Many years ago, when I was a lad in the UK, I always looked forward eagerly to the annual performance by the East Grinstead Amateur Dramatic Society of a comic opera by the duo of WS Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan.
In the late 19th Century, they wrote 14 such operas, humorous, often absurd and with delightfully catchy tunes.
One of the most popular, The Mikado, featured a song in which a character called the Lord High Executioner spelt out a list of people and professions for whom and for which he had considerable distaste.
“I’ve got a little list,” he sang, “of society offenders who might well be underground and who never would be missed.”
The Executioner's list is not relevant today. But since The Mikado was first performed in 1885 the list has been continually updated to suit its audiences.
I have no desire to be any kind of executioner, let alone a Lord High Executioner, but the song came to mind during a recent visit to the Mina Zayed fruit and vegetable market.
I was pondering how the local economy, as other economies around the world, might be affected in the long term by Covid-19 in terms of unemployment and the disappearance of some jobs.
Those in our health service, our police, along with others working tirelessly are the real heroes of today
Most of the salesmen and porters should be secure, I thought. But what about some other jobs? It is obvious that there is going to be a dramatic shake-out in some sectors as a new form of normality begins to emerge.
That made me think about those amongst us whose behaviour has a negative impact on efforts to tackle the crisis.
So I started to make a little list of those who might not be missed.
Earning an honoured place are those whose selfishness or ignorance of social distancing precautions means that they place others, besides themselves, at risk.
Also prominent on my list are those who have taken the opportunity to engage in price gouging, ramping up the cost of goods as they profit from demand driven by fear and desperation.
There are still companies who knowingly place their employees in danger by failing to introduce proper protective measures. They have a place on my list too.
Readers may have other nominations to add.
Looking ahead to when life begins to resemble what was formerly considered normal, I anticipate some major changes in our lives. Working from home, for many, is becoming the new normal. How will that affect staffing levels or the need for office space?
A teacher I know, trapped in the UK by the imposition of travel restrictions, is now teaching her Abu Dhabi classes online.
Her husband, of course, would like her to return but in terms of her work, does she really need to do so, at least on a permanent basis?
The shutdowns will simply drive some companies to the wall. Despite the laudable efforts by the government to protect business, which are the envy of many, not everyone can be saved.
After weeks of enforced closures and no income, businesses may struggle to re-open. It is a day to look forward to when restaurants regain their footfall and people crowd into malls and cinemas again, with all necessary precautions taken, of course.
Some losses will take a while to bounce back even as we have reason to believe that our important tourism industry will eventually recover.
What will happen to the many hairdressing salons? Likewise all of the little grocery shops? A few, I suspect, have struggled to survive at the best of times.
The Indian and Pakistani missions here have reported that a total of over 250,000 of their citizens have registered with them in the hope of getting help to go home.
Will others amongst our overseas communities call it a day once normal flights resume? It will be months, perhaps years, before the overall impact of the current crisis can be assessed.
In the meantime, however, I am starting work on a second little list, of those whose often undervalued contribution to society deserves not only our attention, but our thanks.
Those in our health services, for example, who place themselves in harm's way to protect us all. Those in essential service industries, keeping the food shops well stocked and selling us our daily needs. Our police, along with others working tirelessly to keep us all safe. These are the real heroes of today.
I hope that we will continue, long after this crisis is over, to recognise the value of the contribution to society that nurses, doctors, shop-workers, the police and many others are making.
Peter Hellyer is a consultant specialising in the UAE's history and culture
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The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh554,000
On sale: now
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh282,870
On sale: now
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Astra%20Tech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdallah%20Abu%20Sheikh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20technology%20investment%20and%20development%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20size%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Match info
Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69')
Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')
Day 2, stumps
Pakistan 482
Australia 30/0 (13 ov)
Australia trail by 452 runs with 10 wickets remaining in the innings
Company%20profile
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
The Byblos iftar in numbers
29 or 30 days – the number of iftar services held during the holy month
50 staff members required to prepare an iftar
200 to 350 the number of people served iftar nightly
160 litres of the traditional Ramadan drink, jalab, is served in total
500 litres of soup is served during the holy month
200 kilograms of meat is used for various dishes
350 kilograms of onion is used in dishes
5 minutes – the average time that staff have to eat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Fixture: Liechtenstein v Italy, Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports
The biog
Age: 32
Qualifications: Diploma in engineering from TSI Technical Institute, bachelor’s degree in accounting from Dubai’s Al Ghurair University, master’s degree in human resources from Abu Dhabi University, currently third years PHD in strategy of human resources.
Favourite mountain range: The Himalayas
Favourite experience: Two months trekking in Alaska
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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More from Aya Iskandarani
Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat
Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
How Apple's credit card works
The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
What about security?
The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.
Is it easy to use?
Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision.
* Associated Press
The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
Price: from Dh437,900
On sale: now
AT%20A%20GLANCE
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
'Morbius'
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona
Rating: 2/5
Selected fixtures
All times UAE
Wednesday
Poland v Portugal 10.45pm
Russia v Sweden 10.45pm
Friday
Belgium v Switzerland 10.45pm
Croatia v England 10.45pm
Saturday
Netherlands v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Denmark 10.45pm
Sunday
Poland v Italy 10.45pm
Monday
Spain v England 10.45pm
Tuesday
France v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Wales 10.45pm
The Internet
Hive Mind
four stars
