DAVID ADAMS looks at the odder side of life…
The image in the CIA’s first Instagram post.
• The CIA has posted its first image on social networking site Instagram and, as you might expect, it’s given would-be spies plenty to think about. The image, which is a picture of a desk with various items sitting on and around it, was posted with the caption “I spy with my little eye”. It sparked a frenzy of responses as people tried to decode what the various objects symbolised (they reportedly include, for example, a badge featuring an old photo of director Gina Haspel and a notebook with the words share what we can, protect what we must”, written in Arabic. The agency says it’s joined Instagram as a way of sharing stories about the organisation (though, we presume not too many) and as a means of recruiting new members. A spokesman told CBS that through the account, the agency would “give a peek into agency life, but we can’t promise any selfies from secret locations”.
• Has the yeti finally left proof of its existence? The Indian Army may believe so, tweeting this week that mountaineers on an expedition in Nepal came across some mysterious large footprints measuring 81 centimetres by 38 centimetres on 9th April near Mount Makalu. “For the first time, an #IndianArmy Mountaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast ‘Yeti’,” the army said in a tweet accompanied by pictures of the aforementioned footprints. The post promoted some ridicule before its apparent author Siddharth Singh suggested in a tweet there may be a simpler explanation – people walking in snow shoes. Sadly for now, it seems, the yeti must remain a myth.
• A cinema in Tennessee has recently been advertising the movie Heckboy, reportedly having altered the spelling of Hellboy on its advertising board because of its location opposite an elementary school. The cinema’s owner reportedly said she’s never displayed any words on the sign which could be seen as profanity. Fair enough. Meanwhile, speaking of spelling, a road crew in Florida had to get the paint can back out recently after it was reportedly discovered they’d spelled school as ‘scohol’ on a pedestrian crossing. Red faces – and maybe some spelling lessons – all round.
