Americans don’t want to compete fairly in the skies

Readers write about the Open Skies agreement, music for cats, sick buildings and addiction

Readers say American airlines should blame themselves for their inability to compete. Paul Sancya / AP

In regard to Delta reignites open skies dispute on Emirates code share (September 11), the United States airlines are acting like babies.

As an American, I am ashamed of our carriers. They can’t win on service so they have resorted to whining to the government.

Steve Kranz, Al Ain

I have no sympathy for the US carriers. It's their own fault they can't compete. Josh Taylor, Dubai

Addiction is not easily defeated

I refer to your story, Research to find if Emiratis are prone to drug dependency (September 14).

Anyone who has been in western countries has seen a steady rise in drug abuse among young people. The reasons – including high levels of disposable income, social factors affecting relationships and a general need to jump from one thrill to another – are not genetic.

Children are endlessly stimulated through electronic means and told they must be positive and happy when some aspects of life are not. Theirs is a world that is rapidly changing and some cannot keep up with the pace.

This is a product of our time and, I am afraid, not a factor that can be reversed.

Baroness Susan Greenfield spoke at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature this year on the effects of gaming on the minds of the young. The hours many people are spending on these games releases dopamine into the brain and gives periods of euphoria that need to be sustained.

Before gaming, the same dopamine could be released into the brain via drugs such as LSD, the forerunner of many of today’s synthetic drugs. Her research on the effects of screens on young minds is very sobering.

Years of drug education in the West have changed nothing and the number of qualified professionals here is too few to make a dent in this growing issue.

The problem cannot be foisted on to schools. How many teachers can identify the products they would be advising students not to use or recognise the symptoms associated with each one of them?

One of the most difficult issues relates to the secrecy surrounding abuse. Only the abusers themselves can ask for help. If using controlled substances provides temporary euphoria and they need to sustain it, they are not likely to be resilient enough to give it up.

Judith Finnemore, Al Ain

Our buildings need attention

Thank you for the story Sick buildings are leading to sick UAE office workers, doctors say (September 13).

I didn’t know such a syndrome existed. It goes a long way to explain some of the things I’ve been experiencing, such as feeling unwell in certain indoor spaces and instantly recovering after I’ve stepped outside.

Samia Iftekhar, Abu Dhabi

You haven’t been to London if you complain about buildings in the UAE. Most central London offices are like prisons with not enough daylight.

Linda Lo, UK

More care should be taken with our living environment. Ivana Jesic, Egypt

Who is making music for dogs?

Congratulations on your insightful editorial (Music for cats, but will it push paws?, September 13) about the growing trend towards musical recording intended for our feline friends.

However, I wonder why there has been no groundswell, so far, or interest in recordings for dogs.

Certainly dogs are better qualified than cats in musical manners, as anyone who has ever heard a canine announce his angst at 3am will testify.

Name withheld by request

Doubts persist over dashcams

In reply to your editorial, Would dashcams make our roads safer? (September 13), the answer is no.

It is illegal to take photographs of people without their permission. The person with the dashcam could land in jail. Chris Reid, Dubai

I would approach this with caution. They say it’s OK to share with police, but what if the person committing the offence – for example, allowing children to jump around the car – contacts the police first and reports you for videoing or taking photos?

Who would the police believe?

Tanya Milbourne, Dubai

I think it’s a good idea. It will make people more account­able.

Name withheld by request