Comment

Column 8

Everyone who watches the TV news would be familiar with the tree at Penrith that overhangs the Nepean River with a rope tied to a branch, writes Peter Riley of Penrith. "Almost every time we have a heat event in Sydney, TV crews make the trek out here to film kids launching themselves into the water. As the frequency of very hot days increases with global warming so too the frequency of TV crew visits and eventually the tree will probably qualify for world heritage listing." 

"The ABC's Graham Creed certainly follows protocol by wearing a jacket (C8, no ties on Lateline). If he would only unbutton the bottom button of his jacket, he would then be as well suited as Jeremy Fernandez," says Peter Barber, Greenwich.

"It is established that George Manojlivic is a real person and not software (C8). But, has anyone been able to confirm the existence of Mangerton, has been there or knows another who lives there or have played sport against a team from there?" asks Richard Stewart, Pearl Beach.

More from Joan Brown of Orange."I don't know about George but where he claims to live does exist. I lived in Mangerton in 1959, and despite being one of Wollongong's better suburbs, the house I boarded at had the dunny down the back."

Bob Sendt of Hornsby: "Has the word 'twice' been stripped from the dictionary? Three current TV ads (maybe more) now use the expression 'two times as fast'. Do others find it grating? What's wrong with 'twice as fast'?"

At a two-hatted city restaurant for an anniversary dinner, its bread came with "whipped butter". Is this an attempt to lift the pretension bar well above that of the by now plebeian "smashed avo"? Geoffrey Briot of Stanmore. 

Now to set the record straight. "I was delighted to see my item about dogs and lounges in print, writes Paul Vincent of Bayview. "However, "lounges" was misspelt as "loungers". I've checked what I sent, and it was "lounges". I mention this because eagle-eyed Column eighters will probably think I don't know the difference," [C8: investigation shows the error introduced here, apologies to Paul].

Column8@smh.com.au

Twitter: @Column8SMH