QUIRKY WORLD ... David Beckham scores with hot beverage for patient
Senior paramedic Catherine Maynard had been called out to help a pensioner who had fallen near Endsleigh Street in central London.
Ms Maynard, who works with London Ambulance Service’s cycle response unit, said: “We were both very amused, and flattered. It was awful cycling around in the cold and I couldn’t believe it when he came back with some hot drinks — I was so chuffed.” Beckham even stopped to pose for a picture with Ms Maynard.
Thank you David Beckham for buying a tea and coffee for Cycle Paramedic Catherine and her patient #buyitlikebeckham pic.twitter.com/IFvnwuGSJI
— London Ambulance Service (@Ldn_Ambulance) February 1, 2016
Phil’s prediction
The handlers of Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, say the furry rodent has failed to see his shadow, meaning he has predicted an early spring.
Members of the top hat-wearing Inner Circle announced the forecast at sunrise, just before 7.30am local time. A German legend has it that if a furry rodent sees his shadow on February 2, winter will last another six weeks. If not, spring comes early.
Dr. Louis Uccellini, Director of the National Weather Service, as he was introduced to Punxsutawney Phil yesterday. pic.twitter.com/ccnhYYm8Af
— National Weather Service (@NWS) February 2, 2016
In reality, Phil’s prediction is decided ahead of time by the group on Gobbler’s Knob. The tiny hill is located just outside the town for which he is named.
Records going back to 1887 show Phil has now predicted more winter 102 times while forecasting an early spring just 18 times. There are no records for the remaining years.
Slippery sculpture
A Taiwanese county has built an enormous glass shoe as a tribute to local women who suffered from a foot disease.
Completed last month, the transparent 55ft tall structure has already attracted large numbers of visitors even before it officially opens in two weeks.
Intended for use as a wedding hall and tourist attraction, the shoe honours women who suffered in the past from arsenic poisoning from well water that caused gangrene, a condition known as black feet disease.
Bring on CheesyJet
EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou has entered the thriving discount grocery market with a low-cost food store selling items for 25p (33c).
He has launched the concept easyFoodstore in Park Royal, north-west London, in an attempt to cash in on the very cheapest end of the grocery market.
The store is selling a “limited and basic range” of items for 25p each this month as an introductory offer under the slogan: “No expensive brands. Just food honestly priced.” The store will sell items including pasta, biscuits, and beans, but the list of initial products does not include fresh meat, fruit or vegetables.
Special Introductory Offer for February 2016
— easyFoodstore.com (@easyFoodstore) February 1, 2016
ALL ITEMS AT 25p EACH!https://t.co/uGd7NSMOxm pic.twitter.com/1ygyZdPoz8
Money on trial
More than 95,000 coins from the Royal Mint have gone on trial in a “quality assurance test” that dates back almost 750 years.
The coins, which were produced over the last year, were tested at the ancient Trial of the Pyx at Goldsmiths’ Hall in London to assess their weight and quality. Among them was the 100mm ‘Kilo’ which was produced to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II becoming the longest reigning monarch. It features all five definitive coinage portraits of the queen.
At the trial, first recorded in 1282, the monarch was represented by the Queen’s Remembrancer, who presides over matters to do with the Exchequer. An independent jury of City of London Liverymen from Goldsmiths’ Company also attends the test.
Trial of the Pyx is presided over by the Queen’s Remembrancer - oldest judicial office, dating back to 1164. pic.twitter.com/2RgHFdXinx
— Christian May (@ChristianJMay) February 2, 2016
Claiming the unclaimed
Pink hammers, snow globes, and a suitcase full of pork rinds were among the unclaimed and confiscated items sent by US airports to their nearest state surplus store.
New Hampshire’s state surplus division picks up everything from boxloads of pocket knives and scissors to unclaimed luggage. Items at the surplus warehouse in Concord earlier this month included a hoverboard, a walker with handbrakes, and an impressive collection of snow globes.
The warehouse is open to the public on Mondays and manager John Supry said buyers line up at the door to be first inside. The state sees about $700,000 (€640,623) in surplus sales annually.
Tunnel vision
Authorities arrested a fugitive convicted on drug and theft charges after finding him hiding in what they called an “elaborate tunnel system” dug underneath a trailer home in Alaska.
The tunnels narrowed as officers walked further in, forcing them to trudge through on their knees and then on their stomachs. Police in the city of Sitka said they eventually spotted Jeremy Beebe’s foot sticking out of another hidden entrance, catching him after an officer pulled back the skirting around the trailer.
Police Lt Lance Ewers said Beebe, 42, had failed to report to the police department on January 12 after he was sentenced to nearly two years in prison. Acting on a tip, officers staked out a trailer park and saw Beebe heading into one of the units. Police used a battering ram to get through a door outside of the trailer, which led to the tunnel system.
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