Last weekend I was in Walt Disney World for the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend, dressed, as always, like the geodesic wonder that is the Epcot Ball. See, a fun thing about long races is they give you plenty of time to contemplate your life choices. You get to ask yourself the hard questions like, "Why did I think this was a good idea?" or "Will my feet ever not hurt again?" or "Who knew highway off-ramps were so ... sloped?!" You also get plenty of time to absorb the roughly one-hour-long loop of cheerful Disney tracks they play during the event. While just one more repeat of "Happy Little Working Song" from "Enchanted" may set me loose like a long-dormant sleeper agent, I have to admit, I started taking the lyrics of Shakira's "Zootopia" hit "Try Everything" to heart. I'll keep on making these new mistakes, she sings. New mistakes! What a wonderful idea. What joyful evidence that you tried something, and whether or not you succeeded, you learned. What new mistakes can we make today? If there's something you'd like to see here, drop us a line. Know someone who could use a little Good Stuff? Send them a copy! We hope you love it as much as we do. |
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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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Muppet magic
Megan Piphus Peace had a dream, and made it happen. The self-trained ventriloquist and puppeteer grew up watching puppets on her favorite kids' shows, including the iconic creatures of "Sesame Street." She carried the passion with her, learning the basics from a church puppet group and even earning the nickname the "Valedictorian Ventriloquist" after showing off her skills during her high school graduation ceremony. Now, she's the voice of 6-year-old Gabrielle on "Sesame Street," and the first Black woman puppeteer in the show's more than 50-year history. "Puppets allow us to enter the imagination of a child," Piphus Peace told CNN. "You think of a child playing. Their toys can talk. Their cars can move. So you're speaking their imaginative and creative language when you're allowing a puppet to come to life." |
No ketchup puns here, because being lost at sea must be terrifying
Listen, if you survive several weeks lost at sea, you are allowed to make whatever expression you want once you're rescued. Elvis Francois braved 24 days in the waters of the Caribbean last December after his boat pulled away from the shores of St. Martin during some repairs. The sailor from Dominica managed to survive off a bottle of ketchup, garlic powder and seasoning cubes he mixed with water. He was rescued after a plane spotted his sailboat with "help" engraved into the hull, according to Colombian authorities. Now, a very unexpected entity is trying to locate the resilient boatman: Heinz! The condiment company has started a social media campaign to locate Francois and furnish him with a new boat, complete with navigational technology. Whether or not the deal will include ketchup -- and whether Francois would even want any more after his ordeal -- remains to be seen. |
Pride is beautiful
Sydney is playing host to WorldPride, a biennial LGBTQ event that marks the biggest estimated gathering in the Australian city since the 2000 Olympic Games. The colorful celebration of love and identity has been especially important for the country's Aboriginal LGBTQ populations. At a temporary Aboriginal gathering space dubbed Marri Madung Butbut — or "Many Brave Hearts" in the language of Sydney's indigenous Gadigal people, indigenous drag queens got to strut their stuff and reclaim the identities for which they have been historically endangered and marginalized. During a beauty competition, one performer with the stage name Lasey Dunaman told the crowd that her performance persona has helped her to be surer of her own identity. The contestant's outfits were specifically designed to showcase their heritage, and Dunaman described her flame-emblazoned black gown. "I call this 'Koori Pride Rising,'" she said, referring to a demonym for Aboriginal people from Victoria. "It's for rising from the ashes, into a world of love and hope." |
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After seeing this recreation of a humpback whale feeding technique, it's no wonder our ancestors told tales of horrifying sea monsters. Scientists are still puzzling over the technique, in which whales swim to the surface of the ocean, open their mouths into a gaping yawn with their upper jaw sitting just below the water's surface, and wait for hoards of fish to swim in. Until recently, scientists thought this was a relatively new development in the realm of Weird Ways Whales Eat. However, new research shows it may have been observed and recorded by our distant ancestors — knowledge that was buried in ancient texts and folklore. One such example is in a 13th-century Old Norse manuscript, where the whales may have been described as a seemingly mystical being called the "hafgufa." |
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CNN Hero Teresa Gray and members of her nonprofit, Mobile Medics International, traveled 5,500 miles to Turkey to help out in the aftermath of February's devastating earthquake. Her team treated hundreds of people during their 10-day mission and befriended interpreters and other locals caught in the excruciating space between survivor and helper. Meanwhile, rival managers and leading figures from the world of soccer, including Kylian Mbappé, Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Ruud Gullit, Mikel Arteta, and Arsène Wenger, helped raise 845.7 million Turkish liras ($44.8 million) in a single day through a televised relief fundraiser. |
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The aurora borealis and the aurora australis (the northern and southern lights, respectively) are two of the world's greatest wonders. But do you actually know how they're formed? Auroras are caused by activity on the sun that emits electrified gas and particles into space. When these electrified particles reach magnetic field lines at the north and south poles, which usually takes around three days, they enter into Earth's atmosphere. Once there, the particles interact with gases in the atmosphere, producing different colored light in the sky. Oxygen gives off green, the most commonly seen color, as well as red light. Nitrogen glows blue and purple, according to NASA. While they're usually only visible near the Arctic and Antarctica, recently people have been spotting them as far away as Colorado and New South Wales. Above is a dreamy shot from Souter Lighthouse in South Shields, in the northeast of England. |
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Rec of the week Brought to you by CNN Underscored |
'Daisy Jones & The Six' hair and makeup artists share products and tips to get the '70s look With the 'Daisy Jones & The Six' TV show adaptation finally hitting our screens, the '70s are back in full force. Underscored caught up with the show's hair and makeup artists to help fans recreate some of the characters' iconic looks that'll unleash your inner rockstar. |
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Shameless animal video There's always time for cute animal videos. That time is now. |
I'm starting to be convinced every type of animal can be cute. Take this silk moth, for example. Delightful. (Click here to view) |
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