Regarding the story Fun, frolics and free play (July 31), too many parents forget that their children always rush from one class to another.
As a swimming teacher, I have children coming to me who have, for example, played tennis and after my lesson have Arabic class. These kids do not have time to relax at home.
When I ask them whether they find time to play with their dolls or Lego, they answer in the negative. It’s very sad.
When my children were small, I enjoyed watching them play imaginary games.
Carol Goodey, Dubai
Complaints on noisy children seem strange
With reference to the article Parents see red after play ban on green area (August 2), I want to express my astonishment at people living in (usually) family-friendly compounds who complain about children playing close to their villas.
We face this problem in Mangrove Village, where tenants want to stop children playing football on a lawn next to the tennis and baseball courts. They say the children make too much noise while playing.
However, I enjoy the laughter and the noise of children. It gives me the feeling of being alive.
If someone wants to live in a totally quiet area, then that person should move to a lonely villa outside a compound. It should not be difficult to find a place far away from normal life.
It is unfortunate that tenants’ complaints about playing children lead to bans on green areas.
Dagmar Reich, Abu Dhabi
Many ways to curb smoking
Jonathan Gornall's article on smoking (Smoke and mirrors, August 1) was interesting and informative.
Once, I asked a cashier at a supermarket whether they sold cigarettes to teenage children. He told me that they do as they are helpless. “If we don’t sell it to them, they might come in groups and create a scene there,” he said.
The problem is that they pick up this habit from the adults. Sometimes advertisements are also responsible for encouraging young people to smoke. Many countries banned smoking in public places. Even though similar laws exist here, enforcement is weak. I am sure stricter enforcement, along with an increase in prices of tobacco products will yield positive results.
However, it’s encouraging to know that the space for smokers is increasingly shrinking all over the world.
Mathew Litty, Dubai
Why not train expats too?
I appreciate Sheikh Mohammed's initiative (Vice president launches training for young leaders, July 31).
I think expatriates should also be included in this. I’ve lived here all my life and it is my home. People like me need opportunities.
Long time residents are not like those who come here for a few years to fulfil their specific goals.
AbdulMatheen Yousuf, Dubai
Change habits to stay healthy
With reference to your editorial Healthy living starts young (July 31), we should limit the amount of junk food available in shopping malls and petrol stations, and encourage healthy eating (through awareness campaigns as most schools already do). More timetabled sport lessons should be made mandatory in schools.
Sussanne Cherrie, Dubai
You can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet. Nutrition and eating habit education are the starting points.
Kate Hepburn, Dubai
Stop being lazy and honking horns, go into the shop yourself.
Carry your own shopping to your car. Walk to the shops.
Walk home from the shops with your shopping.
Matthew McCobb, Abu Dhabi
Avoid packaged foods. Stay away from sugar as much possible. Have home meals and eat organic when po=ssible. Exercise or play a sport of your choice regularly. Do not stock unhealthy food at home. Avoid fast foods and colas. Eat your food as medicine. Heal with a meal.
Ajay Thombre, India
Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Tamkeen's offering
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- Option 2: 50% across three years
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The National in Davos
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
