KEY POINTS:
Beats paddling: this pool lounger can be manoeuvred around a swimming pool using two joystick-controlled electric propellers, the same used in tugboats to provide vectored thrust. It is also capable of 360 degree spins. (Source: Presurfer)
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An Australian woman, Sophie Reynolds, was flying aboard SkyWest Airlines from Atlanta to Pittsburgh when she asked a flight attendant if she could have a packet of pretzels instead of crackers. "[The flight attendant] said they didn't have any [pretzels], and I said, 'fair dinkum', out of frustration," Reynolds was quoted as saying in the the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Before she knew it, a second flight attendant asked her for her passport and copied down her name. Then, when the flight landed, three uniformed officers greeted her. "They said, 'You swore at the hostess and there are federal rules against that'," Reynolds said. "And I said, 'I did not swear at the hostess, I just said 'fair dinkum'."
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Italian holiday-makers fleeing overpriced private beaches have met a new enemy on the scant public sand: lone bathers who arrive at dawn and reserve space with towels for sleeping friends and relatives. After complaints, coastguard officials at the Ligurian resort of Diano Marina got up at first light to dish out fines to six early-risers, one an 83-year-old who had unrolled 10 towels by 6am. He said all six "beach hoggers" were over 60, reflecting the holiday habit of dispatching grandparents to bag space. (Source: Guardian)
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The 10 highest paid US TV stars:
Oprah Winfrey (The Oprah Winfrey Show): $260 million a year.
Simon Cowell (American Idol): $45 million.
Judge Sheindlin (Judge Judy): $30 million.
Katie Couric (CBS Evening News Anchor): $15 million.
Zach Braff (Scrubs): $6.3 million.
William Petersen (CSI): $500,000 an episode.
Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men): $350,000 an episode.
Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU): $350,000 an episode.
Chris Meloni (Law & Order: SVU): $350,000 an episode.
Hugh Laurie (House): $300,000 an episode.
(Source: Reuters)
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A reader writes: "I also have received interesting mail, courtesy of the undercover speed camera, recently positioned on Astley Ave, New Lynn. In fact, in the last two weeks I have received six tickets. A couple were for travelling just 61km/h and four were issued within the space of 40 minutes - 10:28 am, 11:01 am, 11:02 am, then another at 11:07 am, all on the same day. I haven't had a speeding ticket in the last 10 years, then all of a sudden six in two weeks? I didn't realise Astley Ave was such a dangerous driving spot where speed deterrents are needed, or is this blatant revenue- gathering gone bloody ridiculous!"
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Grant Michael McKenna isn't bothered by the fisherman who caught the swimming pig in Northland. "Congratulations to the fisherman who killed the feral boar. These animals are a major environmental disaster. Every pig that dies is one more native ground-dwelling bird that lives."
Today's Video Webpick:This woman keeps her stuffed toy "Parsley" close by as she comes face to face with her fear of clowns. Watch it here. Scroll down. These are the very best online videos from Ana's online magazine Spare Room.
