Saturday, October 1, 2022
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Scottie Andrew here, filling in for our dear AJ. Let's get into the good.
I’ve spent most of this week nervously monitoring Hurricane Ian and its aftermath, wishing I could will the storm away from my Floridian family members in its path. It’s too soon to understand the extent of the damage and how many people it’s impacted, and it’s easy to let your mind wander to the worst. But it’s been heartening, too, to see all the regular folks doing extraordinary things in Ian’s wake – volunteers who headed into the storm and stuck around after it ended to save lives and restore a semblance of normalcy after a life-upending event. The morning after the storm passed, my mom called to tell me that even though tree limbs had broken through patios and detritus littered the streets, the backyard birds had started chirping again, faintly, and the sun was creeping out from behind the gray. When nature indicates that it's beginning to heal, I know that we'll soon join it in rebuilding.
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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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A heroic on-air rescue
One of many remarkable examples of compassion and courage amid Hurricane Ian came courtesy of CNN affiliate WESH 2: Tony Atkins, a reporter at the Orlando station, was broadcasting live from a flooded intersection early Thursday morning. When he noticed a sedan behind him had stalled in the floodwaters, he paused his report and waded in waist-high water over to its driver. Hanging off the side of her car door, nurse Tonya McCullough handed Atkins her purse, which he dutifully held above the water, and climbed on Atkins' back. When they reached a safe spot, Atkins carefully set McCullough on her feet and she quickly headed off to work — she was driving to begin her shift when she got stuck in the flood — and Atkins calmly returned to his report. McCullough caught up with Atkins on Friday and dropped off thank-you letters from her grandchildren for saving her from the storm. Oh, and all of this happened during Atkins' first time covering a hurricane. Talk about service journalism!
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A viral Facebook challenge does good
If you had a Facebook account in 2014, then you must remember the Ice Bucket Challenge (and probably had to complete it at one point). It went like this: You’d be tagged by a friend to either drop a bucket of ice water on your head OR donate to the ALS Association (or both). The trend raised awareness of ALS, a neurodegenerative disease that impacts the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movement, and, crucially, $115 million for the ALS Association. Almost a decade later, the Ice Bucket Challenge is throwing cold water on the idea that ALS is untreatable: The FDA has approved a new drug to treat the disease, after millions of dollars raised through the challenge were used to fund a study of the drug. It’s still not clear how effective the drug is in treating ALS symptoms, but ALS patients have been eagerly awaiting its approval for some time. All this, thanks to a viral Facebook challenge!
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A monument to honor overlooked veterans
Despite their involvement in every military conflict since the country's founding, Black American soldiers' contributions have often been overlooked or minimized. The African American Veterans Monument seeks to rectify that erasure by spotlighting Black veterans and active-duty military members. Located in Buffalo, New York, it's the first monument solely devoted to Black service members. The monument's design is simple but meaningful: It consists of 12 pillars, each representing a major war the US has fought, and they're placed in a way that represents both the location and point in time during which the conflicts occurred. And on top of each pillar sits a light, a symbol of the candles loved ones would leave burning in their windows to guide the service members home. “This monument gives us an opportunity to not only commemorate, but also to educate ourselves and future generations about the contributions and sacrifices African Americans have made to the American ideals of freedom, liberty and justice – not just for some, but for all," University of Buffalo sociology professor Brenda Moore said at its dedication ceremony.
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... John Cena – wrestler, comedian, meme generator, rapper, invisible man and now, world record holder! Cena just made history with the most wishes granted through the Make-A-Wish Foundation – he's had a meaningful 650 encounters with children with critical illnesses. He’s been a Make-a-Wish granter since 2002, just three years after his professional wrestling debut. His star has only risen since then, but he always makes time to meet with his youngest fans, often with his championship belts in tow. Per the foundation, he’s one of the celebrities kids request to meet the most. And who could blame them – it's truly commendable to spend so many years brightening the days of so many children. We don't have a belt to bestow upon him here at the Good Stuff, but he's a world-champion nice guy in our book.
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Megan Thee Stallion wants you to take care of yourself. She knows, like we all do, that mental health challenges can feel insurmountable — yep, even legendary "hot girls" get down in the dumps. Meg puts it more poetically on her new website, "Bad B*****s Have Bad Days Too," which is chock-full of mental health resources for her fans. From lists of free therapy organizations that cater to LGBTQ patients and people of color, to crisis helplines and substance abuse-specific guidance, Megan Thee Mental Health Advocate wants to help her listeners find the help they seek. She's been open about her own experiences of depression and anxiety, even rapping about it on "Traumazine," her newest album heavily influenced by her personal challenges. Think of her new resource as a comforting hug from one of your favorite artists.
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No, the above photograph is not that of a malevolent wishing star or the explosion of the Death Star — it's the aftermath of a NASA spacecraft purposely crashing into an asteroid! The über-advanced James Webb Space Telescope captured the impact when NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (or DART) spacecraft slammed into an asteroid named Dimorphos. This space rock didn't pose a threat to us Earthlings, but it did present NASA scientists with a perfect opportunity to test its planetary defense systems should an asteroid ever come too close for comfort. "Armageddon," this was not, but it sure looked cool from the Webb telescope! For more on the particulars of the mission and its impact, read CNN's Ashley Strickland on what one NASA expert called a "new era of humankind."
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Attention, leaf peepers across the continental US: CNN Travel has assembled a cross-country list of scenic drives for your autumnal sojourning. I’m talking burnt orange and firetruck-red leaves, sloping roads that wrap around mountains, brisk winds and plenty of charming small-town stops for pumpkin-flavored goods. From the stunning slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the South to the historic covered bridge byways of Iowa, there are plenty of routes to take for your fall foliage fix.
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"My mother used to say a long time ago, whenever there would be a catastrophe that was in the movies or on the air, 'Always look for the helpers. There will always be helpers, just on the sidelines.' If you look for the helpers, you'll know that there's hope."
- Fred Rogers (AKA Mr. Rogers), in an interview with the Television Academy before his death in 2003. The many helpers aiding victims of Hurricane Ian are certainly generating a great deal of hope.
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As far as we know, former President James Madison was not a flutist. (He does have some musical cred, as he's a character in the second act of "Hamilton," but I digress.) And yet, Madison was once gifted an ornate, personalized flute made of crystal by a French flute maker. The instrument was crafted over 200 years ago, and only a handful of living people had ever heard the crystal flute make a sound — until earlier this week, when Lizzo, in an unexpected collaboration with the Library of Congress, whipped out Madison's historic flute at her DC concert and played a few fluttery notes on it. Lizzo is, of course, an accomplished flutist, among other talents, so this was an ideal match. After she delicately blew a few seconds of music from the crystal flute, she carefully returned it to Library staff and proudly declared history to be "freaking cool." A 200-year-old flute can still bring an audience to its feet!
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As we learn more about the damage done by Hurricane Ian, CNN's Impact Your World team has organized a list of vetted groups on the ground in southwest Florida, working to rescue and rebuild.
If you or your loved ones live in areas affected by the storm, CNN has compiled helpful information for its aftermath, including the following tips:
- If you've evacuated, don't return home until local officials have said it's absolutely safe.
- If your home is flooded or you hear odd sounds, leave immediately. It's dangerous to remain in an unstable structure.
- Prevent electrocution in a flooded home by turning off the main power from a dry location. Never turn off the main power while standing in water.
- Never use a portable generator inside your home -- they can cause carbon monoxide poisoning when used incorrectly.
For more on how to protect yourself after a hurricane and what to do if you've lost power, click here.
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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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Behold, a downy baby albatross. They're a miraculous bird — they mate for life, can spend months at sea and don't even need to flap their massive wings to remain airborne. This chick doesn't know just how impressive it'll grow up to be — it's content just being cute. (Click here to watch.)
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A newsletter for the good in life
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