Fool me once...

Commuters looked on as contracted workmen repainting markings on the carpark at Cambridge train station repeated the same spelling mistake that they first made two years ago. A parking bay now reads "Yellow bays 20 MINUITES parking". One on-looker explained how the workmen "appeared to look at it, scratch their heads, and then walk away." A spokesperson for the contractors said that the mistake "will be corrected on Monday - but only once the workers have completed a spelling bee." NB: Urban Dictionary lists 'minuite' as "A unit of time that does not even vaguely correspond to a minute. From the Latin: "min" - minute, "uite" - much longer than." 

Quids in

One (un)lucky pedestrian has received a £10,000 payout from Cambridge City Council after tripping on a pothole. That's £1,000 change from a year's worth of tuition fees...just saying. 

A bit of a flop

An art installation called 'The Penis Emporium', planned to appear in the Grafton Centre, has been cancelled after fears that it would offend were raised. Its creator, Jane Hellings, claimed that the display sought to "challenge the objectification of women in today's society". Pieces which were lined up to feature in the exhibition included 'Two Headed Trouser Snake' and 'Eunuch Boy'. 

Because we all travel by punt

Google Maps have done nothing to break the Cambridge stereotypes by including a 'Punt' option for those seeking routes through the city centre. It takes an estimated 55 minutes to punt from Magdelene Bridge to the Mathematical Bridge according to this 'easter-egg' option. The icon of a small man punting appears to be using the correct Cambridge method. 

Stepping into the habit

Two Cambridge-based Dominican friars are planning a 190 mile hike across Britain in July and August - a journey which they will complete in 12 days, wearing their white habits paired with walking boots. The Dominican Order began practising in Cambridge in 1238, with their priory standing on the site of Emmanuel College until 1538. The friars aim to raise money as part of their Order's attempts to fill a £1 million funding gap. 

Getting your hands dirty

Artists and volunteers have created a scale model of the university's North-West Cambridge Development from mud and straw. Using left-over top soil excavated from the site before construction began, 60 volunteers have constructed 1m high models of the buildings which will make up the site. The artist in charge of the project, Karen Guthrie, said that "physically working with the soil from holes excavated by the archaeologists [...] couldn't be more different to going to a lecture on the archaeology of the site", and she hopes that the model will remain after construction work comes to an end. 

Crisis point

Research by a Cambridge reproductive biologist has found that the average man will experience mid-life changes around the age of 46, but it will not necessarily involve expensive cars, scandalously young women and leather jackets. Dr David Bainbridge has found that men will have more disposable income at that time of life, their children will be almost grown, giving them more time, and they will have settled into a job with which they are happy. He rejects the stereotype of a 'mid-life crisis', claiming that there is little evidence that such a thing exists. He has published a new book, Middle Age: A Natural History, in which he identifies the top 10 indicators of this mid-life behavioural change. Running a half marathon, going to a music festival, getting a tattoo, getting botox, and considering a face-lift all feature in his list.