Sideswipe: June 25: Sensational Simmons

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For decades, Richard Simmons has been both a fitness icon and a motivational speaker for millions of ardent fans. He has promoted weight-loss programmes, most prominently through his Sweatin' to the Oldies line of aerobics videos and used to run cruises for people who wanted to lose weight. He was a staple of talk show hosts and appeared in many TV show cameos over the years, as himself. Simmons has largely stayed out of the public eye recently — he was even the subject of a 2017 podcast, Missing Richard Simmons, that tried to resolve why he retreated from appearances — but his fans can still draw workout inspiration from his excitable persona. And now, Simmons' trademark high-energy style is being immortalised in action figure form. (Via Mental Floss)

Slip sliding away with Nikki Kaye

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Aarti Prasad from Titirangi recalls that a recent New York Times report had left New Zealand off the global map. He noticed that during a meeting of the Epidemic Response select committee conducted over Zoom, several speakers had interesting backdrops. Port of Tauranga CEO Mark Cairns had a fish and epidemiologist Professor Sir David Skegg had a Mozart bust. Prasad continued: "It was the National Party's Nikki Kaye's backdrop that made my jaw drop! It seems like New Zealand has slid off her world."

Family words

1. "When my son was about 4 years old he used the word 'underbrella' instead of 'umbrella'. We thought it made more sense and I still use it."

2. "What do pandas eat? Boobam! From my 2- year-old grandson."

3. During his first train journey our 2-and-a-half year old enjoyed the tunnel experience: "I did like that dark bridge, Mummy."

4. "Many years ago at a friend's place her little 2-year-old was excited that we had 'straw babies' for breakfast and later that day we went to the Waitomo 'Glue worm caves'."

5. "Daughter now 45, at about 3 years old — Bumgoot = Gumboot, Candela = Calendar, Hodilay = Holiday, Rarboob = Rhubarb. Also elder brother now 77, at about 3 years old — Honcy Dot — for Fancy That — it has stuck through two generations."