Tom Brady is throwing passes and avoiding paparazzi, and the NFL is the better for it. He is the reason the New England Patriots are again favoured to play in the Super Bowl.
The expectations are only high until you consider what Brady has done this decade - aside from marrying a supermodel and becoming fodder for the entertainment media. The star quarterback has guided New England to three NFL championships in four Super Bowl appearances.
Two years ago, he put together the greatest season any passer has compiled, resurrecting Randy Moss's career in the bargain. Brady has not lost a regular-season game since the 2006 season. He directed the Patriots to a 16-0 record in 2007, and went down with a knee injury in last year's season-opener. When he was knocked out by the Kansas City Chiefs, the NFL lost some pizazz, and there were no play-offs for the Matt Cassel-led Patriots. More significantly, there was no Brady.
No chase for more records; no political candidates knocking down his door for endorsements; no flood of TV commercials. Pretty much no Brady sightings as he recuperated. Is he fully recovered?
The left knee seems to be holding up but then he hurt his right shoulder after being tackled in a preseason game against Washington, making many wonder if, at 32, was Brady getting a tad brittle.
"I know how I feel, how comfortable I am back there, and I try to convey that I feel like that was part of last season" said Brady, who starts the season at home to the Buffalo Bills.
"You've just got to try to work as hard as you can to get back to your normal self and I really feel like I am. I think if I make a poor play, I never have thought, 'Well, I wonder if it was because of my injury last year.' I think, 'Well, I've got to make improvements.' Just like every year where things don't really go your way."
On the other end of the spectrum of NFL starting quarterbacks, you find Jason Campbell, the Washington Redskins starter for the last two-and-a-half seasons.
As the Redskins resumed preparations yesterday for Sunday's game at the New York Giants, Campbell said he has never been more excited about the team's outlook. Nor has he ever been under more pressure. The Redskins twice tried to trade Campbell in the off season and, in the last season of his contract, he knows he is entering a make-or-break year in Washington.
He does so with confidence - citing improved pass protection in the pre-season and the development of second-year wide receiver Malcolm Kelly as notable improvements on offence - but knows the only meaningful barometer will be the team's win-loss record.
"No matter what you think about what you can do, or how you feel about things, it's all about going out there on the field and proving it," said Campbell, a 2005 first-round pick who is beginning his fifth season with the Redskins.
"I look at our team and I feel good about where we're at and all the work we put in to get here.
"People from the outside may look at it differently, but the only thing that matters is what we believe and what we do."
Poor production on offence was considered the Redskins' biggest deficiency last season as the team went 2-6 over the second half of the schedule, finished 8-8 and failed to qualify for the play-offs for the seventh time in Daniel Snyder's 10 seasons as owner. The Redskins produced just 16.6 points per game, ranking 28th in the 32-team league. Campbell was sacked 38 times (just three quarterbacks were sacked more), and a productive No 2 receiver did not emerge to take some of the load off top wideout Santana Moss.Campbell is upbeat about the new season though, especially the potential of Kelly.
Throughout the pre-season, Kelly impressed while displaying a knack for making catches in traffic. He has made tremendous strides from his rookie season, when he appeared in only five games because of knee problems. The Redskins are hopeful Kelly (listed at 6ft 4ins, 103kgs) finally fills their long-time need for a big target in the passing game.
"Malcolm is just a very impressive young player," Campbell said. "When you see the way he reaches out and catches the ball, his leaping ability and the way he makes plays even if you don't throw him a perfect ball, it gives you a lot of confidence."
Campbell's 1-for-7 performance in the second pre-season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers renewed concerns among some fans and media members about his ability to lead. Roundly criticised on sports-talk radio, Campbell closed the pre-season with consecutive effective outings.
"I don't think any other quarterback in the league had the pressure put on by you guys [the media] for a second pre-season game," said Vinny Cerrato, Washington's executive vice-president of football operations.
"I think he's responded to every challenge thus far."
Challenges will come thick and fast for Campbell and Brady this season, whether or not they can be overcome is another question.
* With agencies
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
Game Of Thrones Season Seven: A Bluffers Guide
Want to sound on message about the biggest show on television without actually watching it? Best not to get locked into the labyrinthine tales of revenge and royalty: as Isaac Hempstead Wright put it, all you really need to know from now on is that there’s going to be a huge fight between humans and the armies of undead White Walkers.
The season ended with a dragon captured by the Night King blowing apart the huge wall of ice that separates the human world from its less appealing counterpart. Not that some of the humans in Westeros have been particularly appealing, either.
Anyway, the White Walkers are now free to cause any kind of havoc they wish, and as Liam Cunningham told us: “Westeros may be zombie land after the Night King has finished.” If the various human factions don’t put aside their differences in season 8, we could be looking at The Walking Dead: The Medieval Years.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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More coverage from the Future Forum
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
Other simple ideas for sushi rice dishes
Cheat’s nigiri
This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.
Easy omurice
This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.
Deconstructed sushi salad platter
This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Real Madrid (2) v Bayern Munich (1)
Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
When: 10.45pm, Tuesday
Watch Live: beIN Sports HD
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.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
