It’s a temperate Friday afternoon and Twitter is filled to the brim with hot takes on the death penalty. Let’s refocus our attention on eight actually good things that happened this week so we don’t sink into a depressing hell-pit before the weekend even starts.
1. The job market for college graduates is getting better and better. Things are looking up for the class of 2015: The number of postings for jobs requiring a college degree has increased by 10 percent since last summer. You’ll still be paying that Sallie Mae bill forever, though.
2. A domestic-violence survivor got engaged to the EMT who saved her life. In January 2012, Melissa Dohme almost died from stab wounds inflicted upon her by her ex-boyfriend. Eleven months later, she was reunited with Cameron Hill, one of the first responders who saved her life. On Monday, Hill asked Dohme to marry him at a Tampa Bay Rays game. She said yes.
3. An orangutan has adopted four tiger cubs as his own. Suryia the orangutan has become close with four of the new baby tigers at the Myrtle Beach Safari Preserve, and has even taken to mimicking the way humans care for them. He plays, snuggles, and even bottle-feeds the tigers.
4. A WWII fighter pilot got to fly her favorite plane after 70 years. Joy Lofthouse flew planes for the British during World War II, and she loved it. This week, the 92-year-old Lofthouse got to revisit her love of flying by once again helming the Spitfire, the plane she flew during the war. “It was lovely. It was perfect, of course,” she said. “It made me feel quite young.”
5. A new study found that the harmful effects of laziness aren’t so hard to combat. The research revealed that it only takes two minutes of walking to counter an hour of sitting, lowering the risk of premature death by 33 percent. Anybody wanna take a walk to the vending machine?
6. A 94-year-old veteran graduated college after 75 years. Anthony Brutto enrolled at West Virginia University, but after being drafted into the war and then having to stay home to care for his sick wife, he was unable to return for decades. But this year, Brutto will officially receive his Regents bachelor’s of art degree.
7. Both New York State and NYC are taking steps to address worker violations at nail salons. Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio both announced initiatives this week aimed at combating the widespread wage theft and overtime violations a recent Times exposé revealed occur in the industry.
8. This bunny discovered the joys of eating. And his life was never the same.
