Good day, bad day: January 13, 2012

While high schoolers break a toilet-paper record, North Korea punishes citizens who failed to break down over Kim Jong-il's death — and more winners and losers of today's news cycle

Massachusetts teens
(Image credit: Screen shot, New Scientist)

GOOD DAY FOR:

Creative communication

A South-African fast food chain reaches out to the visually impaired by creating "braille burgers." The chefs painstakingly placed individual sesame seeds on burger buns to spell out "100% Pure Beef Burgers Made For You." [The Daily What]

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Practical math

A group of Massachusetts high school students breaks the world toilet-paper-folding record by completing 13 folds with 8,192 layers. Requiring mathematical formulas, this is apparently much harder than it sounds. [Huffington Post]

Penny pinching TSA agents

A report says the TSA makes $400,000 a year by collecting the coins passengers leave behind when emptying their pockets for the security scanners. [The Atlantic Wire]

BAD DAY FOR:

Business as usual

The U.S. economy loses $800 million to $900 million every time Friday the 13th rolls around, as superstitious people are afraid to do things like fly. This year, the day occurs three times. [Daily Finance]

Politically incorrect humor

With the launch of its new "Blonde" roast, Starbucks issues a company-wide ban on blonde jokes. Witticisms mocking the fair-haired will earn employees a written reprimand. [Newser]

Stoicism

North Korea's regime is reportedly punishing citizens who did not cry over the death of Kim Jong-il by sending them to labor camps. [Daily Mail]

For more winners and losers see: Good day, bad day: January 12, 2012