List of All Articles with Tag 'viral'

A company has been slammed for barely recognising more than four decades of service by one of its workers who was retiring – and his co-workers had to step in to save the day. An elderly American man John Bartlett worked in the warehouse of an unnamed firm for 42 years. But all he got for his service was a certificate and a sub-par barbeque, his coworkers claimed. Fortunately, they took matters into their own hands. Colleague Sonia shared a clip to social media of John, who is in his 70s, going into work on his last day. She felt his years of work had gone under appreciated. “Today is my co-worker’s last day. He worked for this company for 42 years making minimum wage,” Sonia wrote in the video. “The company only threw him a barbecue and gave him a certificate. He takes the bus and Bart (train) to get here every day on time. He’s 70+.” “He loves working here so much he didn’t want to retire—[He got] No bonus, just a barbecue and a certificate. Don’t be a slave to your job. Thank you John for your loyalty.” The video has now been deleted, but got hundreds of thousands of views and got thousands of comments from people on the internet who wanted to help John feel more valued. Sonia started a GoFundMe in response, saying on the page that he would make it to work “rain or shine” and that he was extremely dependable. He was “one of the most talented and hard-working” employees at the company, she added. “He has no wife or kids, however, he does have a nephew whom he loves dearly,” she wrote in the fundraiser. “It would be nice to give him some kind of company or something to do so he knows that he’s special and loved.” Since the GoFundMe was created, it has raised $68,178. Sonia plans to print out names and messages from John’s supporters. The money has already surpassed the retirement funds John had before. “Happy retirement John! Your hard work and dedication is a motivation to all of us,” one person said in their donation. “Happy retirement, John. You deserve more than what this company has offered you. Wish you all the best in your life and your future,” another said. “Dear John, Your story has really resonated with me. I hope you read all of the comments from well wishes and know that your contribution to the world has been seen. I hope you take pride in that knowledge because you absolutely deserve to. I am honored to contribute to your retirement.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A woman has gone viral on TikTok for showcasing a string of tips to 'keep yourself safe in hotels'. Some have praised her for sharing her lengthy routine, while others have called it overly cautious. In the clip that's racked up 14.1 million views, Victoria (@victorias.way) said she starts her holiday by putting the 'do not disturb' sign on the hotel door and locking it. She then uses tissue to cover the peephole, before putting a washcloth in the deadbolt loop "to close the gap." Victoria then makes use of the ironing board, by placing it behind the door and rolling a bath towel to put behind the handle to stop intruders. For "added security," Victoria adds a clothes hanger to the mix by connecting it to the door handle and deadbolt loop. @victorias.way Hotel safety tips #hoteltips #hoteltipsandtricks #hotelroom #hoteltip #hotellife #hoteltipps #hoteladvice #hoteltrick #hotel #safety #LifeHack #besafe #kidnappedinhotel #hotelsafetytips #hotelsafetyhacks #hotelsafe #hotelsafehack #selfdefense #learntofightathome #learntofight #viral #viralvideo #pageforyou #joeteti #dalecomstock #Unlock #unlockdoors #ducktape #fyp #foryou #xyzba #trending #trend #traveladvice #advice #traveltok #hostess The TikToker's clip was soon inundated with thousands of divisive comments, with some praising her methods and adding more to the list. "I take two portable locks, and a mini camera that links to my phone for when I’m out," one said, while another wrote: "I take two portable locks, and a mini camera that links to my phone for when I’m out." Others called the steps a fire hazard, writing: "And now imagine trying to get out of that in the dark in a fire in the middle of the night." Another said they had "never stayed in hotels where I felt so unsafe," adding: "Is it an American thing? I am genuinely curious." One TikToker candidly asked: "How is a vacation relaxing after doing/worrying about this?" Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Researchers have discovered a new species of tarantula lurking in mangrove swamps – and they have vibrant blue legs. The arachnid was discovered inhabiting hollow trees, in Phang-Nga, Thailand. They like to live in humid and wet conditions. Caused by its unique hair nanostructure, the spider omits an electric blue colour. “The difficulty of catching an electric-blue tarantula lies in the need to climb a tree and lure it out of a complex of hollows,” said researcher Dr Narin Chomphuphuang. “During our expedition, we walked in the evening and at night during low tide, managing to collect only two of them.” Blue is one of the rarest colours to appear in nature, absorbing very small amounts of energy to reflect the blue light. Creating an iridescent effect, the species is known as Chilobrachys Natanicharum, the Electric Blue Tarantula. This spider is one of the rarest tarantulas in the world, facing extinction due to the looming threat of deforestation of the mangrove forests. The researchers are thus campaigning for preservation efforts, hoping to save the newly discovered species. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Drake hit back at "weirdos" on social media who reportedly made comments about Millie Bobby Brown under his posts. In the track 'Another Late Night', attention was soon turned to the Stranger Things actress, following a string of remarks online calling the pair's friendship odd due to the age difference. Bobby Brown has always spoken highly of Drake, calling him "a great friend and a great role model." In one part of the song, the rapper says: "My bank account is magnolia, Milly rockin', ayy, weirdos in my comments talkin' 'bout some Millie Bobby, look. "Bring them jokes up to the gang, we get to really flockin', or send a finger to your mama in some FedEx boxes." "Open up that s**t, it's jaw droppin', really shockin', ayy, I ain't pretty flacko, b***h, this s**t get really rocky, ayy." It comes after the 36-year-old said he will be taking a break from music following the release of For All The Dogs. On an episode of the SiriusXM series Table for One, Drake shared: "I probably won't make music for a little bit. "I'm going to be real with you. I need to focus on my health, first and foremost, and I'll talk about that soon enough. "Nothing crazy… I want people to be healthy in life, and I've been having the craziest problems for years with my stomach. I'm just saying what it is. "So, I need to focus on my health, and I need to get right, and I'm going to that. I have a lot of other things that I would love to focus on. "So, I'm going to lock the door in the studio for a little bit. I don't even know what a little bit is. Maybe a year or so, maybe a little longer." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A social media account claiming to be run by YouTuber Lord Miles, who is in the custody of the Taliban, claims he is alive, but others are unconvinced. British YouTuber Miles made a name for himself travelling to dangerous places “for fun”. But his daring acts caught up with him in March 2023 when it is believed he was captured by the Taliban, becoming a “missing person” in Afghanistan. Since then, speculation has swirled about his well-being and location as an anonymous “friend” of Lord Miles has been updating his X/Twitter account. Various tweets from other sources have periodically claimed to have evidence that the YouTuber is actually “thriving” while living in a Taliban guesthouse. But, confusion has spread over the last few days as the friend posting on his behalf claimed that Miles’ Patreon account was suspended and that he had lost thousands of pounds worth of donations that had been sent from concerned fans. Some remain unconvinced that Miles is alive as photographs or proof of life have not been forthcoming. Others have suggested that he is dead and his so-called “friends” are using his status to “scam” people out of money. One person wrote: “Just admit he's dead and you are looting his finances. Some ‘friends’ you are.” Another said: “Either he’s the deadest anyone has ever been dead or this is a scam for the ages.” The person posting on Miles’ account wrote: “Give us around 2 weeks and you will have solid proof. We expect an apology when it comes however. You guys have no idea the stuff you're putting Miles through.” Internet personality Justin Whang also got involved in the discussion, claiming to know for sure that Miles is alive. He claimed: “I know this is the same s*** everyone says and nobody believes but Miles is alive and I can’t say how I know.” One person argued: “Honestly if he does end up being alive I’m not gonna feel that silly, you have done a comically bad job of running his account (+ Patreon never would’ve been suspended but for you). “I honestly thought he was more likely to be alive when he wasn’t tweeting than since you took over.” For now, the well-being of Lord Miles appears to remain a mystery. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A father has divided the internet over his reaction to his daughter coming out. Posting on Reddit, the man explained that his 23-year-old daughter organised a dinner where she came out and introduced him and her mother to her girlfriend - but it didn't go well. While her mother "was emotional gave her a big hug, and told her how proud she was", the dad "did not react". "I honestly did not care about that part," he explained. His chilled attitude got him in trouble. "My wife told me I was rude for ignoring our daughter's announcement," he wrote. "I told my wife that I did not care who she was attracted to all I cared about was if she was happy. I tried to explain I did not care about that stuff, people like who they like I don't need labels for that. Love is love." "She said my view is slightly homophobic because it shows I am not acknowledging a different view," he continued. Responding, people had mixed opinions. Some people thought his reaction was perfect. "I will never understand what is 'homophobic' about people treating gay children exactly the same as they treat straight children," one said. "Isn't that the ideal that we are striving for?" Another said: "Your reaction is the right one, because homosexuality shouldn’t be a big deal, it’s one way of life and it’s just as fine as being straight or whatever." But others were not so sure. "I do think it might come across weird if one parent gives the child a hug and the other just sits there saying nothing really to acknowledge what was said," one commented. Another wrote: "Your daughter probably agonised for years over telling you and your wife. Planned it all out. Analysed how you would react and what she would do. So it's probably a lot for you too basically just ignore it, as telling you was a huge deal to her." Later, he updated commenters on the situation and said he met with his daughter to explain his actions. "As I suspected she did not have an issue with it, and she also felt it was self-explanatory when she introduced her girlfriend," he wrote. However "her girlfriend thought it was weird how I kind of brushed off the response and treated this situation as if they were a straight couple." So he is going to organise "a more special event for the sake of her girlfriend". "My daughter had no issues overall, but I will correct course," he concluded. All's well that ends well. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Comedian Joe Lycett has written to the Home Secretary Suella Braverman after she said that asylum seekers pretend to be gay to "game the system". Braverman had also said in a speech at the American Enterprise Institute last month that "we will not be able to sustain an asylum system if in effect simply being gay or a woman, and fearful of discrimination in your country of origin is sufficient to qualify for protection". Lycett, who identifies as pansexual, wrote the Home Secretary: "I too am disgusted by men pretending to be gay and think we should weed out this scourge from our society." He went on to joke that "Alan Carr is actually married to a foul woman called Sandra". To help Braverman, Lycett put forward his system of testing to ensure all asylum seekers who claim to be gay: "With my newly registered company Homo Hunters, I will spearhead this project to reduce the bumbardment [sic] of immigrants and enmesh our island with foreign homosexuals." "I know full well that aside form unimportant contracts like PPE procurement and making classroom roof beams out of mint chocolate Aeros the government expects the companies they work with to have long term, actual experiments in their field," he said, offering his reassurance to Braverman that Homo Hunters is a legitimate company, adding his experience credentials: "I have been investigating fake gays for years." He then divulges the "ass-essment" used by Homo Hunters: "Applicants will be escorted into a room with three tables. On the first table is a Lady Gaga CD, on the second table is a fleece from M&S Blue Harbour and on the third table is a naked Twink called Carlos (or Steve)," he writes. "If the applicant tries to have sex with any of these things, they will be determined gay and warmly welcomed into the country. If they attempt to wear the M&S Blue Harbour fleece, mention crypto, VPNs or MMA, they will be inhumanely destroyed." Writing on Braverman's position on immigration, Lycett writes: "just because you or your family have benefitted from a system doesn't mean that system should not be smashed to bits." He then signs off "Padam padam, Joe Lycett", a reference to the Kylie Minogue song that became a gay anthem this year. Lycett shared his letter to social media, tagging Braverman in the post. Now, we wait for Braverman's response to Lycett's Homo Hunters proposition. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A husband has been flooded with support after he told his wife she’d need to quit her job if she wanted to have a second child. The man explained in a lengthy social media post that his wife has a career “that she loves” which sees her travelling or working night and weekend shifts for roughly half of the year. Describing himself as “the primary breadwinner” he explained that she earns approximately 40 per cent of what he makes – which covers the cost of childcare for their son plus “a little bit” extra. And yet, he said, he is also the primary caregiver. “When she is out of town for work, I have full responsibility for our child aside from the eight hours per day that he is in daycare (during which time I have to work),” he wrote. “It has been very hard being responsible for our child when she travels and on so many weekends. I feel like a single parent.” Complaining that his job is “demanding” he noted that he usually has to work after putting the little boy to bed, and “barely [has] time to clean the kitchen/house, etc., on top of [his] job.” The Reddit user then admitted that he’d told his wife he would only support her career if they stuck to one child, adding: “But if we have two (which is what we both want), that I don't think she can continue in her career.” He went on: “I just don't see how I can manage two kids for so many mornings – taking them both to school, daycare, events, and evenings and weekends entirely by myself, all while I am working full time.” Wrapping up his message in the AITA forum, he said his wife responded that she doesn’t want to leave her job, but will in order to have a second child. However, he concluded: “I fear she will quit and then resent me which will lead to bad times for all involved.” His post racked up more than 6,900 upvotes and 1,700 comments in a day as fellow Redditors offered their stance on the predicament. “I think your position is reasonable,” one wrote. “Children are a lot of work. “Your wife doesn’t seem to know how difficult it is because she’s not the primary caretaker. [...] I’d recommend couples counselling before she quits her job and you have a [second] child.” Meanwhile, a second commentator stressed: “It’s also important to note that wording matters - OP (the original poster) shouldn’t ask his wife to ‘quit her job’ and stay at home; instead, he should be careful to ask her to ‘switch careers’ to a different job with more family-friendly working hours.” A third argued: “She’s working way too much to call it much of a career, she should want more balance and to have more family time. I’d dig into why she’s [OK] to be away so much. “OP is doing the thing right and is asking for help before the emergency happens. Hopefully she can find something she enjoys with less crazed hours.” Meanwhile, a fifth pointed out that marriages must always be “equal partnerships”, and that no one parent should bear the brunt of the responsibilities. “You need to be an equal partner,” they said. “What that [looks] like can vary wildly in different families. For some that means both contributing to the finances and sharing the [in-home] responsibilities. For others that is one person doing [the] bulk of in-home while the other does the bulk of the financial contributions. Both and everything between are fine. They continued: “When one person is contributing to the bulk of the financial well-being of the family as well as the bulk of the in-home responsibilities though it is no longer an equal or even fair partnership. And the other person certainly shouldn't be making demands about adding to the already full plate of the other.” Concluding, they said that the mother “needs to evaluate her priorities and establish a better balance that supports her family as an equal partner”. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Just a week after Meta's announcement of its new AI products things already seem to be going wrong. The new AI-generated stickers that are available on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp seemingly have no filters when it comes to creating questionable and controversial content. Users have been sharing what the AI has allowed them create such children characters like Mickey Mouse smoking marijuana or Winnie the Pooh holding a rifle. Artist Pier-Oliver Desbiens posted various stickers he managed to create using Meta's new AI tool saying "I don't think anyone involved has thought anything through". He attached screenshots of a child soldier, Karl Marx with breasts, the Pope holding a rifle, Elmo with a knife, and a pregnant Shrek, amongst others. Meta AI is currently in beta and available only the US, so it seems users have taken the opportunity to point out the large oversight they've made when it comes to the perhaps too wide a range of possibilities available with the sticker-generator. One user wrote: "Got a feeling that Meta is about to be responsible for a whole bunch of AI-related US case law". However, some saw the hilarity in the situation, with one user saying they were going to enjoy the feature "until Meta gets sued into oblivion for copyright infringement". Whilst others joked that they were now "pro-AI": Meta's website features a blog post titled "Building Generative AI Features Responsibly", where they write "As with all generative AI systems, the models could return inaccurate or inappropriate outputs. We'll continue to improve these features as they evolve and more people share their feedback." The message suggests that Meta is probably going to get on top of this quickly so beloved children's characters are no longer holding weapons. indy100 has reached out to Meta for comment. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A group of bull sharks found living in an artificial golf pond sparked concern when they mysteriously vanished. Bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) are often found in rivers all around the world, but this incident makes "the longest uninterrupted duration in a low salinity environment that ever has been recorded in this species". Now, a new paper has investigated the case to understand the tolerance of bull sharks in low-salinity habitats. In 1996, six sharks were discovered in a golf course near Brisbane. They were landlocked for a further 17 years, before vanishing in 2013. The sharks became trapped due to major flooding of two adjacent Logan and Albert rivers. When the floods calmed, the sharks remained in the lake. The young sharks reportedly grew to 9.8 feet (3 meters) long as years went by and reportedly survived on flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus), Indo-Pacific tarpon (Megalops cyprinoides), mangrove red snapper (Lutjanus argentimaculatus) and yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis). "If sharks can get the food they need, being in these low-salinity environments can be super beneficial because there are fewer predators," Michael Heithaus, a shark biologist at Florida International University told Live Science. "Pups in some nurseries may go years in virtually fresh water, so it isn't too surprising they survived, as long as there was plenty of food." Some of the sharks were last spotted in 2015, while others were able to escape into the riverways during a flood in 2013. Study authors predicted some of the sharks had sadly died after one carcass was retrieved by golf course staff. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

As the world's most popular YouTuber, MrBeast is known for his elaborate videos but there's one stunt he fears may leave him "broke". The 25-year-old, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has over 188 million subscribers on the video platform. Over recent years he's pulled off some expensive events for content such as recreating Squid Game and having his very own Olympics. Recently, MrBeast was number one on the Forbes Top Creators 2023, after he amassed earnings of $82m - however, a recent stunt could prove costly. Donaldson has pledged to give a man $10,000 for every day if he can cope with living in a shop, and as it goes, the guy is hanging in there. He also noted that the shop isn't operating as a store currently and that he "blacked out the windows and locked it". “I messed up.. I bought a random grocery store and told a random person I’d give him $10,000 every day he lives in it and it’s been weeks and he shows no signs of ever leaving. I’m gonna go broke," the YouTube tweeted. This caused fans to question how long every day the guy has lasted so far, to which Donaldson replied: "It’s been over a month so far.” It means the man has bagged himself over $300,000 with this number increasing the longer he continues to remain inside the shop. Another person highlighted to Donaldson a video where fellow YouTuber MatPat explained how a person could survive up to 60 years locked in a supermarket. Not exactly something MrBeast wants to hear, since 60 years inside the shop would set him back $219m - although spending most of your life inside a dark shop isn't exactly ideal. There isn't a video out yet on Donaldson's YouTube channel about this particular challenge, so guess we'll have to wait and see how long the guy lasts... Meanwhile, fans have previously been concerned that the YouTuber was broke after someone who looks like Donaldson was spotted flying economy on a Taiwanese airline. However, the identity of the man in the photo has not been confirmed nor has Donaldson responded to the image. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A woman has started a debate around shopping etiquette, with many calling her habit "gross". During an episode of the Australian cooking show My Kitchen Rules, contestant Patricija was required to pick up the ingredients for a Lithuanian dish she was preparing. One segment shows Patricija shopping for shallots, accidentally dropping one on the supermarket floor before simply putting it back on the shelf. Many viewers turned to social media with their takes, with one calling it "just gross". "I know we're supposed to wash our produce when we get it home from the supermarket, but no one does it," they added. Another said the "right thing to do is to take it to a staff member and tell them it fell on the floor". Meanwhile, a third jumped to her defence, confessing: "I put it back. If I damaged it beyond sellable I'd show it to the produce guy and tell him I dropped it. Then move on with my shopping." In other shopping etiquette news, one woman shared the shocking moment she found what appeared to be used boxers on a rack in a clothing shop. "Gross," she said in her viral TikTok clip. "Rather than leaving them there, I just did everyone a favour and threw them away, they didn’t belong here. I did notify a staff [member] of what I found and they thanked me for throwing it away." One person commented: "That is so nice of you for taking it out of the racks, a lot of people would just leave it." Another added: "Wait, you take the award for the number one best samaritan." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.