Sideswipe: March 23: Howzit going Salmon?

The Taiwanese government is urging residents not to change their legal names to "Salmon" to take advantage of a restaurant's free sushi promotion. The Taiwan Ministry of the Interior said nearly 100 people have registered to change their names to "Salmon" under the country's Name Act to take advantage of restaurant chain Sushiro's promotion, which promises free sushi for customers whose names include the Chinese characters used to spell the name of the fish. The restaurant requires customers taking advantage of the promotion to provide official ID, inspiring some to change their names legally. The ministry pointed out that the Name Act only allows a person to change their name three times - meaning some of those who change their names for the promotion could be stuck with the name "Salmon" for the rest of their lives.

Shoe doctor?

70s kid-raising

Were you born in the modern, enlightened times of the 1970s? Here are the rules your parents used to raise you.

Stay out of it: Kids got a roof over their heads? School's giving them some semblance of an education? Job done as far as you're concerned. The rest of their time is their own. If they're out of the house playing in an abandoned factory or kicking a ball into an electricity substation, you hope they're having fun.
Maintain discipline: A cuff to the back of the head, a slap on the back of the legs, perhaps even a boot up the arse to encourage them to leave the house for the next six hours: all crucial parenting skills. And don't reserve these important duties for yourself. If relatives, friends or neighbours feel a clout is appropriate, let them be the judge.
Encourage self-sufficiency: If you've got a child approaching their final years of primary school, they're pretty much an adult. Give them a front door key, tell them to look after their younger siblings – and the neighbour's kids, if that's the childcare arrangement that day – and get the tea on. Time they stepped up. (The Daily Mash)

Tweet of the day

Burden of height

Traveling through Narita Airport and using the facial-recognition cameras, being 5' 11", having to squat and keep my head vertical to see the screen. Don't know how the tall people get on.