KEY POINTS:
In Tuesday night's One News report on the legal resolution reached between fashion designers Trelise Cooper and Tamsin Cooper, reporter Juliet McVeigh continually referred to the Arrowtown designer as Tasman - as in the big sea between New Zealand and Australia, as in the Dutch explorer, as in the national park. As if the poor woman hadn't suffered enough with the fight to use her own name, only to have the national news bastardise her moniker on TV. No one in the news team picked up on it, but after the story anchor-boy Simon Dallow noticeably squirmed.
* * *
The Auckland City Council must be the only one secretly breathing a sigh of relief at not having the embarrassment of organising a victory parade down the shambles that is now Queen St, says Anah Dunsheath from Central Auckland. "When is it going to be finished? It has been affecting retailers for six months now and for what? Wider pavements to seat the $2 shoppers? I noticed the figure has gone up from $23 million last week and the upgrade is now to cost us $41 million. Do they need that much more to keep the nikau trees alive in an exposed street instead of their natural environment deep in the bush, or is it the cost of repaving Vulcan Lane, which we were all quite happy with before?"
* * *
Many people avoid red wine for fear of staining their teeth, but new research suggests the stuff actually helps prevent tooth decay, gum disease and sore throats. The Daily Mail says Italian researchers claim that both red and white varieties have powerful germ-killing ingredients. Says Professor Gabriella Gazzani: "Overall, our findings seem to indicate that wine can act as an effective anti-microbial agent against streptococci bacteria and upper respiratory tract infections." But she adds: "We should still drink wine because it tastes good, goes well with food and is a pleasure to share with company. And we should still brush and floss our teeth the accepted way."
* * *
David writes: "Somebody in the UK mailed a letter (or possibly a card) to a Mr P. Lambden, thinking that person lived at my address. He doesn't. I have done a number of searches - White Pages, Google, etc, and can't find anybody in New Zealand by that name. A gut feeling tells me that this envelope contains an important document and I would like to help it get to its destination. I wonder if a notice in your column might help. The claimant would have to prove that he is the rightful recipient, of course. Contact me on 027 290 3870."
* * *
Auckland illustrator and toy collector Joseph Senior reveals himself to be the artist behind the Hello Kitty "Moko Moggy" featured in Sideswipe yesterday. He says they aren't part of the official Hello Kitty franchise and he just paints them for kicks and a comment on pop culture. Check out his Star Wars parodies at www.myspace.com/yodanz.