Sideswipe: September 4: Political future displayed

"National up in the air but has lost support (standing upright even with one stay on the ground), Labour is on firm ground, Winston is on the left with the Greens lagging behind and no sign of TOP," writes David. "The signs are outside our house by the Queenstown Airport roundabout . Cloud obscuring The Remarkables - and our political future?" he adds.

Marrying bacon with eggs was a PR stunt

Edward Bernays, who's been called the "father of public relations", was the person responsible for pairing bacon with eggs on American breakfast tables. He'd been hired by a producer of bacon in the 1920s to increase demand for the porkly product. At the time, Americans ate a light breakfast - maybe coffee and a roll. Bernays asked the agency's physician whether a heavy breakfast was better than a light one since "the body loses energy in the night and needs it in the day". "We asked him whether if he'd be willing - at no cost - to write to 5000 physicians and ask them whether their judgment was the same as his. He said he'd be glad to do it," reminisced Bernays decades later. "Obviously, all of them concurred." This news was reported in newspapers throughout the country, many of which added that bacon and eggs should be part of the "healthier" breakfast. Sales of bacon went up and bacon became embedded with eggs. (Source: howstuffworks.com)

Woolly get the letter, och aye

"My late cousin, Kathleen Elliot from Scotland, was visiting us in 1978 and her brother James wrote to her in NZ," writes Teresa Rope. "Obviously his perception of NZ was no more than a mere village! No mention of the sheep shearer's surname!"

Vintner makes a blue

Last year, a Spanish start-up caused a stir when it introduced its electric-blue wine to markets in Europe. After receiving orders for more than 30,000 bottles it is coming to America, Eater.com reports. Gk is made from a blend of red and white grapes with a non-calorie sweetener added. The ingredients that create the effect are natural - a pigment found in grape skin and indigo from the Isatis tinctoria plant (commonly known as woad) are responsible for the wine's alarming hue. According to Spanish law, only red or white wine can be sold in local markets, and Gk was fined for violating the rule. They were forced to drop the "wine" label and start branding their drink as "99% wine and 1% grape must". (Source: Mental Floss)

Tweet goodness

Blame the Nolan Sisters for that one...

The naked hikers of Europe

Swiss photographer Roshan Adhihetty suggests it being sans clothes may be the ideal way to immerse yourself in greenery, bums and all...

Video pick

August 2017 news blooper compilation...

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