Sideswipe: New Zealand, land of coconut palms

Brent Miller writes: "Perhaps the German publisher of this board game should have undertaken a little more research before finalising the artwork. I don't think that coconut palms have quite made it to the beaches of New Zealand. The publisher's blurb describes the game as: "MAORI: at first, all we see is an endless sea. But wait, there!!! Land in site! It's an island. An isle with sumptuous palm trees. We must visit this island. There, we can trade what we have for the natives. Shells. With shells, we can explore more successfully to gain the islands we seek." Hmmmm ...

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AJ writes: "My wife is so worried about getting a ticket for using her mobile while driving that she ducks down below the dashboard to take a call while maintaining speed and direction in the belief that this makes her less noticeable to the authorities. So we bought her an expensive hands-free kit. Now, while maintaining speed and direction, not only does she duck low but she also wastes the first 30 seconds of each conversation bellowing claims into the footwell that the kit doesn't work. Any ideas? And keep clear of South Auckland until this is sorted."

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When Scottish scientists boarded their sub and dived into the depths of Loch Ness, they were hoping to find evidence of a prehistoric creature. Instead, they discovered golf balls; hundreds of thousands of them. The discovery illustrates an alarming report released from the Danish Golf Union showing that golf balls may take between 100 and 1000 years to decompose in the wild. As the balls break down, they release toxins and heavy metals into the environment.

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The fact Jess managed to wriggle her way out of a more expensive speeding ticket and then told off the cop for letting her off got a strong reaction from readers: "He gave her a break, and she's having a go at him for it?" writes one confused reader. "All I got from it was gloating about committing a crime, without a hint of remorse or modesty." And Angela thinks Jess is a spiteful little miss. "The self-styled 'pretty young woman' asks for a big favour of a cop, gets a little favour instead and labels him a liar! I believe it falls under the heading of discretion."

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See today's Herald cartoon