Further to our discussion on election posters in Marrickville, and the removal thereof, Greg Taylor informs us that while the Greens have been exemplary this time round, with Labor seemingly reluctant to follow suit, the Liberals haven't been a problem at all. "They didn't put any up - Grayndler is the safest Labor seat in NSW, so they didn't bother."

"I live near Byron Bay with its many drunken schoolies and tourists," writes DA acronym competition entrant Melissa Lucashenko, who offers "BYRON BAY - Boozy Young Revellers Out Near Beaches And … Yuk!" Balmain's Fran McKenzie makes a transparent attempt to glom bonus points by submitting "TEMORA - The Enviable Mecca Of Rural Australia". Who knows; she might just get away with it. But there's a whole week to go, so if you want to win a copy of Offbeat Australia, pull out an atlas and start acronising. (There was no such word as acronising until just then. Another first for Column 8!)

On the subject of off-beat destinations, Anne Cook begs to differ with DA's assertion that the Bland Hotel is worth a visit. "I come from Quandialla," she writes, "and I can tell you, there is nothing special about the Bland Hotel. It's right by the now non-existent railway station. The hotel bedroom doors don't close, but there aren't any cockroaches due to the drought. Only the main street is paved. We had a lawn bowls club, closed now, and a swimming pool that I was instrumental in establishing. There is now no water to fill it."

"The following text from the ABC TV website describing Bomb Harvest leaves me bemused," writes Paul Williams of Summer Hill. "'In Bomb Harvest, the discovery of yet another child victim brings Australian bomb-disposal specialist Laith Stevens to a small village in Laos in South-East Asia to diffuse the bomb responsible.' First, 'the bomb responsible' for 'another child victim' would presumably have self-demolished, and second, I cannot imagine how one would 'diffuse' a bomb - defuse would seem more appropriate." Well, you can diffuse a bomb. It just takes a lot longer.

More on the Roman conquest of Australia (Column 8, since Wednesday), this time from Deepak Malhotra of Pyrmont, who seeks clarification. "Did the follis that was found by Grant Symons belong to the Roman period from the year 294, with the coinage reform of Diocletian, or did it belong to the Byzantine period of 498, following the coinage reform of Anastasius?" Grant believes that it was of Diocletian origin, and in any case, the Australian legions had been withdrawn to defend Hadrian's Wall well before 498.

Little-known fact: "Now that John Laws has retired, I'm wondering if he'll take up the bagpipes again," ponders Mike Millard, of West Vancouver, Canada. "You see, in 1954 he was pipe-major of the Knox Grammar School pipe band."

Column8@smh.com.au (no attachments please). Phone 9282 2207 fax 9282 2772. (include name, suburb, daytime phone)