Regarding Tourists given Abu Dhabi 'dos and don'ts' booklet (July 5), it is about time the authorities did something like this.
Some tourists take matters to an extreme and disrespect the local culture and traditions, causing harm not only to themselves but to the expatriates who have lived here peacefully for a long time.
It is totally unacceptable to see the limited amount of clothes women wear these days. I sometimes wonder why they wear anything at all.
In tolerant Muslim nations such as the UAE, expatriates and tourists must do as the locals do and not flash their skin. If they are unable to appreciate Muslim traditions, then they should not visit here.
If one cannot accept and appreciate other people's traditions, then what is the point of travelling? Why travel if you only want to do what you do at home?
Manoj Nathani, Abu Dhabi
Sim card solution could be online
Regarding 18 months to re-register mobile phone Sim cards (July 5), why can't it simply be done online and submitted?
This would certainly limit all the unnecessary kerfuffle.
William Vize, Ajman
Etisalat and du have not, to date, managed to convince me that they can handle something of this magnitude without making it a total fiasco for the customer.
There are a lot of questions left unanswered. Donald Glass, Abu Dhabi
'Smoke-free' must mean exactly that
I am writing in response to The mall smoking ban illusion (July 1). Why should there be any confusion?
No smoking means just that. It's high time the UAE Government got serious about this issue. I'm sick of going to places to have a meal or coffee and I choke because of selfish, arrogant smokers.
When I first saw malls with huge signs stating they were "smoke-free" I was ecstatic. It didn't take me long to realise it meant nothing.
I also wonder why cafes favour smokers who sit there forever, smoking their brains out while sipping on a couple of cups of coffee, over other customers who might go there to have a chat, coffee and a meal.
It seems to me that banning smoking would entice more people to go to cafes.
Canada banned smoking in public places a few years ago, and although it took time for smokers to get used to it, they eventually did.
Why should those of us who are non-smokers have to suffer? It makes zero sense.
Maria LeBlanc, Abu Dhabi
Making the case for e-cigarettes
Let me add to what has already been said on your pages about electronic cigarettes (Wanted: another Bloomberg to save teenagers from 'vaping', June 24).
The Medicines and Health care Regulatory Authority (MHRA) - the body that regulates medicines in the UK - has publicly stated that nicotine in normal usage levels is a "relatively safe drug".
There is also a growing body of evidence that nicotine is not in and of itself addictive, but that the addiction is a result of the monoamine oxidase inhibitors in tobacco smoke. Also in the UK, the cabinet office has recommended that smokers switch to electronic cigarettes.
David Dorn, UK
US assurance not very comforting
US 'unlikely to repeat mistake' of Iran passenger jet shooting (July 4) - how very reassuring.
The US never ceases to surprise, does it? But after all, the US military does reserve the right to create collateral damage.
U Ubaid, Abu Dhabi
We need heroes in real life, too
I'm writing about your interview with Andrew Garfield (Sometimes dreams do come true, July 5) and the smaller item also in your Arts & Life section, Spider-Man breaks records in India.
I find it interesting that this new film, The Amazing Spider-Man, should do so well at the box-office, not just in India but everywhere it has already screened, when many people said it was following too closely on the heels of the previous Spider-Man movie trilogy that starred Tobey Maguire.
It's even more interesting that this should come so close to the success of another superhero film, The Avengers. We can also expect the upcoming Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, to be a big hit.
Could it be that people across the world are seeking out cinema heroics because there are so few heroes in real life? Imagine how different things would be if a latex-clad good guy could simply fly in and vanquish all evil.
Michael Peterson, Dubai
