Sideswipe: They should sue

Photos / Supplied

When sign writers go bad (pictured, top)

You never know who's watching

This sign on the Manila motorways (pictured, bottom) in the Philippines has improved behaviour on the roads, according to Luen Jones from Te Atatu Peninsula. "Maybe we could introduce 'traffic discipline zones' in Auckland?"

Women officially unfairer sex

Sue of Howick has just discovered that she's paying a higher car insurance premium than her husband because she's a woman! And she is rightly outraged. "Yes, it's true, NZI (Lantern) have just told me that statistics prove women have more accidents, therefore I have to pay more than him. Even though my car is valued at less than his, has a smaller engine and is older and cheaper ... and despite the fact that I have never had an accident and have never claimed on my insurance. I was assured that this gender bias happens across the board with all insurance companies. Isn't this discrimination against women? Surely this is in the same category as racism? It's like saying Asians are bad drivers and have more accidents, but I'm sure they don't discriminate against Asian drivers, or do they? NZI are going to have someone called a resolutions consultant ring me ... a fancy name for the complaints department."

Red-faced over balls-up

A newspaper in Britain has faced embarrassment after turning to Wikipedia for research. The Independent reported that the Big Chill music festival at Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire began life in 1994 as the Wanky Balls festival, a "fact" which was apparently gleaned from the online encyclopaedia, which has since been updated. (Source: guardian.co.uk).

How much do you love me, son?

Shirley Anderson, 71, is suing her son Ken, 46, for parental support - even though she and his father had abandoned him when he was 15. An archaic 1922 law in Vancouver, British Columbia, can force adult children to support dependent parents, so Shirley is demanding $477 a month each from Ken and his four siblings, who were also abandoned as teens. A judge awarded token interim support pending a final resolution. (Newsoftheweird.com)

Convenient for Westpac at least

Speaking of speeding, says regular contributor Andrew Stevenson: "If you try and pay a speeding fine online via the police website, Westpac charge a 3 per cent convenience fee. If I sit in traffic, drive to a Westpac, find a car park, withdraw my fine from their ATM (which will incur a 50c fee as a non-Westpac customer) and then stand in their queue for 10 minutes, can I charge them a 3 per cent inconvenience fee?"

Downside to saving energy

After this incident, Fritz will run only incandescent bulbs in his house: "When we had friends over one night, a smoky haze started filling the room with a strong 'burnt plastic' odour. We frantically searched for whatever was about to burn down our house, and when the living room light went out, we found the culprit - an energy-saver bulb had heated up so much it had started to melt. Turns out that they might save you a little on electricity, but they can cost you so much more."

Today's Webpick: Wow! In less than two minutes the weather goes from sunny beach day to...OMG!

Go here.



The new Sideswipe book True Life Laughs ($19.99) is out now. Buy it at all good bookstores or right here, right now at Fishpond.co.nz.



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