Sideswipe: Evolved bumper sticker

Failure to launch

In a landmark ruling that will act as precedent, the Italian Supreme Court ruled against the appeal of an adult man who still expected financial assistance from his parents. The historic sentence marked the end of a five-year case in which an adult part-time music teacher who earned an annual income of 20,000 euros (NZD$36k) claimed financial assistance from his parents. In an initial ruling, a Tuscany judge actually awarded him a monthly allowance of 300 euros ($540) from his parents, a decision that was later overturned by an appeal court, and last week by Italy's Supreme Court. Judges ruled that the 35-year-old man's parents financial support cannot be expected to continue indefinitely.

Lessons from the past

The MPHS Tipping Point Reuse Shop — on site at the west Auckland dump — saves the good stuff from going to landfill and on sells it and there's always something interesting turning up. This week social enterprise manager Darryl Jellyman came across this photo of a young NZ couple from 100+ years ago on their wedding day. "Her name was Laura Wallbridge — a young bride who, not long after this photo was taken, buried her husband. The note on the back identifies him as a victim of the last great global pandemic. I guess it struck me that behind the numbers there are always real people and nobody chooses to contract a disease. Our greatest defense against this heartache is to look after each other." Open again on Monday, the shop is full of bargains to be had. Keep an eye on their Facebook Page here.

Anyway, we're married now…

1. "My wife used to sunbathe fully naked in our private back yard.," writes Brian of Torbay. "One day I came home from work early and saw her on the lounger.  I slowly locked all the sliders to the outside and went back to our front door and rang the bell.  I could see her through the glass on the front door running back and forth trying to unlock the doors in a panic. I then opened the side gate at the front of the house and with heavy footsteps stamped up the path to the back decking….She was posing in the garden pretending to be a statue…forgiveness is a great thing and we're still married after 51 years."

2. "Nearly fifty years ago I was at a Christmas party when i saw this lovely young lass wearing a stunning white crocheted dress," writes Mike Jarman. "In my inebriated state I went up to her and promptly threw my glass of red wine down the front of her dress. Urging her to come to the kitchen I poured salt down the dress to absorb the wine We are still married."