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Joy

Weatherman discovers his map has a touchscreen and is overcome with contagious joy

"This wasn't in the training manual!"

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Meteorologist Greg Dutra had no idea he was using a touchscreen.

For many, if not most of us, our day jobs are filled with familiar routines. But every so often, a something whimsical and new might pop up to break us from mundane patterns and uncover some joy and wonder. A customer that makes us laugh, a coworker who makes up a weird game, and wholesome zoom snafu…all these things can make the mundane a little more magical.

For Greg Dutra, a meteorologist for ABC7 Chicago, that joy was found during a live weather report, which turned into a delightful viral sensation.

The weather report started off in its usual way, with Dutra pointing out potential rain patterns on a digital map. But once this weatherman realized his map was actually a touchscreen, his excitement simply could not be contained. Childlike glee ensued.

weather report, touchscreen, greg dutra, abc chicago, funny weather reports Just when you think you know everything about your job…Photo credit: Canva

“I can do that? No way!” he exclaimed, with all the enthusiasm of a kid on Christmas morning. “Are you serious? Did you just discover that?” his morning co-host Val Warner asked off camera. Then Terrell Brown, another co-host, popped into frame to join in on the fun. He showed the awestruck reporter that yes, one can move the map simply by touching it. Evidently no one had made Dutra privy to those marvels of modern technology.

This wasn’t in the training manual! @TBrownABC7 @valwarnertv and I go OFF THE RAILS when I discovered the TV is a touch screen while on-air on @ABC7Chicago 😂 pic.twitter.com/almrdxqz3d
— Greg Dutra (@DutraWeather) August 4, 2022

“Oh man, It’s a great day!” Dutra cheered, his smile going from ear to ear. Poor guy tried his best to continue with his weather report, but it was too late. The joy had taken over, and giggling ensued.The entire clip is less than a minute, but it took the internet by storm (weather pun not intended, but you’re welcome).

The video quickly amassed nearly 2 millions views on Twitter. Let’s just say that hearts were won over by Dutra’s wholehearted pleasure and hilarious sense of wonder.

We’re sorry this wasn’t in your training manual, Dutra. But thank you for giving us a reason to smile today. Your forecast might have been rainy, but your attitude is a ray of sunshine.

By the way, Dutra has more funny takes where that cam from. Like this hilarious flub:

See on Instagram

Or this one, where he let a kid take over for a weather report (and honestly did a bang up job)

See on Instagram

In other words, Dutra might be the most entertaining meteorologist on the internet, and you should give him a follow.

This article originally appeared three years ago.

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Democracy

Trevor Noah shared the one question U.S. journalists should be asking themselves every day

"Ask yourself that question every day, because you have one of the most important roles in the world."

@birbigs/Twitter

Trevor Noah has gotten high praise for his closing remarks at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

Back in 2022, for the first time in six years, the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner (WHCD) was held with the president of the United States in attendance on April 30 in Washington, D.C. The WHCD has been a tradition in Washington for more than a century and for the past several decades it has taken the form of a comedic roast of both the government and the press. 2022's dinner was hosted by comedian and former host of "The Daily Show" Trevor Noah, who's known for his smart, witty commentary on social and political issues.

The "let's invite a comedian to publicly and viciously make fun of us for a couple of hours" idea may be a bit odd, but these events have proven quite popular over the years, with many viral moments (including President Obama's infamous GIF-worthy mic drop) coming from them. The dinner opened with Noah joking about it being a superspreader event, earning some uncomfortable laughter, then the individual roasts commenced. Noah didn't hold back slamming people across the political and media spectrum—all in good fun, of course—including President Biden himself.

But it was Noah's closing remarks that earned the most attention. In his signature style , Noah managed to bring a serious and thoughtful element to a night of ribbing and laughter when he admonished the press to recognize both their freedom and their responsibility.

“If you ever begin to doubt your responsibilities, if you ever begin to doubt how meaningful it is, look no further than what’s happening in Ukraine," Noah said. "Look at what’s happening there. Journalists are risking and even losing their lives to show the world what is happening. You realize how amazing that is?

“In America, you have the right to seek the truth and speak the truth, even if it makes people in power uncomfortable. Even if it makes your viewers or readers uncomfortable. You understand how amazing that is?" he reiterated.

Noah pointed out that he had just stood there and made fun of the president of the United States and he was going to be fine. Then he contrasted that with the reality Russian journalists are living under Putin.

“Ask yourself this question," he said to the members of the media. "If Russian journalists who are losing their livelihoods … and their freedom for daring to report on what their own government is doing—If they had the freedom to write any words, to show any stories, or to ask any questions—if they had, basically, what you have—would they be using it in the same way that you do?

"Ask yourself that question every day," he said, "because you have one of the most important roles in the world."

Watch:

I\u2019ve always respected @Trevornoah so much but this closing speech from the White House correspondents\u2019 dinner is particularly spectacular.pic.twitter.com/k8GmBOAoYB
— Mike Birbiglia (@Mike Birbiglia) 1651380675

People had high praise for Noah's entire evening of hosting, but especially for his closing remarks. Russia's war on Ukraine has put a spotlight on many things we tend to take for granted, including the freedom of the press.

Journalists do play a vital role in society and it's one they must take seriously. To be fair, most journalists do feel the weight of their responsibility, but the corporatization of news media and a 24/7 news cycle has created a competitive landscape in which coverage is sometimes determined by what will drive traffic or viewers rather than on what's truly newsworthy or important. The demonization of news outlets by some has also created a hostile media environment, and news organizations have to resist the urge to kowtow to the loudest voices or inadvertently amplify the wrong things. Journalists often have to fight for the truth on multiple fronts, sometimes inside their own newsrooms.

Thank you, Trevor Noah, for reminding reporters that the fight is worth it and for using this opportunity to remind the press of its primary purpose with such a simple yet profound question.

Trevor Noah with an amazingly powerful close reminding journalists in the United States, some of whom seem to take for granted what they have, of how lucky they are to have the freedom to speak truth to power.pic.twitter.com/oIcdPyO2bD
— Sarah Reese Jones (@Sarah Reese Jones) 1651376844

I found myself cheering @Trevornoah's closing as though he could hear me. I felt foolish, but his words are that important. Sometimes speaking truth to power is telling people why it's their responsibility to speak truth to power. Thank you, Mr. Noah!https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1520598522000719874\u00a0\u2026
— Benjamin Gorman \ud83c\udf4e (@Benjamin Gorman \ud83c\udf4e) 1651445670

This article originally appeared two years ago.

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Technology

23-year-old brilliantly explains 'foolproof' system to compare news sources

Properly processing a newspaper article isn't something younger generations have been taught.

kelscruss/TikTok

Gen Z, we're all begging you: Please don't get your news from TikTok. Unless you're following Kelsey Russell, that is. The 23-year-old Columbia grad has found a fascinating niche on social media — helping young people learn how to read and analyze actual news. The paper kind, believe it or not!

She calls herself "the girl who reads the newspaper", and the title couldn't be more apt. In most of her content, she takes a news article from a big paper like the New York Times and breaks it down for her audience in their terms. She helps them understand the news, the context behind it, and why they should think critically about the source behind the news.

It's a skill that younger generations desperately need more of. Studies show there are major gaps in Gen Z's media literacy skills, and that can have major consequences.

In one of Kelsey's most popular videos, she breaks down her "foolproof" method for contrasting and synthesizing different news sources.

It's a system she learned from various teachers throughout her life, who she gratefully shouts out in the video. And though it's designed to help young people who need to write an essay for school while using evidence from supporting texts, it doubles as an amazing lesson in how to think critically about the news.

In the lesson, Kelsey examines the same news story across three different papers: The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal.

Even without getting into the text of each article, Kelsey teaches viewers how to infer meaning, bias, and context from word choices in the headline.

Watch the full video for some excellent tips on how to reflect on what you've read and identify differences in news coverage.

@kelscruss
ima make your english teacher shed a tear😢 #fyp #medialiteracy #mcarthy #writingtips

What's amazing is that she really sits with the content of each news story and thinks about how it makes her feel.

She does some mental association with the headlines. What stands out to me about each one? How do they differ in their tone? What feelings or thoughts do the different word choices conjure up?

She uses the comparisons to create a thesis statement about the news story and how it's being covered by the media.

To older generations who grew up reading news article, these seem like really basic concepts.

But to younger people who get rapidly bombarded with an endless feed of different shortform news and opinions on social media and the web, taking time to process what they've read or heard is not something that comes easy.

What's really impressive is that Kelsey's approach is working and actually connecting with people. Reading the newspaper might sound like a boring idea for a TikTok channel, but that hasn't stopped Kelsey from racking up nearly 100k followers and millions of views.

Kelsey is meeting young people where they are to teach crucial skills like reading comprehension and critical thinking.

@kelscruss
like I knew about da bombs but the cluster bomblets?!??! #fyp #syrian #newyorktimes #ukraine #russia

She's challenging young people to not just take what they read at its exact face value but to dig deeper into the tone, the intention, the word choice.

And she's an advocate for reading news that you can hold in your hand.

"I realized when I read the news on print, I actually had time to process what was going on," she told NPR. "And when I would read the same article on my phone I would find my body [was] overwhelmed."

Most kids and young people get their news from friends and family or social media, where it can be much harder to diagnose misinformation and bias. That's not likely to change any time soon, and there is major power in social media's ability to spread messages far and wide, quickly. That's what makes Kelsey's work so amazing. There are a lot of campaigns and efforts out there to try to get young people more engaged with traditional news, but there aren't many people willing to meet them where they are, speak their language, and teach them with empathy and understanding.

Gen Z and Gen Alpha will decide future elections. Even the future of the world.

It's reassuring to know there are people fighting to make sure they have all the facts.

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Science

Florida meteorologist applauded for getting emotional in live coverage of Hurricane Milton

People are finding John Morales' genuine empathy refreshing, and very much needed.

Photo credit: NASA (public domain), NBC 6 South Florida/YouTube

“I apologize — this is just horrific,” said John Morales during live coverage of Hurricane Milton.

Venerated meteorologist John Morales couldn’t help but get choked up during his report on the potentially devastating impact of Hurricane Milton closing in on Florida—a mere two weeks after being pummeled by Hurricane Helene.

“It’s just an incredible, incredible, incredible hurricane,” Morales began, the weather forecast map almost completely in red.

Tears welled up in his eyes as Morales tried to notify viewers that “it has dropped 50 millibars in 10 hours.”

To most of us, those wouldn’t mean anything. But the anguish in Morales’s voice says it all.

Trying to gain composure, Morales quickly said, “I apologize — this is just horrific,” and continued with his broadcast offscreen, showing just the water map. His voice was still noticeably shaken.

We live in a 24-hour new cycle, which has made us aware of so many global catastrophes and also desensitized to them. But when moments like this happen, when even our ever-stoic messengers are so moved that it also touches us on an emotional level, we are reminded that what happens to one of us, happens to all of us.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

That's probably why so many people commented to commend Morales for showing a bit of humanity—which they found particularly refreshing for a news anchor.

"Please don't apologize. Showing some empathy shows you care and aren't fear mongering. <3 We appreciate it."

"No apology is ever needed for being human and showing what we see so little of these days: genuine empathy. Thank you, sir."

"Your kindness and humanity are not a weakness, but the strength that we all need right now. Thank you."

"No apologies needed sir...for someone to show real emotions for other people...is real concern, real caring."

"He showed a vanishingly rare moment of authenticity and actual empathy, in an incredibly cynical and ugly world - a beautiful thing to see in this scary time. As someone whose family lives in the area that is about to be pummeled by this storm, I am very grateful to him for his decency and humanity in the face of this possible horror that my family are facing. He deserves SO much credit for this beautiful display of transparency and empathy - though he obviously didn't do it for the credit but rather, out of empathy."

— (@)

"I debated whether to share this. I did apologize on the air," Morales would later post on X.

He also urged folks to read his coverage of the relationships between climate change and extreme weather on The Bulletin, calling these recent hurricanes are “harbingers of the future.”

Global warming has changed me. Frankly, YOU should be shaken too," he wrote.

If a professional of 35 years is saying this…yikes.

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humanity

Family

20 years after her father's death, 'daddy's girl' receives a letter from him on her wedding day

"Today is your day, enjoy everything about it. Laugh and cry. Be happy and confident."

via Chip Vincent/Unsplash and Scott Graham/Unsplash

Philip Hargreaves wrote 9 letters to his daughter before he died.

Freya Rosati, 32, from Buckinghamshire, England, received the most incredible gift on her wedding day: a letter from her father, who had passed away 20 years ago. Freya “loved” her father’s card, making her feel like he was “really there” on the momentous occasion.

In 2002, Freya’s father, Philip Hargreaves, a pub landlord, was having constant indigestion. Tests revealed he had terminal esophageal cancer and just six months to live.

Freya is a confessed daddy’s girl, and she and her father did everything together. He took her to dance lessons, and they would play games together and watch movies. When Phillip learned that his days with his daughter were numbered, he got to work writing 9 letters to be given to her throughout her lifetime.

Eight of the letters were given to her on her birthdays, and one was written for her wedding day. "He wrote me cards every birthday up until my 18th, then one for my 21st, and a final for my wedding day. But the wedding day was the most important one," Freya said.

Bride gets letter from dad on wedding day – decades after his death: https://t.co/PIGnLbiO1M #weddings #family

Bride gets letter from dad on wedding day \u2013 decades after his death: https://t.co/PIGnLbiO1M\n\n#weddings #family
— talker (@talker) 1696474920

Phillip passed away at 53 when Freya was just 11 years old. On the day that she married her love, Michael, Freya’s mother, Theresa, 68, read the letter her father wrote her and shared how she was instrumental in getting him to write. The letter was a fantastic way to make her dad present during the ceremony and was a perfect father-of-the-bride speech.

"Once he was very ill, I bought a selection of cards and helped him to write them for [inaudible] and Freya to receive on their birthdays and on their wedding day,” Theresa said. “I have the last one today for Freya, and she would like to share it with you to include her dad on her special day."

The letter had a simple and powerful message. It takes strength to make a marriage work, but Freya is more than up to the challenge.

[Video]

Bride receives message from her dad on wedding day, 20 years after his death

I wish I could be standing next to you, the proudest dad in the world, to walk you down the aisle to the man you love, and to the next chapter in your life. Today is your day, enjoy everything about it. Laugh and cry. Be happy and confident.

Face everything full-on. You will then succeed in your life together. You gave me some of the proudest moments in my life with your sense of humour, intelligence, understanding, and caring nature. Don’t ever change. Love you forever, dad.

The letter wasn’t her father's only contribution on the wedding day. She wore a diamond necklace that he gave her as a gift on her big day. All in all, Freya thinks her dad would have approved of her big day.

"My dad would've loved that wedding – just hearing his words, I can imagine him saying them to me," she concluded.

Phillip’s heartfelt letter to his daughter is a powerful reminder that our days are numbered. Never miss an opportunity to tell the people in your life how much you love them because you never know when you won’t be able to anymore.

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Pop Culture

Fox News star invites liberal mom onto his show and gets a hilarious lecture on doing his job

Jesse Watters just experienced the most wholesome of mic drops.

Johnny Belisario/Wikimedia Commons

Hearing Watters be called "honeybun" is worth the watch alone.

There are some things in this world that are so universal they transcend the normally divisive topics like political leanings, religious affiliations, age, gender, language and even stance on whether pineapple belongs on pizza.

That special kind of embarrassment our parents can provide—filled with equal parts warmth and reprimand—is one of those things.

On July 17, Fox News host Jesse Watters made his debut in the primetime slot previously held by Tucker Carlson. And who should happen to call in to his first show but his Democrat mother, Anne Bailey Watters, ready to give her son some “suggestions” for the new gig.

But first, she congratulated her “honeybun,” saying how proud she is of his accomplishments. Cause a mom’s gotta mom.

And then, without missing a beat, she began her list of tips for “keeping the job,” an obvious nod to Carlson getting fired.

Sure, there were some political digs here and there, like warning him against “tumbling down conspiracy rabbit holes” and calling on him to stop “Biden-bashing,” but also plenty of solid motherly advice like “be kind and respectful" and "do no harm."

It’s basically what any of our mothers would tell us. Just, you know, live on the air in front of millions of viewers.

Watters also had fun with the interaction, smiling and laughing the entire time. Given that he has previously made a comedy bit out of reading his mom’s critical texts out loud, it feels safe to say that a sense of humor hasn’t been lost to political differences.

And, at the end of the conversation, there is still an exchange of “I love you”s and a reminder that dinner will be between 5:00 and 8:00. Seems that a sense of family hasn’t been lost either.

Watch the video below. It’s a testament to how love can exist alongside contrasting beliefs. And that parents are humbling, no matter how old you are, or who you vote for.

Our first 8pm show is in the books, so how did we do? My mom calls in with some advice. pic.twitter.com/w8psRW1Whm
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) July 18, 2023

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We have a small favor to ask of you

news

"This wasn't in the training manual!"

"Ask yourself that question every day, because you have one of the most important roles in the world."

Properly processing a newspaper article isn't something younger generations have been taught.

In one of Kelsey's most popular videos, she breaks down her "foolproof" method for contrasting and synthesizing different news sources.

Kelsey is meeting young people where they are to teach crucial skills like reading comprehension and critical thinking.

People are finding John Morales' genuine empathy refreshing, and very much needed.

"Today is your day, enjoy everything about it. Laugh and cry. Be happy and confident."

Bride gets letter from dad on wedding day – decades after his death: https://t.co/PIGnLbiO1M #weddings #family

Bride receives message from her dad on wedding day, 20 years after his death

The look on her face 🥲

Jesse Watters just experienced the most wholesome of mic drops.