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Politics Aside, President Obama Just Beautifully Articulated What America Is

I'm not suggesting that I agree with all of Barack Obama's policies. In fact, I think a good number of them are detestable, ineffective, and sometimes even frightening. I believe in being relentlessly critical of power, no matter who wields it. You might even say I'm something of a cynic. That, however, is why even I couldn't help but giggle with delight at most of the President's second inaugural address. Really, he is an outstanding orator — one of our very finest. And he gets just about everything right in this speech. Sure, you might say, it's just empty rhetoric, just some pretty but shallow words floating above the reality of broken government and a divided America. But hearing the President speak so confidently and righteously about this country… well, it gives me hope.I know, I know — that's, like, his “thing." But there's so much more truth in this speech than vacuous slogans or shallow public image-crafting that even cynics like me are forced, begrudgingly, to remember that hope is real and reigns eternal. If you don't, you're doing it wrong.




At 2:08, and with a charming turn of phrase, President Obama humbly reminds us Americans that the Constitution isn't some computer program that the Founding Fathers simply pressed “Run" to make magically work forever.




At 3:29, to the shock of everyone except Alex Jones, Obama admits he is a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary and intends to establish something he calls “Socialism with American characteristics." Just kidding. Actually he just says that America isn't about letting oligarchs gamble away the nation's wealth while letting disadvantaged people die in the gutter, all in the name of some mutated “liberty."





Plus, at 4:00,he basically says that conservatives are right about a lot of things.




At 6:27, he says some really reasonable things that reasonable people probably all found really decent and reasonable. Too bad those sorts of people don't have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.




At 7:10, Obama delivers a really great line that atheists and believers alike will swoon at.




At 8:15, you can hear the sound of every member of Congress's mind being blown, all at once.




At 9:13, you can hear the sound of every Ayn Rand-worshiping economist's mind being blown, all at once.




At 9:52, President Obama says something really important and good that you should agree with unless you don't understand that scientists aren't, in fact, magicians who conjure up whatever they want.




At 11:07, President Obama says something about “perpetual war," and every human being should hope he's being sincere.




At 13:22, he says something so amazingly beautiful and good that he spontaneously blasts off from the stage and up into the Canon of Great Orators.




At 14:27, President Obama acknowledges, finally, that the struggle of LGBTQ* folks are irrevocably part of any broader fight for civil rights. If only I could make text roar with applause.




At 16:30, President Obama drops some truth on our miserable Congress yet shows some stunning humility.



No matter what ideology you subscribe to, no matter what you think of the President's policies, this speech is worth watching and worth taking seriously. Watch it, share it.

Angelina Jordan blew everyone away with her version of 'Bohemian Rhapsody."


At Upworthy, we've shared a lot of memorable "America's Got Talent" auditions, from physics-defying dance performances to jaw-dropping magic acts to heart-wrenching singer-songwriter stories. Now we're adding Angelina Jordan's "AGT: The Champions" audition to the list because wow.

Jordan came to "AGT: The Champions" in 2020 as the winner of Norway's Got Talent, which she won in 2014 at the mere age of 7 with her impressive ability to seemingly channel Billie Holiday. For the 2020 audition, she sang Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," but a version that no one had ever heard before.

With just her Amy Winehouse-ish voice, a guitar and a piano, Jordan brought the fan-favorite Queen anthem down to a smooth, melancholy ballad that's simply riveting to listen to.

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Steve Burns at Galaxy Con in 2023

In the wake of the docuseries "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV," kids who grew up watching Nickelodeon are reeling a bit. The documentary unveiled a toxic culture of abuse and exploitation at the network, tainting 90s kids' childhood memories with disturbing behind-the-scenes details of their favorite shows.

But a beacon of light from Nickelodeon still shines in Steve from "Blue's Clues." Steve Burns may have broken children's hearts when he left the show to go to college, but the beloved host has remained a wholesome icon for millennials and Gen Zers who watched him growing up.

In fact, Steve is still bringing comfort to millions, and his latest video on TikTok is a perfect example of how. In a one-minute TikTok, he says only a handful of words, but people are finding themselves tearing up if not outright bawling by the end of it.

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Millennials and Gen Z ditch top sheet to the dismay of Boomers


Once again the youngins are flabbergasting the older generations with their disregard of things they deem unnecessary. There's always something that gets dropped or altered generation to generation. We learn better ways or technology makes certain things obsolete. But it doesn't matter how far we've come, our beds still need sheets to cover the mattress.

The debate is on the use of top sheets, also known as flat sheets. They're the sheets that keep your body from touching the comforter, most Gen X and Boomers are firmly for the use of top sheets as a hygiene practice. The idea being that the top sheet keeps your dead skin cells and body oils from dirtying your comforter, causing you to have to wash it more often.

Apparently Millennials and Gen Zers are uninterested in using a top sheet while sleeping. In fact, they'd rather just get a duvet cover, though they may be cumbersome. A duvet cover can be washed fairly frequently, while some may opt for a cheeper comforter that they don't care is washed often because their distain for a top sheet is that strong.

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Courtesy of Kisha Rose Woodhouse

Man surprises partner by performing haka alone at her graduation

Graduations can be emotional no matter if it's preschool, high school or college. Something about watching a loved one close one chapter to open a new one just does something to you. But sometimes people have a few more challenges getting across the stage that make it feel even sweeter.

One new mom, Kisha Rose Woodhouse, who goes by @kiisha.rose on TikTok, became pregnant and gave birth while finishing up her college degree. Clearly, determined to finish, Woodhouse walked across the stage at graduation with her baby on her hip. But that wasn't what got people all choked up while seeing her video, it was Woodhouse's partner who stood alone in the auditorium.

The man was visibly filled with pride from Woodhouse's accomplishments when he began doing the Tautoko, also known as the haka. Immediately the auditorium fell silent as the man's words and sharp movements filled the air. Seeing him perform such an emotional dance alone to honor his partner is enough to get just about anyone's eyes to water.

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A man and woman looking over their bills. Representative image.

The United States is the second most expensive country in the world to give birth, after Japan. In Japan, it costs around $61,000 to have a vaginal delivery, although those costs can be offset by government health insurance.

In the U.S., it costs around $14,000 to have a child without insurance, although there are a lot of factors that affect the price, including where you give birth, the type of insurance you carry and if there are any complications.

While $14,000 is a lot of money for most people, Hanna Castle from the Columbus, Ohio, area received a $4 million hospital bill after having quadruplets and that didn’t even include the delivery. All 4 of the children needed to spend time in the NICU for lengths between 64 and 147 days.

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Pregnant.

There it was, clear as day, two blue lines staring back at me from the small pregnancy test I had just purchased.

I double-checked...

One line = not pregnant.

Two lines = pregnant.

Photo via iStock.


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