Sideswipe

Truss tomatoes are grown on the vine, but 'trust' tomatoes? A super-reliable variety, maybe ...

Billionaire casino owner and art collector Steve Wynn accidentally put his elbow through a $140 million Picasso as he gesticulated while talking about the painting to guests. Wynn has an eye disease that affects his peripheral vision. "I made a gesture with my right hand," he told the New Yorker magazine. "My right elbow hit the picture. It punctured the picture. There was a distinct ripping sound." He told his guests, "Well, I'm glad I did it and not you."

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Former British Territorial Army soldier Stephen Ellison's new 7.5-tonne tank may impress other drivers, but filling it up costs a bomb. Ellison paid nearly $40,000 for the 1974 Sabre light reconnaissance tank, which saw service in Kosovo in the 1990s, and uses it for shopping trips near his home in Winsford, Cheshire. Its gun is deactivated but apart from that the only noticeable modification is the rubber tracks fitted to protect the road. It runs on unleaded fuel and a full tank costs $850. "One lad asked me the other day if I would take him and his girlfriend to the school prom in it," said Mr Ellison.

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A reader says British health warnings on alcohol will have to be very creative to beat the disclaimer on Kahlua in America. In tiny letters beneath the slogan, "Kahlua: Unleash it!" is the phrase: "Please unleash it in moderation."

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Women visiting prisoners at the Vanderburgh County Jail in Indiana must now wear bras after several incidents in which women visitors exposed themselves to male prisoners. The new dress code states that women cannot wear halter tops, sleeveless dresses and shirts, see-through garments, revealing dresses, and shorts cut higher than 5cm above the knee. Spandex and "extremely tight-fitting" jeans or pants are also frowned upon.

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Dr Phil McGraw's self-help television show with Arabic subtitles is becoming a substitute social world for Iraqi families forced to stay indoors because of the violence. One fan, 50-year-old Shamil Hashem Suhaili, told the Los Angeles Times he even composes imaginary letters to his hero. "Dear Dr Phil," said one, "how can I live this difficult life? I forgot what normal life is like. Sometimes I work in the garden to keep my mind off my troubles. I feel more comfortable working in a green place. But some days even the garden doesn't help when you hear that old friends have been murdered and people have fled the country." Indeed.