Sideswipe

A jewelled brooch attached to a Madagascar hissing cockroach.

Salt Lake City fashion designer Jared Gold recently began offering jewelled brooches with brightly coloured crystals affixed to live, 7.5cm Madagascar hissing cockroaches that the wearer can allow to roam a short distance around her dress or jacket via a silver chain attached to the roach's back. The roaches used are male and live up to a year if fed (fresh bananas) and hydrated properly, says Gold's website. The brooch sells for $80. According to the News of the Weird website, the New York Post reported an animal-rights spokesman as calling the bauble "just the gift" for the "person who doesn't mind a small animal excreting on them throughout the day". 

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In an interview this week with Angelina Jolie on NBC's Today show, anchor Ann Curry got all deep and meaningful and said what she liked best about being pregnant was the feeling of never being alone. Cool as a cucumber, Angelina politely said she hadn't felt that at all. (Source: the Scanner blog at www.nerve.com).

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A reader would like to thank roading company Fulton Hogan and the North Shore City Council for a wonderfully orchestrated event outside his house. "They managed to spend an entire weeknight, from 9pm till 7am, re-sealing a residential street in Northcote using the largest and most obnoxious machinery known to man. Every house on the street had its light fittings and dentures shaken to destruction, as rollers drove up and down repeatedly. The road workers didn't care, and blamed the council for choosing the time and place, while the council guy (at 4am) volleyed the blame back at Fulton Hogan."

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Remember the days when fundraising kids would be collecting bottles, selling biscuits or chocolate? Now, with the pandemic of child obesity bearing down on the middle classes, sensible schools like Mt Albert's Gladstone have opted for a healthy school fundraising product : dinky six-packs of bottled water. (Thanks kids, I have plenty in the tap, but there's a garage that needs a sweep ... )

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Sideswipe has discovered yet another Ahmed Zaoui unauthorised diary.

Thursday, May 4:

10am: Must ring Dave Dobbyn re, new single, Free Ahmed Zaoui (Love the lyric: "His freedom fettered by the shackles of the State/His body hounded by the harbingers of Hate").

11.30pm: Change library books.

12.30pm: Meet Keith Locke to hang out in the University of Auckland Quad.

2.30pm: Present the Fair Play award at the Students Against State Tyranny soccer tournament. Give usual speech: "Islam is a religion of tolerance and respect".

4pm: Deborah says court looming again so we need me back in the media. Phone friends in the media. Must call Finlay. Haven't heard from him recently; I like our chats on "the myth of impartiality in the Western media". Wise head.

5pm: Check with Deborah re Legal Aid.

7pm: Must watch Campbell Live so I can tell JC tomorrow how much I enjoy his work.