Heat on Hyundai
Hyundai, one of the largest employers in the US state of Alabama, has been urged by civil rights organisations and labour unions to help overturn Alabama's immigration law.
The law came into effect in September last year. It requires police to check the immigration status of anyone detained and suspected of being an illegal immigrant. At least two employees of Mercedes-Benz and Honda in Alabama have had run-ins with the police over the law.
Civil rights leader Wade Henderson said: "By Hyundai's silence in Alabama, it is acquiescing to a human rights disaster."
We are the world
Kiwi race drivers Shane van Gisbergen and Craig Baird are doing the business across the Tasman and what do we get from the Aussies? More lip. This from the unofficial Australian guide to conversation with New Zealanders, or Kiwese.
BETTING: "Betting gloves" are worn by betsmen in crucket.
BRIST: Part of the human anatomy between the "nick" and the "billy".
BUGGER: As in "mine is bugger than yours".
CHULLY BUN: Chilly bin, also known as an esky.
COLOUR: Assassin, murderer.
COME YOUSE: Former Australian crucket captain Kim Hughes.
DIMMER KRETZ: Those who believe in democracy.
DUCK HID: Term of abuse mostly directed at males.
ERROR BUCK: Language spoken in Arab countries like "Surria", "E-Jupp" and "Libernon".
EKKA DYMOCKS: University staff.
ERROR ROUTE: As in "Arnott's error route buskets".
FITTER CHENEY: Long, flat pasta.
GUESS: Flammable vapour.
IGGS: As in steak and eggs, the national dish.
JENDLES: Thongs.
PHAR LAP: New Zealand's most famous horse, actually christened "Phillip".
RIGBY LEG: As in Anzac rugby league test.
SENDLES: Open shoes.
STUCK: What Kiwese eat with eggs.
More controversy for Clarkson
The BBC has defended Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson after the Rev Graeme Anderson, vicar of St Mary's Church in Radcliffe-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, complained that the entertainer "trivialised, belittled and cheapened" Jesus Christ.
Anderson took issue with a segment in which Clarkson, at the wheel of the go-fast KTM X-Bow, exclaimed "God almighty" and "Jesus wept". The BBC responded by saying the speech is part of everyday language, and it respects the "fundamental human right to exercise freedom of thought, conscience and religion".
Anderson accused the BBC of double standards. "I drew attention to double standards, as I see it, between the way the BBC deals with Christianity and Islam," he said.
Let's turn car parks into ... parks
Eran Ben-Joseph The author of a book about car parks estimates there are 800 million parking spots in the US, enough space to cover Puerto Rico in asphalt.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Eran Ben-Joseph says one third of the area occupied by many large cities in the US is dedicated to parking. Thus, "we have paved paradise and put up a parking lot," in the words of singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell.
The plus side of parking lots, say critics of Ben-Joseph's work, is that asphalt absorbs energy from the sun and warms the ambient temperature. The down side, say supporters, is that lots lead to fast water runoff which hurts the ability of plants to remove toxins from the air.
Ben-Joseph's Book is called Rethinking a Lot: The Design and Culture of Parking. He has worked as a city planner and urban designer in Europe, Asia and the US. He writes: "With purposeful design, parking lots could be significant public places, contributing as much to their communities as great boulevards, parks, or plazas. For all the acreage they cover, parking lots have received scant attention. It's time to change that; it's time to rethink the lot."
Experts aim to give fashion the boot as survey finds 40% of women drive in high heels
Experts in the UK are calling for women drivers to put a brake on the hazardous habit of wearing "unsuitable" shoe heels.
Road-safety charity Brake is appealing for high-heel lovers not to drive in stilettos, steep wedges or inappropriate platform shoes.
It says the fashion for the highest of heels could lead to tragedy and advises all drivers to avoid unsuitable shoes.
"It is deeply worrying that many drivers have such little regard for their own and others' safety that they wear unsuitable footwear," deputy chief executive Julie Townsend told the Daily Mail newspaper.
Her comments coincide with a survey that found 40 per cent of women drive in high heels.
But men are not immune to bad driving practices - the survey found 15 per cent shave while driving.
