The Upbeat Sunday Edition

Good Things Happening Around the World

• Revolution in Breast Cancer Treatment: advanced breast cancer treatment using a new three-drug combination

• Ireland’s Bottle Return Success: 630 million cans and bottles recycled

• Historic Birth for Black-Footed Ferret Conservation: The clone of one of North America’s most endangered species successfully birthed two kits

• Good News from Election night

• First Openly Transgender U.S. Congress Member: Sarah McBride was elected to the U.S. Congress, making history as the first openly transgender person to hold this office

• Eddy’s Dogs: In South Florida, Eddy Alvarez rescues abandoned dogs from "Dead Dog Alley"

• More Good News

• Words of Inspiration

Revolution in Breast Cancer Treatment

Advanced breast cancer treatment using a new three-drug combination

Researchers are celebrating a major step forward in tackling aggressive, late-stage breast cancer, thanks to a new three-drug combination. The treatment, they say, could potentially double the time patients go without their cancer advancing.

In a global study involving 325 participants from 28 countries, patients who received this therapy saw their disease progression stall for an average of 15 months—over double the 7.3 months for those without the new treatment.

What’s more? Nearly half of the patients on the drug combo remained progression-free after 18 months of treatment.

Why its worth smiling about: While survival rates keep climbing for early-stage breast cancer, advanced cases are still in desperate need of more effective, life-saving options. For those who receive a diagnosis later, often due to barriers in accessing routine care, this breakthrough brings renewed hope.

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Ireland’s Bottle Return Success

630 million cans and bottles recycled

• Big Start, Bigger Progress: Ireland’s deposit return scheme launched in February with just 2 million returns but hit a record-breaking 111 million by August. Re-turn, the company overseeing the scheme, is helping Ireland aim for the EU’s 90% recycling target.

• Massive Participation: Since its launch, a whopping 630 million containers have been deposited across the nation’s reverse vending machines. This shift in habits is being called Ireland’s biggest recycling move since the plastic bag tax in 2001.

• Feel-Good Recycling: Re-turn’s CEO, Ciaran Foley, notes the scheme offers people an easy way to do good for the planet—and make a bit of change while they’re at it! Ciava Dunning, a train driver, has noticed passengers now hold onto cans for the €0.15 and €0.25 deposits.

• Success with Room for Growth: Ireland’s 110 million monthly returns are impressive, but with 1.7 billion containers in circulation annually, there’s more work to do. Ireland’s EU recycling goals mean hitting a 77% return rate by 2025 and 90% by 2029.

• Early Hurdles, Clever Solutions: The program faced some initial resistance, including maintenance hiccups and complaints from locals who liked the old recycling system. There were also concerns about “can smuggling” from Northern Ireland, which Re-turn resolved with Irish-only barcodes.

• New Recycling Helpers: To further streamline the process, Dublin is rolling out bins with “surround shelves” to make container collection easier and reduce contamination.

• Inspiring Other Nations: With the UK planning to launch its own deposit return scheme in 2026, Ireland’s success story is proving to be a hopeful model for other countries on a similar path.

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Historic Birth for Black-Footed Ferret Conservation:

The clone of one of North America’s most endangered species successfully birthed two kits

Once considered lost to extinction, black-footed ferrets—the only ferret species native to North America—are making an impressive comeback, all thanks to conservationists who just won’t quit.

One big part of this revival involves genetic cloning, a strategy essential to maintaining a healthy population since every black-footed ferret alive today traces back to only seven wild ancestors.

And here’s the latest milestone: a black-footed ferret, cloned using DNA from a ferret who lived back in the 1980s, has just given birth to two healthy kits—the first live births from a cloned endangered species!

Why its worth smiling about: Genetic cloning helps a great deal in saving endangered species. If science advances in the field of cloning at this rate, we will not only be able to preserve our planet’s diversity but also rejuvenate the bio-ecosystem.

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First Openly Transgender U.S. Congress Member:

Sarah McBride was elected to the U.S. Congress, making history as the first openly transgender person to hold this office

Sarah McBride has just clinched a historic victory, securing the state’s sole House seat and becoming the first openly transgender member of the U.S. Congress. Her campaign zeroed in on making health care more affordable, defending reproductive rights, and pushing for a higher minimum wage.

Now in Congress, she’s hoping to navigate through the political gridlock and turn proposals into laws.

In her victory speech, McBride noted that voters had made their choice “based on ideas, not identities.”

She added, “Hope as an emotion, hope as a phenomenon, only makes sense in the face of hardship. While at this moment in America’s history, hope sometimes feels hard to come by, we must never forget that we are the beneficiaries of seemingly impossible change.”

Why its worth smiling about: Up until now, decisions on trans rights have largely been made without trans voices in the room. McBride’s win brings a much-needed perspective to Congress and marks an important step for a more inclusive democracy.

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Good News from Election night

A quick roundup of some recent, landmark wins across the U.S.:

• Andy Kim Makes History in the Senate: Andy Kim from New Jersey just became the first Korean American elected to the U.S. Senate. You may remember him as the Congress member who, trash bag in hand, helped clean up the Capitol after the January 6th insurrection.

• Missouri Secures Reproductive Rights: Voters in Missouri passed a ballot amendment to enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution, declaring a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom” for personal decisions regarding reproductive health care.

• Historic Representation for Black Women in the Senate: For the first time, two Black women will serve in the U.S. Senate. Just two years ago, there were none, marking a key step in expanding representation.

• New York’s Equal Rights Amendment Passes: New York voters approved Proposition 1, which expands the state constitution’s protections against discrimination based on ethnicity, disability, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, and more—including reproductive healthcare rights.

• Texas Voters Reject Anti-Abortion Measure: Texans rejected a proposal to make it illegal to use public roads for out-of-state abortion travel, with Amarillo becoming the first Texas city to turn down an anti-abortion ordinance on a citywide ballot.

• California’s $10 Billion Climate Investment: California voters greenlit a $10 billion bond to support climate resilience, clean water, and wildfire prevention, with at least 40% of funds earmarked for underserved communities most affected by pollution and extreme weather.

Eddy’s Dogs:

In South Florida, Eddy Alvarez rescues abandoned dogs from "Dead Dog Alley"

Every day, Eddy Alvarez makes a 30-mile trek through South Miami-Dade’s farmland, on the lookout for hungry, abandoned dogs in need of a meal.

This area has sadly become infamous as a dumping ground for unwanted dogs—and heartbreakingly, many are hit by passing cars. But Alvarez doesn’t just feed them (and that’s around 20-25 dogs daily, mind you, every day of the week); he goes a step further, administering flea treatments, deworming, shots, and boosters to make them more comfortable.

When necessary, he even gets these pups to a vet.

Why is it worth smiling about? Alvarez’s ultimate mission is to find these forgotten dogs a loving home. Through his nonprofit, Eddy’s Dogs, he’s devoted to rescuing and rehoming animals who’ve been left behind.

Yes, people like Alvarez do exist. When the whole world around us seems so cruelly evil, there are numerous embers of humanity sparking out from the ashes of the ruined hearts of mankind.

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More Good News

• Record Voter Turnout in Georgia: Georgia saw record-breaking voter turnout, with over half of active voters casting ballots by the last day of early voting

• New U.S. Airline Refund Policy: Airlines are now required to automatically refund passengers for canceled flights

• Taylor Swift’s Charity Impact: Fans at her Toronto concert’s final stop are donating to local food banks, with donations matched by the venue.

• Breonna Taylor Case: The officer who fired shots into Breonna Taylor’s apartment was found guilty of violating her rights

• Jelly Roll’s Outreach: The artist continues to help people facing struggles similar to his own past.

• White House Christmas Tree from Small Business: This year’s tree comes from a North Carolina business impacted by Hurricane Helene

Words of Inspiration

“You only live once, but if you work it right, once is enough."

Joe E. Lewis

“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything."

Mark Twain

“The purpose of life is a life of purpose."

Robert Byrne

“Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears."

Unknown

What I’m working on

🧞Your wish is my command