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Aug. 21st From travel to fashion, high tech and wheels: Gulf News offers its readers the glossy stuff

It is Sunday everyday at the Gulf News, or so it seems to those arriving here from Europe or The Americas. We are used to “big newspaper packages” on Sunday.  Sunday is truly another day here, since Dubai starts the weekend Thursday evening, and everybody is off on Friday, and some on Saturday, but Sunday is the Monday as we know it.

The Weekend edition is published on Friday. However, each day the Gulf News comes armed with its usual four sections: news, business, sports and Tabloid (feature and entertainment).  But there are also entire classified sections devoted to jobs (Appointments), real estate (Freehold), and, in a city where buildings appear everywhere all the time, sometimes there is a Freehold 2 section, that is how many dwellings are in this energized market.

THEN COME THE EXTRAS: Depending on what day of the week it is, readers of the Gulf News may get Notes (about education), or Friday (the glossy magazine with topics ranging from food to fashion, health and travel), E +, the entertainment weekly complete with TV and movie listings and reviews, Weeekend Review (analysis and commentary, book reviews, the arts)., Unwind leisure), Explore (Travel), SportsXtra (a mega supplements with everything you want to know about sports that week).

A GLOSSY MAGAZINE WORLD: Then there is an entire unit of Al Nisr Publishing devoted to magazines that are sold separately from the Gulf News, and that include Aquarius (for young women), Wheels (all about automobiles, boats, planes), Property Weekly (a fat real estate supplement), InsideOut (the slick architecture/interior design magazine) and the new one 4Men (a sophisticated monthly with fashion, health, fitness and features). 

“We have a variety of publications that go beyond this,” says Abdul Hamid Ahmad, editor in chief of Gulf News, and executive director of publications for Al NIsr Publishing. “We also do GN Financial Quarterly, and Friday magazine will publish extra editions devoted to photography, Special topics are handled under GN Focus. The idea is to use the vast resources that we have to provide our readers with variety and many opportunities.”

IT IS NOT ALL ABOUT THE PRINTED NEWSPAPER: As I observe the activities here at the Gulf News, and, as my work as consultant involves work with each individual unit under its roof, I realize that in a majority of newspapers around the world, the newspaper is all that they do.  Here, synergies emerge, connections are made, and the staff is energized by the many publications that are created, each maintaining its individual identify.

It is a ritual, at 10 am, Abdul Hamid calls me into his office, and soon his assistant arrives ready to serve Arabic coffee (that comes first), then Turkish coffee. Indeed, both are a treat, and, as a Cuban-American, I can handle both very well, gracias!  Arabic coffee requires an art to serve, and I always enjoy seeing how they pour it from up high; Turkish coffee is strong and gives you enough of a pick up to climb to the half way point of the Burj Dubai.

Not even one hour after I had posted this blog today Friday, I already had two emails from some of you who wanted to know the difference between Arabic, Turkish and Cuban coffee. Although I am not a Starbucks barista, here is what I can offer you, and thanks for asking.

Posted by Dr. Mario R. Garcia on August 21, 2008