Sideswipe: Mistaken identity

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Trev Roberts spotted this sign (pictured, left) outside the Albion Hotel in Auckland City. "Now we know why the Warriors lost. The Mighty Telecom Warriors were supposed to play, not the usual Vodafone Warriors."

So last century

Westgate Takeaways (formerly Ivan's Takeaways) has this sign (pictured, right) in the shop window. "Is it time for a new advertising strategy?" wonders Graeme Shaw. "Fifteen years ago they were a finalist - not even the winner."

Nearly dead

A reader was amused by the presumptuous headline in the real estate listing in the South Waikato News last week. It read: "Almost A Deceased Estate."

Dirty sales tactics

"I allowed two men into my home to demonstrate a cleaning system," says Jan. "It turned out to be one and a half hours hard-sell of a vacuum cleaner. I told them I wasn't in the market for a $3000 vacuum, so they packed up. One asked to use the toilet. Later, I found he'd sprayed all over the seat and the floor."

Support those melons

An organic grower in Britain wants her customers' old bras - large DD ones - to support her melons. Her Gallia melons have been getting so large they have been falling off the vines and getting damaged. "In the smaller bras, the melons spill out of them, so we need the DD cup, which cradles them nicely," she said. Next year, she hopes to start producing watermelons as well, although she said they would probably require an FF cup. (Source: BBC.co.uk)

Big givers

Australia and New Zealand are the most generous countries when it comes to charities, according to the World Giving Index study, which surveyed 195,000 people in 153 countries. It found that a fifth of the world's population had volunteered, almost a third had given money to charity, and 45 per cent had been "good Samaritans" and helped a stranger. Ireland and Canada were the next most generous nations.

Back to the future

Rob, of Mt Wellington, says all over Auckland there are permanent stand-up placards, explaining the history of the local area. "The one near the old changing sheds at Kohimarama depicts the area in 1931 with hardly any houses and no changing sheds. Another, in 1920, shows more houses and the changing sheds. A case of back to the future?"

Novel homework excuses

Tech-savvy children are coming up with more extravagant excuses for not getting their homework in on time. The most common excuse is now, "I emailed it to you, but I got a bounce-back email", followed by, "I deleted it by accident". The ever-popular "the dog ate it" came in at No 3.

Today's Webpick: Mattress ad FAIL... Go here.

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