Hairdresser cuts holes in umbrella as coronavirus barrier
And other stories from the stranger side of life
A hairdresser has cut holes in an umbrella for arms and eyes to use as a barrier between clients during the coronavirus pandemic. The imaginative Dutch stylist then cut an additional hole in her makeshift protective suit to thread a customer's eyebrows. As a photo of the set-up went viral on Facebook, one user commented: “Bunch of lunatics.”
Surge in demand for sex toys
There has been a surge in demand for sex toys in Britain during the coronavirus pandemic. Sales of the toys have soared by 13% in the UK, according to statistics from adult brand Womaniser. Overseas, the surge has been even higher: Canada has seen an 135% increase in sex toy sales and sales in Italy are up 71%.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
California says don't flush t-shirts
Officials in California are warning people to be beware of what they flush. After sales of toilet paper jumped about 213 per cent, people have started using shredded T-shirts in place of toilet paper, causing a sewer backup. Officials said that if people use anything in the bathroom other than toilet paper, they should: “Bag it. Don't flush it.”
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For more outlandish tales and news to make you smile, sign up for our Tall Tales email–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
Tutankhamun: the mystery of the boy pharaoh's pierced ears
Under the Radar Researchers believe piercings suggest the iconic funerary mask may have been intended for a woman
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Exploring Easter Island, one of the world's most remote inhabited islands
The Week Recommends It takes time and effort to travel to this mystical locale
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Linda McMahon, the former wrestling mogul tapped for Department of Education
In the Spotlight Longtime Trump ally set for nomination as secretary of the agency despite limited background in the field
By David Faris Published
-
Zoos offer cockroach naming and hippo poo candles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
NHS tells Scots to walk like penguins
Tall Tales Walk like penguins in the snow, says NHS
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Experts discover why dogs wag their tails
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Peruvian 'aliens' aren't really aliens
Tall Tales And other stories from stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman accidentally puts nan in washing machine
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Book club takes 28 years to read novel
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Couple sues after ‘farting dog’ ruins flight
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Experts suggest the real-life Dracula was vegan
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published