[personal profile] usernamenumber
Someone on mugshot.org recently turned me on to the Good News Network: positive news stories about progressive change and people being good to one another. They range from little things like a bike theif having a change of heart and mailing his victim an apology with compensation to bigger, if largely symbolic, things like a recent op-ed by the king of Jordan about the importance of compromise in the middle east (I don't know about you, but when I think Jordan I think of the phrase "Jordanian-born terrorist Abu Musab Al-Zarquawi", which we were bombarded with for so long).

The site stirs up a lot of feelings for me. Part of me wants to feel ashamed, like it's a sign of weakness to take heart reading these stories. Part of me says that to do so is to hide from the real world, but that's stupid. I spent the weekend at my grandparents' house watching the middle east fall apart in real-time on CNN. I listen to NPR to and from work when I commute. This stuff, which sure as hell wasn't getting reported on CNN, is just as much a part of the real world as that, and damn it, we need it.

So the other part of me is really happy to be reminded that, by and large, a lot of the folks out there are OK and that the world is changing in good ways as well as bad. That's the part of me I'm choosing to listen to today and I'm glad about that. I created an lj syndication feed at [livejournal.com profile] good_news_net if anyone wants it on their flist. It's nice to have both sides of the news once in a while.

Date: 2006-07-18 09:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bester.livejournal.com
King Abdullah II of Jordan is an interesting guy. You should read his bio on Wikipedia.

Make sure to scroll all the way down. :)

Date: 2006-07-18 10:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] usernamenumber.livejournal.com
Ooooh! I remember reading about his appearance there. It was back when he was a prince, I think, but I was never sure which episode. Neat.

Plus, me likey icon.

Date: 2006-07-19 05:27 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] choose-again.livejournal.com
i love you so much.

Date: 2006-07-19 05:35 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] choose-again.livejournal.com
i have to say, i got really choked up reading the good news on my flist.

i think it is a good way for me to keep in touch with the world but with less shame for being human.

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