Sideswipe

An impressive range of services on offer at Prestige Euro Painters

Fawlty Towers is back. The Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, which inspired John Cleese to write the hugely popular comedy series, re-opens today after a $2.8 million makeover. It was to have been flattened by property developers who wanted to build luxury apartments but the local council refused permission. Cleese called the original hotelier, Donald Sinclair, "the most wonderfully rude man I have ever met" after he and his wife were berated for their table manners and had a timetable thrown at them when they asked what time the next bus went to town.

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Who was naked in Tirau on Saturday? Quite a few blokes, according to Tirau promotions officer Warren Lee, who says about midday a passenger coach stopped in the middle of the main drag, a group of young men got off and streaked 300m up the road, with several passing cars cheering them on. "Not sure why this occurred, but maybe a rugby team returning home after a defeat on the field were made by their coach to do this as punishment for the loss. Tirau is a happening place and I guess this just happened for no other reason than that."

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In an attempt to raise environmental awareness, two concerned citizens of Walpole, Massachusetts, hosted a "pump-out party", with wine and cheese, to encourage neighbours to keep their septic systems in good order. The hosts allowed their own tank to be publicly cleaned as a demonstration, although the drinking and eating portion of the party came to a halt at that point, according to the Boston Herald-Daily News. (Source: News of the Weird)

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A reader responds to S. O'Donnell's issues with rural phone services. "Having grown up in a rural area, I long ago accepted that things in the country are not the same as things in the city. It is part of the reason I moved to the city. The tradeoff for good internet, phone and other services is noise, crime, traffic. The reverse is also true ... to complain about it is indicative of the attitude of city people who move to the country and then campaign for their local council to ban people from riding their horses on the roads, as the droppings dirty their SUVs. Get over it and enjoy the country."

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Alleging an addiction to brands, journalist Neil Boorman has set fire to all his branded goods in an attempt to start a brand-free life (his Apple laptop gained a reprieve, although he is removing the logo). Boorman - who sounds as if he is trying to generate publicity for his book due out next year - explains that owning the "right" brands had become a substitute for a meaningful life and genuine feelings of self-worth. "I have been topping up my self-esteem and my social status by buying the right branded things. In my world, the implications of wearing a crocodile as opposed to a polo player on the breast of one's shirt are of crucial importance."

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Myspace is for advertisers of all ages. Jesus Christ has joined MySpace with an online page advertising his love of beards, extreme water-skiing and the Life of Brian. It's part of a campaign by the Churches' Advertising Network to provoke debate about God among young people this Christmas.