Every time I touch the liquid soap dispenser in the kitchen, it triggers a sequence of images in my head along with the germ-killing ooze in my hand. They're from an advertisement on television. A child and his mother go to meet his father at work. He is a doctor and he comes out to see them. He is wearing a suit and looks very smart. He reaches out to touch his son, but the child's mother stops him. "With your hands?" she says. He smiles and pulls out a bottle of Lifebuoy - the brand of soap on my kitchen sink. The mother looks relieved and the family begin to make contact without the prospect of contagion.
The advertisement is a modern gothic horror tale. It plays on fears of deadly bacteria. It puts invisible creepy-crawlies between every handshake and lethal phantoms in every embrace. And it enlists modern medicine - the father is a doctor after all - to support this hygienic obsession. It reeks of neurosis. It stinks of paranoia. It is marketing at its most effective and its most odious.
In many parts of the world, hygiene has become detached from the senses. Bad things no longer necessarily smell bad or look foul. Faculties of sight, smell, taste and touch do not count for everything in this realm. Purity is no longer naturally discernible. Only disinfectants, bleaches, alcohol wipes, lemon scents and Dettol aromas mark out territory as clean and acceptable.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating dirt for dirt's sake. I'm not suggesting we wallow in filth. But it is good to remember that fungus and bacteria can be vital and pleasure-giving as well as noxious: yoghurt, cheese and bread would all vanish after an indiscriminate microbe cull.
Astrid likes to chew shoes. She is particularly attracted to sandals and flip flops. She hones in on secluded pairs and sinks her teeth in to their grubby rubber soles. She enjoys chewing them, but obviously chewing shoes is not good for all sorts of reasons. We try to stop her, but it is harder than you might think. Often she is found quietly gnawing on some odd piece of footwear we thought we had put away.
A few weeks ago we came across what we thought was the perfect solution: hotel slippers. All the pleasure of a shoe, but without the muck and dust. We scattered them around our apartment, lures for the shoe-seeking jaws. The result? Tragically, the decoys were not popular. They remained unchewed.
McNeil Healthcare, the manufacturer of Tylenol, began a huge product recall last Friday due to a bad smell from batches of over 20 medicines, including Tylenol, Motrin and St Joseph's aspirin. The Food and Drug Administration in the US received around 70 complaints, some from people suffering from nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
The noxious smell was caused by a chemical used to treat wooden pallets, the company said. Around 60 million items were included in the directive and the UAE was among the countries on the list.
Brand recognition plays such a big part in choosing medication for children. While I buy generic, plain-label drugs for myself, I reach for a familiar brand for Astrid. Paying more money somehow gives me more confidence in the product, especially when it is neatly packaged and includes a long list of ingredients and side effects.
Yet as any savvy consumer knows, the link between the cost of an item and its quality is not always straight or easily navigable. This fiasco simply highlights that drug companies are businesses like any other and, like any other business, they are ultimately driven by profit.
* Robert Carroll
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Opening day UAE Premiership fixtures, Friday, September 22:
- Dubai Sports City Eagles v Dubai Exiles
- Dubai Hurricanes v Abu Dhabi Saracens
- Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
AIDA%20RETURNS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarol%20Mansour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAida%20Abboud%2C%20Carol%20Mansour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5.%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
if you go
The flights
Emirates fly direct from Dubai to Houston, Texas, where United have direct flights to Managua. Alternatively, from October, Iberia will offer connections from Madrid, which can be reached by both Etihad from Abu Dhabi and Emirates from Dubai.
The trip
Geodyssey’s (Geodyssey.co.uk) 15-night Nicaragua Odyssey visits the colonial cities of Leon and Granada, lively country villages, the lake island of Ometepe and a stunning array of landscapes, with wildlife, history, creative crafts and more. From Dh18,500 per person, based on two sharing, including transfers and tours but excluding international flights. For more information, visit visitnicaragua.us.
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.