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Obama's Speechwriter/Stand-Up Comedian Gives A Graduation Speech. Not Surprisingly, It's Badass.

Jon Lovett (skip the intro by going straight to 1:19) is not your average commencement speaker, and his speech very much reflects that. Seriously. For instance, the first two and a half minutes are about what being a young, gay judge might be like. Make sure to check out 7:11 for a swear word and some stone-cold truth, and skip to 9:57 if you're 23 years old and want to be taken down a peg.

Photo: Jessica Shuran Yu for Documented.
David Huang, 23, and Ana Delgado, 24, are one of three couples at The One Wedding Plaza on Thanksgiving Day.
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Levi Strauss Foundation

On Thanksgiving Day, when most Americans gather with family to reflect on and celebrate their blessings, a different kind of holiday tradition has flourished among immigrant families in recent decades: Weddings.

Both of our families are immigrants,” said Ana Delgado, whose family emigrated from Costa Rica to New York City. She and her husband, David Huang, whose family settled in Tennessee after leaving China, were married at The One Wedding Plaza on Thanksgiving Day in 2024. “We’re not super attached to the Thanksgiving [holiday],” she explained.

Thanksgiving Day weddings are especially popular among Chinese immigrants like the Huang family. Because many Chinese families in New York work in the retail, construction, or garment industries, the holiday provides a rare day off work where families and friends are available to gather. Boutiques like The One Wedding Plaza have stepped up to meet the demand, providing a one-stop shop for families looking to host a celebration. More than simply a wedding venue, boutiques like The One Wedding Plaza offer entertainment, catering arrangements, gown rentals, makeup services, and other wedding necessities.

Same Tradition, Shifting Cultures

Thanksgiving Day weddings continue to grow in popularity, but in New York City, the tradition looks different than it did pre-pandemic. Before COVID, boutiques and banquet halls in Chinatown bustled with customers, providing full wedding services for Chinese families. Now, however, much of the Chinese population in Chinatown has moved into neighboring areas like Flushing and Sunset Park, taking businesses with them. At the same time, according to reporting from Documented, an independent, non-profit newsroom dedicated to reporting with and for immigrant communities in New York City, more than one-fifth of storefronts in Chinatown have been forced to close. The result is that The One Wedding Plaza is now the last surviving full-scale wedding boutique in Chinatown—and the last remaining touchstone of the Thanksgiving Day wedding tradition for Chinatown-area families.

“This street used to be so lively,” said Jessica Liang, who works as the general manager of The One Wedding Plaza, which is located on East Broadway. At one point, she recalled, businesses along her street would be bustling with customers well into the night. Now, during the night, they’re mostly empty.

Wedding dresses at The One Wedding Plaza in Manhattan Chinatown.

Jessica Shuran Yu for Documented.

But Liang refuses to close shop. Although her locations in Flushing and Brooklyn are doing better than the Chinatown location, Liang is determined to keep the Chinatown location open to help couples like Huang and Delgado carry on meaningful family traditions and create new memories.

Blending Makeup, Blending Traditions

While the economy and the population have shifted in recent years, Thanksgiving Day Weddings are as meaningful as ever. Huang and Delgado, in fact, were so dedicated to the idea that they flew their families to New York from Tennessee in order to celebrate, as there were no banquet halls in Tennessee suitable for a Chinese wedding. The high school sweethearts were one of three couples who married at The One Wedding Plaza on Thanksgiving 2024, their celebration—a joyful mix of Mandarin, English, and Spanish cultures. Liang, in addition to acting as the Plaza’s general manager, also offered services as a makeup artist for Delgado and her bridesmaids on the big day.

Like many immigrant families, Huang and Delgado weren’t just celebrating a wedding—they were paying tribute to their respective cultures, embracing new traditions, and honoring the immigrant experience. The One Wedding Plaza made that possible not only by providing makeup services and the venue, but holding space for a celebration of heritage and community. It’s for exactly this reason that Liang is committed to keeping The One Wedding Plaza open for immigrant families in Chinatown for years to come.

--

This article, written by Jessica Shuran Yu, originally appeared on Documented, an independent, non-profit newsroom dedicated to reporting with and for immigrant communities in New York City. Documented’s community-driven approach to journalism and information impacts the everyday experiences of immigrants—including providing original reporting and resource guides in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Haitian Creole. Sign up for Early Arrival, Documented’s newsletter, for immigration news—docu.nyc/earlyarrival.


This article is part of Upworthy’s “The Threads Between U.S.” series that highlights what we have in common thanks to the generous support from the Levi Strauss Foundation, whose grantmaking is committed to creating a culture of belonging.

Jan Langer's incredible photos are timeless.

Czech photographer Jan Langer's portrait series "Faces of Century" shows them in a different light: as human beings aged by years of experience, but at their deepest level, unchanged by the passing of time. In the series, Langer juxtaposes his portraits with another portrait of the subject from decades earlier. He recreates the original pose and lighting as closely as he can — he wants us to see them not just as they are now, but how they have and haven't changed over time. That is the key to the series.

These are the rare faces of people who have lived through two world wars, a cavalcade of regimes, and the rush of advancements in modern life. These photos, and the stories of the lives lived by the people in them, show not only the beauty of aging, but how even as we age, we still remain essentially ourselves.


All photos by Jan Langer.


1. Prokop Vejdělek, at age 22 and 101


 

 aging, photos, older people with their younger selves, aging process, 100 years old Prokop Vejdělek, at age 22 and 101via Jan Langer/Aktualne 

 

Vejdělek is a former metallurgical engineer who will never forget the taste of warm fresh goat's milk.


2. Bedřiška Köhlerová, at age 26 and 103



 

   via Jan Langer/Aktualne  

 

Originally born in Merano, Italy, Köhlerová wishes to visit Italy one more time.


3. Ludvík Chybík, at age 20 and 102


 

   via Jan Langer/Aktualne  

 

Chybík is a former postal carrier and says he will never forget the route he worked every day.


4. Vincenc Jetelina, at age 30 and 105


 

   via Jan Langer/Aktualne  

 

Jetelina spent eight years in prison after World War II. Now, he just wants to live the rest of his life in peace.


5. Antonín Kovář, at age 25 and 102


 

   via Jan Langer/Aktualne  

 

Kovář is a former musician whose daughter comes to visit him every day. He wishes to play the clarinet once more.


6. Anna Vašinová, at age 22 and 102


 

   via Jan Langer/Aktualne  

 

Vašinová will always remember the day her husband was taken away by the Nazis. She wishes to be reunited with him after death.

7. Stanislav Spáčil, at age 17 and 102


 

   via Jan Langer/Aktualne  

 

Spáčil was an electrical engineer throughout his life and thinks that it's too early in his life to think about the past.


8. Anna Pochobradská, at age 30 and 100

   via Jan Langer/Aktualne  

 

Pochobradská was a farmer. She now lives a quiet life and is thankful that her daughter visits her every weekend.


9. Antonín Baldrman, at age 17 and 101


 

   via Jan Langer/Aktualne  

 

Baldrman was a clerk early in life and keeps up with current events by reading the newspaper.


10. Marie Burešová, at age 23 and 101


 

   via Jan Langer/Aktualne  

 

Burešová loves talking to her family and wishes to have them all together again.


11. Vlasta Čížková, at age 23 and 101


 

 aging, photos, older people with their younger selves, aging process, 100 years old  via Jan Langer/Aktualne  

 

Čížková cooked in the dining room at the airport in the small village of Vodochody. She'll never forget reciting her own poetry at wedding ceremonies.


12. Ludmila Vysloužilová, at age 23 and 101


 

 aging, photos, older people with their younger selves, aging process, 100 years old  via Jan Langer/Aktualne  

 

Vysloužilová stays active every day by chopping wood, shoveling snow, and doing work around her house.


The photographer Langer was initially inspired to document the lives of elderly people because of what he saw as the media's lack of coverage of them. He decided to focus on people over the age of 100 — a very rare demographic indeed. The 2020 U.S. Census recorded 80,139 people aged 100 or older, a 50.2% increase from the 53,364 centenarians counted in 2010. As our aging population continues to increase, and technology evolves along with it, it's likely these incredibly photo essays will become far more common. But for now, they are an incredible reminder of how precious and valuable life is, sometimes especially when we reach our golden years.

“One should live every single moment according to their best knowledge and conscience because one day we will see clearly what has a real value," Langer says of what he learned from his subjects while photographing them.

The series was originally part of a story that Langer did for the Czech news outlet aktuálně.cz. You can see more photos from the portrait sessions by following the link.

This article originally appeared seven years ago.

7 everyday things that exist because of disability inclusion

There are some things in life that we just assume have always been there (or at least some version of it). A lot of things are taken for granted or thought to be an invention of convenience and not one of necessity or inclusion. But that's not actually true. Several of the things we consider part of daily convenience are actually a result of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts (though they weren't called that at the time).

The world is set up for able-bodied individuals and unless you're physically disabled in some capacity, it can be easy to think things exist for the ease of people just like you. But many things that make everyone's lives easier were created by or for people with disabilities to help them fully participate in the world around them. A woman who goes by the moniker "Chronically Jenni" online, recently she shared a brief history of how certain things we use daily came to be.

 disability; disability awareness; diversity equity inclusion; inclusion; disabled people; adaptive items Man in wheelchair looks at stairsPhoto credit: Canva

One of the first things on the list are the little dips on the corners of sidewalks. They're used for all sorts of things, especially people pushing little ones in a stroller on a nice day. Jenni explains their intended purpose and how the sidewalk ramp is a positive for everyone, noting, "You see that ramp and the end of the pavement? That's a curb cut. They were made for wheelchair users but are now used by cyclists, people with suit cases, parents with buggies and more. That's the curb cut effect where access for disabled people ends up helping everyone."

Of course ramps on sidewalks or along side stairs outside of a building were not always common. Disability activists had to fight for this sort of inclusion in the design of the world around them. ADAPT (American Disabled for Accessible Public Transit) formed in 1983 to fight for wheelchair access on public transportation.

In order to be heard, they had to resort to extreme measures like chaining themselves to the steering wheels of busses and, at one point, they hoisted themselves out of their wheelchairs and crawled up the steps of the U.S. Capitol building. Their actions resulted in the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act being signed into law by George H. W. Bush in 1990, making wheelchair access in public spaces commonplace in America.

Ramps aren't the only thing created to benefit people with disabilities; electric toothbrushes are also on the list. The first electric toothbrush was invented in 1954 by Dr. Phillipe-Guy Woog, a Swiss dentist, to help people with motor skill and grip issues effectively brush their teeth. Now, it's something dentists recommend for everyone because electric toothbrushes can be more effective than manual toothbrushes.

 disability; disability awareness; diversity equity inclusion; inclusion; disabled people; adaptive items Smiling woman using an electric toothbrush in the bathroom.Photo credit: Canva

Jenni also points out that assistive technology like speech-to-text and voice assistance were created for blind people and those with mobility issues. Now, many of us use the technology to yell at Alexa to set a timer or play our favorite song. The same goes for audiobooks. Jenni shares, "Audiobooks, originally made for blind people, now a go to for the masses for multi-tasking or rest."

In addition to the mainstream market of children's shoes, backpacks, and more, VELCRO has also been used to great effect in disability care. Automatic and touchless doors are so helpful at hospitals, malls, grocery stores, and airports but they too started off as making those spaces accessible for disabled people.

 disability; disability awareness; diversity equity inclusion; inclusion; disabled people; adaptive items Woman changing channels on the TV.Photo credit: Canva

Last but not least on the list are subtitles. Jenni shares, "Subtitles and captions. They were made for deaf and hard of hearing people but now everyone uses them on the train, at night, or just to focus better. Disability drives innovation. Accessibility helps everyone. So next time you use one of these, remember where it came from and be sure to share this so more people realize."

People loved the brief history lesson with one person writing, "So if im to understand you correctly. Disabled people make life better? I knew it."

Another person says, "Not only do these accessibility features help literally everyone, but keep in mind that it was disabled people who fought for these additions and improvements to our society. Disabled people fought for these improvements to our society — while tired, frustrated, belittled, in constant pain, and more — and we won. … and we helped to better society in the process. Always remember that."

Someone else chimes in, "voice to text was being used to help us dyslexic people to write papers without having to dumb down our words and meanings but now everyone uses it right on their phone. I remember hours of training a desktop IBM to learn my voice in the 1990's now if I'm having trouble with a word I can just hit a microphone button on my phone and 9 times out of 10 I get the word I want to use rather than having to rewrite everything to make a substitute word work."

Another points out, "A rising tide lifts all boats!"

Cecily Knobler

A woman sings "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac at karaoke.

On a hot Sunday in July, Carole Wade took the mic at a Dallas senior living facility where my mom lives. I happened to be visiting for the karaoke event, and the list of residents who couldn't wait to put their stamps on their favorite tunes was so long, the event had to be extended. ABBA's "Mamma Mia," David Lee Roth's "Just a Gigolo"—you name it, they sang it.

When it was Wade's turn, the microphone was brought to her table. She took it in her hands as though it was an extension of her fingers as the music cued up. Then, as she began to effortlessly sing "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac, the room got still. Frozen. All eyes were on her, and most of those eyes were wet. The lyrics, so beautifully fitting:

"Well, I've been afraid of changin'
'Cause I've built my life around you.
But time makes you bolder,
Even children get older,
I'm getting old too."

A man sitting at our table took notice of how emotional I had become. He leaned over to say, "Never stop feeling the music."

I had the honor of chatting with Wade, who at 85, has been singing nearly her whole life. She got started in the business as a backup singer in Elvis impersonator groups in Dallas and surrounding areas. In and out of bands, playing Deep Ellum clubs and local hotels, she shares, "I've been singing since I was a small child. I've loved music all my life."

As luck would have it, she was at a jam session when she started harmonizing with other musicians. They would soon form her most recent band, Psychedelic Oatmeal. They officially stopped playing gigs when she was in her 70s, but they remain close. (She notes her bandmates were all much younger.)

 bands, carole wade, music, old friends, singer Carole and her band mates.Carole Wade

They covered classic rock tunes from Stevie Nicks, The Eagles, Janis Joplin, and Led Zeppelin. Songs like "Me and Bobby McGee," "Seven Bridges Road," and "Whole Lotta Love." She laughs that most of the men in the band couldn't hit those Zeppelin high notes made famous by Robert Plant, so she took on the challenge—with great success.

They even branded themselves at gigs, making little Ziploc bags of oatmeal and glitter, which they would throw to the audience at shows. That is, until a club owner asked them to stop, as the oatmeal was mixing with spilled drinks, "creating goo."

Rare footage of Psychedelics Oatmeal.

  The band Psychedelic Oatmeal plays in Dallas.  www.youtube.com  

Wade makes clear that music is her therapy. "If you're down on a certain day, it will bring you up." She has lived a full life, with two grown sons who are both excelling in life. But music, and the friends with whom she makes it, brings her that extra piece of joy and purpose.

Michael Hatcher, the Resident Services Director at The Reserve at North Dallas (the senior facility in which this event was held), has seen firsthand how music soothes seniors. It reconnects them to their purest selves, no matter how hazy their memories might become. Hatcher shares, "They remember the music, and the time. It's a vessel for anyone of age. It can be used to bring someone out of the deepest sun-downing and back to life."

A man sings "Just a Gigolo" at The Reserve karaoke day.

@cdk213

Senior living karaoke! Fabulous! #seniorlivingcommunity #justagigalo #dallas

There is much research to support this. Bannerhealth.com quotes music therapy coordinator Tammy Reiver for Banner Hospice in Phoenix: "Music holds the power to increase dopamine levels (happy hormones), decrease symptoms of depression and pain, and improve a person’s quality of life. Pleasing music plays an important role at every age, but for aging adults, the benefits are even greater.”

As for Wade? She jokes that she and a few other musicians at the senior home have plans to start their own band. She certainly has the chops for it—and the fans.

Report reveals that lifeguards can make over $500k a year.

When people think of lifeguards, most of the time they imagine a teenager working a pool for some summer cash. In movies and television shows, they're often depicted as teens or very young adults trained to save lives earning a little more than minimum wage. But not all lifeguard jobs are created equally and not all lifeguards are teenagers saving for a car.

In fact, some locations in America pay their lifeguards extremely well to do their jobs. It may seem like they spend most of their time sitting on a lifeguard tower watching the water for signs of distress, but the job is not that simple. Though it's not too often during their day that they have to dive into the water to rescue swimmers, their job is still serious. When it's time to save someone drowning, they need to know what they're doing and how to do it well. For saving lives, lifeguards being well paid makes sense.

 lifeguards; lifeguard; salary; lifeguard salary; jobs that pay well; high paying jobs Lifeguard on duty, ready for action at the pool.Photo credit: Canva

The thing that seems to be shocking is the salary that some lifeguards bring home in a year, specifically in Los Angeles County. In a recent report on Fox 11, they found that of the 166 full-time L.A. County lifeguards, most of them raked in anywhere from $200K to $500K annually. The question of how much is too much was posed by the newscaster due to the salaries coming from tax payer dollars, but he left the audience with a staggering figure that ore than justifies the salary: number of lives saved, which was over 10,000.

No value could accurately be placed on a human life, but the fact that these California lifeguards saved over 10,000 swimmers the year prior is certainly an impressive feat. Only 10 L.A. County lifeguards made over $300K last year, and they were all in positions of management or a specialty which resulted in them getting an increased amount for overtime pay.

While the initial figures may seem staggering for a job title most often held by teenagers, it's actually the overtime that is inflating the salaries. Many of the lifeguards' salaries cited in the 2021 Open the Books report are comprised of mostly overtime pay, with the captain's base salary being $150,054 and his overtime coming in at a whopping $246,060. The top paid lifeguards are making more in overtime than they are on their base salary and, according to Open the Books, the large salaries and overtime are due to the lifeguards unionizing to increase their negotiation power.

Los Angeles County is huge and has a constant flow of tourists from all over the world, which results in these lifeguards and their bosses being responsible for millions upon millions of lives. In 2021 alone, LA County lifeguards watched over 50 million people and rescued thousands who made their way to the beaches. I'd say the money is well deserved.

Who knew being a lifeguard could have such a high payoff? One of the best things about becoming a lifeguard is there's no degree required. Many kids leave high school with the experience needed to head to the beach for an ocean-specific lifeguard training academy. The only requirements to become a lifeguard in Los Angeles County is to be a high school graduate with a California drivers license and complete the training academy.

But before you quit your day job, you should know that competition is fierce. Only the best of the best are chosen for the role. Watching Baywatch and loving the beach isn't going to cut it. Lifeguarding some of the busiest beaches in America is a physically and mentally grueling job that you have to be prepared to take on.

Joy

15 amazing things happening in America right now that are drowned out by negative news

"What's something positive happening that doesn't get enough attention?"

Narcan spray, Dolly Parton and the Savannah Bananas mascot.

If one’s opinion of America were based solely on news coverage, they’d think that the country was on its last legs. The average news broadcast is filled with political scandals, crime, sex trafficking, environmental disruption, wars overseas, and health warnings about everyday household items.

However, that’s not just a 2025 problem. As the adage goes, “If it bleeds, it leads,” and humans have a negativity bias when it comes to the news. Stories centered around things we should worry about capture the most attention because humans are hard-wired to pay attention to possible dangers rather than the things that are going well in the world.

The dark reality of modern media makes it challenging for people to maintain a positive outlook on the future of their country. They may think their life and those in their community are going well, but outside of their neighborhood, the world is nothing but turmoil.


To give people hope that there's still a lot of magic left in America, a Reddit user posed a question to the AskReddit community: "What’s something positive happening in America right now that doesn’t get enough attention?" and they received over 3,400 responses. Many of them center around fantastic developments in medicine or the fact that America is experiencing a precipitous drop in violent crime.

15 “positive” things happening in America right now that don’t get enough attention

1. New AIDS medications

"There’s an AIDs treatment at 100% preventative. It’s being licensed royalty-free to six generic manufacturers."

"I heard a doctor recently say they'd rather have HIV than be diabetic - something that would've been completely unthinkable and utterly insane to say even a couple of decades ago. But with HIV, you can now take a pill and, provided you stay on top of things, live symptom-free and not even have to worry about transmission. Not to mention the preventative medications that have significantly reduced the risk of contracting it. Seeing something that - within the span of my own life - went from being a potential death sentence to more or less being akin to high cholesterol really makes you appreciate science and medical advancements."


  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

2. New MS advancements

"We have found a medication that significantly slows the course of multiple sclerosis, and it is currently undergoing trials for a potential cure."

3. Great libraries

"Our public library is busy and well supported."

"Ours rents out musical instruments, puzzles, paintings, a few appliances. It's so incredibly cool!"

4. Active shooter deaths down

"Last year, active shooting deaths fell from what they were in previous years, after years of increases."

"I think it has to do with the media not covering shootings and shooters as much bc it’s become commonplace. The news was making these shooters famous for a long time."

5. We still have Dolly

"Dolly Parton continues being kind."

"Dolly is an unsung (well, she sings, but you know) national hero! The things that she personally has done for our children and literacy are great!"


6. Violent crime down

"This may be something you'd file under 'less negative' instead of positive, but violent crime appears to have dropped to pre-pandemic numbers in most of the nation."

"Furthermore, it was on a steady decline starting back around the 90s, with a blip up around the pandemic. So violent crime isn't even the lowest it's been since the pandemic, it's the lowest it's been for an extremely long time."

 

7. Stronger laws protecting animals

"Animal neglect and cruelty have started to become a felony."

"I'm glad even random municipalities are now passing animal neglect and cruelty as felonies for the last few years!"

8. Teen pregnancy is down

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

9. Greater access to legal cannabis

"In a lot of the USA, you don’t have to worry about being busted for simple possession of weed anymore, and there is a lot of safe access to cannabis in those places as well."

10. Opiate deaths are down

"Opiate deaths are way down. Mostly due to the availability of Narcan."

"Narcan is everywhere in my state now, even in highway rest stops. Really awesome to see."

11. Ryan Trahan's fundraising

"Ryan Trahan's 50 states in 50 days to raise money for St Jude Children's Hospital. Check out the series on YT - over $10m raised so far. Only 2 states left to go."

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

12. South Park is back

"The episode of South Park was a great and powerful thing. Can’t be scared to speak up."

"Right?!?! Americans making fun of their government is the most natural thing. We need our groove back."

13. Savannah Bananas Baseball

"I’m excited that they’re getting so big! A few years ago, you could only catch clips on their socials. Now I regularly watch games on sports channels. I’m hoping a new league takes off!"

"I live on an island in the middle of the North Sea, Shetland Isles, and I love seeing clips of the Savannah Bananas, Man-Nana's, and the Savannah Nana's. Always puts a smile on my face."


14. Matt Murry's notebooks

"There's a guy on Tiktok who was in search of a very specific notebook for his autistic brother. Fearing they were discontinued, he put out a plea to help him find enough notebooks to last his brother. The community responded, as did the company, and he's now close to 1000 notebooks sent to him (well above his 500 goal). He's since been paying back the support by donating to teacher wishlists across the country. Nothing crazy like a Mr.Beast, but small amounts to help chip away at teacher driven initiatives."

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

15. Better representation in entertainment

"People of color play significant parts in each and every movie, TV show, and commercial, regardless of the story. Like a black mom, white dad, Asian kid, mixed kid, and Hispanic partner at work. They got all the bases covered."