THE WEEK Dec 14: Victoria's Secret upstaged

Monkey loose at Ikea

When it comes to buying home furnishings, most people go to the only affordable place - Ikea. And apparently monkeys go there, too. A monkey escaped from its cage and was wandering around the parking lot of one of the giant furniture stores in Toronto, Canada. Even cooler was the fact that it was wearing a super stylish coat. Monkeys are always cuter when they have accessories that make them look more human-like.

Mascot's gun is real?

The mascot for the University of West Virginia Mountaineers in the United States carries a massive rifle, known as a musket, as part of its costume. What you may be surprised to know is that the musket is a working gun. In a video and story that went viral this week, the current mascot used the gun to hunt and kill a bear. This raises so many questions. First, why does a mascot need to be carrying a working rifle? I mean, what if he had a bad day? He could kill someone at the stadium. Does he have the right licenses to be carrying a huge rifle in a stadium filled with thousands of people? Is there any reason a mascot should have a working rifle as part of the costume at every single sporting event? I don't think so, but I guess you could argue that the rifle may prevent people from streaking.

Victoria's Secret upstaged

When it comes to being nearly naked in front of thousands of people, the models Victoria's Secret are likely the most talented of groups. They recently strutted their stuff at the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show to the delight of millions of viewers. Some people feel the revealing nature and sexual phrases on the company's underwear undermine women. In the days following the fashion show, a group of feminists from Baltimore in the US decided to spoof the company by creating a line they called Consent, claiming Victoria's Secret had released a PG-13 line of underwear. Their panties featured phrases like, "Let's talk about sex,"and, "Ask first." Thousands of people thought the new line was real and got super excited. It turns out that the Consent line was a great business idea. But with all the hype focused around Victoria's Secret, most other media outlets forgot about an even better fashion show: the men's long underwear fashion show.

This wacky world!

A recent survey suggests the most popular alternative religion in the UK is Jedi. Yes, like Luke Skywalker from Star Wars. Apparently the responses came out of spite for the government asking about religion.

A new study says jogging outside, especially in urban areas, can cause mental damage. There's your newest excuse to stay on the couch.

A US government agency scolded Apple and Google, because their app stores don't do enough to protect children from inappropriate applications. I can't even find an app for sexually suggestive smiley faces, so it really can't be that bad.

Amsterdam is set to become the first city in the Netherlands to ban the use of marijuana at school. That is probably a good idea.

This week's best video features what I have to think are the smartest dogs in the world.

（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）