What Recession? Economist Launches Theme Park

And Forbes.com did not find one of them funny

(NEWSER) - One of yesterday's April Fools' Day pranks apparently fooled a few too many people: A Forbes contributor posted a blog on Forbes.com claiming that Mitt Romney had dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Rick Santorum. Despite the fact that editors took it down after just half an hour, the news quickly went viral on Twitter and was, for a short time, the No. 1 story on Google News. The uproar is "kind of baffling," contributor Len Burman tells the Washington Post . "It was April Fools’ Day, and it was completely implausible. Nobody in the party would have said those things." More»

Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail: Filled with video games and motorbikes?

(NEWSER) - Chalk one up for those who check the calendar: A Wisconsin newspaper reported this week that Disney would buy a beloved state biking trail and fill it with arcade games, piped-in music, motorbike paths, and kid-friendly miniature trains. Public outcry over the County Line article was so intense that editors buckled yesterday and admitted it was an April Fools' prank. “Oh my God, this thing just boomeranged all over the state,” County Line editor Karen Parker told JimRomesko.com . More»

Justin Bieber punks Taylor Swift, and more

(NEWSER) - In honor of April Fools' Day, the Huffington Post found video of 10 awesome (or awesomely embarrassing) pranks pulled on and by famous people:

• Tom Cruise: Upon being squirted in the face with a water gun by a British reporter, Cruise's priceless response included the line, "You're a jerk."
• Justin Timberlake: When Ashton Kutcher and Dax Shepard pranked him for Punk'd, with Shepard posing as a government official seizing his property because of unpaid taxes, JT actually cried. He later blamed his behavior on being stoned.

AdWeek list celebrates funniest fake commercials

(NEWSER) - Today is April Fools' Day, so expect to be pranked by friends, family, and of course, major companies who relish the opportunity to trick consumers into believing they're offering outrageously phony products. AdWeek rounds up 10 favorites, including: More»

First and most importantly, be aware of the date

(NEWSER) - Welcome to April 1, “the day when every office jokester and petty prankster thinks up some gags at your expense that they think will be hilarious,” writes Brian Moylan on Gawker . “Well, not this year, jackass.” Moylan offers a foolproof five-step plan to make yourself, well, foolproof:

1. Know the date: You’re most likely to fall for an April Fools Day prank when you don’t realize it’s April Fools Day. But “not this time around. If you're reading this, you have been informed. Use that to your advantage.”