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There is a lot of love for JD Vance on the street where he grew up in Middletown, Ohio.
“JD is for the American people – he’s going to be for the American people [because] he is not jaded yet,” says Jerry Dobbins, who for more than three decades has lived a couple of doors down from the house where the Republican vice presidential hopeful was raised.
Mr Vance, who is also a senator for Ohio, and his running mate Donald Trump have made “America first” a major campaign focus. Should the Trump-Vance ticket win November’s presidential election, it would probably result in stark repercussions for Nato, Ukraine and Palestinians under near-daily attack by Israel in Gaza.
Despite growing up in America’s heartland, Mr Vance’s worldview as a conservative non-interventionist has been undeniably shaped by global events over the years.
For decades, the Armco steel plant to the east of downtown Middletown provided thousands of locals – including Mr Vance’s grandfather – with a secure, middle-class life.
But by 1983, the year before Mr Vance was born, Armco – later known as AK Steel and from 2020, Cliffs – reported a $672.5 million loss ($2.1 billion in today’s money). More broadly, America’s industrial Midwest was crumbling in the face of falling demand for manufactured products and cheaper imported steel from Japan.
When Mr Vance was growing up, jobs that had fed families across Middletown started to disappear. Loans and mortgages went unpaid, drug use soared and families – his included – fell apart.
Car factories that once fuelled life in Middletown, Detroit and beyond moved to Mexico and elsewhere to take advantage of cheaper labour. Then, in the 1990s, the North American Free Trade Association (Nafta) – which many in manufacturing blamed for the loss of production and jobs – came into force.
As a young man on the streets of Middletown, none of this would have been lost on Mr Vance.
But for Scotty Robertson, who grew up in the coalfields of southern West Virginia, not far from where much of Mr Vance’s 2016 best-selling memoir Hillbilly Elegy is set, the Ohio senator's portrayal of this region misses the mark.
“I felt like it was an exploitation of people who had suffered addiction and of Appalachian families in poverty, when in fact, he’s not from Appalachia,” he says.
“I think that it’s not a true representation of my family and people I knew. To represent the people as JD Vance has, as drug-addicted, poor, lazy people, is not true and extremely unfair.”
Mr Robertson sees a host of troubles for the wider world should Mr Vance and Mr Trump enter the White House next January.
“My concern is that there would be a walking away from Nato and long-standing alliances in favour of allowing dictators like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and [Chinese President] Xi Jinping to gain territory that increases their ability to continue their dictatorial reigns,” he says.
“If Donald Trump and JD Vance get elected, it’s not even a question – we will be giving Ukraine to Putin.”
But Mr Dobbins disagrees.
“Trump would have stood up to Putin,” he says. “There’s nobody standing up to him now.”
A visit by The National to the Butler County Republican Party office, as well as emails and calls to the party seeking comment for this story, went unanswered.
Mr Vance’s worldview has also been shaped by America’s wars in the Middle East.
For six months beginning in late 2006, he served as a public affairs writer at Ain Al Asad airbase in Iraq’s Anbar province. Amid the most furious fighting of the war, Mr Vance’s job was to work with the visiting international media and write occasional articles.
But despite his time in Iraq, he has written since that his tour there largely turned him into a non-interventionist who is now uninterested in “spreading democracy” around the world.
The consequences of that for Ukraine, Europe and other US allies could be significant.
Last February, Mr Vance suggested that Ukraine should negotiate with Russia to end the war. He has also said that helping Ukraine has placed a major burden on the US taxpayer – although experts say that is untrue.
“The vast bulk of support that the US has sent [to Ukraine] is paid to US defence contractors with US employees who are part of the US tax system,” says Dr Robert Farley, a lecturer at the University of Kentucky’s Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce. “And the total amount sent thus far is a fraction of the US defence budget.”
A Trump-Vance election win could also be devastating for other American allies.
“The Republican Party is divided on Nato but with Trump and Vance in charge, it is likely that multilateral security efforts will lose resources,” says Dr Farley.
“This means that Europeans, if they wish to maintain the same level of security, will need to increase their defence outlays and possibly rethink how their forces are currently organised and deployed.”
As a staunch supporter of Israel, Mr Vance is also unlikely to put the needs of desperate Palestinians in Gaza first.
Mr Vance has said that his Christian faith is among the reasons for his support for Israel, but for Michael Bailey, a pastor at Faith United Church in Middletown, the senator has not displayed much in the way of Christian values. Having locals align themselves with Mr Trump’s caustic speech, he says, is disappointing.
“His wife was a registered Democrat … it just blows my mind,” Mr Bailey says. “There ain’t no doubt in my mind he’s being used.”
However, reflecting a growing nationwide sentiment, Mr Bailey says that when Kamala Harris announced she was running for president, many people in his Middletown network were immediately energised.
“It was just a burst of fresh air. People got fired up,” he says. "This is the way it should be.”
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20profile
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Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
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Brief scores:
Toss: Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi, chose to field
Environment Agency: 193-3 (20 ov)
Ikhlaq 76 not out, Khaliya 58, Ahsan 55
Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi: 194-2 (18.3 ov)
Afridi 95 not out, Sajid 55, Rizwan 36 not out
Result: Pakhtunkhwa won by 8 wickets
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
- Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
- Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
- Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
- Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
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Publisher: EA Sports
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Rating: 3.5/5
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
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MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium, Malayisa
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia on October 10
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
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We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
!['JD is for the American people – he’s going to be for the American people [because] he is not jaded yet,' says Jerry Dobbins. Stephen Starr / The National](https://www.thenationalnews.com/resizer/v2/4XLPZ76YGJBXHJHVQMALWAJNXU.jpg?smart=true&auth=d1c89b974452adb136ec35a381abce222195e5aa87288cb67bbbf113a2eade35&width=800&height=450)
