BurJuman's Pink Walkathon - for Breast Cancer awareness

More than 4000 people participated in the 3rd BurJuman 'Pink Walkathon'.

Men, women and children of all ages and fitness levels wearing Safe and Sound T-shirts and caps, joined senior BurJuman officials and breast cancer survivors in the 3.6-kilometer walk, which began at 8.00 am at BurJuman.

This year's Walkathon was supported by Damas, Taktical, Saks 5th Avenue and Samsung.

"The people of Dubai came out in full force today to support Safe and Sound - a true testament to the generous spirit of this city," said Sabina Khandwani, head of PR and marketing, BurJuman. "The enthusiasm was heartening to see and bodes well for the future as we embark on our journey to make Safe and Sound a year-long public education initiative centered on early breast cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment."

This year's Pink Walkathon included a performance by the famed Dubai Drums, who provided encouragement to the participants and added to the general merriment during the walk.

Once the walk was completed, participants enjoyed a fabulous Jazz Breakfast at BurJuman, with entertainment provided by jazz musicians. Select food outlets from the mall had set up breakfast stands in the South Village from where visitors and participants bought delicious breakfast and settled down to enjoy the entertainment which also included clowns and face painters happy to paint you up in Pink.

Later that evening, the Emirates Youth Symphony Orchestra performed a special show in the Mall Observatory at 7.30 pm.

Proceeds from this year's walk will be going to the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Emirates to fund awareness and education programmes, community outreach initiatives, breast screening and treatment services, support services for patients, the Breast Cancer Registry Project, and the Foundation's research project.

source: AMEinfo

United Nations University ranks the Philippines as the world's third riskiest country

MANILA, Philippines – A recent study carried out by the United Nations University ranks the Philippines as the world's third riskiest country, following Tonga and Vanuatu, Ma Antonia Yulo Loyzaga, executive director of the Manila Observatory said, adding that the ranking was based on country's coping capabilities.
"All of these natural hazards are making us the prime laboratory for the study of disasters all over the world," Loyzaga told the Inquirer during a lecture on how to survive disasters, at Ateneo University in Rockwell Commercial Center

• In addition, a local paper said, some 50 million schoolchildren and 15 million coastal residents live in low-lying coastal areas; about 10 metres below sea-level and are exposed to earthquake hazards and rising sea levels, respectively; confirming Philippines one of the world's riskiest places,.
• A Columbia University study in 2007 also says that the 50 million Filipino school children at risk during quakes topped the number in India and China. This estimate had been made after a powerful earthquake hit Szechuan, China in May 2008.
• Furthermore, coastal areas are subsiding in the Philippines, putting residents of these areas and the entire country at risk in the event of tsunamis, Loyzaga quoted Columbia study's warning.
• "This will give us an indication of where we must be most careful as far as protecting our students. Therefore the Department of Education in the Philippines must look at the places where schools are built, and find out if they are sitting on fault lines,” Loyzaga said..

Loyzaga also cited studies done by the Manila Observatory which showed the Philippines is "getting hotter and this has implications on the country's food security".
A one degree change in minimum temperature will lead to a 10 per cent decrease in rice yields, according to studies by the International Rice Research Institute, Loyzaga said.

Source: Agency

Philippines DPWH officials Photoshop themselves into typhoon cleanup photo

By Elizabeth Flock

Philippines Department of Public Works and Highways officials were left red-faced Thursday after it was discovered they had Photoshopped three officials into a typhoon cleanup photo.

Typhoon Nesat struck the Philippines on Tuesday, killing 31 people, displacing 60,000 families, and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The disaster’s cost is estimated at nearly $23 million.

In the cleanup photo, the three officials appeared to be assessing the damage of the typhoon, but one discerning blogger and civil engineer noticed that something didn’t seem quite right.

A careful look at the photo shows that the officials seem to be floating in mid-air, and that their images were likely dragged into the scene using Photoshop’s lasso tool.

The department has taken down the photos and issued an apology on its Facebook page:

We would like to apologize to Undersecretary Romeo Momo, Director Rey Tagudando and District Engineer Mikunug Macud for whatever inconvenience that may have caused them regarding the photo earlier posted. Rest assured that we shall exert more diligence and prudence in the execution of our mandate to inform the public of our plans, programs, projects and official activities.


Source: www.washingtonpost.com

GITEX Technology Week 9-13 October 2011

Gitex Technology Week, the largest and most influential technology event in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, is introducing four new features to this year’s event scheduled to be held from October 9 to 13.

Heralded as one of the largest and most important ICT events around the globe, GITEX delivers a leading platform for industry innovation and an impressive track record of attracting the biggest names in the IT sector, connecting over 3,500 domestic and international IT vendors with more than 136,000 ICT professionals