Sideswipe: Breast range

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Surely they must have thought of the implications of product names? (Spotted in an Australian supermarket by Geoff).

Whirly-gigs distracting

"Went to Vector to see Walking with Dinosaurs," writes a disgruntled reader. "Fantastic production, which was totally ruined by these bright whirly-gig things with bright multi-coloured lights that were being sold in the merchandise store. The three kids next to me and the two in front whirled these lights, about the size of a dinner plate, all night, as did many in the audience, totally destroying the magical atmosphere they were trying to create."

Commentators put to test

One of the best things about World Cups is listening to commentators trying to pronounce the names of foreign players, declares a rugby fan. "Italy have got some beauties in their squad this year, such as Derbyshire, McLean and Gower, while Japan have the likes of Ives, Thompson, Leitch, Nicholas, Robins and Webb (try saying that after a couple of beers). There should be no such problem with the English, though, as they have good old-fashioned English names such as Hape, Flutey, Botha, Corbisero, Fourie, Tuilagi and Waldrom (although he's a Kiwi). Obviously, the International Rugby Board's goal of turning rugby into a global game is working."

Tiny insect the loudest on earth

A tiny water bug that "sings" by rubbing its penis against its belly has been dubbed the loudest animal on Earth - relative to its body size - in a study by French and Scottish scientists. The Micronecta scholtzi, a species of water boatman common in rivers and ponds across Europe and measuring just under 2mm, has been found to be incredibly loud, says Discover magazine.It was recorded "singing" at up to 99.2 decibels, which is the equivalent of listening to a loud orchestra play while sitting in the front row, the BBC reports. The average song of M scholtzi reached 78.9 decibels, comparable to the noise level of a ringing phone or a passing freight train. The study was published in the scientific journal PloS One. Most of the loudest animals are also the largest. Blue whale songs are said to reach 188 decibels. Source: GNE

Penny-pinching in real estate

A reader writes: "It took us 16 months to sell our old house (that's a few thousands dollars of marketing costs) and after receiving his commission, our agent sent us an umbrella. We then bought a new house after it was listed for only two weeks on Trade Me and we got the keys and 'welcome to your new home' from the agent. Has the industry become so bankrupt that agents can't even afford a bottle of a nice bubbly to say 'thank you for doing business with us'. Three quarters of a million dollars equals an umbrella."

Fatally flawed scam

Paul has experienced a new type of scam. "I had an email from a relative stating they had just arrived in London and had their cellphone and wallet stolen with all their credit cards. The hotel manager was not going to let them leave until the bill had been paid so could we please send £1550 ($3010) by Western Union. Sounds plausible? Sort of. Until you factor in that we had just come back from that relative's funeral two days beforehand."