Relaxed and calm leader
It’s great to see a world leader like His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, enjoying time with the residents and being so nice to post pictures with them on Instagram (‘Shaikh Mohammad’s chance Dubai desert meeting with family,’ Gulf News, November 22). It is so surprising that even with his busy schedule, Shaikh Mohammad is able to enjoy being in the company of the common people, especially children. The pictures posted portray a relaxed and calm personality. In this age when celebrities shun the public and stay away from unplanned photo sessions, Shaikh Mohammad seems to be an exception. May God bless him.
From Mr Achilles Ash
Dubai
Website comment
Very humble
Shaikh Mohammad really is a wonderful man! He seems to be very natural and he doesn’t want protocol and other things to show off his importance.
From Mr Shahroz Hashemi
Al Ain
Website comment
Eliminating violence against women
Violence against women is a violation of their rights, and it is a consequence of discrimination in law, in practice and in the persisting inequalities between men and women. Violence against women and girls is not inevitable. If we all join hands, it can be brought into control. Violence against women continues to be a global pandemic. To recognise the need for a non-violent world, the United Nations (UN) has declared November 25 as International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
I, as a young woman, am really concerned even though I have been brought up under safe circumstances. In this world any girl and any woman can face violence at any time. Humans are racing against time to invent and develop, but they do not find time to do the least for the mothers, daughters and sisters of the world to help them live in a non-violent world. It is not really possible in a day or two to have a violence-free world. It is imperative that both the sexes work towards this goal of protecting the makers of the next generation. November 25 is used as a time to speak out on this issue, but I think that it’s time to let every day be a day to speak out for the elimination of violence against women.
From Ms Maria Vincent
Dubai
Difficult to read
It’s really painful to read about the honour killing of the young girl who married against her parent’s wishes (‘Death sentences handed down in Pakistan bludgeoning case,’ Gulf News, November 20). Only women have to bear the consequences of such a decision. The men seem to be able to do it and move freely. This girl was pregnant and killed on the street.
From Mr Steven
Dubai
Website comment
Creating transparency
Somehow in this part of world, trial medicines are yet to be tried and tested on humans due to special climatic conditions and easy availability (‘Facebook debate: Trusting medicine,’ Gulf News, November 23). Why not it be allowed in the Middle Eat and North Africa market for trial for more accurate test results? I think this should be happening. Clinical trials should be done based on pure transparency by the drug companies and with consent of the patients. Drug companies should have a contract to detoxify the patient thereafter and compensate adequately and properly if there are severe side effects.
From Mr Ramesh Chand Vishwakarma
Dubai
Facebook comment
Where responsibility lies
In my opinion, these days, it is the revenues that most businesses are concerned about than anything else, even if this means compromising people’s health. Pharmaceutical companies, sadly, are no different. The responsibility of disclosing the true findings of any medical research or trial lies with these drug manufacturers. Them failing to report it to the public to save their reputation, name and market share is unethical and criminal on their part.
However, for the common man who does not have a sound knowledge with regards to side effects and uses of medicine, it is up to health laws and drug companies that we put our trust in to educate us.
At the end of the day, the media, the law-making authorities and the pharmaceutical firms play a vital role when it comes to educating and protecting people about the effects and uses of drugs.
From Ms Fatima Suhail
Sharjah
People aren’t bothered
Nowadays there are a lot of fake medications that have come up that are hazardous to our health. Many of the people are not aware of this risk and they agree to buy the medicine at low costs. People are not bothered about trustworthiness of medications. Instead, they just need some medicine to treat a particular disease and that’s as far as their intrigue goes. So, I strongly recommend not to trust any drug companies and all medicines imported in the country should undergo serious lab tests to prove it is safe for our health.
From Mr Mohammad Lukman
UAE
Facebook comment
Doctors take care
International health laws are pretty strict. It’s not like the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. To get a new drug approval takes a lot of effort from the company’s side. I would be more worried about the quality of the molecule. Yes, any medicine will have its side effects and it is up to the doctors to weigh the pros and cons and prescribe the medicine.
From Dr Karthi
UAE
What good is technology?
Today I would like to shed some light on the dominance of technology over our lives. I quote economist John Kenneth Galbraith: “We are becoming the servants in thought, as in action, of the machine we have created to serve us.”
It is extremely sad to note that technology is overtaking our lives and the humanity factor in today’s world. Earlier, when there was no technology, relationships used to be extremely strong. The ties of relations have now been broken by technology. People today no longer meet their family members. They either Skype them or just message them on Facebook.
Children these days are not ready to meet their grandparents living in villages because it is technologically backward. There is no internet connection or laptop to play games on.
Even if we think technology is a vital part of our lives and it is better than anything in the world, what has our technology done in curing Ebola? What role has it played in treating cancer? Did it tell us where the MH370 disappeared? It must have surely not disappeared into thin air. When all these questions are still left unanswered, then what is the use of technology?
People were better off without technology. They used to lead a happy life. They used to share their belongings with others. Today all this is lost. Traces of humanity are left behind only in very small pockets in the world.
It is extremely depressing to know that technology is taking over humanity.
From Mr Sai Madhurya
UAE
Promoting reading in children
Most people think that a reading habit is unnecessary and useless, but it actually helps in the building of one’s vocabulary and fluency in the English language. It is also a good method of entertainment. In this fast-paced life, children are burdened with schoolwork, extracurricular activities and projects. There is absolutely no time for a child to sit in silence and read a book. Also, due to the advancement of technology, children have started to prefer social Media sites and television over a good book. Parents can help instil this wonderful habit into their children by reading to their child for at least an hour a day. Parents can also start a subscription in a library and borrow books on a weekly basis. I think that parents should also become a role model to their children, so that they can transport themselves into thousands of new worlds when they read a new book.
From Ms Athulya Ganesh
Dubai
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