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Science

Baby elephant tickling a local news reporter shows the power of joy during times of crisis

The moment the journalist finally breaks is priceless.

elephant reporter kenya

When playtime goes viral.

There is a magic resting inside moments of pure unbridled joy. Playfulness has the power to instill hope into even the most dire of circumstances. And while it doesn’t always come easily to humans, nature is always ready to remind us of how to conjure it. Hint: It’s simpler than we think.

While Alvin Kaunda, a local reporter in Kenya, tries his very best to stay professional as he delivers an important message about how human actions have destroyed habitats for the country’s red elephant species (Kenya is the only place in the world where elephants appear red due to bathing in red volcanic soil, how cool is that?!), one baby elephant makes keeping a straight face completely impossible.

As Kaunda does his best to stay focused on devastated ecosystems and a disruption in the circle of life, one mischievous trunk is seen relentlessly prodding and poking his ear and head. To his credit, the reporter stays strong until the trunk finally plops right onto his face. Then his boisterous laughter couldn’t be contained.

Of course, the seriousness of his report is vital to know. Kenya is suffering its worst drought in more than 40 years, killing hundreds of elephants and more than a thousand other animals. We must be aware of how our actions are harming those we share a planet with, as well as how we can help.

But it is the unencumbered playfulness of the baby elephant that reminds us of why it’s important to be aware and make changes. We are all connected to one another, creature and man. When one suffers, we all do. And when one is gloriously happy, we all can tune in and feel that happiness. That connection is sacred, and it’s why we must show up through thoughtful action.

Check out the full video below. It’s only 30 seconds, but contains a lesson good for a lifetime.

As for Kaunda, he plans on taking his ever stoic journalistic skills to even more animals. He told Nairobi’s 89.5FM Ghetto Radio that his goal is to get up close to a "lion and a leopard." Hey, he's already proven that he's cool under pressure!

By the way, if you'd like to help this adorable baby elephant (named Kindani, by the way) you can digitally adopt her and others on the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust website by clicking here.

A Korean mother and her son

A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.

Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:

“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches."

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Pop Culture

'American Idol' contestant has perfect response to Katy Perry's 'mom-shaming' joke

The 25-year-old used the moment to stand up for moms everywhere.

@sarabethliebe/TikTok

"Keep loving your babies."

You might recall us singing the praises of Sara Beth, the exuberant young mom with major vocal chops dubbed the “Accidental American Idol.”

During Sara Beth’s initial audition for the show, judge Katy Perry made a joke that rubbed many viewers the wrong way.

Before Sara Beth even began to sing, the 25-year-old revealed that she had three children, which prompted Katy Perry to dramatically stand up from her seat and feign shock. When Sara Beth, all smiles, said, “If Katy lays on the table, I think I’m going to pass out,” Perry retorted, “Honey, you’ve been laying on the table too much.”

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Pop Culture

Woman was mocked online for calling an $80 purse a 'luxury item.' Her response went viral.

"I'm so grateful that my dad was able to get me one. He worked so hard for that money.”

@zohtaco/TikTok

Zoe Gabriel, showing off her new purse from Charles & Keith

Insults of any kind are painful, but jabs towards someone’s financial status are their own breed.

In January 2023, Singapore-based Zoe Gabriel was on the receiving end of this particular flavor of mockery when she posted a TikTok about a purse from local retail brand Charles & Keith—a gift bought for her by her father.

In her excitement, the 17-year-old called the bag, which costs around $80, a “luxury” item as she unwrapped it. Her excitement was sadly cut short by some of the negative comments she received.

One comment seemed to stand out above the rest and prompted Gabriel to post an emotional response video.

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YouTube creator Steve Mould shows us what echo looks like through an acoustic camera.

It’s bizarre to think about seeing sound, but nowadays we can do just that. If you haven’t seen an acoustic camera before, that’s because they’re mainly used for industrial purposes, but they’ve been available commercially from gfai tech since 2001.

YouTuber Steve Mould, who has a science channel with over 2.1 million subscribers, took the complicated concept of the acoustic camera and made it easy to understand in his latest video, “Acoustic cameras can SEE sound.”

In the video, Mould explains how an acoustic camera is much like your smartphone's video recorder. But it also creates visual representations of sound emanating from where it’s generated within the video.

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Family

Dad gives his young daughter a 'spa day' while mom and sister are out and people are gushing

"This healed a part of me. Thank you for doing this with your daughter."

Mason Smith pampered his baby girl during her "spa day."

Raising kids is no small feat. Just the basic logistics of caring for a human being from their helpless newborn stage to the full-fledged adult stage is a lot, much less doing the countless other things that will actually help that human thrive.

Parents who go above and beyond to create a nurturing environment and build strong core memories with their kids are inspiring examples for us all, and one dad's spa day with his daughter has people positively gushing.

Mason Smith (@thedadsocial) shared a video of a special spa day he gave his young daughter when her mom and older sister were having their own pampered outing. "Mom and sister went to the salon so I couldn't have her feeling left out," he wrote.

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Jennifer Reardon shares her question that gets her the job everytime.

Job interviews are one of the most stressful situations people go through. A recent poll of over 2,000 people found that job interviews are the fifth most stressful experience a person can have, right after health and financial problems, family issues and running late.

That’s why it is vital to be prepared to handle any questions you have to field during the interview. You’ll be less nervous and make a better candidate. However, many people never think to have a question prepared for their potential employer at the end of the interview when they ask, “Do you have any questions for us?”

Communications director and consultant Jennifer Reardon, who goes by the name @notjenneeree on TikTok, says that she has the perfect question to ask at that pivotal moment at the end of the interview. And she claims that she got the job every time she’s asked the question.

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