Commenting on “Climate change needs long-term plan,” Tom Harris, Executive Director of the International Climate Science Coalition (ICSC) from Ottawa, Canada, wrote:

“It is very unlikely that global warming will cause increased extreme weather. If the world warms due to increasing greenhouse gas emissions, temperatures at high latitudes are forecast to rise the most, reducing the difference between arctic and tropical temperatures. Since this differential drives weather, we should see weaker mid-latitude cyclones in a warmer world and so less extremes in weather, not more.”

It is also a mistake to blame human activities for current weather extremes. For example, the Non-governmental International Panel on Climate Change (nipccreport.org) includes a study published this year in "Geophysical Research Letters", about the causes of the 2010 Russian heat wave. Researchers concluded that it "was due to internal atmospheric dynamical processes" and “it is unlikely that the warming attributed to increasing greenhouse gas concentrations contributed significantly to the magnitude of the heat wave."

We will probably find the same when most current weather events are analyzed.

“Besides increasing extreme weather events that people always notice, it is also important to notice decreasing trends. For example, we are now near a 30 year low in worldwide accumulated cyclone energy,” something that was not supposed to be happening if the forecasts of climate models were correct.

“Instead of trying to stop extreme weather events from happening, a virtual impossibility at our technology level, we need to harden our societies to these inevitable events by burying electrical cables underground, reinforcing buildings and other infrastructure and ensuring reliable energy sources so that we have the power to heat and cool our dwellings as needed.”

Thank you Harris for your enthusiasm and your opinion!

“Sad to read , but so funny to see the little crooks being crooked by the big crook!” Just go around Vietnam and you will understand how poor behavior and lack of education are displayed towards tourists! “This includes civil servants.” That is comment by Gustav at gustav111@...com on article “Vietnamese “fall into traps” when traveling China.” Is it sad for Vietnamese tourism?

After reading “Art that adapts to the venue,” a reader at bribarker@hotmail.co... provides some more information about Esperanto: “May I point out that during a short period of 123 years and despite persecution by both Hitler and Stalin, Esperanto is now in the top 100 languages, out of 6,800 worldwide. It is the 22nd most used language in Wikipedia, ahead of Danish and Arabic. It is a language choice of Google, Skype, Firefox, Ubuntu and Facebook. Native Esperanto speakers, (people who have used the language from birth), include financier George Soros, World Chess Champion Susan Polger, Ulrich Brandenberg - the new German Ambassador to NATO and Nobel Laureate Daniel Bovet.”

Thank you for the information!

“Why can't Vietnam control the immigration? Why doesn't Vietnam just give guest worker visas, not immigration visas?” Vietnam should not repeat the mistake that Germany made with its workers from Turkey.” That’s comment made by Lindsey Kiang, at lk3000@verizon... on article “When Vietnamese build Chinatowns”. The answer for Kiang’s questions can be found in articles about illegal foreign workers in Vietnam on VietNamNet Bridge.

According to a reader at duy_khanh363@yahoo..., Vietnamese people should have sympathy for homosexuals because many countries in the world have accepted same-sex marriage. “If homosexuals want it, why do we prevent them from getting married? Nobody wants to be discriminated and become a second class citizen. It is the Creator who makes them homosexuals. Let them be independent because love is free,” duy_khanh comments on “Is it time for accepting same-sex marriage?” Many our readers share the same opinion with duy_khanh.

Reader Viet at Viet_12a1_thth@yahoo... detects an error on article “Why the East Sea became the South China Sea?” He wrote: "In 1942, Christophe Columbus, a Spanish navigator, believed in maps of his time, believed that he could reach India after crossing the Atlantic Ocean." Must be "in 1492", not "In 1942". Thank you very much, Viet. We have fixed the error.

Reader Ken Phillips at ken_phillips_1950@...com comments on article “Low incomes force teachers leave their schools”. I have returned to my home country after living in Viet Nam for nearly 18 months. I have seen the way that teachers are respected, even loved, by their students and society but unfortunately respect does not put food in your mouth. How can Viet Nam respond to this when inflation has caused so many price increases? Education is valued by everyone I spoke with in my wonderful, fulfilling time in Viet Nam, but the problems of the education system are huge with teachers' salaries and teaching methodology being only two items that could be addressed.

These are the problems that the Vietnamese government is trying to solve.

Commenting on “Too many required standards make Vietnam’s tra fish “caught in a net”’, Jimmy Cracks Corn at jcc@...com expresses his sympathy: “I have long felt that embedded and heavily leveraged or invested tra farmers are gaming the system to keep this fish from gaining more and more market share. There are far too many "institutions" each one working regionally, such as aquariums or NGO organizations, and in most cases the people there have never been to the Mekong River Delta or to a processing plant in Vietnam. They regulate with a heavy hand with a clear lack of understanding of what they are doing.”

Gerry at belle_gee@...com says that the article “China’s ‘two no’s policy’ on East Sea disputes” “is an enlightening piece of article. We can wage a media campaign about China's bullying tactics in an academic way.” He suggests VietNamNet Bridge to publish this article to most online forum and discussions, online newspapers within the ASEAN member states.

Thank you for you idea, Gerry!

“Why don't you do an investigative story focusing on the following: Why the police never stop men not wearing helmets riding Honda SH motorbikes? Why has Hanoi not implemented the normal international standard of stop signs and yield signs to regulate traffic - as taught in your own drivers test manual. Why are all traffic rules ignored on Sundays. Why are city buses allowed to go through intersections on the wrong side of the road? Why do electric companies continue to leave access holes of underground wiring open and not covered, while an extreme danger to people walking when areas are flooded? It would be nice if you and your newspaper took some constructive criticism of yourselves and woke up to the bigger realities going on around you. Don't be offended, get angry and do some serious investigative journalism.” Comments by Alfred E. Newman at redriverindochine@...com on the photo story “Foreigners ignore traffic law”.

We have published many stories about the matters you pointed out. “Foreigners ignore traffic law” only reflects the fact about some foreigners who do not observe the traffic law in Vietnam.

Commenting on the same story, Max at max_vigier@...com shared his story: “Well, it seems to me these pictures, not all of them not wearing helmets are foreigners. But here's my story about my New Zealander friend not wearing his helmet. And mobile police officers told him to slow down, but he went away by driving out faster and turning, and the police did not seem to care. I was hoping they'd stop him, that's why I smiled to them - nodding to them to stop that guy. But they let him go. I told him it was the law and they should have stopped him, and he said he can do what he wants because he's a Foreigner. But I punched him the face because he couldn't understand that I, his friend, couldn't agree. He said they only care about his money. I said no, they do their job and that he shouldn't disrespect people....”

Also about traffic issues - “Drunk-drivers make VN roads a death trap”, Brian Lmaprell at brian.lamprell@...com questions: “So what are the traffic police officers doing about drunk driving? Absolutely nothing. When do you ever see a traffic police officer working at night? Never. They care nothing about road safety and the 10,000 who are killed on the roads each year. I had to laugh out loud a year ago when I read that the Vietnam Government was lowering the permitted blood alcohol lever from .08 to .05. When the police were asked how they were going to enforce this they admitted they had no machines to test riders’ blood alcohol. Unbelievable! It's things like this that will keep the progress of Vietnam in the backwoods.” That’s a sad fact!

Reader LeeSmith at lenhtruong@....com expresses his disappointment of actress La Thanh Huyen’s act in “The audiences want La Thanh Huyen to return her prize” article. He wrote: “I don’t know what she had thought about when she wore ‘a Chinese traditional clothes’ to attend an international meeting as this while she was Vietnamese... I think she does not have enough knowledge to become characteristic person to represent for the 21^st century women.....”

JFR at jason.rouzaire@...com advices the Vietnamese government to engage information services of an experienced foreign PR expert that has had experience in dealing with international media in the “information warfare” with China, after reading “Vietnam cannot come in second in “information warfare” with China”. Thank you for the recommendation!

About “Insect food in Hanoi”, Trang at ntt870@....com wrote: “Please, I wanted to post some news and reports from this site to introduce Vietnam to my foreign friends. However, because of this report, I ceased the intention. Foreigners find this kind of food disgusting and uncivilized. They are not curious and interested in it as you may think.” We don’t know whether readers like it of not, the article only reports an aspect of life in Vietnam.

Reader Kathi Britton at aquatictraining1@...com expresses the enthusiasm to help Vietnamese schools achieve the goal of water safety and swimming lessons – “Grammar schools struggling to teach swimming to students”. Thank you very much, Britton!

“A natural evolution as living standards improve and more working men and women set up families. Traditional markets could prolong their existence through upgrading, better customer relationship management, and collective efforts in enhancing their products, services and strengths--much along the same line as co-operatives,” wrote David Sia Boon Sen at dsiablogs@....com about article “Supermarkets replacing traditional markets”.

Frankie C. Tubiera at totoytubiera@... does not agree with the Hanoi government’s plan to ban cyclos - Hanoi anxious about banning of cyclos. This is also the opinion of many other readers. He wrote: “I cannot imagine cyclos disappearing from the streets since it is an excellent way to tour around the city. Enhancing tourism should also consider preserving the culture of the nation. Cyclos must stay within the Vietnamese streetscape since it has always been an integral part of the Vietnamese culture.”

“When I read this article, you know, I really agree. In my view point, I think that Vietnam should improve its tourism. I'm also a tourist in Vietnam and I was really angry when I went to Vung Tau beach last Sunday. The service prices were very high and the sellers weren't friendly at all. And I didn't enjoy my vacation.” Comments on Vietnam’s tourism - Too many sea festivals in Vietnam – by A.Sophia at spaghetti_1411@y....com.vn.

The Vietnamese tourism sector knows about this and it is trying to deal with it.

A reader at sharetipslive@....com thanks VietNamNet Bridge for useful information about the Vietnamese stock market. Check our business page everyday to update information about the stock market in Vietnam.

Jim Roberts at gchoice@bellsouth... suggests: “In the past I visited a "medium tech" greenhouse in Turkey that was divided into one and two hectare plots. These plots were managed by individual families with support from the farm owners. The farm owner gained committed workers and the families gained new varieties and technology. Maybe this or some adaptation of this concept could work in Viet Nam? Just a thought from someone who has been in this exciting business for many years. Good luck!” -  Flower sector struggles to boost exports

Thank you for your opinion!