Sideswipe

Ok, what is it with Mission Bay cafes and free glasses of tap water? asks Angela Walter of Glendowie. "I was grabbing a takeaway latte from Pandoro at Eastridge in Mission Bay and saw a Maori or Polynesian lady asking for a glass of water. The young chap was about to give it to her when he was told not to by another member of staff. Apparently she comes in 'all the time' and is mentally disabled. So? I told them about the roasting Movenpick received in Sideswipe for refusing a pregnant customer tap water. The young lady behind the counter told me the woman was mentally handicapped and not a customer. My reply was 'So is my son'. I slapped $2 on the counter, asked them to give her a glass of water and stormed off, tears in my eyes. Some of us are born disabled and some of us through accidents become disabled, and one day we will all be older and maybe become a bit dotty. But surely giving the time of day and a glass of water to someone who is a bit different (and not creating a disturbance) isn't going to kill us."

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A mock-up plane crash erected as a Halloween display was mistaken for the real thing, says Reuters. Los Angeles police visited the home, but were told by the homeowner that it was not a real accident. The homeowner was an aircraft mechanic in training and the parts were from a Gulfstream jet. Apparently, once people realise it's just a display, the only problem is them slowing their cars to take a good look.

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Ian Johnstone from Albany writes: "Ducks in swimming pools are the owners' worst nightmare. They will be a problem in many pools for the next two or three months. If you think two are making a mess, wait until the new family turn up, when there may be another 10 small ones. It is very difficult to get rid of them, so they have to be discouraged at every opportunity. Rush out to the pool and throw pieces of timber at them (easy to retrieve and re-use) yelling loudly at the same time. Try not to upset the neighbours too much. Try tying lengths of string or fishing line across the pool with pieces of cloth tied on. This unfortunately makes it difficult for the owner to swim but may also make life difficult for the ducks when flying in and out. The only method which has been successful for me is to surround the pool with a low electric fence with an earthing wire on the ground. Of course, not everyone has an electric fence available. The only sure method is the shotgun but, as Jane Drake says, not easy in the city."

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Not only is Vegemite banned in the United States, it appears Milo has been causing issues in the land of the free. The Herald received a stack of emails in response to the story of an Australian man who had his Vegemite confiscated when he tried to enter the United States. The spread is banned in the US because it contains folate. One reader wrote in to say that his friend had his Vegemite and his Milo confiscated at the border. "The Yanks have no sense of the importance of such things to Kiwis," he wrote. Another reader said she had her Vegemite confiscated when she travelled to Denver last month because it was deemed a "gel-like substance". "The customs guy said 'Sorry, you can't have this. It's a gel and I can't see through it.' I said 'It's food' and he said 'I don't care'."

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A 70-year-old British pensioner dispatched four would-be muggers in a late-night attack in Germany. The man was challenged by three men, demanding money, while a fourth crept up behind him. But the Briton trained in martial arts during his military service. He grabbed the first assailant and threw him over his shoulder. When a second man tried to kick him, the pensioner grabbed his foot and tipped him to the ground. The three men, thought to be aged between 18 and 25, fled, carrying their injured accomplice with them. "Looks like he had everything under control," said a police spokesman from the German town of Bielefeld.