Sideswipe

A Sydney advertising agency's self-promotion featuring older women in lingerie with the strapline "Old models don't cut it anymore" has been withdrawn after it was deemed offensive. Advertising agency The One Centre was using the photos in print ads in a clumsy attempt to say old advertising methods are no longer effective, and the industry has to get with the times. But members of the public complained to the Advertising Standards Bureau, saying the ads were "ageist" and implied older women were "beyond their use-by date".

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Sandra Catena, a 47-year-old dance instructor, faces a $1000 fine and up to 90 days in jail for sitting on a bench at the Rivington Playground, New York. While sitting alone she was approached by two officers asking if she had any children with her. When she told them no, she was served with a ticket. Apparently, it's illegal for an adult to sit on a playground bench unless with children. The rule is designed to keep paedophilia out of city parks.

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Overheard in the office 1
Boss: Well, apparently he has a girlfriend who may be going through cancer treatments. But you can still be friends with him. It's good to have connections.
Secretary: What? No! I don't need any more friends. She has cancer? God, I can't compete with that. Forget it.

Overheard in the office 2
Co-worker A: "Urban" doesn't mean "black".
Co-worker B: Yes it does.

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Beach Boy Brian Wilson has an innovative way of raising money for those affected by Hurricane Katrina. According to his website (www.brianwilson.com), anyone who sends a donation of $100 via the site will get a personal phonecall from the musical genius, and he and wife Melinda will match the donation. Offer ends October 1.

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Tony writes: "No men in Auckland? You're kidding me? I'm 6ft, 90kg and all of my female friends tell me how good looking I am, but can't find a single woman anywhere ... I have friends in the same boat. The problem is all the single girls want their man to drive a Porsche. I earn well above the average income, drive a fast, modern car and live by myself. But as soon as women find out I have a son or don't earn 100k, they're off. All the women of this country are arrogant and after money."

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Lara Flynn Boyle's keepin' it real: "It's not a craft. We're not slicing DNA. It's a great gig. We're all a bunch of beautiful, self-indulgent people." (Source: contactmusic.com)

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Jenna Bentley takes Sideswipe to task."I thought it was my duty to point out your mistake, as you yourself were doing to Woman's Day. You had the quote from Kirstie Alley's TV commercial as "I lost 55 pounds - that's 10 kilos where you're from". She actually said "I lost 55 pounds - that's 22 kilos where you're from". What I find even funnier is that when I converted 55 pounds into kilos it was not 22kg but 24.9kg. So far mistakes have been made by Woman's Day, Sideswipe and even Jenny Craig. Those of us in glass houses should be careful when firing projectiles, eh?