Returning American University of Sharjah (AUS) students are in a furore over a new rule that forces them to pay a Dh1,250 fee towards textbooks they may only buy at the institution’s bookstore.

Students say the new initiative, which comes into effect at the end of the month, is an added blow as the university increased fees by 12 per cent for the 2009-2010 academic earlier this year.

However, the university says the new rule was implemented to discourage infringements on international copyright laws.

“It’s a money-stealing scheme,” said AUS student Amnah Haddad. “We are forced to pay this money to buy books only from our bookstore, therefore we students cannot buy second- hand books as we used to.”

A letter recently sent from the university’s Student Accounts Department stated that the rule is an attempt to “abide by international copyright laws which the university must abide by to maintain accreditation”…SOURCE

After work every evening, scores of people in Bur Dubai and Satwa huddle with their laptops on the steps of apartment buildings in the hope of getting free Internet.

Collectively known as ‘moochers’, ‘piggy backers’ and in certain circles, ‘wardrivers’, they exploit unsecured wireless Internet networks in residential areas from afar. However, according to one IT expert, they pose the biggest threat to ID theft in the UAE.

A study of the phenomenon by Dr Fadi Aloul, from the American University of Sharjah, found that 30 per cent of computer users in Dubai did not have any wireless security encryption and a further 30 per cent had only weak security.

The problem is not only that the ‘moochers’ cost the Internet owner money by racking up the amount of downloads, they can also use their connection for illegal activities, Aloul explained.

“All the ‘packets’ of information that are sent between the computer and the access point are sent through the air rather than a cable,” he said.

“They are visible to anyone who is around the area. Any hacker can collect those packets from the air. They can steal personal details or capture bank account information.

“You never know whether anyone has seen the information or not. There could be someone in another apartment or car outside who is stealing your personal information. It’s impossible to trace.”

Unsecured Internet hotspots are mostly those with a concentration of residential apartment blocks, such as Bur Dubai and the Marina…

Anywhere between five and 30 people come here on evenings and weekends to connect to ‘mooch’ on the free wireless Internet outside the building.

Sanjay Kumar, a salesman, said he came to the building to check emails and chat with his family over skype.

“I live in a villa just five minutes away, but there is no Internet connection there,” he said, sitting on a ledge less than a foot off the ground. “I don’t use the Internet much and it’s not worth getting my own connection. It is quite convenient to come here and use the free Internet, maybe once or twice a week for an hour.”…SOURCE

This Fall, we are celebrating six years in the UAE.  It is hard to believe we have come so far since we left our life back in Florida.  I have had a lot of success with the American University of Sharjah.  In fact, I am beginning my second year as an administrator.  However, new adventures and worries always come up.  Some times it seems that Dubai is slipping further from reality.  The insane traffic.  Cat culling. Not dealing with the issue of housing for the workers instead of a wealthy over-class.  The economic meltdown…

Hopefully, we can continue to bring you the details of our life in the UAE.  Insh’Allah…