ENPARKs Light Bulb Recycling Campaign Generates Enthusiastic Nationwide Response In UAE

The Energy and Environment Park (ENPARK), a sustainable community model for commercial and residential use and a member of TECOM Investments’ Sciences Cluster, today announced its light bulb recycling campaign launched with the Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS-WWF) continues to meet with an enthusiastic response from across other emirates.

The ongoing campaign aiming to exchange old, conventional light bulbs for new, energy-efficient ones began on 5 June, 2010, to mark the World Environment Day. Initially aimed to include the offices and residential units within the TECOM free zone clusters, the campaign has grown to include the participation of major organisations such as Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Microsoft™ Gulf FZ-LLC.

So far, 32,643 bulbs have been recycled at ENPARK’s facilities in a process supervised by IDAMA Property Services.

Some bulbs use toxic mercury and disposing them in the trash often breaks their fragile glass casing, releasing mercury into the environment. Even if the bulbs manage to remain intact after being trashed, these products likely end up in landfills and incinerators where they will eventually release toxic chemicals. On the other hand, recycling crushes the bulbs in a controlled environment and eliminates such risks, and almost all parts of the old bulb are re-used.

When a bulb is recycled, ENPARK offers an energy efficient bulb as a replacement. EWS-WWF, as part of its ‘Heroes of the UAE’ campaign, encourages residents of the UAE to replace conventional light bulbs with energy efficient lights such as Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) or Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). The new CFLs are about four times more efficient and last 10 times longer than traditional light bulbs and can help residents reduce their energy consumption and ecological footprint.

Ahmed Lootah, Business Development Manager, ENPARK, said: “ENPARK is pleased that this bulb exchange and recycling campaign concurs with the environmental objectives of TECOM’s Sustainable Energy and Environment Division (SEED). In light of the interest expressed by other emirates, we are currently in the process of expanding the geographical scope of the campaign and grateful to IDAMA for its persistent support.”

Jawed Khan, Senior Account Manager, IDAMA, said: “As ENPARK’s official partner for the light bulb disposal campaign, IDAMA has remained proactive in participating in various environmental conservation programmes and green initiatives. The remarkable success this campaign highlights the willingness of the UAE residents to participate in eco-friendly activities, which is highly encouraging.”

TECOM Investments and its entities adopt a proactive approach through various initiatives to inform and educate the community on green issues and contribute to reducing the region’s carbon footprint.
 

Following Overwhelming Response To Screening At The Walk, DIFF Opens Rhythm Reels Screenings For Free To The Public

Following the overwhelming response to the opening day screening of ‘The King’s Speech’ – the inaugural gala film of the seventh Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) – the management of DIFF has opened all ‘Rhythm & Reel’ screenings for free to the public.

DIFF introduced The Walk at JBR as a new venue for the festival, where the opening ceremony of the festival and the opening gala film were telecast live. Hundreds of movie-lovers thronged the venue to watch the glittering opening ceremony and the much-acclaimed Colin Firth movie.

Following the response, DIFF opened its ‘Rhythm & Reels’ screenings, which celebrate both films and music, for free to the public at The Walk at JBR, as a gesture of appreciation to the Dubai community. Film and music lovers can now watch an amazing selection of films centred on music for free. Age restrictions, where applicable, will apply though.

The eclectic line-up of compelling films in ‘Rhythm & Reels’ segment include John Lennon’s life in LENNONNYC, and a behind-the-scenes look into the life of popular American rock band The Doors in Tom DiCillo’s When You’re Strange: A Film About The Doors.

The screenings will be complemented by a series of musical performances by popular Arab and international acts from Rima Khcheich, Massar Egbari and Y-Crew to a mariachi ensemble specially flown in from Mexico.

Following the screening of Mexican classic Enamorada on December 15, will be a concert featuring 12 performers from Mexico, the six-member mariachi Grupo Impulsor de la Musica Representativa de Mexico and a six-member team of folk dancers from the Ballet Folklorico Yolitzi Widen de La Laguna.

Renowned Lebanese singer Rima Khcheich, a musical icon in the Arab world, will perform at The Walk at JBR following the screening of DIFF’s Lifetime Achievement Award’s recipient, Sabah’s My Wife’s Husband (Jaoz Marti) on Thursday, December 16. Celebrated internationally and in the region for her classical Arab singing as well as her fusion work, Khcheich has multiple albums and awards to her name.

Rhythm & Reels will host Arab rock-fusion band Massar Egbari, and underground hip-hop band the Y-Crew in concert on Friday, December 17, following the screening of Ahmed Abdallah’s Microphone. The award-winning Massar Egbari, which formed in 2005, specializes in alternative Egyptian music, fusing rock, jazz and blues with pure Oriental music. Y-Crew, the three-member Egyptian hip hop band, will also perform at the concert at The Walk at JBR.

DIFF 2010 box office locations are: CineStar Mall of the Emirates, the Madinat Souk, The Walk at JBR, and at the CNN Building in Dubai Media City. Tickets can also be purchased through DIFF’s Dial-a-Ticket service at (04) 391 3378 and from the website, www.dubaifilmfest.com.

The DIFF Rhythm & Reels section is presented by Dubai Pearl and Dubai Properties. DIFF 2010 is held in association with Dubai Studio City. Dubai Duty Free, Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai Pearl, Emirates Airline and Madinat Jumeirah, the home of the Dubai International Film Festival, are the principal sponsors of DIFF. The event is supported by the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority.

For more and updated information about DIFF, please visit www.dubaifilmfest.com

University Of Dubais New BBA Disciplines Receiving Enthusiastic Response From Regional Students

The University of Dubai (UD), a prestigious university in the UAE established by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has received an enthusiastic response for all the new disciplines introduced in BBA – Business Economics, Human Resources Management, Entrepreneurship Management, and Supply Chain and Logistics Management.

The MBA classes that commenced on September 19 and the university’s double majors program are also in high demand. Thus the registration date to enrol in the MBA program has been extended for all the aspiring students. The university’s programs are designed to provide students and future business professionals with a comprehensive understanding about the regional and international business world.

Dr M. Omar Hefni, President of UD said: “The university is offering an outstanding and innovative MBA degree which caters to the needs of business professionals across the globe. Regardless of the time you are able to commit to your studies, the discipline offers part-time and full-time degree options that adapt to your needs. However, this would not have been possible without the highly qualified academic community which is our greatest asset. It is because of them that UD has been providing quality education to its students while sharpening their management skills and preparing them for an increasingly competitive global market.”

Dr Hefni added, “UD is pleased to know that its programs have ready acceptance in the market as they aim to foster strategic decision making ability, a capacity for teamwork and networking and thus producing genuine leaders in their respective fields. The university has worked hard in applying curriculum which is rigorous and team oriented which is why the university is getting popular amongst local students for its outstanding entrepreneurship program and the numerous opportunities offered to them.”
 

Etisalat Launches High Value Mobility Packages In Response To Blackberry Suspension

Etisalat today responded rapidly to the announcement of the TRA to suspend BlackBerry services on October 11 and unveiled valuable, alternative mobility packages for its existing BlackBerry customers who were subscribed to the service as of July 31, 2010. The new packages offer bundled services such as SMS and MMS as well as mobile Internet data services and offer value far in excess of the monthly fee.

The basic package includes 1,000 local and international SMS and MMS messages and mobile data packages. Customers further have the choice to receive either voice calls of up to 550 minutes per month, or to sign a 12-month contract and receive a new Smartphone for free with no up-front payment.

“Since the moment we received notification from the TRA to suspend BlackBerry services, our teams have been working tirelessly to produce a range of packages which offer comparative or better value to our existing BlackBerry customers,” said Khalifa Al Shamsi, Senior Vice President, Marketing at Etisalat.

“Our first priority was to develop a package which will ensure a seamless migration for existing BlackBerry customers to the new Etisalat alternative packages on October 11, 2010. We then designed them so that they maintain similar or improved functionality ensuring continuity of service. We also offer our customers a choice of different package options which should suit various needs.”

Etisalat’s basic package which will be offered to all existing BlackBerry customers, will provide a bundle of data and telecommunications services to replace those previously offered. For example, a subscriber to Etisalat’s Unlimited Global service who used to pay Dhs 295 per month, will now pay only Dhs 260 per month and receive 1000 local & Intl. SMS and MMS messages, unlimited local data downloads and 10MB of roaming data. These services have an equivalent monetary value of up to Dhs 2,500 per month.

On top of this, all current BlackBerry subscribers are eligible to receive a free Smartphone from leading manufacturers with no upfront charges, with a 12-month contract. This means that they can avail of a completely new and modern device at no upfront cost, at a similar or lower monthly fee. As an alternative customers can choose to take voice calls under a different package with a value of up to 550 minutes.

Ahmed bin Ali, Group Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications said: “These packages have been developed with the BlackBerry customer in mind. We have looked at the services which they use most often, and have replaced them with comparable services from our wide portfolio. We have also ensured that the volume and value of the services on offer are greater than the expected usage to ensure our customers enjoy a similar experience. Our aim is to create a seamless migration to the new alternatives.”

The new packages are powered Etisalat’s latest mobile broadband technologies – 3.5G Using the Etisalat packages, customers will now be able to download data at up to 21Mbps depending on the customer’s handset.

For further information, please visit www.etisalat.ae/blackberry.
 

New Show Modhesh School Of Surprises Receives Overwhelming Response At Modhesh Theatre

The Modhesh Theatre was host to a huge audience recently that came to attend Modhesh’s School. Popularly known as the ’ideal student’, Modhesh also makes an ideal teacher.

Carrying forward the objective of fun learning, the show stresses on many important issues like eating healthy, exercising and even recycling waste. Modhesh delivered some of the most sensitive lessons through surprising and entertaining song and dance sequences in his special ’School of Surprises’. Throughout the show, Modhesh interacted with the families making them sing, dance and enjoy the show all the way.

It is one of the many shows that has been specially written, directed and produced for Modhesh World. The show will be staged daily except Mondaysand run four times a day with the first show at 4pm on weekdays and at 5:30 on weekends. The show will play till 7 August, 2010. Entry to Modhesh Theatre is free. Ruby the Apple and the Robot were two additional characters that joined the show.

A highly sensitive issue like recycling was skillfully and cleverly handled to make it easy for the children to grasp with a song. Finally, children who had different kinds of thrash like snack wrappers and bottles were prompted to throw them in the correct bin that the cast of the show brought out for the audience.

H. B. Leisure, DWTC, Coco-Cola, Magic Planet, Emirates, Masafi and Union Co-operative are the sponsor s of Modhesh World. Modhesh World doors are open from 10.00am to 10:00pm (Saturday to Wednesday), 10:00am to midnight (Thursdays), and 3:00pm to midnight on Fridays. Tickets to the venue are priced at AED 10 for adults and AED 15 for children with numerous free zones and exciting activities.
 

Al Fajer Properties Announces Positive Response To Discount Offer

Al Fajer Properties (AFP) is pleased to announce the successful uptake of its recent discount offer which has given customers the option to reduce their outstanding liabilities through early settlement based on purchase price and outstanding balance.

This offer was taken up by customers holding a total of over AED 600 million in contract value equating to approximately 317,000 square feet in its Jumeirah Business Centre development.

The unprecedented offer was issued upon the direction of the President of AFP, His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum, who initiated a multifaceted solution in order to assist AFP’s customers given the current market conditions. Sheikh Maktoum was quoted as saying: “In these difficult times I am happy to say that AFP has been working very closely with its customers, who now have properties in line with current market valuations.”

This latest decisive action is yet another feather in the cap of AFP showing its continued commitment to working with its customers to help them navigate through tough economic conditions.

Through this offer AFP has also been able to further communicate with its customers, helping separate end users and long-term investors from speculative ones. It has also given the company the ability to preplan for expected defaults by speculative buyers.

Al Fajer Properties also expressed its pride in having a strong banking partner such as Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) to help finance its customers. The company is currently anticipating handover on phase 1 of its flagship project within the JLT beginning August 31st, 2009.

AFP is the premier developer in the Dubai World DMCC Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) community and is the only developer to include a 5-floor atrium within the lobbies of its towers. Its towers, situated within a free- zone, once completed will offer high-end commercial properties attracting both large local companies and multi-national organizations from around the world. The unique state-of-the-art facilities of the JBC Towers cumulatively offer exclusive freehold offices totaling a leaseable area of 3.6 million square feet and an additional 150,000 square feet dedicated to retail across phase 1 and phase 2 of its flagship project.