The air bag: Learning while you commute


James Langton
  • English
  • Arabic

The past weeks have been a dizzying whirl of travel with trips to China, Mexico, Egypt, the Holy Roman Empire and Byzantine Constantinople, to name but a few.

Hang on a minute, you're probably saying. The Byzantine empire collapsed over 600 years ago, and isn't the Holy Roman Empire now called Germany? Ah, but this is a journey with several dimensions. In one direction of travel, something like 8,000 kilometres have been accumulated. In the other, we are talking about possibly two million years of human history.

All right. Enough of the mystery. Those thousands of kilometres were accumulated during the daily commute from Dubai to the offices of The National in Abu Dhabi, a trip that usually combines mind-emptying tedium and bowel-churning fear in almost equal measure.

The other journey, conducted at the same time, is a series of podcasts that have made the trip not just tolerable, but something to be anticipated.

Probably many of you are familiar with the BBC's History of the World in 100 Objects. First broadcast last year, the entire series is now available on podcast.

If you've haven't already done so, rush out and grab the lot right now (it's free by the way). Written and narrated by Neil MacGregor, the director of the British Museum, the series is nothing less than a history of humanity, carved up into easily digestible chunks about 13 minutes each.

Starting with a crude flint discovered in Tanzania's Olduvai Gorge that is among the earliest tools in human history, we are near the end of the journey, with a feathered cap from Hawaii (episode 87) presented to Captain James Cook only a few days before the islanders ran him through with their spears.

Each object represents a transitional point in the history of mankind. So a glass beaker discovered in central Europe and thought to belong to a 12th century Christian saint, turns out to be Syrian and probably collected during the Crusades. And the Sutton Hoo warrior's helmet, discovered in eastern England in the Thirties, is decorated with garnet stones imported from India 1,400 years ago.

What does any this have to do with the Motoring pages? Well, podcasts are obviously an enjoyable accompaniment to any road trip. Just listening to The History of the World gives you over 20 hours of drive time.

The History of the World series is about how we are connected and therefore why we are here, driving up and down the E11 motorway every day.

Begin with the fall of the Eastern Empire to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 that effectively denied western Europe her trade routes to the east. As a result Portuguese ships were forced to sail south around Africa, eventually reaching the Indian Ocean and the Gulf, and building forts in Ras al Khaimah and Oman.

Later the British supplanted the Portuguese in the Gulf, establishing a relationship with the Trucial States that continued after the birth of the UAE 40 years ago this December.

The warmth of that connection was celebrated last November with a state visit from Queen Elizabeth to Abu Dhabi that also saw the unveiling of plans for the new national museum on Saadiyat Island.

Accompanying the queen was the very same Neil MacGregor, who not only brilliantly gives the History of the World series its authority and accessibility, but is also one of the key advisers for the Zayed National Museum. And there's a final connection for you.

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

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If you go...

Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.

Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50

RACE CARD

6.30pm: Handicap (Turf) US$175,000 1,000m
7.05pm: Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions (Dirt) $100,000 1,900m
7.40pm: Al Rashidiya Group 2 (T) $250,000 1,800m
8.15pm: Handicap (D) $135,000 2,000m
8.50pm: Al Fahidi Fort Group 2 (T) $250,000 1,400m
9.25pm: Handicap (T) $135,000 2,410m.

WIDE%20VIEW
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The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

UAE squad

Rohan Mustafa (captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan

What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics

 

Europe’s rearming plan
  • Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
  • Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
  • Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
  • Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
  • Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital

Various Artists 
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
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Cricket World Cup League Two

Oman, UAE, Namibia

Al Amerat, Muscat

 

Results

Oman beat UAE by five wickets

UAE beat Namibia by eight runs

 

Fixtures

Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia

Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE

Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia

Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia

Three tips from La Perle's performers

1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.

2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.

3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

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