America loves few things as universally as The Office. To clarify, we mean the hilarious NBC mockumentary and not the place you used to go to work. The show went off the air way back in 2013. John Krasinski (perhaps better known as his character Jim Halpert), is still making the best of a bad situation for America’s amusement. Honestly, people, this guy is a national treasure.
Krasinski recently started a weekly YouTube show called Some Good News. He shares stories of heroic healthcare workers and neighbors helping neighbors. And, though staying at home, he’s not alone. The first episode saw him digitally reunite with former castmate Steve Carrell. It was a pretty teary-eyed affair. In the second episode, he and his wife Emily Blunt made a young fan’s dream come true via “Zoom bomb.” Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of Hamilton joined, too. This example has inspired others. As a result, people from Canada to Vietnam are sharing good news from lockdown as well. In that spirit, here are 10 recent uplifting true stories from around the world.
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Mandatory good news: Man Uses Bucket Truck to Visit Mom, Best Kind of Mama’s Boy
Hard check: What Is a ‘Covidiot’ and How to Know If You Are One (And What to Do If You Are)
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More Good News
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The Curve Could Be Flattening
nFirst and foremost, there are some signs that areas severely impacted by COIVD-19 may be past the worst. Italy and Spain are seeing daily death tolls drop, while New York saw the number of deaths per day decline for the first time as well.
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Free Gas for Heroes
Michigan resident Allen Marshall recently held a sign in front of an Exxon station saying, “Free gas for nurses,” according to a story on the Good News Network. Marshall saved $900 to buy a knife sharpener but decide to spend it on good karma instead.
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Volunteer Powers
When a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, found 27,000 N95 masks with rotted elastic straps, a group of volunteers stretched their collective sewing prowess. CNN shared the story of how the group repaired all the masks in a few days, getting healthcare workers vital PPE fast.
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Get Your Sweat On
Exercise is essential to staying healthy, though it can be hard while on lockdown. Luckily, tons of yoga, fitness and other experts are sharing free online sessions, so you get the blood flowing even if you can’t leave the house.
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Yas Queen
Whether you love or hate the house of Windsor — the British Royal family — you’ve got to give the Queen props for her recent speech. Boris Johnson maybe down for the count, but Elizabeth II is living up to her steely namesake’s reputation.
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A Breath of Fresh Air
Tesla’s response to COVID-19 has been as glitchy as the cars it manufacture. The company may have recently slashed employee pay by as much as 30 percent, but it's also helping save lives by repurposing car parts to make ventilators.
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That New York State of Mind
Mental health is as important as physical health, especially if you’re feeling claustrophobic in your tiny apartment or house. In New York, 6,000 mental health professionals volunteered to hold free virtual sessions for any New Yorker who needs to talk.
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The Super Moon
The Moon recently gave earthlings a rose color "atta boy" via the year’s largest supermoon. "Perigee" is the scientific name for when the moon is closest to the Earth, and a supermoon is just a cool word for a full moon during perigee.
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Free at Last
Thousands of non-violent inmates are being released from prisons across the country and the world. For them, it’s the best news ever, because COVID-19’s ravishing of U.S. prisons and jails is utterly terrifying to think about.
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Get Your Learn On
If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to build a laser or speak a new language, lockdown is the perfect time to do so. With many academic journals and educational resources tearing down their paywalls, all you need is an internet connection, eyes and ears.
