Bond with family, not gadgets
Isn’t summer the perfect time to get outside, develop hobbies or strengthen bonds with family members (“The challenge of raising a teenager in a digital era”, Gulf News, August 12)? However, it is a common sight to see children playing with technological devices. In today’s world, friends are made not in schools or neighbourhoods, but on social media. Personal problems are shared not with family members, but with online friends and strangers. We spend hours talking to ‘Talking Tom’, while not socialising with those sitting at the other end of the dining table. These are just some of the ironic facts of today’s life that I still fail to understand. During the holidays, children get an opportunity to spend the whole day with their gadgets as they’re bored. I am concerned for these children as the internet and gadget addiction can result in issues like depression, anxiety and social isolation. There are many children who are very social on the internet but are isolated in reality. There are ample ways to spend time, like developing a new hobby, such as painting or gardening, helping parents in daily work or even a simple game of cards with the family. It’s time to build real bonds with friend and family, which will last forever. Life is more than just a screen.
From Ms Madiha Ahmad
Sharjah
A generous nation
This shows how strong our civil societies are amidst all the negative things and huge propaganda against us (“First Pakistan community medical centre in Dubai”, Gulf News, August 11). Pakistan is one of the most generous nations in the world. We have many such success stories like the Edhi Foundation, which is the largest volunteer charity ambulance service operatorin the world, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, which is a research-oriented cancer specialised hospital run on donations and the list goes on. I have personally witnessed the generosity of Pakistanis during floods and after earthquake, where convoys of thousands of trucks from every corner of Pakistan have rushed towards the affected areas and all the aid was contributed by ordinary Pakistanis. I have faith in our community and hope that this newly launched project will be completed successfully. Once operational, its doors will be open to all deserving people, regardless of their nationality, religion and race.
From Mr Shahzad Khan
Pakistan
Facebook comment
Hoping for the best
As a person who has been driving from Sharjah to Dubai on a daily basis for a decade, any news about new roads between the two emirates gets me excited (“New Sharjah-Dubai road opens on Thursday”, Gulf News, August 11). I spend at least three hours a day commuting to and from work. On a bad day, it can go up to five hours. Imagine the amount of things a person can do in this much time; travel to a different country, watch two or three movies or run multiple errands. It is extremely tiring to sit in your vehicle for such a long time to reach your destination, as the cars move along at a slow pace. Whether this new road will ease traffic or not, only time will tell. But, I’m hoping for the best, as the Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road is extremely crowded at peak times.
From Mr Zain Shahid
Sharjah
Clear the exits
It seems like whatever the authorities do, the traffic congestion will remain the same until the exits are not expanded. In my opinion, the problem lies at the exit points on the main highways in the UAE. Main roads are of four lanes or more in Dubai and at the entrance to Sharjah, it reduces to much lesser lanes. This will always create a bottleneck.
From Mr Junaid Naeem Akhter
Dubai
Facebook comment
Wake up at 4am
Today’s generation of children will never know how much we hated waking up at 4am to get to school by 7am because we lived in Sharjah and studied in Dubai.
From Ms Julia Garcia
Philippines
Facebook comment
An impossible task
Driving through University City Road in Sharjah is an impossible task in the mornings, from 7am to 8.30am. It is always congested!
From Ms Hani Ahmad
Sharjah
Facebook comment
Only one solution
I think that there is only one solution to this problem, which is an extended Metro line. One Metro service should be launched from Dubai to Sharjah. All traffic issues will be resloved by doing so and a lot of fuel and time can be saved.
From Mr Atique Janjua
Sharjah
Facebook comment
No traffic!
I agree with Mr Atique Janjua. Nothing will make a difference. But, if the authorities considered launching a train service from Dubai to Sharjah, then there will be no traffic on the roads!
From Mr Maysam Sahranavard
UAE
Facebook comment
Higher security is needed
It was strange to note the absence of a complete security mechanism while shifting such a high amount of money (“Indian gang pulls off a great train robbery”, Gulf News, August 11). It looks like a well-planned effort to loot the money. Someone might have been linked to the looters, and given them clues, which questions bank safety of sensitive nature. It’s not something that can be ignored or given less priority, especially by financial institutions. I wonder how safety is being managed by federal banks in India while handling money. Reading the story, it is quite clear that hours of efforts have led to remove the cash from the train compartment, during which time it seems to be no security personnel were around the premises. It’s time for the banking institutions to pay and implement higher safety attention and practices, especially in situations of similar nature.
Ramachandran Nair
Oman
Why we visit workshops
The Gulf News report on auto workshops made for interesting reading (“Auto workshops: how good are they?”, Gulf News, August 9). It is true that many workshops in certain parts of the country are not doing a good job, especially when customers end up in their facility in emergency breakdown situations. Some of the technicians may not even be qualified and many youngsters are appointed, who take it as an opportunity to train at the expense of the customer. However, the high cost that agencies charge for service, in addition to the time taken to get served at the dealer certified centres, is why many go to the other workshops. And ironically there is no assurance that your vehicle will be properly diagnosed at the dealer’s facility. Small workshops are transparent in their service, repair your car in your presence and give feedback. Agency services, although professional, restrict customers from personally inspecting the work.
From Mr Esmail Mohammad
Dubai
Brought back memories
Last month, I read several reports on the world’s last videocassette recorder (VCR) being rolled off the factory line. Reading about it brought back so many memories of my childhood. Those who experienced the beautiful age of cassettes and videos will also have nostalgic memories like me. It was a time the sales market was dominated by VCRs and cassette tapes. My siblings and I used to visit the video libraries and would be so happy about getting the one we wanted. And then we would sit down with the family to watch and enjoy the movie we had selected. Also, rewinding and forwarding audio cassettes for the song we wanted to listen to was such a good feeling. I still have a collection of audio cassettes. But, today the audio and video cassettes have been swept aside by MP3 and compact discs. The new generation will never know the true value of waiting for the arrival of songs or videos as we did.
From Ms Soumya Sanil
Dubai
Editor’s note: Is there a news report that you feel strongly about? Something that has to be addressed in the community and requires resolution? Email us on readers@ gulfnews.com. You can also post a comment on our Facebook page or tweet to us @GNReaders.
