Good Words, Good Deeds, Good News

by Meemaw

With all the bad that's in the world, maybe we could use some heartwarming news. To that end, we are introducing a column called "Good Words, Good Deeds, Good News" in the hopes that, of all the news you see, some of this might make you feel a bit better about the world. Also, many of these stories might have gotten lost amongst all of the chaos and mayhem that have clogged and besieged the nightly news feeds.

School Desks!

Since the COVID pandemic started, people have been helping others. In Georgia, USA, a school bus driver saw a need for some children to have study desks at home while the schools were closed. Michelle Minor had a background in woodworking, and made a desk for one of her sons. When she realized how inexpensive they were to make, she posted on Facebook asking if anyone would like one made for their child. By August 30th she said she had between 30 and 40 desks to make, some for paying customers, and some to donate to needy families. The effort is now called "Desks For Kids". Read more here.

In another story, Florida teachers were looking for a way to social distance in the classroom while attempting to keep the children in their seats. Their solution was to decorate the desks so they look like Jeeps with the windshield in the front. Read more here.

Family Photos!

Carol Richards was cleaning the garage when she found a suitcase full of loose photos. Amazingly, most of them were labeled, and were old photos of her husband's family. Hoping to get the photos back to family members who wanted them, she started a Facebook group called "Memories From Helen's Suitcase". Read more here.

School Supplies!

I don't know if you've heard of Chrissy Teigen, but she's a TV personality, has been a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model and even written a cookbook. She's also a mother of two (soon to be three) and is active on Twitter. She will be home schooling her daughter this year, and posted photos of the classroom they have made. Then on August 23rd, she tweeted the following: "If you are a teacher in need of supplies for the upcoming school year, please drop your Amazon wish list here, I will do as many as I can!"

On August 24th, she tweeted, "Today I cleared 50 entire lists and countless extra items were purchased from lovely people just passing through. Will do more this week and would love to focus on struggling districts and special needs. Please keep posting in this thread!" Read more here.

Fire!

Ralph, a four-year-old Great Dane, started barking strangely from his kennel one night, which woke up his owner, Derek Walker. Since Ralph was usually quiet at night, Mr. Walker got up to check and found his house on fire. Ralph started barking even before the fire alarms went off. He is credited with saving the family of four in Alabama. Read more here.

In another story, 18 year-old Justin Gavin was walking down the street when a car, on fire, passed him. He ran after it yelling "Stop your car! Your car is on fire!" When it stopped, he was able to get all four of the people out of the car (a mother and three children) before they were burned. Read more and watch the video here.

Landfill To Playground!

Fresh Kills landfill, in New York, has closed down. It used to be an ugly, smelly site which the surrounding residents hated. Now, New York State officials and nonprofits have changed it from a dump to a green outdoor space.

Closing the dump in 2001, sanitation department officials started work to control the pollution and change the area. They covered the garbage with plastic sheeting and then with tons of iron-rich soil. An added bonus is that they were able to channel the methane gas from the garbage piles to power furnaces and stoves in the Staten Island area.

The site has a total of 2,200 acres, and one 21-acre park, including the baseball diamond, handball courts, and playgrounds, will be opened next spring. They will be working on this for at least the next 15 years. Read more here.

Diabetes Cure?

The protein that causes Type 2 Diabetes has been found, and researchers are excited to one day have a cure. Type 2 Diabetes develops when the body cannot produce enough insulin or when the insulin produced does not work properly.

The structure of amyloid fibrils, a fibre-like structure that is the hallmark for Type 2 diabetes, has now been seen for the first time by scientists, according to a 2020 study. Diabetes sufferers have a specific variant of the structure that acts a certain way, which scientists believe causes the disease. Read more here.

Until next time, here's hoping you find some "good words, good deeds, and/or good news" in your lives.