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In "Opinion / OP-ED"
The graft conviction Wednesday of former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a front-runner for next year’s presidential election, opens the door for an outsider to take power in Latin America’s largest country, political experts said.Lula, a giant on the Brazilian political scene who led Brazil from 2003 to 2011, has said he wants to run for president again next year. But if his nearly 10-year sentence is upheld on appeal, Lula, a founder of the leftist Workers Party, would be barred from seeking office again for eight years, beginning after any jail time is complete.Lula, 71, is among a raft of Brazilian elites toppled by an epic corruption scandal that has battered the nation’s economy, engulfed every major party and deepened public cynicism about politics. It’s a...
July 15, 2017
In Brazil, Lula conviction opens field for 2018 presidential race
July 14, 2017
GOP confronts no-win situation on health care
In a recent tweet, Paulo Coelho wrote, “never let anyone tell you that you need to be positive all the time; you are not a robot”. To me, and I assume from the number of the retweets to many others, it was uplifting and refreshing to read such a sobering statement amidst the strong flow of positivity talk and advice. Finally, someone declared that we should not feel bad for feeling angry, sad or frustrated during hard times simply because we are humans!Keeping a positive attitude could definitely help us face life’s challenges and become more appreciative, loving, forgiving and better people in general. However, most of us are not born with this gift and cannot reach this point until we have practiced and struggled through a long spiritual journey. We should not expect, nor be...
July 13, 2017
It’s okay not to feel positive all the time
July 12, 2017
Bannon is right on Afghanistan
July 12, 2017
Memories of Eid overseas - Part 2
July 12, 2017
In the eyes of the beholder
July 11, 2017
Parallel universe of Hindutva and Zionism
IN his memoirs, Sheikh Abdullah Balkhair, the first information minister, summarized in a short story a major tenet in the social contract between Al-Saud family and Saudi people.After returning from the American University in Beirut in late 1930s, Sheikh Balkhair joined the Royal Court. His job was to record radio broadcasts with a team of monitors. Stories were summarized and read to King Abdulaziz three times a day— morning, midday and evening. Breaking news stories, however, were read as they came. The King was awaken from his sleep at times for major events in World War II.During a summer trip from the capital, Riyadh, to the summer capital, Taif, the royal convoy stopped for a break. Tents were erected, including one for the radio monitors.“We were sipping tea and coffee when a...
July 11, 2017
Saudi social contract... and ‘Free Iran’!
THIS is the story of Bakhsh, a Pakistani farmer who is employed in a Madinah farm, as told in the front page of a local daily last week. Bakhsh, his brothers and sons, who have lived in the Kingdom for 35 years or more, are now faced with the prospects of making their toughest decision in their life — leaving the Kingdom. The reason being the recent levy of dependent fees, which they cannot afford to pay, as they work as farmers with meager salaries.Expatriates now have to pay SR100 from this July per dependent per month. In addition, there is another fee to be instituted in January 2018, when companies in which expats outnumber Saudis will have to pay SR400 every month for each expat worker, pay SR300 for each expat worker when the numbers of expats employed by them equal the number of...
July 10, 2017
Expat fees and tough personal decision
July 10, 2017
The secret of trust!
