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For the truly green-conscious: Ermenegildo Zegna, known for its luxury men's suits, has made a sporty jacket with solar panels on the collar that can produce enough power to recharge a mobile phone or an iPod. "We haven't solved the problem of global warming, but the solar jacket shows there are steps one can take in the right direction," said CEO Gildo Zegna. The solar panels detach and can be used independently. Five hours of sunshine can recharge just about any portable electronic device, Zegna said. The coat comes with adaptors for different devices. (Source: Bloomberg.com)
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Although a chest infection forced Christina Aguilera to cancel her Australian concerts, one blog from the religious right had another explanation: "Thanks to the majesty and power of God, the blaring megaphone of Chrisina [sic] Aguilera's sexual terrorism has been muffled." (Source: Defamer.com)
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Retired mechanical designer Jim Gleeson, of Wisconsin, won the Bulwer-Lytton literary parody prize, which asks entrants to submit their worst opening sentence of an imaginary novel, with this beaut: "Gerald began - but was interrupted by a piercing whistle which cost him 10 per cent of his hearing permanently, as it did everyone else in a ten-mile radius of the eruption, not that it mattered much because for them 'permanently' meant the next 10 minutes or so until buried by searing lava or suffocated by choking ash - to pee." The contest has been held every year since 1982, and was named in honour of novelist and playwright Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, author of the much-quoted first line "It was a dark and stormy night".
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Although it is likely the footless seagull pictured in Sideswipe this week is not the only one of its kind, many readers think it is the footless seagull they once knew. Jane Russell, who lives on Milford Beach, recalls feeding mince to a footless seagull nicknamed "Short Legs". "We have fed him every morning for nearly six years until just recently when he went missing," she says. "I felt that he had died, so your photo has made me very happy."
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Another reader, from Whangarei, also appears to be familiar with "Short Legs": "I've seen this seagull twice before. Once was in Whangarei outside the Burger King Restaurant, scrounging leftover chips ... The funniest part was the landing; think like a plane on a runway touching down but without the wheels. It would slide for perhaps even a metre. Second time was in Orewa at a water fountain near the beach. We were throwing leftovers to the seagulls and I began to tell my friend about this funny hoofed seagull. She quickly interrupted me, standing and pointing to the footless seagull."
Today's Video Webpick:While KISS front man Gene Simmons has his own reality show and vocalist Paul Stanley keep busy with hip operations and a dodgy ticker, the original guitarist Ace Frehley (the real loose cannon of the bunch) has just sold himself to Dunkin Donuts. Watch his ad here. These are the very best online videos from Ana's online magazine Spare Room.
