Tiny Planet

Former colleague (albeit in a different department) Jen Gerson takes a wry look at the options for print journalists facing the end of their industry.

This, which I took while out walking, is not near my home, but is still the kind of leafy sight that greets me in the mornings (minus the shell).

Damp leaves are piling up on the front lawn and I even see the occasional flicker of frost on parked cars and shaded patches of grass. It isn’t raining, but the air holds no warmth.

Winter is back, and I’m feeling the cold more than ever before. This from a man who hails from a country the Romans once dismissed as “icy Hibernia”, and where the people were driven to savagery by the constant cold.

I wonder how much Abu Dhabi changed my physiology: I acclimatised quite well, in fact better than I had expected, thanks in part to arriving in December and so being around as the temperature climbed. But although I grew to handle 42C and even higher, I feel the chill in the mornings here. Even when the temperature is about 13C – good for this time of year – it nips a touch too much; this is a new experience for me.

I’ve found myself buying and, more importantly, wearing jumpers and the like, which I wouldn’t normally do until the dead of December. As I walked to work the other day I realised my hands were turning purple from the cold – and it wasn’t as bad as it could be.

Can one re-acclimatise to one’s native environment? Is it psychological? Did I feel all this before but am only now, with the benefit of experiencing a different climate, able to appreciate and define it?

As I write this it is 36C in Abu Dhabi and 7C in Cork. Before my departure I would never have thought that 36C would be lovely weather.

The felines that roam the streets of Abu Dhabi have finally been recognised as a species in their own right: the Arabian Mau. One of these used to sleep on the porch outside my building, pressed up against the glass on humid, sticky nights so as to enjoy the cold air blowing under the door. I still regret not taking photos of the scrawny wee thing and its kitten.

Unfortunately, there is a concerted campaign to cull stray cats in the UAE. Petra Mueller, who named the species (”mau” just means “cat”, as I’m sure you’ve figured out by now),

hopes her discovery will help change attitudes towards the animals in the Middle East.

“Cats in the Arab world are traditionally thought to bring bad luck,”she said.“Unfortunately, a programme has been introduced in the UAE where street cats are trapped and then destroyed.

“I hope that the discovery of this unique breed will boost the identity of cats here and encourage people to buy or adopt them, as they are better suited for the climate.

“These cats are not only the national cats of the UAE but they can also be found all over the Gulf.”

Cory Doctrow doesn’t seem too impressed with Britain’s plan to require passports for the purchase of mobile phones; the move is aimed primarily at prepaid/pay-as-you-go phones. His objections are understandable enough, given the implications for civil liberties. As The Times reports:

The pay-as-you-go phones are popular with criminals and terrorists because their anonymity shields their activities from the authorities. But they are also used by thousands of law-abiding citizens who wish to communicate in private.

The move aims to close a loophole in plans being drawn up by GCHQ, the government’s eavesdropping centre in Cheltenham, to create a huge database to monitor and store the internet browsing habits, e-mail and telephone records of everyone in Britain.

The “Big Brother” database would have limited value to police and MI5 if it did not store details of the ownership of more than half the mobile phones in the country.

I understand the concerns, I really do. However, I had to provide a copy of my passport when I went to buy a mobile in the UAE (and had to provide a copy or the original document for just about anything) and didn’t find it a big deal. I’m certainly someone who enjoys his privacy, so I guess I was just rolling with it. That said I’m fairly sure the UAE didn’t keep my details for use by the intelligence services.

Does anybody else think it’s a bit cheeky that Bruno Metsu has agreed to be Qatar’s manager, given that he quit the UAE soccer team a very short time ago?

The blue side of Manchester could be in for a massive cash injection after a UAE group signed a memorandum of understanding with the soccer club.

According to FourFourTwo.com, the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment aims to make Manchester City the biggest club in the Premiership within four years.

The company is buying the club from the disgraced former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who will remain as an honorary director.

This looks to be another example of how the UAE capital is trying to diversify its investments as well as build its international standing. The likes of Saadiyat Island, which will be home to branches of the Louvre and the Guggenheim museums, will enhance its cultural reputation, while adding Manchester City to its investments, which also include the likes of Citibank, will give it some sporting credibility. The AD company has promised to buy players but only time will tell if it can deliver on its promise to make City a soccer powerhouse.

Update: Almost as a statement of intent, City have set a British transfer record by signing the Brazilian forward Robinho from Real Madrid for £32.5m (€39.8m, $58m, Dh213m).

The birthday breakfast of champions

Happy birthday to me. So that’s one more circuit around the sun – fingers crossed I’m in for quite a few more.

On another note, I’m three weeks from departing the Middle East. Expect me to overdose on shawarma and hummus over the following days…

(This guest post was written by my friend Sarah, who is on a shopping expedition to the UAE capital)

If for some extraordinary reason you enjoy spending your hard-earned cash in a matter of minutes then Abu Dhabi is the place for you. As a budding materialist and capitalist I have become accustomed to frequenting the delights of designer shopping… yes, I am a label junkie and I love it. So far my shopping experience in AD has been financially crippling but I don’t mind. I think I have proved myself at least a middleweight shopaholic with the potential to become a heavyweight (if only I had the financial backing to do so). The rich Emirati women may have to wear abayas but they certainly know how to shop! Shopping here is a cultural phenomenon I never thought I would observe outside the States. I’ve been to many of the world’s finest shopping destinations and left my mark on them. So, what does Abu Dhabi have to offer the serial shopper?

We Irish have become desensitised to being ripped off. Abu Dhabi offers tax-free shopping but that’s only the beginning. Whatever your shopping pleasures, you will be able to indulge them here. If, like me, you love designer goods at a steal then welcome to my version of heaven. The malls offer the finest shopping experience. Everything you could possibly need and more importantly want can be found in the comfort of gigantic malls that put places like Dundrum in Ireland to shame. It is quite fitting that Abu Dhabi holds a shopping festival in the spring, no doubt my fellow shopaholics descend on the city hunting for that necessary adrenaline rush that comes from buying things you don’t need!

Shoppers can expect to find bargains in just about everything, be it sunglasses, handbags, clothes, food, make-up, toys, electronics and furniture. I shall leave Abu Dhabi the proud parent of six designer handbags. These precious commodities cost a fraction of what I would have paid for them back in Ireland. If you are familiar with designer handbag prices in Ireland you will know that a small Guess bag costs about 99 euro… not here. Expect to find fabulous medium to large Guess bags for those prices. The prices in AD are not the only thing to attract international shoppers; the sheer volume and variety of shops is enough to tempt any die hard shopper. Even the smallest of malls have a lot to offer but once you have whet your appetite head for Abu Dhabi Mall and Marina Mall.

Marina Mall is the second biggest mall in the UAE, but if you do come to this part of the world to test your strengths as a shopper then I would suggest you plunge into the deep end with a visit there. You will know your shopping capabilities after a short time; if you last the day, my hat off to you! If you break under the strain of Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Armani and my personal favourite, Guess, then you are not worthy of my praise

Abu Dhabi is this shopper’s delight and I will be leaving it with a heavy heart and suitcase.

Apparently today’s high will be 42C, but feel like 51C. Overnight it will be 32C but feel like 40C. What have I got myself into? Tonight, while walking home at about midnight, I noticed that the front doors to various apartment blocks were covered in condensation — condensation on the outside of the glass. It’s that humid.

The last week or so has been uncharacteristically mild. Well, when I say mild, I mean it’s only been in the low to mid-30s celsius as opposed to well above 40C. In fact it’s been quite pleasant. However, it was all down to the shamal, a cold wind that whips through the region now and again, stirring up sand particles and bringing fog to this desert city on the Gulf coast. You don’t believe me? Take a look at these photos of the city as seen from the causeway leading to Marina Mall:

Then compare it with this, taken a few months ago close to the same spot:

Alas, the respite is over and the long, hot summer is almost upon us. I imagine few of us are truly prepared for what awaits over the next two months.