Sideswipe: Christmas hedge

The proud owners of this quirky hedge in the Auckland suburb of Hillsborough have dressed it up for Christmas.

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New Zealand's 10 most watched TV episodes of 2009 were all TV One shows, and mostly local content. Here's the full list, with estimated audience figures:

1. South 818,000
2. Dancing with the Stars Finale814,000
3. Border Security 782,000
4. Fair Go 750,000
5. The Politically Incorrect Parenting Show 738,000
6. National Bank Country Calendar 734,000
7. Sunday 710,000
8. One News 706,000
8. Wild Vets 706,000
10. Animal Rescue 691,000

(Source: throng.co.nz)

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A reader writes: "I can't believe people are still buying into the bottled water scam. It is an utter waste of money and bad for the environment, yet we still have numpties like Water for Everyone (also known as Money for All Blacks) flogging it. Alcohol now costs less than water in British supermarkets."

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Bah humbug: A reader says TelstraClear is advertising "Now is Good" for their broadband internet service. "I signed up for their new faster service in November, to be told it would take 2 or 3 days to get changed over. After a couple of weeks with no change, I phoned them to be told it would take about 22 working days to be connected as the uptake of the offer was bigger than they expected. After about a month, they wrote: 'Sorry, but it is taking a bit longer than we thought. Expect a better connection sometime in January.' 'Now is good' seems a bit of a joke, really."

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Petrol scam update: Seen on Accent Drive in Botany on Tuesday, same old guy and his wife in their white Toyota Corolla stationwagon flagging people down asking for petrol money. "A quick call to *555 brought a traffic patrol to the scene," says our informant. "Stay alert people, Spongebob and his side-kick are still around!"

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A reader writes: "The year is a measure of time, so yes you do start counting at 0. Let me ask you this: how old is a newborn baby?"

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Not Bret from Flight of the Conchords: Some said Mike Hosking was better for Joseph from that billboard, on account of his "cow eyes".

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See today's Herald cartoon