Sideswipe: Don't forget our special

Photo / Supplied

Spotted in Foodtown 277 Newmarket by Eve Woodham.

Prejudice runs deep

A reader writes: "Yesterday I went for breakfast with a mate who's disabled. He parked in a disabled parking spot in between the Neighbourhood bar and Shaky Isles, in Kingsland, careful to display his parking pass on the dashboard. When we got back to the car, we found this note, with a dose of whipped cream smeared on the windshield and on the door handle: "You see why New Zealanders hate Aucklanders!! Bunch of inconciderate prick who think they can park anywhere cause they have an alfa romeo - no excuses - you're a rich prick!!"
I wonder how the vengeful person missed the gigantic orange pass on the dashboard. Is he/she simply unobservant or are their prejudices so deep-seated they can't imagine someone with a disability doing well enough in life to afford a nice car?"

Couch potatoes take note

World Cup Weight Gain: Men's Health magazine estimates a diehard World Cup fan could gain 15.7kg if they watch every game between June 11 and July 11. A fan watching a game with friends will drink, on average, four cans of lager and eat three slices of pizza, half a bag of nacho chips and half a pot of dip - adding up to 1913.5 kilocalories. In contrast, the energy expended while watching - even accounting for gesticulating, shouting and leaping to one's feet every so often - is just 215.5kcals.
(Source: BBC.co.uk)

Time to raid Swiss deposit box

Jonathan Obelus writes: "From time to time there comes on the market an item that you immediately think, 'I have just got to have one of those.' Such an item is the Scuderia Ferrari One wristwatch made by Cabestan of Switzerland. The price? A mere snip at $526,888. Be quick though ... only 60 are being made. You also have to own a Ferrari to be eligible."

Some people need rewiring

Meter Madness: "I agree that visits every two months are probably excessive. Unfortunately, checking pre-paid meters is a necessity. I have heard of people rewiring the meter so electricity continues to flow even when the meter is out of credit. My father was working on a house in Patea a friend had bought ... The last tenants had rewired the meter so that certain things (lights, stoves, certain power points) bypassed the meter and others didn't - low power charges to avoid suspicion, although it was very dangerous and the wire was far too thin for the power carried."

Rude behaviour could be costly

A reader writes: "To the rude lady and her friends driving a pale BMW in the undercover carpark at Sylvia Park on Friday: After cutting through the pedestrian access at speed to take a vacated parking space, you nearly clipped my car and also took the space from an older gentleman waiting with his indicator on. You were in such a hurry to get to lunch you also dropped your wallet next to your car - which I now have. I may drop it off at the Sylvia Park info desk ... or I may drop it into the nearest rubbish bin."