Sideswipe: October 18: Not a squeak?

"Many years ago the likeness of Winston Peters and Paul Holmes were sold as rubber dog toys," writes a reader. "Come Christmas Day our dog Sam, who had never been guilty of digging a hole, opened his presents. Sam looked at them and immediately went outside and buried Winston and returned to play with Paul."

Quite interesting

1. Danny DeVito is a qualified hairdresser.

2. Lalochezia is using swearing to relieve stress or pain.

3. Cards that play a song when you open them use more computing power than was used to send man to the moon.

4. In 2015, an Indiana woman was shot in the foot by her dog, Trigger.

5. In 2011, the United Nations declared that access to the internet is a basic human right.

6. In 1811, nearly a quarter of all the women in Britain were named Mary.

7. There are enough diamonds in existence to give everyone on the planet a cupful.

8. Twitter was a 19th-century word for an abscess on a horse's foot.

9. Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, forgot her toothbrush and had to brush her teeth with her finger.

10. Tea leaves uncurl when hot water is poured on them. This is called the "agony of the leaves".

(Via Quite Interesting @qikipedia)

Scary stories

"I woke up in the middle of the night one night and looked over at my boyfriend, sleeping soundly next to me," writes a reader. "I was admiring his nice face, thinking what long, pretty eyelashes he had. I was half asleep, comfy and warm, and everything was lovely. As I became more alert, it slowly began to dawn on me that, though he does have very long, pretty eyelashes, they weren't quite that long. That's when the spider started moving across his face ... Arghhhh!" You got a scary story? Email Sideswipe.

Radical costume knock-off, dude. Cowabunga!

Strange job interviews

Raewyn Smith writes: "Interviewed a lady for a retail position, going reasonably well in spite of the candidate frequently deviating from the questions being asked. Told us that her hobby was breeding dogs and asked if we'd like to see her dog. Well you assume that you're going to see a photo, but no, she reached down into her handbag and proceeded to pull out a puppy. She didn't get the job though."

Dan Brown has some new literature out...

In the olden days

This is a cigarette lighting station at the beach, that simulates passing a woman. Righto then...

Video Pick

Surreal drone footage following a Postie delivering mail in a completely burned-out neighborhood in Santa Rosa...

Got a Sideswipe? Send your pictures, links and anecdotes to Ana at ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz