Misery spread on social media
The video of a cat being thrown to dogs was horrifying (“Gulf News Facebook: Police arrest man who fed cat to dogs”, Gulf News, March 14)! We are told that if we see someone committing a crime, we should report it to the authorities. Then why do the same rules not apply to animals? This was clearly a crime and should have been reported directly to the authorities. Instead, people started circulating the video on social media. Though it was to raise awareness, I don’t think it was necessary to broadcast an animal’s misery in front of thousands of people. And if you asked someone where he or she got the video from, they were clueless. How can you send something around without knowing its original source? I don’t think it is the best idea to push content that is of such traumatic nature. I’m sure there are other ways to find the person responsible and Dubai Police proved that when they arrested a man in relation to the video. Let the police force do their job, have faith in them and let justice find its course. Yes, we are all horrified, but we can express our emotions without posting a video that could perhaps enable further acts of cruelty towards animals.
From Ms Tanya Mehta
Sharjah
Robot vs man
I am all for ‘imagineering’ and moving forward, but I am sceptical about a robot cop (“First robot cop to join Dubai Police by May”, Gulf News, March 14). There are aspects of policing which require intuition and human emotion, things a robot will never have. Maybe it could be used at passport control and information stations at best.
From Mr Andy Docherty
UAE
Facebook comment
Prone to error
What would happen when the machine or robot starts malfunctioning, while holding a firearm? Let’s not forget that man-made machines are bound to fail. Just take, for example, your computer in the office. Sometimes, you press a command button and it reacts differently from what it’s supposed to, due to an error. Perhaps the authorities could use robots at mall entrances, in airports or offices, as a guide for directions or even for customer service. But please not as a full-fledged police officer!
From Mr Manfred Anwanda
Dubai
Facebook comment
Hats off
Nurses are the beating heart of healthcare (“5 countries with highest salaries for expat nurses”, Gulf News, March 13). To do what nobody else will do, in a way that nobody else can, in spite of all we go through, is to be a nurse.
From Mr Salim Roman
Dubai
Facebook comment
Recklessness on display
I witnessed two women racing down a parking area – they were probably flooring the accelerator (“More road users still see distracted drivers, tailgaters: survey”, Gulf News, March 14). The scary thing was, children were playing around the parking lot, just a few feet away. One woman passed by three cars, slammed the brakes at a dead end, reversed in the dirt and parked within the line. After seeing that, I could never send my children outside to play! Where are these people learning how to drive?
From Mr Ardeshir Ghahremani
UAE
Facebook comment
Addicted teenagers
It is terribly sad that youngsters who should be focusing on their education are instead involved in drugs and fights (“Teenager dies in glue-sniffing fight in Sharjah”, Gulf News, March 14). This incident raises serious concerns about the upbringing and supervision of teenagers. Also, it is increasingly important to crack down on those who supply these drugs to youngsters. Teenagers, like these, require counselling to help them overcome their addiction.
From Ms Fatima Suhail
Dubai
Facebook comment
Is your child a ‘couch potato’?
Obesity among children is escalating rapidly and there are many reasons for it (“New rules on nutrition labels, portion sizes in school canteens”, Gulf News, March 14). Unhealthy diets, too much reliance on fast/junk food, lack of physical activity and spending a lot of time with electronic gadgets – these are some of the prime reasons for weight gain in childhood. Obesity is detrimental for children’s physical, mental and emotional health. It decreases their agility, mental alertness, concentration span and self-confidence. Obesity brings with it various health-related issues, too. Parents play a pivotal role in handling this phenomena. They not only should preach a healthy lifestyle but need to lead by example, as well. Encouraging healthy eating habits, making their children’s favourite dishes healthier, encouraging them to play outdoors, reducing a ‘couch potato’ lifestyle gradually, and taking an overall healthier route can have a lasting impact. Both patience and perseverance are needed to tackle this issue.
From Ms Jayashree Kulkarni
Abu Dhabi
Facebook comment
Take charge of your sleep
I am in complete agreement with the statement: ‘Problems sleeping are often a warning sign or a cause of impending depression, and can make people with bipolar disorder manic’ (“How our sleep schedules are making us sick”, Gulf News, March 14). A lack of sleep can lead to several issues that eventually create disorder in the very structure of our lives. Sleeplessness, in my experience, can be either due to traditions or because of habits some individuals form, in their daily routine. A doctor I consulted with recently, made a valid comment – the amount of comfortable sleep people are able to get, gives them much more relief than all the pills they take. As sleep and any kind of mental illness have a close correlation, the small precautions people take in managing their routine can comfort them a lot in their life. In this part of the world, people are usually engaged and travelling during the evening rush hour, and are forced to go to bed quite late. At times, people may find it difficult to reverse this practice, as their routine has been set.
The sad part is that children are now following a similar practice. The Views’ article was informative, with valuable advice – we must heed it, in order to control our sleep schedule in the best way possible.
From Mr Ramachandran Nair
Oman
Napalm Girl still shocks us
Photographer Nick Ut’s legendary picture of the ‘Napalm Girl’ not only changed his life and the girl’s, but will also always remind us of the atrocities of war and its aftereffects (“Journey ‘from hell to Hollywood’ ends”, Gulf News, March 14). It is an iconic image of the 1972 Vietnam War, showing nine-year-old Kim Phuc screaming and running away from the napalm bombs that were dropped on her village. This picture first appeared in Time magazine in 1972 and changed history. Even now, it’s disheartening to look at, as it shines a light on the horrors and atrocities committed against mankind during the war. The US still cannot escape from the scars of this war, which continues to haunt thousands of people in Vietnam and elsewhere. Such pictures should serve as an eye-opener for countries that are at war or face internal conflicts. Wars are often for power and it is the people in the lower strata who bear the heaviest burden. Conflict only brings about destruction and leaves deep scars in the minds of people, especially children. Ut has revolutionised photojournalism and his picture is worth a thousand words.
From Mr Eappen Elias
Dubai
Too little, too late?
This is with reference to the news that India’s former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, who until now, has been wholeheartedly supporting the Uttar Pradesh Assembly (UPA) government on its 2G spectrum scandal and coal allotment scams, has suddenly changed his tune. Perhaps the Congress’ continued defeat in election after election, since 2014, and their present humiliating defeat in UP, has rekindled his conscience and he is coming to terms with reality. Well, it is better late than never. At least he has admitted to his mistakes and is trying to revive his image, which is at its lowest ebb. At the same time, I feel that this admittance is not going to wash away his misdeeds. He can reap only what he has sowed during his tenure as a minister!
From Mr N. Viswanathan
Coimbatore, India
Editor’s note: Do you have similar issues that you would like to raise with us? You can write to us at readers@gulfnews.com.
