Sideswipe: TV map misleads on Leeds

Ross writes: "You may mock the Americans for messing up world maps, but it seems that home-grown versions aren't much better. Check out this map of the UK shown by TVNZ in the 6pm news. The honest folk of Leeds would be mortified to find out they lived in the south." (Leeds is an hour's drive north of Manchester.)

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The Guardian's Best Words of the Decade included a few I hadn't heard of...

Witches' knickers (Ireland): Shopping bags caught in trees, flapping in the wind.
Cuddle puddle (New York): Heap of exhausted ravers.
Barbecue stopper (Australia): An issue of major public importance, which will excite voters.
Sandwich generation (Canada): Those caring for young children and elderly parents at the same time.
Huburb (US): Its own little city within another city.
Elevens: The creases between one's eyebrows from squinting or frowning.

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The intriguing smile of the Mona Lisa was the result of very high levels of cholesterol, says a medical expert who has studied famous figures in Renaissance art. The facial expression - one of the main reasons the 16th-century painting is among the most famous works of art in the world - shows signs of a build-up of fatty acids around the eyes of the subject, says Vito Franco of the University of Palermo. The Italian scientist says the model in the oil painting had a xanthelasma - a subcutaneous accumulation of cholesterol - in the hollow of her left eye and a fatty tissue tumour.

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Lucky coincidence: "During the 90s my son-in-law, an international airline steward, did a flight from Auckland to London with a stopover in LA," writes a reader. "He landed in the States and transferred to the hotel by airport bus. When it came time to leave for London, he couldn't find his passport. With help from the airline, he left the US, had a stopover in London and then returned back to LA with another stopover there, still with no passport. After landing in LA, he got through the airport checks and on to the bus to go to his hotel. Once seated on the bus, his hand felt something down the side of the seat ... Yes, it was his passport."

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Mike from Morrinsville tires of the coincidences yarns and writes: "For my 17th birthday, my mum gave me a beautiful signet ring. Not long after I received it, my friends and I went swimming at Mission Bay. When I came out of the water I was devastated to discover the ring had slipped off my finger. I could not tell Mum. About a year later, I went surfcasting at Mission Bay and dragged in a really big snapper. I could not believe it when I gutted the fish to find my signet ring was not in its belly! I was totally shocked and to this day have not fully recovered."

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See today's Herald cartoon