Public warned of rising fraud - Oman Daily Observer

30
LETTERS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013
PEOPLE’S
PLATFORM
YOUR coverage of the four-day
symposium on “Development
of Islamic Jurisprudential Sciences”
(April 6-9) was very good.
The symposium focused on the need
to promote peaceful co-existence
among nations and civilisations, as
also within the world of Islam.
The symposium on the topic
of peaceful co-existence could not
come at a better time. The need of
the hour is to practically demonstrate
that peaceful co-existence is
the key to all round peace and development.
Oman, as a very peaceful
country with open arms for people
of all faiths, best suited as the venue
and organiser of the event.
It is noteworthy to state that the
fourth Caliph of Islam Ali ibn Abu
Talib said, “People are either your
brothers in religion or your equals in
creation." The second Caliph of Islam,
Sayyidina Omar gave full freedom to
people of all faiths in Palestine after
its conquest during his rule.
Today, we see that in a Muslim
country like the Sultanate of Oman
there are temples and churches.
There is need to uphold mutual respect,
human dignity and fair play
in dealings with others in all countries.
In fact, one of the reasons for
the continued wave of Islamic awakening
around the world is the feeling
of brotherhood and love among
Muslim communities and their respect
for people of other faiths, colours
and races.
— Ahmed al Balushi
Peaceful co-existence is the need of the hour
Editor: Oman is an oasis of peace
and tranquillity with open arms and
respect for all. It was the 12th edition
and we hope such events on peaceful
coexistence must be organised every
year and everywhere.
Oman’s literacy rates surges
HAVE read with interest in your
I newspaper the report “Major fall
in illiteracy rate” dated April 9. We
are pleased to know that Oman is
achieving high rates of literacy.
This is not surprising given the
fact that His Majesty Sultan Qaboos
has always stressed on the need to
promote literacy and has invested
huge funds to promote it. This is
also in line with the teachings of Islam.
Oman should aim at 100 per
cent literacy and prepare speciic
place with clear timelines. This will
make a model for others, which will
be a thing to be proud of.
I believe strongly that whatever
we do, the aim should be to become
a model for others if not 100
per cent perfect. Perfection may
be elusive but becoming a model is
achievable and a healthy and ambitious
goal.
It is also heartening to know that
Oman is making good progress in
this regard.
— Hasan K
Editor: Oman has achieved much
in terms of literacy but it has a long
way to go in achieving complete
literacy. We need to build new programmes
and facilities to move forward
further to achieve this ambition.
Nationality law
THE news item on “Need for
change in nationality law” was
timely and interesting. We hope this
will take shape soon and it will be
to the beneit of all. Oman is a good,
progressive and peaceful country.
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Many people want to have Omani
nationality.
— Ahsan
Editor: The proposal for reviewing
the nationality law is timely and it
must be undertaken carefully.
Omani women
THERE is an urgent need to build
swimming pools exclusively
for Omani women and those who
observe Hijab. Swimming facilities
for Omani women are lacking and
this is not fair. Swimming is one of
the best sports, exercises, and most
enjoyable.
We all know that Omani women
would never ever join pools where
there is mixed swimming of men
and women. Even in case of separate
timings for women, proper
side walls need to be made available.
Omani women have shown active
interest and participation in
many national and international
sports including horse riding and
athletics. Swimming is the only
area in which Omani women do not
seem to have any role, although it is
one of best sports for one’s overall
health.
— Fatma
Editor: It is a good point. Omani
women deserve separate swimming
pools and beaches with proper facilities
so that they can swim with freedom
and without violating their cultural
tenets.
>> CULTURE
Climbing charity at Al Khuwair tomorrow
“ F you do well in school, if really do
Iyour best then next time I come
up I’ll bring up some toys — if you do
well this is the reward you get.” Rachael
MacIver, who moved to Oman from
Denmark in 2004, realised a simple
gesture of good faith can result in a
child smiling from ear to ear!
‘The Children of Jabal Shams,’ is a
project founded by Rachael that looks
“to promote education and reading in
the remote areas of Jabal Shams,” Rachael
explained.
This whole experience started after
Rachael inished a trek up Jabal Shams.
While walking back to her car she met
Barr Al Jissah Residences welcomes
acclaimed architect
Barr Al Jissah Residences, the
most exclusive freehold property
in the Gulf, appointed internationally-acclaimed
architect Elie
Badaoui as the Property Manager of
the real estate division recently. Barr
Al Jissah Residences is a luxurious
residential project undertaken by the
Barr Al Jissah Resort Company SAOC.
Commenting on the appointment
of Elie Badaoui, Jose Lora, COO —
Real Estate & Hospitality, said, “With
Elie Badaoui joining the top ranks at
Barr Al Jissah, the company looks
forward to reaching greater heights
in development projects in Oman
and beyond. Elie brings with him
over 30 years’ experience in highlevel
architecture, design, project
management and construction
around the world. These include
marinas, museums, ive-star hotels,
high-rise towers, commercial and
residential buildings, medical facilities,
commercial malls, interiors and
a young boy on his way home and they
talked until they reached her car. As she
opened her door, a pen fell out and the
boy asked if he could have it and then
proceeded to say that he needed it for
school. This is where her inspiration
grew, Rachael realised that if all she
needs to do is give a child a pen to help
them in their education that is not asking
for a lot.
“There are no schools up in Jabal
Shams so the children have to go to Al
Hamra in order to go to classes. They
travel down Jabal Shams in the early
hours of the morning in pick-up trucks
and since the journey is long they get
general urban planning.”
Barr Al Jissah Residences with
a brigade of well-trained and high
calibre professionals brings to the
Sultanate exceptionally designed villas
and townhouses. Elie has joined
about half a days’ worth of education
per day,” explained Rachael.
Nowadays, education is the foundation
to any person’s future and is the
ground stone on which a society can
grow and prosper. Education allows
people to explore the world around
them with ‘new’ eyes and at the same
time, broadens their horizons.
Rachael explained “Many children
drop out of school early and stay in the
village to help their family tend their
goats and sheep, trying to supplement
their family’s income by selling homemade
key rings and hand-woven rugs
to the tourists.”
At irst Rachael would take little
things she bought here and there such
as “school bags and stationary items,
anything the children would need to
start school,” she said, and “that became
somewhat of a tradition, so whenever
they had a school holiday I would try to
go up there and distribute the items one
by one to the children,” she added.
As the months passed by, the numbers
of items increased as did the
shapes and sizes of the donated gifts.
People would contribute whatever they
could; such as basic school equipment
and even computers so that the children
could type up their assignments.
Rachael and the people who work
with her have also come up with creative
ways to raise money for this project;
such as selling the black and white photos
of Oman that Rachael takes.
the elite team of Barr Al Jissah Residences
armed with a Master’s Degree
from the Lebanese Academy of
Fine Arts, Lebanon; Stewardship of
Companies, Canada and Architectural
Studies, Beaux Arts de Paris, France.
Another way people can help support
‘The Children of Jabal Shams’ is
to take their children, above 6, to ‘The
Wall’ in Al Khuwair on Thursday 11
April from 11am till 5pm for the ‘Open
Climbing Day’ event. The admission fee
of RO 4 will go towards buying the children
of Jabal Shams “books, stationery
and computers.”
Rachael would like to thank every individual
that has donated something to
this project, as well as ‘Oman Heritage
Gallery’, Centre Point, Omani photographer,
Saghroon al Harmali and the Dar
al Atta’s ‘Let’s Read’ project.
'Laziness linked to genes'
G
ENES may be responsible for laziness, says
an American study.
New research from the University of Missouri
suggests certain genetic traits may predispose
people to being more or less motivated
to exercise and remain active.
Frank Booth, a professor in the MU College
of Veterinary Medicine, along with his postdoctoral
fellow Michael Roberts, were able to
selectively breed rats that exhibited traits of
either extreme activity or extreme laziness.
Studies show 97 per cent of American
adults get less than 30 minutes of exercise
a day, which is the minimum recommended
amount based on federal guidelines, reports
Science Daily.
They say, in a study published in the American
Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative
and Comparative Physiology, these rats
indicate that genetics could play a role in exercise
motivation, even in humans. "We have
shown that it is possible to be genetically predisposed
to being lazy," Booth said.
"This could be an important step in identifying
additional causes for obesity in humans,
especially considering dramatic increases
in childhood obesity in the United States. It
would be very useful to know if a person is genetically
predisposed to having a lack of motivation
to exercise, because that could potentially
make them more likely to grow obese."
By Nada Ali
nada.ali5@hotmail.com
Sleep Well
(Feng Shui)
FENG Shui believes that all energy on Earth fall into two
opposite categories — Yin and Yang — and the same
principles apply to your bedroom.
Your bedroom is where you spend at least eight hours
every day, hence a proper balance of Yin and Yang is very
essential for your well-being. Here are some Feng Shui
guidelines to help you create a sanctuary of rest and relaxation.
# Place your bed in a command position. It should face
the door from the far side of the room but not be directly
in front of the door. The area diagonally furthest from the
door is best. This position prevents negative inluences
from affecting you, gives you a visual command of the space
and is said to help you face life directly.
# Sleeping in front of the door exposes you to too much
Chi which could create stress, irritability and health problems.
Also avoid placing the bed in a corner with one side
against the wall, directly underneath windows, under overhead
beams, the lower part of a slanted ceiling or near
sharp angles and corners.
# The bed’s headboard (preferably a solid one instead of
slats) must be against a solid wall (not shared with a bathroom)
for support, and the most favourable bed height is
about 18 inches off the ground.
# A window to the right of the bed helps you receive
positive energy from the universe when you wake up and
start a new day.
# Surround yourself with colours that are calming and
which feel right. Lighting should not be too bright either;
use blubs of a lower wattage, bedside/loor lamps or install
a dimmer.
# When possible, open the windows to let fresh air in or
use an air puriier. Good, clean air enhances the Chi.
# Don’t keep a work desk, computer/laptop, exercise
or electronic equipment in your bedroom. The energies of
each are incompatible with rest.
# A mirror facing your bed relecting only your face and
upper body is not good; one on the side of the bed is ine.
The same applies to any relective surface. Else, drape a
cloth over any relective surface facing the bed when you
sleep.
# Never sleep with your feet facing the door. This is the
cofin position.
# Don’t use beds with storage space underneath. If
you can’t avoid that, store only soft items like bed linen or
clothes in it.
# Don’t keep any negative items in the bedroom. This
includes legal/dispute papers or even a gift from someone
you share negative vibes with.
# Don’t hang wall decorations that relect negative, sad,
depressing, angry or lonely images. Put up what relects the
things you want in life.
Always keep the whole bedroom clean and free of clutter,
dust, dirt and cobwebs to help Chi circulate freely.