The Trade Me listing for an $800 Daihatsu Charade Pose 2000, a security car apparently damaged after a thrilling high-speed car chase: "It was a dark, rainy night in downtown Auckland, the kind of night that breathes on your neck and sendsa chill down your spine. We'd just cracked into our third box of doughnuts when the static broke and the call came over the radio. 'Code 132'. I turned to my partner and said, 'Pass me the code book.' Minutes later, we knew we had an armed robbery on our hands. We raced to the scene doing 55km/h in a 50km/h zone. Then, there they were ... under the glaring amber street lights, loading duffel bags of cash into the back of a white Toyota HiAce. Those crooks! They thought they could get away but they forgot this beast is packing a 1.3l engine and can hit 120km/h on a slope with a tail wind. We chased them all through the mean streets of Freemans Bay, Ponsonby, St Marys Bay, Herne Bay, Pt Chevalier, Mt Albert and Waterview. We managed to run them down in Avondale Heights. They tried to ram us off the road but they were no match for our superior tactical driving. They brought down the ship, but not this captain. We made a glorious citizen's arrest with a flashlight in one hand, a doughnut in the other. Now the crooks are safely behind bars, we're retiring this warhorse."
Can do better ... and did!
A reader writes: "My Standard 4 report back in 1956 read: 'Has ability, somewhat concealed ... needs a dose of uranium 235 or some such explosive.' Brilliant comment, probably true. I did go on to have a very successful career and life. Mr Hubbard was a brilliant teacher, who also gave me the strap twice - and I am a girl!"
It appears that Auckland City has begun patching its footpaths with Lego. Or is it art?
A few months ago, an 11-year-old boy in Florida got home from school before either of his parents got there because they were caught in traffic. The boy didn't have a house key so he played basketball in the driveway while he waited 90 minutes. Meanwhile, a neighbour called the police after seeing the boy outside. They took the parents into custody for felony neglect when they made it home. Felony neglect is defined as "wilfully or by culpable negligence" neglecting a child. The mother wrote in an email to reason.com: "The authorities claim he had no access to water or shelter. We have an open shed in the backyard and two working sinks and two hoses. They said he had no food. He ate his snacks already. He had no bathroom, but the responding officer found our yard good enough to relieve himself in while our son sat in a police car alone. Florida has no minimum age for children to be home alone."
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