Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Upcoming elections and other tidbits...

Hello everyone. Greetings from my freezing office on this very hot day. I'll never understand why men need to have the central air-conditioning in our office building at freezing level. I suffer. 

Alrighty, so referring to the post below on the upcoming Majlis Al Shura (parliament) elections, take note of the following:

1) I'm still amazed about the Salalah Alliance selection criteria

2) I'm happy that this election season has featured fewer hideous bulletin board campaigns with        people promising to deliver the world (when we all know they have very little authority)

3) Elections will take place on Sunday October 25th.

Even though voting takes five minutes, and the polls are open until evening, don't expect to see many Omanis at work. For some reason, people feel the need to take the whole day off work to hang around feeling important. This will be my third time to vote. Every single time, I've worked a full day (normally alone in a big empty office) then went to vote after 5 pm. That's what normal people with job accountability should do right? Or take off say... an hour off from work to go vote? Does the country really need to come to a complete halt? 

On the topic of voting, congratulations to my Canadian readers (assuming they're not conservatives) on your new hot Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. I'd vote for him any day.

And finally, rumor has it that the Oman navy are going to ruin occupy one of Mirbat's most treasured beaches.  Do you have any details about this? 


6 comments:

  1. The plans for the navy dock date back at least 4 or 5 years and unfortunately it looks like they are now finally coming to fruition. I blogged about it back in September 2011 http://dhofar-eco.blogspot.com/2011/09/save-mirbat-beach.html It is heartbreaking that nothing appears to have been done to halt this. It simply makes no sense at all. Aside from destroying the beauty, environment and biodiversity of the area, it seems to make little strategic sense from a defence point of view either. The big question is WHY position it here?! This is a huge catastrophe on every level and one that I'm sure will ultimately be regretted. How can Oman be serious about promoting tourism when it destroys one of its prime beaches, and several world-class dive sites? If this was happening somewhere else in the world people would be up in arms protesting. Sadly there is no culture of activism here. I would be very interested to know if the Ministries of Environment or Tourism fought to object to it.

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  2. LOL @ Justin... and the poor Conservatives with their add campaign slogan which was ALL ABOUT Justin... saying"he's just not ready";)

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  3. With the greatest of respect let me point out that Justin Trudeau has never done anything of note except [lay on his father's name and promise to run the country into a deficit after the Conservative Harper had taken us through the 2008 fiscal crisis in the strongest shape of any Western country. Canada has not had banks that needed bailing out or had to indulge in quantitative easing. I am sadly disappointed in the election results. There ain't no cure for stupid!!

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  4. John Harries: From Alberta?;)

    Not to turn Gucci's blog into a Canadian political debate, but the fiscal crisis and Canada's shape as a Western Country has NOTHING to with Conservative handling of the economy, but more, that our banking system was not tied into the lending ponsy of the 2008 global financial collapse due to Canadian banking and government investments being more stringent than, say, the state of Mississipi in the States;). But whatev, let some folks take credit for starting off with a good thing that wasn't ever their doing. Word.

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  5. No, from Newfoundland. And to start with he is withdrawing Canada's fighters from bombing ISIS, another stupid move. Sorry Gucci but I am so disgusted by our dumb electorate.

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  6. As a Muslim, bombing ISIS in like, Iraq and Syria (or poor Yemen) isn't that helpful.... I mean, yes we were fighting them, that's great, but civilian casualties from bombings gives ISIS always more recruiting power especially when it is non-Muslim governments doing the bombing. And Russia's doing a lot there now.. so really why have Canada doing that??? Russia is better equipped. Better Canada and U.K. focus at anti-ISIS measure AT HOME. As a Canadian Muslim who knew some ISIS chicks... that's what should be done.

    BTW, Newfoundland is one of the most beautiful provinces... I hope I have the chance one day to see it. I am a Westcoast girl alas... but love Newfoundland anyways;)

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