PUSH Magazine Issue 1 December 2010

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BREAKING the Glass Ceiling

We will bring SUBSTANCE into your life, enrich you with CULTIVATION, reward you with INDULGENCE, motivate you through FELICITY, inspire you with POSSIBILITY, keep you up to date with the emerging GEEK CHIC world and support you as MAMAPRENEURS

Lately, I have been feeling a surge of energy. My “sixth sense” is picking up on something that is slowly unraveling. And my personal motivation is being fuelled by a feeling that change is underway. I believe that the universe works in mysterious ways. Its laws are eternal and unchanging: When you take a chance on life, life takes a chance on you.

I was once asked about what inspires me and gets me up in the morning; I had to think for a while to avoid cliché answers. Three simple words came to mind: I want more! I want to feel more, breath more, see more and listen more. I want to give more, fix more and influence more. I want to indulge in all my senses and emotions; I want to make use of all my talents and capabilities. I just want to experience my existence!

‫ لغة‬......‫الى لغتي العربية‬ ‫ لغة‬.....‫ لغة اإلعجاز‬.....‫األجداد‬ ‫ لغة الشعر‬.....‫التراث الفريد‬ .‫واألدب الرفيع‬ This brings me to my next point. Ladies, what you are holding in your hands right now is a magazine like no other. It comes with a revelation; one that does not urge us to lose our cultural heritage or become overly controversial but to be the best versions of ourselves.

PUSH promotes living a balanced life, filled with exhilaration, achievement, depth, love, fulfillment, physical/psychological health, and a gratifying family life; all of which can be harmonious with a successful career. The power to achieve a “complete” life exists within you; PUSH simply provides you with the tools to access it.

I personally find comfort in knowing that PUSH creates a sense of community and a support system for you to rely upon. As a group of like-minded women, we will continue to move forward and get to our individual destinations much faster. We will work with purpose, blasting away what is left of the glass ceiling. We must all become active participants instead of passive witnesses.

Let us support each others’ businesses and utilize each others’ services; let us barter, partner and advance feeling EMPOWERED in every sense of the word! I think that we can all agree on the fact that everyone needs a little Push eventually.

We have to confront anything that gets in our way and impedes our aim to improve our lives and communities. We have to collectively omit the word “fear” from our dictionary.

Fear is just a self-imposed emotional response to what is perceived as a threat; but often, and in reality, this “threat” is nonexistent.

I have overcome my fears [well…some]; my reality and perception of what is significant in life have forever changed. And in retrospect, I have found that everything that I thought was real, everything that stood in the way of ultimate self-actualization, everything that I was programmed to fear, were mere shadows on the wall.

Now I’m willing, ready and able to ACT. Are you?

“Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths.” - Lois Wyse

Samia El-Solh Editor-In-Chief

‫كم كنت أمتنى وأغلب أبناء‬ ‫عليك كما كان‬ ‫جيلي أن نحافظ‬ ِ ‫ فخسارتك‬...‫ينبغي لنا أن نفعل‬ ‫تعادل أكثر من خسارة شهادة‬ .‫أعلقها بفخر على احلائط‬ ‫إن معرفتي املتواضعة باللغة‬ ‫العربية كانت كافية لتدفعني‬ ،‫قدما ً لتحقيق ما اصبو إليه‬ ‫وأدركت حينذاك كم هي كبيرة‬ ‫خسارتي لو فقدت لغتي‬ .ً ‫العربية متاما‬ :‫أتوجه الى أخواتي العربيات وأقول‬ ‫لنتمكن من دفع حراك حياة‬ ‫ثقافية بجوهرها الغني علينا‬ ‫ وأتعهد‬،‫احملافظة على لغة أباءنا‬ ‫من جهتي أن أهتم مبتحدثات‬ ‫اللغة العربية أو اللواتي يسعني‬ ‫لتحسينها وذلك عبر تضمني‬ ‫ بعض املقاالت‬PUSH ‫مجلة‬ .‫واملواضيع باللغة العربية‬ ‫وال بد لي أن أشير هنا الى أن إصدار‬ ‫مجلة لسيدات األعمال باللغة‬ ‫ فاجمللة‬،‫اإلنكليزية له فوائده‬ ‫ستساهم في حتسني مهارات‬ ‫االتصال مع الشركات العاملية‬ ‫وستسهل التواصل مع مجتمع‬ ‫األعمال الدولي ألنها أكثر اللغات‬ .‫تداوال ًوتأثيرا ً في عالم األعمال‬

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Publisher/ Editor-in-chief Samia El-Solh Managing director Dania Boustany Chief Editor Richard Labaki Creative Director Michel Karsouny COVER Illustration: Fouad Mezher Photo manipulation & Retouching: Michel Karsouny Graphic Designers Hiba Ibrahim Josiane Bitar Ralph Waked Lifestyle Liaison Rania Tabbah Editors Neil Soans Sherry Tenorio Pierce Benedict Emile Sinclair Raja Sfeir Contributing Editors Dr. Aida S. Fayyad Dr. Anna Esther Dr. Emma Moukarzel Dr. Ines Gutwaldt Dr. M. El Namaki Dr. Mark Sharafuddin Mei Ty Olivo Odette Dimey Penelope Trunk Sabah A. Shamseddine Sarah McKenzie Sawsan Halimeh Teresa Watanabe Alana Sharara Editorial Consultants Alias Publishing DESIGN Consultants The Konstrukt Design & Aesthetics

Sayegh Center, 6th Fl. - Bechara El Khoury st. - Beirut, Lebanon - Tel-Fax: (961) 1 204577 - info@pushmag.me Alias Publishing accepts no liability for any unsolicited material. Opinions and views contained in PUSH’s editorial content are not necessarily those of the publisher’s or the magazine. No Part of this publication in whole or in part there of can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publisher in writing.

table of CONTENTS The push manifesto 10 Cultivation What does it take to be great? 17 Condolences to the high heels 19 I want to break free 20 Influential woman* 22 Book of the month 23 Geek chic To it or not to it 24 Blame your blackberry? 26 Blogging 101 28 Substance Quantifying investment risks 31 The invisible hand 33 Lessons learned 36 Hire right 38 Feature Survival of the feminine 40 Wakfat ta’ammul 45 Indulgence Interview with Manolo Blahnik 47 Interview with Sheikh Khaled Al Qassimi 50 Chocolat 54 Five fall trends 58 Possibility Nurturing business aspirations 60 Zeroing in on your goals 62 Entrepreneurial test 65 A spark of insight 67 A few good ideas for start-ups 70 Felicity Facts on running: true or false? 72 Wake up and cease the day 74 Spa Evason Ma’in (Jordan) 77 Zen after work 78 Mamapreneurs Age defying locations* 82 Sleep - quality versus quantity 84 Time management 86 last but not least Small talk 88 Brain gym 90 Calendar 91 Horoscope 92 Events 96 Classified 97 Not so FAQ 98

All Hail the Queen: The game of chess was profoundly changed by the introduction of the queen figure, which was inspired by the emergence of the powerful Queen Isabella of Castile in the late fifteenth century. Prior to that phase, and during the time when Arabs introduced chess to Spain in the eighth century, the game had a different inferior piece in place of the current queen.

Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León had heard many stories about a magical water source known to keep those who drink from it young.

Ponce set out to locate it in 1513. He arrived in the region now known as St. Augustine, Florida – hence the association of the legend with this area. But did Ponce, or anyone else, find the fabled Fountain of Youth?

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It was once believed that the earth is flat and that we will fall off if we venture beyond its limits.

THE PUSH MANIFESTO We believe that as women, we should seek that risky edge for it is where we thrive most.

And if we fall, we will surely rise again.

We are women first and foremost; our identity extends beyond borders and ethnicity.

We are truthful to ourselves and to others.

We will inspire and be inspired; we will motivate and never judge. We will put negative competition, jealousy and gossip aside and replace such negativity with trust and sisterhood.

We are women of many layers; we cannot be defined by a single role.

We are doubtless, fearless and powerful.

We follow our instincts instead of following the norm and trying to live up to the expectations of others.

We believe in building a home and having children, but we also believe it’s our choice to make.

We will define the terms “success”, “security” and “fulfillment”. We will set our own priorities, timelines and deadlines in life.

We will no longer wait to be rescued. We will no longer be victims.

We will fill any emptiness we feel with genuine substance.

We will never shy away from making brave decisions.

We believe in self-exploration and self-awareness; we believe in the never ending pursuit of improvement.

We will be patient, but we will not be idle. We get what we want in our lives by paying our dues and by striving for more.

We understand that if we don’t develop a strategy of our own, we will always be imprisoned by the strategies of others.

We know that with the power of education comes the responsibility to speak up for those who don’t have a voice.

We will give value and meaning to our lives and in effect give the whole world value and meaning.

We will notice and appreciate what we have instead of focusing on what we don’t have.

We will be grateful for every blessing that we are to receive. And in return for our blessings, we will give back to our communities.

We aim to build a community of intelligent women who are connected by shared interests and goals.

We are the catalyst for change.

We continue in our quest to demolish the “glass ceiling” until it ceases to exist.

We are all of this and much more. Are you one of us?

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FeedkcaB After checking out the sections that are going to be included in PUSH, I felt delighted that someone is finally attempting to fill a major void. In my humble opinion, your magazine is what most women need nowadays. We are tired of publications that focus solely on superficial aspects of our lives without offering anything of genuine value.

Congratulations on the concept!

The idea behind the magazine is invaluable for our society (Lebanon) and the whole region, to say the least! By the way, I also love the name because I do believe that women – as educated and aware as they are – definitely need a “push” to excel in their career and lives!

Nour – Photographer Lebanon

Dima – Graphic Designer Lebanon As a publication dedicated to Arab businesswomen and entrepreneurs, PUSH is timely in its emergence in my opinion. Focusing on working women and uncovering what makes them tick is crucial in our time. Hopefully, PUSH will be a great platform where regional working trends are to be highlighted and discussed. Most importantly, I feel that your magazine would give confidence to women in a society that is only just beginning to notice the potential earning powers of women. It is time to talk about all the pros and cons of being an Arab female professional. It is time to take note of the obstacles, successes and failures that we face as women, and to find means to improve our circumstances. PUSH magazine’s first front cover promises to show us all that and more.

Sarah – Equities Trader & Analyst London

‫ من أن‬PUSH ‫لتتمكن‬ ‫ نحتاج‬،‫تعكس واقعنا‬ ‫لسماع أرائكن‬

In order for push to be a reflection of its manifesto, it needs your feedback and participation. Let us know what you think!

feedback@pushmag.me

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CULTIVATION

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WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE GREAT? I've been walking around with the July/August 2007 issue of the ‘Harvard Business Review’ for close to three years now.

If I’m getting on a plane, you’ll find it neatly stowed away in my suite case. When my car broke down in the middle of an intersection last year, I made sure to take the magazine out of the trunk before the tow truck arrived.

The article, titled 'The Making of an Expert', is written by three renowned experts on expertise: Anders Ericsson, Michael Prietula and Edward Cokely.

The six-page piece changed my preconceived notions of what it takes to be a guru in my chosen career.

Pinpointing the exact attributes that make us successful is tricky, especially since we often hold on to certain stereotypes. For one thing, we negatively correlate having a triple digit IQ with high performance. But, according to the research, no such correlation exists. Being genetically blessed with herculean brainpower contributes very little to how well we do in fields like medicine, chess and music.

So, what do we require to become great?

When it comes to answering this question, one idiom seems to stand the test of time: “practice makes perfect”. So much so that a high percentage of successful performers surveyed “had practiced intensively, had studied with devoted teachers, and had been supported enthusiastically by their families throughout their developing years.”

Unsurprisingly, one must persistently allocate a good chunk of her resources (like time, energy and money) if she wishes to become anything better than average. Most of us fail to realize that the standard for being an international success in this day and age is very high. The authors argue that to reach this standard, you need to adopt a very focused and rigorous regimen for ten years or more. It is no longer valid to think that one becomes a prodigy because of nature.

“It is no longer valid to think that one becomes a prodigy because of nature.”

Take for example László and Klara Polgár. They are two Hungarian educators who debunked the myth that women lack any kind of skill in activities requiring spatial thinking like chess. Their research was based on their three daughters, all of whom were homeschooled. Interestingly, three of them currently hold a place in the top ten female chess players. Their success in this area is due to their systematic training and daily practice, which began at a

very young age. Judit Polgar, the youngest of the three, “had become a grand master at age 15 breaking the previous record held by Bobby Fischer. Today, Judit is one of the world’s top players and she has defeated almost all the best male players.

This is not only applicable to chess but to all activities in which we participate such as painting, parenting or cooking. The idea of needing ten years or more of practice was personally challenging for me. I searched my brain for any evidence of me investing that much time doing something, but nothing materialized – maybe parenting, but nothing else.

“Not having a great teacher who can identify your strengths and weaknesses is detrimental to your growth.”

I figure skated for ten years. I was exceptional, until I hit puberty. It quickly became apparent I was the wrong body type for double flips and axel jumps.

As in the case of the Polegar girls, being great at something requires the right coaching. An example the authors use is Mozart. Yes, he had innate ability, but also his father was a professional violinist, skilled composer and wrote the first book ever on violin instruction.

The right coaching doesn’t just aid you in becoming great, it also gives you the sense of who can be a coach who is capable of helping you succeed and who is a coach you have outgrown. Not having a great teacher who can identify your strengths and weaknesses is detrimental to your growth.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from years of carrying the article with me is that the failsafe way to succeed is to have the support of people around you. You will need a cocktail of hardwork, personal support and positive thinking.

By Mei Ty Olivo

CULTIVATION

“We all believe that the seductiveness of beautiful heels is related to the foot being a peripheral part of the body.

We further believe that feet are only worthwhile when they are encased in artfully crafted heels.”

“Of course, a drop in heel height isn’t going to affect the security of your home or job, but the power of stilettos in a work environment shouldn’t be underestiMATED.”

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CONDOLENCES to the high heels

Flats Flatten out the High Towers this Season Everyone in the press and TV is calling on us to keep our feet on the ground.

Just as we had managed to convince ourselves that 7-inch heels were a practical footwear option, rather than the modern equivalent of Chinese foot binding, designers have made a radical U-turn. Flats are back. You could call it fashion’s banking crisis: heels rose to unsustainable heights and, as with the recession, no one quite saw the fall coming.

Of course, a drop in heel height isn’t going to affect the security of your home or job, but the power of stilettos in a work environment shouldn’t be underestimated. Just recently in the U.K, the Trades Union Congress announced that high heels are demeaning to women and should not be worn in the office. Make of this what you will, but its suggestion that women should wear “sensible shoes” has inadvertently put us all at a clear disadvantage.

to the challenge. Fast-forward again and we now have a high street that sets its own perilous heel trends, as well as a batch of young designers who have created heel-less heels, go-faster spikes and scooped-out wedges (by Antonio Berardi) that defy gravitational pull.

We all believe that the seductiveness of beautiful heels is related to the foot being a peripheral part of the body. We further believe that feet are only worthwhile when they are encased in artfully crafted heels. What they will become when they are dragged around in a pair of stocky brogues is anyone’s guess. Flats also satisfy our requirements to appear less ostentatious these days. Are you of the camp that stepping off our heels is a result of the recession? Well, people don’t want to be showy in this economic climate; there’s a trend towards understated style. Ironically, flats may well cost as much as showier heels, but the perception of them obviously is very different.

News that pancake soles are the new vanguard of style will be a shock for many women (not to mention their shortened Achilles tendons). Sales of flat shoes may be up by 20 per cent, but the thrill of prancing about on a pair toughened knitting needles is impossible to re-create with both feet safely on the ground.

So unfortunately, going flat doesn’t necessarily mean saving money.

Now we all know that heels make you feel more confident, but they also restrict your movements. Yes, flats are less elegant, but they enable the wearer to do more, which is empowerment in a different sense. Put like that, it seems strange that women have put up for so long with such impossible foot protectors.

Christopher Kane, who is fast becoming one of the most influential designers around, is adamant about the type of flats he deems acceptable. “Is it ballet pumps?” he asks. “In my opinion, no; flats need to be more boyish.” They must have attitude too. “I wanted to have a harder, more masculine edge to the collection and flat shoes provide that in one hit.” In short, it is curtains for all those attitude heels that have seen us through the past five years.

A change in footwear trends doesn’t just affect what we put on our feet; there’s an inevitable knock-on to what we wear on our bodies, too. After all, a pair of mannish penny loafers (another key style for winter) worn with an unforgiving pencil skirt will be difficult to pull off for even the lithest of figures. Still, French Vogue’s editor Carine Roitfeld wore flats at the Cannes Film Festival – this from a woman who once admitted to wearing heels even with her tracksuit.

Ten years ago, when shoes were a pleasant after-thought rather than a showcase for fashion experimentation, a pair of pointy courts answered almost every footwear requirement. Before that, only Manolo Blahnik challenged established shoe perimeters. One of his first collections in 1971 included ‘The Brick’. A stonky piece of craftsmanship, the shoe included a mammoth patent block sole that must have made the wearer about a floor taller.

The emergence of flats ties into the growing importance of “precollections”. Designed to offer a commercial expression of a designer’s concept, these ranges now make up somewhere in the region of 80 per cent of some department store buys. Interestingly, almost all the pre-collections for next season were photographed on house models wearing flat shoes. Perhaps designers are listening more closely to what women want to spend their money on, and what they actually want to wear in their everyday lives rather than ogle in glossy magazines. Sales of shoes are the reason that many of the designer names along Sloane Street remain afloat, so their changing shape must be regarded as important fashion news. And not just because our legs are going to look a little stumpier, but please note, more comfortable!

Manolo satisfied the creatives, but it took more than 20 years for avant-garde and über-glamorous shoes to come to the masses – or at least to the celebrities. Tamara Mellon, the accessories editor of British ‘Vogue’ in the mid-1990s, spotted a gap in the market for aspirational heels and approached a certain Mr. Jimmy Choo.

Footwear was never the same again.

Then Christian Louboutin’s red soles arrived and we were seduced all over again. Being French and determined, Louboutin raised the heel stakes, adding a concealed platform sole for extra lift and then later doubling it because, presumably, our ankles had toughened

By Teresa Watanabe

Have you ever felt nervous for no apparent reason? Do you constantly feel that you are on edge and feel imprisoned by a sense of apprehension? Are there times when you cannot think straight and focus clearly that normal everyday tasks become a challenge? You probably suffer from a feeling that you are not in control of your environment; you believe that anything can happen anytime and anywhere. This belief generates an overwhelming sense of anxiety. You idly standby waiting for that major disaster that will probably never happen and, in the process, suffer from debilitating fear.

THE ANATOMY OF ANXIETY Usually, human beings never feel anxiety when they are in complete control of a situation. It is only during times when there is a perceived sense of danger that anxiety invades our minds and bodies. However, there are those who are in this state constantly. They are in, what scientists refer to as, flight-orfight response which can typically arise during times of crisis. If you remain in a constant state of anxiety,then this has dire consequences.

Being in a state of anxiousness for an

extended period of time has been proven to exhaust your energy levels, leaving you physically and mentally depleted. If you are one of the victims of such an overwhelming state, it could be that you lack trust in your abilities. You simply doubt you would be able to handle a situation or a crisis when it arises; you just feel unequipped to handle yourself properly.

GET A GRIP Here are some practical means to ease your nervousness and release tension effectively.

Do physical exercise on regular basis Find a physical activity that could act as an outlet to drain off your tension.

Choose one that you could also enjoy in order to practice regularly. It could be anything from walking and bicycling to dancing and swimming. By getting your blood pumping, you will be able to flush stress out of your system effectively.

Moreover, physical exercise is one of the best ways to alleviate exhaustion at the end of a tiring workday.

Relax your body in order to relax your mind When our bodies are relaxed, so too are our minds. But since tension and stress reside in our muscles, joints and spine, it

is difficult for us to achieve this. Yoga is by far one of the best methods to tackle the tension in our bodies and to help us ease our minds.

Control has limits

Bear in mind that it is impossible to control every single situation. There will always be situations that you can't control. You could only do your best and prepare to deal with whatever happens.

The next time you begin to feel anxious, ask yourself, “Is this something I can control?� If it is, review your actions to see if you have done your best.

If you have, relax. If you have not, do whatever is necessary so you can rest assured. If the situation is beyond your control, then you must learn to embrace uncertainty. Psychological security is attained the moment you accept the unknown as part of your life. Clinging to certainty and permanence is the surest route to sorrow.

By Staff Writers

You probably suffer from a feeling that you are not in control of your environment; you believe that anything can happen anytime and anywhere.

Suffering from anxiety for long could exhaust your energy levels, leaving you physically and mentally depleted.

CULTIVATION

QUEEN ISABELLA OF CASTILE The inspiration behind ADDING the queen figure On the chessboard

influential woman

Of all the queens who reigned over various kingdoms, only a handful left a lasting imprint on history. Queen Isabella of Castile belongs to those select few. For starters, she played a pivotal role in the unification of Spain over which she reigned from 1474 to 1504 alongside her husband Ferdinand II of Aragon. And she surely helped make history by supporting Christopher Columbus, who eventually discovered America. She also successfully centralized the crown power, helped in creating a legal framework and laid the foundation of the most impressive military machine of that period. In other words, she was instrumental in turning Spain into a major European power. Queen Isabella was revered for harboring qualities few women possessed at the time. Her character exhibited the honored traits of bravery, determination and leadership. And it is believed that the addition of a queen figure on the chessboard coincided with the emergence of Queen Isabella as a powerful monarch. Prior to that phase, the equivalent of the queen on the chessboard was a male figure with the rank of a vizier or adjutant – a weak piece with limited movement capabilities. However, this piece was soon replaced with a female figure when Isabella was crowned. Though the new piece could initially move one square at a time, the rules of the game shifted to give it the ability to roam freely in all directions on the board (becoming the current queen figure.) This major change occurred two decades into the reign of Isabella, when she was at the height of her power – undoubtedly to reflect her growing prominence.

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women who run with the wolves Contacting the power of the wild woman

By Clarissa Pinkola Estes

book of the month

Folklore, fairy tales and dream symbols are called on to help restore women’s neglected intuitive and instinctive abilities in this earthy first book by a Jungian analyst. According to Estes, wolves and women share a psychic bond in their fierceness, grace and devotion to mate and community. This comparison defines the archetype of the Wild Woman, a female in touch with her primitive side and able to rely on gut feelings to make choices. The tales here, from various cultures, are not necessarily about wolves; instead, they illuminate fresh perspectives on relationships, self-image, even addiction. An African tale of twins who baffle a man represents the dual nature of woman; from the Middle East, a story about a threadbare but secretly magic carpet shows society’s failure to look beyond appearances. Three brief, ribald stories advocate playfulness; other examples suggest ways to deal with anger and jealousy.

At times, Estes’s commentary - in which she urges readers to draw upon and enjoy their Wild Woman aspects - is hyperbolic, but overall her widely researched study offers usable advice for modern women.

Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

GEEK CHIC

“I could be giving a presentation and if people had questions they would look to the men in the room and never ask it directly of me.”

Fifty-six percent of women in technology companies leave their organizations at the midlevel point, 10-20 years in their careers.

In 2008, women held only 25 percent of all professional IT-related jobs – down from 36 percent in 1991

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Being in the Right Job, Right Atmosphere and Making the Right Income L

ana Jaber* used to love her job in the information technology (or IT) industry when she was working straight after graduating as a computer analyst. Her company worked on mostly large government contracts.

“The firm was diverse, there was lots of mentoring, I never felt any discrimination, I felt much supported, especially as a young woman,” said Lana, who specialized in data sourcing. She used sophisticated software and wrote computer programs to search for patterns of fraud and abuse for government agencies, including the medical insurance industry.

“I really thought this was going to be a career for me, because things were so positive,” she adds. But a move to another company changed all that. “I don’t know if it was the company or the geography, but I could hear and feel the hostility.”

Lana said even if a woman had been a team leader on a project, when it came time to meet with a client, she would be relegated to a secretarial role. “I could be giving a presentation and if people had questions they would look to the men in the room and never ask it directly of me,” she explains.

When she asked her boss how to deal with this sexism, she was advised to play up her femininity and make sure men felt like they are smarter than she is so that they feel comfortable.

But she knows her experience is not just related to location.

“I have friends all over who have endured similar situations,” she explains.

Technology jobs are predicted to grow at a faster rate than all other jobs in the professional sector – up to 22 percent over the next decade. Compensation is also good. In 2008, women in tech in the United States made an average annual salary of $70,370, according to Dice Holdings, an Iowa-based company that specializes in recruiting and career development in technology and engineering.

But women’s stake in that rosy outlook is questionable. For starters, men’s pay (in the U.S.) during the same period was $80,357. A study by the National Center for Women and Information Technology, based in Colorado, also finds that women are leaving computer careers in staggering numbers (no figures are available in the Arab Region to contemplate a comparison on both pay variables and performance.)

However, what we do know is that fifty-six percent of women in technology companies leave their organizations at the mid-level point, 10-20 years in their careers.

In 2008, women held only 25 percent of all professional ITrelated jobs – down from 36 percent in 1991 according to the group’s report, ‘Women in IT: The Facts’. The report shows that about half the women who leave science, engineering and tech jobs continue to use their technology skills, either starting their own companies or finding positions in government or non-profit corporations. The others, however, say goodbye to their extensive training, taking non-tech jobs or leaving the work force completely. Women get discouraged and leave for a wide range of blatant and subtle reasons; it’s worthy to note though that women’s pay – after 15 years – is 11 percent less than men with comparable experience.

There are also subtle hostilities and “micro-inequities” that range from looks and gestures to backhanded compliments like: “Great job! You are living proof that women really do have technical minds!” Some women will be sent off a “cliff”, a metaphor for a nearly impossible work assignment that men in the company dodge around, leaving it to a woman as a scapegoat to undertake and then face a high risk of failure.

The workplace isn’t just a matter of equal opportunity; it often means a better bottom-line and a more positive working environment. The above report indicated that companies with the highest representation of women in senior management teams had a 35 percent higher return on equity.

In order for this to succeed, however, the tone must be set at the top. Leaders of any diversity effort have to be high enough in the chain of command to have the power to make and enforce decisions. Only then will the other goals of recruiting, mentoring and removing biases and barriers make a difference.

One positive step would be to expand and support mentoring.

There are clear indications that people with mentors receive more promotions and higher compensation, and have higher job satisfaction.

The right woman or man as a mentor can mean women are less likely to have one foot out the door because of isolation or roadblocks to promotions. Smaller companies, nonprofits and entrepreneurs can be the benefactors of the lack of insight from large companies. So before you make a move, do ask yourself the pertinent Shakespearian question; to IT or not to IT! * Names in this article have been changed

By Dr. Emma Moukarzel

GEEK CHIC

Blame ?your blackberry Are you thinking your Blackberry use is out of control and you need to turn it off? Forget it. The problem is not the Blackberry; it’s actually you.

The challenge that the Blackberry brings is that you always need to know your priorities, at any given moment.

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If you feel like you’re being ruled by your Blackberry, you probably are!

T

he Blackberry actually gives you the freedom to effectively mix your personal and work lives so that they don’t have to compete with each other.

Don’t talk to me about the idea that the Blackberry undermines your ability to have work-life balance. First, the idea that you could ever have it is ridiculous. But a Blackberry at least gives you hope.

Without a Blackberry, you always had to choose one or the other. Work and life were always competing for large chunks of time in the day. But with the Blackberry, you can have a blended life where work life and personal life complement each other.

In the 80s, if you went to your kid’s horse-backriding practice, you could not do work. Today, you can go to your kid’s must dos and take the call from the CEO that will change your life (or have a fight with a co-worker by smacking her with a horseshoe), and then go back to the equestrian life. You get both. It’s not one or the other. If you could not take

that call, you could not have gone to the practice. That’s why the Blackberry can prove to be great, that way you, your kid and the horse are happy!

The challenge that the Blackberry brings is that you always need to know your priorities, at any given moment. Then ask yourself: Given what you are doing right now, which e-mails and which calls are important enough to take?

If you are not clear on the answer at every given moment, you constantly have to make difficult decisions about answering e-mails and you feel a false sense of overload by the demands of the Blackberry. If you are caught up in a romantic moment, your emails will be the last thing on your mind, and that red flashing light will go unnoticed. When you are bored, for example at a birthday party of a six-year old, e-mails will seem a little more enticing.

This is not about being addicted or not addicted; this is an issue of knowing when an e-mail is essential and when

it’s a distraction. If you are enjoying dinner with a friend and she checked her Blackberry, does that mean that she is addicted to this device? No. It means your friend is prioritizing. So it’s not really the Blackberry. Stop complaining about the device and start thinking about how to make better choices.

If you feel like you’re being ruled by your Blackberry, you probably are! And the only way to free yourself from those shackles is to start prioritizing so that you know at any given moment what the most important thing to do is. Sometimes it will be the Blackberry, and sometimes it won’t.

Recognizing that you have the choice to be on and off your Blackberry as you please should give you the sense of control in a world that may seem overwhelming at times.

By Penelope Trunk

GEEK CHIC

BLOGGING101 T

ry this on your computer: Type any word in the search engine Google and press enter. Sure enough, the search will yield several blogs. You might be surprised that Google would recommend sites containing personal thoughts. But after a few seconds of browsing a certain blog, you will realize that you’re hooked on reading the available info. And by the time you finish reading, you’d want a blog for yourself.

online. But to become a blogger, you must take note of the jargon used on the worldwide web. A blog is a chronological entry of thoughts, images, experiences and others on a regular basis – these are listed according to the date of posting.

Post is the term used for the article that you publish on your blog.

Coined from the old term web log, blogs are addictive to many, because people can relate personally to the opinions, situations and personalities of the writers and you can easily leave comments about anything. The interesting part is that you will find things that will connect you to people that if you met in real life you wouldn’t guess the common interest and opinions that you share.

You can create your blog using online platforms such as Blogger, Wordpress, Live Journal and Typepad – just to name a few. Such websites provide instructional guide and free usage of web space. If you prefer to do it in a more professional manner, you can create your own domain name (this is the website address) and contact a web host (the company that allows you to store your data on their huge servers.) Side note: this would involve paying some fees.

Aside from being popular for online diaries, blogs have evolved in terms of usage.

They are now being utilized for business and revenue-generating purposes.

Businesses create blogs in order to relay announcements and updates to onlinesavvy customers and they are used as a form of real-time media – conveying the news as it happens. Moreover, blogs (personal or business) could generate revenue as advertisers are now shifting attention to placing their campaigns on websites with huge traffic (sites that attract tons of people.)

Blogging is easy, as many websites teach you a systematic process on how to do so. The most important aspect of a blog is the content; the design that comes with it and the platform you’re going to use are just icing on the cake.

So make sure that before you start one, you know exactly what you want to blog about – the subject on which you wish to focus. People visit blogs in order to read opinions, so present your honest and personal thoughts on the subject that you wish to discuss, and the number of your followers is sure to grow.

If you want to express yourself or if you have an idea on how you can use a blog for business then you should check out the million ways of creating a blog

By Sherry Tenorio

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SUBSTANCE

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Quantifying Investment RISKS

Risk isn’t easy to define. Personally, I would never skydive, even if the data shows my parachute will open every time. The probability of the opposite happening is not a risk I am willing to take. Others, however, do it all the time – they accept the risk. Some people wouldn’t board an airplane even though it's one of the safest forms of transportation. But what about investment risk? Is there any sure way that an investment parachute will open every time in case of an emergency?

Beat the Market?

The investing concepts of risk/return trade-off, diversification and the inability to beat an efficient market all have their roots in a 1952 paper written by MIT economics graduate student Harry Markowitz titled ‘Portfolio Construction’.

Markowitz set forth the relationship between returns and volatility, concluding that investors must subject their portfolios to higher volatility in order to earn higher returns. He also found that strategic diversification – based on reducing correlation between investments – not only reduces a portfolio's volatility but cuts into the gains as well. Markowitz won a Nobel Prize for his work.

His ideas have taken hold in the financial world. You can see them at work when

the Wall Street elite talk about asset allocation, risk tolerance and efficient markets. Furthermore, you will hear that in the long run, you cannot beat the market.

Return without the Risk?

Markowitz may have won a Nobel Prize, but Warren Buffett has beaten the market soundly for 50 years running. A handful of other investors who use Buffett's basic principles have market-beating records of 20 or 30 years. How is it that Buffett, and those who follow his principles, achieved their gains without subjecting themselves to enormous risk?

These extraordinary investors have told us for decades how they achieve their success. Charlie Munger, Berkshire

SUBSTANCE

Value investors wait patiently for volatility to bring the stock price down well below its true value, then they buy it.

Hathaway's vice chairman and Buffett's business partner, didn't sugarcoat the fact that “Diversified portfolios are madness! It's taught in all the business schools, and it›s wrong.”

they buy it. In other words, they use volatility to their advantage. With this strategy, volatility can be used to lower risk! That's completely opposite of conventional wisdom.

What is the Secret?

How can an individual investor achieve great returns while cutting risk? Let’s detour for a moment to understand why investment firms sell diversification.

They need to make a consistent profit to keep their own shareholders happy.

In the 1970s, seeing the opportunity to sell a broad range of products under the guise of diversification, brokerages latched onto Markowitz's ideas and commercialized them.

So where’s the risk?

There has to be some, but when you buy shares for less than they're worth, there isn't as much of it. The stock could fall more, but it's much more likely to go up. The risk is even further reduced by considering only high-quality companies. That is value investing in a nutshell – and it works.

Investment houses sell investing as a science – follow our formula and you'll do fine, they say. They collect 1% or 2% a year to let you use their science, whether or not your investments perform well.

And the more you trade – in accord with their science – the more they make in commissions. This approach achieved two things for these firms: They got more money to manage and they tapped a consistent source for revenue and profits.

Unfortunately, this approach prevents people like you and me from getting the best possible return on our money.

What Volatility?

The most important difference between Buffett, Munger and other value investors is their definition of risk. In the financial community, stocks that fluctuate regularly are considered “risky”. Wall Street trades these stocks under the assumption that you have to ride the wave of volatile stocks to get great returns – paying little attention to whether or not the companies are financially sound Conversely, “Buffett Principle” investors buy stock in high-quality companies when they are selling for less than they are worth. Value investors wait patiently for volatility to bring the stock price down well below its true value, then

Which Diversification?

According to Markowitz, diversification reduces risk. But Markowitz looked only at volatility. He didn't examine buying stocks at a discount or the quality of a company. By using the principles of value investing, we reduce risk by buying low and considering only good companies.

That changes the assumptions underlying the trade-off between risk and reward and reduces the need for the products investment firms try to sell.

Some diversification is still important to ensure that if something very unusual happens to one or two stocks; your portfolio isn't wiped out. But instead of needing to own a broad index fund, or hundreds of stocks, you can diversify with 10 to 20 well-picked stocks.

Now the question is will you take the risk, or will you ask what that risk entails?

Either or, the question takes more precedence now, for the impending financial crisis has come – and unfortunately to date – remains.

By using the principles of value investing, we reduce risk by buying low and considering only good companies.

By Sarah McKenzie

"THE INVISIBLE HAND" needs a helping hand

D

o you remember how you reacted to your boss in a past job? He was forever looking over your shoulder – constantly threatening you. In return, you worked as little as you could get away with. Or perhaps you have had a boss who inspired you and you were pulling all-nighters in order to finish a project so that you would not disappoint her. In the first scenario, you probably kept the job because you could not get another and because you needed the money. In the second, you probably stayed even though you might have earned a better wage elsewhere.

In a recent issue of ‘Science’, Samuel Bowles (director of the Behavioral Sciences Program at the Santa Fe Institute) looks at how market interactions can fail to optimize the rewards of participants – e.g., the micromanager who gets less than he wants from his employees. For Bowles, the key is that policies designed for self-interested citizens may undermine “the moral sentiments.” His citation of the “moral sentiments” references Adam Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759), in which Smith argued that people have an innate moral sense. This natural feeling of conscience and sympathy enables human beings to live and work together in mutually beneficial ways.

To explore the interaction of moral sentiments and self-interest, Bowles begins with a case where six-day care centers in Haifa, Palestine imposed a fine on parents who picked their kids up late.

The fine aimed to encourage parents to be more prompt. Instead, parents reacted to the fine by coming even later.

Why? According to Bowles: “The fine seems to have undermined the parents' sense of ethical obligation to avoid inconveniencing the teachers and led them to think of lateness as just another commodity they could purchase.”

“The Invisible Hand”: A metaphor for the principle that in a free market, an individual pursuing his own self-interest also tends to promote the good of his community as a whole Bowles argues that conventional economics assumes that “policies that appeal to economic self-interest do not affect the salience of ethical, altruistic, and other social preferences.”

Consequently, material interests and ethics generally pull in the same direction, reinforcing one another. If that is the case, then how can one explain the experience of the day care centers and the micromanager?

Bowles reviews 41 behavioral economics experiments to see when and how material and moral incentives diverge. For example, researchers set up an experiment involving rural Colombians who depend on commonly held forest resources. In the first experiment, the Colombians were asked to decide how much to withdraw anonymously from a beneficial common pool analogous to the forest. After eight rounds of play, the Colombians withdrew an amount that was halfway between individually self-interested and group-beneficial levels. Then experimenters allowed them to talk, thus boosting cooperation. Finally, the experimenters set up a condition analogous to “government regulation”, one where players were fined for selfinterestedly overexploiting the common resource. The result? The players looked at the fine as a cost and pursued their short-term interests at the expense of maximizing long-term gains. In this case, players apparently believed that they had satisfied their moral obligations by paying the fine.

While this experiment illuminates how bad institutional designs can yield bad social results, I am puzzled about why Bowles thinks this experiment is so telling. What would have happened if the Colombians in the experiment were allocated exclusive rights to a portion of the common pool resources – e.g., private property?

SUBSTANCE Oddly, Bowles himself recognizes this solution when he discusses how the incentives of sharecropping produced suboptimal results. He recommends either giving the sharecropper ownership or setting a fixed rent.

In fact, Bowles recognizes that markets do not leave us selfish calculators. He cites the results of a study that looked at how members of 15 small-scale societies played various experimental economics games. In one game, a player split a day's pay with another player. If the second player did not like the amount that the first player offered, he could reject it and both would get nothing. The findings would warm the hearts of market proponents. As Bowles notes, “individuals from the more market-oriented societies were also more fair-minded in that they made more generous offers to their experimental partners and more often chose to receive nothing rather than accept an unfair offer.

A plausible explanation is that this kind of fair-mindedness is essential to the exchange process and that in marketoriented societies individuals engaging in mutually beneficial exchanges with strangers represent models of successful behavior who are then copied by others.”

In other words, as people gain more experience with markets, morals and material incentives pull together.

Interestingly, neuro-economics is also beginning to delve deeper into how we respond to various institutions. In one experiment done by Oregon University researchers, MRIs scanned the brains of students as they chose to give – or were required to give – some portion of $100 to a food bank. The first was a charitable act and the second similar to a tax. In both cases, their reward centers “lit up”, but much less so under the tax condition.

As Oregon economist William Harbaugh told the ‘New York Times’, “We're showing that paying taxes does produce a neural reward. But we're showing that the neural reward is even higher when you have voluntary giving.”

Bowles, with some evident regret, observes; “Before the advent of economics in the 18th century, it was more common to appeal to civic virtues.” Bowles does recognize that such appeals “are hardly adequate to avoid market failures.” How to resolve these market failures was the subject of Smith's second great book, ‘The Wealth of Nations’ (1776), where he explained: “By pursuing his own interest [the

individual] frequently promotes that of society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it.”

By Emile Sinclair

« As people gain more experience with markets, morals and material incentives pull together »

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SUBSTANCE

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BASIC INSTINCT Instinct guided by vision E

verybody makes instinctive judgments, but many intuitive ideas get discarded as self-doubt and caution take hold of the decision-making process. This is not the case with the majority of CEOs. Indeed, 62 per cent of CEOs rated gut feelings as being highly influential in their business decisions.

“Instinct can be just as important as data and spreadsheets when it comes to making a truly innovative decision or taking a business risk”, says Stelios Haji-Loannou, founder and CEO of easyGroup. Stelios backed his instinct when he challenged established brands and re-engineered processes to provide lower consumer prices, starting with low-cost air travel and taking off from there. As did Adidas CEO, Herbert Hainer, when the German athletic kingpin acquired British rival Reebok to compete against Nike. “I can smell good and bad decisions,” says Hainer. “It is in my blood and I feel it in my stomach… When you make decisions every day you can’t always draw up a business plan”.

Leading CEOs are united in their unshakeable clarity of vision. A clear vision enables confident risk-taking by giving focus to gut feelings and instinct.

Crispen Davis, CEO until 2009 of UK and Dutch publisher Reed Elsevier, had a clear vision for the future of the company, giving him the confidence to back his instincts and to make his “most fundamental decision, to focus on four core businesses – science, legal, B2B, and education.” His decision, which

went against the wisdom of some of his advisors, paid dividends by preserving and strengthening the key sectors of the business and revolutionizing the company.

Entrepreneur’s instinct enables CEOs to think beyond the conventional. This was the case with Andrea Casalini, CEO of Italian digital entertainment company Buongiorno. His decision to shift the focus of the company from e-mail to the burgeoning mobile content industry was fundamental in transforming the business from a modest start-up into a market leader. Through mergers and acquisitions the company turned its e-mail subscriber base of 25,000 in 1998 to two billion mobile users a decade later. Despite skepticism from outside the company, Casalini, backed by his chairman Mauro Del Rio, instinctively knew to focus on mobile rather e-mail content, and on a subscription model over advertising.

Buongiorno is now the Italian sector leader and a significant global player.

“You have to ask a lot of questions and listen to people, but eventually, you have to go by your own instincts.” - Kerkor Kerkorian

Source: * ‘1000 CEO’s’, Editor-in-chief Andrew Davidson, Business Editor Marjan Bolmeijer 2009

Hire SUBSTANCE

Choosing the Best Person for the Job

M

aking the right choice could be a tricky endeavor when it comes to selecting the right person for a certain vacancy at your company. What if you had to decide between one who has talent and another who merely brings in years of experience; which one would you pick? How do you decide if hiring Rula who has six years of experience is better than hiring Maha who has suitable talents but lack experience – or vice versa?

If you’re an employer, you might

be thinking that experience usually outweighs talent. But in today’s marketplace, and under the current environment, talent seems to be rising in the ranks. You might argue that waiting until someone exhibiting both qualities to come along is the best approach.

But then again, you know very well that coming across such a candidate is extremely rare – the chances here are slim to none.

The principle problem with talent is that it is not quantifiable You might further argue that different jobs require different skills. And that in some cases, no experience at all or basic levels would suffice. Obviously, we’re not referring to a tailor being hired as a bank clerk or an advertising director as a regional financial controller.

The question here is what is sufficient vis-à-vis experience versus talent, which might overshadow it? And would you agree that the former is more sought out just because most employers consider that having more experience actually means better performance by the employee? Employers thinking in this direction might be right, yet sometimes this line of reasoning works only over short-term basis. On the other hand, the principle problem with talent is that it is not quantifiable. Talent is never revealed on a person’s CV or during an interview, for it is the candidate’s personality that

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might come across during a one-on-one.

Worse still is when applicants pumpup their experience in order to make the right impression from the start. In equal measure are those experienced candidates who would have performed their tasks at their previous jobs as a constant routine without being pushed to think out of the box. Another argument is that if the candidate worked at a similar genre of work before, she might do things very different from how you do it. And, worse still, with very different learnt skills.

In retrospect, it is important to identify if the post offered deserves someone who is recruited on merit of years of baggage or a mind capable of solving any probable problem-areas despite the lack of expertise. As stated earlier, popular wisdom will have you veer towards experience.

Popular wisdom will have you veer towards experience Certainly, most people can master anything with a bit of effort. But if talent is available, then experience will follow anyhow. Talent does give you an edge if you – as an employer – plan to prepare that person for higher-level positions. After all, people with good talents are the ones most likely to become less dispensable as employees.

So the impending question is how do you ultimately decide in weighing all the prevalent variables? The best recommendations that are both tangible and doable are: Produce a detailed and outlined job description. And accordingly, see if the prospective employee fits in well within that prospectus.

To do a work analysis of the post being filled. That would be a hands-on practical placement of the candidate being ‘tried out’ for one day, and with the guidance of an existing employee.

In closing, organizations are filled with people who have years of experience – ones who do an adequate job but not necessarily a brilliant one. And yet having the talented few doesn’t mean that they don’t need time to acclimatize and integrate in order to make a difference.

If you were to decide on one or the other, bear in mind that it’s the motivation, the drive and the job satisfaction that will assert the fact that employees not only remain in your company but also grow effectively as time goes by. It is the choices that both you and prospective candidates invariably make that ultimately lead to a long-standing working relationship.

By Damien Gabriel

FEATURE

Survival

of the

Why women today are drawing nearer to dominating the workplace and the business realm We’re well in the 21st century. And even though we haven’t discovered extraterrestrial life, we’re sure men are from Mars and women are heaven-sent. Well okay, they’re from Venus! But have we learned anything to dispel this celestial phrase that has stepped out from its bookish origins to everyday life? Are the differences between men and women simply perceived, or are they tangible enough to ascertain the distinction between the two genders? And how on earth does this all fit into the workplace?

Sometime during the 1970s, women entered the business arena and started to go head-to-head with their male counterparts. But for the longest time, they simply followed in the footsteps of men who had dominated the workplace.

In those days, the predominant methodology of “follow the leader” seemed to be the only way to play the monopolistic game in the boardroom. But things have changed significantly since then. Today’s business mantra promotes proactive and individual thinking. And as a result, women aren’t afraid to take charge and even surpass their peers in performance charts.

Keeping various individual differences in mind (stalwarts Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart are great examples of successful women, but it’s unlikely they have similar business styles), it is possible to define some gender specific characteristics that can be attributed to the success of women at the workplace.

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FEATURE

Vision Without a doubt, any successful business venture is all about having the right vision. The reason why a 21st century woman is a visionary is because she is not satisfied by following the beaten path; she is intrepid – bent on carving her own place in the male-driven domain. This makes her more likely to overcome the odds and see a long-term plan through to the end. Women are usually self-governed – being more aware – therefore in control of their emotions. And this puts them at an advantage by default. (Note: Arab women inclusive).

Ambition A trait that is often talked about but seldom implemented.

The very definition of the word highlights why women today are as ambitious as men, if not more. Men no longer hold the desire for personal achievement hostage. Today’s women often set high targets for themselves and are fully prepared to put in the efforts to reach them.

Communication From a biological standpoint, and with testosterone running through their veins, men are genetically wired to be aggressive. But the lack of testosterone means that women are less reckless and take more calculated risks. They are far more assertive, using effective negotiating skills and being more empathetic to their colleagues. The modern woman seeks to be competitive only with herself, pushing beyond her boundaries to ensure success.

Originality Not seeking to emulate their male predecessors, women in business are looking to break new ground while avoiding old mistakes. Essayist and novelist Virginia Woolf was barred from entering libraries at the great universities of England around the turn of the century. Woolf initially thought, “How unpleasant it is to be locked out.” But it then occurred to her “how it is worse perhaps to be locked in.” Denied access to male-dominated areas, women have been forced to think out of the box, hence enhancing their creative approach to business.

Resilience Throughout history, women have been oppressed in society and have had to fight for their rights. With the (relatively) newfound freedom that has come about by the concept of gender equality, women now have the choice of following their goals. However, years of standing up for themselves have given women the inner strength to tackle adversity without breaking down, giving them thicker skin against factors that would crack even the toughest men.

Sure, one might argue that women are more likely to suffer emotional outbursts. But once those feelings are put aside, women are able to deal with their problems with a fresh perspective as opposed to men, who suppress their emotions (which only fester over long periods.)

The Future of the Business World In an article titled ‘Women Will Rule Business’ posted on Time’s online site in May 2009, it was cited that the workplace-research group Catalyst studied 353 Fortune 500 companies and found that those with the most women in senior management had a higher return on equities – by more than a third.

Moreover, studies from Cambridge University and the University of Pittsburgh suggest that women manage more cautiously than men do, because women focus on the long term.

Additionally, the same article reported that women are also less competitive, in a good way. Women are consensus builders, conciliators and collaborators, and they use heavily engaged and motivational leadership style – extremely well suited for the emerging, less hierarchical workplace.

The Chartered Management Institute in the U.K. had projected that in the year 2018 – and it visualized a work world that will be more fluid and more virtual – the demand for female management skills will be stronger than ever.

Women, as CMI predicted, will move rapidly up the chain of command, and their emotional-intelligence skills may become ever more essential. With all these statistics in store, the women-in-business trend will accelerate with the looming talent shortage. The Employment Policy Foundation estimated that within the next decade, there would be a sixmillion- person gap between the number of college graduates and the number of college-educated workers needed to cover job growth. Yet, women are expected to receive the majority of college and advanced degrees.

Women are consensus builders, conciliators and collaborators, and they use heavily engaged and motivational leadership style Women also control 83 percent of all consumer purchases, including consumer electronics, healthcare and cars.

Consequently, competitive and forward-looking companies simply need women to figure out how to market to women.

So by creating a female-friendly working environment, companies will be able to achieve greater business results.

The Birth of BusinessWomen Women entrepreneurs in the international sense have become empowered by society and by practical needs. According to the article ‘Why more Women are Becoming Entrepreneurs’ published in the ‘Journal of Small Business Management’, the most prominent reason was the same as their male counterparts. It was the financial opportunities of owning business that drove women into the entrepreneurial field.

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Yet, this report also revealed a great amount of women who were motivated to establish their own businesses because they found it difficult to compete in the corporate world where men were still more favored.

Another reason was that of female empowerment. Given the society’s acceptance to equal rights, women are given more room to pursue their goals and dreams of running their own businesses. On a regional level, female empowerment was what sparked the rise of women in the business world.

According to a recent report by Knowledge at Wharton (KW) – a publishing arm of the University of Pennsylvania in the U.S. – social barriers are giving way to the economic force of women in the Middle East (women who are investors, silent business partners, public sector officials and not to mention some excellent government ministers.)

Report also revealed a great amount of women who were motivated to establish their own businesses because they found it difficult to compete in the corporate world where men were still more favored Women respondents said that in the Middle East it was not Islam that set barriers for working women. Contrary to common belief, Islam is flexible enough, and does not restrict women from attaining prestigious positions, getting university degrees or going into business. In fact, the greatest impediment besides societal restrictions is often family traditions.

In a separate survey report of five MENA countries, released by the Center of Arab Women for Training and Research and the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation, female entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa are, in addition to taking care of their families, actively looking for opportunities to grow their businesses. The results showed that 80 percent of female entrepreneurs in the United Arab Emirates are looking for more business opportunities. Even 49 percent of Lebanese female business owners are actively looking for a way to grow their businesses.

The researchers suggest that “women business owners in the UAE are seen to be the most optimistic, growth-focused and generally exhibit the most dynamic [entrepreneurial] spirit.”

With the burst of modernity in the UAE, the country has become more open to the idea of women in business. The number of women-owned businesses has grown over the years, with most of them being 1.7 times more productive than those run by men. One of the major business-to-business trading sites in the Middle East is run by a woman, based in the UAE. The charismatic Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, who runs Tejari.com,

is also Minister of Economy of the United Arab Emirates – a huge step forward for all women in Middle East.

According to the World Bank report, women are all highly educated and the majority owns other than traditional female businesses. The entrepreneurs surveyed do own businesses in many industries, including engineering, fashion, food, transportation, hotels and tourism.

Nurturing the Growth of Women in Business Now more than ever, women in the region are entering the workforce and even starting their own businesses. Women have found room for significant improvement, especially now that society is accepting women in the workplace.

It is mentioned in the same World Bank report that women entrepreneurs can play a far greater role compared to previous years – creating more and better jobs and diversifying economies. The report proposes two policy pillars to support women entrepreneurs: 1- Reform the business environment to help create opportunities for all investors, especially women. Most Middle Eastern and North African economies are still dominated by the state sector. Although the last few years have witnessed rapid growth and job creation in the private sector, the private sector remains hindered by high barriers to firm entry, operation and exit. The region needs to draw in all potential entrepreneurs, producers and investors. Women with education, ideas, aptitude and financial resources want to join in.

2- Mitigate social norms and gender-differentiated legal treatment that affect women in particular.

As more and more families depend on two paychecks to make ends meet, women’s work outside the home is becoming a necessity for families in the Middle East and North Africa. Attitudes toward women’s work need to change from considering it unnecessary and detrimental to family welfare to seeing it as a valuable contribution to society.

Promoting the right environment and the infrastructure to better balance work and family is crucial.

Promoting the right environment and the infrastructure to better balance work and family is crucial So to revert back to the bookish mantra of Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, it’s best said that the gap between the celestial planets has indeed lessened, as women have not only risen to the occasion, but have spectacularly created the needed occasions.

By Neil Soans, Sherry Tenorio & Richard Labaki

‫‪FEATURE‬‬

‫ولكرامتها اإلنسانية‪ ،‬إذ جعلت منها ثرثارة‬ ‫تارة‪ ،‬وناقصة العقل تارة أخرى‪ ،‬وضعيفة‬ ‫وغ ّدارة‪...‬تارة ثالثة‪ .‬في حني أفضت‬ ‫الصفات اإليجابية التي وصفت بها ‪ -‬أي‬ ‫ككائن عاطفي وكرمز للتضحية والفناء‬ ‫من أجل األسرة ‪ -‬في تكريس فكرة احلاجة‬ ‫إلى وصاية الرجل عليها‪ .‬باتت “العاطفة”‬ ‫على سبيل املثال‪ ،‬سيفا ً ذا ح ّدين مبقدار‬ ‫ما يضفي على املرأة قيمة إنسانية راقية‬ ‫يعيد استخدام هذه القيمة نفسها‬ ‫للحكم عليها بأنها عاجزة وضعيفة‪.‬‬ ‫ولئن دلّ ازدياد امتالك النساء وإدارته ّن‬ ‫األعمال عبر انخراطه ّن في عالم التجارة‬ ‫والصناعة واملال على شيء‪ ،‬فإمنا يدلّ على‬ ‫الصورة املغلوطة عن املرأة التي روّجت لها‬ ‫الثقافة الذكورية‪ ،‬والتي استبطنتها املرأة‬ ‫نفسها عن ذاتها‪ .‬ولئن سمحت الظروف‬ ‫االجتماعية واالقتصادية والثقافية العامة‬

‫في إثبات النساء لقدراته ّن احلقيقية‪ ،‬فإن‬ ‫ثقافتنا الذكورية سرعان ما راحت تربط‬ ‫بني إثبات النساء لقدراته ّن وبني ما تشهده‬ ‫العربية اليوم من ازدياد في معدالت‬ ‫األسر‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫الطالق والهجر‪ ،‬أو من ظواهر سلبية أخرى‬ ‫كالعنف ض ّد املرأة‪ ،‬واملشاكل الزوجية وغيرها‪.‬‬ ‫حيزا ً‬ ‫وهذه مسألة تستحق أن نفرد لها ّ‬ ‫آخر وكالما ً خاصا ً‪ .‬لكننا نكتفي في هذا‬ ‫املقام باإلشارة إلى أن معظم الدراسات‬ ‫التي تناولت موضوع “نساء األعمال” أو‬ ‫“سيدات األعمال”‪ ،‬خلصت إلى محوريّة‬ ‫حضور األسرة بصيغ مختلفة في مسيرة‬ ‫هؤالء النساء‪ ،‬وإلى عدم تعارض خياراته ّن‬ ‫ومؤسساته ّن مع‬ ‫في إدارة أعماله ّن‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫األسرة‪ ،‬وأن خياراته ّن باألحرى لم تكن على‬ ‫حساب حضور األسرة في ذواته ّن‪.‬‬

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‫وقفة تأمل‬

‫سيدات أعمال عربيات‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫شهدت السنوات األخيرة تطورا ً ملحوظا ً‬ ‫في امتالك النساء وإدارته ّن األعمال عبر‬ ‫انخراطه ّن في عالم التجارة والصناعة‬ ‫واملال‪ .‬أما األسباب فمتع ّددة ومتداخلة‪،‬‬ ‫وتطور‬ ‫منها ارتفاع نسبة تعلّم النساء‪،‬‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫وعي املرأة لذاتها‪ ،‬والتحوالت اإلقليمية‬ ‫والعاملية التي رافقت العوملة‪ ،‬وما ترتّب عن‬ ‫ذلك من اجتاهات قانونية وتشريعية إقليمية‬ ‫ودولية ذات الصلة بالتمكني االقتصادي‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫واالجتماعي للمرأة‪ ،‬وذلك في إطار اقتصادي‬ ‫م ّتجه نحو اقتصاد السوق احلر ّ‪.‬‬ ‫وفي هذا السياق‪ ،‬تشير األرقام إلى تنامي‬ ‫املبادرة االقتصادية للنساء في العالم‬ ‫العربي من خالل العمل املستقل وإدارة‬ ‫املؤسسات املتوسطة أو الصغيرة أو‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫املتناهية الصغر‪ .‬إذ بلغ عدد سيدات‬ ‫األعمال في دولة اإلمارات العربية املتحدة‬ ‫مثالً‪ ،‬أكثر من تسعة آالف امرأة‪ ،‬وجتاوزت‬ ‫ملكية النساء صاحبات األعمال في‬ ‫السعودية ‪ 1500‬شركة‪ ،‬كما متتلك‬ ‫السعوديات حوالى ‪ % 75‬من مدخرات‬ ‫املصارف السعودية‪ ،‬ويبلغ عدد السجالت‬ ‫التجارية اململوكة ألسماء نسائية ‪33,620‬‬ ‫سجل جتاري‪ .‬فيما بلغت نسبة متلك‬ ‫النساء في البحرين للسجالت التجارية‬ ‫بني عامي ‪ 2002‬و ‪ 2003‬نحو ‪% 29.8‬‬ ‫من مجموع السجالت التجارية‪ ،‬وحتى‬ ‫العام ‪ 1999‬كان عدد سيدات األعمال في‬ ‫الكويت قد بلغ ‪ % 33‬من إجمالي القوة‬ ‫العاملة‪ ،‬وفي تونس بلغ عدد املشروعات‬ ‫اململوكة للنساء اليوم حوالى ‪ 10‬آالف‬ ‫امرأة‪ ،‬وفي السودان بلغت نسبة النساء‬ ‫العامالت في اجملاالت اإلنتاجية والتجارية‬ ‫في القطاع غير الرسمي في احلضر ‪% 54‬‬ ‫من النساء الناشطات إنتاجيا ً ‪....‬إلخ‪.‬‬ ‫أما في لبنان فقد أظهرت دراسة حديثة أن‬ ‫معظم املتعامالت مع املصارف منخرطات‬

‫في سوق العمل وأنه ّن حتديدا ً من املوظفات‬ ‫وصاحبات امله ّن احلرّة‪ ،‬وأن مصدر األموال‬ ‫عند الغالبية منه ّن (ثالثة أرباع املتعامالت‬ ‫مع املصارف) ناجت عن عمله ّن‪ ،‬وليس عن‬ ‫أموال الزوج واألهل‪.‬‬ ‫سيدات األعمال‬ ‫تؤكد هذه األرقام أن ظاهرة ّ‬ ‫في العالم العربي باتت حقيقة اجتماعية‬ ‫واقتصادية بارزة‪ ،‬وأن للمرأة القدرة على إدارة‬ ‫موارد مالية مختلفة األحجام‪ ،‬وأن لديها‬ ‫غيبها تاريخ طويل‬ ‫الكفاءة الالزمة التي ّ‬ ‫من القيود والضوابط املعيقة لعملها‬ ‫على املستويات االجتماعية والثقافية‬ ‫والقانونية كافة‪ .‬وهو األمر الذي يتعارض‬ ‫مع اإلمكانيات التي كانت متاحة للمرأة في‬ ‫عصر اإلسالم الذهبي‪ ،‬حيث كانت حرّة في‬ ‫التصرّف بأموالها‪ ،‬متألقة في إدارة أعمالها‪.‬‬ ‫وح ّتى في اجملتمع اإلسالمي التقليدي في‬ ‫زمن اإلمبراطورية العثمانية‪ ،‬كان للنساء‬ ‫القدرة على إدارة موارد مالية كبيرة على‬ ‫تفوق الرجال عليه ّن في مقدار‬ ‫الرغم من ّ‬ ‫الثروة أو امللكية‪ ،‬خصوصا ً مع حرمان‬ ‫معينة من امللكية‬ ‫النساء من حيازة أنواع ّ‬ ‫مثل األرض أو امللكيات التجارية‪ .‬في حني أن‬ ‫التقسيم التقليدي للعمل الذي حشر املرأة‬ ‫ألزمان طويلة ضمن جدران البيت واألعمال‬ ‫املنزلية لم مينع النساء من من استخدام ما‬ ‫استراتيجيات‬ ‫لديه ّن من قدرات ومن ابتداع‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫أكسبته ّن بعض السيطرة على حيواته ّن‪.‬‬ ‫والدراسات الكثيرة التي أعادت دراسة أوضاع‬ ‫بينت أنه ّن ك ّن‪ -‬وال يزلن‪ -‬يقمن‬ ‫هؤالء‪ّ ،‬‬ ‫بالكثير من األعمال داخل املنزل (من طهي‬ ‫وتنظيف املنزل وتربية األطفال ‪ )...‬وخارجه‬ ‫( العمل في احلقل والذهاب إلى السوق‬ ‫وتسويق املنتجات‪ ،‬خصوصا ً في املناطق‬ ‫الريفية‪ ،‬وشراء السلع‪ )...‬لكن من دون‬ ‫حصوله ّن على أجر‪ .‬وذلك في الوقت الذي‬ ‫يعتبر عمل هؤالء النساء نشاطا ً اقتصاديا ً‬ ‫أساسياً‪ ،‬يشاركن من خالله في إدارة ميزانية‬

‫نصار‬ ‫تقدمي د‪ .‬هيفاء ّ‬ ‫األسرة واحل ّد من األعباء االقتصادية من خالل‬ ‫عمله ّن غير املنظور‪ ،‬وبالتالي غير املأجور‪.‬‬ ‫أما حاالت النساء في احلروب أو في غياب‬ ‫الزوج بسبب الهجرة أو الترمل أو اإلعاقة‪،‬‬ ‫فتظهر الدراسات كذلك عبر آالف األمثلة‬ ‫كيف ابتدعن استراتيجيات حتديّن من‬ ‫خاللها أوضاعه ّن وجنحن في النهوض‬ ‫بأسره ّن عبر إدارة منزلية فاعلة‪ ،‬كما تظهر‬ ‫أن املشاركة االقتصادية للنساء وأعماله ّن‬ ‫االقتصادية تبلغ مستوى من التعقيد حتول‬ ‫دون النظر إليها نظرة اختزالية محدَّدة‬ ‫مبتغير “األجر” فقط‪ ،‬أي العائد مباشرة من‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫العمل املصنّف كعمل مأجور‪.‬‬ ‫تقودنا تأمالتنا السريعة هذه‪ ،‬مبا قد حتمله‬ ‫من استطرادات‪ ،‬إلى نتيجة أكيدة مفادها‬ ‫أن ظاهرة “نساء األعمال” أو “سيدات‬ ‫األعمال”‪ ،‬ليست بظاهرة طارئة على‬ ‫النساء العربيات‪ ،‬وأنها ذات أصول تاريخية‬ ‫مغروسة في تراثنا اإلسالمي العربي‪،‬‬ ‫أسهمت الظروف املعيقة حليوات النساء‬ ‫في تغييبها‪ .‬وقد نتج عن ذلك صورة غير‬ ‫واقعية للمرأة‪ ،‬روّجت لها الثقافة الذكورية‪،‬‬ ‫من خالل أوصاف تظهرها ككائن دوني يقلّ‬ ‫عن الرجل؛ وهي صفات مهينة لشخصها‬

INDULGENCE

47

Talking Shoes with

Manolo

Blahnik N

o one knows the way to a woman’s heart better than the infamous Spaniard Manolo Blahnik. His shoes have graced the most photographed women on the planet from Paloma Picasso to Diana (Princess of Wales), Bianca Jagger to Naomi Campbell and Anna Wintour. Yet the man himself remains an enigma.

In a key moment in last year’s ‘Sex and the City: the Movie’, Mr. Big shows Carrie the walk-in wardrobe he’s built for her in their new penthouse. Empty and gleaming, it is full of the promise of the clothes that will be housed within.

Carrie christens the space not with a dress or a name necklace but with that other Bradshaw signature: a pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes.

‘Hmph,’ says their creator, with a roll of the eyes and a polite smile. “Well, we had a very good year last year, thanks to those stupid satin shoes.” He pauses.

“My God,” he gasps, and then adds with just enough of a smirk to make you know he’s teasing, “that shoe saved our company.”

Sitting in his London office on the King’s Road (around the corner from his shop in Old Church Street), Manolo Blahnik is a refreshingly frank conversationalist, and incidentally, claims he has very little interest in Carrie Bradshaw’s shoe closet.

“If people talk to me about ‘Sex and the City’, I get sick,” he says, with a curious accent that is a mixture of Spanish and a native of the east end of London. A slick PR machine this is not. He does later concede that he is “grateful to Miss Parker” and has understandably earned a lot of money and recognition from his association with the ‘Sex and the City’ brand.

But Blahnik, 66, who has been making shoes for nearly 40 years, was adored by women long before the movie, and is set to remain so long after the franchise has been consigned to the dust bin of entertainment history. Over the years, his shoes have graced the feet of the most beautiful and

powerful women in the world. Diana, Princess of Wales, famously wore Blahnik's stepping out the night after Charles admitted his affair!

Shoes may be his life’s work, but in conversation, Blahnik affects not to take them too seriously. He prefers to talk about other things. In the hour I spent in his company, he discussed films, parties, poets and photographers before we got anywhere near discussing the perfect pumps. An insomniac, Blahnik describes himself as “totally wired”. He says that he spends his time staying up hours watching classics from his library of old Hollywood films and reading Thomas Mann, his new passion.

Blahnik divides his time between London, America, Bath, the Canary Islands (where he grew up) and Italy (where his factories are based). Until now, he designs every one of his shoes, starting with a sketch and hand-makes the original himself. “I’m still very curious about doing new things with shoes,” he says.

“I have a new factory now where I can play with new materials.”

His signature designs include kitten heels, jeweled sandals and mules with pointed toes.

With a click of his fingers, he summons his press officer, whom he asks to fetch the book published for his Design Museum exhibition in 2003. Flicking through it, he tuts and points to a shoe called The Cage, which bears an uncanny resemblance to YSL’s spring/summer 2009 Eiffel Tower shoe, and a 1970s design with punk spikes that looks like the hard-edged stilettos of Rodarte’s autumn/winter 2008 show. “These kids have just bought the book,” he says with a shrug. “I’m not cross about it.”

He still wants his work to be about the shock of the new. “I never get lost for inspiration,” he says. “I have to edit myself all the time. I draw everything and then I go back to something and think, ‘How vile, how vulgar, how horrible’”. Mind you, these are not sentiments shared by others. Blahnik’s designs sell out everywhere from Athens to Seoul and take pride of place in high-end stores worldwide.

In America, Blahnik’s association with ‘Sex and the City’ has made him something of a celebrity. People queue to have the great man sign their pair of Manolos. “The taxi drivers recognize me now,” he says in horror. “Working at the New York customs, there was a lady who loved my shoes. There was such a line forming behind me at passport control, I had to give her some in the end. It’s sweet but it becomes too much and I don’t feel comfortable. I have never wanted to be a celebrity designer.”

Despite such protestations, Blahnik has spent his life running with the in-crowd. During the 1970s – when he was the first man to feature on the cover of ‘Vogue’ – he was part of a creative group that included Paloma Picasso, Tina Chow and Bianca Jagger.

Manolo Blahnik’s love affair with shoes started when he was a child growing up on his parents’ banana plantation in the Canary Islands. His mother, Emmanuela, a painter and sculptor, had shoes made to her own designs. Manolo, meanwhile, created shoes out of sweet wrappers for the little lizards he captured in the garden. He was educated at home, and from

his anglophile father inherited a fascination with all things British.

“My father even knew all of Churchill’s speeches by heart.” At the end of his schooling, he went to Geneva to study medicine, but swiftly switched to art and languages after “fainting when I saw a corpse.”

After a brief stint as a UN translator, he drifted to Paris in the 1960s and then to London, where he started working as a buyer at Feathers in Kensington High Street, the shop Joan Burstein owned before opening Browns. During this period Grace Coddington, Paloma Picasso, Tina Chow and the photographer Paul Morrissey, Warhol’s long-term collaborator, became friends.

Blahnik had ambitions to design stage sets when, in 1970, Paloma Picasso introduced him to Diana Vreeland, then the editor of American ‘Vogue’. Flicking through his stage and costume designs for ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, Vreeland saw the shoes the characters were wearing and advised him to concentrate on “the funny little things on the feet.” Blahnik’s fate was sealed.

In 1972, he designed his first pair of shoes – the now iconic cherry shoes – for Ossie Clark’s catwalk show. “Like everything in my life, it wasn’t premeditated or pre-planned,” he says. “It just happened. We didn’t think about money or business – we made the shoes because we thought they were divine.”

Over the years, he has collaborated with some of the biggest names in fashion, including Galliano at Dior, Calvin Klein and Christian Dior, but has remained defiantly independent, despite many offers from fashion conglomerates. “Many times I have been tempted by those people. They offer you the world but I’ve never been good at that kind of thing.”

On hand to help with this global takeover is his sister, Evangelina, who joined the business in 1980, and niece Kristina, an architect who designs most of the stores. Family, it seems, is crucial to Blahnik. He visits his mother, who is 96, as often as he can, and she still fusses over him when he is in Britain, regularly telephoning with remedies for his insomnia.

Blahnik lives alone and is proudly single. He is also adamant that he has no plans to retire. “I can’t stand not to work,” he says. “I don’t really see myself in the garden or in the kitchen making cakes.”

For now, at least, the legion of Blahnik fans can breathe a sigh of relief – their master has no plans to give up his place at the top of the shoetree just yet.

By Odette Dimey

49

INDULGENCE

Arab women through the eyes of rally champion Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi Times are changing. Cultural barriers that stood in the way of Arab women realizing their potential are slowly crumbling, as women in our region are fast assuming their vital roles in business and politics. And all such changes are instrumental in the development of our societies, according to Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi – World Rally Championship driver for the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team.

PUSH listens intently as the champion

51

describes the ever-growing role of women in our society and expresses his affinity for the women who shaped and influenced his life for the better.

In your opinion, which is a very attractive sports car for women to drive?

Khalid Al Qassimi (KQ) – As a regular sports car, the BMW Coup and the new Mercedes E class coupe suit women very well. I also like the Ferrari 458; it’s a girly car but it’s extreme!

world. Women had no major role in politics, business or even sports. This has changed because of the higher level of education women are getting.

Nowadays, women have a crucial position in society. They are as important as men are, and they all have their own integral role. I hope to see women’s role growing in the region – that would only help our societies. And it would be nice for the world to see how women here are constantly developing and evolving.

What are your thoughts regarding Arab women in motor-sport?

KQ – Well, you don’t see them very often. Women in our region don’t have a constant or strong presence in the world of motor-sport. But they put the effort and do relatively well; the fact that some have made it this far is an accomplishment on its own.

What is the most important lesson that you have learned in business?

KQ – You need to believe in yourself; that would help you become more confident.

And confidence will turn you into a role model. People will appreciate the risks you take and the bold moves you make.

People will always follow those who have paved their own path.

What is your opinion about the growing number of Arab women entering the business realm?

KQ – Ten or fifteen years ago, we did not hear about women in the business

Tell us about women who influenced you the most in your life.

KQ – The first woman would be my mom.

As the eldest of nine children, I got a lot of attention from her. She contributed a lot

to my upbringing. The second person is my sister; she is a kind of a mentor to me.

She is the one with whom I consult before doing anything. I ask for her opinion before asking anyone else.

What advice would you give Arab women with regard to following their dreams?

KQ – Simply, never give up!

INDULGENCE

53

SMART IS THE NEW SEXY www.yawe.org

INDULGENCE

Chocolat The Vilification of this delicacy Ends Here!

Dark chocolate is naturally very rich in antioxidants and other healthy nutrients like magnesium.

55

All the desirable effects

“I

have the willpower to abide by a strict diet, but I always fail to drop the habit of eating chocolate,” explains 33-year-old Amina.

“I’m afraid my addiction to chocolate will always sabotage my attempts to stay in shape.” This working mother of two has been hooked on chocolate for as long as she can remember. And she is not alone in her struggle to get a grip on her love for this tasty delicacy. Most women seem to crave chocolate, especially in periods of emotional void. For several years now, chocolate has been bogged down by bad reputation – claims stating that it causes anything from weight gain to facial pimples. Consequently, guilt remains a constant companion to those who cannot shake off their attachment to chocolate.

However, what very few are aware of is that not all chocolate products are created equal. Like many things in life, you have the good and the bad. And the ability to distinguish between the two could make your life easier and certainly more enjoyable.

Now, unleashing your appetite and devouring those commercial chocolate bars is sure to lead you to weight-gain considering the fact that such products are laden with sugar and other unhealthy ingredients. You would want to avoid that at all cost.

What you need to pick instead are dark chocolate bars – ones that contain 70 to 85 percent chocolate. Dark chocolate with the aforementioned ratios is very healthy and is ideal for consumption after a meal.

Dark chocolate is naturally very rich in antioxidants and other healthy nutrients like magnesium (many people are deficient in this mineral.) Magnesium plays a crucial role in one’s health, and has the ability to calm your nerves and muscles, build and strengthen your bones and maintain proper blood circulation.

When you are deficient in magnesium, you suffer from muscle weakness/spasms, irregular heartbeats, weakened bones, headaches, imbalanced blood sugar levels and others. And so drinking that hot cup of cocoa or eating dark chocolate after a meal is sure to boost your magnesium levels.

Another reason why dark chocolate positively affects your health is due to the rich content in flavonols – natural antioxidants found in certain food items. Research has shown that flavonols are helpful in protecting blood vessel linings – an effect that prevents high blood pressure. Flavonols offer great protection against cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Moreover, postmenopausal women with high cholesterol seem to obtain significant cardiovascular benefits from the consumption of dark chocolate. And that is not all; dark chocolate is rich in many other healthy nutrients such as potassium, calcium and contains many vitamins like A, B1, B2, D and E. Another exciting aspect about dark chocolate is the fact that it gives us energy through theobromine, which stimulates the central nervous system and facilitates muscle exertion.

No wonder eating dark chocolate helps those suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, according to a recent study. And if you have been feeling down recently, dark chocolate has a mood-boosting effect via feel-good chemicals (like endorphins) in the brain. Endorphins are known to help with premenstrual syndrome. So in effect, eating dark chocolate and drinking cocoa enhance feelings of well being. And here is the part that most women would love to hear: Dark chocolate is rich in tryptophan, which is an essential amino acid that increases the production of serotonin, antidepressants and stress relievers in the body. Good levels of tryptophan also help in preventing cravings for sweets and starchy foods – very important if you are trying to lose body-fat!

How to indulge

You must be feeling very happy to know about the health benefits of cocoa powder/dark chocolate, and you are now eager to start enjoying its delectable taste. But before you do, keep a few points in mind. Product quality is important, because residues of lead and other toxins may be present in non-organically produced cocoa. Therefore, purchasing organic cocoa powder and organic dark chocolate is preferable.

And if you wish to enjoy a hot cocoa drink, sweeten it with stevia – not sugar or artificial sweeteners. Stevia is a natural, non-caloric sweetener derived from a plant – many times sweeter than sugar so make sure you add just a pinch. And to enjoy dark chocolate, all you need are a few squares after a meal to satisfy your cravings and to derive the wonderful health benefits.

By Richard Labaki

INDULGENCE

TREND WATCH

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Nurturing Business

Aspirations Arab business plan competition The MIT Enterprise Forum of the Pan Arab Region has been organizing the annual MIT Arab Business Plan Competition for several years now. And this highly acclaimed event has been tremendously successful in attracting over 1000 applications from 17 Arab countries annually. The competition takes into account a multitude of industries, and entries are judged based on several factors including how innovative the ideas/projects are, the ability to be duplicated in other countries and the possibility of growing into a big corporation.

PUSH caught up with both Hala Fadel, chairperson of the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Pan Arab Region, and Rana Shmaitelly, first prizewinner for 2009-2010, to pick their brains and to learn more about what makes a project stand out and the challenges women face in realizing their business aspirations.

Hala Fadel – Chairperson of the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Pan Arab Region For how long have you been conducting this competition?

Hala Fadel (HF) – We have been conducting this competition for four years now.

How many female winners so far?

HF – None, up until last year.

What are your observations regarding the manner by which men and women present and organize their projects? What are the differences, if any?

HF – Presentation skills are quite similar across the board for men and women. However, women tend to show their passion and emotions for their project a little bit more.

What are some of the strengths you see in men that you don’t see in women, and vice versa?

HF – Women are action-driven and very organized; they are able to manage multiple tasks. At the same time, they tend to have less team spirit and want to manage everything on their

own. Men strategize a lot but lack organizational skills; they typically manage people better.

What advice do you have for women who have an idea but lack funding?

HF – In the Arab region, they should be twice as daring as men are to get the ear of a bank or an investor. So my advice for them is to try not to be shy and just go for it!

What are the criteria for a distinguished project in your opinion?

HF – It has to be innovative, expandable and holds a positive social impact.

What are the specific reasons that lead many competitors to lose?

HF – Lack of passion, superficial knowledge of a sector and big egos – difficulty to listen and to bring on board the right talent, because they feel challenged to bring on board someone better than they are.

Rana Shmaitelly – First prizewinner of 2009-2010 From where did you derive inspiration for The Little Engineer – the project that earned you first prize for the MIT Arab Business Plan Competition?

Rana Shmaitelly (RS) – As a mother of three, who was frustrated from seeing her kids almost addicted to TV and electronic games, I was continuously searching for an alternative. I wanted them to enjoy a more positive environment where they can use their full potential and build skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

After completing the master’s degree in Engineering Management, I could not accept a full-time job – particularly because my children needed my attention. So I was looking for a part time job. At that time, I joined the American University of Beirut as an instructor to be involved in the academic field in two departments: The engineering management department

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From left: Fadi Jameel, Rana Shmaitelly, Ghalia Ghalayini and Nadia Alameh

and the mechanical engineering department. This step changed my vision of the world. I learned more about robotics and renewable energy.

I had to work hard to prepare myself to give a robotic class.

And without enough resources, I had to go online to learn about the topic. I was surprised to see young children and teenagers working on robots, enjoying the technology and having fun with innovations. To see how far we are from this technology in Lebanon frustrated me. Spontaneously, I decided to work towards providing the Lebanese youth with an opportunity to explore the ‘how and wow’ of science in a friendly atmosphere – starting with my own kids.

I spent many hours surfing the internet, building skills and honing my entrepreneurial mind. I started to generate ideas for a new venture related to the above mentioned and here we are today. I am the first prizewinner of The MIT Arab Business Plan Competition 2009-2010 for investing in human capital – by enabling youth to build their skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in a friendly atmosphere.

Where is it currently available?

RS – We have the main center in Mousaytbeh; we also opened a seasonal center in Alley during the summer. Currently, we are collaborating with Wellspring Learning community. And soon, we will be launching centers in Moutayleb, Dbayeh, Jbeil and Saida. Additionally, we plan to open in Amman, Jordan.

And how many participants do you have already?

RS – We introduced more than 850 participants to at least one of our nine courses since July 2009. And we hosted 1200 visitors in our center.

Do you plan to expand your business? If yes, how do you intend on going about doing it?

RS – We are seeking the expansion not only in Lebanon but also in the Arab region. We are in the process of franchising this business in the Middle East and North Africa.

What advice do you have in general for people who want to participate in this competition? What advice would you give women in particular?

RS – Dare to dream and take a chance. Never quit if you have the passion for your idea/project. I advise women to try to strike a balance between professional and social life as much as possible. Our social environment in the Arab world is very demanding on women.

As a woman, which one is easier in business: Competing against men or women? And why?

RS – I never feared competition from neither men nor women.

In the two businesses that I launched, I was the leader in the market. And working hard on sustaining leadership in the market is my main concern.

How has owning your own business affected you psychologically?

RS – Actually, The Little Engineer is my second venture. I launched Digital Photography in 1997, and I was a pioneer in this field for four successive years. So I know exactly what to expect in terms of pressure and challenges. However, the scenario has changed since then. Besides my new business, which I am managing now, I have three kids aged ten, eight and six. So I am always cautious, watching my steps and making sure that I balance my commitments towards work and family.

POSSIBILITY

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Figure out what you were born to do and learn how to remain motivated to become the person you were meant to be You have always felt that you have an abundance of untapped potential. You know within your heart that you could accomplish so much and reach very far in your career and life in general. But somehow, unjust circumstances constantly twist your arm into making compromises and discarding your dreams. And you feel that life is now passing you by, as you lead a robotic existence – marked by a persistent routine. But things do not have to be this way. You do have the choice to lay down a plan that acts as a guide for you to refer to, as you navigate through the vocational terrain. A great plan is one that takes into consideration different variables such as dealing with contingencies bound to arise along the way and means to keep yourself motivated during times of stress, depleted energy and low morale. However, to plan properly you need to delve inside your soul and understand what is it that you wish to express through your work.

Ground Zero

Each of us has a unique combination of personality traits, talents, skills and aptitudes. And to succeed in our career, we all need to figure out what those traits/talents/skills/ aptitudes are, and then find means to express them in ideal jobs or business ventures. One of the primary reasons why so many fail to shine in their career is because they betray who they are by pursuing careers based on parents’/ husbands’ recommendations, how “hot” the domain is, or how much income it could possibly generate. For example, surgery requires certain aptitudes such as “finger dexterity” and “visual-spatial ability” among others. So imagine how much you would struggle if you decided to become a surgeon and yet you do not possess such aptitudes (we are each born with a fixed set of aptitudes.) Or imagine you are an introvert who is pursuing a career in Public Relations – probability is that you will suffer tremendously going to work every day.

So the first step in proper planning is aligning your goals with your inner talents and aptitudes. And if this requires a complete career change so be it! You do not want to spend your whole life miserable performing duties that you were never “designed” to do – activities that you struggle with and could probably never master.

To figure out what you are good at, it helps to read certain books and undergo specific personality tests.

Recommended readings include ‘Strengths Finder’ by Tom Rath, ‘Go Put your Strength to Work’ by Marcus

Buckingham and ‘The 80/20 Individual’ by Richard Koch. All the aforementioned books help you focus on your talents/traits and offer means to utilize your personal “assets” in the best possible fashion. In terms of personality tests, Myers-Briggs is very helpful (available online for free.) Alternatively, you could read ‘Do What You Are’ by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger for an in-depth look on the subject and for added testing accuracy.

“ Once you pinpoint your strengths and understand what types of domains/jobs stir your soul and suit your character, you could proceed by laying down a long-term plan ˮ Ready for Lift Off

Once you pinpoint your strengths and understand what types of domains/jobs stir your soul and suit your character, you could proceed by laying down a long-term plan. And verified research has a lot to offer in this department. Now if you go to any bookstore, you would notice that major sections are allocated for self-help – offering titles that promise to regulate your life, to manage your workflow and to bring order to your otherwise chaotic existence. Problem is most of these titles are simply subjective accounts of people with whom you might or might not share identical circumstances, personality traits or cultural background.

What worked for them does not necessarily mean that it would work for you. The only way to be sure that any advice you get is a sound one is by checking to see if it is backed up by research. And this is what PUSH is offering here: How to plan and stick to your plan based on sound and researched data. Bear in mind that the advice here is applicable to any aspect of your life – be it starting your own business, ascend the corporate ladder or even lose weight.

Here are five scientifically proven tools you could use in achieving your plans:

I - Break it down

No one ever stumbles upon success by coincidence.

A clear goal has to be put forth – a main goal that needs to be broken down to several sub-goals. Doing so creates a step-by-step process whereby achieving a major life change becomes easier. The fear and hesitation often associated with attempting to make a

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major change dissipate. And when the sub-goals are concrete, measurable and time-based, the probability of achievement increases exponentially. If for example you intend to find a new job, make sure you describe how you wish to rewrite your resume in five days, and then apply for one new job every week for the next three months. Only by being this specific would you increase the likelihood of you sticking to the plan.

II - Share your goals

Believe it or not, sharing your goals with friends and family members cements your commitment to your goals. This creates a powerful moral obligation for you to stay on track and achieve what you have announced to those closest to you. On the other hand, keeping your plans to yourself might ease the fear of failure but it will not serve you well on the long run. Going public is a sure way to make you commit to your plans and promises.

Moreover, friends and family members are sure to provide support in different forms when you are faced with challenges along the way to achieving your goals.

Nothing could be more invaluable than having people who care about you pushing you to achieve success.

III - Remember the benefits

By remembering the benefits that could be gained through achieving your overall goal, you are more likely to remain motivated and stay the course. Simply create an objective checklist of how life would improve once you have achieved your main goal. And never focus of what would happen if you fail in that regard. This is sure to demotivate you and undermine all your efforts. Always try to look forward to a positive future or outcome.

IV - Reward of a sub-goal achieved

One of the effective ways to entice you to stay on track is to attach some sort of a reward to achieving a subgoal. Say you have a sub-goal of convincing an investor to support your main goal of a business project. Promise yourself to get a full day of treatments at the spa if you manage to strike a deal with the investor. Such rewards give you something to look forward to and provide a sense of achievement. The reward does not have to be lavish and grand – just something to make you feel good for a job well done.

V - Write it down

Studies haves shown that all those who jotted down their goals, progress, benefits and rewards had a higher chance of achieving their plans. The act of writing all that down on a journal or on your laptop is sure to boost your chances of success.

A Balanced Mindset

Being optimistic about achieving your grand goal is instrumental in your success. But according to research, you need to employ something else: Being realistic about potential problems that might arise.

Think of something you wish to achieve such as starting your own fashion brand. Then spend a few moments fantasizing about obtaining the goal. Now note two benefits that would come from such an achievement.

Then spend a few moments reflecting on the type of barriers/problems you are likely to encounter if you attempt to fulfill your ambition. Again, make a note of the two top problems.

“ The first step in proper planning is aligning your goals with your inner talents and aptitudes ˮ Reflect on the first benefit, elaborating on how it would make your life more enjoyable. Immediately afterwards, think of the biggest hurdle to such success – focusing on what you would do if you encountered the difficulty. Then repeat the same process for the second most positive aspect of achieving your aim and second greatest potential problem.

Such a method has proven to be superior to either fantasizing alone or only focusing on the negatives.

This fantasy-reality technique has been shown by research to be very effective in the workplace, encouraging employees to become involved in training courses, delegate more effectively and improve their time-management skills. And this technique would surely help you in achieving your business goals – whether you are a high-powered executive or a business entrepreneur – by both motivating you and helping you persevere in the face of adversity.

By Richard Labaki

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Entrepreneurial Test

You need to think about why you would like to own your own business. What makes you think you will be successful in business?

Some business development materials start out with a dissertation on the characteristics of the business owner in order to help you decide if you should go into business for yourself. These questions deal with the basic personality of potential entrepreneurs.

Are you “entrepreneurial” enough to build a business?

Do you know the meaning of the word “entrepreneurial”?

Are you a risk taker?

Did you get good grades at school? Did you know how many successful entrepreneurs did not?

You are a cautious person - should you forget about the whole thing?

That’s what some entrepreneurial tests would suggest.

However, there are many successful business owners who, as an adolescent, were team players, athletes, school leaders, excellent students, and never seriously questioned the status quo. Often, though, a tendency toward caution is not typical of many successful entrepreneurs. Most entrepreneurs tend to be maverick personalities with risk-taking vision and courage. Many entrepreneurs tend to be just a bit “off beat” and they sometimes need to be in order to creatively grow a successful business.

Obviously there is no set formula for success. However, the following entrepreneurial test may help you in your personal evaluation process. You just need to remember that this is simply a tool. It is fun to take and fun to interpret, but you should keep it in perspective.

You must answer ALL questions for the test to be accurate. Place an X in the appropriate box for each question.

1- I’m persistent.

Yes

Maybe

No

2- When I’m interested in a project, I need less sleep.

Yes

Maybe

No

3- When there’s something I want, I keep my goal clearly in mind. Yes

Maybe

No

4- I examine mistakes and I learn from them.

Yes

Maybe

No

5- I keep New Year’s resolutions.

Yes

Maybe

No

6- I have a strong personal need to succeed.

Yes

Maybe

No

7- I have new and different ideas.

Yes

Maybe

No

8- I am adaptable.

Yes

Maybe

No

9- I am curious.

Yes

Maybe

No

10- I am intuitive.

Yes

Maybe

No

11- If something can’t be done, I find a way.

Yes

Maybe

No

12- I see problems as challenges.

Yes

Maybe

No

13- I take chances.

Yes

Maybe

No

14- I’ll gamble on a good idea even if it isn’t a sure thing.

Yes

Maybe

No

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15- To learn something new, I explore unfamiliar subjects.

Yes

Maybe

No

16- I can recover from emotional setbacks.

Yes

Maybe

No

17- I feel sure of myself.

Yes

Maybe

No

18- I’m a positive person.

Yes

Maybe

No

19- I experiment with new ways to do things.

Yes

Maybe

No

20- I’m willing to undergo sacrifices to gain possible long term rewards. Yes

Maybe

No

21- I usually do things my own way.

Yes

Maybe

No

22- I tend to rebel against authority.

Yes

Maybe

No

23- I often enjoy being alone.

Yes

Maybe

No

24- I like to be in control.

Yes

Maybe

No

25- I have a reputation for being stubborn.

Yes

Maybe

No

For each “Yes” give yourself 3 points; for each “Maybe” give yourself 2 points; and for each “No” give yourself 1 Point.

If you scored between 60 and 75, you can start that business plan. You have the earmarks of an entrepreneur – a person who is willing to start and run his / her own business.

If you scored between 48 and 59, you have potential but need to push yourself. You may want to improve your skills in your weaker areas. This can be accomplished by either improving yourself in these areas or by hiring someone with these skills.

If you scored between 37 and 47, you may not want to start a business alone. Look for a business partner who can compliment you in the areas where you are weak.

If you scored below 37, self-employment may not be for you. You will probably be happier and more successful working for someone else. However only you can make that decision.

Should you score below the required base, you may need to go on some assertive training.

Next month's quiz: how to make your own manifesto

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A Spark Of Insight Inspirational tales of Emirati women who took the initiative to start their own business “There are certain expectations of a woman in our society, where as you get older your role decreases. So it felt great to have an active role and to make something of myself.”

Something different is brewing in Fatima al Mohairbi’s kitchen. And while it may smell sweet and delicious, it is not edible

her kitchen into a laboratory, where she experimented and started “creating” something out of nothing.

The final cooked masterpiece will not be served at any dinner table – it will end up in the bathroom.

“I learned how to make soap from the internet, where my daughter read to me the instructions and I tried them out in my kitchen,” says the 31-year-old Mrs. al Mohairbi. “Nobody taught me how to do it, I did it all by myself.”

Transparent or in light colors of brown or yellow, Mrs. al Mohairbi swears by her “beautifying date soaps” that she uses herself and has turned into a thriving business.

“They contain natural ingredients, with added vitamin E, and are made out of our national pride, the date,” says the Emirati mother of three, who has been producing slaps of soap of different kinds in her own kitchen for the past five years.

Using just several hundred dirhams from her household allowance provided by her husband, Mrs. al Mohairbi turned

A bar of her date soap sells at 50 dirhams. Each soap bar takes about 24 hours to make. And the exact process of making it remains a "trade secret."

She sells them from her home and at stalls at special festivals throughout the year.

And on regular basis, she gets orders for colorful soap packages for special occasions like weddings and birthdays.

“I wanted to come up with something unique and that everyone could use,”

POSSIBILITY she says. “And I wanted it to be luxurious at the same time, as people here like luxury.”

“Why not turn dates into a line of cosmetics promoting the fruit as an Emirati beauty secret,” she remarks.

As with anything homemade, Mrs. al Mohairbi’s creation was initially met with skepticism. But through word of mouth and free trials for women in her community, she overcame the obstacles. And she is now in the midst of patenting her soaps

While some housewives were successful in setting up businesses on their own or with the help of their families, others needed a little help from their government.

“There is always someone stealing somebody else’s ideas. And so, I am making sure no one does that to me,” she explains. “A good idea is not enough to turn me into a successful businesswoman.”

Mrs. al Mohairbi’s story is typical of many Emirati women, who are turning their homes into profitable businesses. Noura al Mazrouie, 46, and mother of eight, also saw her future in the abundant date fruit.

“I grew up with the notion that every bit of the date is beneficial,” says Mrs. al Mazrouie, who wondered whether there could be better use to the piles of date seeds being thrown away on regular basis. “It seemed like such a waste.

Since Allah gave us the palm tree and its fruits to be used to its fullest potential, I decided that there must be some use for the seed itself.”

She then remembered something the elders in her family used to say, that besides its health benefits, the “newa” (seed) of the date was once used as kohl in the time of the Prophet Mohammed. “The Prophet said that the crushed seed helps in the thickening of eye lashes,” she adds.

So one day, instead of throwing them away, she cleaned a whole pile of the seeds and left them to dry in the sun. She then burned them on the stove, crushed them and then used the cloth of her scarf to filter through the finest bits of powder to be used as kohl – called “newa kohl” (date seed eyeliner.) Mrs. al Mazrouie is now selling the thumb-sized bottle of kohl with its applicator for 80 dirhams inside either a gold or silver purse.

“The wetness of the eye will keep it from smudging,” she says, as she retouched her own eyes with the date khol. “It is all natural and doesn’t cause any allergies to the eyes.”

Having already patented her product, she is now thinking of collaborating with an international agent to help market her beauty product.

One such case is Mariam al Daheri, who was spending most of her days at home, taking care of her nieces and nephews.

In her spare time, the 47 year old would sew traditional Emirati dresses for women in her family and clothes with elaborate designs for the children.

Then one day, a comment by a relative prompted her to go and check out a business initiative overseen by the Abu Dhabi Businesswomen Council – part of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“I was told I could turn a hobby into a thriving business,” explains Mrs. al Daheri.

And that is exactly what she did.

Now for the past three years, Mrs. al Daheri has been the proud owner of ‘Khayat Amirati’ (My Princess’s Tailor) – a shop stocked with creative clothing for women and children, with many items decorated with gold or silver thread (zirri and telli.)

“Now, when I get up in the morning, I have a purpose in life,” she maintains.

“There are certain expectations of a woman in our society, where as you get older your role decreases. So it felt great to have an active role and to make something of myself.”

Mrs. al Daheri is a member of the council of Mubdi’ah program, which since its launch in 2006 has given more than 200 women access to a range of courses – such as how to set up a business at home.

“There are always opportunities out there, but you have to go out looking for them,” she asserts.

The program is designed to help Emirati women, including divorcees, widows, recent graduates and housewives to develop businesses or hobbies they are pursuing at home. Also, free open shops in which they can display and sell their wares at local malls are available.

Mrs. al Daheri, who works wearing her burqa, has even learned a bit of English to communicate with the tourists who visit her shop.

“I am now a businesswoman, and have my own business card,” she says, gesturing to a pile of sleek colorful cards bearing her name. “Life doesn’t have to end for a woman when she gets old.

“There are always opportunities out there, but you have to go out looking for them,”

By Alana Sharara

POSSIBILITY

Few Good Ideas for Start-Ups Did you know that the majority of people would like to be self-employed? Well, that is true according to economist David Blanchflower. And this makes sense because people who work for themselves are happier than people who work at someone else’s company, according to another research from Estaban Calvo at the Harvard School of Public Health. However the majority are not self-employed, and one of the most important reasons for this is that people do not know how to come up with an idea for a business.

1-Read broad sources and material all the time In a study of financially underprivileged Harvard graduates spanning sixty years, psychiatrist George Valliant concluded that the only consistent indicator of who will be happy later in life is who did chores as a child. This information should make almost everyone happy, since obviously just graduating from Harvard isn’t enough to guarantee happiness.

It also gave me a burst of hope for our new life on the farm. The type of farm we live on has big cash payables and minor income. I’m not sure if this qualifies us for the Harvard study demographic, but just in case, my kids do many chores.

They take care of the animals only to be rewarded with computer time – not quite universally indicative, but still, maybe a path to happiness.

“The trick with starting a business is telling enough people about the idea so you gain enough knowledge about the holes in the idea.”

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You know you’re an entrepreneur if you can’t stop thinking of business ideas.

2- Ask many questions about many businesses You know you’re an entrepreneur if you can’t stop thinking of business ideas. I started thinking of farm business ideas from the day I discovered the farm that I now live on. I asked about margins on chickens, cost of goods for eggs and cash flow during a bad harvest. At first, my husband was jarred by my distinctly non-partner date-chat. But once he realized that I was thinking of business ideas, he said to me, “I will never go into business with you – ever! You would be a pain!” That’s when we were only seeing each other once a week so you can imagine how much he doesn’t want to go into business with me now that I’m married to him. Still, I run all my ideas by him, which is another sign of a good entrepreneur. You cannot know if you have a good idea until you tell people. Let others poke holes in your ideas. All ideas have holes in them. The trick with starting a business is telling enough people about the idea so you gain enough knowledge about the holes in the idea.

Consequently, you can then see if these “holes” are the kind that you can plug.

3- Identify an emotional need in the marketplace So I tell my husband that I’m thinking of starting a business for kids to learn how to farm. “Chores for the summer; happiness for a lifetime” – that’s my pitch. I tell him it leverages my marketing strengths because it will benefit parents who are tired of parenting: They know they should make their kids do chores, but they don’t want to fight about it. I take the fight out of chores.

4- No idea is precious – if it is bad, just move on to the next one Days go by and I’m still thinking of business ideas. Then I meet a man who wants to invest in a company where we sell Arabic pastries online.

Many small-town pastry makers don’t market nationally or online. I’m thinking about that. My husband likes that idea more than the “chores” one because he doesn’t know much about making pastries (just eating them probably.)

I have to think about a few contingency plans, and in order of significance: Talk to someone else and pick his or her brains about yet another venture.

But no matter what, I will not let negative vibes put me down.

Go to a bank and see my options of taking a bank loan, and try to do this on my own.

Partner with people that I know would be active partners; people who have experience in that industry and can add value and not just cash.

By Sabah A. Shamseddine

Facts on Running True or False?

FELICITY

By Dr. Ines Gutwaldt, Dr. Mark Sharafuddin, Dr. Anna Esther

Your face will have lines, your knees will be ruined and your breasts will sag. True or false? Go on, test yourself.

Always wear a heart-rate monitor - False Heart monitors are excellent for monitoring effort in the early stages of training and ensuring that you neither do too little nor too much (a common mistake that puts off a lot of would-be runners). They are also great to make sure you don’t overdo it when interval training (bursts of high-intensity work interspersed with gentler jogging). But most runners can feel when they are in their comfort zone, so their monitors spend more time in a drawer than on their wrist.

Dr. Anna Esther (AE) Running ruins your knees - False Studies of osteoarthritis of the knee and hip in runners and non-runners have found that it is a problem in both groups – running makes little or no difference. In the case of the knee, running may help to maintain a healthy joint. If you have a joint problem because of a previous injury or arthritis, however, running may accelerate it.

Dr. Mark Sharafuddin (MS) Getting a cramp means you are probably unfit - False A cramp remains poorly understood, but it is thought to be as a result of excessive movement of the internal organs and diaphragm. It is a problem for many runners, irrespective of how fit they are, but is more common in people in their teens/ twenties and novices. It does not mean that you are unfit, but it can be a sign that you are pushing too hard. Having new cramps when you have been a runner for years, cramps that come on the same point each time you run, or are worse on cold days are more suspicious because it can be confused with heart pain (angina). If in doubt, talk to your doctor.

Dr. Ines Gutwaldt (IG) Don’t run if you are pregnant - False There is no reason why women cannot continue to run during pregnancy as long as they adjust their training program to reflect that they are likely to get puffed much more quickly. And it is unlikely that you will want to go out for a run during the later stages anyhow!

(AE)

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Dr. Sharafuddin’s top tips 1. Always remember: stretch, strengthen and recover.

2. Ensure that you are properly hydrated with clean water – try avoiding fluorescent blue and yellow sports drinks.

3. Take a high-quality fish-oil supplement, which will help to lubricate the joints and reduce muscle soreness, and a good multivitamin.

4. Build recovery time into your schedule by resting! Your body will not produce the results you are looking for unless you get at least seven to eight hours of goodquality sleep.

Running for less than 25 minutes is pointless - False It depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you are training for a marathon, then running less than 25 minutes will not do you much good. You can, however, burn a significant amount of fat by varying the intensity and speed — a program of ten-second sprints with a minute rest in between can do this and increase your speed and fitness.

(MS) Running is the ultimate fat burning exercise - False Studies suggest that our bodies prefer to burn fat when exercising for long periods at moderate intensity (an hour-long gentle run being ideal), but you can lose just as much weight through shorter highintensity sessions or interval training.

Short and hard equals long and slow in my book, so take your pick.

(IG) Running on a treadmill is not as effective as running in the park - False There is arguably less impact on a treadmill, which is more forgiving than the road. The most significant difference between running outdoors and on the treadmill is that the surface is moving on the treadmill. You still burn calories and get fit on the treadmill. If I were training for an event, however, I would train as much as possible on the surface on which the competition is held.

(MS) Interval training is the only way to improve your fitness - False It depends how fit you are and what you are hoping to achieve. Most people do straightforward steady running, which is great if you want to run a marathon. But interval training has a reputation for shaking your body up, and I would recommend it for, say, a footballer who needs to run in short sprints to improve his game.

(MS)

You need to be a certain build to be a good runner - True Anyone can run, but to be good at it you need to have the right build – just look at the wiry physiques of elite-distance runners. However, most of us run for fun, not for competition.

(AE) Running will not get rid of love handles - True If you are overweight because of lack of exercise, running will help. But resistance training is the best way to get rid of love handles.

(IG) Your breasts will sag - True So wear a decent sports bra.

Traditionally women with smaller busts chose compression-type bras that squeezed their breasts against their chest and women with larger busts wore the encapsulating type similar to a conventional bra. But new research suggests that the encapsulating type is better for everyone if properly fitted.

(IG) Running is bad for your face - True Distance runners can look older than normal for three reasons. The constant movement and resulting mechanical stresses can (theoretically) stretch the supportive tissues under the skin; they tend to be exposed to the sun and wind; and they often look gaunt because they tend to have much lower body fat. But the effects are unlikely to be that marked in most runners.

(MS) Running should be just one part of your exercise routine - True You need to implement resistance training to keep your joints strong and stable as well as some core training – either Pilates or yoga or some specific gym work – to help you with postural work. Running on its own is not a “cure-all” exercise.

(AE) You should buy a new pair every 800 kilometers - True Modern shoes can still look as good as new after a year, but their impactabsorbing properties drop off significantly after 560-800 kilometers depending on your style and weight. Buy a new pair and you will notice a significant difference. That said; I occasionally still run in the pair I wore back in 2003!

(IG)

FELICITY

WAKE UP & Cease the Day What you do in the morning affects your performance throughout the day

Let

us face the fact: Who likes to wake up early in the morning and rush straight to work? Undoubtedly, a “morning person” is something of a rarity. For the vast majority of people, waking up late and taking time to adjust before becoming functional would be ideal. But unless you are a novelist or you managed to set up your own home-based business, such a routine remains nothing more than a mere fantasy. And so what could be done in this case is to adopt a ritual that kick-starts your mental and physical “engines” rather quickly. You need practices that could help you adjust in no time so that you face your day at work very effectively. Yet, any morning ritual is bound to fail unless it considers factors like proper mindset, energy levels and relaxed muscles. Below is a list of simple yet effective practices that are sure to help in that regard.

Getting in the zone

Upon awakening, you notice how drowsy you are and how stiff your body is. And so what you need to do is “untie” those knotted muscles and allow the blood to flow more freely throughout your body and inside your brain. One of the best ways to do so is through practicing yoga movements or doing any regular exercise routine.

Since working out increases feel-good chemicals like endorphins and others in the brain, this should have a positive impact on your mood and energy.

Consequently, you will feel ready and revved up to tackle any challenge that comes your way. Additionally, your focus and awareness increase dramatically after a workout. You surely do not want to arrive at work feeling tired, stiff and

depressed and wait for two to three hours until your system gradually kicks into high gear. You want to get there prepared to fulfill all your duties. So be sure that you make a brief morning workout a sacred daily ritual.

The good part is that you do not need to train for more than 10 to 15 minutes.

Contrary to common belief, physical exercise does not have to be performed for hours every time in order to derive health benefits. And so, there is no reason why one should avoid a morning workout. If you decide to do yoga, rest assured that the movements do not need to be elaborate and complicated.

You could rely on books or DVDs for beginners to learn basic movements that could help you get in touch with your body and achieve an ideal mindset to tackle the long day ahead. Nothing is more effective in putting your mind and body in the right zone and giving you that beautiful sense of freshness than yoga.

Alternatively, you could perform any kind of morning exercises such as cycling on a stationary bike or walking on a treadmill or outside for 10 to 15 minutes. Ideally, you should do some simple stretching exercises afterwards for a few minutes to feel better before hitting the shower.

Just make sure you pick an activity that you enjoy doing. Otherwise, you will have a hard time committing to something that you dislike.

Royal breakfast

One the biggest mistakes many commit upon waking up is either eating a small breakfast or skipping this crucial meal altogether. Truth of the matter is breakfast is the most important meal of the entire day, for it supplies your system with the required fuel to perform your mental and

physical activities. So the logical step is to make breakfast your biggest meal of the entire day; doing so also helps you maintain your ideal bodyweight. If breakfast is small or skipped, you are bound to eat more during the late hours of the day when your metabolism is slow. And where do you think all the unburned calories would wind up? They would be transformed into body-fat and deposited in your thighs, buttocks and other areas. So a large breakfast not only provides your body with the necessary fuel to perform properly but also it regulates your appetite.

However, there is another important aspect to be considered regarding this matter: What you eat during breakfast makes all the difference in the world. So you must be thinking now that a bowl of cornflakes, fat free milk, croissants, orange juice and waffles are ideal.

Hate to break the bad news but all the aforementioned are lousy choices and surely do not provide you with sustainable energy. Additionally, you could bet that such choices are sure to make you fat considering their effect on the hormone insulin. We will not go into scientific details now but keep in mind that the higher the insulin levels the more likely you are to gain weight, age quickly, suffer from energy fluctuations and be prone to many diseases like diabetes, hypertension and others.

What you should consume in the morning are food choices that cause minimal increase in insulin levels and provide you with long-lasting energy.

Boiled eggs, muesli, oatmeal with fresh fruit chunks (like apples/berries/apricot) and nuts (especially walnuts/almonds), avocado, olives, wholegrain bread, regular milk and natural, unsweetened

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“You need practices that could help you adjust in no time so that you face your day at work very effectively.” yoghurt are all good choices. And before you complain about the fat content of some of the choices mentioned here, bear in mind that not all fatty foods are created equal – some are unhealthy while others are essential for your body. Moreover, what makes one fat are mainly bad carbohydrates because of their impact on insulin levels. And this is why skimmed this and zero-fat that are not included here. Not to mention that fat helps you feel full for longer periods – minimizing the likelihood of overeating throughout the day.

Ritualize

The best tips are futile unless you manage to integrate what you learn into your daily routine. Many claim that they do not have time to prepare a healthy meal in the morning and/or to train before leaving for work. Frankly, such claims are nonsensical.

Anything could be done if the intention is there and if you plan wisely. A healthy meal could be prepared the night before and kept in the fridge to be heated for breakfast. And so upon awakening, you do your short round of training before consuming your nutritious meal. Around 30 to 45 minutes are needed to do everything – training, showering and eating. And if you are the type that usually awakes a short period before having to leave the house, make sure you sleep earlier so that you can rise up at least an hour before going to work. And remember: Any new habit requires around 21 days before becoming a well-established ritual. So stay the course for a few weeks until you could no longer feel right without eating healthy and training in the morning.

By Raja Sfeir

“You surely do not want to arrive at work feeling tired, stiff and depressed and wait for two to three hours until your system gradually kicks into high gear.”

FELICITY

Oasis

An Arabian

of relaxation

Evason Ma'in Hot Springs Six Senses Spa

Jordan’s newest and most luxurious Dead Sea area property, Evason Ma’In Hot Springs & Six Senses Spa is located 30 kilometers from the mosaic city of Madaba and is close to many of Jordan’s most popular historical sites. It is a scenic 60 minute drive from Amman International Airport or a 50min drive from Queen Alia International Airport. Lying 264 meters below sea level, the location of the hotel provides a serene atmosphere surrounded by spectacular mountain landscapes and natural hot springs.

An oasis set amongst dramatic terrain, Evason Ma’in’s location is easily accessible and defines the resort and spa experience in the Middle East. Evason Ma’in is a destination of choice for those seeking the perfect retreat to relax, be pampered and to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of the Hot Springs waterfalls.

To enjoy an amazing organic, wholesome smorgasbord of traditional, local and international delights, one can head to the heart of the Resort at The Springs restaurant. Other outlets in the property such as the White Lounge are veritable havens of Arabian hospitality and service, making them the ideal sites to spend with loved ones.

If stargazing and movies are more enticing for you, the Resort’s open-air cinema opens daily, showcasing cult classics together with movies for kids, ensuring there is something for every family member to enjoy. www.sixsenses.com/Evason-Ma-In/

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FELICITY

ZEN AFTER

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WORK

How to calm your mind quickly once you get home

B

eing able to disengage from work the minute a person leaves the office is a rare ability. Most of us carry back home the emotionally charged load we amass at work. Left unchecked, this pattern could disrupt other aspects of our lives.

The tension that builds up at work could easily leak into our personal and even social life. Not to mention that the stress we are exposed to throughout the day is sure to accelerate the aging process, steer us towards chronic diseases and affect our psychological and mental wellbeing if we fail to neutralize its impact.

Contrary to common belief, there are effective techniques that counteract the “dirty” effects of stress – ones that we could implement the minute we arrive home. Adopting such techniques will help us in calming our body and mind; consequently, we recharge effectively and become more able to focus on other avenues in our lives.

Ah, that symphony!

You might not be a fan of classical music. But remarkably, classical music (specifically from the baroque period) has been proven to affect the brain in a positive manner! Decades of research has shown that music composed by the likes of Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart, Pachelbel and others induces alpha brainwaves.

What that means is that you become very relaxed yet totally focused and alert.

Such a mindset is ideal since you want to unwind but not fall asleep, as you would still have activities you wish to perform or duties to tackle. Furthermore, Baroque music lowers your heart rate and blood pressure (which are normally high after work due to stress.) So make listening to this kind of music a ritual every time you return home from work. Note that listening via earphones yields the best results.

Do it naturally Nowadays, many rely on prescription pills designed to induce an alleged state of relaxation. We will not go into details now

on how harmful, addictive and ineffective on the long run these medications are. Fortunately, natural alternatives to such pharmaceutical drugs abound.

And they come in the form of herbal teas and herbal extracts in tablet forms (sold as supplements in health shops.)

Chamomile, passionflower, valerian and hawthorn are some of the herbs/ flowers/roots that offer a myriad of health benefits, including a sense of tranquility and relaxation – without all the nasty side effects or addiction. Additionally, Omega 3 fish oil has been shown to have a good effect on people’s mood. Please note that you should always consult with your physician before taking any supplement, especially if you are pregnant, taking medications or have a medical condition.

Burn the unwanted; release the desirable This might be counterintuitive, but exercising actually helps you to unwind and relax. And here is why: Exercise burns away body chemicals that cause stress. Moreover, feel-good chemicals and morphine-like hormones are released into your system when you train. And so you will be engulfed in feelings of elation and well-being during and after training. Try to make brief exercising after work a regular habit. But how is it possible for anyone to train when he/she is exhausted after a long day at work, you might wonder.

Well, rest assured that training would give you the needed energy boost once you start. And training does not need to be complicated or long in duration. You could go for a brief walk or jump rope for ten to twenty minutes. Just make sure you eat after training and not before. It is crucial that you separate between what happens at work and your life back home. If your boss or a client gave you a hard time, your husband and kids should not become the target of your anger or frustration. Embracing any of the aforementioned techniques/tips is sure to help you calm down every time you return home. You owe this to yourself and to your loved ones.

By Raja Sfeir

FELICITY

81

MAMAPRENEURS

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MAMAPRENEURS

“The biggest myths are that we need seven or eight hours a day, or that we shouldn’t wake up in the night.”

• “It’s more crucial that you eat breakfast first thing in the morning.”

• “Taking the odd power nap – it helps us relax, even if we aren’t descending into the deep sleep.”

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Quality vs Quantity Tips on Sleeping Better & Not L o n g Worried that you don’t get the fabled eight hours? That’s your first mistake: It is quality, rather than quantity, that counts. Tips for a better night’s rest are shared with PUSH Magazine.

“Sleeping is no mean art,” said Friedrich Nietzsche.

“For its sake, one must stay awake all day.” Indeed, maximizing slumber duration can be a complex process. Today’s anxiety-ridden, deadline-heavy world can steal away our eight hours of heavenly rest and replace it with insomnia.

One professional intends on helping us snooze is Dr. Nerina Ramlakhan, the author of ‘Tired but Wired’, a book that advises on taking naps, relaxing and exercising to hibernate effectively and wake up refreshed. “I was frustrated about the lack of information out there,” says the sleep and energy coach. “Someone once asked me to recommend a good book on sleep and I couldn’t find one. I wanted to debunk many myths about sleep. I’ve had sleep problems myself for many years and I know what it’s like. It’s awful to wake up not rested and have to face the day.”

Meanwhile, modern sleeping pills are less addictive than in the past, meaning doctors are more likely to prescribe them. “The biggest myths are that we need seven or eight hours a day, or that we shouldn’t wake up in the night,” continues Ramlakhan. “But waking early in the morning is perfectly normal.” So what’s the key to an effective slumber? Ramlakhan explains the dos and don’ts of catching Z’s.

Diet

Not eating pre-bedtime is less important than you would believe: What is pivotal is breakfast. Eating at the right time conditions your body’s metabolism to wake up and wind down. “There are these fallacies swirling around that not eating before bed, or not eating lettuce or tuna, can help you sleep,” says Ramlakhan. “But it’s more crucial that you eat breakfast first thing in the morning, in what I call a ‘metabolic window’. It’s a time frame in which you can give your body an important message. It tells it that in your world there is an adequate supply of food, it can relax, and that it can fall into sleep mode when it needs to.”

e

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DURATION

Margaret Thatcher famously boasted she only needed four hours of shut-eye. Such “role models” perpetuate the myth that there is a onesize-fits-all rule. “In my experience it’s all about being attuned to your requirements at different times,” continues the expert. Professional footballers training twice a day might need to rest more than sedentary types. “There may be times you need four hours,” adds the sleep expert. “At other points that could increase to seven or eight. It’s about awareness of your needs.”

POWER NAPS

Winston Churchill scrimped on sleep but liked napping. “You’re better well rested than well briefed” was his maxim, and that means taking the odd power nap – it helps us relax, even if we aren’t descending into the deep sleep. It has a restorative effect on the body and can help us settle down when it is time to turn in.

DREAMING

Dreams have an important role in categorizing memories. If we’re going through a rough patch we can fear our nightmares – but maybe we should embrace them. They can give us clues about problems we need to address. “I encourage people to look on dreams as friends,” says the expert. “I have a lot of clients in the 42 to 49 age bracket who are experiencing crisis of meaning in their lives and are dreaming a lot.

It’s their subconscious trying to tell them about the next direction their life should take. Sometimes that can be useful.”

LOCATIONS

Humans are hunter-gatherers and instinctively need to feel safe before nodding off. “The nut and bolts aren’t so important unless you’re a sensitive sleeper,” says Ramlakhan. “But if that’s the case then there are various options. Some people benefit from white noise, or fans.

Make sure you have effective blinds, or earplugs, if they help. It’s all about reducing distractions and sending a message to your brain about your safety.”

EXCERCISE

Get the balance right. If you over-rest you can become lethargic, if you over-exercise you could cause muscle strain and burnout. While spending eight hours staring at a computer monitor can wear out your brain, exercise can make sure your body is ready to wind down when the moment comes. Exercise also produces mood-lightening endorphins. “It aids the production of the complex concoction of hormones – like adenosine and melatonin – which help us bed down and fall asleep at the end of a difficult day,” concludes Dr. Ramlakhan.

By Dr. Aida S. Fayyad

MAMAPRENEURS

Get a Grip on your Time There’s never enough time, yet there’s always time to procrastinate.

Time management is probably one of the most crucial aspects of our professional lives that often gets ignored, simply because we don’t have the inclination to put the work into it.

Yet, in a classic case of a little going a long way, time management really doesn’t need much effort once you make a system and abide by it.

• Prioritize: There’s a significant difference between ‘important’ and ‘urgent’, which could make or break your schedule. Categorize projects according to deadlines, giving precedence to those that need your pressing attention while saving your attention on others that can be dealt with later.

• Take on one thing at a time: Multitasking is great but can also mean that your divided attention is making you work longer on a task than you should.

Minimize the time required to complete a task by focusing on it and seeing it through to completion before taking on

the next task. This way, you’ll also have one less assignment to worry about.

• Cut meetings short: Meetings should be precise and to the point. More often than not, they get in the way of getting work done. Avoid this pitfall by setting an agenda beforehand and sticking to it inside the boardroom.

• Delegate: If you have the authority and/or a professional relationship with a colleague to share your burden then do so. Make sure not to add to someone else’s workload – not only is it inconsiderate but the job might wind up being unsatisfactory, leaving you with more work than before.

• Establish boundaries between work and play: Don’t ever underestimate the need to put some ‘me’ time on your calendar. You’ll be able to get more work done in lesser time if you tackle it with a clear head.

Staff Writers

MAMAPRENEURS

Talk Small

Do you know the hie rar chy of num bers ?

The hierarchy of numbers is universal: Million, billion, trillion, quadrillion, quintillion, sextillion, septillion, octillion, nonillion, decillion, undecillion, duodecillion, tredecillion, quat(t) uordecillion, uindecillion, sexdecillion, septendecillion, octodecillion, novemdecillion and vigintillion.

"Term of the Month"

|Value Chain| This term means the sequential set of primary and support activities that an enterprise performs to turn inputs into value-added outputs for its external customers – activities, such as marketing, sales and service.

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One night, former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary decided to do something different and go for a casual dinner at a restaurant that wasn't too luxurious. When they were seated, the owner of the restaurant asked the secret service if he could speak to the former First Lady – now Secretary of State – in private. They obliged and Hillary had a conversation with the owner. Following this conversation, the ex-president asked his wife, “Why was he so interested in talking to you?” She mentioned that in her teenage years, he had been madly in love with her. The former President then said, "So if you had married him, you would now be the owner of this lovely restaurant”, to which Hillary responded, "No, if I had married him, he would now be the President!"

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BRAIN do right now

This is an exercise that can strengthen neural connections and even create new ones.

Pick up your cell phone, and start writing a message with the hand you normally do NOT use.

What do you notice?

Is it harder to be precise and accurate with your motions?

Do you feel like you did when you were first learning to tie your shoelaces?

If you are feeling uncomfortable and awkward don’t worry, your brain is learning a new skill.

Try other neural building and strengthening exercises with everyday movements. Use your opposite hand to control the mouse on your computer, brush your teeth, or operate the TV remote.

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CALENDAR Dubai

Financial Services for Women Middle East Summit 28 Nov-1 Dec IQPC Middle East, 971 4 363 1938 enquiry@iqpc.ae www.iqpc.ae

Summit in the Global Agenda in the United Arab Emirates 29 Nov-1 Dec World Economic Forum, 41 22 869 1212, contact@weforum.org www.weforum.org Second GCC Government Organization Websites Global Competitiveness Strategy Development Conference 19 - 20 Dec Datamatix Group, 971 4 332 6688, info@datamatixgroup.com www.datamatixgroup.com GCC Government & Business Organizations Second Line Leaders and Talent Development 21-22 Dec Datamatix Group, 971 4 3326688, info@datamatixgroup.com www.datamatixgroup.com The Dubai International Fashion Jewerelly and Accessories Fair 13-15 Dec Al Fajer Information and Services, 971 4 340 6888, alfajer@emirates.net www.alfajer.net The Twenty Fifth International Autumn Trade Fair 13-15 Dec Al Fajer Information and Services, 971 4 340 6888, alfajer@emirates.net www.alfajer.net Media and Marketing Show 2010 13-15 Dec Dubai World Trade Center, 971 4 332 1000, info@dwtc.com www.dwtc.com Egypt Super Return Africa 2010 29 Nov-1 Dec ICBI, 44 20 7017 7200, info@icbi.co.uk www.icbi-events.com

Handling Expo 25-28 Nov International Fairs Group, 202 25264499, info@ifg-eg.com www.ifg-eg.com KSA Cityscape Riyadh 12-14 Dec IIR Middle East, 971 4 336 5161 info@iirme.com www.iirme.com Glamour Arabia 6-8 Dec Al Harithy Company for Exhibitions, 966 2 654 6384, ace@acexpos.com www.acexpos.com Saudi ICT 12-15 Dec Al Harithy Company for Exhibitions, 966 2 654 6384, ace@acexpos.com www.acexpos.com LEBANON Eastern Mediterranean Regional (EMR) Scientific Meeting Nov 25-27 Crowne Plaza Infomed International for Events Tel: (01) 510 881, Fax :(01) 482 116 infomed@infomedweb.com www.infomedweb.com First Regional Conference on Advancing Young Women Leaders in the Gulf States Nov 28-30 LAU Lebanese American University, 01 786 456, ywl@lau.edu.lb, www.lau.edu.lb The New Arab Woman Forum Dec 2-3 Intercontinental Phoenicia Hotel Al Iktissad Wal Aamal Lebanon P.O. Box 113-6194 Hamra, Beirut 1103 2100 Tel: 01 780 200, fax: 780 206, nawforum@iktissad.com www.nawforum.com Effective Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Dec 10-11

91 AUB Center for Teaching and Learning and the Academic Computing Center at the American University of Beirut Tel: (01) 350 000, acc@aub.edu.lb www.aub.edu.lb Unveiling The Moral Purpose of Business Jan 27, 2011 Movenpick Hotel World Trade Center - Beirut s.a.l. (WTC Beirut) Emile Edde Street, Tour de Lyon bldg., 4th floor Hamra, Beirut P.O.Box 113-5560 Tel: +961 1 737522 - 611 Fax: +961 1 740388 info@wtcbeirut.com United Management Bureau (UMB) Airport Road, Allied Center, 3rd Floor, Beirut , Lebanon P.O.Box 116 - 5100 Museum, Tel: +961 1 455512 Fax: +961 1 455514 info@qmiaw.com http://www.csr-event.com/index.asp Beirut Book Fair Dec 11-24 BIEL Arab Cultural Club Tel: 01 345 948 Fax: (01) 351.847 arabculturalclub@hotmail.com www.arabculturalclub.com Beirut Sign Exhibition Sep 22-25, 2011 BIEL Trans Continental Fairs Management (TCFM), www.beirutsign.com Kuwait Kuwait Projects 2010 29-30 Nov Meed Conferences, 971 4 390 0699, events@meed.com www.meed.com

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CHINESE RAT

Born in the year: 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 WORK: Frustrating as delays may be, each offers a valuable insight.

By the latter parts of the month, certain distant promises would transform your life.

LOVE: Previously unappealing arrangements suddenly blossom into a dazzling allure or a surprise appearance out of nowhere.

HEALTH: Making the best of this month’s extraordinary discoveries means doing two things you find impossible: Being patient and heeding the advice of medical professionals while ignoring that of others.

Just keep your cool, which could transform your health and life.

Ox

Born in the year: 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 WORK: Nobody enjoys discussing new and intriguing ideas more than you do.

Instead of trying to make decisions, you will appreciate this period of exploration.

LOVE: Sometimes, things just do not add up. It is not you or your recent actions.

Pivoting elements in your life are being reshaped by circumstances beyond your control and you are short on facts.

HEALTH: While it is not easy to accept that this period is more about talking – not taking action – force issues and you will swiftly realize just how much damage you could do.

Tiger

Rabbit

Born in the year: 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010

Born in the year: 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999

WORK: This month is

developments now sweeping through your life are, it is not all sweet roses. You and those involved are only halfway through this process.

And once the dust has settled, they will be just as happy with life as you are.

considered good timing simply because now, in the run-up to the changes triggered by other’s reactions, the more you discuss with and learn from them, the better you become.

LOVE: It is going to be a complicated month, for you accidentally stumbled into a web of deceit and have been trying to untangle the problems. However if you consider the relationship worth saving, perhaps you should try to salvage the situation.

HEALTH: Losing your cool demeanor could cause unnecessary grief and detriment to personal health, relating to eating disorders or sleepless nights. Ideally, one should try to see things from a different perspective.

WORK: Exciting as the

LOVE: It appears that somebody has not been fair; he has the nerve to insinuate that your demands are insignificant.

State your case simply and as unemotionally as possible, then back off and wait for him to react.

HEALTH: You might be told to go with the flow, which sounds like having absolutely no control. You may not see this yet but you will recognize that this would make room for long cherished dreams to come true.

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HOROSCOPE Dragon

Snake

Horse

Goat

WORK: While accepting

WORK: Do not worry

WORK: You will realize

WORK: Your capability

decisions you dislike is not your style, try to raise many questions and listen carefully – but avoid commitments.

This ensures that you are free to explore this month’s developments at your own sweet pace.

about the developments presently rearranging your life – regardless of how alarming these events might seem.

That is because these are not merely changes but rather a shift in the way you and the world around you interact.

that you have been ignoring certain new and far easier ideas or offers, mostly because they do mean that you should venture into unfamiliar and somewhat intimidating territories.

for making even the most unpalatable facts seem appealing is an asset.

Forget worries about who could be made upset by such a trait. Your priority is deciding what you want.

LOVE: Do not harbor doubts about an individual when the other party is not responding as you have expected. For a relationship to develop gracefully, one needs to gain the trust of the other.

LOVE: One could land in a difficult or tricky position. If one points out the problem or says what he/she thinks, that might upset or provoke a partner or a loved one.

Fear not, an option emerges around the corner, which produces a fresh perspective on such matters.

LOVE: For those in a steady relationship, they can start considering taking things to the next level. But there is the fear of taking the risk and having to sacrifice personal freedom – that needs to be taken into consideration.

LOVE: You pride yourself on giving an invulnerable presence to those around you, sometimes making it nearly impossible to maintain that tough exterior.

Gradually, people will come to understand you better and things could become very different.

HEALTH: As you are well aware, you sometimes develop an attachment to the oddest things and not just objects. Now as one or two of those things are disappearing, you are suffering. Bid the past a dignified farewell and eagerly anticipate what is coming next.

HEALTH: Let the professionals/specialists conduct more tests concerning your illness and have some faith in them.

Soon, you will realize and appreciate their efforts in trying to treat and nurse you back to normal health.

Born in the year: 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000

HEALTH: Losing your cool could cause unnecessary grief and is detrimental to one’s health – inducing blood pressure disorders or sleepless nights. Ideally, one should learn to relax more often.

Born in the year: 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001

HEALTH: Good health in general but there could be a potential upper body discomfort during the month due to lack of rest or induced by physical exercises. Paying a bit more attention to a hygienic environment could help in avoiding illnesses.

Born in the year: 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002

Born in the year: 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003

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Monkey

Rooster

Dog

BOAR

WORK: Think back to occasions in the past to when what seemed as a setback was actually progress. You will realize that what you are currently facing is the same. This month will be central to the new cycle that is now emerging.

WORK: You have been aware that certain stable arrangements would have to be changed. While succumbing to destiny is not usually your style, perhaps it is the best option right now.

WORK: You have already sensed that your way of living and working is transforming. While every element around you will be significantly altered by the profound shift, it is the speed and arbitrary nature of events that will have the most impact.

WORK: The tough situations confronting you might not seem like an opportunity to clear clutter from your life and your thinking, but they are. Instead of worrying, discuss your concerns and seek solutions.

Born in the year: 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004

LOVE: Forgive and forget is likely to be the motto of the month, especially for those who are having bad times with loved ones.

Maybe it is time to have a hearty one-to-one talk – hopefully ironing out any misunderstanding.

HEALTH: Time to reflect on personal health conditions and take corrective measures before the situation worsens.

Implement a balanced diet.

Exercising regularly should certainly help in speeding up the curative process.

Born in the year: 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005

LOVE: Some unattached types are experiencing freedom after having ended their relationship.

Newly married couples are going to embark on adventurous journeys.

HEALTH: Regarding issues that you are struggling with and that could influence you, express your concerns forcefully but diplomatically.

Then, retreat and allow things to unfold.

Born in the year: 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006

LOVE: When looking back, you will recognize certain insights as having changed your life.

Acknowledging these insights is the first step to understanding. And hopefully this leads to love and harmony.

HEALTH: Paying too much attention to personal hygiene can sometimes be extreme, ignoring other important health conditions. Striking a balance would be recommended before acute problems arise.

Born in the year: 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007

LOVE: Avoid trying to influence certain people’s opinion concerning a relationship. The more one tries to push it, the more rebellion one encounters – creating an ill atmosphere for a long time.

HEALTH: Try to remain strong and continue to live life to the full as if under normal circumstances.

Increase in fear and stress will only hasten the condition and reduce the opportunity of improvement.

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L’ORÉAL-UNESCO ‘For Women in Science’ The L’ORÉAL-UNESCO ‘For Women in Science’ Pan Arab Regional Fellowships Program has awarded US$20,000 fellowships to five outstanding Arab women scientists. The women were selected in recognition of their contributions to the advancement of science and in acknowledgment and support of their continuing education in science.

The L’ORÉAL-UNESCO partnership promotes the cause of women in science by highlighting examples of scientific excellence and by encouraging young women to choose scientific careers. Over the past 12 years, 62 L’OREAL-UNESCO Award Laureates from 28 countries have been recognized for their work and, through a program of national and international fellowships, 864 young women from 93 countries have been encouraged to pursue their scientific vocation.

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Connect with companies about your CSR Project!

YAWE wants to help you pitch your Corporate Social Responsibility idea to companies!

The Cisco Entrepreneur Institute is a global initiative to help entrepreneurs start, grow and IT-enable their business.

It provides:

• Entrepreneur-specific business

training developed by Cisco® in cooperation with Stanford University, Cornell University, and My Own Business, Inc.

To submit your project, or for more info, Please email us at: csr@yawe.org

Investment Opportunities: 1- E-commerce: An online interactive website that targets men & women of all ages. Great earning potential, minimum risk!

For more info refer to code 001FD

• A resource center where

entrepreneurs can find sound business advice, mentoring, and services

2- Brand Launching: Retail/Franchising opportunity! Unique “theme” Boutique.

Original concept & design. Looking for investors/agents/distributors in the MENA area. For more info refer to code 001IC

• Internet business solutions • A connected community of

entrepreneurs in Lebanon, the region, and around the world

Workshops offered by the Cisco Entrepreneur Institute at AMIDEAST/Lebanon: Starting a Business Growing a Business iExec Enterprise Essentials iExec Public Sector Essentials Entrepreneurial Mindset Career Essentials Computer Literacy For more information: Allyson Jerab Email: ajerab@amideast.org Phone: 01-989901 ext: 234 Web: amideast.org/lebanon

3- Investors Needed for a High End Bridal Center- A Dream Come True for every bride! Bridal services, from A to Z. Design, concept & execution completed & ready for execution. Looking to open in Lebanon by 2011. For inquiries refer to code 001RT

SUDOKU solution 8

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For investment inquiries or to enlist your project e-mail: bizops@pushmag.me

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How do I deal with an overly flirtatious coworker? I’m definitely not interested in him, but I don’t want to come across as being rude in my attempt to make him stop.

“The Nice Girl” – Lebanon

How do I ignore a request from my boss to add him as a friend on Facebook? He’s almost my age, but I don’t want him to know EVERYTHING about my life.

Discreet H.L. – Dubai

Dear Nice Girl, You are there to work – not to win a popularity contest. It’s advisable that you establish your boundaries and be assertive in making him respect those boundaries. Don’t give him any mixed signals. Maintain a brief form of communication between you and him – evading small talk and only discussing matters related to your professional relationship. If he remains persistent in being flirtatious and this makes you uncomfortable, you would then need to inform your boss (especially if his behavior is inappropriate.) If you feel like it is wrong, then it surely is! Don’t be embarrassed or shy about discussing this matter with your superiors.

Dear Discreet, I would like to congratulate you on deciding not to add your boss on Facebook, because it is a bad idea.

There are a few ways to deal with this, and here are the best two in my opinion: One, you can add him and then remove him a few days later. He won’t notice, unless he’s constantly checking your page (which would be odd, and in that case it would be good that you removed him.) Two, just ignore it completely. And if he asks why you have not accepted his request, just say that you are not active on Facebook and haven’t checked your account in ages.

I’m manufacturing my own clothing line and I’m short on cash. A friend offered to financially support me and become my partner in the process. The problem is that she doesn’t want to be a silent investor; she wants to be involved in the whole operation. So how do I tell her that she cannot get involved in everything without negatively affecting our friendship?

R.S. – Jordan Dear R.S, I suggest that you lay the cards on the table right for the start – as the Arabic saying goes: “Yalli awalo shart akhrou noor”. If you have spoken to her already and noticed that she is excited about helping you in the day-to-day business then most likely she will be upset if you tell her that you don’t want her input. So let her know early on that you are developing an image for your brand that cannot be altered. If she cares about you as much as you care about her then she would surely understand. Alternatively, you could make use of her strengths. While you might be great in coming up with creative designs, maybe she is great in coming up with outof-the-box ideas to market and promote your products. Remember: No one person is competent in everything. She might make up for what you lack in terms of certain skills/talents, and vice versa.

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