Sideswipe

By ANA SAMWAYS

A reader took this snap (above) while visiting Colorado and suggests No Name, a few miles outside Glenwood Springs, may be a place to avoid.

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Reader Anaise Irvine noted these less-than-golden moments from Games commentators:

Men's cycling: "Britain has never won a medal in the individual pursuit. When I say that, of course, Chris Boardman won it in 1992, but Wiggins will be glad to have it nonetheless."

Men's basketball: "Pero. Swish! Nothing but nylon." "What if that's a cotton-nylon blend, Chris?"

Women's weightlifting: "That was Samsonic."

Women's diving final: "The coaches liked it, and they're much better judges than most people ... except the judges."

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Jack McMillan was amused by a newsletter from St Mary's Catholic Church in Rotorua. It reads: "Why go to church? For safety's sake - because 20 per cent of all fatal accidents occur on the road. In the home 17 per cent of all accidents happen. Fourteen per cent are suffered by pedestrians in the street, with air, rail and water travel accounting for 16 per cent of accidents. Only .001 per cent of deaths occur in church, and all of these are related to previous physical disorders. So church is the safest place to be. Come to church - it could save your life."

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After Michael Jackson pleaded for the media to stop calling him Wacko Jacko, the Sydney Morning Herald's Spike column was inundated with suitable pseudonyms. Favourites include: Psycho Mike-o, Multifarious Michael and Diana Ross, Morphing Michael, Flaxen Jackson, Fantastic Plastic (Plackie Jackie for short), Michael Straight Jacketson, Nearly White Mike, The Artist Who Formerly Looked Like Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson's Sibling Malfunction.

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Jenny Robin Jones writes: "When my rechargeable bus card failed to work the bus driver asked me to fill in a form and told me I would receive a replacement card within four days. To tide me over, he gave me a chit entitling me to free travel on Stagecoach buses. Impressed that the card arrived on time with a friendly covering letter, I emailed Stagecoach my congratulations and appreciation of the four-day free pass. Again, they responded promptly. But when I read their email I realised they are not used to thanks. 'We value your feedback and where appropriate the matter described will be investigated. A response, where required, will be sent to you once our investigation is complete'."

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A greek soldier guarding an Olympic facility in Athens has been shot dead while apparently playing a game of Russian roulette with a policeman. Greek police were questioning a policeman in connection with the pre-dawn shooting at the gates of a village hosting escorts to Olympic teams. It appeared that a prank had gone wrong while the pair were playing with a service revolver containing a single bullet. The 25-year-old soldier was shot in the forehead. The policeman was described as a new recruit aged 20. (Source: Reuters)

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