QUIRKY WORLD ... Our daily look at some of the world’s stranger stories
A lollipop man has quit his post after apparently being censured by council bosses for high-fiving school children.
Bob Slade, a crossing patrol supervisor in Plymouth, Devon, said he has resigned after being investigated by the city council over safety concerns.
The 65-year-old said he was threatened with suspension for the friendly gesture as children crossed the road.
He told the Plymouth Herald newspaper: “When I got the job they told me to make contact with the kids and be friendly. But then they changed their minds and I stopped high-fiving them earlier in the year because they told me to stop.
“They said they would suspend me for four weeks but I said I would rather leave — I was going to retire soon anyway.”
Manadon Vale primary school is currently without a crossing patrol supervisor following Slade’s departure.
A Plymouth city council spokesman told the newspaper that it took the safety of children “very seriously” and said: “To do this they must hold out the lollipop with one arm and hold their other arm outstretched to signal that all traffic must stop, this is well established signalling that should be understood by all drivers.”
The spokesman said patrols could be “friendly” but said their full attention had to be on the road.
Police are investigating claims that bags of cannabis were left in a hire van used by officers to transport them from the scene of a drug seizure.
The drugs were reportedly discovered by a company driver who picked up the van from Coatbridge police station, North Lanarkshire, after the raid and drove it back to his base. Staff at Mitchell’s Hire Drive called police, who rehired the van in order to remove the drugs.
“We can confirm we are investigating a report that a vehicle, hired by Police Scotland, has been returned to the hire company, allegedly with what is believed to be police productions inside,” a police spokeswoman said.
Those working in admin are likely to opt for the Algarve for their holidays, while mechanics mosey off to Spain’s Costa del Sol, according to a survey.
People in human resources take trips to New York, while those in construction head for Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt. Spain’s Balearic Islands are most popular with those in sales and marketing, while people working in finance prefer Tuscany in Italy.
The survey, by travel agent sunshine.co.uk, was based on responses from 1,892 people, each of whom had been abroad on holiday in the last year and who were in full-time employment.
Chimpanzees are willing to socialise and communicate with robots, researchers have claimed.
Dr Marina Davila-Ross, of the University of Portsmouth, carried out the first study to examine how primates interact with robots.
It showed that chimps respond to even basic movements of a robot, which the researchers say demonstrates that chimps want to communicate and interact with other “creatures” on a social level.
The research, published in the journal Animal Cognition, outlines how chimps responded to a human-like robot the size of a doll.
Hugh Jackman has thrown himself a birthday party with 4,500 guests, but they had to pay to attend.
He spent his 45th birthday at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, where he sang, danced, and told stories for One Night Only, a benefit concert that raised $1.85m (€1.36m) for the Motion Picture & Television Fund.
“This is probably the most narcissistic way to spend your birthday,” he said after the show.
“I chose my favourite songs and told stories about my life.”
The latest fad in New York City dining is eating in silence. A restaurant in Brooklyn’s trendy Greenpoint district is serving up a four-course meal of organic, locally sourced food, but is not allowing any chit-chat.
Eat restaurant chef Nicholas Nauman said he was inspired to put on the occasional ‘No Talking’ affairs after spending time with Buddhist monks in India. He says the silence allows customers to better experience the food.
Some of the city’s restaurants already offer diners the chance to eat in the dark. Others feature the ability to consume not just the food – but the menu on which it is described.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
