KEY POINTS:
It was nice to learn in the Herald that no chickens were harmed during the fire at the Tegel factory, says a reader. "These lucky chickens can now look forward to getting slaughtered rather than burned alive."
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Jill Freeman read the item about Visit Britain's most stupid tourist questions and was reminded that when she lived in the United States she was once asked that old chestnut - was there a bridge between Australia and New Zealand?
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Scientists working for the US Air Force have created a self-cleaning fabric, which is being used to create T-shirts and underwear that can be worn hygienically for weeks without washing. A specially developed protective coating on the fibres kills bacteria and forces liquids to bead and run off. The US military spent close to $30 million to develop the fabric, using research originally intended to protect soldiers from biological weapons. A spokesperson said, "During Desert Storm, most casualties were from bacterial infections - not accidents or friendly fire. We treated underwear for soldiers who tested them for several weeks and found they remained hygienic. They also helped clear up some skin complaints." (Source: Livescience.com)
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Spotted at Tahunanui mini golf in Nelson: Mum, Dad and three kids (aged around 8 to 11). Mum wears a T-shirt that says "Because of people like you, people like me need medication". Dad wears T-shirt that says "Jesus is a (insert highly unprintable four letter word)." Nice.
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Topless dancers in Alabama aren't really topless: Dancers are spraying themselves with skin-coloured latex. Under Alabama's strict law regulating exotic dancers, any skin that would normally be covered by a modest bikini must be swathed in an opaque covering. But the law doesn't specify what kind of material must be used, so, in the legal sense, a nylon swimsuit and spray-on latex are virtually the same. (Source: Nerve.com)
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Seven padlocks is overkill, according to a number of readers commenting on the lock-up at Three Kings Park. "Ever heard of a combination lock? I guess [the bureaucrats] couldn't decide which department would pay for it," says one reader. Another suggests only a padlock salesman would think that creating a daisy chain of padlocks was smarter than cutting keys. "Most people know that padlock chains are created by cutting links and inserting your own padlock. [The Three Kings lock-up] indicates a lack of communication by the parties involved."
