Sideswipe

$959.50 carpark ticket

A reader writes: "Just over a month ago there was a power outage in the Wilson's carpark on Khyber Pass Rd, Newmarket. That day I got let out without swiping my card. The next day when I went to swipe the card to get in, the machine said I was already in, so no problem, I just grabbed a ticket from the machine and drove in. That night I used my card to get out. For the last month that ticket has been sitting in my car. This morning I thought I would stick it in the pay machine to see what it was up to. I was assuming it would stop at the lost ticket charge of $40. But no - it is now up to $959.50!"

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The 10 names with recent boosts in popularity:

Kylie - 1300 per million babies, rare until early 1980s.

Serenity - 430 per million babies, rare until 1990s.

Candace - rare before 1930s, peaked in 1980s, now uncommon again.

Paris - rare until 1970s, increasingly popular since for both genders.

Abigail - although considered old-fashioned in the UK, in the US Abigail was rare until the 1970s and is now in the top 10 girls' names.

Xander - recent leap in popularity, formerly barely used.

Nadia - now common, barely known before 1960.

Brad - rare before 1930s, peak in 1970s (666 per million babies); oddly, marked dip in past decade.

Logan - big riser which barely registered in the mid century.

Tyler - dropping after huge surge in the 1990s, not many men over 45 have this name.

10 names that have fallen from favour:

Durward - relatively common 1890-1930.

Vernon - popular between the wars, now barely used.

Barbara - very common 1920s to 1960s, now increasingly rare.

Carl - very popular 1890s-1920s, dropping ever since.

Fern - popular 1890s-1920s, rare since 1960s.

Edna - very popular in 1890s and 1900s, rare since 1970s.

Jeanette - very popular 1920s-1940s, now negligible.

Fanny - in the top 100 for decades until the 1910s, now rare ... for obvious reasons.

(Source: Vitaminq.blogspot.com)

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Mike from Morrinsville has a tip for those issued with tickets for parking on grass verges. "My wife got a ticket for committing such a grievous offence. However, though parked on the verge, her offence notice said she was parked on the footpath. When the ACC was challenged about the wording, it backed down and withdrew the charge. Maybe others should challenge their tickets as well."

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A new boss at a large telco on the North Shore likes things ship-shape. This is an email to managers: "Ladies and Gentleman, I would appreciate you taking some time to remind your staff that the dress code from Monday to Thursday is smart casual - clean, neat, smart, casual clothing. Anything they consider fit to wear to the beach, do their garden, tidy their garage, wash their car should be reserved for that purpose. Friday can have a more casual feel about it, but please ensure staff still present clean and tidy clothes - this should rule out fashionable tears and holes in clothes and dirt. On another subject, I would be grateful if you could ensure your areas are completed and if you could remind your staff of the courtesy of keeping shared areas, in all sites, in a clean and tidy manner as I am a little distressed at the state of some of these facilities by day end."