9 good things that happened around the world this week

Dec 20 2017, 5:03 am

Every time we try to catch up on the news, negative stories constantly seem to dominate the headlines. There’s a reason why we say some things “restore our faith in humanity” – it’s because we rarely get exposed to the wealth of good things happening around us everyday.

That’s why every week, we bring you a roundup of some of the good things that happened around the world to help brighten your day.

Here are nine positive things that happened last week that you should know about (in no particular order):

1. Hundreds of cats and dogs find loving owners at adoption event

Nearly 524 cats and dogs found loving homes at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ (ASPCA) event in Sanford, North Carolina. Over 3,500 people attended the event and all of the animals were adopted.

2. Giant panda takes a bubble bath

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Tian Tian the giant panda really enjoyed his bubble bath and it was all caught on camera. The panda lives at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and he will be turning 19-years-old this summer. Tian Tian was treated to a bubble bath by staff at the zoo and he seems to have loved it.

3. Environmentally friendly cutlery is completely edible

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Every year millions of pieces of plastic cutlery end up in landfills. Luckily, one company out of India has a solution to stop the waste. Bakey’s Food in Hyderabad, India, has introduced edible spoons to replace plastic ones. The spoons are made from a mixture of grains and they come in different flavours such as ginger, garlic and mint. The spoons have a shelf life of three years and if you really don’t want to eat them, you can throw them out because they are decomposable.

4. Police officer walks home elderly dementia patient

Image: Charles County Sheriff's Office/ Facebook

Image: Charles County Sheriff’s Office/ Facebook

A Maryland police officer is being credited for his kindness after he helped walk an 81-year-old woman with dementia back home. The woman’s daughter called police after her mom did not come home from her walk. Five officers were sent to the woods to look for the woman and found her. When the officers first approached her she was confused but then she asked them if they were going for a walk too. They told her they were enjoying a stroll. The woman proceeded to let them know that she had lost her way. That is when Officer Morrison took her hand and walked her back to her house with the other officers.

5. Farmer gives away his harvest to feed the hungry

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Jonathan Lawler has operated a 36-acre sustainable produce farm for the past seven years. Now, he wants to give back to his community in central Indiana. Lawler has turned his farm into a non-profit organization and has partnered up with the local food bank to supply farm fresh food to those in need.

6. ‘Depressed dog’ finds loving home

Last week, Fox29 reporter Dawn Timmeney posted a story about a lonely shelter dog on Facebook. The pit bull, named March, has been staying at the Animal Care & Control Team of Philadelphia (ACCTP) for a while. The dog was supposed to be rescued but the potential adopters changed their minds. Life at the shelter began to take its toll on March and he became depressed. Timmeney captured a photo of the dog huddled in the corner of his kennel, looking extremely sad. The story of March went viral, and touched many people including a local rescue team that decided to adopt the pit bull.

7. Alzheimers patients use graffiti to get creative

Alzheimers patients are using art therapy in the form of graffiti to get creative. A program in Denver, Colorado, called Granny Does Graffiti allows seniors with the disease to express their artistic side by creating murals on city walls. “We know arts can access different parts of the brain where words maybe won’t. So participating in programs like this opens up memories and pathways in the brain for people to get creative, explore and engage,” said Kera Magarill of the Colorado Alzheimers Association.

8. Brother asks sister with cancer to be his date for high school dance

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AJ was excited to attend his high school formal dance. The 15-year-old from South Dakota decided to ask his little sister Rebekah to be his date. She was diagnosed with MDS, a form of pre-leukemia, when she was six and it is unclear how long left she has to live. AJ wanted to take Rebekah so she could be part of his special night.

9. German orchestra performs in Jordan for Syrian refugees

Syrian refugees in Jordan got a visit from a German orchestra. The Junges Ensemble Berlin performed for the children and held a workshop for them so they could learn how to play some instruments. “Each week when we meet, we experience how, through the music, we listen to each other, approach each other, and communicate with each other,” said Anke Jaspers, a violinist with the Junges Ensemble.

DH Vancouver StaffDH Vancouver Staff

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