Sideswipe: February 12: Zebra missing

"When is a crossing not a crossing? When it's outside Oratia School and Kindergarten," writes a reader from Piha. "Road works over the school holidays rejigged the existing speed hump thing into a pedestrian crossing — a really good idea too because of the 70km limit a few hundred metres away ... but it looks like Auckland Transport have forgotten to paint on the white lines! Duh. Now school has started again we are seeing the 3pm dance of the drivers and the pets (some with unpredictable toddlers in tow) not knowing whether to wait or cross, or drive or stop. Let's hope there are no nasty accidents before the white paint makes it to the chipseal."

Silent 'shout' deemed capitals offence

University library bosses "accuse colleague of shouting at them and harassment" after he used capital letters in an email. Grandfather Stephen Poole said he sent the email after bosses at Birmingham's Aston University library told him to work longer hours with just one week's notice. He finished off the email with the words "YOU DO IT". His manager complained up the food chain and a meeting was arranged. "I typed the capital letters to make a point and it was as if I was a Mr Angry, effing and blinding at people," he told the Sun. Mr Poole branded his ordeal as "complete snowflake behaviour". A university spokesperson said: Mr Poole was invited to an informal meeting to discuss concerns raised by his line manager that she felt harassed by elements of his behaviour at work. This related to a number of issues, including the tone and content of numerous emails he had sent, as well as his overall behaviour.

Wonder what the pay is...

Wonder what the pay is ...

Not such a silly old cow tail after all

Maybe the old methods are not so stupid as they seem.

"Don't laugh ... it is probably true that blowing into a cow's vagina will increase milk yield (flow)," writes retired vet Tony Firth, referring to Friday's Sideswipe where Wildlife camera operator Gavin Thurston witnessed a woman doing this in South Sudan."It is established scientific fact that stimulating letdown (of milk) is due to oxytocin release (a hormone released from the pituitary that also contracts the uterus after birth and causes letdown of milk for the newborn). In the farming environment this can be achieved by the common method of washing or manually stimulating the udder or teats prior to the putting on of the milking machine cups or less commonly by stimulating the clitoris of the lactating cow. I presume that blowing into the vagina produces a similar stimulating effect of the vaginal mucosa (lining)."

Quick links

1. Freddie Mercury's unaccompanied vocal track for "Somebody to Love"…

2. Silicon Valley visionary John Perry Barlow died this month aged 70. When he was 30, the sometime Grateful Dead lyricist wrote what he called Principles of Adult Behaviour. They are good.

3. A beautiful photograph of children reading outside at Cape Reinga in 1965.

Video pick

What would happen when all the ice melts and the seas rise some 216 feet. It's based on the 2013 National Geographic story, "What the World Would Look Like if All the Ice Melted."

Got a Sideswipe? Send your pictures, links and anecdotes to Ana at ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz