Sideswipe: Hitting the spot

Photo / Supplied

A graphic from the New York Times on the gender wage gap in the United States.

Hottest scent in town

A British firm is making curry-scented fragrances: korma, tikka masala, madras, vindaloo and rogan josh. Each perfume will give a "sense" of the curry - but will not quite be like splashing a vindaloo behind your ears. A spokesman for the British Curry Club's Chaat! magazine, which commissioned the smells, said it hoped the perfumes would boost curry sales.

AA's annoying BP push

"Were any other readers irritated to get an email from AA reminding me I hadn't swiped at BP recently?" asks a frustrated member. "Why should such a huge organisation as AA align itself with one petrol company? If it should join forces with one, surely it should be the NZ-owned Shell/Zed. I don't use BP often because it hardly ever reveals the price of Super until you get to the pump; and BP's Super is nearly always several cents higher than anyone else's."

Pin money

Ken Donelan, from the Bay of Islands, says it pays to shop around, even for mundane things. "At a national chain (where everyone gets a bargain) drawing pins were $1.99 for 100, and at a local stationery store a similar pack of 100 was $4.99. However, $4.99 would only get you 35 tacks at a chain of small hardware stores - the equivalent of $14.25 per 100."

Tinned fish weight

"In response to the reader concerned about the amount of fish in a can," writes Sealord, "the stated amount of fish (minimum of 90 per cent of the weight, or 405g) does go into every can. Each one is weighed and if needed topped up before it's sealed. The heat used in the process squeezes moisture out, creating liquid. No rip-off, just the way canning fish works."

Scamster flees

Elroy d'Souza: "Thanks to you and Marjorie for the article about the scamster at Westfield St Lukes. I ran into the same character at the Sylvia Park car park. I listened to his sob story and suggested he read the paper, since his story had been featured. You should have seen the look on his face! He quickly went back to his car, where his mate was sitting, and couldn't get out of that car park fast enough. By the way, he was driving a white Toyota Echo."