Great ambulance service

This is just to convey my contentment with the service provided by the ambulances in UAE. This is with reference to an accident that happened outside my office in Port Saeed Road, Deira. A man on a motorbike was hit by a sports utility vehicle and he literally flew across due to the impact. Within a matter of few minutes the ambulance arrived and took care of the injured man. The reason to send this mail is because such an immediate response is seldom seen in my country of origin. A big thanks to the authorities and all the people behind the operations of these services for the public.

From Mr Suresh Asari

Dubai

Change beings at home

I think we Indians need to accept the fact that certain aspects of our culture need to be revisited. The domineering male chauvinistic attitude of taking women for granted, dominating them and forcing them to succumb to the whims and fancies of men has to change. It is sad that we have this realisation after the death of a young Indian student who was gang-raped in Delhi. I am afraid that we will lose focus after the incident becomes dated and we get occupied in our busy schedules. But we need to realise the severity of situation, we need to accept our faults and start the change from home. Laws might be put in place but they will only be implemented if we have the right mindset. The struggle has only just begun, it will take time to change and we will have to face many struggles. But we need to start now and start by first changing ourselves. Men and women need to be respected equally in society but we cannot ignore that they are physically and mentally different. God has created them equal but with different strengths, and we need to respect that. I have a fear that this incident will make families overprotective towards their women and girls, that is put more restrictions on them. But, we need to realise this is not a solution, in fact it will further worsen the situation. I think the men need to be trained instead of women being suppressed. We need to carefully take logical steps and bring the much awaited change.

From Mr Ahsan Ghori

Abu Dhabi

Wrong judgment

Congratulations to Lionel Messi for winning for the fourth year in a row (‘Why Ronaldo deserved the Ballon d’Or over Messi,’ Gulf News, January 9). But, it is very true that Cristiano Ronaldo should have won this year. This is one of the greatest battles that I’ve witnessed. I am a Ronaldo fan whereas my brother is a Messi fan and we often fight over who deserves more. However, looking at the statistics this year, Ronaldo definitely deserved it. Messi suffered a small leg injury and left the field, whereas Ronaldo had a bloody eye and a broken shoulder during El Clásico and he still fought on. Ronaldo is way better as a captain and technician. His physical fitness and free kicks have proved him to be a definite goal scorer. I don’t want to offend Messi and his fans, but in my opinion Ronaldo deserved the Ballon d’Or this year.

From Ms Joel Mathew

Sharjah

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