Sideswipe: Jelly for the heart-lover

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A jelly heart mould just in time for Valentine's Day. "The jiggly gelatine anatomical heart produced by this plastic mould is perfect for lovebirds, med school students, and aspiring cannibals." (Source: Neatoshop.com)

Ad lacking horse sense

A US state has unwittingly started a legal debate with an advertising campaign urging drinkers to get a lift home. Montana's Department of Transportation issued a public safety video that features a horse picking up a rider at a bar. It was meant as a metaphor to encourage drinkers to seek alternative transport, but it has been taken literally in a state known for its horse culture. Local police have received many calls from residents wanting to know if riding a horse while under the influence is legal. Montana law carefully defines a vehicle, and excludes those running under animal power. (Source: The Press Association)

Hair colour all too much

A reader from Herne Bay writes: "Due to the recession I have made the ultimate sacrifice - gone are my six-weekly touch ups from my hairdresser. At 31 I am desperate to keep the greys at bay so for the first time I bought a home hair dye. The colour turned out surprisingly well, but my bathroom didn't. In my enthusiasm I appear to have spattered my pristine all-white bathroom with L'Oreal Excellence Darkest Brown ... I've rubbed with an assortment of household cleaners and it won't come off. Any tips?"

Bones a bag-full of trouble

A Cypriot monk caught at Athens airport with the skeletal remains of a nun in his baggage on the weekend told authorities he was taking the relics of a saint back to his monastery. The remains were those of a nun who died four years ago. Police said she was not a saint in the Greek or Cypriot Orthodox Churches, but a sect within the church might have venerated the nun. "It appears to be the work of charlatans with a financial interest," said Cyprus' Archbishop Chrysostomos. The monk was freed after being charged with theft and desecrating the dead, a misdemeanour in Greece.

Whisky body says ban the can

Whisky in a can? A Panama-based company believes outdoor drinkers would rather crack open a tin than lug round a bottle of their favourite tipple. Bosses at Scottish Spirits in Glasgow are testing out the novelty on its Caribbean and South American markets. But last night the Scotch Whisky Association said it would try to ban the cans for breaching international labelling rules. A spokesman said: "We are concerned that consumers may be confused whether or not the product is real Scotch." (Source: The Mail Online)

Legal system indeed a joke

A reader writes: "Your correspondent who fractured the eye-socket of a girl for calling him a nigger and then claimed the NZ legal system is a joke is absolutely correct. Any man who violently assaults a girl because she called him a name should be locked up, not given home detention."