National Editorial
The time has come to write an obituary for the once-loved celebrity autograph. Notice of its death came by way of pop singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, that great chronicler of our times, writing in the Wall Street Journal. “I haven’t been asked for an autograph since the invention of the iPhone with a front-facing camera,” Swift wrote, adding that the only memento her young fans wanted these days “is a selfie”.
It was not so long ago that children received autograph books as presents and competed with each other to fill them with famous signatures. Now, at pop-culture events such as Comic-Con, fading stars charge for “photo opportunities”. Last year in New York, Sylvester Stallone’s asking price was $445 (Dh1,600) per selfie.
The advantage of a selfie is that it can be transmitted instantly by social media so your friends can share your moment of fame in real time. Yet, there remains something romantic, and intrinsically valuable, about handwriting on yellowing paper. For example, a letter signed in 1863 by US president Abraham Lincoln once fetched $748,000 at auction.
We can only guess what a selfie with Taylor Swift, or any other current figure of transient fame, will fetch in 150 years.
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The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
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.
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Kamindu Mendis bio
Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis
Born: September 30, 1998
Age: 20 years and 26 days
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team
Batting style: Left-hander
Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.