KEY POINTS:
Brendon Houlihan, who has lived in China for the past 2 1/2 years, reckons banking can be quite a trying experience. "Thus the use of ATMs is preferable to going into a branch," he says. "Needless to say I was surprised to see a new approach by the ICBC Bank clearly recognising this fact and promoting the concept of self-service, however I think they've taken the concept a little too far!"
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A reader from Christchurch is enjoying checking out Barack Obama's supporters' page on Facebook. Particular favourites on the discussion boards include this from Nick Dunwell of East Carolina, who says: "I mean, think, say an alien race comes to Earth to talk to America. Who do you think they want to meet? President Clinton, all crazy and hostile, or President Obama, who has a cool name and is a nice black guy with smooth language usage? I bet aliens like football! We need someone who is able to HANDLE these things."
Jane Lu from New York had this to add: "But some in the Democratic Party are so partisan, they would rather elect Hillary even with the poor taste she showed with her choice of clothing and with the cunning she showed with her laughs, simply because she promised them what they want."
And finally, Angela Small from Chicago wrote: "If I thought a sheep could do it the best, I would vote for the sheep."
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If one more waiter places a meal in front of me and says 'enjoy', I'll scream," says Shaun. "The expression has obviously caught on big time because I bought a pair of jeans last weekend and was told to 'enjoy' them too! Ex-waiter maybe?"
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Inappropriate music: "If it makes those visiting the Warehouse feel any better," writes Lisa, "while standing in the car park after my grandmother's funeral, the funeral home's choice of music included Gangsta's Paradise, a rap song by Coolio from the movie Dangerous Minds (1995). Possibly not what a woman in her eighties would choose for her final goodbye, and definitely not expected nor wanted."
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At the risk of giving our local body politicians an idea, the Murfreesboro City Council in Tennessee has banned people from placing couches or other indoor furniture on their front porches. They also banned people from parking on their lawns. Resident Shari Hinton told a local TV station she sometimes parks on her grass to keep from blocking another car in her driveway. "If someone else is trying to get out, it's just a bother, so it's convenient to park on the lawn," she said. (Source: Reason.com)
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British road safety officials have criticised a man who faked his own death to avoid paying 180 speeding fines. Shafkat Munir pretended he was dead after being caught speeding on three occasions between January and February last year. He has been sentenced to a year in jail.
