OK, I can't resist elaborating on the "girls panties on the bus" story because 25+ years after the fact, its actually kinda funny.
Back in the day when we all still lived on the farm, we rode the school bus for about an hour in the morning and then an hour home again in the afternoon. Plenty of time for mischief for a bunch of semi-supervised farm kids. My best friend at the time and I sat in the seat second from the back, her little brother sat behind us and across the aisle and one seat forward were my little sister and her friend.
One day when I was in Grade 6 (I think?), my best friend's brother found a plastic bag at the back of the bus and low and behold, it contained a pair of girls panties! Turquoise-blue granny-panties. Being the shit-disturber that he was, he pulled them out, announced proudly what he had discovered and immediately started an interrogtion of all the girls on the bus to figure out who they belonged to. No one knew ... or at least no one was letting on.
For several weeks this continued; the panties were tossed around, there was a lot of teasing as kids are wont to do and all the girls emphatically rebuffed any connection to them! As time when by, it became more and more of a mystery, no one was owning up. As an aside, it is a sad statement as to how often they cleaned those busses when a pair of gaunchies could remain there for several weeks!
One day I happened to mention to my Mom about what had been going on on the school bus, not thinking much of it except that some silly girl was gonna be really red-faced if the truth was ever revealed. The legend had grown beyond our bus and by now, almost all the kids at school had heard. My Mom's response came as a big surprise and if this wasn't THE most humbling moment of my life, it was defintely top 5: horror of all horrors, the mystery panties were MINE! Huh?! I knew that I didn't leave them there and frankly, I didn't even recognize them until later, they were a pair I obviously hadn't worn in a while.
My Mom explained the story. My sister had had a sleep over with her friend a while back and unfortunately, the friend had had an "accident." My Mom generously loaned her a pair of clean underwear (mine!) to wear home; her Mom was to launder them and then return them. However, my sister's friend was too embarassed tell her Mom about the "accident." So rather than face the shame at home, she left the evidence on the bus.
Luckily my best friend was pretty good peeps and she could be trusted with my terrible secret. She understood the gravity of the situation; for a sixth-grader with a bit of a complex, this was the kinda thing that can ruin ya! So we came up with a plan. One day we discreetly got a hold of the panties, covertly smuggled them off the bus and secretly disposed of them once and for all in the girls washroom garbage.
As far as anyone ever knew, the mystery of the wayward panties was never solved, my reputation (such as it was) remained intact and my friend's brother moved on to taunting us girls about something else as only he could do.
All's well that ends well and after all these years, one just has to look back and laugh.
Friday, September 26, 2008
In The News: Hostage-taking at Regina school
What the heck is going on back there in Canada??? Last week an armed home invasion across the back alley from my place ... in May my former colleague murdered his family, his tenant and then himself ... 2 weeks ago my ex-boyfriend was arrested after 5 years on the loose ... now, a hostage situation at a Regina high school! Is it just me or are there a lot of crazy things happening lately???
My (distant) connection to the Regina hostage situation is that one of my high-school classmates, Cherie Robbins (last name Larochelle back in the day) has a son attending that school. She and her son, Nat, are quoted in this article from The Leader Post.
Some bits and pieces from the CBC website:
No doubt there will be some kids (and parents!) having nightmares for a while to come but the finale was not nearly as disastrous as it could have been. Kudos to the principal and the other adults for their couragous actions and hopefully that young man gets help, he obviously needs it. And best wishes to my friend Cherie and her family.
There is another scary side to this story ... my childhood friends and class-mates now have children of their own who are already in high school!!! It wasn't very long ago that WE were the kids running around the school hallways, terrorizing Mr. Fleck the bus driver and throwing a pair of girls panties around the school bus (true story!)
My (distant) connection to the Regina hostage situation is that one of my high-school classmates, Cherie Robbins (last name Larochelle back in the day) has a son attending that school. She and her son, Nat, are quoted in this article from The Leader Post.
Some bits and pieces from the CBC website:
Another article in The National Post.Hostage-taking at Regina school ends safely, former student arrested Principal and SWAT team members tackle youth armed with air pistol
Last Updated: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 9:15 PM CT
A Regina high school was the scene of a hostage-taking Tuesday.
A 16-year-old male was taken into custody after police converged on Luther College High School in Regina, where a former student held a pastor at gunpoint in front of a terrified assembly of students who had gathered for chapel service.
The incident began around 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, Trista Gargol, a student at the independent school in Regina's west end, told CBC News.
About 300 students were in the gym for the regular religious service.
Gargol said a youth approached the pastor leading the service and handed him a three-page letter, demanding that it be read or he would shoot him.
School officials confirmed the suspect is a former student who was expelled in 2007.
As the pastor read the letter, teachers were able to escort some of the students to safety. About 60 students could not leave.
Mark Anderson, the school principal, later told reporters he decided to take action after determining the threat could be managed.
"During the course of events, I and one or two other teachers were creeping closer to the suspect," Anderson said. "Eventually at one point I was able to get close enough that I could see that it was not the kind of firearm I thought it was. It was indeed less serious than that, so I took that opportunity to try to take the firearm away from him, or the pellet gun away from him or whatever it was."
"We wrestled over it for a couple minutes or a couple seconds, sorry, and at that point the SWAT team came in and took control of the situation and handled it very well."
By 11 a.m., police reported they had a suspect in custody and were escorting the remaining students to a safe area, including a nearby church.
Jennifer Arends, a spokesperson for the school, told CBC News that all students were safe, and by the early afternoon they were being reunited with parents and sent home.
No doubt there will be some kids (and parents!) having nightmares for a while to come but the finale was not nearly as disastrous as it could have been. Kudos to the principal and the other adults for their couragous actions and hopefully that young man gets help, he obviously needs it. And best wishes to my friend Cherie and her family.
There is another scary side to this story ... my childhood friends and class-mates now have children of their own who are already in high school!!! It wasn't very long ago that WE were the kids running around the school hallways, terrorizing Mr. Fleck the bus driver and throwing a pair of girls panties around the school bus (true story!)
Saturday, September 20, 2008
In The News: Police charge 2 men in Queensland robbery
What has this got to do with Dubai? Well, nothing. But it has a lot to do with my place in Cowtown ... this happened only a half a block away!
I hate when shit happens in my neighborhood! People start to remember it and next thing you know, its dubbed a slum and property values drop. In general, Queensland is pretty safe and quiet but we have had a few "incidents" over the years. And the houses on that stretch of Queensland Drive have some rather seedy inhabitants, derelict activities, loud parties, use our trash bins for couches and such. There have been a number of domestic confrontations, a house fire that turned out to be a grow-op and a rapist trying to hide in the bushes directly across the street from my place (until the police dogs sniffed him out, bit him and severed an artery - that'll learn'em!). Nothing like waking up in the middle of the night to the HAWKS police helicopter circling right over your head and your neighbour being swarmed with armed police and media trucks!
CBC website
Police charge 2 men in Queensland robbery
Last Updated: Thursday, September 18, 2008 | 4:01 PM MT Comments6Recommend3CBC News
Police were called to this southeast house after reports of shots fired. (Karen Wade/CBC)
Two Calgary men have been charged in a home invasion robbery in the southeast that included a man being grazed by a bullet.
Police were called to a home in the 800 block of Queensland Drive S.E. just before noon on Wednesday after reports of shots fired.
About half an hour before that, three men wearing masks had forced their way into the house and assaulted the 26-year-old man living there, said police on Thursday. The group also ransacked the home.
When a family member, aged 41, arrived to check on the victim at the home, he was confronted by one of the offenders. The man fired at gun at the relative, leaving him with a minor gunshot wound to the abdomen.
It was one of three shootings in the Calgary area in 14 hours.
Both victims were treated in hospital and released, said police.
Police tracked both suspects a short time later and arrested them. They continue to search for a third man.
A 23-year-old man is charged with assault with a weapon, robbery with a firearm, unlawful confinement, tampering with a serial number and possession of stolen property over $5,000.
A 21-year-old man is charged with failure to comply with a recognizance, possession of a controlled substance, assault with a weapon, robbery with a firearm and unlawful confinement.
Police said they believe the targeted attack was drug-related.
I hate when shit happens in my neighborhood! People start to remember it and next thing you know, its dubbed a slum and property values drop. In general, Queensland is pretty safe and quiet but we have had a few "incidents" over the years. And the houses on that stretch of Queensland Drive have some rather seedy inhabitants, derelict activities, loud parties, use our trash bins for couches and such. There have been a number of domestic confrontations, a house fire that turned out to be a grow-op and a rapist trying to hide in the bushes directly across the street from my place (until the police dogs sniffed him out, bit him and severed an artery - that'll learn'em!). Nothing like waking up in the middle of the night to the HAWKS police helicopter circling right over your head and your neighbour being swarmed with armed police and media trucks!
CBC website
Sunday, September 14, 2008
UPDATED: Five years later ... justice???
I have been following closely the story in Dubai of the South African woman named Kerry Winter who was beaten and abducted by her obsessive ex-boyfriend. It is eerily familiar. She is still missing in spite of massive efforts by her family to locate her.
Update (Sept 20): Unfortunately nothing to update on the search. However the ex-boyfriend has gone through several renditions of confession and then returned to his original story. Bottom line, she's still missing.
Remember my old boyfriend Rick?
Flashback to 2003 ... I dated him for about 16 months and when I tried to break up with him and kick him out of my house ... well, let's just say it didn't go very well. The Police were involved, charges were laid and with the help of some very good friends, I escaped relatively unharmed. He subsequently missed his court date and skipped town to (presumably) go live under a rock somewhere.
Although he has not contacted me since 2004, it has always been in the back of my mind that he could re-surface one day, perhaps show up on my door step. But as time passed by, I was less and less afraid and I was content that those charges may never be resolved.
I got an email from my sister today saying that she had gotten a few calls from an Edmonton number, a woman who sounded LD (Learning Disabled) and was anxious to get a message to me. My sister was suspicious. A 30-second Google search of the phone number confirmed that indeed, it was Rick's mother. This was very alarming to me, no good could come of that.
I called Rick's mom to find out what's going on. I suspected Rick was in trouble of some kind, it was just a question of how serious and what the hell that has to do with me. She is a schizophrenic so communicating with her is never straight forward but in her meandering way, she informed me that Rick was arrested in Edmonton on the warrants from his assault on me, was sent to Calgary and will appear in court on Monday morning. After 5 years I still don't trust him or his mother but the Calgary Police have verified that this is true. That's not to say that he's not up to no good but at least that part of the story checks out.
So after 5 years, maybe there will be closure on this after all. I am not expecting much in the way of consequences and in fact, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if the whole thing was dropped. But it doesn't matter now. The best revenge is living well. I am on top of the world, he is in jail. Revenge is sweet!
Update (Sept 20): I was smiling all day long and feeling pretty celebratory when I heard he was sitting in jail for a few days and that this was finally going to be finished. It is all rather amusing.
But then I received messages on Facebook and my worst fear was confirmed: he has continued to hurt women, at least 2 of them. His current ex-girlfriend discovered that he told her a lot of lies lies lies (sound familiar?), he started getting more and more abusive (sound familiar?), she tried to evict him from her property but he wouldn't leave (sound familiar?), she went to the police to get protection from him because she is afraid and discovered he had outstanding warrants. That is how he got arrested ... and then released of his own recognizance (HA! sound familiar?) He missed his last court date and evaded the authorities for 5 years, what makes them think this time will be different??? I found it especially ironic to read this story on the CBC website this morning.
He was in court Monday morning and plead not guilty. There is another hearing on October 1 to determine if the trial can proceed (if the courts could not locate me he would have walked away free and clear ... I called them so no worries there). The trial is scheduled for November 20th. More than likely I will be subpoenaed but even if I am not, I will go and make the best case I can to have him convicted and most importantly, finally put into treatment for the myriad of mental health problems that he suffers so he stops abusing unsuspecting women!
Just a word of caution to those of you who knew him: there is a "no contact" order in place. He is not to contact me directly or indirectly. If he or his mother or any mystery person contacts you asking questions, please don't tell them anything!!! Tell me. He is known to try to coerce, manipulate and intimidate in the most devious and underhanded ways imaginable but if he violates any of the conditions of his release, he gets shipped back to the big house! And then I would be smiling again :-)
The story of Kerry Winter is humbling. Reminds me that if it weren't for my best friend stepping in with some tough love, my situation with Rick might have ended up very differently.
Update: Still hoping for the best for Kerry Winter, but ...
Update (Sept 20): Unfortunately nothing to update on the search. However the ex-boyfriend has gone through several renditions of confession and then returned to his original story. Bottom line, she's still missing.
Remember my old boyfriend Rick?
Flashback to 2003 ... I dated him for about 16 months and when I tried to break up with him and kick him out of my house ... well, let's just say it didn't go very well. The Police were involved, charges were laid and with the help of some very good friends, I escaped relatively unharmed. He subsequently missed his court date and skipped town to (presumably) go live under a rock somewhere.
Although he has not contacted me since 2004, it has always been in the back of my mind that he could re-surface one day, perhaps show up on my door step. But as time passed by, I was less and less afraid and I was content that those charges may never be resolved.
I got an email from my sister today saying that she had gotten a few calls from an Edmonton number, a woman who sounded LD (Learning Disabled) and was anxious to get a message to me. My sister was suspicious. A 30-second Google search of the phone number confirmed that indeed, it was Rick's mother. This was very alarming to me, no good could come of that.
I called Rick's mom to find out what's going on. I suspected Rick was in trouble of some kind, it was just a question of how serious and what the hell that has to do with me. She is a schizophrenic so communicating with her is never straight forward but in her meandering way, she informed me that Rick was arrested in Edmonton on the warrants from his assault on me, was sent to Calgary and will appear in court on Monday morning. After 5 years I still don't trust him or his mother but the Calgary Police have verified that this is true. That's not to say that he's not up to no good but at least that part of the story checks out.
So after 5 years, maybe there will be closure on this after all. I am not expecting much in the way of consequences and in fact, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if the whole thing was dropped. But it doesn't matter now. The best revenge is living well. I am on top of the world, he is in jail. Revenge is sweet!
Update (Sept 20): I was smiling all day long and feeling pretty celebratory when I heard he was sitting in jail for a few days and that this was finally going to be finished. It is all rather amusing.
But then I received messages on Facebook and my worst fear was confirmed: he has continued to hurt women, at least 2 of them. His current ex-girlfriend discovered that he told her a lot of lies lies lies (sound familiar?), he started getting more and more abusive (sound familiar?), she tried to evict him from her property but he wouldn't leave (sound familiar?), she went to the police to get protection from him because she is afraid and discovered he had outstanding warrants. That is how he got arrested ... and then released of his own recognizance (HA! sound familiar?) He missed his last court date and evaded the authorities for 5 years, what makes them think this time will be different??? I found it especially ironic to read this story on the CBC website this morning.
He was in court Monday morning and plead not guilty. There is another hearing on October 1 to determine if the trial can proceed (if the courts could not locate me he would have walked away free and clear ... I called them so no worries there). The trial is scheduled for November 20th. More than likely I will be subpoenaed but even if I am not, I will go and make the best case I can to have him convicted and most importantly, finally put into treatment for the myriad of mental health problems that he suffers so he stops abusing unsuspecting women!
Just a word of caution to those of you who knew him: there is a "no contact" order in place. He is not to contact me directly or indirectly. If he or his mother or any mystery person contacts you asking questions, please don't tell them anything!!! Tell me. He is known to try to coerce, manipulate and intimidate in the most devious and underhanded ways imaginable but if he violates any of the conditions of his release, he gets shipped back to the big house! And then I would be smiling again :-)
The story of Kerry Winter is humbling. Reminds me that if it weren't for my best friend stepping in with some tough love, my situation with Rick might have ended up very differently.
Update: Still hoping for the best for Kerry Winter, but ...
Thursday, September 11, 2008
I Survived The Earthquake!!!
This week I was busily working away in my little cubby hole office, not really paying much attention. I have 2 co-workers who sit directly beside my office. Mid-afternoon, out of the blue, one says to the other, "Did you feel that?" The other replies, "Yes!" They turn to me and ask, "Did you feel that?" I says, "Uh ... errr ... no ... feel what?" The building just moved!
According to the US Geological Survey website, an earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck southern Iran at 2:30pm (local time) Wednesday afternoon and then at 3:03pm, another occurred of magnitude 4.7. Iran is just a stone's throw across the pond and some of the aftershocks measuring 4.8 were felt in the UAE, mostly in the northern Emirates.
I work on the third floor of Emirates Tower which is on Sheikh Zayed Road. We were not forced to evacuate and in fact there was no indication that anything out of the ordinary was happening other than a crowd of people outside our building and across SZR. I can't say as I experienced the sheer panic that others reported in the news (I didn't even feel it). There were no deaths in Dubai, no noticable damage, barely any coverage in the news and immediately following the conversation with my work-mates, I turned back to my computer and continued on with my day.
OK, so it was a bit of a non-event, but it does make for an interesting blog post!
The Gulf News
Zawya.com
As an aside, Jumeirah Emirates Towers are the pair of triangular, pointy buildings that you see in a lot of the Dubai sky-line pictures. The taller one on the left is the office building, the one on the right is a hotel.
This photo and an interesting comentary about the towers at Galinsky.com
According to the US Geological Survey website, an earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck southern Iran at 2:30pm (local time) Wednesday afternoon and then at 3:03pm, another occurred of magnitude 4.7. Iran is just a stone's throw across the pond and some of the aftershocks measuring 4.8 were felt in the UAE, mostly in the northern Emirates.
I work on the third floor of Emirates Tower which is on Sheikh Zayed Road. We were not forced to evacuate and in fact there was no indication that anything out of the ordinary was happening other than a crowd of people outside our building and across SZR. I can't say as I experienced the sheer panic that others reported in the news (I didn't even feel it). There were no deaths in Dubai, no noticable damage, barely any coverage in the news and immediately following the conversation with my work-mates, I turned back to my computer and continued on with my day. OK, so it was a bit of a non-event, but it does make for an interesting blog post!
The Gulf News
Zawya.com
As an aside, Jumeirah Emirates Towers are the pair of triangular, pointy buildings that you see in a lot of the Dubai sky-line pictures. The taller one on the left is the office building, the one on the right is a hotel.
This photo and an interesting comentary about the towers at Galinsky.com
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Update from Minka: In a Better Place
I emailed the people who have Minka to see how she is doing. I kinda miss her and wanted to know how she's doing. Dubai is not a very dog-friendly place, at least not for big dogs however I see them around once in a while. There are not many places to take them, most rental accommodation do not allow them and it is extremely hot ... a pet left in a vehicle would not last more than 5 minutes without the air conditioning. To bring her here would not have been a good choice.
I got a vey nice response and some photos from her new home telling me about her summer. Not only is she alive and kicking, she seems to be thriving which is great news! I knew they would be a good home which made leaving her behind much easier. I thought I was a pretty good "doggy-mommy" but these people got me beat. They are spoiling her rotten!
They take her to Canmore dog park frequently (oh how she loves the dog park!), they took her on their road trip to Saskatoon (she loves road trips and car rides), they started her on a RAW food diet with a special menu recommended by a "doggy nutritionist" (oh how she loves her food!) and the icing on the cake ... they bought her an orthopedic dog bed! She is definitely in heaven.
They also say that they have been able to leave her out of her crate while they are away. There were a few "accidents" at first but if they leave the TV on, she is OK. That is great news for her! I tried for so long to find a solution other than keeping her in the crate and it looks they have found a way.
Deciding what to do with her was such a tough thing and I knew that putting her down was just not right. I thank my lucky stars that these people came along and are giving her a few more good years and I know she is giving them all kinds of love and drool and sleepless nights because of the loud snoring :-)
Saturday, September 06, 2008
In The News: miscellaneous stories from the last few weeks
I have been working crazy hours lately so haven't had time to blog. I warn you this is a very long entry because I've been saving them up!
I've been following this story, it is chilling and hits a little too close to home for me on a few different levels. The reader's digest version:
- May 2008: This woman, Kerry Winter, a South African, breaks off a 5-year relationship with boyfriend, Mark Arnold, a British national. Moves out. Apparently he won't divorce his wife so can't say as I blame her for skidding his sorry @$$.
- June/July/August: the ex-boyfriend follows her around, sits outside her house, breaks into her house, barges into her office, makes meanacing phone calls and SMS's. She moves around a couple times, changes her number, stays with friends. Police do nothing to help her because he has accused her of burglarizing his house. She proves that she was not even in the country when this supposedly happened and police drop the charges and return her passport.
- August 20: she has drinks with a friend. Sees her ex-boyfriend spying. She goes home, he follows. An arguement ensues. He beats her with a baseball bat. Neighbours try to intervene, he beats them too. Neighbours call police. He cleans up her head wounds, bundles her into her SUV, drives her to Arabian Ranches round-about (kind of the middle of no-where) and drops her off. Goes home, has a shower, goes to work. Police arrive too late and find blood all over the inside of her apartment.
- August 20-ish: friends and family receive SMS's from her phone saying she is OK. They get suspicious. They respond in Afrikaans and that's the end of the SMS's.
- August 23-26: Ex-boyfriend flys back to England with his new girlfriend to watch a football (soccer) game and is arrested when he returns to UAE for the beating episode. The police interrogate him, he claims she was coherent and "fine" when he left her ... that's his story and he's sticking to it.
- August 27-ish: Police find her SUV but no sign of her.
- September 3: The body of a woman is found in the desert. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on how one looks at it), it is not Kerry. Police confirm that the woman found (with 2 children) is Pakistani or Sri Lankan. A very sad side-story mostly because it would have never have made the news at all if it weren't for this case (I have been watching the for information, there's nothing.)
That's where it ends. Girl is still missing. Family is still searching. Ex-boyfriend is still sitting in jail, smug and defiant.
Dubai is still generally a safe place but it is not utopia. Bad things happen here same as anywhere.
The National
The Gulf News
Facebook
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I read previously they could get 6 years in jail so 3 to 6 months is not so bad by comparison. Other reports have said that they were given a warning, they were beligerent towards the police and she threw her shoe at them. She denies all that and is looking for public support to try to sway the verdict. Unfortunately the court of public opinion is not in her favour, most people (expats and locals) feel that regardless of what is permissible in one's home country and regardless of one's personal opinion of the local laws and customs, one must respect the laws of the land. Dubai is pretty liberal but there's a limit.
The "beach couple" are also British nationals (as is boyfriend from the last story) ... what's going on with those Brits??? They were convicted and will be sentanced in the next week or so.
The Gulf News
The National
Fox
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Ramadan Kareem!!! (translation: Happy Ramadan ... I think?)
Government of Dubai website
Non-muslims are not really 'requested' to refrain from eating/drinking/smoking in public, it is actually the law. A common question asked these days is, "are you fasting?". Not something I am accustomed to hearing.
The Definition of Ramadan according to Wikipedia is:
Also from RamadanKareem.org:
Many non-Muslims also fast in the same way, some to show support for our Muslim friends, some for health reasons, some because they are cheap-skates (less food = less dirhams spent). Most restaurants, coffee shops, food courts are closed during the day which makes it a little inconvenient for us "non-fasters" who don't plan ahead! Sadly, my beloved Starbucks is closed now but my other lunch-time haunt (Corner 3) is open (the window shades are down). Just gotta put my contraband lunch in a brown paperbag and sneak it up to my office. The other non-fasters hang out with me in my secluded little corner for lunch.
On the up-side, the work day is reduced to 6 hours for everyone (which doesn't actually change anything for me, I still seem to be working long hours).
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And lastly: the great debate over a revolutionary new concept ... the self-serve gas station! Will it catch on?
The Gulf News
The article goes on to give step-by-step instructions:
[Insert sarcasm here:] They don't explicitly state this but once you replace the nozzle, you must then get in your vehicle, start the engine and proceed to whereever it was you were going before you entered the petrol station. Some might be confused by this. [End of sarcasm]
The article also lists the locations of stations piloting the "do-it-yourself" thing and quotes from a random sampling of users:
This last comment, albeit a bit jumbled, hits the nail on the head me thinks. There is a subtle shift towards weaning Dubai off of the masses of low-wage ex-pat workers doing the meanial jobs or at least keeping them out of sight. I think they would do away with the white-collar high-wage ex-pats as well except that there are not enough qualified Emiratis to fill those positions. They still need us.
Family's fears grow for missing South African
Anthony Richardson
Last Updated: August 31. 2008 8:45PM UAE / August 31. 2008 4:45PM GMT
DUBAI // For the past two weeks Kurt Winter has thought of nothing but finding his missing sister.
Every telephone call or lead has raised his hopes that this could be the one that ends his family’s agony and gives them the news, good or bad, of his sister’s whereabouts.
But until that happens the sense of helplessness is overwhelming.
Kerry Winter has not been seen since Aug 20, when witnesses say they saw her during the evening being savagely beaten with a baseball bat outside her rented villa in Al Barsha and dragged bleeding into her car.
She has not been seen or heard from since.
I've been following this story, it is chilling and hits a little too close to home for me on a few different levels. The reader's digest version:
- May 2008: This woman, Kerry Winter, a South African, breaks off a 5-year relationship with boyfriend, Mark Arnold, a British national. Moves out. Apparently he won't divorce his wife so can't say as I blame her for skidding his sorry @$$.
- June/July/August: the ex-boyfriend follows her around, sits outside her house, breaks into her house, barges into her office, makes meanacing phone calls and SMS's. She moves around a couple times, changes her number, stays with friends. Police do nothing to help her because he has accused her of burglarizing his house. She proves that she was not even in the country when this supposedly happened and police drop the charges and return her passport.
- August 20: she has drinks with a friend. Sees her ex-boyfriend spying. She goes home, he follows. An arguement ensues. He beats her with a baseball bat. Neighbours try to intervene, he beats them too. Neighbours call police. He cleans up her head wounds, bundles her into her SUV, drives her to Arabian Ranches round-about (kind of the middle of no-where) and drops her off. Goes home, has a shower, goes to work. Police arrive too late and find blood all over the inside of her apartment.
- August 20-ish: friends and family receive SMS's from her phone saying she is OK. They get suspicious. They respond in Afrikaans and that's the end of the SMS's.
- August 23-26: Ex-boyfriend flys back to England with his new girlfriend to watch a football (soccer) game and is arrested when he returns to UAE for the beating episode. The police interrogate him, he claims she was coherent and "fine" when he left her ... that's his story and he's sticking to it.
- August 27-ish: Police find her SUV but no sign of her.
- September 3: The body of a woman is found in the desert. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on how one looks at it), it is not Kerry. Police confirm that the woman found (with 2 children) is Pakistani or Sri Lankan. A very sad side-story mostly because it would have never have made the news at all if it weren't for this case (I have been watching the for information, there's nothing.)
That's where it ends. Girl is still missing. Family is still searching. Ex-boyfriend is still sitting in jail, smug and defiant.
Dubai is still generally a safe place but it is not utopia. Bad things happen here same as anywhere.
The National
The Gulf News
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Beach couple plead not guilty
Ramona Ruiz
Last Updated: August 12. 2008 10:30PM UAE / August 12. 2008 6:30PM GMT
Two Britons pleaded not guilty to charges of having intercourse on a public beach at their first appearance at the Dubai Misdemeanours Court yesterday.
Michelle Palmer and Vincent Acors, who were arrested on Jumeirah beach just after midnight on July 5, were charged with illicit relations, public indecency and being intoxicated in public. They were released on bail.
The charges were read out at about 9am to the accused by the presiding judge, Abdullatif Hamad, according to a source close to the case. “Both pleaded not guilty to having sexual relations and committing an indecent act in public. However, they admitted to consuming alcohol. Ms Palmer produced her liquor licence to the court.”
The hearing was initially set for Aug 21, but the date was moved forward. The pair were represented by a lawyer who said he would submit papers in their defence. The next hearing is scheduled for Sept 2. If convicted, they each face jail sentences of three to six months followed by deportation.
I read previously they could get 6 years in jail so 3 to 6 months is not so bad by comparison. Other reports have said that they were given a warning, they were beligerent towards the police and she threw her shoe at them. She denies all that and is looking for public support to try to sway the verdict. Unfortunately the court of public opinion is not in her favour, most people (expats and locals) feel that regardless of what is permissible in one's home country and regardless of one's personal opinion of the local laws and customs, one must respect the laws of the land. Dubai is pretty liberal but there's a limit.
The "beach couple" are also British nationals (as is boyfriend from the last story) ... what's going on with those Brits??? They were convicted and will be sentanced in the next week or so.
The Gulf News
The National
Fox
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Ramadan Kareem!!! (translation: Happy Ramadan ... I think?)
Ramadan in Dubai
Holy Month of Ramadan Begins
The holy month of Ramadan has begun. During this month, all Muslims commemorate the revelation of the Holy Quran by fasting and abstaining from all food & drinks between dawn and dusk. The fast is broken with the Iftar meal. All over Dubai, festive Ramadan tents are filled with people of all nationalities celebrating together, the breaking of the fast.
Non-Muslims are requested to refrain from eating, drinking or smoking in public places, during the day as a sign of respect. Ramadan ends with Eid Al Fitr, when the whole of Dubai celebrates the feast of the breaking of the fast.
Government of Dubai website
Non-muslims are not really 'requested' to refrain from eating/drinking/smoking in public, it is actually the law. A common question asked these days is, "are you fasting?". Not something I am accustomed to hearing.
The Definition of Ramadan according to Wikipedia is:
Ramadan (Arabic: رمضان, Ramaḍān) is a Muslim religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, believed to be the month in which the Qur'an was revealed to Angel Gabriel, who later revealed it to the Prophet Muhammad. It is the Islamic month of fasting (sawm), in which participating Muslims do not eat or drink anything from dawn until sunset. Fasting is meant to teach the person patience, sacrifice and humility. Ramadan is a time to fast for the sake of God, and to offer even more prayer than usual. In Ramadan Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance into the future, ask for help in refrain from everyday evils and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds.
Also from RamadanKareem.org:
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim year which follows a lunar calendar. Each month begins with a sighting of the moon's crescent and lasts 29 or 30 days until a sighting of the next month's crescent.
The month of Ramadan commemorates the days when the Angel Gabriel imparted the wisdom of the Koran, Islam's holy book, to the Prophet Mohammed.
Ramadan is a time for self-examination and increased religious devotion. The fast ends when the new moon is again sighted and the month of Shawwal begins. It is followed by the Id Al-Fitr feasting and the exchange of gifts.
The Muslim belief states that whoever observes this fasting faithfully and with pure intentions, will have his or her sins forgiven. Fasting during Ramadan is said to be 30 times more powerful than fasting any other time of the year.
Many non-Muslims also fast in the same way, some to show support for our Muslim friends, some for health reasons, some because they are cheap-skates (less food = less dirhams spent). Most restaurants, coffee shops, food courts are closed during the day which makes it a little inconvenient for us "non-fasters" who don't plan ahead! Sadly, my beloved Starbucks is closed now but my other lunch-time haunt (Corner 3) is open (the window shades are down). Just gotta put my contraband lunch in a brown paperbag and sneak it up to my office. The other non-fasters hang out with me in my secluded little corner for lunch.
On the up-side, the work day is reduced to 6 hours for everyone (which doesn't actually change anything for me, I still seem to be working long hours).
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And lastly: the great debate over a revolutionary new concept ... the self-serve gas station! Will it catch on?
Do-it-yourself at Enoc petrol stations
By Sunita Menon, Staff Reporter
Published: August 13, 2008, 00:00
Dubai: It was an unusual sight to have attendants at some Emirates National Oil Company (Enoc) petrol stations standing aside and watching motorists taking the nozzle to fill their vehicle's fuel tanks.
Ten Enoc petrol stations yesterday went on the self-service scheme as part of their pilot project. Three were launched in Dubai and seven across the northern emirates. The self-service concept will allow for payments by cash only. As a safety measure, smoking and use of mobile phones while filling up are strictly forbidden.
The Gulf News
The article goes on to give step-by-step instructions:
Park your vehicle in front of the pump,
Switch off the engine.
Go inside the store and pay the amount of purchase.
Mention the pump number to the cashier.
The cashier will then give a receipt for the payment
Customer can go back to the particular pump, take the nozzle out and fill up.
The pump will automatically stop when the authorised amount is dispensed and the customer can then replace the nozzle.
[Insert sarcasm here:] They don't explicitly state this but once you replace the nozzle, you must then get in your vehicle, start the engine and proceed to whereever it was you were going before you entered the petrol station. Some might be confused by this. [End of sarcasm]
The article also lists the locations of stations piloting the "do-it-yourself" thing and quotes from a random sampling of users:
Yes, self-service petrol stations is a good idea. There is no reason why others should stand in the heat the whole day just for the sake of the motorist. We can all stand the climate for a few minutes.
It's a stupid idea, with this type of climate no one will even consider pumping petrol for their car.
I much prefer to be served by an attendant - it is too hot to get out of my car. I also wear 'driving shoes' in my car, so getting out of the car, would mean I'd have to change my shoes again, go and pay, fill up, and then change my shoes to driving shoes again. (can you say "lazy"?!)
Inside the cities it can cause chaos and disruption especially during peak hours. (isn't chaos and disruption a way of life in this city anyways???)
It is a great idea for those petrol stations that are situated in rural areas, where the petrol attendant can't be located because he is having a nap in the back (Haha! Yup, its Dubai.)
I'ts very convenient for male costumer, How about for the female wearing abaya's? (This is a legitimate point.)
Personally I hope it does not become mandatory but what I would like to see are some DIY car washes. (Whoa, let's not get carried away! I pay a guy 30 dirhams a week to wash the Pajero while I'm at work; my vehicle has never been so clean!)
most of the people who dont wish to come out of their vehicle will avoid this situation and move to other stations and at last, attendants will surely lose their jobs which is not good.
This last comment, albeit a bit jumbled, hits the nail on the head me thinks. There is a subtle shift towards weaning Dubai off of the masses of low-wage ex-pat workers doing the meanial jobs or at least keeping them out of sight. I think they would do away with the white-collar high-wage ex-pats as well except that there are not enough qualified Emiratis to fill those positions. They still need us.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
UPDATED: In The News: Fire at the Atlantis!!!
One of the big project that NORR has done in the last few years, a pièce de résistance actually, is called the Atlantis Resort which is at the crest of the Palm Jumeirah, one of the big reclaimed-land projects here. The Atlantis is a very high profile project for us and is an uber high-end hotel. I have driven up the trunk of the Palm and the Atlantis is a pretty impressive sight. Construction was completed ahead of schedule (which is note-worthy in and of itself) and the grand opening was scheduled for late September.
But then ...
Here's the article from Arabian Business:
Disclaimer: As usual, I did not take these photos, they came to me via email ... that makes them public domain doesn't it??? I believe they came from the Arabian Business website. There are more spectacular photos on their website.
UPDATE: My colleague who worked on the Atlantis toured it a week before the fire. Here are a couple of his pictures:
The inside of the main lobby which was damaged and the one-of-a-kind million dollar sculpture that is rumoured to have been lost. Ouch!
My colleague and his wife in front of the enormous aquarium.
It sounds as though the grand opening may be delayed afterall, the amount of damage has not been release and the cause of the fire not yet determined. There was more damage to the "bridge suite" (the piece that spans across the top, directly above where the fire was is all one humungous suite!) than was first thought but fortunately the aquarium is intact, at least I haven't read anything to suggest otherwise. Small miracles.
But then ...
Here's the article from Arabian Business:
Atlantis bosses say resort will open on time
by Sean Cronin and Andy Sambidge on Tuesday, 02 September 2008
HOTEL FIRE: Flames and smoke pour from the Atlantis resort.The luxury Atlantis hotel and resort on Palm Jumeirah will open as planned on September 24, despite suffering smoke damage in a dramatic fire on Tuesday.
Officials said that investigations have found only limited damage to the external roof and lobby dome of the hotel, although a source close to the project told Arabian Business that the $25,000 a night Bridge Suite - located above the hotel lobby where the fire started - also suffered extensive smoke damage.
The suite offers a generous reception lounge, dining area with a gold-leaf table seating 16 guests, and library with state-of-the-art media centre.
Both the master bedroom and king bedroom have magnificent balcony views. Both rooms have his and her en suite bathrooms, while the third bedroom has two double queens and an en suite.
The source added that just two days ago all 1,500 rooms at Atlantis were occupied as the staff did a sleepover dress rehearsal, where they stayed the night, and tested the facilities.
When staff arrived at work on Tuesday morning they found flames shooting up the central palm shape from the lobby and it is understood that some very expensive statues in the lobby have been lost.
Investigators were continuing to assess the extent of the damage on Tuesday.
Officials said the blaze at the luxury hotel was contained to the lobby area of the resort after emergency services attended the incident at about 7.30am.
A spokesman said: "We are currently awaiting further information from the local authorities. The fire has since been extinguished. No staff were injured and every one of our employees on site at the time were evacuated immediately.
"The site of the fire appears to be localized in the lobby area of the resort and we are currently unsure of the extent of the damage."
Security officials blocked road access to the hotel, leaving hundreds of people standing at the access road.
The fire comes just weeks before the planned lavish opening of the hotel that has been built by 72-year-old South African property tycoon Sol Kerzner.
The hotel will have a total of sixteen restaurants while its massive aquarium will stock some 65,000 species of marine life.
The project had been finished and fitted-out ahead of schedule. It is not known what caused the fire on the roof of the building
Disclaimer: As usual, I did not take these photos, they came to me via email ... that makes them public domain doesn't it??? I believe they came from the Arabian Business website. There are more spectacular photos on their website.
UPDATE: My colleague who worked on the Atlantis toured it a week before the fire. Here are a couple of his pictures:
The inside of the main lobby which was damaged and the one-of-a-kind million dollar sculpture that is rumoured to have been lost. Ouch!
My colleague and his wife in front of the enormous aquarium.
It sounds as though the grand opening may be delayed afterall, the amount of damage has not been release and the cause of the fire not yet determined. There was more damage to the "bridge suite" (the piece that spans across the top, directly above where the fire was is all one humungous suite!) than was first thought but fortunately the aquarium is intact, at least I haven't read anything to suggest otherwise. Small miracles.
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