There has been a vile irritation deep in the stomach for the past month; the kind of alien discomfort that, if you could reach it, you would scratch it very hard to see if it helped.
After days of introspection, the malady has been isolated and diagnosed. It is hope.
Hope, not the almost pathetic, acute optimism with which a lifelong supporter of non-performing teams enters each AFL season.
The source of this particular bacterium is a man who was last year referred to in these pages as a "goose" as he was being booted out of the Sydney Swans.
For years the experts, both genuine and armchair, have been saying the Western Bulldogs will never win a Grand Final without a power forward.
This year, we have one. Rodney Eade, the Bulldogs coach, has convinced big, bad, bustling Barry Hall to give up all thoughts of fitting progression on to the canvas and become a Son of the West.
The early signs show Rocket may have been wise not to listen to this supporter. In as much as the pre-season NBA Cup knock-out competition can be a barometer of a team's performance in the big boys' league, Hall's imposing body fits snugly into the Doggies' forward set-up.
His seven goals in the Grand Final against the Saints two weekends ago was crucial to the Bulldogs buying their first silver-polishing rag in 40 years after they beat last year's regular season Grand Finalist and minor premier St Kilda by 40 points.
Hall provides a long-needed, so far reliable target for the hard-working centre list of Adam Cooney, Matty Boyd, Daniel Cross, Daniel "Guido" Giansiracusa and whoever else enters the rotation.
A big, talented bloke like Baz also demands at least two defenders to throw his considerable weight at, providing some relief for his colleagues at the pointy end.
The wickedly clever Bob Murphy, Jason Akermanis, Shaun Higgins, Mitch Hahn and the captain Brad Johnson - who will play game number 350 whenever he laces up for his first match this year - should revel in the extra attention given to their big new mate.
Up the other end, the bulk and long-trumpeted ability of a surprisingly uninjured Tom Williams will allow the creative Dale Morris, Ryan Griffin, Ryan Hargraves, Lindsay Gilbee and Jarrod Harbrow to run off forwards closer to their size, while the All Australian full-back Brian Harris looks after the big guns.
The Melbourne media have jumped on the Bulldogs bandwagon for season 2010 flag, as have the more romantic followers of other clubs.
The parched Dogs have the longest premiership drought in the league, not having carried the cup since 1954 and were deprived a spot in the past two Grand Finals after being knocked out - by Geelong both times - in the preliminary. (Fremantle, who entered the league in 1995, are the only team in the league without a cup - and they won't have to move furniture to fit one in for a while yet.)
All that lack of success, it becomes a habit for a supporter.
There is some comfort in knowing you can fondly review the season's highlights knowing the stress will be over before that One Day in September.
You can just kick back and enjoy the spectacle.
This year, according to the pundits and Rocket's vow that anything less than a spot in the Grand Final is unacceptable, that pressure on supporters looks like stretching on for a lot longer.
It's all a little bit bewildering, really.
@Email:pstafford@thenational.ae
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Results
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 (PA) US$100,000 (Dirt) 2,000m, Winner Bandar, Fernando Jara (jockey), Majed Al Jahouri (trainer).
7.05pm Meydan Classic Listed (TB) $175,000 (Turf) 1,600m, Winner Well Of Wisdom, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m, Winner Star Safari, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.
8.15pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner Moqarrar, Fabrice Veron, Erwan Charpy.
8.50pm Nad Al Sheba Trophy Group 2 (TB) $300,000 (T) 2,810m, Winner Secret Advisor, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
9.25pm Curlin Stakes Listed (TB) $175,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner Parsimony, William Buick, Doug O’Neill.
10pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m, Winner Simsir, Ronan Whelan, Michael Halford.
10.35pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m, Winner Velorum, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.