Fried chicken flavoured toothpaste

It’s a limited edition offering from KFC in collaboration with toothpaste brand Hismile.  To quote from one report:

In a partnership we’re sure no one saw coming, KFC teamed up with oral care company Hismile to create a “finger-lickin-good” combo that's unlike anything fans have seen before.

Inspired by the gimmick that is April Fools’ Day and the iconic flavors of KFC’s chicken and its famous 11 herbs and spices, the two companies are launching a fried chicken-flavored toothpaste and a matching electric toothbrush.

While the products “started as an April Fools' joke,” Hismile’s marketing team pushed to create them, and well, the rest is history.

“We love pushing boundaries, and what better way to do that than by bringing KFC’s legendary flavors into an everyday essential?” said Hismile marketing manager Koban Jones in a statement. “This collab is bold, unexpected, and seriously fun.”

Wild Assertion

Imagine, if you can, a product feature that is promoted with this statement:

It's like discovering your spouse speaks fluent walrus—unexpected... but undeniably cool.

Well, that’s how investment platform E-Trade is describing the availability of “expert insights from Morgan Stanley”.  What’s more, that comparison is at the heart of a new commercial.

Link to video

A Metaphorical Pain Reliever

A bonkers spot for ecommerce solution Scayle.

Link to video

Trump Tariffs Hit Uninhabited Islands

As reported by Wired:

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced the US was imposing reciprocal tariffs on a small collection of Antarctic islands that are not inhabited by humans, as part of a global trade war aimed at asserting US dominance. The Heard and McDonald Islands, known for their populations of penguins and seabirds, can only be reached by sea.

Trump announced the countries now subject to tariffs in a Wednesday press conference, using a poster as a prop. Additional countries—including the Heard and McDonald Islands, which are, incidentally, not countries—were listed on sheets of paper distributed to reporters.

One of the sheets claims that the Heard and McDonald Islands currently charge a “Tariff to the U.S.A.” of 10 percent, clarifying in tiny letters that this includes "currency manipulation and trade barriers." In return, the sheet says that the US will charge "discounted reciprocal tariffs" on the islands at a rate of 10 percent.

RIP Val Kilmer

Spartan (2004)
  - ‘Why aren’t you ready?’
  - Agent interrogation

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
  - ‘Still gay?’
  - Definition of ‘idiot’

Body fragrance… with catnip

I’ll let this report explain:

Lynx has gone rogue, again. This time, they’ve bottled catnip and sold it as body fragrance.

Yes, really.

Their latest launch, Lynx with Catnip by Lynx and LOLA MullenLowe, is exactly what it sounds like: a body spray infused with nepetalactone, the active compound in catnip that sends cats into an ecstatic spiral of zoomies and floor rolls.

It’s part mad genius, part potential April Fools’ bait, and fully on brand for a label that’s never shied away from poking fun at itself while riding the wave of youth culture.

Here’s the thinking:

A Censuswide study found that 60% of cat owners wouldn’t date someone their feline didn’t vibe with. In other words, if Fluffy isn’t into you, you’re toast.

So Lynx did what Lynx does best; took a dating dilemma, cranked the weirdness to 11, and turned it into a marketing campaign that’s half social experiment, half actual product.

According to Lynx’s global brand director Caroline Gregory, “Confidence is key – but let’s be honest, if her cat isn’t on board, you’re in trouble.” The scent gives blokes “an edge,” she says.

It’s “The Power of a Fragrance” turned feline.

Link to launch video

Link to explainer video

Pee Mystery

To quote from a news report out of Oregon:

A man living in a Portland, Oregon neighborhood is wondering who is putting gallons of urine in his recycling bin and why.

Alex Van Duyn said the problem started in September when he noticed his recycling bin had not been collected.

“So I went to open the blue bin. And lo and behold, there was a nice deposit of gallon-size bottles of urine, to put it plainly. And there were six of them,” he said.

The recycling hauler refused to take the bin’s contents because urine is a biohazard. If it had been placed in the garbage bin, it would have been collected.

But the mystery man didn’t stop and kept dropping bottles of urine in the bin. Eventually, Van Duyn stopped putting his bins out on the curb altogether, hoping the man would quit.

And he did – but he moved on to using the neighbor’s garbage bins instead.

“I don’t know why he’s hitting the same location so many times. That doesn’t make sense to me, and why he is doing it,” Van Duyn said.

Van Duyn has captured surveillance video of the man showing up to his house, getting out of his car, and placing the bottles of urine in the recycling bin. Unfortunately, the videos are grainy and too hard to tell who he is.

Van Duyn has shared his ordeal on the NextDoor app, where neighbors have flooded the post with theories as to the reason behind it all.

But even with multiple theories, Van Duyn still doesn’t know why.

He has filed a police report and is trying to get the man’s license plate.

Durex invites you to play ‘The Pull Out Game’

Well, it’s not the ‘pull out game’ that you’re probably thinking, but a digital game intended to put one off trying to pull out in real life.  To quote the brand:

The most played game in the world isn’t a game. Well, it wasn’t. Now it is.

Introducing the Durex Pull Out Game Game. An old-school strategy delivered in a classic game mode.

Play it here, get a discount on Durex, and never play it in real life again.

Link to game website

Gerard Depardieu’s defence

Excerpts from reports of what he said this week, during his trial for alleged sexual assault.

As reported by the BBC:

“Knowing the vulgarity of the old world, today I try to avoid being listened to by the new world – so that I don't come across as detestable,” he told the court.

“I am not very much at ease with this new society... I think my time is done.”

But he denies being a sexual abuser.

“I don’t see how it could be fun feeling up a woman, her buttocks, her breasts. I am not a metro-train groper,” he said.

As reported by Variety:

Asked about the obscene comment he allegedly made, Depardieu said, “What do you mean, raunchy? Is it to say ‘pussy’? Pussy, but I say it all the time, even to myself, I find it funny!”

As per AP News:

He acknowledged to the court that his behavior can be boorish.

“I’ve always been told I have a Russian nature, I don’t know if it’s because of the drinking or the vulgarity,” he said. “I have said in black and white that I am a disgusting slob.”

But he said he “never, ever” would have pincered a woman between his legs against her will.

“I’m not like that,” he said.

As reported by The Daily Express US:

Regarding the claim brought forth by the 54-year-old set designer, Depardieu stated he had no memory of any inappropriate contact, insisting, “There was no physical contact.”

He conceded that he might have held her hips but solely to maintain his balance and prevent falling. When confronted with an allegation from a witness who said she saw him trapping the set designer between his legs, the actor refuted: “I would never put anything between my thighs.

“With the belly I have, I can't put anything between my thighs.”

Cool Dresser

A new spot for Men’s Wearhouse strikes unexpected comedy gold.

Link to video

Apartment complex holds vigil for alligator

To quote from an AP News report:

Several dozen people gathered Saturday at an apartment complex along the South Carolina coast to remember a longtime resident who died the day before — an alligator named Walter who sunned beside a pond on the property for more than a decade.

Walter was killed on the property after several complaints over the past week, the management of Daniel Island Village told WCIV-TV in a statement.

Neighbors in the apartment complex near Charleston said Walter had been hanging around the complex for more than a decade, not only earning a name but a little fame.

Vigil organizer Rebekah Cole told the TV station that people with pets and children could walk right past Walter and not be bothered.

“He was a piece of the community. Even though he was a cold-blooded animal, we all loved him and it tore us all up,” Cole said.

And this, from The Washington Post’s coverage:

Dozens gathered around a South Carolina pond on a warm evening this month, some crying and others holding stuffed alligators and ribbons — mementos meant to honor Walter’s life. A few people who were close to Walter stood in front of the group to deliver speeches, including Rebekah Cole.

“It’s so upsetting that he was taken from us,” Cole recalled saying. “He was a part of our community, and it will never be the same.”

They held a moment of silence before turning on their cellphone flashlights and walking a few feet to the part of the pond where Walter, an alligator, sunbathed daily and kept to itself.

Woman arrested after man found dead… lying on top of her

To quote from a report by a local police department in Michigan, earlier this month:

Livingston County Dispatch received a call about a possible death at a residence located in the Woodland Ridge Community on Shady Brook Ct, South Lyon, MI. Officers from the Green Oak Township Police Department arrived on scene finding a woman in her bed with an obviously deceased male on top of her. After the initial investigation it was determined this was a homicide. It was determined the victim was struck several times with blunt force in the head and stabbed several times in the chest and neck. The female suspect was transported to UofM Hospital for evaluation while in custody. Once released a short time later, she was lodged in the Livingston County Jail. The suspect and the victim have been in a long-term relationship and living at the residence with their son who was unharmed in the incident.

So what made the woman a suspect?  While the police don’t appear to have released any details, questions and speculation prevail on social media.

So, either someone killed him while he was on top of her or she killed him and put him on top of her like a blanket.

I was thinking she was stabbing and hitting him while he was on top of her, then he died and fell onto her getting her stuck. Like maybe he was hurting her and she was defending herself?

Was his name Gerald? Did she have handcuffs on?

Who the heck call the police?  The poor kid?

Cat haters wanted… to adopt a cat

Just around a year ago, cat food brand Whiskas had a campaign to enhance cat ownership by telling potential dog owners that they would do well to adopt a cat.  This time around, Whiskas Australia is reaching out to cat haters.  To quote from the campaign website:

We're asking you to find it in your heart to foster a cat for just two weeks.

Why are we asking you? An “I’m not having a walking shedding machine in my house” kind of person?

Because, we’ve run out of cat lovers to ask, and Australia’s shelters still have so many cats and kittens that need help.

So you who like cats the least are now who we need the most.

RIP George Foreman

From a 2023 interview with Boxing News:

Q: What was the favourite stage of your career? Being a heavyweight wrecking ball in the 1970s, or when you came back in the 80s and 90s?

A: In the 10 years out of the ring [1977-1987] I became a minister. Sometimes my car would need a booster, and a stranger would stop by to help me out. I asked how much I owed him. He said, ‘Get out of here, big ‘un.’ He didn’t even realise I was once heavyweight champion of the world but he was so kind to me. Everyone was so kind to me and I used to think, ‘I wish I could be champion again because I should have been nicer to people.’ When I came back I built my profile up again and I repaid all the people I had been unkind to. The comeback was my way of saying sorry for being so unkind the first time round. That was the best time of my whole boxing career, when I came back because I gave back. When I was in Reno, Nevada I couldn’t sign autographs or shake people’s hand because I had sprained my hand, so I just sat by a post and let anyone come over and talk, or take a picture. They did. I was there for three hours, and it was the nicest time of my life as a boxer. Nothing compared to that moment – not even beating Frazier, or being with Ali in Zaire.

From a CBS News remembrance:

What he leaves is a legacy of rumbles, redemptions, and ribs.

Pub Succession

Heineken has launched a rather unusual recruitment campaign — to help the owner of an Irish family pub find a successor.  To quote from the campaign website:

In one of Ireland's most scenic locations, on the rugged West Coast of Ireland, lies a charming pub called McLoughlin's. Established in 1870, this fourth-generation family-run pub has been a cherished part of the Achill Island community for over a century.

The owner of the pub is a man named Josie McLoughlin. After decades serving the locals and visiting tourists, Josie McLoughlin and his partner Jackie are officially retiring and they are looking for another McLoughlin to take the reins.

So if you're a McLoughlin who loves people, the craic and have a thirst for new adventures, this is your chance to own the most beautifully located family pub in the world and help us keep the McLoughlin name above the door for another 155 years.

Link to video 

Alternative link

ChatGPT accuses man of murdering his children

As reported by Ars Technica:

A Norwegian man said he was horrified to discover that ChatGPT outputs had falsely accused him of murdering his own children.

According to a complaint filed Thursday by European Union digital rights advocates Noyb, Arve Hjalmar Holmen decided to see what information ChatGPT might provide if a user searched his name. He was shocked when ChatGPT responded with outputs falsely claiming that he was sentenced to 21 years in prison as “a convicted criminal who murdered two of his children and attempted to murder his third son,” a Noyb press release said.

ChatGPT’s “made-up horror story” not only hallucinated events that never happened, but it also mixed “clearly identifiable personal data”—such as the actual number and gender of Holmen’s children and the name of his hometown—with the “fake information,” Noyb's press release said.

‘Egg-related Seizures’ by US Customs up 116%

That statistic comes courtesy of data released by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).  To quote from a news report:

Egg-related seizures have surged 116% in the first two months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, with officials reporting 3,254 interceptions, according to CBP data. The spike comes as U.S. egg prices continue to soar, driven by a historic avian flu outbreak decimating poultry farms nationwide. Meanwhile, fentanyl seizures have fallen 32% year-over-year.

While President Donald Trump has vowed to curb fentanyl trafficking, the more immediate smuggling crisis appears to be breakfast staples. In Windsor, Ontario, a dozen large eggs cost about $3.93 CAD at Walmart. Just across the border in Michigan, that same carton runs for $8.50 CAD, fueling an increase in cross-border egg trafficking, CBP said.

Most seizures are happening at official crossings, where travelers voluntarily declare their eggs, officials said. However, the real concern may be what isn’t being caught.

RIP Jesse Colin Young

Some may come and some may go
We shall surely pass
When the one that left us here
Returns for us at last
We are but a moment's sunlight
Fading in the grass

Get Together

Bill defines ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ as mental illness

Minnesota State Republicans have introduced a bill to define “Trump Derangement Syndrome” as a mental illness.  As explained in the bill:

“Trump Derangement Syndrome” means the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J. Trump. Symptoms may include Trump-induced general hysteria, which produces an inability to distinguish between legitimate policy differences and signs of psychic pathology in President Donald J. Trump's behavior. This may be expressed by:
(1) verbal expressions of intense hostility toward President Donald J. Trump; and
(2) overt acts of aggression and violence against anyone supporting President Donald J. Trump or anything that symbolizes President Donald J. Trump.

Cough Expert

From the Philippines: anti-cough medicine Lagundex opts for a rather unconventional on-screen spokesperson.

Link to video