Dubai Cares - Volunteer Emirates

Sruthilayam 2008

For passes, please contact: 050 4564850 or 050 7746579

Dubai Cares - Inviting Voluteers

On the Spot Painting Competition

Break World Records at Global Village

Classical Dance programme by Mrs Uma B Ramesh at KSC Abu Dhabi

An apple a day

Save Energy campaign

Save Energy campaign

P.R Karim Memorial Sakthi One-Act Play Fest 2008 at Kerala Social Centre Abu Dhabi

P.R Karim Memorial Sakthi One-Act Play Fest 2008 at Kerala Social Centre Abu Dhabi

Dear Friends,

Again the Curtain is raising after two decades for a drama competition in UAE.

To feel the power of Art and Act ………

To sense the appeal of thought …………

All are invited ……….

P.R Karim Memorial Sakthi One-Act Play Fest 2008

AT KERALA SOCIAL CENTRE ABU DHABI.

13/11/2008, Thursday
Kunhiraman
Yuvakalasahithi, Abu dhabi 9.pm

Good Night
Al Ain ISC 10.pm

17/11/2008, Monday
Makudi
Mac Abu Dhabi 9.pm

Chenda
Samskara, Ajman 10.pm

18/11/2008,Tuesday
Bhoominte chora
Kala Abu dhabi 9.pm

Zoo Story
Sir Saif College Alumini, Dubai 10.pm

19/11/2008,Wenesday
Etra Matram
Thrissur Kerala Varma College Alumini Dubai9.pm

Samayam
Friends of ENOC, Dubai 10.pm

Prize Distribution
on 20/11/2008 Thursday

Sakthi Managing Committee

No Recession for Creative Thoughts

Speech by Dr. R. V. G. Menon at KSC Abu Dhabi

Speech by Dr. R. V. G. Menon at KSC Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi 16 Nov 2008: At 9.00pm today, Dr. R.V.G. Menon, Scientist, and former president of Kerala Sashtra Shahithya Parithad speaks on 'CIVIL NUCLEAR AGREEMENT WITH USA - Political and Economic Impact including slowing World economy.

Classical Music Concert by Sri Sankaran Namboothiri at KSC Abu Dhabi

Classical Music Concert by Sri Sankaran Namboothiri at KSC Abu Dhabi



Sri Sankaran Namboothiri, a well renowned child prodigy, started learning music at the age of 10 under the tutelage of Sri C S Narayanan Namboothiri and thereafter pursued his learning under stalwarts like Sri T V Gopalakrishnan, Professor Sri Mavelikkara R Prabhakara Verma and Palakkad Sri V Narayana Swamy.

Recognised at the youngest A Grade Artist, Sri Sankaran Namboothiri started performing concerts at a very young age of 11 and by the year 13 he had already started taking the famous sabhas by storm.

He received junior fellowship and the senior fellowship from the Government of India for his musical career.

He has been the recipient of many honours and titles including the Yuva Kala Bharathi from Bharat Kalachar, Chennai and Gananrutha Surabhi by Sree Vidya Peetam, Kallidaikurichi, Tirunelveli.

Sri Sankaran Namboodiri has performed in all the major sabhas of India and has also performed concerts in the United States of America, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, etc…. He has to his credit several cassettes and CDs released by HMV, Sangeetha, AVM, etc. He is also enlightening music lovers and music aspirants through the popular television programme “Nadopasana” aired from Jeevan TV.

Sri Sankaran Namboodiri is involved in the treatment of patients by music therapy in various hospitals in India.

At Abu Dhabi - It's a rainy rainy day (16 Nov 2008)

At Abu Dhabi - It's a rainy rainy day (16 Nov 2008) At Abu Dhabi - It's a rainy rainy day (16 Nov 2008)

2009 Models launched. Book Now

2009 Models launched. Book Now

Mind Speaks - Yes. WE CAN

Mind Speaks - Yes. WE CAN



Dear Friends,

Welcome to read the 9th issue of No News. An interesting photo and interesting title. Yes. WE CAN. We heard this quite a lot these days due to the recently concluded US Presidential election. Barack Obama has become the president elect now. That was on the other side of the globe, and it was an event where our global godfather’s destiny is involved. While we wait and watch what happens next, an interesting development happened on this side of the sub-continent. India beat Australia 2-0 in test cricket. What more you need when two stalwarts are departing from the game?

Watching test cricket is not in the agenda of many. But reading about it and seeing the highlights still holds good ground as it gives us opportunity to analyse certain management styles. In bief, let us take some of the opportunities made available, created, utilised and missed.

To begin with, I have plenty of compassion for Rahul Dravid. In terrible times and going to the ground with grease in hands and pins on his bat’s grip. Each time while fielding or batting he had some problems or other. Gautam Gambir’s test of strength and subsequent ban gave a blissful opening to Murali Vijay. Along with ability, time was in his favour by way of K Srikanth as Chief Selector and Madras IPL team captain MS Dhoni as the captain of Indian side. Opportunities seldom come on national level and the boy from Madras knew it very well. Good opening partnerships supplemented with excellent fielding in both innings. Whether he gets to play often, with this performance I am sure, he will be with the Indian touring side henceforth.

MS Dhoni is continuing to prove that he is an ever improving personality. I read that due to Kumble’s injury he was called for duty just one hour before the start of the test and ended up as a winning captain. But do you think a make shift captain can do that with luck?. I don’t think so, he must have been planning and playing all the time in his mind, analysing and observing each and every team members and their capabilities and weaknesses and also the opposition players’. This was proved when he finally became the Captain of choice after Anil Kumble announced his retirement before the final test match. Dhoni proved that one doesn’t have to intimidate with talks and actions to gain command over the opposition. Yes, one can be a silent killer with perceptive actions. I am keen to see how he progress along with his young generation players. After all, we eat, breath and sleep cricket. Don’t we?

Coming back to the title –Yes. WE CAN. Barack Obama has become the President elect of United States. Well, very good. This election has taken a lot of radio and tv time and news space. What change is it going to effect us in the coming days? I don’t know. Except my wish that it gives an opportunistic change in terms of the traffic situation, the falling global share price, the cash crunch, employment cuts etc etc. Very soon he has to play a real magician’s role in order to put a break to all those erosions and corrosions happening globally. How he does that and how he charismatically and politically blend with the global leaders in order for US to retain the global god father seat will definitely be an impact on the shape of things to happen.

While we wait for it, let me conclude this write up with a small sentence from his speech. Our stories are singular but destiny is united. May be Harbhajan Singh also wanted to say this after the series with Australia.Yes. WE CAN. Indian team proved it. Why not we?

Last but not the least,




Have a great week ahead,

Ramesh Menon
12112008
Visit: www.talentshare.blogspot.com

Pakistan v/s West Indies Cricket Match at Abu Dhabi

Pakistan v/s West Indies Cricket Match at Abu Dhabi

Million Book Challenge

Dhoni Damaka

Dhoni Damaka
by ADUR PRADEEP for KHALEEJ TIMES

DUBAI - India – Australia encounters are well known for producing scintillating cricket, and the latest one that ended on Monday proved no different either.

Though the initial days didn’t offer nothing more than dull draws, the last day of the final Test provided perhaps the best climax to the series, with the Indian spinners proving unplayable on a crumbling fifth-day pitch as they helped India crush the world champions by a 2-0 margin.

The entire series provided several moments of individual brilliance, lot of action, thrill and entertainment for the spectators. Khaleej Times takes a look at some of the decisive moments, turning points and key performances in the Test series.

Captain Courageous

There’s something remarkable about Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his captaincy. Many termed his Twenty20 World Cup triumph last year as just a fluke or lottery. But he proved them wrong with convincing victories in the following one-day series. Now, with a chance to captain the Test side after Anil Kumble announced his retirement, the wicketkeeper proved that there is more substance to his captaincy and tactics than mere luck and chances following a convincing 2-0 triumph over the world champions. It couldn’t be termed as a fluke any more that he led India to decisive victories over the world champions in the two matches (Mohali and Nagpur) that he led the team. The other two Tests, under the captaincy of Kumble, ended in drab draws. Despite the Australian Press blasting him for some of the ‘negative bowling tactics’ he adopted in Nagpur, he led the team superbly to victories in the matches he has led. If such tactics eventually lead a team to Test triumphs, many captains wouldn’t mind adopting those ‘negative’ tactics in the future too. His batting too improved significantly as he played some crucial knocks in Mohali and Nagpur when it mattered the most. He finished the series on a high note, scoring 307 runs at an average of 61.40. On the other hand, the Australian skipper Ricky Ponting started superbly by smashing a delightful century on the opening day of the first Test in Bangalore, but couldn’t retain the initial momentum in the latter part of the series. Ponting, with an average of 12.28 from his previous eight Tests in India before this tour, finished with a tally of 266 runs at an average of 38, including one century and half-century, each.

Turning Point

Although Harbhajan Singh didn’t pick up wickets in the first half of the series, he ensured that he ended up on a high note by taking 15 wickets – on par with the Player of the series Ishant Sharma – thanks to superb last day histrionics in Nagpur. He bagged 15 wickets at an average of 28.86 from three Tests. But it has to be noted that Harbhajan, through his batting, in the company of Zaheer Khan, was instrumental in saving the Bangalore match for India. That turned out to be the turning point of the entire series. He managed two crucial half-centuries, the first a match saving one, and the second in Nagpur ending on a winning note. The Harbhajan-Zaheer duo, with their gritty batting and 80-run stand, saved India from a precarious position in the Bangalore Test. Had India lost their initiative in the first Test, the outcome would have been different.

Man of the Moment

In an Indian series, no one would have fancied a pace bowler’s chances to emerge as the top wicket taker. But, after a sterling performance against Australia Down Under early this year, Ishant Sharma topped the charts again this time in India by taking 15 Australian wickets at an average of 27.06. His outstanding performance deservedly fetched him the Player of the Series award.

Batting Brilliance

Not many would have placed their bets on Indian opener Gautam Gambhir to emerge the top scorer in a Test series featuring the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag and Matthew Hayden. But the Delhi opener made rapid strides in his Test career by scoring 463 runs from just three Tests, surpassing his illustrious team-mates.

Tendulkar took the second spot, scoring 396 from eight innings at an average of 56.57, with one century and two 50s. Michael Hussey took the third spot with an aggregate of 394 runs from seven innings for Australia as he scored a brilliant 146 in the first innings of Bangalore Test. Laxman too played his part by finishing fourth in the rank, scoring 381 from seven inning at an average of 95.25.

Bowling Might

The Indian pitches, favourable to spinners, are considered graveyards for medium-pace and pace bowlers. It was also considered a luxury of including two pacers in the Indian squad, while playing at home. Not any more. The success of Indian pacers – Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan – even at unresponsive home pitches is indeed happy news for India, with the young spinner Amit Mishra, in the company of Harbhajan Singh, showing signs of learning the tricks quickly. He finished third in the top bowlers’ list by taking 14 wickets from three matches at an impressive average of 24.07 and economy rate of 2.76. Zaheer Khan too improved his performance at home, bagging 11 wickets, including a five-wicket haul in the opening Test. For Australia, Mitchell Johnson also put up a sterling show, taking 13 wickets at an average of 40.07. It was a remarkable achievement for him considering that even his place in the squad wasn’t sure because of poor form before the series. Facing pressure from his fellow left-armer Doug Bollinger, Johnson not only proved himself, but surpassed the lethal Brett Lee, who had a poor series with only eight wickets from the entire series. One player who made rapid strides for Australia in the series was Shane Watson, who bagged 10 wickets at an average of 32.10 and an economy rate of 2.77, plus 161 runs from six innings. But the surprise package was Australia’s Jason Krejza, who took an incredible 12 wickets on his debut.

On a High

The legendary Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar retired from international cricket when he was in supreme form. Justifying his retirement, he said, the fans should ask ‘Why’ instead of ‘Why Not’ when you announce your retirement, indicating that players should retire when they are in peak form. The Prince of Kolkatta Sourav Ganguly seems to be following the Gavaskar-principle as he announced his retirement when he has plenty left to offer Indian cricket. He left his game on a high note after scoring 324 runs at an average of 54, much higher than his career average, including a century and half-century in his last series. Kumble too announced his retirement, as he assessed his own career and the future of spin bowling in the middle of the series before announcing his retirement after the drawn New Delhi series.

Causes for Concern

India was one of the places where active crowd participation was a certainty for any thing associated with cricket. But if the attendance at the venues for the Test series were any indication, the Indian public is not that keen to watch the five-day affair, at least in stadiums any more. The next one-day series — this month against England — might be a pointer to Indian moods; whether people are now likely to watch only Twenty20 rather than limited overs or Tests. Despite India’s awesome 2-0 triumph over Australia, one big cause of concern for them would be the form of their middle-order batsman Rahul Dravid. The once dependable ‘The Wall’ only scored 120 runs at an average of 17.14, much lesser than the aggregate of fellow bowler Harbhajan Singh!

Only for Bangaloreans- A chance to Learn Sanskrit

Only for Bangaloreans- A chance to Learn Sanskrit

Namaste All,

This mail is meant only for those living in Bangalore-India.
If any of your friends are residing in bangalore, please forward this
to them too..

Here is an opportunity to learn to speak in Samskrit. IT Milans with
Samskrithabharathi is organizing Samskritha Sambhashana Shibira at
every nook and corner of bangalore on Nov 22nd and 23rd. The teachers
are from Samskrita Bharati, all well-trained and many of them teach
Samskrit in schools and colleges.

For registering, you may send a mail to samskrit4u@gmail. com or you
may contact the person coordinating the camps in your locality
http://speaksamskri t.blogspot. com/2008/ 10/contact. html

For further details, please read on.

Regards,

Sreejith.

____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _


Samskrita Bharati is an NGO, dedicated to reviving Samskritam as a
conversational language and thereby bringing about a social change.
Rather than speaking about Samskritam, Samskrita Bharati focuses on
speaking in Samskritam and using it as a medium of instruction to
unearth the treasure - the unsurpassed wisdom of Indian sages,
philosophers, scientists, and poets found in ancient Samskrita works
and treatises.

The Speak Samskritam movement took off in 1981. Till today more than
1.5 crores have been trained with 20 hours of course module in 10
days. More than 150 people are working as full-time workers for the
organisation.

Samskrit Sambhashan Workshops

http://speaksamskri t.blogspot. com/

Samskrita Bharati is conducting 2 full days Samskrit Sambhashan
Workshops(Samskrit speaking workshops) on Nov.22 (Saturday) and
Nov.23 (Sunday), 2008, considering the constraints of not being able
to attend 10 days course by professionals. .

Salient features:

1. Knowledge of Devanagari Script is not required.

2. Can learn Samskrit speaking in our neighborhood in just 2 days.

3. Families and neighbors attend and hence an opportunity to continue
it afterwards also.

4. Learning through games – learn while you play.

5. Learn while you eat also.

6. CD show during breaks.

7. Chart exhibition pertaining to Ancient Indian Contribution to
Science.

8. Exhibition of daily usage items with Samskrit names.

9. Book-stall for selling books/ CDs etc. in Samskrit.

10. On the spot registration for furthering the study (may be
correspondence etc.).

11. An opportunity to learn further (read and write) at neighborhood
if sufficient number of people (25 no.) are willing.

Learning Samskrita is as simple as saying A-U-M !

Kindly note:

Registration is first come, first serve basis.
Registration charges per person are – Rs. 200/- for adults and
Rs.100/- for children.
Limited 25 seats only.
Children can participate, if only parents participate.
Participants are expected to be present by 9.00AM on both days and are
required to be late in the evening.

Paintings by Nikita Ajay

Paintings by Nikita Ajay



Click on the title to see more paintings by Nikita Ajay

Paintings by Akita Ajay

Paintings by Akita Ajay



Click on the title to see more paintings by the Akita Ajay.

Oil Paintings by Rajkumar

Oil Paintings by Rajkumar



Click on the title to see more paintings by Rajkumar

Inviting Creative Talents

Sanskrit learning sites

For learning Sanskrit language

Hi friends,

If you are interested to learn Sanskrit language please use the below mentioned links.

A Very good site for Text, songs, Vedeo to download and watch online:
http://sanskrit. sriaurobindoashr am.org.in/

saMprati vartaha Sruyamtaam
All India Radio's daily news in Sanskrit can be listened from below link.
This would help in right pronunciation and increasing knowledge of spoken
sanskrit.
http://sanskritdocu ments.org/ sanskritnews. html
http://girvanavani. googlepages. com/newsheadline s

Antarjaale labhya ekameva Samskruta dinapatrikaa! !
http://sudharma. epapertoday. com

Site to see various Kavya of Sanskrit, Both for download and read online.
example: Raghu Vamsam, Kumarasambhavam, Abhijnana Sakuntalam, etc.
http://www.vedamu. org/Sankrit/ sankritmain. asp

http://www.sanskrit deepika.org

Many things related to Samskrit
http://opinion. currentsamachar. com/sanskritblog s.php

Learn Sanskrit through self study:
http://acharya. iitm.ac.in/ sanskrit/ tutor.html

Few valuable Sanskrit documents in different language:
http://sanskritdocu ments.org/ learning_ tools/learning_ tools.html
http://sanskritdocu ments.org/ news/

Distance education:
http://sanskrit. nic.in/dis. htm

distance education - samskrita-bharat
http://www.samskrit a-bharati. org/newsite/ index.php

Learn sanskrit - wikepedia
http://hi.wikibooks .org/wiki/ %E0%A4%A8% E0%A5%87% E0%A4%9F_ %E0%A4%AA% E0%A4%B0_ %E0%A4%B8% E0%A4%82% E0%A4%B8% E0%A5%8D% E0%A4%95% E0%A5%83% E0%A4%A4_ %E0%A4%AD% E0%A4%BE% E0%A4%B7% E0%A4%BE_ %E0%A4%B8% E0%A5%80% E0%A4%96% E0%A5%87% E0%A4%82

Many Good Audios (stroies) on Sanskrit:
http://www.umich. edu/~iinet/ csas/publication s/sanskrit/ audio.html

A Software on Sanskrit Grammar based on Panini's Sutras
http://www.taralaba lu.org/panini/ greetings. htm

cd quality stuff (Many good Bhajana and Songs in Sanskrit)
http://www.hummaa. com/music/ justarrived. php?pg=ja& lg=7&lc=& ps=0&mhrdwk= 1&rand=0. 5933028437082346

Samskrit Document:
http://www.mywhatev er.com/sanskrit/ index.html

Sanskrit Translation Tools:
http://www.omkarana nda-ashram. org/Sanskrit/ Itranslt. html

Sanskrit in Computing:
http://bhashaindia. com/patrons/ Sanskrit/ computing. aspx

Learn Sanskrit Grammer:
http://www.warnemyr .com/skrgram/

Vedic Concordance - download
http://www.zinbun. kyoto-u.ac. jp/~mfujii/ tools.html# VedCon

Digital Library of India:
http://www.new. dli.ernet. in/

scanned Sanskrit books
http://sanskritdocu ments.org/ scannedbooks/ SanskritIISc. html

Links at hindu wisdom (Saying of Big Personality regarding Sanskrit)-
http://www.hinduwis dom.info/ Sanskrit. htm

A Vedic Concordance
http://www.dslo. unibo.it/ bloomsfield/ introeng. html

Sanskrit: The Mother of All Languages - Part I of III
http://www.thevedic foundation. org/valuable_ resources/ Sanskrit- The_Mother_ of_All_Languages _partI.htm

about paNiini
http://www-gap. dcs.st-and. ac.uk/~history/ Biographies/ Panini.html

Sanskrit & Artificial Intelligence — NASA
http://www.vtweb. com/gosai/ science/sanskrit -nasa.html

A Practical Sanskrit Introductory
http://www.danam. co.uk/Sanskrit/ Sanskrit% 20Introductory/ Sanskrit% 20Introductory. html

The Paninian System of Sanskrit Grammar
http://www.sai. uni-heidelberg. de/~amishra/ index.html

sanskrit texts translated in english
http://www.sacred- texts.com/ hin/index. htm

upanishads, pa~ncadashi etc...
http://swami- krishnananda. org/index. html

Free Books on Yoga, Religion and Philosophy(bhagvadg iita transliterated &
translated)
http://www.dlshq. org/download/ download. htm

108 upanishads in sanskrit
http://www.gatewayf orindia.com/ upanishad/ upanishads. htm

can purchase (translated) upanishads
http://www.advaitaa shrama.org/ home.html

Learn step-by-step- Chitrapur Math
Here is an excellent source with pdf tutorials:
http://chitrapurmat h.net/sanskrit/ step-by-step. htm

dramas in sanskrit - types etc.
http://www.geocitie s.com/fisik_ 99/sankdram. htm

apte dictionary english to sanskrit
A very good site for those who want to know a sanskrit word for the given
english word.
follow the link.

http://www.sanskrit -lexicon. uni-koeln. de/aequery/ index.html

a link for all the sanskrit scanned books
http://www.new. dli.ernet. in/

Sanskrit Classics for Free Download
Free download of Sanskrit Literature live Veda, Vedanga, Upaveda,
Ayurveda,... .

http://is1.mum. edu/vedicreserve /table_qualities .htm
http://is1.mum. edu/vedicreserve /index_of_ vedic_literature .htm

http://cs.annauniv. edu/insight/ insight/chhandas /index.htm
http://www.ibiblio. org/sripedia/ ebooks/vdesikan/ rps/chitra. html

for Sanskrit - English Dictionary use this link
http://www.sanskrit -lexicon. uni-koeln. de/mwquery/ index.html

Complete works of Adi Shankara
http://www.sankara. iitk.ac.in/

Texts with english translations too
http://www.hinduism .co.za/

Rig-Veda: Sanskrit Version
http://www.sacred- texts.com/ hin/rvsan/ index.htm

Audio download links for Rig Veda
http://www.gatewayf orindia.com/ vedas/rigveda. html

The Paninian System of Sanskrit Grammar
http://www.sai. uni-heidelberg. de/~amishra/ lists/rules/ aaall_hk. html

Sanskrit songs
http://www.geetgang a.org/audio/ by/language/ sanskrit
http://www.purebhak ti.com

Review:Nyayashastra praveshika
http://living. oneindia. in/home-n- garden/reviews/ nyayashastraprav eshika.html
durga shapta shati
http://sanskrit. safire.com/ Sanskrit. html#Saptashati

http://gitapress. org/Download_ Hin_pdf.htm

Sanskrit is an amazingly rich language
http://www.hinduwis dom.info/ Sanskrit. htm
http://sanskrit. gde.to/all_ pdf/raamakrshhna .pdf

Sanskrit to learn Sanskrit.... ......... .

http://www.ukindia. com/zip/zsan01. htm

http://www.word2wor d.com/coursead. html#sanskrit

Few more Sanskrut urls (Links):
http://www.vedamu. org/Sankrit/ sankritmain. asp
http://www.ourkarna taka.com/ learnsanskrit/ sanskrit_ main.htm
http://aa2411s. aa.tufs.ac. jp/~tjun/ sktdic/
http://www.alkhemy. com/sanskrit/ dict/
http://www.sanskrit -sanscrito. com.ar/indexcopy .html
http://www.chitrapu rmath.net/ sanskrit/ sanskrit. asp
http://www.aczoom. com/itrans/ online/
http://sa.wikipedia .org/wiki/
http://acharya. iitm.ac.in/ sanskrit/ dictionary/
http://www.sanskrit academy.org/ About.htm
http://sanskrit. gde.to/learning_ tools/learning_ tools.html
http://www.baraha. com/
http://www.uni- koeln.de/ phil-fak/ indologie/ tamil/mwreport. html
http://www.samskrit abharati. org/
http://webapps. uni-koeln. de/tamil/
http://www.stutiman dal.com/
http://www.switzeri nstrument. com/Rajaji- Original/ Upanishads/ upanishad. htm
http://www.samskrta m.org/index. php
http://vedabase. net/en/

http://vedabase. net/sb/1/ 10/27/en
http://vedabase. net/cc/antya/ 8/32/en*http: //vedabase. net/sb/10/ 86/51/en
http://www.geocitie s.com/prashanth_ k_blr/Subhashita ni/index. html
http://www.sanskrit -sanscrito. com.ar/
http://www.sanskrit web.net/index. htm
http://www.omkarana nda-ashram. org/Sanskrit/ vedicaccents. htm
http://www.omkarana nda-ashram. org/Sanskrit/ Itranslt. html

Temptations On The Move - Beautiful Abu Dhabi

Temptations On The Move - Beautiful Abu Dhabi

Million Book Challenge by Dubai Cares

Million Book Challenge by Dubai Cares

Keralotsav 2008 at Kerala Social Centre Abu Dhabi

Keralotsav 2008 at Kerala Social Centre Abu Dhabi

Oldest Member of KSC Abu Dhabi Mr. James Gomez speaking during the Members night held at KSC.

Abu Dhabi Bus Network

Abu Dhabi Bus Network.

For information, please click the subject title above which will take you to the detailed page by THE NATIONAL newspaper

UAE ID Card Info

The UAE ID card deadline has been brought forward to 31 December 2008 for all professional and graduate residents in the UAE working in private sector firms and their family members.

The UAE ID card will eventually eliminate the need to carry multiple cards like driving licenses, work permits, passports, e-gate cards etc. Until the UAE ID card actually replaces the need for an employer to obtain the employee a labour card, then the responsibility and associated cost for obtaining the UAE ID card lies with each individual resident of the UAE. This e-mail is intended to provide some help and advice on what to do.


How to apply for an ID card

Document Requirements:
1. Original passport with valid UAE residency
2. Completed application form (copy of the application form attached – this must be typed)
3. Cash amount of AED 400

Registration:
1.Book an online appointment at : www.emiratesid. ae
2.Before going for your appointment, fill up the online application form from EIDA website and take a printout, using only a laser printer. http://www.emirates id.ae/EIDAWeb/ Pages/LitePreReg /ProfileCreation /OfflineUpload. aspx
3.Visit the nearest EIDA service centre at your appointment time (with application form, passport and 400 cash).
4.Allow biometric and fingerprinting to be done and get your original documents scanned.
5.You can either choose to have your National ID card sent to you by Empost or personally collect it after 3 working days.


The Fees:
Registration Fee = AED 100 per remaining year of validity on residency visa i.e. if you have 1 year and 2 months left on your visa you must pay AED 200
Typing Fee at Centre or Cost of Empost pre-application pack = AED 40 (no fee if application typed online)
Card delivery via Empost = AED 15

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact HR or the EIDA directly on 600 523 432.

Good luck!!!



Registration Branches:

Al Karama Service Centre
Al Karama Area
Men’s College of Technology Old Building, Dubai Central Post Office
Dubai
Tel: 04 334 2055
Fax: 04 335 3250
Working Hours: 7:30 AM – 8:30 PM

Al Barsha Service Centre
Near Jebel Ali Horse Race Course
Dubai
Tel: 02 404 6666 ext 4000
Fax: 04 3419889
Working Hours: 7:30 AM – 8:30 PM

Municipality Service Centre
Abu Hail Area
Men’s College Of Technology Old Building
Dubai
Tel: 04 265 1542
Fax: 04 606 6725
Working Hours: 7:30 AM – 2:30 PM

Al Taawun Service Centre
Al Nahda Area
Al Taawun Mall, 3rd Floor
Sharjah
Tel: 06 577 4000
Fax: 06 577 4477
Working Hours: 7:30 AM – 2:30 PM

Branches: Abu Dhabi

Al Mushrif Service Centre
Musafa Street
Al Mushrif Area, Near ADNEC
Tel: 02 404 6688
Fax: 02 4493236
Working Hours: 7:30 AM – 8:30 PM

Delma Island – Delma Service Centre
Delma Mall, TAM Centre, 2nd Floor
P.O. Box 50660 (EIDA section)
Tel: 02 849 5554
Fax: 02 894 5571
Working Hours: 7:30 AM – 2:30 PM

Read-a-Thon Hit with Students

Read-a-Thon Hit with Students
Staff Reporter KHALEEJ TIMES 4 November 2008

DUBAI - Local schools have signed up over a 100,000 students for the Million Book Challenge.

The focus over the next two weeks is to get kids in Dubai to read the books as part of the Dubai Cares Read-a-thon, two days after the Million Book Challenge was officially launched in Dubai.

The daunting challenge will see students go through one million books in two weeks. The event is part of the Dubai Cares 2008 campaign.

Students can read books in any language from the school libraries, from home or even purchase new books.

For each book read, Dubai Cares will buy a new book and donate it to children in need around the world.

The Read-a-thon, focusing on students aged between three and 14, began at noon on Oct 30 and will end at noon on Nov 16. The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, on Monday, announced its support of Dubai Cares One Million Book Challenge, pledging 100,000 books to children in need across the Arab world. The books donated by the foundation will cover a wide range of subjects, including international literary classics that will be presented in a simplified and attractive manner.

Several titles will be translated from various languages including English, French, Italian, and Swedish.

“The Million Book Challenge is a fine example to the world about how to think big and how a global city should practise global citizenship.”

Dr Hanif Hassan, Minister of Education, noted that when the Dubai Cares project was launched by Shaikh Mohammed, it was intended to educate a million children.

Driving Licence Renewal in Any Emirate

Driving Licence Renewal in Any Emirate
Adel Arafah for KHALEEJ TIMES 4 November 2008

ABU DHABI - Emiratis and expats can from January next year, get their driving licences renewed at any licencing department in the UAE, regardless of the place of issue of the licence or the place where the residence visa was issued, Col. Ghaith Hassan Al Zaabi, Director of the Traffic Department in the Ministry of Interior, told Khaleej Times.

“Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior, had ordered for technical and administrative measures to speed up the implementation of the new service,” he said.

“The new service will help ease difficulties being faced by residents who filed complaints about hurdles faced by them,” Col Zaabi said. “At present applications for renewal of licences are rejected by a traffic department if visa is issued in another emirate.”

Dial 108 for help in 20 minutes

At Bangalore Dial 108 for help in 20 minutes

Former president A P J Abdul Kalam with Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa flagging off the 108 Emergency Response Services in Karnataka, in Bangalore.Express News Service First Published : 02 Nov 2008 05:21:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 04 Nov 2008 10:21:04 AM ISTBANGALORE: Henceforth, you need not grope in the dark for help in case of emergencies like road mishaps and fire accidents. All you have to do is dial 108, a toll-free number to get ambulance services within 20 minutes at the disaster spot.

The state government, in partnership with Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI), a not-for-profit organisation from Hyderabad, has launched a 24-hour free emergency response service -Arogya Kavacha - to help people in emergency, be it medical, police or fire-related. People can dial 108 without any prefix or suffix from any phone (landline or mobile) and seek help.

As many as 66 state-of-the-art ambulances, fully equipped to handle any kind of emergency, have been pressed into service and these ambulances will operate in five districts __ Bangalore, Tumkur, Chitradurga, Davanagere and Bellary.

The number of ambulances will be increased to 150 by March and the service will be extended to all 29 districts by 2010 with 517 ambulances, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa said after launching the scheme at the Vidhana Soudha on Saturday. “We want to have one ambulance for every 50,000 people,” he said. Former president A P J Abdul Kalam, who is Chairman Emeritus of EMRI, said that EMRI had been doing a wonderful job in saving lives during emergency.

EMRI, which provides emergency services in Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, has so far saved over 45,000 lives and it plans to save over a million lives by 2010, Kalam said expressing happiness over the launch of the scheme in Karnataka.

EMRI CEO Venkat Changavalli, Ministers B Sriramulu, Janardhan Reddy, Karunakar Reddy, Ramachandra Gowda and Katta Subramanya Naidu and Chairman of Satyam Computers and founder of EMRI B Ramalinga Raju were present on the occasion.

HOW IT WORKS

People can call 108 from any phone (landline or mobile)

Call lands at the Emergency Response Centre (ERC ), and the caller should give information on the type of emergency, location and landmark, if any

Based on the information, ERC will despatch either ambulance, fire fighters or police depending on the type of emergency

Help will reach in 20 minutes in cities and 30 minutes in rural areas

Medical technicians and physicians will provide pre-hospital care while transporting the victim in the ambulance to the nearest hospital.

Zero waste management gets rooted

Navneeth, a Chennai-based landscape consultant, with ‘khambas’ consisiting of three modular pots that are used for home composting of garbageNalini RavichandranFirst Published : 04 Nov 2008 CHENNAI:

‘Minimise, Reuse and Recycle’- the mantra of solid waste management could soon be on the lips of the residents of Kalashetra Colony (KC) if the initiative taken in some pockets in this South Chennai colony snowballs into a movement to cover its entire 2,000 households.

KC, in Besant Nagar on the Elliots beach, is the pilot site selected by the Madras High Court for zero waste management about three months back.

A meeting of the the KC residents, members of the Expert Committee and all the concerned members is due to be held on November 11 to chalk out plans for implementing the concept of ‘minimum solid waste’ in its second phase.

In the first phase, work in segregating the garbage into 5 bins had already started in some pockets with only the recyclable materials handed over to the garbage collectors, mostly members of the Narikurava community. There are separate bins for food and other biodegradable waste, e-waste, medical waste, dead rodents, and for diapers and napkins.

Nityanand Jayaraman, resident of the colony and an environmental activist told to this website's newspaper that the plan was to implement zero waste management in phases, with minimal work initiated already at ground level.

He said a small group of people from the Narikurava community would be involved in the entire process of segregation of waste. It would be a joint work by the garbage handlers and Neel Metal Fanalca, the Columbian agency in contract with the Municipal Corporation handling the entire garbage in Chennai.

Jayaram said the garbage would be composted at a small-centralized level with a biogas reactor for treating organic waste. For people who were unable to compost their waste at home, it would be done at the biogas reactor at the colony.

An unused playground and a metro water area had been selected for the construction of the compost yard. Plans were also on for a ‘Discard Resource Centre’, which would receive the organic discard.

The Centre would have a clean platform for those working with the garbage, including those from the Narikurava community and other ragpickers.

Recognising the role of the members from the Narikurava community in the efficient recycling, the Committee wanted to involve them right from the beginning for an effective system. Majority of those who collected garbage belonged to the Narikurava community.

They would collect the recyclable waste like paper, plastic, glass, and metal house to house and the rest of the types of waste like e-waste would be collected by the NMF, which will also take care of the discard centre.

Jayaraman said the main purpose of employing Narikuravas was not to perpetuate the stereotype image that they were ragpickers, and instead provide them with a livelihood of their choice.

They were willing to be involved because they were already engaged in the process of recycling. Persons from other communities were also welcome to join hands, he added.

The objective was to improve their work conditions and later ensure that their children were given education. “It won’t just end up being a livelihood option but a social option too,” he says.

Chairperson of the Expert Committee, Sheela Rani Chunkath had invited the ragpickers of Perungudi dump yard to join the project in KC. But Saidai Anbu Dasan of Thooimai Thozhilalargal Nalasangam maintained that it was not feasible as they could not travel so far and there were already people in Besant nagar who were involved in the work

5-BIN CONCEPT AT KC: In places like Besant Nagar and Thiruvanmiyur, the collection of garbage was being done house to house by members of the narikurava community. The residents did not segregate it. These persons will then recover valuables and the remaining garbage would go to NMF..

Celebration of software freedom

Celebration of software freedom
Express News Service First Published : 03 Nov 2008 KOCHI:

IT'S going to be the biggest celebration of software freedom in the state. In an effort to spread awareness about free software and related issues the Cochin University of Science and Technology, IT@School Project of the Government of Kerala, Appropriate Technology Promotion Society Ernakulam and Open Software Solutions Industrial Co-operative Society Ltd, Kochi are together organising a `National Conference on Free Software’ on the Cusat campus on November 15 and 16.

The seminar, with the motto `Free Software, Free Knowledge and Free Humanity’ will be inaugurated by Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan.

A series of initiatives including workshops, seminars on various topics and exhibitions will be held during the national conference. The workshops, mainly concentrating on Linux installation, local language computing, statistical analysis tools, open ERP and GNU/Linux servers, are being organised by IT experts Navaneeth, Srikrishnan Sundarajan and P Somanathan.

Teachers, IT students, software developers, service providers, users, industries, free launch professionals and educational institutions are expected to take part in these workshops.

Entries invited for Suvarna Keralam award for the best PhD thesis in Malayalam

Entries invited for Suvarna Keralam award for the best PhD thesis in Malayalam

Express News Service First Published : 01 Nov 2008 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

Kerala University has invited applications for the second edition of the Suvarna Keralam award for the best PhD thesis in Malayalam submitted during the last academic year. The award carried a sum of Rs 50,000 and a citation.

The award was instituted by American Malayalees Association `Bhashakkoru Dollar’ last year as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of Kerala Piravi. The award distribution will be held in January.

Malayalam PhD thesis submitted during the period from August 2007 to October 2008 will be considered for the award. Kerala University will publish the thesis as a book. Those who submit thesis for the award should also submit a consent letter giving the Kerala University the right to publish the thesis in book form. A CD of the thesis should also be submitted along with the thesis. Those who wish to be considered for the award should submit their thesis to the Public Relations Officer, Kerala University, Thiruvananthapuram - 695034 before November 25. For details,contact 0471-2305738.

IGNOU, KSITM to start courses together

IGNOU, KSITM to start courses together

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) director V.N.Rajasekharan Pillai and IT Secretary Ajayakumar exchanging MoU signed by IGNOUExpress News Service First Published : 02 Nov 2008 08:06:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 02 Nov 2008 12:52:37 PM ISTTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and the Kerala State IT Mission (KSITM) have joined hands to start courses of international acceptance in Akshaya centres under the KSITM. Nearly 135 high profile distance education courses will come under this and the project is being implemented through 2,500 Akshaya centres. The venture aims at taking the advantages of IT to all sections of the society. This would cover certificate courses to PG courses.

The MoU to this effect was signed by IGNOU Registrar K.Laxman and KSITM director Rathan U.Kelkar at Mascot Hotel here on Saturday. IGNOU director V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, IT Secretary Ajayakumar, IGNOU Pro-Vice-Chancellor K.R. Srivathsan, IGNOU regional service division director Masood Parveez and Akshaya director C. Sreekumar attended the function.

ADIPEC 2008 opens today in Abu Dhabi

ADIPEC 2008 opens to great acclaim
ADIPEC 2008 opened today
One of the largest petroleum shows in the world, the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference 2008 will be staged at the brand new Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre between 3-6 November 2008.



His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi opened the show in the morning to an audience of eminent leaders, ministers and government officials.

Anil Kumble retired from test cricket - 02 Nov 2008

Mind Speaks - The Art of Reading – BOOKing them young

Mind Speaks - The Art of Reading – BOOKing them young








Dear Friends,

No News issue of this week covers the special topic – The Art of Reading - Booking them Young. The importance of educating children to develop a reading habit at a young age is very important. Especially these days, when everything comes in the form of CDs and DVDs and books are becoming an Old Story. The real joy of reading through a good book is unbelievable. It has to be developed to experience it. For this, we need to spend a few minutes every day with them, in order to make them realise the importance of this life long journey. A good reading habit is as good as a great friend, especially when you are in dire straits or needs. The seeds you saw now to create this habit in your child, will be harvested by them in the years to come. They will say thanks to you from their heart at that time.

Have a great week ahead,

Ramesh Menon
02112008

The Art of Reading – BOOKing them young

Our Knowledge and experience are the only things that, if passed on will remain with the generations. All the other thing, money, property, etc, will all have a natural, timely or untimely death. Knowledge passed on, by any means, will become immortal. It will be all the more, if it is through a creative medium. I myself, was surprised very recently to learn this when I happened to notice a painting which I had created in 1999 and posted in a webpage created that time, now being used in a German site, where they explain in detail the thoughts and principles underlying that drawing. I was amazed and swept off. I am writing this to all those who hold their reservations, either due to shortage of time or other reasons for not utilising a wonderful opportunity thrown in front. This is not the old age situation that happened to Ekalavya, who learned the secrets of Archery techniques from the legendary guru Dronacharya, by hiding behind the bushes. When came to know that Ekalavya had learned more than what he had taught to his favourite student Arjuna, Dronacharya, asked for his Thumb finger as the Guru Dakshina (fees) from Ekalavya. Don’t worry, our science and technology is far and well advanced now. Give your thumb finger out to your Gurus or mentors if they are asking for it, and share your knowledge, as we have many a new technology already ready to replace it better than the original one. Have No Fear, and Have No Holds.

This is also a tribute to all those who work hard and do continuous educations through various Distant Learning Programmes like the ones from IGNOU, BITS, SYMBIOSIS etc. You all deserve a special applause, for your hard work and dedication you put in to continue your quest for gaining knowledge, without forgetting your commitments towards profession and family. Thanks to all those Professors and support staff who work hard to present and create a classroom atmosphere and provide quality materials at par with other universities worldwide for these knowledge seekers, who in normal case could not have done it without your efforts.

TV. If kids are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun they'll have with twenty-six. Open your child's imagination. Open a book. ~Author Unknown

Many times it happens that we attend birthday parties, and other functions associated with children - small, young and teens. More than 90% of the time, we end up buying expensive gifts for them, either a Playstation game, or an expensive watch, or a Camera or electronic toys. Although, children who get these gift items become very happy, on majority of the occasions most of these expensive items stops functioning or their interest in them diminishes and fade away as days passes. At times a child may even get the same gift in two or more numbers.

How many of us, in turn, ever thought of buying them a story book or a quiz book, or an encyclopedia, or offer a subscription to a kids journal?

May be, about 5%!. And the beauty is that those books given by this minority group remain with those children much longer time than the other gifts. The dominance of electronic media over the print is so much that these days children very rarely turn towards reading during their away study time.
"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them." - Ray Douglas Bradbury.
If the trend among our children move towards watching unlimited TV, playing on computers and playstation or electronic game consoles, very soon we will be taking our culture away from them. It is a danger, and imminent danger looming in front of all of us. The Art of Reading, is precious. It should begin at an early stage and from home and that too from parents. But, how of many of us, have the time, to read even a newspaper these days. Then forget about passing on the reading habits to our children.

The progress and the fast paced requirements of our life have killed several of our old habits and replaced them with newer ones, which are fancy and short-natured. Think of the earlier days, when we were in school or college, when the newspaper boy drops the paper at home and we wait for it to read our favorite news anxiously, whether it be a local event or whether it be a sports event happened at the capital. Those days have gone. Now, instant coverage through Televesion and internet, reporting news through the print media to make them interesting have become a Herculean task for the editorial staff. Unless, it is something entirely innovative or attractive, people will not even turn the pages beyond the cover page. There is no time left with people to do that. Who wants to read a full paper, when you get short feeds by sms on your mobile phone or PDA? If this is the case, who wants to read a full book to enhance the knowledge? If this is the situation with us, where on earth we have the time to read a story for our children and create a reading habit in him or her?

"Tell me what you read and I'll tell you who you are" is true enough, but I'd know you better if you told me what you reread. ~François Mauriac

Learning lessons from the above quote and from various others, Reading or Developing the Art of Reading from a very early age is a very important virtue to be planted amongst children of this generation in order to carry on our traditional values. Otherwise, very soon, our generation will forget about the ancient history, and life for them will revolve around with SMACK DOWN, or NEED FOR SPEED or SUPERMAN or DHOOM 1,2,3 etc……


"No, I'm not doing the homework; I'm blogging why I'm not...."

Here are some tips to promote The Art of Reading through our Team 1 columns.

Family & Adult Reading Tips

You are your child's first teacher. The most important thing you can do to help your child succeed in school is to read aloud to him or her. Reading to your child makes him or her feel respected and part of your world. It builds self-esteem. Reading aloud to your child will help him or her to understand words, master language, and enable him or her to come to school feeling confident.

HOW CAN I HELP MY CHILD READ?

• Make reading time special. Turn off the TV. Read before bedtime.
• Have your child choose the book you will be reading together. Sit close together. Hold the book so your child can see it and turn the pages.
• Patience. Reading to children takes time. Often children will read favorite books over and over again. This builds confidence.
• Take time to look at the pictures and discuss the story. Discuss the characters and setting.
• Add expression to the text. Change your voice to become different characters.
• Have fun with books and language.
• Visit the library. Encourage your child to bring home their library books each week. Obtain a library card in your child's name.
• Help your child with reading homework. Let them know that reading is the key to learning.
• Phonics vs. Sight Vocabulary-both are very important and successful. A combination of teaching both strategies will help your child.
• Ask your child’s teacher where to get reading materials or any questions to enhance your child's reading.

Remember, When we read a story, we inhabit it. The covers of the book are like a roof and four walls. What is to happen next will take place within the four walls of the story. And this is possible because the story's voice makes everything its own. - * John Berger.

Temptations On The Move - Elephant Beauty and Elephant Walk Policy

Temptations On The Move - Elephant Beauty and Elephant Walk Policy

Temptations On The Move - Raining in Abu Dhabi

Temptations On The Move - Raining in Abu Dhabi

It seldom rains here. To be precise, may be 1 or 2 days in a year. We wait for those precious days and enjoy it as it happens.