Bob Dylan may have made his fans wait eight years for the March release of the song A Murder Most Foul, but they didn't have to wait long for the follow-up.
Called I Contain Multitudes, and just like its predecessor, the new song arrived without press release or hype, and no information about when it was recorded or with whom, or if it is part of a new album.
Although less epic than the 17-minute A Murder Most Foul, this new 4.38 minute song – like all of Dylan's best work – is filled with vivid imagery conjured from brutally sparse phrasing, and takes its title from a line in Walt Whitman's poem, Song of Myself.
Quietly delivered – Dylan’s voice is well-worn these days – he breathes lines such as: “Today, tomorrow and yesterday too / The flowers are dying / Like all things do."
With typical Dylan gravel, and toying with imagery, he continues, “I fuss with my hair / And I fight blood feuds / I contain multitudes.”
Over slow tempo instrumentals, he goes on “I got a tell-tale heart like Mr Poe / Got skeletons in the walls of people you know,” before comparing himself to Holocaust victim Anne Frank, and the film character of Indiana Jones. "I'm just like Anne Frank, like Indiana Jones / And them British bad boys, the Rolling Stones / I go right to the edge, I go right to the end / I go right where all things lost are made good again."
Seemingly content to live on the periphery, Dylan knows exactly how to keep his audience confounded by constantly shifting what we think we know of him. Be it switching from acoustic to electric guitar and horrifying his folk music followers back in 1965 (a move that can still ignite arguments) or writing his own autobiography and scooping the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016, Dylan is the master of the enigmatic.
A natural wordsmith, Dylan delivers spartan, eclectic phrasing, loaded with meaning. "What more can I tell you?" he sings, "I sleep with life and death in the same bed."
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So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2019 Audi A8
Price From Dh390,000
Engine 3.0L V6 turbo
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 345hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy, combined 7.5L / 100km
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
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
The view from The National
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Bournemouth 1 Manchester City 2
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Crystal Palace 0 Swansea City 2
Manchester United 2 Leicester City 0
West Bromwich Albion 1 Stoke City 1
Chelsea 2 Everton 0
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Burnley 1
Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
