This is What’s Trending Today.
The Super Bowl is usually the most-watched television program in the United States each year. This year, it is on Sunday, February 5.
A 30-second television commercial during the game this year costs about $5 million. Companies believe that is a good investment.
Tostitos makes a snack food similar to a potato chip. They are made from ground corn. The corn chips are often eaten with a mixture of chopped tomatoes, peppers and other spices. The combination is known as salsa.
The company that makes the chip is not advertising during next week’s Super Bowl. But it is trying an innovative way to be noticed by consumers.
It recently sent out a new bag to reporters. The bag has a sensor that detects alcohol. If you blow into the bag, it will light up if there is alcohol on your breath.
The gimmick promotes a partnership with the ride-sharing car service Uber. Anyone who buys the chips this week will get a discount for an Uber ride. That is because people sometimes drink too much alcohol while watching the game and cause accidents on their way home.
Many reporters wrote about the bag and posted their stories on Twitter.
People reacted to the story, including the police department for the small city of Lawrence, Kansas. Lawrence is home to the University of Kansas, a large school with almost 30,000 students.
The police department wrote on Twitter: “If you have to blow into a Tostitos bag to know if you’re intoxicated, for the love of all that is holy, DO NOT DRIVE.”
The statement has been shared and liked almost 150,000 times so far.
It turns out the Lawrence Police have a good sense of humor and a lot of experience dealing with drunk people.
On January 22, someone from Lawrence Police wrote: “Ok Lawrence. All you have to do is walk out of the bar and get home safely. Don't. Stop. To. Punch. Other. People. We can do this!”
That was followed by two other tweets updating readers on the number of days between fights at bars in Lawrence.
The first one said the city made it one day without a fight.
It was followed with: “We spoke too soon. Lawrence has successfully gone 0 days without a fight at bar closing time. Ugh.”
The account is also filled with wisdom about how to be good citizens and how to interact with police. Oh, and the department even has an officer named Shelby Wisdom.
One night, the police wrote: “Contrary to some belief, you do in fact need both headlights to legally drive.” That same night, it posted a photo jokingly showing a doughnut truck, and called it “recon.”
The Lawrence Police Twitter account has almost 12,000 followers. There are only about 90,000 residents in all of Lawrence.
One person, Taylor Snider is a fan. She wrote:
“Wouldn’t mind being pulled over by whoever runs the @LawrenceKS_PD Twitter page. They seem cool.”
And that’s What’s Trending Today.
I’m Dan Friedell.
Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.
Who do you think of the Lawrence Police Department? Let us know in the comments section.
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Words in This Story
innovative – adj. introducing or using new ideas or methods
sensor – n. a device that detects or senses heat, light, sound, motion, etc., and then reacts to it in a particular way
gimmick – n. a method or trick that is used to get people's attention or to sell something
intoxicated – n. affected by alcohol or drugs
drunk – n. having drunk so much alcohol that normal actions (such as talking, thinking, and moving) become difficult to do
account – n. a business arrangement in which a person or company regularly buys products or services from a particular company
revise – v. to make changes especially to correct or improve
recon – n. military activity in which soldiers, airplanes, etc., are sent to find out information about an enemy
cool – adj. very fashionable, stylish, or appealing in a way that is generally approved of especially by young people
