The fun nights of karaoke in town
The number of karaoke venues and performances in Muscat is mushrooming. On some weeknights, there are gigs in more than one place. With the coming of cooler weather, and clear and starry skies, fans...
Streaming: The reshape of the media
The widespread use of live streaming has given communication and media work a new dimension. Media consumption habits and customers interactions are becoming more sophisticated. It is not surprising...
Inspirational women: many out there!
The epics of Queen Shamsaa, also known as the queen of Oman, have crossed my path. Reading about her role in the pre-Islamic era reinforced my views on the strength of Omani women.We can start with...
Taking tourism reporting seriously
The year was 2010, journalism students were having lessons on tourism reporting. It was something new to the local journos. Today, 12 years later, many of them occupy prominent jobs within the media...
Stories shape experiences, reality and colour our interpretations
The haze in my head seems to be dissipating. The cold and dark feelings are moving away at a slow pace. The surrounding is strange. A bizarre and unreal emptiness. Time is an abstract concept until...
In the name of security
When teaching news writing to journalism students, I always make a point of focusing on the areas of business, sports, and a toe in the finance aspects of weather reporting. Great subjects with a lot...
Simply put, comedians are the new intellectuals
Is the tragic death of a tourist by a shark in Egypt a suitable topic for a comedy? Perhaps. Making jokes about people’s misfortune and family grieving is dreadful – I think. But there are those...
Tap your feet... Life is better when you dance
Have you ever thought that dance is a focused activity? Or that dancing is strongly related to problem solving, identifying patterns, and leadership? And more, that dance is a system of communication...
Turn the radio on...
Driving from Ruwi to Al Khoudh in Muscat is so much more interesting when there is a nice programme to listen to or a good soundtrack playing on the local radio. But driving from Muscat to the...
A shift in social behaviour
The “I don’t get it, I’m not interested” approach to news disengagement.News avoidance is on the rise. There are many reasons for such a shift in social behaviour, one of which is a lack of...
Not glamorous but necessary
People rarely talk about sanitation, unless when human waste is treated in the context of a joke or vulgarity. It is not an attractive or photogenic topic, and it is not glamorous to be featured in...
Leadership in AI context
Should we replace our lawmakers with robots? Should we vote for an artificial intelligence candidate over a human candidate? When these questions came across my path, I found them amusing. Then, I...
Have a good sense of humour: It is free
What a pleasure it is to see happy faces, big smiles not only on the lips but also radiating from one's eyes. There is no price for this wonderful essence. Even the most expensive or miraculous...
Stay sane with a digital detox challenge
Have you been feeling tired, tense or grump? What about headaches, eye strain and stiff neck? This is not a medical consultation or a survey but a piece on social media burnout. Frequent Instagram,...
When the flowers will bloom again?
The world appears to be perfect as one looks across fields of sunflowers. Heaven and Earth seem to be in harmony. The birds' tweeting and chirping create a soothing symphony that is devoid of worry...
Social media in warfare
The war in Ukraine teaches us valuable lessons about communication, information and the role of the media. It is all about points of view, interests and target audiences. The weaponised media...
Winning hearts and minds
It would be fascinating to learn what the Greek philosopher Aristotle thought about communication in the digital era. What could be his opinions on how rhetoric is used, particularly the persuasion...
Living on shifting sands: new realities
The little things that used to be a part of life are now sorely missed. Changes and uncertainties have become the norm. One never knows what to expect the next day. There are no significant plans...
Cyberbullying, a growing pandemic
Looking back to the challenges faced in the past eighteen months or more and renewing hopes for a New Year are some sort of cultural routines. There are others, like myself, who take a moment or two...