In reference to your story UAE doctors warn against social media 'health experts' (September 26), can I also add that some "qualified" nutritionists and dietitians in Abu Dhabi hospitals/ clinics offer generic advice and tips that most people already know. They do not offer personalised advice that this article seems to imply.
They also work with stereotypes rather than actual family history and patient records (“Oh you’re South Asian – you need to cut down your rice consumption”).
I have been to at least three different nutritionists in three hospitals over the past few years and they all had the same rehearsed advice to share instead of approaching my concern from a medical angle. I ended up doing my own research and got much better results.
Samia Iftekhar, Abu Dhabi
Democrats can’t grasp populism
Regarding the opinion article Why the rise of populism may be Obama's legacy (September 23), Hillary Clinton's erasing of 30,000 emails with Bleachbit and smashing of 13 Blackberries with a hammer are sufficient evidence of guilt in a court of law. And the 30,000 emails were under subpoena, thus she has been guilty of obstructing justice, a felony.
Compare Mrs Clinton’s perfidy with Richard Nixon’s: all he did was erase 18 minutes of Rosemary Wood’s tapes and he was deemed unfit for the presidency (by his own party). The 18 minutes of tape showed that Nixon was involved in the cover-up of the Democratic National Convention break-in at Watergate.
How many of Mrs Clinton’s emails relate to Clinton Foundation pay-to-play conspiracies? She certainly didn’t want those emails to be made public if she had them erased with Bleachbit. She should never have been nominated. The Democrats don’t have the moral compass of the GOP. That’s why they don’t understand populism.
Name withheld by request
An example of honesty
Taxi driver Naseerallah Sher Dola should receive an award that does not require him to work anymore (Sharjah taxi driver who handed back Dh1.7m has returned cash-filled briefcase before, September 25). He should be able to return home to his family and live comfortably.
Rjj Saraiva, Dubai
This man is an example of honesty. He deserves adequate recognition as well as a financial reward.
Gina Anaya, Dubai
I wonder how a person can carry Dh1.7 million in a briefcase and forget it in a cab. Can we get a profile of that person, please?
Tala Al Ramahi, Abu Dhabi
Why has it become a norm to expect financial rewards for a job done well? I am surprised that some people were disappointed that the driver received only Dh1,000 from gis passenger. What if the Dh1.7 million was meant for a hospital payment to save a dying person? Would you have expected a cut from that too? A thank you from the heart is good enough.
Chandan Aidur, Abu Dhabi
Questions over learning Arabic
An important thing to consider is that written Arabic is formal and is not spoken – except in certain situations, such as in religious sermons or a formal speech (Would full Arabic immersion help? September 26). Spoken Arabic, on the other hand, is very dialectal with people from different regions, countries, areas, cities and towns having their own accents and words. It's possible that two people from two different countries can't understand each other's dialects. So which Arabic dialect would be spoken? Is speaking with a non-Emirati accent acceptable or should everyone use the local dialect? This is very important for those learning and those who wish to learn Arabic.
Claudia Gabriel, Dubai
I watch Arabic series on television and listen to Arabic radio to create this immersion for myself.
Yulia Hulia, Dubai
