Sideswipe

Grant Robertson found the above sign at a rugby ground (near Whangarei) when he arrived to watch his son play rugby. "We decided not to do a couple of donuts on the field as we didn't want to have to walk home and explain to our insurance company why our car was toast."

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Boys' Weekend: Marilyn from Lynfield writes: "While I was at the Auckland Airport arrivals' lounge on Monday, waiting to meet a relative, a group of respectable-looking men came through and stopped by me. One rummaged through his case and pulled out a wedding ring which he put on, to much laughter from his mates. One of them remarked to another, 'Where's yours?' to which he replied, 'I'm lucky, I don't ever wear one'. Again to much laughter. Wedding-ring man then proceeded to make a call on his cell phone. I wonder if it was to the little wife waiting at home to tell her how much he had missed her?"

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A reader from Mairangi Bay has a couple of supermarket gripes:

1. "The regular print-out label at my local supermarket deli (New World, Browns Bay) reads 'shaving ham'. Guess this makes a change for the guys from the usual soap or foam or gel," she says.

2. "Am I alone in feeling niggled that the Nescafe refill packets of decaff and Classic instant coffee are the same shape, same price, alongside each other on the same supermarket shelf - yet one is 75g, the other 100g? Yes, I know the arguments - it's sound economics to use same-size packaging; decaff costs more to process; the contents size is clearly marked," she adds.

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A home perm is one thing ... A Massachusetts couple who performed liposuction in the basement of a private residence have been charged with practising medicine without a licence after a female patient died. The husband and wife team, both 49, pleaded not guilty. The nip and suck surgeries were performed on a massage table in the basement of a local condominium. "There was a tremendous amount of blood protein on the floor in the basement in that location," the prosecutor said. Since the death two other women have come forward to say they underwent medical procedures there. One was sent to hospital with an infection. The couple ran a cash-only business and kept no patient records. (Source: Fark.com)

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Jon Thompson meets a Good Samaritan in Brisbane on Saturday night at the rugby. He writes: "While descending into a sea of yellow down Caxton St toward Suncorp stadium, dressed very obviously as an All Blacks supporter, I pulled out my camera to capture the sight, then continued on my way. Shortly after I was tapped on the shoulder by a burly 20-something Wallaby fan who very politely handed me back the two A$50 notes that had fallen unknowingly from my pocket. I nearly joined in during their national anthem (did I say that?)."