upworthy

new york city

Joy

People cheer on a group of adorable ducklings 'working up the courage' to jump off bridge

"For anyone who identifies with the 'last duck,' you got this."

@abbydecter/TikTok

More videos like this, please

When picturing the wildlife of New York City, pigeons and rats are likely to be at top of mind, not ducks. However, the rivers in Central Park and Prospect Park are teeming with them. During the spring and summer, you can expect to see waddlings of little ducklings out making their debut.

And thanks to a video (aptly captioned “hopecore”) posted to TikTok by a publicist named Abby Decter, we get to witness the most wholesome interaction between 10 little ducklings getting ready to take a plunge into the Husdon and a group of onlookers cheering them on.

One by one, the ducklings “worked up the courage” to take the leap to join their mama in the water as the crowd whooped and yelled “go go go!” Eventually only two shyer ducklings remained, but even they mustered up the gumption after a while (perhaps they responded to the encouragement of their fans).


"The feeling was electric, everyone just stopped what they were doing to watch. [It was] just one of those moments where everyone comes together," Decter told Newsweek.

Indeed, just witnessing the love shared for these sweet babies seemed to be a precious gift that viewers immensely appreciated.

"We don't want war, all of us just want to watch baby ducks."

"They're so tiny and brave.”

"I'm so proud of them.”

"For anyone who identifies with the 'last duck' you got this. They all got in the water safely, and everyone's timing is different and their progress is NOT less valid."

“If this doesn't prove animal sentience, they have fear, they overcome it, they have courage, etc., I don’t know what does.”

Yes, nature hardwired us to get the feels when we see cuteness (who wasn’t obsessed over little Moo Deng, amirite?), but another part of why we get so invested in the journeys of these little creatures—as is evidenced by this video and the comments it inspired—is that we see ourselves in them.

What a sweet reminder of just how connected all beings on this planet really are. Wishing these critters a safe time on the rest of their travels, including when they set out on their own adventures in a couple month’s time.

Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader on "Saturday Night Live" in 2010.

It must be incredibly hard to do live TV comedy sketches and never break character, especially when you’re working alongside some of the funniest people on the planet. Every “Saturday Night Live” cast member has had their moment where the sketch was too funny and they lost control, but few had it happen more times than Bill Hader, who starred on the show from 2005 to 2013.

One of Hader’s most popular characters on SNL was Stefon, the New York City nightlife reporter. Multiple times during the sketch, he had to cover his face to prevent the audience from seeing him laughing.

But one of the most obvious character breaks Hader ever had was in 2010, on season 36 of the show, during a “Hollywood Dish” sketch where he and Kirsten Wiig played entertainment reporters. The guest on this episode was Scarlett Johannson.


Towards the end of the sketch, Hader spits a Big Gulp onto Wiig and throws a bowl over her head and the duo completely loses it. The clip recently emerged on TikTok, and people are remembering how hilarious Hader and Wiig were on the show.

(The entire sketch is at the bottom of the article.)

Great clip

@vincentlaframboise

Great clip #snl #saturdaynightlive #funny #humor #billhader #funnyvideos #scarlettjohansson

Scarlett Johansson, who’s hosted ‘SNL’ 6 times and is married to head writer Colin Jost, does a commendable job in the sketch by not breaking character. "She is such a good actress to just go along with it. Clearly, that wasn’t planned, but good for her for not breaking," Jill wrote in the comments.

Hollywood Dish with Scarlett Johansson - SNL

Brielle Asero had a hard first day at work.

TikTokker Brielle Asero, a recent college graduate, had a rude awakening after her first day at a new 9-to-5, 40-hour-a-week office job. The experience had her wondering how she would find the time to have a life given her commute and long work day.

Every day, the woman has a 2-hour commute from New Jersey to New York City.

“I’m so upset,” she says in the video, saying it’s not the job but the schedule that’s the problem. "I get on the train at 7:30 a.m., and I don't get home until 6:15 p.m. [at the] earliest. I don't have time to do anything!" Asero says in a video seen over 2.6 million times.


She calls the schedule “crazy” and asks, “How do you have friends? How do you have time to meet a guy?"

“I don’t have the time to do anything,” she continued. “I want to shower, eat my dinner, and go to sleep. I don’t have the time or energy to cook my dinner either. I don’t have energy to work out, like, that’s out of the window. I’m so upset, oh my god.”

@brielleybelly123

im also getting sick leave me alone im emotional ok i feel 12 and im scared of not having time to live

After the video went viral, Asero clarified her comments in a follow-up where she noted that many people have it harder than she does.

"So me, I'm just one worker. I shouldn't represent everybody because I don't even have half the struggles most people do,” she said. “Most people have kids and animals. Imagine me leaving a dog or kid at home from 7:30 in the morning to 7:30 at night."

Asero added that she is "thankful" for her job because not many companies are willing to train college graduates.

@brielleybelly123

@Business Insider @The Daily Dot heres my official comment take it and run since no one wants to run me my check $$$

@Business Insider @The Daily Dot heres my official comment take it and run since no one wants to run me my check $$$

Science

We need more trains. Video shows why it's so expensive to build them in America.

We're the sixth most expensive place to build rail transit in the world.

The A Train in New York City

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, heavy rail transit such as subways and metros produce 76% fewer greenhouse gas emissions per passenger mile than an average single-occupancy vehicle. That makes them one of the most essential tools for fighting climate change.

However, according to a new report from CNBC, the United States is the sixth most expensive country worldwide for building rail transit.

In 2021, President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan infrastructure law that included the country's most significant investment in public transportation. According to CNBC, the U.S. is expected to spend between $91 billion and $108 billion on local public transit through 2026. With all that money at stake, using it effectively will be key.


“I believe that with the money coming in from infrastructure, it’s going to help us rebuild American transit,” Carmen Bianco, former President of MTA New York City Transit, told CNBC.

However, building infrastructure in the U.S., especially subways, is very expensive. This CNBC report shows that building subways in the U.S. is more expensive than in most countries because of high labor costs, overbuilt tracks and stations, and onerous regulations.

Fortunately, the video doesn’t just point out the problems with building infrastructure; it also provides solutions. Prices can be cut if Americans move away from building infrastructure with flashy designs, work with quieter equipment that allows them to build during a greater range of hours and cut down the red tape by using more state workers rather than contractors.

At a time when building trains is more important than ever, the smarter we work, the greener our future will be.