Youth put skills ahead of money

In January 2013, from different universities in the UAE, 50 students participated in a live voting session. 30% of students said the opportunity for growth and promotion is the most important factor in a job offer; 20% of students said learning new skills is the top factor; 18% said work environment and culture; while 10% said salary is first. As a result for the voting, students consider working for the private sector is more demand than working for the government. In addition, students’ main issue about working in the private sector was competition for promotion and recognition while in the government sector the issue is dealing with routine. Universities help its graduated students to have full awareness about working for the private sectors by different ways, like job fairs, career guidance and workshops with corporate guests. According to a survey of Emirati youth, 70% said when deciding on a job there are factors other than salary and benefits which are more important; while 30% of the university students considered growth and promotion are the most important in selecting a job. This edition of Tawdheef will see a renewed focus on the recruitment of Emiratis and expatriates.

More than half of the participants at the forum prefer to get their jobs immediately after graduation rather than higher education or entrepreneurship opportunities.    

Asian Houbara

At the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition, the International Fund for Houbara Conservation announced that IFHC released to wild life more than 13,000 Asian houbara which exceeded their expectations. This number of houbara was collected from different centers which are located in the UAE. In addition, the number of houbaras released increased in Morocco from 14,734 to 17,262 and from 77 to 303 in Kazakhstan. The organization’s global target is 50,000 chicks in those countries.   

 The main reasons why the houbara population decreased are because the construction of the cities and new development and because of the hunters who want to train their falcons how to hunt or they may be hunted by shotguns. Moreover, falconry is in danger because of the poachers and non-traditional practices. Naturally, houbara is not a prey for most falcons but the falcons must be trained to hunt them.

IFHC distributed a survey during the exhibition to all falconers to determine the number of houbaras they need to meet their demands and how many wild birds are trapped and which areas require the reintroduction programme. “Another issue we face is that we cannot determine the size of the black market, which is why these surveys are important” Al Biadani said. In this year, IFHC targeted the primary and middle schools to educate students to be future hunters and falconers. 

How do Gulf corals beat the heat?

The temperature of the Gulf’s water is too hot in summer. Over the years, coral managed to survive this heat by creating a stable local stock of heat-resistant corals or by switching on a genetic protective mechanism to handle the heat of the region. The coral live in symbiosis with algae which produces sugar to give energy to the coral while the coral gives shelter and nutrients to algae. Both of them are entirely co-dependent. At high temperature, algae produce oxygen that damages the coral tissue and causes bleaching, so the coral spits out the algae to protect itself. The coral can live up to one week from its reserves then it needs to take back in the algae or it will die. Over years, the corals recovered from damage in different places all over the world. The corals reproduce by fragmentation or by larval reproduction. The coral larvae are produced in billions during spawning and float until they attach themselves to rocks. An oceanographer suspects there maybe seeding reefs upstream in the Gulf, which would strengthen calls for cross-boundary environmental protection agreements.

New Pearl Museum opens in RAK

The precious pearl has two ancient myths which said it has two mothers. One said it is Bint Al Matar and the other said it is Bint Al Qamar. The pearl in RAK amazed the merchants in the past and had an impact on the economy. RAK was known as Julfar where the pearl was being fished. In 1930s the artificial pearl which created was by Japanese took on natural pearl’s place. Natural pearls occur naturally in oysters but the cultured pearls are created artificially. Although the natural pearl industry collapsed it still has impact on Emirati women. The oyster’s shell is used for design, its edible interior as good and the remains are used as fertilizer. The local pearls born in RAK’s water have different shapes, sizes and colors. The first floor of the museum is a historical journey which has tools and gear worn by the divers. Even though the divers had protection some suffered from blindness and deafness. Divers took in their trip all what they needed like cannon as a signal to return and shisha. The second floor is to display famous pearls and how to distinguish between them. Buddha oyster shell is also in display. Finally, RAK’s 12mm “Miracle of Arabia” pearl is displayed.

First Reflective Statement

1- This course is about how to develop our knowledge academically in writing and reading which I have learnt in LSC 1103. In this course we have to learn how to memorize different materials from different sources such as newspapers, magazines and websites using APA referencing.

2- During the first three weeks I learnt how to create a blog in www.blogger.com. The teacher asked me to link my blog with his blog as a portfolio. Also, I did a summary about the Hajj and how it proceeds then I posted to the blogger to be corrected.

3- I think I will learn how to summarize academic articles using the strategies that Hedley will teach us. Also, in this course I am willing to learn how to be able to develop my reading strategies. In addition, I should know new academic vocabulary and know how to spell them correctly.

4- I know that Hedley is my English teacher. He is from Newcastle, England. I know that Hedley is married with two daughters Kate and Emma and four grandchildren Louisa, William, Harry and Ruby. He told us that he travelled to Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Hawaii.

The Hajj

The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. About 2 million Muslim go to Mecca yearly. Only people who are healthy and can afford to do it once in their lives. The Hajj begins in the last month of the Islamic year (Dhul-Hajjah). The mosque in Mecca is called the Ka’aba where all Muslims face the Ka’aba direction five times a day when they are praying. This mosque was built by Abraham and his son Ishmail. The pilgrims retrace the footsteps of Prophet Mohammad. These pilgrims should be vaccinated to avoid diseases. The crowd of people is a big problem for Saudi authorities. Before entering Mecca, men pilgrims should shave their heads, trim their beards, cut their nails and wear two-piece of seamless white robe. Also, women wear white long robes but uncover their faces. The first step is Tawaf which is an anticlockwise procession, seven times around the Ka’aba. Then pilgrims perform Sa’i which is going seven times between the two hills Safa and Marwah. First day in the Hajj, Pilgrims walk three miles to Mina and stay a night. On the second morning, they move to the plain of Arafat. In the evening they travel to Muzdalifah and camp that night. All pilgrims should throw seven pebbles in each day of the Jamraat and the pilgrim should slaughters a sheep. The pilgrims go back to Mecca and do Tawaf and Sa’I. They return to Mina for three days of prayers. Farewell Tawaf is the last ritual of the Hajj.

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