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 March 9, 2024

Psst ... hi! Scottie Andrew here, filling in for our dear AJ. Let's dig in!

The Oscars are airing tomorrow night, and their arrival has me reminiscing on all the beautiful moments I spent with movies last year. Seeing "Barbie" upwards of eight times in one month and discovering a new favorite line every time (my current pick is Ryan Gosling's Ken shouting "SUBLIME!"). Marveling at Emma Stone's infantile transformation in "Poor Things" and roaring when she attempts to square off against a screaming baby. Sobbing hysterically throughout the final minutes of "The Iron Claw" and feeling vindicated in my childhood obsession with Zac Efron. Rewatching classics like "The Muppet Christmas Carol" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy for the umpteenth time and still delighting in their brilliance. May 2024 continue to bring us entertainment that excites, bewilders and inspires. 

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Our favorites this week

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

A loony holiday

One typically doesn’t travel to Las Vegas to relax, but this yellow-billed loon found total solace in the cerulean waters of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino’s artificial lake. The birds are among the 10 rarest avian species in the US, and they usually stick to coastal regions — landlocked Nevada’s urban desert isn’t its ideal home. So the Bellagio powered down its famous fountain show to retrieve the little loon, one of the hotel’s “most exclusive guests,” with state wildlife officials, who released him into a more suitable environment than the center of Sin City. The bird, a healthy juvenile, lives now in a remote location with ample food, space and peaceful waters. Footage of its release showed it propelling itself into the water using its wings in a sort of “birdy paddle.” Now if only the loon could get a handle on its gambling addiction.  

Read the whole story here.

A teary farewell with tape

NFL fans and Swifties alike watched teary-eyed as longtime Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce announced his retirement from professional football this week. And though he wasn't taking the field, he made sure his trainer was there to tape his hands and ankles (typically to protect them from hard hits during games) before his farewell press conference. The tape was superficial, but it signified the end of one of the most meaningful working relationships of Kelce's career. Eagles trainer Joe O'Pella has exercised, rehabbed, and bonded with Kelce over 13 years, spending countless nights on each other's couches and watching each other build families. Due to a strict chemotherapy regimen to combat cancer, though, O'Pella couldn't make it to Kelce's last regular season game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. So Kelce asked O'Pella to share in his final moments as an Eagle, taping up his extremities for one of the most emotional moments in his career. All season long, Kelce supported O'Pella after the trainer received his cancer diagnosis — offering his vacation home for getaways, sending meals when O'Pella's family was too exhausted to cook, and checking in on O'Pella after long rounds of chemo. The pair were more like brothers than colleagues, O'Pella said: "That’s who he is as a person.” O'Pella plans to stand by Kelce's side even in retirement, even if there's no need for tape.

Read the whole story here.

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Raise a glass to...

… Australian journalist Ursula Heger, who kept her cool while a royally P.O.’d bird dug its pointy little feet into her scalp nine times during her live shot. Ever the professional, Heger calmly recited a breaking news report from her phone, ignoring her aerial attacker. The bird flitted to and fro too quickly to be identified, and its motive remains unknown. An aversion to news, perhaps? A phobia of tousled hair? A desire to appear on live TV? When the shot was over, and the winged menace abandoned his pursuit, Heger and her cameraman collapsed into giggles. “One of the most ridiculous moments of my life,” she quipped. “Ridiculous” probably isn’t what the bird was going for. 

A bright idea

Would-be genealogical sleuths who believe their ancestors hailed from Ireland have likely been stumped for years — countless records in Dublin’s Public Records Office were lost in a catastrophic fire in the 1920s, leaving gaping holes in descendents’ family trees. Ancestry, a leading genealogy company, has recovered millions of records that could contain keys to fill in family trees — thanks to none other than Guinness, Dublin’s hometown brewery. Guinness’ archive contained 1.6 million records, most of them employee records or trade ledgers that contained identifying information about Dubliners who worked for Guinness as well as pub owners across the UK who stocked Guinness at their bars. Guinness has been a central hub of Dublin since its founding in 1759 — at one point in time, 1 in 30 Dubliners worked for the brewery (whose perks included, among more substantial benefits, a free pint of Guinness per day for employees of age). Its archives, then, are uniquely detailed and rich sources that span centuries. Cheers to Guinness for connecting countless Irish descendants with their histories — and so close to St. Patrick’s Day! 

Read the whole story here.

You gotta see this

Regular readers of this newsletter will remember the several mentions of golf courses that share their land with native animal species — but at one Australian golf club, the animals were uninvited guests. A mob of kangaroos — dozens of them — interrupted golfers at the fourth hole of Victoria’s Heritage Golf and Country Club. One or two roos on the green may not be irregular in Australia, but waiting for upwards of 100 of them to hop by is about as rare as a hole-in-one. Aussie golfer Stephen Roche, who witnessed the parade of marsupials, called the sight a “fair dinkum stampede" and quietly asked them to not step on his ball. The roos, clearly running late for an appointment somewhere else in the outback, obliged. 

Read the whole story here.

Wanna get away?

If you're not tied to your current place of residence, why not consider a change? Cities and towns throughout the US are offering to pay folks thousands of dollars to relocate and take jobs in a new locale, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Rochester, New York. It's a win-win for cities and transplants: New residents help promote a healthy local economy, and those who move get a sizable stipend. What the areas lack in population density they make up for in access to nature, job availability and affordable housing. A program in West Virginia offers free passes to rock climbing and ziplining, among other outdoorsy activities that take advantage of the state's mountainous landscape, and a relocation package worth $20,000. Alaska even offers cash incentives to residents who already live in the state to get them to stay and enjoy its otherworldly, subarctic beauty.

To your health

Get your steps in, folks! Racking up between 9,000 and 10,000 steps per day can lower your risk of early death by nearly 40%, even if you’re sedentary for most of the day, according to a new study. That’s great news for those of us parked behind a desk for eight-plus hours on weekdays — that post- or pre-work walk is working. While health experts still recommend that we all get up and move throughout the day, the results show that “all movement matters,” lead author Dr. Matthew Ahmadi said, and upping your daily step count can earn you more than a few achievement badges on your smart watch. Walk on!

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.

A motion-activated outdoor camera that captures wildlife activity was overtaken by this diva bear who snapped 400 glamour shots. (Click here to view.)

Made with love by CNN's 5 Things team. 

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