Ski Dubai Welcomes Pole Explorer To Support Climb For Cancer 2011

As members of the Climb for Cancer team look toward their assault on Mt. Elbrus in Russia on August 31st, Ski Dubai will lend it’s sub-zero facilities this weekend to help the team prepare for the journey ahead. Adrian Hayes will also visit Ski Dubai to offer his experience and expertise to the climbers, as the fastest man to conquer all three poles, North Pole, South Pole and Mount Everest.

Ski Dubai will host the six members of the Climb for Cancer team for two days and two nights between June 16th and June 18th to test their equipment and clothing in the heavy snow conditions the team will face in the extreme cold temperatures of -20C on their 8 day journey to the top.

Now in it’s second year, Climb for Cancer is a charitable initiative set up by Lebanese national Nizar Fakhoury to encourage amateur hikers and adventure seekers to play their part in the fight against cancer, successfully facilitating the care and treatment of two underprivileged cancer patients in 2010 after an intensive three-month awareness campaign around their climb of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.

“Ski Dubai is incredibly proud to support such a pioneering program that plays an invaluable role in helping those who do not have the financial means to fight such a terrible disease that affects so many. We hope that our facilities at Ski Dubai will help with their preparations for this tremendous undertaking and we wish them the very best for the journey,”said Fahad Al Lawati, Marketing Manager for Ski Dubai.

 

Microsoft Launches Internet Explorer 9 In UAE

Microsoft Gulf today announced the launch of the latest version of the world’s most-used browser with the release of Windows Internet Explorer 9 for consumers across the UAE in partnership with leading websites namely Dubizzle.com, Gulfnews.com, Nahel.com, anaZahra.com, Timeout.com and Dubai Financial Market (www.dfm.ae).

Through this partnership, Microsoft and these leading consumer websites will further leverage the power of the whole PC and enhance online experience for consumers with many featured on www.beautyoftheweb.ae.

“The best experience of the Web is on Windows with Internet Explorer 9,” said Samer Abu-Ltaif, Regional GM, Microsoft Gulf. “Today, the Web can unlock the power and performance of the best PC hardware through Windows and Internet Explorer 9. Websites also can act more like applications within Windows 7, with features such as Pinned Sites. In less than a year, Internet Explorer 9 went from early preview to final release with the help of hardware partners and the Web community. We are pleased to have launched Internet Explorer 9 in partnership with prominent sites in the region to ensure providing the consumer with the ultimate browsing experience. ”

Partner Websites – IE9 in Action Across the Gulf

Saeid Nejazi, Founder and Director of Nahel.com, said: “Heightened security, speed and user experience are three of the most important factors for an e-Commerce website. These are inherent with IE9, so it makes sense for Nahel.com to take advantage of the latest browser, and we’re very excited to hear the feedback from our customers. IE9 has allowed us to take a completely new approach to development, and enabled us to become more creative with its heightened features.”

“At anaZahra.com, we constantly strive to create and offer our readers a fuller experience about the things they love. With IE9 being one of best makeovers the web can get, we couldn’t wait to experiment with it in our video gallery, and share it with our users. It’s fast, well-designed and highly functional; it feels natural and effortless,” said Zoya Sakr, the Editor-in-Chief of anaZahra.com.

Will Milner, Group Editor, ITP Digital commented: "With new restaurants opening every month choosing a restaurant has never been so difficult. The Dubai Restaurant Explorer takes the pain out of making the decisions by using the power of cutting edge HTML 5 technology and social media interactivity to give readers inspiration. Time Out teamed up with Microsoft to give readers using the latest version of Internet Explorer 9 an innovative way of choosing a restaurant in the city as well as build an archive of places they have been and the places they still want to visit.”

“Prior to the IE9 launch, we teamed up with Microsoft to enhance our users’ online experience by leveraging the browsers new features. Our developers rapidly appreciated the benefits of IE9s ‘pinning’ and ‘jump list’ features. Implementation was quick and simple. Now Dubbizle’s IE9 users can access our website’s features very quickly,” said JC Butler, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Dubizzle.com, the Middle East and North Africa’s largest classifieds and community website.

Ian Wallace, Business Development Director, Gulf News, said: “We’re glad to be a regional partner with Microsoft on the launch of Internet Explorer 9 here. As a leading news website in the region, gulfnews.com visitors not only demand up-to-the-minute news and information but also a design and user experience that evolves with the evolution of the web. Microsoft allowed us to try new features in IE9 that aided us to evolve our product and offer a richer web experience to our readers.”

Internet Explorer 9 is designed to bring sites front and center through Windows 7, enabling a more immersive, more beautiful Web experience. Features such as Pinned Sites and Jump List enable people to put their websites directly on the Windows 7 Taskbar, as though they were native applications, and then to quickly and easily perform tasks related to those websites, such as check their inbox, change the music station, accept a friend invitation or see breaking news.

“What people care about on the Web is their sites, not their browser. That’s why Internet Explorer 9 is about making those sites shine. The browser is the theater and the sites people visit are the play, and that is what Internet Explorer 9 makes better — your favorite sites,” said Kerim Ozbakirci, Product Marketing Manager, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Middle East and Africa.

Fast is Now Beautiful: Internet Explorer 9 with Hardware Acceleration

The new version of Internet Explorer takes advantage of the power of modern Windows PC hardware to improve all-around Web browsing performance. The only browser with fully hardware-accelerated HTML5, Internet Explorer 9 harnesses the power of the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), unlocking 90 percent of the PC’s power that went previously untapped by Web browsers.

Developers can now build faster, more immersive websites that feel like native applications using interoperable HTML5 or by using plug-ins such as Adobe Flash Player and Microsoft Silverlight, both of which will take advantage of the hardware acceleration in Internet Explorer 9 in their next versions.

Improving Privacy and Security Online

Because the Web is increasingly less secure and private, Internet Explorer 9 is designed to be the most trusted browser because it contains a robust set of built-in security, privacy and reliability technologies that keep customers safer online.

In December, Microsoft introduced Tracking Protection in Internet Explorer 9, which puts people in control of what data they are sharing as they move around the Web, by enabling consumers to indicate what websites they’d prefer not to exchange information with. Consumers do this by adding Tracking Protection Lists to Internet Explorer 9, and partners such as Privacy Choice, TRUSTe, Abine and Adblock Plus have already published these lists.

Malware is now the No. 1 risk to people’s security online, and Internet Explorer 9 provides the first Download Manager with integrated SmartScreen malware protection. The browser also introduces SmartScreen download reputation, a groundbreaking browser feature that uses reputation data to remove unnecessary warnings for well-known files and show more severe warnings when the download has a higher risk of being malicious. Studies show that Internet Explorer 9 blocks 99 percent of socially engineered malware attacks, five times more than Firefox and 33 times more than Chrome.

Globally, Microsoft has partnered with more than 250 top sites from around the globe to take advantage of the capabilities in Internet Explorer 9 to deliver differentiated experiences to their customers, these partners include top social networks worldwide like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, top commerce sites like Amazon & eBay and top news sites like CNN, Wall Street Journal and USA Today, to name a few. Together, these partners reach more than 1 billion active Internet users on the Web. The result is a more beautiful Wed experience.
 

Experts From Shell And Dubai Airports Join Polar Explorer Environmentalist Robert Swans 2011 International Antarctic Expedition

Shell recently appointed two of its young professionals to join the 2011 International Antarctic Expedition led by renowned polar explorer and environmentalist Robert Swan. The initiative forms part of Shell’s commitment to enhancing the leadership skills and environmental awareness of its personnel. The two Shell professionals were joined by two other Emiratis from Dubai Airports.

The Antarctic expedition organized in March 2011 by Swan, the first person in history to walk to both the North and South poles, complements Shell’s renowned environmental activism. Shell was one of the first energy companies in 1997 to actively call for actions by governments, industry and energy users against climate change.

The inclusion of Shell representatives in the voyage also reflects the company’s unique approach to leadership development. In a 2010 study, 75 per cent of respondent organizations cited leadership development as important and yet only 23 per cent said that they were effective at developing leaders internally.

Majid Fairooz, Head of Planning, Buti Qurwash, Head of Security, at Dubai Airports, and Mohammed Azzazi, Production Technologist and Abdulrahim Turkistani from Shell gained valuable knowledge on Antarctic wildlife, geology, history and geography. They were introduced to Swan’s advocacy of preserving Antarctica and combating climate change via recycling, renewable energy and sustainability. They were also oriented on renewable energy’s vital role in preserving the environment.

“Shell is highly committed to addressing many of the environmental challenges. This requires a better understanding of how our operations affect the world’s eco-systems. Our active participation in advocacies such as Robert Swan’s 2041 programme will provide us with the information and hands-on experience we need to ensure more sustainable approaches to managing CO2 emissions.” said Omar Al Qurashi, Director of Communications, Shell in Dubai.

Anita Mehra, Vice President of Marketing & Corporate Communications, Dubai Airports, said, “Environmental sustainability is a high priority area for Dubai Airports and our goal is to build a corporate culture that embraces sustainability in every aspect. We believe that by being part of this expedition Majid and Buti have managed to raise greater interest about environmental concerns among their peers and colleagues, which could lead to other worthwhile contributions towards conservation.”

“The Antarctic expedition was and still is a life changing experience. The purpose of going to Antarctica became clear the day we returned home. We have to change perceptions about the environment that we live in and that change starts inside each individual. All of us can contribute to a better way of living. Small things can make a big difference,” said Fairooz.

Shell’s Abdulrahim Turkistani said, “This expedition was certainly a surreal experience for us. Besides being awestruck by the beauty of Antarctica, I learnt that while our planet can take care of itself, the resources it has are limited, making it imperative for us to live sustainably. This is the only way we can ensure that our future generations can continue to enjoy nature’s many wonders.”

Mohammed Azzazi commented, “Born in the Middle East, it was hard for me to visualize how an increase in temperature by one or two degrees could impact our planet. However, all this changed after my Antarctic expedition, which was a genuine eye opener. I now perfectly understand our mission at Shell and I commit to powering the world responsibly.”

The representatives from Shell and Dubai Airports together with their co- travellers boarded the 90.6-metre ‘Sea Spirit,’ an exploration ship that regularly conducts Antarctic, Arctic and other special interest voyages. Their eco-adventure began from Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world, passing through Cape Horn, the most southerly point of the Americas and stopping by King George Island, the location of the 2041 E-Base – the first education station built in Antarctica of sustainable products and run on renewable energy. The group visited the site of Robert Swan’s 2008 ‘E-Base Goes Live’ mission where the explorer became the first person in Antarctic history to live for two weeks solely on renewable energy.

Shell continues to develop innovative technologies and practices and engage in strategic partnerships to ensure that sustainability concepts are integrated into the entire energy value chain. The company also encourages governments to support policies covering the optimal management of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.
 

Dubai Summer Surprises To Host International Character: Shows Dora The Explorer And Stories Of Spongebob

The Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment is bringing two international character shows this summer with Nickelodeon’s Dora The Explorer’s Best Friends Day and SpongeBob SquarePants’ Stories of SpongeBob being staged during the ongoing Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS). The shows are free and among the many international highlights of this year’s DSS.

Yousif Mubarak, Chief Operations Officer of Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment said, “Dubai Summer Surprises has been at the forefront of organizing quality entertainment events for families and shows like Dora’s Best Friends Day and Stories of SpongeBob reflect our commitment in providing entertainment for varied visitor segments. A significant aspect of these shows is that families can enjoy world-class entertainment for free.”

Dora, the Latina heroine of the renowned televised character series Dora the Explorer, is all ready to set out on another exciting musical adventure with her best friend Boots in Dora The Explorer show at Mirdif City Centre (Central Galleria) from July 6 to July 21. SpongeBob SquarePants, star of the popular Nickelodeon animated television series of the same name, is also performing this DSS in the Stories of SpongeBob show at Dubai Festival City (Festival Sqaure) from July 22 to Aug 7.

Staged in the UAE for the first time, Dora the Explorer and her best friend Boots celebrate Best Friend’s Day by celebrating the day together for a picnic on Rainbow Rock. But first they need to find it! The exciting, educational adventure begins as Dora and Boots set off on a musical adventure with the help of the audience to find their special picnic spot using English and Spanish vocabulary.

Show timings are 4:30pm and 6:30pm (Saturday to Wednesday) and 4:30pm, 6:30pm and 8:30pm (Thursday and Friday). There will be no shows on Mondays.

In Stories of SpongeBob, Patchy the Pirate agrees to share his most prized treasure with the audience – his favorite stories under the sea, all about his favorite absorbent friend SpongeBob SquarePants! As Patchy regales the audience with his stories, SpongeBob, Patrick and Squidward appear, reenacting these classic scenes. Show timings are 4:30pm and 6:30pm (Saturday to Wednesday) and 4:30pm, 6:30pm and 8:30pm (Thursday and Friday). There will be no shows on Mondays.

Kids and families in the Middle East can tune in and watch Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants on Nickelodeon Arabia. The Arabic language channel is dedicated to kids aged 2-14 years old and is available free-to-air via Arabsat and Nilesat.