Bear Grylls eating a weta in New Zealand. Photo / Supplied
Bear Grylls eating a weta in New Zealand. Photo / Supplied
A reader writes: "After 'struggling' over the Southern Alps of NZ and arriving on a West Coast beach, Bear Grylls on Man v Wild said in his overly dramatic way ... 'And next stop out there is Argentina,' as he points west out to sea. Maybe he was hypothermic?"
Billionairethanks to Spanx
Sara Blakely is one of the few women who has joined the Forbes Billionaires list without help from a spouse or an inheritance. She came up with the idea for Spanx, a range of hold-you-in, smooth-you-out undergarments. At 27, Blakely used her US$5000 ($6000) savings and spent two years planning her product while working full-time. She approached a hosiery factory but was turned away, only to receive a call from the manager two weeks later. He had daughters, he said, who wouldn't let him pass up her invention. (Source: http://www.kottke.org)
Kids told: Bring slippers to school
An English school has "banned" children from wearing shoes indoors - to avoid getting its new carpets dirty. Parents at Barncroft Primary in Hampshire have been sent letters suggesting pupils wear slippers instead. Parent Steve Smith thought the letter was a joke at first. He said: "It's completely absurd. The school wants to preserve the carpets but it's running the risk of our children stubbing their toes or stepping on something sharp like a drawing pin and injuring themselves."
Don't knock the Aussie plane with the Kiwi name - the Katherine Mansfield plane is part of a transtasman fleet of jets (there are also planes named Jean Batten, Sir William Pickering and Ernest Rutherford). A reader, Ryan, says Vincent should be "pleased that Qantas is showing such dedication to the New Zealand route, or we would be stuck with Air New Zealand and their (rapidly devaluing) Airpoints programme".
... and we're childish
Another reader is also on Qantas's side, saying: "Instead of such parochial thinking, it should be considered a compliment. The Aussies don't mind doing that for New Zealand where it's due, but our childish bitterness toward Australia would prevent us giving them credit for anything?"
