Sideswipe

While still showing a fondness for the halternecks and cheesy photo shoots, Donald Trump's Miss Universe is showing signs of globalisation. Miss Norway (right) is Iranian and Miss Germany is part-Vietnamese.

Real, but ill-thought-out domain names: A database to find out who is the agent for your favourite famous face calls itself Who Represents, but its URL tells a different story ... www.whorepresents.com. A site for computer programmers to exchange boffin advice and views is called Experts Exchange and you can find them on the web at ... www.expertsexchange.com. You get the drift ... Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at www.penisland.net and the best place for native plants in New South Wales has to be Mole Station Native Nursery at www.molestationnursery.com

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On Tuesday a reader met a friend for a coffee at the Auckland Museum. Afterwards, with half an hour to kill, said reader decided to get in a bit of early Christmas shopping at the museum gift shop. After spending $160 she still had 10 minutes to fill in and decided a wander through the exhibits would be a good idea. Although the museum says a $5 "donation" isn't mandatory, and they can't make people pay, our reader was refused entry without coughing up the fiver. The museum's voluntary guard was not swayed by the heavy gift-shop bag.

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A reader would like to leave a message for her fecund colleague. She writes: "I know you're pregnant. You've managed to mention it several times a day for the past three months. Each morning I have to watch you go to your pregnancy website and see what fruit or vegetable it compares the baby to. Yesterday you told me that it's the size of a mango. How interesting! Once you're finished your morning reading you call your husband. I think it's good that you communicate so well, but do you really need to call him 17 times a day? I know its nosy and petty and pathetic, but I counted and it really was 17 times. Last week you asked me if I thought you were having a girl or a boy. I told you a boy because I know you want a girl and I felt like pissing you off. You actually put stock in my answer and I thought you were going to cry. I'm aware you're trying to watch your weight, but if I have to hear you daydreaming out loud about deli meat one more time, I'm going to throw my chicken sandwich at you. And really, it wasn't necessary for you to show me your belly. It looks the same. I can't wait until you start picking out names."

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The provider of the controversial misspelled sign at the Stanmore Bay Leisure Centre says the image was taken on August 11, contrary to centre manager Ms Gilbert's assertion about it having been "removed very soon after it went up last year". As for the accusation of impropriety (taking pictures in changing rooms) our photographer says the sign is outside the changing rooms in the public area of the swimming pool where people often take photographs and he resents the pervy implication.