1. "I can't recall" that time I got helicoptered out to the Crisco mansion where I met an obese Bond villain who offered me $50,000. (@MattNippert)
2. "When I retire and open a bookshop/drinking establishment or buy a boat I shall call it Plausible Deniability." (@Paul Brislen)
Leaping into orbit
Teaching techniques 1: Sandra Rolls writes: "We had a fantastic geography teacher who, when explaining temperature and the equator, jumped on to his desk holding a lamp and spun a globe before grabbing the globe and 'orbiting' around the 'sun'. I have subsequently used this technique in my classes."
Teaching techniques 2: "I recall our introduction to chemistry at Tamatea High School in Napier," writes Paul. "'This is a beaker,' the teacher would say, holding one up, 'And this is a test tube.' He'd then drop both into a steel basin at the front of the class, smashing them to smithereens. 'Now you know what they sound like when you drop them, you won't need to do it yourself,' he would say and carry on with the lesson as if nothing had happened."
Teaching techniques 3: "During a lesson about forces, the class clown was talking instead of paying attention. While walking down the aisle of desks the teacher paused next to the student who was talking, for a demonstration. 'I will now apply a force to this pencil case' ... And then he threw the pencil case across the room. It was open at the time and everything spilled out, so the class clown was ordered to pick up his stuff while the lesson continued."
Harley rides Pacific waves
A motorcycle that washed ashore on Canada's west coast may have drifted across the Pacific after being carried out to sea by last year's Japanese tsunami, Canada's CBC television reports. The Harley-Davidson, with Japanese licence plates identifying it as coming from from one of the hardest-hit areas, was found by beachcomber Peter Mark in a cargo container on the Haida Gwaii islands off the coast of British Columbia.
Westie spirit in action
A reader writes: "On Friday while going to Green Bay High School, my daughter witnessed a very kind act. A grandmother was taking her grandkids to school when they were caught in the most horrendous downpour. Nana tried to shelter the kids on the footpath. The two young girls were in tears, soaked. Nek minnit an Auckland Co-Op Taxi stopped, picked them up and took them the 500m to school. Nice work, Mr Co-Op driver. True Westie spirit. Good on ya."
