SR50bn tourist city planned in Al-Ahsa region

---

A Christmas Poem

 

T'WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE,
 MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE. 

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY,
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO,
IN THIS HOME, DID LIVE. 

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE. 

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES,
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS. 

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT,
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY. 

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR,
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME. 

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN  DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED,
A BRITISH SOLDIER. 

WAS THIS THE HERO,

OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?

CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,

THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES,
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS,

WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE,

A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM,
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,

LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER,
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE,

IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT,
A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES,

AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED,
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY,

THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,

MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,

I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL,
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED,

FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE,
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR,

SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,

IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."
ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,  

 AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,  

 AND TO ALL A GOOD   NIGHT."

This poem was written by an Australian Peacekeeping soldier stationed overseas. The following is his request. I think it is reasonable 


PLEASE. Would you do me the kind favour of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to all of the service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves
for us.
 Please, do your small part to plant this small seed.

---

A Merry Christmas

&

A Happy and Prosperous New Year

to

Everyone.

 

Tom & Eileen

---

Magazine Update

 

Dear all,

 

Firstly, thank you very much to those that have responded to my initial call for submissions to our new magazine. Your efforts are greatly appreciated!

 

Following on from this, we’ve created a survey to allow us to determine how best to develop this magazine for your enjoyment.  

 

If you are able to spare 10 minutes of your time to complete the following survey, you could be in with a chance to win 1 of 5 digital cameras.

 

Please click here to begin and note that the deadline for submission is 31 December, 2009. That means the submission deadline has also been moved a couple of weeks. Should you be interested, the results of the survey can be emailed to you. Please indicate if you wish to be included.

 

Thank you in advance for your efforts and best of luck!

 

Kimberly

 

 

 

Kimberly Johans | Public Relations
Aramco Overseas Company UK Ltd

26th Floor, Centre Point, 103 New Oxford Street, London WC1A 1DD

T :  +44 (0) 20 7632 4975
E :  kimberly.johans@aramcouk.com
W : www.aramcooverseas.com  

---

 Magazine Update

 

   Just a reminder that the Magazine deadline for articles, recipes, photos etc. is  24^th December, 2009

 

   So far only three people have offered anything - 2 recipes and an offer of short stories.

 

   This Magazine is dependant on your participation and without your articles and photos it could fail.

 

   What about all you Divers? Surely there are stories to be told of your experiences while diving in the Red Sea and other places around the world.

 

   Then there are all those who have travelled all over the Middle East and Thailand on short holidays during Haj and Eid.

 

   What about the Golfers who travelled to Bahrain and Dubai etc. to play different courses?

 

   Where are the AYSO Members who were lucky enough to travel to the UK and visit Premier Football Clubs for training.

 

   Not to forgetting all the other Self-Direct Groups, Arts & Crafts, Theatre Groups (Players), Photographic Societies, Womens Group, Yatch Club, Runners, Softball and DOGs well supported over the years by Brits.

 

   Everybody must have memories of the Gulf War in 1990 – 91. What were you doing when war broke out? How did you react to the incoming scuds and the continuous take offs and landings of the Fighter Jets?????

 

   And again in 2003 when Saddam Hussain was removed from power in Iraq.

 

   We want to read Your experiences and Your side of things - what happened to You and how it affected You. It is Your Story we want to read about.

 

 D-Day 24th. December, 2009.

 

---

  Our Very Own Magazine

 

Good Afternoon Everyone,

 

   I have been approached by AOC London to help put together a Magazine based on the

Al-Ayyam Al-Jamilah Magazine. The idea is to have something that is based on Saudi Aramco Employees and Ex-employees from the UK Payroll, this would include Europe, New Zealand and Australia.

 

  A letter from AOC (See Announcements) gives a list of items they are looking to include in the Magazine. It is intended to keep this Magazine informal but to have a look that will be interesting and easy to read.

 

  This is where you as an Ukaramcon can help. Please send me an article on your present and past experiences of travel, achievements and Recipes.

 

  I realise the time parameters are short but it is necessary so as the Magazine can be created and produced in time for the Spring 2010.

 

  I also know there are a few ex-employees with stories to tell that would be interesting to others, so get the pen to paper and send me a copy. Please do not send any photographs (unless they are digital) until your article has been accepted for print. Once used, all photographs that are sent in shall be returned.

 

  One other item of importance, the reunion 2010 is beginning to get booked up with 76 of the 120 limit already confirmed. Those who are thinking of attending need to book soon. 

 

Regards Tom. 

---

Sam Ladah looking for an Ian Ferguson

 

I was raised in Dhahran. Attended DJHS from K - 12, then boarding school, while my father continued worked for ARAMCO in Project Management and Materials Supply (about 25 years with the company). While I was in Dhahran, I got to be pretty good friends with my soccer coach, Ian Ferguson (believe it or not, he named our team Partik Thistle!). I've lost touch with Ian and can't find him anywhere online (I guess it's a pretty common name). In any event, I'm living in London now and occasionally make my way up to Scotland -- and would love to reconnect. I tried to locate Ian's contact info on the Annuitant's Address List at aramcoservices.com but haven't had any luck. Is there a directory somewhere of people here in the UK, or would you happen to have him in your database somewhere. He's from Glasgow, but not sure if he's living there now. His wife's name was Isabelle.

 

If anyone knows how to contact Ian please drop me a line on

www.uk-aramcons@ukaramcons.co.uk

 

Regards Tom.

 

---

 

3rd. UKARAMCON REUNION 2010

   

 

July 29th, - August 1st. 2010

 

Holiday Inn, Edinburgh North,

107 Queensferry Road,

Edinburgh, EH4 3HL.

 

 

    For the past 10 months I have been in negotiations with the Holiday Inn, Edinburgh North, with regard to room rates and finally they have agreed to the following :-

  

Single Room Occupancy   - Bed & Breakfast - £65.00 inclusive of Vat.

  

Double Room Occupancy - Bed & Breakfast - £80.00 inclusive of Vat.

  

Twin Room Occupancy    - Bed & Breakfast - £80.00 inclusive of Vat.

 

You can book by phoning (44) 0131 3114903 and quoting reference ‘Ukaramcons’ during office hours Monday – Friday, 09:00 – 17:00hrs.

 

Please email your hosts Tom & Eileen Henderson

 on www.ukaramcons.co.uk/contactus.aspx of all confirmed bookings or for further information.

                                                                           

 

See Announcement

---

MPs vote for ban on alcohol sales 

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI, 

Posted on Wednesday, May 06, 2009
 

MANAMA: MPs voted yesterday for a blanket ban on public sales of alcohol at Bahrain's hotels, restaurants, clubs and off-licences.

But they agreed to allow consumption in private homes, with suppliers providing home delivery.

Hotel guests would be allowed alcohol only in their rooms under the proposal, backed unanimously at parliament's weekly session.

MPs had already voted earlier to ban alcohol sales at Bahrain International Airport, including in the duty free shops and on Gulf Air flights.

The proposal must now go to the Cabinet, which has the power to reject it.

The nationwide ban was proposed by parliament legislative and legal affairs committee vice-chairman Shaikh Jassim Al Saeedi, who said alcohol was fuelling the vice trade and turning the country into a brothel.

"It is the main reason behind unclean tourism and the consequences the country is facing from increased crime," he said.

Parliament financial and economic affairs committee vice-chairman and Al Asala MP Abdulhaleem Murad backed him.

"We don't want this unclean money, even if the government claims that it is benefiting the economy," he said.

Wanted

Parliament foreign affairs, defence and national security committee chairman and Al Asala MP Shaikh Adel Al Mo'awada said people wanted alcohol stopped. "We will accept failure in the economy if alcohol is banned, since we have taken the decision. The call is ours and we will handle the consequences," he said.

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=249833

  By Michael Buckley 

 7th May 2009.                                   bad news for some people

The King Fahad Causeway linking Bahrain and Saudi Arabia is sinking into the sea due to the heavy weight of traffic using the bridge, a senior official warned in comments published on Monday.

Abdulhakim Shammary, head of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) Customs and Port Committee, said the 28 km causeway had already sunk a "few centimetres" in the last couple of years and urgent repairs were needed, Bahrain’s Gulf Daily News reported.

Shammary said there were sections of the bridge that looked like they were "caving in".

The causeway is only road-link between the two countries is used by hundreds of thousands of trucks every year. The causeway is notorious for its traffic jams.

"The causeway, built at a cost of $1.2 billion and commissioned for use in 1982, was never meant to have such a large number of heavy trucks standing on it all the time," he was quoted as saying.

"We have a situation every day where thousands of tonnes of goods carried by trucks are waiting for hours on the bridge and that put pressure on the structure."

 By Ivie Rennie

  6th. May 2009.

Wednesday 29th. April the last run of “Rennie’s 12 Hour Relay”

(See Article & Photos)

 By David Howlett

  1st. May, 2009.                                                   Whoops......

This brand spanking new Airbus 340-600, the largest passenger

(See Article & Photos) 

 By Tom Henderson

 1st. May, 2009.

Returning to our home of 26 years.

       Around 500 Retirees, Family and Brats attended and each had their own Itinenary This is our (Eileen & Tom) story of what turned out to be a very enjoyable return visit.

(See Article & Photos) 

By Michael Buckley

25th. April, 2009

 Now this REALLY is a good cause!!

From: Joanna Lumley <joanna@gurkhajustice.org.uk>
Date: 2009/4/25
Subject: Thank you for signing the Gurkha Justice Campaign petition
 
Thank you so much for signing the Gurkha Justice petition, and joining our campaign.
 
Already, tens of thousands of people have signed: an extraordinary response in support of an extraordinary group of people.
 
We demand the full, fundamental change in law that will allow all retired Gurkhas the right to live here. The Government's decision on 25th April goes nowhere near far enough. Many thousands of Gurkhas who served our country will still be refused the right to live here.
 
The High Court demanded new rules from the Government. The Government's response has been awful. We must be clear. We want the right for all Gurkhas who have served this country to live here if they wish.
 
To make the biggest possible impact, we really need more people to sign up: lots more. We need to form one of the biggest ever campaigns to force the to change their mind and to show our support for the Gurkha cause.
 
Your support for the campaign is a fantastic boost: thank you so much. But, if possible, I need to ask you to help to encourage others to sign.
 
Firstly, ask all of your friends and colleagues to sign up to the Gurkha Justice Campaign at www.gurkhajustice.org.uk <http://www.gurkhajustice.org.uk>  - please do forward them this
email, or email or contact them directly yourself.
 
And secondly, you can now download a petition form for signing from
www.gurkhajustice.org.uk/gurkha_campaign_petition_form.pdf <http://www.gurkhajustice.org.uk/gurkha_campaign_petition_form.pdf> . Please download
and print some copies, and ask friends and colleagues who have not signed on line to sign up. Please do pass it round (some friends of mine have run street stalls asking people for their signatures - I'm not asking you to go that far!) and return completed sheets to me at the address on the form as soon as possible.
 
I will be in touch again in the near future with other ways you can help:
I hope you will be able to do so.
 
Finally - thank you again for your support. Together, we must finally right
this wrong.
 
With warmest good wishes,
 
Joanna Lumley
for the Gurkha Justice Campaign