Sideswipe: Avoid the nail varnish then

Hmm, Pencarrow or Sandfly Point? muses Sharon over this sign outside a nail shop in Takapuna. "An alternative use for a sample pot or perhaps a manicure to match the walls?"

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A reader wonders why the energy rating and/or water rating stickers on new appliances can't be removed. "They look so ugly!" she says. Maybe someone in the know can email SideSwipe.

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Bosses at a hospital in China hung a giant pair of yellow Y-fronts from the roof to warn men of the health dangers of wearing pants that are too tight. The briefs - measuring 4m long and 3m wide - were joined by 500 normal-sized pants flying outside the Changsha Bo Da Hospital in Changsha, southern China. (Source: Ananova.com)

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Aer Lingus cabin crew caused chaos on a Dublin to Paris flight by accidentally playing a message in French which warned that the plane was about to make an emergency landing instead of a message warning of turbulence. The terrified passengers understandably "freaked out". The airline apologised, saying: "This sort of thing happens very rarely." (Source: Telegraph.co.uk)

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Book titles, if they were written today:

Then: Romeo and Juliet.

Now: The Teen Sex and Suicide Epidemic: How to protect yourself and your family.

Then: The Da Vinci Code

Now: Jesus Christ: An International Man of Mystery.

Then: The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Now: Shed Your Skin!: How I gave up junk food and released the butterfly within.

Then: The Gospel of Matthew.

Now: 40 Days and a Mule: How one man quit his job and became the boss.

Then: A Clockwork Orange.

Now: Hooliganz: Ultra violence and the media.

(Source: kottke.org)

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A reader understands how people get bored by talk of babies or children... "However, I find my husband's work dinners boring and see the other wives so rarely that I do not know anything about them apart from the fact they have kids."

"Also, as a pregnant woman, people assume that is all I am capable of talking about," writes Kim. "It is tempting to make a sign with details on the due date, when I will stop work, whether you know the baby's sex and whether this is your first, etc. Not a day goes by when I don't have this conversation ..."

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View today's Herald cartoon

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Today's Webpick: Could New Zealander Lori be the next Wayne Anderson? Go here and check out her home made music videos and original songs.

Follow Ana Samways on Twitter here.