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Opinion
Home / New Zealand

<i>Sideswipe:</i> Wednesday

Ana Samways
Opinion by
Ana Samways,
Sideswipe - ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz·
7 Aug, 2007 04:59 PM3 mins to read

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This sign on the wall of the Two Fish Cafe in Opotiki

This sign on the wall of the Two Fish Cafe in Opotiki

KEY POINTS:

Richie McCaw Is So Tuff.

When Richie McCaw does a push-up, he isn't lifting himself up; he's pushing the Earth down.

Richie McCaw can slam a revolving door.

Richie McCaw's tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried. Ever.

Superman owns a pair of Richie McCaw pyjamas.

Richie McCaw sold his soul to the devil for his rugged good looks and unparalleled rugby ability. Shortly after the transaction was finalised, Richie spear-tackled the devil and took his soul back. The devil, who appreciates irony, couldn't stay mad and admitted he should have seen it coming. They now play poker every second Wednesday of the month.

The only time Richie McCaw was wrong was when he thought he had made a mistake.

(More at local blog BitsOnTheSide.co.nz)

* * *

Iowa woman Jodi Perkins is so desperate to give up her 23-year smoking habit she volunteered to spend time in jail to help her quit. Perkins called the local jail to see if officials would allow her to spend her holidays inside so she could get the nicotine out of her system. She offered to pay whatever fee might be required. "It is a sickness - an addiction," said Perkins, who claims she has tried just about everything to stop. "This is shameful. I can't take it any more. I don't know what to do. I need to be removed from the nicotine. Willpower doesn't do it for me." The sheriff's office said no to her request.

* * *

Hugh reckons Sideswipe has a moral obligation to distinguish between right and wrong. "Two articles in your column, within about a week of each other, prompt me to contact," he says. "One was about a woman who had to change a tyre while having to hold on to a horse and nobody stopped, and the other was about practical jokes/revenge involving entering someone's apartment and running up large phone bills in their absence. The combination seems quite hypocritical to me. I certainly want to be a part of a society where people would always stop to help with changing a tyre, which is presumably your motive for including that article, but then to condone "jokes" (revenge) at others' expense, whether financially or otherwise, sends the opposite message, one where vindictiveness is socially acceptable. You can't expect people to help you when you need it if you're going to encourage gross selfishness (and childishness). I want to encourage you to play your part in making a society that works better. I don't know how that can happen without a clear and vocal message of right and wrong. Please consider this when publishing your column." (Smoking is wrong, Richie McCaw is right and we're not sure about Benson-Pope - Sideswipe)

Today's Video Webpick:When ferrets attack...it's usually not with a chainsaw. Watch it here. These are the very best online videos from Ana's online magazine Spare Room.

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