(picture via The Urban Daily)
I remember watching the local newscast one night many years ago. It was Friday evening and the end of a long week of what seemed like only bad news. By the end of the week in the newsroom there was a shared feeling of needing to talk about something good. The newscast that night started with the news anchors explaining that they were also sick and tired of all the bad news and that night the first segment of the news broadcast was being devoted to good news stories. The stories of politics, war and disaster would have to wait until the second news segment after the commercial break.
I wish that, unless a major story is developing and has to be told right away, the first segment of the Friday supper newscast would start with nothing but good stories. We know the kind of news that will eventually be reported, but what a great tradition that could be, to have your Friday evening news start with good news. There is only so much depressing, bad and stressful news that we can take.
So, with that happy memory in mind, I thought I would end this week with some good news stories.
I know this story of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords will have been in the news for a day or two by the time this posts but miracles and the power of love and friendship are always a great way to start.
OK, I admit this next news story is good news for me! But it’s also good for my fellow Canadians. Because I can no longer just go out shopping when I feel like it, the internet has been a great help in finding what I need. Living in Canada, I try to get what I want from Canadian online stores but I have ordered from U.S. sites.
However…if I find something I want from a U.S. site, one of two things happen. They ship to Canada and I’m paying extra for the duty or *sniff* the store does not ship internationally.
But…Target is coming to Canada! I sooooo hope that this means more stores will either be coming here or they will start to ship to Canada. I know that there is a site or two where you can rent U.S. addresses. You buy from online stores that don’t ship internationally and the U.S. address company will take care of shipping to where you live. I don’t know anyone who has used this option. I’d rather not have more people with my credit information. Just please make it easier to ship internationally.
OK, I’m off my little soap box. Here’s the link to the Target story.
Do you think you’re a genius? Of course you are. The good news? This article from BBC News Magazine that tells us we are and here’s the last paragraph from the article to inspire us.
Our abilities are not set in genetic stone. They are soft and sculptable, far into adulthood. With humility, with hope, and with extraordinary determination, greatness is something to which any kid – of any age – can aspire.
For the final story, I found a website called ZooBorns and it is about newborn animals from zoos and aquariums from around the world. In December 2010, two cheetah cubs were born to separate moms at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va. In the wild, if a cheetah has a litter of one, called a singleton, the cub is usually left to die as the mom does not produce enough milk to feed just one cub. The scientists at SCBI are trying an alternative way to have both cubs survive called cross-fostering. Cross-fostering has been successful in only a few North American institutions.
What the scientists did was hand raise the first cub for 13 days. The cub was then placed with the second newborn which created a litter of two for the second mom. The scientists are hoping that by adding the second cub, the new mom will produce enough milk to feed both cubs.
Here’s the article and some awww pictures of cheetah cubs.
Hope you enjoyed some good news stories. Have a great weekend everyone!
