Sideswipe: July 9: Banksy or Pantsy?

"I'm not sure if you've seen this bloke's work in South Auckland," writes Mike. "I live and work here and am somewhat amused by what I call "The Footpath Poet's Work". These signs appear perennially, particularly on Wiri Station Rd and this one really tickled my fancy."

What's new in casual racism ...

Oregon State Representative Janelle Bynum, who is running for re-election, was out door knocking when one of her constituents called the police. Bynum is African American. According to Bynum's Facebook post the resident thought she was acting suspiciously "going door to door and spending a lot of time typing on (her) cell phone after each house". She praised the deputy who responded for being professional, and said she asked him if she could meet the woman who made the call, but she was not available. "The officer called her, we talked and she did apologise," Bynum said, without specifying the race of the caller.

Job-appropriate number plate

While ambling through the grounds of Waitakere Hospital, Terry Wilson of Waiatarua spotted this job-appropriate number plate and had to laugh.

Did you know?

As part of David Hasselhoff's divorce settlement, he kept possession of the nickname "Hoff" and the catchphrase "Don't Hassle the Hoff". And, the famous human guests on The Muppets were allowed to make special requests to the writers to appear in a scene with their favorite Muppet. Miss Piggy was allegedly the most requested, with Animal as a close second.

Sharp-shooter at school

"In 1955 I was the 21-year-old sole teacher of a small school of about 14 pupils in Central Hawke's Bay," writes Richard Smith from Henderson. "There was a large macrocarpa tree in the school grounds and it was the home of a family of magpies which from time to time swooped down and attacked the children. I solved the problem by setting the children to work then shooting the magpies from out of the classroom window. No one ever complained and I was proud of my marksmanship. I shudder to think what would happen if someone did that today."

When your travel pillow makes you look like a literary icon ...

When your travel pillow makes you look like a literary icon ...