Your story about Com Mirza (Dubai businessman campaigns to feed thousands around the world during Ramadan, July 8) was extremely heartening to read.
Despite being from a poor family, he has managed to reach this far through his own efforts and hard work. His campaign to feed tens of thousands of less-fortunate people across the globe is commendable.
He is an inspiration to everyone. There can never be a better and more rewarding act of kindness than feeding hungry mouths during the holy month.His campaign is the ideal way of giving back to the community.
Fatima Suhail, Sharjah
Perhaps this is a publicity stunt but whether it is or it isn’t, some people were made happy this week and that is what counts.
Karl Pais, Abu Dhabi
Those who question his motives should ask themselves whether it would be better to do nothing.
I think there are far too many cynics and not enough people like Com Mirza in the world.
James Magee, Dubai
Crowdfunding is a good thing to do but it can also be a bit dicey. How do we know this person is going to use every penny he receives this way to feed less fortunate people?
Ramadan is almost over – when is he planning to use the money he receives from kind donors?
Brigitte von Bulow, Abu Dhabi
Filipinos need to put money away
After reading your article about people like me being told to start saving (Filipino UAE expatriates struggling to pay for social security scheme, July 7), I think the Social Security System (SSS) should take a bigger role in this life-changing movement and put extra effort into reaching Filipino expats to ensure they are aware of the benefits of the pension programme.
All Filipinos working overseas have a common goal – to provide for their families back home – so I disagree with the claim that Filipinos are not thinking about saving for their future.
Based on my observations and personal experience, most of us want to keep aside at least Dh100 but sometimes we fail to balance our wants and needs so we fall short.
I think most Filipinos need assistance in setting long term goals. We need to know far more about the SSS, its long-term benefits, how to access the programme and so on.
I strongly believe that with better marketing of the SSS, this common goal can be achieved and no Filipino will be faced with returing home to an unsettled future.
Karlyn Salvacion, Abu Dhabi
Cheap smoking has a high price
In relation to your story, Cheap cigarettes in UAE bring a high cost to health, doctor says (July 8), I wouldn't expect anything to change because the UAE already has 24-hour shisha places.
At least they’re closed off. There are no such places for cigarette smokers so people smoke right near building entrances where their second-hand smoke is walked through by non-smokers and parents with infants, young children and toddlers.
Muzammil Sk, Ajman
I think that there should be a rule worldwide where if you are a long-term smoker and get lung cancer then your hospital bills should not be paid by your health insurance or by government health funds.
I know it sounds terribly hard but how else can we stop smokers? They are causing so much illness – to themselves but also to innocent bystanders, family members, office colleagues etc.
Name withheld by request
Water is the real fuel of the future
Reading your article, Platinum hopes for a catalyst as electric cars start to take charge (June 3), makes me think that water is going to be the fuel of the future.
Future cars will split water into pure oxygen and hydrogen – perfect for fuel cell powered cars because the gases are pure and the hydrogen is not contaminated with carbon monoxide, making it cost effective.
Name withheld by request
Early pay day is a cause for restraint
In relation to your story about the six weeks until the next pay day, UAE employees urged to spend their early Eid wages wisely (July 8), although we all make mistakes, I think common sense is something that should be exercised all year round, not just during and after Ramadan.
Neil Phillipson, Al Ain
KEY DATES IN AMAZON'S HISTORY
July 5, 1994: Jeff Bezos founds Cadabra Inc, which would later be renamed to Amazon.com, because his lawyer misheard the name as 'cadaver'. In its earliest days, the bookstore operated out of a rented garage in Bellevue, Washington
July 16, 1995: Amazon formally opens as an online bookseller. Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies: Computer Models of the Fundamental Mechanisms of Thought becomes the first item sold on Amazon
1997: Amazon goes public at $18 a share, which has grown about 1,000 per cent at present. Its highest closing price was $197.85 on June 27, 2024
1998: Amazon acquires IMDb, its first major acquisition. It also starts selling CDs and DVDs
2000: Amazon Marketplace opens, allowing people to sell items on the website
2002: Amazon forms what would become Amazon Web Services, opening the Amazon.com platform to all developers. The cloud unit would follow in 2006
2003: Amazon turns in an annual profit of $75 million, the first time it ended a year in the black
2005: Amazon Prime is introduced, its first-ever subscription service that offered US customers free two-day shipping for $79 a year
2006: Amazon Unbox is unveiled, the company's video service that would later morph into Amazon Instant Video and, ultimately, Amazon Video
2007: Amazon's first hardware product, the Kindle e-reader, is introduced; the Fire TV and Fire Phone would come in 2014. Grocery service Amazon Fresh is also started
2009: Amazon introduces Amazon Basics, its in-house label for a variety of products
2010: The foundations for Amazon Studios were laid. Its first original streaming content debuted in 2013
2011: The Amazon Appstore for Google's Android is launched. It is still unavailable on Apple's iOS
2014: The Amazon Echo is launched, a speaker that acts as a personal digital assistant powered by Alexa
2017: Amazon acquires Whole Foods for $13.7 billion, its biggest acquisition
2018: Amazon's market cap briefly crosses the $1 trillion mark, making it, at the time, only the third company to achieve that milestone
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
The five pillars of Islam
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
