For those that have yet to travel to Japan for business, there are a couple of things you should know before booking your ticket and inviting clients out to eat. Japanese culture is centered on politeness, overall respect for people, age reverence, gracious apology for wrongdoing, and living in harmony.

Foreigners, when eating out in Japanese restaurants, need to understand the basics of the Japanese dining etiquette to avoid offending the Japanese by committing a dining blunder!

There are some essential basic rules to be mindful of when dining in a Japanese restaurant. First of all, when the food is served, join your hands in the “Namaste” gesture and say quietly, “Itadakimasu” the phrase translates as “I humbly receive.” The gesture is an expression of gratitude for the collective efforts made by many in growing and preparing the meal.

If you feel you need a bit of soy sauce for your meal, you should serve yourself by pouring a small amount into your soya dish. It is considered rude to directly pour the soy sauce on your meal. If you’re having sushi, dip the sushi in the soy dish and bring it to your mouth. Avoid pouring excessive amount of soy and hovering over your dish. When eating rice or soup, you are allowed to bring the entire bowl closer to your mouth so that you don’t spill any food. In addition, it is considered rude to burp at the table unlike in some other Asian cultures like Chinese or Korean, where it can be received as a sign of satisfaction.

As for the chopsticks, never put your chopsticks in a bowl of rice because it resembles the burning of incense sticks at a Japanese funeral. Instead, lay your chopsticks on the chopsticks holder or at the edge of your individual plate.

At the dining table, do not pour yourself a drink but rather serve others at the table. Another thoughtful person should pour your drink for you when you are finished serving.

At the end of the meal, thank the chef by saying “Gochisosama deshita!” Thank you for this great meal!

If you spend most of your time at a desk or sitting in meetings, you know that it takes a lot of work to maintain a healthy physique that you can be proud of. While exercising and sleeping are extremely important, there’s no denying that you are what you eat. A lot of research has been conducted regarding the diet plan in respect to one’s body, and we recently discovered that there are also plans depending on one’s blood type. A well-known concept “Blood Type Diet” is a plan based on the research conducted by Dr. Peter D’Adamo, and some of us at O2 have decided to give it a try. Maybe it will for you!

Type A should basically stick to fruits and vegetables (high carbs / low fat). They have thicker blood than other blood types, a sensitive immune system, and should not consume dairy products, animal fats and meats. They are at a heightened risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.

Type B should consume a balanced diet that includes fruits and vegetables, grains, fish, dairy, meat. However, they should avoid chicken as much as possible. Type B have great chances of overcoming many types of diseases that include heart disease and cancer.

Type AB individuals should consume a mostly vegetarian diet, and only on rare occasions have fish, meat, and diary. Just like type B, they should not consume chicken.

Type O, which is the most common blood type among people, should basically stick to a high protein diet that includes red meat, low carbs, and enriched with fruits and vegetables. They should limit the intake of wheat germ, whole wheat products, corn, and avoid dairy products and most nuts. Type O types are commonly affected with hypothyroidism, high stomach acid that leads to ulcers, and thinner blood with greater resistance to blood clotting.

Choosing the right snacks for your office breaks is incredibly important to maintain a good work/life balance. If you don’t know your blood type, go to your local doctor and find out today! It could be the key to a healthier you…

Launch of annual event seeks to elevate awareness on charity organisation honourees and the impact of their work in the region

March 10, 2010

‘The Noble Humanitarian Awards Middle East’, a prestigious annual gathering that recognises the achievements of philanthropic organisations, will be staged in the Middle East for the first time to honour regional charities for their outstanding humanitarian programs. The event, which will be held at the Emirates Palace on April 24th, 2010, aims to elevate awareness on the work of regional and international charity organisations and the impact of their work in the lives of people across the globe. The gala is being organised by The Celebrity Charity Awards Corporation, a U.S non-profit organisation working to unify the efforts of charities with celebrities, influencers, media and citizens to create an effective forum for change.

Among the many charity organisation-honourees this year is the Dubai Autism Centre, Dubai Cares, Friends of Cancer Patients Society, Gulf for Good, Life for Relief & Development, and Make-A-Wish Foundation. Representatives from the said organisations are set to receive an award sculpture designed by Hollywood star and philanthropist Antonio Banderas, with personal touches to the award added by children. With the event also set to feature live performances by regional as well as international artists, the star-studded ‘Noble Humanitarian Awards Middle East’ gala is scheduled to be broadcast throughout the region on free-to-air channels including Abu Dhabi TV.

“It is truly an inspiration to gather all these wonderful and generous people who are driving their individual humanitarian organisations’ efforts to make a difference in the lives of the disadvantaged, and we are proud to honour them and their altruistic work with ‘The Noble Humanitarian Awarda Middle East’,” said Janeen Mansour, Founder, The Noble Humanitarian Awards. “We are also hoping to inspire the next generation to ‘Be a Noble’ throughout their lives by honouring the people they look up to and admire.”

Inspired by the 1st Annual Noble Humanitarian Awards program held in the US in 2009, the Middle East event is part of a global year-round movement being created to harness the growing focus, dedication and inspiration of celebrities, non-profit organisations and the public. It also aims to honour regional celebrities and organisation that use their status and resources to create awareness, build knowledge and realise notable achievements various communities and groups by investing in the causes they stand behind.

“In addition to honouring charity organisations during the event, we are also looking forward to recognising an elite group of individuals who have given exemplary contributions towards pushing various philanthropic causes through their dedicated programs and initiatives, influence over various groups, as well as financial support. We aim to provide more exposure to the good they are doing, which will hopefully gather up much needed support from each and every individual who they have inspired and moved to action,” concluded Mansour.

Sharjah, March 8th, 2010- “Share the Light” walk, an initiative organized by Al Qasba, gathered over 800 participants who came together from all over UAE to walk for the aid of Palestinian children. The walk was held in cooperation with the Palestinian Children Relief Fund (PCRF), UAE Red Crescent, and Higher Colleges of Technology in Sharjah. 

Arrival and onsite registration began at 5:00pm and ended at the Al Maghreb prayer at sunset.  Participants of the walkathon cross the Al Qasba Bridge, the Al Qasba Marina, and circled back to the main Al Qasba complex.  The walk, that shined with illuminated LED – red colored- balloons, included many activities such as earth management workshop, activities included cookies and flowers arrangement workshop, jewelleries making workshop, face painting, and on-stage activities later in the evening.

Dubai, UAE; March 3, 2010: His Excellency Shaikh Rashid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Minister of Interior, Bahrain, honoured ENOC for its efforts and initiatives in implementing environmentally safe practices across its operations, at the 9th Professional Development Conference and Exhibition held in the Kingdom recently.

The conference, organised by the American Society of Engineers, is one of leading environment, health and safety conferences in the region and was attended by professionals who shared best practices and addressed key challenges faced by the industry.

Saif Al Falasi, Group General Manager, ENOC said: “This award is a testament to ENOC’s dedication towards operational excellence and adopting the best safety practices. ENOC upholds environment, health and safety compliance as an inherent part of our business planning, strategic and objectives.”

ENOC shared the company’s best safety practices and highlighted how ENOC Lubricants’ eco-friendly range of engine oils help address energy and environmental concerns.

Etisalat’s initiative to reduce carbon footprint by encouraging customers to pay bills and recharge Wasel account online
• 100 iPhone devices to reward online Pay and Win campaign participation
• 10% bonus talk time for Wasel recharge online
• ‘Paperless’ online billing system to reduce paper waste and transportation costs in future

Abu Dhabi, 1 March 2010: In line with its environmental objectives, Etisalat launches yet another environment-friendly solution, ‘Pay and Win’, to reduce its carbon footprint by encouraging customers to use the electronic channels for viewing and paying their bills. The online services which allow both individual and business customers for bill payment toward Fixed and Mobile phones, Internet services and E-Vision, also lets them conveniently recharge and renew their Wasel accounts online. In order to motivate customers into this desired action, Etisalat has announced electronic draws for 100 iPhone 3G devices to be rewarded to participants in the campaign starting now till 28th April 2010.

The initiative aims to create awareness towards an important social element as online transactions minimize the use of paper and transport costs for the customers which in turn has important implications for the nation’s environment. All of Etisalat’s customers can now use an alternative method which is easy, fast, cost effective and environment friendly.
 
Customers can participate in this campaign by simply registering and using Etisalat online services on www.etisalat.ae/online. They will then be eligible to enter the draw for iPhone devices upon conducting an online transaction, either through the Etisalat website or via mobile payments.

Etisalat’s online channel offers several services that eliminate the need to visit Etisalat branches. These include bill payment facilities and mobile credit recharge and renew for the following:
• Postpaid mobile GSM
• Prepaid mobile Wasel renew and recharge and ‘AHLAN’
• Fixed Landline
• Internet (Al Shamil, Dial up and Business one)
• Webfax
• eVision

These online services are designed to be a virtual branch where, with just a few clicks away, customers can avail of multiple services from their homes, offices or when they’re on the move.

On the occasion, Khalifa Al Shamsi, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Etisalat, said: “We launched this campaign to encourage our customers to consciously participate in an environment related effort  in any way possible, to ensure a greener world for our future generations. It is ultimately the responsibility of every individual and organization to consider the environmental impact of their actions and Etisalat’s activation of its online ‘paperless’ billing is aimed to gradually eliminate paper waste and also reduce transportation costs.”

Etisalat already offers additional 10% free credit instantly to customers’ advantage when they recharge their Wasel prepaid accounts online with their credit cards. Al Shamsi added: “For Wasel prepaid service, Etisalat also offers online payment and e-voucher as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional recharge cards.”

On a larger scale, in relation to Etisalat’s new FTTH infrastructure, as  per the result of a UAE based study on the efficacy of FTTH infrastructure, the amount of carbon dioxide produced by traditional cables could be cut by approx 85% and that the energy required by this advanced network could be slashed by up to 73%.

In addition to transaction services that Etisalat offers on its online web page, Etisalat customers can conveniently enjoy mobile pay services allowing customers to pay their Etisalat bills or recharge their Wasel accounts using their handsets, when needed, by dialing *123#(phonenumber). They can also activate the online auto pay service to pay their bills or recharge Wasel accounts at regular intervals, without their involvement.

Al Shamsi concluded, “Etisalat’s online services are extremely reliable and secure as they are protected by 3-D Secure system for online payments, developed by world-renowned companies, Visa and Mastercard.”

• 19 GE employees take part in the ‘highest accredited road race in the Middle East’
• Raise over AED 33,000 for Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs

Dubai, UAE; February 27, 2010: General Electric (GE) employees in the United Arab Emirates took part in the Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Half Marathon, described as the ‘highest accredited road race in the Middle East’ to raise funds for a local charity.

Nineteen GE Volunteers took part in the grueling marathon run covering a distance of 21.095 km and raised over AED 33,000 to be donated to Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs.

Nabil Habayeb, GE’s President and CEO for the Middle East and Africa region, said: “GE Volunteers in the Middle East are active participants in events that have brought tangible results to different cross-sections of the society. This is an integral part of the company’s culture, and we will continue participating in such events in the future.”

The RAK Half Marathon, currently in the fourth year, is organised under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah.

The event, which has been awarded the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Silver Label and is an associated member of the Association of International Road Races and Distance Running (AIMS), brings together people from different walks of life to test marathon skills while raising funds for a social cause. 

Hasan Dandashly, Regional General Manager in Energy, and GE Volunteers UAE co-leader  who lead the event said, “Uniting for a worthy cause has a lasting effect on both the community and the participants. The RAK Half Marathon is one of the exceptional events - not only does it contribute positively to society, but it also encourages a healthy lifestyle.”

GE Volunteers, who regularly take part in a range of community initiatives, formed one of the strong contingents of corporate participants in the RAK Half Marathon. Other employees and family members from the company also attended the event to cheer the team.

Some of the initiatives that the GE volunteer teams throughout the GCC countries have taken up include hosting Iftar for children with special needs, blood donation campaigns, and participation in the ‘Stand Up to End Poverty’ campaign. They have also volunteered for several social events to help communities in the region.

Some 175 GE Volunteer Councils in 46 countries and over 100,000 volunteers undertake over 1 million hours of community service every year. GE Volunteers places emphasis on education, environment, healthcare and overall community development.

Leading educational solutions provider conduct hands-on demonstration on interactive learning and teaching technologies at ‘GESS 2010’

February 25, 2010

H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, visited Edutech’s ‘Learning Ecosystem’, an integrated classroom environment currently being showcased at the ‘Global Educational Supplies & Solutions (GESS) 2010’. Present during the vist was Michael Brown, Business Development Manager, STEM Education, who demonstrated the best-in-class interactive learning and teaching technologies included in the classroom set-up.

The ‘Learning Ecosystem’ provides the foundation for engaging and assessing the learners both inside and beyond the physical learning environment through a learning management platform that puts the learner at the centre and integrates interactive tools and applications to enhance student participation. This includes interactive white board systems, content authoring tools, assessment system, collaboration suite, classroom capture and delivery system and student response systems. Technology-powered hardware found in the classroom such as teacher and student class pads and workstations, document camera and projector also help cultivate a culture of interaction and group work among teachers and students.

Dulsco conducts presentation of WMS products and equipment to boost cross-selling across different business units

February 24, 2010

Dulsco has announced that it has recently concluded an awareness exhibition at the Dulsco Events Arena showcasing its Waste Management Services’ (WMS) products and equipment, which was part of an initiative to enhance cross-selling across different business units. Attended by the chairman, managing director and representatives from each department of Dulsco, the awareness exhibition had presentations on the latest technologies and the safety mechanism adopted by the company, while there were also live demonstrations of various WMS equipments and products.

The waste management products and services featured were collection and transportation of solid and liquid waste by various types of vehicles, waste collection receptacles and vehicles, waste compaction equipment, and recycling receptacles. There was also a special presentation about Dulsco’s on-shore and off-shore tank cleaning process, particularly for tanks used for petroleum products, chemical products, sewage, freshwater and sea water.

Prakash Parab, Director, Dulsco Waste Management Services said: “The awareness campaign is a key strategic initiative that enables Dulsco to enhance cross-selling across the UAE. There are evolving and emerging challenges in waste management in our society and it is our goal to better address these new concerns by constantly improving, enhancing and consolidating our portfolio of products and services. Dulsco is fully committed to sustain and ultimately expand the awareness campaign to ensure consistency in the delivery of integrated services to our target markets.”

Dulsco’s Waste Management Services, the first waste management firm in the UAE to be Integrated Management Systems certified, handles hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste in compliance with strict municipal and environmental provisions.

Dubai, UAE, 23 February 2010 – In conjunction with International Women’s Day this year, which falls on March 8, Philadelphia Cream Cheese from Kraft is proud to celebrate the achievements of women in the Gulf by inviting women living in the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar to share their unique stories of success on www.spreadphiladelphia.com. Starting February, Spread Some Inspiration is an open forum for women to either submit their own stories or nominate stories of other women who have inspired or touched their lives. A panel of judges comprising of three exceptional women from the Gulf will shortlist the three most compelling stories, and the public will be invited to vote for the one story that has inspired them the most.

The final winner, chosen by the public, will be announced at the Philadelphia Gala Dinner in Dubai on 21st April, where Philadelphia will honor the winner with a prize of USD10,000 to help her take her passion to new heights; while the remaining two finalists will also each receive a fund worth USD5,000 for support of their future inspiring achievements.

“There are many inspiring women in the Gulf who have touched the lives of others in a positive way through education, social work, business or art. Quite often, their efforts remain unnoticed. This campaign by Philadelphia, in line with International Women’s Day, is aimed at honoring the female unsung heroes in this region”, said Najeeb Hasany, Marketing Director, Kraft Foods GCC

Spread Some Inspiration by Philadelphia is headlined by a panel of three remarkable women judges who embody the spirit of inspiring, high-achieving women in the region. They are Sarah Belhasa, the Emirati entrepreneur who received the prestigious Arabian Business Achievement Awards for her achievements as a business woman in the UAE, Kuwait’s Shurooq Amin, acclaimed artist, published poet and writer and a Professor at Kuwait University, and Wejdan al Malki, Deputy Director of Al Shaqab and the first Qatari woman to represent Qatar in Equestrian sports. Throughout the duration of the campaign, the public will be able to view and discuss the inspiring stories and achievements of the Panel of Judges along with the other submitted stories on the campaign website.

Since 1911, International Women’s Day has been celebrated worldwide in recognition of the economic, political and social achievements of women. Today it is a global symbol of inspiration and a testament to the power of women of all ages and nationalities.

So if you know of a woman whose inspiring story should be told and celebrated this International Women’s Day, or if you yourself have a great story to share, join the Spread Some Inspiration campaign and submit your nomination on www.spreadphiladelphia.com by 7th March 2010.