Sideswipe

Only in Auckland are we so busy that the delays are delayed.

Tony Cooper of Mt Albert wonders what's the point of sirens on burglar alarms? "I got 11 hours to ponder this on Wednesday as an alarm in the neighbourhood assailed me. A siren just means your burglars will wear ear muffs. And your neighbours will wear ear muffs while your house is being burgled."

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Wendy Davis went to a film at the Berkeley cinema in Takapuna last Saturday and was a bit taken aback when on top of the $14 charge for an adult peak time ticket there was a telephone booking charge of $1.50. "I don't believe I have ever been charged a booking fee for a cinema ticket before. I know it's not an enormous sum but I didn't like being told I had to pay it."

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The British Tory Party election slogan, Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? has a familiar ring to it ... further investigation reveals it is also a catchcry of Bananas in Pyjamas.

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Four degrees of separation: after John's verbal outburst earlier in the week, the More FM team in Auckland recorded Tamihere Maclary, a reworked version of the Lynley Dodd children's classic. After playing it on-air for a few days, they posted it up on their website. Somehow it ended up on National Radio's Morning Report soon after; then on Tuesday it found its way on to television's Eating Media Lunch and the next morning it invaded Breakfast on TV One. But the best however, was when Simon Barnett and Gary McCormick from More FM Christchurch called the Auckland More jocks to say they were sending a hilarious Hairy Maclary take-off they'd found on the net that morning.

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Still do-gooding: Nita has the gumption to ask for a free ad ... "There must be a landlord somewhere in Ellerslie with a 3 brm house, fenced, less than $350 a week, wanting long-term tenants and who doesn't object to an outside dog. Seems like there are only townhouses or units, so where are all the houses? We're a good family whose home of six years has been sold and have four weeks to move and are now in a panic." Anyone with suitable digs for rent please email Sideswipe for Nita's number.