Letters to the editor

Dear Stan,
It is unbelievable that one teacher alone is responsible for the administration and teaching of an A-level course.

Moreover, schools like St. Christopher's have, or should have, various fail safe mechanisms such as Heads of Departments, Examination Co-ordinators, Head of Sixth Form etc. that prevent, or should prevent, this sort of thing happening. Furthermore, the school failed to identify the mistake for an entire academic year. Did nobody think to re-check the curriculum for one whole academic year?
If your reporter truly has the welfare of the students and parents at heart, she should ask questions that require factual answers. Why did nobody check the curriculum? Why was a copy of the curriculum not circulated to all concerned? Why was there no published checklist or schedule? (These are very basic procedures that most elementary schools carry out.) Why does the Principal take no responsibility himself for this mistake and why does he appear to blame “a teacher”. What mechanisms have been (or will be) put in place to prevent this happening again? 
People are rightly concerned when politicians like Mr Blair and Mr Bush don't tell the truth or attempt to disguise it as being favourable to their agendas and “spin” has become the euphemism for presentations of dubious facts. The special report “The Principal's Tale” exhibits all the characteristics of “spin” in my opinion.
Jeffrey Jameson
King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals
Saudi Arabia.

Dear Stan,
I’m one of the winners of the GulfWeekly PRIZE QUIZ. Thank you to the whole team behind this. I have already claimed my prize!
Regards
Brina Fernandes
Student, Bahrain

Hello!
Your newspaper rocks!
Nithin Mathew
Bahrain

Dear Stan,
I always read Marie-Claire's guide to women, celebrities and other idle chatter with much interest every week. Good work!
I do not always agree with what she says, which is fine, other points of views are important to me, they help forge my own ideas! However, I feel I have to write to you about her suggestion that paedophiles should be castrated.
Paedophilia is a serious sexual and mental condition that we all hope would not exist. Now, I do not hold a PhD in psychiatry, but we know that paedophilia is not purely physical. Castration would not protect children from the grip of a predator's hands. Human nature is unfortunately much more complicated than that.
Would you support the removal of the paedophile's arms as that would ensure he could not touch another child?
Castration provides a false sense of protection. We have to find the will to discover true medical (physical and mental) ways to curb the offenders' minds which, in my opinion, are directed by more than just the area below their belts.
Pascale Lemelin
Bahrain

Dear Stan,
I’ve written down some tips to help save the environment

1. Use cars less and minimise trips. Picking up friends as you go to work or school helps the environment and in the same time is fun! (I often pick up friends and cousins if we're heading the same way – it’s a lot better than being alone in a car)

2. Plant trees. The government is providing plants for the public. It not only makes your garden and country prettier but also reduces the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. (Recently our household has bought plants and we had them planted in our garden over the weekend.)

3. Recycle instead of throwing away things you no longer need. Categorise things before throwing them out. For example, things you can give to charity, section for plastics, paper etc. (I don't recycle at this point but I do give things I no longer need to charity).

4. Waste less electricity. Turn off your computer and TVs when you're not using them. (I just recently started turning them off and they do make a difference as I used to leave them continuously on.)

5. Re-use things like ink cartridges and rechargeable batteries. (I refill my ink cartridges and I hardly rely on normal batteries that are disposable as the two main electronics I depend on are my phone and ipod both of which can be recharged.)

6. Use thermals instead of paper cups. It would waste less cups and are easier to hold, and use. (I always use thermal cups for drinks – I want to take with me when I'm going out – a pink one from Starbucks!).

7. Don't litter! It makes your country clean and prettier. (I don't litter as I find it an extremely appalling trait in a person. Finding a place to throw it in doesn't take a lot of time and can tell a lot about a person).
Thanks and best wishes,
Reem Al Khalifa
Bahrain

Dear Stan,
We would like to thank you for Anasuya Kesavan’s excellent article on the St. Christopher's art exhibition which appeared in GulfWeekly. Her account of the exhibition portrayed the students and the school in a very positive light and we were all impressed by the depth of her critique of the artwork. We appreciate the amount of time she spent viewing the exhibits and interviewing staff and students who were involved. We hope she enjoyed the experience and look forward to welcoming her to St. Christopher's Art Exhibition 2008!
Kind regards,
Clare Hunt, Joe Mulleague, Charlotte Lauriston,
Nicky Brooks and Bev Lee, Bahrain

Dear Stan,
It always amazes me at how loudly people will complain, and to what lengths they will go to voice their displeasure and yet remain virtually silent when they are pleased and satisfied by a service rendered or a kind action. 
So, if keeping with my belief that when one is pleased, one should be vocal about it, I would like to take the opportunity to express my admiration for both Anasuya Kesavan and Andrew Morton and the work they did for the article entitled “The Art of Expressing Yourself” (GulfWeekly, June 20 - 26, 2007). 
I was not sure how I was going to be able to explain spontaneous painting to Anasuya because it really is something one needs to experience and so it is to her credit that she took on the challenge and dived into the experience of painting spontaneously, although I believe she was a little uncomfortable doing so initially.  It is because she was so dedicated to writing something that showed a real understanding of the process that this article is so successful. 
All things require teamwork as I am sure you understand and live by day-by-day in your work and so I would be completely and utterly remiss if I did not continue by saying that Andrew's completely fun-loving spirit and fine art background made him the ideal photographer for the job. The pictures draw you into the page and invite you in; making a process that can be quite frightening initially for some people, friendly and safe. Both Anasuya and Andrew were great guests who were open and we all enjoyed their visit to our studio.
Thank you for the wonderful article.
Kind regards,
Manuella Mavromichalis
Bahrain