Britain needs good news!

... was reading an article the other day about Denmark and how they always top the "Happiest Country" polls; and thought how difficult it would be to ever lose that position. It would be lovely to be the envy of the world at being happy and so this must really buoy the national pride... surely then it just gives rise to a perpetual spiral of feeling better and better about yourself and where you live.

Then, by contrast, I noticed that every time you turn on the TV or radio or open a paper in the UK we're constantly told how the country is broken beyond repair: whether it's the infrastructure, the NHS, kids' attitudes, our economic forecasts... at every turn the media is hammering home how rubbish everything is in a bid to catch our attention and sell more papers/ capture greater viewing figures.

Even when you think you might be on the verge of hearing some good news eg, about the run-up to Christmas - heart-warming tales of people carol singing, generosity etc - instead we're told that shops are struggling, that no-one has got enough money for a turkey... more doom and gloom!

The result of all this bad news is that we start to feel worse and worse about our lives and where we live.


I really think that it would be useful to rekindle a bit of national pride by having just 10% of every TV and radio news spot or newspaper telling us some good news about the UK. Whether it's a big national story or even that firefighters helped rescue an old lady's cat from a tree in Rickmansworth.


So with that rant in mind... let's have some of your good news and stories to warm everyone' hearts!
(It doesn't matter how big or small.)



Mine is that one of my best mates in the world is expecting a baby. He's a real softy and will be a brilliant dad.

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Here here!

(Hear hear? - I never know.)


Some general good news:

Celebrations are going on all this week for the Chinese Year of the Dragon - and apparently it's going to be a year of hope and prosperity!

Apparently last year (year of the rabbit) was forseeen as a very bad year (tsunami in Japan, earthquake in New Zealand etc) and the year of the dragon is supposed to be much better!


So surely that should give everyone a happy outlook!

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My good news is that in 48 days I get to leave England and go to California for 3 weeks... that counts right?

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:smug:

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I totally agree though. I really don't like the media in the UK, the fact that the worst side of it is all unravelling now is hopefully a good sign for the future.


Good news, I can see the sun from where I'm sitting, haven't seen it for days. :)


The media would probably report this as:

Hottest January Day on record, Global Warming is worse than expected


:)

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:rolling: Spot on!

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This didn't happen today, but it was quite recently and it's totally heart-warming so I hope that it counts.

I was on a train home and the train made a stop at Bath station. Here a small foreign boy was stood on the platform (couldn't have been more than 12 or 13). He seemed to be accompanied by a couple of teachers and it was clear that the boy didn't really speak any English, they gave him a piece of paper with a word on it and were gesturing to him to look at the platform sign. I'm guessing that the inference was to get off when the platform sign read the same as the word on the paper. The boy then get on the train alone.

Anyway, he sat in the seat next to me and looked out of the window the whole time.

The buffet cart came through and I asked for a KitKat. The woman handed me the chocolate and said it was £1. I had plenty of money on me but said "ooh no thanks" and handed it back. (I wasn't about to pay £1 for a KitKat!)

She then looked at the lad next to me to see if he wanted anything. He gestured at the KitKats and made it clear that he wanted two. He paid and the buffet lady moved on.

This young lad then turned to me and handed me one of the KitKats!

He was no age at all and he thought nothing of buying a stranger something to eat as I guess he thought I didn't have enough money on me. I felt like a real burk for being so tight!



If that doesn't warm your heart then you're dead inside!!!

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Just read your story Fast Eddie - sounds like it should be taken on be Aesop's Fables or something... really lovely message :)

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Lovely story, but at £1 for a kitkat you were in the right Eddie, the kid clearly had more money than sense.

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Six rowers have been rescued after their boat capsized in the Atlantic Ocean during a record attempt.

The crew of the Sara G - five British men and one from the Irish Republic - are safe, organisers say.

The crew had been trying to row from Morocco to Barbados in under 30 days, and were 27 days into their journey when the 36ft (11m) vessel overturned.

The Atlantic Odyssey website says the men were picked up from a life raft by a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship.

It named the team as: Father-of-four Ian Rowe, 45, from Bedford; Aodhan Kelly, 26, from Dublin; Simon Brown, 37, a father-of-three from Wiltshire; father-of-two Yaacov Mutnikas; Mark Beaumont, 29, an adventurer from Perthshire, and skipper Matt Craughwell.

Speaking from the rescue ship Mr Craughwell said the team were "completely relieved" to all be safe and well.


Morocco to Barbados? Madness!
... all safe and well now though.

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That's not good news, that's great news...




Sorry to the Danny Wallace show on XFM. that's your catchphrase but it works well here :)

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