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Murdoch University International Study Centre Dubai and Murdoch Media and Press Association present:
Published by: Murdoch Dubai | Submit stories and photos to the editor at [email protected]
November - December 2008
A student newsletter from Dubai’s Campus of
Murdoch University.IN THIS ISSUE:
FROM THE EDITOR’S MACBOOKPage 2
REVIEWS AND PREVIEWSPage 3
CAMPUS EVENTS Page 4
INAUGURAL GUEST LECTUREPage 4
STAND UP FOR A GREEN EARTHPage 5
MURDOCH OPEN DAYPage 6 - 7
MURDOCH INAUGURATIONPage 8 - 9
DIWALIPage 10
HALLOWEENPage 11
GUEST LECTURESPage 12
MURDOCH OUT AND ABOUTPage 13
CLUBS AND ASSOCIATIONSPage 14
CAMPUS SPIESPage 15
Located on the fourth floor of building 10 in Dubai International Academic City, Murdoch University International Study Centre Dubai opened its doors
to students on August 24th.Contact: 04-4355700 or [email protected] for details about the offered courses.
Issue No: 1 www.murdochdubai.ac.ae
E D I T O R I N C H I E F :
ANASTASIA MANKHAEVAWith Contributions from Murdoch
Staff and Students
On August 24th, 2008, the university opened its doors to students for the first time. November 2008 marks
another first, and you’re holding it in your hands right now - the first ever issue of the Murdoch Dubai Newsletter.
Well, what about October? What happened in October? Oh, October was a very busy month for us as you’ll see on
the pages of this very newsletter. From Sheikh Nahyan visiting our campus to having our very own Murdoch film crew
out on location shooting a documentary.
We’ve also had a few guest lecturers in our Journalism and Radio classes. And not forgetting the MBAs, they also
had an award winning guest lecturer visiting the class for an interesting talk on leadership.
Although we’ve only just started, already there’s a number of clubs that have been organized by the founding
students of Murdoch. Media and Press Association (the guys who put this newsletter together) is just one of them. Our
Environmental Society, although very young, have already kicked things into gear and organized the university to get
involved in this year’s Stand Up session.
Don’t worry, you can expect the number of clubs and students to grow as the new year kicks in.
This newsletter has been produced by students of Murdoch University with plenty of support from faculty and staff
of the university. We’ll have plenty of photos and articles for you to read every issue. If you’re a student (whether
undergraduate or postgraduate), you can contribute even if you’re not a member of the Murdoch Media Association.
Not a student at all? No worries! You can still contribute to New Horizons, as we’ll have some guest columnists
contributing to our newsletter in the forthcoming issues.
If you don’t feel like writing an article, but would like us to cover an event, or write about a topic of interest to you,
don’t keep it to yourself, let us know so we can work something out. Whilst I’m on the subject of contributions, if you
have any feedback about the newsletter, feel free to drop an email to [email protected] and let
me know what’s on your mind.
Have fun reading the first issue and watch out for an exclusive behind the scenes look into Dubai International Film
Festival in our next issue!
~Anastasia
From the Editor’s MacBook
Making history. First lecture at the new Murdoch campus on August 24th, 2008 at 0900
NEW HORIZONS
Reviews and PreviewsEvery month, the members of the Media Association will review an album, book, or movie and we’ll let you
know whether it’s worth catching, or whether it’s something not worth bothering about. If you’d like us to review
something, contact the editor.
NEXT - MICHAEL CRICHTON
Today, many of us look to genetic research for medical cures and therapies, but why stop there? What if genetic modification could create talking animals, clouds that bear advertising messages, or plants that would grow actual human or animal tissue? That's the theme of Michael Crichton's Next, which uses a loose narrative, dozens of characters and intertwining stories to bring readers up to speed with the possibilities, not to mention the ethical questions associated with the highly competitive and often overly-regulated world of cutting-edge genetics.
The narrative is difficult to keep up with as Next almost never stops adding new characters, right through to the end. If you're going to read it, it's best to do so in as few sittings as possible. Difficulties aside, Next is another reminder for us that Crichton truly has mastered the art of blending science fiction with real-world education, and a trip through one of his novels will leave the average reader far better informed about the subject of one of his books. That's definitely the case here, as the story infuses the plot elements with ripped-from-the-headlines issues, and even news article write-ups (some real, some not) that appear frequently in between chapters.
So it's a good read and you'll fly through the pages if any of the topics Crichton usually writes about appeal to you. The man knows how to lay a story out as efficiently as possible, cutting through unnecessary descriptions to deliver play-by-play accounts of the most pertinent information as he relies on readers’ imagination to fill in any blanks. Next however, is most likely one of Crichton’s books that won’t be turned into a movie, and not because of the slightly odd title. The book is goofy, at times, silly even; but it delivers the goods when it comes to explaining complex concepts in a way everyone can understand.
Crichton created the popular series ER and is the only person to simultaneously have had the number one book, movie and TV show in United States. Published in 2006, Next is the last book published before Michael Crichton lost his battle with cancer on November 4th this year.
By: Anastasia Mankhaeva
METALLICA - ‘DEATH MAGNETIC’
Album Rating: 4/5
After having strayed from their thrash metal path with their albums such as
“Black” and “St. Anger”, Metallica are back with their new album Death Magnetic, which resembles their early music. Listening to their album over and over was a treat: from the bass in “Cyanide” to the catchy riffs in “Broken, Beat and Scarred”.
The first track, “That was just your life” sets a pace for the next nine tracks to come. The tracks are fast and heavy, just what you expect from Metallica. “The Unforgiven III” sets its mark; it doesn’t compare very well to the first two Unforgivens, since there wasn’t a need to have the third Unforgiven, but it’s different from the other tracks on the album. It is slower and would be liked by non-thrash metal fans as well.
The video and lyrics of “The day that never comes” are about humanity and human relationships, also featuring the duel solo between James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett. The rest of the tracks such as “The Judas Kiss” and “The End of the line” were a great listen, more or less hitting their mark. The best song on the album
being “All Nightmare Long”. This felt as if it was right out of their Master of Puppets album (1986).The album’s final pieces, “Suicide and Redemption” -their only instrumental 20 years after “Ajfa”- and “My
Apocalypse” bring depth to the album with Hammett and Hetfield’s guitar work.Death Magnetic as an album hits its mark, and will hopefully bring old estranged fans and new ones under the same
roof.
By: Nikhita Sanotra
ALIENS CAN BE MADE MORE HUMAN, SAYS PROFESSOR
Do we as humans treat people we do not know as aliens? That
was the underlined theme of the inaugural public lecture given by
Professor Michael Innes, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Murdoch
University International Study Centre, Dubai, at the university
lecture room on the 9th of September.
In his lecture, “The Aliens amongst us and how to detect
them: The psychology of being human”, Professor Innes said,
“We’ve always got something to differentiate ourselves from the
others. This is ubiquitous in our world.” He explained there was
an “in group” and an “out group”, and that people in the “in
group” generally tended to find differences between themselves
and the people in the “out group”. This often led to tagging the
out group as ‘alien’, he said.
The lecture was attended by the students and staff of the
newly opened International Study Centre at the Dubai Academic
City. It began with Ms. Lauren O’Mahony, the Journalism lecturer,
introducing Professor Michael Innes, who has been in the field of
psychology for quite a few years now. Professor Innes has been a
professor of psychology at Murdoch University in Perth as well as
The James Cook University. He has held the position of executive
dean at the University of Adelaide, has published widely with
almost a hundred general articles, ten book chapters and two
books. His research interest lies in the dynamic of group
relationships and organizations.
In the lecture, Professor Innes explained the concept of “the
alien”, as often they are stereotyped into being “different,
incomprehensible, uncommunicative and terrifying.” The key to differentiation, he said, was in knowing how many
and what sorts of different people we met each day and what level of interaction we had with them. Personal
experience and the media could also help influence our perception of the other people or the “aliens”. He gave
examples of alien themed movies and how they have influenced the public to form an image and opinion of aliens.
So, how do we distinguish “humanness” from “alienness”? Professor Innes stated that humans were aware of
themselves and others around them; they were conscious, felt emotion within them and could also feel the emotion
of other humans. Humans had language that had created culture, morality and values leading to humans being
more civilized than any other species on planet Earth. Aliens did not have or lacked some of the above mentioned
characteristics.
He concluded the lecture by saying the concept of the ‘alien’ was to accommodate differences. “So, the next
time a predator comes to your neighborhood, try to understand him, and you might make him a better alien if not a
better human,” he said.
By: Nikhita Sanotra
INAUGURAL GUEST LECTURE - SEPTEMBER 9, 2008
Campus Events
Professor Michael Innes explains the concept of ‘the alien’
Campus Events
STAND UP FOR A GREEN EARTH - OCTOBER 19, 2008
Students and Staff of Murdoch University Stand Up for a Green Earth
MURDOCH STANDS UP!
Murdoch University in Dubai International Academic City recently participated in the Stand Up and Take Action
Campaign on October 19, 2008. The Stand Up & Take Action Campaign: Mission Green Earth focused on addressing the
issue of sustainable environments to encourage action and commitment to a sustainable lifestyle by intelligent management
of water, energy and waste in personal, official and public lives. The ‘Mission Green Earth’ international campaign also
conducted a giant tree plantation drive around the world. The challenge targeted 100 million people ‘standing up’ between
October 17, 18 & 19 and to have 70 million trees planted up to mid-July 2009. Murdoch University Dubai plans on
planting trees early next year.
The Students and Staff all wore the ‘Stand Up and Take Action’ T-shirts and dressed as much as possible in green.
In the Stand up Session, Master of Ceremony Anastasia Mankhaeva gave the gathering members of the group background
information on what they were standing up for. This was followed by Nikhita Sanotra, the Event Coordinator leading the
group in taking the pledge.
Twenty five people stood up for this cause on our campus.
This action was counted as part of an official Guinness World Record for the most number of people to simultaneously
stand up against poverty and in support of the Millennium Development Goals over a 48 period.
By: Judith Josephine
MURDOCH OPEN DAY - OCTOBER 25, 2008OPEN DAY FUN
The Murdoch Open Day attracted many students from all over the UAE. The University organized a
“Best Radio Presenter” competition and a “Best TV Presenter” competition in which all students and parents
who came to visit could take part.
The prospective students were shown around the campus including the radio and TV studios, the
computer labs and the library. The competitions took place in the radio and TV studios.
A professional make-up artist was brought in to apply make-up for everyone taking part in the Best TV
Presenter competition.
Judged by the staff of Murdoch University, the Winners of the Best TV Presenter Competition were:
1. Zainab Husain - Commerce Student at Murdoch
2. Judith Josephine - Media Student at Murdoch
3. Nikhita Sanotra - Media Student at Murdoch
The Winners for the Best Radio Presenter Competition were:
1. Hisham Khan - School student, Open Day visitor.
2. Nikhita Sanotra - Media Student at Murdoch
3. A. R. Sharath - Media Student at Murdoch
All winners received an iPod as a prize. First place winners also received certificates and a voucher to see a
movie at Cine Star Cinemas.
Compiled by: Nikhita Sanotra and Anastasia Mankhaeva
Campus Events
SHEIKH AL NAHAYAN INAUGURATES MURDOCH
His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Bin Mubarak Al Nahayan, the UAE Minister of
Higher Education and Scientific Research, inaugurated the Murdoch University
International Study Centre Dubai campus at the Dubai International Academic City
on Monday October 27, 2008.
Murdoch University Vice Chancellor, Professor John Yovich AM, was also present
at the event along with the Executive Director of Dubai Knowledge Village and Dubai
International Academic City, Dr. Ayoub Kazim and Chairman of Global Institute
Middle East and Murdoch University International Study Centre Dubai Mr. Zafar
Siddiqi.
His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Bin Mubarak Al Nahayan was welcomed at the
campus by students, staff and members of the press and after the ribbon cutting
ceremony was given a tour of the newly opened facilities by the Murdoch University
International Study Centre Dubai Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor Michael Innes.
In his inaugural speech His Excellency congratulated
Murdoch University in Dubai for its initiative and
success. He expressed his belief in the Centre becoming a
valuable part of higher education in Dubai and the
United Arab Emirates in providing its graduates with the
knowledge and skills required in today’s global age.
Professor John Yovich, Vice Chancellor of Murdoch
University, expressed his sincere appreciation of the
support the University has received from the UAE
Government: “Murdoch University acknowledges the
support and foresight of the UAE Government in
providing world-class academic infrastructure to
encourage the development of quality higher education
and training for the benefit of its workforce”, he said.
By: Murdoch Marketing Department
Murdoch Dubai faculty and staff with visiting members of Murdoch Australia and Chairman of Global Institute ME.
Campus Events
MURDOCH INAUGURATION - OCTOBER 27, 2008
Murdoch Dubai Media students and faculty with visiting MCC Head of School, Chris Smyth
Campus Events
DIWALI - OCTOBER 28, 2008DIWALI - FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
Murdoch students celebrated Diwali in style by
dressing up in national costumes for class. Diwali, a
major Hindu holiday, and a significant festival in India is
celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs across the globe
as the "Festival of Lights," the time when people light
diyas to signify victory of good over the evil within an
individual.
Diwali is usually a five day festival and is the
homecoming of Lord Rama of Ayodhya, after a 14-year
exile in the forest and his victory over the evil demon-
king Ravana. According to legends, the people of
Ayodhya welcomed Lord Rama by lighting rows (avali)
of lamps (deepa), thus its name: Deepavali. Over time,
this word transformed into Diwali in Hindi and
Dipawali in Nepali, but still retained its original form in South and East Indian Languages.
By: Anastasia Mankhaeva
Campus Events
HALLOWEEN DRESS UP - OCTOBER 30, 2008What’s October without Halloween? But what is Halloween exactly?Halloween originated from the ancient Celtic festival known as ‘Samhain’ The festival of Samhain is a
celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is seen to be regarded as the "Celtic New Year".
The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, now known as Halloween (from ‘All Hallow’s Eve’ or the ‘All Saints Day’), the boundary between the living and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which the bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to copy the evil spirits or placate them.
Nowadays, Halloween is celebrated all over the world. The typical way to celebrate Halloween is trick-or-treating, costume parties, visiting scary places, carving Jack-o’-lanterns, reading scary stories, watching horror movies and traditions set out by individual families.
Here at Murdoch, we’ve started our own tradition. Those who came dressed in costumes received Kinder eggs. Everyone also received goodie bags filled with cookies, candy and muffins.
By: Anastasia Mankhaeva
Campus Events
Guest Lectures
In the first semester, Murdoch welcomed a number of Guest Lecturers to help our students understand the local
industry from professionals in the field.
In October, the Journalism class welcomed Business 24/7s Vigyan Arya who spent two weeks discussing journalistic
ethics as well as laws in the United Arab Emirates.
And this is only the first semester! The next semester at Murdoch is sure to welcome even more guest lecturers as the
students enter into the second semester of their first year at Murdoch Dubai.
Compiled by: Nikhita Sanotra and Anastasia Mankhaeva
On Wednesday 29th October, the MBA class welcomed Col (Dr) S.P. Wahi, the Chairman
and founder of the SPW Management and Technology Consultants company. He is the
receiver of the 2007 Life Time Achievement Award for his contribution in the Upstream
Oil Sector by Petrotech Society, India. Col S.P. Wahi gave a talk on leadership to the
MBA students.
On November 2nd, the Journalism students got a real treat! Bronwyn Nielsen, a presenter
from CNBC Africa took the class in for a real journey in broadcasting journalism. She
shared her experience with the students and taught them the basics of Broadcast
Journalism. Bronwyn also touched on techniques on how to interact with the camera,
body language and facial expressions and led the class in practical exercises during the two
hour tutorial class held after the lecture.
November 12th welcomed Radio DJ Dev from Pulse 95.3, Morning Daily Radio show.
Dev spent an hour with the Introduction to Radio class discussing the finer points of the
radio industry as it is today.
NEW HORIZONS
Murdoch Out and About
MURDOCH’S FIRST FILM CREW
MURDOCH NOT KIDDING AROUND - JUMPS INTO ACTION AND SHOOTS ITS FIRST FILM BEFORE FIRST SEMESTER ENDS
October marked another first for the university. The
university’s film crew spent a day shooting documentary
footage at the 12th Indian Golf Tournament held by the
Indian Golfers’ Society on October 16, 2008. The tournament
took place at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club.
The Independence Cup Tournament created by the
Indian Golfers’ Society 12 years ago, is a unique way to
celebrate India’s Independence by Indians in Dubai.
Participants are able to enjoy a game of the sport they all love,
not to mention an excuse to be able to get out into the sun and
network with fellow compatriots.
Usually, India's Independence Day is observed on August
15 to celebrate its Independence from the British and the
country’s birth as a sovereign nation on the same day in 1947.
This year, the Indian Golfers’ Society held the tournament two
months after the Independence Day celebrations in India,
partially due to the Holy Month of Ramadan, which forbids live events
from being held during the 30-day fast period. The scorching hot August
weather also contributed to pushing the event to October.
In his address to the golf society at the wrap up of the event in the evening, His Excellency Shri Venu Rajamony, Consul General of India to Dubai and one of the chief patrons of the Golfers Society, noted that celebrating a country’s independence shouldn’t be limited to just one day and in fact should be celebrated all throughout the year.
From an outsider’s view, the event was well organized, with over a hundred people playing the 18 holes, there was little commotion and few hold ups as people moved from hole to hole smoothly tending to save friendly chatter for the golf cart trip between holes. Once out on foot, golf clubs in hand, it was all business as focus turned to the game. Golf balls were whacked about the green as members of the society
showcased their golf playing skills in an effort to win one of the 12 trophies handed out at the end of the day. And the Murdoch team was there to capture it all on tape!Saba Siddiqi, part of the Murdoch crew filming the day’s events, later said, “it was very interesting to see how much passion goes into the game.” She noted that it is a real eye opener for any newcomer to the game of golf as watching people play in the hot weather shows how passionate they are about a sport.
The film crew spent a whole day following the events of the tournament, shooting footage of the players and the facilities for a documentary that is currently set to undergo post production before its release at a forthcoming Indian Golfers Society event.
By: Anastasia Mankhaeva
The Team : Regan Castro, Saba Siddiqi and Anastasia Mankhaeva
Great timing! Saba Siddiqi captures the moment.
TIPS FOR A BETTER ENVIRONMENT
Bulk Purchases. Avoid products that are packaged for single use (i.e., drinks, school lunches, etc.).
Instead, buy in bulk and transfer the products to your own reusable containers.
Avoid Trash. Avoid creating trash wherever possible: when ordering food, avoid receiving any
unnecessary plastic utensils, straws, etc.
Avoid Shopping Bags. While shopping, if you only buy a few products skip the shopping bag. For
larger purchases, bring your own. A lot of shops now offer re-usable Jute bags for sale.
Reuse envelopes. Look for design features that support reuse - for example re-sealable envelopes,
or space for multiple addresses.
Print Preview. Always click on print preview before printing to check your document for typos etc.
Avoid having to print twice! Conduct a print preview, to make sure efficient paragraphing and pages
are correct. Choose the correct font size for your printing, and use the function 'shrink to fit' to use
the paper adequately. Always check on screen for errors before you print.
Walk, don't take the lift. Lifts use an awful lot of power moving us up and down. Why not walk
up or down the stairs instead - get fit while saving energy consumption (lose kilos, save joules).
Switch off your monitor when not in use. Even if only for 10 minutes. Your monitor uses
twice the energy of your PC. Also Turn off your computer at the plug when you leave for the night -
also switch off any other equipment that goes into stand-by mode when not in use. Stand-by mode
uses up a substantial amount of energy that is wasted.
Use blinds to reduce solar gain in summer and save on air conditioning costs.
Print or photocopy on both sides of the paper.
Think before you print: Before you hit the print button, ask yourself if you really need the
content printed or could you maybe just settle for reading it off the computer monitor.
More information available at:
http://www.edf.org/article.cfm?contentid=39
http://www.globalstewards.org/ecotips.htm
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/sustain/staff-students/rorytips
Clubs and Associations
The newly formed Murdoch
Environmental Society held its first event -
the Stand up for a Green Earth session.
We’re planning on planting trees sometime
next year!
In the meantime, the environmental
society will be roaming around the campus
ensuring Murdoch stays green!
Want to join?
Contact Nikhita Sanotra by email
at [email protected] or
Anastasia Mankhaeva.
Nikhita Sanotra - Event Co-ordinator Anastasia Mankhaeva - Master of Ceremonies
The Environmental Team
GREEN EARTH ONE CAMPUS AT A TIME