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 December 16, 2023

Psst ... Scottie Andrew here, subbing in for our dear AJ! Long time, no speak. Let's dive in!

'Tis the season once again for critics' "best-of lists," recounting their favorite episodes of TV, films and other phenomena from 2023. Last year, I shared with you my own list of my greatest experiences of the year — it's a fun exercise that reminds me just how bright life can be. In 2023, my list includes my favorite moviegoing experience — snort-laughing through the comedy "Bottoms" with one of my favorite people, all the way to the bottom of the biggest tub of popcorn you've ever seen. My favorite nap was when my new rescue dog snuggled up next to me for the first time — there's nothing like it. And my favorite email was one I received from my 10th-grade English teacher who stumbled upon my work. I encourage you to take stock of your year, too — what were your favorite meals, your favorite outfits, your favorite get-together with a beloved friend? At the very least, I hope you'll agree with me that, once again, the Good Stuff is the finest newsletter of this and every year.

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Our favorites this week

Get going with some of our most popular good news stories of the week

A bull that takes no bull

It’s every commuter’s nightmare: You’re waiting for your train, on your way to work, when suddenly, you hear the announcement: Your train has been delayed. Sometimes it’s due to a mechanical issue or something that appeared on the tracks. Sometimes, that something is a Texas longhorn steer who’s just as confused as you are that he’s suddenly trapped at a New Jersey train station. 

This young bull, named Ricardo, inexplicably ended up on the tracks at Newark Penn Station on Thursday. To his credit, his mysterious appearance only delayed trains for about 45 minutes, but his understandable confusion drove him into a rage: Commuter Cheryl H. told a CNN affiliate that policy and emergency personnel attempting to relocate the bull “scattered like roaches” when he charged at them. Eventually, Ricardo was tranquilized and transported to Jersey’s Skyland Animal Sanctuary, where he’ll live out the rest of his days chewing cud and growing his prodigious horns. Sanctuary founder Mike Stura believes the resourceful Ricardo escaped a local slaughterhouse and wandered onto the tracks — his own commute may have saved his life!

More weird creature emojis, please!

I’ve always said we Apple users need a flatworm emoji. And apparently, I’m not the only one! Two Italian ecologists scoured Emojipedia, the library of most commonly used emojis, found that several organism groups are underrepresented or missing entirely from the emoji collections we use every day. That’s a problem, they say, because if we’re unaware that these species exist, we’ll be far less inclined to save them. Per the researchers, tardigrades, or those eight-legged micro animals also known as water bears are missing entirely from common emoji collections, as are starfish and most fungi. (Emojipedia has just one Mario-esque toadstool in its archives.) It’s not uncommon for we humans to show more empathy toward animals whose natures are closer to our own — primates, for example, or common pets like dogs and cats, the researchers said. But throwing some unexpected species into the emoji mix, like the odd flatworm, may remind people they exist — and deserve to keep existing. 

A pair of boots for a very good pup

Meet Chloe, a darling chihuahua and devoted mother to her litter of young puppies. She’s also a survivor: Before she was rescued by Catherine Lumsden, who runs an animal shelter in Hong Kong, Chloe’s paw pads and claws were removed from all four of her legs for unknown reasons. She could hardly walk without pain, but the cost of a prosthetic or surgical procedure to ease her pain was too great for Lumsden to pay on her own. Foster parent Preeti Sharma had another idea: After taking Chloe and her puppies in, she ordered special boots from Sweden that will soften Chloe’s steps and improve her mobility. While Chloe still may need prosthetics in the future, which Sharma is fundraising for by running over 100 miles, she’ll be able to walk comfortably for the first time in her young life when the boots arrive on Christmas Day. 

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Raise a glass to...

... Tommy DeVito, a third-string quarterback who's leading the New York Giants to victory. On the field, he became an unlikely hero when he turned around the Giants’ cursed season with a three-game winning streak that started after the starting and backup quarterbacks were injured and forced DeVito into the spotlight. And off the field, the New Jersey-born footballer is a sensation for his proud embrace of his Italian-American heritage: He’s partial to chicken cutlets and cheesing to the camera while giving a “vaguely Italian pinch,” as CNN’s Leah Asmelash brilliantly put it. Whether he can continue the Giants’ momentum remains to be seen. But at the very least, he’s made himself an NFL star while still living at his parents’ house.

A bright idea

Building collisions are among the saddest ways a bird can meet its end, especially because we humans can prevent their deaths. Collisions are most common during birds’ biannual migration — birds typically migrate under the cover of darkness, but if they travel through cities with towering glass buildings whose lights are on, they can become easily confused by the lights and fly directly into those buildings. Luckily, bird-loving architects are on the case. In Chicago, the architect Jeanne Gang added fritted glass, made to look slightly opaque, to the city’s Aqua Tower to prevent the birds from seeing into the building. In some cases, preventing fatal bird collisions is as simple as applying stickers on the glass: Some buildings have added a laminate of thousands of tiny dots, which help the birds recognize the glass as a non-transparent object, or silhouettes of birds of prey to deter them from flying toward the glass. And cities like Philadelphia have joined initiatives to periodically dim city lights during weeks when migration is heaviest to let birds fly without fear. 

You gotta see this

Today, Bostonians in colonial garb will once again dump chests of loose tea into Boston Harbor — this time not to protest “taxation without representation,” but to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the scrappy act of protest that kickstarted the movement for American independence. 

Yep, the Boston Tea Party happened 250 years ago today, on December 16, 1773. Reenactors are honoring the historic event by doing it again, this time on replicas of the British ships containing 250 pounds of East India Company tea. Before the tea-dumping commences, reenactors in period-accurate coats and tricorne hats will march down the cobblestone Boston streets to the harbor playing fifes and drums — no need for sneaking in 2023 — while a town crier delivers the news straight out of 1773. 

Of course, we all missed the original Boston Tea Party, which future US President John Adams called “so bold, so daring, so firm, intrepid and inflexible.” This is the closest history buffs will get to the real thing — until the 275th or 300th anniversary, that is.

Heroes among us

Congratulations are in order for Dr. Kwane Stewart, the 2023 CNN Hero of the Year! Stewart, a veterinarian, founded the California nonprofit Project Street Vet, through which he provides free medical care for the pets of people experiencing homelessness. Healing the pets of people in need, he said, has helped heal him, too: “I’m going to get back to saving animals on my terms,” he told himself after he cared for his first homeless pet. “And I’m going to do it for passion, not for pay.”

But more funding will help Stewart expand his work to help more families and pets: As CNN’s Hero of the Year, Stewart received $100,000 to continue his work, along with $300,000 from the Elevate Prize Foundation, a nonprofit that provides unrestricted funds to local changemakers like Stewart. Now, the California vet can continue to provide care free of charge to pets with parents who are homeless in his community and even help other vets bring his cause to their own states. Bravo, Dr. Stewart!

Wanna get away?

Imagine: You're on the 18th hole of the most gorgeous golf course you've ever played in your life. You're about to tip the ball into the hole when ... okay, wow, there's an entire pride of lions approaching. Fun! Well, game's over for the day! Now stop imagining, because this is a REAL PLACE! Welcome to Kruger National Park's Skukuza Golf Club in South Africa, where lions, elephants, hyenas and other wild residents of the park are free to roam the greens of the golf course at their leisure. To prevent players from interrupting the creatures' strolls along the course, groundskeepers quickly shut down holes and continually patrol the area for wild animals. It's their home first, after all, and tourist destination second. 

Impact your world

Calling all Swifties! Taylor wants YOU to donate to a worthy cause for her birthday. The world's favorite pop idol turned 34 this year, and to honor her birthday, CNN's Impact Your World team assembled a list of causes near and dear to Ms. Swift's heart. From her continued support of the LGBTQ community to advocating for music education, Swift has used her massive megaphone to encourage her fans to support issues like these. Consider donating to one of the CNN-vetted nonprofits Swift has backed — it'll go farther than a birthday cake.

Rec of the week

Brought to you by CNN Underscored

Shameless animal video

There's always time for cute animal videos. That time is now.

These two doggy BFFs were found roaming the streets of Minneapolis. They ended up in an animal shelter where security camera footage caught Brenda, on the left, scaling the wall between their separate kennels. Watch to find out the happy ending to their story! (Click here to view)

Made with love by CNN's 5 Things team. 

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