Sideswipe: June 2: Investment to get your tail wagging

The Hamilton seller of this dog kennel should get into copywriting, proper. The ad spotted on Trade Me reads: "Dog box for sale. Surplus to requirements. Man-cave now complete so no longer need outside lodgings when in trouble with wife. One room with enclosed balcony for great indoor-outdoor flow. Neutral colour scheme - a blank canvas for you to add your flair to! Perfect entry level unit for someone looking to enter the Auckland housing market - live in it yourself, or land bank and wait for the capital gains! Alternatively, a fantastic opportunity for the savvy investor looking to add an additional room to their Queenstown rental - with current market rates you would earn back your investment in less than three days! Might feel a bit cramped for a larger man, but anyone under 5'5" should find it quite comfortable ..."

"Even with the help of on-line reminders, remembering birthdays can be tricky," writes a reader. "Our 14 year-old daughter got this sweet message on her special day."

An alarming way to get teens out of bed

A reader contributes some advice. "Life hack for parents of teens: Finding it hard to get your teenage boy out of bed on these wintry mornings? Already delivered his uniform warmed gently on the oil heater? Kissed him on the forehead and gently told him it's time to get up. Followed up with a raised-voice reminder down the stairwell? Well, try what I did - flick the switch on the smoke alarm. He'll lie there wondering if the house is burning down and, even if he convinces himself it's a ruse, will eventually be driven up the wall enough to get out of the scratcher."

Bailiffs arrest cat

Bailiffs in Russia arrested the debtor's cat, listing the feline's value at the equivalent of US$23 ($34). The man came up with that sum the next day and took the cat home. The Federal Bailiffs Service explained that all the other "property" in the apartment was in other people's names.

(The Moscow Times)

'Spy plane' not really scary

A reader writes: "The 'spy plane' [in yesterday's Sideswipe] is probably doing aerial photography and/or LiDAR data collection. If it crossed the ditch from Port Macquarie, it probably started in Brisbane, which is the home of AAM, a major Australian aerials/LiDAR contractor used by many NZ councils ... Yes, 'spy', but no-one will be able to use the data to read your letters. Not really scary."

Then and now.

Picture this: Photographer Ana Oliveira's Identities II is a touching series of young and old portraits...

Good read: Esquire had already talked to four men of different incomes about their lives, now it was time to talk to women. "Over her lifetime, the average American woman can expect to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars less than a man with similar credentials and employment. For women of color, that pay gap looks more like a chasm. And while motherhood is often cited as the primary reason for lower earnings over the course of a career, it doesn't explain why, as occupational segregation falls, women still only make $0.79 for every dollar men do." Read more here...

Video: These realistic animal head masks move their mouths when your jaw moves, so it looks like they're talking when you're talking...Buy 'em here. Check it out below...

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