3 Southern California residents sentenced in bear suit insurance fraud scheme Three Southern California residents have been sentenced in a bizarre insurance fraud scheme which prosecutors say involved them staging fake bear attacks on high-end cars.

“In a bizarre insurance fraud scheme, three men staged fake bear attacks on high-end cars.” abc7chicago.com/post/3-south...

A swinging bench on a porch.

(Judge voice) “You may approach the bench.”

Another nightmarish day in the PNW.

When I became a teacher, my salary schedule had “years of service” on the x-axis, and “# of social media followers” on the y-access. Infuriating to think this might change.

Sheesh, Wayne!

congrats

Why yes, I *would* like to see a ranked list of job turnover ranked by occupation. Let's see, where are writers—

<record scratch>
flowingdata.com/2026/04/16/j...

It’s all fun and games until someone gets trampled, @dougdownie.bsky.social.

Uppies and Downies, the medieval football game that has no rules and no time limit (Gift Article) In a town in the north of England, hundreds gather each year to take part in a no-rules mass football game

“Honey, I’m doing Uppies and Downies this weekend.”

“You’re going to be on drugs?!”

“No, even worse. Medieval sports.”
www.nytimes.com/athletic/719...

Newly unsealed records reveal Amazon’s price-fixing tactics, California attorney general claims Exclusive: A trove of previously redacted documents was filed as part of the tech giant’s anti-trust battle with the state of California. Amazon denies it engages in price-fixing

Amazon is a great search engine for researching products that I then go buy somewhere else. www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

Hey You Got Peanut Butter in My Chocolate High Quality VHS rip 1981 YouTube video by Kevin Noonan

(context)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7oD...

“Hey, you got religion in my government!”

“No—you got government in my religion!”

"I called my parents and said this has been the craziest pizza delivery ever. I left a pizza boy and came back a pizza man," Lemmer said.

Was going through old chats and found this incredible quote from a pizza guy who saved someone's life with CPR

When the looksmaxxing hits.

A bookstore emailed to ask if my books are wrapped so carefully to keep them in quarantine. 😄

Trump’s ‘Triumphal Arch’ Draws Backlash, Even From an Expert Who Proposed It

Looks like there are some arch-enemies out there. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/u...

(oh lord)

As a Phil Collins devotee, I've been waiting for this moment all my life.

Update: I just had second breakfast, which is one of the most important breakfastses of the day.

[🎤at the rap battle]

ME: My rhymes are genius, yours are AI slop
It's like they were written by Carrot Top.

CROWD (scattered cheers)

ME: Like that old moral, y'know, the one by Aesop?
It says you're cornier than Carrot Top.

CROWD (gets restive)

ME: sorry, I can only rhyme with Carrot Top

Drop your crime-fighting Catholics.

“How, Mom? How?!”

<I stumble away from the rap battle>

"But how'd they get a list of my prescriptions?"

Virginia Governor Ends Tax Breaks for Confederate Groups

Huzzah!
"The organization said that losing the tax breaks could hinder its ability to maintain its headquarters in Richmond and carry out its operations."
I repeat: Huzzah!
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/u...

Column headlined “Vulgar expletives are creeping into everyday life. Let's keep them to the privacy of our own homes” by SOPHIA MONEY-COUTTS

LISTEN UP, PEOPLE

David Bowie and Mick Jagger open their jaws admirably wide as they sing in their "Dancing in the Streets" video (1985).

True friendship is when you ask your friends to open up so you can try to throw a Hot Tamale in their mouth from across the room, and they do.

Still … it’s a pretty good hat!

We had two spoken-word pieces on the album, one trom the Bible, and the other from the Kafkaesque TV series The Prisoner. The latter was my idea, so Rod had to call Los Angeles to speak with Patrick McGoohan, The Prisoner's creator and star, and owner of the rights. I was there when he made the phone call, and I have never seen him so nervous. The short conversation was priceless. 'Hello, this is Rod Smallwood from Iron Maiden.' What? Who are you?' 'Er ... we're a band" 'A band! WHAT sort of a band?' Well, we're a heavy metal. 'Metal, you say?' 'Yes, we er ... 'What do you want?' Well, you have a bit about "I'm not a number, I'm a free man" , and we wanted to use it - on a track? 'What did you say you were called? 'Iron Maiden? Do it? The phone went dead.

Bruce Dickinson, on how Iron Maiden got permission from the prickly Patrick McGoohan to use audio from the TV show “The Prisoner” for a song:

Orban, Beacon to the Right, Concedes Defeat in Hungary’s Election

Today, Budapest.

In November, Washington, D.C.
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/w...

Photo of three cosplayers with polearms. Question: “If all you have is an arming sword is there anything you can realistically do to survive veteran polearms users?”

I love how much weight “realistically“ is carrying here.

I mean, come on!