KUWAIT: 67 THOUSAND RESIDENCIES CANCELLED IN 2012

67,000 is a staggering number. I would be interested in seeing a breakdown of the extraditions by nationality and occupation.

From Google News and Migrant rights.com:

Following its recent crackdown on undocumented migrants, Kuwait has revealed important information regarding the numbers of migrants who have left the country or were deported during the year of 2012. According to a statement from the ministry of social affairs, 67 thousand migrants lost their residencies in Kuwait last year. 28232 of them were deported, 38 thousand of those who left the country and did not return for over a year, and 739 of migrants who passed away.

Two weeks ago, UAE’s The National published an important report on Kuwait’s crackdown on migrant workers. Kuwait plans to reduce its foreign labor-force by 100,000 every year when migrants make two thirds of the country’s 3.8 million population. Officials claim this will help reduce the pressure on public services in response to complaints from citizens on having to wait for a long time in order to get to see a doctor or finish some paperwork. Kuwait’s unemployment rate affecting citizens does not exceed 3% yet the country wants to stop future labor migrations and to depend on “interior labor market.”

Since April, at least 2000 migrants were deported from the country for traffic violations. The ministry of interior affairs thought this policy will help reduce traffic. Many migrants were advised by their embassies to stay at home. Recently, a decision was made to deport migrants after committing their first major traffic violation. The ministry stated that they were able to collect 9 million KWD in 40 days during the months of May and June as Kuwaitis and migrants lined up to pay their traffic tickets.

Breath of Fresh Air in Seattle

Miss me?

I’ve been in Seattle for a truly grand event, my Mother’s 90th Birthday. She was queen for almost a week, with visitors and well wishers and a smashing party with friends and family and faces she has known and loved for years – many many people.

When I arrived in Seattle it was cool and cloudy and everyone told me how sad it was that I had missed the glorious weather they have had for weeks. Coming in from the airport I was shocked to see all the scorched grass; it looked more like California than green green Seattle.

I wasn’t sad to miss the warm sunshine at all. I have all of that I need in Pensacola. What I loved, from the moment I arrived, was the fresh air.

Seattle smells good. Seattle smells like mown grass, and flowers, lush flowers everywhere. Youcan drive with your windows open. I slept with my window open, and when it got COLD in the middle of the night, I used a BLANKET! This is the best luxury for me, cool weather, fresh air, cool breezes, even a little thunder and lightning and rain.

The days were warm and sunny, and the nights were cool and fresh. I was in heaven.

It wasn’t that I forgot about you – I have all kinds of material – but blogging with the iPad just doesn’t work for me. It’s fine for picking up e-mail and checking the news and playing a game or two, but it isn’t a real computer, with real capabilities. If blogging gets to technical, I’m not going to do it, life is too short. I love WordPress for making life so easy, making it so easy to put in all the photos I want, easy easy easy. I just had too much going on, and didn’t have time to fiddle. The iPad just doesn’t do it for me. I wish I had a computer small enough to just stuff in my purse like the iPad, I wish I didn’t have to pull the computer out of my purse, like the iPad. The iPad is convenient, better than slogging a lot of books on the plane with me, but . . . What I really want is an iPad sized computer . . .

Home again, on the flight in the pilots must have mentioned the heat and humidity in Pensacola six times. Ahhh . . . .for those sweet cool breezes and cool nights . . .