Living with a killer in our midst
I hate to be a portent of doom and gloom, but the most recent developments on the global pandemic front could be indicative of our way of life, our entire social structure, whatever our culture, never...
Another thread in Oman's rich artistic multi-cultural tapestry
Anna Dudchenko is yet another contributor to Oman’s artistic scene but has a diversity to her artistic portfolio that sets her apart from others in her realm.“Being an artist is a never-ending...
Don’t talk environment... act
Do we care about our planet, our nation, our cities, towns, and villages, our mountains, beaches, wadis, and our seas? Do we covet the quality of the air that we breathe as much as we do the shiny new...
Genius is only an attitude away
“The greatest geniuses have the shortest biographies,” articulated Ralph Waldo Emerson, saying that we rarely know or appreciate them until long after their time, because we don’t appreciate who...
Humpty Dumpty: How do you put people back together?
Cyclone Shaheen has left her indelible mark upon the Sultanate, which must now turn to the cleaning up, rebuilding of damaged infrastructure, and replacement of lost resources and possessions. But...
The Turtle’s Odyssey: A consevationist weeps, Shakespeare writes, and King Lear speaks!
No matter how long you will live, once you have been drawn into the web of the triumph and tragedy that is the story of any of the varieties of the Sultanate of Oman’s turtles, you become...
We are winning this Third World War
Although the pandemic has seemed like a ‘one step forward, two steps back’ situation wherever you are, the perspective is generally much more positive today than even a few months ago.Travelling...
Change is won or lost, out of spotlight
Democracy, although it is philosophically and legally debated at length, and is a complex and debatable topic of discussion in those circles, can be quite clearly defined away from its conceptual...
Sultanate seeks to regain its own precise, unique place in the world
It’s becoming increasingly clear that the societal landscape of the Sultanate is undergoing significant change, maybe as the Sultanate seeks to regain its own precise, unique place in the...
Let us celebrate our difference...
As an equality and diversity trainer, and cultural awareness presenter racism is certainly a red flag topic, but I want to express the opinion that I have always been uncomfortable with dictionary and...
The voice of the voiceless... now silent
By Baida Al Zadjali and Ray Petersen“The song has ended, but the melody lingers...” go the words of an old song, that echo of Pramod MarchOne’s kindness to stray animals. This extremely gentle...
Preparing your kids for snakes and ladders is no fun, but must be done
What is the real message we should be sending the younger generations today? With all the wealth of our accumulated knowledge it surely can’t be along the lines of, “It’s a big world out there....
It ain’t over: Get jabbed and get with the national programme
Congratulations to the Supreme Committee for taking the unpopular step of implementing a full lockdown, as it appears from the last two week’s statistics that cases of Covid-19 and fatalities have...
Afghanistan, New Zealand, and Japan hit the headlines this week
What a tumultuous week it has been with the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Olympic Games, New Zealand’s return to lockdown, and a rude awakening for sports men and women in a...
Sustainable progress is knocking on Misfat Al Abriyeen
Photos by Yelena Glukhovtseva/University of Liverpool -Misfat Al Abriyeen is named after the ancestral inhabitants of the Al Abri family, and the perpetual running water from the falaj. What an...
Health research driving improvement in the Sultanate’s medical sector
The Sultanate needs a strong, effective health research environment. The global Covid-19 pandemic’s one positive outcome has been the recognition by smaller nations and economies, that medical...
Pandemic effect on shipping costs!
Cargo transport, shipping, and freight costs for returning home expatriates that have gone ballistic, thus adding to the pain of the departure. Significant numbers of freight forwarders, shipping, and...
Tina Turner... you are wrong!
Tina Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock, in Brownsville Tennessee, she is simply five foot nothing of ‘viva voce,’ of “life, given voice.” Born into a violent, loveless marriage, from which her...
Persy’s Way: A cat’s journey from Oman to England
Photos by Lena PetersenNo... It’s not mis-spelt, our Turkish Angora cat’s name is Persy. He is completely white, like the washing powder ‘Persil,’ and branded “whiter than white.”We...
Fridge magnet philosophy works for me!
I love... no, I like fridge magnets! No... not the ones with Dutch windmills, the UK’s Big Ben, the Statue of Liberty from the States, or the Egyptian pyramids, but those that have homespun...