Sideswipe

Illiteracy Foundation billboard. (From strangecosmos.com)

Six minutes of intense exercise a week does as much good as six hours, claims a new study. People could cut their workouts from two hours a day, three times a week, to just two minutes a day and achieve the same results. The two-minute workout requires cycling furiously on an exercise bike in four 30-second bursts. The study, published in this month's Journal of Applied Physiology, involved 23 men and women aged between 25 and 35 who were tested to see how long it took them to cycle 18.6 miles (29.9km). One group cycled for two hours a day at a moderate pace. The second biked harder for 10 minutes a day in 60-second bursts. The last group cycled at an intense sprint for two minutes in 30-second bursts, with four minutes of rest between each sprint. At the end of the two weeks each of the three groups was asked to repeat the 18.6 mile cycling test. Every subject was found to have improved to the same degree. (Source: Ananova)

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An Auckland reader who is just back from Europe, via Hong Kong, writes: "In Wanchai, central Hong Kong Island, population seven million and (I think) the most densely populated spot on earth, parking in a parking building in business hours is HK$15 (about $3) an hour. Perhaps Wilson Parking could be asked why it costs around $8 an hour in some inner-city Auckland buildings. They should be able to offer intelligent comment on the matter as they run the Hong Kong buildings too."

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A Mt Eden reader was shocked to overhear an exchange between a well-known meat store manager and a customer who was politely asking whether she could sample some of the luncheon sausage on offer before she bought it. "She explained that, as a foreigner, she was unfamiliar with this 'luncheon' but would like to try a small piece. The staff member behind the counter refused, saying it was not 'policy' to allow customers to try before they buy. The customer was surprised and replied that she was used to tasting cheeses and meats before purchase, as she was European. She asked to speak with the manager, who came out from his office and clarified that, yes, it was now store policy not to allow any sampling. His reason? 'If we let everybody try before they bought we'd never make any money.' His suggestion? Buy a small piece for a few cents, try it, and base a decision on that."

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Russian air traffic controllers have gone on hunger strike, claiming that Moscow controllers get twice the pay for the same job. Despite the hunger strike, the air traffic controllers are continuing to work, but doctors say their state of health has become worse and want them to stop controlling air traffic. The Rostov-on-Don air traffic controllers are in charge of an area comparable to some of the larger states in Europe. They went on strike on June 8. The medical commission has already barred six participants in the protest from using air traffic control panels. (Source: mosnews.com)