Fire At American University in Dubai

On Tuesday, the 23^rd of February, a fire at the American University of Dubai took place in the tennis court at 6:30 am in the morning during the public holiday. No students or teachers were on premises when one security guard saw smoke rising from the tennis court at around 6:00 am.

Police Chief Meedo Taha was brought in to investigate the scene of the fire after the security guards tried putting out the fire before calling 999 for help. Firefighters were unable to reach the campus in time. Two casualties are confirmed.

Police Chief Taha says, “It is my grave duty to inform you all that we has a tragedy on campus this morning. A fire broke out between 6 and 6:30 am on the tennis courts and we had two casualties. One of who is one of our own, an AUD student, whose identity we cannot disclose at this present moment. The other still remains unidentified.”

No evidence of arson was found as of yet during the investigation. Updates of the investigation will be issued when possible.

This was not the first fire related incident of AUD as one had taken place 12 years before Police Chief Taha was appointed as chief of police. Details from the incident are unclear, though it was reported that the fire had occurred on the football field, though no casualties were reported.

Campus security personal were on campus stationed at all entrances. One security guard was taking a cigarette break outside the university entrance when he noticed the smoke at around 6:15 am. The cloud of smoke was large, denoting the size of the flames. Firefighters arrived on scene and were able to put out the flames shortly but could not save the victims’ lives.

According to the security, they all had tried to put out the flames with fire with available equipment, but by then the flames had grown too large for them to handle, thus the late call and response of the firefighters, within five minutes to the scene.

Police Chief Taha, however, revealed that most security cameras on campus were blocked by foliage and trees, leaving one camera to record the smoke rising off the tennis courts. Details of the video are being examined by police.

“We have found a substantial evidence of a large bag that was found on the tennis court. It was filled with medwakh and pipes. The big bag of pipes was just under a tree off the tennis court and we have reason to believe that the tennis courts were being used as a scene of exchange of contraband goods” according to Police Chief Taha.

Security reported to the police that three students had entered the campus, though they were not spotted outside the tennis courts. “Security stated that they believed that the students were going to attend their respective classes, despite being an off day.” Police Chief Taha.

The tennis courts are being treated as a crime scene and will be closed off until the damages have been repaired.

Organic In Dubai

Strays of Dubai

Strays of Dubai

Introduction of Myself To You

Hello;


My name is Sara Tirad Mahmoud.

I am a student at the American University in Dubai. I don't know why they call it the AUD university "in Dubai." Why not the American University of Dubai?

This is where I shrug then move on. >_>

Anyway, I'm majoring in journalism in mass communication. I enjoy reading fiction books and I love writing poems and short stories in my spare time. I started writing when I was 11 and have kept doing so. I am a retro/vintage/romanticist.

Like listening to music, with some of my favourate artists being Madonna, Melanie C, Sting, Sonique and Starsailor. I don't like any form of rap, except from Eminem.

My zodiac signs are Scorpio and the Earth Dragon. My favourate color is green, or Columbian emerald green.

I'm a big fan of anime/manga, with some of my favourates being Bleach, Naruto and Inuyasha for now. I'm also very interested in the paranormal.

I have an identical twin sister, Dana, who is majoring in photography at AUD. Any strange facts you've heard about identical twins, like ESP or mind reading, is true. Just in case you're curious.

I love animals; cats, dogs, birds, reptiles, rodents etc. I'm the type that runs towards a snake to pick it up while the other people are running in the opposite direction, which is kind of funny.

This is my first blog, so here I go. ^_O

Strays of Dubai

Dubai, located in the United Arab Emirates, is one of the few Emirati states that allow some compliancy with pets and their pet owners. Many apartment buildings do not allow dogs or cats in the premises, but some buildings do as long as the dogs are properly restrained and do not cause problems, like barking, for the other tenants, otherwise pets are welcome. 

The problem is not making accommodations for pets, but that their owners abandon them when they move homes or leave the UAE.  There are many strays cats and dogs in the UAE, with hundreds coming from Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

After a short discussion with Ms. Amani from the Dubai Municipality, I learned that the municipality turns in many of the strays they capture to the animal welfare organizations in Dubai. “We have many rules for keeping animals, like dogs, so that some breeds are not allowed in Dubai. Some like the snow dog or Husky and the very big dogs like the St. Bernard are not allowed because it is too hot in Dubai to keep them. We also do not allow the dangerous breeds of dogs into the country, like the Doberman. You can check this information at several of the government websites regarding bring animals into the UAE.”

Jackie Ratcliffe, the founder of K9 Friends Dubai in 1989, states that there are over 400 stray dogs that are taken into the shelter every year, with some of the dogs coming from the streets, “The streets mainly but also from people leaving the country giving up their dogs because they are bored of them,” according to Jackie. The K9 Friends Dubai is supported and recognized by the government and municipality of Dubai.

One of the well-known shelters for cats in Dubai is Feline Friends of Dubai, founded 1991 by Lesly King, a British expat living in Abu Dhabi. Feline Friends in the many pet owners that have abandoned their cats leave the overwhelming work and vast expenses to the shelter and volunteers to deal with. “Feline Friends is not supported by the government, so all the services are staffed by volunteers and donations. We do not have a shelter to keep the abandoned and stray cats in so many of them are placed in foster homes until they are adopted. We hold many special events like gala dinners and garage sales to raise the money needed to take care of the cats, and it is very hard. We rely on the donations and time given by our wonderful volunteers, which is much appreciated, as we are doing good for the community. What we mostly do is capture strays and neuter them, and if they are wild, we release them back on the streets but if they are young and have a good temperament, we can bring them with us and try to have them adopted.”

The Nad Al Shiba Veterinary Clinic, which does a lot of charity work, has a reputation for having some of the best veterinary surgeons in Dubai. Dr. Chris from Nad Al Shiba, states that “ We only provide support and discounted rates for animals presented via these charity / welfare organizations and sometimes injured wildlife. Our scope of work may include neutering, vaccination and worming, wound and trauma care. We work within budgets and guidelines established by the charity.” Dr. Chris says that Nad Al Shiba works with “Feline Friends, Dubai Animal Rescue, RAK Animal Welfare and the Sharjah Dog and Cat shelter.” Despite their contribuions though, costs are through the roof and donations are much needed to carry out these operations done by the clinic.

In short, I want the UAE community to know that cats and dogs are not toys to be thrown into the streets once their novelty wears off or if their owners must leave the country and cannot take their pets with them. Neglect is a form of animal cruelty and is also considered Haram or a sin, according to Islam. If one cannot take the full responsibility needed to bringing up a pet, then don’t contribute to the misery and number of strays and abandoned pets in the UAE. Be responsible and think before deciding to buy or adopt a pet, because they should be your friends forever, not just as long as they seem cute and entertaining for the short run.

Latinos Converting to Islam

Reading articles about how more and more internationals are converting to Islam throughout the world, especially in the states, makes this article stand out in the news. Out of all the photographs taken by Eirini Vourloumis, a photographer who now works in Greece, this one stood out to me the most.

Why?

 The most of the coverage done on Muslims and Islam from America do not do the religion any justice by stereotyping all Muslims to be anti-semetic, violent and extremists. Vourloumis portrays one Latino convert,  Miss Morales Essouiri, and how many Latinos are converting to Islam and why; because of the support the Muslim community gives to one another and as well as their heightened sense of the need to change the way people see Muslims as any other normal person who is just seeking something beyond this world.

Why I chose this photo out of the 18 others is because this photo shows what all Muslim girls have in common; a strong sense of dedication and devotion to Islam and the Qur'an but also that beauty matters and that making one's self beautiful is allowed. Women aren't restricted in Islam because many of them make their own decisions; whether to wear the headscarf and to wear makeup or none. Muslim girls are still girls, with their love for makeup and fashion that differs depending on their cultural background. There is life with Islam, and it is a life that is just as colorful and filled with peace and a sense of purpose.

Barber Tales and Linking Gaza To The Outside World Comparison.

The two videos, “Linking Gaza To The Outside World” and  “Barber’s Tales” both are new with interviews to bring the story forward, however, there are several differences between the two videos, regarding how they are portrayed to the audience along with the interviewee being present or not. Starting with the Gaza video, it is portrayed as a piece of news that has been formatted with the traditional news story settings. There is an interviewer that we cannot see, who is describing to the viewers who he is, what his job is and what he is doing, narrating all the while as the story goes, showing the underground tunnel and the smugglers, who are working to bring goods to those who need it in Palestine. The tone of the news is serious with no dressing up of the facts as they are being given. It is informative and straightforward. Pace is steady with a beat between the narrator speaking as the video goes on from scene to scene, each four to five seconds before switching to another scene.

With the barber’s video, it is polished and dressed up to entertain as well as to inform viewers. It is like light news with the invisible narrator. There is no self-introduction and there is music in the background, giving this video a commercial like feel. There are not one but two or several narrators, some being male and others female, as it is difficult to tell if the accents are the same or not. The news is given with the interviewers hidden as they narrate their stories. A sense of lightness is given and even humorous as each barbershop’s owner gives the background as they talk about their business and its significance to them and the community. Pacing is slow and becomes slightly faster as each interview passes, with the last one in Hong Kong, China being slight longer than the Beirut interview. It is almost like advertising the places as well as introducing and informing the public about the barbers.  It is a nice way to present light news to the public.