Intentional Semitic reference or a faux pas-ish use of the Star of David at Kiwi Bank Palmerston North. (Thanks Colin)
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French politicians are campaigning for government health warnings on pictures that have been enhanced by Photoshop. MP Valerie Boyer said the wording should read: "Retouched photograph aimed at changing a person's physical appearance." Mrs Boyer, said: "We want to combat the stereotypical image that all women are young and slim. Many young people, particularly girls, do not know the difference between virtual and reality, and can develop complexes from a very young age."
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Scamming the kindness of strangers: Forty-three readers emailed with reports of similar approaches from a stranger claiming to have run out of petrol and needing to get home - from all over Auckland. One such victim writes: "The petrol scam happened to me in a way at the BP petrol store in Mt Albert. I was sitting in my work van when a middle-aged woman asked me if I could spare some cash as she had left her home without her purse and did not have any money for petrol and not enough to get home. Polite, well dressed ... couldn't be a scam right? I handed over $10 and watched as she went inside, ordered a coffee, hopped in her car and drove away. Hope it was boiling hot and burnt her mouth."
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Ofor Awestruck? ... "My Samoan sister-in-law is obviously no boxing fan. She and her sister were at an Onehunga cafe for coffee yesterday morning and struck up a conversation with another customer. She got back to her seat and told her sister she congratulated the stranger on his choice of a Tuaminator T-shirt. And the wearer? The Tuaminator himself."
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Identifying yourself: "I've got a UK licence and an Irish licence ... all of which Air NZ accepted as ID while boarding flights in NZ," writes a visitor to New Zealand. "However, not a single bar would accept it as ID, and as my passport was in the UK High Commission, I had a 'dry' holiday in NZ."
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Amanda Carter from Amanda's Electrolysis and Waxing on the North Shore writes: "Thank you for showing my sign in yesterday's sideswipe column. [Waxing] PhD stands for Professional Hygienic Disposable Waxing System. Obviously your reader is not a hairy man and in need of a wax otherwise he would have known this."
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View today's Herald cartoon
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<i>Sideswipe</i>: Need a personal loan?
The headless scientist appearing in an ad for UCOL. 'I suspect this is PC at work and that a socially-acceptable head can be fitted to the female scientist to suit the advertising demographic,' says eagle-eyed Martin.
Opinion by Ana SamwaysLearn more
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