Love and loyalty of pets can be therapeutic
Animals are great therapy for both young and old (‘Facebook video: What’s the funniest thing your cat has ever done?’, Gulf News, April 21). The elderly in retirement homes derive benefits from stroking a dog or a cat. It makes them happy. I’ve had dogs and there is nothing more special when I cried and my dogs would lick my tears off my face and just smother me with love. Yes, give me a dog any day over humans. Dogs will always win.
From Ms Mercia Crosbie
UAE
Facebook comment
Allergies and asthma
I think it’s better to avoid pets if there are children with you. Their fur can cause lung problems, asthma and other respiratory problems.
From Mr Malik Masoom Ali
UAE
Facebook comment
Pets help immunity
I don’t agree at all with Mr Malik Masoom Ali. It is totally the opposite of that. To have pets when you have babies strengthens their immune system and some even argue that that children that have had pets have less allergies and asthma than children without pets.
From Ms Anna-Karin Marquard
UAE
Facebook comment
Could lead to bronchitis
I absolutely agree with Ms Anna-Karin Marquard. Exposure at a young age can limit the occurrence of allergies. However, if your child is indeed allergic to cats, they can have respiratory problems such as bronchitis.
From Mr Wieneke Bras
UAE
Facebook comment
Better the devil you know…
This is the thing about going after corrupt politician, you somehow manage to impeach one and get them abdicated, but they are most probably replaced by someone who is also corrupt (‘Possible next Brazil leader is dealmaker and scandal-tainted’, Gulf News, April 21). They are either the same kind of person or maybe even worse.
From Ms Aisha Yaqub
Dubai
Facebook comment
People need water
Agriculture and farming has largely vanished in some regions of India (‘India targets toilets, dustbins every 500m in cities’, Gulf News, April 20). Corporations have acquired land and have not help the drought. A third of the total population goes without water to drink. Building a toilet every 500 metres will help to make money for the company that is supplying material for it. It will not help anyway for the people who are thirsty and have no water for their crops.
From Mr Mohammad Thariq
UAE
Facebook comment
It’s about caring
It is about people’s minds. When I am walking in the street, and I don’t see any garbage bin anywhere, I keep it in my hand bag. Whatever I want to throw away in garbage bin, I wait until there is one around. I don’t go to the bathroom in the streets no matter how far is the nearest toilet. Again, it is about people’s minds and people’s ethics.
From Ms Manana Murtiko
UAE
Facebook comment
Protecting heritage sites
World Heritage Day is celebrated on April 18 each year by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) to protect and recreate the culture of any nation (‘UAE marks World Heritage Day’, Gulf News, April 19). Heritage helps us to connect customs and traditions to the modern way of living for better understanding. The UAE authorities’ keenness to open heritage sites will attract more tourists. Likewise, other countries should also protect their heritage and culture.
The protection of heritage is inseparable from the protection of human lives and property. We have seen the destruction of Hanging Gardens of Babylon in Iraq, the Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan and ancient civilisation in Palmyra, Syria, which was recently destroyed by Daesh. Natural calamities like earthquakes destroyed Kathmandu Durbar Square in Nepal last year. It was a place that Unesco declared as a heritage site, but intentionally declaring heritage sites is on the rise nowadays.
With the support of non-governmental organisations (NGO) and government participation, we should try to protect world heritage sites. Let us spread the message of awareness to the world, so that the future generation may see the traces of human evolution.
From Mr Eappen Elias
Dubai
Educating on local heritage
I am very happy to know that the UAE celebrated World Heritage Day. The UAE has a very rich culture and heritage and the country works hard to maintain a sustainable cultural ecosystem while preserving the Emirati heritage and nurturing talents to enhance cultural diversity and social cohesion. I am very proud to be a resident of the UAE. To create awareness in my school, neighbourhood and community about the rich heritage of the UAE, I made a model of Heritage Village in Dubai. I made this model by reusing cardboard and old toys. I then displayed this model in my school and my building. Through this model, I was able to spread awareness about culture, heritage and the traditions of the UAE among my friends and family.
From Ms Buvaneswari Jayasankar
Dubai
Prejudice
Let’s be realistic, many women are looking for the benefits associated with marrying an Emirati for a comfortable life (‘More Emirati men marrying foreigners’, Gulf News, April 21). Many don’t care about children or traditions.
From Mr Omar Aljabri
UAE
Facebook comment
Marrying for love
Of course they care, what a throw away comment that is, Mr Omar Al Jabri. Most expatriates marry for love and don’t expect massive dowries.
From Ms Judith Cooke Welling
UAE
Facebook comment
Don’t expect anything
I agree with you Ms Judith Cooke Welling. I am married to an Emirati, and I did not expect a dowry. I married him out of love and we are a happy family.
From Ms Amna
UAE
Facebook comment
Didn’t want dowry
I agree with Ms Amna. I married an Arab expatriate, and I didn’t accept dowry as well since I married him for love. The greatest gift I received was my three beautiful children!
From Ms Anne Soliman
UAE
Facebook comment
Modern life
With these kinds of numbers for mixed marriages, did we really expect anything else when there are so many expatriates in the country? Welcome to the new world where change is inevitable.
From Ms Adila A. M. I.
UAE
Facebook comment
Shouldn’t matter
Why is this even news? Why does it matter who people choose to marry? It is the person’s own personal decision who they want to marry. Race or nationality should not matter.
From Ms Hawraa I.
UAE
Facebook comment
Awareness grows
Earth day means appreciating Nature’s gift to us and how to protect plants, animals and all that encompasses our environment (Letters to the Editor: Earth Day needs to be every day’, Gulf News, April 22). Earth Day is celebrated by activists throughout the world with singing the national anthem, too. The main gist on Earth day is to protect Nature through garbage collection, recycling and petitions by all groups protecting the planet from depleting resources. Every year Earth Day is growing and many people are aware of this.
From Mr K. Ragavan
Bengaluru, India
No walking away from this
It is really shocking to know that India’s Congress party is now distancing themselves from the Ishrat Jahan fiasco. It is a known fact that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, under the leadership of Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister, was remote controlled by the Congress president, who was appointed as the UPA chairperson to run the government. Hence, the Congress president distancing herself from this episode is the joke of the decade. Now it is left to the home minister P. Chidambaram, to reveal the truth.
Incidentally, if the Congress spokespersons could point fingers at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for each and every act of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or some of its members, then there is no way the Congress president, who was running the show, and the UPA Prime Minister, could wash their hands off the Ishrat Jahan case!
From Mr N. Mahadevan
Mylapore, India
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