Tag Archives: entertainment
Rise in Internet use reason for decline in family time
Rise in Internet use reason for decline in family time Staff Reporter / 16 February 2014 Expats suggest parents must try and spend at least the weekends with their kids, teenagers must try and give time to their parents. For Indian national Shreya Venkatesh (14) and her mother Kalpana Venkatesh, the idea of not spending enough time with each other is something of an alien concept. The Venkatesh family has been living in the UAE for the last 10 years. “I have two kids and I am very much involved with them. I always try and spend as much time as I can with them. One of the reasons I decided to become a stay-at-home mom, is so that I can pay attention to the needs of the kids,” said Kalpana. In response to her mother’s comment, Shreya said: “I think children and parents must make it a point to spend at least one entire day a week with each other. I have a lot of my friends whose parents work outside and parents lock their gadgets up. They don’t have any other options, except study at home.” Parents in the UAE are spending much less time together with their kids compared to when they were growing up, according to a survey of more than 1,200 expats conducted by 999 Magazine. Conducted in January, the survey points out that on an average, expat parents in the UAE spend just 50 minutes of quality time together with their children on a normal working day, with a slight improvement on Thursday (75 minutes). Some of the reasons include increased workloads of parents and children, longer commuting time, increased time spent watching TV and being on the Internet. The poll shows that the UAE’s expat families have a little more than 11 hours together in total each week, with weekends the best time for family bonding. Khaleej Times caught up with a few expatriate residents in Dubai, and all of them are of the opinion that parents must try and spend at least the weekends with their kids. They added that teenagers must try and give time to their parents, as well. Student and Pakistani national Maryam Waris (21) said: “With the state that the economy is in, parents have no other choice except work. But weekends can be kept aside for the family. Growing up, I didn’t face much of a problem with my folks not giving me enough time, but kids must also take the initiative to spend time with their parents, especially teenagers.” Another Pakistani national Mubeena Waris (23) said: “I think that off late, because parents don’t spend enough time with children, a lot of children have low emotional maturity. Parents must take care of their kids and must be careful not to drag them into their personal problems like fights between parents.” Twenty-four-year old insurance consultant Rebecca Pinto said: “I used to spend time with my parents every weekend and even though my dad used to be away for work while I was growing up, I never got the feeling of being left out of anything. I used to spend a lot of time with my extended family, like my grandparents as well. I think off late there is a trend where kids are a little emotionally stunted because they don’t spend sufficient time with parents.” Janeiro D’souza (23) said: “Weekends were strictly family time. We would see to that we have lunch or dinner with the family. It is the parent’s duty to spend time with the child, and if they can’t do it, then it is very unfortunate. If the parent does not do so, there is a high tendency for the child to drift away.” The survey further stated that even when families get together, more than six in 10 parents (62 per cent) said the quality of time spent is not great as most of it is spent either in front of the TV, doing homework, reading, playing computer games or some other tasks that don’t qualify as quality family time. Experts are warning against the dangers of not spending enough quality time with children, maintaining that family time can be ‘therapeutic’ and acts as a deterrent to potential serious problems. The decline in family time in the past few years coincides with a rise in Internet use and the popularity of social networks. dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Taking art to the masses in Dubai
Taking art to the masses in Dubai Dhanusha Gokulan / 13 February 2014 Art Dubai has become the most global fair to date with 85 participating galleries from 34 countries and works by more than 500 artists. Community and creativity will intermingle from March 14 to April 15 as public spaces come alive for the ‘Dubai Art Season’. Starting with the Art Week, which features SIKKA Art Fair, Design Days Dubai, and Art Dubai, ‘Dubai Art Season’ will also encompass the Middle East Film and Comic Con and will culminate with Gulf Film Festival 2014. An art piece displayed at JBR during the art project named ‘The city is your canvas’ . — KT file photo Shaikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, said: “Dubai’s extensive portfolio of arts and culture events has set a clear growth track for its creative landscape. Boasting platforms that lend momentum to each discipline of art, from visual arts and performing arts, to film, the city has become an incubator for aspiring and emerging artistic talent.” He added: “As the umbrella arts initiative of the city, ‘Dubai Art Season’ will integrate Dubai’s community into the burgeoning creative industry, with the activation of public spaces, outdoor art projects, interactive initiatives, workshops, exhibitions, panel discussions, and performances, among others.” He said ‘Dubai Art Season’ would play an integral role in underlining the cultural and artistic strengths of Dubai. “Especially in the run up to World Expo 2020, where every element of the city will mark its arrival in the global spotlight,” added Shaikh Majid. Saeed Al Nabouda, Acting Director-General of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, told Khaleej Times: “The reason we have decided to place all the cultural events under one banner is because we wanted to highlight these individual events and let it expand geographically as well.” He added: “A lot of the local artists who initially started out with Art Dubai, are now doing exceedingly well for themselves. Though we cannot take credit for their work, we want to further help them gain international recognition. This is heaven for any artist, support from both private and the government sector.” dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com Set to woo the community In 2008-09, at the peak of the global recession, art patrons, gallery owners, and artists’ were living in constant worry about the future of art — would it survive the economic meltdown? At the third edition of the Global Art Forum (2009), held in conjunction with Art Dubai, Thomas Krens, senior adviser for international affairs, Solomon R Guggenheim Foundation, had addressed his concerns on whether museums were fast ‘dying out in a time of economic turmoil’. Worry about art dying had come to such an extent that experts were talking about collaboration between museums and art venues. However, art showed extreme resilience and thrived over the years after the economic meltdown. It didn’t die out like people predicted it would, and it instead thrived — in the UAE, within the region, and internationally. Speaking about where art is at this juncture, Art Dubai fair director Antonia Carver said: “The biggest shift in the art scene in the Middle East was the rise of the Gulf cities as a melting point for art and I hope Art Dubai has played a major role in that shift.” In an interview with Khaleej Times , Saeed Al Nabouda, Acting Director General of Dubai Culture said: “The youth in the region embracing art and culture, and being open to cultural dialogue has a big role to play in the rise of art. A couple of years ago, the young preferred sports to anything else. But now they are showing a sense of national identity and are embracing art and culture.” What has now become a leading international art fair in the Middle East and South Asia, the eighth edition of Art Dubai is all set to woo the art community across the globe. Salient features Taking place between March 19 and 22, the 2014 edition of Art Dubai features three gallery programmes — Contemporary, Modern and Marker — the winners of The Abraaj Group Art Prize; artists’ and curators’ residencies; site specific commissions and projects; the critically acclaimed Global Art Forum; live radio; film and more. Held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, Art Dubai is run in partnership with the Abraaj Group and is sponsored by Cartier and Emaar. Madinat Jumeirah is home to the event. Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) is the strategic partner of Art Dubai and supports the fair’s year-round education programme. It has become the most global fair to date with 85 participating galleries from 34 countries and works by more than 500 artists across the programmes. For the first time, the galleries are presented in three distinct programmes: Contemporary; Modern, inaugurating this year; and Marker, the curated section of invited art spaces and galleries focusing in 2014 on Central Asia and the Caucasus. Alongside the gallery halls, the fair also features an extensive not-for-profit programme including dynamic commissioned site-specific works for Art Dubai Projects; an exhibition by winners of The Abraaj Group Art Prize; the critically-acclaimed, five-day conference Global Art Forum; a live radio station; film and video screenings; Shaikha Manal Little Artists Programme for children; plus an engaging programme of curator-led tours, book launches, talks and so on. “Over the past eight years, Art Dubai has evolved into an extraordinarily dynamic art fair with particular emphasis on diversity and quality. The fair echoes the expansion of the arts infrastructure in Dubai and the region,” said Carver. “Our roots are firmly grounded in the UAE arts scene and we believe this year’s fair reflects Dubai’s identity as a major cultural city, alongside its role as a hub for trade, finance and transport. Art Dubai’s growth has been organic and supported by a highly motivated audience of artists, curators, gallerists, patrons and enthusiasts. We’re aiming to welcome even more visitors than the 25,000 that walked through the doors in 2013.” For more information about Art Dubai Projects check out http://artdubai.ae/art-dubai-projects dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
UAE’s goal is smart govt and happy people: Mohammed
UAE’s goal is smart govt and happy people: Mohammed Muaz Shabandri and Sadiq Shaban / 13 February 2014 mGovernment to incorporate 100 services as nation braces for hi-tech future, says Vice-President. Not content with eGovernment, the UAE on Wednesday launched the mGovernment strategy for seamless service as His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, exuded hope and confidence in a smart future. Shaikh Mohammed addressing the concluding session of the Government Summit in Dubai on Wednesday. — KT photo by Shihab ‘Our main goal is to build hope, build life, build the future and make people happy,” Shaikh Mohammed told an audience of ministers, delegates and senior government employees on the concluding day of the Government Summit. Shaikh Mohammed said that one of the ministers from GCC countries asked him why he says making people happy and not satisfied. VP declares unflinching support to Egypt His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Wednesday declared the UAE’s unflinching support to the Egyptian government. “The late President Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan supported Egypt when it signed a peace treaty with Israel. This support continues to this day,” he told visiting foreign journalists. “The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and I believe Egypt is the heart of the Arab nation and we would do all we can to ensure the country proceeds on the path to reform, maintains security and achieves economical development,” Shaikh Mohammed said. Shaikh Mohammed said the economic downturn did not ruffle him one bit when it hit in 2009. “All were wondering how the world financial recession did not affect me. I was confident of recovering from the meltdown especially Dubai,” he said. He called it a “great challenge” and said he thrived in the situation as he saw an opportunity for a stronger UAE after the recovery. “You judge matters from your own present view and analysis,” he told his audience, “but I judge it from my own experiences, expertise, and my vision of the future”. He said he faced the challenge with “persistence, determination and strong faith, and with our own abilities”. The Vice-President said the GCC was vibrant and making rapid strides in cooperation between the countries in various fields — political, economic and military. “We, in the United Arab Emirates, are striving with brotherly GCC states for stronger ties to fulfill the hopes and expectations of our people.” “I would love to assure you that the end will be happy, God willing.” news@khaleejtimes.com “I answered ‘Satisfaction represents a short period of time but happiness lasts more or is semi permanent, this is similar to victory, because the victory is temporary but excellence is eternal’.” “The UAE is proud to have the biggest and most active team in the world. The students of the UAE are the ones who build our country and the staff are its leaders.” Earlier, Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs, announced the new mobile strategy at a Press conference with Hamad Obaid Al Mansouri, Director-General of mGovernment, and Hessa Buhumaid, Executive Director for Government Services Sector at the Prime Minister’s Office at the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs. “Governments must be in synergy with the demands and expectations of the people in developing its services comprehensively, meeting the pace of smart device developments globally,” Gergawi said. “The UAE’s goal is to ensure the happiness of the people by enhancing access to government services. Delivering mGovernment services seamlessly requires new tools, new thinking and a new level of creativity, which we are implementing.” The plan is to first establish an environment for mGovernment to flourish; provide access capability and capacity of government entities; establish shared resources across government entities at a national level; and ultimately, achieving citizen happiness. mGovernment services are expected 24 hours a day, seven days a week over two years. By May 2015, the government aims to have UAE citizens connecting with the key government services through smart phone devices for services such as payments and identification purposes. Out of the thousands of government services already available online, the UAE has identified the top 100 services based on customer demand, and will focus on refining them into mGovernment Services by May 2015. news@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
