The vaping vice
Vaping is the new menace all around us and it’s about time it was taken more seriously than it already is (“Youth misled by vaping, says UAE doctor”, Gulf News, September 3). Temptation, peer pressure, and experimentation are strong words and however wrong this may sound, no ones’ child is exempt.
No parent should ever say “my ward will never ever try it”. No one is beyond reproach. We live in a world of sweeping fads. They come in like a typhoon and destroy all in their path leaving behind tears, illness, and sadness and above all blame.
Vaping is on the increase and that’s the undeniable truth. Teenagers, as young as 13 are getting sucked into this vaping vortex and by the time they are 18 years old, they are well on the way to being ruined.
It is a misconception that vaping is much safer than smoking and hence awareness is the key. Gender, affluence, locality, family values, educational qualifications are all inconsequential.
Parents and educational institutions must work closely together to eradicate this menace. So, whether it’s formulating new policies, organising awareness campaigns or tightening of discipline by educational institutions, or looking for signs, people need to work together to fight this issue. Everyone needs to reach out to the youth to tackle vaping head on. This is serious business.
From Mr Michael Guzder
Dubai
Coffee culture
I read with interest Gulf News’ feature on coffee (“Watch: Coffee was Arabia’s gift to the world”, Gulf News, October 13). But, one should give credit to the very origin of coffee, which is Ethiopia. The wild coffee bush is clearly endemic to Ethiopia and that country, like China and Japan for tea, has a true coffee ceremony.
It is a pity that this feature is not as thorough as it should be, and falls prey to recent consumer habits, just like everybody associates maize (corn) with North America, or potato with France when both are really endemic to the Peruvian Andes.
From Mr Ulrich Eckhardt
UAE
A platform for readers
My journey with Gulf News started on February 1, 2019, when I sent my opinion to Friday magazine of Gulf News for the first time. Soon after, my next piece of work was published in Friday magazine on February 29, 2019 in the Story Tellers section. Since then, I developed a hobby for writing and was glad to be able to express my opinion publicly. I looked forward to my work and opinions being published in Gulf News directly, and I did that successfully on August 13, 2019 by getting my Letter to the Editor published. Then I thought it was time for me to do something bigger. My article was published in the Reader’s View column on 27th August, 2019. I started to make use of every opportunity Gulf News put forward for me. Till date, I have managed to publish many opinion pieces in the paper. I want to convey my gratitude to Gulf News for offering me a platform to share my thoughts and views.
From Ms Nakshatra R. P
Dubai, UAE
Keep Dubai clean
Every day I go to work at 9.30am (“Police warn UAE residents: Dh1,000 fine for this offence”, Gulf News, June 18). In the morning I see a man sweeping the road and removing the massage cards that have caused quite a nuisance. I want to call the attention of the concerned people in this matter to take some action on how to avoid scattered business massage cards on road. It makes the road look untidy.
Dubai is a very clean city and public services in all aspects are very good, as compared to other cities around the world. As a concerned expat who has lived in this city for many years, I wish action is taken against such people. We need laws that tackle these issues that make Dubai dirty.
From Ms Rica Villamayor
UAE
End of an era in music
The passing away of the renowned saxophone exponent Kadri Gopalnath is very saddening, he was one of the pioneers of Carnatic music on the saxophone.
The maestro was awarded with the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award in 2004. He had the great distinction of being the first Carnatic musician to be invited to the BBC promenade concert in the royal Albert hall at London (1994), he was also conferred with Honorary doctorate by Mangalore University in 2013.
Despite the saxophone being a Western instrument, he mastered the art of playing it diligently, which has been acknowledged by Carnatic vocalist Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, as a true Carnatic music genius. His death is an irreparable loss to world of Carnatic music.
From Mr Ramesh G. Jethwni
Bangalore, India
A spirit to kindle
Although hockey is our national sport, cricket is one of most popular and loved sports in Pakistan (“England and Ireland likely to tour Pakistan soon”, Gulf News, October 12). Recently, international cricket returned to Pakistan by bringing a smile on people’s faces and the passion of the whole region.
Using corn’s plant as their stump, these young boys are enjoying themselves in a lovely sunset on the freshly ploughed field in rural area of Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
As Pakistan cricketer Muhammad Amir’s village is a few miles away from my village, this gives everybody a moment to be proud off. The youth is full of passion.
From Mr Noman Zahoor Janjua
UAE
This is with reference to the Nobel Prize
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was bestowed the Nobel Peace prize for 2019 for his tremendous work for peace with Eritrea, and this was appreciated (“A worthy winner in the name of peace”, Gulf News, October 13). He is a man known for his green legacy, peace and gender equality. He had a long-term vision for his country.
In this young age he was given the Nobel Peace Prize, and this is truly an amazing achievement. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces congratulated him for this achievement. With this prize, there is new hope in the African region and it will have more peace and stability in the coming days.
From Mr K. Ragavan
Bengaluru, India
VIP culture and the common man
It is a welcome step to invite world leaders to various cities in our country, India, because it has prompted local governments to repair battered roads and make their route clean and tidy (“Pictures: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi turns tourist guide, takes Chinese President Xi Jinping around Mahabalipuram in Chennai”, Gulf News, October 12). However, blocking of traffic for public is a real pain in our neck.
The rehearsal of Chennai traffic for the Modi-Xi Summit in Mahabalipuram on the eve of the summit, was the worst. While we normally take about 20 minutes to travel from Velachery to Thiruvamiyur, on October 10 it took more than two hours. Ironically, even an ambulance was caught up in the traffic jam. If that was the case on rehearsal day, imagine the actual ceremony on that day. In fact, the worst sufferers are the ones who have to reach the train station, bus terminal or airport. The government should find ways and means to avoid such blocking of traffic right from morning till night on the days foreign dignitaries arrive.
From Mr T. S. B. Chander
India
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