Sideswipe: Bad cafe

Travelling through Italy's Umbria region, Andy noticed Umbrians either don't rate themselves too highly or have adopted a reverse psychology approach to their marketing. The "Bad Cafe" was only minutes up the road from the "Diabolical Night Club".

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David writes: "While watching my stepson play football last weekend at Lloyd Elsmore Park, Pakuranga, I found it strange to see in the distance two powerful sprinkler machines in operation ... while it was raining! Sure, you could argue the groundspeople might not have thought it was going to rain, even with heavy clouds looming, so I'll let them off that one. But what really amazed me was to see the floodlights at the park in full glory - in the middle of the day."

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The PM's smackdown of our own teenage mother and Oscar nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes, telling her she should stick to acting when she fronted for a Greenpeace campaign on carbon emissions, was patronising. But as one clever Tweeter said, "Keisha should tell the PM to stick to currency trading."

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Doug Montgomery from the Manurewa Cosmopolitan Club says the no-headwear rules date from when it was considered respectful to remove one's hat when entering a home. "The club makes an exception for people who have to wear a covering for medical reasons but not for those who wish to wear religious headwear of their own choice. The old unwritten rule has always been that if someone comes in wearing a hat he must shout the bar. In the case of the baby, one cannot always allow for the over-enthusiasm of a door person."

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A reader writes: "A headscarf worn for religious purposes is not unusual and hardly offensive. The club's actions smack of intolerance. Wearing a headscarf shouldn't be compared with the ignorant behaviour of those who wear hats, caps or hoods inside or at the table."

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This from another reader: "There's a big difference between someone who has had cancer and temporarily needs to wear a head covering (if she wishes), and someone who deliberately wears a religious icon that she knows will make a statement contrary to the culture that's being kind enough to host her in the first place. There is nothing wrong with a club making and sticking to its rules - that's why it's called a club."

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A resident replies to Rick Martin's response to the pool situation at The Sentinel: "The pool was drained in April and certainly didn't just turn swampy last week. The concrete situation on the edge of the pool didn't interfere or pose a danger to swimmers ... Padlocking the area meant the spa pool was out of use as well. Owners and tenants are paying body corp fees/high rent for these facilities and are not able to enjoy them. Why didn't they sort out who was going to pay for it, then drain the pool and get it fixed."

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See today's Herald cartoon

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Today's Webpick: The world's first breastfeeding doll. I'm not sure if this is right or terribly wrong. What do you think? Go here.

Follow Ana Samways on Twitter here.