Sideswipe: Flexi-feline

This young cat-napper doesn't seem to mind being hung out to dry.

Vote catcher or dispatcher?

Jessica received a charming, recorded cold-call from the John Banks campaign. "Apparently if I vote for Len Brown, he'll hike my rates and send the money to South Auckland to pay for its crime and problems. Gee, I thought I moved to Remuera so I wouldn't have to think about those less prosperous than me. How can they assume that just because I live in Remuera I'll automatically have a 'xenophobic' view of South Auckland? This is why I did not vote for John Banks."

Quoting by the seat of your pants

Sky TV is running promos for Stephen Fry's Kingdom series that say, "If the law is an arse, he's the underpants that holds it all together." Malcolm Bell writes: "The original quote from Dickens' Oliver Twist is 'the law is an ass' - that is a donkey, not a bottom. I'm sure the erudite Fry would be mortified. "

Mobile madness at the movies

"It's not the kids who have no manners these days, it's the golden oldies," declares Dave. "Went to the movies on Tuesday to see Wall Street . Found I was one of only three people in the theatre, with a couple of oldies right behind me. Fifteen minutes in, .. ring bloody ring ... ring bloody ring. She answered the call and had a conversation. A polite 'excuse me' had no effect, a less polite 'turn your phone off or go outside' was ignored. Afterwards, I approached the elderly lady and asked if she realised how annoying it had been. She just laughed and thought it was a joke."

Hot curves

Visitors to the the Vdara hotel in Las Vegas claim they've been left with burns and singed hair because its concave shape creates a powerful "death ray" of reflected sunlight directed at the swimming pool area. Guest Bill Pintas said he was sitting in a chair when "all of a sudden my hair and the top of my head are burning. I'm rubbing my head; it felt like a chemical burn. I couldn't imagine what it was." He sheltered under an umbrella, but the sun managed to burn through a plastic bag carrying reading matter. Hotel staff confirmed the problem, saying, 'Yeah, we know. We call it the death ray'." (Source: The Register.co.uk)

Charity for the planet, not poor

Mark Barlow would like to respond to the jabs at clothes-recycling bins. "The actual purpose of recycling is to stop products that can be recycled from being dumped into landfills. I find it odd that everyone is getting up in arms about charity when it's actually about saving the planet, not rescuing the poor."

Monster audition for new talent

Eyeworks TV is making a New Zealand version of World's Strictest Parents and is looking for spoilt or rebellious teens aged 14 to 19 years. The teens will leave their families to live with someone else's very strict parents, where they'll be knocked into shape. Call Lisa Burd on (09) 379-7867 or email lisa.burd@eyeworks.tv if you're a teen seeking TV notoriety or frazzled parents of a teen in need of fixing.