Competition – Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center Photography Competition
Competition – Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center Photography Competition
For more information, please visit http://www.szgmcphoto.com/
Passionate Photographers please participate with interest.
A pariticpation opportunity – Paint the town green
A pariticpation opportunity – Paint the town green
Visit http://www.greenabudhabi.org/ for details. Participate with interest.
My Letters – GULF NEWS – Dt. 19.10.2010 – Community reporting
My Letters – GULF NEWS – Dt. 19.10.2010 – Community reporting
Community reporting
I refer to recent community reports and a letter which cautions community reporters from taking pictures while driving. It is a good point that has to be given value. Many times, community reports act as an end-user feedback for facilities and services provided by the authorities. Not only do they give interesting insights, but also provide ideas to make the facilities more user-friendly.
They may be from an area that normally does not get attention from the authorities. However, having said the same, taking pictures while driving is extremely dangerous and should never be encouraged. Photo capturing should never be done by the driver. It should be done by the co-passengers at all times. The importance of a combined effort with your fellow passenger comes into action in community reporting. Additionally, readers should make a concurrent effort instantaneously to log on to the “suggestion and have your say” sites of relevant authorities and report the problem they noticed. This will benefit the authorities as they could take action according to the seriousness of the situation. In my experience, they are receptive to ideas and suggestions.
From Mr Ramesh Menon
Abu Dhabi
Additional note:
As a regular in Community Reporting, I wish to stress the importance of a collective effort while identifying, preparing and submitting data.
I will give an example of my own case. I am a regular to community reporting and have an interest for photography and thus carry a sleek and simple automatic camera all the time with me. Whenever I drive, or I am in a car, I am with my family or with my work colleagues, i.e. either my wife, my son or my driver, who are well aware of my keenness to follow and find safety or improvement aspects whenever observed. If I am on the wheels, an indication from me will prompt them to click the pictures for me. In case, I am driving and have no one to assist, I will find a safe place to stop and click it or if it is a moving object, and there is no such place, I wait for the signals or a suitable stop ahead. Even in extreme case where I am unable to do any of these, I note the area and time very clearly in my mind and if possible do a re-run of the same route next time, with someone along with me. The driving habits here have never let me down of such violators as I will find someone else doing the same mistake. However, in all these cases, I will never dare to take a photo of a moving object creating a dangerous driving situation either for me or for other road users.
An awareness on the importance and advantageous of community reporting should be done amongst colleagues and family so that they come out in open and address issues which they get to see or keep within themselves in normal case. May be they are not able to express it in a nice way and they need your help to write and present it. May be they need more guidance and observation. An encouragement in this line will provide you with lots of leads, whether it is dangerous driving, whether it is safety at public place or even indecent acts towards women and children or any other. Those around you will come out and address them and someone could present it to the authorities who in the normal case would never get to know about it.
Community reporting should therefore be encouraged and practised as a combined effort by all, at home or office level.
More and more readers should therefore come out and write without inhibition. Authorities will also find such a proactive scenario benefiting their progressive campaigns and actions. I am sure, the community reporting team of our major newspapers, in particular GULF NEWS would be keen to assist them
Photo Speaks – Percussion – Another Passion and Obsession
Photo Speaks – Percussion – Another Passion and Obsession
Percussion – Another Passion and Obsession
Photography is a passion for me and you all see and enjoy the creative output from it. Whereas something different is dormant – a bigger passion or an obsession from childhood. That is percussion instruments. I get only very limited time to practise with the instrument, but there is practise always happening in the mind as I listen constantly to various types of music – yes all types – different beats and different ragas, different moods.. and whenever, the opportunity comes, it is a mind to hand process flow.
Photo Speaks – Which one to choose?
Photo Speaks – Which one to choose?
Which one to choose? The latest Nissan Patrol or the trusted Camel. Both are ships of the dessert. Camels at Al Wathba Camel Market on
Abu Dhabi Al Ain Highway
. A place one must visit.
Photo Speaks – A fully loaded cargo dhow
Photo Speaks – A fully loaded cargo dhow
A fully loaded cargo dhow cruising through the Dubai Creek. Probably to an African destination or another Middle East port.
This is the beauty of UAE. A perfect blend of tradition with modernisation.
Photo Speaks – Beauty of clouds
Photo Speaks – Beauty of clouds
An evening with full of clouds. Unusual scene in Abu Dhabi. Means, rain is nearby – may be even before the Eid Al Fitr and the UAE National Day.
Photo Speaks – Have’s and Have not’s…
Photo Speaks – Have’s and Have not’s…
Have’s and Have not’s…
I was waiting at a stop here in Abu Dhabi the other day. Suddenly, I noticed this tree and the two birds sitting. It reminded me of the luxury that birds elsewhere get.. Life here, has its plus and minuses.
The scene reminded me of a few songs (in Malayalam, Hindi, and English)… Why not, try out – and post the apt one which came in your thoughts, by the first look of it.
Photo Speaks – Real or not
Photo Speaks – Real or not
I found this mannequin on display at a shop selling local outfits very interesting and real life.
Mind Speaks – Common Wealth Games 2010 and way forward
Mind Speaks – Common Wealth Games 2010 and way forward
Indian sporting events is passing through one of its glorious periods. On one side, Indian cricket team beat Australia convincingly 2-0 in a home series. With most of the visiting Australian players or for that matter leading players from any rival cricketing nations get accustomed to Indian playing conditions courtesy IPL, playing in India is not anymore complicated. The determination shown by those who got selected to the Indian team in the absence of the injured to opportunistically utilize the match conditions and gain advantage over Australia is remarkable. This shows how cricket as a sport has evolved in India. It could not be achieved by the tremendous support of corporate bodies and BCCI organizational skills to promote the game and develop it to be on top of the list.
Concurrently, a set of different sports personalities have put their best effort in the Common Wealth Games 2010 competitions. The results were extremely impressive. It was a delight to watch the finals of the 4×400 meters relay race for women.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kezboiU3l-w&playnext=1&videos=kA_bOn9bizc&feature=mfu_in_order
The short framed Indian athletes put their heart and soul into their feet to stay ahead till the finishing line with their swift strides. This memory will remain forever as do the winning moments from the other games played so far.
With Saina Nehwal’s victory in Badminton, India finished a historic 2nd place in Common Wealth Games 2010.
These achievements are of immense importance to overall sporting growth of the country, as well the region. It should not be considered as India’s only achievement rather should be treated as an inspirational step for the entire region to excel in track and field sporting activities.
Too much emphasize and money is now channeled to some sports, ignoring the importance of track and field games. To cash in on the interest generated by the victories of the CWG, organizations and regional associations should come forward and promote group and individual sports and encourage participants with financial supports and practice options. Electronic gaming industry have also a bigger role to instill the thoughts of opting for these sporting events by creating new games and toys to generate interest amongst children. Schools and universities should also encourage students to participate in one sport at least as a personality development programme.
Indian women athletes performed exceedingly well winning 13 gold medals out of 38 golds won by India in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games 2010.
http://www.dnaindia.com/videos/1453132
For all those who generated such a hue and cry, it is time to revert with a word or two of congratulations to those athletes who did their best to erase entirely the bad momentum generated to the curtain raiser of CWG . It’s also because; they are and will remain unknown if necessary support from all concerned is not in place from now on.
Post event scenario, I am extremely happy to read reports coming in from India, where the authorities have already started actions to find out the reasons for all the wrong doings and book those evil doers. It will be a great lesson and way forward procedure. We definitely look forward with optimism and hope that corruption will no longer be tolerated.
The link below will give a detailed list of all the 404 participants who represented India in the the 2010 Common Wealth Games. The spreadsheet is hyperlinked and thus you can click on the individual names and get the players profile. As you may notice, a google search of many of the players details and updated statistics are never available for these sports events. It shows the important different between the organisational support a cricket player gets and players from other sports, specially track and field gets in India.
For list of participants:
Organisations and associations have to come forward and do more for these silent heroes.
Ramesh Menon
Abu Dhabi
ClicksandWrites 
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