Taking pride in the police force
It was late in the evening of January 14. We had difficulty in locating a new building in the Al Nahda area. Fortunately, we met and enquired about it with a man who introduced himself as an official of Dubai Police.
He volunteered to help us out by contacting a friend of his. He then led us to the place in his car. He had a very helpful attitude, indeed. But what impressed us most was, when he said: "His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has ordered policemen to help anyone in need, at any time of the day". Surely Dubai can be genuinely proud of its police force!
From Mr Sultan Muhammad
Dubai
Harry Potter travels
My wife and I always travel by air with our pet dog, "Harry Potter". He has travelled with us all around Brazil on our holidays, then to San Francisco, Miami, Amsterdam and Abu Dhabi.
During his entire travel history, Harry Potter has been in the cabin with us, in a small bag. He never had any "accidents" while on the plane, even during a 17-hour flight. He's better than some children.
From Mr Peter Donnellan
Abu Dhabi
Enhances skills
No, messaging does not deteriorate people's writing skills, especially if one writes the message using the correct sentence structures, with the right choice of words and spellings (Speak Your Mind, Gulf News, January 19).
This facility encourages people to learn to write their messages correctly and eventually help develop their writing skills.
From Mr Chandra Kumar Phuyal
UAE, Gulf News Reader's Club member
Staying in touch
Phone messaging is an extremely useful communication tool. Here's how:
- Spouses can SMS on urgent matters when husbands or wives are unable to take calls because of work or meetings.
- Sending SMS helps clarify one's position when receivers do not answer calls.
- It helps stay in touch with relatives in a less expensive manner.
From Mr Subhasis Mukherjee
Dubai , Gulf News Reader's Club member
Cost effective
Yes, text messaging is an extremely helpful tool to communicate. I believe it reduces communication costs, thus, it is also a cost-effective way to communicate.
Due to its speed of delivery, we can convey our messages to an intended recipient within seconds. Moreover, it is an interesting and fun way of communication which, in turn , can help develop a person's writing skills.
From Ms Saima Dhani
Umm Al Quwain, Gulf News Reader's Club member
It's awful
We have become the slaves of technology. We're too lazy to pen some tender words with love and care to our dear ones. I feel that writing down one's thoughts to those whom one cares about is crucial.
But what do we do? Take our cell phones, type a typical sms that says, "I miss you, take care". It's awful.
From Mr Jahangir K. Bappi
Abu Dhabi
Detox is good
Apropos your story referring to detox diets as a fad ("You may be preparing for a detox but a new research project says fad dieting is pointless", Gulf News, Unwind, January 6), some of us here in Dubai participated in a three-month detox programme that combined yoga and meditation with a friendly detox diet.
The results were phenomenal, in that those with health problems found huge improvements.
All of us lost the extra pounds and because of the yoga and meditation, we are able to sustain a healthier lifestyle that we needed to adopt during the programme.
From Ms Rugmani Prabhakar
Dubai
Conniving
I signed up for a commercial satellite channel service at one of their stalls. Typically, the representatives were so enthusiastic about their product that they failed to mention the Dh500 fee that is to be paid in case we do not like the channels and want to cancel them. In this case, money is not the problem.
It is the concept of the representatives trying to manipulate potential customers to sign up, yet knowingly neglecting the fact that we have to pay an extra Dh500 for cancelling the service. This is a very unreasonable and in a sense, conniving.
From A Reader
Dubai
Name withheld by request
Sachin's out of form
What is ailing Sachin Tendulkar? What has gone wrong so suddenly? Tendulkar today is a pale shadow of what he was during his yesteryears. A look at the proceedings of the third test match in Cape Town depicts a sad story of his very poor form. He merely escaped being caught behind or being stumped.
The team management has to sit with the coach and the player to sort out the reasons behind this deficiency. I personally feel Tendulkar should be put through domestic cricket drill for a couple of months for the revival of his form.
From Mr D.B. Singh
Dubai
New fee system
With regards to the upcoming road toll in Dubai, I suggest if the Roads and Transport Authority would incorporate a tax system as per which the drivers will be charged a fee of 10 fils per km driven on all the roads in UAE, it would help control traffic.
In this case, a driver would end up paying Dh167 per month for an average of 20,000 kms a year, as opposed to more than Dh300 a month each time he took Shaikh Zayed Road.
From Mr Mohit Samtani
UAE, Via e-mail
No justice
The gruesome murder of innocent children in Noida, India, once again explains the complacency on the part of the police force ("Parents of dead children given money", Gulf News, January 3). Is this because the children and their parents come from a humble background?
How are the state and central governments going to react to the dereliction of duty by the state police force? The hue and cry of the public is very much justified, as it was again not the police that sprung to action but the public who did the needful.
From Ms Yasmin Banu
Abu Dhabi
