Sideswipe

Th' Dudes

It has been 26 years since Th' Dudes played together, but on their present tour they proved they can still get a reaction when an enthusiastic Tauranga woman threw her bra on stage. Post-show Peter Urlich was heard to remark with great attention to detail, "It was black and lacy and quite large". Ian Morris helpfully added, "It was a Triumph".

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Eye-witness report 2: There was a bomb scare at the Hamilton courthouse on Wednesday which closed the surrounding roads for about four hours. Parked cars were not allowed to leave (they were behind the police tape) and many owners gave up waiting and made plans to pick up their cars later. When the road reopened, a parking warden turned up and started ticketing cars for overstaying. Someone went to explain why there was a whole street full of illegally parked cars. The parking warden said she knew about the bomb scare, but was just doing her job. She said the owners were welcome to write to the council and see if they could get a pardon.

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A Polish man is on the run from the state police after committing an act of "Flatulant Dissidence". The web news service Ananova reports: "Police in Poland have launched a nationwide hunt for a man who farted loudly when asked what he thought of the President. Hubert Hoffman, 45, was charged with "contempt for the office of the head of state" for his actions after he was stopped by police in a routine check at a Warsaw railway station. He complained that under President Lech Kaczynski and his twin brother Jaroslaw, the country was returning to a communist-style dictatorship. When told to show more respect for the country's rulers, he farted loudly. He was promptly arrested. Hoffman had been released on bail but failed to turn up at court. Instead of throwing the charges out, the court ordered the police hunt.

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An "October surprise" is American political jargon describing a stunning news event with the potential to influence the outcome of an election, particularly one for the presidency. Election Day in the US is in November, and events shortly before the election have greater potential to swing votes. This year's October surprise is the scandal involving US Congressman Mark Foley, who resigned over sexual computer messages he exchanged with under-age congressional interns.