Summer 2017 was the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love, a social phenomenon that occurred during the summer of 1967 where a counter-cultural revolution gathered momentum and thousands of people converged on San Francisco to express their disillusionment with materialism and conflict. Some of these bohemian free-spirits even wore flowers in their hair. Ultimately, though, elements of the movement descended into a drug-fuelled carnival of chaos.
Beyond the dark side, however, at the heart of this movement was an earnest disavowal of excessive materialism and an impassioned call for universal peace and love.
The world's best-selling album that year was by The Beatles, a work titled Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. A key theme of this critically acclaimed album was alienation and our growing loss of connection to one and other, hence, the Lonely Hearts Club. Perhaps the Summer of Love was, in part, a last-ditch attempt to stave off this creeping sense of loneliness and separation.
The Summer of Love, specifically June 25, also saw the world's first global satellite TV broadcast. This event ushered in the era of the "global village", a term coined by Marshall McLuhan, the Canadian professor, philosopher and public intellectual. This first global broadcast was a show called Our World, and it was simultaneously broadcast live to 26 countries and watched by 400 million people. For the occasion, the BBC commissioned none other than The Beatles to write a song for the show. The group wrote and performed All You Need Is Love.
The Summer of Love faded and its worthy goals of universal peace and love withered on the vine. The technological revolution, however, went from strength to strength. In our present time, information technology has undoubtedly connected the world, but at the same time, there is a growing sense that it has also weakened our essential human interconnectivity. The disconnected family – mum, dad and kids, all gazing at screens, rather than into each other's eyes – is an increasingly common sight. Has technology had a detrimental impact on our ability to love – to form and express enduring, compassionate connections with one and other?
In an essay exploring the effect of technology on the human psyche, Carl Jung, Swiss psychoanalyst and founder of psychoanalytical psychology, expressed concerns that technology could lead to a general dissatisfaction with life. Jung also suggested that it could result in us disconnecting from nature and many of our natural instincts. He writes, "It estranges man from his natural versatility of action and thus allows many of his instincts to lie fallow." Perhaps love, the drive for compassionate connection, is one of those instincts that has been allowed to lie fallow; to wither and atrophy.
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We can send a text message to everyone we know in a few short seconds, but can we hold a decent face-to-face conversation with a relative stranger? OK, so you’re the king or queen of Instagram, but how well do you empathise with your little sister’s sorrow? We can download and binge-watch a season of series X, but how many of us can spontaneously engage a small audience with stories of our own?
In his essay on technology, Jung goes on to argue that “technology is neither good nor bad, neither harmful nor harmless. Whether it be used for good or ill depends entirely on man’s own attitude, which in turn depends on technology.” How is technology shaping our attitudes; is it making us kinder, wiser and more compassionate towards one and other? #HellNo
This summer will hardly be remembered as the Summer of Love 2.0. We saw many old divisions and hatreds retake the spotlight, Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan and the threat of a nuclear holocaust all reared their hideous heads. Fifty years on from the Summer of Love, 2017's best-selling album is Ed Sheeran's poignantly titled Divided.
I think the UAE should host a Winter of Love, where we can sit, connect, tell stories and share experiences. You can wear flowers in your hair if you must, but please leave your phone at home. Log out, turn off, drop in.
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Result:
1. Cecilie Hatteland (NOR) atop Alex - 31.46 seconds
2. Anna Gorbacheva (RUS) atop Curt 13 - 31.82 seconds
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) atop Cash Up - 32.81 seconds
4. Sheikha Latifa bint Ahmed Al Maktoum (UAE) atop Peanuts de Beaufour - 35.85 seconds
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) atop Benur du Romet - 37.53 seconds
6. Annika Sande (NOR) atop For Cash 2 - 31.42 seconds (4 penalties)
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
'I Want You Back'
Director:Jason Orley
Stars:Jenny Slate, Charlie Day
Rating:4/5
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Sting & Shaggy
44/876
(Interscope)
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make
When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.
“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.
This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).
|
Age
|
$250 a month
|
$500 a month
|
$1,000 a month
|
|
25
|
$640,829
|
$1,281,657
|
$2,563,315
|
|
35
|
$303,219
|
$606,439
|
$1,212,877
|
|
45
|
$131,596
|
$263,191
|
$526,382
|
|
55
|
$44,351
|
$88,702
|
$177,403
|
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The 100 Best Novels in Translation
Boyd Tonkin, Galileo Press
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
