Costumes, Claims & Carbs

Good morning. Today we have a bear that wasn’t a bear, pancakes treated like an Olympic sport, and just enough human ambition to make you sigh and smile at the same time. Let’s take a look. — Doug Marlowe

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Today's Stories

The Bear Wasn’t a Bear. It Was Tuesday.

Four Los Angeles residents claimed a bear wrecked their cars and tried to collect more than $141,000 from insurance companies. The problem? The “bear” was allegedly a person in a life-sized costume. A wildlife expert took one look at the footage and said what everyone was thinking: that’s not a bear, that’s Carl in faux fur. Authorities have now charged the group with fraud, in what officials dubbed “Operation Bear Claw,” which sounds more like a failed arcade game than a crime ring. It’s a reminder that in the age of cameras everywhere, even your inner Yogi should read the fine print.

In London, grown adults dressed as pencils, penguins, and strawberries raced through a square while flipping pancakes in frying pans. It’s part of Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent, when restraint is just around the corner but not quite here yet. The rules are simple: run fast, flip clean, and try not to lose your dignity on cobblestones. It looks ridiculous, and that’s the point. In a world full of serious headlines, watching someone sprint in a fruit costume for breakfast bragging rights feels oddly reassuring.

Which story made you shake your head the hardest? Hit reply and tell me. I’ll be over here double-checking any future bear sightings. — Doug