2022 was a year full of big crises. But it was more than that: there are many successes, positive developments and heart-warming stories that deserve more attention than they got. We’ve collected this good news for you – and found so much that we couldn’t possibly fit all of it in our magazine.
Here are seven pieces of good news from the last year:
1. Bartender surprised BY A $4,000 tip
A generous customer at the Chances Dance Hall in Cleburne, Texas, bought a round of drinks for everyone at the bar and then left a tip of $4,000. bartenderBarkeeper(in)Bartender Chelsea Lantrip said: “I didn’t believe it until it went through the credit card machine. I still didn’t believe it until it hit the bank.”
Lantrip, a single parentAlleinerziehende(r)single parent who to live from paycheck to paycheckvon der Hand in den Mund lebenlives from paycheck to paycheck, is thrilled to have the money now to help her son pay his college fees. “I believe in guardian angelSchutzengelguardian angels,” she said. “I believe in people coming into your life at the right time that you need them. And she was definitely one of them.”
2. Equal pay for sportspeople
From this season onwards, the US men’s and women’s soccer (N. Am.)europ. Fußballsoccer teams will be paid equally. Under a revolutionary new contract, players on both teams will receive the same pay and will have the same working conditions. They will also share any prize money from the FIFA World Cup.
This historic agreement has been to hail sth.etw. begrüßenhailed as a landmark victorybahnbrechender Erfolglandmark victory for equality in sport, helping to create a more to create a level playing fieldfaire Bedingungen / gleiche Voraussetzungen schaffenlevel playing field between the sexes.
3. Bookstores are booming!
After years of tough (and unfair) competition from online marketplaces, it’s good to hear that there are more independent bookstores in the US than ever. The American Booksellers Association (ABA) says it now has 2,010 members at 2,547 locations – 300 more than it had in 2021, and the most members it has had in years.
The ABA has historically had a predominantlyüberwiegendpredominantly white membership, so it was pleased to announce that there was greater racial diversity among the owners of new stores.
4. A cure for HIV?
A team of researchers in the US announced this year that they have possibly cured a woman of HIV for the first time. Four years after receiving a cutting-edgeinnovativcutting-edge stem-cell transplantStammzellentransplantationstem-cell transplant, the woman remains asymptomatic and healthy. The doctors are speaking of the patient as being “in to be in remissionrückläufig seinremission” rather than “cured”, as they cannot be sure of the longer-term outcome.
The woman joins a group of three men who had previously received the same diagnosis – that their HIV status seemed to have been to reverse sth.etw. rückgängig machenreversed.
The doctors are now cautiously optimistic that this new treatment will be a viableumsetzbarviable option for more patients next year.
5. A prescription to the park
In a new initiative to help improve the mental and physical health of their patients, doctors in four Canadian provinces can now to prescribe sth.etw. verschreibenprescribe a free pass to national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areaMeeresschutzgebietmarine conservation areas.
Studies have found that spending time in nature can reduce chronic diseases, improve mentalpsychischmental health and even help children to succeed in life. There’s an additional benefit for the environment, too: when we feel more connected to nature, we’re more likely to protect it. So, a prescription to the park is a win-win.
6. Afro swim caps approved
at (long) lastendlichAt long last, a swimming cap for afro hair has been to approve sth.etw. genehmigen, zulassenapproved by FINA, the sport’s international governing body. Finally, young Black swimmers can take part in top-level competitions, such as the Olympics, and protect their hair at the same time.
Conventional caps are too small to accommodate bigger afro styles or dreadlocks, and can’t be used with the oils that are needed to protect drier afro hair from the chlorineChlorchlorine in pool water.
The designers of the new cap described the decision in September as “a huge step in the right direction”. They said: “We’re excited to see the future of a sport that’s becoming more inclusive.”
7. Erasing hate
Corey Fleischer from Montreal, Canada, is wage (a) war(einen) Krieg führenwaging a one-man war against offensivebeleidigendoffensive graffiti. By day, he works for a graffiti-removal company. In his free time, he goes out again, unpaid. Armed with his pressure washerHochdruckreinigerpressure washer and his “#ErasingHate” vestWestevest, he removes anything racist, homophobic, antisemitic or Islamophobic that has been sprayed on walls or pavement (UK)Gehsteigpavements in public spaces.
His followers on social media love watching him to blast sth. awayetw. wegsprengen, wegputzenblast away the hateful words and symbols. They can also share other examples of hateful graffiti in their own cities, so that local volunteerFreiwillige(r), Ehrenamtliche(r)volunteers can remove them quickly. What a hero!
Read more good news and learn the language to talk about it in Spotlight 14/22!
