he directed scathing critcism to the manager of the company

I filed a lawsuit against the thief for theft of the car

شنت البلد هجوما عنيفا على جارها أمس

the country launched a violent attack against her neighbour yesterday

Another cough and splutter as my writing engine tries to start up again. Insha Allah this time it will kick into life as there seems to be plenty to be write about and share. Here in the largely desert Arabian peninsula in the middle of Dubai the towering skyscrapers act like huge concrete trees offering their shadow as a source of comfort in the hottest hours between 12-4 pm. Their hollow air conditioned interiors offer welcome relief in the midday sun, but the charm of sitting under a tree with succulent dates a hand’s reach away cannot be beaten.

As you travel out of the cities where skyscrapers have not yet invaded the landscape you soon find a fresh wind begins to blow. This surprised me at first as standing within the concrete oasis it is only rarely that I felt the wind blow. One of the unexpected effects of the high density of skyscrapers and flats is that they have succeeded in acting as giant wind breakers. The only breeze that can be felt consistently is the unwelcome respiration of the concrete trees. If you happen to pass by the wrong face of a building you will be met by the loud noise of machinery and a hot gust of air as central air conditioning machines whir incessantly.

Taqi