A quick word

TV and radio advertisements are annoying most of the time. Listening to someone preaching about a service, or product is bad enough, but finishing by babbling, “T’s and C’s apply” is particularly irksome. These riders are apparently added for legal reasons, but since when did abbreviations afford protection under law? T’s and C’s could be tricks and cons.

David Andrews, Tauranga

I never thought any thing could top my feelings of being such an idiot as the day before I was to present my patent burglar alarm at the school science fair it was stolen. So thank you Palmerston North police station, you have just relieved me of 50 years of feelings of total inadequacy.

Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay

What an extreme divergence of human behaviour. Sri Lanka, following the murder of 250 Christians over Easter, banning the face-covering Muslim veil, the burkha. While in Iran a female has been jailed for 38 years for not wearing the simple facerevealing head scarf, the hijab.

Hylton Le Grice, Remuera

Thank you for the article on Neven MacEwan (Weekend Herald, April 27), it’s good to hear the Rugby Union is now providing support to players who have similar problems. But the union could be doing more by avoiding promotion of alcohol at its games venues as well as finding ways to reduce drinking by players, so often encouraged by the ready availability of alcohol at clubs. Graeme Woodfield, Tamahere

When we have secured the return of the guns at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars through the buy back, we should arrange an American auction and sell them all off to licensed enthusiasts. That’s probably where most of them came from. Help make America great again!

Bill Mathews, St Mary’s Bay

It is heartening to learn the government is grappling with plans to build a spur rail line to Northport to handle more freight. A cost of $200m seems modest compared to the billions spent on other dubious results. Removing the imported car parks from our waterfront would be a spectacular result for the public as well as freeing up the trucking jam now plaguing the AT’s pet Quayside project.

Anne Wilks, Devonport

Having driven four hours today up the east coast to Waikato, I saw at least three cases of dangerous overtaking whilst traffic was travelling at the legal speed limit. Unnecessary risk-taking in my opinion would be the most common cause of road tragedy.

Vicky Mettner, Gisborne