Oman Wins 19th Gulf Cup - Live Pics

YES WE WON! 

Watch Finals Penalty Goals highlights here! 

Photographs & Video by Aswath Sridhar

Winning final goal by Mohammed Rabeea

Lucky miss - Penalty by Saudi Arabia

Nail biting finish with penalty goals!!! 

Gulf Cup Oman Vs Iraq -4-0 Hot Photos from the street

HEARD the news?   Oman Beats Iraq 4-0. 

Yalla oman....GO Get the CUP!

     Photo Courtesy:  Aswath Sridhar. Watch his video tribute here.

Gulf Cup 19 : Oman 0-0 Kuwait

We should be thankful we were not thrashed by a super-hatrik by Ahmed Ajab, he clearly missed 4 clear chances right infront of the goal. We should be thankful we have Ali Al-Habsi guarding our goal.

Yes, we missed two wonderful unmissable chances as well, yes, if Imad Al-Hosani did not dive and tried to control his balance at the begining of the match, we would have won. If our players tried to play as a team instead of individual skills we might have won. But these if's won't help.

We controlled the game with an average of 65% ball possession, but the opposing team were the most dangerous when it came to attacks. We were not sharp, we were not deciesive and our midfielders couldn't deliver the ball to our strikers.

I would like to compliment the Kuwaiti defense for their outstanding performance and sticking around with each other, not only that but the defenders had complete understanding with their goalkeeper, unlike our defenders who were humiliated and made our penalty box look like an empty street for Kuwaiti strikers to cruise around without any pressure.

The Kuwaiti team went there without having a heavy load on their shoulders, they were just told to go out there and get a satisfying result, draw, win or even lose without a huge difference, we don't want you to compete, we don't want you to bring the cup back home, just a satisfying performance. Which is why they went there and played calmly without being nervous or anything. They just gave it their best without any nerves. They played like the professionals they are. They had nothing to lose.

However, the opposite goes to our national team who know we expect a lot from them, they know they have to be winners of the cup and that they should do whatever it takes so when they stepped out to the pitch and started playing, that pressure affected them a lot, it's something psychological. They were nervous and did not know what to do, they did not know how to react to that pressure and instead of sucking it up, they let it control them. This goes for the whole team except the one and only Ali Al-Habsi.

Our midfield was too crowded, though the match was all about a battle in the midfield between both teams. Our defense was beyond messed up. They can never mark any of the Kuwaiti strikers. Our strikers just couldn't get the ball. I think Bader Al-Maimani should've stepped on the pitch way before the 80th minute, at the start of the second half would have made a difference I guess.

Fawzi Basheer was pushed back a lot, I don't recall seeing him attacking for some reason. Ahmed Hadid just came back from an injury I guess and started the game. That shouldn't happen.

Ismael Al-Ajmi was way out of his usual performance, the same goes to Hassan Muthafar and the rest.

This match was mostly based on the mental preparation of our national team. Mentally, I do not think they are ready. But this match may have made them ready. A draw could help them for the next match so they'd go with hunger and an appetite to score and win.

The performance was way below expected. We'll bounce back.

We love, because we believe, the team will never let us down.

ReBlog : On Publication & Media

At a very desperate attempt to reignite attention to the sad misanthropic episodes that my blog posts are, I am reblogging a post I wrote entitled "Under A Rock" which briefly discusses themes relevant to Publication in Oman, and New Media.

I haven't posted it here, only because it starts off being slightly personal.

For the faintly interested of you. The post can be found here. I will take comments both here and there.

Thanks.

Live flight information at the click of a mouse

MUSCAT — Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC) SAOC has relaunched its website www.omanairports.com with a new look and feel. The main features of the new website include a live flight information menu and a flight timetable (plan your trip).

The live flight information product features an updated interface, with the airport flight information system which incorporates real time flight status that displays live arrival and departure details for all domestic and international flights operated from/to Muscat International Airport. (more)

Expat forum added on Oman Forum

We've added a new forum called Oman Expat Info forum on Oman Forum. This new forum was added to accommodate the recent increase in posts from expats who are either newly arrived in Oman and need information or advice on schools, clinics, where to buy stuff, etc; or people outside who get job offers in Oman and are looking for advice on whether the offers are competitive and so on.

Two Omanis conquer ‘Roof of Africa — Kilimanjaro’

By Hamdi Essa
Saturday, December 01, 2007 1:19:18 AM Oman Time

MUSCAT — It’s 8am on Sunday, July 22. A special and extraordinary moment of pride for Oman, and of course, for two brave Omanis — Hamad bin Hamoud Al Harthy and Salim bin Humaid Al Mahrooqi.

Exactly at 8am on Sunday, these two gentlemen conquered Kilimanjaro, the peak of Africa, with the Omani flag fluttering. The 5,895-metre above sea level, Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa, and the world’s highest freestanding mountain, the Roof of Africa.

Kilimanjaro is located 205 miles south of Equator and stands on the Tanzanian’s northern border with Kenya. Times of Oman and Al Shabiba were the media sponsors for this fabulous story of mountaineering, an unprecedented Omani adventure. Hamad bin Hamoud Al Harthy, aged 46, has four children and works as director of projects department at banking major BankMuscat.

Salim bin Humaid Al Mahrooqi, aged 37, is a member of the board of Al Maha Company. The two adventurers’ relation began since childhood, and they share the love of adventures and challenges.

The idea of climbing to the top of Kilimanjaro began in 2005 in Tanzania while Al Harthy and Al Mahrooqi were on their way from Arusha to Darussalam, where they had an amazing view of the giant mountain.

“To prepare ourselves well for the climb, we practised climbing several mountains in the Sultanate, and attended a sports programme for improving physical fitness,” proud climbers said.

“Our mission to the top of the mountain cost RO12,000, which was borne by us. We made contacts with a company specialised in organising journeys to Kilimanjaro. The company had provided us with a team to accompany us to the Kilimanjaro.”

Speaking on being on the foot of Kilimanjaro prior to the climb, they said, it was a journey to the unknown; “we were full of enthusiasm and encouraged by the well preparations for the climb”.

On the climb, they walked 8-12km every day before they had a break for lunch. “At six in the evening, the team accompanying us prepares the camp and lunch, and we rest and prepare our daily report to Times of Oman and Al Shabiba. The climb to the peak took us seven days.”

Speaking on day seven of the climb, they said it was dark and freezing while approaching the peak. Speaking on their new adventure, they said they were planning to be the first Omanis to reach the peak of Mount Everest. “But this requires finance,” they added. “Now, we present the issue of reaching the peak of Mount Everest to all authorities and companies for possible sponsorship and financing the journey,” Al Harthy and Al Mahrooqi added.

Though mount Kilimanjaro was familiar to the local tribes, it remained undocumented for the rest of the world for many years till the early sightings by Rebman in 1845 to the successful attempt in 1889 by German geographer Hans Meyer and Austrian mountain climber Ludwig Purtscheller who till date are regarded to be the first to climb Kilimanjaro.

Kilimanjaro structure is composed of three volcanoes — Kibo standing at 19,340 feet, Mawenzi at 16,896 feet and Shira standing at 13,000 feet. Till date there has not been any last known recorded volcanic eruption from any of the volcanic peaks. Kilimanjaro supports five major eco-zones including rainforest, heath, moorland, alpine desert and glaciers.

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Is UNDP’s ranking system biased?

(Infographic: Kishor Cariappa)

The Human Development Report for 2007-08 has been released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Oman continues to be dubbed a country at high level of human development. Here are a few surprises.

# Oman’s human development index (HDI) of 0.814 puts it just below Antigua and Barbuda (0.815) and Trinidad and Tobago (0.814).

# Oman’s life expectancy of 75 years is clubbed between Qatar (75) and Argentina (74.8), while South Africa and Lesotho have higher adult literacy than Oman.

Will this kind of ranking give the true picture?

Higher education: ‘Culture of e-admission’ catching up

Higher education: ‘Culture of e-admission’ catching up
Times Tuesday, August 28, 2007 12:49:44 AM Oman Time

MUSCAT — The Higher Education Admissions Centre (HEAC) is the brainchild of the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE), and one of a number of new initiatives designed to modernise the operations of the ministry in the interest of the public.

Gone are the days when students and their parents from all over the Sultanate, including the faraway regions of Dhofar and Musandam, had to make the journey to the capital to present their application documents to various public and private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Many students would go from one private college to another to seek admission.

Now all that students have to do is use their home computers or go to the computer lab at one of 500 local centres throughout the country where trained staff will help them apply online. While not everyone has a home computer, most people have access to a mobile phone; and, amazingly, students can also apply by SMS text on their mobile phones. Here is how it works. The student sends a text message to 90190, a special number registered by HEAC with Omantel, and accesses 22 different services – from information to the application process itself. In order to obtain information about these services, students can text a message to 90190 and receive an automatic reply from HEAC. The HEAC system, one of the first of its kind in the world, is fully automated and completely user-friendly.

This has virtually revolutionised the once cumbersome application process, streamlining it and making it highly efficient and effective. On August 9, HEAC had 14,151 seats on offer. Two days later, by August 11, more than 13,000 students had accepted their offers, using either the internet or SMS messaging.

Dr Said Al Adawi, director-general of the MoHE’s Higher Education Admissions Centre, explains that, with some 60,000 students graduating from Grade 12 this year alone, the aim is “to build a ‘culture of e-admission’ in every school. Staff are being trained to help students see e-access to Higher Education services as a way of life”. And they are finding that a surprising number of students are already very IT literate and others learn quickly.

The HEAC is a branch or Directorate-General within the Ministry of Higher Education located in Azaiba and run by 16 professional Omani staff.

Dr Said mentions that, when the centre opened a year ago, crowds of students came in person, but the number of visitors has already declined by more than 300 per cent and keeps on declining, as more and more people come to understand how much easier it is to apply online than in person.

Fee paying students can apply to any of Oman’s 22 private colleges and universities through the HEAC website. Last year 4,000 students obtained their admissions in the private HEIs via the HEAC website; and this year 6,000 students did so. This summer, the MoHE allocated more than 250 scholarships for study abroad through the HEAC system, as well as 2,188 seats for low income and social welfare students.

Non-Omanis living outside the country may also use the HEAC website to apply for seats in the private HEIs in Oman. Students have applied from places such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and some African countries. The website has had more than a million visitors since it started just over a year ago.

Dr Said Al Adawi sums it up: “e-admission in Oman is a phenomenon which has really caught on. People are finding that the website is a tremendous resource. There are links with the overseas universities which are academic partners of Oman’s HEIs. Universities and colleges can post their details on the website; and so students can easily access good sources of information”.

Higher education is more important than ever before as Oman undergoes rapid development and strives for economic diversification within the global market. In these circumstances, and with competition for highly prized seats in higher education, HEAC is especially concerned about transparency and equity. In terms of transparency, courses and details of the HEIs are published in a handbook distributed free to all students. At the same time, students can obtain necessary information from the HEAC website. Also, as new scholarships become available, the information is posted on the website in order to spread the news as broadly as possible.

Deadlines for students to submit their applications, accept their offers and register at the HEIs are clearly posted. Any student who feels that he or she has not been treated fairly at any point in the application process may appeal. The Appeal Board consists of members not connected with the government who are able to consider cases objectively. The Appeal Board’s decisions are final and do not require the approval of HEAC or the Ministry of Higher Education. Last year the Appeal Board gave 3,000 students who did not apply, or who missed the deadline, another chance to access the system and obtain seats.

HEAC is now undertaking a new statistical database project in order to support the higher education planning process and to improve the quality and consistency of the information flow between the Ministry of Higher Education, the HEIs and various stakeholders including other ministries involved in higher education, the Oman Accreditation Board and the Oman Research Council.

All of this makes the Ministry of Higher Education a major player in the government’s overall thrust in e-communication and e-administration as the Sultanate secures its place in the knowledge era.

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Article from Times of Oman; click on header to go to original article.

This certainly is good news; according to Gulf News, Oman is the first GCC country to adopt the e-admission system...Gulf News has THIS article on the matter.

As a side note, our friend Ali (sleepless) is unwell...please pray for his speedy recovery.

Seminar on rising prices of consumer items on Monday

Times of Oman:

SOHAR — A seminar on ‘The rising prices of consumer commodities, services and the scope of cooperation between consumers, traders and distributors’, will be organised on Monday at the Sohar branch of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry by the Omani Association for Consumer Protection. The opening ceremony will be presided over by Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al Maimani, undersecretary for administrative, financial and regional affairs at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The aim of this seminar is to highlight the major role played by the association in protecting consumers, raising the consumers’ awareness of their rights, protecting such rights and protecting consumers against price hike, profiteering, imitation and fraud. “It also aims at raising the consumer awareness of the scopes of cooperation between consumers, traders and distributors,” said Said bin Nasser Al Khusaibi, chairman of the Omani Association for Consumer Protection and spokesman for the seminar.

In a statement to ONA, Al Khusaibi said the keynote speaker at the seminar, Dr Mohammed bin Ibrahim Ebeidat, chairman of the Jordan-based Arab Union for Consumer Protection, will highlight the price hike in consumer commodities and services in addition to scopes of cooperation among consumers, traders and distributors.
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It's high time the inflation issue was paid more attention...the Middle East is suffering from "imported inflation" as the weakening US Dollar drags down the value of the OMR, AED etc...so far Oman has resisted the calls to revalue the OMR...

Click on the header to go to the original post in Times of Oman.

12 Years in Prison

Warning : Long Post Ahead

First of all, I apologize for not being able to write earlier than this. This inconvenience is only fractionally the fault of myself, and mostly due to circumstances out of my influence. I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank Sleepless and his team for their effortless works on the making process of this blog and hope that it will turn out as they please.

I wanted my first appearance here to draw the truest image of me and carve it as a first impression. An extremely angry individual. No extremely angry individual is born one. It's a painful process in which one or many factors come into play in carefully carving patience and consciousness out of that individual leaving behind an extremely flammable human being. Here, I tell the story of the factor that I'm the result of.

For most of the past 12 years, I've been a student studying under the educational system orchestrated by the Ministry of Education. After I've completely finished with it, I took time to digest the value of my time and effort there. Wasted. The people in charge made sure it went that way. This, non-arguably, left me deeply frustrated, which intersects to only one of two paths. Depression and surrender, or Anger. I've chosen the latter, and that my friends, is the factor that bred the anger you see today.

I've always thought of school as where I could go to ask questions, not to get asked questions. The Ministry Of Education has improvised an educational system inspired from the advanced elaborate educational systems from the Western world. They stole a small proportion of the application in those systems, and disregarded many important parts in the operating mechanisms of these systems. They also disregarded to learn the purpose of these important parts and how the desired result only comes from the correct integration of all these parts.

This improvised strategy has so far not been successful and did not create any notable change in the way education touches us. From one part the proceedings are constantly revised without noteworthy outcome and from the other, the curriculums and methods are completely disregarded and neglected. This, instead of paving our way into the future left us steadily falling towards ignorance.

I, as an Omani citizen, just like any citizen would, expect three things from my country. Education, Opportunity, and Peace. Education has clearly left me very well disappointed. Opportunity, is bound with education, and since the first one is a rotten apple, it ruined the entire box. That, too, was a disappointment. Peace, as much as I'd like to say I'm not disappointed, I can't. Knowing that there's a number of ill-educated disappointed people, it's just a matter of time until I feel ripped from the luxury of peace. It's starting to becoming worryingly evident these days as proof of that withdrawal.

Am I disappointed on being an Omani citizen ? Yes, maybe I am. I'm only a little disappointed about the things I said above. The larger disappointment comes from the fact that in terms of Education, the system has taken a wrong turn in every possible one. The system failed in being the very foundation of our future commitments towards the betterment of this blessed country.

But It's very difficult not to tackle these commitments. The foundations of our future have been rattled because Education has refused to be part of that journey. It has refused to understand how education is not a burden, but rather an investment. This refusal has developed a mentality that plays counter to our potential as a country. A mentality that left old men with old short vision in places of decision making, and refusing to let them go when it's time to. A simple mistake, that also caused the advancement ladder to stop short from target, which eventually created no new opportunities for the newer generation. Unemployment.

That would make sense of why governmental based colleges are considered so low in terms of quality. It isn't a safe investment for the government to consume financial and strategic resources that will not return beneficial. If you don't put effort in something, don't expect a good result from it. That's why we will never be in par with the country which is geographically that closest to us. The United Arab Emirates. Despite the little resources they have in comparison with our country, they've moved forward where we halted. Their firm belief in proper investing has paid them well, where our lack of investing has returned us with a lack of resulting.

It's time that we lay off the people who're having a hard time of understand modernization and change them with young people who have lived that modernization and not only witnessed it. It's time that we stop making the stupid mistakes we do with education. Stop building two schools, with two one-hundred class rooms, and two 1000 chairs and two everything. It's time we stop the sexual segregation mayhem and start making people understand that females will work alongside men in building this country and their refusal to do that should be accompanied with refusal of educating them. It's time we make just as much university graduates as school graduates. It's time we build more governmental colleges of high quality and equipping them adequately. It's time the Ministry of Higher Education enforces boundaries on private colleges and sees that the Six Million Omani Riyals granted yearly from his majesty to each private college in Oman is spent in favor of the Omani students, instead of against him when they raise their fees. It's time that we stop biting more than we can chew, stop stealing incorrectly from the west. Their systems are already established and ours are far from that, we should create a system which caters to our needs and not theirs. It's time we stop the joke that is the Higher Education Admission Center is, which basically is a multi-million-rial computer software program which ranks the students who are statically the most adequate in taking benefit of the governmentally allocated scholarships. No where in the world does a computer decide the acceptance for a scholarship and I dread the day that a probability software decides the fate of a human beings future. Take away HEAC, it's an immense waste of money and efforts. There's no way a computer with a software do what a human does with an interview. It's time we update the curriculums. Make them more digestible and relevant, and delete what isn't. Pay attention to teachers and professors, and honor their fine profession. They've taken a journey towards the greater good, instead of one towards self-fulfillment and that my friends, is a great sacrifice.

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos said in one of his speeches that knowledge without mind is like a fruitless tree. Not in defiance, but in contrast, I say a mind without knowledge is too like a tree. A dying one. It's our moral, social and national obligation to prevent that from happening. We have to make changes no matter what impracticalities they may face at first, because when its starts to produce, it will produce well. It will produce people who will be able to power this country the way it should.

In conclusion, I have to say that a person that can't do Maths or Physics does not necessarily have to be a person with little potential. Everyone has a way to project their intelligence, and only little of them can do maths. Intellectual adequacy does not have to necessarily be a product of academic ability. Issac Newton was not sitting on a school desk when the apple fell from the tree unto his head triggering the thought that later created the pillars of modern Physics. Albert Einstein failed his university entrance exam and had to wait an entire year before he can retake it and that did not stop him from creating a scientific revolution, which some of it's theories still mystify scientists today. Woody Allen failed his Film Production class in university before he later become one of the most recognized and distinguished people in the film industry and an Academy-Awarded director, producer and writer. Instead of standing still, let's take a step to the front with the right foot.

Thanks.