hope i didn't step on anyone's virtual toes by creating this topic! on the news a week or so ago, i learned of a new website or news program that only reports on the good things that happen. i can't remember it now, but will do some research and get the link posted here.

That's what I need :-) Good news would be very welcome at the moment :-)

local police caught the bad guy. he's suspected of robbing a lot of different stores in the shreveport/bossier area.

It's about time!!! Good news, indeed, Wolfie!!! Ooooh I got a huge package of goodies from TP today - the artist whose name will be elsewhere than here for search purposes... Whooooopeeeeeeee!!!

Sweden And Survivor Say Wallenberg May Be Alive STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat spirited away by the Red Army in 1945 after saving thousands of Jews from the Nazis, may still be alive, Sweden said on Friday. After the release of the results of 10 years of Swedish- Russian investigations, Prime Minister Goran Persson said there was no clear evidence Wallenberg was dead, and his government would try harder to find out what had happened to him. His remarks came on the same day that a top Kremlin adviser said Wallenberg was killed in 1947 in a vicious turf war between rival branches of the Soviet secret service. Wallenberg, a member of a side branch of the powerful Swedish business dynasty, saved the lives of tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews in World War Two by issuing them with Swedish passports from the Swedish embassy in Budapest. He disappeared after being seized by Soviet Red Army troops in the city in January 1945. The Soviet and Russian authorities, most recently last December, have asserted that Wallenberg died in Moscow's notorious Lubyanka prison in July 1947. But there have been persistent reports that he was alive in a Soviet gulag or psychiatric hospital, perhaps as late as 1989. If he were still alive, he would be 87. Independent consultants, who assisted the Swedish-Russian working group, presented a separate report saying that eyewitness reports indicated Wallenberg had been alive at least until 1970 and perhaps into the 1980s. However Alexander Yakovlev, a top Kremlin adviser who heads a presidential probe into Soviet repression, said in Moscow on Friday that Wallenberg was shot in 1947 by agents of the future KGB, who then tried to hide the crime from their masters. He said Wallenberg may have been arrested by Soviet troops because they wanted to tap his connections in German and U.S. intelligence which he used to save Jews from the Holocaust. Yakovlev said he believed there was no definitive order to kill Wallenberg, but he became a victim of rivalry between military intelligence and the nascent KGB. Kate Wacz, who with her mother and brother was among the Hungarian Jews given passports by Wallenberg, said she refused to give up hope. "I WANT TO THANK HIM" "Theoretically, there is always a chance he might be alive so we can thank him personally. That's what I want to do," she told Reuters. Wacz, who met Wallenberg when she was 12, recalled with shining eyes: "I was standing next to my mother when my mother was talking to him. He looked gorgeous, he looked so great, he looked so elegant, a great man for me." The Swedish members of the government-level working group, presenting their conclusions, said no evidence had been found that Wallenberg died in July 1947. "Even though all the versions from Russian sources largely assume that Raoul Wallenberg had died at that point, the working group has not uncovered any evidence to confirm a definite conclusion to this effect," they said. But a separate summary presented by the Russian half of the working group stuck to the view that he was long dead: "All the circumstantial evidence confirms that Raoul Wallenberg died, or most likely was killed, on July 17, 1947." It said Wallenberg had been executed on a charge of spying for Germany and that most documents relating to the matter had then been destroyed. It added that the Soviet governments of the time were responsible for his death and the Russian investigators now considered the matter closed. FAILURE TO SAVE HERO Persson said in a statement his government would continue to try and find out what had happened to Wallenberg, based on the assumption that he may have been alive after 1947. "As long as there is no unequivocal evidence of what happened to Wallenberg -- and this is still the case -- it cannot be said that Raoul Wallenberg is dead," he said. Extolling Wallenberg's humanitarian work, he also apologized for Sweden's failure to do more to save its hero. Friday's report said the Swedish government of the time had failed to respond to Soviet advances seeking the extradition of Soviet citizens, which could have led to Wallenberg's release. The independent consultants said the Soviet Union had approached Stockholm on several occasions after 1947, trying to exchange Wallenberg. In 1957, Moscow hinted at a trade-off involving "a man of a prominent, a very important family," said researcher Susanne Berger, one of the consultants. Persson said the main responsibility for Wallenberg rested with the Soviet government, which had ordered and carried out his disappearance from Hungary. "Nonetheless it is now clear that more energetic and purposeful action on the part of Sweden during the 1940s could have led to a more successful outcome for Raoul Wallenberg and his relatives," he said. (Additional reporting by Jonathan Lynn)

The Secretary General of the United Nations is married to Wallenberg's daughter.

How will they find out if he's still alive? Will the Soviets cooperate?

Good question - I amost interested in this. The UN has limited power, but let us hope they put an end to this travesty of justice. I'll let you know as soon as I hear further.

Thre was a great piece on Terry Gross' Fresh Air on NPR yesterday about the Cuban Missle Crisis and Kruschev and JFK were mailing letters back and forth that sometimes took up to 12 hours while the world teetered ont he brink. It was a fascinating bunch of interviews and comments.

Two teenage girls found a wallet full of money on their school grounds in Phoenix Arizona. They took the wallet to their principal who counted over $10K in cash. They called the police who took it from there. A woman claimed the wallet and the money was for the purpose of purchasing a car.

on the news today, a man was freed on account of new DNA evidence proving him innocent of a crime he spent 12 years out of a life sentence in prison for.

It was the only thing on talk radio driving to work today, Sgt Sam and the folsk on KLBJ am 590 in Austin were talking about whether these guys should be compensated. They threatened Ochoa with the death penalty if he didn't plea bargain. The other guy had his skull crushed in a prison incident and is a vegetable, he'll never get his life back. Another win for Barry Scheck, who is using DNA evidence to right the wrongs of the past. Of course he should be compensated and of course Ochoa shouldn't be chastised for giving up his co-conspirator, this was undoubtedly coerced out of him as part of the plea bargain. The real loser is the guy who got his head bashed in, they showed his tearful ex girlfriend on the local news last night, and she was lamenting how he would never have a life or a girlfriend ever again. It's a tragedy.

i'm sorry, what are you talking about? and this is for GOOD NEWS!!

Yep, wrong topic. Chief Justice about to administer the Oath of Office. Bush raises right hand, swears he will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, so help him God.

Hail to the Chief plays and Bush shakes Cheneys hand and gives dad a hug. 21 gun salute.

Now the Oath of Office. He thanks Gore. The good news is that we have a peaceful transfer of power in this country.

good news and nothing short of a miracle (and who says they don't happen anymore?) the little girl who froze--apparantly, she has suffered no brain damage and is aware of her surroundings and everything. isn't that great?

As a mother, You bet it is GREAT!!! Thanks for sharing the great news!

That's great news, probably freezing will become a lot more commonplace in prolonging life.

Yeah, very likely I would have thought. Remember the Hibernation in 2001 space odyssey? I'm looking forward to waking up on mars ten minutes later :)

does anyone know how long she was in the snow?

Nope, never got in to the details of this. Maybe something's out there on the web. This makes a good case for cryonics?

haven't been keeping up with any good news, anyone else got any?

Thanks to Bob Shannon for this pinpoint@yahoogroups.com ISSAQUAH, Wash. - An 8-year-old is credited with using the Heimlich maneuver to save his teacher when she choked on a cough drop - and the boy says he was ready to perform an emergency tracheotomy with a pen knife if the Heimlich didn't work. It's not that Austin Rosedale has had any special training. The third-grader at Sunny Hills Elementary in this east Seattle suburb learned the techniques, along with the basics of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, from diagrams on his mother's day-planner calendar. He was prepared when his computer science teacher, Charisse Precht, choked on a cough drop Friday. "She tried to do the Heimlich to herself, but it didn't work," Austin said told the Eastside Journal on Monday. "So I did it for her. I learned it from a Day-Timer. I didn't see anybody do it. I just read it." Precht had just finished writing a computer code on a white board in the computer lab when she took a cough drop and it got stuck in her throat. She says all she could do was mouth the word "help" and point to her throat. She tried pounding on her diaphragm with her fists, but the cough drop wouldn't budge. Dizzy, she dropped to her knees. "When you can't breathe, it's very terrifying," Precht said. "Someone yelled I was having a heart attack; someone else said it was a stroke. But Austin knew exactly what to do." As other children ran for help, Austin stepped behind his teacher, wrapped his arms around her chest and squeezed. On his second try, he cleared Precht's air passage. Austin, who weighs barely 60 pounds, said he must've had a rush of adrenaline to give him the strength to dislodge the cough drop. Precht said she's grateful the maneuver worked - and that Austin didn't have to try penknife surgery.

my husband was witness to some very kind folks today. we went to the hometown buffet today for lunch. on the way out, my daughter and i made a pit stop while the boys waited. when we finally caught up together, the AM told me that an older couple, who had just finished their lunch, invited another older couple into the restaurant. the clerk asked the number of adults in their party and the first guy said two. the other couple just stood there and looked at him gratefully. he said the woman was crying. you see, the second couple was homeless and had nothing to eat. there are generous and kind people out there! thank you very much, stranger, for your kindness today. they will never forget it and neither will i! and another positive note: a family's puppy got stuck in a drainage pipe. (a spuds looking dog). they got him out and put a mesh over the pipe opening to prevent it from happening again. the whole block was thrilled!!

a missing cat was returned to his owner after being missing for 6 years!! his collar was gone but he seemed to know he was home!!!!! he disappeared while being watched by a family member. signs were posted and everything. the cat reappeared in the neighbor's yard (the neighbor recognized him)!

This story isn't over yet, but a lot of people have been trying very hard to bring about a happy ending for Forgea. New twist in dog saga: Fishermen try to coax terrier off derelict tanker Mon Apr 22, 6:07 PM ET By JANIS L. MAGIN, Associated Press Writer HONOLULU - Forgea's not so sure she wants to be rescued. Fishermen sent to retrieve the frightened dog left alone for almost three weeks aboard a burned-out tanker tried to coax the 2-year-old mixed breed terrier Monday with peanut butter, using the Mandarin phrase for "Come here," a salvage company spokesman said. Crew members from two fishing vessels that reached the tanker Insiko 1907 on Sunday boarded the derelict ship, but Forgea, who spent 19 days without company after the tanker's crew was rescued by a passing cruise ship, keeps scampering away, said Rusty Nall of American Marine Corp., the company hired to find the ship and rescue the dog. "She keeps going down below decks and hiding," said Nall. "The crew can't go down below decks because of ... the condition of the ship." A fire had killed one Insiko crew member and destroyed parts of the ship. "Forgea has been alone for nearly three weeks, so it is natural that she's a little wary of the rescuers," said Hawaiian Humane Society President Pamela Burns on Monday. An announcement said the society is confident that Forgea would be taken aboard the fishing vessel later in the day. Plans were to bring her to Honolulu when the ship returns next week. Burns expressed thanks to the fishermen, adding "We are also thankful to all the people in Hawaii, the United States and the world who have expressed their support for this effort." Forgea's owner, the Taiwanese captain, and the Chinese crew of the disabled Insiko were rescued by the Norwegian Star south of Hawaii on April 2. The Indonesian tanker had been without power or communications since the March 13 fire that crippled the ship. The dog was left behind, and the Hawaiian Humane Society launched a dlrs 50,000 effort to save it. The ship was found on Saturday, 250 miles (400 kilometers) east of Johnston Island in the south Pacific. The island is 825 miles (1,325 kilometers) southwest of Honolulu. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020422/ap_wo_en_ge/pacific_dog_adrift_8 Coast Guard Oversees Dog Rescue Wed Apr 24,12:17 AM ET By JANIS L. MAGIN, Associated Press Writer HONOLULU (AP) - The Coast Guard took over the recovery of an abandoned tanker Tuesday after the vessel drifted into U.S. waters near Johnston Island with a castaway dog still aboard. The Coast Guard was sending a salvage tug on a three-day trip to assess the potential environmental danger to the island. The burned-out Indonesian tanker is "carrying more than 60,000 gallons of diesel fuel and lube oil and we don't want it to run aground and spill," said Chief Petty Officer Tyler Johnson. "It's a marine environment, so it's extremely sensitive." The tanker's proximity to the U.S. territory allows use of a federal emergency fund to deal with the tanker and the dog, he said. Capt. Gilbert Kanazawa, the Coast Guard's captain of the Honolulu port, requested an initial $25,000 from a $50 million fund authorized by the federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990. As it deals with the tanker, the Coast Guard will pick up the dog and recover the body of a crewman killed in the March 13 fire that crippled the ship, Johnson said. Then a decision will be made whether to sink the vessel or tow it to Johnston Island or to Honolulu, more than 800 miles away, he said. A third option is to allow the wind and current move the tanker past the atoll so that it is no longer a hazard. The dog, Forgea, has been alone on the tanker since April 2, when a cruise ship rescued the dog's owner, the Taiwanese captain, and 10 crew members. The 2-year-old terrier mix hid when fishermen boarded the vessel to retrieve her on Sunday and Monday. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020424/ap_on_re_us/dog_adrift_9

Bono grasps that politicians don't much like being yelled at by activists who tell them no matter what they do, it's not enough. Bono knows it's never enough, but he also knows how to say so in a way that doesn't leave his audience feeling helpless. He invites everyone into the game, in a way that makes them think they are missing something if they hold back. "After so many years in Washington," says retired Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina, whom Bono recruited to his cause, "I had met enough well-known people to quickly figure out who was genuine and who was there for show. I knew as soon as I met Bono that he was genuine. He has absolutely nothing to gain personally as a result of his work. In fact, he has opened himself to criticism because he has been willing to work with anyone to find help for these children who have taken his heart." This is not about pity. It's more about passion. Pity sees suffering and wants to ease the pain; passion sees injustice and wants to settle the score. Pity implores the powerful to pay attention; passion warns them about what will happen if they don't. The risk of pity is that it kills with kindness; the promise of passion is that it builds on the hope that the poor are fully capable of helping themselves if given the chance. In 2005 the world's poor needed no more condolences; they needed people to get interested, get mad and then get to work. from Time Magazine's Person of the Year Award for 2005 Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono were the persons of the year.