KEY POINTS:
When Paul Cornish went to Narrow Neck beach on Sunday evening, he found this sign (above) firmly screwed to the North Shore City Council's signpost under the dog regulations. Cornish braved the waves for a 1km swim with his dog, hoping it was a hoax. Yes, said the city council, the sign was someone's idea of a joke and it was removed.
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Yes, non-English-speakers' slip-ups when they try to use the language are a never-ending source of amusement, says Curtis Young of Auckland. "I'm sure if Kiwis had to speak or write an Asian language the embarrassing errors would be just as plentiful. When I tried to say 'Merry Christmas' in Mandarin to a Chinese friend, they looked at me strangely. It turned out I had one consonant wrong and I was saying 'you're very sexy'."
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A reader writes: "We visited the Auckland War Memorial Museum few days ago and it is very impressive. A large airy foyer, with a stunning wooden dome sympathetic to the existing structure. No doubt costing a large sum of money. Just a small pity that no one could spend a little bit more money having someone grammar-check the engraved marble wall of thanks. The wall thanks the 'principle donors' instead of the 'principal donors'."
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This week's whale vs trimaran story reminded Stewart Ostler of Cambridge of the sinking of a friend's yacht in the Pacific about 25 years ago. He writes: "Dauntless, a 50ft keeler, owned by the late Frank Innes-Jones and his wife Shirley, was returning to New Zealand after a Pacific cruise and just off Norfolk Island was holed by a large whale and quickly commenced taking in water and sinking. Shirley had always insisted on an emergency bag being left at the top of the companionway. As they were both at the time below decks they quickly got to the deck, to be confronted by a very angry-looking whale charging at their yacht from the stern. Shirley had in her emergency bag a large mirror to signal their position to an aircraft if they were ever needing help or rescue. With quick thinking Frank grabbed the mirror and shone it at the whale's head. Miraculously, the whale turned away." Frank's distress call was heard in Invercargill, and the couple were picked by a rescue boat from Norfolk Island.
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Workmen draining a lake under a Blackpool roller-coaster have found an earring lost by Marlene Dietrich 73 years ago. The pearl earring fell off as she took a ride on the Big Dipper at the resort's Pleasure Beach in 1934. When she realised the earring was missing she contacted owners requesting a search. But it remained lost until last week, when water was drained from under the Big Dipper, which still in operation. The contractors also found a glass eye, a toupee, three dolls, a bra and £85 ($240) in small change. (Source: Ananova.com)
