DAVID ADAMS looks at the odder side of life…
From an ad on the Oasys website.
• A Japanese plumbing firm has developed work wear that looks exactly like a business suit in an apparent bid to counter the stigma attached to blue collar jobs and improve their image. The Japan Times reports that the new attire is water-repellent and washable and was initially produced by the Oasys Lifestyle group as a uniform for the company’s employees before they decided to sell and market it to others under the brand Oasys Style Wear. The clothing was released in March and last week announced it would be releasing more lightweight options for summer. Several companies have already adopted the workwear for their employees and others are considering it.
• The Czech President, Milos Zeman, called a news conference last week so reporters could watch him burn some giant red underwear. NPR reports that there was a purpose to his actions – artist collective Ztohoven had criticised Mr Zeman for his friendly stance to Russia and China and his anti-immigration rhetoric, and in 2015 some members had climbed to the roof of Prague Castle and replaced the Czech flag with some similar undies. They’d then continued to use the image of the red underwear to voice their opposition during his presidential election campaign. Needless to say, Mr Zeman won the election in spite of the red underwear and last week burnt them, saying as he did so that the “time of underwear in politics is over”.
• A baby boy born on a suburban train in Paris has been given free rides on the system until he’s 25. The French transport company RATP live tweeted the dramatic birth – which took place in the centre of Paris – and news of the birth was displayed on train traffic screens across the city. Mother and baby were taken to the nearest hospital. The company announced their gift of 25 years of free travel shortly after.
