Sideswipe: Kinder Surprise surprise

Noel spotted this sign at the side of the road in Kaitaia. Photo / Supplied

Kinder Surprise surprise

Canadian Lind Bird found out that United States authorities have banned the chocolate egg treat because they come with a plastic toy inside that could, if eaten, choke a small child. She was threatened with a US$300 ($395) fine and had her car searched as she crossed the border into the US. In the months following she was sent a seven-page letter asking her to formally authorise the destruction of her seized Kinder egg. Officials said they've seized more than 25,000 of the treats in 2000 seizures. (Source: CBC News)

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Young innocent

A 5-year-old boy in Dublin was awarded the equivalent of $13,000 from a shopkeeper who grabbed his arm and wrongly accused him of being a thief. Under the law, the boy had to prove that he has, at age 5, a "reputation in the community" for truth-telling and that his reputation had been damaged.

(Source: News of the Weird)

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Hip-hop top-up

The share price for stock in H&H Imports went up 290 per cent after rapper 50 Cent, who part-owns a portion of the company, tweeted repeatedly about how successful he predicted the company to be, making himself US$10 million, according to one calculation.

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Two into one

To the business school graduate complaining of misspellings: "During the graduation season last year, I noticed signs around the university that also said 'congradulations' to the new graduates. It seems like a neologism of 'congratulations' and 'graduation'. Would that make it a FAIL or a WIN?"

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Out of the depths ...

Sideswipe's holiday lost and found service:

* Lauren writes: "My cousin was snorkelling at Goat Island Marine Reserve this week and came across a wedding ring in the water among the rocks. It appears to be a man's ring, and has a date engraved on the inside. If the owner can tell me the date we will happily return it. Email thewylies@xtra.co.nz."

* To the guy who was driving the black Holden and whose sunglasses blew off while he was on his jetski in Whangamata harbour on Sunday, January 9 - we found them. Call (07) 865-8515.