Opinions | Letters
December 17, 2008
Letters to the Editor: December 17, 2008
- Gulf News
- Published: 23:30 December 16, 2008
Reward points
Most people belonging to the middle-income group live hand to mouth, especially during the month when rent is due ("Holiday Spending", Speak Your Mind, Gulf News, December 12). Even if we do not have enough money to buy gifts, we can give a lot. This holiday season we should give gifts to those who really need them. For example, the clothes that we have not worn in years or do not fit into, medicines within their expiry date, relatively new baby clothes, could all be given to the people who need them more than us. The list is endless. Gulf News can play a leading role by suggesting places, which would accept and channel these gifts judiciously to the needy. Celebrate this festive season by collecting reward points in the form of blessings for a change.
From Ms Beatrice P. Paul
Dubai
Skimpy shawarma
My visit to Global Village was very interesting. All the stalls were open, the sellers were doing their best, the buyers were looking for the extra discounts and there was candy, corn and balloons all over the place. The games were a little expensive, but a lot of fun. Surprisingly, the toilets were very well maintained - neat and clean. The pick though was we paid Dh10 for a shawarma at a stall, which was extremely skinny and small. It had three pieces of french fries, five chicken bits, and some lettuce - all rolled into the bread. I was robbed blind! I ask everyone visiting Global Village to avoid the skimpy shawarma stall.
From Ms Bindu Sathianesan
Dubai
Avoiding disaster
I get very concerned when I see educated people openly smoking at petrol pumps ("Children at risk from passive smoking in cars", Gulf News, December 14). Additionally, they insult the station attendants, if asked to not smoke. Let's not wait for a huge disaster to happen before we take action and show people how dangerous their smoking habit could be.
From Mr Mati Cruise
UAE
Vibrant city
I would like to extend my congratulations and best wishes to all those working in the horticulture department of Dubai. They have planted beautiful and lovely flowers along the roads of the city, making them vibrant and pretty. They are doing a wonderful job. Thank you once again.
From Ms Deepa Suraj
Dubai
Wasting energy
The idea of switching off lights for 60 minutes sounds great ("Four emirates commit to 2009 Earth Hour", Gulf News, December 15). However, what about other days when a lot of energy gets wasted? The lights in the corridors of our building are left on, even during afternoons. Some action needs to be taken by the maintenance agencies. The lights should be kept on when there is a real need for them. Additionally, the number of lights glowing in offices and shops are much brighter than what is actually required.
From Ms Beena Nair
Dubai
Indication required
As an expatriate I am very pleased with the sense of security in Abu Dhabi. I think the police are doing a great job in keeping the crime rate down. However, we do have issues with the short lapse in time when it comes to traffic lights changing from green to yellow. It is quite dangerous since people often drive through the junction, when the light is changing, in order to avoid throwing fellow passengers forward. There should be some sort of indication that the signal is about to change, in the same manner as it functions in Dubai. This would allow people to notice the light and stop, rather than rush forward.
From Ms Kelli Law
Abu Dhabi
Spate of attacks
This is in reference to Ms Noor's letter wherein she mentions that every news item should be given equal coverage ("Unbiased coverage", December 13). I think this letter was written in bad taste. Playing the victim game does not hold much justification for what happened in Mumbai. There has been a spate of attacks on Indian soil by terrorists allegedly trained in Pakistan. India is not responsible for what is happening in Palestine, Afghanistan or Iraq. Instead of complaining about the media coverage, please let us do something to understand the root cause of terrorism that is currently gripping the world.
From Mr Esmail Mohammad
Dubai
Only way out
I request the authorities do their best to ban smoking in cars ("Children at risk from passive smoking in cars", Gulf News, December 14). My children and I are tired of inhaling second-hand smoke from my husband's smoking. He does not listen to me when I protest against his smoking habit. Legalising it is the only way out. Please create a law and have it implemented with immediate effect.
From A Reader
Dubai
Name withheld by request
Does not work
I applied for an internet connection with etisalat on July 27, 2008. To date, I do not have an internet connection. A technician who visited my house informed me that the account had been activated. However, when I connected the modem, it wouldn't work. My application displayed an 'error' message - a response I have been getting from etisalat's hotline, 101, for the past one-and-a-half months. Additionally, they advised me to visit etisalat's office, which I did three times. However, there was no positive action taken and I got a text message saying a technician would visit my premises on August 27.
From Mr Sudhakar Dhamodharan
Abu Dhabi
The management of etisalat replied: Please be advised that Mr Dhamodharan's problem has been resolved and his ADSL connection is now working fine.
More promises
George W. Bush, the former US president, appealed to his nation by claiming that much harsher times are yet to come, as the US would face greater unemployment rates and inflation (“Bush urges countries to focus on free trade'', Gulf News, November 22). Additionally, he promised that he would get the nation out of turmoil very soon. I doubt that Americans would be fooled by this kind of speech again. Maybe it is about time Bush admitted that the war in Iraq was a major cause of this financial crisis.
From Mr Nasser Usmani
Dubai
Bad to worse
Despite the introduction of public buses in Abu Dhabi, I wonder why travelling is still difficult. Nowadays, a large number of commuters still depend on taxis. Many find it difficult to arrange for one that would be willing to take them to their destination. Stranded commuters and people waiting in long queues for taxis is a common sight, too. Moreover, there is a huge difference in the ratio of waiting people to the number of existing taxis. Moreover, with the addition of new taxis, traffic congestion on the roads has become a lot worse than before. The public transport system needs to be improved urgently.
From Mr S. Subramanian
Abu Dhabi
Great effort
Gulf News's proactive and positive effort to eradicate the menace of plastic bags and protect the environment is highly commendable (“Enthusiastic start to ‘Clean Up UAE' campaign'', Gulf News, November 19). It is unfortunate that developed countries create a lot more non-biodegradable waste than their counterparts. It may be because of poverty that underdeveloped and developing countries practice the three Rs — reduce, reuse and recycle. It helps in the preservation of the environment and ecology. The use of jute bags especially, is a step in the right direction.
From Mr C. S. Pathak
India
Appreciation
I would like to thank Gulf News from the bottom of my heart for its special efforts to go green (“Go green'', Gulf News, November 9). Recently, the jute bags distributed to subscribers came as a pleasant surprise. I would like to thank Gulf News for the kind gesture, as the bags are not just beautiful but useful, too. It makes us proud to see how Gulf News has been developing as an environmentally active newspaper.
From Ms Aliya Ansari
UAE
Passion is key
No one in this world is born with prior knowledge (“I have a green finger, and I grow plants'', Gulf News, September 24). In the past, I have tried to grow African violets in my garden, but they all seem to die instantly. I think passion is the recipe to success. Additionally, patience and perseverance can take you a long way, too.
From Ms Olga Ann
USA
Precious lives
Generally, I find that many people think they can get away with accidents (“Inattentive driver crushes a young life in Sharjah'', Gulf News, September 16). This attitude is wrong and should be stopped with severe penalties. Additionally, this would set an example for the rest of the world. Lives are precious. I hope the authorities take this issue seriously. As a parent, I cannot imagine what the mother of this child is going through.
From Ms Anu Samuel
Sharjah
Advantages
I respect the opinion of Mr Anthony Pereira ("Pay to talk", Gulf News, September 25). On the other hand, I believe Salik charges are far lesser than the total amount of time, energy and patience I waste while being stuck in traffic. Every day, since the installation of the tollgates, I have an additional hour at my disposal and I value it.
From Mr K. C. U. Unni
Dubai
Interfaith dialogue
To see a terror–free world, we need to look outside the box and define a new world order. The root cause of terrorism and how to annihilate it is widely and incredibly misperceived and imbued with flawed perspectives. Terrorism is bred due to several reasons, some of which are racism, discrimination, greed and poverty. Integration of people of different faiths and the provision of education for all is crucial. Additionally, the elimination of poverty is vital. Any amount of muscle power and anti-terror laws would only go on to exacerbate the terror wounds. It is about time nations spend more on education and poverty-alleviation. Teachers should be encouraged to discuss and promote inter-faith tolerance because that would help eradicate this monstrous social evil much faster.
From Mr Subhasis Mukherjee
Dubai
A new yarn
When coming across a comment in Gulf News, I got the feeling that I was not reading right ("Dear Iraqi friends", Gulf News, September 26). It appeared as if George W. Bush, former US president, was spinning a new yarn. He wanted the world to believe that everything people have witnessed — since the moment US forces started their misadventure in Iraq — is nothing but an illusion. There was no human tragedy, no deaths of millions of innocent Iraqis, no destruction of economic and political infrastructures, no grief and misery, no manipulation of ethnic conflicts and no cause for a financial and political crash in the US. It seems nothing is wrong, other than the ‘fact' that Bush wrongly assumed Iraq was in possession of weapons of mass destruction. Moreover, he was not sorry for this assumption, as the profound and noble cause of promoting freedom and justice redeems him and reserves for him a sacred place in history.
From Mr Rahman Ali Khan
Dubai
Road cleanup
The corniches of Dubai and Sharjah should be connected, parallel to the seashore, instead of developing a network of roads that all join at Al Ittihad Road. Unless this is done, the traffic situation will never improve. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) should increase the number of buses plying between the emirates, too.
From A Reader
Sharjah
Name withheld by request
Not suitable
Only a handful of self-service petrol stations currently exist in Dubai (“Self-service begins at ENOC petrol stations'', Gulf News, October 17). This is a new initiative in the UAE but a very common one in other countries. I think it may be a little difficult for many people to get out of their vehicles and use the petrol pump.
From Mr Tanvir Othman
UAE
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