There is something redemptive about notebooks.
I don't mean jot pads or journals. I mean those amply illustrated records of existence that I have kept religiously for some five years now, using not only the widest range of writing and drawing implements imaginable but plentiful amounts of double-sided tape as well.
These books contain all kinds of things besides writing and illustrations: photos, bills, stickers, real and reproduced artworks, clippings, postcards, letters, printouts of web pages and miniature copies of newspaper and magazine articles, little paper pockets housing secret messages... anything that might serve as a reminder of a particular state of being, especially one induced by a journey, so long as the memento is sufficiently two-dimensional to rest comfortably between the covers of a book.
Post-modern illustrated manuscripts recalling the great Perso-Mongol tradition in which the visual, calligraphic and literary arts combine, my notebooks contain a symbolic portrait of the world around me - one that suggests, falsely, that I am able to hold on to what happens to me and somehow keep it alive. But since I seldom actually look at one once I am done with it, it seems they are less about posterity than a deeper need.
Too many times, by now, people have observed me, totally absorbed in one of those time-proof creations - with scissors, tape and countless bits and bobs finding their way in and out of the book - and they have remarked with varying degrees of conviction that I have a problem.
"It's just not normal," my best friend once broke out, "the amount of time you spend on those things."
I had to tell him that I was hurt by the fact that he of all people should not understand. Now, I know I have many problems - it would surprise me, too, if I was to discover that I am totally normal - but notebooks are certainly not one of those problems. And as far as normality goes, they have been more of a help than an obstacle. In some ways, indeed, the amount of time I spend on notebooks has functioned like therapy or sport - endorphins of the mind.
I started keeping them following the death of my father. I had entered into an existential black hole in which everything seemed so pointlessly fleeting, so scary and absurd that I could only get a grip by restricting my consciousness to an A5 sheet of paper. But as I got over my grief and life started making sense again, I could not let go of the practise. Yes, OK, I am addicted to notebooks...
Sometimes I wonder if it will be they who will vouch for me before God on the day of judgement, displaying ample proof that, whatever else I ended up doing, I really did mean well.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
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On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Who are the Sacklers?
The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.
Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma.
It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.
Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".
The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.
Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.
The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
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.
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort: