Birdwatchers are perceived to be the most boring people, according to a new study called Boring People: Stereotype Characteristics, Interpersonal Attributions, and Social Reactions. Researchers found that the most tedious professions were accountancy, data analysis and insurance, while the most boring hobbies included going to church, watching TV and “animal observation”. The least boring professions “were acting, science, journalism and, by logical extension, science journalism”, noted The Times.
Turin Shroud is ‘tablecloth from Burton upon Trent’
The Turin Shroud – Christianity’s most prized relic – was actually a tablecloth made in Burton upon Trent, according to an anthropologist and historian. David Adkins said the face featured on the biblical relic is not that of Christ, but the face of the Fisher King, who, Arthurian legend has it, was the last guardian of the Holy Grail. Adkins’ theory is not the first to question the true origins of the cloth. Recent analysis has already “put the skids under the Christ links”, said Birmingham Live, revealing the item to be medieval in origin.
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Suits deemed ‘non-essential’
The suit has been deemed non-essential by the Office for National Statistics. The Daily Telegraph said that increased home working and the relaxing of office dress codes mean suits have been removed from the “basket” of typical goods used to calculate the Consumer Prices Index. Last year, Marks & Spencer announced it would halve the number of outlets that sold suits, as in-store sales of formalwear had fallen by 72%, added the paper.
