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Petra
11-15-2004, 12:36 PM
Inspired by this thread (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1047) and some reflection over the last day or two at how much bad stuff I read - and my increasing kneejerk reactions to a world that seems to be disempowering so many around the glode for the power and wealth of a few. For this, I must apologise to many of you, as I'm sure you have felt personally attacked whenever I kick out at the US. Please know that I'm kicking at the powerful machine and the arseholes that drive it, not at you as diverse citizens just trying to live as well as you can, doing what you can, in your home country. I see you as separate from the "machine".

That aside, let's bring more good news in here. Perhaps some of you might like to join me in trying to bring a positive story every other day or so to this thread, so that it may become a running record of what's good and who's great out there in the world. People like Wangari Maathai, who is doing wonderful things - like saving her people through the planting of trees and uniting of community in a way that changed lives in a very tangible way.

Or like Tracey Richardson (http://www.napiermail.co.nz/this_weeks_mail/story4.htm), who has made it her mission to raise money for cystic fibrosis by participating in triathalons. She just completed the Hawaii Ironman for her cause.

The Vodafone NZ Foundation has awarded Tracey a scholarship to work for cystic fibrosis for 2005. She will work for fundraising campaigns at sporting events and will assist with keeping CF kids physically active.

“Who knows, maybe there will be a cure one day,” Tracey says. “My focus is keeping these kids active and sporty so they are able to benefit if a cure is found. No-one can cure a child that has already died of CF.”


They can be Nobel Peace Prize Winners or people in your town who are doing extraordinary things - it can be anything as long as it's positive. Dunno 'bout you, but I could use the therapy. :wink:

Petra
11-16-2004, 04:13 PM
Hmmm...

I tried to find some other good news to add to this thread. Sadly, it's not so easy to find news about good people doing extraordinary things to better our world.

Something tells me this will be a very short thread. :sadcheer:

Oh, well.

maddog
11-16-2004, 04:41 PM
Not at all. A couple of weeks ago I met Charlie's landlord, a 92-y.o. woman who lives in a small house in the barrio of our town. She's a one-woman clean-up crew. When she moved in, the house was covered with graffiti and the windows were broken out. There were two neighborhood families that were feuding and the empty house was hostile territory to both. She painted everything, and immediately fixed up the swimming pool. She invited all the neighborhood children to come swim in her pool. The fighting among the families toned down. She walks her dog along sidewalks where young men congregate; mostly black and hispanic in this neighborhood. These guys are almost assuredly gang members. She smiles and greets them, and stops and talks to them about their rights as citizens. She has a good rapport with local officers, too. Once, she heard a rumor that a gang from the next town was going to come and do battle with one of her neighborhood's gangs. She went out and talked to the young men, saying that it was so tragic that so many fine young men are lost to such senseless violence, and would they please alert the sheriff; she heard afterwards that the young men did alert the sheriff and a gang battle was averted. A couple of the kids have finished high school and gone to start college. They all call her the "mother hen of Casablanca." And she does it all on her own. She and I are going to visit Charlie tonight.

#85

Petra
11-16-2004, 04:55 PM
What a great lady, maddog!

Thanks for sharing that. Tell her I think she's marvelous. :bow:


Cheers! :super:

:yes!:

The Lone Ranger
11-17-2004, 02:45 AM
Hmmm...

I tried to find some other good news to add to this thread. Sadly, it's not so easy to find news about good people doing extraordinary things to better our world.

Something tells me this will be a very short thread. :sadcheer:

Oh, well.

Good people doing good things generally isn't considered "newsworthy."

In a way, though, I think that's encouraging. Things are "newsworthy" because they're unexpected or otherwise extraordinary. Nobody thinks to write up the fact that somebody went out of their way to help a little old lady cross the street, or that somebody returned a lost wallet (unless that wallet was stuffed full of $100 bills or something).

At times, I think it's useful to remind ourselves that when it comes down to it, most people are really quite decent. That's precisely why you don't hear it more often -- "common decency" is so commonplace that nobody thinks to mention it.

Cheers,

Michael

viscousmemories
11-17-2004, 03:08 AM
Man I desperately want some of what you're smokin', Michael. :D

Petra
11-17-2004, 03:33 AM
Yeah, really! :D


Michael, you're such a beautiful person. Your gentleness, the serenity of your vision, your altruism and kindness of thought - you humble me, my friend. :)

Thank you for being here. :hug:

dave_a
11-17-2004, 04:34 AM
Good news thread? Isn't that the "Jesus died to save you from your sins so you won't be sent to hell by Jesus' dad" message?

Petra
11-17-2004, 04:48 AM
Good news thread? Isn't that the "Jesus died to save you from your sins so you won't be sent to hell by Jesus' dad" message?

Fuck, no!!!

Where's the good news in a story like that!

:glare:

JoeP
11-17-2004, 02:03 PM
Check out Goodle (http://www.hallmundur.com/goodle/goodle.htm)

viscousmemories
11-17-2004, 05:24 PM
Check out Goodle (http://www.hallmundur.com/goodle/goodle.htm)
That's brilliant. And you'll find when you click on the links that it has about as much substance as CNN. :D

Petra
11-18-2004, 02:07 AM
LOL!

That's hysterical!

Oh, if only it were all true.

Dlanod
11-19-2004, 04:59 PM
My alma mater, Sturgeon Bay High School, won the WIAA Division 4 State Football championship last night. That certainly qualifies as good news, at least to some. This is their first state football championship and is certainly a great improvement over the lackluster teams we had when I was in school.

- Donald