill disappear.

Stop and think about it for a second.Think about how different your day-to-day experience would be if you were al-ready 100% condent that your answerswere spot-on to these three straightfor-ward questions.

You would know exactly what your #1objective was at all times... You wouldknow the exact steps you need to take

to immediately move closer to your busi-ness goals... Information overload wouldbe a problem of the past... And youwould never struggle with a lack of mo-tivation ever again. Instead, you wouldbe stoked to get the very next task donebecause you knew exactly what it woulddo for you.

If you are struggling at all, I hope you

see the contrast between your current

situation and the one I have just laid outfor you.

And the difference is simply know-ing: (1) what you want, (2) the mini-mum necessary to have it, and (3) thefastest path to getting it. That is exactly

what replaces fuzzy thinking with fo-cused thinking.

In answer to readers question onhow to determine your particularniche, my answer would be:

First, make a list of what you have doneand what you are capable of doing. Thenyou have to aranslate that to other

people. Who and where could that bevaluable to? Make a long list from that.

Then next is what would you be doingfor that to be valuable. And then thenext thing and the next and the nextthing.

Ultimately, what youre looking for issomething that crosses all of those spe-cic skills. In other words, there mightbe a group that crisscrosses on everysingle one of the skills that you havethat brings value.

Now, you have got lets say ve skills,each of those skills brings value to thisone type of prospect. There will be oth-er types too but all ve of those skillsbrings value to that one type of pros-pect. Now you have something that is

unique and superior because you areable to bring all these different skill setsto the prospects.

So the rst step, which you have done,is list what you bring to the table. Thenext step is who do you bring it to andwhy would they be interested. Whatvalue would they get out of it? Then lookfor recurring types as you go through

that exercise.


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Water is the one vital element essential

to all life forms on Earth. While watercovers over 70 percent of the Earthssurface, much of this water is not read-ily available for human use. Nearly 95percent of the water on Earth lies in seasand oceans, 2.5 percent of the water islocked up as ice in glaciers and polar icecaps, 1.5 percent lies underground inaquifers. A small fraction is suspendedin air as clouds and only less than one

percent of the water on Earth is eas-ily accessible to humans through wells,ponds, lakes and rivers.

Moreover, approximately 70 percent ofthe freshwater available is used by ag-riculture and 20 percent by industry,leaving less than 10 percent as drink-ing water. At the same time demand fordrinking water is increasing by 64 billion

cubic meters per year. It is estimatedthat by 2025 more than half of the worldpopulation will be vulnerable to lack ofwater, and, in some developing nations,water demand will exceed supply byover 50 percent. Easy access to cleandrinking water is vital to developmentof societies and economies of countriesaround the world. Research has revealeda clear connection between access tosafe water and gross domestic produc-

tion per capita of a country.

It is in the above context that we look at

water pollution in general and more spe-cically at the water situation in Kuwait.With a dry climate, very little annualrainfall, no natural lakes or rivers andonly a small underground aquifer, Kuwaitis among countries in the world with theleast amount of natural fresh water. Andyet, the consumption of water in Kuwaitis the highest in the world. This anomaly

stems from the fact that Kuwait alsopossesses some of the worlds largestand most sophisticated water desalina-tion facilities. And this water is suppliedto the public at little or no cost.

Operating round the clock these de-salination plants take water from thesea, remove salt and other impuritiesand then pumps it to out at the rate ofaround 1.5 million cubic meters per day.

For a country with around 3 millionpopulation that works out to 500liters per person per day. By con-trast, in many developing countries20 to 30 liters per person per day isconsidered adequate to meet basichuman needs. This proigate waterconsumption and rampant desalinationprocess, which is also reected in theother GCC states, leads to several ad-

verse effects.

If the current consumption trend inthe GCC states continues, by 2025 it isestimated that the region would need8.5 billion cubic meters of water annu-ally. A considerable portion of this waterwould have to be provided by buildingeven more desalination facilities. How-ever, in the desalination process, the salt

removed from sea water is dischargedback into the sea, thereby increasing

Water and its PollutionT.A. Remesh


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the already high salinity of water in theArabian Sea. This in turn leads to irrevo-cable damage to marine life, ecosystemsand ground water in the region, in ad-dition to adversely affecting the properfunctioning of the desalination plants.

The rapid increase in population, indus-trialization and oil production in the areaalso means that the extent of marineand ground water pollution and contami-nation has increased manifold in recentdecades. Untreated waste water release,along with industrial efuent discharge,oil spills from oil tanker and offshoredrilling platform mishaps, has led torapid contamination and pollution of

waters in the region. This directly affectsthe quantity and quality of water avail-able for drinking, putting at risk the lifeand livelihood of millions of people in thearea.

One of the most destructive forms ofwater pollution comes from oil. Morethan 2.7 billion liters of oil ends upin our oceans each year. However,contrary to popular belief, oil spills fromaccidents onboard oil tankers and off-shore drilling platforms account for lessthan 8 percent of total oil pollution. Afar greater source of oil pollution of theseas comes from irresponsible vehicle oilchanges, where the waste oil is dumpedinto the drainage system and waterwayand eventually nding its way to the sea.Another major contributor to oil pollutionof the seas comes from routine engine

maintenance and cleaning of ships thatare carried out at sea.

While water pollutions from sensationaloil disasters are more visible to the pub-lic, the deliberate actions by humansaccount for more than 70 percent of thetotal oil pollution of sea waters. None-theless, oil spillage from disasters tendsto have a greater effect on the marine

environment because it is concentrated

within a limited area. In 2010, thebiggest marine oil spill in history,from the disaster at Deepwater Ho-rizon oil-well in the Gulf of Mexico,spewed 8.5 million liters of oil perday for 87 days before it was nallyclosed and sealed. The spill caused

extensive damage to marine and wildlifehabitats covering an area of over 11,000sq km and continues to impact the ecol-ogy of the area to this day.

Besides oil pollution of seas, naturalfresh water assets of earth includingreservoirs, rivers, lakes and creeks, canbecome contaminated in a number ofother ways, and this is generally referred

to as surface water pollution. For cen-turies, dilution was considered the solu-tion for pollution and most contaminantswere dumped into rivers. By the middleof the 20th Century many of the rivers inindustrialized nations had become opensewers. Attempts to clean up the riversand waterways began in earnest only inthe Seventies, when many countries be-gan imposing environmental standardsto regulate the discharge of industrialand municipal waste.

However, in many developing countriesindustrial and municipal efuents con-tinue to contaminate the surface waters.The increase in phosphates and otherchemicals that make their way into thesurface waters from industrial process-ing leads to an increase in algae growth.The algae rapidly use up oxygen in the

water, leading to a situation called oxy-gen depletion. When oxygen levels inthe water are exhausted, marine lifeforms cease to exist and a dead-zonearises in the area. The numbers of such

dead zones are on the increase all overthe worlds inland water bodies andalong coastal regions.

Industrial processes also generate poi-

sonous waste containing heavy chemi-


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cals. When heavy metals lter into thewater, they are lethal to marine life.Shellsh and other shes that ingest theheavy metals move up the food chainand become toxic to humans, birds andanimals that feed on them.

Farmers also contribute to water pollu-tion when they make use of chemicalfertilizers and pesticides to increase theyield and growth of their crops. In fact,fertilizers account for 80 percent of allphosphates that end up in our water-ways. These chemicals percolate intothe ground water or runoff after rainsand nd their way into lakes, rivers andcreeks causing water pollution.

Households also add to water pollu-tion. In developed countries, house-hold wastewater, rich in detergents andbiodegradable material, enters sewagetreatment plants to be puried and re-turned to our waterways. The silt fromsewage lagoons eventually percolatesdown and pollutes our groundwater.

Once water is polluted it is difcult and

expensive to remove the contaminants,

it is easier and much cheaper to preventpollution in the rst place. Protectionof watersheds, areas from where waterdrains into surface and groundwater, ismore cost-effective in the long run thancleaning up operations once the pollut-ants reach our source of drinking water.

According to an UN report, one per-son in six lives without regular ac-cess to safe drinking water. Over 2.4billion people lack access to adequatesanitation and that every eight sec-onds a child gets killed by water-re-lated diseases, which in turn accountedfor 80 percent of all illnesses and deathsin the developing world.

Our increasing populations ever-growingdemand for water, food, raw materi-als and energy is bringing us in directconict with natures own demand forwater to maintain its already imperiledecosystems. In order to take preventiveand remedial action to ght water pollu-tion, we need to rst become aware ofits damaging effects on the environmentand more mindful about our wasteful

ways of water consumption.


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vivalife apr - june 2011

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