A chance to shine
This is with reference to the Gulf News cricket article, of course the tour to Zimbabwe by the depleted Indian team may not be interesting like the Ashes or any other series (‘Murli Vijay, Robin Uthappa look to seize the opportunity’, Gulf News, July 8). But, definitely, it is a golden opportunity for players like Murli Vijay and Robin Uthappa to get a foothold in the national team. No doubt both got ample opportunity in the past, though not on a regular basis like some of the blue-eyed boys of selectors and the captain, but they got carried away and failed to capitalise the opportunity. We are sure that they will take this tour seriously and will not throw away their wickets to enable the team to win the series and themselves a place with the national team.
From Mr N. Mahadevan
Mylapore, India
Cost of living still high
The cost of living data presented in this format has no merit because the income of people living in high-cost locations is higher (‘Dubai property deals taking longer amid falling prices’, Gulf News, July 7). The prices in Dubai have gone through the roof, no matter how the numbers are crunched and to whatever city Dubai is compared. Wages have not kept pace. Our grocery prices have doubled in 10 years. My salary goes up zero per cent or three per cent - if our management has a good mood on the day decisions are made. Rents have doubled, as have school fees.
From Mr Louie Tedesco
UAE
Website comment
Not equal comparison
How many people get a salary equalling to a New York pay scale or a London pay scale? We can’t compare with cities where salaries are higher.
From Mr Tarun
UAE
Website comment
Squeezed with costs
Every city has its unique identity. Why compare other international cities with Dubai? As Gulf News reported: “Many people in Dubai say they feel the squeeze by household expenses because the prices of daily essentials, as well as rent, are increasing.” I think that the cause of that squeeze should be studied instead of comparing to other cities. That will be a relief for many, at least mentally.
From Mr Thayyib Ahmad
UAE
Website comment
Low median
This report simply compares direct cost, which gives a very incomplete picture. What about the wages and salaries in Dubai? The median of salaries in Dubai is extremely low and, thus, is relatively more expensive to live here in my opinion. The lower income category will find it difficult to pay. You need to adjust the cost of living by purchasing power parity before making any comparisons.
From Mr Tarun Mavely
UAE
Website comment
Needs affordable clinics
If people find cheap medical solutions offered by clinics, they will never go to places like this (‘Cook among two arrested for carrying out liposuction’, Gulf News, July 8). Since people cannot afford the high medical treatment costs, they have no choice but to risk their lives with such unlicensed clinics to save some money.
From Mr Atul
UAE
Website comment
‘Velfies’ popular with stars
Video selfies are not new, the world’s celebrities have been doing it for a long time now (‘Move over selfies: world abuzz over ‘velfie’ craze’, Gulf News July 7). For video selfies check out Instagram accounts of The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), Zack King, Michelle Lewin (Fitness enthusiast), Paris Hilton, and the Kardashians! It’s been happening way before selfies were accepted as a valid English word by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
From Ms Jen Angeles
UAE
Trends never cease to amaze
In today’s trends, actors and politicians are following this selfie trend. The recent velfie trend overshooting the selfie is the latest development in social media. Will this continue or any other new concept? We will have to wait and see. Total craze among people.
From Mr K. Ragavan
Bengaluru, India
Experiences in reality
With the multifunctional features now available on social networking sites and in digital technology, there is hardly anything that people with creativity cannot do. However, such trends may raise certain fundamental questions about the future of the entertainment industry, especially where it has become very challenging for movie makers and artists as there could possibly be an amateur creating better entertainment with minimum or no cost at all! For instance, nowadays YouTube is inundated with numerous entertaining clips.
Instant gratification is the norm for the users of social networking sites, so much so that they run out of patience too soon to enjoy long form writing and novels. The new technologies may take a toll on our ability to let our imagination expand when a story or song is presented in the visual or video format as opposed to delivered in written words or through recitation. In fact, too much of visual content electronically readily made available in our palm is robbing of our opportunity to indulge in simple pleasures of life like watching a starry night, an evening at the beach, listening to birds singing - all in real form.
Let us hope soon a reverse trend may catch up with the future generation where they will abandon all forms of folly and bizarre idiosyncratic ways of entertainment and start focussing on real issues the world needs to have addressed.
From Mr V. I. Mohammad Sageer
UAE
Selfie velfie craze
Gone are the days to wait for weeks for all 30 negatives of a film roll to finish before we could give it to the photo studio and wait again for another fortnight to get it developed and printed. All this taught us patience and albums were so precious for most of us! Later, a lot of people were fortunate to buy digital cameras and that, too, with an LCD screen, which could immediately display the shot taken. Sadly, photos taken this way, many a time neither get printed nor could find a place in family albums. A lot of them, were comfortably forgotten or quietly found a place in one corner of our computer.
With the evolution of mobile phones with built-in high resolution front or back cameras, even toddlers started clicking pictures and we do not even have to wait for a professional to take a photo! People love to look at themselves over and over again by taking hundreds of photos and videos. While it’s so much fun to click, see and share immediately, it may be realised one day or the other, as the old saying goes: Too much of anything is good for nothing.
From Mr Rama Malar
UAE
Excessive intake during Ramadan
In Ramadan it’s a common sight to see people grabbing Ramadan deals in supermarkets and cooking lavish iftars at home (‘Food is a blessing, don’t waste it’, Gulf News, July 7). But, have we ever thought about whether we are following the true spirit of Ramadan? I am writing to raise concern on these two common mistakes during Ramadan.
The first mistake is why do we carelessly fill up our shopping baskets without thinking twice? Most of the time, we buy things without realising the expiry date and then throw them away. Sometimes, we are tempted by the rock bottom prices and buy unwanted things because we want to grab it before it’s gone. Eventually, this mistake leads to the second mistake: overeating.
In Ramadan, we also tend to cook lavish and heavy iftars for our guests. In one way, coming together with relatives and friends and bonding over a good, healthy iftar is a part of culture and tradition. But, we should remember that Ramadan is not the time to overindulge. It’s actually an insight into the life of the less fortunate. How can we think of becoming closer to God when we waste His biggest blessing to us – food?
In Ramadan we need to think of the less fortunate ones and refrain from food wastage. Food is a blessing. Let’s not be amongst the ungrateful and instead cook and eat in moderation.
From Ms Madiha Ahmad Riaz
UAE
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