.: The Red Brick – Dubai College's Student Newspaper :.

“Lost.” This is probably the way many shoppers saw themselves the first time they visited The Dubai Mall, one of the Emirate’s latest attempts to be the first, the biggest and, in general, the best. After opening just over a year ago on the 4^th of November 2008, I’m pleased to say that every one of its 750,000 visitors a week has eventually made their way home again.

At over 12 million square feet, the size of 50 football fields, there are any number of places where you can lose yourself in this maze. The first time I went, I seriously considered taking Hansel and Gretel’s advice and leaving a trail of breadcrumbs to the car but I curbed this desire and instead set off into the big, bad mall completely unsure of where I was going and where I’d just been.

Finally, I emerged from that labyrinth completely exhausted after traipsing around the mall for what seemed like hours (which is unusual for me as I love to shop and I never ‘traipse’ when doing so) however, I was also completely and utterly amazed. Despite being so large that it would take several days and a fully planned expedition to cover the entire shopping centre, what I have seen of it the many times I’ve been there is simply astonishing. Although I’m not an expert, I can pretty confidently say there aren’t any other malls in the world where after shopping you can dive with sharks, ice skate, ride indoor rollercoasters, watch otters ‘frolicking’ and eat your own body weight in sweets all in the same day.

Therefore, even though The Dubai Mall has been the cause of many a blister and that even after the many, many times that I’ve been there I still occasionally find myself- well, that’s the problem, I don’t really know where, I think it’s fair to say that it’s incredible. Yes, it is a maze but it’s most definitely an amazing one.

Georgina O’Mahoney

Statistics have shown that a record number of students failed to be accepted at any university last summer, including 12,000 AAA candidates applying to Oxbridge universities. This bleak picture re-enforces the fact that universities are being forced to become seemingly more ruthless in their search for the ideal ‘well rounded’ candidates amongst thousands. The question on every student’s lips (especially those in Year 11 and Sixth Form who could recite it in their sleep) is “what really defines one?”
To start with, good grades are essential as they are the springboard off which you can launch your application. There is absolutely and unequivocally no point in applying to your first choice university course unless you meet the minimum entry requirement which is normally found in all universities’ undergraduate prospectuses displayed on their websites. Consequently, however, you need to bear in mind that there are probably thousands of other students who will achieve, or surpass, the same grade boundaries. This has led to the introduction of the A* grade at A-level, much to the disappointment of current Year 12’s and 13’s. The majority of universities are still in the process of incorporating the A* grade into their entry requirements, though some top universities, such as Cambridge, are now using the grade for all current and future applications. Your teachers, especially Mr. Miles who coordinates all exam entries for Dubai College, will be more than happy to provide further information. It is essential that you find unique ways to distinguish yourself from other candidates, as well as maintaining a strong academic record. A well rounded student is defined as a student whom displays academic excellence, a passion for extra-curricular activities and demonstrates a bright, enthusiastic demeanor in their personal statement or interview. In reality, it sounds a bit more difficult than it actually is.
The key to being a well balanced applicant is simple. Take up an interest, it doesn’t have to be something momentous or life changing but rather something that you enjoy doing and, very importantly, can commit to. There are a plethora of extra-curricular activities available at Dubai College and it is never too late to sign up. Nevertheless, as a young adult, the rest of the world is open to you as well. In many cases, taking up an interest outside of the school walls, such as learning a new language or routinely taking part in an activity, would definitely help provide you with an extra edge on the infamous UCAS form. Taking part in community projects or working with a charity such as Helping Hands may provide you with an aspect on your personal statement that many other applicants can’t replicate.

On the other hand it is important to remember that this does not mean everything! Whilst being a good student all-round is important, our lives at this point are primarily about enjoying ourselves and learning from experiences that will help define who we are as people. So I urge you not to be solely driven by academics as in the end, all the accolades in the world cannot make up for lost opportunities to become better people. Everyone knows a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Just don’t forget to enjoy the scenery either side of the road.

Shahyan Dastur

A polygraph, more commonly known as a lie detector, is an instrument that measures physiological responses to test whether or not a person is truthfully answering a question.

This seems quite spectacular; nevertheless, it remains controversial and most courts still do not recognize polygraph tests as evidence in a court of law. How does this instrument work and what are the problems associated with it?

The science behind the polygraph

Polygraphs work by measuring 4 key physiological responses: breathing rate, blood pressure, pulse rate and perspiration. The measurements for these are plotted continuously over a single strip of moving paper.

The test begins with a few simple questions; these are given to establish the normal responses of the person being interrogated and are called control questions. Some of Polygraph testing is used on The Moment     the control questions are irrelevant and are easy to answer truthfully, for example,  of Truth, a popular TV show                          “Is your name Sherlock Holmes?” whilst others are there to trick you into lying,

such as “Have you ever stolen anything?” The relevant questions are asked alternately with the control questions and signals are measured. Lies can be detected by deviations from the norm.

Common clues which indicate lying are flushed cheeks and a choking voice. However, the polygraph is able to detect subtle changes in the physiological responses that naturally occur when a person lies. Even though a person may feel he is acting calmly, the body instinctively responds to the high level of stress as if it is preparing for a fight. First, the nerves trigger the release of adrenaline, the stress hormone. The heart rate increases so that more blood can be pumped to the vital muscles. The person’s breathing also deepens, allowing more oxygen to be taken to the muscles. Finally, the person begins sweating; this cools the body down to avoid it overheating. These basic nervous functions are automatic and the brain cannot stop them as they are part of the body’s natural survival mechanisms.

Controversy

Although polygraph advocates claim that the validity of the polygraph remains around 90-95%, polygraph testing is not popular among many members of the scientific community. They argue that evidence proves that the test simply isn’t accurate enough and many innocent people can fail the test. Also, a polygraph examiner’s interpretation is quite subjective, which makes the test unreliable. Aldrich Ames is a famous double-agent who twice passed the polygraph test whilst spying for the Soviet Union.

There are several ways to beat the polygraph test. One way is to artificially raise your blood pressure. These can be done by tightening your lower body muscles. Another common method used is to think about something scary or exciting; this will increase your heart rate during truthful answers, thus making it harder to distinguish lies.

Kabir Tourani

As a training centre for special needs, Al-Noor has been helping children in Dubai since 1981. With professional and effective training programmes, the school provides its students with the best possible facilities in order to aid them adapt to society.

Dubai College students have been volunteering year after year to assist the teachers with the students and so this year I, along with a number of other year 12 students, travelled to Al-Noor as a helper to support the instructors with the students. We were allocated into different areas, which we could choose to help in, and noticed that the school provided a range of classes from juniors to seniors and from baking to sports. I chose to help in the ‘work placement’ class where students above 18 were trained in working skills such as typing and writing letters. This was the first time I was surrounded and communicated with ‘handicapped’ people and I felt it was an interesting experience. Although, they had the appearance of an adolescent, each had trouble with something that we would have learnt as a child. Sometimes, I helped them write a simple letter, and at other times, I would watch them type simple words into the computer and make sure they didn’t get any wrong, congratulating them with a ‘thumbs up’ and a smile every time they finished a line.

It was surprising and heartbreaking to see these children, and learn that they had never experienced the same things as we had. Simple things, that we never think about when we do them and never think of as being an important part of our lives, such as being able to walk, are the things that these students need help to experience. Some had never felt the different textures that we had felt when we first learnt to walk and although we would dismiss them as being insignificant, they were still embedded in the back of our minds and we knew instantly what kind of surface it was. These children wouldn’t know that marble was smooth and carpet was rough and that some surfaces grew hot or cold depending on the weather. They would not know the thrill and fatigue of running and some of them probably never will. However, the fact that there are people willing to teach kids all of these familiar and seemingly simple aspects of life has an enormously positive impact on their lives.

Al-Noor is not considered a ‘hospital’ for ‘special’ children, but a school with students. It not only helps children with special needs, but it also constantly reminds us of our privileges, even in the most simplest form, and that we should be grateful for them every day.

Chae-Yoon Kim

The symptoms of ‘swine flu’ are the same as ordinary flu, which means that some people could have already had the virus without realising.  I, on the other hand, being a great hypochondriac went to the doctors and discovered that I “probably had swine flu.”  However, when I told others, the word “probably” sometimes slipped from memory.

Whenever my brother heard of a case of swine flu (H1N1 virus) in Dubai, previous to mine, he would freak out. So, imagine his reaction when I found out I had it; he didn’t come near me for a week and, in the unfortunate event of having to see me, I was forced to wear a mask. However, in fairness to him, whenever he had heard it mentioned previously, it would be shortly followed by a statistic of how many people the virus had killed.  This was the primary objective of the media at the time, to inform us of the growing death toll, whereas they should have been focusing on the fact that it is just like a regular flu.

Egypt had appeared to have panicked the most, even more than my brother, after planning to slaughter 300,000 pigs despite the fact that no one had yet contracted the disease in Egypt. As well as the fact that the virus is not contracted by pigs. This forced the world health organisation to stop using the term ‘swine flu’ to avoid further confusion and therefore further save many pigs lives.

However, it has now become less of a scare, mainly because people are aware that swine flu is no more harmful than regular flu. The reason for such a huge scare was not the severity of the virus, but the fact that it had been newly contracted and no one had heard of it before. Nevertheless, it is important to ensure that when you sneeze or cough, cover your mouth (which you should be doing anyway) and wash your hands regularly!

By Lauren MacDonald