Sideswipe: Feb 22: Sex sells ... cereal?

This Canadian cereal makes claims about sexual health - supporting hormonal balance and desire for women and in men it helps testosterone production and energy levels - but really we know that it's all just marketing and sex sells.

Hospital car-parking discount gone

For years visitors to Middlemore Hospital have been offered a 7-day discount car-park ticket for $50 a week - a considerable saving over the casual rate of $17.90 a day ($125 a week). "The car parking is not run by the hospital but by Middlemore Car Parking who has now stopped issuing these weekly tickets, making regular visiting [and caring] of patients very expensive," writes Martin. "This is likely to reduce the number of visitors who can afford to visit, with the flow-on effect to the detriment of the patients. When I questioned the withdrawal of the weekly tickets, I was told that someone complained about it going up from $50 to $60. The manager [Ross Harlech] then apparently decided that he would just withdraw all weekly tickets from sale." Come on Middlemore Car Parking, please rethink this one.

Dressed to kill

A reader writes: "To the snooty lady working in the charity shop in Glen Innes ... I found that gorgeous designer dress on the $6 rack fair and square. I assume the reason you physically snatched it off me and disappeared out the back with it was so you could keep it yourself. Your behaviour embarrassed your co-workers. It's a shame your charity work has not diminished your mean spiritedness but at least your dress will be nice."

Behaviour association riles driver

Ron's concern over the bottle opener on a key ring (leading to drink driving) prompted Bernadette to write: "I have a bottle opener on my key ring and never drink and drive. But if I am out drinking I still have my house keys on me. I also have a Swiss army knife on my key ring, but I never whittle wood while I am driving. My ex-husband had a torch on his key ring, yet we never played spotlight while diving. My current partner keeps his gym membership card on his key ring, but he doesn't bench while driving. Shall I go on?"

Phone woes ongoing

Kate's Dad writes: "After committing some indiscretions, we confiscated our 13-year-old daughter's phone for two months. After two months the phone was returned on the basis of a signed contract assuring good behaviour. Sadly a further indiscretion was committed, resulting in, as witnessed by the daughter, the phone being smashed with a hammer and squeezed with a vice, until all life was gone from it. After four months of hard work the daughter was able to purchase a replacement phone, which one day later was in her pocket when she fell into the swimming pool."

Good read: Photographer Rebecca Martinez explores the Reborn subculture, a group of predominantly women who collect lifelike dolls of newborn babies and treat them as if they were real: "When Ms. Martinez travels, she will sometimes bring one of her own five reborn dolls to photograph people's reactions. She prefers to carry them in open bags because she feels uneasy putting them into closed containers, and her suitcases are always searched by airport security if a doll shows up in a scan. This leads to unusual encounters - like when other people in line get upset thinking that a real baby is about to be harmed by X-rays as they pass through security.
Full story and pictures here.

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