Letters: The wisdom of Morocco’s Berber people

And now, a little Berber wisdom

“Atlas Bound” [March 22] by Amanda Jones was excellent. The Berber people’s uncanny survival instincts remind me of an old Berber saying: “When you ain’t got no education, you just got to use your brains.”

-- Evan Dale Santos, Adelanto, Calif.

A lawman’s arrest in ‘safe’ Cancún

Those who think that Cancún is safe from the drug wars raging in Mexico aren’t keeping current on events there. [“On the Spot,” March 22]. The Cancún police chief has been arrested in connection with the murder of a retired Mexican army general, hired by the city. His specialty was battling police corruption. Think that’s not drug-related?

-- Warren Cereghino, Pacific Palisades

Little Rock’s Southern charm

I enjoyed Whitney Friedlander’s piece on Little Rock, Ark. [“Little Rock Is on a Roll,” March 22]. My husband and I moved to Little Rock from L.A. two years ago. We bought an old Victorian in the Quapaw Quarter and very much enjoy the community. I enjoyed L.A. as well, but there’s nothing like the traffic on the 405 to make you appreciate Little Rock.

-- Patty Miller-Marshall, Little Rock, Ark.

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Thank you so much for Whitney Friedlander’s article about Little Rock. I am another Arkie ex-pat here in Los Angeles, and I appreciated reading about the places I know and love.

I will be visiting home in a few months and am looking forward to a pint at Vino’s and walking on the Junction Bridge for the first time. Don’t give away too many good things about our hometown though -- you’ll make everyone want to move there.

-- Mariah Johnson, Los Angeles

But what about germy planes?

Jay Jones’ review of the Kangopack [“Trip Stress-Busters,” March 22], described as an “antimicrobial fabric barrier” that travelers use to line the bins that hold shoes and other items passing through X-ray machines at airports, left me howling with laughter.

A traveler concerned about contacting unwelcome “microbes” from such bins shouldn’t be traveling. Such fearful people should never leave their antiseptic homes, much less travel with people in sealed tubes at 35,000 feet.

-- Jay Wilson, Lawndale

St. Catherine is worth a mention

I read Susan Spano’s article on Siena with interest [“Tuscany in Repose,” March 15], but was disappointed that it did not mention St. Catherine of Siena, whose head and thumb are on display in the Basilica of San Domenico. She is the patroness saint of Italy.

Writing about Siena without mentioning St. Catherine is like writing about Assisi without mentioning St. Francis.

-- Dave Johnston, Fountain Valley