Campus March_April 2012

Yousuf Jassem Al Darwish

Sindhu Nair Cassey oliveira rory coen

Venkat Reddy M Hanan Abu Saiam

Sandeep Sehgal Alpana Roy Ravi Raman

Zulfikar Jiffry Chaturka Karandana

Hassan rekkab

dona fernandes

Pratap Chandran Bikram Shrestha Arjun Timilsina Bhimal Rai

Nadira Amarasinghe

Ayush Indrajith maheshwar reddy b

MARCH - APRIL 2012 The second edition of QITCOM took us by storm; we couldn’t stop marvelling about the wonders of technology. So in this issue CAMPUS quizzes nine students across different universities in Qatar about the virtual world and how integrated it is to their life.

Don’t miss some inspiring interviews with people who believe in their dreams, and there’s other fun stuff in this jam-packed issue.

Sit back, enjoy!

Address all your correspondence to CAMPUS, Oryx Advertising Co WLL, P.O. Box 3272; Doha-Qatar Tel: (+974) 44672139, 44550983, 44671173, 44667584, -Fax:(+974)44550982, email: campus@omsqatar.com. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. The publisher does not accept responsibility for advertising contents. Licensing/Republishing CAMPUS content: To obtain permission for text syndication in books, newsletters, magazines, newspapers and web or to use images/pictures carried in CAMPUS, please contact our syndication & licensing department on the numbers given above. Permission is also required to photocopy a CAMPUS article for classroom use, course packs, business or general use. Custom reprints: Any of the previously published article/s to be used as stand-alone pieces can be reprinted by us on special request. The reprint cost is based on the length of the article and the quantity ordered. Contact our custom publishing division on the numbers given above for more information.Previous issues (January 2004 onwards) of CAMPUS are available for sale, contact our Library department. To subscribe to CAMPUS call our subscription department on the numbers given above.

Published by Oryx Advertising Co WLL, P.O. Box 3272; Doha-Qatar Tel: (+974) 44672139, 44550983, 44671173, 44667584 Fax: (+974) 44550982 email: campus@omsqatar.com website: www.omsqatar.com

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Be the problem solver

Rachael Hoyle tells CAMPUS how she bagged her dream job as fleet management engineer.

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Tech Mate

Are you hooked? issue 11 mar - apr 2012

What’s with technology that persuades us to stay connected 24/7?

Is it just about being cool or do we really understand the need of each gadget that we own?

CAMPUS finds out.

18 15

Pocketful of businesses

Khalifa Al-Misnad never settles for just enough. He gets down to business in an interview with CAMPUS to share some facts about being an entrepreneur in Qatar.

Lionel Messi Gem of a Player

Having scored his 50th goal for the second season of the Spanish League, football poster boy Lionel Messi rides high on fame and fortune.

Deep, Down, Under

22

What makes archaeology tick If you have always been curious to discover and explore things dating hundreds of years back, then archaeology is likely to be your true calling.

things people never tell you

about the real world

26

32 No more

sleeping blues 10 tips to improve your sleep.

28 Spaced Out

48

How Chris Riley made a career out of an obsession.

Try Anything?

Tri-Athlon If you’re looking for a mental challenge, try Tri-athlon.

38

When Youth took charge

CAMPUS visits the INJAZ Qatar Innovation Camp.

CAMPUS NEWS

CMUQ holds

CS4Qatar event

I

n a bid to encourage young women to consider a career in computer science, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMUQ) hosted CS4Qatar for Women, an outreach program that aims to introduce young women to computer science and its career possibilities.

“The purpose of CS4Qatar is to change social perspectives on computing as a profession – to push for it to be considered on equal footing with what are considered more traditional career routes. Qatar aims to become a knowledge-based economy and it cannot do so without having a clear understanding of computer sciences. CMUQ is taking these measures to spread awareness about this economically vital domain,” said Khaled Harras, computer science professor at CMUQ. More than 90 female high-school students from schools across Qatar attended the event consisting of a panel discussion session and two handson sessions: one on programming with Alice (an object-based, 3-D graphics-creating tool) and the other on puzzles and problem solving.

Speaking about her experiences in the field, panelist Reem AlMansoori, development manager at ictQatar said, “Computer science is an exciting subject. Working at ictQATAR provided me with a great opportunity to contribute to Qatari society and play a significant role in taking a fast-developing nation forward. Moreover, as a practice, it presents you with a plethora of opportunities.”

In April, the university will host a CS4Qatar workshop on opportunities for undergraduate research in computer science, paneled by female computer science students and professionals from Qatar.

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NUQ students tackle

obesity crisis

W

ith alarming obesity rates in the region, a group of Northwestern University in Qatar (NUQ) journalism students launched a multimedia website www. qatarsweetepidemic.org aimed at raising awareness and preventing the epidemic’s further spread.

With a mix of video documentary, investigative articles, audio podcasts and visual stories, www.qatarsweetepidemic.org provides visitors with startling figures on obesity and diabetes in Qatar, and invites them to examine the societal factors that may be contributing to the rise of these two deadly medical conditions across the Gulf.

“Qatar has the sixth-highest rate of obesity in the world, and in five years between 70 to 75 percent of the population will be obese,” warns Dr Ellen Wartella, the Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani professor of communication studies at NUQ, in one of the investigative articles on the site.

Obesity also increases the chances of a person contracting type-2 diabetes, a disease that the World Health Organization has termed a worldwide “slow-motion catastrophe.” The International Diabetes Federation reports that 20.2 percent of adults in Qatar suffer from type-2 diabetes; in comparison to 8.5 percent of the adults worldwide.

TECH MATE ARE TECH ‘N’ U

by Donnades Fernaand Casseeirya Oliv

YOU HOOKED?

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Sarah Nassar

Stenden University Qatar

Islam Kari

Stenden University Qatar

Louis J. Moyalan

Stenden University Qatar

Amin Ahmed Elomerabi

College of the North Atlantic -Qatar

Dillan Raymond Roshan

Texas A and M University in Qatar

Motasem Kalaji

Northwestern University in Qatar

Alisha Basha

Texas A and M University in Qatar

Arihant Agrawal

Carnegie Mellon University IN QATAR

Saad Ahmed Khan

Northwestern University in Qatar

You’ d have seen them everywhere at shopping malls, coffee shops, cinema halls, even in your classrooms people with their heads hung low and hands fidgeting with a smartphone. It s the infestation of technology.

As Dr Michio Kaku, Theoretical Physicist, Best-selling Author and Popularizer of Science said during his key-note speech at QITCOM 2012, “Computers will go the way of electricity, which is everywhere, but nowhere to be seen. It s in the walls, in the ceilings, in the floors, it s hidden. The word electricity has pretty much disappeared from the English language nobody says the word anymore. That s the future of computers they will disappear.

They will become part of the ceiling, the floor, our body, our clothes.”

What’ s with technology that persuades us to stay connected 24/7? Is it just about being cool or do we really understand the need of each gadget that we own?

CAMPUS quizzes nine students from different universities across Qatar on the highs and lows of technology; what they like and what they could do without.

Mobiles and laptops are indispensable, and they top our list of gizmos. How techsavvy are you?

Islam

I

have a Samsung laptop, a BlackBerry smartphone and a Samsung tab.

Louis

A

BlackBerry 9900, a jailbroken iPod touch 4G, Sony PS 3, Dr Dre Pro headphones and a Dell Inspiron laptop. But my dream laptop will always be Alienware while Naga is the company I prefer for computer accessories.

The impulse for me to buy gadgets stems from whether I like it style-wise or specifications-wise, and also from the reviews by my peers. I take into account all these factors and choose.

Amin

I

m trying to be updated with technology and that is one of the reasons why I have chosen to study Electrical Engineering Technology. I think it s wrong to put all your money into technology just because you love it. You must buy what you really need.

Dillan

M

y laptop. I do almost all my assignments in it, check emails, use it for e-learning, social networking, etc. As it is a tablet PC and has a touch screen interface, I also take down most of my notes in them.

Sarah

I

am not a very tech-related person. I have always found technology and me are on opposite sides. If I have any interaction with a computer or a high-tech device, I would simply corrupt it. I had an incident where I lost data in a file which can rarely be corrupted. I own an IBM laptop, a Nano iPod and a Canon 500D camera; however, my iPod has mysteriously stopped working recently.

Motasem

i

Touch. I use it to check my email, Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, as well as listen to music.

Alisha

M

y cell-phone and laptop. I use these two gadgets everyday and for most of the day.

They make my world come really close. It s like we are all in the same room.

Saad

I

used to have a lot of mp3 players earlier.

Now I mostly use my laptop and BlackBerry for chatting.

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Everything’s just a click away with technology. However, some clicks can be destructive socially and mentally. How would you weigh the pros and cons of technology?

Sarah

T

echnology is the premium method of learning and acquiring information. It s time saving and very convenient – everything is just a click away. Also, it serves mankind in areas such as communication, learning, business and entertainment.

But new forms of entertainment such as video games and internet access could have possible social effects on areas such as academic performance. It can also cause obsession which can result in lifestyle disorders such as obesity, laziness and a loss of personality. Another important aspect is the lack of privacy caused by technology from blogs and personal information displays.

Louis

T

echnology makes everything possible at your fingertips from applications concerning your health to entertainment and also to keeping your passwords safe and secure. But no matter how advanced we get, there are some things in life that we can t control with our fingertips. For instance the battery. I would want the gadgets in the future to not have a limited battery life.

Amin

T

hose who use technology in the right way will have a bright and great future that is full of great opportunities. But those who use it the wrong way will be lost, they might even go to jail for the illegal use of technology.

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Dillan

T

echnology simplifies things, brings stuff literally to your fingertips, is convenient and helpful in most cases. On the contrary it can get addictive; it diverts your focus away from the good parts of life such as family and friends. It makes people lazy, and indirectly becomes a source of many health problems.

Motasem

T

echnology keeps me connected at all times with people I know all over the world. However, it is seriously addictive and one doesn’t realize how much time is spent on an electronic device while using it. It keeps you hooked.

Arihant

W

hat I like best about technology is that it comes with a trade off. You use it and it gives you something in return it doesn t get tired. Think of your laptop, mobile, etc when you feel like you want to use it, you can and it does not complain but gives you what you want.

Louis

I like the concept of e-learning.

People from anywhere in the world as long as they have an internet connection can learn all sorts of new stuff and even do correspondence courses if something is not available in their country. For example, I am doing my ACCA course now and the main office has provided an offer to all its ACCA students to be able to get online tutors and revision lessons via the main website which makes it easier for some people to learn anything that they might have skipped. Similarly for kids, gadgets can give them much needed entertainment and fun through interactive games.

Sarah

E

-learning helps students in terms of access to a wide variety of information, and the documents are always updated if it s online. Technology helps in providing all the resources that students need to gain and obtain knowledge.

Islam

E

-learning is a step higher than the normal learning faster, wider and more efficient. Personally, technology helped me in my education when I do have research and there is no better way than surfing the internet in order to gain the necessary information.

A

Amin

s one of my professors says: Though technology is everywhere, but only what you do and learn by your hands goes straight to your brain. Therefore, even though I love technology, I prefer applied learning rather than e-learning. E-learning is great but is nothing like learning by the work of your hands.

Still e-learning has its own advantages. For example those who can’t leave their homes such as aged people or physically challenged people can learn and educate themselves through e-learning. Researching was one thing that was very difficult to do in the past, but technology has made our lives easier. You just Google it now.

Saad

I

think e-learning does not give you the excellent experience of a University. In real life, you meet real people and do real things; technology only acts as an assistant.

Picture this. You are sitting within the cozy confines of your home, learning a course online.

There s no need to walk into University anymore. the internet is your new professor, and your home the new dorm.

Is e-learning cool?

Arihant

I

have tried e-learning and it s awful! So I will not suggest it.

Motasem

I

don’t think studying online is better than going to a university. University is not just about the transfer of knowledge; it’s also about developing critical skills for the world.

I personally hate reading on my laptop. You can call me oldfashioned, as I still like holding a book or a paper handout to read. My eyes hurt when I am reading an online article or an e-book for a long time. But I have friends who would rather read a book online than actually hold one.

Alisha

I

t can make us lazier as we sit in the comfort of our homes and study online. But it will never show us the emotions of the professor while teaching or the emotions of the students who react to a given situation.

Dillan

I

think e-learning is a great idea. It saves paper and you can always be sure that notes and lectures are online. It is a great tool for expanding education to the masses and I am very supportive of the technology. But it doesn t beat the experience of coming to university, as it doesn t facilitate interaction between professors and students. Moreover, university life has much more to it than just academics which e-learning cannot provide.

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Facebook, facebook, facebook... we aren t tired of peeking into the lives of our friends or nemesis should we say. What other sites do you find interesting?

Sarah

I

don t have many favorites in terms of websites; I am a heavy user of Google and YouTube. I also like to browse newspapers online occasionally, in addition to Amazon.

Louis

Islam

W

ikipedia. Some say it s not a very trustworthy source, but when someone has no idea about something, Wikipedia is the best place to get the basic information.

F

acebook is obviously the favorite website for everybody for the sole reason of social networking. Few other sites would be download.com, pcgamer.com, twitter.com.

My fave apps on pc would be the uninstall tool and window apps while on iPod it would be comics (I m a huge fan of comics), temple run, angry birds, fruit ninja and many others. I also follow tech-savvy pages on facebook such as the QT R8, EMR8 and the upcoming Youth Arabia page.

Amin

F

acebook. I’m so addicted to it, I think I need a rehab. It has made my life simpler in terms of communication, organizing events, being updated with what s happening around the world. I m new to Twitter, but I feel Twitter is just as great as Facebook. I hope everyone makes good use of these web-sites.

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Alisha

I

use Facebook, YouTube and Google all the time.

Arihant

I

use Reddit, Quora, Facebook and Hacker News all the time.

These sites keep me engaged in different things that I m interested in and teaches me many things.

Sarah

Virtual Vs Real.

Where do you draw the line?

I

m more of a real world person since I am not good friends with technology. Today, technology is offering applications and virtual games that are so realistic people especially children are drawn to it. It has a massive impact on the human behavior because the more time we spend in the virtual world, the more we would change our views of the world and culture.

Amin

E

ven though I love the virtual world, I’m trying my best to balance the virtual and the real world. There are some amazing video games such as Call of Duty, FIFA, and other action and war games. These games can make you addicted if you don’t watch yourself. They can affect your grades in college or school. You will stop stepping outside your home, you will stop going out to meet your friendsin other words, it can turn you into a virtual-world person.

Alisha

P

eople nowadays sleep with their cell-phone and laptop right next to their pillow. There’s lot mentioned about the ill effects of the radiations that these gadgets emit. I wonder how far we have gone.

Saad

A

n example of how technology has taken over mankind can be seen in how my friends use their BlackBerries. Even during the middle of a conversation, they tend to switch towards their phones and ignore the rest of the world. It has already taken over their minds.

Louis

M

any people would choose the virtual world because it captures our fantasies and brings it into the virtual reality.

But I would choose reality. As much as our happiness means a lot to our perfect world, pain plays an equally important role. As a particular saying goes: Denial is an option, Reality is not.

Islam

I

would choose the real world but with an exception of sneaking into the virtual world from time to time.

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YOUNG TURKS

Be the

problem

solver By y Casseeira Oliv

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The sound of an aircraft flying overhead isn’t music to most ears. However, for Rachael Hoyle, it’s the sound of pride that she helped the aircraft soar above the skies.

The 25-year-old fleet management engineer talks to CAMPUS about how she bagged her dream job.

“No, I wasn’t born with a spanner in my hand,” Rachael Hoyle laughs off. Given her steadfast career progression in the Defence and Aerospace industry at just 25, for a minute you would picture the bright-eyed engineer as a kid, playing with hand tools rather than Barbie dolls.

“Back in school, I always loved science and math. I was fascinated by how you could apply them to problem solving.”

Little surprise then that her first choice after school was engineering. “Engineering was an opportunity to go into an industry that uses the subjects that I love in a practical format.”

In the UK, Rachael’s home country, it’s common for students to opt for apprenticeships after high school which allows them to work in a company for a short tenure to gain practical experience. Rachel bagged one at the BAE systems in UK and that was her first exposure to engineering – a trigger that made

her realize this is what she wanted to do ahead in life. “I increased my practical knowledge of the subject. I could relate my studies to the real world. This formed a basis for me to complete my further studies in engineering.” She recently graduated with a First Class Honors

Degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Rachael’s apprenticeship in Engineering saw her win the National Advanced Apprentice of the Year award in the UK in 2008. Since then she has been a keen ambassador for Engineering, presented and contributed at interactive workshops, undertaken radio interviews, broadcast live on television and presented her story at No.10 Downing Street and even attended the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. “I had never imagined myself doing all this when I left school at 16,” she says excitedly.

Starting a career as early as age 16, wasn’t she handled with kid gloves at work? “It was quite a shock that my co-workers took me seriously,” she says. “They wanted to pass and share their knowledge, teach me their way of doing things. Rather than seeing me as a kid coming in, they wanted to see me grow in the company, and that was pleasantly refreshing.”

Rachael sees the concept of apprenticeship as a good opportunity for students to progress into higher studies. “Doing the practical side of it is a really good foundation to understand what we learn from the academic sense.

“You can learn things from an on-site experience that you can’t learn from a textbook. And without the knowledge from a text-book, you wouldn’t be able to put your practical knowledge into use. They complement each other.”

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However, starting young has its own challenges-time-management. While all of her friends were at university, Rachael had to work full-time. She went to university only one day a week while she worked for the rest of the four days. “All my academic assignments were reserved for the weekends. It was difficult managing time, to prioritize your work and academics,” she confesses.

“But then again, at the end of the day, I was getting paid, developing my own independence while doing my qualification.”

It all boils down to how you manage your time, understand deadlines in each area of your life and make sure you maintain the right balance. “It’s important to allocate time equally for work and outside work to derive maximum satisfaction from both.”

Rachael was also fortunate enough to have a very supportive “corporate mentor” at work.

“He’s at a senior position in the company and is a highly experienced professionals at work.”

She discusses any problems pertaining to her professional development as well as personal with him. “Since he has a good knowledge of where the company is going strategically, he advises me on which areas I might be interested to get involved in or projects where I can gain a different experience.”

In a man’s world Conventionally speaking, engineering is always perceived to be a male-dominated industry. How does it feel being in one then?

“I have often been asked this question,” she

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laughs. “You definitely stand out as a woman because you are among the minority in this field. But I never faced any challenges as such.

“I think when you are looking at new technologies and high innovation, the demands of problem-solving is enhanced by a diverse environment.” Diversity that she pinpoints here is the equal proportion of males and females in the work force. “The more diverse environment you can encourage in an engineering world, the better outcomes you can get.”

On her recent visit to Qatar as part of BAE Systems’ ongoing program of engagement with educational establishments in Qatar, Rachael had the opportunity to interact with the female students of Texas A&M University

Words of advice:

The harder you work, the more you get.

Make the most of any opportunity that comes your way.

in Qatar, the Cambridge School for Girls and Qatar Academy. “Engineering offers a wealth of opportunities for any enthusiastic and dedicated individual. High-end technology based engineering requires a high level of skills and knowledge; the young women I have met in Qatar certainly display the enthusiasm and aptitude required to embrace the challenges the engineering industry is set to face.”

Through an interactive session held at the

Qatar’s Society of Women Engineers, Rachael encouraged those with an interest in science and technology to consider it as a career. “The perception of engineering as a man’s world is definitely changing. T here are cultural challenges women in this region will need to overcome, some of which are not as prominent in the engineering culture in which I work.

Speaking with young women in Qatar, it seems that these challenges are already being addressed, particularly within the petroleum engineering industry.”

Guiding light Racheal’s week-long visit to Qatar also included a workshop at the Qatar Leadership Academy (QLA) in Al Khor, where the cadets were engaged in a lively discussion on the dynamics of flying an aircraft. They were also taught how to design and fly their own fighter jets, in the form of paper aeroplanes, of course. This workshop was the fourth in a series where BAE Systems and QLA have united to motivate the cadets and stimulate their curiosity in the engineering world.

“Young people usually don’t associate with how you can use science & technology in the real world. We need to help them to find that association as engineering is a great career to go into – it is fun.”

Another misconception she quickly clarifies is that “engineering is anything but a greasy world.”

“People usually associate engineering with mechanics – the greasy and dirty side of it. But if you look at some of our factories, it has to be very clean to ensure safety and avoid contamination. It’s not a greasy world.”

As a Fleet Management Engineer, Rachael is currently working on the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft in operation with the Royal Saudi Air Force. “It’s one of the fastest aircrafts at BAE systems,” she says.

She earlier worked on the F-35 Lightning II – an aircraft for which BAE systems are primary contractors in the US. “I sit at work everyday, looking out of the window, and know there’s an aircraft flying.

You can’t help but feel proud to know that you indirectly helped to pull out the aircraft out there.”

What about a dream project that she always wished for? “I guess I’m already living my dream,” she says.

Compiled By Cassey Oliveira

YOUNG TURKS

Lionel Messi Gem of a Player Having scored his 50th goal for the second season of the Spanish League, football poster boy Lionel Messi rides high on fame and fortune.

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A

t just 24, Lionel Messi couldn’t wish for anything more. He’s got everything – screaming fans, killer strikes, plump paychecks and a name that will go down in history as one of the greatest footballers of our times.

CAMPUS rounds up four top reasons why we (and surely you would too) love Lionel Messi...

Power Player We have all seen him play. Don’t we just admire and imitate how he dribbles with the ball? In fact, Messi’s football mania began as early as age five when he started playing football for Grandoli, his local Argentinian club coached by his father. And as he grew older, the master footballer outperformed himself in each game, so much that talk of his talent reached the ears of the sporting director of Barcelona. Messi now stands as a key player for the Barcelona club and is the one to look out for during international matches as well.

“My family told me from a very early age, when I was learning to walk, that I had a passion for the ball.

Clearly, I don’t remember that, but it’s not hard to imagine myself running after a ball.”

Such is his delivery that he’s often compared to legendary footballer Diego Maradona, and some even believe he will outshine the legend in the near future.

However, the humble star believes: “Those who do (compare) never saw him play...”

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Beating the odds

Did you know Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency at age 11? That meant receiving injections in his leg every single night. However, such was Messi’s passion for the sport that he sportingly took up the challenge only to fulfill his dream of becoming a great player one day.

“It wasn’t fun, I can assure you, but I wanted to become a footballer so much that it was worth it.”

As a matter of fact, what started off as a trial for Messi ended as a triumph. His treatment was very expensive which forced his family to move to Spain to gather income. It was there that Messi tried his luck with Barcelona who were impressed with his performance and offered to pay for the medical bills only if he was willing to move to Spain. And there was no looking back.

Messi Trivia: 1. Messi made history when he became the first player to score five goals in one Champions League game during a recent match between Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen.

2. He’s the first player to bag the Champions League top scorer titles for three consecutive years.

3. Messi is fondly called Leo, Lio or La Pulga.

4. Compared to his fellow players, Messi stands relatively short at 5’ 6” (168 cms) 5. Messi appeared on the third spot of Forbes’ highest-paid footballers list in 2011 after Beckham and Ronaldo.

6. He’s a family guy; the only thing he dislikes about his job is being away from his loved ones.

7. A versatile left-footed player, Messi is dangerous anywhere on the pitch.

Act of Giving Argentine charmer

The cute Argentinean makes for a perfect poster boy! While his boyish appeal and dimpled smile has had girls go weak at the knees, sport brands are also keen to have him as their brand ambassadors.

His first brand association was with Nike in 2004. However, in 2006, he was lured in by rivals Adidas to sign a five-year contract. Since then, Messi has been instrumental in making the brand’s shoes popular. Notable ones include-Adidas predator boots, Tunit football boots, F50 AdiZero World Cup boots which are considered the world’s lightest shoes.

“I am amazed at how light the new F50 is; I can barely feel them on my feet.”

As such, Messi carries off anything with élan.

Despite being one of the highest paid footballers in the world, Messi has his feet on the ground. T he humble player knows how to put his fame to good use. In 2007, he started the Lionel Messi Foundation with support from his family to grant all children equal opportunities to fulfill their dreams. Seeing his dedication towards children’s welfare, UNICEF appointed him as Goodwill Ambassador in 2010 to work on the common challenges faced by vulnerable children around the world.

“I like that football reminds me of the importance of working with children. If it was possible, I would exchange my goals for teachers and schools for all children, and also for food to allow all children to grow healthy.”

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Pocketful of businesses

CAREER BUZZ

By Cassey Oliveira

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K

halifa Al-Misnad never settles for just enough. After acquiring a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas in Austin followed by a law degree from the University of Houston, unlike his peers who grabbed small-time jobs at shopping malls, Khalifa dreamed bigger.

He took up a part-time job in a real estate company, went on to become a licensed realtor in 2001, and then secured a broker’s license to start a boutique firm in 2003.

Armed with a degree in law, Khalifa returned home in 2006 and bagged a job at the legal department of Qatar Petroleum.

Driven by an entrepreneurial rush, he plunged into the business world and founded Coreo – a real estate and relocation company – in 2009.

With an influx of businesses into Qatar, there was a need to help expatriates relocate by developing a kind of real estate portfolio online – and Coreo helped fill the space. The company grew to partner with other ventures that included YALLA Transportation, Wheels of Arabia, Creative Action Design Qatar, and most recently the Law Offices of Khalifa AlMisnad, in association with Al-Misnad & Rifaat.

Khalifa added another feather to his entrepreneurial cap, and became founder and president of the Qatar chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO). Founded in 1987, EO is a dynamic, global network of more than 8,000 business owners in 40 countries that enables entrepreneurs to learn and grow from each other, leading to greater business success and an enriched personal life.

He gets down to business in an interview with CAMPUS to share some facts about being an entrepreneur in Qatar.

You have not one but a number of businesses.

Where do you get the ideas for the start-ups?

It’s been about three years since I’ve started my own business and each initiative has

I believe that the youth in Qatar are motivated to make a change in the community and have been exposed to a global environment that has inspired them to innovate locally.

How did the idea of EO Qatar come up?

EO is predominantly US-centric, but has been growing internationally for some time now to become the most influential entrepreneurial organization in the world. The organization is member-driven and no one in Qatar had championed a chapter. A fellow EO member from Bahrain recommended I spearhead the organization which I was hesitant to do due to time commitments, but after a group of fellow peers supported the initiative, we decided it would be a great resource for the business community in Qatar and a way to give back to the aspiring entrepreneurs. Unlike most organizations, EO is structured in such a manner that members are able to share, learn from one another, and make a positive impact on the community around them and globally.

Qatar is known to have a rich history of entrepreneurship. But do you think today’s youth are motivated enough to be entrepreneurs one day?

The first step towards entrepreneurship...

Take a leap of faith to devote yourself to a business idea you believe you can grow. progressively built off from the previous one.

Coreo was an offspring of real estate experience I had while going to university in the US and the Law Offices are based on my degree in law. Everything else that I have gotten involved in is a result of being submerged in the business environment, recognizing opportunities, and leveraging my current business resources and experience to pioneer something new.

I believe that the youth in Qatar are motivated to make a change in the community and have been exposed to a global environment that has inspired them to innovate locally. There are definitely hurdles in Qatar in setting up a business, but at the same time there are a number of advantages to starting a business in the country. The government has already begun to show support via a number of vehicles such as Silatech, Enterprise Qatar and the like, which will inevitably increase entrepreneurship amongst the youth.

How does the Qatar chapter of EO contribute in this regard?

We are still relatively young and we have been focusing on promoting value for our members.

Our global mission is to become the world’s most influential group of entrepreneurs and this applies to influencing young inspiring entrepreneurs. Our goal is to serve as mentors to young entrepreneurs, and EO chapters elsewhere in the world have been very

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successful in what we call “Accelerator” programs to help young businesspeople push through the learning curve of owning and operating a business.

Turnovers, revenues, sales - the entrepreneurship terminology doesn’t seem very youth-friendly. How would you explain to them what is it all about?

The terminology will have to make sense in due course for anyone thinking about starting a company, but what matters more is the conceptual understanding of what needs to take place in business. Workshops would probably work best, even if it’s as simple as opening a lemonade stand, which would conceptually teach them what’s involved in business because it’s not the terminology at the end of the day.

Taking your experience as an example, is the path towards entrepreneurship a smooth one?

It depends on who you ask, but more often than not the onset of entrepreneurship is riddled with challenges. Most entrepreneurs may not succeed off the bat, but it’s important not to look at this as a failure, but as an opportunity to learn from what you did and improve on what will be done.

I tried to start several businesses while

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attending university, and for one reason or another I could not get the business off the ground. I learned from each venture and continued to build off my experience until I successfully got the ball rolling. My advice would be to take challenges as learning opportunities and to develop yourself, and everything else will naturally fall into place What are those fields that are rewarding, but entrepreneurs hesitate to tap into? Any field can lead to entrepreneurship as each field presents an opportunity that can be grasped.

I think there is more of an inner drive that pushes an entrepreneur and not an external factor such as the field that a person is in.

Do you think the education system in Qatar provides the right platform for students to develop entrepreneurial skills?

I think that the universities in Qatar are doing an excellent job offering students business

5 myths of entrepreneurship That failure is a bad thing.

That success should come quickly.

That it’s something that requires a significant amount of capital.

That it’s something only certain people can pursue.

That it’s unreachable for most.

5 things you should remember while starting a business: Be patient.

Embrace ‘failure’.

Continue learning.

Carve your own path.

Have fun.

and entrepreneurial programs to develop themselves, and now with different organizations such as EOQ, budding entrepreneurs can seek mentorship and connect with the success stories from the real world that they can hopefully relate to and get inspired by.

Finally, a message to our young readers who aspire to be the next-gen entrepreneurs.

How we conduct business is ever evolving and changing, and it’s the younger generation usually driving that change with refreshed energy, innovation, and ideas. Every venture starts out as a simple idea with limited resources. Dell and Facebook for example started out in university dorm rooms. Anything is possible, you just have to believe. Put your fears aside, and carve your own path to where you want to go.

Deep, Down, Under CAREER BUZZ

By Cassey Oliveira

What makes archaeology tick you have always been curious to discover and explore things dating hundreds of years back, then archaeology is likely to be your true calling.

For all you fossil-obsessed friends out there, a new campus has arrived in Doha.

Under a unique partnership with Qatar Foundation and Qatar Museums Authority, UCL Qatar is the first British university to open in Qatar. It offers postgraduate degree programmes in the areas of Archaeology, Conservation, Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies.

CAMPUS meets Dr Robert Carter. He’s UCL Qatar’s Senior Lecturer in Arab Archaeology who has been studying and working in the Gulf for nearly 20 years as an archaeologist, museum consultant and historian.

Twenty years in the field... what do you love about archaeology?

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I love the process of discovery, and finding the origins of things. It can be very rewarding to be the first person to see and touch something that has been buried for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years. It allows a personal connection with the past, and the opportunity to develop new insights using information that you helped recover yourself. Our societies are seamlessly connected to the past and we cannot understand the present without knowing where we came from.

I spend my time researching the archaeology and history of the Middle East, particularly the Gulf region, but also the Arabian Peninsula as a whole and ancient Mesopotamia (Iraq, northern Syria and south-eastern Turkey). I am just as interested in what was happening 7000 years ago as I am in the archaeology of the 19th and even 20th century AD.

What do you like best about each of your jobs?

As a lecturer: I like to pass on some of my Since 1993 you have conducted numerous fieldworks, artefact studies and consultancy in most countries of the Gulf. Why the Middle East in particular?

It was in the Middle East that people first settled down and began to grow food and keep animals rather than hunting and gathering.

It was here that cities, writing, and the bureaucratic state first developed. Its legacy has been tremendous and remains today.

As well as much of the actual food we eat – wheat, barley, sheep, goat, cattle – our actual way of thinking originates in the Middle East: the mathematics, cosmology and mythology that underpins both Middle Eastern and Western civilization has ancient roots in this part of the world, and the region gave birth to three of the major world religions. We know so little about it – huge tracts of land and time

Dr Robert Carter, Senior Lecturer in Arab Archaeology at UCL Qatar. are hardly known to us, and there remains so much more to be discovered.

Now that you are in Qatar, what marvellous discovery have you made about the country’s history so far?

We are still at an early stage but we will be starting excavations soon. I hope to learn more about when and how the first people came to Qatar, about early experiments in seafaring and maritime trade, and also about the origins of Doha and Qatar, as well as the pearl fishery and its role in Qatar. Eventually I hope that UCL Qatar will venture underwater, and we will find and excavate sites beneath the sea as well as on land.

knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject, but also the opportunity to learn myself. Students have their own opinions and perspectives which are worth listening to.

As an archaeologist: I enjoy the process of discovery, and the moments when understanding begins to crystallize out of the data.

As a museum consultant: I like dealing with the objects themselves, and feel privileged to be allowed to handle them, examine them and try to work out what they are and why they are interesting.

As a historian: I enjoy stitching together the rather abstract and second-hand information available from historical sources, with the primary but somewhat incomplete data yielded by archaeology.

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While studying the Middle East and Arabian archaeology, you are also known to take a particular interest in understanding people’s relationship with the sea. What have you discovered so far?

The Arabs and other people of Arabia are as much seafarers as they are people of the desert, particularly in eastern Arabia. The bulk of the population lived on the coast, particularly since the 18th century AD, when the pearling industry picked up pace. Sailors from the Gulf and Oman dominated the Indian ocean trade for centuries, and they were the first to sail directly to China, more than a thousand years ago. About three thousand years before that the Gulf was a critical part of the great Bronze Age maritime exchange network, when the early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Iran, Arabia and India traded by sea. In fact, the Gulf has produced the earliest good evidence for a complex maritime trading system anywhere in the world (seven thousand years ago), as well as the earliest evidence for the use of the mast and sail, and the world’s oldest sea-going boat remains.

How do you plan to use your expertise at UCL Qatar?

I hope to play a part in inspiring and training a new generation of experts in the region – including Qataris who will go on to play leading roles in this country’s education and museums organizations, as well as archaeologists and experts from elsewhere in the Gulf and in the wider Middle East, and students from all over the world who have an interest in Middle Eastern archaeology, antiquities and heritage. We want UCL Qatar to become the world’s leading research centre in these fields, and I plan to play a part in that.

What does UCL offer its students? What will they have learnt at the end of the program?

We offer a Master of Arts (MA) in the Archaeology of the Arab and Islamic World, and another MA in Conservation and Museum Studies. I’ll be teaching the first one, with Timothy Power, who is our expert in Islamic archaeology. Our course will give a complete overview of archaeology in the Middle East, from the first arrival of humans up to the modern era, and then offer more specialised options in the archaeology of Arabia,

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Mesopotamia and the Islamic world, as well as the opportunity to conduct fieldwork and follow their own research interests in a dissertation.

By the end students will know the prehistory, history and archaeology of the region and have expert knowledge of whatever part of it they find most interesting. We will also be teaching the latest in archaeological thought, theory and method. For those who are interested in the museums and heritage industry, the Conservation and Museum Studies course will allow students to specialise in either of the two themes. T his MA will give a complete grounding in theory but is practice-based, so that the students will come out with real skills which can be professionally applied.

Is there enough scope for these fields in the country? What kinds of jobs are available in the market?

The market for these skills is good at the moment, and expanding, because of the boom in museum construction in Qatar and the Gulf, and a growing interest in the past. We do not intend our students to be restricted to Qatar, either in origin or in eventual location of career. Although we have a core remit to inspire and train present and future Qatari experts and professionals, we are an international centre and the market extends well beyond this country’s frontiers.

What are the pros and cons of this field?

For me, the pros are that I find my area of interest endlessly fascinating. There is no end to the research that can be done, and no end to the story. Because there are so many potential aspects and approaches to studying the human past, there is something for everyone. It is a broad and varied discipline, and you can specialise in many different aspects, according to whether you have strengths and interests in history, science, objects and materials, art history, ancient religion, architecture, the ancient environment, social behaviour, cultural and cognitive evolution and so on...

As for the cons – I suppose it does not always seem immediately useful to everyone to know the ancient history of a place, object or idea but you could say the same about art, design, literature, modern history and a hundred other disciplines.

3 facts about archaeology:

Archaeology is all about what it is to be human, and it goes right back to the beginning of the story.

Whatever particular skills or interests you have, there will always be a branch of archaeology which will suit you.

Our knowledge is not complete and our ideas and approaches are continually evolving – there will always be something you can contribute.

Eligibility criteria: Anyone with an interest, good qualifications and the right level of English.

Prior knowledge of archaeology is not required for the Archaeology of the Arab and Islamic World MA, though an undergraduate qualification is needed, and should normally be in a related discipline.

Those applying to the Conservation and Museum Studies MA also need a bachelor’s degree passed at the required level, and this can be in any subject.

What does the work of an archaeologist entail?

Conducting or directing fieldwork such as excavation – physically digging up and recording a site.

Survey – studying and walking the landscape to identify and map new sites or recording a collection of objects.

Writing – a short period of excavation can produce a huge amount of information which takes a long time to analyse and write up. (Sometimes I am writing articles to publish in journals, on a topic or body of data that seems important to me at the time. I also wrote a book recently on the Gulf’s pearl fishery.)

Editing and collating reports from other archaeologists and specialists who have worked together on a site or conference, to make a comprehensive publication.

career buzz

people never tell you about

Venturing off into the real world can be exciting – until you actually experience it. Suddenly, you are faced with a whole bunch of things that no one has ever mentioned to you before you graduated.

To help you enter into the “real world” more confidently and with less anxiety, Bayt.com, has come up with some tips on coping with post-graduation stress.

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Navigate your way in the ‘Big Bad World’ with these six tips: You still have homework

We know what you’re thinking: “Finally, free evenings!” Not quite. You might start off your career with a pleasant 9-to-6 lifestyle, but eventually those deadlines – and clients – will make midnight seem like noon. Try to finish as much of your work as possible when you’re at the office by avoiding idle talk, not wasting time on matters not related to your tasks, and by prioritizing properly.

If you still can’t finish all your work during office hours, you will have to work overtime. The best way to approach overtime is to show willingness to go the extra mile, but make sure that you don’t let this willingness be anticipated or taken for granted. There are several discreet tactics you can use to ensure that your overtime is acknowledged. You can, for example, cc your boss when you’re sending emails from your work account late at night.

People like to gossip, even at the workplace

Workplace gossip is unproductive, and it breeds resentment and a culture of complaining. Make sure you never participate, even if it’s just by listening. After all, gossip cannot exist without someone to tell it to.

If you are not the person who can handle the specific issue that is being gossiped about, express your lack of interest and walk away. Treat everyone pleasantly, be as helpful and professional as you can, and don’t get involved in idle talk.

How lovely it would be to catch an afternoon siesta before getting back to work!

Well, you probably won’t get the chance to do that. It might have been possible once upon a time before we knew the meaning of traffic, but in almost any Arab city today, it’s near impossible to make it home, eat, sleep, and drive back to work in an hour. Pack a healthy, light lunch, and use the opportunity to mingle with your coworkers.

Office politics

Deal smartly with overtime

An hour isn’t enough for lunch

If you work in a large office, it will be hard to avoid office politics. Fortunately, the trick is simple: when conflicts happen, emerge as the winner by always focusing on the business objectives. Always think of what’s best for the business, and discuss the pros and cons of each option. After all, the success of the business as a whole will reflect on everyone in the organization. Always position yourself as someone who is interested in getting things done. Your boss will also come to appreciate your maturity, strategic thinking, and trustworthiness.

Sometimes, if you are much younger than your boss, friction might occur. Yet, according to Bayt.com’s January 2012 ‘Management Challenges in the MENA’ poll, 24.3 percent of managers in the region look for ‘professional success’ above all else in candidates. So, brush up on your knowledge and don’t worry about your age!

Age matters, but not that much

Bayt.com is the #1 job site in the Middle East with more than 40.000 employers and over 7.000.000 registered job seekers from across the Middle East, North Africa and the globe, representing all industries, nationalities and career levels. Post a job or find jobs on www.bayt.com today and access the leading resource for job seekers and employers in the region.

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TALK

Spaced Out How Chris Riley made a career out of an obsession By Cassey Oliveira

Most of us as kids would have plastered posters of our favourite stars all over the bedroom walls. Chris Riley was no different.

Only he had posters of planetary stars.

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t all began with his father, says the British writer and filmmaker, best known for the internet movie First Orbit. He recollects the times his father would show him the planets through his binoculars from the garden. He could see the magnificient rings around the yellow Saturn, the big Galilean moons of the Jupiter-and boy, was he hooked!

He talks to CAMPUS about the marvels of space, his historic film and the challenges that come his way.

Your fascination for planetary science began at a tender age. What got you hooked?

I think it helped that I grew up at a time when human beings were exploring the Moon, and as a species we were landing our first robotic explorers on the surface of other planets such as Venus and Mars.

Shortly after that Star Wars came out in 1977 and George Lucas’s creations of these amazing planetary vistas just blew me away. I have to study planets I thought!

Your internet movie – First Orbit – received over 3.5 million hits on YouTube. Interesting that audiences also watch science-related movies apart from commercial ones. Were you sceptical at first to produce programmes of such a genre?

Things don’t always work out exactly as you want them – but your best ideas do come to fruition eventually! The hard bit is never giving up and always treating the word ‘NO’ as the start of a conversation.

Once I started writing and telling stories for a living – first in print and then on the radio and eventually for T V documentaries – all I wanted to do was to tell good stories. Science is full of fantastic stories where human imagination has thrown up incredible, creative ways of teasing out answers about the Universe. And as they say truth is always stranger than fiction, I was sure that if I was hooked on one of these stories of exploration and discovery then others would be too. I just had to find the right way to tell it and it was only through the documentary genre.

What makes First Orbit special?

I liked the fact that it was so simple and beautiful. There were no views of the Earth captured from Yuri Gagarin’s spacecraft, and that meant that the story of his actual flight was never really shared widely. Earlier documentaries always concentrated on the build up to his flight and the world tours afterwards. But that flight was a unique moment in our shared human history. It deserved to be captured for posterity.

Combining the new views we captured of what he would have seen of the Earth from this pioneering orbit, with his original voice recordings (where you can hear how excited he is) was a winning combination.

Adding Philip Sheppard’s breathtaking new score from his album Cloud Songs into the mix was a better result than I ever imagined it would be.

Yuri Gagarin on his way to the launch pad – On April 12, 1961, the Russian cosmonaut made space history to become the when he became the first human being to orbit the Earth.

Pic courtesy: Footagevault Space Agnecy to match the flight path of the Space Station to that of Vostok 1. That took us months.

In parallel was a second strand of research which my friend Iya Whitely undertook to try and track down the original mission audio.

That quest also took a year of deep digging and never taking ‘no’ for an answer. Iya’s research was fantastic and she eventually found the audio archive just a couple of weeks before the deadline to finish the film!

It must have been a whole lot of homework. How did you go about with your research?

Apart from stifling deadlines, what other major challenges do you come across when you plan a documentary?

All documentaries are underpinned by the research you do. And the deeper you research something the better your film will be. With First Orbit, it was a different kind of research-finding out the flight path which Gagarin had taken and the time of day he flew to get the sun angles right. And then doing the maths with the help of the European

The biggest challenge in any project is money. How do you fund something? You have two choices, you either persuade someone else to give you the money to make a film, which can take years, or you fund it yourself and persuade those you work with to buy into your idea too, and donate their time for free.

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Astronaut Paolo Nespoli on board the International Space Station during the filming of First Orbit.

The second route buys you greater freedom, as it remains your idea, you are the boss. But it also comes with its own price – you still need to find a way of making a living and paying your bills. That means working double days!

How do you tackle challenges?

I’m a firm believer in the saying that ‘the greatest risk in life is not taking one’. If you are excited enough about an idea then it’s often easy to get others excited about it too, and they start to believe in your idea and together you make it happen. Things don’t always work out exactly as you want them – but your best ideas do come to fruition eventually!

The hard bit is never giving up and always treating the word ‘NO’ as the start of a conversation I’ve been working on a film for 5 years now only because people keep saying no. But that just makes me want to do it even more – to prove them wrong. I know it’s possibly the best film I’ll ever make, and that thought is what inspires me to keep going.

of was ‘I’m having dinner with a man who’s lived on the Moon and now R2D2 comes up to say hello’. That was quite a night!

If you were given a chance to go to space, what would you like to see?

The view of the Earth which the 24 American astronauts got to see on their way to the Moon on those nine Apollo missions. It changed their perspectives on life and the fragility of the planet in unique ways, and I’d like to experience it too.

Lastly, a career advice for our young readers.

Find out as soon as you can what really excites you in life and makes you want to jump out of bed to do it. And then try your whole life to find ways of people paying you to do that thing!

Your love for planetary science is remarkable. But have you wondered if there are others who share similar passion to pursue a career like yours?

It’s not a subject that ignites everyone’s interetest. But for me it’s an incredible human endeavour – and perhaps the only thing we do of galactic significance. It never ceases to thrill me, and I hope it thrills others too!

From your career span, are there any interesting anecdotes to share?

When we were making In the Shadow of the Moon we were having dinner one night at a hotel with Charlie Duke, the 10th man to walk on the Moon. Suddenly a man came up to the table and introduced himself as Kenny Baker – the R2D2 android in Star Wars! He’d met Charlie before on a chat show and wanted to say hello. All I could think

Shots of the earth’s view captured by Nespoli.

The multi-language DVD or BluRay versions of the iconic First Orbit film will be screened world-wide on April 12, 2012, to celebrate Yuri’s Night anniversary. For more details visit: www.firstorbit.org

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health & fitness

No more sleeping blues By Carina Lipold

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We all know that we have to eat well and exercise to be healthy. But did you ever think about how your sleep can improve your well-being?

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ost of the time sleep is something that we just do without thinking. But when we have some parties coming up, or forget to study for an exam, we are fast to limit our sleep to a minimum in order to enjoy a night with friends or even pull the “all nighter” before an exam! I know, all of us have done this from time to time – even I did during my five-year study to become a Health Manager – but it shouldn’t be all the time like that.

According to Dr Christopher Herrera, an expert in sleep physiology at Aspetar, “Researchers have demonstrated that that the more days we loose sleep, the worse our concentration and memory become.” An interesting fact is that most of us don’t know when we are even tired! He says that, “subjects in the research study did not rate themselves as being more tired even when more and more sleep was lost.” So the more sleep we lose the harder it will be to concentrate in lectures and memorize during the exam.

Plus, we just think the feeling is normal or find ways to overcome it like using caffeine.

Unfortunately, there are serious consequences for our health if we continue on this path.

Research has shown that sleep loss also affects our appetite and weight control: the less we sleep the more hungry we are, the more we eat, and the harder it is to lose body fat. “Poor sleep is not only linked to reduced concentration and performance in college students but to serious health problems such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity if continued later in adulthood,” says Dr Chris. So how much sleep do we need? Adults generally require between 7-9 hours sleep per night but according to Dr Chris this amount may be more around 8-9.5 hours in college students. Think about yourself for a minute. Do you achieve this amount of sleep on a regular basis?

Students would like to sleep more, but cant.

One of the main reasons is that our mind doesn’t get the chance to rest. Being restless and unable to sleep is “likely just a side-effect of the modern society – the 24hour society

where work-life balance eludes us, where communication never stops – and where people are always connected. It’s not surprising that for many of us the body and MIND never really have time to fully recover,” says Dr Chris.

when naps are longer we are more likely to progress into deep sleep – which if awakened will leave us feeling lethargic and even more tired than when we started – plus, it will likely delay our sleepiness at night and cause us to lose sleep.

Therefore Dr Chris offers 10 tips to improve your sleep tonight:

Eat regularly spaced and healthy meals throughout the day, leaving your last large meal approximately 3-4 hours before bedtime.

1.

Get conscious about your daily sleep and what it does to your mood, concentration and motivation.

Experiment what is the perfect sleeping amount for you so that you are waking up refreshed and ready to go.

2.

Establish a healthy pre-sleep ritual 45-60 minutes before bedtime. Lower the lights in the house and on electronics devices and turn these off at least 15-30 minutes prior to bedtime. Spend this time doing relaxing activities such as reading, creating a journal or to-do list (so that you are not thinking of these things in bed), practicing light yoga, meditation, prayer, or deep breathing exercise. You can even take a hot shower or bath as this creates both physical and mental relaxation as well as afterwards creates a lowering of body temperature which mimics the natural progression towards sleep.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Only get in bed and stay in bed when sleeping. That means, NO iPad, word puzzles, checking of finances, watching T V, etc in bed.

Wake up and get out of bed at the same time every day, including weekends (I know that’s a hard one!)

Get plenty of natural sunlight every day as this helps you to sleep at night as well.

Limit daytime naps; if necessary a short 20-30min nap can be used to promote alertness. Unfortunately,

7.

8.

Do not drink caffeine containing beverages (Coke, Pepsi, coffee, some teas), and limit chocolate (which contains caffeine) after 4pm. It takes at least 6-8hours for most of the caffeine to leave the body and therefore if can still interfere with sleep.

9.

10.

Exercise regularly but not within 3-4 hours of bedtime. Any exercise you choose will do – you’ll be more likely to exercise if you pick something you enjoy.

Take rest throughout the day; this can be in the form of social rest (spending quick break with friends or family), mental rest (small breaks allowing you to train your brain to slow down – call it meditation, etc), physical rest (remember this can be in the form of exercise or sport, as there is a natural recovery process after physical activity), and spiritual rest (in the form of prayer and/or self-education).

So are ready to make some changes?

Amazing what sleep can do for us, right? Dr Chris says, “the earlier we start making these adjustments the better we are able to overcome a rare sleepless night!”

Note: T here is an upcoming four-week sleep improvement program at the end of April at Six Senses conducted by Dr Chris. Contact the Six Senses Spa for more information.

About the Author:

About Dr Christopher Herrera:

Carina Lipold has a Master in Health Management, is currently Wellness Coordinator at the Six Senses Spa and has published health and wellness articles all around the world.

Dr Christopher P. Herrera, PhD is an expert in sleep physiology and his wellness education combines integrative nutrition, exercise and behavioral interventions to improve sleep quality. Currently he is a researcher working at Aspetar and a consultant to Six Senses for sleep improvement.

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The new spring/summer collection from Parfois takes us back to the 50s with a gorgeous palette of candy-coated pastels going from white, yellow and powdery pinks, to light blue and lilac. This funky mix of jewelry is perfect to add a little glamour to your casual attire. We love the pale summery shades of these cute ballerinas too.

Cool Quotient

Wish to run at a lightning speed? Try out Puma’s Faas collection running shoes-worn by the world’s fastest man Usain Bolt.

Have fun with the electric blue sneakers and neon green t-shirts.

fashion

campus

You would want to be caught wearing these...

Three in one! Bourjois has come up with this new handy Colorissimo Lip Palette-three lipstick shades in a single pocket sized case. We picked the Roses Fashion color combination for a glam ‘n’ rock attitude with three orangey pinks.

A must-have in your bag.

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Floral patterns mix and match to give a cool air to this summery sun dress from United Colors of Benetton.

Greetings from Miami!

You can never go wrong with stripes. Lacoste offers a blue and white striped shirt for boys and a red and white striped shirt for girls as a refreshing addition to your spring/summer wardrobe.

‘Be Bright’ reads the theme of GAP this season. For boys, this cedar green denimwashed khakis is simply cool, while girls can look their pretty best in this cute red heart tutu.

Girls are in for a treat. Adidas has launched the new women’s training collection in Qatar to increase comfort during workouts.

Highlighted by the 3-stripe elements on the side and strong colors like this black and orange trainer, they are a rage this season.

Girls, make a statement with these colorblocked shoes from Marc by Marc Jacobs. We love how the emerald green outsole complements the charcoal black upper of this heeled beauty.

Boys will look uber-cool in these classic high-top white sneakers. But make sure they stay white for long.

We also found this funky case for your laptop that you can flaunt around campus.

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green touch: (clockwise) Mission 20 coordinators help in the GPS brand activation; stickers placed at International School London Qatar AND Shemford Noble International School; ENERGY AWARENESS STICKERS AT Abdulla Bin Ali Al Misnad Independent School

ECOPAL

Going the Green Way

T

GPS brand activation in progress

he Green Programme for Schools (GPS) was launched on June 5, 2011 with an aim to Reach, Inspire and Reward students and schools by meaningfully engaging the youth and inculcating in their minds the importance of building green equity. GPS is an initiative by Msheireb Properties in association with Qatar Today magazine, and is supported by the Supreme Education Council.

The programme has commenced the brand activation stage with Mission 20 coordinators visiting each of the participating schools. This

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stage involves creative stickers carrying the message of saving water and energy, and waste recycling along with the GPS pledge board being strategically placed all over the campuses. They would help constantly remind and encourage the students to utilise resources carefully. Every school is also receiving a GPS idea box. Students can drop in their suggestions and eco-friendly ideas into this box which will be taken into consideration during the course of the programme. For a year, the participating schools will be carefully monitored by GPS involving officials from Qatar Green Building Council, Msheireb Properties, Qatar Today magazine and other technical members. The school which reduces water and electricity

consumption the most would be awarded the ‘Eco School of the Year’.

As a sub-programme under the Green Programme for Schools (GPS), an energy awareness campaign has also been launched with ORY X GT L as the Gold Sponsors.

Through this campaign, GPS as well as ORYX GT L aim to educate the schools and students on the concept of energy. For this, energy awareness information boards have been placed in all the participating schools. There will be also a quiz competition held where students have to answer three simple questions based on energy awareness as well as write a catchy slogan on energy. The student with the best energy slogan will be awarded.

CAMPUS speaks to a few GPS coordinators:

“As a member of Mission 20, I was aware that we were activation partners for GPS, and so chose to become a GPS coordinator. The programme is a good way to inform students about saving water and electricity and proper waste management.

By learning about conservation from an early age, it helps to make this their habit.”

Green Practice: I make sure not to waste water, and avoid littering.

Naresh Lal, 20, CNAQ

“I learnt about GPS through the Mission20 facebook page as they are the activation partners for GPS. The regular posts of GPS on the page made me visit the link and know more about the amazing and unique eco-friendly programme. I love participating in programmes such as GPS which is all about creating awareness among the younger generation about the three main concerns of today-that is electricity and water consumption, and waste management. As a GPS volunteer, my role is to create awareness and make sure the participating schools are branded and follow the practices of GPS.”

“GPS is really helpful for the schools and students. They get to learn many things through this programme and they get an opportunity to give their own suggestions as well. On a personal note, I try best not to waste water. As a coordinator, you also get to meet many people and explain to t h e m a b o u t t h e G P S – y o u gain experience.”

Green Practice: I avoid littering and I make sure to switch off the lights before leaving the room.

Mohammed Gulam Kibriya, 18, CNAQ

Green Practice: I switch off the lights and turn off the taps properly before leaving. I also try recylcing waste.

Foziya Mohd Kassim, 19, IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University)

“One of my friends told me about this new environmental program and guided me to the GPS facebook page. I felt it was quite interesting and immediately registered as a GPS coordinator. The best thing about being a GPS coordinator is that we have to spread an eco-friendly message among young minds, so that they not only understand the purpose of this programme, but also try to implement them in their daily lives. The programme aims to save the daily resources which we have been over using. As GPS coordinators, we get to meet many people and explain them about the agenda, why are we carrying out this programme and what will be its positive effects in the coming years.”

Green Practice: I use electricity only when needed.

Anam Shafiq, 18, CNAQ For more information on GPS, visit the GPS facebook page: www.facebook.com/GPSQatar

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SPORTS

Try Anything?

By Rory Coen

Tri-Athlon If you’re looking for a mental challenge, try Tri-athlon. The “swim-bike-run” combination is the ultimate in endurance of the body, soul and mind. Just finishing these sapping races is an achievement in itself, and that’s why almost 2,000 athletes suited up for the third Abu Dhabi International Triathlon on March 3.

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women’s biking champion: Nikki Butterfield

A

thletes ranging from elite professionals, such as Ironman Champions and Olympians to “age-groupers” as old as 68, lined up at Abu Dhabi’s Corniche and set about achieving their own personal goals, whether it was to pocket the $50,000 first prize or to just get around in one piece, no matter how long it took.

The skies above Abu Dhabi had barely brightened when the hooter blasted to announce the start of the elite race. Thirty two men darted towards the water, like they had just been set alight, and dived in with a declared abandon. To say the waters were choppy around this school of swimmers for the next few minutes would be a slippery understatement. It took a few moments – and some bloody noses no doubt – to sort themselves out, but as expected, 35 minutes and 3kms later, Australian Clayton Fettell emerged from the water first and sprinted towards the first transition station to prepare for his bike-ride.

Now they don’t have a shower or spend too much time worrying about the sand between their toes during the transition. They are peeling off their wet-suits as they run towards their

men’s biking champion, Rasmus Henning bikes – their cycling gear is underneath – and after depositing that into their locker, they run to their bikes which have their shoes already attached to the pedals. It’s designed to be a very seamless transition.

Meanwhile, Jodie Swallow came up for air first in the elite women’s event, which had started just a couple of moments after the men. Indeed she passed out a number of them during her two laps and was on her bike while some of them were still wet.

The Abu Dhabi Triathlon’s most striking feature is the 200 km “bike” distance. To put this into perspective, the longest stage in the 2012 Le Tour de France will be 220 kms.

Indeed, in the long Ironman triathlon, they only bike a distance of 180kms. The eventual winner – Denmark’s Rasmus Henning – peddled the distance in four hours and 34 minutes. Australian Nikki Butterfield, the women’s champion, biked it in an incredible 4.55.

Henning put in a blistering 20km run in one hour and six minutes to pass out Faris AlSultan with two kilometers remaining. Eneko Llanos finished third, a minute behind the winner. Meanwhile, Butterfield eased to her win with a 1:16 run after she had stretched the women’s field on the bike circuit, finishing

almost three minutes ahead of Canada’s Angela Naeth and four minutes ahead of Switzerland’s Caroline Steffen.

More locals needed Labeled the world’s most glamorous triathlon in 2010, the course was enhanced to accommodate a growing interest in the event. 1,900 athletes participated this year, which is a 20 percent increase in last year. There were athletes from 62 countries and a 27 percent increase in numbers from the GCC region.

In the pre-race press conference, local boy Al Sultan spoke about how there were a lot of regional athletes competing, but he felt there was still room for so many more. This was the first time that Arab females were allowed to compete in the event. Whilst there were a few Qatari non-nationals taking part, there was no Qatari in the line-up.

“We need to get more locals to do it,” he said. “We have increased the GCC expatriate figure, but not the local one. The triathlon communities in Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE are growing rapidly. This race gives so much profile to the city here. Most of the age-groupers are simply here to enjoy themselves and why should that sense be restricted to everyone but not the locals?”

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Frozen Planet

The Complete Series Narrated by: David Attenbourgh.

Series producer: Vanessa Berlowitz

REVIEW

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ontroversy-mired but all the while extremely effective and heart-wrenching, Frozen Planet is a BBC-Discovery Channel co-production that highlights the fragile beauty of the poles.

The residents of the poles – the bears and wolves in the north and penguins in the south – are observed over time until filming ended in 2010, and are captured in their habitat over the four seasons of the year, but we hardly see anything beyond a harsh white landscape. Just when you thought these parts of the world would be relatively unspoilt, we come across instances that focus on mankind’s indulgent activities there. Global warming is not just a buzzword on an environmental junkie’s lips, you see the ecological damage unravel in front of your eyes. Scenes of wildlife travelling miles for food because of rapidly melting icecaps are a sight that will haunt you for many days.

Also covering volcanoes at the poles, winged-migrations and pack-behavior, hunting seals by killer whales, BBC promises us that the footage was taken on long-range cameras without damaging the peace of the subjects. The three disc version that was reviewed was presented by David Attenborough; buyers in America have the joy of listening to Alec Baldwin.

Marketed as a sequel to the Blue Planet (2001) and Planet Earth (2006), Frozen Planet is yet another series that will bring to our drawing rooms the spectacle of nature in all its glory and how there might be very little time to reverse what we have done to this earth.

Note: Frozen Planet was reviewed as a three disc DVD boxset priced at QR150 and is also available for QR210 on Bluray at Virgin Megastore at Landmark and Villaggio malls.

Reviewed By Anand George Zachariah

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Raeed Al-emadi, one of the speakers

panel discussion with experts in fields of culture

members from Sanad

AROUND TOWN

Youth to Economy Forum

Achieving the National Vision By Maryam Al-Subaiey

I

t was a collaboration of thoughts and ideas. The venue, Qatar National Convention Centre reverberated with strong opinions on January 26, 2012 when youth from more than 15 different organizations got together to participate in the the world’s largest student-run organization,

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AIESEC’s Youth to Economy Forum. The forum, held on January 26, 2012, was facilitated by Al-Bedaya Centre, an incubation centre founded by HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, in conjunction with Silatech, in January 2008.

The forum opened with welcoming remarks

on youth and human development by HE Saleh Al-Nabit, the Secretary General of GSDP, followed by Elissar Sarrough, Resident Representative of UNDP. Topics discussed during the forum were as diverse as: Enabling youth through a diversified economy; Qatari youth facing changing social demographic

Young minds Naif Al-Malki

Founder of the Youth Foundation in Qatar

C

an you tell us about your group?

The Youth Foundation aims to look at the social aspects of life by making positive changes in our community. We carefully pick critical social issues and study each case; we then develop a solution and tools for change through any medium possible: videos, photos, campaigns or community engagement. We believe in dialog and communication; this forum is considered a great event for that.

What is your group doing in order to be part of achieving the 2030 vision?

We don’t have a specific plan but our strategy is to focus on present issues, to improve life for a better future. We might not have a vision but one way or another we are all contributing to a positive change. I hope that most of the issues, aspects, ideas and suggestions will be considered or at least open the door for more discussion.

Alya Al-Basti

member of Maraya Youth Magazine

M

araya Youth Magazine is part of Doha Youth Centre.

It is a magazine by the youth for the youth where information about local youth activities and related youth issues are discussed. The magazine aims to promote a sense of volunteering, community solidarity and encourages leading active life among the youth.

to empower the youth by featuring their projects, ideas and voices. In other words, our magazine adopts the youth to promote their development and encourage volunteer work to emphasize its importance for the overall development of individuals and society. This sense of responsibility and development is important towards achieving the goals of 2030 vision.

Why are you participating in this forum?

This forum is an opportunity for our voices to be heard and also to learn from the speakers and other participants. We wanted to network and get to know what the youth want and think to cover these issues in the magazine.

What is your group doing to be part of achieving 2030 vision?

Maraya’s vision is to present young people’s talent’ and passions to the society through media. Our magazine, which is written, designed and photographed by young people, aims

In your opinion, what is the most important element for human development?

Education plays a huge role in human development because it is one of the most important elements toward gaining productive knowledge and positive experience. When I say education I don’t just mean it in an academic way but in terms of awareness, general knowledge and development so that people can make better life choices. Those who are educated are more connected with the world and connected minds will create a good path towards human development.

Sara Saad Al-Quraishi

Founder of Qatari Creative Colours

Q

atari Creative Colours (QCC) is the first and largest Qatari entrepreneurs’ network. The critical aim of the QCC network is to link Qatari businesses; to encourage Qatari entrepreneurs to work together and discus their success, needs and obstacles. QCC is preparing to publish the first book in Qatar that displays a source of information for each entrepreneur.

What do you hope for as an outcome from this forum?

The QCC participated in the Youth Economy Forum to become a part of the achievers of the Qatar National Vision 2030. It gives us a clear perspective by creating an environment that fosters Qatari initiatives and projects. Achieving the prospects of the 2030 vision has provoked each Qatari to partake, achieve, and join the success of their ambitions and progress.

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exhibitors from different youth organizations changes; and the role of technology and new media in enabling the youth.

Al-Bedaya Centre Manager, Saleh AlKhulaifi explained the role of Silatech and the Al-Bedaya Centre as they serve as a connection between GSDP and the Qatari youth.

“The Bedaya Center offers a variety of programs in entrepreneurship, career guidance and employability skills for young people in Qatar. Our role at the Al-Bedaya Centre was to help recruit and prepare the youth to par-

ticipate in a constructive two-way conversation during the forum.”

He added, “Such events are vital for policy formulation process, as they give policy makers access to feedback from the youth. These recommendations are evaluated and after determining their feasibility, the suggestions will be included too. We are confident that they will be taken seriously by policy makers, and I think it is likely that a number of them will be incorporated into concrete action plans.”

The General Secretariat for Development Planning in Qatar recognises the importance of youth in achieving the 2030 vision goals, and thus the third National Human Development Report (NHDR) will be focused on: Expanding Capacities of Youth–Mainstreaming Young People in Development. Qatar will also launch a report in collaboration with the United National Development Programme (UNDP), based on the findings and conversations from this Forum.

Enriching experience

Zarqa Parvez, a student of Georgetown University in Qatar, and co-founder of the Women’s Society and Development Club (WSDC) at the University participated in the forum. She recounts what she learnt from the forum.

M

y friend Ghada Al-Subaey and I had our table set up at the forum as we represented the WSDC from Georgetown. People from different professional and academic backgrounds visited us and offered us their opinions, concerns and ideas relative to our club and development in Qatar in general. We were excited to receive such enthusiastic response from the Qatari youth and their sincere interest in the development activities.

While meeting the other youth groups present in the forum, I was inspired by their ambitious and innovative ideas and projects.

It was evident how much Qatar has progressed in achieving its goal of creating knowledge-based economy. All the participants and attendees were passionate and zealous about the NHDR report.

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There were group discussions involving high school students during the forum as well. It reflected their profound interest and creative thinking in the rigorous development projects of the country. My group had six young and exuberant girls who actively discussed issues relating to the Arab identity, the changing dimension of lifestyle in Qatar and its implication on the new generation.

They presented their views and offered effective solutions to some of the common challenges and daily problems faced by the youth yet rarely emphasized. As the youth of a country, which is now a global leader, they certainly felt the responsibility to contribute towards its bright future.

According to me, this event is a prime example of how a country’s most valuable resource is its people. When the youth of a

nation aspires to progressive discussion, debate and involvement regarding its future, rest assured the country is well in place to withstand all of its challenges.

Tips when attending a forum: Don’t be hesitant to ask a question or state your opinion on a matter.

Try to approach any group you are interested in, you might discover a great opportunity.

Look for ideas, inspiration and stay attentive.

Networking is very important, talk to as many people as you can and exchanges business cards or contact information.

Take part in discussions. It is an effective way to learn new concepts and voice your ideas.

AROUND TOWN

Walking the ‘Vertical Road’

Akram Khan presents a contemprorary extravaganza kram Khan’s awardwinning contemporary dance show ‘Vertical Road’ travelled to Qatar in February to stage two performances, in conjunction with the British Council and K ata r a , t h e c u l t u r a l village. The show has been touring internationally since 2010, and has won critical acclaim during its extensive travels.

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Audiences in Qatar got the chance to see why the show has been so successful, experiencing an exceptional display of modern dance and perhaps one of the most interesting and different pieces of art to be brought to the country.

As the audience is plunged into total darkness at the opening of the show, the sense of anticipation is built perfectly until a wonderful sequence built around the backdrop creates some thrilling effects.

The performance consisted of a troupe of seven dancers from across Asia, Europe and the Arab World who kept the audience

completely enthralled throughout their spectacular performance. Each possessing their own individual styles and abilities, dancers came together to create something truly special on stage.

While the scenery, costumes and general staging of the show could be seen as simplistic and neutral, helping to keep the audience’s focus on the dancers and their movement, they in fact serve as a positive contribution to the overall atmosphere. The backdrop is used sparingly but to great effect, and the costumes help to exaggerate the movement of the dancers, adding to the sense of energy flowing

throughout the piece.

Nitin Sawnhey’s original score is similarly simplistic, yet possessing of an understated beauty which combines perfectly with the action on stage to create a truly memorable ensemble production.

The show is inspired by a Suffi poem by the Persian poet, Rumi, whose work explores the spiritual journey from mineral to animal, from animal to human and then from human to angel. This sense of spirituality motivates Akram Khan throughout most of his work, and in this piece, the theme is particularly important as the show depicts the spiritual

journey from earth to the heavens.

Vertical Road contemplates the universal role of stories of angels as found in different cultu re s, faiths and my thologie s as intermediaries between the human and the sacred. Exploring man’s earthly nature, his rituals and the consequences of human actions, Vertical Road becomes a mediation on the journey from gravity to grace.

Featuring dancers from all over the world, the sense of cultural identity is also intrinsic to the show, with each of the dancers bringing in a sense of their own personal experience to their work.

Yet the universality of the piece was plain to see, as audience members of various ages and from all over the world were clearly inspired by the brilliance of the show.

If this is an indication of what future cultural collaborations between the British Council and Katara could bring to the arts scene here, then local enthusiasts will be excited to see what comes next.

In short, Vertical Road is an intensely beautiful piece of modern dance, inspiring audiences to reflect on their own spirituality whilst enjoying a performance of the highest quality.

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When Youth took charge AROUND TOWN

Take one large room and add 150 11th and 12th graders. An auditorium, cafeteria, hallway-it doesn’t matter which. Mix gently. Result: Din. Discord. Hullabaloo.

Or such is the expectation of the adult imagination. And while there was a definite stirring in the echoing hallways of Carnegie Mellon University on March 3, it came in the kind of quick, hushed murmuring that connotes urgency across languages.

Peter Larson visits the INJAZ Qatar Innovation Camp.

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closed in on Table 7 to investigate this queer spectacle of adolescent accord.

The Voice boomed out on the microphone: Your business challenge is to develop a product or service that will inspire Qatar’s youth to become more active.

And so it happened that more than a dozen smart, practical solutions to Qatar’s childhood obesity crisis, a matter of national concern, were offered up by a roomful of eager-minded youth on a weekend. Keep in mind: no one has a degree here. Diplomas are still in progress.

More than 150 students attended the INJAZ Qatar Innovation Camp, put together in partnership with The Youth Company and sponsored by Qatar First Investment Bank.

“The event is based on the idea that youth can change anything,” said Aysha Al-Mudehki, executive director of INJAZ. “With the right guidance.”

She referred to The Youth Company’s slogan and mantra (technically: Youth Change Everything), and her subtle, conditional alteration was the basis for most of the day’s events.

In the morning there were icebreaker games (a.k.a. networking workshops) and small group discussions about inspiration and leadership. Corporate volunteers led teams of 10 in problem solving exercises and introductory mini-courses on entrepreneurship.

Al-Mudehki said it was critical to give students the right tools, such as critical thinking and problem solving methods, in order to allow them to succeed in their own

ventures.

“Qatar talks about its lack of talents and human capital,” she said. “The problem is students don’t have the opportunity to use these skills from an early age. These are things that can be built up from the age of 14.”

I caught up with a few of the short visionaries while they were queued up for their lunch break. Why were they here? Learning skills for a workplace still at least four years in the future.

One boy admitted that his parents pressured him into registering. Another said he walked in and joined on a whim earlier in the morning. But the rest said they were really interested in the activities, particularly the business challenge – that, and they wanted to meet more kids their age.

Al-Mudehki explained the phenomenon. She said engagement was key.

“They actually [create the business plans] so they feel very responsible,” she said. “It’s their responsibility to make sure the production is happening.”

It was mentioned over loudspeakers at least twice, but the not-so-secret intention of the Innovation Camp is to feed students into INJAZ’s next level, the Company Program.

According to the INJAZ view book, the Company Program “analyzes and explores personal opportunities and responsibilities within a student led company. Participants experience the full life cycle of a company.”

Real product creation. Real market competition. Real selling, said Al-Mudehki. With the right guidance.

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James blunt AROUND TOWN

He came, he sang, he impressed

British singer and song-writer James Blunt rocked Doha with his first ever concert in the country on February 14 at the intercontinental beach. Fans were left mesmerized as the british crooner belted out one hit after the other.

Our all time favorite: You’re Beautiful...

With a mix of acoustic-tinged pop, rock and folk numbers ruling the charts, and a distinctive voice that sets him apart – Blunt is definitely one of the hottest singers in the music industry.

By y a C sseeira Oliv

In a rapid fire with campus.

The first time you realised you wanted to be a singer was...

At age 14 when I started writing my own songs.

Your music idol during your teenage years...

Viv Savage. He plays the keyboard amazingly with both hands.

Your career in music began with...

Rejections. Every UK record company turned me down at the start. Eventually, i signed to an independent company in the US called Custard Records.

Your greatest support and worst critic...

My parents, on both counts!

Your inspiration while composing songs...

I write songs for me, about personal experiences.

Fame is important because...

It helps if people recognize your name when you are trying to sell tickets to a show.

Competition is...

It’s not a competition. It’s art. Only the commercial side of the business tries to make it a competition.

Your all-time favourite song...

I love playing Same Mistake, and the video is cool too.

A song that describes you best...

People have more than one side to their character. I need more than one song, and so do you!

A milestone in your career...

You’re Beautiful will always be my biggest hit.

The one thing that your fans don’t know about you yet...

My live show is very different from what people expect – in a good way...

Music is...

My form of expression. I would struggle without it.

A message to young aspiring singers...

Enjoy it.

A song you would dedicate to your young fans...

Superstar. For the lyrics (but I love the melody too).

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Hide

AROUND TOWN

SUQ students make a new By record Abdulla AlGhanim and Nadine Assi

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A

group of seven students from Stenden University Qatar (SUQ) succeeded on February 10, 2012 in organizing one of the biggest events of the year and breaking the Guinness World Record for the game of “Hide & Seek�. The previous record was held at 508 participants in England, while the new record held by Qatar stands at a whooping 1240 participants, which means more than doubling the previous number.

Katara hosted the university project as per their continuous support for the youth and humanitarian projects in the country. The funds raised from this event would be going to Qatar Red Crescent and their campaign for the Horn of Africa. An official adjudicator from the Guinness World Record was present to ensure all rules and regulations were being carefully followed, and also to hand over the certificate after the event. The judge, Tarika Vara, was fairly impressed and said that this was the first time she had witnessed students organizing a Guinness World Record

Barwa Village Shopping Festival

attempt, The event ended with a number of musical performances by local talent who kept the audience entertained. Performers included Rabee DJ, Let us Run band, Lavinia Kanagaendran, Sa Mad band, Ousama beat-boxing and Cronkite Satellite.

The students only had two months to organize this huge project to break the world record. Event organization is mandatory for the Event Management minor studies at SUQ. Planning and organizing starts with designing a concept or an idea for an event, and forming the goals behind hosting such an event, evaluating a budget, then searching and negotiating with different companies regarding sponsorship. All expenses of this event were covered through sponsorship.

The organizing team included: Nadine Assi, Abdulla Al-Ghanim, Abdulrahman AlMulla, Kahlid Al-Shamlan, Hesham Dakoroury, Faisal Darwish and Nasser Al-Manaa.

The mission and vision for the event was to have a wide impact, to a charity fund-raiser, to unite as many people as possible for one goal and to be interactive and fun.

The students kept in mind the Qatar 2030 Vision during the planning of the event. The wise leadership of HH the Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, his insightful view, and his continuous contribution to humanitarian projects were the main inspiration for the organizers to accomplish a project that would make Qatar proud and have its name in the world records once again.

‘Hide & Seek’ was the ideal record to be

sought for several reasons: it is an old traditional game that our ancestors played and is still being played to this day, it gathers a large number of people, it has a unique level of interactivity, and it is plain fun. In addition, the event will also gather as many people as possible under one roof, interacting with each other and all this for a common cause – to help the people of Horn of Africa.

Fantastic support was received from a number of companies to help the students accomplish their goals. These include: Sunrise Trading (Gold Sponsor), Thales (Bronze Sponsor), ILoveQatar (Media/Social Media and Community) and the contributors Al Faisal Holding as well as Doha Insurance.

International and local schools supported the event by sending students in groups or individually and also by providing great marketing platforms for the organizing team.

Participating schools and universities include: QIS, the Lebanese School, Qatar Academy, American School of Doha, Cambridge School, Doha College, VCUQ, ABP, CNA-Q and CMUQ.

Barwa Village announced the launch of the first edition of the Barwa Village Shopping Festival (BSF) to be held from March 22 May 12, 2012 under the theme ‘Shop, celebrate and win’. Organized by Network Advertising & Events with support from the Barwa Village, the festival will amaze the residents with scintillating fun, boundless entertainment and enticing shopping experience.

For eight weeks, the Barwa Village will be bustling with a unique mix of fabulous events that will attract thousands of visitors from all over Qatar. A dedicated entertainment zone will enthrall kids and families with live entertainment throughout the festival. The festival will also have three lucky draws with prizes such as Toyota Prado, Toyota FJ Cruiser, 20 iPads, 20 BlackBerry mobile phones and 20 LG LCD T Vs. Acting General Manager of Barwa Village, Khalifa Al-Mohannadi said, “We are pleased to announce the first edition of the BSF. It will be a trademark event and will greatly benefit nearly 900 commercial shops in the village”. He further added that such events also provide great opportunity to tenants as they can swiftly promote their brand by offering various discount schemes.

For more information please log on to www.bsf.qa or follow www.facebook.com/ bsfqatar and www.twitter.com/bsfqatar to catch up with regular festival updates.

(l-r) Abdullah Al-Kuwari, Property Manager; Mohammad Al-Hammadi, Sales & leasing Manager; Hamad Al-Kuwari, Director of Group Communications; Khalifa Salman Al-Mohannadi, General Manager of Barwa Village with Shabrawi Khater, Managing Director, Network Advertising and Events.

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AROUND TOWN

Qitcom

2012 A World Of Limitless

Possibilities

By Dona Fernandes

HE Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulaziz bin Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Minister of Business and Trade with other key officials at the opening ceremony of QITCOM 2012.

Imagine sitting with your classmates and being able to peek into their biographies. You are going to have that ability! Do you have a language barrier that keeps you from communicating with some of them? How about wearing a contact lens that can translate their language as you blink and access the full power of the Internet right in front of your eyes?

ITCOM 2012, a platform for information and communication technology (ICT ) sector in Qatar, was held at the Qatar National Convention Center from March 5-7 featuring more than 170 exhibitors and attracting a large number of participants and attendees.

The opening ceremony was attended by HE Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulaziz bin Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Minister of Business and Trade; HE Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani, and other key officials and government representatives. ictQATAR’s Secretary General Dr Hessa Al-Jaber formally opened the Conference highlighting the three main themes: diversification, innovation and collaboration. “I believe that the Qatari economy is today at the threshold of further growth and prosperity,” said Dr Hessa, encouraging audience members to unlock their original ideas to make changes globally. “Our collective sovereign efforts are guided by our National Development Strategy that puts forth a developmental path for the fourteen core sectors underpinning the Qatari economy.”

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The three-day event was marked with educational and inspirational seminar sessions, as well as an exhibition where leading regional, and worldwide ICT companies, associations and government bodies engaged with global leaders to share knowledge and to create a platform to display the latest ICT developments and technologies, also inviting the audience to engage themselves and learn about the company. This included over 14 panel sessions addressing the most poignant and of-the-moment topics dictating ICT agendas for both the public and private sectors including, Cloud Computing, National Digitization, Cyber-security and Digital & Mobile Advertising.

The event concluded on March 7, with keynote speeches from the Chairman of Qatar University’s Wireless Innovation Center, Abdulla Zaid Al-Talib and Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist and bestselling author, who took his audience into a world of limitless possibilities through his speech. Kaku told his audience about the future of technology where they will be able to use cars that would drive themselves and talk to their wallpapers at home to change colors. He also talked about the possibility of having contact lens with full Internet access. “Your contact lens will translate what they say, from Chinese or German into English, as you talk to them. So you’ll know always who you are talking to and

Vodafone Qatar holds first “Appathon” event

what they are saying,” said Kaku. “And the first people who buy these contact lenses will be college students to help them for final examinations.”

“Tech Zone” QITCOM 2012’s latest offering, received significant attention as they provided a unique platform for technology innovators and companies to share knowledge and discuss their latest products or solutions in an open forum. Another new offering for QITCOM 2012 was the “Business Zone”, an area dedicated for consulting companies to showcase their services and work with potential clients’ onsite.

QITCOM 2012 also hosted the “Innovation Theatre”, a forum where young people could pitch their technology business concepts to a panel of experts to possibly win financing and incubation services.

Vodafone partnered with QITCOM 2012 to hold the first ever “Appathon” event in Qatar during the conference.

“Indie Fikra: Appathon 2012” brought together mobile app developer talent from all over Qatar to compete for over The Appathon teams with Vodafone Qatar CEO QR 50,000 in prizes Richard Daly and inclusion in ictQATAR’s much sought after start-up incubation program Dajtala. During the competition, teams were challenged to code and create working demos for new mobile apps using Android, Blackberry, or iOS platforms. The competing teams had to create one of the following types of apps: Apps in Arabic, Apps for Women, Apps for Games, or Apps for Al Sadd Fan Club. The teams had 48 hours during the three days to complete a working demo of their app. The teams then presented their apps to a team of experts, made up of representatives from Vodafone Group and Vodafone Qatar. The ‘Stalkers’ team won the competition with their health application, Onigiri. The program was designed to help youngsters to stay tuned about diabetes by looking after a diabetic pet, while the other three successful teams created a football inspired comic, a fantasy football game and an application for collecting information on shopping offers.

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gizmos

smartphone apps worth drooling over

Dropbox

Evernote

The free file saving and sharing website has led the surge in cloud-based storage applications. Registration comes with 2GB and subscriptions are offered for up to 100GB, making your files available online, on your desktop and on all your mobile devices (it’s compatible with iOS, Android and Blackberry operating systems). @YasserM86 said: “Dropbox was a life-saver when I wanted a file that I needed & backup solution when my machine died.”

Evernote takes note-taking features and services and makes them available anywhere by automatically syncing any changes made to all of your devices. Its web-clipping feature lets you quickly save a webpage directly from your browser. Responding again on Twitter, @YasserM86 said: “Can’t leave out Evernote as it’s proven to be my best note taking app on my iPad at any situation.”

Compiled By Peter Larson 60

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Hootsuite

LastPass

Hootsuite is the Twitter dashboard application for your browser and devices that the real Twitterati professionals are using. The app allows users to monitor and post to multiple social networks at once, including Facebook and Twitter, and also features capabilities to view custom analytics and schedule the posting of messages. @Qanect said: “HootSuite definitely keeps you organized when you’re juggling multiple client accounts!”

LastPass is the application probably born most out of the shared user grievances of the Information Age. It promises one master password that will be the last one you’ll ever have to remember. It can also establish profiles with your saved personal information to automatically fill out web forms and sync the information across all your browsers.

Words with Friends Google Voice Google Voice applies Google search and messaging technology to improve the mobile phone you already have, or introduce you to a life of calling without one. One phone number can be set up to ring any of your devices, be it your phone or your computer. It makes use of Voice over IP systems instead of your regular service provider, so you can send and receive regular SMS messages over just a Wi-Fi connection.

From Zynga, the social network game developer that first clogged your Facebook news feed with FarmVille in 2009, has come an application that makes playing Scrabble convenient and addictive. The game has a reported more than 20 million users worldwide, and you can quickly find a friend to play with thanks to the app’s sleek Facebook integration. Users can play multiple games simultaneously, get push alerts when it’s their turn, and therefore space out games over the course of a few days, weeks, or maybe just a single lecture. Turn the brightness up on your phone or tablet, and the simple colored tiles make brilliant use of a retina display.

OnLive Desktop OK, OnLive Desktop is technically designed for tablet use, not smartphones, but the potential it presents for future computing is too incredible to pass up. David Pogue of the New York Times wrote a column about the app at the end of February. What it enables your iPad to do is perform at the level of a much more powerful desktop or laptop computer, for only a monthly fee of QR18 ($5). The original version of the app was free and carried authentic Microsoft Office programs, compared to the strippeddown versions available in the App Store. OnLive Desktop Plus adds Adobe Reader, Internet Explorer and a 1-gigabit-a-second Internet connection. It will look as if you’re accessing a PC desktop with your iPad, and the secret to the magic is a farm of computers at a remotely-located data center. All your iPad is doing is sending and receiving signals from its engines. As the trend toward tablets and ultrabooks continues for the majority of the computing population, programs like OnLive Desktop offer the ability to keep the switch from being a sacrifice.

Cards This one goes out to all of you who remember a time in your life when you didn’t even have an e-mail account. An important note upfront: Cards is specifically developed for iOS 5 users. But regardless of its Apple-only affiliation, this app should ride the wave of retrograde and appeal to users by bringing them back to a simpler time. Cards allows you to take the photos saved on your iPhone or iPad and insert them into a professional card template, along with a personalized message. The seller though is Apple who will print and mail the card you create for QR11 ($3) for US recipients and QR18 ($5) for everyone international. If you’re traveling or studying abroad, and the card is bound for America, this is a slick option to beat global post speeds and send something physical. And it will still cost just QR11 (pricing is based on recipient location, because Apple is the one actually doing the mailing).

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gizmos

get gadgety Joystick-IT Arcade Stick for iPhone There’s a real physical joystick that you can attach to your touchscreen to bring your iPhone gaming to a whole new level. Run your game of choice, place the joystick-IT over the on-screen control pad and press down. It sticks to the glass of your display and is ready for action. You can enjoy more precise movement and faster response time for enhanced playability. Simply pull-up on the joystick-IT when done to remove it from the screen. However, the joystick-IT works with only games that feature a virtual on-screen control pad of some kind.

QR 29*

This miniature pair of stainless steel scissors is just two inches long, yet sharp. You can attach them to your key ring to carry it all the time. A quick release pull-clip lets you detach it easily when you want to use it. The best part is that you can carry it on board as it passes the on-board security requirements for carry-on: Metal, with blades shorter than four inches. Ideal for all you crafty geeks!

QR 45*

Bi-Color LED Blow On-Off Candles These are not your regular candles; they are LED blow on-off candles that feature a natural-looking flickering light just like normal candles. The master on/off switch at the bottom turns them on and off with just a puff at the “flame”.

Each candle also has a switch to select either a cool blue flame or the classic yellowish flame.

Though made of solid wax, you don’t have to worry about it dripping wax all over.

Source: www.thinkgeek.com

QR 65*

Scixors Keychain Scissors

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