Scott R. Kurtz: Today's hilarious guest comic was created by Jamie Cosley! I love his take on PvP. Look how expressive they are. I always learn something when other artists do their take on my characters. Jamie is currently creating comic strips for Star Wars Insider and Walt Disney World Magazine. You can also find him on Instagram at @jamiecosley

Scott R. Kurtz: Today's guest strip was created by none other than smilin' Steve Conley, and I adore his take on my characters. I've known Steve for years, and have wonderful memories of both SPX and the Baltimore Comicon hanging out after the show and talking shop. Steve was a pioneer in syndicating web-content and has always been a little bit ahead of the curve. I've always been impressed with his art, his writing, and his ability to discover new ways to distribute his comics. His current book, The Middle Age, continues this trend. It's hilarious, sweet and gorgeous. Steve is creating the entire book

Walking down the hallway at school, an administrator stopped me in my tracks. I felt her eyes glare from the top of my head, past my torso and down my legs. She told me that my shorts were too short and that she didn’t want to see me wearing them ever again. I felt embarrassed […]

Happy Buttsgiving! Regular comics resume tomorrow.

hmmm

(This March 17 story corrects stock symbol of Zoom to ZM.O, not ZOOM.PK in the last paragraph)

Валентин Херфрей (Valentin Herfray) — фотограф и кинорежиссер, проживает в Париже. Постоянно эксперементирует с фотоработами, главная его фишка — съемка с эффектом Fish eye. Его клиентами являются Balenciaga, Céline Dion, Gentle Monster, Hermès, Valentino, Nike.

Продолжение поста...

TWH speaks with Jon Sewell, who has just finished his two-decade project to create new productions of Aleister Crowley's Rites of Eleusis.

Continue reading Eleusyve Productions completes cycle of Crowley’s Rites of Eleusis at The Wild Hunt.

Second member of banned folk group dies in country where few political protest options remain

İbrahim Gökçek died at an Istanbul hospital after almost a year on hunger strike protesting against the detention of his wife, Sultan. She was still in prison, rather than at his side, when he died in intensive care on Thursday, two days after abandoning his strike.

Gökçek, a bass guitarist, is the second member of the banned left-wing folk music band Grup Yorum to die in just over a month after launching hunger strikes over the Turkish state’s treatment of their band: 28-year-old Helin Bölek, a singer, died on 3 April after 288 days of fasting.

Set after the Great Depression, Morrison’s heartbreaking debut explores beauty and finds joy where there really should be none

This week, amazingly, I read a book. Just the one, though – let’s not get excited. I suspect I was only able to do so because I wasn’t reading for pleasure, but because I’ve been asked to write a foreword for it. The book I read was The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, a novel about a young, dark-skinned girl growing up in the US after the Great Depression who believes herself to be ugly; she wishes for blue eyes in the hope that they will make her beautiful. I had started to read it a few years ago, but was so overwhelmed that I had to put it down. This time, I knew, contractually, that I was going to tackle it head on.

Usually I blitz through a book. But it’s Toni isn’t it, so you’ve got to gear yourself up for heartbreak, some trauma, and also to learn some things about yourself, and human nature, that you’d rather not be faced with. If she did one thing impeccably, it was holding a mirror up to society and saying: “Look at how we live. Are you proud of that?” And the answer cannot always be yes.

(Atlantic)
This solo debut from the frontwoman of pop-punk stadium stars Paramore is a riot of lust, funk and femininity

Maturity is an often derided concept in a youth-facing art form. But when Simmer, a song about repressed feminist rage buoyed by creepy electronics – the lead track from Hayley Williams’s debut solo album – was released in January, it signalled an intriguing sea change in an artist previously known as a bouncy, flame-haired emo cheerleader.

The story of how Hayley Williams, now 31, went from leading angsty emo shoutalongs in the Tennessee pop-punk band Paramore to releasing these startling songs about rage, femininity and suicidal thoughts is one of the knottier yarns in contemporary American guitar music. Her trio-of-EPs album is now complete, with the final EP – and a physical album uniting all three – released last Friday.

For a while supper and wine were sufficient; now I’m watching every adaptation that is better than its source material

I suspect I’m not alone in this but, at some point in the past two weeks, I hit my lockdown wall. Not literally, although apparently the “banging one’s head against the kitchen wall” phase kicks in on the eighth week, so that’s something to put in the diary. But last week I felt really, really over it. Enough with every day being the bloody same; enough with watching my children become increasingly fretful because they haven’t seen their friends in over a month, the equivalent of five years to a pair of four-year-olds. But unless you want to be one of those delightful people protesting the lockdown in the US, clothed in stars and stripes, AK-47s across their backs, what choice do we have? So, like Bill Murray, we grind out the same day, again and again and again.

The trick is to invent things to look forward to. For a while, “supper” and “wine” were sufficient, but repetition has dulled their efficacy. So I set myself challenges, driven on by the thrill of completion. Some people hear the word “challenge” and think, “Fitness!” Those people are not me. “Rewatch the entirety of 30 Rock” is more my speed. It is so soothing to watch a show about a luxuriantly bouffanted New York tycoon who isn’t a moron. In a just world, Jack Donaghy would be the US president instead of, well, you get the point. Then, sparked by his brilliant turn as Chris Tarrant on the ITV drama, Quiz, my next challenge was, “Watch every Michael Sheen performance in which he plays a real person”. This was deeply enjoyable, even if, in my lockdown-confused mind, I now think Brian Clough interviewed Richard Nixon on TV and Kenneth Williams was prime minister when Diana died.

Researchers call on government to do more to explain need for physical distancing

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

Young men are more likely than young women to break lockdown rules, research suggests.

A team of psychologists led by Dr Liat Levita from the University of Sheffield surveyed 2,000 13- to 24-year-olds in the UK to examine the impact of the pandemic on young people.

People all over the world are now being advised to wear face masks to slow the spread of coronavirus. 

Luckily, Disney is here to bring a spark to this new corona fashion wear, especially for kids who are more frightened these days. 

In a statement on its home page, the company expressed its commitment to serving the communities during these challenging times by creating a new line of family-friendly reusable cloth face masks featuring its timeless stories and beloved characters.  

Disney announced it will donate one million cloth face masks for children and families in underserved and vulnerable communities across the U.S. and pledged to donate all the profits to the non-profit organization, Medshare, which specializes in redistributing medical supplies to hospitals in need. 

From Baby Yoda to Winnie The Pooh and Mickie Mouse, the masks are aimed at kids and kids at heart who can finally have a chance to let out their inner character. 

You can purchase a four-pack of face masks for $19.99 in small, medium, and large sizes. 

Check out some of the cool designs. 

We're in need of a delicious cat medley this week, wouldn't you say?

We searched through the most up-voted cat pictures on the popular subreddit r/cats from the past few weeks, and we decided to share them all with you!

The pictures all have one thing in common, and that is, of course, cats. However, that's where the similarities end. 

There are images of hilarious cats being hilarious, adorable-ness (naturally), glow-ups, and mourning and loss. We wanted to take a moment to appreciate the beauty of all these cats and remember those who have recently left us, they may be gone but never forgotten. 

Found on every continent except Antarctica, donkeys are some of the most well-bred and well-known animals in the world. 

World Donkey Day is a show of respect for one of the most enduring and respectable animals in the Equidae family. 

Throughout history, it has served throughout the world as both a mount and a beast of burden in some of the most challenging terrains and forbidding climates, and has done so with pride and endurance. 

But how much do you know about these surprisingly deep and intelligent creatures? 

Here are some fun facts you probably didn't know. 

Pereyda works as new head of anime, editorial, publishing in Tokyo

When someone believes their own BS a little too hard, their ego starts to spiral out of control and before you know it, this ridiculous individual believes they're a genius. Maybe they're still riding a developmental achievement like being an "early reader" or they just took a bogus online test that told them their IQ is a thousand. Either way the internet is swimming with absurd individuals who believe they're geniuses and they're here to ruin jokes and brag about themselves.

A street performing monkey in Indonesia was caught on video trying to drag a toddler away. The toddler didn't suffer any physical injuries. If there's one lesson at least from this encounter it's that monkeys are stronger than you'd expect.

It seems like when you get down to the nitty gritty of just about any industry, there are some shady parts of it that no one wants to talk about. Even the most fun and simple seeming industries like avocados or tropical fish have seriously dark sides. When it comes to how a company treats it's employees, there are some definitered flags when it comes to looking for a job.

We need to be very cautious about preliminary studies estimating how many people have already been infected by the coronavirus

Covid-19 contact tracers are part healthcare worker, part detective and part call centre operative. But what is the job really like? New Scientist spoke to one in Ireland to find out

Vampire bats are social creatures that build relationships through grooming and food-sharing, but when they feel ill, they self-isolate and call out for contact far less

China just tested its biggest rocket yet, along with a new capsule designed to carry humans to its planned space station, the moon and beyond

Astronomers found a star that appeared to be orbiting nothing at all – but it’s actually the closest black hole ever at just 1000 light years away

Many countries are focusing coronavirus testing on people who have covid-19 symptoms. But regularly testing all essential workers would have more of an impact

The Irish deputy PM says time is short to reach a trade deal this year, with much still to do.

Millions of people are facing pay cuts or less work, so how can you make your money go further?

One man's dream sailing trip nearly ended in disaster as island nations began closing their borders.

Face masks, fresh air and porridge - how people tried to curb a deadly flu pandemic in 1918.

Parents have been turning to Google to help them teach the things they’ve forgotten.

Education unions say they want scientific evidence it is safe for teachers and pupils to return.

Horticulturalist Ben Cross is working with supermarkets to donate flowers to NHS workers.