1. My coffee maker broke this morning. I am not a happy blogger.. 2. I'd like to welcome new radio station Merge FM to the Omani ... radio-sphere? Tune in at 104.8 .... they're fun. You'll notice that along with several other bloggers I have the ad up on my sidebar. Please note that all proceeds will go to charity. Lots of ways to make a difference :)
. 3. I was a little surprised by the Minister of Higher Education's announcement this morning. According to Dr. Rawiya, there will be a 43% (FORTY THREE!!) increase in number of seats at colleges/universities in Oman for the 2011/2012 academic year. A total of 28,400 seats will be waiting for fresh high school graduates in September. Where are they going to put all those students?! This brings us back to the royal decree announcing a new government university. People are wondering where it will be built, and if the government will simply take over one of the existing private universities (Buraimi, Nizwa, Sohar, Salalah). I wonder ....... dare I hope for Salalah?
. 4. No cyclone hitting Oman folks. Stop spreading rumors. At the most we're hoping for a little rain on Friday/Saturday. (see photo above)
, 5. The 9 protest prisoners from Salalah who are being held in Samail have not been released. Only one of them - Faheem Al Mashani - was sent home a couple of days ago for health issues.
, 6. I'm thinking about FGM in Oman (Female Genital Mutilation)... a very very VERY common tradition. Thanks to Mimi and Susan from Muscat Daily, we may just be able to bring it out into the open in a more public way. Stay tuned. Ideas most welcome (Thanks Linoleum Surfer!)
1. Sympathy on the coffee maker issue.
ReplyDelete2. Open the airwaves! More options are SO welcome.
3. More education opportunities are a great thing. Yet quality should also be kept in mind. Will the next three months be enough to prepare for almost DOUBLE the students in Oman's already overcrowded higher education institutes? Teaching under the trees is a very poetic idea, but let's hope it won't be a necessity.
... The whole FGM thing is very shocking. I knew FGM existed in Oman but wasn't aware of the scale of it. To tell you the truth, going out into town this afternoon I kept on thinking of all those women who have been mutilated for the rest of their life...
ReplyDeleteIt even happens in countries like my own where Pediatricians are confronted with the aftermath of FGM that was done illegally at home.
Unfortunately the fact that FGM is often said to be linked to the Islam (which I understand it is not) is one of the reasons that Islam doesn't have such a good image in some parts of the world.
I'm hoping that every mother will resist to the pressure of family members & friends and choose for their daughter not to be submitted to such brutal practice.
1. You now have a good reason to go out and pay for someone else to make one. Look on the bright side.
ReplyDelete2. Spend it on shoes! Had a good listen today - so far, so good. Presenters are still feeling their way in but they will get better, and the music selection is by far the best available so far.
3. That's great but for two things. a) They're already graduating students who fail in order to make room; what will they have to do to accommodate these? And b) Maybe there is too much focus on university degrees and not enough on vocational skills?
4. I agree - a depression, meaning rain, but not a proper cyclone and not looking Muscat-bound so far.
5. I still don't know what they were protesting about, and why one of the "leaders" didn't just put himself up for election - more productive than breaking the law, surely?
6. Happy to help in any way. I might just write about this...
http://tinyurl.com/6k3slq6
ReplyDeletenew university in muscat ...
new university is coming up in Muscat
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/6k3slq6
"STOP FGM IN THE MIDDLE EAST"
ReplyDeleteIts an open group in facebook for women and men..please join and share your comments, ideas etc. I aimt to make this group a solid place for info and support.
Shukran