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Shortcuts

Our writers reflect on the people, issues and curiosities in the news
  • Stuart Heritage with his Tom Cruise cakes.

    Shortcuts
    The Tom Cruise cake: Brooke Shields fell off the actor’s Christmas list. I know how to fix this

    As a recipient of Cruise cakes myself, I can only imagine the pain of going without one. But perhaps there is a way to keep the gifts going ...
  • Panel of three interviewers, one man and two women

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    ‘What kind of fruit are you?’ How to answer five of the worst job interview questions

    A graphic designer was recently asked how her life was working out by a potential employer. Here’s a guide to tackling some other tongue-tying questions
  • Angry woman despairs at inbox

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    75,825 unread emails? That’s showing those Inbox Zero losers who’s the boss!

    Efficiency experts say we should process our emails promptly, even if it’s just by marking them as read. But that’s not the way some of us roll
  • Who wore it better: Thompson (right) or Truss?

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    Why did Liz Truss wear the same outfit as a fictional fascist?

  • Scrappy, Velma, Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Daphne and Fred.

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    Scooby-Doo’s Velma has finally come out as a lesbian? My dream has come true!

  • Space oddity … the proposed Moon Resort, Dubai.

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    Want to visit the moon but don’t have a spaceship? Dubai to the rescue!

    Developers are planning a giant $5bn replica of the Earth’s closest neighbour, offering tourists ‘low-gravity’ moonwalks, lunar-rover taxis and … er … a wellness spa

  • ‘Generally, you don’t want to open the windows. Grab on to that last bit of cool air inside.’

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    Windows closed? Windows open? What’s the best way to keep your home cool in the heatwave?

    And what about blinds and curtains? We ask the experts whether we should be trying to keep the heat out or let the breeze in
  • Belchite

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    ‘The main purpose of sex is procreation!’ The politician who wants to crack down on casual sex

    Too many Spaniards ‘dedicate their existence to satisfying their sexual desires’, claims Juan García-Gallardo. But is that really why the country is struggling?
  • Kate Bush performing Running Up That Hill on Peter’s Pop Show in Germany in 1985

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    The strangest thing? Why Kate Bush is back at the top of the charts

    Thanks to the Netflix show Stranger Things, the 80s classic Running Up That Hill has found a new audience. And it’s not the only 40-year-old hit the show could revive
  • Young women eating snacks at the cinema. Posed by models.

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    Still sneaking your own snacks into the cinema? It’s time to think again

    It’s official – you are allowed to take your own food and drinks into most cinema chains. But whether you should or not is a trickier question
  • Image of a pink doorway next to that of a tyre.

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    Are there more wheels or doors in the world? Why we can’t resist an internet debate

    Too many of us found ourselves hotly arguing about a pointless question last week. Why can’t we help wasting time on inconsequential online queries such as what colour is The Dress or how dogs would wear trousers?
  • happiness officers

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    Happiness officers: does every workplace need to hire someone to bring the joy?

    A lawyer at a top London firm has suggested recruiting a chief happiness officer. Could this be the answer to mid-life burnout and the great resignation?
  • Wild Boar and piglet

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    The swine bomb: is 2021 the year wild hogs take over the world?

    They are running rampant through the US and Europe: stealing a nudist’s laptop, rifling through rubbish and upsetting Shakira. Just how worried should we be?
  • Beata Beatrix, by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882).. Image shot 1905. Exact date unknown.<br>PXD4NP Beata Beatrix, by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882).. Image shot 1905. Exact date unknown. (Elizabeth Siddal)

    Pass notes
    ‘Bad art friend’: should fiction writers ever lift stories from other people’s lives?

    Great writers have always been inspired by friends and lovers, but a viral article has revived the moral arguments around muses. In the age of the internet, does using someone else’s story feel like a violation?
  • Tea scum

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    Tired of tea scum? How to banish it for ever – and make the perfect cuppa

    Scientists have discovered what causes the waxy residue on the surface of your tea, with possible solutions ranging from a drop of lemon juice to moving house
  • FILE PHOTO: Britain’s general election 2019<br>FILE PHOTO: Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds his dog Dilyn as leaves a polling station, at the Methodist Central Hall, after voting in the general election in London, Britain, December 12, 2019. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/File Photo

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    Horny dogs: what can Boris Johnson do about his pet Dilyn’s romantic urges?

    It’s important to remember that dogs don’t hump things only for sexual reasons – it could be that they are overexcited, attention-starved or have a bladder infection
  • Unique facial hair

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    Phenomenal facial hair: are you ready for the circle beard and double moustache?

    What were people bored in lockdown bound to do? Create new trends that make no sense at all. Welcome to your new hair nightmares
  • brown grass

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    The brilliance of brown lawns: why your grass shouldn’t always be greener

    Watering our gardens is wasteful and mowing them a nightmare for biodiversity. So is it time to embrace long, brown grass or more radical options such as patchwork lawns?
  • Boy looking at smartphone  (Posed by a model.)

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    Instagram for kids – the social media site no one asked for

    Facebook has been busy developing a child-friendly social media platform. But why are US lawmakers so unhappy?
  • Close-up angry little black dog of toy terrier breed

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    Small dogs: why are tiny hounds more aggressive than big ones?

    Not only are little dogs more likely to lash out, they also tend to be less obedient and less well house-trained
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