Sideswipe: Making a public deposit

A frustrated reader writes: "I used to be able to look up from my desk and enjoy the view across the harbour out to Birkenhead, then the Stamford Plaza built up. Seeing people working out in their gym was not as enjoyable but was OK. Then BNZ built its new building on the corner of Queen and Fort St and now we get to look at people making an er ... deposit. Thankfully, doors have been closed when I have looked up, but we certainly see people adjusting themselves. If I was working in that building I'd want to know that what I thought was private was, in fact, very public."

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A reader writes: "I came home from work to find my cleaner (who happens to be my daughter) had left her resignation letter on the kitchen bench. It read: 'Hi Mum. I'm sorry but I can't clean for you any more and here are the reasons why. Within the first 10 minutes of arriving ... Lucy (my 18-month-old grand-daughter) drank the cat's milk, ate the cat's poo, tried to get the cat to eat the poo, then decided to eat the cat's biscuits instead. She then licked the Jif bottle, nearly choked on a cherry pip and stuck the cat in the puppy's water for a bath. She had a rest, ate some crackers, then spat them on the toilet seat. She also threw pebbles at the cat, cleaned the toilet with her sandals and rifled through your bathroom bin. Did I mention she stuck a peg on her lip and got stuck in the desk cabinet, peg attached? Apparently, it's also very exciting to see how far you can drag the cat around by its tail until it scratches you. It's a nightmare, but I guess we can talk about it. xxx.' Needless to say, I will accept her resignation."

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Things were looking up for Michal Preclik. A guard at a maximum-security prison in Nebraska for more than a year, he had just been promoted to corporal. But then someone discovered he was wanted in his native Czech Republic on drug and fraud charges and he was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Preclik passed two background checks, but the Associated Press reports that the first thing that came up when they Googled his name was an Interpol wanted poster. (Source: Reason.com)

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A reader writes: "I'm a fairly regular visitor to Whatipu. The ARC's policy of No Dogs (but if you break the rule use a leash) is too PC and should be changed to: No Dogs (but if you bring it anyway, and it eats the poison bait and dies, it's your own fault. We warned you, No Dogs).

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See today's Herald cartoon