Sideswipe

Urban Outfitters tree.

The ultimate anti-Christmas Tree: Online store Urban Outfitters is selling a replica of the "pathetic" tree Charlie Brown took home in A Charlie Brown Christmas. The tree is an exact replica of the tree from the famous cartoon, made of wire branches and plastic needles with a criss-cross wooden base. The bendable branches allow you to make it look just how you want, super pathetic or just kind of pathetic. The tree comes with one red Christmas ball ornament.  

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Last spring, Japan's Prime Minister suggested men in the workforce shed their suits and ties in the summer months to reduce the high cost of air conditioning. Now, the Triumph lingerie company has brought out a heated bra for the ladies, to cut down on heating costs in the winter. The bra, a fluffy bit of apparel featuring pads filled with a gel that can be heated in a microwave, is also thick enough to add welcome inches to the bust. For some reason, the white-only bra comes with a red chilli pepper dangling between its cups. (Source: worldofwonder.net)

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Tony Day of Birkenhead went to Farmers at St Lukes on Friday and the staff were playing Christmas carols over the PA system. "I was close to asking them which department the Easter eggs were in," he says.

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Mervyn Rosser writes: "On an Air New Zealand flight back to Auckland from Brisbane a steward's voice came on the air to tell us about the luncheon menu. He sounded young, which could explain why he was not familiar with one of an earlier generation's childhood foods, semolina. After announcing a choice of chicken or beef sandwich, he said that to follow would be a slice of salmonella sponge."

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A reader thought disgruntled Aucklanders might like to know - there is a God. "2Go petrol station on Jervois Rd has a forecourt attendant. I was a bit apprehensive when he approached me as I thought he must be coming to tell me off for crooked parking or something, but he took the pump out of my hand and shooed me off to the pay station. Hallelujah, now that's service!"

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Under new anti-terrorism laws, internet cafes in Italy have to photocopy the passports of all their customers. Cafe owners must also record which computer a customer uses and each user's log-in and log-out times. They must also install software that tracks all the websites users visit, and they must periodically turn those lists over to the police. (Source: reason.com)