Sideswipe: Strong ambition

Strong ambition: T-shirts that say 'I am a bad parent'

Complaint takes the biscuit

A daycare received this message from a concerned parent. It reads: "Hi Becky! This is Kaylyn's mum :-]. I have a concern about the snacks you are serving the kids. Today we were in the store and Kaylyn pointed out the type of cookies that you served at the teddy bear picnic. Much to my dismay they weren't a name brand. My husband and I pay very good money for childcare and we expect corners won't be cut in the care of our child. That and we don't want to instill [sic] the sorts of values in her that make her think it's okay to settle for less than the best. This might be hard for you to understand but it means a lot to me."

Beyond the bounds of decency

The owner of a pricey 2ha property in Benedict Canyon is fast becoming persona non grata among an exclusive club of Los Angeles homeowners. In the neighbourhood - whose residents include Bruce Springsteen, Jay Leno, and Victoria Beckham - a mystery landowner is preparing to build a 7900sq m family compound. Although the area teems with mansions, residents say this "megamansion" pushes the bounds of decency. FYI, Mark Hotchin's mansion on Paritai Drive has a floor area of 2605sq m.

Officials go back on solar pledge

The District of Columbia has reneged on a promise to reimburse residents who installed solar panels on their homes. Officials say they need the money to close a budget gap. The move affects 51 residents and will cost them about US$700,000 ($944,000). (Source: Reason.com)

Jumping the gun on rejection

"I've been rejected without even having sent an application!" declares Louise. "I received an email a couple of weeks ago from a government department telling me my application for the position of office co-ordinator had been unsuccessful. As I have never applied for a job with them I speculated that they were being a tad pre-emptive and this email was in case I decided to apply. A tad harsh don't you think?"

Accent a little hard to grasp

"I can't work out if the lady who does the live Countdown advert at "tin pass sivin" each morning (TV One) is a Lynn of Tawa-style parody or not," says Andrew. "I'm not saying everyone on TV needs to speak like they're on the BBC, but I actually have trouble understanding this woman at times. Does she deliberately overdo it, so as to come across as the mum-next-door that everyone trusts and can relate to?"