Why Is College Rejection Cake Trending?

Several videos of emotional college acceptances and elaborate school-themed bed parties are flooding high schoolers' social media feeds, some seniors are putting a humorous spin on the emotional let down of getting denied from colleges with rejection cakes.

In one TikTok with more than 5 million views, Needham, Massachusetts high school senior Ceci Skala and her friends cheer "This is our rejection cake!" as they present a cake decorated with miniature flags from top schools that rejected them.

Skala, who applied to 12 colleges and was waitlisted from her top choice, says the trend is a way to make fun of the daunting, stressful college admissions process.

In the video, her friends placed rejection pins from schools like Yale University, University of Southern California, Harvard University, University of Virginia, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University and Boston College.

"If you're applying to a hard college and you're seeing all these acceptance videos, it's going hurt, because it's like, 'Am I the only one rejected? Am I not good enough?'" Skala says. "You don't see all the videos of everybody else getting rejected."

College consultant Brooke Hanson, who is the CEO and founder of SupertutorTV, says social media has made the college admissions process more stressful.

Twenty years ago, students showed their excitement for college with a sweatshirt or yard sign. Now, Hanson and Norman say, that display has moved onto social media, where teens’ For You Pages are flooded with acceptance videos featuring screams of joy and tears.

"That can contribute to the stress or feeling that you're not good enough," Hanson says. "They're feeling like everybody's getting into all these great schools."

The opposite is true — when it comes to elite colleges that operate with acceptance rates of 10 percent or lower, 90 percent of applicants face rejection.

"College admissions feels like, 'Oh my goodness. This is rejection. This is so terrible. But in life as adults, you're going to fail, you're going to get rejected,'" Hanson says.

When Co-Founder of Counseling at Expert Admissions Bari Norman saw the rejection cake videos, she thought, "finally, some reality." She says students should remember that the videos of students celebrating might not tell the full story – for every video posted, there are more that were deleted.

"Plenty of people will tell me, 'Oh, we videoed it, and she was in hysterics. We deleted it right away,'" Norman says. In the elaborate decorated bed party celebration videos, the school being celebrated may have been someone’s third or fourth choice.

Hanson says it’s healthy for teens to acknowledge the hardships of college rejections and to find community in commiserating over the experience together. But ultimately, they should remind themselves that college is what they make of it.

"The point is not necessarily just to get a brand name stamped on your sweatshirt," Hanson says.

"It's to have an experience, and above all, learn how to gain skills that are going to benefit you."

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Labubu Is One "Ugly" Irresistible Plushy

Several children and toy collectors across Asia are flocking shopping malls and online stores recently as they scrambled to get their hands on the latest edition of Labubu, a collectible toy that has sparked buying frenzies the world over.

Inspired by Nordic folklore, the toothy, fluffy figurines — which typically come in palm-sized "blind boxes" — drew crowds in cities from Bangkok, to Kuala Lumpur as the new collection went on sale. They were also made available online, where they quickly sold out.

The brainchild of Hong Kong-born, Netherlands-raised illustrator Kasing Lung, Labubu and fellow creatures from his "The Monsters" series have amassed a loyal following since their founding in 2015. But Labubu’s popularity has spiked over the past year, thanks to celebrity endorsements. Lisa, from K-pop mega group Blackpink, has frequently professed her love of the creature on social media. "Labubu is my baby," she said in a recent Teen Vogue video.

Titled "Big Into Energy," the latest drop features six vinyl plush pendants (and one "secret" figurine) representing "emotions" like love, hope and happiness — each made in new colorways.

The new Labubus cost between US$ 13 and US$ 16 each in various Asian countries. Shortly after their release last 25 April, some pendants were being resold for up to US$ 90 on US online resell platform StockX.

At the CentralWorld shopping mall in Bangkok, dozens of fans lined up before its branch of Pop Mart — Labubu’s licensed distributor — had even opened, despite having pre-registered time slots.

University student Kamolwan Pohfah, 21, said she left home early to reach the store because she couldn’t wait to get her hands on the newest collection. "I have been following Labubu for almost two years now," she told CNN.

"It was kind of ugly at first sight. But I kept seeing it on social media. And my friends are crazy about it, so I follow them," she said.

Tourist Emily Jong, 27, who was also in line and visiting from Australia, said she tried her luck at the mall hours before she was due to fly home, but left empty-handed. “We tried to line up but we didn’t know we have to register," she said.

Hathairus Mekborisut, 53, bought a box set of six pendants. She decided to keep one, named "luck," for herself and to resell the rest. She’s been "longing" for a purple one, she said.

Another reseller who goes by her nickname Mai, and wanted to remain anonymous, led a small group to buy up as many as possible. She said she could make double the retail price by reselling them to customers in other countries.

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Popular Acai Bowls Recalled Due To Health Risk

It was estimated that about hundreds of thousands of frozen acai bowls have been recalled because of the risk that they may contain plastic.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a Class II recall on more than 25,000 cases of organic acai bowls made by California company Stiebs LLC, Food Safety News reported. The recall is due to potential contamination with blue pieces of plastic.

The frozen, prepackaged products are labeled as Organic Acai Bowl with Berries, Bananas, Granola, and Dried Coconut, with expiration dates that range from 30 September 2025, to 5 February 2026. Each case contained 24 bowls, and they were shipped to retail locations from distribution centers in California, Connecticut, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.

The FDA labels a Class II recall as "a situation in which use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote."

Anyone who purchased one of these acai bowls should not consume it.

This isn't the only food recall involving plastic contamination. In March, a Canadian supermarket recalled ground beef because it may have contained plastic pieces.

Each of these recalls shows one of the many dangers posed by the overabundance of plastic in our society.

Plastic has become such a common pollutant that there are an estimated 170 trillion pieces of plastic in our ocean, and that number is expected to double every six years. Most of those are microplastics, tiny pieces that are smaller than 5 millimeters in diameter.

Not surprisingly, a lot of that plastic waste ends up in our food. EarthDay.org cited research that shows the average person ingests thousands of microplastic particles from things such as seafood, tea bags, apples, carrots, and salt.

However, bottled water may be the biggest culprit. A 2024 study found that 1 liter of bottled water had an average of 240,000 plastic particles.

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Toilet Use In The UK Will Be Based On Biological Sex

Britush girs can now heave a sigh of relief after the equalities minister said that trans women should use toilets according to their biological sex.

In response to the UK Supreme Court's ruling that a woman is legally defined by biological sex, Bridget Phillipson stopped short of explicitly saying trans women should use the men's toilets.

But she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The ruling was clear that provisions and services should be accessed on the basis of biological sex."

Pushed further for clarification on whether a trans woman should use the men's or women's toilets she repeated: "The ruling is clear."

Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the ruling in his first comments on the matter, saying it gave "much needed clarity".

The prime minister told the BBC: "I'm really pleased the court has clarified the position.

"We can move on from there. [I] think that has been very helpful."

Earlier, Phillipson said the law on trans women accessing single-sex spaces on the basis of biological sex "would apply right across the board".

But she stressed that the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) "will be setting out additional guidance and a statutory code of practice, because we need to make sure that everyone has the ability to access services that are safe and appropriate, and respect their privacy and dignity".

In particular, there needed to be "appropriate and available services for all people, including trans people" when it came to settings such as hospitals and changing rooms.

Pressed on what the ruling meant for trans women looking to use a toilet today, she responded: "The ruling was clear that provisions and services should be accessed on the basis of biological sex.

"But I know that many businesses large and small will ensure that they have appropriate provision in place, for example many businesses have moved towards unisex provision or separate cubicles that can be used by anyone."

The EHRC has already suggested trans people should use their "powers of advocacy" to campaign for so-called third spaces that are gender neutral to avoid these sorts of dilemmas.

The Equality Act 2010 allows for single-sex spaces and services without it being considered discriminatory, such as when a user may reasonably object to another person being of the opposite sex.

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U.S. Has Stepped Up In Revoking Visas Of "Undesireable" Foreign Students

Anther batch of hundreds of students and recent graduates have seen their visas revoked by immigration officials, with some facing arrest. It is expected more will follow after United States President Donald Trump took office for a second time on 20 January 2025.

Many of the targets of the visa revocations and arrests are students who participated in pro-Palestine protests which erupted on campuses across the country in 2024 amid Israel’s brutal war on Gaza. Others are individuals with more indirect links to Palestine – or those who have shown support for Gaza on social media.

The Trump administration has a solid proof showing that these students spread anti-Semitism and pro-Hamas sentiment on campus – a claim students, lawyers and activists have all rebutted. Jewish activists and groups have been at the forefront of many of the most prominent protests in the US against the Gaza war.

Others have had visas removed after legal infractions – a speeding ticket or other traffic violations, for instance.

Exact estimates vary. At the higher end is the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s count, according to which more than 4,700 students have been removed from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement-maintained database known as the Student and Exchange Visitor Information Systems (SEVIS).

Yet even more conservative tabulations point to a number comfortably more than 1,000. The National Association of Foreign Student Advisers (NAFSA) estimates that as of 17 April, there are reports of about 1,400 students who now face deportation.

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Caitlyn Clark Is Set To Make Another History

With Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever preparing for a 2025 WNBA season that the franchise hopes will develop into a championship-contending campaign, their sold-out preseason matchup from Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City against the Brazilian National Team on May 4 will now become the league's first nationally televised preseason game as ESPN is scheduled to broadcast the event.

While the exhibition is purely a tune-up for the regular season, which starts on 17 May for Indiana, the main aura surrounding the game is Caitlin Clark's return to Iowa City.

There, she set numerous offensive records, won three straight Big Ten Tournament crowns, and took the Hawkeyes to back-to-back national championships to close out her four years with the program. During her tenure with Iowa, Clark shot 46.2 percent from the field with 1,293 career makes and 37.7 percent from three-point range on 548 connections from deep en route to becoming the NCAA's all-time leading scorer in both men's and women's basketball.

Adding to Clark's legacy in Iowa City, the Hawkeyes raised her jersey and number to the rafters of Carver-Hawkeye Arena in early February, joining two others who have been given the prestigious honor.

During her first professional season with the Fever, which saw her win the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year award, Clark averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from 3-point range.

The exhibition game from Carver-Hawkeye Arena is scheduled for a 3:00 P.M. CT start on 4 May.

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Trans Are Openly Mocking Easter

A San Francisco drag queen group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a self-professed "order of queer and trans nuns," is sparking more controversy in the days leading up to their annual transgender Easter event.

This year’s event, which is being called "No Easter without the T," is meant to honor transgenderism and features a children’s Easter egg hunt and a costume contest encouraging attendees to come dressed in drag as "Hunky Jesus and Foxy Mary."

The event’s invitation poster includes a depiction of a tattooed "Jesus" surrounded by men in drag. Pictures posted from the event in previous years include men dressed as Jesus in high heels, dresses and minimal clothing, and holding signs that say "can I get a gaymen?" and "Haus of Jesus."

According to the group’s website, past winners of the contest include "Barbie’s Ken Jesus", "Historically Accurate Jesus," "Transgender Maria de Guadalupe," "Pro-Choice Mary" and "Black Woman as God."

Libs of Tiktok, a popular conservative social media account, slammed the event, especially calling attention to the drag group for encouraging children to attend while simultaneously admitting that "parents are advised that some may find the latter portion of the show inappropriate for young children."

"They literally say that their show is inappropriate for children while still encouraging children to attend," said Libs of TikTok.

"Disgusting," commented Catholic Vote senior advisor Steve Cortes, adding, "The ruling class abides bigotry, as long as it’s targeted against faithful Christians generally, & Catholics specifically."

Logan Church, political director of CatholicVote, told Fox News Digital the group is "disgusted, though sadly not surprised."

"The so-called 'Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence' have made it their mission to mock Christianity with open hostility, and this blasphemous Easter event is just the latest example," he said.

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Paige Spiranac Brings "Look At Me" Culture To The Golf Range

The eye-catching Paige Spiranac has refused to take a mulligan on her outfits on the golf course — no matter what her haters have to say.

The influencer, 32, wore a revealing, backless ensemble to get some practice on the driving range on Thursday, 17 April, which drew quite the amount of attention in her comments.

"People are so mad about this outfit 😂," Spiranac shared via her Instagram Story. "The funny part is I really thought it was one of my more conservative looks lol."

Spiranac wore the outfit on a nostalgic trip to the location that holds a special place in her heart.

"I hit my very first golf ball on this range and all these years later it’s still one of my favorite places ⛳️💚," she wrote via Instagram.

"Love your beautiful body and your personality," one supporter wrote. "Fear is not in you and it shows in your attitude. Keep showing us how to have fun!"

Another wrote, "That’s it I’m taking up golf 😂."

Spiranac, who played college golf at the University of Arizona and San Diego State University, has amassed more than four million followers on Instagram with her golf-themed content.

Given her notoriety, Spiranac often has to deal with negative discourse on social media — like when she was invited to play in the 2015 Dubai Ladies Masters.

"There were constant comments, like, 'I did sexual favors to get this invite,' and I was listening to it — and they would say [it] within earshot of me. It was tough," Spiranac said last month on the "Quiet Please!" podcast.

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The WWII-Era Tank Bunnies Are Back

The tank-riding Nazi sugar bunnies have returned to the shelves of a German bakery this Easter, provoking controversy in its affluent local town. However, children loved it.

Café Lieb, a bakery in the prosperous south-western city of Tübingen, revived the tradition after it found Second World War-era moulds gathering dust in the basement.

It said that the bunnies are a nostalgic sweet treat for the elderly, but others are not convinced, saying they glorify war and hark back to Germany’s Nazi past.

In an interview with the regional news outlet SWR, Ulrich Buob, the head confectioner at Café Lieb, defended the choice of sweets.

"Older people say they recognise them from their childhood, and many old people simply want to buy them as a souvenir," he said.

The expert sugar-spinner also said that the tank-straddling bunnies were relevant in today’s climate, with Germany seeking to re-arm the Bundeswehr under Friedrich Merz, the incoming chancellor.

But an anti-war organization has said that there is nothing cute or cuddly about sugar bunnies, celebrating the most appalling era of German history.

Reza Schwarz, a member of the Information Centre on Militarisation in Tubingen, said: "It is as if people are mourning for the good old war days and I consider that to make a mockery of those who lived through them."

According to German media reports, Café Lieb decided to dust off the old moulds, including a few dating from the war period, and make use of them this Easter.

Hermann Leimgruber, the bakery owner, defended the controversial bunnies as tradition, saying "it’s a part of our history" and that "one doesn’t have to turn everything into a scandal".

Toys, sweets or other products that glorify the army tend to offend Germany, which remains deeply against the concept of having a strong army because of its Nazi background.

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U.S. Government Cancels US$2.7 M To Harvard

The United States Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced last 16 April the cancellation of more than US$ 2.7 million in grants to Harvard University amid tensions between the school and the Trump administration.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a press release that Noem unveiled the discontinuation of two grants from the department to Harvard worth more than US$ 2.7 million. The department also noted in the press release that Noem requested "detailed records on Harvard’s foreign student visa holders’ illegal and violent activities" in a letter.

"Harvard bending the knee to antisemitism — driven by its spineless leadership — fuels a cesspool of extremist riots and threatens our national security," Noem said in the release.

"With anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology poisoning its campus and classrooms, Harvard’s position as a top institution of higher learning is a distant memory. America demands more from universities entrusted with taxpayer dollars," she added.

Last week, the Trump administration demanded Harvard change multiple policies — including those regarding protesting and diversity, equity and inclusion programs — in order to retain its federal funding. The school shot down the demands.

"No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue," Harvard President Alan Garber said in a message to the university’s community last 14 April.

The Trump administration said later that around US$ 2.2 billion in multiyear grants was going to be frozen to Harvard in the wake of the school’s rejection of the demands.

Noem’s department said in its press release that one of the grants, worth US$ 800,303, "branded conservatives as far-right dissidents in a shockingly skewed study" and the other, worth US$ 1,934,902, "funded Harvard’s public health propaganda."

"Both undermine America’s values and security," the press release continued.

In a statement emailed to The Hill, a Harvard spokesperson said the school was "aware of the Department of Homeland Security’s letter regarding grant cancellations and scrutiny of foreign student visas, which—like the Administration’s announcement of the freeze of US$ 2.2 billion in grants and US$ 60 million in contracts, and reports of the revocation of Harvard’s 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status—follows on the heels of our statement that Harvard will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights."

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This Is Not A Laughing Matter For Pets

A veterinary nurse is sounding the alarm on a trending, viral and dangerous social media craze that has pet owners spinning their cats, dogs and even rabbits around by their front legs for laughs and likes.

Jade, a registered veterinary nurse and popular TikTokker appropriately known as Jade The Vet Nurse, blasted the stunt in a PSA-style video posted on last 13 April.

She didn’t mince words, calling on pet owners to put their furry friends’ health before their follower count.

"Can we please stop this trend where people lift their cats, dogs, or rabbits by their front legs and spin them around in circles?" she pleaded.

"This puts unnecessary strain on your pet’s joints/muscles and can make them feel dizzy and nauseous, all for the sake of a few views," she warned. "Let’s be responsible pet owners and get rid of this trend."

Jade, who has three dogs and three tortoises of her own, explained that the seemingly harmless twirl can lead to real harm — especially for small or fragile pets.

"This is not a nice trend for your pets. It can actually cause damage. By picking your animals up under the front legs, you put a lot of pressure and strain on the shoulders, the elbows, the muscles and the ligaments," she said.

"You can cause [them] to feel really dizzy and nauseous," The content creator stressed. "I’ve literally seen people try and do this trend with large dogs, and I have seen people drop their dogs, which can cause injury."

"I have seen people do this with smaller dogs, and as they’re spinning their dog around, the dog is literally squirming because that is not pleasant for them," she added.

And when animals start wriggling mid-spin? That’s a big red flag.

She explained that squirming can "cause damage to their spine," noting that French bulldogs and dachshunds are especially vulnerable to spinal issues.

"I don’t think it’s a very responsible thing to do," she said. "So I would say if you have posted one of these videos, it’s probably just a good idea to delete it and don’t get sucked into these kind of trends.

"I know you watch them and they look cute and they look fun," she continued, "but please, guys, think about our pets’ health and welfare first. I don’t think it’s a good idea to do this video for the sake of trying to get a few likes or maybe a viral video."

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Coachella Exorbitant Prices Stunned Influencers

Coachella news has dominated the music and lifestyle board recently, but the overpriced, inedible concessions at the event tops them all. Outraged critics who are calling out the music festival for being a "money trap" as hundreds of thousands descended on the Southern California desert.

One influencer claimed she spent over US$ 100 for her meal consisting of tacos and lemonade on the first night of Coachella last 11 April, which pop megastar Lady Gaga headlined on the festival’s main stage.

Ruth Viveros, who has chronicled her experience in Coachella Valley, shared a glimpse into the food at the famous music festival.

In a video posted on her TikTok profile, Viveros praised the US$ 17 lemonade and admitted she had already gotten her second cup, totaling US$ 34 spent on lemonade alone that day.

She also bought a taco combo, which included five tortillas filled with meat, onions, and sauce, as well as a plate of nachos. The full portion, including the two lemonades, cost her an astonishing US$ 102.

Although she complimented the lemonade, she admitted she didn’t like the food very much. "They’re not good, not good at all. The tortillas are cold."

In the post’s comments, users were stunned by the prices. "These prices are diabolical," said one commenter. "Coachella seems like a miserable financial trap everyone falls into," noted another. "It’s literally the worst festival of all time," a third person added.

Other users took the opportunity to point out that the cheapest Coachella ticket costs US$ 649 for the first weekend and US$ 599 for the second.

On the Coachella subreddit, Reddit users also shared prices of alcoholic beverages at the VIP tents. The menu showed a price of US$ 23 for a Red Bull with vodka and US$ 17 for spirits, including Absolut Vodka, Jameson Irish Whiskey, and Malibu Rum.

Sodas were priced at US$ 7 and water was served for US$ 2. As for food, the cheapest items on the menu were around $15, while full "meals" were being sold for an average of US$ 20 to US$ 30.

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