Sideswipe: October 18: Did National become Hell?

Did National become Hell for Jamie Lee Ross or is he going to make life Hell for National? Photo / Supplied

Did National become Hell for Jamie Lee Ross or is he going to make life Hell for National? Full picture here.

Echoes of Trump in teen TV tyrant

Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has suggested that the character who most resembles Donald Trump is Joffrey Baratheon, the megalomaniacal teenage king of Westeros. Martin said the US President shares a number of traits with the fictional character — an erratic, entitled, narcissistic misogynist who was born into great wealth and power and refers to himself as "king" in the third person for starters.

"They have the same level of emotional maturity. And Joffrey likes to remind everyone that he's king. And he thinks that gives him the ability to do anything. And we're not an absolute monarchy, like Westeros is. We're a constitutional republic. And yet, Trump doesn't seem to know what that means. He thinks the presidency gives him the power to do anything. And so, yeah, Joffrey is Trump." (Via: New York Times Style Magazine)

Two things you need to know today

The US National Institute for Health gave US$181,406 to the University of Kentucky to study the "Connection between cocaine and the risky sex habits of quail", and the longest recorded nipple hair is 17cm long. (Via @QuiteInteresting)

"What's wrong honey?"..."Nothing."

Painted into a corner bay

"I'm of an age that I remember well the launch of flush medians or painted 'traffic islands' as they were considered at their introduction, about 1970," writes Roger Clarke of Te Awamutu. "As they were being introduced to the public, New Zealand drivers were instructed to consider them and use them as if they were the solid traffic islands that they were often replacing. In other words, don't run over them; don't pull over into the turning lane until you have reached the turning bay complete with arrow. Some of us ignored that ridiculous instruction and some followed it to the letter and still do. The latter will now be aged over 65 and that is why only older drivers are seen doing this."

Apology

A screen grab of clinical psychologist Gaynor Parkin was used in Monday's Sideswipe after it appeared on 1 News, where the name key had misspelled the word psychologist. We should have cropped the image to highlight the misspelling and apologise for the way the image was published.