We packed it in: Letters, 14 December

The Bay of Plenty Times welcomes letters and comments from readers. Here you can read the letters we have published in your newspaper today.

No swing with these Brazilians

To say I am disappointed with the Brazilian Festival would be an understatement.

I was there well before the 1pm advertised start expecting some good Latin music. I sat watching bods in white and blue, wander seemingly aimlessly around the area and bods setting up instruments on a truck stage.

Got a little worried about that when none of the traditional Latin instruments appeared. No timbales, congo drums, whistles, rattles or the like. Just guitars and a drum kit.

After waiting for three-quarters of an hour past the advertised start-up time, something finally happened; a Brazilian drum group started playing but was soon drowned out by a schoolboy group on the back of the truck blaring out rock that completely drowned out all else. Nothing Brazilian about it. Quite a few people I spoke to didn't wait patiently just to hear that stuff, so we packed it in and left.

Oh so disappointing.

Wayne C Jessop, Arataki

Greed ruinous

May God help us all; now we are shown a Christmas survival kit. As a child, my Christmas was one of happiness, celebrating the birth of Jesus and enjoying family times and the excitement of opening simple presents.

How blessed I was in comparison with today's children, whose expectations are boundless and whose parents are under much stress to meet them.

My survival kit to all is one of simplicity.

Replace greed with love, make a hug instead of material things to show your involvement with your friends and loved ones.

My childhood memories are priceless ones of unconditional love and the knowledge that my parents took their roles seriously; they had not much of life's material things but our lives were rich in the things that are enduring in life values. Parents, get your priorities right if you want to make your children happy.

They want a stable home life, predictable discipline and the knowledge that they matter. All things within anyone's budget.

Read the Christmas story of Jesus and his love, believe that there is a God up there who cares, and ask Him to show you the life He has for you.

Perhaps you have not because you believe not.

That does happen.

B Guernier, Hairini

Foreign rule

Is it not true that the Colonial Government of New Zealand is an extension of the Australian New South Wales Government and therefore not the Sovereign Government of this dominion called New Zealand?

So why are we operating under a foreign constitution? Fred Stewart Tauranga Don't hound us In response to T Duff and P Morris and their concern regarding dogs on the beach.

As ratepayers and dog owners who have walked our dog on the beach for more than six years we have taught our dog not to leave bottles, cans, soiled nappies and oil on the beach.

Although we constantly clean up after the humans who do, often a shopping bag full on one walk.

Unfortunately we can not teach him not to wee, maybe you could get the council to ban humans from weeing in the water as well.

Lighten up as you can see there are a lot worse things on our beaches than dogs.

J Mackinnon, Mount Maunganui