Face of gun control reforms
Emma Gonzales became famous by giving an honest, raw speech after the Florida, US, shooting (“Teachers are outraged at the idea of carrying weapons”, Gulf News, March 6). She did not sugarcoat a thing and tackled the subject of gun violence and the lack of proper gun control. She has become a hero and is the face associated with the movement against civilians bearing arms. She unapologetically gave her statements and was not afraid to discuss the issue at hand. It is so sad to see people’s lives changed forever because of mass shootings, but the US government still refuses to take a stand and do anything about it. This is not the first time such an incident has happened and it won’t be the last. US President Donald Trump has a very casual attitude towards this issue, despite it being grave and concerning. His counter argument of giving teachers guns makes absolutely no sense. It is amazing how he and his government refuse to change the law that allows people to possess guns. It is ironic how experienced men are bickering about such things while young schoolchildren are standing up, making constructive change and fighting the issue head on. The US needs more young adults like Gonzales, who will put pressure on the government to bring about some change.
From Ms Shail M.
Dubai
Full name withheld on request
A well-oiled market?
The self-imposed production cut made by Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and Russia has been yielding desired results for some time (“Opec beware: Asia seen favouring US shale oil as volumes soar”, Gulf News, March 6). The market could adjust to the fragile demand and supply balance once again to a good extent. Saudi Arabia’s production cut, of more than what was committed, shows the earnestness of the affected countries. In fact, the combined efforts of the producers within the organisation could help increase the prices of oil to a reasonably fair level. However, of late, oil prices have started a recession from their peak, thanks to slowing factory growth in China, which is the biggest importer of oil. The US made maximum gains during the course of production cuts from others, by optimising their production and increasing the market share considerably, which resulted in economic and employment growth in the country. In this context, chances of another cut cannot be ruled out and the same would be disastrous for Middle Eastern countries who are still recovering from the earlier global economic downfall. The fair price for oil is an essential prerequisite for Saudi Arabia, as the success of Aramco’s Initial Public Offering (IPO) largely depends on the yet to be declared asset value of the company and prices of oil at the time of the IPO.
From Mr Girish R. Edathitta
UAE
Does not augur well
Why would someone behave this oddly and watch explicit content on a flight (“Passenger strips naked, attacks stewardess”, Gulf News, March 5)? No matter what the underlying reason is, for this man to have done so, he is clearly a threat to women around him. He needs counselling in addition to serving some time behind bars. He should be made to mend his ways, especially with regard to his treatment of women, or else, his behaviour might become worse. It is sad that some people do not know how to conduct themselves on a flight.
From Ms Fatima Suhail
Sharjah
Facebook comment
Music is not dead
Backstreet Boys are said to perform in the UAE and I am honestly pretty excited. I have loved them since I was in school and I have grown up with their music. They were popular during the best era of music. I think current music lacks emotion, meaning and appropriate words. Celebrities keep dropping albums and singles because all they want is to make money. They get fancy videos made and spend all their concentration on this, so much so that they forget the main thing: the song. I plan on attending this concert to remind myself that music is not dead.
From Ms Fariza Jamal
Sharjah
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