Telling Liverpudlian to ‘calm down’ is ‘not racist’
And other stories from the stranger side of life

A Liverpudlian bus driver has told a tribunal that being told to “calm down, calm down” is racist. Antony Ryan felt “insulted” after the comments from his manager. The saying originated in a comedy sketch by Harry Enfield, in which moustachioed, shell-suited “Scousers” would tell each other: “Eh, alright, alright, calm down, calm down.” Ryan’s race discrimination claim was dismissed because the panel ruled he was not being mocked for his “national origin”.
Roman holding cell found in Kent
A room where thieves and gladiators in Roman Britain waited to meet their deaths before a baying crowd has been discovered on the Kent coast. Archaeologists at the English Heritage site found the holding cell after being allowed to explore the amphitheatre at Richborough, north of Sandwich. “If you let your imagination run riot, then it is spooky to stand in there,” said one researcher.
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Man names son after alphabet
A dad in South Sumatra has named his child after the alphabet because he had always wanted to be a writer. The boy’s name is: “ABCDEF GHIJK Zuzu”, but he normally goes by the name ‘Adef’. The father considered naming his two other boys NOPQ RSTUV and XYZ but instead opted for the more orthodox Ammar and Attur.
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