9 votes

Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news

Posted by mycketforvirrad
Tags: ask.discussion, recurring.weekly, offbeat fridays, offbeat

Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like shootings, aileen cannon and firefox. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was observant.

But one of my favourite tags happens to be offbeat! Taking its original inspiration from Sir Nils Olav III, this thread is looking for any far-fetched offbeat stories lurking in the newspapers. It may not deserve its own post, but it deserves a wider audience!

12 comments

  1. [4]
    jredd23
    Link
    Do I have a whale of a story to tell you. So in what seems highly unusual there has been an unusual number of reports of people just floating away. I wouldn't mind being one of them today!

    Do I have a whale of a story to tell you. So in what seems highly unusual there has been an unusual number of reports of people just floating away. I wouldn't mind being one of them today!

    Fell asleep on rubber ring rescued after 19 hours at sea
    Man caught in a tide floats from Queens, NY to New Jersey

    6 votes
    2. chocobean
      Link Parent
      Additional Taiwanese (Chinese language) source for the first article: link. Additional tidbit: they drove the man, using an ambulance, to the hospital, but when he arrived he felt fine and walked...

      Additional Taiwanese (Chinese language) source for the first article: link. Additional tidbit: they drove the man, using an ambulance, to the hospital, but when he arrived he felt fine and walked out of ER and went home

      Additional google map of the beach the man started off from here - I don't see any shark nets ?? A little spooky to fall asleep and drift away entirely. Did he have no swim buddy?

      1 vote
    3. fefellama
      Link Parent
      Fuck me that's gotta be a terrifying 19 hours. Fall asleep, then wake up and literally nothing around you but ocean. I can't even begin to imagine what I'd be thinking during those few hours.

      Fuck me that's gotta be a terrifying 19 hours. Fall asleep, then wake up and literally nothing around you but ocean. I can't even begin to imagine what I'd be thinking during those few hours.

      1 vote
  2. [8]
    mycketforvirrad
    Link
    Lollipop man, 86, plans 'mad week in Benidorm' after retiring BBC News – Nishma Hindocha – 17th July 2024

    Lollipop man, 86, plans 'mad week in Benidorm' after retiring

    A much-loved lollipop man who is retiring after more than two decades says he is planning a "mad week in Benidorm" to celebrate the milestone.

    He is known for his high fives and infectious smile and said the joy he got out of the job is what had kept him young.

    BBC News – Nishma Hindocha – 17th July 2024

    4 votes
    1. [3]
      GenuinelyCrooked
      Link Parent
      Today I Learned that crossing guards in Britain are called Lollipop Men. Adorable!

      Today I Learned that crossing guards in Britain are called Lollipop Men. Adorable!

      8 votes
      1. [2]
        chocobean
        Link Parent
        Oh! Thanks for that I was greatly confused :) From the article, it seems that the other titles are Lollipop Ladies and Lollipop Persons. Is the ...crossing sign they hold in the shape of a...

        Oh! Thanks for that I was greatly confused :)

        From the article, it seems that the other titles are Lollipop Ladies and Lollipop Persons.

        Is the ...crossing sign they hold in the shape of a lollipop, is that why?

        And also what sort of place is Benidorm?

        3 votes
    2. [4]
      adutchman
      Link Parent
      Brilliant. I did forget for a second that a lollipop man is not a man selling lollipops XD

      Brilliant. I did forget for a second that a lollipop man is not a man selling lollipops XD

      3 votes
      1. [3]
        mycketforvirrad
        Link Parent
        That's the man you find in the nightclub toilet. And he's very likely to be off to Benidorm on the regular...

        That's the man you find in the nightclub toilet. And he's very likely to be off to Benidorm on the regular...

        4 votes
        2. Tardigrade
          Link Parent
          Is there an agreed upon term for the spray blokes beyond something like "Toilet Attendant"?

          Is there an agreed upon term for the spray blokes beyond something like "Toilet Attendant"?

          2 votes