Sideswipe: July 3: The curse of Poseidon

Kardashian's Kimono goes west

After a massive backlash, Kim Kardashian West says she is changing the name of her shapewear line. Kardashian trademarked the word "Kimono" for the clothing brand and many were outraged. Kimonos have been a traditional part of Japanese culture for centuries. The outburst included a #KimOhNo hashtag, a petition, and the Mayor of Kyoto even issued an open letter asking her to reconsider. Which she did. "My brands and products are built with inclusivity and diversity at their core and after careful thought and consideration, I will be launching my brand under a new name," she declared. On critic suggested the move was deliberate "chaos marketing" designed to garner attention.

Small-world stories

1. A reader writes: "I befriended an English traveller while we were both in Kuala Lumpur and decades later I discovered them busking in the Octagon, Dunedin. We continued our friendship half the world away from where it commenced."

2. "My grandmother grew up with her grandparents in the Angus area of Scotland and came to New Zealand when she married after World War I," says Lindsay Robbie of Whitianga. "She kept little, and later no, contact with her family. Last year in Scotland we visited a small folk museum in the Angus area. I asked if they had any information on the Cruickshank name — my grandmother's maiden name. The attendant looked amazed and rushed off to find another visitor who had asked the same question 30 minutes earlier. I produced a photo of my grandmother and others. 'I've got that photo!' the other visitor said. She was local and had visited that day to donate some artefacts. We visited her later and found more photos in common plus certificates which proved ... her father and my grandmother were brother and sister! We are keeping in touch."

3. "In 1979, after a big win on a treble at the TAB, I took a trip back home to Maidenhead, Berkshire, after about 15 years away. I got into a cab outside the station and saw that the driver had a picture of himself in mayoral robes, shaking hands with the Queen. I took a closer look and recognised him. 'I delivered newspapers for you in the 1950s during my last two years at school,' I told him. 'My run was past my place so I delivered the papers to my own address.' 'What was your address?' he asked. '151 Courthouse Rd,' I replied. He reeled off: 'Monday to Saturday Daily Express, Radio Times once a week, Sundays Sunday Express and the News of the World.' And he was right!"

Upcycling UK-style