Why it is not easy to root for the New England Patriots
Bill Belichick's fierce determination to win and the perfection of Tom Brady mean it is not always easy for neutrals to back the Super Bowl contenders.
Your most cherished NFL teams got washed off the Super Bowl trail. Your least loved did, too, leaving you with no one to root for or against on Sunday.
As the Americans might say, you've got no dog in this fight.
So, time to go shopping for a substitute.
For the New York Giants, it is challenging to work up much fondness or contempt. The coach, Tom Coughlin, is as bland as soft jazz. The quarterback, Eli Manning, inspires no passion either way, though he earns points for coping with being Peyton's kid brother.
The New England Patriots? Now there is another story, one that weaves in conflicting elements of admiration and antipathy, centred on their coach, quarterback and fans. Here is a breakdown of each.
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Naysayers of Bill Belichick, the coach, would never use his name in the same sentence with "class". Except for this: he can be a first-class jerk.
He notoriously belittles players in team video sessions.
He scoffs at the public's right to know, muddling the weekly injury report which other teams treat seriously by listing players with mild headaches that one aspirin would relieve.
He has cheated. In a league that permits bending rules until they nearly snap, Belichick was fined a maximum of US$500,000 (Dh1.84 million) in the 2007 case known as Spygate for filming the New York Jets' signals at a game. His team were docked a first-round draft pick.
His anti-establishment nature is carried to extremes, as evidenced by the sweatshirt hoodie that is more suited to high school fashion.
Yet, his innovations are fun to watch; witness the Patriots' play-off opener, when they deployed a tight end at running back, a wide receiver at safety and enough offensive sets to crash a computer.
Most players, who once swore under their breath at him, swear by him once they have moved on. In private, he drops hints of a personality, showing concern for the struggling, deriving enjoyment from something other than pounding a team into submission.
At a party, Belichick climbed onstage with a friend's rock 'n' roll band and belted out an old tune, according to an ESPN article.
Of course, he confiscated all video evidence of the performance.
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Brady wields none of Belichick's personality flaws. Otherwise, he would not keep the company of women such as the actress/model Bridget Moynahan, a former girlfriend, and model Gisele Bundchen, his current wife.
Most of the animus toward Brady is rooted in male jealousy. Why else would he be ridiculed for having the audacity to sport a mini-ponytail in the off-season while dancing at a street carnival in Rio de Janeiro with Gisele?
We tend to inspect too closely for defects in one who makes his job seem so effortless and who lucked into looks that land him on People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People list.
Keep in mind that Brady had to overcome the stigma of being a sixth-round draft pick. Like Brian Hoyer this season, he completed one pass as a rookie before impressing the coach.
As for flinging the ball in the fourth quarter with three-touchdown leads, well, you try telling Belichick. "Hey, hooded one, if you refuse to take me out, at least let me take a knee."
How many quarterbacks with too many trophies to count still accept tutelage from their schoolboy mentor? Who, in Brady's case, suffers from diabetes that was expected to end his life last year?
Answer: one.
Admittedly, there are grounds for envy. Brady, with an income of $31m last year, he was the household's second biggest wage earner, according to Forbes magazine. Mrs Brady brought in $46m.
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No professional franchise's fan base is entirely warm and fuzzy.
It is not that Patriots fans lean toward cold and scuzzy, but too many Bostonians lack appreciation for a team game planning for their sixth Super Bowl since 1997.
They treat football as a bridge between seasons involving their precious Boston Red Sox baseball team.
Or "Sox", as they gallingly call them. (Hello. Chicago White Sox. Heard of them?)
Until 2004, Red Sox fans blamed the absence of a World Series title on a curse, ignoring poor management and lousy players as the real cause.
Having won twice since, they now consider the Red Sox as the axis of the baseball universe. In fact, given the ridiculous sums of money spent on player salaries, there should be more championship flags flying at the crummy, spectator-unfriendly Fenway Park, which is treated as a shrine when it should be greeted by a wrecking ball.
There are other decent baseball teams in other cities, most of which express the proper gratitude toward their accomplished football brethren.
Greater Boston has a team that would knock your socks off. They should win on Sunday, which might help you pick a fill-in dog in this fight.
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
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.
Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)
Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”
Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”
Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
8 UAE companies helping families reduce their carbon footprint
Greenheart Organic Farms
This Dubai company was one of the country’s first organic farms, set up in 2012, and it now delivers a wide array of fruits and vegetables grown regionally or in the UAE, as well as other grocery items, to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi doorsteps.
Founded in Australia, Modibodi is now in the UAE with waste-free, reusable underwear that eliminates the litter created by a woman’s monthly cycle, which adds up to approximately 136kgs of sanitary waste over a lifetime.
From brushes made of plant fibres to eco-friendly storage solutions, this company has planet-friendly alternatives to almost everything we need, including tin foil and toothbrushes.
One Dubai boutique, Re:told, is taking second-hand garments and selling them on at a fraction of the price, helping to cut back on the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown into landfills each year.
Offering filtered, still and sparkling water on tap, Bubble Bro is attempting to ensure we don’t produce plastic or glass waste. Founded in 2017 by Adel Abu-Aysha, the company is on track to exceeding its target of saving one million bottles by the end of the year.
This company offers refillable, eco-friendly home cleaning and hygiene products that are all biodegradable, free of chemicals and certifiably not tested on animals.
This bricks-and-mortar shop and e-store, founded by a Dubai mum-of-four, is the place to go for all manner of family products – from reusable cloth diapers to organic skincare and sustainable toys.
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
