Sideswipe: Plumbing the depths

Photo / Supplied

Julia Doak couldn't help but notice this plumber in Takanini. "A complete stranger spotted me taking the photo," she says. "He too felt it worthy of Sideswipe!"

Top 10 unusual excuses for calling in sick:

1. Employee said a chicken attacked his mum.
2. Employee's finger was stuck in a bowling ball.
3. Employee had a hair transplant gone bad.
4. Employee fell asleep as his desk while working and hit his head.
5. Employee said a cow broke into her house.
6. Employee's girlfriend threw a Sit n Spin toy through his living-room window.
7. Employee's foot was caught in the garbage disposal.
8. Employee called in sick from a bar at 5pm the night before.
9. Employee said he wasn't feeling too clever that day.
10. Employee had to mow the lawn to avoid a lawsuit.

(Source: Newslite.tv.com)

Rising cost of pain

Suresh bought Ibuprofen tablets from a pharmacy in downtown Auckland - the cost on a dentist-provided prescription was $15 for 30 tablets. The same tablets bought from The Warehouse cost $2.79 for 20 tablets. "Great way to make money out of the pain of others! I was told by the pharmacy that it is the government's pricing and not their pharmacy price. Is this right?"

Unnecessary newsmakers

* Someone called police to complain about a mannequin without any pants in a store window, in a Nebraska town. Police arrived to find the store closed, so they taped paper on the window to cover it up. When the owner found out, he complained, but the officer he spoke to told him to come down to the police station so they could charge him with disorderly conduct.
* Some Massachusetts parents are angry that schools are sending home "fat letters" telling them their children are overweight or obese. One such mother was warned her daughter is "borderline overweight". The child is 1.5m and weighs 40kg.

(Source: Reason.com)