ST PAUL, MINNESOTA // If John McCain meant to shake things up, he sure succeeded.
The selection of the "average hockey mom", Sarah Palin, as his number two was described by members of both political parties after her introduction in Ohio last week as bold, risky and nothing short of a game-changer.
And that was before revelations that her 17-year-old unmarried daughter is pregnant; her husband belonged to a fringe political party in Alaska that supported a vote on the state's secession from the United States; and she initially backed the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere", a federal project that she has crowed about cancelling.
If the first rule of choosing a vice presidential running mate is "Do no harm", it was becoming less clear as the Republican convention began its third day yesterday whether Mr McCain had heeded that - even despite Mrs Palin's warm reception inside the convention hall.
The much-awaited speech of Mrs Palin, who had been out of the public view for several days, accepting the vice presidential nomination, was set for last night. It was a speech her supporters said would showcase the qualities and values that prompted Mr McCain to choose her, seemingly out of the blue.
"You can't go wrong focusing on her, her values, her grit, the way she reacts to situations, her ideals," said Nick Stepovich, a convention delegate, state representative and restaurant owner in Fairbanks, Alaska. "McCain did it. He hit a home run with that one."
The pick of Mrs Palin was meant to - and seemingly did - energise both the party's conservative wing, which has been unenthusiastic at best over the Arizona senator, and other Republicans here. Three women arrived at the convention this week with signs affixed to their backs, which, when lined up in a row, read: "We Love Sarah".
But questions deepened over whether Mr McCain, who had met Mrs Palin only once, had fully vetted her before adding her name to the ticket, questions that continued to siphon attention from the Republicans' convention programme, already condensed because of Hurricane Gustav. Mr McCain said she had been thoroughly vetted and that he was pleased with the result.
His senior strategist, Steve Schmidt, told Politico the controversy was a "faux media scandal", and the campaign announced it was launching a television ad saying Mrs Palin has more experience than Barack Obama.
The focus on Mrs Palin set off a furious, if familiar, battle between conservative stalwarts, particularly on talk radio, and what they described as a liberal media intent on tearing the Republican ticket, and her, down. And some suggested the whole thing would only fire up the party more.
"I guess the mother instinct came out in me: how dare you," said Kendal Unruh, 42, a self-described "values voter" from Colorado who runs a ministry for disabled children. "All it did was absolutely drive me in even more, and solidify my support for her even more."
"Digging's fair," said Mrs Unruh, in a hat pinned with handmade pins that said, "I Support Unwed Mothers" and "Liberals: Pick on Someone Your Own Age". "As an elected official, decisions that you've made are fair game. It crossed a boundary, and that boundary is kids. I don't care if it's the son of a communist dictator, they're not fair game."
Republicans tried to push back on the experience issue. Amy Pfotenhauer, a top aide to the McCain campaign, penned an opinion article in the Wall Street Journal saying: "Ignore the chauvinists. Palin has real experience." And Fred Thompson, the former senator from Tennessee and a good friend of Mr McCain's, took to the convention podium on Tuesday to offer a resounding endorsement of the governor.
"Some Washington pundits and media big shots are in a frenzy over the selection of a woman who has actually governed rather than just talked a good game on the Sunday talk shows and hit the Washington cocktail circuit," Mr Thompson said. He called her a "breath of fresh air".
Still, some Republicans knew little about Mrs Palin. "What I know about the governor, I've read about over the last 72 hours. She seems to me to be a very unique person," offered Bob Corker, a US senator from Tennessee, going on to praise her "common touch" and her experience as a mayor. "I am still getting to know her, just as the press is getting to know her."
It was indeed, as news organisations dispatched reporters to the far-flung 49th state to try to learn more about Mrs Palin's background and political life, including a state ethics investigation into alleged abuse of power (the results are due just before election day).
The McCain campaign also sent aides to Alaska, feeding the impression, accurate or not, that they had not done all their homework beforehand. Matthew Dowd, a top strategist in the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign in 2004, said this week after the news broke about Bristol Palin, the governor's daughter, that it would likely not on its own drag the ticket down.
"Today it's not bad, but if two or three or more shoes drop about other things that we learn, then I think people start saying, what's this last frontier in Alaska?" Mr Dowd said. "It now becomes a shtick for late-night comedy, well, we really didn't know this person. Instead of an 'out of the box' pick, it becomes 'was he out of his mind' pick.
"I think time will tell whether or not he shot himself in the foot," Mr Dowd said. "We'll know by her performance on the campaign trail, and we'll know by what information we learn."
@email:eniedowski@thenational.ae
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
If you go...
Etihad flies daily from Abu Dhabi to Zurich, with fares starting from Dh2,807 return. Frequent high speed trains between Zurich and Vienna make stops at St. Anton.
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
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All or Nothing
Amazon Prime
Four stars
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
FIXTURES
December 28
Stan Wawrinka v Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Milos Raonic v Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 29 - semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Stan Wawrinka / Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Milos Raonic / Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 30
3rd/4th place play-off, 5pm
Final, 7pm
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
The UN General Assembly President in quotes:
YEMEN: “The developments we have seen are promising. We really hope that the parties are going to respect the agreed ceasefire. I think that the sense of really having the political will to have a peace process is vital. There is a little bit of hope and the role that the UN has played is very important.”
PALESTINE: “There is no easy fix. We need to find the political will and comply with the resolutions that we have agreed upon.”
OMAN: “It is a very important country in our system. They have a very important role to play in terms of the balance and peace process of that particular part of the world, in that their position is neutral. That is why it is very important to have a dialogue with the Omani authorities.”
REFORM OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL: “This is complicated and it requires time. It is dependent on the effort that members want to put into the process. It is a process that has been going on for 25 years. That process is slow but the issue is huge. I really hope we will see some progress during my tenure.”
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
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Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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
