Sideswipe: Recession toys

Spotted on a wall in Titirangi by Mike Westgate.

Recession toys: Pallets with reinforced cardboard corner protectors are perfect for a child's house, shop, train station, whatever you like, writes Joseph.

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She'll never live this one down: "A co-worker of mine went over to a friend's place and accidentally left her car lights on. When she returned to her car, she could not get in as the remote on the alarm would not unlock the car. What to do? she thought. So she called the locksmith to unlock her car. When she told me the story, I said, 'Why didn't you just use the car key?"'

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Kate Jenkins went for a run in Melbourne's Botanical Gardens last week only to be stopped by an official-looking man in uniform. "Apparently the steps I was running up are 'steps for stepping up and not to be used as a gymnasium'. After apologising profusely I managed to wangle my way out of an instant $200 fine (no chance of using my ladylike charms in my sweaty state). Perhaps this explains why Aussies are the fattest in the world - and yes, the man in uniform was morbidly obese. Can I come home now?"

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Stupid decisions in brief: 1) An 86-year-old motorist died as a cop pursued a guy for having illegal window tint in Jacksonville, Florida. The cop was going 160 km/h. 2) Devon Smith, 14, has been suspended from his high school in Columbus, Ohio, and could be expelled. His crime? Smith shot a foam Nerf dart at a friend and school officials say that violated the school's zero-tolerance policy on weapons.

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A reader writes: "There is a prominent Aussie rugby league player named Matt Hilder. That's okay... but not when preceded with his nickname, Waltzing."

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David Le Cheminant has completed a price comparison of prepared coleslaw. "In just one week the shredded cabbage/carrot combo went from $4.89/kg to $7.35/kg. Buyers beware."AREADER asks: "Would it be possible for a rep from the petrol companies to explain why so few stations have eftpos at the pump? This system (when you can find it) is convenient (especially on a motorcycle), negates the need for pre-pay, and helps people who just want petrol to avoid long queues of people buying milk and bread with their gas. Why is it not more widespread?"

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