I read Mick Randall's commentary Education is not about getting a job but preparing for life (October 21) with a great interest. I could not have agreed more with him that education is not only about getting a job. However, I beg to disagree with him when his underlying point assumes that business and management education lacks the elements of a fundamental liberal arts education.
At the American University of Sharjah we pride ourselves on the broad-based education of our graduates.
For example, my accounting students are required to take at least two years (out of four) of general education including humanities, social sciences, maths, art, languages and hard sciences before proceeding towards their major. As part of their accounting major we integrate educational activities that sharpen the students written and oral communication skills as well as interpersonal skills and teamwork.
The last thing we want to have are graduate students who are techies with little or no abilities to communicate, relate to others, appreciate the humanities and care about the environment.
A pure liberal arts education has its positive elements but may not prepare students to make a living. A better solution is in the middle ground and that is what the American higher education model is all about.
Dr Yass Alkafaji, Associate Professor of Accounting, American University of Sharjah
••••••••••••
This is a very welcome article that poses a lot of interesting questions. At the American University of Sharjah, the article was distributed to the faculty by at least one dean who I believe absolutely shares the concerns of the writer.
However, I remain apprehensive about the ability of UAE universities to engage in a liberal arts education.
In fact, I would very much like to know who those two lonely students of philosophy are whom Dr Randall mentions and where they are studying. And what they are reading.
I am new to the UAE and cannot at all claim that I understand, or appreciate, the exact parameters of free thought in this region. But, so far, I remain sceptical. The ability to engage in, or, indeed, to encourage critical thinking is the sine qua non of a liberal arts education. If the answers to the major philosophical questions are already "known" and the history is already predetermined, there is little point in spending much time in those exercises.
In any case, this is a very welcome article, and I hope it generates the discussion it deserves in academic as well as other circles.
Ramez Maluf, American University of Sharjah
Doing a recount on cat population
With all due respect to the criticism of the comment from my colleague at Feline Friends, Dubai, in the letter Counting cats correctly (October 22), I would like to remind everyone that a single female cat can indeed be responsible for the production of over 20,000 offspring through all of her female offspring and their offspring, and so on. Each and every one of her female descendants will contribute up to three litters per year for their reproductive lives, which in this part of the world is about four years, if they live on the street.
Street cats are important as they help keep unwanted pests like rats and roaches away, as long as the colony sizes are sustainable and they can feed themselves.
A good trap-neuter-release programme is the best way to keep healthy cats at the appropriate population for the colony size.
Pam Greer, Feline Friends, Abu Dhabi
Musing on fate of Wayne Rooney
Is it the end of the world when the world's "greatest" football club reminds us all that it is much bigger than any player, and 24 hours later tells us that, in fact, it is not as big as Wayne Rooney and his agent Paul Stretford?
The day before, in his weekly column for The National, entitled Rooney's agent and how he treated me (October 22), the former Manchester United striker Andrew Cole told us, reading between the lines, that Stretford was fine as long as he was making money for him while serving as his agent, and that he was happy that Stretford made lots of money out of him, while being paid to do so, but that Stretford was no longer on Cole's Christmas card list, obviously since Streford stopped making money for him.
Fine, Andrew. So I just imagine your column in the near future after Rooney has gone past his sell-by date and Stretford has long since lost interest in him. Rooney is left wondering why he is so rich, his mansion in Cheshire is so big and luxurious, his villa in Spain is so beautiful, his bank balance is so good, but his ex-wife still sends him such nasty text messages. He's not on the Man U website Hall of Fame with Edwards, Charlton, Best, Law and Giggs. Nobody can remember how many Premiership goals he scored, or who he was, unless they read it at the bottom of his own column.
Tony Lewis, Abu Dhabi
THE SWIMMERS
Director: Sally El-Hosaini
Stars: Nathalie Issa, Manal Issa, Ahmed Malek and Ali Suliman
Rating: 4/5
Company Profile
Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
Funding: Undisclosed
Investors: Elaine Jones
Number of employees: 8
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
The Farewell
Director: Lulu Wang
Stars: Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma
Four stars
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
SPECS: Polestar 3
Engine: Long-range dual motor with 400V battery
Power: 360kW / 483bhp
Torque: 840Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 628km
0-100km/h: 4.7sec
Top speed: 210kph
Price: From Dh360,000
On sale: September
Company Profile
Company name: Namara
Started: June 2022
Founder: Mohammed Alnamara
Based: Dubai
Sector: Microfinance
Current number of staff: 16
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Family offices
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
WandaVision
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Rating: Four stars
Bob Marley: One Love
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Starring: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Lashana Lynch, James Norton
Rating: 2/5
The Intruder
Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
Results
57kg quarter-finals
Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Hamed Al Matari (YEM) by points 3-0.
60kg quarter-finals
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) RSC round 2.
63.5kg quarter-finals
Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Shamlan A Othman (KUW) by points 3-0.
67kg quarter-finals
Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Ahmad Ondash (LBN) by points 2-1.
71kg quarter-finals
Ahmad Bahman (UAE) defeated Lalthasanga Lelhchhun (IND) by points 3-0.
Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Seyed Kaveh Safakhaneh (IRI) by points 3-0.
81kg quarter-finals
Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Ahmad Hilal (PLE) by points 3-0
Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
match info
Maratha Arabians 138-2
C Lynn 91*, A Lyth 20, B Laughlin 1-15
Team Abu Dhabi 114-3
L Wright 40*, L Malinga 0-13, M McClenaghan 1-17
Maratha Arabians won by 24 runs
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
Janet Yellen's Firsts
- In 2014, she became the first woman to lead the US Federal Reserve
- In 1999, she became the first female chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers
Diriyah project at a glance
- Diriyah’s 1.9km King Salman Boulevard, a Parisian Champs-Elysees-inspired avenue, is scheduled for completion in 2028
- The Royal Diriyah Opera House is expected to be completed in four years
- Diriyah’s first of 42 hotels, the Bab Samhan hotel, will open in the first quarter of 2024
- On completion in 2030, the Diriyah project is forecast to accommodate more than 100,000 people
- The $63.2 billion Diriyah project will contribute $7.2 billion to the kingdom’s GDP
- It will create more than 178,000 jobs and aims to attract more than 50 million visits a year
- About 2,000 people work for the Diriyah Company, with more than 86 per cent being Saudi citizens