do other places have thumbs up thumbs down columns in their local newspapers? i'm not aware of any. for years it was an eagerly anticipated highlight of the week in wagga to read the contributions of paranoid waggans about their neighbours in the leader - a free weekly newspaper distributed to (read : thrown onto the lawns of) all households in wagga and environs ; and the column was sorely missed by those who moved away.

i set up a simple web site more as a demonstration exercise for my students than anything else, but it took on a life of its own.

the quality of the contributions has faded rapidly in recent years especially since the leader 'upgraded' the logo. two classics from 2004 are reproduced below.