+
Joy

Amid the chaos of war, two Ukrainian soldiers marry each other on the battlefield

ukraine soldiers get married

Lesya and Valeriy getting wed on the frontlines

Even while facing the uncertainty of war, a Ukrainian couple decided to celebrate life by getting wed on the battlefield. Their story is sweeping the internet, reminding us all that when tomorrow is not guaranteed, there is no better day than today to honor love.

Lesya Ivashchenko and Valeriy Fylymonov had been romantic partners for more than 20 years (according to ABC News), and even have an adult daughter together. But still, they had never officially tied the knot.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion—prompting many Ukrainians to join the country’s defense forces—Lesya and Valeriy had not seen each other. Their reunion was marked with the impromptu marriage ceremony.

Lesya told ABC News “We decided who knows what will happen tomorrow. We should get married in front of the state, in front of God.”



Donned in military attire rather than a white dress and tux, the bride and groom hold champagne flutes as they are serenaded by fellow soldiers. One even plays a bandura (a traditional Ukrainian lute-like instrument). The bride holds a bouquet of white flowers while wearing a veil. She holds hands with her beloved as they listen to the music. Despite everything, these people show optimism for the future.

The now-viral video offers powerful imagery symbolizing the unwavering resilience of the Ukrainian people. They continue to inspire the world to hold onto hope, in both big and small ways.

At Upworthy, we are dedicated to finding stories that uphold the very best of humanity. The particular kind of courage displayed by these wedded combatants—who still choose love in a time of war—is indeed a story about humanity at its best.

Humor

Mom tells 9-year-old daughter to 'smile more' for school show and instantly regretted it

'Afterward, I regrettably said the one thing that no female *ever* wants to hear. "Try to smile more."'

Anniesgotabun Tiktok screenshots

Mom tells her daughter to smile more and instantly regrets it.

There is one request that unites all women and girls no matter their political affiliation or socioeconomic status, and that's telling them to smile when they're just minding their business. Think of it like a fairly universal "don't" when interacting with women, unless you're a photographer hired to take their photo.

A mom on TikTok found herself reaping the consequences of telling her 9-year-old daughter to smile when she was rehearsing a performance for her school. To say her daughter was not amused would be an understatement. The mom, whose TikTok name is Anniesgotabun, shared a video before and after her daughter's performance.

The caption of the video read "mistakes were made" complete with the facepalm emoji and the hastag #parentingfail. In the first part of the video you can clearly see her daughter going through the motions of the musical production looking unenthusiastic. The mom explains her error via text overlay explaining "my daughter had her final rehearsal for the school musical yesterday."

Keep ReadingShow less
Heroes

This woman's nose could be the key to spotting Parkinson's early.

"Milne realized she could, in essence, smell Parkinson's disease."

Photo created from Pixabay

Smell could be a key identifier of Parkinson

This article originally appeared on 12.19.17


A woman's incredible nose might help scientists detect Parkinson's earlier than ever.

Joy Milne says she was living in Perth, Scotland, with her husband Les, when she noticed that he smelled different. Milne would later describe to the BBC as a kind of heavy, musky smell. The change was subtle, but it was there none-the-less. Milne says that at the time, she nagged Les a bit about missing showers, but didn't think much more of it.

Six years later, Les was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disease that attacks brain cells, causing tremors and other mobility issues. In the United States, about one million Americans live with the disease. There are therapies that can help with the symptoms, but no cure.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

28-year-old buys cruise ship apartment because it's less than renting and he can see the world

An all-expenses-paid life for about $50,000 a year? Sounds like a deal.

A cruise ship floating on azure waters.

Living the rest of your life on a cruise ship seems like the dream of the ultra-rich. You wake up every morning and have an all-you-can-eat breakfast. Spend the afternoon hanging out by the pool or touring a fantastic city such as Rome or Dubrovnik.

At night, have a drink in the lounge watching a comedian or a jazz band, then hit the sack and do it all over again the next day. Seems too good to be true for the average person, right? Think again.

Twenty-eight-year-old Austin Wells of San Diego told CNBC that he can make it happen because it’s cheaper than living onshore in Southern California and he gets to see the world. “The thing that most excites me is I don’t have to upend my daily routine, in order to go see the world,” Wells told CNBC.

Keep ReadingShow less

New Zealand prime minister's hot mic insult helped raise $100,000.

Not every moment is our best and sometimes those not-so-great moments are caught on tape or, in Jacinda Ardern's case, over a hot mic. Ardern is the prime minister of New Zealand and recently, during a parliamentary debate, she was feeling a bit frustrated with a colleague, ACT leader David Seymour. During the exchange, Ardern turned to her deputy and muttered "arrogant prick," referencing Seymour, who was apparently on the prime minister's last nerve.

The problem was, her mic was still on and picked up the hushed insult so others could hear. Probably not her proudest moment but, to be fair, they were discussing really heavy stuff like hate-speech and immigration. She didn't let the comment hang in the air, according to RNZ. Seymour told reporters that the prime minister texted him shortly afterward to apologize.

Later, the two were photographed holding a framed copy of the parliamentary debate where the insult was hurled. Turns out they've used the moment to raise money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation by allowing people to bid on the framed debate via Trade Me.

Keep ReadingShow less
Photo by Milk Chan on Unsplash

A study examined the motivations people have for lying.

The ethics of honesty are always interesting to explore. Most of us agree that being honest is morally good, but is it important to always tell the truth, no matter what? What if the truth will only hurt someone's feelings? Is it always wrong to lie? What if a lie will save someone's life? Is there a moral difference between stretching the truth and completely demolishing it? Does it depend on why people are doing it?

The reasons people lie are many and varied, of course. But new research gives us some insights into the most common motivations for lying, and surprisingly, the findings are actually pretty heartwarming.

A study published in the Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science in October 2022 looked at the link between personality and lying motivation, as well as the most common reasons people lie. In the study, a group of 257 people were questioned about their lying frequency, lying motivations and personality traits (using the HEXACO Personality Inventory, which measures honesty-humility, emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience).

Keep ReadingShow less
Humor

Iowa sports reporter can't hide how he really feels about having to cover Iowa blizzard

'This is what you get when you ask the sports guy to come in to cover a blizzard in the morning show.'

Mark Woodley Twitter screenshot

Iowa sports reporter's hilariously sarcastic winter storm coverage.

Some people live where the air hurts their faces, and while some are perfectly happy living and playing in snowmen's favorite weather, others are not. There's nothing like being grumpy about weather you can't control, but someone having to be out in it against their will escalates the irritation to a whole new level.

When sports reporter Mark Woodley was called in to cover the weather, he seemed justifiably annoyed that his assignment was to be outside to tell people of the impending blizzard in Iowa. Woodley made it pretty clear from the moment the cameras started rolling that he was indeed not a winter weather person and the result is hilarious.

The reporter could not contain his sarcasm and questioned why he needed to be outside in the cold to tell other people not to go outside in the cold. He's not wrong. I've often wondered why we need to see a weather man hanging onto a light pole for dear life to tell the general public not to go outside in a hurricane. I guess the reporters are just as confused as we are.

Keep ReadingShow less