Well said

story, Saturday May 11.

MARK CHAMBERLAIN

Kaingaroa Please allow me to express my thanks to two of your letter writers of May 21.

In the first instance, it warmed my heart to read the very brief letter from Janet Fleming, in which she thanked and blessed her mother, simply for being her loving mother. We need many, many, many more citizens like Janet in this once blessed country.

When I was a younger man, a very astute man told a mixedsex gathering of which I was a part that a young woman’s vocation, her calling, is to be a mother. Never a truer word spoken, and rarely a more important one.

In the second instance, I want to thank Mitch Morgan for recirculating one of the global warming/cooling alarms from long ago. As Mitch identifies,

that authoritive report from 1922 is precisely what we’re being told by today’s alarmists. Was it Mark twain who said that one thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history ?

That generation was saved by virtue of there being very few watermelon men, econazis, around then, and certainly not with any political influence. The contrary applies today, unfortunately.

One of the most common fiveword passages in the Englishspeaking world is: “Until recently, scientists believed that…” LEO LEITCH

Taupo¯

emergency. This was all I needed. Recharging was simple buy your top-up coupon, dial 777, wait for the prompt, press 3, enter your recharge number then press hash. All done.

Using the same process you could check your balance. Simple. Not any more.

I have just purchased a top-up voucher. Went to install it, then noticed no dial up number. You had to text the recharge number to 887. Problem - this phone cannot text, and also I don’t, so went to the Vodafone website to see if I could recharge online. No, it has to be a text sent by the mobile you wish to recharge.

Next step, ring the help line on your mobile, to be advised that the waiting time as 60 minutes.

As I was obviously missing something I enlisted the aid of three tech-savvy experts, who all claimed, Not a problem. All three eventually had to admit defeat.

Next problem - I have bought these same phones for several elderly friends who all know how to use and recharge them.

I believe Vodafone has deliberately changed this system, all for the mighty dollar, purely so people would have to purchase a smart phone. Older people could not even turn on a smart phone, let alone send a text.

Without a phone some elderly people will die. PETER SHALE

Kaitaia