Address: PO Box 11677, Dubai, UAE Telephone: 04 405 4447/8 Web: www.outpostdubai.com Email:outpostdubai@shell.com

	D u b a i  N e w s l e t t e r
	1 - 31 August 2010 ad / 20 Shaban - 21 Ramadan 1431 ah

Contents

News and Events	Arrivals And Departures	'Marhaba'	'Ma Is Salaama'
	Outpost Dubai	Focal Point	Lunches round the World	Cultural Awareness	Little Shells
	Diary	This Month	Coming Up
	Did You Know...?
Money	Stats	Currency Exchange	Shell Share Price	Oil Price
	Savings	The Entertainer	Time Out City Card	Spectrum On One
Weather	Locally	Review	Forecast
	Elsewhere	Review
Cultural Awareness	Islam	Calendar	Prayer Timings	Events 2010
Classifieds	For Sale
Outpost	Outpost Dubai	Newsletter Archive
	Global Outpost Services	Destinations Magazine
Small Print

News

Arrivals & Departures

'Marhaba'	'Ma Is-Salaama'
Details deleted from web version	Details deleted from web version

Details provided by Crown Relocations and Shell HR in The Hague

Outpost News & Events

Outpost Focal Point		Lunches Around the World
		Lunches Around the World will return in September
		Additional Event
		Newly arrived this month? If your spouse has arrived over summer and has not heard from us, please get in contact with Isabel Parodi, our summer Welcome Co-ordinator. Drop her an email on  Details deleted from web version in order to meet up with her or Carolin Penneycard. On August 8 @ 10 am there will be a Get Together/new arrivals welcome coffee in the Social House in the Dubai Mall, were you meet up with other Shell spouses (lower ground level, next to the exit to Souk al Bahar, look for the Outpost logo!)
		Little Shells
		Little Shells, the baby & toddler club will resume after the summer. In the meantime, if anyone is interested in attending an informal/no- cost mother-toddler music group at Arabian Ranches, please get in touch with nicolawarda@yahoo.com.au.  At this stage the group is meeting on Wednesday mornings and this will continue until early August. Ideally the children should be age 1½ - 3½, but older children may also attend during school holidays.  The session will basically start with a story and then the children will sing a number of popular children's songs (mostly with actions) with some basic instruments to accompany the singing.

Diary

This month

If you know of, are involved in, an event and want it included in next month's diary, please send the details to us.
For further details about an event, click on the (www) link.

Sunday	1
Monday	2
Tuesday	3
Wednesday	4
Thursday	5
Friday	6
Saturday	7	Final day of Dubai Summer Surprises
Sunday	8	Get Together, Social House in Dubai Mall @ 10am
Monday	9
Tuesday	10
Wednesday	11	Expected start of Ramadan
Thursday	12
Friday	13
Saturday	14
Sunday	15
Monday	16
Tuesday	17
Wednesday	18
Thursday	19
Friday	20
Saturday	21	Retail: 20% reductions at The Organic Foods & Cafe
Sunday	22
Monday	23
Tuesday	24
Wednesday	25
Thursday	26
Friday	27
Saturday	28
Sunday	29
Monday	30
Tuesday	31

Sources include: Wikipedia , BBC Sport , Bank-holidays.com ,Time Out Tickets , DUCTAC , Madinat Theatre, Dubai Concert Committee , Dubai Culture Authority , Alliance Francaise

Coming Up

September
	Friday 10th	Eid Al Fitr (Breaking the Fast)*
October
	Saturday 16th - Saturday 23rd	GITEX Electronics Expo 2010	www.gitexshopperdubai.com
November
	Friday 12th - Sunday 14th	Formula 1 Grand Prix (Abu Dhabi)	www.yasmarinacircuit.ae
	Wednesday 17th*	Eid Ul-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice)
	Thursday 25th - Sunday 28th	Race to Dubai (Golf)	www.dubaiworldchampionship.com
		Dubai Sound City	www.dubaisoundcity.com
December
	Thursday 2nd	UAE National Day (Independence from UK,1971)
	Thursday 2nd - Saturday 4th	Rugby 7's Series	www.dubairugby7s.com
	Monday 6th - Saturday 11th	Ladies Open (Golf)	www.dubailadiesmasters.com
	Tuesday 7th*	Al Hijira (Islamic New Year's Day - 1432)
	Sunday 12th - Sunday 19th	Film Festival (DIFF)	www.dubaifilmfest.com
	Thursday 16th*	Ashura (Commem. Prophet's grandson)
2011
January
	Tuesday 4th	Anniversary Sheikh Mohammed's Ascension
	Friday 21st	Marathon	www.dubaimarathon.org
		Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF)
February
	Tuesday 1st - Friday 18th	Jazz Festival	www.dubaijazzfest.com
	Thursday 10th - Saturday 12th	Gulf Bike Festival	www.gulfbikeexpo.com
	Tuesday 15th*	Milad un Nabi (Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh))**
		Dubai Tennis Open	www.dubaitennischampionships.com
		Desert Classic (Golf)	www.dubaidesertclassic.com
		Pet Show
March
	Tuesday 1st - Sunday 5th	International Boat Show	www.boatshowdubai.com
	Wednesday 2nd - Friday 11th	Threadneedle Dubai Gold Cup (Polo)	www.dubaipologoldcup.com
	Tueday 8th - Saturday 12th	Festival of Literature	www.eaifl.com
	Wednesday 16th - Saturday 19th	Art Dubai Fair	www.artdubai.ae
		World Cup (Horse Racing)	www.dubaiworldcup.com
		Taste of Dubai	www.tasteofdubaifestival.com
August
	Monday 1st*	Ramadan
November
	Sunday 13th - Thursday 17th	Air Show	dubaiairshow.aero

*subject to confirmation
**Shia Muslims celebrate the Prophet's birthday 5 days later
Note that because the Muslim calendar is lunar-based,Islamic events commence the evening of the previous day

Did You Know...?

Money

Stats

Currency Exchange

		Jul 2010	Jun 2010	May 2010	Apr 2010	Mar 2010	Feb 2010	Jan 2010	Dec 2009	Nov 2009	Oct 2009	Sep 2009	Aug 2009	Jul 2009
	1 AUD =	3.14	3.14	3.22	3.40	3.35	3.26	3.35	3.31	3.37	3.32	3.16	3.07	2.95
	1 AED =	0.32	0.32	0.31	0.29	0.30	0.31	0.30	0.30	0.30	0.30	0.32	0.33	0.34
	1 EUR =	4.69	4.49	4.64	4.94	4.99	5.03	5.25	5.37	5.47	5.44	5.35	5.24	5.17
	1 AED =	0.21	0.22	0.20	0.20	0.19	0.19	0.19	0.18	0.19	0.19	0.19	0.19	0.19
	1 INR =	0.08	0.08	0.08	0.08	0.08	0.08	0.08	0.08	0.08	0.08	0.08	0.08	0.08
	1 AED =	12.79	12.72	12.50	12.14	12.39	12.66	12.58	12.75	12.91	12.82	13.29	13.24	13.31
	1 PKR =	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.05	0.05
	1 AED =	23.53	23.51	23.23	23.04	23.27	23.27	23.27	22.96	22.76	22.71	22.59	22.56	22.35
	1 ZAR =	0.49	0.48	0.48	0.50	0.50	0.48	0.49	0.49	0.49	0.49	0.49	0.47	0.46
	1 AED =	2.07	2.09	2.08	2.00	2.03	2.10	2.04	2.05	2.06	2.04	2.05	2.17	2.18
	1 LKR =	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.03	0.03
	1 AED =	30.92	30.97	31.08	31.07	31.12	31.27	31.23	31.19	31.22	31.36	31.34	31.36	31.33
	1 GBP =	5.61	5.41	5.40	5.63	5.53	5.93	5.97	6.09	5.94	6.08	6.00	6.01	6.01
	1 AED =	0.18	0.19	0.19	0.18	0.18	0.17	0.17	0.16	0.17	0.17	0.17	0.17	0.17

This table is an average of the exchange rates announced each day during the calendar month.
This table uses mid-market data (ie the average of the "buy' and "sell" prices").
All figures rounded to nearest second decimal place.
Source: www.oanda.com

Shell Share Price

		Jul 2010	Jun 2010	May 2010	Apr 2010	Mar 2010	Feb 2010	Jan 2010	Dec 2009	Nov 2009	Oct 2009	Sep 2009	Aug 2009	Jul 2009
	A €	21.13	20.75	21.19	23.57	21.42	20.02	20.19	21.10	19.79	20.21	19.55	19.35	18.44
	B €	20.28	20.00	20.78	22.82	20.42	19.10	19.50	20.30	19.64	19.85	18.96	18.92	18.37
	A £	17.55	17.01	18.23	20.48	19.10	17.90	17.42	18.82	18.01	18.07	17.90	17.11	15.72
	B £	16.80	16.31	17.52	19.75	18.16	17.17	16.73	18.12	17.37	17.60	17.36	16.74	15.54
	A $	55.42	50.22	52.40	62.75	57.86	54.74	55.39	60.11	59.76	59.41	57.19	55.47	52.64
	B $	53.42	48.28	50.64	60.68	55.33	52.62	53.38	58.13	57.84	58.16	55.77	54.14	52.53

Shell shares are traded on the Amsterdam, London and New York stock exchanges.
Class 'A' shares are subject to Dutch withholding tax, unlike Class 'B' shares. For full details, refer to Shell Investor website.
Prices shown are closing prices on final trading day of the month.
Source: www.google.com/finance .

Oil Price

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2010	77.12	74.78	79.30	84.18
2009	43.91	41.76	46.95	50.28	58.10	69.13	64.65	71.63	68.38	74.08	77.56	74.88
2008	90.82	93.75	101.84	109.05	122.77	131.52	132.55	114.57	99.29	72.69	54.04	41.53
2007	53.40	57.58	60.60	65.10	65.10	68.19	73.67	70.13	76.91	82.15	91.27	89.43
2006	62.36	59.71	60.93	68.00	68.61	69.29	72.51	71.81	61.97	57.95	58.13	61.00
2005	42.89	44.56	50.93	50.64	47.81	53.89	56.37	61.87	61.65	58.19	54.98	56.47
2004	31.40	31.32	33.67	33.71	37.63	65.54	37.93	42.08	41.65	46.87	42.23	39.09

The simple averages of UK Brent, West Texas Intermediate and Dubai prices.
One barrel of oil is equivalent to approximately 42 US gallons or 25 Imperial gallons or 159 (metric) litres.
Source: IMF (Monthly Data File, col AJ)

Savings

	The Entertainer July's special offers include: Friday brunch at Spectrum on One at the Fairmont Dubai Friday brunch at Certo, Radisson Blu Dubai Media City Friday Brunch at Carters, Wafi Essence Friday Lunch Buffet at Essence, Shangri-la Dubai Saturday Brunch at Thyme, Oasis Beach Tower Friday Roast at the Red Lion, Metropolitan Hotel SZR Friday kids brunch at Dews, Radisson Blu The Creek 40min Burj Experience on Seawings, Club Joumana Jebel Ali & Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Water Magic Show Ticket at Dubai Dolphinarium, Creek Park 4 Group Ex Mixed Sessions with Ignite Fitness Dubai Friday Brunch at La Veranda, Sheraton Khalidiya Hotel Abu Dhabi. As usual, you will need to log on to your account to review terms & conditions and print off the vouchers. www.theentertainerme.com	Spectrum On One, Fairmont Hotel  - 50% off food and beverage Click picture above to enlarge (web version only)
	The Time Out Dubai City Card Various discounts available at restaurants and spas around the city, for example: 25% off beauty treatments at the Atlantis Spa 20% discount during the daytime at The Spa at The Palace, Old Town 15% off f&b at Carluccios 15% discount on f&b (including alcohol) at Nineteen, The Address, Montgomerie Dubai For more details, and to sign-up, go to www.timeoutdubai/citycard

Weather

Locally

Review

	The hottest temperature in Dubai so far this year was reached on Sunday 11 July when a high of 48°C was recorded at 12pm. Friday 14 July had the highest average temperature across the day of 40°C. Just 3 days of the month were designated 'Sunny & Clear'
	So far in 2010, Dubai has experienced 8 days when it has rained. The last occasion was 19 April.*

	Jul 2010	Jun 2010	May 2010	Apr 2010	Mar 2010	Feb 2010	Jan 2009	Dec 2009	Nov 2009	Oct 2009	Sep 2009	Aug 2009	Jul 2009
Average Maximum Temp	42°C	40°C	39°C	33°C	30°C	26°C	24°C	25°C	30°C	35°C	38°C	40°C	39°C
Average Mean Temp	37°C	35°C	32°C	29°C	25°C	22°C	20°C	25°C	26°C	30°C	33°C	36°C	35°C
Average Minimum Temp	32°C	30°C	24°C	24°C	20°C	18°C	16°C	18°C	22°C	26°C	30°C	32°C	31°C
Average Wind Speed	10 km/h	14 km/h	7 km/h	12 km/h	10 km/h	8 km/h	10 km/h	7 km/h	7 km/h	11 km/h	10 km/h	9 km/h	10 km/h
Average Humidity	51%	43%	46%	48%	48%	55%	63%	62%	56%	53%	50%	47%	56%

* Rain days: 01,02 & 11 January, 6 & 27 February, 2 March, 14 & 19 April
The averages are of all the days in that particular calendar month.
Measurements are recorded at the weather station in Nad Al Sheba
Source: www.weatherunderground.com

Forecast

Conditions during August are similar to those experienced in July in terms of temperature and humidity. During the summer as the sea surface temperature rises, the Gulf increasingly becomes a prolific source of water vapour. Afternoon sea breezes bring this warm, humid air to coastal areas and can produce some of the years most uncomfortable conditions. The risk of summer storms persists and although most frequent over the mountains can occasionally affect coastal areas. Inland desert areas, have a rather different climate, although summer maximum temperatures in the desert are frequently higher than those on the coast the mean humidity is up to 20% lower than coastal areas. This produces rather more comfortable conditions and is the reason that, prior to the prevalence of air conditioning, many local families would spend the summer months away from the coast. Mean sea temperatures are around 33°C but have been recorded as high as 35°C.	Average Maximum Temperature	=	41°C
	Average Minimum Temperature	=	30°C
	Average Rainfall	=	0.0mm
	Average Number days Rainfall	=	0.5
	Sunshine Hours Per Day	=	10.5
	Average Sea Temperature	=	33°C
	Average Humidity (August 2009)	=	47%

Source: Dubai Meteorological Office

Elsewhere

Review for July

	Average Maximum Temp	Average Mean Temp	Average Minimum Temp	Sunny, Clear Days	Rain Days	Average Humidity
Aberdeen, Scotland	17°C	13°C	9°C	-	5	78%
Almaty, Kazakhstan	29°C	23°C	18°C	3	12	33%
Basrah, Iraq	45°C	38°C	30°C	26	-	27%
Doha, Qatar	42°C	37°C	33°C	12	-	39%
The Hague, Netherlands	22°C	18°C	14°C	-	21	73%
Muscat, Oman	36°C	33°C	30°C	26	-	64%

Source: www.weatherunderground.com for  Aberdeen, Almaty, Basrah, Doha, The Hague, Muscat,

Cultural Awareness

Islam

Calendar

August 2010
Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa	Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa	Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa	Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa	Su	Mo	Tu
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	47	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Shaban 1431										Ramadan 1431
Ah	It	Th	Ar	Kh	Ju	Sa	Ah	It	Th	Ar	Kh	Ju	Sa	Ah	It	Th	Ar	Kh	Ju	Sa	Ah	It	Th	Ar	Kh	Ju	Sa	Ah	It	Th
20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21

Sha'aban (شعبان) is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. This is the month of ‘separation’, so called because the pagan Arabs used to disperse in search of water. On the fifteenth night of this month falls the Shab-i-Barat: ‘The Night of Records’; some people think that on this night prophet Muhammad told his followers that Allah records all the deeds that the humans have to perform for the next year. Ramadan (رمضان) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and the month in which the Qur'an was revealed. Ramadan is the holiest months in the Islamic calendar. Fasting in the month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. The month is spent by Muslims fasting during the daylight hours from dawn to sunset. The name came from the time before the Islamic calendar, when the month of Ramadan fell in the summer. Fasting during this month is often thought figuratively to burn away all sins. Muslims believe that the Qur'an was sent down to the lowest heaven during this month thus being prepared for gradual revelation by angel Gibril (Gabriel) to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The first day of the next month is spent in celebrations and is observed as the ‘Festival of Breaking Fast’ or `Eid ul-Fitr'.

Ah - al-ahad, It - al-ithnayn, Th - ath-thalatha, Ar - al-arbia, Kh - al-khamees, Ju - al-jumah, Sa - al-sabat
The Muslim calendar is lunar-based. The Julien calendar is solar-based.
Source: Wikipedia (quoting Oxford Islamic Studies )

Prayer Timings

	Fajr Morning	Shorook Sunrise	Dhuhr Noon	Asr Late Afternoon	Maghrib Evening	Isha Night
1 August/ 20 Shaban	04:26	05:46	12:30	15:56	19:07	20:37
31 August/ 20 Ramadan	04:40	06:00	12:24	15:53	18:40	20:10

Source: Dubai Islamic Affairs Department

Events 2010

27 February	Milad un Nabi (Sunni)	Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad [pbuh]
3 March	Milad un Nabi (Shia)	Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad [pbuh]
11 August	Ramadan	The start of a month of fasting
10 September	Eid-Ul-Fitr	A celebration to mark the end of Ramadan and thank Allah for His help with the month-long act of self-control.
17 November	Eid-Ul Adha	Festival of Sacrifice marking the day after Arafat. The Day of Arafat is the most important day in the Hajj ritual. This is a four day holiday
7 December	Al-Hijira	Islamic New Year. Marks the migration of the Prophet Mohammad [pbuh] and his followers from Mecca to Medina
16 December	Ashura	Islamic holy day observed on the 10th of the Islamic month of Muharram. Shi'ite Muslims regard it as a major festival marking the martydom of the Prophet's grandson, Hussein..

All dates subject to confirmation
Source: BBC Religion and Ethics

Classifieds

To enlarge the pictures below, go to the newsletter online and click on the photos

For Sale

BMW 335i

For Sale – 150,000 AED Very low mileage (17,000kms) BMW 335i , August 2008. Still under warranty, free service etc. Very good condition. Contact: Ian Rogers Ian.rogers@shell.com Mobile: 050 633 9160 Office: 040 405 4627

Various Household

Wardrobe AED 400	Bedroom Suite - 1 King Bed, 2 side tables, 1 dressing table & 5 door Wardrobe AED 5,500	Coffee Table AED 200
Computer Table and side table AED 500	Dining Table with 4 chairs AED 600	Wall unit AED 700
Sofa cum Queen Bed AED 4,000	PLUS 4 burner Whirlpool Gas Stove (White) AED 900 5kg Whirlpool washing machine / 3kg dryer (White) AED 1,200 Panasonic Microwave/Oven Grill (White) AED 400	Furniture available from July to 1st week of  September Please Contact: Adhil Jaouhari adhil.joouhari@shell.com Mobile: 050 552 4965

Toyota Camry

2007 model, fully automatic, excellent condition, agency maintained with full service history, single owner @ AED50,000 Car available from July to 1st week of  September Please Contact: Adhil Jaouhari adhil.joouhari@shell.com Mobile: 050 552 4965

Outpost Dubai

Newsletter Archive

You can find webpage versionsof this year's newsletters by clicking on the links below.
Please note that personal items (such as staff transfers and personal contact details) have been removed.

	January	February	March	April	May	June
	July	August	September	October	November	December

Destinations Magazine

The Outpost family magazine published quarterly, reporting on all aspects of expat life in Shell locations around the world. In this quarter's edition (June 2010): FOCUS ON GABON and CAMEROON Experiences from familes living in Gabon Q&A with the new Head of Production Geology in Gabon A 5 year-old perspective Wildlife in the region Reviewing Doula in Cameroon Football, Cameroon style Appreciating seasons again Advice on looking after yourself Appreciating Saudi Arabia Perspectives on returning to Holland Thoughts from a mature student Raising Multilingual children You should have already received a copy through Shell's internal post - please contact us if you need another copy.

Small Print

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© 2009-2010 Steve Taylor
The Outpost Dubai Newsletter is designed, researched, compiled, edited, produced and distributed by Steve Taylor for Outpost Dubai.
This newsletter is distributed to 455 subscribers in Dubai and to the Outpost offices in The Hague, Oman, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.
Copyright for some content lies with the referenced sources.Outpost Dubai is part of Global Outpost Services, the expatriate support network for Shell staff and families.