Bob Travel

Financial institutions are not only advised to practice due diligence, but now in the United States they are required to do so by laws enacted by the FCPA, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The practices and procedures that are set according to the act, state that all American businesses that conduct transactions with foreign companies, financial institutions and officials, but conduct thorough research about with whom they are to become involved.

The act was written in 1977, and was in response at that time to the bribery of and by foreign officials in exchange for the opportunity to do business in any given country.  Transparency in all transactions is what the FCPA requires, which simply means that what one does, the transactions one makes, must be out in the open for all to see.

It is about enforcing the basic, and the honest telling of the truth. of conducting one’s financial, business and in some cases personal, dealings above the board and out in the open.  Everything that one does, one will be accountable for.  In the banking world, this means that all transactions are reported when deemed to be suspicious.

This has served not only to protect the institutions themselves, but has also resulted in the investigations into acts of terrorist financing and other cases of fraud and corruption.  In the corporate world, all barriers have been removed as well.  This serves to give the public easy and free access to all the information surrounding the companies with whom one is dealing with, or supporting.

It also provides the means for those companies to defend themselves if they are called upon to do so.  When everything is out in the open, with nothing to hide, innocence is just as detectable as guilt.  The same holds true in the political realm.  As officials are being held more accountable for their actions today, the lack of privacy is really a good thing.  It is good, obviously for those who are doing nothing wrong, illegal or unethical.  It ensures that those the public supports–to support them, are worthy of that kind of loyalty.  The policies of the FCPA, are just set to keep it real, and to keep it honest.

Folk dance is an essential element in most areas of the United Arab Emirates, and this is true for Dubai. These dances are not limited to gender, age or social status and play an integral part in most celebrations, such as weddings, birthdays and national holidays. Drums and percussion are a primary factor of the dances, and once the tambourine begins, everyone is expected to join in the circle or line. People on work related trips and staying in any business hotels Dubai often hear of a holiday or festival involving a dance and have the opportunity to join in. Weddings are by far the most popular event where folk dancing takes place, and one would not be complete without it.

Men and women both take part in the dance, however they may express themselves in it differently. While women will usually sway to the strong beat, men will usually incorporate the act of war or hunting into their dances. One of the most popular dances in the region is the Ayyalah, which will often entail up to 200 men dancing together. The dance itself will represent defeat or victory over an enemy in war. The men will often brandish swords as they form lines facing each other and they will take turns reciting poetry. Another popular war themed dances is the Harbiya and also involves men in lines facing each other. Individual poetry recitation is not part of the Harbiya, though there are unaccompanied melodic phrasings at moments.

Another popular dance in Dubai is the Mated. This is different than the two others mentioned in that it is specifically related to religious expression. The dance is based on Sufi traditions and celebrates the birth of Mohammed. The Haban is yet another form of folk dancing. Its name refers to the stringed instrument which dominants the theme and accompaniment.

Kermit the Frog, the icon created by Jim Henson, once sang that “it ain’t easy being green”.  Well, Singaporeans are discovering that that is true to a certain extent.  The Economic Development Board of Singapore recently released a statement that there are over 1,000 jobs available right now in the industry of clean, or green, technology, however there is a shortage of qualified Singaporeans to fill those jobs.  Most of the jobs are at the wind energy and solar panel plants.

The main company looking for talent is Vesta, who now employs people from over twenty different companies.  The desire is to fill the positions with people from Singapore.  The economic recession of the United States is affecting all corners of the world, affecting the production of new plants and new endeavours in the quest for alternative energy sources.  But various government programs and specialized bank loans may come to the rescue.  For now, the research and development divisions locally invested financially and environmentally, are hiring like crazy, for the days when the funding is available.  The clean technology industry is the fasting growing industry, perhaps due to the fact that it really is a life or death situation.  From the conversion to water saving devices and solar panels by luxury Singapore business hotels to the individual businesses themselves, all sectors of Singapore have begun to take part in the attempt to save the planet.

According to the New Energy Finance group, the one sector wherein investments are actually up rather than down in this economy, is the energy aware and sustainable resource sector.  Singapore has long been known and admired for their savvy business interactions and the dedication of the workers in various business and industry ventures, so it’s no surprise that they are noticing a niche here that needs to be filled. Not only for financial rewards, but environmental rewards as well.  More than 650 billion dollars have been invested in the research and development to date.  International businesses are beginning to relocate to Singapore, a trend that has happened in the past in regards to the world of marketing and finance, but now is environmental.  The advanced technology from past endeavours only serves to enhance and expedite discoveries in the eco-friendly business and development.  Singapore is the right place, and this is the right time for such developments to take place.  As the world and all her inhabitants are depending on new ways, green ways, lives are depending on it.