Sideswipe: Grafton Bridge trolls

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"Auckland City's 'Grafton Bridge Revenue Division' has very sneakily obscured the bus lane sign to encourage car drivers to assume they can head on to the bridge during working hours without penalty," writes John Shaw. "A few weeks ago I was on foot there so I pointed out to the cameraman that the tree was overhanging the sign and that it was a rort. He said he had reported it. The poor general signage to warn drivers has been a contentious point since the bus-only bridge policy was put in place. And still the tree has not been trimmed."

Student body

This position on the Student Job Search website seems a little underpaid at $14.50 per hour ... "One male student is required to help this naturist employer with some odd jobs in the home. You will be required to do general cleaning duties, some sanding and putting cabinets together. You must be hard-working, self motivated and most importantly, have the confidence to work naked ..."

Take the ferry

"I attended a business conference at SkyCity Convention Centre," said Ketan. "The American speaker told us that the other day he had visited a Devonport Island ..."

Strange but true

* The red togs worn by Farrah Fawcett in that famous poster have been donated to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.
* Since the start of this month, Kantipur Television in Nepal has used only a kerosene lantern to light its 30-minute-long 7pm news bulletin to highlight the effects of massive power cuts in the country.
* An Oklahoma school suspended 7-year-old Patrick Riley for pointing his finger in the shape of a gun at fellow students.

New words

* hedonic treadmill (n). The tendency for a person's economic expectations and desires to rise at the same rate as his or her income, resulting in no net gain of satisfaction or happiness.
* reluctant landlord (n). A person who is forced to rent his house because he is unable to sell it.

(Source: WordSpy.com)

Queensland still open

Geoff Walton, City Plaza Apartments, in Cairns writes: ".. . despite what is depicted in the news, much of Queensland's tourism centres have been largely unaffected by the weather and the region's economic recovery will depend on people continuing to holiday in these areas".

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Today's Webpick: Volkswagon's Darth Vader ad is adorable... Go here and scroll down.

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