Sideswipe: Can't Hide that smile

What are the odds?

Spotted on dentalartistry.co.nz, a gleaming endorsement from Rodney Hide for the work he had done on his choppers. Let's hope this isn't yet another "perk" of the job. "Thanks for the fantastic job! I was so sick of having my teeth break and wear away, and with the job I'm in it's important to look presentable. I didn't do this lightly, but it's the best thing I've ever done. I've never felt better and I enjoy smiling a lot more." Rodney Hide.

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A reader explains how he solved his plumbing problem: "In Hamilton, the aerator tip of our mixer tap exploded, spitting plastic bits, metal strainers and a rubber ring into the kitchen sink. I Googled the name on the surviving bit and emailed the American maker. A reply came from their Australian branch advising me to contact an Auckland firm. Not knowing what the bits I wanted were called, I took a picture of the tap and sent it to my usual plumber. He replied with a reference number to quote to the local shop about 10 minutes' walk away. Ah! The Global Village."

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A certain North Shore college has a history of harassing and intimidating students and families who don't pay the school donation, writes a parent of the school in question. "Over the past year, I have been told verbally and in writing that my children can't attend class, can't sit their exams and that I'll be referred to the debt collectors, all because I haven't paid the school donation (or a $200 surcharge introduced without notice or agreement in August 2008 and payable only by those families who haven't paid the donation). The latest episode is that my son will not be allowed to attend the Year 13 graduation dinner unless I pay a $50 surcharge. Students cannot attend school camps or the school ball unless $50 surcharges are paid. Both the Education Review Office and the Ministry of Education have separately told me that this particular high school is regarded as a law unto itself. If the minister really is interested in eliminating bullying from schools, she should start with this school's heavy-handed administration first."

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In addition to the great line-up of aircraft rego letters at Bayflight, Tauranga, Andrew says it's a common theme to come up with amusing and interesting regos in the aviation community. "One company at one time had both WET and SEX as aircraft regos in their company and an aerobatic aircraft in Auckland is registered as MAD. Another company in Auckland had two aircraft YES and SIR. I first went solo in DAD, which is frequently heard over the radio as 'Delpha Alpha Delpha' as poor students get tongue-tied on the radio."

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View today's Herald cartoon

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