4/13/26 - Cobbler, Egg Color, and Taxes
- bribriny
- 8 hours ago
- 4 min read
Monday 4/13/26
Celebrate:
National Make Lunch Count Day
National Peach Cobbler Day
Scrabble Day
Thomas Jefferson Day - our third president from 1801 to 1809
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Today is National Peach Cobbler Day.
A trending Reddit thread this morning is debating the official definition of a cobbler. Some insist it must have a biscuit-style topping, while others argue for a "cake-like" batter.
What's the difference between Cobblers, Buckles, Crisps and Crumbles? They all share a basic DNA: sweetened fruit baked with a dough or batter topping. The primary difference lies in the texture and structure of the topping.
A cobbler features a fruit base topped with a biscuit or dumpling dough. Instead of a solid crust, the dough is dropped onto the fruit in small rounds. As it bakes, the dough puffs up and looks like a "cobbled" stone street. The result is a contrast between the juicy fruit and the fluffy, scone-like topping.
2. Buckle
A buckle is more of a cake than the others. It is made by folding fruit into a thick cake batter. As it bakes, the weight of the fruit causes the cake to "buckle" and indent. It is often topped with a streusel (crumb) topping for extra texture.
3. Crumble and Crisp
These two are very similar and often confused:
Crumble: Features a streusel topping made of flour, sugar, and butter. It has a sandy, pebbly texture.
Crisp: Similar to a crumble, but the topping usually includes oats or nuts. When it bakes, the oats get toasted and crunchy, giving it a distinct "crisp" bite.
4. Pandowdy
A bit more rustic, a pandowdy is topped with a pie-style crust. Halfway through baking, the baker breaks the crust into the fruit juices and pushes the pieces down, allowing the fruit to bubble up and glaze the pastry.
5. Grunt and Slump
These are essentially stovetop cobblers. Instead of being baked in an oven, the fruit and biscuit dough are cooked in a covered skillet on the stove.
Grunt: Named for the sound the steam makes as it escapes from under the dumplings.
Slump: Named for the way the dessert sags or "slumps" onto the plate when served.
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It was a picture-perfect landing for the Artemis II crew on Friday. Just after 8pm, after the hot (5000 degrees) fast (25,000 MPH) reentry into the Earth's atmosphere, the parachutes unfurled and dropped them in the Pacific Ocean.
NASA will next turn to Artemis III, a 2027 mission to test lunar landers in Earth's orbit ahead of Artemis IV in 2028, which is expected to land humans on the moon.
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The Weekend Box Office
1. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie $69.0M
2. Project Hail Mary $24.6M
3. The Drama $8.7M
4. You, Me & Tuscany $8.0M
5. Hoppers $4.1M
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Eggshell color doesn't indicate taste or superiority
Brown, white, and blue eggs taste and cook identically. Despite popular notions that brown eggs are superior, the shell color reflects the genetics of the hen alone. What actually determines egg quality is freshness and the diet of the hen (where grass and leafy greens lead to denser yolks). And freshness can go both ways: older eggs peel more easily than fresh ones.
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The Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, is a division of the US Treasury Department created in 1862 that enforces the Internal Revenue Code—Title 26 of the US Code, a compilation of federal statutes—and, effectively, oversees tax collection. In 2024, the IRS's roughly 75,000 employees collected roughly $5T in tax revenue.
Specifically, the IRS is responsible for determining, assessing, and collecting internal revenue in the US, such as personal and corporate income taxes; excise, estate, and gift taxes; and payroll taxes for the nation's Social Security system. These taxes help pay for government spending on everything from maintaining roads to funding the military.
Are you afraid of an audit? Most people can breathe easily because the majority of individual returns escape the audit machine.
In recent years, the IRS has audited significantly less than 1% of all individual tax returns,
What could cause one?
First, check your math. Math errors could also draw an extra look from the IRS, but they usually don't lead to a full-blown exam.
Failing to report all taxable income.
Making a lot of money.
Claiming refundable tax credits.
Taking large charitable deductions. They really know what the average donation is for folks at your income level.
Running a business...it's hard! Have a good money man.
Business Use of a Vehicle. Claiming 100% business use of a vehicle is a prime audit red flag.
Writing off a hobby loss.
Here's an article about Audit Red Flags
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WNBA approves expansion to Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia.
The Cleveland franchise is set to begin play in 2028, followed by Detroit in 2029, and Philadelphia in 2030. These additions, along with expansions to Portland and Toronto this year, will grow the league to 18 teams. The 2026 season is scheduled to tip off May 8, following the signing of a new labor contract last month.
The WNBA began in 1997.
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According to the Associated Press, the number is $5.34M: The Average Major League Baseball salary on opening day, a new record, up 3.4%.
The Mets lead spending for the fourth straight year.
Mets outfielder Juan Soto is the highest-paid player for the second consecutive season at $61.9 million and was followed by New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger at $42.5 million.
The Cleveland Guardians are only spending $62 Million for the lowest roster cost.
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Today's Useless Fact of the Day - Inventor Alfred Butts originally called his game "Lexiko" and later "Criss-Cross Words." It wasn't until April 13, 1948, that the name "Scrabble" was trademarked.
The word "scrabble" literally means "to grope or scratch frantically with the hands," which any player who has ever reached into the bag and pulled out three "U’s" and a "Q" can appreciate.
High-level Scrabble players often memorize "hook words"—short words like "JO" or "QI"—that allow them to play off existing tiles for massive points. In 2026, the game is seeing a massive resurgence among Gen Z as "analog" hobbies continue to trend.
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