Sideswipe: Driving brilliance

Paul from Wellington came across this brilliant piece of parking in our nation's capital over the weekend. It seems this learner driver has still to discover those stripey lines mean it may not be a good place to park. Full credit must also go to the fellow parker who assisted in the education of this learner driver/parker.

Vice squad makeover

Scotland Yard's famous vice squad, which deals with prostitution and other aspects of London's underworld, has changed its title to the rather less dynamic "Serious Crime Directorate 9: Human Exploitation and Organised Crime Command", or SCD9 for short. Metropolitan Police sources said the switch had been ordered in part because the word "vice" was thought to have negative connotations. It reflects a growing trend by law enforcement agencies to treat prostitutes as victims rather than offenders, Britain's Daily Telegraph says.

Whiffy winner

A new sewage-pumping vessel in Salisbury, Massachusetts, travels from boat to boat to empty onboard septic systems. Suggestions for the harbour commission's boat-naming contest included Poop Sloop, Dung Dinghy, Pumpty Dumpty and Poo Pourrie. The winner was Down Winder - other boats will learn to keep it down wind. (cavenews.blogs / UPI)

Parking nightmares

And you thought trying to find a park in Auckland was bad. A UK survey claims to have found drivers spend almost a year of their lives searching for a parking space. The average motorist loses more than six days a year looking for a spot, according to the poll of 9000 drivers. Based on a motorists' driving "life" lasting around 50 years, the lost time adds up to 7600 hours, or more than 45 weeks. (bigpondnews.com)

Venomous lifesaver

When they're not actively trying to kill you, it appears scorpions may be able to save your life. A Leeds University study, published online in Cardiovascular Research, has found that a toxin in the venom of the Central American bark scorpion (Centruroides margaritatus) is at least 100 times more potent at preventing the most common cause of bypass graft failure than any other known compound. (bigpondnews.com)