Latest news with #Darraj
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
This Father's Day, Let's *Really* Talk to Our Dads
When my dad FaceTimes me, he's often multitasking — reading Facebook posts or watching a football game or an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, oblivious to the fact that I can see his focus is elsewhere. I've grown used to it over the years, because even if he's distracted, at least he's checking in on me. I'm often preoccupied as well, just less visibly so: When we talk, sometimes I'm thinking about the next thing I want to say, or whether I remembered to turn the burner off on the stove. We both have ADHD — and in my father, that manifests as an innate restlessness. As my siblings and I unwrapped presents on Christmas morning or during birthday parties, he'd hover over us with a garbage bag, never letting the wrapping paper scraps touch the floor. During family movie nights, he'd get up halfway through National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and start vacuuming. But meals out and car rides were different. At a restaurant or behind the steering wheel, my dad was forced to sit still, so he was easier to talk to. It wasn't that we were discussing anything important. In fact, the subject matter was irrelevant, ranging from drama with former friends to a paper I'd written for class. What I loved was knowing that my dad was listening to me with no distractions. Focused attention is harder to come by in 2025, even for those without ADHD. People listen to podcasts or audiobooks at accelerated speeds because they don't have enough time in the day (or are just impatient). We add so many items to our to-do lists that they start to feel like an overstuffed garbage bag. There's always somewhere we need to be, something we need to do. So it's not surprising that serious conversations — especially with people who can already be tough to connect with — get pushed to the back-burner. As I edited a new anthology for Simon & Schuster called What My Father and I Don't Talk About: Sixteen Writers Break The Silence, I thought about the numerous reasons why conversations between dads and their adult children can be so difficult — or even painful. A common theme that emerged was an unwillingness to engage with difficult topics. Men aren't encouraged to be direct about the emotions they're struggling with, often the result of a lifetime absorbing the tenets of toxic masculinity. And if someone can't discuss their own flaws or problems, how are they supposed to help their kids? There are also plenty of good excuses to intentionally not talk to one's father: Some of the contributors to my latest anthology wrote about dads who were harmful, whether they were emotionally manipulative, abusive, absent, or struggling with drug addiction. But when dads and their kids can fully open up to one another, it's a beautiful thing. In Susan Muaddi Darraj's 'Baba Peels Apples for Me,' the eldest daughter of Palestinian immigrants writes about coming to understand her father after years of resistance. Darraj writes that she felt increasingly isolated during her divorce and the pandemic — until her dad told her the words she needed to hear: 'It's not easy to tackle this life alone, my daughter…That's why I will always be here for you.' Her father sat with her in her pain and offered reassurance. As I read those lines, I thought about a similar moment with my own father on a humid August day in 2021. I had broken up with a longtime boyfriend and called my father mid-run, sweat and tears glistening on my face. He doesn't always know what to do when confronted with extreme emotions, so I was surprised when he didn't tell me to 'calm down and stop crying.' Instead, he said over FaceTime, 'You're going to be okay,' aware of the gravity of the situation and directing all his attention to me. Somehow, that made me feel like it would be. For Father's Day this year, I'm not buying my father a dense history book about World War II (he wouldn't have the patience to read it, anyway) or noise-canceling headphones (a gift given in a previous year). Nor am I getting him a gift certificate to eBay, even though I know he'd make good use of it for a new vintage truck accessory. Instead, I'm treating him and my husband to a lobster dinner. Away from the distractions of computers and televisions and phones, I'll ask my father how he's doing and what's on his mind lately. Who knows where the conversation could lead? All I know is that I want to listen. Michele Filgate is the editor of What My Mother and I Don't Talk About and What My Father and I Don't Talk About. Her writing has appeared in Longreads, Poets & Writers, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Paris Review Daily, Tin House, Gulf Coast, Oprah Daily, and many other publications. The post This Father's Day, Let's *Really* Talk to Our Dads appeared first on Katie Couric Media.
Gulf Insider
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Gulf Insider
Proposal Approved To Monitor Delivery Bikes In Residential Areas
Southern Municipal Council member Mohammed Hussain Darraj, representing the Fourth Constituency, has submitted a proposal requiring delivery companies to install GPS tracking devices on motorcycles used for deliveries. These devices would enable authorities to monitor both the location and speed of the vehicles, particularly within residential neighborhoods. The initiative comes in response to growing concerns from residents over the excessive speed at which delivery motorcycles often travel, posing serious safety risks-especially to children. The proposal was approved by the Southern Municipal Council and has been forwarded to the Minister of Municipalities and Agriculture Affairs. The council is seeking coordination with the Ministry of Interior to implement the measure. Darraj emphasized that the aim is to ensure community safety and reduce the number of accidents caused by reckless driving in densely populated areas. Also read: Fast Lane Ahead: Jasra Flyover 60% Complete, Travel Time To Drop By 70%
Daily Tribune
05-05-2025
- Daily Tribune
Proposal Approved to Monitor Delivery Bikes in Residential Areas
Southern Municipal Council member Mohammed Hussain Darraj, representing the Fourth Constituency, has submitted a proposal requiring delivery companies to install GPS tracking devices on motorcycles used for deliveries. These devices would enable authorities to monitor both the location and speed of the vehicles, particularly within residential neighborhoods. The initiative comes in response to growing concerns from residents over the excessive speed at which delivery motorcycles often travel, posing serious safety risks—especially to children. The proposal was approved by the Southern Municipal Council and has been forwarded to the Minister of Municipalities and Agriculture Affairs. The council is seeking coordination with the Ministry of Interior to implement the measure. Darraj emphasized that the aim is to ensure community safety and reduce the number of accidents caused by reckless driving in densely populated areas.
Daily Tribune
02-05-2025
- General
- Daily Tribune
Call to revive ‘Viking Houses' in Isa Town
Last surviving 'Viking houses' in Bahrain, timber-roofed dwellings in Isa Town built nearly five decades ago, may finally be repaired after the Southern Municipal Council voted to press the government for action. Councillors have backed a proposal by Abdullah Darraj, representative for Block 804, calling on the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture to restore the wooden homes. 'These homes were handed over in 1978 and were only ever expected to last 25 to 30 years,' said Darraj. 'It's now been nearly 50. They're infested with insects, riddled with damp, and dangerously unstable.' The houses, known locally as 'Viking houses' because of their triangular wooden roofs, are the only remaining wooden public homes in the country. The structures cannot be expanded upwards. The shape of the roof, combined with years of water damage, has made them difficult to maintain. Residents report long-standing infestations of termites and rats, which have damaged electrical wiring and pipes. Petition A petition submitted alongside the proposal reads: 'We cannot secure a construction loan due to retirement and age. We urge the authorities to intervene to ensure family stability for those living in these houses.' Most of the owners are pensioners. Darraj said none of them could afford the repairs. He warned that the buildings were on the brink of collapse. The council's request was made under Article 19 of the 2001 Municipalities Law, which allows local authorities to raise matters of public concern and prioritise essential works. The petition noted that damp had built up in several homes and that some structures had become hazardous. The request has been referred to the ministry.
Daily Tribune
08-02-2025
- Business
- Daily Tribune
Electricity and water bill relief for charity societies
A push to cut electricity and water charges for charity society in the Southern Governorate has been approved by the municipal council, as councillors warned that soaring bills were making it harder for these societies to keep their doors open. The move came on the back of a push from council member Mohammed Hussain Darraj, who argued that without relief, non-profits helping struggling families would face an uphill battle to survive. 'Charity societies do the heavy lifting when it comes to supporting people who are doing it tough,' Darraj said. 'They shouldn't have to burn through what little funds they have just to keep the lights on.' While the council has supported the proposal, the plan still needs the go-ahead from the relevant authorities, who will be responsible for working out how the cuts will be rolled out. Work Darraj stressed that power and water costs were squeezing societies, making it harder for them to carry out their work. Unlike businesses, they don't turn a profit, he said, pointing out that they were set up to serve the community in line with Islamic principles of generosity and goodwill. 'If they're forced to funnel money into bills instead of aid, it's the families who rely on them that will feel it,' he said. 'This is about making sure help keeps flowing to those who need it most.' Daraj said easing the strain on these societies would allow them to keep their work going and ensure struggling households didn't lose a crucial lifeline. Helping these groups stay afloat, he added, was in everyone's interest, especially as more people found themselves needing a hand.
