Sideswipe: October 18: When can you interrupt my teaching?

Fly me to the Moon

Have you always wanted to holiday in a nuclear-powered hotel on the Moon? Thanks to a Russian company, you may be able to do just that within nine years. The firm is designing a hotel base that can touch down and dig itself into a 40m hole to avoid radiation on the lunar surface. Each guest will be allowed a 10m square cabin and the trip will set you back around $30 million so you might want to start saving now.

Hey we are Kiwis

"A small group of us Kiwis went to an international conference in the US," writes Marieke. "A representative of each country carried their flag in on the first morning, accompanied by live music. Australia came on, to the sound of Waltzing Matilda . A little later it was New Zealand's turn, and the music was — Waltzing Matilda ! We were unimpressed, and got permission to bring our flag in again on the second morning, which we did, complete with a spine-tingling karanga. Fair to say, we put New Zealand on the map that day. Our entrance that day was the topic of discussion for the rest of the conference."

Did you know ...

1.

A group of ostriches is known as a wobble.

2.

Russia removed Saturday and Sunday from the calendar for 11 years to create a "continuous working week" from 1929 to 1940.

3.

Chinese children's songs of the 1970s included

Little Red Guards Attend A Repudiation Meeting

and

Criticise Lin Piao and Discredit Him Completely

.

4.

Wayne Rooney bought two race horses when he was 17 but his proposed names were rejected by the Jockey Club: Hoof Hearted and Norfolk Enchants.