Bull’s-Eye for Red Arrows in Jeddah

Arab News JEDDAH,

8 November 2007 — Exactly to the second, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Display Team, the Red Arrows, burst onto the Jeddah Corniche in a thunderous opening to a 22 minute display of spectacular and disciplined flying yesterday. Having obtained special clearance to fly over the city at low level, the huge crowd spread over three kilometers of the Corniche was mainly looking seaward when the nine scarlet Hawk jets screamed overhead in V formation trailing read, white and blue smoke.

The first nine minutes saw all the aircraft in close formation, maneuvering in a series of rolls, loops and high-speed low-level passes in a breathtaking display of aerobatics. At some times during the display, wing tips were less than two meters apart as the Hawks sped over a calm sea at speed up to 800kph drawing gasps of incredulity from some seasoned pilots watching the display.

“The second part of the display, about 10 minutes, is designed to really excite the crowds,” said Wing Cmdr. Jason Hawker who, as Red 1, led the nine aircraft formation through the first half of the display. “The second half is far more dynamic and involves some very exciting stuff.” The stress on the pilots during the high-speed aerobatics is huge. Pulling eight times the force of gravity, the pilots highlighted the complexity of their maneuvers by trailing smoke which hung in the air in their wake.

The team is made up of front-line fast jet pilots who volunteer for a three-year secondment to the Red Arrows. “We get about 30 a year, short list it to nine and then select three to replace three who then return to other duties,” Hawker told Arab News. “When it gets to the short list, we are hair splitting — the standard is extremely high.” The Red Arrows have displayed in the Kingdom before — most recently in Dhahran. Yesterday, however, was the first time in Jeddah and the team dedicated a special maneuver, the Palm Split, to Jeddah city to celebrate. Approaching the assembled dignitaries at 600kph they pulled up into a vertical climb in tight formation, breaking out at altitude into a nine-leaved palm tree, which drew spontaneous applause from the audience.

The team appeared in the new Red Arrows livery which highlights the Royal Air Force logo on the fuselage. “It’s to emphasize the fact that we are representing the Royal Air Force to the people worldwide who come to see us,” said Hawker. The team leaves for Dubai International Air Show today where they will once more bring the crowds to their feet with some simply extraordinary flying.

Interesting info all of us can use, even if you are not in the Middle East. There are tons of secondhand bookstores in the West.

Haneefah

As salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. I was surfing the net and came across several articles containing the following excerpt written by a non-Muslim.

“Young Americans today are more skeptical and resistant to Christianity than were people of the same age just a decade ago, says a new study. Negative perceptions toward the Christian faith have outweighed the positive as a growing percentage of younger Americans associate with a faith outside Christianity.”“Only 16 percent of non-Christians aged 16 to 29 years old said they have a “good impression” of Christianity, according to a report released Monday by The Barna Group. A decade ago, the vast majority of Americans outside the Christian faith, including young people, felt favorably toward Christianity’s role in society. Young people have an even lesser positive impression of evangelicals. Only 3 percent of 16- to 29-year-olds who are not of the Christian faith express favorable views of evangelicals. In the previous generation, 25 percent of young people had positive associations toward evangelicals.”

فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يَكْتُبُونَ الْكِتَابَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ

“Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands…”

Allaahu Aa’lam.

As salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. Another nice Google Gadget:

http://www.google.com/ig/adde?source=ignsrc1&moduleurl

Haneefah

Children Need Libraries
By Maha Al-Hujailan

Children spend a considerable amount of their time doing nothing. Their families are usually busy with all sorts of responsibilities or obligations. Other than the time spent in school during the day, the child comes back home to find so much spare time without knowing how to spend it. Weekends and summer vacations tend to have the longest free time available for children.  Unfortunately, our society has no programs that give the child the opportunities to utilize his free time.

There are no libraries, no comfortable parks with seating to suit the children or productive programs designed for them. All that’s out there is entertainment and amusement parks that focus on physical activities.

The truth is the country is in urgent need of projects that, apart from bringing financial dividends, benefit society and the children. Establishing libraries in different districts is an interesting idea. If only we knew the amount of knowledge and information a child obtains by enrolling in such libraries in different countries around the world.

Library services for children have never been as important for children and their families as they are today. Gaining access to the knowledge and the multicultural richness of the world, as well as lifelong learning and literacy skills has become the top priority of societies all over the world. A quality children’s library gives children a passion for lifelong learning and literacy skills, enabling them to participate and contribute to the community.

It should constantly respond to the increasing changes in society and meet the information, cultural and entertainment needs of all children. Every child should be familiar and comfortable with the local library and possess the skills to find their way around libraries in general.

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, which is the global voice of the library and information profession around the world, reported that by providing a wide range of materials and activities, public libraries provide an opportunity for children to experience the enjoyment of reading and the excitement of discovering knowledge and works of the imagination.

The United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child stresses the right of every child to the development of his or her full potential, the right to free and open access to information, materials and programs, under equal conditions for all, irrespective of age, race, sex, religious, national and cultural background, language, social status or personal skills and abilities.

Establishing similar projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, private or public, would attract qualified young women with experience in different subjects and fields each library must have. Each library is viewed as a small school where students form small groups according to their age and take part in certain programs the parents choose for them in cooperation with the librarian.

The idea would also help ease the burden on parents if they have a large number of children to look after and especially if the parents have so much to deal with. Children and their parents should be taught how to make the best use of a library and how to develop skills in the use of print and electronic media. Public libraries have a special responsibility to support the process of learning to read, and to promote books and other media for children.

A library must organize special events for children, such as storytelling and activities related to the library’s services and resources. Children should be encouraged to use the library from an early age, as this will make them more likely to remain users in future years.

When I used to live abroad, I noticed how central libraries and the small and big ones distributed in different districts of the city with entertainment facilities create an environment conducive to learning, acquaintance and knowledge.

It’s really important that we ensure that our children are using their free time in ways that help them plan their future and nourish their skills. Growing up is a local community activity, not a global activity for children, but one affected by global developments.

Source: ArabNews.com

Dr. Maha Al-Hujailan is a medical researcher at King Khalid University Hospital in Riyaadh.