Noor Al Ain

"Al Ain: Aldar Properties yesterday unveiled a Dh2 billion mixed-use integrated complex, Noor Al Ain, that would emerge on the existing Al Jimi Mall to offer modern residential, shopping, and leisure facilities to the residents."

From The Gulf News.

Thanks to Meg for the heads up on this. I don't read the Guff News as often as I should so it's a bit late.

The Fish and Chip shop was an April Fool's Day joke. This is for real:

AMAZING!

Hearing Voices

You remember the Al Ain thespians I told you about a while back? Well readers from Al Ain and further afield, nows your chance to experience some of their acting first hand.

I got this press release through on the Taximail:


Women raise their voice for women in Voices

Set to stage their first production for 2007, in the name of charity Al Ain Theatre Society (AATS) presents Voices, a series of short plays written and performed by women.
Director, Ann Sandin said all proceeds from the production will go directly to Women for Women International, an organization helping women in war torn countries rebuild their lives.


“Voices is a neat suite of ten diverse yet thematically-linked works, all giving voice to different phases in women’s lives,” Ms Sandin said.


If it sounds like a night of heavy theatre and yawns, it’s not! Voices has plenty of humor and absurdity on stage as characters work through situations the audience is sure to find familiar is come way, she said.

Ms Sandin said: “Most of the scripts are by Western playwrights, including the award winning Wendy Wasserstein, but we have tried to stretch ourselves a bit and have incorporated some contemporary Arab drama as well.

A recently translated selection by Palestinian playwright Samia Qazmouz Bakri, makes an intriguing addition to the evening.”


Dale Taylor, AATS Secretary said she hopes for a large turnout to support the production and the Women for Women International charity as AATS hopes to designate a sizable donation for women in Iraq and Lebanon.


Women for Women International: http://www.womenforwomen.org


Voices will be performed at the Multaqa, UAE University Social Club, Al-Ain

7.30pm, on 23rd and 24th February 2007.

Tickets 35AED available from House of Arts or on the door.

END

Al Ain Community Library (updated 7/2/07)

My first tip off comes from Towayya. Did you know there was a library in Al Ain? Well you do now:


"We are open sunday and wednesday 10-12, after the school holidays in January we will add an afternoon session. we are located above the bees kingdom daycare in Towayya, behind Towayya park. we will be shut on the 24th and 31st. We have about 2,000 books of various categories, nearly 90% of the books have been donated by the al ain public, which was pretty amazing, we are still getting donations. We also have a toy library. We are charging 150dhs membership for a year, and that goes towards buying new books and dvds and toys"

UPDATE

at the moment the library is only open on sunday and wednesday mornings, due to new regulations from the ministry to do with the daycare.
but hopefully we can return to the evening sessions soon. sorry!
directions again are right at the towayya park r/a, left at the next r/a, then the first right and upstairs in the bees kingdom daycare.
yes, we do have new releases. we recently got a very generous donation of new books still wrapped in plastic from jerboa books/magrudys!
please come along as we need the communities support. i find that people try to do things here but don't get a lot of support from the community and so it gets abandoned. let's not let that happen to the library, as it's the only one there is.
thanks
the library volunteers