Sideswipe: Stop yer whining

Cynical way to brand wine.

Fax cost enough to make you sick

Roy Keane recently picked up his regular prescription from his pharmacy in Pakuranga and noticed that his doctor had omitted an item. "The chemist suggested I ring my doctor and have him fax the script to the pharmacy. I did this but when I picked up the item later I found an additional fax charge of $5 had been added to the price. When querying this I was informed that it was due to the high cost of paper (not even a handling cost). A nice little earner for the pharmacy."

Census lumps wives with whores

India's Supreme Court has criticised the census for grouping housewives with prostitutes, beggars and prisoners in the survey's "economically non-productive" category. "A wife/mother does not work by the clock. She is in constant attendance of the family throughout the day and night unless she is employed and is required to attend the employer's work for particular hours ... She teaches small children and provides invaluable guidance to them for their future life." The Indian national census takes place every 10 years. The 2010 census, which began in April, will cover 1.2 billion Indians, making it the biggest ever attempted. (Source: News.com.au)

Not very rock'n'roll ...

Tough guys in the band Kings of Leon called off their gig in St Louis after just three songs. According to drummer Nathan Followill's Twitter account: "So sorry St Louis. We had to bail, pigeons shitting in Jared's mouth and it was too unsanitary to continue." Whatever happened to "the show must go on"?

Pays to dig around

"Being ripped off in New Zealand? Surely not," says this reader. "I have been feeling homesick for British TV comedy so was searching the racks at Borders on Queen St. The complete collection of One Foot in the Grave is $250. The same set from Amazon.co.uk, $53" (plus postage and packaging of around $20.)

Wake-up call to parts dealers

Grant writes: "A friend of mine was quoted $685 for a new headlight for his Chrysler. Two hours on the net reading a Chrysler Forum, a couple of emails and a US$40 part bought. The piece turned up in three days (four weeks quicker than getting the entire headlight through the dealer). The sooner these dealers realise we are living in a global community now the better."