TDIC Projects

My partner Omar Al Junaibi and I conducted a research on the Saadiyat Island's Cultural District. Embedded below is our PowerPoint presentation, which includes the best features of our selected project.

The project that I liked the most was the Qasr Al Sarab project, since it is very unique, most of the others were basically very similar to each other, whereas Qasr Al Sarab was very distinguished compared to the rest. The main point which made it very attractive was it's setting, Qasr Al Sarab is located in the Liwa desert which basically is a very luxurious site. Another point is that it offers many leisure activities that are not provided on other projects such as, desert adventures, tents filled with traditional desert pursuits. Finally, it is filled with Royal Palace villas and there are no flats or apartments around, therefore tourists will have the benefit to live in their own Arabian style villas.

The least interesting project was the Shangri La Hotel. Currently there are a variety of hotels which are situated on the beachfront, therefore this hotel is not an attention grabbing project.
The leisure facilities included in the Hotel is very similar to most of the other hotels, thus makes it even less appealing. Another issue is it's location, it is very close to the airport, this might cause alot of distraction and noise to the tourists.

The TDIC projects in Abu Dhabi is an essential step that will subsequently lead it into a commercially successful and worldwide renounced city.

Cultural District, - Upload a doc

Read this doc on Scribd: Cultural District,

Cool City Comments

Good adaptations:

1.) Hybrid cars, solar ships: Hybrid cars and Solar ships uses rechargeable energy storage system (RESS), this is an extremely useful alteration to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions. The implementation of those vehicles will make the cool city a much more environmental-friendly place.

2.) Public transportation: Public transportation such as Monorail, Light Rail Transit (LRT) is provided in the cool city by the Transportation terminal complex. This way, citizens can use them instead of them driving their own vehicles and this helps to reduce emission of greenhouse gases.

3.) Solar powered plant farms: These plant farms are connected to solar powered machines which are used to provide the plants with energy. They are also protected by Jatropha forest to prevent sand shifting towards the plant farms.

Bad adaptations:

1.) Too costly: The expenses to actually construct this carbon-free city is actually very high. Therefore this will not just be costly but also consume too much time and effort.

2.) Eco tower’s complexity: Eco towers are buildings which uses state of the art technology to provide natural light, air, water and also taking into consideration about the gulf region’s climate. This seems to be a very complex design to construct and also very expensive.

3.) Water shortage: The cool city is surrounded by water and the city consumes a lot of water (sprinklers, showers), this is a problem because water is scarce.

My Carbon Footprint: Problems & Solutions

Carbon footprint is a measure of how human activities can affect the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide.
I undertook a survey on the WWF website to determine my footprint, it was 2.84 planets. Currently my carbon footprint levels are really high which can also cause problems on the environment. I also outlined several solutions can also help reduce my carbon footprint levels which will later be discussed on this report.

There are quite a lot of factors which can contribute to my footprint level. First, I scored poorly on the stuff category which is mainly buying expensive jewelry, furniture, household items and appliances. This is a really big problem since I am the type of person who likes to spend a lot on electronic devices such as mobile phones and high definition televisions. Another issue is that each electronic device has certain limitations in functionality for example, if I wanted to buy a game console such as Playstation, I must also take into consideration which type of television and stereo system I should buy hence this increases my footprint. My second poor score is on the food category since my diet consists of meat, it will be really difficult for me to be a vegetarian since my choice of food has always been meat.

There are several solutions which can help reduce my carbon footprint. One method is to reduce my spending habits on electronic devices and consider buying televisions which are not high definition.Another way is that I should also recycle such as tin cans, plastic, and glass on spinneys since they are also the main contributors to my carbon footprint. My final method is to consider eating some organic fruits, vegetables and also buy locally produced meat, vegetables and dairy products.

To conclude, there are several problems related to my footprint and also manyl solutions have been outlined. Global warming is a very serious issue and we can all work together in order to make our world a better place to live in.

Here is a link to a Carbon Footprint Video, viewer discretion is advised: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIhnDvb7Exo&feature=related

An Inconvenient truth - Evaluation

This Documentary was a very interesting one and I enjoyed watching it from the beginning until the end. It was like watching a thriller movie where you wanted to know what is going to happen next. Al Gore, the main presenter, was really great. His execution in timing and slide show presentation was really remarkable, he knew how to grab the attention of the audience when it came to showing charts and what kind of information would be suitable for them, he also took into consideration about his target audience and he was able to interact with them.

His realia included charts, stills, video clips, and even a few brief cartoons which made it easy for the audience to understand the contents of his presentation. He was really relaxed, personable, funny and very confident about delivering his message.

Finally, when he spoke about how his older sister, a life long smoker, died of lung cancer, and about how an accident suffered by his 6 year old son changed his priorities as a politician. I thought that it was a good move to add some sincerity and sensitivity, qualities that politicians often seem to lack.

An Inconvenient truth - Summary

In the movie “An Inconvenient truth” produced in 2006, the former vice president of the United States Al Gore talks about the severity of the climate crisis which was triggered by the death of his sister from lung cancer and also his son’s near-fatal car accident. He also outlines some several solutions to this problem.

Al Gore takes a scientific approach of the issue of climate change, he gives detailed information about the politics and financial side of global warming. He also describes the various consequences global climate change will produce if the amount of carbon dioxide is not significantly reduced in the future. The former vice president presented on various experiments and examinations conducted on the yearly temperature and carbon dioxide levels on Antarctica. If this issue is not taken into consideration, many problems will arise such as the possibility of the collapse of a major ice sheet in Greenland which would consequently raise the sea levels. Another problem is the flooding of the coastal areas which will result in 100 million refugees. Salinity will also cause a melt water in Greenland.

Al Gore outlines several solutions to help reduce the catastrophic effects of global warming. One solution is to reduce the carbon dioxide levels and also implementing the process of planting more vegetation in order for them to consume more carbon dioxide. More efficient use of Electricity, appliances and other renewable sources and higher mileage cars are also mentioned.

To conclude, the main point that Al Gore is trying to emphasize on is that no matter how hard we work in order to solve this factor, the whole world must first join together filled with determination and hold each other’s hands in order to co-operate together on trying to get to the bottom of this issue.

Critical Thinking Summary

Critical thinking is defined as a higher degree of thinking, analyzing and assessing various types of information given. It can be used on different types of working environments or occupations, from lawyers to doctors and even students. It occurs when a person questions beyond what is given to him, in order to come to a conclusion, a critical thinker must first listen carefully, look for the evidence and also be curious. After all those factors have been considered, he is then able to reach to a logical solution. Critical Thinking is an important factor because it covers all the components of communication, socialization and technological advances.

Benjamin Bloom created a pyramid which shows the hierarchical classification of thinking levels called "Bloom's Taxonomy". In this Pyramid,the critical thinking levels are more complex as you go up.First, at the bottom is knowledge which is remembering information. Second is comprehension which is understanding information more easily. Third is application which is paraphrasing. Fourth is analysis which is examination. Then comes synthesis which is recreating and finally is evaluation which is coming to a conclusion about the facts presented.

Everybody thinks, but if we follow the important factors such as observing, making assertions and assessing statements, we can all be critical thinkers.

About me

Hello. My name is Mohammed Al Hashemi, I am from the United Arab Emirates, I am single, 22 years old and I am currently a student at the Higher Colleges of Technology. I am planning to study for a Higher Diploma degree in the major Chemical Engineering. I applied for a sponsorship last year at the Department of Civil Service and finally my application was approved so i am currently a sponsored student. I have a variety of hobbies; some of them include swimming, playing video games, surfing the internet and spending weekends with my friends.

I was born in the United Arab Emirates in the city of Abu Dhabi; I have spent my whole life in the U.A.E. When I was 4 years old,I joined The Cambridge High School. I spent 8 years in that school,it was one of my best experiences since I learnt a lot there. I learnt my English there since most of my friends were from either the United Kingdom or the United States of America. I also got to know various cultures such as Indian, Italian, British, German, Mexican and many more. After receiving my I.G.C.S.E (International General Certificate of Education), I spent my final year at the Al Worood Academy and received my High School Diploma. At 2006 I applied to the Higher Colleges of technology and i am hoping to continue my Master's Degree there.

I have travelled to many different countries such as, The U.S.A,The U.K, Germany, Poland, France, Belgium, Saudia Arabia, Egypt, Russia, Singapore and Cyprus. I enjoyed my time there. My favourite trip was to U.S.A, I visited the state of Orlando, it was really beautiful, I visited MGM and Universal Studios, it's actually a theme park filled with different types of recreational activities from Haunted Houses to jaw-breaking roller coster rides.

The person who has influenced me the most was the late Sheikh Zayed. He always wanted what was best for his people and his country, from that he made our lives much more secure and peaceful. That is why i am determined to serve my country in every possible way and honour Sheikh Zayed, the only way to do that is to study and work hard to serve my country.

My future plan is really simple, first i want to graduate as the top student from my college and work as the most qualified Chemical Engineer in this country. Second, I want to get married and start a family, in order to achieve my second dream i must fulfill my first dream.