Wow, this cop is unhinged. He pulls a guy over for flipping him off and gets more and more incensed as he handcuffs the guy, kicks at the ground, searches his car, and screams about how he hates his job. Yet another reminder of how scary cops like this are running loose in America. Read the rest

The next best thing to the satisfaction you get from cleaning your own messy house is watching someone else clean theirs. Read the rest

A 69-year-old tai chi master ends up flat on his back, unconscious, after just 30 seconds into a competition (the action starts around 2 minutes into the video). His younger opponent, a former martial arts coach and amateur fighter, looks a little confused when he sees the master lying motionless on the ground. This embarrassing knockout might be what the master deserved.

According to The South China Morning Post this was a “'kung foolery' moment." "Ma had made a name for himself on social media as he promoted what many observers called 'kung fu fakery.'"

Ma had made a name for himself on social media as he promoted what many observers called “kung fu fakery”. And not long ago, he created a stir when he teased “stupid” mainland UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili and even challenged her to a fight.

Many observers have questioned Ma’s ability and the “fake kung fu going around” with “Mad Dog” MMA fighter Xu Xiaodong last year calling a tai chi “grandmaster” a fraud while vowing to expose “fake” martial arts.

According to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Trump isn't just overweight or obese –– he's morbidly obese. Here she is with Anderson Cooper yesterday expressing "concern" for our dear president.

“I would rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists, especially in his age group, and in his, shall we say, weight group: ‘Morbidly obese,’ they say,” says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Pres. Trump’s revelation he is taking hydroxychloroquine. pic.twitter.com/0ImjpEjg9q

— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) May 19, 2020

From HuffPost:

Pelosi’s concern is grounded in the president’s medical records. During his checkup last year, Trump measured 6 feet, 3 inches and weighed 243 pounds, which would qualify him as obese, according to the National Institutes of Health.

The NIH’s body mass index measures above-normal weight in the overweight and obese categories. Trump’s reported measurements would give him a BMI of 30.4, and the NIH considers anything above 30 as obese, but its index does not list a separate range for morbid obesity.

The president is also 73 and in an age bracket that puts him at greater risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have warned older adults to take increased precautions as cases of the coronavirus spread around the nation, and preliminary studies released last month found obesity may be a predictor of severe coronavirus illnesses.

Trump continued to claim on Monday that hydroxychloroquine would be a boon for Americans, telling reporters they would be “surprised at how many people are taking it.”

If you're in the market for book recommendations to fill up your stay-at-home hours, here's a short list of favorites from Bill Gates. Check out his longer list on his blog, GatesNotes blog. Read the rest

A woman who called herself Shelley Lewis acted rude and arrogant toward Gelson's supermarket employees when they refused to let her into the store without a face mask. She claimed to have a health condition that prevented her from wearing a mask, and told the Gelson's manager that she was being discriminated against. It's perfect that this took place in the affluent town of Dana Point, California.

Karen gets upset that a store won't let her shop without a protective facemask. She then tried to pretend like she's the victim, despite the store giving her options. This is pure arrogance. https://t.co/qgFLhKjgxd #COVIDIDIOTS #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/OXV4EQLOgD

— Khary Penebaker (@kharyp) May 17, 2020

From Heavy:

After posting the video, Lewis received backlash online and the video started trending on Twitter. Since the video became viral, Lewis deleted the video off her Facebook page and deactivated her account.

To support the pro-democracy movement, a gelato shop in Hong Kong has introduced a new ice cream flavor of ice cream called "tear gas." And it's not easy to swallow (literally). One customer who had been tear gassed at a protest said the ice cream, made of black peppercorns, tastes a lot like the real thing.

From NBC:

"It feels difficult to breathe at first, and it’s really pungent and irritating," she told the Associated Press. “I think it’s a flashback that reminds me of how painful I felt in the movement, and that I shouldn’t forget.”

An ice cream shop in Hong Kong is selling a tear gas flavoured ice cream - the main ingredient is black pepper.

It's meant as a sign of support for the pro-democracy movement which has dissipated since the #COVID19 pandemic.

Latest world news: https://t.co/tRWF6dxtrt pic.twitter.com/KqpupBgfAi

— SkyNews (@SkyNews) May 15, 2020

Read the rest

After falsely claiming on Monday that the Obama administration never left "any kind of game plan" for a possible pandemic, Mitch McConnell did what most of the GOP would consider unthinkable. He uttered the three words "I was wrong."

"They did leave behind a plan, so I clearly made a mistake in that regard," he continued on Fox last night.

From CNN:

The document, whose existence was publicly revealed by Politico in March, is called the Playbook for Early Response to High-Consequence Emerging Infectious Disease Threats and Biological Incidents.

The playbook contains step-by-step advice on questions to ask, decisions to make and which federal agencies are responsible for what. It includes sample documents that officials could use for inter-agency meetings. And it explicitly lists novel coronaviruses as one of the kinds of pathogens that could require a major response. Additionally, outgoing senior Obama officials also led an in-person pandemic response exercise for senior incoming Trump officials in January 2017 -- as required by a new law on improving presidential transitions that Obama signed in 2016.

Last week, Obama described the Trump administration's coronavirus response as "an absolute chaotic disaster" during a private call with people who worked for him in the White House.

A black delivery driver in Oklahoma was blocked by a white man who didn't want the driver to leave his gated community until he explained why he was there. The driver, who eventually broke down in tears, was detained by the man – and another neighborhood resident who joined in – for over 30 minutes.

From NBC:

[Travis] Miller, 42, told NBC News that his customer in Edmond gave him the code to get through the neighborhood's gate. After completing the delivery and as they were trying to exit, a man who identified himself as David Stewart and a board member of the homeowners' association can be seen on the video questioning Miller and his co-worker about why they were on his street.

Miller said in the video that he was trying to make a U-turn and that as he turned around, the man was blocking him in with a white Subaru.

"If I go around him, I'm going to have to drive on somebody's property and I don't want to make a bad situation worse," Miller said in the video.

Miller repeatedly asked the man to move the car.

"I'm not moving," the man said. "All you have to do is tell me where you're going."

Miller refused, saying he did not have to tell the man anything.

Here's the full video: Read the rest

Starbucks felt pretty confidant on May 4, when CEO Kevin Johnson posted on its website that Starbucks “will not just survive, but with adaptations and new routines, it will thrive.” But a day later, the company's COO Roz Brewer sent a letter to its landlords that said, “Effective June 1 and for at least a period of 12 consecutive months, Starbucks will require concessions to support modified operations and adjustments to lease terms and base rent structures.” Well, demanding reduced rent for one of the world's largest coffee restaurant chains is one way to thrive.

According to The Seattle Times:

Starbucks wants landlords to give it a break on rent for at least a year as coronavirus social-distancing measures batter sales at the Seattle-based global coffee chain...

Starbucks demanded the rent relief one day after the company announced it would reopen 90% of its 8,900 company-owned U.S. stores by early June. In a May 4 post on Starbucks’ website, President and CEO Kevin Johnson wrote that Starbucks “will not just survive, but with adaptations and new routines, it will thrive.”

The letter to landlords struck a more dire tone, asking them to “adapt to new realities” — including an anticipated $225 billion hit to the American restaurant industry over the next three months.

The company called the closure of many businesses to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus “a staggering economic crisis,” adding that “the psychological and economic scars will last for months, if not years.”

Details about how much of a rent reduction and which specific locations would get the reduction haven't yet been hammered out. Read the rest

What happens when someone with coronavirus coughs into their hand before eating at a buffet? Read the rest

Here's a fun puzzle with an easy setup that makes for a good stay-at-home time-filler. Like sudoku, see if you can rearrange these cards so that no face or suit repeats itself in any column, row, or diagonal. Watch the video if you need some help. Read the rest

Who is Patrick Mason? I just ran across a few short horror films he wrote and directed, and they're truly scary. Like edge-of-your-seat gasp-out-loud scary. Not only that, but they're beautifully made with good actors, especially Ayuda (see below). The three videos posted here are the ones I've seen so far, but there are more on his site, which I plan to watch tonight. Can't wait to see where this director takes us next. Read the rest

CNN reported today that one of Trump's personal valets has come down with Covid-19. Valets are in close contact with the president, doing things like them serving food and drinks and traveling with them. Read the rest

Paper airplane enthusiast Mahir Cave teaches you how to make two different types of paper planes (5 minutes each) in this video. These are some of his easier folds – if you like them, check out his YouTube page, where he shares a new design (some this easy, some more advanced) every Friday. He says his specialty is "paper airplanes that fly far," and his goal is "to make the best paper airplane in the world." Read the rest

During this awkward stage of the pandemic where some businesses are starting to reopen but no one knows how safe that really is, here's a restaurant in Amsterdam experimenting with a trial model. Mediamatic ETEN, a vegan restaurant, has added small greenhouses so that diners can eat while safely (supposedly) social distancing. The staff, who wear face guards, bring the food on long boards so that they don't have to enter the greenhouse while serving food and drinks. In this trial stage they are only inviting staff friends and family to dine, and all of their bookings are sold out.

Via CNN Read the rest

"What if beachgoers were as lax about sharks as they are about coronavirus?" asks Stephen Colbert's amusing shark-horror-movie meets spring-breakers-who-don't-give-a-fuck music video mashup. Of course, in real life, we're comparing apples to oranges. If when the shark bit into a beachgoer it was a painless affair while some random elderly person a mile away felt the bite as they bled to death, then we'd be comparing apples to apples. But what would be the fun in that? Read the rest