The seemingly endless soap opera that has become Brett Favre's football life continued this week in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he has been testing his arm by throwing to a bunch of impressed high school kids as one of the Minnesota Vikings' coaches watched.
It has for weeks seemed a foregone conclusion that Favre would return to the NFL in the uniform of the Vikings this fall in an effort to torment his old employers, the Green Bay Packers.
His decision to undergo minor surgery six weeks ago to repair a torn bicep muscle signalled his desire to return play again and it has long been clear that the one place he was willing to do so was in Minnesota under his old friend, head coach Brad Childress.
Yet still he remains unsigned, saying this week he might not know for sure if he will return for a 20th season until the day the Vikings open training camp July 30.
People close to Favre have said he wants to be sure he will be "pain free'' and throwing like he used to before attempting a return to the NFL after the dismal end to his year last season, when his arm and the offence of the New York Jets fell apart simultaneously with a play-off spot one victory away.
NEWS BULLETIN TO BRETT FAVRE: men who have played 19 years in the National Football League will never be "pain free'' again. This is especially true if, like Favre, you have played quarterback all those years.
Favre has absorbed more bumps than the shock absorbers on a pick-up truck. He has been knocked down more often than Manny Pacquiao's sparring partners.
His job, or at least the way he performed it so admirably, has never been one where "pain free'' would be associated.
So if, at 39, he's waiting for the morning he wakes up and feels like he's 19, he will be waiting for a long time.
The Vikings have been patiently willing to do so it seems, with Childress defending what has now become the third straight off-season of angst for Favre, but time is running out on both of them and only one thing is clear: where once Brett Favre held the football now it is holding him.
He can't let go but he also doesn't want to repeat the sad final four weeks of his stay with the Jets, when his arm was aching and unable to fling the ball downfield as it once did and his mind was tired and unfocused.
Several of his teammates criticised him after the season for being distant, and, by the end, not really a Jet. He has denied that but the larger question is does he still want to play pro football or just say he's still a football player?
There is a serious distinction between the two because the former comes armed with two unavoidable things - pain and mind-numbing boredom on every day but game day.
For a player like Favre, who is a sure Hall of Famer five years after he retires (if he ever does), the endless meetings and practices that accompany each week of an NFL season seldom hold anything new. He has seen everything a defence can throw at him and he's thrown over most of it with great success. Hence, he yawns a lot.
At that stage the only thing left of interest are the games, but to be successful a player must accept the rest of what comes with it.
The surgery Favre underwent last month surely has alleviated some of the aching in his bicep but if it's pain he's trying to avoid, or youth he's trying to find, he needs to avoid pro football.
In the end then the choice he faces is clear. Is the pain of not playing worse than the pain of playing? Not even Brett Favre seems to know the answer to that.
rborges@thenational.ae
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The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
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If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
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Saturday
Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm kick-off UAE)
Bayer Leverkusen v Schalke (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Cologne (5.30pm)
Mainz v Arminia Bielefeld (5.30pm)
Augsburg v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Bayern Munich (8.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Freiburg (10.30pm)
Sunday
VfB Stuttgart v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Union Berlin v Hertha Berlin (8pm)
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- 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.
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Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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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.
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If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
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Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
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Hope
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Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
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