QUIRKY WORLD ... Our daily look at some of the world’s stranger stories
Robert “Bobby” Tufts hasn’t made it to preschool yet, but he’s already been elected twice as mayor of a tiny tourist town in northern Minnesota.
Mayor Tufts’ name was picked at the Taste of Dorset festival on Sunday to be mayor of Dorset for a second term. It has no formal city government and has a population of 22 to 28, depending on whether the minister and his family are in town.
Anyone could vote as many times as they like — for $1 a vote — at any of the ballot boxes in stores around town. The proceeds go towards organising the festival.
Bobby was only 3 when he won the election last year. His mother, Emma Tufts, said she and her son, who turns 5 in October, got choked up when his name was pulled.
The boy picked a random man out of the crowd to pick the name out of a clear tub. and the man was blindfolded twice, she said.
While this was happening, Bobby told the crowd how to musky fish, she said.
“He’s been going since 3 o’clock yesterday with cameras on his face,” she said Sunday afternoon. “He’s having a long day but he’s done really well. I’m surprised.”
Authorities have posted a public notice urging Justin Bieber to get in touch with them about an unpaid bill for his former pet monkey, Mally.
Bieber failed to produce the necessary vaccination and import papers for the monkey when he arrived for a European tour in March. Mally became the property of the German government after he failed to claim his pet.
The Federal Agency for Nature Conservation says Bieber has a week to pay €1,150 for the monkey’s care otherwise customs officials “have ways of making him pay” the next time he enters Germany.
The doors of an award-winning crematorium are being thrown open to visitors in what organisers have labelled an “interesting” day out.
Stafford Borough Council, which runs the town’s cemetery and crematorium, recognised as one of the best in the country, is hosting an open day this Saturday because it wants people to see what services are on offer following an overhaul.
The council said staff attending on the day will be able to discuss topics including “stone-cutting, grave-digging, and eco-friendly funerals”.
Extravagant hair colour has more than doubled in popularity after celebrities like Helen Mirren and Rihanna were seen sporting shades of purple, pink, and even grey.
Home hair dye sales are up 128% on this time last year, according to Amazon.
The online retailer said experiments by celebrities reignited the trend.
One of the world’s biggest caviar dishes and a set of Francis Bacon’s paintbrushes are among unusual items on display before a major auction next month.
More than 150 lots are to be sold at Christie’s South Kensington on Sept 5. Bacon’s paintbrushes are set to fetch around £25,000 (€29,000).
Also under the hammer are a flying machine prop made for the 1985 Young Sherlock Holmes film, which could net up to £80,000, and one of the world’s biggest caviar dishes, estimated to make between £80,000 and £100,000.
A hotel in Denver is offering a package which includes a one-night stay in a pop-up inflatable room that can be lifted 22ft in the air on a scissors-lift mounted on a van.
Architectural artist Alex Schweder created the room for the Biennial of the Americas arts, culture, and idea festival in Denver.
It has a chemical toilet, shower, sink, inflatable bed, and living room. It costs $50,000 (€38,000) a night.
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