Sideswipe: August 3: Artistic TPPA protest

TPPA champion Tim Groser's office in New Lynn has been enhanced by an artistic vandal with a political opinion.

Clever missive bears fruit

"The story last week about the two girls receiving back their message in a bottle reminded me of an incident back in the early 60s," writes Arlene Kaplan of Browns Bay. "My brother noticed a banana he was peeling had writing scratched on it. It was a message from the banana picker in Samoa, giving his name and address, so my brother wrote to him and did get back a letter from the young man telling us about his life in Samoa. He had scratched the message on the banana when it was green, and the writing went black as the banana ripened."

Here's a first-class idea ...

After making a fruitless trip across town to check his (empty) Post Office box, Phil Parker couldn't help thinking that cash-strapped NZ Post could make a buck or two by signing up punters for a text alert when mail is deposited in a post box. "I'd happily pay for a service like that to save time and petrol," he says.

Paths that go bump in the night (and day)

A reader writes: "A couple of winters ago West Auckland had a long blackout, which included a lot of street lighting. The weather wasn't too good either. On the cycle home along a major road, a policewoman, with the best intentions, stopped me and suggested I cycle on the pavement. I politely declined. I doubt there's a stretch of any length of pavement that hasn't been dug up numerous times, resulting in wrist-jarring bumps and holes. Workers have been installing fibre cables and do not generally repair the pavement in the style of what they dug up, leaving even more bumps."

The bloods are on their way...

Chance for victim to hit back

A witness writes: "To the male Asian driver (with glasses) of the small silver hatchback that appeared to have been rear-ended on Walmsley Rd, Otahuhu, on Thursday, July 30 at around 8:10am. I am not sure if you managed to exchange details with the driver of the car who hit you, but it appeared to me that the driver was trying to do a runner before you had a chance to get his details (he swerved out into our lane and almost had a second accident). If it helps, he was driving a black Honda Inspire." Email Sideswipe if you want the plate.

Picture this: Father and son through the years...

Read this: Woody Harrelson's father was a hitman...

Video: What do couples from around the world fight about...

Herald app users tap here for today's video.

Got a Sideswipe? Send your pictures, links and anecdotes to Ana at ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz