Sideswipe: March 19: Murray speaking...

Anyone at TV3 know who this guy is?

Reefer madness
A Virginia school ruined an 11-year-old's life after finding what they thought was a marijuana leaf in his backpack. The school thought it was the drug. It wasn't. The boy was suspended for a year, endured a psychiatrist evaluation for substance abuse problems, and was charged with marijuana possession in juvenile court. In the months since he's become withdrawn, depressed, and he suffers from panic attacks. He is worried his life is over, according to his mother, and that he will never get into college. He is back at school and as per his suspension letter, he'll be searched for drugs at the beginning and end of every school day until his probation is over. (Source: Washington Post)

Hush, don't flush
As alleged de-facto policy at Avalon Elementary School in Orlando, officials last year prohibited toilet-flushing during the statewide Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. It was thought, an official said, that the whooshing water sounds from nearby bathrooms would disturb the students. (Source: News of the Weird)

St Patrick's little helpers
Carolyn writes: "Can I please say a massive thank you to the Good Samaritan ladies that stopped to check on me while I was on all fours, beside my taxi, suffering the side effects of my St Patrick's Day revelry on Glenfield Rd in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Not only did they check I was fine, they also offered me a towel and insisted on driving me the rest of the way home. Goes to show that there are still selfless people around."

Spotted at a Chinese restaurant on Dominion Road by Stefan Bates.

Teenage girls are also grubs
"I have a 14-year-old daughter," writes a reader. "Her room has three weeks of dirty clothing on the floor, 12 wet towels on the floor, empty drink bottles, snack packets, used tissues, all sitting beside the bin and yesterday's (sometimes several days' worth) dirty plates on the bed. This gets sorted if there is a special event she needs to be taken to."

Jokes you can read out to your kids (Part 2)
1. Knock knock. Who's there? CIA. CIA who? WE ASK THE QUESTIONS NOT YOU!

2. Two goldfish are floating in a tank. Says one to the other: "How do we drive this thing?"

3. Q. How do you catch a unique rabbit? A. Unique up on it!

4. How do you make an apple puff? Chase it around the garden!

5. What do you call a German barber? Herr Cut.

6. I know the best knock knock joke in the world. It won the no bell prize.

Politics:

T-Shirt merchant Mr Vintage has got on board with Winston Peter's Northland campaign with this t-shirt...

Buy it here...

Video: Reenacting what a Neanderthal would've sounded like... (hint: not pleasant)...

Good read: A fascinating read about one of the biggest social experiments in history - China's one-child policy - and how the subsequent children aren't recognised by the government, which can make life very difficult for those who can't pay the ever-increasing fine for their disobedience...

Video:

This short film by Ryan Fielding is a cinematic portrait of an authentic New Zealand. Described as 'a really bad tourism campaign' by its maker Aotearoa Now is utterly captivating and at the same time a little depressing. Must see...

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Got a Sideswipe? Send your pictures, links and anecdotes to Ana at ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz