Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
It was nice to read your report on special meatballs by IKEA in last week’s GulfWeekly. However, there is a small correction - the main contractor for the project was initially GP Zachariades but it left the project quite early after the completion of the foundations.
Following this, the main contractor appointed was Kooheji Contractors and they have been doing an amazing job with work progressing on the superstructure - so it is not fair to deny them due credit!
Baji by email.
Editor’s note: Happy to clarify.
I read with interest your article about Mr Assadullah and his research on Mynah birds in the last issue of GulfWeekly.
I have been in the kingdom for a couple of years but could, to date, not find any publication that comprises a list of the country’s indigenous birds. I would be grateful if your readers could point me in the right direction on where I might find information on this subject.
Steve Grobler, by email.
For the second year in a row, I am thrilled to participate in the 10th edition of the Road to Awareness Bike Ride which will take the Marriott Take Care Cycling Team to Jordan covering a total distance of 600km in three consecutive days from the Dead Sea to Aqaba then Petra and finally back to the Dead Sea, commencing on October 12.
The Road to Awareness associate fundraising campaign has been making a positive difference to children in the communities former Starwood hotels operate in since 2008.
In the nine years since, associates have raised close to $7m and the bike ride has continued to be an anchor highlight of the campaign every year.
For 2017 our support is going towards the Al Jalila Foundation in the UAE to support children with cancer.
I am reaching out to all my network seeking support for this great cause, if you wish for a better world with healthier generations and would like to help this initiative, kindly visit https://www.hopasports.com/haithamassem
The funds I will raise will go to the foundation, a global philanthropic organisation dedicated to transforming lives through medical education and research, which was founded by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai in April 2013, with the aim to position Dubai and the UAE at the forefront of medical innovation.
It is fully funded by the generosity of donors.
Our funds will specifically support a programme called Farah (‘Joy’ in Arabic) and Al Jalila Foundation’s paediatric programme which provides medical care for children suffering from heart disease, cancer and other chronic diseases.
Farah also invests a great deal into local medical research of childhood illnesses to discover better treatment options.
Day 1 - the team will leave from the Dead Sea and ride all the way to the Red Sea, in short from Dead to Red, over a distance of 230kms. That means departing from 383m below sea level (the lowest point on earth) and riding all the way in a straight line to Aqaba. This is a long endurance ride with a height of 1,500m.
Day 2 – will take the group from Aqaba to one of the most majestic historical sites in the world, Petra, over a distance of 161kms and covering a height of 2,500, via the mountainous Dlagha road.
Day 3 – takes the group back to the Dead Sea, via the Namaleh and Wadi Araba roads, covering a distance of 194kms.
For more information on the event visit https://www.hopasports.com/event/road-to-awareness-2017
Haitham Assem, multi-property director of marketing & communications, The St. Regis Dubai ,W Dubai & The Westin Dubai, Al Habtoor City.
Editor’s note: Egyptian expat Haitham, 34, was until recently complex director of marketing at The Westin & Le Meridien Bahrain City Centre. Last year he successfully climbed some of the most fearsome routes featured in the gruelling Tour de France race after training in the spare bedroom of his family’s 14th floor apartment in Juffair, as highlighted in GulfWeekly. His son Adam, pictured, acted as cheerleader.
