Happy, Funny and Positive News Stories Options

[afterglow]

There is so much sadness, violence and horror in the world news at the moment. While these things are "news", there is only so much I can take of them before I need to hear something positive to get some balance.

So I though this might be a good spot to share some good news stories, whether they be funny, something that made you happy or just a positive story that brightened your day a bit (nothing vindictive please).

So here goes!

Husband's kiss woke 'sleeping beauty wife' in coma after heart attack

After two weeks sitting by his wife's bedside hoping she would wake from a coma, Andrew Ray was at his wits' end.

Doctors had told him Emma could become a real-life sleeping beauty when she failed to regain consciousness after a heart attack.

The distraught father of two played her tapes of their baby son crying and their daughter shouting 'wake up Mummy!'.

Finally, in desperation, he leant over her hospital bed and pleaded: 'Emma, if you can hear me, please just give me a kiss.'

'What happened next was beyond my wildest dreams,' he said. 'She turned her head towards mine, puckered up her lips and gave me a little kiss.

'I couldn't believe it. My heart felt like it was going to leap from my chest - it suddenly felt like a huge weight had been lifted.'

The kiss was witnessed by doctors who were astonished by the 34-year-old's sudden response.

Mrs Ray had suffered the heart attack just ten days after giving birth to her son.

Her horrified husband had to give her mouth-to-mouth after she collapsed while they were out shopping. She was taken to hospital where doctors were able to restart her heart but warned she could remain in a coma indefinitely.

Mr Ray said a doctor told him: 'She could wake up the following day, she could wake up in a month, or you may be left with a sleeping beauty.'

The IT consultant from Telford, Shropshire, tried to rouse his wife by playing recordings of their baby son Alexander and toddler Ella.

He said: 'I would play Emma the sounds of Alexander crying and gurgling, Ella singing and shouting "Wake up Mummy!".

'I even played her recordings of the songs we had danced to during our wedding.

'I would speak softly to her, clasp her hand, pinch her fingers, all the time telling her I loved her or begging her to wake up. By the time I asked her to kiss me I was approaching my wits' end.'

However, the kiss was just the start of an agonising battle for Mrs Ray, who continued to drift in and out of consciousness.

Her brain had been starved of oxygen when her heart stopped beating and the resulting injury left her with short-term memory loss.

Mrs Ray was transferred from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital to a specialist brain injury rehabilitation unit at the Hayward Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent.

She was eventually allowed home but now - almost two years later - the former IT consultant still needs ongoing rehabilitation for the brain damage she suffered.

Doctors believe her heart attack may have been caused by a blood clot after her son Alexander, now two, was delivered by Caesarean section.

She had been to see a GP the night before her cardiac arrest, complaining of palpitations, but was told it was probably down to a minor infection.

Mrs Ray said: 'The recovery is awful because I have so little memory.

'I would wish above all else to be well, to walk unaided and to have my memory back.

'I would love to remember what I've done each day. Andrew helps me to do everything. Without him I don't know how I'd cope.'

Mr Ray said he was just grateful his wife had survived. He said: 'She can walk quite well holding hands now, and at least our kids still have a mother and I still have a wife.'

[*Butterfly Dreams*]

thats sad - but sweet.... what a great man

[kisma]

I think this is a great idea. Unfortunately most news stories only portray not so nice things, and most arent even the full truth, which in turn makes you think there is nothing good happening out there and the world is shit. Which isnt true.

[indigo]

A bittersweet story, but such a fantastic illustration of how love can conquer all if you allow it into your life.

Thanks Annie for a positive story. I think that whilst we all give commentary about the bad things that happen in this world, the amount of threads in the forum and the way they've been highlighted in bold or capitals or read morosely ATM is really making it feel like a negative place too.

I think that threads like this are a step in the right direction.

[squidge]

This is a great idea for a thread I know that there are monsters and idiots out there and lately I'm sick of reading about them. Thanks for starting this positive post!

[Allee]

You must have read my mind, I was just thinking about starting something like this this morning! We need more happy news..

The story about the man and his wife is so sweet.

Here's my happy news article..

Gay penguins celebrate fatherhood, wedding

08:00 AEST Wed Jan 28 2009

Two gay penguins have been given a wedding ceremony as a reward for their exceptional parenting skills.

The inseparable couple at China's Polarland Zoo were originally shunned for stealing chick eggs from fellow "heterosexual" penguins but have proved their nurturing skills with abandoned eggs, The Sun has reported.

"We decided to give them two eggs from another couple whose hatching ability had been poor and they’ve turned out to be the best parents in the whole zoo," a keeper from the Harbin zoo was quoted as saying.

"They have been a good couple and deserved their reward."

Their reward was a lavish wedding ceremony — complete with a soundtrack of the 'Wedding March' and a banquet of spring fish.

One was dressed in a tie while the other sported a red jacket.

The happy couple is not the first to defy penguins' tradition of lifelong "straight" partnerships.

A pair of chinstrap penguins at New York's Central Park Zoo made headlines in 2004 for their "ecstatic behavior" including entwining their necks, singing to each other and having sex.

Silo and Roy were devoted to each other for six years, even trying to incubate a rock by sitting on it.

When zookeepers gave them a real egg to look after they successfully raised a female chick, Tango.

[afterglow]

So cute Allee!

Secretary of State Clinton Meets Afghan Women Lawyers

Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton met today at the State Department with fourteen prominent Afghan women judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys. These jurists were in Washington to participate in a training program arranged by the Department’s Public-Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan. Secretary Clinton told them: "Your American friends greatly admire your bravery and courage. It is your work in the tough environment of Afghanistan for women lawyers that will bring real reform and the rule of law to the Afghan people. As President Obama made clear yesterday in his first foreign policy announcement, we are committed to supporting your efforts to bring security and stability to your country."

Under the leadership of the former Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, Dr. Kerry Healey, and United States District Judge Stephen G. Larson of the Central District of California, the women participated in two weeks of intensive legal seminars, roundtable events, and consultations with senior officials from the State of California and the U.S. government, including former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. The women explored current topics in the Afghan and American legal systems, legal decision-making and mediation, domestic violence, family and mental health, and narcotics law, while gaining hands-on exposure to the American judicial system.

What a tough job these women have. It's great to see the US supporting them.

[jantastic]

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24961392-13762,00.html

HE stalks the night preying on undies left unsuspectingly on clothes lines and in laundry baskets. Lithe and agile, he leaps fences to get his wily paws on socks, swimmers, shirts, dresses - even dolls.

But it is no pervert at the centre of Mosman's missing panties mystery.

After months of curiosity and clothes disappearing from across the suburb, the cat burglar has been revealed as, well, a cat.

His name is Cisco, a six-year-old Tonkinese cat owned by Dalton Rd resident Peter Hand.

"It just started a few months ago, Cisco kept bringing in all manner of items," Mr Hand said.

"People were wondering where their things were getting to."

Besides undies, there have been cleaning mitts, garden gloves, a pin cushion and children's toys.

The blue-eyed cat drags the booty down a side path, through the cat door and up to Mr Hand's bedroom. But now the secret is out.

"I've been trying to find the owners. One lady asked if I had her swimmers," real estate buyers agent Mr Hand said. "She was delighted to get them back."

Cat psychic Scott King said the cat is an animal that can teach us to get in touch with our creative self.

"The fact that Mr Hand's cat is stealing possessions, particularly underwear, is a sign that it's time for him to start listening to his dreams."

Time for the cat to start listening to its dreams

[kisma]

the amount of threads in the forum and the way they've been highlighted in bold or capitals or read morosely ATM is really making it feel like a negative place too.

Fully agree with this. That is the last thing that should be bolded and therefor really bought to peoples attention. I wish people wouldnt do it.

[squidge]

Fully agree with this. That is the last thing that should be bolded and therefor really bought to peoples attention. I wish people wouldnt do it.

I third this. The big huge capital letters makes it stand out even more and it's not really something we want to read about right now. *SIGH*

[afterglow]

Time for the cat to start listening to its dreams

Hilarious

New PMS Warning Service

ONE hundred thousand men have joined an online service that warns when their partner's PMS is about to hit.

PMSBuddy.com, the brainchild of a 28-year-old bloke whose mates were too often in cycle-related strife, is designed for men who have a darling of a partner for three weeks of the month – and a demon for the rest.

The reminders include pithy messages of encouragement such as "She's on yellow - tread carefully, fella" - as well as tips for how men can mitigate the damage.

It tells men never to ask if a woman has PMS, and if all else fails to buy flowers, deemed to be "kryptonite to PMS".

Championing itself on the catchcry, "saving relationships one month at a time", the website also features a "national alert level" indicator for the US, showing how many women have PMS each day as well as the "overall threat index" on a scale of 1-4.

CEO and founder Jordan Eisenberg developed PMSbuddy.com after friends talked about the world-class diplomacy men needed to bring up the topic of PMS with their partners.

"It's hard for guys to know if they did something to piss off their lady and hard to remember when PMS is, and always awkward to confront and ask the question without coming off like a jerk," he told news.com.au.

“One of the guys actually kept track in his daily planner, and from there we decided to automate this process and offer it to the masses."

He admits that while functionality is first and foremost, some women may find the idea of their cycles being "tracked" a tad offensive.

"Certainly some do," says Eisenberg. "But the majority do feel it is helpful, and the remainder at least get a kick and a laugh out of it.

"Those in relationships have been overwhelmingly supportive and many have actually signed themselves up to warn their boyfriends (or) husbands. If anything, we feel we can minimise unnecessary fights by allowing men to offer some slack."

PMSBuddy started nine months ago and is now tracking the menstrual cycles of more than 100,000 women worldwide, including 4000 in Australia and 1000 in New Zealand via the site and a Facebook application.

Eisenberg has received hundreds of emails of praise from both men and women, he said.

And if the online forums are anything to go by, it has certainly stirred some controversy.

Both women and men have written in with stories of PMS experiences, including one male who describes the once monthly bus that shows up to take his wife "to crazy town", and another who suggests all males should "just go and play golf" for a week.

Eisenberg says the site's fan base is growing rapidly and has plans to launch an iPhone application in the immediate future.

[kisma]

Haha thats funny as Afterglow. Although im not to sure about buying a lady flowers, esp if you dont normally do it and there isnt really a reason. I fear that either a) she will be pissed you spent money on them or b ) will suspect something is up......

[L's Angel]

Great thread Annie, thanks. I've given up watching the news on TV because it's always full of horrible, sad things.

at the PMS alert - My H2b couldn't mistake when it's a danger week, he notices whether I take my pill each night or not - If I forget he actually asks me - So he knows when it's a bad week, he also would notice by the fact that I basically curl up in a ball on the couch for days! But for guys who are less observant, could be a marriage saver

I'll keep an eye out for stories worth sharing.

[*Butterfly Dreams*]

I really enjoyed the story on the news the other night about the animals at the melbourn Aquariam. During the heat wave they were given frozen ice blocks etc. It showed the otters with theirs and the fish forzen inside - they were having a ball - very cute

Fully agree with this. That is the last thing that should be bolded and therefor really bought to peoples attention. I wish people wouldnt do it.

Agree to a certain extent. The stories that i came across I just purely could not believe it - i think i was so sickened and in shock when i posted it the anger led to bold and capitals.

But this thread is great to keep our minds on the more positive things in life

[jantastic]

Isn't it fascinating, different people's takes on stories?

I actually find that story quite sad BL. really really sad.