Everything in moderation
Dear Sir,
The letter “A weighty issue” (Gulf Times, July 14) questioned the point of giving price concessions to items like salted butter, tinned condensed milk, cream, tinned creamed soups, frozen pastry dough, frozen French fries, jams and a range of cake mixes and desserts during Ramadan. The writer obviously hates these food items: that is obvious. But it does not mean others should not consume them. What is wrong with French fries, please? All in moderation, of course. Surely one can have a dessert or a piece of cake once in a while. It doesn’t make one obese overnight.
Take everything in moderate quantities and you will be safe. Also, physical activity is quite important in keeping one fit and trim. Eat normally and do some exercise. That is all. Life need not be an austere exercise. A lifestyle characterised by abstinence from all worldly pleasures is not recommended.
Ramadan, some people seem to think, is a month for starving. No sir, it is a month of fasting during the day. And a month of devotion and sharing.
T P Rasheed, PO Box 766, Doha
Truth about doomed TWA Flight 800
Dear Sir,
On July 17, 1996 TWA Flight 800 blew up off the coast of Long Island, New York. The official report blamed a fuel tank anomaly that caused the explosion and the destruction of the Boeing 747 and the loss of 230 lives.
Prior to the downing of TWA 800, a missile was fired at an aircraft in the vicinity of Long Island in November 1995. TWA 884 (New York to Tel Aviv) was diverted around the problem area. Three weeks prior to TWA 800’s destruction, TWA 884 had another near-miss.
Hundreds of witnesses of the TWA 800 tragedy saw one or more missiles that brought down the 747. Various evidences also point to the fact that the TWA 800 was destroyed by two anti-aircraft missiles.
But there have been cover-ups and a misinformation campaign over the incident.
1. Historical precedents for accidental shoot-downs of civilian planes by military forces.
(A) Itavia flight 870.
(B) Air Lingus flight 712.
(C) An Iranian Airbus.
The presence on the crash scene of officials with the US National Security Agency and the Defence Intelligence Agency reinforced in some minds that there might have been some intercepted intelligence regarding a missile attack. It was Winston Churchill who once said: “The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it and ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.”
The CIA and the FBI have evidence obtained from KH-II satellites that it was a stinger missile that destroyed TWA Flight 800.
Farouk Araie, farouk.araie@telkomsa.net
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