TODAY might be the official day for having your heart melted and being swept off your feet, but ladies be warned: charming men are not always what they appear to be.
According to health and social science researchers at Bolton University, men who seem too good to be true probably are, and could well have other lives, even other wives. So, even on Valentine’s Day, “women should avoid intelligent charmers, especially when they come bearing flowers”, The Times Higher Education Supplement (Feb 10) writes.
From amour to armour, and the tricky problem of a police force that looks too tough. “You see officers with all their protective equipment on at the town fête or some family event and (you) might think they are ready for battle,” says Sir Chris Fox, the outgoing president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, in Police Review (Feb 10). He suggests that police officers should be treated like grown-ups and decide for themselves when they should or shouldn’t wear a vest.
Teachers at Shavington high school in Crewe might also appreciate a little adult treatment as The Times Educational Supplement (Feb 10) reveals that teaching staff have been ordered to abstain from all alcohol while on school trips. But this edict has not gone down well with teachers, and the schools’ two main trips may have to be cancelled. Steve Sinnott, the general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, sees no problem with the odd glass of wine, though: “It is disrespectful to teachers to presume (that) they do not have the common sense to exercise restraint.”
Still on the subject of restraint — or rather, restraints — the Transport Research Laboratory has hauled itself into the 21st century with a new type of safety test sled to assess the effectiveness of passenger restraints. Using “proven bungee technology” the sled can simulate impacts of up to 90km/h (56mph), reports Transport Times (Feb 10).
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Lasers also feature in this device, which really is a giant technological leap forward for safety testing procedures as “traditionally this task is done with a piece of modelling clay, a spike and a ruler”.
Safe trains are one thing, but do they really need to keep us awake at night? Network Rail has agreed to investigate whether 117-decibel horns are strictly necessary after complaints from local residents near certain stretches of track. In the meantime, however, earplugs may be required — horns on the new Electrostar trains can reach 124 decibels, says Environmental Health News (Feb 10).