Semi-formal presentation report

Presentations Wednesday 26^th Dec., 2012, T003, 1420-1700

Content: all students had prepared slides which were relevant & fulfilled their tasks. Farah’s could have been better prepared re. accuracy of text.

Attitude & body language: Asaad & Abdulla  were very good. Ali Ahmed & Farah were both loud & confident; Hamoud was a  little tentative to start with, but grew in confidence & persevered well.

Visual aids/PP slides:  Abdulla’s were colourful, attractive & error-free, as were Hamoud’s. Ali Ahmed’s were similar, for the most part, with only a couple of minor errors. There was too much text on all of Asaad’s slides; to his credit, he didn’t read mechanically from this text; he was fluent & knowledgeable, as befits his position with ADCB, but there was, I feel, too much technical information displayed for the audience to assimilate quickly enough. Farah’s 2^nd slide had too much text & wasn’t displayed long enough for us to comprehend. The text on the other slides had not been properly checked & corrected prior to presentation; there were, therefore, spelling/grammatical errors on every slide which had text, e.g. ‘our brake in Riyadh’ & the final slide ‘thank you for listing’.

Fielding questions: all students coped adequately. Asaad was particularly fluent in his responses.

Language/communicative competence: Asaad  excellent; Abdulla & Farah very good; Ali Ahmed & Hamoud good.

222 words

Istanbul

Istanbul

Meeting report

Problem: traffic congestion in Abu Dhabi

Date of meeting: 7th March 2011
Time of meeting: 16:10
Venue: W007
Group members:
Chair: Abdul-Aziz.
Secretary: Jaber.
Participant: Hedley.
Venue preparation:

Grouping of chairs round tables

Meeting objectives:

The purpose of the meeting is not just to state the various and mostly obvious causes of traffic congestion in Abu Dhabi but to employ critical analysis in an effort to find practical solutions to the problem. Methods of easing congestion in some cities (e.g. bicycle lanes and congestion charges, as in London, or tight restrictions on vehicle usage, plus prohibitive pricing, as in Singapore) would not necessarily work here in Abu Dhabi.

Our focus therefore is not just on listing possible solutions but on highlighting answers which are both practical and viable.


Agenda:
Underground parking.
Paid parking: short term / long term.
Congestion charge / taxes / restrictions.
Public transport.
Increase age of driver (i.e. licences only at a later age than the present system allows).


The chairman Abdul Aziz opened the meeting at 16:32

1. Underground parking.
Jaber said it is a good idea
Hedley worried about the price.
Abdul Aziz said the cost of underground parking should be limited. Hedley asked if new buildings were required to have sufficient parking space. Were the regulations enforced? Jaber said no.

2. Paid parking ( short term & long term )
This is now quite common in Abu Dhabi and it has reduced congestion.
Hedley pointed out that some residents who have bought 1 or 2 permits still can’t find space to park. Abdul Aziz suggested designated areas for short-term parking. People who buy permits should have designated spaces. Hedley suggested and Jaber and Abdul Aziz agreed.

3. Congestion charge /taxes/restrictions.
Hedley asked if a Salik-type system as in Dubai would work in Abu Dhabi. Jaber pointed out it would be more difficult as there is no metro for people to use instead of their cars. The extra workload on the police of enforcing extra restrictions, and the cost + delay of implementing such schemes was mentioned by Jaber + Abdul Aziz.

4. Public transport
Abdul Aziz suggested a new metro. Hedley asked if there was enough space in the town for a metro. Jaber said there is room if construction is carefully planned. He also suggested free parking 08:00-15:00 so all workers could leave their cars at home. Abdul Aziz highlighted the need for a number of stations in all areas.

5. Increased age of driver?
Jaber thought this is a bad idea- many younger drivers are needed in families where older members have died or cannot drive. Abdul Aziz pointed out that 18 year olds need to get to college. If you live in Shahama a car is the only way.
In conclusion we thought that:

1. Underground parking is a good idea. Rules about new buildings having adequate parking must be strictly enforced.

2. Paid parking has made the situation better but more thought is needed, e.g. on permits and designating special times and spaces.

3. We were in favor of more restrictions like the Salik card.

4. We liked the idea of improving public transport, especially by building a metro.

Reflection on meeting

Reflection on meeting

Date: Tuesday 9^th October, 2012

Venue: W104

Time: 1130

Chairman: Ahmed Nabil

Secretary: Ahmed Naser

Participant, in the role of family court representative: Abdulla Reehan

Participant, representing women’s rights: Khuloud

Topic: divorce in the UAE

Ahmed Nabil opened the meeting to consider the growing problem of divorce in the UAE. Invited to list the main reasons for divorce in this country, Khuloud cited:

a) family interference

b) marriage to foreigners

c) dowries

d) arranged marriages.

Abdulla Reehan talked about the adverse psychological effect of divorce on children.

a) Khuloud mentioned that the practice of living in close proximity to extended family often caused interference in a married couple’s life by other family members. This often led to resentment on the part of either spouse.

b) Ahmed Naser gave an example of an acquaintance who had married a foreigner: he was a local man with an Omani mother who had married an Omani girl. Although both were Arabs, the different customs and traditions of Omani and Emirati had caused friction and marital problems.

c) The exorbitant size of dowry payments was discussed as a cause of early friction and discontent.

d) Khuloud mentioned that arranged marriages could also lead to disharmony and ultimately separation and divorce.

Recommendations:

i) Ahmed Nabil emphasized that there needs to be better education to prepare young couples for the pressures and problems of married life. The others concurred. How this would work in practice was not discussed in great detail.

ii) In the event of marital problems, Khuloud suggested a cooling-off period. She thought that something like a marriage guidance advisory service should be developed. The others agreed.

iii) Co-education would be a good preparation for both workplace and marriage, although it was accepted that this would be opposed by many and would require careful implementation.

The meeting was well controlled by Ahmed Nabil. All members contributed to the discussion.

Ahmed Nabil closed the meeting at 1150.

307 words

Istanbul

I.K. Brunel