From copulating geckos and saucy seamstresses to trendy prison uniforms, we recap the week’s weirdest news.
In South Africa, a 9-year-old boy has married a 62-year-old woman after claiming his ancestors told him to. The boy’s family were quick to address critics, saying that the union is neither legal nor sexual, and only took place to appease dead ancestors. So just relax, guys. It’s totally grand and not disturbing at all. [Huffington Post]
An economic historian has found a secret note stitched inside a kilt destined for soldiers heading to WW1. Dr. Helen Paul made the discovery when she was removing stitches from the kilt. The message read: ”I hope your kilt will fit you well, & in it you will look a swell. If married never mind. If single drop a line. Wish you bags of luck, & a speedy return back to Blighty.” It included the name and address of the seamstress and it’s thought that she left the message in the hope of finding a husband. Bless. [The Telegraph]
A dry county in Canada has discovered that it actually never had a ban on booze. Alcohol has never been available for purchase in the town, so researchers in the tiny town of Hanover were shocked when they found that there were no laws in place banning the sale of alcohol. The discovery was made after a referendum was repeal the ban was proposed. Session in Hanover tonight, wha’? [CTV News]
Last week, Russia sent a satellite into space containing, amongst other things, five sexy geckos. Why? Because it needed to ascertain how weightlessness would affect a gecko’s sex life, duh. Anyway, scientist have lost contact with the satellite, so nobody knows where the geckos are now. Oops. [RTÉ]
In a cruel twist of irony, a tree planted to honour the late George Harrison has been killed by beetles. The tree, which was planted shortly after Harrison’s death in 2001, was removed last month after a bark beetle infestation. A replacement will be planted in the autumn. [AP]
A Michigan sheriff has ordered a uniform change in a state prison after the success of Orange is the New Black meant that orange jumpsuits had become ‘cool’. Inmates in Saginaw County Jail will now wear jumpsuits with black-and-white horizontal stripes. “It was a cost savings and it breaks away from that cultural coolness. It’s not cool to be an inmate of the Saginaw County Jail,” Saginaw County Sheriff William Federspiel told Reuters. [Washington Post]
