Sideswipe

You'd think it would be simple to figure out how to open a screw-top wine bottle. Banrock, however, likes to take our Aussie cousins through the procedure, just in case.

Oi, get your own biscuits: Len Mullins' daughter lives in Houston and was amused to find an advert in a local military newspaper for Unibic cookies, which are sold in US supermarkets to raise funds for Veterans of Foreign Wars. The article says the cookies "are actually baked in Australia, one of our longtime allies, and are based on a recipe that was made popular by Australian and New Zealand women to support their troops overseas. They're called Anzac (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) cookies. Looks like the Girl Scouts have a little competition." We disagree. Dumb name, too.


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Language please: A bemused parent of an Auckland University student sent us a copy of an email titled "some wise advices" sent to their son by his tutor. "Good evening, OK, two more weeks of teaching. However I must make one remark - your attendance at the tutorials is extremely law. Less than 10 people on average. This doesn't even make 1/3 of you at the tutorials. Not god, not god (in fact very BAD, very BAD!!!) because a lot of absolutely never seen material by you is being taught just now and in the last two weeks was the same. Now is enough - I feel reliefed and you may possibly feel like you've gotten a piece of burden on your young shoulder. That's why the relief for you is also here ... " The parent concerned ponders just how much of the subject matter their son, and other students, are able to grasp in this class.

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Only in Christchurch: Spotted on trademe.co.nz, a Christchurch family offering "Supper and a movie". Basically a night in their home with their three kids, watching the telly. "Win the bid and come when you wish, all you have to bring is your friend and a sense of humour that should make an evening for us all," they say, and plan to offer "KFC, pizza, junk food, pikelets and cream, cake, and all things like that". And when warned "some idiot" might try to take advantage of this invitation into their home, the family reply: "Thank you for your concern. And bidders may think the same from us. Strangers are only friends we have not met. We have lots of friends - they were once strangers." By yesterday there were 24 bids, and to get in on the game you'll need a whopping $14.