Not All News is Bad!

Seven-year-old Anu from the UK showed her new prosthetic blade to her classmates at school and received the warmest welcome. (BBC Midlands Today)

Source: Watch the heartwarming video of a little girl showing her friends her new prosthetic leg – The Washington Post

I’d like to think that most of us would be as accepting as this little girl’s classmates.

We needed a quick learner; one small enough to fit into the nooks and crannies cats hide in. Mostly, we needed a dog with no desire whatsoever to chase cats

Source: Experience: my dog rescues cats | Life and style | The Guardian

Service dogs, and that they can be so well trained to a specific task, are pretty amazing. I love this one just because it seems so counter-intuitive … and yet it brings real comfort to people.

The mother soon realized that it was for her own good.

Source: Let’s pay tribute to the airline that did everything in its power to help a mother in need | Newsner

Again, I suspect that things similar – though perhaps not as extreme – as this happen every day. Particularly on Southwest, it would appear. 🙂

Just wanted to share a good story about some amazing people! – via Facebook

Returning a wallet is probably pretty commonplace. What’s impressive – and I suspect also more commonplace than most people realize – is the cash left alone. Clearly it means a lot to the person who lost it.

Thanks to internet wizardry and relinking, the majority of dead web pages will smoothly redirect you to another screen, making error 404 pages a thing of the past. But some do slip through these systems and tech companies want to make sure your screen of frustration ends in the best possible result for the company — and Amazon has chosen dogs as a way to provide this.

Source: Amazon’s 404 Error Pages Are Pup-Licious

Needless to say we learned of Amazon’s pet-friendly workplace after stumbling into Rufus on their website years ago. Since then they’ve elected to showcase random employee dogs on their 404 “page not found” page. And we’re very pleased to see several Corgis. 🙂

Abuse rates dropped about 2 percent a year over a decade, survey finds

Source: Are Bullies Getting Run Out of U.S. Schools? | Health Care | US News

This story speaks to me in large part because I was bullied in grade school. That it’s in a decline is good news indeed.

Source: Meet Jules Mountain, the cancer survivor who conquered the Everest Avalanche

From the aptronym department comes a pretty amazing story of survival, survival, and ultimate conquest.

Airports can be a stressful place. Wendy and Harley, mini therapy horses, hope to calm the nerves of anxious fliers. HUMANKIND

Source: Mini horses help calm nervous travelers at airport

I can’t help but wonder if Corgis wouldn’t do as admirable a job. 🙂

A new device that’s powered by sunlight could help solve water scarcity problems.

Source: How to Pull Water Out of Thin Air, Even in the Driest Parts of the Globe – MIT Technology Review

Not surprisingly technological advancements are of great interest to me. I also think I’ve mentioned how huge an opportunity providing potable water is in terms of world health. Here’s an interesting development that combines the two in a simple, and hopefully cost-effective manner.

LUTZ At the Lutz Cemetery, Andrew Lumish kneeled in the grass over a World War II veteran’s grave. Under a gray sky, he used a soft bristle brush to scrub the headstone.

Source: ‘Good Cemeterian’ volunteers to restore veterans’ headstones | Tampa Bay Times

Quoting the linked article:

He has restored almost all the veterans’ monuments at Lutz Cemetery. He intends to go to cemeteries that he hasn’t visited yet, to search for more veterans’ graves.

When he finds one, he will kneel in the grass for as long as it takes to restore the stone above the veteran’s body.

Then, he will do what he usually does when he has finished restoring a veteran’s monument.

“I thank them for their service,” he said, “and walk away.”

Very inspiring.