October
27 My lunch with Abu: Sharon Waxman dines with sheik, falcon

"My host, known as Abu Halaf, rolls his food in the palm of one hand while checking his Blackberry with the other," writes Sharon Waxman of her lunch with His Excellency Mahomed Khalaf al Mazrouei, otherwise known as chairman of the Abu Dhabi Media Corp. and creator of the $1 billion film fund that has already benefited Participant Media and National Geographic Films. Halaf tells Waxman that he expects his country to see a revolution in education, training and infrastructure. Halaf says he doesn't fear being criticized as he pushes Abu Dhabi into the modern age, quoting an Arabic saying that his spokesman translated as "The train has left the station." Writes Waxman, "Abu Halaf corrected him: 'No,' he said. 'It’s more like – 'The caravan is going to leave, while the dogs are still barking.' " [WaxWord]