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Home / New Zealand

Sideswipe: February 6th: Sandbags galore

Ana Samways
By Ana Samways
Sideswipe - ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz·NZ Herald·
5 Feb, 2015 04:00 PM3 mins to read

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Ana Samways
Opinion by Ana SamwaysLearn more

Sandbags galore: "Driving on SH16, the Northwestern Motorway, I was wondering if there is a king tide or a tsunami coming that we haven't been informed about?" says Jan Hendrix.

Outlandish interviews

A British survey reveals some bizarre questions put to candidates in job interviews, including "who would win in a fight, Superman or Batman?"; "How would you get a hippo out of a hole?" and "What dinosaur would you be?". Respondents had also been asked to carry out tasks such as singing or improvising a film with a potential colleague. One jobseeker was even told to "build a tower of paper cups in one minute that would not fall down when you put water in the top cup". (Via The Daily Mail)

Scooter scourge

"While I can see the merit in cheap, cheerful transport that is largely unaffected by traffic, scooter riders in Auckland are driving me mad," declares Matt. "When I am on my motorcycle they pull up in front of me at the traffic lights, then when the lights change, they accelerate like an asthmatic ant. Surely if you make the effort to get to the front of the queue you should at least be as fast off the mark as a car? When I am on my bicycle, they block the gaps in traffic that I can fit through. They are also oblivious to the fact that bicycles are often faster than scooters and don't check their mirrors before turning."

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Stringing us along

The Pumpkin Patch faux drawstrings (that annoyed Nikki because the non-returnable sale pants were too big for her kid) might be part of the cotton wool kid phenomenon. A reader writes: "Full drawstrings on children's clothing up to a certain age are banned in the EU and US where Pumpkin Patch also supply the same products. Apparently a risk of strangulation! So each of their products may have to comply with all the rules in each country they supply to."

"A scary nectarine from my fruit bowl," offers Dorothy Morrissey.
"A scary nectarine from my fruit bowl," offers Dorothy Morrissey.
At last, gluten-free haircuts. But the knife fight could be inorganic.
At last, gluten-free haircuts. But the knife fight could be inorganic.

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

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