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My 2020

My 2020

Written by: The National News
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 2020 has been an extraordinary year because of Covid-19. Every aspect of our lives has been affected, as have political, economic and societal norms. My 2020 is a series of conversations with leaders from a number of fields speaking about how their lives - and our world - have changed. From former UK prime minister Tony Blair to Sarah Al Amiri, the woman behind the UAE’s mission to Mars, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Thomas Friedman, these guests have unparalleled insights. Intimate and open, this podcast series captures reflections and learning from a truly historic year.Copyright 2021 All rights reserved. Social Sciences
Episodes
  • My 2020: Tony Douglas

    My 2020: Tony Douglas
    Dec 13 2020
    All industries experienced disruption in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but for the aviation industry it was an unprecedented crisis. “Heartbreaking”, is how group chief executive of Etihad Airways Tony Douglas described the moment when the airline’s entire fleet was grounded on March 23 2020, in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. However, he also said “it was absolutely the right thing to do”. Mr Douglas, who has over three decades of experience in the aviation industry, said Covid-19 has “eclipsed” all other crises faced by the sector “because of the impact that it has had”. In the last of the seven-part “My 2020” series of conversations with leaders on how they and their industries were impacted by Covid-19 this year, Mr Douglas spoke of how the aviation industry has changed – and will have to continue to change. He said there are so many negatives in 2020 but “you can learn an awful lot from negatives”. As Covid-19 developed into a global health crisis, Mr Douglas said it became increasingly clear that leaders had to handle a "certain degree of ambiguity". He added "the one thing you can't create is what I would describe as false certainty”. “My 2020” is a seven-part series, hosted by Mina Al-Oraibi, The National's Editor-in-Chief, who speaks to leaders about how their lives and industries have been altered by Covid-19.
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    33 mins
  • My 2020: Sultan Al Qassemi

    My 2020: Sultan Al Qassemi
    Dec 12 2020
    The worlds of academia and the arts were greatly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Sultan Al Qassemi, one of the most established authorities on Middle East arts and the visiting senior lecturer at the American University of Paris, speaks of how Covid-19 changed his life, and changed societies. Mr Al Qassemi is the guest for this episode of “My 2020”, where he speaks about his personal experience, and how the pandemic forced him to prepare for his two upcoming books on architecture, and also allowed him to start an “online majlis” that brought artists and audiences together all over the world. “Covid-19 allowed me to reassess my priorities in life. It did displace me. So when I found out that this was happening, I was in Boston teaching at Boston College. And I had to fly back to the UAE and continue teaching the class online. So there was the physical displacement, there was the emotional displacement”. Mr Al Qassemi spoke about his decision to isolate at home for 155 days, “Obviously, spending time with my mother was very good for me, good for the soul, I should say. But also spending time away from friends and other family members was very difficult”. Despite what he described as the difficulties of “emotional isolation, and the physical and geographic dislocation”, Mr Al Qassemi says: “I know many people hate 2020 but I don't hate it. I realize this is part of our human experience.” “My 2020” is a seven-part series, hosted by Mina Al-Oraibi, The National's Editor-in-Chief, speaking to leaders on how their lives and industries have been changed by Covid-19.
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    26 mins
  • My 2020: Thomas Friedman

    My 2020: Thomas Friedman
    Dec 11 2020
    A major part of a journalist’s life is about meeting with contacts, conducting interviews, travelling to different parts of the country and the world. Covid-19 upended all aspects of normality, including the way many journalists do their jobs. One journalist whose life was greatly changed in 2020 is New York Times columnist and best-selling author Thomas Friedman. Reflecting on the year, Mr Friedman is the guest for this episode of ‘My 2020’. He speaks about how a number of factors, including the Black Lives Matter movement and US elections, have changed America, alongside the chaos caused by Covid-19. The author who coined the term “the Earth is flat” says that the new reality we are living in means “the world is flatter than ever”. ‘My 2020’ is a seven-part series, hosted by Mina Al-Oraibi, The National's Editor-in-Chief, speaking to leaders on how their lives and industries have been changed by the pandemic.
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    31 mins
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