10 News Stories Guaranteed to Make You Smile

Women (and a lot of men) got together and made the largest peaceful protest march in US history

There's a lot of women who were worried about Donald Trump's election, but women in the US - and around the world - got together and said something about it. Peacefully. A lot of women. And a lot of men showed up to help support women's rights too, showing us chivalry (and feminism) isn't dead yet.

It's an exhausting job trying to tally the figures for sure, but experts forecast that around 500,000 people showed up to protest in D.C. alone. Around the world, there were 673 marches with an estimate of nearly 4.8 million people. People as far away as Iceland, Chile, and Thailand got involved. So if you're worried about what Trump's policies might mean for women, you definitely don't need to worry that you're alone. 

 

…tiny hands  Organizers of the women’s march are still counting up the number of “sister marches” that took place yesterday. So far, they estimate that 4,797,500 people took part in 673 marches around the world (really, protests happened across the globe: in Malawi, Iceland, Chile, Thailand and so, so many other countries). That's because our futures are linked - as @maeveinamerica's brilliant podcast on immigration shows.  Source: Keith Still, Professor of Crowd Science at Manchester Metropolitan University and Marcel Altenburg, Manchester Metropolitan University as well as estimates from the organizers at womensmarch.com #datasketch

A photo posted by Mona Chalabi (@mona_chalabi) on Jan 22, 2017 at 10:41am PST

This paralyzed man regained use of his arms and hands after a new experimental stem cell treatment

From USC News:  A team of doctors became the first in California to inject its patient with an experimental treatment made from stem cells as part of a multi-center clinical trial. ... “As of 90 days post-treatment, Kris has gained significant improvement in his motor function, up to two spinal cord levels,” Liu said. “In Kris’ case, two spinal cord levels mean the difference between using your hands to brush your teeth, operate a computer or do other things you wouldn’t otherwise be able to do, so having this level of functional independence cannot be overstated.”

And more in medical tech good news: Doctors in London say they have cured two babies of leukemia in the world’s first attempt to treat cancer with genetically engineered immune cells from a donor - which is great news for people who have leukemia that is resistent to existing treatments.

Actor Chris Salvatore asked his 89 year old neighbor to move in with him so she'd have 24 hour care

From Today.com: For years the pair lived across the hall from each other in the same apartment complex in West Hollywood, California, but after Cook's hospital stay, doctors told her she couldn't return home to her apartment unless she had 24-hour care, which wasn't covered by her insurance. "She couldn't be happier that I asked," he said. "I was over there visiting most days anyway. The only other option was for her to go into a facility," he continued. "I just couldn't do that to someone who is like my own grandmother."

Chris Salvatore has been posting pics and videos on social media for months with #myneighbornorma.

A lonely widower looking for a fishing buddy got over 100 offers to his Gumtree ad

From Yahoo!: Ray Johnstone posted the ad on Gumtree earlier this month looking for a mate to go fishing with after his friend died. It has been reported that about 100 anglers have been in touch with him since the 75-year-old cast the net for company.

Plus, the story went viral and gained him lots of other offers for friendship, too.

This First Nations school is getting ready to graduate its first Grade 12 class

From CBC: There will be nine potential graduates from the Coast Tsimshian Academy, in the isolated northwestern B.C. village of Lax Kw'alaams, this June. The village, just north of Prince Rupert, B.C. is home to just over 700 people and is surrounded by beautiful scenery of the Pacific coast.