Moths and butterflies ... are they in rapid decline?
Moths and butterflies ... are they in rapid decline?
What's happening to the wildlife?
Since moving into my flat in Aramoho seven years ago I have noticed a stark change in a wildlife population in my immediate environment.
In particular it appears that moths have all but disappeared and I wonder if this is due to an actual declinein the population or if some other phenomenon is responsible, perhaps confined to this area.
Seven years ago I was unable to leave my glass door open to my small garden area at the back in the evenings. When the light was on inside the glass of the door would be covered in moths of all sizes clamouring to get in.
Now I can have the same door open with the light on and not a single moth comes in. There appear to be none.
If this is a population decline it would be of concern to environmental bodies I'm sure and to be honest I haven't researched that. I have noticed that they do not cluster around street lights as was the case not so long ago.
Puzzling though.
With declining populations of bees, frogs and many other species it appears our incursions into the natural world really may be having an impact here too and if so, at rather an alarming rate. PAUL BABER Aramoho
Trump's next move?
One only has to cast their mind back to the White House Correspondents dinner of 2011, where President Obama taunted Donald Trump in the presence of the nation's press elite.
Trump's response was to take out the presidency in 2016, ousted this year by Biden. What is his next move?
My bet is he will follow the example of Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996 and Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 - and start a third party.
Consider he gained 75 million votes or 48 per cent. Starting a MAGA party is a given. The caps are made and the T-shirts printed already.
If each of the 75 million contribute just $10 a month to his war chest, that equates to $900 million a year, $1.8 trillion to challenge the next electoral events in 2022, splitting the Republican party asunder.
He will address the confusion of their voting systems and the arrogance of the digital media giants.
Doesn't pay to poke the bear. PAUL EVANS McLEOD Te Rapa
Your letters to the Whanganui Chronicle.
Thanks to good Samaritan
Grateful and heartfelt thanks to the anonymous lady who found my lost wallet in St Hill Street on Tuesday, January 26 and took it to the police station. May every day be joyful for you. BRUCE HEDGES Kaiwhaiki
Where's Big Norm when we need him?
So mayor Hamish McDouall is thrilled to have met the composer of the 1972 hit promoting Prime Minister to be, Norman Kirk (Chronicle, January 26). The "Big Norm" lyrics were as catchy as the tune, especially the easy-to-sing line: "A man of Social Credit is, Big Norm".
There was more truth in that line than known by the electorate at that time.
Since then evidence has come to light that Mr Kirk, along with a select group of colleagues and top public servants, was indeed taking a fresh look at Labour's early policies favouring Reserve Bank direct funding for our public sector.
Sadly he was vigorously opposed within his own party, and less than a decade after his death Labour was captured by the neo-liberal doctrine being adopted globally by parties across the political spectrum.
Thank goodness the neo-liberal goddess, TINA (There Is No Alternative), is losing her charm, try as she might to persuade Governments to revive outworn ideas like PPPs (Public-Private-Partnerships) to fund our "shovel-ready" projects.
Not that we can rest easy. Too many of our MPs on both sides of Parliament are still under TINA's spell.
We need another "Big Norm" to break it. HEATHER MARION SMITH Gonville
