“It’s as easy as…”

LIFE

“you fall off –

 get right back on”

bruised and bloodied

stumbling off the road

 scraping out the rocks

“Just get up” a person calls

I think I’ll just sit in the dirt

another person rolls her eyes

increasing her pace

“take the bike I won’t be needing it” I holler

I feel gentle arms around me

“let me clean that” a kind whisper

“we will get you home”

the man puts me on his bike

his wife rides my battered one

I’m awakened to fluffy white pillows

I don’t know how long it takes to heal

 there it was painted and straight

“I think I’m ready to try “

I wave at the kind couple

their hands are full so they smile

there will always be battered people

to pick up on the side of the road

The original story of the Good Samaritan…

In my latest piece, I wrote about western media’s imbalanced coverage of the recent crisis between Gulf states and Qatar.  There are, however, some balanced pieces about Qatar  that are worth reading:

First, here is Richard Spencer’s very detailed piece  published in Britain’s The Times Magazine

“It is this willingness to dally with all sides that has led to the recent rifts with its neighbours, and President Trump’s apparent preference for siding with them against the host of his own Central Command. Despite Qatari denials about terrorist funding, allegations of a relationship with al-Qaeda persist. As the group, now separate from Isis, grew prominent in Syria’s civil war through its local branch known as the Nusra Front, a similar pattern emerged. Its leader gave interviews to Al Jazeera. The group seemed suspiciously well funded – America alleged that some of the money was coming from an influential Qatari called Abdulrahman…

Top headlines

• Egypt to extend state of emergency for three months
• Egypt’s Sisi ratifies contested deal handing Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia
• Egypt’s constitutional court temporarily halts all verdicts on islands transfer deal
• Interior Ministry kills three leading figures of ‘Hasm’ militant group
• Egypt’s police repel major militant attack in North Sinai
• Egypt says 7 militants in connection with recent attacks on Christians were killed in raid on desert camp

 

Tiran and Sanafir Red Sea Islands via BBC

Main headlines 

Monday

• Army Air forces kill 12 leading figures from ‘Sinai Province’ in North Sinai
• Police officer is sentenced to 10 years for killing activist Shiamaa el-Sabbagh
• Egypt’s Sisi receives crown prince of Abu-Dhabi in Cairo
• Former President Mubarak considered using Tu-160 to destroy the Ethiopian dam

Tuesday

• Egypt’s police repel major militant attack in North Sinai
• Russia to provide Egypt with MiG-29 fighter jets, Ka 52 helicopters soon