A strained relationship

US attacks on Pakistani soil, like recent drone attacks, only poison the Washington-Islamabad relationship, a reader says. Other letter topics today: Germans oppose Hitler book, mixed-marriages in the UAE, fire on the Dubai Creek and cancer cases in youth.

US attacks on Pakistani soil, such as this drone attack, poison the relationship, one reader says. Hall Multaba / Reuters
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I couldn't agree more with the comments of your correspondent David Crossland (70 years on, Germans open Hitler's book again, April 30).

It is interesting to learn that Hitler's Nazi government published some 10 million copies of Mein Kampf during their reign and gave out copies to every couple (except Jewish ones) who was married between 1936 and 1945.

Jewish groups might be upset these days with the German state of Bavaria as it is preparing to release Hitler's anti-semitic manifesto, Mein Kampf.

However, I do not think that neo-Nazis will exploit the manifesto's new availability, begin disseminating it and seduce readers by the Nazi leader's propaganda as anyone will be free to republish it starting from 2015.

The manifesto that is part autobiography mixed with Hitler's racial purity theory, his hatred of Jews and his opposition to communism is pretty much racist, anti-semitic and awful.

It shouldn't be mythologised either by German citizens or by some young adults from all nations as this homicidal sociopath, Hitler himself, and the manifesto led to a worldwide catastrophe.

Gaye Caglayan, Dubai

Mixed marriages not limited to UAE

Thank you for your interesting article The truth on mixed marriages: only the strong will survive (April 29). The facts for mixed marriages and Emirati divorce rates are similar.

The UAE has the highest divorce rate in the Gulf, up to 36 per cent in 2010. In the same year, there was an increase in the number of Emirati women in Dubai marrying expatriate men (147 women, compared to 113 in 2009).

Mixed marriages are a fact of life all over the world.

Amal Loring, Dubai

US must clarify its concept of 'ally'

The US should define the word "ally" (US shortsighted policy only hurts its 'ally' Pakistan, April 29).

As far as I know, it is back-stabbing its allies regularly for their own benefits. In its hunt for Osama bin Laden, for example, the US violated Pakistan's sovereignty and later criticised it just like an enemy.

Zaheerul Hassan, Pakistan

Insurance firms evade payments

I refer to the article Ill-fated dhow ablaze on Dubai Creek for second time this year (April 30). In Dubai (I don't know about other emirates) nobody bothers to insure stocks in transit. I was working for a big group. I noticed that stocks in transit of even millions in value were not insured while in local transit either from or to the port.

The reason given by the general manager was that the insurance companies shy away from paying out, citing some reason or other and that transit insurance is very costly.

Can it be costlier than the goods themselves?

Now, we see here that the goods were not on the dhow and therefore not covered under insurance. But what about the seller or buyer of the goods. Have they not insured in transit?

In my opinion, the dhow owner is not responsible for the goods on the banks of the creek and therefore the loss will not be on him. He has a valid point to fight out.

KB Vijayakumar, Ras Al Khaimah

A complicated cancer picture

Rather than yet another antibiotic being the solution to this disease, it is likely to be the culprit that caused it in the first place (Cancer an increasing concern for youth, April 30).

The bacteria in your bowels outnumber the cells in your body by a factor of 10 to one. They have incredible power over your immune system, your body's natural defence system that keeps you healthy.

The health of your whole body is largely tied into the health of your gut. It is impossible to be healthy if your gut is not.

The 100 trillion bacteria that line your intestinal tract form an extremely complex living system that aggressively protects your body from outside threats. As the study from Canada suggests, abnormal intestinal flora are a likely cause of bowel cancer.

To me, this implies that among other things, one should include a wealth of fermented foods in one's diet, that is, foods that help replace the healthy bacteria that is killed off by antibiotics and poor diet. That might include home made kimchi, pickles, sauerkraut, yogurt, kombucha and even a supplement of probiotics. Just make sure it is alive, not heat pasteurised after it has been fermented.

And contradictory to what most people believe, animal fats from grass-fed animals protect of cancer. Long live butter, grass-fed beef and pastured eggs.

Rebecca Lavallee, Abu Dhabi