Blood donation a noble gesture

I am impressed by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Dubai, who donated blood on National Day and called on others to do the same. Sheikh Hamdan tweets blood donor appeal (December 3). It's a noble gesture and people should follow in his footsteps.

Cesley Olivier, Dubai

Hopefully, such calls and gestures will encourage people to donate blood.

Andrea Nelson, Dubai

UAE’s efforts to empower women laudable

I thank Rana Askoul for her thoughtful article (The gender gap is evident... even in pregnancy, December 3). I am a new resident of the UAE and I come across Emirati women from various walks of life. I find them intelligent, articulate and smart, and I believe that the future of this young country lies in their strong but delicate hands.

As the country marked the 43rd National Day, we should thank the founding fathers for their vision and efforts to empower women.

Dr Manickam Vairavan, Al Ain

Education is the key to changing attitudes.

I moved from the US to Kabul with my daughter, then 10 years old. I did not hear one positive remark about her in the five years I lived there. They kept referring to me as “miskin” (unfortunate).

In a country where women are not encouraged to work or be educated, it’s natural that the male population is considered the most important. But my daughter is encouraged to further her education and seek a lifestyle that would enable independence. My grandmother graduated from college in 1924. My father and I are educated too. If I were not, I would not have been able to support myself or my daughter.

So the moral of the story is, women must be educated. There is no shame in being female. The real shame is to let others shame you because you are a woman.

Monica Carver, Abu Dhabi

Fortunate to be in the Emirates

With reference to the article A time to reflect what the UAE means to you (December 2), I tried to learn about the local culture by visiting museums, as well as historical and cultural sites in the country.

Fortunately, Emiratis have embraced me and invited me into their homes. I was fortunate to work with Emiratis. I am a non-Arab westerner.

Dolores Basilio, Dubai

Film ‘ticket tax’ a good idea

I refer to your editorial Film 'ticket tax' would be a boon (December 4). Arts development and promotion around the world are subsidised by government funds – raised through taxes like this. I'd pay to support the arts in the UAE, just like I would in Australia, New Zealand, the UK or US.

Kathy Lee, Dubai

Don’t forget the unsung heroes

Many thanks to the cleaners who ensured the rubbish left behind from National Day celebrations was gone by first light (Cleaning staff the unsung heros of National Day, December 4).

It made me sad to see some people throwing rubbish on the ground or into the water on National Day. But I knew this unseen workforce would have it all cleaned up by sunrise.

Lori Price Geyer, Abu Dhabi

Before the day began on Wednesday, the rubbish littering the street was removed. It’s sad that people don’t think before littering. The unsung heroes worked hard to keep the city beautiful and clean.

Kamal Angurala, Abu Dhabi

Public role over assault a shame

I refer to the article Sisters fight back at molesters (December 2). It's sad that such incidents are taking place. It's even more depressing to know that none of the passengers came to the victims' aid. I wonder why the passengers kept quiet, because this could happen to their relatives. The lack of public reaction is shameful.

K Ragavan, India