There is good news and there is bad news.
First, the good news.
If you’re in Abu Dhabi, count yourself lucky. This is the best week of the year to catch a camel race if you live in the capital.
The Al Wathbah Cup launched March 10 and runs until March 19. The season finals are the biggest races of the year and are expected to draw an estimated 8,000 camels and their owners.
Al Wathbah is famous for its prizes, particularly the staggering number of vehicles awarded.
Glimmering cars are parked near the racecourse as a display of wealth, and the generosity of the rulers who sponsor the race. The sidelines look more like Motor World than an agricultural racetrack.
The Al Wathbah Cup not only draws crowds because of prizes, but also their value. At a smaller track during a smaller festival you might win, say, a Yaris or Tiida. At Al Wathbah, you could win a Land Cruiser.
Race sessions start at 7am and 2.30pm. Races are categorised by the camel’s age, sex and ownership. There are races for the public, who often bred their race camel, and sheikhs, who have the money to buy the best. This makes it a more even competitive.
Races began Monday with three-year-old camels and will culminate on the final day with an eight-kilometre races for mature camels, ages six and up.
There is no registration or fee to attend. Just drive up and join the pack of 4x4s racing alongside the camels. Make sure you’re not going in the opposite direction.
This festival’s races are officially considered the season finals but there are still race sessions planned in Marmoun and Al Wathbah in May. As camel racing becomes more lucrative and popular, the race season is pushed further into the summer months.
The bad news is that Wanassa has a cold and will not be racing.
Al Wathbah finals schedule
March 11: Four years, public
March 12: Four years, sheikh
March 13: Five years, public
March 14: Five years, sheikh
March 15: Six year, six km race, public (morning) and sheikh (afternoon)
March 16: Mature camels ages six and above, public (morning) and sheikh (afternoon)
March 17: Six year olds, eight km public (morning) and sheikh (afternoon)
March 18: Mature camels, eight km, public
March 19: Mature camels, eight km, sheikh
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
ILT20%20UAE%20stars
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Have you been targeted?
Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:
1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.
2. The money has been transferred into a structured note. These products have high upfront, recurring commission and should never be in a pension account.
3. You have also been sold investment funds with an upfront initial charge of around 5 per cent. ETFs, for example, have no upfront charges.
4. The adviser charges a 1 per cent charge for managing your assets. They are being paid for doing nothing. They have already claimed massive amounts in hidden upfront commission.
5. Total annual management cost for your pension account is 2 per cent or more, including platform, underlying fund and advice charges.
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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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
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Spec%20sheet
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ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
Non-oil%20trade
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No Shame
Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
57%20Seconds
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rusty%20Cundieff%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJosh%20Hutcherson%2C%20Morgan%20Freeman%2C%20Greg%20Germann%2C%20Lovie%20Simone%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
