Sideswipe: Parking warden humour?

Parking warden humour and no ticket in sight. Photo / Supplied

Clarke got caught rubbing the chalk off his car tyre in a P60 space and ran off like a coward ... Only to return later to find this ... and no ticket!

High-voltage creeper
Ian Ashmore says Barry from Mission Bay should definitely not cut the creeper if it is entangled in high-voltage power lines. "There is every possibility the creeper could be carrying an electrical current through it and any attempt to cut it could result in a potentially fatal shock. The power board should be able to pop the fuse and shut down the line to allow safe removal of the vine."

Beware the raging blonde blogger!
Beware the wrath of the social media mafia. The National Business Review and champagne brand Veuve Clicquot have had to stump up twice in a competition giving away the winner's body weight in Veuve after attracting the wrath of the blogosphere over the rules of the promotion.

The NBR website competition asked readers to give the reason they should win, then ran an online poll in which readers could vote for the best answers.

Assuming it was a popularity contest, right-wing blogger Busted Blonde set to work online soliciting votes and won easily.

Then NBR revealed its judges would decide the winner, offering Busted Blonde a magnum of champagne as consolation.

But Busted Blonde, blogging furiously, created a storm of geekworld anger.

Yesterday, NBR caved in to the pressure. They'll still pick their winner but Busted Blonde will get her weight in posh plonk.

Political blunder
You have to wonder how much Labour MP David Shearer knows about his electorate. His press release said Mt Albert was still a safe place to shop and do business "despite the tragic death of an intruder when he broke into Garth Gilbert's pharmacy". Only half an hour later, the press release was re-issued with the pharmacist's correct name - Grant Gillard. Shearer's electorate office is 200m or so from Gillard's shop.