KEY POINTS:
Martin Burford noticed these strange spaceship-like clouds while driving to Napier. "The one on the left tilted and started to move away at reasonable speed and the other one remained stationary over the hilltop."
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The Vatican is not happy with the novelty "Jesus Party Wig". The costume, on sale in Italy to wear at the street festivities that precede Lent, costs $22 and comes with a flowing beard and a plastic crown of thorns. Senior Vatican figures called it "blasphemous" and one said a Muhammad fancy dress would cause widespread outrage. A shopkeeper who sells the outfit said: "To me, it's just a novelty wig and beard."
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A reader got quite a fright when she flicked through a Sunday publication. "Staring up at me in all his hairy and stubbly glory was Mark Sainsbury - very close up. Too close for comfort. I get the message - he's ... Close ... Up. But, really, he looks much better from about 4ft away."
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On Friday Sideswipe published a story about a yachtie who, while racing on the Waitemata Harbour on Wednesday night, had an incident with a group fishing from a launch. The racing yachtie says the fishers got in the way of a fleet of sail boats which duly swiped their bait board and rods, and he wanted to return them. But another seaman had this to say: "The helmsman of that yacht which hit the launch out fishing should be prosecuted. His actions clearly breached the maritime rules, which say that a sailing vessel must keep out of the way of a vessel engaged in fishing. Sounds like about $500 damage at $200 a rod minimum and $100 for a bait board. That's assuming he didn't tear the board out of the transom, then it could be thousands. I can't believe the yachtie was so arrogant as to keep racing and not return to apologise and see what damage he had done to the other boat. On the road that's called hit-and-run."
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The sign outside Murrays Bay School informs the public that it, with Murrays Bay Intermediate, have "the first duel school accreditation worldwide". Well done, but "is it with swords, sabres or pistols?" asks a North Shore reader.
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A Mexican cabbie is searching for a world body to crown him king of the raw-chilli eaters. Manuel Quiroz can guzzle down dozens of Mexico's spiciest chillies, rub them on his skin and even squeeze their juice into his eyes without so much as blinking. The 54-year-old Mexico City taxi driver has made thousands of dollars with his talent and wants to become the world champion chilli eater. But first he needs to find an organisation that can crown him. Quiroz says he discovered his talent when he was 7 and grew up betting people that he could eat more chillies than they could. He never lost. He says he has never been examined by a doctor to find out if there is a medical explanation for his extraordinary endurance. "Why would I go and see a doctor?" he says."There is nothing wrong with me. Eating chillies makes me feel great."
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Starting this month Sideswipe will link to a humorous, satirical or simply strange video clips selected from the infinite mount of nothingness hosted on YouTube and the like. The very best online videos will be carefully chosen and hosted on Ana's online magazine Spare Room and shared with Sideswipe readers every day.
Today's Video Webpick: This montage of news bloopers from around the world is an oldie but a goodie. There's nothing funnier than unintentional sexual innuendo, especially on live television. Warning: this is laugh-out-loud funny. Watch it: video
