A fake restaurant was briefly the best place to eat in Moniga del Garda, Italy.

Always cross-reference your TripAdvisor recommendations.

An Italian newspaper decided to prove just how unreliable TripAdvisor is.

Italia a Tavolamade up a fake restaurant, La Scaletta, which they claimed was located in the town of Moniga del Garda. They spent a month putting up glowing reviews from a variety of fake accounts until La Scaletta was declared the best restaurant in the city.

Now, I know what you're thinking. La Scaletta sounds perfect! Where is it exactly?

The incredible homemade pasta at La Scaletta.

But also, you're thinking: hey, I've used TripAdvisor before and while its rating system may not be perfect, it's helped me find perfectly decent hotels and restaurants. Most people putting up unreliable reviews aren't going to be this systematic about it, so who even cares I hate this!

You sound a lot like TripAdvisor, who told the Independent:

It is a pretty meaningless experiment to create a fake listing or reviews just to try and catch us out, since that is completely different from the fraud we see and catch on a daily basis. We know that, when fraudsters attempt to manipulate the rankings on our site, they leave behind patterns that we can and do trace. We have been tracking reviews for well over a decade, so we can spot what is normal reviewer behaviour and what isn't- that is how we catch fraud.

Only trouble is, TripAdvisor actually sucks at catching fraudsters. They suck so hard at it that in December, Italian authorities fined them 500,000 euros. That's the governmental equivalent of a one-star review.

It seems perfectly plausible that a restaurant would create fake accounts and put up excellent reviews of their own business or terrible reviews of their competitor, and this experiment suggests TripAdvisor would have no idea. Thousands of tourists could be lining up for gelato at the third best gelato place in Florence!

The only possible solution? Better fraud-detecting mechanisms. Or get gelato at multiple places just to be sure.

Dr. Farid Fata deliberately misdiagnosed patients so he could profit by giving them unnecessary chemotherapy.

SENTENCING DAY: Farid Fata, doctor who gave chemo to patients who didn't need it & made millions is in court at 8:30 pic.twitter.com/4C03o9881E
— Roop Raj (@rooprajfox2) July 6, 2015

Here's a disgusting story to get your week off to a depressing start. A Michigan oncologist will be sentenced this week in what U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade called "the most egregious case of health care fraud I have ever seen."

Over a ten-year period, Dr. Farid Fata misdiagnosed hundreds of patients with cancer in order to defraud both them and the Medicare system. In the process, he made millions of dollars and hurt many families, growing his practice from a one-doctor office to a statewide medical empire of evil. That practice, by the way, currently has a generous 1.2 star rating on Google Plus. Fata pushed intense chemotherapy and radiation programs onto healthy patients, causing severe side effects. Some patients lost their teeth or limbs. Some even died. Meanwhile, Fata used aggressive and manipulative tactics to ensure they would keep paying him. Prosecutors wrote,

"Fata employed a number of tactics to maintain control over his patients and their care, including controlling access to patients' files and remaining on call even when other doctors were rounding on his hospitalized patients."

"I need my money!" he wrote to one patient. Prosecutors say as many as 553 patients received unnecessary treatment, many of whom chose to attend his trial. In cases where the patient died, their families came in their place. Their interest is to see him meet justice, not recoup losses – although Fata may have bilked Medicare alone for $91 million, it's unclear if his victims will ever see any of that money. A number of civil lawsuits against him and his practice are still unresolved.

Fata faces sentencing today. Prosecutors are seeking a 175-year sentence for him. Soe Maunglay, a doctor who worked with Fata and gave information about him to investigators, says that prison isn't enough. This case must be a wake-up call to prevent further instances of "this type of horrific torture and fraud." Maunglay told NBC News:

"We need to uncover and correct the fundamental reasons behind the collective failure of our medical system at all levels which enabled this despicable fraud [to continue] for such a long time."

It just goes to show: you should always get a second opinion. You never know if your doctor is a Salk or a Mengele.

He loved his dogs even after he figured out they were bears.

Pet owner shocked at discovering the two 'puppies' he bought and raised were actually BEARS http://t.co/3SOMAeOkYopic.twitter.com/WRkBi6lAdD

— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) July 2, 2015

Wang Kaiyu lives on a banana farm in Jinchang Town, which is in China near the border of Vietnam. A guy passing through his village was selling two puppies and Wang liked the look of them, so he bought them. He cared for them, bathed them and fed them the way you would with two adorable doggies in your care. But as they grew bigger, Wang began to suspect something was wrong...

Hey.(via China News)

Surprise! They're bears. Wang had been noticing strange behavior in the animals. Though generally affectionate and well-behaved, they'd stalk and eat chickens on his farm and had increasingly large appetites. The clincher was an exhibit Wang happened to attend hosted by the forest police, where he saw a poster about wildlife protection that featured photos of the endangered Asian Black Bear. It was like looking at his two babies at home.

Wang thought about what he should do for awhile. I mean, they were his pets! That's a tough call even though no one should ever keep bears as pets, ever ever ever. Ultimately, he decided the best thing was to hand them over to the proper authorities. The bears are now at the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre of Yunnan Province and are reportedly healthy.

No reports on how much Wang misses them, but when you really love a wild bear, you have to let it go!

Behold one pastry chef's eerie interpretation of Queen Elsa.

Looks good to me!(via Imgur)

This unfortunate imagining of Queen Elsa was brought to you by The Not-Ace of Cakes. Redditor OfficialBigHead posted the image above with the caption, "The cake that was ordered and the cake that arrived." The family ordered the cake from McGreevey Cakes in New York, and they did not get what they paid for. They got something far worse, but also something better because we get to stare at this train wreck of a birthday cake.

It looks like Elsa has developed an addiction to plastic surgery, spray tans, and shimmery eye shadow. Or maybe the artist was trying to make a statement with the cake, by saying that beauty is fleeting and one day you could wake up and realize you are a stepmom who over-tweezes her eyebrows.

Even though this cake took a hard left turn from the original Disney animation, someone clearly worked very hard to bring this edible disaster to life. I hope this cake artist keeps making cakes so the Internet can look at the perfectly awful creations.

Your July 4th photos look like crap compared to T. Swift and co.

Happy 4th from me, @gigihadid, @marhunt, @britmaack, @serayah and @haimtheband :)
A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jul 3, 2015 at 4:32pm PDT

You think you're patriotic, but you don't have access to the kind of tanned, beautiful friends and gorgeous, dramatic backdrops necessary to pull off a truly American Instagram shoot.

You don't love anyone as much as this all-American girl loves this all-American Scottish guy. If you tried to jump romantically onto someone's back, they'd fall over.

Friendly relations between Scotland and America. @calvinharris

A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jul 3, 2015 at 4:33pm PDT

Do you own a red, white, and blue water slide or even a giant pool full of swan floats? You don't? Your citizenship should be revoked.

Swan squad.

A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jul 3, 2015 at 4:40pm PDT

Comfy floaty ☺️ @taylorswift
A photo posted by Serayah (@serayah) on Jul 5, 2015 at 7:41pm PDT

You are completely lacking in famous British friends to play the bad guys.

When Ed shows up in a red coat for the 4th of July because he just can't let it go. @teddysphotos

A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jul 4, 2015 at 11:20am PDT

You don't even have a large yet cozy kitchen to bake in, do you? Or an oversized but somehow graceful white sweater that perfectly complements your gently tousled hair? Or six friends to spread frosting with at once?

Making our flag cake this morning because we're Barefoot Contessa fangirls. 2nd year in a row making @inagarten's famous recipe! @marhunt @haimtheband @gigihadid @serayah

A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jul 4, 2015 at 7:44pm PDT

Making the infamous flag cake @taylorswift @gigihadid @marhunt @babyhaim #HappyFourth
A video posted by Serayah (@serayah) on Jul 4, 2015 at 8:19pm PDT

The end result + sparklers + help from @austinkingsleyswift Thanks @inagarten!!

A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jul 4, 2015 at 8:12pm PDT

You might as well move to Canada.

This cat is ready for its closeup.

If there's one universal truth about cats, it's this: they are unable to share the spotlight. If you want to film yourself taking part in one of your favorite hobbies, make sure any household cats are safely distracted by a big bowl of meat. Otherwise, the cat will definitely steal the show.

For example, here's a nice young woman who just wanted to film herself playing the ukulele. And here's another woman also doing yoga. Man, cats hate yoga. I guess it's because they're so naturally flexible. By the way, dogs hate yoga too.

Do all animals hate yoga? The answer is clear: yes.

Nothing is more American than going to work after being injured on the job.

Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl sits on GoT-inspired chair at US gig.http://t.co/c38SApzDcrpic.twitter.com/fYVA2Zs9vf
— BBC Ents News Team (@BBCNewsEnts) July 6, 2015

In the true spirit of America, Dave Grohl performed on the 4th of July in Washington, DC even though he broke his leg on stage last month. While keeping his purple cast elevated, Grohl sat atop a throne that said, "I'm a rockstar." It was adorned with guitars, speakers, and the Foo Fighters' logo. I mean, just look at how hard he is rocking:

With broken leg, Dave Grohl performs @foofighters concert on a throne made of guitars. http://t.co/X8kXH32p99pic.twitter.com/kvPv1XynbX
— CNN (@CNN) July 5, 2015

According to Pitchfork, he designed this glorious contraption while he was "high as a kite," which sounds about right.

Dave Grohl was "high as a kite" when he designed his giant @foofighters throne http://t.co/8vPgNGphibpic.twitter.com/0KTeHUZ1aM
— Pitchfork (@pitchfork) July 6, 2015

Here's a clip of Grohl sitting down on the job:

'Game of Thrones' readers are patient people. 'Game of Thrones' viewers are not.

Tennis is so exciting, don't you think?(Getty)

We're having a very hard time waiting for next year's Thrones premiere to find out whether Jon Snow is really dead, kinda dead, or not dead at all. To pass the time, we've done some speculating, and so have some other stars of the show.

But the firmest proof yet that Jon Snow lives is Kit Harington's 'do at Wimbledon this weekend. Check it out:

In the words of Ygritte, "You're so pretty, Jon Snow!"

It's long! Which is odd, because in an interview with Rolling Stonelast year, Harington said that when he left the show, he was definitely going to cut his "f*cking hair."

We have no choice but to conclude that Jon Snow's contract has been renewed. But what is this guy's weird Wimbledon hairdo trying to tell us?

@98FM This guy at Wimbledon now. . His hair is a fire hazard in that heat pic.twitter.com/bEC19gzvDU

— Ian (@radcovers) July 2, 2015

Use dragons to defeat the white walkers?

Knock, knock. It's humanity.

The Philae lander in the middle of what might be an alien hive. (via ESA)

If you follow space news at all, you're probably aware that humanity has a doohickey called the Rosetta probe orbiting a comet, specifically comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, or "67 Pikachu" for short (not really, I made that up). This was a pretty big deal, since people don't put space probes into orbit around a comet every day...or ever, since it was our first time. Even more groundbreaking, we shot an even smaller doohickey—the Philae lander—onto the comet's surface.

In space, no one can hear comets burp. (via ESA)

Since we've arrived, however, 67 Pikachu has constantly defied our expectations...and one explanation is that it harbors microscopic life. The most important part of this theory is that 67 Pikachu keeps spitting out geysers of gas and water. That's not unusual for a comet as it approaches the sun and heats up, but 67 Pikachu is doing it way too early. It should be too cold for that sort of activity right now, so scientists have speculated that some sort of microscopic life is generating the gas and turning part of the interior to liquid. Also, those geysers are chock-full of hydrocarbons and even amino acids—the materials of life.

67 Pikachu also has a different composition than scientists expected. In particular, it has a hard, black crust over an icy interior. This caused problems when the Philae lander's harpoons failed to stick to the surface as planned, sending the probe tumbling for over a kilometer on the comet's surface before falling into a crater. Some think the black crust could be the hydrocarbon byproducts of microscopic life. This is in part because, being a black surface, this material would heat up very quickly and evaporate when close to the sun—so, the thinking goes, something must be replenishing it. In other spots, there are smooth "seas" of what appear to be water that melted (whether because of internal heat or the sun's rays) and then re-froze.

Walk into the solar system like whatup, I'm a big rock(y lump of ice). (via ESA)

The idea that life, or at least the raw materials to allow it, arrived on Earth via comets is a fairly popular one. The idea that life may just be constantly zipping around the universe on such bodies is also not out of the mainstream. It should be noted that the two scientists advocating the "we're looking at life right now through Rosetta's cameras" are not quacks, but they are oddballs. Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe was involved with Rosetta's mission planning 15 years ago, although at the time the suggestion that the probe bring life-detecting equipment was "laughed out of the room." Now, he and Dr Max Wallis will be presenting their case for life on 67 Pikachu (again, I made that nickname up) at the Royal Astronomical Society's annual meeting in Wales this summer. So, slightly out of the mainstream, but still real scientists. Also, it should also be noted that over a long-enough timescale, mainstream scientists are almost always wrong.

On the island of Okinawa, cats are king.

Mitsuaki Iwago is a famous wildlife photographer who was visiting an island in Japan known for it's cat population. Okinawa's enormous cat demographic makes it a popular location for tourists and photographers, so the kitties are pretty accustomed to people and cameras.

This little ginger guy has barely spent any time on earth and it's still comfortable crawling all over Iwago like he owns the place. The place=A person. He does eventually tire himself out:

KITTEN!!!!!!(screenshot via lagrangialala)

According to this quote from a random page on Amazon, Iwago himself says:

When cats are happy, people are happy and the Earth is happy.

Though it's probably more accurate to say:

When cats are unhappy, people are climbed on until the cat finds a place to sleep.

Here's a photo that's definitely worth sharing.

All I can say is, "Damn, that cuts deep." (via Facebook)

On Friday afternoon, the NYC-based street photography blog Humans of New York posted a heartbreaking photo of a young New Yorker sitting on a stoop, expressing his fears about growing up gay in America. The photo quickly went viral, with commenters expressing words of love and support. The official Hilary Clinton Facebook page commented on it two hours later:

“Prediction from a grown-up: Your future is going to be amazing. You will surprise yourself with what you're capable of and the incredible things you go on to do. Find the people who love and believe in you — there will be lots of them. —H"

Her comment definitely feels a bit "politician-y," but it's hard not to find it touching. The Facebook account of The Ellen DeGeneres Show also left a comment.

"Not only will people like you, they'll love you. I just heard you and I love you already."

Okay, I find it touching. There, I said it!

3-year-old Samara is a princess.

A few months ago, an Aboriginal mom named Rachel Muir took her daughter Samara to a Disney themed event in Melbourne. Samara, like nearly every other little girl her age, is a huge Frozen fan and wore her Elsa costume accordingly. While they were standing on line, the family ahead of them questioned Samara's right to pretend to be an imaginary cartoon because of the color of her skin. Muir described the scene to The Courier at the time:

“The lady in front of us turned around to Samara and said 'I don't know why you're dressed up for because Queen Elsa isn't black.' I asked the woman what she meant by the comment and then one of the woman's young daughters screwed up her face, she pointed at Samara and said 'you're black and black is ugly.' I looked around the line and there were little girls of all different races lining up dressed as their favorite Disney characters. We were in Melbourne, one of the most multicultural places in the world. I couldn't believe it.”

They stuck through the meet-and-greet with Disney characters, but there were long term effects on Samara. She no longer wanted to go to her weekly Aboriginal dance class, she tried to scrub the color of her skin off at home and became quiet and withdrawn. Deeply saddened, Muir shared the experience on Facebook and it quickly went viral, as people sent messages of support to Samara and her mom.

And last Sunday, Samara was invited to high tea at Langham Hotel where she was the special guest in a party of very special guests:

Now, according to The Indian Sun, there is a parade being planned for August by Festival of South Asian Arts Inc., at Werribee Race Course. It will, of course, be called the Elsa Parade and FOSAI founder Hari Yellina says to anyone interested in joining:

The only response we can give racial vilification is to embrace our identity and be proud of our culture and heritage... We will make arrangements for an Elsa parade or a massive snow pit and Samara will lead the way. So one and all, black or white, brown, pink or purple, come in your Elsa outfit and let's celebrate multiculturalism. Let a thousand Elsas bloom, in every color.

Good.

Ow, my heart.(via The Age)

5. Katy Perry, because nuns don't want to sell her their convent.

What could nuns possibly object to about this?(Getty)

Katy Perry may be the highest-paid female celebrity in the world, but that doesn't mean she automatically gets everything she wants. Sometimes, she has to appeal to a higher power.

The singer is currently embroiled in a property battle with a handful of elderly nuns, an archbishop, and a powerful real estate developer. The pope may even get involved. It sounds like a joke, except they all didn't walk into a bar.

The property in question is a gorgeous hillside estate in Los Angeles with a fish-shaped pool and a view of the mountains. The complex is a former convent, but the nuns haven't lived there since 2011, and everyone agrees they should sell. The question is: to whom? Perry offered $14.5 million for it, while the developer, who wants to turn it into a hotel, offered $15.5 million. The archbishop wants to sell it to Perry (he must be a big fan), while the nuns want to sell to the developer. Perry even tried to sway the nuns with a visit and a private performance, which backfired magnificently. Sister Rita Callanan told The Guardian:

“She pulls out her phone to get the words for Oh Happy Day. I was looking at my attorney, thinking, 'What on earth?'"

4. Competitive eater Joey Chestnut, because he lost his hot dog crown.

This is what he looked like when he won. Imagine how he feels now.
(Getty)

Competitive eating is a cutthroat world, full of high drama and thrilling suspense, where top athletes live and die on the razor's edge of their own limits. Also, it's very disgusting.

Every July 4th, Nathan's holds its world famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on the Coney Island boardwalk. For the last eight years, the title has gone to Joey "Jaws" Chestnut. This year, however, a massive upset saw the title (and the $10,000 prize) go to 23-year-old Matt "Megatoad" Stonie.

Stonie ate 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes, beating Chestnut's count of 60. In the past, Chestnut has eaten as many as 68, but the years, and the hot dogs, have begun to take their toll. Speaking to reporters afterward, Stonie showed respect for his competitor:

"It was a tough contest. Joey brings it all. I had to push really hard to beat him. But I feel great."

Humble words from a man who can somehow eat 62 hot dogs and then feel "great."

3. A man who was fired because he said he wanted to marry his dog on Facebook.

The happy couple.(WZVN via YouTube)

You can never be too careful about what you post on social media these days. Even a harmless joke can get you fired. Or a passionate declaration of romantic love for an animal.

Ryan Uhler of Cape Coral, Florida thought he'd commemorate the Supreme Court's recent ruling that legalized gay marriage by posting a joke to Facebook. He uploaded a photo of him and his dog, along with a caption reading:

"How is marrying a dog different if you love them? Today I hope we can focus on doggy-style love. I love my dog Rocco, and he loves me. Hopefully one day we can be married."

He thought it was a pretty innocent joke, but his bosses at Grace Tax Advisory Group in Fort Myers thought differently. They drew a connection between his joke and the most clichéd conservative argument against gay marriage: "If gays can get married, what's next? Animals?" They probably made the connection because that's exactly what he was saying.

Uhler was quickly fired from his job. He insists his joke was taken out of context (which is what happens to everything that goes on Facebook), but under Florida law, he has no recourse. Not only is he unemployed, he still can't marry his dog. That's got to hurt.

2. Arnold Schwarzenegger, because 'Terminator: Genisys' flopped.

Why do all these politicians think they can be action stars?(via YouTube)

If you saw the Terminator: Genisys trailer and thought the Terminator franchise had finally jumped the shark, you're wrong. It did that in 2003. But now, the series may finally have been crushed in a hydraulic press for good, because the latest film tanked at the box office.

The new film, which stars Old Schwarzenegger and Daenerys Targaryen, grossed a disappointing $28.7 million domestically in its first weekend. It failed to beat Jurassic World or Pixar's Inside Out, which are both older releases. It did, however, beat Magic Mike XXL, which was also in its opening weekend.

That, at least, should be some comfort for Arnold. He may not be able to beat dinosaurs or cartoons, but he can still take down musclemen half his age. Good for you, Governor.

1. Two women under investigation for riding a sea turtle.

Doing the horns just adds insult to injury.(Facebook via WFTV)

If you thought that guy who wanted to marry his dog was bad, check out this lady. She doesn't even want to settle down with this turtle – she just took it for a quick ride and went on her merry way. Typical female.

Over the weekend, photos of this tattooed woman and another young woman were posted to Facebook, prompting an outcry from animal lovers everywhere. The women are seen sitting on the shell of a sea turtle, having a grand old time with no concern for the animal's well-being. The photos allegedly came from Melbourne Beach, Florida, so a whistleblower posted them to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute's Facebook page. The Insitute quickly replied, saying:

"Thank you for contacting us. FWC Law Enforcement is aware of this incident and are conducting an investigation."

At least one of the women has been tracked down, and more have been questioned. These women could actually face charges, and Floridians, who love turtles, are eager to see them harshly punished. In case it doesn't sound like a big deal to you, keep in mind that sea turtle shells are not hard like a tortoise shell. They're soft and leathery, and susceptible to injury.

Also, even a giant tortoise would be endangered by this treatment. The shell evolved to keep predators from clawing at them, not to support heavy weight. Turtles aren't pack animals. Sitting on one can seriously injure it.

If I seem upset about this story, I am. I'm not only mad at these women, I'm also mad that there isn't a turtle safe to ride on. It looks fun, right? But don't do it.