Happy Pride Month! Lately, I've been thinking about the difference between tolerating and celebrating. When you tolerate someone, it's almost as if you're forcing yourself to acknowledge they exist, even if you don't want to. But when you celebrate someone, you're letting them know you actively appreciate their existence. They're necessary. They bring something valuable to the world, just by being them. Just a thought to take through the month and beyond. Who can you celebrate?
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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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Make a joyful noise
I'm a big fan of hymns and sacred music from all faiths, so I was thrilled to get to write this story about an LGBTQ-affirming Christian hymnal. It was compiled by the Hymn Society, an institution for religious music, and features all kinds of hymns and praise songs that celebrate the gifts LGBTQ Christians bring to the table -- and acknowledges the pain that can sometimes darken their faith journeys. Works like "A Hymn for Self-Acceptance," "God of Queer, Transgressive Spaces" and "Impartial, Compassionate God" combine new verses of hope and acceptance with familiar hymn tunes. CJ Redden-Liotta, a music director who helped organize the project, says it best: "It is important for members of our community to hear their names spoken -- and sung -- in their houses of worship."
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Image credit: Robert Brantley/Instagram |
Kitten whisperer
Have you seen this video of a man finding a kitten on the side of the road -- only to be overrun by a dozen more hiding in the grass? Understandably, people are a little obsessed. The man is Robert Brantley, a professional shooter from Louisiana, and he simply couldn't contain his surprise as the adorable ambush overtook him. (If there is ever a perfect time to say "hot diggity dog," it's when a whole wave of kittens suddenly deems you their dad.) Somehow, he managed to herd all 13 cats into his car and take them home. According to NPR, people from around the country were calling to offer supplies and adopt the assertive little things. Brantley said almost all have been spoken for, and he's been posting updates about the kittens on his Instagram page.
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A meaningful sanctuary
Now this is what compassion looks like. An animal shelter in Utah is partnering with an addiction rehab center to provide short-term housing for pets whose people are going through a difficult time. The Ruff Haven Crisis Center already serves as a place where people in other kinds of crises like hospitalization or homelessness can bring their pets for a bit. Through the center's partnership with Odyssey House, Utah's largest addiction program, furry loved ones don't have to be a barrier to getting addiction help. That could mean 60 to 90 days without being able to care for a pet -- but the Crisis Center has their back. The shelter has served around 510 animals through their crisis sheltering program and more than 1,500 through other programming, like their free vaccination and microchip projects. Clients get videos and pictures while their pets are in Ruff Haven's care, so they can make sure they're thriving.
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Justine Lindsay, the first out transgender NFL cheerleader! Lindsay will take the field with the TopCats, the Carolina Panthers cheer squad, for the 2022-2023 NFL season. Her announcement also served as her coming out to many friends and family. In an Instagram post, she thanked her TopCats teammates and TopCats leadership for the support. "This is a moment I will never forget and I cannot wait to show you all what this girl has to bring," she wrote on Instagram.
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What would you do if you threw away a piece of garbage and the trash can let out a deep, carnal moan? Well, the town of Malmö, Sweden is hoping you'd ... do it again. (Personally, I would begin to develop a fear of trash cans but that's something for my therapist to deal with!) Civic-minded pedestrians that drop trash into one of two bins on the city's Davidshallsbron bridge are rewarded with sexy feedback like "Oh, right there, yes!", "Come back soon and do that again!" and "Mmm, a bit more to the left next time." The city council started the campaign to encourage people to be less dirty -- with their litter, that is. So if you see someone on the Davidshallsbron bridge staring longingly at a trash can, just let them be. They're figuring some things out.
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The hills are alive once more! Julie Andrews and some of the Von Trapp children from "The Sound of Music" had a lovely reunion when Andrews was being honored with the American Film Institute's Live Achievement Award at a Gala Tribute in Los Angeles. Duane Chase, who played Kurt, Kym Karath (Gretl), Angela Cartwright (Brigitta), Debbie Turner (Marta) and Nicholas Hammond (Friedrich) were all in attendance and, by chance or plan, made a very Von Trapp-style ensemble with their matching black and white. In a recent interview, Andrews said she was surprised by how much audiences loved the film, and that it has "stayed in people's consciousness all this time." (Fun fact: I once had the pleasure of speaking with Andrews for a story, and she was just as kind, gracious, elegant and fascinating as you'd think. She mentioned how she loves to sing in front of a live orchestra, which melted my heart even more.)
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Underwear is one of those things that you don't really think about until you need it (or until it gets too tight). Rabbi Amy Weiss, who founded the organization Undies for Everyone, has been helping people in need get clean skivvies for the last 15 years. Clean underwear is essential, and can make all the difference for someone's dignity, comfort and health. But unfortunately, the need can easily fall by the wayside. "Underwear is just an overlooked item, and it's super expensive," Weiss explains. "So, the parents who are struggling financially tend to think, 'You can't see the underwear, so it'll be okay.' " By the end of this year, Undies for Everyone will have distributed nearly 5 million pairs to children and victims of natural disasters in 16 cities across the US.
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Hahaha! 55555! Kikikiki! Wwww! The world laughs in mysterious ways. Preply, an online language learning platform, released a fascinating look into how different cultures express laughter in text. In Thai, for instance, the number "5" is often used because the word is pronounced like "haah." In Nigeria, people sometimes type LWKM instead of LOL -- "Laugh wan kill me." In Japanese, the romanization of the words for "laughter" and "smile" begin with a w, so they sometimes type "wwwww." You'll also see variations based on pronunciation, like "kha kha" in Persian or "cha cha" in Lithuanian. It all translates to the same thing: "Hey, you're pretty funny!"
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Rec of the week
Brought to you by CNN Underscored
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Shameless animal video
There's always time for cute animal videos. That time is now.
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Sometimes, I really go searching for a really good animal video, something that fits the vibe of the week. Other times, YouTube immediately serves me up a perfect little morsel in the form of a single capybara hop. An amuse-bouche, if you will. Bon appétit. (Click here to view) |
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A newsletter for the good in life
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