Unendurable heat affecting students
The unbearable heat this year has caused difficulty in performing even day to day tasks. Schools and colleges have begun and although students are being sent home early, the decision does not seem to be doing any good.
Paying attention in class when the heat is intolerable is taxing for the students. By winding up classes at 12:00 noon, when the sun is directly overhead, we are causing uneasiness not just to students but also, the parents and guardians coming to pick them up. Traveling home by public transport at this time is also indisputably challenging. Requesting the concerned authorities to take note and swiftly act upon the matter in order for students not to feel discomforted. Sending students home before noon may be of great help.
Stesha Pereira, by email
Is water scarcity Goa’s future?
We have been reading that some lakes in Goa are at their lowest levels. This situation, after having a couple of years of fairly good rainfall, is and should be a major concern. Every year our well water levels are going lower, while some go dry completely. The myth that Goa has unlimited water resources doesn’t exist. So the question is –is there some government department looking after planning new constructions, monitoring ground water recharge and water conservation honestly? On the face of it, it does not seem so.
Most new constructions come up by felling of fully grown trees and they advertise big swimming pools. So we continue to exploit whatever well water resources are available and will need more PWD water supply. But no one is looking after the water catchment areas of our lakes and ground water recharging of our wells at the village level. Seems like we are heading for water scarcity. Sad to say that foreign countries are far better than us in preventing water scarcities. Our government will twiddle their thumbs in the meantime.
Denness D’Mello, Moira
Messi’s wise decision
Of late, Saudi Arabia has become a very attractive financial destination for many top soccer players who have been invited to join Saudi Clubs. The clubs are flush with Petro- Dollars and offer football contracts that are impossible to resist. Last year world famous soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo who signed with Al Nasr, became the highest-paid soccer player to land in Saudi Arabia. So also many other successful players like Karim Benzema, N’ Golo Kante have been tempted to join the bandwagon with handsome lucrative contracts.
Lionel Messi, a seven-time Balloon D’Or Winner, who captained Argentina, leading it to World Cup glory in Qatar, and whose current contract with French Champions PSG has just ended, too had created around him, a very strong speculation that he would be joining another Saudi Arabian Club, Al-Hilal for a mind boggling sum of over one billion US dollars.
However this very smart and intelligent soccer player, who is widely considered to be the best player in the history of football, had something else in mind. He preferred to choose USA as his next destination by signing for Major League Soccer side Inter Florida, a Club co-owned by David Beckham a former English International.
Of course his latest decision will break the hearts of his diehard Barcelona supporters, who were eagerly waiting for his to rejoin the club. On the other hand, if Messi had joined a Saudi Arabian Club, that wouldn’t have gone well with many of his millions of worldwide fans, who would accuse him of choosing money as his prime preference. But now his comments “If it had been a question of money, I would have gone to Saudi Arabia or elsewhere” have put this presumption to rest. It’s now amply clear that money was not his main motive in choosing the next club. This decision will make his supporters across the world and particularly in the US ecstatic and make American Soccer still more popular, thanks to Lionel Messi.
Antonio Diniz, Fatorda
Envy and jealousy at work
Everyone feels jealous at some point in their life or the other. Jealousy comes from the moment we compare ourselves with others having no ethics, qualifications, certifications or comparing ourselves with others being illogical.
In today’s world, even some of the parents having more than one child are biased or differentiate among children, although they are proud of all on social network. It is important to know or remember that we all have our own strengths and weaknesses as most humans are emotional, though some are proud, egoistic or jealous. As a student, have you not come across your teacher shutting you off being smart or as a staff, your manager doesn’t accept your solutions or ideas? Such poor experiences do carry a lot of negative weight and puts continuous burden on our mind and body. At times, retired academicians who wish to share his/her knowledge or experience to help the students are given a cold shoulder by school administrators.
Let’s conclude with a beautiful quote: Never hate people who are jealous of you, but respect their jealousy because they’re the ones who think you’re better than them!
Gaston Dias, Sarzora
Kudos to the FDA
Congratulations to Team FDA of Goa for winning the State Food Safety Index among the small states in India. This is the fifth consecutive time Goa has won the award, but this should not rest in data compilation etc but making the maximum surprise raids on the products that have been adulterated and sold in Goa which is an acclaimed tourist destination. Recently I have read that the FDA has fined Adani-Wilmar Company for selling substandard oil in the Goan market. Imagine this is just the tip of the iceberg. There is one more oil called Fryola which is supplied by the same company that too should be investigated.
A few years back the formalin issue was pushed under the carpet and thanks to the consumer clubs creating lots of awareness among the people of Goa, now many Govt. depts are working to fulfil their basic duties. On World Food Safety Day, FDA put out a very impressive advertisement of almost half a page, but failed to mention the details of its address and complaint redressal so that consumers are constantly kept informed about where aggrieved consumers can lodge their complaints. FDA should also conduct workshops in every village panchayat for the road side food vendors stressing the need to maintain safety and hygiene standards while catering to the consumers/tourists. The FDA, panchayats and the village hygiene, nutrition and sanitation committee and the PHCs should be instructed to conduct surprise checks. Not taking away any of the achievements of the FDA, who are doing a good job we need to take it to the next level so that we are ready to compete with the bigger state because of our tourism industry which receives millions of people all around the year.
Gregory E Dsouza, Siolim
Criminalize live-in-relationships
It is shocking that a thirty two year women from Mumbai was murdered, cut into pieces and some body parts were cooked in a pressure cooker by her live in partner. The incident has uncanny similarities to the Shraddha Walkar murder case that stunned the country last year. The increasing murders among live-in couples are alarming. The notion of live-in-relationship is against the dignity of the women as there is no social claim or position attached with it, unlike a marriage where families are involved and individuals have social responsibilities. Live-in-relationship should be criminalized and the institution of marriage should
be strengthened.
Muzakkir Khan, Jogeshwari
