Sideswipe: Oct 12 - Plate confession

"It's a bold driver that can carry this around - especially when most people won't get a chance to peer at the small print as they drive by," writes a Wellington reader.

Climber leads others astray

A Chinese woman climbed the Great Wall to avoid the $5 entrance fee. Thrifty [Ma] Jei said she'd grown up in Nanjing, climbing the walls of Zhonghau Castle and had never once paid to get in. But her stunt encouraged others to follow her example - with two falling and breaking their legs and three others having to be rescued by police. "She ran up the wall like a goat and made it look easy. But when people tried it for themselves they saw it wasn't quite as simple as they thought," said one tourist.

What's not to 'Like'?

A man in New Mexico was arrested following a domestic incident because he had recently posted a heartfelt tribute to his late mother on Facebook, and got lots of "Likes", but nothing from his wife. "That's amazing [that] everyone 'likes' my status but you," he said. "You're my wife. You should be the first one to 'like' my status."

Tough job at the office

In Thailand, a 10-person staff scans the internet around the clock looking for insults, however slight, to the royal family. Cyber inspector Surachai Nilsang said over 60,000 pages were banned for insults to the monarchy. Each blocked page requires a court order, a request that judges have never turned down. He says sometimes the insults are subtle, particularly when clever metaphors and code words are used.

Weighty avocado

An enormous avocado which grows to 10 times the size of standard varieties is set to hit British supermarket shelves. The jumbo avocado, of the "Linda" variety, weighs up to 1.5kg and will sell for £4.99 ($10). Waitrose says it stays on trees in Peru's Chincha valley for up to one year to achieve its exceptional size. (Source: Newslite.tv)

Tales from the fan zones

To Kevin who complained of tight security at fan zones: "Yes, there really are people who will put vodka into water bottles and have their children carry them ..." says one reader. But another reader writes: "I went to the fan zone at Henderson on Sunday and had my kids' water bottles taken off us because they were the wrong brand. Didn't know whether to feel strangely proud or really annoyed. Perhaps Kevin should be relieved he wasn't fined $10,000."