On names and on hidden treasures



Dear Ali: I couldn't help but notice men here have a lot of the same names: Mohammed, Ahmed, Zayed, etc. Why is this? Doesn't it lead to confusion? BT, Abu Dhabi Dear BT: Hey, I resemble that remark! But you are right to note that the same names are used, especially for boys. This is because the holy Quran and the Prophet Mohammed's (PBUH) hadiths guided and recommended to Muslims what names to consider. Appropriate names are those of prophets as well as the 99 qualitative names for Allah, such as my father's name, Abdul Karim, which means "the servant of the most generous (God)". We consider these names as blessed names. A study made a year ago showed that more than 70 per cent of Emirati students have one of 10 names or a variation thereof: Mohammed, Khalifa, Abdullah, Ahmed, Ali, Saeed, Rashed, Sultan, Salem, Khaled. What surprised me was that four of the top five names would also have been the top names in the 10th century. Now that's longevity.

With all that duplication, we have tricks to keep us apart (made especially tough for expatriates, I'm sure, by the fact we all wear the same coloured clothing). For instance, if you came into my coffee shop, I would introduce you to my regulars, whom I would refer to by their eldest children's names. So if you had a son named John, you would become Abu John (or if you were female, Umm John, which means father or mother of John). You might also have noticed how we refer to almost everyone by their first names, in contrast to Western countries, such as Germany, where last names rule in polite company. In the Gulf, you might say your name is like your business card. You might not be comfortable with Arabic names, so make sure you have the speaker repeat their name slowly so you can get it. Repeat it for them as often as you can comfortably fit it in to conversation. We feel uncomfortable just saying, "Hey" to people we know, even if we have only met someone once. Watch this space next week for another question about Arabic names, this time about the meaning of common female names.

Dear Ali: If you had to give a visitor your No 1 hidden treasure of Abu Dhabi, a place no one knows about, what would it be? JC, New York City Dear JC: Well, if I tell you it wouldn't be a secret now, would it? But seriously, I'm not sure if you're talking about a place to visit or a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, so I'll give you one of each.

Sheikh Khalifa Park is on Salam Street, near the Ministry of Labour and right next to my flat. The park is a great place to take the family; it has a very royally designed fountain and a train you can ride around the park in. But the hidden gem is the Abu Dhabi Maritime Museum. An electric carriage takes visitors on a tour of Abu Dhabi's pearl diving past and the discovery of oil through to the present day and on to the future. The whole ride takes 10 minutes, but it is really well done. You can choose Arabic or English as the language you want to hear the tour in. Afterwards, take in one of the city's best aquariums. It's not exactly booming, probably because nobody knows of it - until now.

If you want to experience the art of eating with your hand Gulf-style, I recommend checking out Saudi Kitchen in the Gava Hotel (Mina area; 02 642 5667). Try the madfoon (lamb and rice dish cooked in the ground for hours), or the mandi, another lamb or chicken and rice dish. You will thank me.

Arabic: Ta faddal English: Here you go. Sit down, please. Helen: Hey, Ali, may I have your pen for a second please? Ali: Of course. Ta faddali. Here you go. Helen: Thank you, Ali. Ali: You're welcome. Ta faddal is also used while guiding or escorting someone to the chair they will sit on. For example, Helen might say, "Oh, Ali. Please come in, ta faddal." For a group of people, you say "ta faddaloo".

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Green ambitions
  • Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
  • Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
  • Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
  • Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water 
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S

Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900

Engine: 937cc

Transmission: Six-speed gearbox

Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm

Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km

A cryptocurrency primer for beginners

Cryptocurrency Investing  for Dummies – by Kiana Danial 

There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine. 

Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.

Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this  book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.

Begin your cryptocurrency journey here. 

Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104 

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh960,000
Engine 3.9L twin-turbo V8 
Transmission Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Power 661hp @8,000rpm
Torque 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.4L / 100k

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh135,000

Engine 1.6L turbo

Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode

Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds

Top speed 420 kph (governed)

Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)

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The specs

Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The specs: 2018 Ford Mustang GT

Price, base / as tested: Dh204,750 / Dh241,500
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 460hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque: 569Nm @ 4,600rpm​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​Fuel economy, combined: 10.3L / 100km

The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Power: 268bhp / 536bhp
Torque: 343Nm / 686Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
On sale: Later this year
AndhaDhun

Director: Sriram Raghavan

Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18

Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan

Rating: 3.5/5

Tenet

Director: Christopher Nolan

Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh 

Rating: 5/5

65
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MATCH INFO

England 19 (Try: Tuilagi; Cons: Farrell; Pens: Ford (4)

New Zealand 7 (Try: Savea; Con: Mo'unga)