Sideswipe

Spot the difference: Peter and Michael Jackson. Picture / Getty (Peter)/ Reuters (Michael).

Answering a question about the New Zealand film industry at a finance and expenditure select committee on Wednesday, the Minister for Arts and Crafts, Judith Tizard, referred three times to Peter Jackson as Michael Jackson. Someone corrected her and she tried to brush it off by saying that Peter's films had done more for the New Zealand film industry than Michael Jackson's. Committee chairman Shane Jones quipped, "yeah, but at least you can dance to Michael's."

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A reader writes. "Question: Why does [a certain security company] employ so many handicapped drivers for their armoured cars? Answer: Well, actually they don't, they just instruct them to park in handicapped car parks because they're always free and don't get used enough. This is their company policy and they have to stick to it for safety's sake for their drivers. That was the word-for-word answer from their call centre. God help the aged and those with real handicaps while this policy is in place."

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Following the Herald's story listing 10 reasons why Americans are packing on the beef, David Steel offers a couple more and supplies a picture from a trip to the US.

1. Sandwiches like an enormous one served in Las Vegas with layers and layers of meat (picture).

2. At the movies there are trays to help you carry all the food, and melted butter dispensers.

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On Trade Me it would be a toss-up between a handbag used as a weapon by an All Black, a dolphin and the last cigarette smoked in a bar before fagging in public was outlawed (or even that gold-digger's togs). But eBay takes weird auctions to a whole new level. Here are a few of the weirdest things to appear there, from WeirdZine.

1. Vampire Killing Kit: The stylish vampire hunter would love this late 1800s European "vampire killing kit", which included a crossbow with four silver-tipped arrows, an ebony wood stake, a large bottle of holy water and various surgical instruments, among other things. A solid mahogany wood box kept the items secure until they were needed. Final bid: $4550.

2. Serial Killer's Fingernails: In 1979, Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris cruised southern California on a killing spree that resulted in at least five victims. And now, the fingernails of Roy Norris have been sold on eBay for only $9.99. Taped to the back of a Christmas card, they were accompanied by a penned note from Norris himself, signed and topped off with the serial killer's black thumbprint.

3. Real Shrunken Head: Straight from the Jivaro Indian tribe in the jungles of Ecuador to the world's largest electronic marketplace, a total of 26 shrunken heads were put up for sale. Only seven people bid on them, with the top bidder paying just under $25. It is assumed that he or she got first choice of the heads, which ranged in colour from dark brown to grey.