HCT Fujairah Students Hold Math Fair for Local Schools

HCT Press Release

HCT-Fujairah recently gave the opportunity for many of its students to hold their very own math activity event.

‘Math Fair’ was organized and presented by first year Bachelor Degree students and formed part of an ongoing project in connection with their own math studies.

From 8am to 2pm, the students offered visiting students from government and private academies on the east coast of the UAE the opportunity to visit Fujairah Women's College; and have fun trying to solve mathematical puzzles and challenges in the college's multi-purpose hall. First year foundation students from HCT-Fujairah were also invited to participate in the fun challenges.

Community College

The event highlighted HCT-Fujairah's primary role within the community and provided an insight into college life for so many prospective students who may decide to study at HCT-Fujairah.

Skills into Practice

It also provided the bachelor students with the opportunity to assess and reflect on their own studies and achievements, as Krystyna Krol, Chair of the Bachelor Programs at HCT-Fujairah pointed out. She said, "The event gave our current bachelor students a great chance to put their skills and knowledge into practice."

Building Relationships

One of the bachelor students that took part in the event, Fatmah Hassan Almulla, said "It gave us the opportunity to build relationships with other students at the schools and challenged us to create puzzles that would be fun to try."

HCT-Fujairah had 7 schools (145 secondary students) participate in the fair and also the Foundations, Diploma and upper BAS students who visited.

Schools Hosted

St. Mary's Catholic School - Fujairah

Our Own English High School - Fujairah

Fujairah Scientific Academy - Fujairah

Al Shafaa Girl's School - Kalba

Murbha Girl's School - Murbha

Salma Bint Qais Girl's School - Dibba

Al Hissan Institute of Applied Technology (IAT) - Fujairah

Students had a chance to participate in the Team Competition and then during the second half of the Math Fair they visited individual stands and tried to solve the puzzles.

Team Competition Results

1^st: St Mary's (Merine/Salwa/Rifah/Fiza/Shriya)

2^nd: Our Own English (Zaheer/Saif/Ronald)

3^rd: Our Own English (Swaroop/Akhil/Basith/Jeffin/Abdul)

4^th: IAT (Hassan/Abdullah/Ahmed/Khaled/Abdulrhaman)

5^th: Our Own English (Prabhakan/Davis/Nihad/Akshay)

5^th: Our Own English (Hafsah/Gayathi/Aishwaraya)

5^th: St Mary's (Shamma/Rameen/Rafah/Sumaiya/Dalia)

Special Mention

Fujairah Scientific Academy (Marwa/Esraa/Noora/Nadia/Aiya)

Salma Bint Quais (Aya/Mariam/Manal/Amani)

Al Shifaa (Amna/Fatima/Jahwer/Farah/Maitha)

Individual Puzzlers Award

Zaheer Ahmed (Our Own English)

Ronald Sakile (Our Own English)

Ibrahim Ali Kamal (IAT)

Allya Sulaiman (Murbeh)

Buthaina Ghedeer (Murbeh)

Shahd Ali (Our Own English)

Sarah Obaid Khalfan (Murbeh)

Sarah Murad Mohamed (Fujairah Scientific Academy)

Roshan Joseph (St Mary's)

Swaroop Ranganth (Our Own English)

Vishnu (St Mary's)

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Fujairah Population Increases but it is Still a Man’s World

Fujairah Figures

The vital number to come out of the recently published Fujairah Statistical Yearbook 2010 is the official population of the emirate for 2010 which is 176,825.

Population Increasing

Most helpfully the Fujairah Statistics Center has supplied the comparative figures for the two previous years:

154,261 (tot. pop. for 2008)

165,158 (tot. pop. for 2009)

Annual Rate

Between 2008 and 2009 the Fujairah population grew by 10,897.

Between 2009 and 2010 the Fujairah population grew by 11,667.

2011 Estimate

The official Fujairah figures are always one year behind but with the five yearly census being undertaken now, it should not be too long before the 2011 population is announced.

With the emirate growing recently by 10-11,000 per annum one could hazard a guess that in 2011 the population is around 189,000.

Fujairah Forecast for 2016

Using the analyses of his team, Dr Ibrahim Saad, Director of the Statistics Centre-Fujairah, foresees a rise in the Fujairah population from 180,000 people (his current figures) to approximately 210,000-220,000 people by the year 2016.

Gender Imbalance

The official Fujairah figures for 2010 indicate that the gender balance continues.

In a total population of 176,825 there are 66,277 females and 110,548 males.

For every 100 residents in Fujairah, there are 37 females and 63 males.

What Counts

Fortunately, these statistics are only about numbers and not about value, influence and significance.

Albert Einstein’s words are pertinent at this time when the Fujairah statistics are being released:

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: Photo courtesy of Google Images.

Seeking a New Job in Fujairah

Bright Prospects

The issuing of the new Fujairah Statistical Yearbook 2010 has been accompanied by predictions of a ‘development and economic boom in the emirate’ resulting in a ‘steep increase in the population, especially of expatriates.’

In the Khaleej Times article (15 May 2011) the Director-General of the Fujairah Municipality has spoken in glowing terms about the many new projects providing job opportunities (e.g. Fujairah City Center-Carrefour will offer 500 jobs by the end of 2012) plus four new real estate projects downtown and other ‘grand projects’ at Fujairah’s Kuwait Street.

Seeking the Jobs

How does one learn about the jobs arising in Fujairah? How can you be like ‘the early bird [who] catches the worm’?

In addition to registering with UAE employment agencies, it is remarkable to see the number of Fujairah jobs that are advertised on Twitter. One can set up Twitter to search for ‘Fujairah, Jobs’ or whatever else you are looking for.

Googling Fujairah Jobs

If people aren’t inclined to figure out and use Twitter, the Googling of jobs made be somewhat easier. This is how it is done:

1. Set up a Google account (which will give you a Gmail email address and other benefits which you don’t have to use).

2. On Google’s top bar indicating the various services (Gmail, Calendar, Documents, Photos etc) click on Web which will take you to the Google Search.

Into this search space write ‘Fujairah, jobs’.

3. Up will come pages of Fujairah jobs (2,950,000 as of today the 16 May 2011). Google offers a useful tool so you can get the latest. On the left side it lists:

• Everything
• Images
• Videos
• News
• Shopping
• More

Then it states these Search Tools:

• Any Time (which is what we have already got—2,950,000 job listings)
• Latest
• Past 24 hours
• Past week
• Past month
• Past year
• Custom range—you can search from one date to another.

4. Click on Latest and you will see the jobs listed in the last few hours and even minutes.

At the top of the new page it says ‘New results will appear below as they become available’.

This morning for example (16 May 2011) there is a Fujairah Database and Systems manager job advertised by the Gulf Job Market on Twitter only one hour ago and four jobs going at the Fujairah Rotana Resort and Spa that were twittered 2 hours ago by Caterer Global.

You can repeat the search by seeing the jobs posted in the last 24 hours, the last week etc.

Google Alerts

Look at the bottom of the page when you have clicked on Latest and you will see the sentence ‘Stay up to date on these results’ and the line below, ‘Create an email alert for Fujairah, jobs’. Click on this and you will be taken to ‘Google Alerts’.

In the search box of ‘Google Alerts’ you can modify your search terms, ‘Fujairah, jobs’.

You can choose to let Google search for Everything or just News, Blogs, videos etc. Best for this type of search to go for Everything.

You can choose the frequency for receiving this information—Once a day, once a week or as it happens. If you are eager to get the news first, then ‘as it happens’ may be your best choice.

You can choose Volume and in this Google decides on ‘Only the best results’ or ‘All results’. You decide whether you want Google to refine your search or whether you will.

You can choose delivery—which email address do you want the Google Alerts to be sent? To your Gmail address or another one you stipulate?

After setting your terms you must ‘Create the alert’. You could also set up another search called, ‘Fujeirah, jobs’ realizing that some employers will spell the emirate in different ways.

You can set up a number of Google Alerts and there is a method called ‘manage your alerts’ for you to do this.

You can easily cancel the Google Alerts when you have secured your new job.

Google Alerts is a helpful search tool when you are working on a project but when you want to find the jobs as soon as they are posted this can give you an edge over others that are looking for jobs.

Related

Fujairah Statistical Yearbook 2010 Now Available, FIF, 15 May 2010.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Fujairah: One of the Smallest Emirates

With Fujairah sandwiched between the tall Hajar Mountains and the extensive Indian Ocean it is easy to forget how small is the land area of the emirate.

Size & %age

The total area of the emirate of Fujairah is 1488 square kilometers which represents only 1.8% of the total area of the UAE.

Fifth Largest

Fujairah is the fifth largest emirate after Abu Dhabi (1^st), Dubai (2^nd), Sharjah (3^rd) and Ras al Khaimah (4^th).

It is only bigger than Umm Al Quwain (6^th with 750 sq km) and Ajman (7^th with 260 sq.km).

Comparative States

It is difficult to find comparative states in the USA as Fujairah is much larger than the smallest state or district—the District of Columbia (176 sq. km) but is much smaller than the 50^th state in land area—Rhode Island which has an area of 4,002 sq. km.

Comparative Countries

Fujairah is slightly larger than Hong Kong (1092 sq. km) and twice the size of Singapore (693 sq. km) and Bahrain (665 sq. km).

Source

Statistics on land area and percentage of the UAE come from the Statistical Yearbook 2010 issued by the Fujairah Statistics Centre, Emirate of Fujairah.

Related

Fujairah Statistical Yearbook 2010 Now Available, FIF, 15 May 2010.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: The map of the UAE comes from the Fujairah Statistical Yearbook 2010.

Fujairah Statistical Yearbook 2010 Now Available

As the five yearly Data Updating (Census) is reaching the completion of its third and final stage the annual Fujairah Statistical Yearbook with the 2010 statistics for the emirate has recently been presented.

There is a wealth of information in this 400 page book.

Purpose

In the introduction, Dr. Eng. Ibrahim Saad, the Director of the Fujairah Statistics Center, says:

"The purpose of this publication is to provide both Public and Private Sector decision-makers with a yearly up to date compilation of data on the structure and principal features of the Emirate of Fujairah as much as possible."

Comparison

The 2010 material is presented to contrast the data from 2008 and 2009.

Contents

These are the 16 chapters in this book:

1. Climate
2. Demography
3. Labor Force
4. Agriculture
5. Industry
6. Internal Trade
7. Foreign Trade
8. Tourism & Heritage
9. Transport and Communication
10. Electricity and Water
11. Banking and Insurance
12. Mosques and Social Welfare
13. Education
14. Health
15. Building and Construction
16. National Accounts

Stats on CD

The Fujairah Statistics Center has made available the data and graphs on a CD which is easy to carry around and helpful for anyone wishing to search for particular terms.

Statistical Highlights

A 14 page booklet has also been produced to highlight some of the keys figures about Fujairah’s population, climate, labour force, education etc. and offering a comparison of the new 2010 figures with the picture in 2009.

Contact

To inquire about these resources here are the contact links:

Fujairah Statistics Center

P O Box 7779

Fujairah, UAE

Tel: +971 (0) 9 2227265

Fax: +971 (0) 9 2241808

Email: fscfuj@emirates.net.ae

Website: www.fscfuj.ae

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Arab Proverb: “The One Who Does Not Know the Falcon…”

“The one who does not know the falcon will grill it.”

More Arab Proverbs—Link.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: Photo courtesy of Reuters.

Fast Food Outlets Forming on Fujairah’s Northern Bypass Highway

First Fast Food Hub

A Fujairah fast food hub opened up towards the end of 2010 and is situated north of the Beach Motel on the road north from Fujairah city to Khor Fakkan and Al Aqah.

These outlets cluster around a drive through McDonald’s Restaurant and they include Thai Express, Subway and most recently Dunkin' Donuts.

New Fast Food Hub

A new Fast Food hub is developing north of the Fujairah Free Zone. It is opposite the Fujairah Port Authority and behind the ENOC Petrol Station.

This location seeks to be attractive to motorists travelling from Dibba, Al Aqah and Khor Fakkan and is a one stop shop where both the car and those inside it can be filled up.

A drive through Burger King is being joined by the following food outlets:

Gulf Pastry

Hatam Iranian Restaurant

Papa John’s Pizza Restaurant

There are still a few more spaces for other outlets to join the latest Fujairah fast food hub.

Fast Food Locations

While there are fast food outlets on Fujairah’s main street it is intriguing to see two fast food hubs being located north of the city of Fujairah.

The location appears designed to capture motorists travelling the busy road between Fujairah city and the beachside towns and resorts of Khor Fakkan, Dibba and Al Aqah.

Both of these fast food hubs are situated on the Fujairah city bypass road that will take motorists travelling on the old or new Dubai to Fujairah highway, down Kuwait Road and up the coast.

When the new and fast highway is open it will be interesting to see the proportion of motorists who choose to bypass Fujairah city in favour of other destinations.

Bypass Recommendations

Unfortunately, tourist guide books have already encouraged the bypassing of Fujairah through statements like this one in the Lonely Planet Guide for the Arabian Peninsula:

“Ever-burgeoning Fujairah is the regional centre for this extremely beautiful part of the UAE. Fujairah itself is a rather characterless small city….Our recommendation is to bypass Fujairah, as its beaches are polluted and unattractive and the Port of Fujairah just north of the city is a major blot on the landscape. You’re much better off going north.” (p348)

With reviews and recommendations like these Fujairah city will need to work hard to transform its image and showcase its many attractions.

Check the Location in Google Maps

View Burger King and Other Fast Food Outlets in a larger map

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Survey on Tourism in Fujairah and the UAE East Coast

A student undertaking a project about tourism in Fujairah and the UAE East Coast has developed a survey.

The student would appreciate it greatly if you spent 2 minutes to share your input.

Here’s the link:

Geoff Pound

Index to Arab Proverbs

Suggestions

Remembering the Arab Proverb, “To understand a people acquaint yourself with their proverbs,” on this page is posted a growing number of Arab proverbs.

Got an Arab proverb to contribute? Send it to me and I’ll be glad to add it to the list.

Ever Expanding Index

“Live Together Like Brothers…” FIF, 4 June 2011.

“The dog’s tail will never be...” FIF, 30 May 2011.

“A Promise is a Cloud…” FIF, 25 May 2011.

“He Walks Slowly and…” FIF, 22 May 2011.

“The One Who Does Not Know the Falcon…” FIF, 15 May 2011.

“Don’t Sell Fish While…” FIF, 10 May 2011.

“When You Are Dead, Your Sister’s Tears Will…” FIF, 8 May 2011.

“Grapes are Eaten…” FIF, 6 May 2011.

“The Beetle is a Beauty in the Eyes…” FIF, 5 May 2011.

“The Dogs May Bark but…” FIF, 4 May 2011.

“In the Desert of Life the Wise Person Travels by…” FIF, 3 May 2011.

“To Understand a People Acquaint Yourself with…” FIF, 2 May 2011.

“Visit Rarely and You Will Be…” FIF, 1 May 2011.

“Look for the Exit Before You...” FIF, 30 April 2011.

“They Planted So We Ate and We Plant…” FIF, 28 April 2010.

“Marriage is Like a Fort…” FIF, 21 April 2011.

“Write the Bad Things that are done to you in sand but…FIF, 20 April 2011.

“Give the Bread Dough to the Baker Even…” FIF, 18 April 2011.

“A Chameleon Does Not Leave One Tree Until…” FIF, 17 April 2011.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

New Report Raises Questions about UAE’s Nuclear Energy Programme

Confidence Shaken

The UAE nuclear energy programme has suffered a knock in public confidence following the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan.

Leaders of the UAE nuclear energy initiative vowed to review its plans and safety measures after the earthquake damaged the Fukushima reactors causing massive evacuations and public health concerns due to the high and prolonged radiation levels.

New Report

But the recent 26 page study [download link] by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) written by scientists and approved by government delegates at talks in Abu Dhabi should give further reasons to reassess the UAE’s nuclear proposals.

This report states that renewable sources such as solar, wind and hydropower could fulfill almost 80% of the world’s energy demand by 2050 if the right policies are implemented.

Given Abu Dhabi’s commitment to Masdar and being the permanent headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) one would think that it would be far better for the UAE to be in the vanguard of renewable energy sources rather than being a latecomer to nuclear power, which in a few decades may well be passé.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Arab Proverb: “Don’t Sell Fish While…”

“Don’t Sell Fish While They’re Still in the Sea.”

-Arab Proverb.

More Arab Proverbs

“When You Are Dead, Your Sister’s Tears Will…” FIF, 8 May 2011.

“Grapes are Eaten…” FIF, 6 May 2011.

“The Beetle is a Beauty in the Eyes…” FIF, 5 May 2011.

“The Dogs May Bark but…” FIF, 4 May 2011.

“In the Desert of Life the Wise Person Travels by…” FIF, 3 May 2011.

“To Understand a People Acquaint Yourself with…” FIF, 2 May 2011.

“Visit Rarely and You Will Be…” FIF, 1 May 2011.

“Look for the Exit Before You...” FIF, 30 April 2011.

“They Planted So We Ate and We Plant…” FIF, 28 April 2010.

“Marriage is Like a Fort…” FIF, 21 April 2011.

“Write the Bad Things that are done to you in sand but…FIF, 20 April 2011.

“Give the Bread Dough to the Baker Even…” FIF, 18 April 2011.

“A Chameleon Does Not Leave One Tree Until…” FIF, 17 April 2011.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

The Ups and Downs of a Fujairah Date Palm Pruner

If you think your job has its ups and downs spare a thought for the Fujairah date palm pruners.

They spend most of their working hours climbing up and down the emirate’s trees.

The men from the Fujairah Municipality work in teams.

Some do the pruning and others pick up the debris and pack it away in the truck.

The pruner puts a jute sling around the tree and then around his back.

He grabs an extremely sharp knife and often puts this in his shirt or pants as he makes the climb.

By using his hands and his feet he pulls himself quickly to the business area of the date palm.

At the top the sling allows him to lean back and free his hands while he does the pruning and the cleaning.

The pruning involves trimming off the stems which enhances the growth and height of the palm.

Then there’s the clearing of the debris around the part where the dates are developing.

The pruning of the date palms is done twice a year and at particular times so this amounts to a lot of ups and downs to cover the trees of Fujairah.

While dates are naturally pollinated by the wind most date palms in the UAE are now manually pollinated whereby pollen is taken from the male trees and dusted onto the female flowers to produce the fruit.

Members of the Fujairah pruning team (pictured on Mohammed Bin Matar Road, near the Dana Plaza) come from different parts of Asia but a surprising number are from the Pakistani province of Balochistan.

For this energetic and skilful work the date palm pruners get paid a monthly salary of AED 1300.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Wonders of the World Include the Wonders of the Emirates

How people work out the qualifications for being included is something of a mystery but it’s interesting to see some UAE sites appearing on lists like this one:

How Many of the Top 100 Wonders of the World Have You Seen? Facebook.

These lists might be valuable for promoting tourism so add your votes to the 5mill votes already registered on this site.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Being a Mother in the United Arab Emirates

On this day when many countries are celebrating Mother’s Day it is good to consider the changing role of mothers and what it is like to be a mother here in the Emirates.

According to the development organization, Save the Children, more than 350,000 women die each year from complications of pregnancy and childbirth.

Mothers’ Index

Save the Children has just released their ‘2011 State of the World’s Mothers Report’. The organization conducted a comprehensive study of 164 countries (including the UAE) and compiled a ‘Mothers’ Index’.

Those countries at the top of the index are those where women have access to excellent health services, skilled health workers and opportunities for education and advancement.

The gap between the top and bottom-ranked countries is dramatic. The report comes with essays and some recommendations as to what should be done to bridge the divide between countries that meet the needs of their mothers and those that don’t.

Download

To download the full report, including the executive summary, follow this link.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted in the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: Photo courtesy of the Save the Children website.

Arab Proverb: “When You Are Dead, Your Sister’s Tears Will…”

“When you are dead, your sister’s tears will dry as time goes on, your widow’s tears will cease in another’s arms but your mother will mourn you until she dies.”

-Arab Proverb.

More Arab Proverbs

“Grapes are Eaten…” FIF, 6 May 2011.

“The Beetle is a Beauty in the Eyes…” FIF, 5 May 2011.

“The Dogs May Bark but…” FIF, 4 May 2011.

“In the Desert of Life the Wise Person Travels by…” FIF, 3 May 2011.

“To Understand a People Acquaint Yourself with…” FIF, 2 May 2011.

“Visit Rarely and You Will Be…” FIF, 1 May 2011.

“Look for the Exit Before You...” FIF, 30 April 2011.

“They Planted So We Ate and We Plant…” FIF, 28 April 2010.

“Marriage is Like a Fort…” FIF, 21 April 2011.

“Write the Bad Things that are done to you in sand but…FIF, 20 April 2011.

“Give the Bread Dough to the Baker Even…” FIF, 18 April 2011.

“A Chameleon Does Not Leave One Tree Until…” FIF, 17 April 2011.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted in the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

New Exercise Equipment for the Khor Fakkan Beach

Innovation

The Khor Fakkan beach on the UAE’s East Coast has lots of attractive assets:

+ White sand

+ Grassy areas

+ Shady trees

+ Bird life

+ Changing rooms

+ Children’s playground

+ BBQs

+ Restaurants

Now the local municipality has recently introduced some top class fitness equipment.

Equipment

It comes with yellow panels indicating the name of the equipment, the model, the dimensions, the functions and instructions on how it is to be used.

There’s a Leg Stretcher, an Air Walker, a Pulling Chair, a Taichi Wheel and a Bonny Rider and Bicycle.

And the Rest

When you’ve finished on the machines there’s plenty of walking and running paths, a long stretch of beach and swimming in the Khor Fakkan waters.

Further

Best Beaches in Fujairah and on East Coast of the UAE, FIF, 3 January 2009.

Khor Fakkan Beach Delights, FIF, 5 January 2009.

Stop Off at Khor Fakkan if You Are Visiting Fujairah, FIF, 30 November 2008.

Related

Renovating the Beaches of Fujairah City, FIF, 19 October 2011.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted in the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.