Flowers

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds. The process begins with pollination, is followed by fertilization, leading to the formation and dispersal of the seeds. For the higher plants, seeds are the next generation, and serve as the primary means by which individuals of a species are dispersed across the landscape. The grouping of flowers on a plant is called the inflorescence.
In addition to serving as the reproductive organs of flowering plants, flowers have long been admired and used by humans, mainly to beautify their environment but also as a source of food..

Flower specialization and pollination

Further information: Pollination syndrome

Flowering plants usually face selective pressure to optimise the transfer of their pollen, and this is typically reflected in the morphology of the flowers and the behaviour of the plants. Pollen may be transferred between plants via a number of 'vectors'. Some plants make use of abiotic vectors — namely wind (anemophily) or, much less commonly, water (hydrophily). Others use biotic vectors including insects (entomophily), birds (ornithophily), bats (chiropterophily) or other animals. Some plants make use of multiple vectors, but many are highly specialised.
Cleistogamous flowers are self pollinated, after which they may or may not open. Many Viola and some Salvia species are known to have these types of flowers.
The flowers of plants that make use of biotic pollen vectors commonly have glands called nectaries that act as an incentive for animals to visit the flower. Some flowers have patterns, called nectar guides, that show pollinators where to look for nectar. Flowers also attract pollinators by scent and color. Still other flowers use mimicry to attract pollinators. Some species of orchids, for example, produce flowers resembling female bees in color, shape, and scent. Flowers are also specialized in shape and have an arrangement of the stamens that ensures that pollen grains are transferred to the bodies of the pollinator when it lands in search of its attractant (such as nectar, pollen, or a mate). In pursuing this attractant from many flowers of the same species, the pollinator transfers pollen to the stigmas—arranged with equally pointed precision—of all of the flowers it visits.
Anemophilous flowers use the wind to move pollen from one flower to the next. Examples include grasses, birch trees, ragweed and maples. They have no need to attract pollinators and therefore tend not to be "showy" flowers. Male and female reproductive organs are generally found in separate flowers, the male flowers having a number of long filaments terminating in exposed stamens, and the female flowers having long, feather-like stigmas. Whereas the pollen of animal-pollinated flowers tends to be large-grained, sticky, and rich in protein (another "reward" for pollinators), anemophilous flower pollen is usually small-grained, very light, and of little nutritional value to animals.

Types Of Flowers

Many millenniums flowers personify beauty at people, pleasure and perfection of the nature. Flowers are giving to everybody, it does not matter who you are rich or poor, they give you that wonderful world, in which you feel yourself happy. Therefore people always tried to decorate with these surprising gifts of the nature not only celebratory and gala days of the life, but also everyday lives, which, as is known people have more even more full to feel pleasure of short-term life on the guilty Earth. It seems that mother-nature has tried and has presented us these wonderful creations which a lot of millenniums ago bring in our life beauty, pleasure, and giving us good mood and emotional health at any time of the year. In opinion of scientists there are more than 270 000 versions of colors. And each flower in his own way is beautiful and unusual and bears in itself a part of pleasure, to do our life more happier.  At all nations of the world flowers associate with heat, sun, spring and pleasure. And it is not important winter in the street or summer, autumn or spring. Flowers always remain symbols of good mood and wonderful season - spring and summer. Each flower, is shrouded by illusive and mysterious aura, and that magic mood with which it presents all people without exception, whether it is a man or a woman, a small child or an elderly person.




http://www.roboimages.com/image/ri28473/36.gif
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower

Omani Culutre

Identification. Although Oman has existed as a distinct nation for several thousand years, the modern state—the Sultanate of Oman—is a creation of the last two centuries. The traditional territorial concept of Oman was altered in this period by the independence of the northwestern part of Oman as the United Arab Emirates and the absorption into the sultanate of the southern region of Dhofar. Although the names of both Oman and Dhofar are clearly of great antiquity, their original meanings and sources are uncertain. While most northern Omanis share a common Arab, Muslim, and tribal culture, the people of Dhofar remain culturally distinct and often feel culturally closer to neighboring regions in Yemen to the west.
Location and Geography. The Omani culture owes much to the geography of the country. The cultural heartland lies in the interior, in the valleys of the mountainous backbone which parallels the coastal plains and the interior plains. Seas to the north and east and deserts to west and south have served to isolate the country from the outside world. At the same time, Oman's presence on the Indian Ocean has fostered a long maritime tradition which has enriched the culture through the settlement of many Baluchis (the Indo-Iranian people of Baluchistan) along the northern coast and the interaction with East African cultures. Traditionally, Oman's capital was located in the interior but Muscat (Masqat), now the principal seaport, has served as the capital since the beginning of the nineteenth century. Northern Oman is separated from southern Dhofar by several hundred miles of desert, which results in the cultural distinctiveness of the Dhofaris.
Demography. Oman's only census (1993) revealed a total population of 2 million, of which 1.5 million were Omanis. There were 175,000 residents of Dhofar. Census figures were not broken down into ethnic or linguistic categories, although it can be estimated that several hundred thousand Omanis were of Baluchi origin. About half the Omani population belongs to the Ibadi sect of Islam and a similar number belong to mainstream Sunni Islam. There are several small communities of Shia Muslims. Population growth is estimated at nearly 4 percent per year.
Linguistic Affiliation. Arabic is the principal language spoken by Omanis, who have spoken it since the immigration of Arab tribes nearly two millennia ago. The Omani dialect generally is close to modern standard Arabic, although coastal dialects employ a number of loanwords from Baluchi, Persian, Urdu and Gujarati (two Indo-Aryan languages), and even Portuguese. The mountain peoples of Dhofar, as well as several small nomadic groups in the desert between Dhofar and northern Oman, speak a variety of unique South Arabian languages that are not mutually intelligible with modern Arabic. Minority groups speak Arabic as well as their own languages at home, and English is widely spoken as a second language.
Symbolism. The national symbol employs a pair of crossed khanjars, the traditional daggers that all Omani men wore until recently (and still wear on formal occasions). This symbol is integrated into the national flag and appears in nearly all government logos.

 

Food Customs

Food Customs and Ceremonial Occasions. Dates, fresh or dried, are important to the diet and to the ritual of hospitality. Equally important is helwa, a sweet confection based on clarified butter, honey, and spices. Both are served to guests with strong, bitter, and often cardamom-scented coffee. During Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, Omanis refrain from eating or drinking between sunrise and sunset. They break their fast with coffee and dates followed shortly thereafter by a ritual meal, often shared with family and close friends, of elaborate foods heavy in oils and spices.

SOCIAL  STRATIFICATION

Classes and Castes. Omani culture does not have a caste system, but it does operate in a hierarchy based on family connections (tribal ties), relative wealth, and religious education. At the top of the pyramid is the sultan and his immediate family, the Al-Sa'id. This is followed by a large tribal group, the Al-Bu Sa'id. Prior to the discovery of oil in the country, the wealthiest group (class) was arguably made up of the merchant families, many of them Indian in origin, language, and culture; a particular Omani community, mainly of Hyderabadi origin, also accumulated some wealth through trade in foodstuffs. Certain families and tribes had built reputations for religious learning and mediation skills, and they often represented the government in the interior of the country. In the late twentieth century, wealth spread somewhat and a few more Omani families joined the ranks of the extremely wealthy. Oman has a small but growing middle class while the vast majority of its population outside

 

A crowded market in Fanja. The vast majority of the population outside of the capital area are engaged in subsistence agriculture, fishing, or animal husbandry.

of the capital area are engaged in subsistence agriculture, fishing, or animal husbandry.

M ARRIAGE , F AMILY, AND K INSHIP

Marriage. Marriages are normally arranged. The preferred marriage is to a cousin. First choice is to a patrilateral cousin, and second choice is to a matrilateral cousin. Even the well-educated elite of the country, university medical students, express a preference for their families to arrange marriages for them. Love matches are very infrequent, as marriage is viewed more as a contract between two families with the major aim being to produce offspring for the next generation. In polygamous households (more common among the wealthy, but not restricted to them), the first wife tends to be a close cousin and the second wife a younger, less-close relative. In the past, men tended to take on additional wives—Islam permits up to four—but in recent years, men have tended to divorce first wives and remarry, often leaving divorced women destitute and reliant on the government for support.
Domestic Unit. The domestic unit is generally an extended three-generation nuclear family; residence is usually patrilocal, with the husband's family. Although many nuclear family units reside in single residences, individual family members keep in constant contact with each other through either daily visits or regular telephone calls. It is not unusual to find families of eight, nine or ten persons living in one household. The eldest male has the greatest authority in the family while an elderly female usually takes responsibility for allocating tasks within the household.
Inheritance. The rules of inheritance are entirely governed by the Shari'ah (Islamic law), which lays down the percentage of an estate that each relative may inherit. In descending order of shares, this moves from the direct descendants (sons, wives,

 

A group of Bedouin eat a meal. Omani cuisine revolves around rice.

daughters, and husbands) to cousins and more distant relatives. These rules apply to fixed property and capital. In the interior among the pastoral tribes, women often pass on their share of certain large livestock (camels) to brothers or sons, in exchange for informal welfare security in their old age.

Wedding Henna

Photograph by James L. Stanfield

Flush with wealth from its oil fields, the Sultanate of Oman has catapulted from Arabian Peninsula backwater to modern nation—while keeping alive traditions such as lailat al henna, a women-only celebration to honor a bride on the eve of her wedding. Her hands bear fanciful filigrees executed in henna, which will wear off in several weeks. 

http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Oman.html

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/oman-photos/

Games in Oman, Muscat Brings the world close

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Sasaran MOM tercapai

ATLET Malaysia meneruskan persembahan membanggakan di persada sukan antarabangsa apabila mencapai sasaran ditetapkan Majlis Olimpik Malaysia (MOM) pada Sukan Pantai Asia di Muscat, Oman yang berakhir kelmarin.

Setiausaha Kehormat MOM, Datuk Sieh Kok Chi berkata, kontinjen negara diketuai Datuk James Selvaraj berjaya meraih satu emas dan satu perak pada edisi kedua temasya itu.

“Mereka mencapai sasaran satu emas. Ini sesuatu menggembirakan kerana tahun ini memperlihatkan kecemerlangan atlet bermula di Sukan Olimpik Remaja (Singapura), Sukan Komanwel (India) dan Sukan Asia (China).
“Pada tiga temasya sukan terbesar, kita berjaya mencapai sasaran ditetapkan malah pencapaian Sukan Komanwel India berjaya melepasi sasaran amat membanggakan,” katanya.

Pada temasya berlangsung di Oman itu, pingat emas tunggal negara disumbang Mr Universe lima kali, Sazali Abdul Samad (gambar) melalui acara bina badan kategori lightweight 70 kilogram. Kemudian, atlet pelayar remaja, Muhamad Amirul Shafiq Md Jais menyumbang pingat perak.

Sebanyak 43 negara menyertai edisi kedua temasya itu dengan Thailand muncul juara keseluruhan apabila mengutip 15 emas 10 perak 11 gangsa manakala Malaysia menduduki tempat ke-12 daripada 26 negara yang berjaya meraih pingat.

Kontinjen negara pada edisi kedua ini hanya seramai 19 atlet dan menyertai tiga daripada 14 jenis sukan dipertandingkan iaitu bina badan, pelayaran dan luncur air.

Pada edisi pertama di Bali, Indonesia dua tahun lalu, Malaysia berjaya meraih dua emas, dua perak dan enam gangsa.

Read more »

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Dazzling ceremony brings Asian Beach Games to a close

 16 December 2010 

 

MUSCAT, 16 Dec. – A dazzling closing ceremony brought the 2nd Asian Beach Games to a close on Thursday evening as the reins were handed over to the Chinese city of Haiyang. 

"You have shined with us and caused Muscat 2010 to shine," Habib bin Abdulnabi Macki, the director general of the Muscat Asian Beach Games Organising Committee, told a packed stadium at Al Musannah Sports City.

"With this shining achievement we wish the entire Asian continent yet further flourishing and prosperity.
"We are very happy that Muscat 2010 has achieved its targets and fulfilled the promise of its slogan, ‘Together we Shine’."

After Oman had relinquished its beach soccer title to the United Arab Emirates and gold medals were decided in six other sports, the evening festivities began.

Fireworks lit the sky and crowds were enthralled by the energetic display of song, dance and Omani culture.
Spectators were entertained by a mixed Asian dance performance and a fire show by a Russian group.

Malaysian singer Dayang Nurfaizah and Omani hip hop artist Sham delighted the audience with a duet of Let’s All Unite, while about 100 children performed a special rendition of the game’s theme song, Together We Shine.

Haiyang will host the 3rd Asian Beach Games in June 2012.

Read more »

Waterskiing is child's play for seven year old Aaliyah

MUSCAT, 13 Dec, – At the age of five when most children her age are just learning to swim, Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah was twisting and contorting her body as it skimmed across the surface of the water at 25 km/h.

Now seven, she will line up against people nearly five times her age at the 2010 Muscat 2nd Asian Beach Games waterski competition in the Trick Skiing category at the Qantab Beach.

"I love how challenging it is and I spend all my time training. I am on school holidays at the moment but I have been at the lake nearly every day practicing.

"All my friends at school say I’m good and they want to try waterskiing as well," she said.

She was introduced to the sport by her father, Hanifah Yoong, who runs a waterskiing club in Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, and followed in the footsteps of her half-sister Phillipa Clare Yoong Li Foong, who still competes and doubles as Aaliyah’s coach.

"The preparation for Aaliyah is quite different as generally kids are quite flighty and get distracted very easily, so it’s important to try to get them concentrating on the competition right before they go out." said Phillipa.

Aaliyah runs a tight schedule of training in the morning before attending school in the afternoon, but her coach doesn’t feel her sporting aspiration interferes with her education.

"She is pretty balanced although after school she still has homework. She does not get to bed until late, which is not ideal, but I think it works all right."

Aaliyah will face off against a strong field, including Asian champion Song Yufei (CHN), as the waterski qualifying begins on Tuesday before medals are decided on Wednesday.

The other Malaysian competitors are Hadri Ifran Mohamed Rahaziah (trick skiing), Shamal Norman Abdul Rahman (Wakeboarding) and Hanis Azemi (trick skiing).

Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah on her water ski.

http://muscat2010.blogspot.com/

Hello everyone in my blogg

Today Bayan college do celebrated to give student and some visitor from Al-Shabeeba, Al-Watan and other newspaper some gift to help the college in national day celebration..