Good News Network

Just months ago, the small Spanish town of La Bañeza was reeling from devastation. A massive wildfire had scorched 120,000 acres of surrounding land, forcing 8,000 residents to evacuate. Smoke, grief, and economic uncertainty hung over the region in Castilla y León.

Now, that same town is celebrating one of the biggest windfalls in recent memory.

Residents of La Bañeza pooled their luck — and their lottery tickets — into Spain’s famous El Gordo Christmas lottery, and it paid off. The town had purchased 117 ticket numbers in the draw, and each one hit for €400,000 (about $437,000 USD). In total, the payout is estimated at close to half a billion U.S. dollars.

For a town of around 10,000 people, the winnings break down to somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000 per person, depending on taxes and ticket shares — a massive financial shot in the arm for families still recovering from the fire.

“Winning the lottery, as well as cause for joy and excitement, is something that has fallen from the heavens to a place that needs so much,” said La Bañeza Mayor Javier Carrera. He described the moment as “a cascade of emotions after such a terrible year.”

Spain’s El Gordo (which means “The Fat One”) is the world’s largest lottery by total payout, and it holds a special place in Spanish holiday tradition. But there’s also a long-held superstition that makes this year’s result feel almost poetic: many believe that luck often follows misfortune. It’s common for people to buy tickets from towns that have recently suffered tragedy, under the belief that lightning won’t strike twice.

In the case of La Bañeza, that superstition paid off — spectacularly.

The story has already started to spread beyond the region, reinforcing the idea that good fortune can rise from ashes. For a town that was praying for rain, this unexpected downpour of green has brought a much-needed sense of hope.

And maybe, just maybe, the belief that better days are ahead.

After Wildfires Ravaged Their Town, a Community Just Won Half a Billion Dollars in the Lottery

Love was quite literally in the air in Washington, D.C., as a towering 10-foot bundle of mistletoe became the centerpiece of a record-breaking night.

Suspended 30 feet above Anthem Row, the oversized holiday decoration—dubbed the National Mistletoe—set the stage for what organizers called a “Merry Kiss-mas” moment. A total of 1,435 couples gathered to simultaneously kiss for five seconds, setting a new Guinness World Record for most people kissing under mistletoe at once.

The previous record was held by 480 couples in St. Louis back in 2019.

Each couple arrived armed with their own small sprig of mistletoe and took part in the public smooch, surrounded by greenery, ribbons, and what one organizer described as “pure holiday joy.”

“Last night felt bigger than a world record attempt,” said Gerren Price, one of the event’s coordinators. “It was a reminder of what happens when a city shows up for joy, love, and community above all else.”

The National Mistletoe, which has been hung for two consecutive years, is part of a public art project funded by the District’s Streets for People grant. It will stay up throughout January—just in case anyone wants to kick off the new year with a kiss of their own.

While mistletoe's association with kissing feels like a modern tradition, its romantic roots go back much further. Ancient Europeans saw the plant as a symbol of fertility and renewal during winter solstice festivals. Centuries later, the 1784 musical Two for One included one of the earliest references to kissing under mistletoe, and the tradition grew from there.

For the organizers, this year’s event was about more than breaking a record.

“Whether you’re sealing the deal, rekindling the spark, or just joining for the fun—this is the holiday kiss you won’t forget,” Price said. “Events like this bring people together in such a memorable, joyful way and show the true vibrancy and energy in the city that we love.”

Plans are already in the works to keep the mistletoe tradition going in 2026. Organizers are even considering adding a matchmaking twist to help singles get in on the fun. Because in D.C., it turns out mistletoe really is for everyone.

1,435 Couples Break Kissing Record Under D.C.’s Giant ‘National Mistletoe’

Scientific American

Sleep isn’t the only kind of rest humans need. And during the holidays, many people find themselves emotionally drained — despite spending more time at home, on the couch, or curled up with a hot drink. So what’s going on?

According to psychologist and researcher who studies rest, learning, and well-being, rest isn’t just about sleeping in. We also need active recovery — moments during our waking hours that replenish mental and emotional energy. And it turns out, not all downtime is created equal.

The holidays promise a break, but for many, it doesn’t quite deliver. Financial stress, travel, family tensions, and changes in routine often pile up at the exact time we expect to relax. The result: stress rises and well-being drops.

The solution? Planned, intentional rest, not just idly collapsing into the sofa.

“Reaping the full benefits of rest and leisure requires more than a slow morning or a mug of hot cocoa,” the psychologist writes. “It’s also about intentionally scheduling active recovery periods that energize us and leave us feeling restored.”

What active rest actually looks like

Walking in nature, playing an instrument, spending time with loved ones, or doing a creative hobby — all of these are examples of active rest. Research shows they can lower stress hormones like cortisol, ease anxiety, and even lift symptoms of depression.

Take nature walks. They don’t just get you fresh air. They also calm the part of the brain linked to rumination and sadness. Or consider artistic hobbies like piano or calligraphy — studies show these activities trigger real physiological relaxation.

Still, one of the most important factors in effective rest is how satisfying the activity feels. Watching TV is one of the most common ways people “relax,” but research shows that people often rate it as one of the least enjoyable ways to spend free time, especially after long binge sessions.

“People often spend their free time doing things that are not satisfying,” the psychologist explains. “Distractions like social media might pass the time, but they rarely leave us feeling reenergized.”

So how do you fix poor-quality rest?

Plan your rest like you’d plan your work. Studies show that scheduling enjoyable activities, and sticking to those plans, improves mental health outcomes. That might mean going for a walk after opening presents instead of heading straight into cleanup. Or blocking out time to read a book after a long day of shopping.

The key is to follow a schedule, not a mood. Waiting to “feel like it” can trap you in cycles of poor rest.

What about rest guilt?

Many people feel uneasy when they’re not being productive, even when they’re supposed to be relaxing. This “leisure guilt” can undercut the benefits of downtime — especially during the high-pressure holiday season.

To fight it, the psychologist suggests:

1. Lower expectations. Not every holiday moment has to be picture-perfect. Letting go of over-the-top plans can free up time and energy for real rest.

2. Choose immersive activities. Video games, playing with kids, and outdoor walks require attention and prevent your mind from drifting back to your inbox.

3. Accept the guilt. Don’t try to suppress it — just acknowledge it and move on. Research shows that accepting negative emotions can actually reduce their intensity over time.

The bottom line: Humans need more than sleep. We need meaningful moments of peace — the kind that engage us and actually help us feel better. And especially during the holidays, those moments may need to be scheduled with just as much care as the to-do list.

Experts Urge Embracing Active Rest to Combat Holiday Stress and Enhance Well-Being

BBC News

In North Yorkshire, England, a chance encounter between a deaf teacher and a curious driving instructor turned into a mutual exchange of skills — and a life-changing moment for both.

Sarah-Jade Walker, 35, recently passed her driving test after months of lessons with Adele Oldroyd, a 39-year-old instructor from Selby. But this wasn’t a typical learner-instructor relationship. As Sarah-Jade worked on her driving, she was also teaching Adele British Sign Language (BSL) — and together, they made it work.

“I wanted someone who could do BSL to teach me,” Sarah-Jade said. She had taken lessons before, but wanted an instructor who understood deafness, could sign, and wouldn’t rely solely on spoken instruction. That’s when she met Adele — and it clicked.

“We gelled,” she said. “She understands deaf people and doesn’t shout at them. She’s patient, she’s kind, and she shows me what I need to learn.”

The two originally met during a BSL “bootcamp” that Sarah-Jade was running in January. Adele, who had “always” wanted to learn sign language, was one of the students. It quickly became clear that they could help each other.

They began lessons soon after, and while Adele hadn’t taught a deaf learner before, she adjusted quickly. Lessons involved frequent stops, lots of face-to-face communication, and a mix of lip-reading, BSL, and facial expressions to keep the car — and the learning — moving.

“We just sat and we spoke about the importance of her being clear with me,” Adele said. “If something wasn’t working, what were we going to do about it?”

Sarah-Jade uses a cochlear implant, which gives her some hearing ability, but she practiced driving both with and without it.

“A few times, my battery died and I thought Adele would say, ‘Let’s finish and go home,’” she said. “But no, we carried on. She taught me in sign language how to drive. It gave me confidence.”

The experience was full of challenges for both. Adele’s Yorkshire accent made lip-reading harder at times. “The way we shorten words doesn’t always translate the same way,” she said. “Driving’s tiring as it is. But Sarah had to concentrate even more — on lip-reading, on signs, on my facial expressions.”

But it paid off. When Sarah-Jade took her test in October, Adele called it “my most favourite test ever in the world.”

“I tell everyone that’ll listen to me,” she said, adding that the examiner, Colin, was “phenomenal.”

Sarah-Jade didn’t expect to pass. “It felt like my head exploded,” she said.

Adele, overwhelmed with pride, “did a couple of laps around the car park” when she got the news. “I was over the moon for Sarah because I knew what it meant to her with the kids and work,” she said. “It opened up so many avenues for her that I think we both cried for a little bit.”

Since passing, Sarah-Jade says life has become much easier. She’s now able to drive her children to school and get around on her own schedule.

“I can drive around, take my children to school. Life is so much easier,” she said.

Adele has since started teaching another deaf student, though she notes it’s a different experience. The new student doesn’t communicate verbally in the same way, and regional differences in BSL add to the complexity.

“The sign for ‘stop’ is different up north and down south,” she explained. Her new student is from further away, attending the Royal School for the Deaf in Derby.

Through it all, Adele and Sarah-Jade have stayed friends — bonded not just by the lessons they shared, but by what they learned from each other.

“She gave me patience, as well as vice versa,” Adele said. “And I’ll never forget it.”

This Deaf Woman Passed Her Driving Test After Teaching Her Instructor Sign Language

A group of jazz musicians in Bristol have come together to recreate a landmark album recorded more than four decades ago — and in doing so, they’re helping to revive a festival that’s been struggling to stay alive.

Jazz at the Duke Volume II is the sequel to a live LP recorded in 1979 at the Old Duke, a historic pub on King Street that has hosted jazz since the 1960s. The new album, produced in 2025, features both returning performers from the original session and a new generation of musicians. Proceeds will go toward the Bristol Jazz Festival, which was postponed this year due to lack of funding.

Andy Leggett, one of the few musicians to appear on both records, said the project is a reminder that the music still has something to say.

“I hope this album demonstrates the music isn't dead and has a lot of life in it yet,” he said. “I never considered there would be a part two when we recorded the original.”

The idea came from jazz musician and producer Joe Trudgeon, who stumbled on a copy of the original LP in a charity shop and noticed some familiar names — musicians he had performed with himself.

“A lot of the musicians who were on the original one are sadly no longer with us now, and that's part of the impetus to get it done now as people don't stick around forever,” Trudgeon said.

Rather than record the sequel in a studio, Trudgeon and his collaborators returned to the Old Duke to capture the same spirit, in the same room.

“We could have done the record somewhere else,” he said. “But I wanted to make sure the people on it didn't fade into obscurity, and we should give them a chance to make volume two.”

Co-producer and jazz player Paul Archibald said the venue itself was as much a part of the story as the music.

“As an early jazz live music venue, this pub has to be one of the oldest in Britain doing it, which has been played here since the 1960s,” Archibald said. “It screams legacy.”

The original Jazz at the Duke LP captured a moment in time — a vibrant local jazz scene rooted in traditional New Orleans sounds and a venue packed with loyal fans. Volume II aims to honour that while showing how the music has evolved.

The Old Duke, with its dim lighting and vintage charm, remains one of the few British pubs to offer live jazz seven nights a week. That sense of continuity — and community — is part of what made the new record feel so urgent to the musicians involved.

“It’s a privilege to play alongside these musicians,” Archibald said. “And in another 40-something years perhaps someone will find this album and think it's time for volume three, if the music is still going.”

The team behind Volume II hopes the album not only supports the return of the Bristol Jazz Festival but also introduces the Old Duke’s legacy to a wider audience — and a new generation of listeners.

These Jazz Musicians Just Recreated a Historic Album at a Legendary Pub

Gizmodo

A team of MIT researchers has created a new material that lies flat like a sheet of paper—until you pull a string. With a single tug, it transforms into a fully formed 3D object, from a sturdy chair to a medical splint. It’s not magic, but it’s close.

The breakthrough is inspired by kirigami, the Japanese art of cutting paper, and is detailed in a new study published in ACM Transactions on Graphics. But instead of making decorative shapes, the team used a clever algorithm and a bit of material science to create real-world objects that can be flattened, stored, and deployed on demand.

The research comes out of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and could open up possibilities for everything from pop-up medical devices to collapsible space habitats.

“The simplicity of the whole actuation mechanism is a real benefit of our approach,” said lead author Akib Zaman, a graduate student at MIT. “All they have to do is input their design, and our algorithm automatically takes care of the rest.”

How It Works

The process starts with a 3D design. The algorithm then translates that object into a flat pattern made of quadrilateral tiles—imagine a grid of carefully sliced pieces that can hinge and shift into shape. This mimics how kirigami artists cut paper in a way that encodes new structural behaviors.

The system relies on what’s known as an auxetic mechanism, which refers to materials that behave unusually when stretched—they get thicker instead of thinner. That unique property gives the structure strength and flexibility when moving between flat and formed states.

Once the layout is calculated, the algorithm determines an “optimal string path”—essentially, the most efficient route for a pull-string to travel across the surface and lift each tile into place. The result? A structure that folds itself together with one smooth motion.

A Chair You Can Flatten

After running simulations, the team moved to real-world testing. They built a number of objects using laser-cut plywood, including igloo-shaped shelters and medical tools like splints or posture correctors.

One standout was a human-sized chair. The researchers laid it flat, pulled the string, and watched it come to life. It wasn’t just for show—the chair held up under actual weight.

There are still hurdles to overcome. “There will likely be scale-specific engineering challenges” when trying to build much larger structures, the researchers note. But because the algorithm doesn’t depend on any particular material or fabrication method, it’s versatile and easy to experiment with.

The goal now is twofold: tackle those larger engineering problems, and push the technique further by creating smaller, more intricate designs. Modular robots, lightweight shelters for emergencies, and even foldable space architecture could all be in play.

“I hope people will be able to use this method to create a wide variety of different, deployable structures,” Zaman said.

MIT Scientists Create Foldable Structures That Spring to Life With Just One Pull of a String

ESPN

Joe Burrow’s Christmas gifts to his teammates aren’t just thoughtful — they’re prehistoric.

The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, known for his calm demeanor and offbeat interests, leaned all the way into his fossil obsession this year by handing out real dinosaur, bear, and mammoth remains to the offensive linemen who protect him on the field.

According to Bengals center Ted Karras, it wasn’t just a quirky gesture. It was pure Burrow.
“I think it speaks to his intelligence and interests and his desire to do something unique,” Karras told ESPN. “I thought it was really special.”

Burrow hosted the linemen at his home in Cincinnati earlier this week, where they walked into a scene straight out of a natural history museum — fossil specimens mounted and displayed, ready for the picking. Players chose their fossils in order of arrival and seniority.

Karras selected a woolly mammoth tusk believed to be roughly 30,000 years old. Orlando Brown Jr. and Amarius Mims each went home with cave bear skulls. Rookie left guard Dylan Fairchild scored a Tyrannosaurus rex artifact.

“It says a lot about who he is — his personality, his heart, all of those things,” said Brown, who plans to display his skull next to the samurai sword Burrow gave him last year.

That 2023 gift — real swords for the O-line — made waves of its own. Burrow said he was in a “weapons mindset” at the time. This year, he’s in his fossil era.

The 27-year-old’s love for ancient bones first gained attention during his appearance on the Netflix docuseries Quarterback, where he was filmed visiting Chicago’s Field Museum with teammates. At one point, he geeked out over an Archaeopteryx fossil, calling it “sick.”
“When aren’t fossils on your mind?” he said in the series. “They go back millions of years.”

Still recovering from surgery for turf toe, Burrow missed nine games this season. The Bengals sit at 5-10 and will miss the playoffs for the third straight year. But in recent weeks, Burrow has spoken about trying to find happiness in football again — something that was evident in the way he approached gifting his teammates.

He didn’t reveal the gifts ahead of time during his pre-game press conference. “You’ll see,” he told reporters. And when his teammates did, they were all in.

For Brown, the fossil gift was a standout, even compared to flashier presents from other quarterbacks in his career. While playing in Baltimore, he got a slushie machine from Joe Flacco. In Kansas City, Patrick Mahomes gave him a Rolex and Rimowa luggage. This year’s fossil? Different — and unforgettable.

“It was quite an event, man,” said Karras. “He just continues to outdo himself as always with his kindness and generosity and his creativity. We’re just very thankful for him.”

Joe Burrow Gave His Teammates Fossils for Christmas, and They Loved It

In an era of texts and instant messages, a father and son from St. Thomas, Ontario, are betting on something much slower—and much more personal.

Chris Heil and his son Zachary Paquin have launched Once Upon a Letter, a subscription-based storytelling service that delivers fictional tales the old-fashioned way: through physical letters, mailed out every two weeks.

Subscribers receive 24 letters over the course of a year, each one offering a glimpse into the lives of fictional characters through the mail they send. The idea is rooted in nostalgia, but also in a desire for something more tactile and immersive.

“Back in August 2025, we noticed a growing desire for meaningful, screen-free entertainment and something that feels personal,” Heil said. What started as a creative side project quickly turned into a full-time venture after Paquin was laid off from his job in the Alberta oilsands.

Their first series, a wartime romance, has already struck a chord with subscribers. It follows Edward Bennett, a Canadian soldier stationed in Europe during the final year of the Second World War, and his wife Margaret, who is waiting for him back in Halifax.

“It’s told in the first person,” Heil said. “It’s basically letters between Edward and his wife, Maggie. They’re sending letters back and forth about their lives and the things they experience.”

Each letter comes packaged with extras: photos, historical notes, and other materials that help bring the story—and the era—to life. A sample letter, available to prospective subscribers, reads like a farewell note: “I may already be gone, but know that my heart remains here with you. Light your candle in the window as you promised, and I will find my way back to it.”

Future stories are already in development. One is a horror series told through the letters of an archaeologist in Egypt. Another follows Richard Dawson, a struggling Ontario farmer who heads west to work on the Canadian Pacific Railway.

For Heil and Paquin, crafting these letters is a labour of love. They spend weeks writing, editing, and workshopping each story with input from friends and family. “It’s not really just one of us writing it,” Paquin said. “It goes out to a lot of people, and we take all of their suggestions into account. It takes a bit of time to come up with a good story.”

The project has resonated especially well with older Canadians who grew up writing letters themselves. But it’s not just nostalgia. “We’re trying to go heavy on the Canadian content,” Paquin said. “And we’ve seen a lot of interested people. I think through, and even past the Christmas season, we’ll continue to see a lot of new people using this as a gift for any occasion.”

Interest has also started crossing borders. Paquin says they’ve had inquiries from the United States and are considering international shipping in the new year.

The process of stepping into character and telling a story through handwritten voices is both challenging and rewarding, Heil said. But it’s worth it.

“There’s so much that can be said with just a letter,” he said. “And there’s something about the anticipation—waiting for the next one to arrive—that you just don’t get with a screen.”

Ontario Father-Son Duo Brings Storytelling to Mailboxes with Bi-Weekly Letters

A wild cat species long thought to be extinct in Thailand has been rediscovered, decades after its last confirmed sighting.

Flat-headed cats, one of the world’s most endangered wild feline species, were detected 29 times during a recent ecological survey in southern Thailand, conservation officials and the NGO Panthera announced Friday.

The small, elusive cats hadn’t been seen in the country since 1995.

“We were surprised and thrilled,” said Rattapan Pattanarangsan, Panthera’s conservation program manager. “It’s extremely rare to capture them on camera.”

Flat-headed cats are roughly the size of a house cat, with close-set, rounded eyes and a flattened forehead. They are found only in Southeast Asia and are known to inhabit dense, swampy ecosystems like peat forests and freshwater mangroves — environments that are rapidly disappearing.

In Thailand, much of that habitat has been cleared for agriculture or development. “Thailand's peat swamp forests have been heavily fragmented,” said Kaset Sutasha, a veterinarian and researcher at Kasetsart University. Though not involved in the survey, he’s studied wild cats for years.

Last year, Panthera partnered with Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation to install camera traps inside the Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary, a remote reserve in the south of the country.

Those cameras captured multiple images and videos of the elusive cats. Because they lack distinctive markings, it’s hard to know exactly how many individual animals were spotted. Still, one clip showed a female flat-headed cat with her cub — a particularly rare and hopeful sign.

Flat-headed cats typically have only one offspring at a time and struggle to reproduce in fragmented habitats. That’s one of the reasons the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates there are fewer than 2,500 adult flat-headed cats remaining in the wild.

Kaset called the rediscovery “exciting” but stressed it’s just the beginning. “What comes after this is more important — how to enable them to live alongside us sustainably, without being threatened,” he said.

The species is known to exist in parts of Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo, according to the Felidae Conservation Fund. Their diet consists mostly of frogs, fish, and shrimp, and they are believed to be nocturnal hunters.

Because of their elusive nature and the difficulty of accessing their wetland habitats, much about the species remains unknown. But Panthera and Thai conservationists say the rediscovery is a strong sign that more can be done to protect the remaining population — starting with preserving the few intact peat swamp forests that remain.

“This is a starting point,” Kaset said. “Now the real work begins.”

Endangered Wild Cat Spotted In Thailand After 30-Year Absence

ABC News

An ordinary school morning turned into a life-saving moment when two young siblings in Ohio jumped into action after their school bus driver suffered a medical emergency.

Catrina, 8, and her older brother Charlie, 14, were on board their Crestview Local Schools bus in Ashland last week when Catrina, sitting near the front, noticed something was wrong.

She asked the driver if she was OK. The driver silently shook her head no.

Catrina immediately rushed to the back of the bus to alert her brother. Charlie, a seventh grader, didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the bus radio and called the school for help.

“When I realized that something was going on, [I] went up there and grabbed the radio and then called the school because I knew that that was the quickest way to get help,” Charlie told ABC affiliate WEWS.

Their quick thinking was captured on the school bus’s onboard video camera, which was later shared by the district.

Despite their young age, the siblings remained composed. “My brother ... on the inside when something's going wrong, he's scared but on the outside, he's like calm and concentrated,” Catrina told WEWS.

Crestview Local Schools Superintendent Jim Grubbs praised not only Catrina and Charlie, but also another student—eighth grader Kali—who instructed other students to move toward the back of the bus and called 911.

“These students were truly outstanding,” Grubbs said in a statement. “They remained calm, communicated clearly, and helped one another in a situation that could have been much worse. Their families should be incredibly proud.”

The driver was taken to hospital and later released. She told school officials she had made a point of teaching students how to use the bus radio, and was relieved they remembered.

A backup driver arrived to finish the route and take the students safely to school.

“I feel proud and happy with myself and happy that we got [the driver] all better now,” Catrina said.

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