The UAE Barista Championship will highlight the skills and knowledge of the country’s finest baristas. Each barista must prepare four espressos, four cappuccinos, and four original espresso-based signature beverages in a 15-minute performance set to the music of their choice. As they ready their coffee beverages, contestants engage the audience, explaining their actions and selections, while expertly working on the espresso machine.

The winner of the 3rd UAE Barista Championship will receive the highest national honor for a Barista and a paid trip to represent the UAE at the 2012 World Barista Championships in Vienna, Austria.
For more info: http://www.coffeeandteaconvention.com/baristachamp.php

This adventure is free but pre-registration is essential by emailing events@dsgs.org

The off-road excursion is on Saturday, January 29, meeting at 7.30am on the Lahbab Road, near the junction with the Al Ain Road (maps will be sent to those registering).

This is a desert route so a four-wheel-drive vehicle is essential. If you’ve never ventured off-road before, expert advice will be available along with recovery vehicles in case you get stuck in the sand.

The route is divided into three parts, so you can just do a morning trip or go off for the whole day.

Participants should make sure they have a full fuel tank, a tyre pressure gauge, food and drink (including lots of water!), chairs or mats for a picnic and of course, a camera.

The series will begin on February 11 with Eric Clapton’s live performance at Yas Arena. Concert fans can also make it an all-action weekend, as the “Real Action Heroes” and their V8 Supercars hit Yas Marina Circuit for two days of racing on February 11 and 12.

Tiesto’s much anticipated, rescheduled Kaleidoscope tour will hit the Flash Forum on February 17 while Thirty Seconds to Mars make their Middle East debut on March 11.

The final weekend of the Yas Island Show Weekends will see Stevie Wonder brings his legendary show to Yas Arena on March 18.

According to promoter Flash Entertainment, tickets for the concerts will start at Dh150, with packages from Yas Island hotels available from Dh1300 plus tax including two nights’ stay and two tickets.

Tickets will be go sale on Monday at 9am from http://www.timeouttickets.com and http://www.boxofficeme.com. Virgin Megastores outlets across the UAE will also be selling tickets at a later stage. Visit http://www.yasisland.com for more information.

A transportation service for Dubai residents will also be available, with a collection/drop off point in Dubai and an organised collection point at Yas Island.

During one particularly bad season in 1978, one major hospital was treating 30 patients a week and the country was in the midst of a campaign to fight malaria.

The public was warned to empty buckets that caught water dripping from air-conditioners. Residents were advised to take anti-malaria medicine once a week, and people living on the east coast were told to take it twice weekly.

Sharjah Municipality distributed free malaria pills to hotels, large companies and residents, while the Dubai Public Health Department sprayed labour accommodation with insecticide.

Malaria-control activities started in the UAE in 1970 when the prevalence rate was between 30 to 60 per cent in some areas, according to a Ministry of Health report.

Seven years later, a more comprehensive strategy for the control of malaria was adopted with the objective of preventing indigenous transmission of the disease and the UAE reported its last case of indigenous malaria in 2000. Today, it has been declared officially malaria-free by the UN.

However, the risks of this deadly disease are still very real if you’re travelling abroad for business or on holiday.

Every 30 seconds, somewhere in the world, a child dies from Malaria. More than a million people, mostly infants, young children and pregnant women perish from the disease each year.

According to the World Health Organisation, Malaria is endemic or “constantly occurring” in more than 100 countries around the world. Most cases are reported in Africa but significant numbers are also reported in Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Europe.

If you are travelling to a malaria hotspot it is particularly important to be prepared. While there is no vaccine for malaria, there are anti-malaria medications that can reduce the risk of developing symptoms of the disease, although they will not provide 100 per cent protection. 

The anti-malarial medications are important because you likely don’t have the malaria antibodies in your system. To make things worse, when travelers return to their home country, where malaria is quite rare, they’re often misdiagnosed.

The UN recently held World Malaria Day to get the word out. One of the most effective means of preventing malaria is the use of bed nets, but only two per cent of African children sleep under insecticide-treated bed nets.

The most common means of transmission is the mosquito. Infected female mosquitoes carry the spores of the parasite, transferring them when they bite humans. The spores collect in the victims’ liver and multiply.

Adding to the difficulty of diagnosis is the fact that some spores can remain dormant for several months. 

Symptoms of malaria include: headache, fever, chills, muscle and joint pain, nausea and vomiting, and convulsions. The symptoms can be mistaken for those of several other diseases, so a diagnosis requires a blood test.  Symptoms normally begin showing up 10 to 15 days after infection. If the person is not treated promptly, the disease can rapidly worsen, turning into severe illness that can be fatal.

If you unexpectedly develop fever within three months of returning from a malaria-endemic area, see a doctor immediately. Consider yourself a medical emergency. Get your blood tested and repeat those tests within 12 to 24 hours if your symptoms persist.

While malaria tends to be seasonal in many parts of the world you are always in a risk situation in certain tropical countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

The treatment of malaria depends on the species of parasite, the severity of the infection and the age of the person infected. In some parts of the world, parasites have become resistant to some of the drugs used in treatment.

The good news is that almost all malaria can be completely cured if identified and treated early. But if left untreated, you can go from being asymptomatic to severely ill very quickly. Death can occur within 36 to 48 hours. The types of drugs used will vary, depending on where you’ve been, which parasite has infected you and how sick you are.

The best way to avoid being infected is to avoid being bitten by malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Stay indoors from dusk to dawn, when mosquitoes are biting most. If you are out between dusk and dawn, wear light-coloured long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks and shoes.

Minimize the amount of exposed skin. Impregnate all clothing with an insecticide such as 0.5% permethrin to make them repellant. Sleep under a mosquito net impregnated with permethrin. Use DEET-based insect repellents.

When travelling in areas where malaria is endemic, children are at higher risk of infection than adults. For children, sparingly apply DEET in a concentration of not more than 10 per cent to exposed surfaces only. Wash it off after your child comes indoors.

The Centres for Disease Control has up to date information on Malaria outbreaks and other health risks for travelers.

Clannad take elements of folk, rock, ambient, jazz and world music to produce their own inspirational sound - sometimes in their native Gaelic tongue, and sometimes in English.

It promises to be a night of magical music.

The concert is at the Irish Village on 9th May at 9pm. Tickets cost Dhs125 - call 04 2824750 or email info@theirishvillage.ae for more information.

South African choreographer and director Ashleigh Moore’s amazing “Rhythm through Time” shows you all the steps from the 1920s right through to modern day.

This fast family show covers every decade in just one night, from jive through 60s twist, 70s disco to hip hop and free styling.

Musical masterpieces include songs from Bessie Smith, Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Madonna, Prince, Beyonce and Timberland.

The South African award winning dancers and singers will bring the show to life from the 17th to 19th April, with two shows daily - at 4.30pm and 8.30pm.

Tickets are on sale now (on the internet only) and cost Dhs135. For more details call the box office on 04 3666546 or log onto http://www.madinattheatre.com

For corporate bookings or groups of 20 plus, please contact Rene at rene.rodger@jumeirah.com

A growing number of pet owners are turning to custom-built wheelchairs to restore mobility to furry friends whose legs, hips or backs don’t work. The owners’ goals are simple: to reward their pets’ unconditional love with whatever it takes for the animals to live normally.

Donna Blain’s seven-year-old Maltese named Gizmo hopped and hobbled on his deformed front legs before she adopted him a year ago. She ordered his cart after learning the odd gait had damaged his spine and would have required surgery. Now he wheels himself around for hours on sidewalks, in parks and anywhere he can find treats and praise.

Most dog carts start around $250 US and can exceed $500 based on the size of the dog, while the cost of wheelchairs for other animals can vary.  The two-wheel carts support the dog’s midsection with a padded saddle, and are secured with a shoulder yoke and chest strap. Most dogs have rear-wheel carts to compensate for lame hind legs, though a growing number of front-wheel carts are being ordered for animals with front-leg problems.

Eddie and Leslie Grinnell, founders of Eddie’s Wheels, built their first pet wheelchair in 1989 when their 10-year-old Doberman, Buddha, lost the use of her rear legs because of disc disease and spinal problems. Word spread and in 1998, they started their own business. Now there are several such businesses in America.

Since launching the business, Eddie’s Wheels has shipped carts worldwide, the largest to a 100-kilogram Saint Bernard in Great Britain.  They’ve made wheelchairs for several cats, a ferret, alpacas, goats, sheep, a rabbit and a possum. They even keep a supply of tiny wheels on hand for a gerbil or hamster.

See http://www.eddieswheels.com for more information.

At the age of 30, Jafri is the youngest living artist to be given such a retrospective by the museum.  It runs until March 29.

Jafri is considered one of the most exciting British painters on the contemporary art scene, hailed by the BBC as “the renaissance man who is set to seduce us away from conceptual art with his passion for painting”.

The young artist has also raised just over 3.5 million pounds for various charities over the last six years via his work with Unicef, the NSPCC, The Prince’s Trust and many other organisations.

Dina Al Nakhi, events manager of Al Qasba Development Authority, said: “Al Qasba is proud to be part of this unique exhibition of one of Britain’s most talented artists, and urge art lovers to take this unique opportunity to visit the works of a genius.”

Following Sharjah, the tour will visit the museums and other venues around the world, including stops inLondon, Delha, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Singapore, Shanghai and Los Angeles.

For more information, contact Al Qasba on 06 556 0777.