Leanne and friends went to Bastion Pt for a bird's-eye view of Auckland and were shocked to see a man wearing a balaclava sneak up behind some Indian men sitting on the hillside. "He proceeded to intimidate them by circling them closely, while gesticulating and muttering. When one was courageous enough to stare him in the eye, he went to remove what we thought was a knife from his back pocket. We were all frightened and phoned the police, only to be told it was not illegal to wear a balaclava in public and that the Indian men had to phone themselves. Apparently it's only illegal to wear a balaclava in a bank."
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Over-reactions:
1) Police in Western Australia charged a 12-year-old boy with receiving stolen goods. He'd bought a A70c chocolate frog and a A$5 novelty sign. After local media reported on the case, authorities dropped the charges and gave the family A$1000 to pay their court costs.
2) Authorities at an Iowa High School confiscated copies of student newspaper The Growl after finding it had an article questioning whether disciplinary actions against students were consistent, especially when applied to athletes. School officials say information in the article violated student confidentiality. (Source: Reason.com)
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Dr D.G. Woodfield of Kumeu writes about the low-carb beer ad on a school bus. "Very few people know how many 'carbs' are in beer as there is no labelling of carbohydrate levels on beers. So how can the alcohol industry advertise a 'low-carb beer'? I assume the 'low-carb' may be due to the slightly decreased alcohol content (4.2 per cent as compared with the normal 5 per cent) ... Another example of misleading alcohol advertising."
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A reader writes: "The unwitting thief's confession - taking a swimmer's clothes in Lake Tarawera - reminds me of a very stressed engineering colleague, hurrying back to the office after a quick lunchtime workout. Halfway up the road, he realised he had someone else's clothes on."
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Diane needed to close hubby's business mobile account for him during a stay in hospital. "The Telecom rep said she needed to speak to him. I explained that he could not do this for himself. After saying she needed to hear a male voice, I got my 16-year-old son, who said 'can you please close a/c # etc', and it was done. Odd, but I appreciated it."
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Today's Webpick: Why is this Red Cross first aid instructor demonstrating mouth to mouth resuscitation, with a nude model? Go here.
Follow Ana Samways on Twitter
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See today's Herald cartoon
