Reader Robert Linggoputro finds an uncanny resemblance between an 8-year-old boy's favourite, Captain Underpants, and former Act MP Rodney Hide, right.
Zip-zapping charity buckets
Christmas carolling for charity just got a whole lot easier with a collection bucket for the cashless society. Realising no one carries cash any more (or they use that as an excuse not to donate) Barclays bank in the UK has come up with a credit card-enabled bucket to collect donations digitally and with cash. Brilliant.
Baby car seat dilemma
A reader writes: "Yesterday in the carpark of the Warehouse I noticed the car next to me had a baby car seat in the back seat, but pushed forward and not strapped with a seat belt. As I wrestled with my buggy a young Indian family got into the car. The mother pushed the car seat to an upright position and plonked the cute 1-year-old baby girl into the seat. As they backed out I smiled and gestured about the straps. The mother just smiled at me from the back seat. Busybody me, I know. But I felt really anxious for the rest of the day. I know chances are that family made it safely home and will enjoy a happy Christmas, but all it would take would be a small ding to seriously injury that child. I know your readers will jump down my throat for mentioning that they were Indian, but I do so just in case education needs to be targeted to this community."
PR stunt goes belly-up
An Australian PR company has apologised for killing 50 goldfish in a publicity stunt gone wrong. Advantage delivered 55 goldfish in a bowl with the text: "Be the big fish in a small pond and come test the water" as a promo gift to encourage media to promote South Australia. The company says the fish were hand-delivered alive to media offices and left with six months worth of food. Unfortunately, many didn't survive and dead belly-up fish greeted unimpressed journalists when they began their shift.
Titillating changing rooms
The overwhelming majority (of nearly 80 readers) were outraged that Mary thought men shouldn't be in lingerie shops ... all except Connie: "I don't mind men in women's clothing stores, or even outside changing rooms. But in lingerie shops, there are men who choose to go inside changing room areas pretending to help their wives (usually older men!). Men are visual perverts; curtains in changing rooms can be flimsy and usually show leg calves and titillating glimpses of nakedness."
