Another day, another story found

Aha! In my ongoing quest to find more needles of happiness in the grim haystack of news today, I happened upon some more good stories to share. I have to admit that it is an interesting, and almost disheartening challenge at times to sift through a mass of headlines hurtling sadness toward me to catch glimpse of that one possibly positive story. But when I find it, wow does it feel great! Kind of like when I wake up in the morning preparing myself for yet another day of work but then I suddenly remember it is Saturday. Finding these stories offers me a happy little thrill because I know that I am about to discover something to celebrate. So, here are the smiles that visited me today:

Omaha Nebraska: Three people, two of whom have battled to overcome serious obstacles have joined together to help make a dream come true at the Special Olympics. Brian Bader cannot hear nor can he speak but he is an athlete in the area of power lifting (Very strong!). His coach Ed Reindardt, a special olympics coach for 2 decades, struggles to communicate with him but obviously is dedicated to seeing Brian succeed. Enter Amy Eidenmiller, a volunteer at the Special Olympics. Amy, who is blind, knows sign language and her ability to sign Ed's communication to Brian has made a world of difference in Ed's ability to coach Brian to success. He competes tomorrow! Talk about a dream team.

Gulf Coast: Kevin Costner takes on the oil spill! It turns out that 20 years ago actor Kevin Costner developed a concern about the environmental danger an oil spill from off shore rigs could pose to the coast. He was concerned enough to start his own company to develop technology to clean up oil infested water. His company developed a centrifuge that can actually separate oil from water and then return the clean water back to the ocean. Strangely enough, the centrifuge was developed to the required standards for actual usage (as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency) only days before the BP oil spill. BP has purchase 32 so far and the Federal Government is poised to purchase them as well. Look out oil, here comes Kevin and his magic machines.

La Gloria, Columbia: El Biblioburro - "The Donkey Library" is the invention of a man named Luis Soriano. He is a primary school teacher who believes that children's success is tied to their ability to read. So for the last 10 years he has set out with a mobile library, bags of books loaded onto the backs of two donkeys , headed into the rural parts of the region. Many children do not have access to schools or books but he brings the access to them. His collection continues to grow, the children and the adults in these remote areas love the program and he hasn't had a problem with people not returning the books to the donkeys. He is also currently working on building an actual library.


Hmm...after jotting these notes down I find myself rather chipper! Hope this infused a little happy into your day too!