Text To Editor: 10/04/12

*    Why is it that we in Flaxmere and Hastings have to pay for our rubbish bags which are expensive and the rates are expensive as well, yet Napier has black bags for their rubbish which are way cheaper? I do realise we have different councils but why is it different? Why do the selfish thieves who take more than the allowed quota and undersized fish get to keep any fish at all? Should all be taken, they should be fined and the fish given to those in need. JHW

*    Good on Winston Peters. Spoken true facts on immigration, etc. He would make a good prime minister for New Zealand. His dress is smart at all times and he serves the role of being a prime minister of New Zealand. Go for it, Peters, as we don't need a butterfly as we now have.

*    I'm sorry, a dog is a dog. They are going to bark at mostly nothing. It's what they do. Telling it to shut up isn't going to change things. People need to realise it comes down to the nature of the animal, not the nature of the owner!

*    There are proposals in the UK to allow hospitals to charge alcohol-related admissions for the cost of their treatment. Isn't it about time NZ did that, too?

*    Was there any oil or other pollutants on board the Japanese vessel that the US Coastguard sunk in the Gulf of Alaska?

*    I reckon marijuana use in this country is much, much bigger than statistics suggest. Why is it still illegal? It's everywhere.

*    Awful Weetbix. Eaten them for 64 years. Break your teeth on them. I rung Sanitarium. They were great. Bear with them, they said. Weetbix too crumbly and they are trying to improve them.

*    My advice to Anti Taipo Stream Reserve Walkway: The reserve is for everyone. Hey, I have people walking and running past my house every day. Maybe you should all sell up and lock yourselves away in a gated community.

*    Well done, Michelle Jaggard and team on an awesome effort. Great inspiration for others. DM.

*    Fantastic Anzac window at Moys Jewellers, Heretaunga St. Well done, Denise. Go and look, people! JS

*    Good on HNCC for the offer of free viewing of the documentary Gasland. Shame on TVNZ for not screening it nationwide. Fracking is a crime against humanity and nature. Shame, shame, shame, TVNZ. Real news and you have to be pressured into showing it to us all. WRM

*    Hey, LB, if you don't like the way Jim Hickey on TV One does his weather report, then change to TV3. BT

*    Re: Jim Hickey's weather presentation. LB must be watching some other guy. Hickey brings the best science, grammar, imagery and diction together to explain what the weather will be and why. The others are pale in comparison. KT

*    About time someone mentioned Jim Hickey's behaviour reading the weather. It is very distracting. Karen is so much better.

*    Well, the boys are coming home from Afghanistan and the end of a controversial tour. Well done, guys, the squadron will be happy to have you home. B

*    To the guy in the green car who pulled a U- turn in front of my motorbike this morning on Te Aute Road: Next time look behind you before turning. It's people like you who need to re-sit your licence. DB

*    A big thank you to the person who passed my eftpos card back to ANZ Stortford.

*    The woeful Warriors in that green jersey - horrible. Surely they could have picked a better colour. No wonder they lost. Anyone else agree?

*    Re man asking for money to go to Whanganui: You mean to say he was lying? Because I believed him.

*    I find New Zealanders so friendly, until they get behind the wheel. I cannot believe how drivers race to get to a red light, rather than let another car pull out before them. And trying to pull away from the kerb, you've got no chance. And let's be honest, in a little one-horse town like Napier or Hastings, what the hell could be that important to have to rush? G8 summit, perhaps?

*    Wowee! School holidays and still no plans for an up-to-date cinema complex in Hastings. Makes for a most interesting situation. The old city fathers may well have been right in naming the town Hicksville. PP

*    Hooray, light in the mornings again - for a short while, anyway.

*    ABBA at the Napier Municipal Theatre. What a great performance. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Well done

*    A number of dogs are getting infections from Pakowhai Country Park. Come on, council, keep the barley grass short and it may pay to get the water tested.

*    Big thumbs down to HB Regional Council for a big waste of our rates again. The new fence at the Tutaekuri River has been ruined in the latest flood. Not unexpected. Floods every year.

*    Strikes and job cuts - seems the ones with the most secure future are those in prison.

*    Re Dance With Me DVD: Try mightyape.com. It has a wide selection of DVDs and quick delivery.

*    Re the Marmite shortage. It's caused by people over-buying. How are some folk going to eat 8 jars in 4 months? What about the best-before date? Some good Marmite will end up in the dump due to greed.

*    I see the lovely new bike track on the way to Bridge Pa nearly every day. I have seen only one bike on it. What is wrong with them, don't they care about taxpayers' money?