Saturday, November 5, 2022 |
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Did you know you can get goats to help clean up your overgrown yard? One of our editors, Brandon Griggs, just hired a small herd of goats to devour the poison ivy infesting his suburban Atlanta yard. The goats – nine of them! – munch foliage voraciously and come with a mini-donkey, named Guinevere, who protects them against coyotes. Brandon has spent much of the week watching them out the window, saying, “it’s better than Netflix.” Just look at them! Such industrious little creatures. If only farm animals could help out with ALL our chores. Well, at least any that don't require opposable thumbs.
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Image credit: Courtesy Brandon Griggs |
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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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Friends are always in fashion
On the surface, Annie Korzen and Mackenzie Morrison don't exactly seem like birds of a death. Korzen, 83, is a longtime actor from Los Angeles. Morrison, 31, is a freelance writer from New York who's had a multitude of different jobs. But a chance encounter at a charity event led them to discover they're practically soulmates. Aside from their mutual love for vintage clothing, and their shared values and interests, something just clicked. When Korzen decided she wanted to try out posting videos on social media, Morrison suggested she try TikTok, and offered to film. With her help, Korzen now has almost 400,000 followers who love her style and her colorful, charming storytelling. Korzen has also helped Morrison keep her confidence through some hard times in her life. Their whole story is so heartwarming, so give it a full read here.
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Where the bison roam
The tiny city of Quitaque, Texas was struggling. Its population had dwindled to just about 300, and once-thriving businesses sat empty and forgotten. But a new step in bison conservation efforts has led to a beautiful revitalization. Bison were nearly hunted to extinction in Texas the 1870s, and state and local organizations have been trying to boost their numbers ever since. At the urging of residents in Quitaque in the late 1990s, the small herd was transported to nearby Caprock Canyons State Park. However, the herd could only be viewed from a distance. In 2011, the bison were allowed to move about freely around 700 acres, and their presence brought a flood of new tourism into Quitaque. Now, not only do the bison have a safe place to thrive (and be admired), but Quitaque is growing. They host all kinds of bison-related events, and were even deemed the Bison Capital of Texas in 2015. Residents say it's a powerful example of two icons of the American West, helping each other survive.
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The big cheese
This year's World Cheese Awards brought together 4,434 cheeses from 42 countries, where they were sniffed, prodded and savored by 250 international judges. (And, hopefully, were accompanied with plenty of roughage.) Now, picking a favorite cheese is probably about as difficult as picking a favorite child, but it has to be done. (For the cheese, not the children.) This year's top prize went to Le Gruyère AOP surchoix, entered by Swiss cheese maker Vorderfultigen and affineur (refiner) Gourmino. Gruyere is a mature cheese made of cow's milk, and the winning confection was describe as a "really refined, hand-crafted cheese that melts on the tongue and has notes of herbs, fruits and leather." OK! Coming in second place was a Gorgonzola Dolce DOP, a soft, blue buttery cheese made by De' Magi from Italy.
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Former Miss Argentina Mariana Varela and former Miss Puerto Rico Fabiola Valentín, who have secretly tied the knot! The two beauty queens met at the 2020 Miss Grand International competition, where they both reached the Top 10. The two appeared to remain close friends on social media after the competition, but recently revealed to their delighted fans that they were dating the whole time! Varela and Valentín shared an adorable video of their relationship on social media, ending with a shot of them outside the San Juan city courthouse at the end of October, wife and wife.
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Back in the day, I worked for the delightful Robin Meade of HLN's "Morning Express." And no matter how grumpy we were, hearing her daily greeting of "Good morning, sunshine!" always made us smile. Apparently, it makes the actual sun smile, too. A NASA observatory captured this unusual image, which shows coronal holes making up a grin that is either very cheery or very eerie, depending on how you see it. Coronal holes are patches on the sun's surface that are cooler than surrounding areas. Thus, they appear darker. I personally think it's adorable. It's as if the sun's rooting for us. Who wouldn't want a little celestial encouragement?
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CNN has chosen the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2022! For the next few weeks, we'll be highlighting each of these incredible people who are using their unique skills and experiences to make the world a better place. Read all of their stories here.
Teresa Gray, an Alaskan paramedic-turned-nurse who gathered a group of volunteers and traveled thousands of miles to care for Ukrainians fleeing the war in their country. Her nonprofit, Mobile Medics International, dispatches medical teams to provide care and comfort to victims of natural disasters and refugee crises around the world. Read Teresa's story here.
Bobby Wilson, an urban farmer who has taught thousands of people how to grow their own vegetables through his organization, Metro Atlanta Urban Farm. He used his retirement savings to turn five acres into a green oasis that helps underprivileged communities. During the pandemic, Wilson helped to feed more than 25,000 families and assisted struggling local farmers. Read Bobby's story here.
Daily voting is now open to determine the CNN Hero of the Year, so cast your vote before the big reveal on Sunday, December 11th!
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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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I learned two fun aardvark facts this week: The word "aardvark" is Afrikaans for "earth pig." Also, their little snoot is very soft and covered in fine hair. Since we just got done talking about goats, why not combine the two? (Click here to view) |
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A newsletter for the good in life |
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