KEY POINTS:
Further to complaints about roadside rubbish, Jocelyn bemoans the souvenir left behind after Vector works on Manutara Ave in Forrest Hill. "Contractors for Vector have removed everything else and left the mud and portaloo."
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A quick check on Google reveals the dull truth behind the use of the word "rehabilitation"' when referring to road works, says Andy Irwin. "It's an American term for extending the life of a road without completely reconstructing it. I think this usage must have followed the building industry. Old buildings can be rehabilitated - made fit to live in - without demolishing them. So pavement rehabilitation is making old roads fit to live in - just observe the morning motorway queue to see how appropriate the word is."
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People wandering around with chainsaws can be quite scary, writes Gina Dance: "Last Friday night I was waiting for a train into town and there was a guy waiting with a real chainsaw. It freaked me, and the person I was with, out. What is someone doing with a chainsaw at 7pm on a Friday night? Didn't look like he was coming home from work. When the train that he was trying to get on arrived, the conductor announced over the loud speaker to not let the guy on because he had a weapon. Don't think the guy got on in the end, but thank god he was over the other side of the tracks."
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Faster than the speed of light? L. Morrison asks if anyone else has noticed the misleading terms creeping into advertisements and offers a few examples: "In furniture advertisements, plain footstools are now called ottomans - which they aren't. An Auckland real estate agent advertised 'a bungalow-style house, with rooms upstairs.' On apartment plans, bathrooms called en suites, when they are not. In an ad for Virgin Galactic flights: 'The aircraft will then reach the speed of sound in less than 10 seconds, and nearly four times the speed of light in under 30 seconds.' I kid you not! But I was really upset, when in the cooking section of the Herald a few weeks ago, they had a recipe from my childhood for Butterfly Cakes, with a photo of a cup cake - no wings to be seen."
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Lost a rail pass? An Auckland worker found a five-stage rail concession ticket in the gutter outside Hollywood Bakery on the corner of Queen St and Mayoral Drive. "There are still eight clips left on it and I am sure the owner would like it back as they are expensive. Hopefully we can locate the owner."
Today's Webpick: This surfer dude grabs a big hunk of raw meat, a fishing rod and his surfboard and jumps into the sea for a bit of shark surfing. Watch it here.
These are the very best online videos from Ana's online magazine Spare Room.
