Sideswipe

Courtroom artist Mona Edwards' drawing 'Michael Jackson Nowhere to be Seen Late Day in Court'.

Let the profiteering begin. Hours after the verdicts in Michael Jackson's child molestation trial were delivered, the courtroom artist is cashing in on the high-profile case by selling off her sketches on the internet. Mona Edwards, who has sat 6m away from Jackson throughout his trial, is selling 70 prints of her sketches on eBAY for US$600 ($840) each. She says of Jackson, "I could draw him by heart. He has so many mannequin features, I treat it like a fashion illustration. He looks like an extra-terrestrial." The oddly titled drawings include: Michael Jackson Can't Hear the Audio, Michael Jackson Cries as He watches Martin Bashir Video and - the least likely to sell? - Michael Jackson Nowhere to Be Seen Late Day in Court.

* * *

Irish back Geordan Murphy, who writes a column for Britain's Guardian newspaper about his experiences touring the land of the long white cloud, mentioned in one piece that he and a group of Lions "went out for a beer". The team's media censors, however, thought it preferable to say they "went out for a stroll". How droll.

* * *

Overheard at the National Women's conference:

1. Would you like to buy a raffle ticket? First prize is a seat on the board of TVNZ.
2. I'd like to kick that John Tamihere right in the front bottom.
3. How sweet. It's a group photo of Nine to Noon's entire production and presentation team.
4. Quick, get to the main auditorium. Kim Hill's beating a panellist with a chair.
5. Is that Marilyn Waring over there with the goat?
6. Call security - Marc Ellis, Matthew Ridge and Bob Jones are loose in the auditorium.
7. I can't believe it - 30 years of feminism and I still haven't got a thing to wear.
8. All men are still bastards.

(Source: stmolesworth.com)

* * *


Murray Cameron explains why parking costs in the densely populated city of Hong Kong ($3 an hour) are less expensive than Auckland ($8 an hour). "Auckland is a car-reliant city whereas Hong Kong isn't. Wilson Parking understandably charges what the market will bear in order to achieve its objective of sustaining maximum profits. Hong Kong has a far superior public transport system than Auckland, and a greater variety of frequented destinations are in close proximity and easier to access. Along with much higher vehicle owning costs which make car ownership and use lower, the need to use cars is limited. Hence the demand and price charged is not so great."