Hello — Scottie Andrew here, filling in for dear AJ. She'll be back next week!
As you're likely aware, there's a little movie called "Barbie" premiering next week. And as you've also probably noticed from its promotional materials, "Barbie" is absolutely dripping in pink. It's an oft-misunderstood color and a divisive one, typically deemed a frilly and feminine hue. But pink has gone through a reappraisal in recent years, which is likely why director Greta Gerwig chose to paint so much of her movie with it. Pink has been reclaimed as a symbol of power for breast cancer awareness and feminist campaigns, though the color belongs to everyone. Per the color authority Pantone, pink is "slightly aloof, it won’t be pinned down. Being both feminine and masculine, modern and playful, refined and expressive, it’s this enigmatic quality that keeps the conversation going." Not to mention, pink looks stunning on everyone who wears it, in shades from subtle "millennial pink" to vivid magenta. Even if you're not feeling the Ken-ergy ahead of "Barbie's" release, I hope you'll give pink a chance.
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Our favorites this week
Get going with some of our most popular good news stories of the week
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Crochet gone cray-cray
This silly gem from our AJ made me chortle several times. The Good Stuff's ever-inventive founder tasked the AI program ChatGPT with churning out crochet patterns and instructions to see whether the program could capably create something beyond its usual prompts. The results were, naturally, bizarre! AJ asked ChatGPT to create a crochet pattern for a banana. ChatGPT instructed her to make two yellow balls. Not quite right! Baby Yoda came out as a little green ball with two ears, one of them brown. AJ had to ask the program for five versions of a "flat heart" because each was worse when the last (ChatGPT never quite got it). So for those worried that AI might one day replace creators, fear not — these programs might know how to spit out a serviceable essay about "Catcher in the Rye," but they can't quite crack the arts.
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Finding love in a chocolate shop
All great love stories should start with chocolate. The romance between American Marty Kovalsky and Belgian chocolatier Myriam Van Zeebroeck kicked off that way when the traveler with a sweet tooth moseyed into the Brussels chocolate shop where Van Zeebroeck worked. The first time they met, Kovalsky left with 100 grams of chocolate and a major crush. Five visits later, after a kiss and a brief tour of Brussels, Kovalsky scribbled his American address on a US dollar and promised to write. Distance kept them apart for years, and both started seeing other people in their respective countries. Nearly a decade after meeting and years of sending each other letters, the then-friends decided to give a romantic relationship a real shot. Love motivated Van Zeebroeck to leave her life in Brussels to follow Kovalsky to California. They married within months of her arrival, and 30 years later, the pair are still just as smitten with each other and with the Belgian chocolate that brought them together. They recently visited the Brussels chocolate shop, which is still enchanting tourists all these years later. “You never know where you might meet the love of your life," Van Zeebroeck told CNN. Eat your heart out, Juliette Binoche!
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This California sea otter is an absolute renegade with a real aversion to surfers. This 5-year-old fugitive has been kicking surfers off their surfboards and swimming away with the boards. She has the US Fish and Wildlife Service on her tail — her behavior indicates she's lost her fear of humans, either due to hormonal surges or feeding from the people who visit her Pacific Ocean home. Surfer Joon Lee told the New York Times that the conniving otter, called 841 by her former caretakers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, approached his board, bit the leash that kept Lee tethered to the board and began to pull the board apart with her sharp teeth, which otters typically use to nosh on sea urchins, clams and mussels. Lee relinquished the surfboard to 841, who remains at large. Once wildlife rescuers find her, they'll re-home her so she'll have a safer life in a new habitat — away from humans and their pesky surfboards.
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We all like to flex our fashion sense and personality through the clothes we wear, but the textile industry is one of the worst offenders when it comes to waste and pollution. France has a solution to convince them to stop spending more on tees and sneakers — the country will start subsidizing repairs to clothing and shoes so that those items last longer and end up in landfills less often. French fashion plates who participate could get 25 Euros back if they get their shoes resoled instead of shelling out for a new pair, and the government will cover small stitch-up jobs for 6 Euros. Making old items new again is always in season — as is having a sustainable wardrobe. Ahem, US, your move!
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We here at the Good Stuff love US national parks — they're gorgeous, natural and usually far cheaper to visit than, say, Disney World during peak season. But if you've visited Yellowstone or Zion only to find yourself stuck in a crowd of tourists, consider these campsites that are quite literally off the beaten path. You can't drive to the Dry Tortugas, one of the least-visited national parks, but you can hop on a ferry from Key West, Florida, and camp out on the middle of a tiny, verdant key in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Or, if you'd rather visit the National Park Service's greatest hits, consider a few miles hiking past waterfalls at Yosemite to sleep under the stars at the Little Yosemite Valley campsite (pictured above). It's not easy to reach these destinations, and at least one — Haleakala National Park's Palikū campsite in Maui — can see overnight temperatures drop below freezing, but if you're seeking a quiet, unique national park excursion, camping in seclusion might be the way to go. Just don't forget your water or bear spray!
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Speaking of "Barbie" ... I just learned that the doll's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts and that she shares her first name with the daughter of Ruth Handler, the toymaker behind Barbie. She's been an astronaut, a pop star, a veterinarian and a presidential candidate — over 200 jobs in all. Kenneth Carson (or, as we know him, simply Ken) was introduced a few years after Barbie as her love interest (though, Mattel notes, the two have had an epic on-again, off-again relationship over their decades together). His resume boasts fewer careers than Barbie but several busts (heard of "Earring Magic Ken?"), though he's due for a comeback upon the new film's release. I find it so fascinating and funny that Mattel has dreamt up rich histories for these dolls — like, it's official canon that Ken is a Pisces, hails from the fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin, and spent almost a decade trying to win Barbie back (he finally succeeded on Valentine's Day in 2011 after the two "reconnected" on the "set" of "Toy Story 3"). It's plastic nonsense and I love it.
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Elsewhere at CNN, friend of the Good Stuff Christina Zdanowicz (that's her above!) is looking to tell readers' stories of hope, joy and healing. Here's more from Christina:
CNN is opening the floor to hear your positive stories. We’re looking to share your stories about good Samaritans, random acts of kindness, young people doing good and stories of people overcoming great odds — in your life or in your community. Share your heartwarming stories with us, and we may reach out so we can spread the positive news. Click here to write in.
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Are there people in your community doing great things who deserve a shoutout? Send us an email with a photo and a short description and they could be featured here. |
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Rec of the week
Brought to you by CNN Underscored
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From our testing last month: Top picks you need to make life better
CNN Underscored is constantly testing products — be those digital cameras, espresso machines or solar chargers — to find the absolute best in each respective category. Here are the winning products from last month.
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Shameless animal video
There's always time for cute animal videos. That time is now.
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This curious koala joey can hardly keep still, so when it's time to weigh him, zookeepers let him cling to a stuffed animal version of his mom. (Click here to watch.) |
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