Letters to the Editor - timesnews@fijitimes.com.fj
Quake fright
It would be fair to say that I got a bit of a fright on Friday when the earthquake occurred. Having endured this sort of thing daily for the past year and a half while living in Christchurch, after a break of some months the small jolt came as a shock.
It was good to hear that people in downtown Suva evacuated the buildings fearing a tsunami. Gladly one never came. As a student at USP I am aware that the University and the lower Marine campus are implementing a tsunami warning system for the Laucala Bay area. I have to wonder though, why isn't there also a system in place for greater Suva? Can't there be some sort of arrangement between interested parties to help warn people? I would say this is an imperitive. It is not a matter of if another earthquake or tsunami ocurrs, rather it is when.
TROY SCOTT
Suva
Save sharks
I am writing to you today and asking you to help us plead with the Fiji government to save our priceless sharks by banning all shark fining and shark fishing.
Sharks take part in a major role in keeping our ocean life in balance. Without sharks, the quality and diversity of marine life will be negatively affected, destroying our oceans.
Every month in Fiji, over 26,000 sharks are killed for their fins. This is appalling and needs to come to an end. Scientists have also shown that eating shark fins damages our nervous system and causes cancer. Sharks have been living on this planet since before the dinosaurs, yet we are destroying their population at an alarming rate with each passing year. I cannot urge you and your team enough to help Fiji save its sharks by supporting a shark sanctuary for all of Fiji. Help us demand that the government pass laws to protect sharks before it's too late. Thanks for your time and much needed support!
KRISTEN DAVID
Ra
Nuclear power
The following is a link to an article which asserts that China will drop solar and wind energy sources of power to concentrate on nuclear power:
http://www.learningaboutenergy.com/2012/04/china-to-drop-solar-wind-to-focus-on-nuclear-power.html
Newspaper writers and editors should be aware of this sort of thing to enable them to evaluate more accurately information received from various sources. At this time, it would not be reasonable for Fiji to consider nuclear power. Fiji is way too small for the available nuclear systems. However, nuclear power must play a major role in reducing CO2 emissions to reduce global warming because renewable sources of power cannot provide adequate and reliable power for large prosperous countries.
FRANK R. EGGERS
Albuquerque
Cats and humans
Whether human beings understand the habits of cats or not, it is easy to recognise the habits of some fellow human beings. Some people revel in criticism of any and every thing to display their so called knowledge. Peter Rodda's letter (FT 30/4) does just that. After a long time we got to see a very creative and funny ad on TV. Yet, instead of appreciating the creativity of the people that made the ad, Mr Rodda criticises it without even understanding the ad. In the ad, it is the boy that is clearly shown eating the noodles and then tries to make the girl believe it was the cat. The cat is never shown eating the noodles.
It is quite obvious that Mr Rodda understands cats better than ads. The Chow noodles guys obviously wasted an ad on him.
JIOJI TAMANI
Suva
Right spot
Why is it that some writers like Savenca Vaka and Kirti Patel always hit the right spot when you read their letters while you end up shaking your head and getting some frustrated at some other frequent writers in the column? I especially love Amitesh Deo's letters and hope he writes more for this column.
Some such worthy writers should get a separate spot so that we get to read things that are of more real life calamities and happiness than to read about some third grade Bollywood celebrities visiting the country.
SHASHI SINGH
Nausori
Act of killing
Father Kevin McGuire is to be commended for highlighting the immorality of abortion (FT 28/4/12).
The act of killing a child in the womb is murder, a grave mortal sin against the fifth commandment of God.
Equally to be condemned is the use of instruments such as condoms that violate God's command to mankind to : "Increase and multiply" (Genesis 2:27,28).
The use of condoms, for whatever reason, is nothing short of the Sin of Onan; an act so detestable to God that He killed Onan (Genesis 38:8-10). The use of condoms goes against Catholic Dogma 2239 (Denzingers Sources Of Catholic Dogma) which brands such an act as Onanism.
Father McGuire's comments on the recent approval by Rome on the use of condoms for safe sex would be most welcome.
ALBERT J. O'NEILL
Lautoka
Thank you
I on behalf of my family through your newspaper would like to express my gratitude to Doctor Archarya and his team of doctors, nurses of the Acute Medical Ward at the C.W.M. Hospital in Suva and the care givers of the patients who took such wonderful and compassionate care of my brother Paul Foster while he was a patient there. Doctor Archarya you and the other two doctors ( I'm sorry I forgot your names ) where so patient and understanding and took the time to explain to me everything concerning my brother's condition so that I in turn could inform my family.
Thank you for consoling us and preparing us and to the wonderful nurses thank for your kindness and concern that you showed my brother. To Maria, Tevita and the two gentlemen who helped with my brother at night vinaka vakalevu from the bottom of our hearts. May god bless you and your families.
LORNA FOSTER PENAMINO
Lautoka
Power of prayers
Contrary to the views of some people in society today, the Bible encourages parents to instill in young minds reverence and obedience to God and Biblical principles which would give them a sense of direction in life. Young minds should not only read stories in the Bible but know that God exists and that through His Son Jesus Christ we have access to Him through prayer. That God answers prayers if we genuinely seek His help, no matter what difficult situation we are in. I was a naughty Class Four student at Suva Methodist Primary School, the year it was amalgamated with Annesly Girls and Wesley Primary School. My class teacher Mrs Naisoro, marked me and gave me a hell of a hiding back then but I changed when I was being punished and blamed for things I did not do. Just to impress her that I was not a bad kid, I told myself that I am going to top the class during the annual exams, ahead of all the bright girls in our class. Every night before I slept and every morning when I woke up, my prayer was, "Dear God, help me to come first in class, thank you in Jesus name."
During the annual exams, it was as if someone was beside me, telling me to check and correct what I had answered wrong. My teacher was surprised that I topped the class and her attitude changed. My humble appeal to parents is to instill in the minds of their young ones that God exists and that He is still in control no matter what happens and that He will answer the prayers of those genuinely seek His help.
SAVENACA VAKA
Nasinu
Hungry cats
Peter Rodda (FT 30/4), if the cat is still hungry, I have a rat problem it could eradicate.
SUNDEEP SHARMA
Brisbane
Touching experience
The letter in The Fiji Times 28/04 by author Amitesh M Deo was as touching as his book.
During the process of westernisation, many of us have started to forget the real meaning of love and care.Sometimes we can learn a lot from children also.
The little boys' intention to quench his mothers thirst before his own has far deeper meaning for us and sometimes we need to also be less self centered.
JANET KHAN
Khan & Company
Where to from here
WHERE will the talented athletes head to from now?
AREKI DAWAI
Nadi
Why rush
It beats me, why are some mini bus drivers always rushing to their desired destinations?.
NISHANT SINGH
Lautoka
Belief factor
Here is a suggestion for those who do not believe in God.
Try sitting inside a grave for 24 hours and than let someone dig you out and then tell the world what did you experience.
ABID
Sacramento
USA
Overloaded buses
To get rid of the overloaded buses the best thing LTA can do is to put their phone numbers on stickers and paste it on the front windscreen so the passengers can see and tap their mobile direct to the officers on road duty to arrest the driver.
Simple as that.
LOTE ROKOVAU
Australia
Corporal punishment
I must comment on the swift wave of attack on me (FT28/4).
Let me remind her that once she must have also come under the belt in the primary school days.
And that belting has desalinated her to the place where she is today. I too had my share of belting and I'm pleased to note that I know the importance of corporal punishment.
And secondly 16-year olds have as much right to learn driving as one is 21 or 25. No one can stop that. So this is my opinion and I will raise it however I want and whenever I want.
Ashneel Prasadm
Auckland
Great games
So competitive on the tracks at this year's Coke Games and we enjoyed watching it on TV.
The only drawback was the unfair decision in the blue ribbon event.
On Friday evening it was really heartbreaking for some people especially the lad from Sila Central.
It should have been a draw with both receiving gold medals and the other one on Saturday should of gone to the lad from Tilak High School not Suva Grammar.
We are wondering how do they judge such winners. Seems fishy.
Any how all is well that ends well. Wish all athletes the best.
God bless all schools.Vinaka Marist Brothers' High School.
You guys rocked the joint.
RICHARD.M.ABEL
Suva
Niko's speed
The Fiji sevens team is certainly going to be bolstered with the inclusion of Niko Verekauta.
He has speed that the team truly lacks.
Thank you to the selectors for bringing him into the team and good luck to the boys in the rest of the IRB Sevens Series.
And congratulations to Ba for beating Lautoka even though they had only ten men on the field.
But watch out for Lautoka next time.
ALLEN LOCKINGTON
Lautoka
Soccer callers
I have been a regular listener to soccer commentaries.
I was on subscription to one of the commentators and all the messages I got from him made me come up with the conclusion that he favours the Ba team.
For the past years in any major tournament, he would predict Ba to win although the team may not be doing well.
I humbly ask any commentators in Fiji to give fair details on all teams and not those that are doing well.
They should not criticise any team if they are not playing well.
At least, they make all their effort to be playing in the hot sun.
In the upcoming Fiji FACT, Good luck to all teams and hope that one of the minnows could do immensely well.
RAVINAL PRAKASH
Lautoka
Human asset
Fiji is known world-wide for it's hospitality and friendliness which is our "human asset" hence Fiji's success as a tourist destination.
We have excelled in this area because of who we are and what comes naturally.
While this gift has been used mainly for tourism there is another industry that Fiji is perfectly poised to capture - the burgeoning health and well-being industry.
For example, India is fast becoming a Medical Mecca.
They are making a mint providing medical services to the world.
Imagine Fijian retirement villages with medical facilities for overseas guests needing the peace and tranquillity to live out their old age in the beauty of our great country with the best carers in the world.
It would provide much needed jobs for our people and help increase foreign earnings.
The medical centres at or near these retirement villages could also be used for our local people taking the pressure off hospitals.
People all over the world are looking for cures and remedies for a plethora of problems and I believe that Fiji is sitting on a goldmine with the humble coconut.
Among other things, recent studies are showing that coconut oil has high quantities of ketones which can help slow down the progression of alzeihemers disease.
Set up an experimental retirement village, get it right, then duplicate it throughout the various parts of Fiji.
It won't be long before you begin attracting much more than any casino dollar will ever earn or burn.
COLIN DEOKI
Australia