Depeche Mode perform live at Letzigrund Stadion in Zurich. Singer and songwriter Dave Gahan on stage with guitarist Martin Gore, Switzerland, June 2017. Getty Images
Depeche Mode perform live at Letzigrund Stadion in Zurich. Singer and songwriter Dave Gahan on stage with guitarist Martin Gore, Switzerland, June 2017. Getty Images
Depeche Mode perform live at Letzigrund Stadion in Zurich. Singer and songwriter Dave Gahan on stage with guitarist Martin Gore, Switzerland, June 2017. Getty Images
Three decades ago this year, the electronic band Depeche Mode released the song Enjoy the Silence, one of their biggest hits ever. Chances are that when Martin Gore, the band's main songwriter, penned the song he had little idea that it would become the perfect soundtrack to the lockdowns adopted by so many countries around the world over the past months to slow the spread of coronavirus. Because for the first time a lot of us living in cities have been experiencing a dramatic decrease in noise pollution and therefore enjoying a form of silence on the streets.
You might have been one of the many city dwellers who revelled in this urban silence. For me, sleeping with my windows open and not being woken up by loud people returning from a party in the middle of the night but by birds singing in the morning was a first in Aix-en-Provence, where I stayed part of the time.
Talking about the positive things that have come out of the Covid-19 crisis so far is tricky, to say the least, and could be perceived as insensitive and lacking empathy for those who suffered and still do. Given the death toll and the dramatic consequences in terms of health, economic and society that are ahead of us, it is difficult to truly appreciate any unintended consequence, even if it is beneficial to the environment and our lives.
The main street Le Cours Mirabeau in Aix-en-Provence, southern France on March 20, deserted due to a strict lockdown to stop the spread of Covid-19. Clement Mahoudeau / AFP
The decrease in air and noise pollution was significant for a while. Yet, this new found silence has been disorienting, at least at the beginning. Not just because it was a reminder of the seriousness of the Covid-19 situation. But also because we are not used to silence since noise is embedded in urban life, unfortunately.
An anechoic chamber is a room that can absorb all sounds, noises and even electromagnetic waves
During my first night walk in the empty city, it felt really strange. It somewhat reminded of an experience I had during a trip I made to Sydney, Australia last summer to spend time with the members of the research team of my company. Our research and development facility is located on the beautiful, and very quiet, Macquarie University campus. Some of the university’s researchers with whom we collaborate to better understand the brain’s auditory system invited us to visit their anechoic chamber. That was an unusual experience.
An anechoic chamber is a room that can absorb all sounds, noises and even electromagnetic waves. Even the floor is a suspended mesh to avoid noise when one walks. These chambers allow us to study our auditory system, to test audio gear and are used by aerospace agencies so their astronauts can be trained to get used to silence in space. Once inside, you can experience true silence – you start hearing the “mechanics” of your own biorhythms.
If you don’t move, you can hear your breathing rhythm, and some report hearing their own heart beat. A lot of people, after a few minutes in an anechoic chamber, can feel dizzy because of the novelty of the experience. How sad that we are so used to noise that we find silence disturbing.
Another reason why the Depeche Mode hit fits so well with the current times is because of the paradox it reminds us: words break the silence. And speaking about the silence itself is no exception.
During the lockdown, noise prevented me from truly appreciating this silent parenthesis. The annoying noise I am referring to is the noise made by echo chambers and digital wildfires. There was the noise made by those who overnight proclaimed themselves experts in epidemiology or crisis management, gurus in working from home or stress and anxiety management.
More recently we have had to suffer the predictions of those who, despite the lack of experience or data, know what “life after” is going to look like. Add to that their supporters and opponents fuelling digital wildfires with fake news and no wonder this noise was unbearable.
Even when we have the best intentions in mind, warning about fake news on social or traditional media means that we are advertising these pieces of fake news. Raising concerns about inaccurate information with a thoughtful message to debunk it constitutes a risk: it can bring this news to the attention of people who may not have heard it otherwise.
A concrete example is when heads of state have been advocating coronavirus treatments that could be dangerous. The person who started the fake news is responsible. But so are those who spread it – even by opposing it they put lives at risk.
For centuries, there has been an ongoing debate regarding whether or not we have free will. One thing for sure is that we have “free won’t”. The power “not to”. Not to comment and share information that is unverified or still under investigation, for example.
Being informed is a human right. But enjoying the silence should also be one. Given how unbearable the noise made by echo chambers has become, I wonder if we could create digital anechoic ones.
Professor Olivier Oullier is the president of Emotiv, a neuroscientist and a DJ
Fixtures
Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11
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Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.
Abdul Jabar Qahraman was meeting supporters in his campaign office in the southern Afghan province of Helmand when a bomb hidden under a sofa exploded on Wednesday.
The blast in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah killed the Afghan election candidate and at least another three people, Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak told reporters. Another three were wounded, while three suspects were detained, he said.
The Taliban – which controls much of Helmand and has vowed to disrupt the October 20 parliamentary elections – claimed responsibility for the attack.
Mr Qahraman was at least the 10th candidate killed so far during the campaign season, and the second from Lashkar Gah this month. Another candidate, Saleh Mohammad Asikzai, was among eight people killed in a suicide attack last week. Most of the slain candidates were murdered in targeted assassinations, including Avtar Singh Khalsa, the first Afghan Sikh to run for the lower house of the parliament.
The same week the Taliban warned candidates to withdraw from the elections. On Wednesday the group issued fresh warnings, calling on educational workers to stop schools from being used as polling centres.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Tips for job-seekers
Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Ammar 808:
Maghreb United Sofyann Ben Youssef
Glitterbeat
A – Dubai College, Deira International School, Al Ain Amblers, Warriors B – Dubai English Speaking College, Repton Royals, Jumeirah College, Gems World Academy C – British School Al Khubairat, Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Yasmina Academy D – Dubai Exiles, Jumeirah English Speaking School, English College, Bahrain Colts
Recent winners
2018 – Dubai College 2017 – British School Al Khubairat 2016 – Dubai English Speaking School 2015 – Al Ain Amblers 2014 – Dubai College
