Top Ten Happy Stories of 2006

The Christmas season is a time of tradition. Trees go up, families gather for meals, stockings are hung, and media companies invariably indulge in their time-honored reflection, the Top 10 List.

At HappyNews, we have spent the last several weeks talking about the Top 10 Happiest Stories of the Year. Although that sounds like fun, the world abounds with happy news and picking just a few stories is tough.

If you derived your understanding of the world from what you read in the news media, you would perceive the world as a dark place - full of crooked cops, murderous neighbors, and corrupt politicians. But fortunately, we all know to temper this with our own experience: the police are largely helpful, neighbors generally friendly, and politicians, if perhaps a bit pompous, are generally honest and well-meaning.

In fact, the vast majority of what happens in the world is happy and yet goes largely unreported, squeezed out of the nightly news by the deviant and sensational.

Thus, you see our dilemma: In a world that overflows with good things happening, how do you choose just ten?

The short answer is that you can't. Instead, we tried to pick ten stories that were representative of a universe full of goodness. Everything from the magnificent (Warren Buffet making the largest charitable donation in the history of the world) to the inspiring (family members being joyfully reunited after 65 years of separation). We hope this list gives you an idea of all the kinds of good that are happening in the world.

So read over this list and remember, don't let anyone tell you the world is a dark place. Don't give in to the culture of fear that is being advanced everywhere you look. Realize that right this very moment, all over the world, a million kind deeds are being performed.

In September 2006, a brother and sister were reunited for the first time since 1941 with the help of an online database and two dedicated grandsons. The siblings look forward to spending more time with the rest of their family, located in both Canada and Israel.

The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority: www.yadvashem.org

Although his success in college and NBA basketball changed his plans about attending med school and becoming a doctor, Dikembe Mutombo has made significant contributions to the medical community through his $15 million donation to a hospital and research center in the Congo, named in honor of his mother, Biamba Marie Mutombo.

Dikembe Mutombo Foundation: www.dmf.org
Video tour of the hospital: www.dmf.org/Hospital2

Women in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, who call their group GEMS, gather monthly to discuss needs in their community and pool their money together for these causes. Their grass-roots philanthropy is part of a growing national trend to gather with neighbors and help meet local needs through financial giving.

The first World Trade Tower to be rebuilt since the events of September 11, 2001 opened on May 23, 2006. The 52-story tower is glass and is being called the first "green" commercial tower in New York City, having earned gold status in the US Green Building Council's LEED program.

More about 7 WTC on Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_World_Trade_Center

In October, a bird-watching kindergartener named Gabriel Gottfried snapped a picture of a California condor in his Topanga Canyon back yard. Experts say that the last California condor was spotted there sometime around 1898, making the photo even rarer.

In April 2006, Kaitlyne McNamara received a bladder transplant that represented a tremendous medical advance in tissue engineering. The bladder she received was regenerated from cells from her own body. This story represents a promising move towards a solution to the national lack of organ donors.

The Lancet, article about tissue engineering: www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet

HappyNews stories about similar topics
www.happynews.com/news/11282006/doctors-call-face-transplant-success
www.happynews.com/news/1172006/woman-digestive-transplant-eats

Thousands of people gave of their time, skills, and finances to the reconstruction efforts of New Orleans and the Gulf coast. One of these people was Brad Pitt, who helped co-sponsor the Sustainable Design Competition for New Orleans, organized by Global Green USA. The project will inject fresh design and economical innovations into the Holy Cross neighborhood of New Orleans.

About the winners: www.globalgreen.org/press/releases/2006_07_17_winner

After noticing a decrease in the involvement of African-Americans in Major League Baseball, MLB commissioner Bud Selig committed to bringing inner-city youths back to the game. The Urban Youth Academy is aimed at bridging generations and races through sport and education. The campus in Compton, California is currently the only MLB Urban Youth Academy, but may be joined by similar facilities in the years to come.

Urban Youth Academy online: mlb.com
News at Compton Community College: www.compton.edu/info/index

While working on a project to make an enhanced card catalog available online, Google began offering free book downloads. All of the content is in the public domain and is searchable and printable through the Google Books Library Project. This initiative is making more literature available to a greater audience and represents an effort to digitize and preserve classic works.

Google Library Partners: books.google.com/googlebooks/partners
Google Books Library Project: books.google.com/googlebooks/library
Google Book Search: books.google.com/books

In June, Warren Buffett committed to give nearly $37 billion worth of stock in his investment company, Berkshire Hathaway, to five charitable foundations. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will receive almost $30.7 billion of that amount. Warren Buffett's is believed to be the largest charitable donation ever made. He also continues his practice of giving generously to charities through online auctions.

You can read related stories at these links:
www.happynews.com/news/6302006/lunch-with-billionaire-sells-for-620100
www.happynews.com/news/10202005/deal-announced-for-warren-buffet-book
www.happynews.com/news/4132006/buffett-devotes-time-to-college-students
www.happynews.com/news/752006/gates-funds-a-revolution-in-health-care