Five Crazy Headlines: From cheese to computers
Source: Matt Kunes
From a couple stealing over 50 blocks of cheese to computer science as a foreign language, here’s this week’s five crazy headlines.
Couple allegedly steals 57 blocks of cheese from Walmart
A Tennessee couple allegedly walked out of their local Walmart with hundreds of dollars of merchandise they didn’t pay for. This included 57 blocks of cheese.
Police later searched the 21-year-olds’ car for the shoplifted items, finding over $300 worth of cheese squirreled away.
Source: Consumerist
Indian extremists say anyone using the L-word on Valentine’s Day must marry
A conservative organization in India called the Hindu Mahasabha wants to force couples who say “love” on Valentine’s Day to marry.
The group calls public expressions of love an affront to Indian traditions and are therefore taking action. According to local reports, the organization will monitor social media on Feb. 14 and force offenders to tie the knot.
The organization plans to contact parents if an offending couple does not comply.
Source: Time
Vladimir Putin: ‘I am not autistic‘
A spokesman for Russian president Vladimir Putin recently dismissed claims by the Pentagon that Putin has Asberger’s syndrome, a form of high-functioning autism.
The report from the Pentagon noted Putin’s need to exert control over his surroundings and his discomfort in social situations in their diagnosis.
For their part, the Pentagon is downplaying the report, claiming it wasn’t reviewed by top officials before it was released.
Source: News.com.au
Coca-Cola pulls Twitter campaign after it was tricked into quoting Hitler
Coca-Cola shut down its #makeithappy campaign, a social media move encouraging people to respond positively to negative tweets. The company itself used an algorithm to transform negative tweets into positive ones.
Then, Gawker launched a counter campaign, tricking Coca-Cola into quoting long passages from “Mein Kampf” by Adolf Hitler. They used their own algorithm to tweet quotes at Coca-Cola with the hashtag #makeithappy, tricking Coke’s algorithm.
Source: The Guardian
Washington lawmakers want computer science to count as foreign language
A bill in the Washington State House of Representatives would let students count computer science classes towards foreign language requirements for in-state college admission.
This would amend the current requirement, which requires the study of any natural language, including languages such as Native American and American Sign Language.
Lawmakers pointed out the high growth rate of computer science jobs, a demand that is increasing faster than the supply of workers.
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