Girl goalie is an inspiration

Letters also comment on a remarkable Emirati woman, rising taxi fares, utility bills and other topics.

Wasunun Angkulpattanasuk, Thailand's under-18 goalkeeper, impresses one reader. Ravindranath K / The National

A wonderful article, a wonderful story and a wonderful person ('There is nothing wrong with tears, but do not let them stop you', April 5).

Perhaps the students of the Higher Colleges of Technology Ras Al Khaimah Women's Campus could create an interactive documentary of Azza Sulaiman's life. The documentary could focus on Ms Sulaiman's youth, the UAE she grew up in, her education and career challenges, and being a mother (and subsequently a widow) while still employed full time.

Her story would be an inspiration for HCT graduates. I say "interactive" because I would encourage Ms Sulaiman and the students who created the documentary to travel to each of the HCT Women's Campuses to present the documentary and record the Q & A sessions to be included in the final documentary. That documentary would then be shown everywhere.

I would suggest Arabic be the primary language used with English subtitles. Just a thought.

Tom Pattillo, Abu Dhabi

Raising taxi fares is not the answer

Casual usage of taxis might come down with increased fares. And utilisation of public transport might increase (Taxi fares in Abu Dhabi to increase with minimum flagfall next month, April 5).

One must understand that with supplemental facilities being added, it is likely that dependence on taxis will naturally come down. It is for the taxi companies to evolve more maturely and conceive and implement strategic plans to retain the market share if not increase it.

This is part of every business. But raising the fares due to a reduction in number of flagfalls is not the answer in the long run. Evolving and facing competition (public transport) is the answer.

KB Vijayakumar, Dubai

Without considering the expats with low salaries, the rise in taxi fares is worrying and unfair.

It's not always possible to use public transport because it can be very time consuming.

Also, we labourers, who work for 12 hours (not including two hours of transport) and earn between Dh600 to a maximum of Dh1,000 cannot afford to pay for emergency use of taxis. The new fares will make transport difficult for us.

Shankar Karki, Abu Dhabi

Actual usage not reflected in bills

The real cost of water and electricity is not scrutinised nor audited (The real cost of water and electricity will shock you, April 7).

There is no reason to believe that the actual cost is as high as shown in the utility bill.

Tarek Alwan, Abu Dhabi

Alternate reason for neon's demise

The reasons stated in this article for the decline of neon are misleading (Advertising moves on and neon's light looks set to be extinguished, March 13).

Neon signs are only hazardous when improperly installed. While some building fires have been caused by malfunctioning neon signs, the overall percentage of such incidents is relatively small compared to the total number of neon signs in use.

The chief reason for the decline of neon is that, prior to the advent of LED lighting, neon was essential for internal lighting of channel letters. Because neon can be formed into various shapes, it once was the principal light source suitable for channel letters.

But today LEDs are used in more than 90 per cent of all channel letters manufactured in the US and also in a growing portion of signs manufactured worldwide.

This market shift, not safety concerns, is mainly responsible for the decline of neon.

Bill Dundas, Director, International Sign Association, US

Good news for Dubai's artists

This is a great initiative (Dh50 million expansion of Dubai's art district announced, March 21).

I just hope the studio areas are affordable for artists and available for all nationalities.

Caroline Wareham, Dubai

Goalie proves an inspiration to girls

What a wonderful story and an inspiration to girls everywhere (Girl goalie makes a difference for Thailand at Challenge Cup of Asia, April 5).

As a Canadian who has played ice hockey and in the position of net minder, I think this just shows what a girl is capable of when given the opportunity.

I wish Wasunun Angkulpattanasuk the best in the future and that she fulfils her dream of playing in the world championship, whether on a female or male team. Skill counts in the position she plays, not gender or the size. Way to go, congratulations.

EC Risberg, Abu Dhabi