July 23, 2022

When you're around children, you end up saying combinations of words that no normal person has ever said before. Things like, "You can play with the Spanish dagger after you eat your dinner," or "Yes, Chesterfield is a lovely name for the taxidermied rat!" (Maybe I just don't have a very child-friendly house?) But amid that chaotic energy, kids have a way of showing you the purest acts of love. There's something unique about a child's wisdom; a reminder that kindness can be as instinctual as, say, the need to find the most dangerous object in the room and put it one's mouth.

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Our favorites this week

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

The incredible Brandons
I was so honored to work on a story recently about a 9-year-old who helped turn the phrase "Let's Go Brandon" into something positive. "Let's Go Brandon" is a coded phrase for "F*** Joe Biden." (It's a long story, explained here.) But when Brandon Brundidge saw the slogan all over Texas during a trip this spring, he thought it was for him! His mother, children's author and media figure Sheletta Brundidge, turned his innocent assumption into a book to encourage kids with autism. (Brandon and two of his siblings have the condition.) The book was so charming, it even got the attention of NASCAR driver Brandon Brown, who invited Brandon and his family to a race. Brown found himself at the center of the "Let's Go Brandon" controversy against his will, and was ready to give the phrase a new meaning. At the race, the two Brandons became fast friends, and Sheletta Brundidge was thrilled to see such important autism advocacy front and center. Brundidge says her faith leads her in her work, and I underlined something she said while we were talking: "God doesn't work when everything is perfect. God works when everything is impossible."

Checkers for a cause
Outside of a shopping center in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, 10-year-old Valeria Yezhova awaits her next opponent. She has been challenging strangers to checkers games in order to raise money for the Ukrainian army. Oh, and she's also a literal champion checkers player -- the world and European Champion for her age group, to be exact. That doesn't deter passersby who are eager to sit with her to contribute to a good cause, get mercilessly routed on the board, or just meet the young girl who has become a sensation in her home country. She has raised hundreds of dollars to donate to a foundation run by celebrity activist Serhiy Prytula, which secures humanitarian aid and equipment for Ukraine's military. "You would rather lose to her, she is doing a great job helping the Ukrainian army. She has probably touched the whole of Ukraine," says one of her thwarted challengers."These children are a great example of how we can help each other," says another.

The Earth is all that lasts
Joel Sartore is on a grand mission to photograph all 20,000 animal species in captivity (note that captivity here means in human care). The photographer said he got the idea while working for National Geographic, when he witnessed with his own eyes how quickly wildlife populations can diminish. He calls the project his "desperate, last-ditch attempt to try to get the public to pay attention." So far, he has captured 13,000 images for what he calls the National Geographic Photo Ark. There are more than an estimated 2 million species around the planet, so Sartore knows his goal only covers a tiny sliver of the world's wonders. But it's something. And by focusing on little-known, critically endangered animals like the spoon-billed sandpiper or the last-known surviving Rabbs' fringe-limbed tree frog, he can show people exactly what we are losing when we neglect the Earth's cries for help. Check out the full story for charming, wonder-sparking photos and videos of chameleons, tarsiers, primates and more.

Raise a glass to...

Crystal Dunn, who won $146,000 from the Kentucky Lottery and put it to good use. After finding out about her winnings, Dunn went on a bit of a shopping spree -- but the haul wasn't for her. She headed to Meijer, a supermarket chain, where she bought $2,000 in gift cards and randomly handed them out to people in the store. "A few were taken back, thinking I was wanting something in return," Dunn said in a press release. But Dunn said she got a "gift" and believes "in paying it forward and I wanted to pass it along."

You gotta see this

Whenever a super rare lobster nabs headlines, you best believe we'll be on the story! This beautiful orange gal is Cheddar, and she arrived in a shipment at a Red Lobster restaurant in Hollywood, Florida. She was saved from becoming someone's date night dinner when staffers noted her extremely unusual coloring. They called Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach, who sent two members of its husbandry team to inspect the citrus-hued crustacean. Sure enough, they identified her as an orange lobster -- a one in 30 million find. Cheddar has now found a new forever home at the aquarium, whose staff said they are grateful the Red Lobster team recognized how special she was. And yes, she was named "Cheddar" after Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits!)

Wanna get away?

Ooh, this one will make your toes tingle. The Messner Mountain Museum Corones is embedded high in the side of Kronplatz Mountain in the Italian Dolomites, offering a spectacular, not-for-the-faint-hearted view of the Alps. The museum is one of CNN Travel's best remote museums that are worth the trip. Mountaineer Reinhold Messner was the first known climber to ascend all 14 peaks over 8,000 meters, and he started this museum project in his native South Tyrol in northern Italy. It now has six different locations around the country, but none are quite as grand as this one. The inside contains exhibits devoted to traditional alpinism, and gives the mountain a much-needed travel boost during the summer off-season. It was also designed by pioneering architect Zaha Hadid, who by sheer serendipity we have gotten to honor two weeks in a row. Love it.

Hear, hear!

Whenever you can, go out into the rain!

- actress Drew Barrymore, in a recent Instagram post in which she laughs, face upturned, in a summer shower. A lot of people found her joy inspiring, but others found it a bit odd. And to those people I say, don't yuck someone else's yum! When times are bad, you'll be happy you remembered how to glory in the simple things.