Tom Scott writes: "You might be interested to see where Robert Muldoon got his quote. As he had banned me from his press conferences months before a piece appeared in the Listener I was amazed and chuffed when he helped himself to the line."
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Terry Lamb of
Wattle Downs says his young grandson is going through a stage of being very interested in lizards, snakes and crocodiles. "As do most children of his age, he watches, and is influenced by what he sees on television, particularly the advertisements, and is quick to ask his mother questions if he does not understand. So you can imagine the look on his mother's face when, after watching one particular ad, he asked: 'Mum, what is a reptile dysfunction?' I don't know what answer she gave him, but I've been having a good chuckle to myself all weekend!"
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A reader writes: "Vodafone's Global Roaming works well. On landing and switching on my mobile I received a 'Vodafone welcomes U to Jamaica' text. I only got as far as Samoa."
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Simon notes that many of the Kiwi one-liners being submitted are derived from advertising: "We all watched telly as a group, either family or friends back then," he says. "Nowadays, more than two people watching the same broadcast together is rare. As a matter of course, we mute the ads and watch a lot of Sky/cable channels, so I doubt any ads these days will have a lasting legacy. Incidentally, the bloke who thought up 'Get more go on Moro', won international acclaim for it, although the thought of someone travelling to New York to receive an award for a single phrase annoys me intensely. But there is, or was, clearly money in creating such drivel."
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A reader writes: "Have any other readers had my experience (twice now) of having a letter posted in Auckland (ordinary size, sent by ordinary mail) take six days to get to Christchurch? It's not that long ago that Fast Post meant guaranteed overnight delivery between the major cities - for 60c. Now such a delivery costs $7. An increase in electronic communications and apparently a drop in the total amount of mail being sent may account for some delay - but six days?"
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Low fire danger in snowy Alaska: A reader says most of the interior of Alaska can be very dry and even in winter there can be high fire danger.
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A book of Sideswipe's best bits is coming soon and if you have ever had a picture published in the column, and would like it considered for the book, email me at ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz with a description of the photo you submitted. New pictures welcome; now's the time to send that picture you've been meaning to send.
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View today's Herald cartoon
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Today's Webpick: Woman gets revenge on a tow truck driver. Watch it
These are the very best online videos from Ana's online magazine