Sideswipe

Maurice C. Hornsby of Kerikeri snapped this self-service speed camera installation at an undisclosed location somewhere in Northland.

A New York Times reporter valiantly tries to describe cricket to American audiences, vis a vis the Pakistan-England furore: "The umpire, Darrell Hair of Australia, a person known for contentious rulings against some Asian teams, then removed the bails - little wooden bits that fit horizontally across the top of the larger wooden stakes called stumps - denoting that Pakistan had forfeited the game."

* * *

A 29-year-old Catholic-raised American woman who is still a virgin has begun an online hunt for a man to have sex with before she turns 30. Sarah DiMuro, who went to an all-girls' school and women-only university, hopes readers of Jane magazine will find her the right man by the time she celebrates her birthday on November 7. They can nominate potential suitors via the magazine's website and DiMuro will choose suitable dates, reporting back in her blog. The attractive blonde comedienne has been on one date. She got on well with the man but felt they had no real connection."Recently I just became startlingly aware of the fact that I'm about to turn 30. Some people buy a new car. Some people get their hair cut differently," she says.

* * *

There's no pleasing some feminists: Trying to mend the gender imbalance, Sesame Street introduced a new girl character, Abby Cadabby. But already she's getting flak: "The last thing little girls need is one more pink fairy," says Susan Linn, co-founder of the campaign for a commercial-free childhood. "My understanding is that she's a little incompetent with her magic, too. I'm concerned that now even the Sesame workshop has bought into the girly, girly commercialised image of what it is to be feminine. They could have had an Asian girl, they could have had a girl who's really good at math. They could have had someone who's just more complex."

* * *

David Read of Hospitality Management Consultants writes: "In defence of the staff at New World Victoria Park who refused a South American driver's licence as acceptable ID for a liquor purchase. They were doing their job - congratulations to them. NZ law only permits age verification by way of a NZ driver's licence, passport (any) or HANZ 18+ card. One would have thought the overseas visitors would have been able to provide a passport. Can the staff be expected to be familiar with an Argentinian or Chilean driver's licence?"

* * *

Britain's top soccer league is considering legal action against a firm which makes "hooligan" dolls. Premier League lawyers are assessing whether the manufacturer is likely to have breached clubs' intellectual property rights, a spokesman said. The Little Hooliganz figurines are dressed in different football clubs' colours. London-based firm Blighty Collectables launched the range five months ago. Premier League chief spokesman Dan Johnson said legal action had previously been taken against firms that used football clubs' colours or logos without permission. "If they are infringing clubs' intellectual property, then we will take them to court."