Nov 26, 2008

Overcoming unemployment barrier

Young graduate Egyptians started to overcome the unemployment barrier by taking care of elderly people as a new career in Egypt. I found this gesture, is good for them as persons and sociality too. It makes them more aware of human rights and family bonds.



Bits and Bytes

  • Sharjah launches project to provide every Emirati family with a library.
  • Tunisian Doctor says 'The Eastern Dancing is a meditation for depression for Arab women.'
  • Oman Mobile signs pacts with Renna (branding name of Majan Telecom), FRiENDi two mobile resellers in ME.
OmanMobile renna FRiENDi



Nov 24, 2008

In UAE

This thought came to me when I read an article 'Locals not allowed' by Osama in Arabic, about not allowing locals wearing their national cloths dine in fancy restaurants as part of policy.

In UAE:

  • The local citizen is a foreigner,
  • It’s a western not eastern country,
  • Bars and discos open 24/7,
  • 24/7 developments.

Hippie or not
Over three years ago, I mate a young man, from the same community, I always found thing strange in his behaviour and character, which made me feel uncomfortable.


Since then, I was trying to figure out, which group he may fit in, he looked like a care free person, long hair, I realized he has a Hippie character, don‘t ask me, I just sense it.


The question is, are their Hippies in the Arab world or not?

Nov 22, 2008

Friendships

Some gleams of Friendships thought of sharing with my honoured readers.

Friendship among Women:
A woman didn't come home one night.
The next morning she told her husband that she had slept over at a friend's house.
The man called his wife's 10 best friends.
None of them knew anything about it.


Friendship among Men:
A man didn't come home one night.
The next morning he told his wife that he had slept over at a friend's house.
The woman called her husband's 10 best friends.
Eight confirmed that he had slept over, and two said he was still there.

Nov 21, 2008

George Carlin's Views on Aging

My friend Sunil dropped this article in my mail and I though it is good to share it with the people who have the time to drop by and read my blog.

IF YOU DON'T READ THIS TO THE VERY END, YOU HAVE LOST A DAY IN YOUR
LIFE. AND WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED, DO AS I AM DOING AND SEND IT ON.

George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life .. . You become 21.
Even the words sound like a ceremony . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30 ; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.'

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!'
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them.'

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next state; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them , at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Do share this with someone. We all need to live life to its fullest each day!!

Nov 20, 2008

AlRahma Campaign

When you treat persons/ animals mercifully, God also treat you mercifully. Never slave or oppress persons/ animals, because God will get someone else to oppress you.

If you have an atom of feelings of mercifulness, you won’t oppress anyone.

View the videos, Learn from it, recalculate your accounts and reconnect your self and be fair to your self first then others.




Campaign #1



Campaign #2



Campaign #3



Sharing is caring, and the first video, which touch me the most, as I personally know people who fall on that category.

Bits and Bytes

FaceBook blocked via mobile access

I am trying to access facebook via my mobile but its blocked by Omantel. Its unusual & I'm a Nawras not OmanMobile (Omantel sister) customer.

Does anyone facing the same problem or its just my mobile phone?!

Nov 19, 2008

Aqim Salatak


AqimSalatak.com, A Message For Every Muslim.
Bits and Bytes
  • Husband blames iPhone for smutty pictures that upset his wife. (Read more)
  • Nawras won the 2nd Fixed-Line bid in Oman.
  • Emarat Al Youm, an Arabic UAE-based newpaper has been banned for publishing for 20 days from 20th Nov 2008 and Mr Sami Al Reyami, the editor-in-chief of Emarat Al Youm has been fined DHS 20,000.

Nov 18, 2008

5 stars for BreadTalk

Today, I was in a bad mood, as some personal issues has arisen and made feel angry, I tried to control my emotions the whole day, after picking up my sister, I decided to go to BreadTalk, after her recommendation.

When I arrived at the location (Bareeq Al-Shatti Mall), I was blown up with the mall and
atmosphere, which I didn’t know about, when I entered the BreadTalk, the smell of the pasties reminded me of La Brioche bakery in Abu Dhabi - UAE; I used to go there at least once a week when I was living in UAE (five years ago). The whole location reminded me of AD, the best memory and the free spirit.

Back to BreadTalk pastries, I give it 5 full star, and the value its worth it.

Bits and Bytes

  • Oman National day.
  • A Saudi judge sentences an Asian Expatriate to clean 5 mosques and its toilets during pilgrim season after been caught several times for missing group prayers at the mosque.

Nov 17, 2008

His Majesty on the WWW map

Who ever read the flashing news ‘Website on HM launched in 7 languages’ by now and several local and international blogs posting about HM’s personal website. oman-qaboos.net

Will Obama quite using email?

Email is becoming an essential form of communication around the world, as it’s one of the fastest form of communication, which brought made social networking simple beside chatting. Now you can get your mails instantly in your fingertips at anywhere and anytime via your Blackberry, without worrying if you got an email or not.

The 44th president of USA, is hooked up with the latest digital and technology revolution, as he owns a Blackberry gadget, and he’s addicted to emails.

The big question is, will be able to live without checking your email when he gets into the White House? How secure it is?

God knows, but I am seriously thinking of getting Blackberry soon, but I need the feedback from people who are currently using in Oman and abroad.

Read the follwing article Obama 'could stop using e-mail' related to it.


Bits and Bytes

Nov 16, 2008

Osama bin Laden tactics

Omar Bin Laden, the fourth son of the legend Osama bin Laden has been seeking a free global publicity since mid 2007 up to date, it’s becoming uncomfortably irritating and fishy too.

I believe that his father is behind this charade, which has been planned very well.

He may have tipped him of to create diversions of the world from Osama’s 'the Terrorist' to sympathise with his son 'the victim' of his father’s sins (that he kills innocents for the name of Islam), who was once covering his daddy’s back in Afghan and supporting Talibaan with their manly and primitive thoughts by the name of Islam.

His side of the story

  • March 2007 - Marriage to Zaina Mohamed Al-Sabah (No prove if it is true or not), legally named Jane Felix-Browne, a British woman who is twice his age, and divorced her in September 2007 after series of death threats from KSA. After 2 weeks they got back together.
  • Since then, his request for visa to enter UK was declined on several occasions because of he refuses to provide his father’s address up to date.
  • On November 3, 2008 he flew to Spain with his wife and applied for Asylum petition, for the reason his life is in danger in Cairo. His request was declined twice even with the appeal.
  • Flew back to Egypt, they claim that they were interrogated and deported by the Egyptian officials about his claim of safety in Egypt when he have applied for Asylum petition in Spain.
  • On November 9, 2008 they arrived in Qatar, and currently staying there and Omar claimed that USA offered him a Green Card but he declined their offer and preferred to stay in Qatar.

    Is all that true? God knows.

Nov 15, 2008

Hamasna









Hamasna is an online movement launched by a group of Islamist activists. The whole purpose of Hamasna is campaigning to fight pornography in the Arab world.

Hamasna.org and read their point of view.

Nov 14, 2008

AIESEC in Oman

The following article is from TheWeek Issue 297, the whole purpose is to develop the local workforces and explore them to the internationally, which will benefit both the individual and the country.


One of the world's largest international organisations for students, AISEC, is all set to start operations in Oman with an innovative foreign internship programme.


At 19, Saqib Khan is like any other student within the Majan College premises in Muttrah but for one thing. Come February next year this third year student of computer networking will be off to Keio in Japan for a three-month internship with Kiban, a technology company dealing with e-commerce. Saqib, will be the first person rom Oman to go on an internship arranged by the international youth organisation AIESEC.

He will be the first of many hundred more young people from the sultanate who will be off in the coming years on an exchange programme that opens the doors for Omani youth to develop their skills abroad. At the same time, AIESEC’s programme will offer local busines-ses a chance to tap into an international talent pool especially for temporary roles.

At the moment, AIESEC, with 32,000 active members, is present in more than 108 countries and territories around the world. We have a deep history in the Middle East-North Africa region, dating back to the 1960s,” said Brett Borkan, director of business development, AIESEC official extension to Oman.

With student chapters in Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Jordan, Iran, Bahrain, Qatar, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Oman is logically the next step in our efforts,” he added.

Although AIESEC has been present in Oman for some time now, their official launch is expected to take place at year-end. The organisation itself, which is run entirely by students and recent graduates of higher education, was launched 60 years ago in 1948 in Stockholm with just seven member countries.

The aim was to promote peaceful relations between these seven nations in a world fresh out World War II. In its first year the then fledgling organisation arranged 89 traineeships. Interestingly enough, many of these early internship exc-hange programmes were between France and Germany, a country that had occupied much of France during the war.

But how does all this make a difference to people in Oman? Kenneth MacFarlane, senior country partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), which is AIESEC’s global partner and also its local partner in the sultanate, has this to say. “PWC absorbs around ten Omanis into its permanent staff each year.

The main attraction for me is to get Omanis on outbound internships where they can gain international exposure,” he expl-ained, adding that this would help build a young national workforce that would come armed with knowledge of how things work outside their own country.

MacFarlane’s argument is vindicated by the views of inbound interns who are already working in Oman. “I have already worked with PWC in Mexico City. I wanted to see how the firm operated elsewhere so that I could learn about its global operation methods,” said 25-year-old Rebeca Rubi Alvarado, a student of accounting from Mexico. Yet, the idea of overseas internships is not the only attraction for AIESEC’s members.

A non-profit global organisation run like a business house, it gives its members the opportunity to try their hand at being professionals before even exiting the academic world. “Firstly, I enjoy the sense of responsibility that comes with being a key member of the organisation. Secondly, as the vice-president of marketing, I get practice in reality what I learn in the confines of the classroom,” said Hasna Sultan, who recently graduated from the Modern College of Business and is the vice- president of marketing for AIESEC’s local committee in Bausher.

For Rashad al Jamali, president, local committee, Bausher, AIESEC, it was the whole professional aura of its members that drew him in. “I got to know about AIESEC when Brett and a friend were promoting the organisation in our college. At the time I thought the whole thing seemed a lot more professional than anything else,” he said.

Since then Rashad has attended two international AIESEC conferences, one in Bahrain and another in Tunisia, and the only thing that he thinks could be a deterrent to more people joining the organisation is the need for time management. “It can get difficult to manage time on occasion, especially during exams,” he said, adding that he would nevertheless recommend becoming a member.

Meanwhile Saqib’s initial excitement about going to Japan has given way to apprehensions about the change in environment. “Language is probably going to be a big problem. Unlike in Oman where most people speak in English, everything in Japan is in Japanese,” he explained, adding with a nervous smile, “And I don’t know a syllable of Japanese.” According to 26-year-old Kristina Mader, a student of finance and tax audit from Germany, the only way to get over such apprehensions is to take the plunge and find out what the situation on the ground is really like rather than depend on second hand experience or the opinions of others.

Back home, everyone has a negative opinion of the Middle East region because of what they read or see in the media. But no one really knows what things are like here. Only after coming here do you realise that not all of the Middle East is a conflict zone,” she said.

Besides, according to Adriana Marinaro, senior manager, assurance/business advisory services, PWC, being an AIESEC member might even work out in your favour when it comes to employment.

Having AIESEC on your CV immediately communicates that you are more likely to be a dedicated employee,” said Adriana, who was a member of the organisation for three years and is now coordinating PWC’s activities with AIESEC in Oman. So, does being a member of AIESEC mean a ticket to overseas internships, fancy designations and an easier route to a job? Not quite. “You could either choose to be a passive member or someone who is actively involved. Most people who benefit from their time as AIESEC members are the latter,” said Adriana.

After all you get what you give. Email BrettB@aiesecom.org or log on to www.aiesec.org for more details

H E Dr abdullah al sarmi undersecretary, ministry of higher education, speaks to THEWEEK

What will AIESEC be able to accomplish for Oman and its youth?
AIESEC, the world’s largest international student organisation and the second largest organisation registered with the United Nations (UN), has taken recent steps in a bold initiative to bring new human development opportunities to the youth in the Arab region.

In Oman, AIESEC will work with higher education institutions to give students the opportunity to participate in its empowering programmes. These would offer students the chance to participate in conferences with youth from across the region and the world and in skills training from local and global businesses in Oman.

In addition, they will help develop a sense of community and giving back through cultural programmes; foster a greater understanding of what is happening in the Omani society and in the world. What exactly is the ministry’s role in the establishment of AIESEC in Oman?

The ministry has already liaised with the government sectors involved in this regard. AIESEC is now registered in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, as an independent body, and can exercise its functions, one of which is to sponsor visits of inbound interns to Oman.

The ministry has also encouraged public and private higher education institutions to participate and contribute with AIESEC in order to activate its noble functions. What sets AIESEC’s internship programme apart from others? The exchange programme will open the doors for Omani youth to develop their skills in any of the countries where AIESEC currently operates, and at the same time give Omani businesses the chance to access an international talent pool to fulfill their business needs in temporary roles while building future local capacity.

Nov 12, 2008

Family Random Thoughts

My family is my identity and I am proud of them.
With out my family, I am lost.
Family can't be bought nor be replaced.

Nov 8, 2008

From temporary to permanent burden

I never knew I was a burden to some people until two months after my late father’s death. I never felt how some people I always looked up to them and considered them part of my cycle.

It turned out they are trying to get rid of me though marriage proposal. A question several questions was asked to me:
“Are you ready to accept to marry an pure Omani?
What is your criteria for your future Husband?
The reason I am asking, is my daughter in law’s mother went to this lady who found a husband for her daughter and now she’s the wife for my son, she is coming soon and I want you to give my your list so I can tell her to find you a husband.

She posed for a while and continued “If you already have someone”,
she posed again and said with a higher peach of tone “Let him come fast and propose.

I just smiled and nodded.

The whole night I was thinking, I am burden but not for long and I thank God for showing me the path.

Nov 7, 2008

Animated Mr Bean

While I was clicking the TV channels, I stopped at MBC 3 channel (kids channel) from MBC Group. I saw Mr. Bean, in animated. I never knew that they have created.




Nov 6, 2008

Sara Maple's Art may cost her life

Art is art, it's beutiy may defere from one's eyes to another. It has it's own statement, we may accepted others may rejected.

That's what Sara Maple trying to express. The left paintart 'Haram' an Oil and acrylic painting, is one of her painitngs that made a wave of criticism by the Muslims for having Muslim woman holding a pig, which insults Islam.

Visit sarahmaple.com website and view her Photography and Paintings, which may provoke you.

Sarah Maple is a British Muslim woman living in UK.

Read more about the results of her art: 'Gallery showing Sarah Maple's pig painting suffers wave of threats ...' and 'Muslim artist gets death threats'.

Nov 5, 2008

Yahoo's message and Obama won

Yahoo! the well known search engine and mail services beside other services is now recommending its visitors and loyal members to use 'Firefox 3' FREE web browser from Mozilla Firefox.

Is it a clear message to Microsoft, 'I don't want to deal with you!!?' or in another word 'Back off'.

Best Wishes for both of them.

Barack Obama has won the 2008 presidential election and now offically known as '44th President of the United States'.

  • His father is Muslim from Kenya.
  • Mother is Christian from USA.
  • Step Father is Muslim from Indonesian.
  • Wife is christian African American.

The question is:

  • Will he support Africans?
  • Will he support Muslims?
  • Will he support Asians?
  • Will he support Israel?

We'll see the next four years of his career as a President of the United States.

Read other bloggers from Middle East voice about it:

From Omani forums:

And more to come.

Nov 3, 2008

The 99 Most Beautiful Names of God in danger

A new fatwa been spread around in Egypt that 21 names of God (Allah) out of The 99 Most Beautiful Names of God are fabricated and must be deleted.

This fatwa has been supported by some Ministries and religious Bodies.

After this fatwa has been escalated, a six months study has been conducted for researching 50 thousand book via high speed computer by Dr. Al Radhwani.

Based on the outcome, a court warning has been issued against the Ministries and religious Bodies which supports the fatwa. As a result a religious battle arise in Egypt between 50 Islamic scholars Vs Al-Zhar University scholars and the Dar Alifta in Egypt.

Click here to read more about it in Arabic.

Nov 2, 2008

Are you Lipton Chai Latte fan?

I have received a forwarding mail about Lipton Chai Latte containing trace of melamine.

The whole fear because of the milk scandal in China which contained melamine that coursed death and sickness for babies.

The question, is Lipton Chai Latte milk powder, which are sold in Oman & AGCC made in China?

Read More
Dangerous Melamine Might Have Entered Croatia
Switzerland pulls Sri Lanka Lemon Puff over melamine scare
Melamine contamination has worldwide effect

Oman gets criticised over Charismas

For the first time I hear Sultanate of Oman government get criticised by the West because of ruining the tourist’s Charismas in Oman.

Read more from news:

And here more from Bloggers arround the world:

Mobile & ipod fixing tip

I haven't tested this experiment, please do test it and let me know how it works out.