We do not know how fortunate we are
With all the talk about free parking on Sundays no mention has been made that on a Sunday the time limits which apply at other times also apply: friends and I are fed up going into the city only to return home because no parks could be found.
Unbelievably, some retailers know their staff park outside their premises all day, obviously unaware this is the case.
Letters to the Editor over the years and DCC replies all state the time limits apply every day — I recall years ago they employed their parking staff to police the area for a few Sundays but their efforts were soon forgotten.
Dunedin people should be grateful there is so much inner city parking of all lengths of time every day of the week. A few months living in Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch would let them see how fortunate we are.
Stand up
It is time for Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to show leadership on Palestine.
US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, an undisguised programme of ethnic cleansing, is in line with Israel’s response to the Hamas’ October atrocities, which has seen the indiscriminate killing of innocents, and the intentional demolition of infrastructure.
The plan should be taken seriously; it is supported in Israel, by many right-wing US politicians, and autocratic leaders in other countries.
This is a moment in world affairs when it is imperative that nations who support justice and international law speak up, not behind closed doors, but in loud voice. There will be consequences to taking a strong position, but if not, as a nation, we will live in shame for our passivity and cowardice.
Terminology matters
Among Palestinian prisoners scheduled to be exchanged for hostages taken on October 7, 2023 are Wael Qassim and Zakaria Zubeidi.
Wael Qassim was convicted for his involvement in several suicide bombings. These include a 2002 bombing at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem which killed nine people, including five American students. Zakararia Zubeidi was a leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades in Jenin. He has been involved with multiple terrorist attacks, including the 2002 Beit She’an attack in which two suicide bombers killed six people aged between 13 and 33.
Jenny McNamara (Letters 30.1.25) describes these people as "hostages" rather than "prisoners". Personally I find this rather gruesome, but I have some old-fashioned views.
Got the power
In a recent letter, L. Barker asserts that cheap and reliable energy cannot be derived from intermittent wind and solar sources (ODT 1.2.25). In fact, it all depends on what power source is used to fill the gaps at times when wind and solar fall away. At 10pm on 1.2.25, there was of course no solar power and New Zealand’s total wind power output was just 211MW. Coal and gas together provided 877MW, contributing to a high electricity spot price of around $220/MWh.
However, pumped storage schemes would massively undercut the high electricity prices from fossil fuels and replace them for firming renewables.Wind and solar could indeed provide both cheap and reliable electricity.
Facing issues their male counterparts do not
Thank you, Kayla Hodge, for your article about the Afghanistan women's cricket team (ODT 6.2.25).
Coverage of female sport, even in our free developed world, continues to be much less extensive than that of males, despite the ODT's efforts to redress this imbalance. Girls and women who participate in sports worldwide face many issues which their male counterparts do not have to contend with. It is really important to talk about the achievements of teams like this. These ladies are extremely important role models for others, especially for women in Afghanistan, where women have few opportunities to take part in any activities outside the home. Their accomplishments to date are considerable, against all the odds. I trust that a way will be found for their team to be recognised so that they are able to compete in international competitions.
Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: editor@odt.co.nz
