What kind of Halloween person are you? I am absolutely NOT a scary Halloween person. (Basically, I'm the pumpkin on the fair right above. Isn't it the cutest?! Our designers rock.) Some people can absolutely pull off the cool Gothic skulls and cobwebs, or settle down with a good slasher film marathon. Then there are the giant skeleton decoration lovers and their cousins, the giant inflatable lawn decoration lovers. I'm more of a pile of pumpkins on the front lawn, single throw pillow with a cute spider on it kind of girl. Whatever your style, have a great Halloween this week, and remember our holiday rules: Don't add to the population, don't take away from it, and end the day with the same number of limbs with which you began. Boo!
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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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Made for each other
Bret Michaels, meet, uh ... Bret Michaels! The famed rocker has adopted a dog that not only shares his name but is something of a canine hero. The 6-year-old Husky was under the care of the Nebraska Humane Society and was able to donate blood to a tiny kitten at the same shelter who was in desperate need after contracting flea anemia. The story caught the attention of Michaels, who just days earlier had posted a tribute on social media in honor of his late dog, Phoenix. Michaels, the human, decided to adopt Michaels, the dog. He also took to social media to find a home for the kitten. "My friends - meet li’l Bret Michaels, the husky and also Roses & Thorn, the kitten he saved along with the incredible human beings & staff that worked so hard to save & improve pet lives," the caption read. "It takes a village of awesomeness & now I have a new mission…to find an incredible home for the kitten!"
Read the whole story here.
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Nourishing the future
Beans are an extremely important crop in many parts of Africa, providing necessary protein for millions on the continent and also serving as a key source of income for farmers. Climate change is threatening the sustainability of such crops, but a very cool group is fighting to keep them thriving. The Pan-African Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) has facilitated the research, development, and distribution of over 650 new bean varieties across Africa. (650!!! New? Bean varieties?!!) In September, PABRA was awarded the $100,000 African Food Prize for its work to improve food security and incomes for farmers. Let's get back to the bean varieties, though, because that's astounding. Crop diversity is an important agriculture goal, and from sugar beans in Zambia to snap beans in Nigeria, 32 countries across Africa have seen improved and varied beans reach their markets. This amazing achievement also sent me down a bean rabbit hole, because really, 650 bean varieties. According to bean experts, there are more than 400 current varieties of beans. Here's some more information if you, too, have just had your bean horizons widened.
Read the whole story here.
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Lean into it
A new study suggests listening to your favorite melancholy songs may actually make you less sad. Well, sometimes. In the small 63-person study, subjects listened to some of their favorite music, as well as some pre-chosen relaxing tunes, while in discomfort. When rating their experiences, people were more likely to report feeling less pain when listening to their favorite songs compared with hearing the unfamiliar relaxing song or silence. Makes sense, right? But when researchers interviewed the participants, they found people who listened to bittersweet and moving songs felt less pain than when they listened to songs with calming or cheerful themes. People who listened to bittersweet songs also reported more chills — the thrill and shivers you get on your skin from listening to pleasurable music. Just something to remember the next time you crave a little musical wallowing session.
Read the whole story here.
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Traditional medical imaging — used to diagnose, monitor or treat certain medical conditions — has long struggled to get clear pictures of patients with dark skin, according to experts. It's obviously something that needs a fix, and new research could provide an answer. Basically, melanin — the pigment that makes darker skin dark — affects skin's photoacoustic signals, and current technology can't handle that very well, producing dark, noisy patches in images called "clutter." Scientists have found using “short-lag spatial coherence beamforming," a technique already used in ultrasounds, is much less sensitive to melanin differences. The applications of photoacoustic technology vary, but with the researchers’ new developments, it may help diagnose health issues more accurately and equitably.
Read the whole story here.
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Get your voting fingers ready, because it's almost CNN Heroes season! All year, CNN Heroes has shared the stories of everyday people who are making the world a better place. Next week, Anderson Cooper will reveal the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2023, and we'll be learning more about them throughout the next few weeks leading up to CNN's Annual All-Star Tribute in December. What is it like being a CNN Hero? Before the big reveal, CNN asked last year's Top 10 honorees how they felt being recognized for their work on the world stage:
Nora El-Khouri Spencer, who helps women build new lives through construction careers: "Just having that cohort of wonderful people, the
other heroes doing incredible things in the world that I can lean on and call
my friends is the best part."
Meymuna Hussein-Cattan, who nourishes and supports refugees: "You've done so much in this world for others that this is your opportunity to receive."
Richard Casper, a Marine vet who's using art to heal others: "There's gonna be a fire set inside you that is gonna make you even work harder and have a bigger vision."
Read up on this year's CNN Heroes here, and watch for the reveal of this year's honorees this Wednesday on CNN. We'll start diving into their stories in The Good Stuff next week.
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I am a little obsessed with this article about fascinating wildflowers in the US. Did you know the Sneezeweed, a cheery yellow-petaled bloom, doesn't actually make you sneeze? Or that the aptly named giant red paintbrush flower saps nutrients, parasite-like, from plants around it? In honor of Halloween, we have to talk about the black swallow-wort. A truly black flower with a fittingly creepy name, the black swallow-wort smothers as it grows, and can grow so thick that it renders electric fences ineffective.
Read the whole story here.
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Rec of the week
Brought to you by CNN Underscored
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We found 47 great 5-star gifts on Amazon
If you're not sure where to start when it comes to shopping gifts, Amazon is a great place to start. We’ve rounded up the best Amazon gifts across beauty, tech, home and fashion that will put a smile on everyone's faces.
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Shameless animal video
There's always time for cute animal videos. That time is now.
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A Halloween reminder that bats are actually cute and good for the environment, as are most spiders — even the giant black and yellow one that lurks outside my basement door! At least, that's what I'm telling myself. We have an agreement. Anyway, here's a bat eating a banana. (Click here to view) |
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