Sideswipe: August 5: Olympic mansplainers go for gold

To the Olympics, where Vitalina Batsarashkina won the gold medal in the women's shooting 10 metre air pistol competition for the Russian Olympic Committee. A woman named Zoe posted a picture of the athlete, saying: "I am obsessed with the stance on this sharpshooter." ... and then came the know-it-all blokes: "Does it look cool? Yes. Will their wrist shatter the moment they fire? Absolutely." and another chimed in: "People who won't survive on the battlefield." Fact of the matter is, as another more informed tweeter writes: "When you're shooting as precisely as that, your heartbeat throws off your aim. So they stand as relaxed as possible and still maintain a firm stance. You won't see that among tacticool dorks in the US. The heartbeat thing is why the biathlon is awesome."

Prince was too cool

When The Bourne Ultimatum came out there was a premiere in London. Prince actually went to it, then got tickets for the cast to come and see him perform after the show. On meeting him, Matt Damon, opened with a bit of small talk: "So you live in Minnesota? I hear you live in Minnesota." And Prince said: "I live inside my own heart, Matt Damon."

Duct tape is so very useful

A passenger on a flight from Philadelphia to Miami spent part of the flight duct-taped to his seat after allegedly groping the breast of two flight attendants. According to the police report, the man ordered two alcoholic drinks from a flight attendant and brushed his cup "inappropriately" against her backside while ordering another. He then spilled that drink on his shirt. When he went to the lavatory and emerged shirtless, a flight attendant helped him get a new shirt from his luggage and he then groped two attendants while walking around the plane. He punched a male flight attendant in the face after he was asked to stay in his seat and was swearing like a trouper. Then the duct tape came out.

Librarian humour

Snail mail

"I live in Three Kings, Auckland," writes Gerry. "I recently received a letter from the Bay of Plenty that took 17 days to reach me. While researching a 1918-19 subject in National Archives, Wellington, I copied several hundred letters between Wellington and Auckland, Napier, Picton and Nelson that were all delivered the following day."

There's going to be a bear fight

There's something quite mindful about watching a bear wrestle ...