Sideswipe: July 26: Not free stuff

Snapped in Lyttelton.

Cartoonish misogyny

Appearing before a Florida convention of young people, Republican Matt Gaetz said Saturday that women demonstrating for access to legal abortions are too unattractive to become pregnant. "Why is it that the women with the least likelihood of getting pregnant are the ones most worried about having abortions?" Gaetz told the group. "Nobody wants to impregnate you if you look like a thumb." The young crowd did not boo the comments.

Novelty mug

You know the type. That guy or gal in the office who brings in that novelty mug they got for Christmas. At least with this mug, no one will pinch it.

Heat pumps also cool

The heatwave has shattered temperature records in the UK. And while Kiwis have embraced heat pumps, in England, not so much. You'd think during a heatwave that melted runways there would be more uptake of the efficient and eco-friendly technology. Energy experts point to a couple of reasons heat pumps haven't entered the mainstream. First is the name, which makes it difficult for people to recognise that it heats and cools. Ninety per cent of Japanese households use heat pumps, contributing to a 40 per cent drop in the country's electricity consumption over the past decade. In Italy, the government effectively pays citizens to use the technology; homeowners can get 110 per cent of their heat pump cost reimbursed. In New Zealand, the middle classes can afford heat pumps but nearly a fifth of our homes are mainly heated by coal or gas, and a further 40 per cent use inefficient electric heating.