THE

The Spr ing

Issue

AKHBARA Stu den t Pu b l i cat i on of t h e A m er i can Sch ool of Du bai

Inside this issue

...and more!Exclusive Interview with Mai Al-Nakib How to be a ninja 13 things to do over

spring break Donuts to die for

I t is wi th a spr ing in our steps that we welcom e spr ing.

A t im e of r ebir th, r ek indl ing, and renewal .

In one cul ture, the Ir an ian cul ture, spr ing sees the beginn ing of a New Year, Nowruz.

In one m agazine, the Akhbar, spr ing sees the beginn ing of new content.

W ith the recent Dubai Em irates Fest ival of Li terature garner ing coverage, and m ore regarding visi t ing authors, the spr ing issue is a ver i table fest ival of l i terature.

Spr ing is a t im e of agr icul tural r ebir th, and as a resul t , th is issue includes plenty about food. From a hunger inducing ar t icle on Donuts to die for, and, yes, an ar t icle on the benefi ts of ju ice, r ead hungry.

W hi le too m uch food can cause heal th issues, a heal thy approach towards l i fe can also be beneficial .

An approach towards l i fe predicated on being a n in ja, another ar t icle in th is issue of the Akhbar.

From Cur rent Events to Student Li fe, and everyth ing in between, th is issue of the Akhbar is r efr eshing, l ike spr ing.

Read long and prosper.

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Mani Seeber, '15

LAYOUT EDITORS: Noor Mohammad, '15

Kaley Garvey, '16

COPY EDITOR: Haya Anis, '17

STUDENT LIFEBeat Editor: Cheyenne Belt, '16

Layan Abu Aysha, '16

Chloe Folmar, '18

Rania Khan, '18

Jessica Nelson, '18

ARTSBeat Editor: Sophia Syed, '15

Noor Mohammad, '15

Nick Leibman, '15

Kaley Garvey, '16

Mohammed Suliman, '18

SPORTSBeat Editor: Louis Le Roux, '18

Natasha Graves, '15

Jonathan Shipcott, '18

Kian Sohrabi, '18

TECHNOLOGYBeat Editor: Chirag Garg, '15

Hashim Shubbar, '18

Rebal Abdul Hadi, '18

CURRENT EVENTSBeat Editor: Mani Seeber, 15

Martina Elia, '15

Sophia Dennelly, '16

Haya Anis, '17

Yasmin Hamwi, '18

FOODBeat Editor: John Henderson, 15

David Saba, '15

Anah Malik, '15

THE AKBAR 2015:STAFF & EDITORS

A Letter from the Editor: SpringMani Seeber, '15

15 16 2017 19 21

SUN MON TUE W ED THU FRI SAT

23 25 2724 26 28

29 30 1 331 2 4

18

22

5 6 8 107 9 11

13 1512 14 16 17 18

CALENDARMAR 15-APR 18

GIN - Milan trip begins

PowerFit field trip to Bounce

KFW K Fashion Show

International Day Event

S P R I N G

B R E A K

Spr ing is a season of r ebir th and revi tal izat ion, largely r ecognized as a t im e to star t over. W hen New Year?s resolut ions have dwindled down and winter has eaten away at the energy and em otion of m any around the wor ld, som ething is needed to fr eshen and br ing l i fe. This is where happiness com es in to play.

85% of h igh school students at the Am er ican School of Dubai, boys and gir ls hai l ing fr om each class, have said that they are general ly happy. Addi t ional ly, these students subm itted sentences under l in ing the cir cum stances in which they are m ost content.

Three heal thy tr ends were recognized in these responses:

Laughing - ?Laughing m akes m e happy.?

Laughing has been scient i f ical ly proven enhance heal th and f i tness. I t has sim i lar benefi ts to exercise. Laughter i tsel f both str etches m uscles in your face and body, and helps you feel m ore energized and less rundown.

Exercising - ?I feel happy when I 'm running, or after r unning.?

Exercising is obviously a heal thy pract ice (as long as you don?t overdo i t). Research has proven that r egular physical act ivi ty decreases chances of m ul t iple diseases. Exercise also has m any benefi ts toward your happiness, and can decrease chances of depression and anxiety.

Travel l ing - ?Travel l ing with m y fam i ly and fr iends is the th ing that m akes m e the m ost happy.?

Travel l ing actual ly has m ore benefi ts than you m ight expect, such as im proving social sk i l ls, r educing str ess, and becom ing m ore pat ient and f lexible. Tak ing responsibi l i ty whi le tr avel l ing can bui ld up m any essential capabi l i t ies.

This survey has proven that m any in the ASD com m unity are happy.

To those who are not happy, th is spr ing should be a t im e to begin anew. Just star t by tak ing a look around you, at the beauty of the wor ld. Sm ile m ore. Laugh m ore. H ave m ore fun. Spr ing can be your chance to be ?reborn?.

St udent Lif eHappiness

Chloe Folm ar, '18

"...I 'm sur rounded by m y fr iends, because they take the str ess away fr om m y dai ly l i fe."

"...I 'm work ing towards som ething that I care about."

"...the people I care about are happy too."

"...I am sur rounded by people who I love."

"...everyth ing seem s to be work ing out."

"...I 'm per form ing, or when m y endeavors are successful ."

"...I 'm sur rounded by people who are k ind and who reciprocate m y love."

"...I l isten to m usic."

I am m ost happy when...

Photo Credi ts: Google

Would you prefer to relax during your spring break or have a wild experience?

I would love to relax! Definitely something dif ferent and fun.

Would you prefer some place quiet or a quite

crowded place?

I l ike being surrounded by

people.

Some place quiet would be

ideal.

Are you interested in massages, daily trips to the spa, and being pampered

all day?

Yes for sure!

Maldives

What about animals?

Yes, I don't Mind!

No, thanks.

Thailand

Would you prefer to sleep at a campsite or a hotel during your trip?

No way, a hotel without a doubt!

Yes, I would love to camp!

Kenya

Are you all about the parties and having fun with your friends?

No, I prefer some sort of adventure on

my trip

Arenas Del Mar, Costa Rica

No Yes

Mykonos

St udent Lif eWhat is Your Ideal Spring Break Destination?

Layan Abu Aysha '16

All photos credited from google.com

M arch 21- Apr i l 19

Independent, Generous, Optim ist ic, Enthusiast ic, Courageous

M oody, Shor t Tem pered, Sel f-Involved, Im pulsive, Im patient

Ar ies personal i t ies are independent. Being the f i r st of the zodiac signs, they venture out and are go-getter s, often leading the way. Their upbeat and m agnetic personal i ty often ent ices others to fol low their lead because Ar ies personal i t ies br ing

exci tem ent in to others l ives.

Ar ies are good fr iends. They always look out for their fr iends with car ing and generosi ty and wi l l protect them should the need ar ise and encourage them with their natural opt im ism . I f confronted, Ar ies can turn to be qui te chi ldish. They wi l l

f ight back with their aggressive nature and are known to have tem per tantrum s should they not get their way.

Ar ies are act ivists. I f a business idea com es their way, they tend to plunge r ight in . Ar ies are m ore than wi l l ing to take a gam ble and fol low their dream s and goals. H owever, i f success is not im m ediate, they tend to lose in terest and give up

easi ly. Ar ies are notor ious for not f in ishing what they have begun. This is due to the low tolerance for boredom and lack of pat ience. I f the exci tem ent is gone fr om their business idea, they go off and search for i t elsewhere.

If you would like to know more about your Zodiac sign, please go to http:/ / zodiac-signs-astrology.com/

Ar ies

I t?s no secret that spr ing break isn?t just a t im e to tan and catch up on sleep. I t?s also the per fect t im e for teenagers to do th ings without their parent?s consent. I t?s the per fect t im e to par ty. So, how exact ly do students at ASD th ink when i t com es to ?spr ing break??

W hi le talk ing to m ul t iple students in our H igh School , i t was found that the topic of par tying dur ing Spr ing Break was very com m on, but whether or not i t was okay di ffered with each student. Som e bel ieved that i t was al l apar t of the H igh School exper ience, and are al l for i t , whi le others were com pletely against the idea of par tying. But when asked i f they were aware of the r isks, i t was found that barely any students knew about the r isks of par tying in Dubai.

Living in Dubai, people aren?t always aware that even the idea of gett ing caught in toxicated in i tsel f is r isky,

com pared to countr ies l ike the U.S, Canada, and Europe. The legal age to dr ink and buy alcohol in Dubai is 21, but people aren?t always aware that publ ic in toxicat ion is i l legal . One can get ar rested

at anyt im e i f drunk and in a publ ic area. This is on ly r egarding those 21 and older. The laws are m uch m ore str ict when i t com es to those underage. I t is str ict ly prohibi ted to be in toxicated i f underage, even at hom e, or wi th parents. Students should be aware of the unwelcom ing resul ts of what m ight happen i f caught. These resul ts include a f ine ranging fr om Dhs1,000 to Dhs2,000, facing jai l t im e for as long as 6 m onths, and depor tat ion. Students aren?t aware of the fact that whi le par tying they are not just putt ing

them selves at r isk , but the people around them , and i t m ost ly just has to do with being caught up in the m om ent.

W hy is i t that students st i l l decide to par ty when they are aware of how r isky i t is? I t is the whole idea of wanting to r ebel . W hether par tying is som ething that seem s acceptable, or in tolerable is up to a student and their m orals to decide what is r ight, but students should always be aware of what m ight happen i f caught, and should always th ink before they act.

Spr ing Br eak... For ever ?

St udent Lif eRania Khan, '18

Str ength W or ds:

Independence:

Fr iendship:

Business:

Jessica Nelson, ?18Hor oscope

All photos credited from google.com

W eak ness W or ds

W anna see som e shar k s? W hat better w ay to exper ience som ething

new by going Scuba Diving!

( Al Boom , Jum er iah or Atlantis)

Go dune bashing, r ide a cam el, and w atch som e oddly enter taining bel ly

dancing! The Deser t Safar i holds m any m em or ies in

stor e!

(contact: +971-5-2768-111)Look ing for som e cheap, good quali ty shopping? W hy not tr y

Dr agon M ar ket? Ser iously, you can buy ANYTH ING fr om ther e.

( Al Aw ir Road,Dubai Inter national City)

Look ing for a ROAD TRIP. M usandam , Om an. Do i t, i t?s

gor geous.

(contact:+971-5-075-03001)

Som ething to suggest to fam ily: Eat dinner at Dubai Floating r estaur ant!

(Blu H otel , Dubai Cr eek )

Tr y the luxur ious l i festyle and r ent out a Yaacht w ith a bunch of fr iends!

( Dubai M ar ina Yacht Club,Dubai M ar ina )

Ice i t up a l i ttle bi t this spr ing and go ice sk ating or sk i ing!

(Dubai M all Sk ating Rink , and Sk i Dubai)

Look ing for a sketchy exper ience? Global Vi l lage. Be ther e, find nice

things for your house, tr y inter esting food, and get your

gangsta on.

(Sheik M oham m ed Bin Zayed Rd,

Rem em ber w ater par k s do exist her e?

(Atlantis or W ild W adi)

Go- Kar ting! ?Nough said.

(Dubai Autodr om e)

H ave Beachy day, go k i tesur fing (Dubai Kite School - Dubai) and then stop by the food tr uck cal led ?Salt?

for a juicy bur ger .

(Kite Beach)

POP POP, that got your attention! Live M usic at Pizza Expr ess and H ar d

Rock Cafe.

(Jum eir ah lake tow er s and Festival City).

13 Things to Do Over Spr ing Br eak ! By: Cheyenne A. Bel t '17

Need a new pr ofi le pictur e? Tr y visi ting the M ir acle Gar dens.

H onestly, they have som e pr etty si tes.

(Near Ar abian Ranches).

STudent Lif e

All photos credited from google.com

Ar t sSpr ing concer t r ev iews Noor M oham m ad, '15

Kaley Garvey, '16

One Direct ion

Apr i l 4th 2015

The wor ld?s biggest boy band, One Direct ion, is com ing to Dubai! After the huge success of their ?W here W e Are? tour in South Am er ica, Europe and the USA, they?ve decided to hi t the r oad again and head to the Sevens Stadium . This announcem ent is even m ore exci t ing now that they?ve released their four th studio album , FOUR, which includes a var iety of di fferent genres we?re not used to fr om the boys. This being their on ly concer t in the region, people fr om al l over the M iddle East wi l l be f lying in to witness the hear tthrobs that are H ar r y, Zayn, Liam , Nial l and Louis.

30 Seconds to M ars

Apr i l 10th 2015

The brothers, Jared and Shannon Leto, along with lead gui tar ist , Tom o M i l icevic, have produced four am azing album s with their m ost r ecent one being Love Lust Fai th + Dr eam s, r eleased in 2013. M any fans are counting on their r eturn to Dubai. Jared uploaded a video announcing the concer t on Apr i l 10th and giving Dubai a shoutout ?Dubai, Dubai. I t is going to be insane, m agical , fun, unforgettable, [...] W e?re so so so so psyched for th is n ight, we m iss you guys, we?re look ing forward to com ing back and we want to see you.? 30 seconds to M ars wi l l be per form ing at the W or ld Trade Center and t ickets are star t ing at 295 AED. Their concer ts have always been f i l led with energy and is expected to be a huge success. This concer t is sure to be a h ighl ight of your 2015 Spr ing Break !

Ed Sheeran

M arch 5th 2015

M arch 5th is a date that won?t soon be forgotten. Ed Sheeran com pletely wowed the audience of m ore than 12,000 fans. H e cam e out wi th h is opening song ?M ess? m et by a choir of cheers fr om the crowd. Along with singing h is own wel l proclaim ed songs, he also covered songs fr om other ar t ists such as, ?Superst i t ion? by Stevie W onder and ?No Diggi ty? by Blackstreet. H e incorporated these songs in to h is own flawlessly by using the on ly other instrum ent on stage besides h is voice and gui tar, the loop pedal . H e was able to create an ent i r e background to every song by on ly using the loop pedal to r ecord and replay h is voice and gui tar. H is songs were beauti fu l and brought m any fans to tears. This exper ience is one everyone there, including m ysel f, wi l l r em em ber for a long t im e.

Drake M arch 14th 2015

If I could descr ibe Drake's Saturday n ight per form ance at the Dubai In ternat ional cr icket stadium in one word, i t would be aver age. After spending m onths searching for the best possible t ickets and invi t ing al l m y fr iends to f ly over for what was supposed to be the concer t of the year, I m ust adm it I was sl ight ly disappointed at the outcom e. Two hours after the expected star t t im e, Dr izzy decided he had m ade the crowd wait enough and f inal ly began his per form ance with h is h i t single, ?Trophies?. H e then talked about h im sel f and h is hom etown, and th is happened after alm ost every song. M ay I add that he never actual ly f in ished a song, or even sang the sam e one for over a m inute. These ?hear t-to-hear t? talks added up to about 40 m inutes of h is total 1 and a hal f hours per form ance. H ere's a quote dir ect ly fr om m y cousin who f lew in to see h im , ?That wasn?t wor th m issing the new Vam pire Diar ies episode that just air ed?.

Ar t sAkhbar Special : Int er v iew wit h MAI AL- NAKIB, Awar d Winning Aut horSophia Syed '15Mohamed Suliman '18

The Akhbar got the chance to in ter view M ai Al Nak ib, an award winn ing wr i ter based in the US and the M iddle East. She won the 2014 Edinburgh In ternat ional Book Fest ival Fir st Book Award for her book of shor t stor ies, The H idden L ight of Objects. She is fam i l iar wi th the M iddle Eastern l i festyle l ike students at ASD and has l ived in Kuwait and the United States for a par t of her l i fe. W e got the oppor tun i ty to ask her som e quest ions about her wr i t ing and how i t has im pacted her and others. As we sat down and hi t r ecord, M s. Al-Nak ib was ready to r ol l . W e

begun with the typical quest ion any renowned wr i ter should be asked at the beginn ing of an in ter view: W hat inspired you to becom e a wr i ter? W ait ing for her r esponse, we assum ed she would nam e classics l ike The Road, or 1984, or even The Gr eat Gatsby, but her r esponse was a bi t di fferent. The answer? H ar r i et the Spy. W e al l giggled as she went on to descr ibe how the book?s journal ist ic way of wr i t ing inspired her to keep a journal and to keep reading. W ho knew the diar ies of a chi ldren 's book would ign i te the f lam e to create an author l ike M ai Al-Nak ib?

But success doesn't come without a f ight and Ms. Al-Nakib can attest to that. We asked her about the obstacles she faced during the writ ing process of her short stories and she claimed that some days she could only write one

sentence! Now before you aspiring authors get nervous about the notorious writer's block, she went on to add that despite these struggles, the determination to write will always present itself no matter the issue. She claims a true writer will always overcome these bumps in the road and that it 's all a part of the process. That makes sense, right? How many times have we had to rewrite an AP Lit or Lang essay to get it to its f inal draft? Writing is a process and everyone, including an award-winning author, can support that claim. Good to know we're not alone!

Not only does Al-Nakib connect with us on a writ ing level, she also connects with us on a personal level. Being a third-cultured-kid, she gets the whole American-school-overseas-thing. She has lived in many regions of the world and states what she thinks about being a kid of the world: "I l ike feeling the richness of not belonging to one place. I l ike feeling that I have more than one language and having more than one place to call home and my family coming from many places..." It 's really humbling to hear this from someone who has lived a life similar to ours. Beautifully put, Ms. Al-Nakib, beautifully put.

ASD was lucky to have such a lovely lady visit us. Honestly, I think we all learned a lot about the art of writ ing and a lot about the life of a writer. Check out her book The Hidden Light of Objects!

Ar t s

David M itchel l?s cr i t ical ly acclaim ed novel Cloud At las is, for better or less words, exceptional . Tak ing up several genres at once is an am bit ious task and pul l ing that of is a feat no shor t of a m iracle, yet M itchel l executes th is task . Ut i l izing six dist inct character s, each residing in a di fferent piece of h istor y.

The f i r st stor y fol lows Adam Ewing,the ?Yankee Neck Am er ican,? in 1830?s H awai i , where western in fluence has worm ed i t?s way in . This segm ent told through journal entr ies that is r em in iscent to that of M oby Dick and H ear t of Darkness

(th is of course is subject ive).

The second fol lows an aspir ing star ving ar t ist by the nam e of Rober t Frobisher who tel ls h is tale through letter s. A stor y is in star k contrast wi th that of Adam Ewing?s. W ords are m isspel led and capi tal ized incor rect ly, sentences are in fr agm ents. Frobisher?s stor y focuses on the dream s and desires of a m usical ar t ist , fam i ly estrangem ent, and the effor t one puts in to cont inue to fu l f i l l their dream s. W ith,

of course, som e adul ter y and decei t to keep th ings in terest ing

The th ir d stor y fol lows Luisa Rey, a young journal ist invest igat ing a power plant. The stor y plays out l ike a m ystery novel . The journal / let ter concept is thrown out the window and replaced with a m ore styl ist ic th ir d person voice which is f i t t ing for a cr im e thr i l ler esque stor y

The four th stor y a bi t odd but fol lows Tim othy Cavendish and his di lem m a of being for ced in to an old folks hom e and his attem pts to escape. This stor y is m uch m ore l ight hear ted and com ical than the others.

The f i f th stor y is wel l set in the future Korea and involves a clone nam ed Sonm i~451 and is for better or less words, is a dystopian stor y, f i l led with cor rupt governm ent,

brain dead clones and focuses on the them e of sel f ident i ty.

The sixth and f inal stor y goes on the longest and is the m ost focused par t of the novel . H aving no breaks in the stor y at al l and to avoid spoi ler s I?l l leave i t at that.

I t is no surpr ise that Cloud At las has been renowned by cr i t ics and has won several awards, including The Br i t ish Book Award Li terar y Fict ion Award, Richard & Judy Book of

the Year Award . Coincidental ly, David M itchel l was also a guest speaker at the Em irates Li terature fest ival th is m arch.

Recom m ending th is book is a bi t di ff icul t . I f you en joy fol lowing 6 seem ingly unrelated character s and exper iencing several di fferent types of wr i t ing styles and them es, r ead Cloud At las. The book is accessible despi te i ts daunting 600 page length, and is overal l a fun read and stays in terest ing throughout. The broad range of topics fr om Dystopian, to Dram a is done wel l and M itchel l does a good job incorporat ing al l 6 stor ies together, leaving h in ts of each individual act ions in the other stor ies. I f you have the t im e check out Cloud At las.

Also i f r eading isn?t r eal ly your th ing, The W achowsk is (Director s of The M atr i x and m ost r ecently Jupi ter Ascending) did a decent job m ak ing the Cloud At las m ovie in 2012. Usual ly the book is far super ior than the f i lm , however the m ovie tr ies to stay tr ue to the source m ater ial and is qui te an eye pleaser in visual effects.

EMIRATES FESTIVAL OF Lit er at ur e

Cl oud At l as Rev iew Nicholas Leibm an, '15

Ar t sThe Book Thief and Beyond: Mar kus ZusakKaley Garvey, '16

M arkus Zusak chose a un ique character to nar rate h is award winn ing novel , The Book Thief . Death tel ls the stor y of n ine-year -old, Liesel M em inger, a r ecent foster chi ld. The nar rator fol lows Liesel 's endless tr ai l of lost loved one?s in Nazi Germ any in W or ld W ar I I . Death al lows i tsel f to watch her as i t begins to take in terest in th is par t icular young gir l?s l i fe.

On M arch 6th, M arkus Zusak sold out a large room ful l of fans at the Dubai Li terar y Fest ival . W e al l cam e to hear the voice behind the words and learn m ore about what inspired th is un in tent ional l i terar y

phenom enon. H is fam i ly, he says, has always been suppor t ive of h is career path. H e considers h is m om an inspirat ion and appreciates h is dad?s tolerance for what he does. W hen asked how he and his fam i ly r eacted to the publ icat ion of h is f i r st book , he said: ?M y dad cal led at 2:30 in the m orn ing, the m anuscr ipt was put on the head publ ishers desk and they wanted to publ ish i t , and I knew i t when the phone rang.

M y sister s cr ied and m y brother, because th is is the k ind of r elat ionship we have, just said ?pretty good.??

After hear ing about h is very enter tain ing personal l i fe and chi ldhood m em or ies (including chi ldhood n icknam es l ike Salm on, which h is m other cal led h im ), he was asked how The Book Thief affected h is l i fe and i f he could could im agine l iving i t wi thout the book . H is r esponse m ade i t pretty obvious that the book m eant a lot m ore to h im than he or iginal ly in tended i t to. H e som etim es enjoys rereading par ts of h is book and rem em ber ing the young m an that wrote i t . ?I star ted cr ying when I r eread the chapter ?Confessions,? and that?s when I r eal ized the book didn?t m ean som ething to m e, i t m eant everyth ing.?

H is opin ion on the recently r eleased m ovie was also quest ioned as i t was qui te di fferent fr om the or iginal text.

H e responded understandingly: ?I?m happy the book becam e i t?s own th ing. I r eal ly didn?t tr y to get too involved. The book was hard enough to wr i te on i t?s own.? H e expressed that he understands how chal lenging i t would be to l isten to an author?s wishes as a m ovie

producer. ?I t?s the sam e since, l ike i f a m ovie producer were to have m e watch a m ovie and then wr i te a book about i t , I?m an author, I?m going to in terpret i t m y way and wr i te the book how I th ink i t should be wr i t ten as a wr i ter, not a m ovie producer.?

As m uch as he seem s to appreciate everyth ing The Book Thief has given h im , he

also looks forward to h is future projects: ?The book cam e out cam e out 10 years ago, I?m hugely gratefu l to the book . But I can?t l ive a l i fe of that book forever. I?m tr ying hard to f in ish m y next book .?

H e adm its to having som e tr ouble star t ing another book . Apparent ly, wr i ter s? block can affect even the m ost genius of wr i ter s. H e said he regained his creat ivi ty when he decided to stop pleasing h is fans. ?I decided that I was going to stop tr ying to f igure out what the fans wanted. For a whi le I fol lowed you guys, but now you'r e going to have to fol low m e. W hen I m ade th is decision, everyth ing opened up.? H e hopes to f in ish h is new book , ent i t led The Br idge of Clay, by the end of the year. I f al l goes wel l , h is book should be publ ished by next year, and i t is sure to f ly off the bookshelves as fast they'r e put on.

EMIRATES FESTIVAL OF Lit er at ur e

What Can Spring Sports do for You?By: Louis le Roux '18

Photo Credits: Google.com

Sports

Basebal l and softbal l , as they are a couple of the biggest spor ts in Am er ica, are look ing forward to another great season. Basebal l is a fantast ic spor t, that can go ei ther way in every gam e. A rough day in the spor t can real ly h i t hard, but when you are feel ing good about your abi l i t ies, i t is tough to stop you. Al though basebal l is a m ore individual team spor t than m ost, i f you have the capabi l i ty to work with a team in any spor t, i t wi l l help you great ly. Sk i l ls you can acquire fr om a sol id season in basebal l include increased hand-eye coordinat ion, abi l i ty to burst in to a fu l l spr in t, and a str onger throwing arm .

Badm inton is also a r ising spor t that is star t ing to get the attent ion i t deserves. W ith the com binat ion of speed, accelerat ion, agi l i ty, and power needed to excel at the spor t, i t gets very fun to watch throughout the m atch. I f you do m ake the team th is year, you wi l l be putt ing your hand-eye coordinat ion and determ inat ion to the test to push through tough patches in the season or even in a single m atch. Your r eflexes, agi l i ty, and hand eye coordinat ion wi l l also increase over the course of the season. Badm inton is obviously a one-on-one spor t, un less played with doubles, so general ly your success wi l l com e fr om your personal abi l i ty.

This season, the tr ack team m ade cuts, so that al l divisions can pract ice together, and ?be a big tr ack fam i ly?. To excel at tr ack , m ain ly the running aspect, you need speed, technique, and f i tness. For f ield events, you need strong legs and core for jum ping events. Strong arm s wi l l help in the shot put and discus. W hen you run tr ack , you can also create great bonds with others, so you can push each other and help each other through tough t im es. I f you m ake the Track and Field Team , you wi l l be set up with several of these sk i l ls.

The latest season has ended with a bang, br inging in countless EAC and M ESAC m edals fr om both JV and V team s. Now, i t is t im e to progress in to the next season of ASD ath let ics. In the fol lowing season there are 3 spor ts that wi l l be underway. They include Badm inton, Softbal l , Basebal l , and Track and Field. Al l ath letes are look ing to go in to next season and do noth ing less than win as m uch as possible, and im prove their individual sk i l ls in the t im e span the coaches are given. W hen doing an ath let ic spor t, suppor t fr om fr iends and fam i ly help you to do your best. I f you are not doing an ASD spor t th is season and you have som e fr ee t im e, com e out and suppor t our team s and help them str ive to do their very best.

London Olympics 2012

?Rebound exercise is the m ost eff icient, effect ive form of exercise yet devised by m an.? - NASA

It?s spr ing break , and you want to stay f i t . H ow is that going to happen, in a way that is fun for everyone, and for every age? The answer to that quest ion, is BOUNCE m iddle east. W ith a warehouse fu l l of 80+ tr am pol ines, you can bounce you hear t away. There are four di fferent bounce exper iences that you can choose fr om . For the ladies you have, Bounce Ladies, were on every M onday, you can go to bounce just as ladies, and bounce with fr iends or fam i ly al l you want. Then there is f l ight academ y, where you can go, and learn how to do al l the f l ips and jum ps that you see the tr ained bounce tr ainers to. Then for al l your younger sibl ings, you can send them to m in i bounce. M in i bounce, is where they can go, and learn how to bounce, and techniques. Then bounce f i t , for both m en and ladies, where you can go to 60 m inute classes, and workout in a fun way. Al l of these are fun ways to bounce and stay f i t over spr ing break . M y personal exper ience at bounce, was a real ly en joyable one. I had a lot of fun with m y fr iends at Bounce. Over al l , bounce is a very fun exper ience that anyone fr om any age can enjoy anyt im e of year.

Bounce Ladies Fl ight Academy Mini Bounce Bounce Fit

Bounce ladies is for al l the ladies who want to go to bounce without their m en. They get the whole place to them selves, and can do whatever they want. Every M ondays 7:15 to 10:15 pm

Fl ight academ y is for anyone who wants to learn how to do the f l ips and al l the wal l cl im bs. But for th is academ y, i t is necessary for you to r egister in bounce.ae.

M in i bounce is for l i t t le k ids, who enjoy bounce, and want to have fun. This bounce, is m ostly for the k ids, who don?t go to school yet. Jun ior Jum pers aged between three and f ive, m in i-BOUNCE is designed to get k ids bouncing safely whi le having heaps of fun.

Bounce f i t , is for anyone that wants to get f i t , in a fun way, by bouncing on the tr am pol ines. Al l BOUNCE FIT book ings m ust be m ade 12 hours in advance. Each class of extrem e bounce exercise is 60 m inutes.

Johnathan Shipcott , '15The Ultimate Bounce Experiences

Photo Credit: Bounce.ae

Sports

Eight by eight m eters, blue and red squares connect ing l ike puzzle pieces; I look down, tr acing the l ines with m y eyes. Trudging forward, tr ying to look as confident as possible whi le the butter f l ies in m y stom ach violent ly tr y and discourage m y feet fr om tak ing another step. M y toes l ine up facing potent ial victor y, or defeat. The referee

yel ls out in Korean ?Blue, Red!? M y m uscles tense. M y throat is instant ly dr y, yet m y m ind is r eady. I bow low to the ground keeping eye contact wi th the l ines on the m at.

?Ready posi t ions,? yel ls the ref, I look up, throw m y head back , and scream with the fur y of a l ion, woken up fr om his nap. M ust r eject the pain , never back down, and i f they?re going to win, give ?em hel l .

As cl iche as i t is, I?m going to back up and star t th is fr om the beginn ing when a l i t t le gir l at four years old wanted to go to the Olym pics for Taekwondo. I?m not going to l ie and say I was always m otivated to go to class. There were always those days when m y m om for ced m y sister and I in to the car k ick ing and scream ing - and I?m sure glad she did. A com m on m isconception with m ar t ial ar ts is that i t?s al l about k ick ing and punching and beating people up; that?s on ly a sm al l fr act ion of i t . Taekwondo is about values, r espect, com m itm ent, dedicat ion, perseverance, yada yada yada. But in al l ser iousness, I am who I am today because of Taekwondo; i t?s m y hear t and soul . The idea of control is a huge par t of who I am , Taekwondo is about sel f defense, not throwing the f i r st punch but having the com posure to walk away fr om the si tuat ion.

Now, lets get to the beating people up. Taekwondo includes two, two m inute rounds of k ick ing, punching, head str ikes, and spinn ing m otions in order to gain poin ts. A punch or k ick to the body is one point, a spinn ing k ick to the body is two points, a k ick to the head is three points, and a spinn ing k ick to the head is four poin ts. I f there is a t ie at the end of the m atch, they go in to a th ir d sudden death round where one point gained ends the m atch. Com peti tor s m ust wear a white, W or ld Taekwondo Federat ion approved uni form . Gloves are opt ional , but hogu (chest protector ), instep (shin guards/ foot pads), arm guards, helm et, and m outh guard m ust be worn. The new chest protector s in the Olym pics

are censored and rather di ff icul t to score on, so head shots are com m on, m ak ing the spor t m ore exci t ing to watch.

W hen I was eight, I t r avel led to the Junior Olym pic National Qual i f ier s wi th m y team of twenty or so close fr iends, we spent weeks br inging our weights down. Once we were done with weigh-in , we basical ly binge ate unt i l our events. I was raised on Korean food and goldfish crackers. Sleeping on bleachers, and playing gam es with m y fr iends; oh how we al l wish we st i l l had that k ind of energy.

Com peting in the U.A.E is very m uch Olym pic-style. The ru les are very str ict , censored equipm ent is used, and team s tr avel fr om al l over the wor ld to f ight. I was tr ain ing with the Fujair ah

team for a couple m onths and have also tr ained with the Dubai team in preparat ion for a com peti t ions held in the U.A.E last year. Those were rewarding oppor tun i t ies, but I fel t l ike som ething was m issing. Yes, I was back in m y elem ent, but i t lacked m y fam i ly. The fr iends who were always there for eachother, coached each other, r an and got water for, ate a whole box of cook ies with, got bruises fr om , were nervous with, cheered with, and couldn?t m ove a single m uscle anym ore with. The spor t wi l l always be a par t of m y l i fe no m atter where I am and who I?m with, because when you love som ething never let i t go, because you wi l l never be sat isf ied with anyth ing less.

How To Be A Ninja!!!

Photo credi ts to Google

Sports

2012 my 3rd degree testing ceremony

2003 competit ion team, f ind 7 year old me!

Natasha Graves, '15

Sports

2 m onths ago, hundreds of student-ath letes decided their future on National Sign ing Day. Som e of them need t im e to m ake an im pact, whi le others are ready to burst onto the scene. These are som e highly talented players that can m ake a huge im pact at their school .

Sotonye ?Soso? Jam abo, RB, UCLA- UCLA had a huge Sign ing Day. Som e of UCLA?s big nam es are Sotonye ?Soso? Jam abo, Josh Rosen and Cordel l Broadus (a.k .a. Snoop Dogg?s son). Som e consider Soso Jam abo the #1 running back in the nat ion. H e had 1,688 rushing yards, 7.6 YPC (yards per car r y), 24 TDs (touchdowns), and 21 receptions for 462 yards and 4 TDs. H owever, he doesn?t have a low center of gravi ty and he isn?t very m uscular, which could cause him to switch to W R or DE. Ei ther way, he?l l probably st i l l

be one of the m ost enter tain ing players in col lege. H e joked a lot dur ing h is r ecrui t ing in h igh school , and h is twi t ter bio r eads ?She in love with the Soso?. Last year, Soso showed a rem arkable abi l i ty to m ake defenders m iss, bounce off tack ler s and m ake plays after catching the bal l . H is h ighl ights show that he has top-notch accelerat ion and vision, and he has speed on par wi th last year?s record-break ing running back , M elvin Gordon. H e can have success at UCLA; their huge recrui t ing class wi l l sur round him with talent. At the sam e t im e, the PAC-12 is an up and com ing conference, so there wi l l be h igh am ounts of talent on both sides of the bal l . H e has the sk i l ls and tools to succeed. I f he stays focused, he could have a very stel lar col lege career.

Jar r ett Stidham , QB, Baylor - Baylor?s head coach, Ar t Br i les, has done a fantast ic job coaching QBs in the past. H is previous two QBs were H eism an nom inees, and one of them won i t . Nei ther of them were as h ighly r ated com ing out of h igh school as Jar rett St idham . According to the

ESPN300, Jar rett St idham is the #2 (Dual-Threat) h igh school QB in the nat ion. Ar t Br i les? previous two QBs were the 40th and 54th best in their class (according to the ESPN300). This is a great oppor tun i ty for both the player and the coach. Jar rett St idham has a great oppor tun i ty to work with an exceptional quar terback coach and becom e a col lege footbal l legend. Ar t Br i les has a chance to ut i l ize one of the top H S QBs and fur ther cem ent h is legacy. After seeing the success he had with good QBs out of H S, i t could be real ly in terest ing to see how he can use one of the top H S QBs. Also, Jar rett St idham seem s very sui ted for Baylor?s spread offense. H e has enough m obi l i ty to extend the play, exceptional poise in the pocket, and an accurate deep bal l . Baylor?s h igh scor ing offense can be a great f i t for h im . H is great fundam entals and m obi l i ty can lead to a very successful career for h im , m aybe even a H eism an tr ophy.

Kevin Toliver I I , CB, LSU- Last year, LSU recrui ted the #1 player in the nat ion (hom etown RB Leonard Fournette), som e said he was the best prospect since Adr ian Peterson. This year, LSU didn?t get another Leonard Fournette (al though they did get Lanard Fournette, Leonard?s brother ) but they did get a key recrui t in Kevin Tol iver I I . LSU?s previous #1 CB, Jalen Col l ins, left to the NFL Draft , LSU can replace h im with Kevin Tol iver I I . Tol iver is a qui te big for a CB; he?s 6?2? and 182 lbs. The ESPN300 ranked him as the 10th best r ecrui t in the nat ion and the 2nd best CB. In addi t ion to CB, he played W R, RB, and QB. H e?s a real ly versat i le player that shows an outstanding abi l i ty to play press coverage at the l ine of scr im m age, along with el i te speed and great size. H e has confidence to the point where som e m ay consider h im cocky. H e has the running abi l i ty to cover sm al ler, speedier W Rs, and he?s big and physical enough to cover big, tal l r eceivers. Not to m ention, he?s spectacular at playing the bal l in the air. Al l these attr ibutes can real ly help h im succeed in the col lege level , and he could be an im pact player for LSU. I f al l goes wel l , he could becom e the next Patr ick Peterson (another star LSU CB).

Sotonye Jam abo

Photo Credit: Google.com

3 Talented Footbal l recruits to Watch Out For Kian Sohrabi , '18

Kevin Tol iver I I

Jar rett St idham

Technology and Racing, the Perfect Rebal Abdul H adi '18

Technology is r esponsible for shaping the face of r acing, but how? One exam ple of th is advancem ent is the basic m ater ials that we use in r acing cars of today, com pared to the heavy steel and m etals used in the past Today?s vehicles are bui l t of aerospace grade alum inum and carbon f iber. These m ater ials are the byproduct of years of scient i f ic r esearch and technological advancem ents that com e together to m ake a str onger, l ighter, and m ore r igid car. A car that is able to go without problem s around 160 m ph turns. Another area of advancem ent is the dr ivetrain of m odern cars. Com pared to the 5-speed H -pattern gearboxes of the 80?s, today?s racing weapons are arm ed with 7-speed t iptr on ic paddle shi ft ing tr ansm issions. These sim ple upgrades al low for the dr iver to r each higher speeds, wi th m ore confidence, and gain enhanced agi l i ty through chicanes.

But what good is a dr ive tr ain with no power m oving through i t? Thank ful ly, we have the power. In today?s wor ld, we have access to the m ost power fu l and eff icient r acing power plants in h istor y. These m onster engines are capable of producing wel l over 800 hp, whi le giving an M PG rat ing close to that of a large SUV. This eff iciency is owed to the advancem ent of what is known in the autom otive wor ld as for ced induct ion and ECUs (engine control un i t). Forced induct ion in i ts sim plest form is when you ut i l ize a turbocharger or supercharger and use i t to basical ly for ce feed the engine m ore oxygen. This for ce feeding creates dense, h ighly com bustible air wi th in the engine block . This al lows for the engine to use less gas, for the sam e horsepower and torque f igures. Perhaps the largest break through is that of m odern day ECUs. These are essential ly super power fu l , al l knowing, car com puters that are present in al l per form ance cars of today?s m odern wor ld. They are able to m onitor AF rat io, brake tem perature, and whether or not the car is r unning lean. W e owe i t to these chi ldren of technology for fast, crazy, r ace cars.

credits to google.com

Technology

Technology has changed the face of the ear th. I t has changed the way we work , the way we relax, and the way we in teract. H owever, som e ci t ies are tak ing on technology at a faster pace, and adapting to the new age of technology. These ci t ies are som e of the biggest and m ost im por tant in the wor ld, and m ost of them serve as f inancial hubs for the wor ld. These are the top 5 m ost technological ly advanced ci t ies in the wor ld.

Bangalore is the fastest growing technology hub in South-East Asia. M any of the biggest com puter com panies have their Asia branches centered in Bangalore. Com panies l ike Apple, Del l , Facebook , Google, and M icrosoft al l have branches in the ci ty. The people in Bangalore en joy h igh speed in ternet, the best in fr astructure in India, and al l types of m odern technology.

Bangalor e

Top 5 most Technological ly Advanced CitiesH ashim Shubbar, '18

Stock holm

Stockholm is Europe's fastest growing technology hub. Alm ost al l ser vices in Stockholm can be paid for through your m obi le phone. Services such as taxis, water, and electr ici ty bi l ls. Stockholm also en joys the second fastest average In ternet speed in Europe, second only to Fin land.

Infor m ation gather ed fr om : tr avel jee.com

Photo Cr edits to google

Technology

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H ong Kong is known for i t 's h igh-r ises and skyscrapers. The ci ty is also the Asian cont inent 's f inancial hub. This has al lowed the ci ty to invest great ly in to autom ation. Chi ldren in H ong Kong schools? take attendance with their f ingerpr in ts. A governm ental off icial said "that i f H ong Kong was to lose In ternet for just 30 m inutes, the whole ci ty would have to wait that hal f hour unt i l they can be product ive again".

H ong Kong

San Fr ansisco

San Francisco is the leading tech hub in the United States. San Francisco is also the m ost popular dest inat ion for star tups. There are so m any large corporat ions and innovations located and are based in the ci ty. I t was also one of t the dest inat ions of the Dotcom boom dur ing the 90s. At that t im e, lots of tech businesses launched in San Fran, and st i l l have their headquar ter s there today.

Tok yoTokyo is the m ost h igh-tech ci ty in the wor ld. I t is one of the largest m etropol i tan ci t ies with a total populat ion of 13 m i l l ion. In the ci ty, m ost people use h igh speed in ternet, sm ar tphones, telephones and advanced technology. The Tokyo Stock Exchange is one of the largest stock exchanges in the wor ld. Tokyo is wel l connected with other m ajor ci t ies through the use of i ts technology. The people of Tokyo have the latest cars, m odern houses, the best r oads, and top-of-the-l ine in fr astructure. Tokyo also has i t 's fam ous bul let tr ain , which is the m ost technological ly advanced tr ain system in the wor ld.

Technology

This indie gam e fr om H el lo Gam es is qui te in tr iguing due to the open univer se aspect of i t . M ost tr adi t ional open wor ld gam es al low you to explore com m unit ies and such. H owever, in No M an?s Sky, the player takes up the role of a planetary explorer wi th a spacecraft , explor ing num erous planets. The player can in teract wi th the f lora and fauna of the planet that they are explor ing. Along with planetary explorat ion, deep oceans, space-based batt les, r esource gather ing, and potent ial predators are present in each generated wor ld. In fact, each wor ld has i ts own unique ecosystem that could range fr om m i ld to extrem ely unforgiving condit ions. The chi ld in m e, eager to explore and conquer the wor ld, is exci ted to do as such.

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MOST ANTICIPATED VIDEO-GAMES OF 2015

OM G OM G OM G. STAR W ARS IS FINALLY BACK!!! M y exci tem ent can?t be contained. On Chr istm as 2015, along with Star W ars Episode 7, The For ce Awakens, Star W ars Batt lefr ont wi l l be released. I fondly r em em ber playing Star W ars Batt lefr ont I and I I , bonding with m y fr iends over the deaths of droids and rebels. That the gam e is going to be avai lable on next-gen platform s m akes the gam e even m ore ent icing. I?m real ly look ing forward to the ar t ist ic nature of the gam e as the next-gen platform s al low for even m ore detai led and beauti fu l envir onm ents such as H oth and Endor. Other than the graphics, other detai ls such as gam eplay has been very hush-hush, creat ing im m ense hype for the gam e.

There are so m any reasons why the wait for th is gam e to be released is k i l l ing m e. Fir st, the stor y of the Arkham tr i logy has so far been both am azing and unpredictable, so Arkham Knight is cer tain ly going to conclude the ser ies with a bang. I t?s going to be deal ing with a at-h is-pr im e Batm an, who is unexpectedly r eel ing fr om the death of the Joker in Ar kham Ci ty, sign i fying their deep, unspoken bond. Second, i t?s a next-gen gam e. A lot of new detai ls and features are going to be present, fr om m ore pol ished com bat to am azing detai led depict ions of Gotham . Another aspect of the gam e that is going to be awesom e is the BATM OBILE, the m ost icon ic vehicle in com ic book lore (invisible jet, please), as i t?s f inal ly possible to use the batm obi le as a playable m echanic in the gam e. There are m any di fferences with the previous Arkham gam e developed by Rocksteady. The m ost notable di fference is that Gotham is f ive t im es larger than the Arkham City m ap of Ar kham Ci ty. H onest ly, the Arkham Knight seem s l ike i ts going to be an extrem ely com plete video gam e in every discern-able aspect.

NO M AN'S SKYplatform s: PS4, m icrosoft windows

Chirag Garg, '15

STAR W ARS BATTLEFRONT

platform s: PS4, xbox one,

ARKH AM KNIGH T

platform s: PS4, xbox one, m icrosoft windows

PH OTOCREDI T: GOOGLE

PH OTOCREDI T: GOOGLE

PH OTOCREDI T: GOOGLE

Technology

On the 23rd of January, Egyptian author i t ies cancel led the celebrat ion of 25th of January, the revolut ion that r esul ted in the ouster of H osni M ubarak , in order to m ourn the death of the Saudi Arabian k ing, King Abdul lah. Cancel l ing the revolut ion?s anniversary in favor of a m em or ial to the m an who helped f inance i ts slow destruct ion is one of m any depressing exam ples of pol i t ical r egression in Egypt. King Abdul lah was a m ajor suppor ter of the status quo and viewed the Arab Spr ing with deep suspicion. H e was dism ayed to see the United States turn i ts back on old al l ies as Egypt and Tunis fel l to in tense str eet protests. H e paid bi l l ions of dol lar s before h is death to prop up the cur rent Egyptian governm ent, led by General Abdel Fattah El- Sisi , which has i t?s or igins in a coup d?etat. The dem ocrat ic r evolut ion in Tahr ir Square four years ago awakened high hopes in the Egyptians, but the vest iges of a r epressive, undem ocrat ic Egypt are now growing m ore potent.

The unravel l ing of the revolut ion began with the elect ion of M oham m ed M orsi of the M usl im Brotherhood. Al though he was the f i r st dem ocrat ical ly elected civi l ian president of Egypt, M orsi soon proved to be ar rogant and inept. The Brotherhood tr am pled on plural ism , ignored the r ights of secular Egyptians, and displayed contem pt for just ice, accountabi l i ty, and the ru le of law. On June 30th, ant i -M orsi dem onstrat ions, organized by Tam m ord, a grassroot protest m ovem ent, clogged every m ajor square in Egypt. The crowds were jubi lant and diverse. In attendance were the tr ied-and-tr ue revolut ionary youths, a vast num ber of governm ent em ployees fr om the upper, m iddle and

lower classes and even the veteran react ionar ies who had never before displayed sym pathy for upr isings. The crowds dem anded M orsi leave off ice. M any dem anded the arm y in ter vene.

On July 1st, the m in ister of defense, General Abdel Fattah El Sisi , issued an ul t im atum to President M orsi : Address the dem ands of the protestor s, or the m i l i tar y wi l l create a roadm ap for a ?transi t ion to dem ocracy.? The protester s were euphor iac. They bel ieved the arm y was f inal ly bowing to their wi l l . I t never occur red to them the m i l i tar y prom oted their dem ands to assum e dir ect power once m ore. H ence, the coup proceeded cl in ical ly.

On July 3rd, M orsi?s deadl ine passed and he had not yet stepped aside. The m i l i tar y took charge, ar rest ing the president and confin ing h im to the president ial guard bar racks. Senior Brotherhood leaders were also taken in to custody. Brotherhood television stat ions went off the air. Everywhere there were victor y par t ies on the str eet. Only few stopped to th ink of the unvarn ished tr uth that m i l i tar y r u le was in im ical to dem ocracy.

El-Sisi was instantaneously crowned the savior, and every guest on every show im plored the general to do the nat ion a favor and serve as i ts next president. El-Sisi crudely stoked the people?s fear and nat ional fr enzy. To crush the Brotherhood was the on ly way to r egain stabi l i ty in the countr y, he claim ed. Fol lowing the coup, soldier s m ade a few probing attacks on Rabaa Square, where the Brotherhood suppor ter s gathered and fought for M or i?s legi t im acy, k i l l ing 70 to 130. M ost Egyptians cheered El-Sisi?s resolve, opening the way for a m assive bloodlett ing. M ore than 700 casual t ies resul ted fr om the clear ing up of the Brotherhood dem onstrat ion in Rabaa. The m assacre proved to be a l i tm us test that separated the suppor ter s of the arm y and the sm al l com m unity of Egyptians who decr ied hum an abuses of any sor t .

In a hardly unexpected m aneuver, El-Sisi r an for president and won unanim ously, wi th 96.91% of votes cast in h is lot. H am adeen Sabahi, h is sole com peti tor cal led the elect ions a far ce. H e dem anded the elect ion resul ts be reviewed. The higher cour t r ejected h is appeal . There?s no tel l ing where El-Sisi?s ru le m ay lead Egypt. For now, i t seem s the Arab Spr ing has turned in to a bi t ter winter.

H aya Anis ,'17

Cur r ent Event sBet r ayal of t he Ar ab Spr ing

Photo credi t : Google

Recently, there has been a spur of attacks against M usl im s in the United States. For exam ple, in the last two weeks alone, there have been seven attacks on m osques, one on a newly wed couple brutal ly k i l led in their own apar tm ent, and a school burnt to the ground. These hate cr im es are increasing. In great deal these attacks star ted because of the cr im es com m itted by ISIS presently and how they?ve been increasing. In ISIS?s m ind, they are doing what needs to be done to ?save? their r el igion, but when wi l l they understand that not on ly are they not tr ue fol lowers of Islam but they are also causing m ore and m ore people to discr im inate against i t in fear?

A lot of people don?t feel safe anym ore and are star t ing to show signs of 'Islam ophobia'. Of course th is is no excuse for what is being done. Acts l ike th is wi l l never help what is going on in the wor ld; i f anyth ing i t?l l just m ake i t worse. Discr im inat ion against innocent M usl im s isn?t going to help the on-going issue with ISIS but r ather m ake i t worse. This type of ignorance is exact ly what ISIS is doing to people in Syr ia and Libya when they take innocent l ives that they bel ieve are a vir us to Islam . W hat people need to understand is that f ight ing for peace is the biggest paradox of al l ; one cannot f ight ter ror ists by being ter ror ists.

W e shouldn?t discr im inate against any rel igion. Instead of seeing th is as a war in which they are the enem y, the wor ld needs to star t un i t ing al l people who are also against ISIS, M usl im or not. I f two people share the sam e ideal or m orals then that should be enough to establ ish an al l iance against a com m on threat.

Ar e Hat e Cr imes Against Musl ims t he New For m of Ter r or ism? Martina Elia '15

21 Copt ic Chr ist ian Egypt ians Execut ed in Br utal ISIS Beheading

ISIS has brutal ly executed thousands of innocent I r aqis and Syr ians whi le expanding the Islam ic state, tor tured and k i l led Am er ican, French, and Japanese journal ists, k idnapped hum anitar ian aid workers, burned a Jordanian pi lot al ive whi le he stood in a cage drenched in gasol ine, and now m ost r ecently, the ter ror ist group has beheaded 21 Coptic Chr ist ian Egyptians in Libya.

On February 16, ISIS m i l i tants r eleased a video t i t led "A M essage Signed W ith Blood to the Nation of the Cross." The video showed the slaughter of 21 m em bers of the Coptic Or thodox Church on a beach in Libya. The m en were fr om

di fferent vi l lages in Egypt, and were k idnapped in two separate attacks in Decem ber and January of 2015. According to The Guardian, the m en were led down a beach in Libya wear ing orange jum psuits, for ced to kneel in fr ont of an ISIS m i l i tant, and were then beheaded.

Since the incident, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al -Sisi has fought back by launching air str ikes in to Libya, target ing ISIS tr ain ing locat ions and weapon suppl ies. Libyan air for ces have also launched air str ikes on Derna, a r egion of Libya that has been occupied by ISIS aff i l iates for around a year. About 40 to 50 m i l i tants have been est im ated to be k i l led.

The expansion of ISIS in to Libya is a r esul t of the countr ies unrest and m isrule, and the growth of th is

ter ror ist group doesn 't seem to be com ing to a haul t . W ith in the last year, ISIS has st im ulated a war of ideas, inspir ed m any

Sophia Donnel ly '16

Cur r ent event s

Photo credi t : Google

Photo credi t : Google

W ith the changing regional paradigm in the M iddle East, fueled by the col lapse of central author i ty, and the r ise of r el igious zealotr y, a dangerous powder keg is being packed. Yem en, a basket case in the best of t im es, is going through som e m iserable t im es. A m ountainous countr y, fu l l of in tr igue and confl ict , Yem en has h istor ical ly been dom inated by a Sunni m ajor i ty. The Shia H outhi m inor i ty, who st i l l com m and a fair am ount of tr ibal in f luence, have histor ical ly been dispropor t ionately m arginal ised. W ith the power vacuum that the Arab Spr ing brought in Yem en, i t seem ed that i t would on ly be a m atter of t im e unt i l the H outhi Shia rebels would str ike. Abd Rabbuh M ansur H adi, the form er ly incum bent leader of Yem en, was for ced to step down.

The new secur i ty paradigm that th is power vacuum br ings is paradigm atic. W ith Yem en alr eady a base for ter ror in the region, the confl icts between an em boldened, large m inor i ty and a weakened, but st i l l str ong m ajor i ty could resul t in fur ther instabi l i ty. W ith the H outhi adm in istr at ion declar ing a new in ter im assem bly, the si tuat ion in Yem en is not stable.

Ul t im ately, in a r egion that is st i l l grappl ing with the chaos of the Arab Spr ing, a new shock is not a welcom e shock . M ir ror ing the nascent cold war that is developing between Saudi Arabia and Ir an, pi t t ing Shia against Sunni, the chaos in Yem en is alm ost m icrocosm ic of the general tr ends in the region. W hat is m ost wor r ying about the event in Yem en is that Yem en is a snapshot of what the region wi l l look l ike in the not so distant future, when oi l r evenues wi l l face an incredible decl ine. Saudi Arabia, for one, has a str ong Shia m inor i ty, a m inor i ty that is on ly being suppressed through the punishm ent and prom ise of oi l r evenues. Ul t im ately, Yem en is a caut ionary tale, and a lesson for the region at large.

Yemen: A caut ionary tal e

Photo credi t : Google

Cur r ent Event sM ani Seeber '15

Genet ical ly Modif ied Foods - t he G OOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY Anah Mal ik '15Genetical ly m odif ied foods are one of the newer, faster growing pract ices in the m odern wor ld. Sur rounding i t , however, are m ajor controversies regarding the m oral i ty of i t?s use, i t?s eff iciency, and the lack of knowledge regarding i t?s affects on heal th. Over the past decade, GM foods have gathered a large group of cr i t icisers claim ing GM is harm ful to the envir onm ent, to our bodies, and to the econom y. Their argum ents, however, are som ewhat f lawed, but hold a cer tain tr uth as wel l . So what?s the deal wi th GM food? Should we be with i t , or against i t?

Despite th is controversy, there are benefi ts to GM foods. Third wor ld countr ies such as India str uggle with the tr ibulat ions that com e with farm ing (one of the m ost r el iable and eff icient form s of food product ion) including pests and weather changes. This puts one of the m ost im por tant pract ices for providing food in jeopardy, and lowers the rates of product ivi ty. Farm ers fr om these countr ies can?t afford pest control , or upgrades in their farm ing m ater ial and equipm ent. This is where GM foods proves i ts biggest use -helping to solve the ever growing issue of eff icient farm ing. I t provides a cheaper way to farm crops that are natural ly r esistant to pests, or can withstand weather changes. This provides suppor t to farm ers in great need, and aides the f ight against pover ty; one of the nobler uses of GM .

H owever, that?s not al l GM food is being used for. I t is, instead, being used by large com panies providing cheaply produced food, and becom ing m onopol ies in the agr icul ture industr y. M onopol ies hur t any k ind of econom y, i t puts people out of business, takes over the

Dif ferences between tomatoes genetically modif ied, and not. to increase the size

m arket, and for ces consum ers to choose the on ly avai lable opt ion. In Europe and Am er ica, land owning farm ers are being put out of business due to these m onopol ies. H undreds of farm ers are left jobless with no qual i f icat ions to work in another industr y. to Addit ional ly, we have alm ost 0 idea what the heal th effects are of consum ing GM food over a long per iod of t im e. Studies conducted show no negative heal th effects, but even these studies hardly touch on i t , look ing at affects after one or two years to chi ldren on ly. The use and farm ing of GM foods creates m assive am ounts of waste and pest icide runoff, which seeps in to, and pol lutes, the envir onm ent. Addit ional ly, GM seeds have in fested other crops, creat ing hybr ids that cannot be consum ed or used, and waste resources and m oney. In the m odern econom y, tools and resources are often ut i l ized im m oral ly, and becom e counterproduct ive, and th is is the case for GM foods. W here they need to be, and should be, GM crops are not. The ineff icient use of GM crops is arguably i ts greatest faul t , but the possible benefi ts GM food displays in pover ty str icken countr ies today is undeniable. Today, GM foods can be found in any grocery store, st ickers l ined on boxes of str awber r ies, bel l peppers, tom atoes, etc. As consum ers who have the f inal and m ost power fu l say (by vot ing with our wal lets), i t is im por tant to dem and a change in dir ect ion, and not suppor t these m onopol ies. Look out for foods label led 100% organic, or 100% grass fed beef. I t is hard to avoid GM foods in a wor ld where i t?s product ion increases 20% each year, but i t is im por tant to know what we are consum ing, and ident i fy heal thy, natural foods we should be eat ing.

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Donut s To Die For John H enderson '15

W hat m akes a donut wor thy to be rem em bered? The ingredients, the color ing, the com binat ions or is i t an am azing nam e? Al l of these m ake a good or great donut but the tr ue legends of the donut wor ld al l have som ething in com m on. They br ing som ething un ique to the table that has yet to be thought of or eaten and that is what m akes the fol lowing donuts wor thy of being rem em bered.

Fr ied dough with banana chunks and cinnam on covered in a

glaze with chocolate fr ost ing, peanut butter, peanuts and

chocolate chips on top. ?W hy does i t need to be fr ied?? an individual asked the creator, who repl ied in

turn ?because I can.?

Memphis Maf ia Donut The Cr onut

Appl e Cr umbl e Peanut but t er Donut

Captain, My Captain

I t 's a donut... but i t isn?t. I t 's better. The cronut is a donut created with the soft , f laky

dough of a croissant then dipped in a classic glaze.

A apple crum ble f i led donut dipped in a special cinnam on glaze with

cinnam on chunks spr ink led on top. Apples are heal thy, r ight?

A custard donut f i l led with a special peanut

butter f i l l ing dr izzled in chocolate. This one is for the str ong, not the

weak .

A vani l la glazed donut cover wi th the scrum ptious cereal

Captain Crunch. You can lead m e anywhere, si r !

Jel ly Fil l ed Donut

Sure, i t 's not the m ost f lashy of donuts, but i t 's a classic. That

r aspber r y jam and sugar dust ing wi l l never let you

down.

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W hile the hum an body m ay be a great sel f-healer, an im balanced diet and bad eat ing habi ts does take a large tol l . I t r educes the bodies abi l i ty to sel f-heal due to the am ount of hard work i t takes to get through al l of i t . There are now ju ice program s in Dubai being created and diets designed that to help your body to cleanse and re-stabi l ize i tsel f. People are switching over to heal th ier al ternat ives by going through a diet of on ly ju ices for weeks. General ly anyone can benefi t fr om a cleanse diet such as th is one. The nutr i t ion provided in the ju ices m ake i t ver y beneficial to your bodies general wel l being. "Essential ly" is a ju icing com pany in Dubai that claim s ju ice can be used to ?Boost the im m une system ? and ?Feel l ight and attr act ive with r adiant sk in and be fu l l of energy? .

Of course that leave us al l quest ion ing whether or not these statem ents are tr ue, which is why I went to go quest ion one of ASD?s own: M r. Shubair. M r. Shubair is a pretty f i t guy I went to f ind out h is opin ion on ju icing. M r. Shubair did an al l ju ice cleanse for two weeks, he said that every t im e he does i t he sees increased energy and fel t l ike he was happier in general . I t was also good to target weight-loss. H e tr ies to do a clense at least twice a year. M r. Shubair says i t 's extrem ely di ff icul t and m ay not be for everyone, but he does recom m end i t you are tr ying to get back on tr ack with your heal th.

There are defin i tely som e quest ions and concerns out there, but that hasn 't stopped ju icing fr om becom ing a popular hobby and tr end. I f noth ing else, i t gives people a break fr om their usual eat ing rout ine and a chance to star t fr esh. H ere's a few ju ice ideas to get you star ted.

Beet Appl e and Bl ackber r y Juice3 sm al l beets

2-3 apples8 oz. blackber r ies

1/2 inch fr esh ginger

Essent ial ly Juice: Br ing Bal ance Back t o Your diet David Saba, '15

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Mr . Shubair 's favor it e juice:Mean Gr een1 cucum ber

5-6 large leaves of kale

4 stocks of celer y

1 green apple

½ lem on

Thum b-size of ginger

Tr opical Par adise Juice1 m edium r ipe papaya,

1 sm al l pineapple

1 piece peeled fr esh ginger1 m edium k iwi ,

1.2 cup fr esh young coconut water

ASD AKHBARISSUE 6, ''14- '15

if you would l ike to see your work in pr in t, please contact the akhbar staff at

ak hbar @asdubai .or gi f you would l ike to get in touch with our

edi tor s...m ani seeber , editor -in-chief:

m seeber.15@asdubai.orghaya anis, copy editor :hanis.17@asdubai.org

k aley gar vey + noor m oham m ad, layout editor s:

kgarvey.16@asdubai.org + nm oham m ad.15@adubai.org

Spring Issue 2015

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