A man once told me, “My friend’s father, he loved his camels, one in particular. You know Camel cigarettes? Let me tell me you about the original camel cigarette...”
This camel, he told me, loved her owner very deeply. Above all, she loved his fragrance.
It was not his cologne. She loved the smell of his dokha, which means dizzy, the crushed mountain tobacco that Gulf men smoke in tiny wooden pipes.
In the northern emirates, men create their own blends. Strength and flavour vary according to where and when the tobacco was harvested and the height of the leaves on the plant. The higher the leaves are, the stronger the buzz that lends the tobacco its name.
Now this camel, he continued, knew the scent of her owner’s dokha blend and if she caught this scent, she would follow her nose, race towards her beloved owner and place her head over his head. Then she’d breath in his dokha, flaring her nostrils in delight.
And then the camel would smile. Every time.
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Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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