Ward: Good News

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What 38 million obituaries reveal about how Americans define a 'life well lived'

Obituaries preserve what families most want remembered about the people they cherish most. Across time, they also reveal the values each era chose to honor.

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Times Square will mark America's 250th with special July ball drop

The committee overseeing celebrations for America's 250th birthday next year announced Friday that the Times Square Ball in New York City will be featured in a pair of events on New Year's Eve and in July. America250 said the Times Square Ball, which attracts scores of tourists each year as it helps…

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The joy of leftovers – what to cook in the calm after Christmas

From cheeseboard pies to spiced-up veg and one last sweet flourish, this is how to eat, waste less and savour the lull between Christmas and New Year• Sign up here for our weekly food newsletter, FeastAt this time of year, I like to stay home, shut off from the world and do as little as possible for…

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Storytelling is an ancient human art, not a corporate invention | Letters

Danyah Miller responds to a pass notes column about companies that are hiring people to ‘own the narrative’Your article on the rise of storytelling as a corporate skill (Pass notes, 17 December) highlights something that storytellers have always known – that people crave meaningful human connection.…

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How are you? A brief question with an abundance of answers | Letters

Readers share a range of responses to one of the commonest greetings in the English languageMy late father-in-law, who lived to be 104 and was a veteran of the Dunkirk evacuation and the north Africa war, would inevitably respond to the question “How are you?” (Letters, 23 December) with an enigmati…

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The Bright Side: Elusive wild cat rediscovered in Thailand after three decades, conservationists say

An elusive wild cat long feared extinct in Thailand has been rediscovered three decades after the last recorded sighting, conservation authorities said. Camera traps in southern Thailand’s Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary captured 29 detections, including a female with her cub, offering rare h…

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King Charles highlights unity in Christmas address

In his annual Christmas address, King Charles emphasized courage and unity, urging people to find strength in the "companionship and kindness of others."

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My big night out: I danced alone in a nightclub – and realised I could make my own good time

I had gone out with friends to mark the end of university, and one by one they disappeared. With the music throbbing, I learned I could be comfortable in my own companyBetween the ages of 16 and 21, the big night out wasn’t just a hobby, it was a calling. Getting together with friends, getting drunk…

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Overlooked No More: Inge Lehmann, Who Discovered the Earth's Inner Core

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Unplugging these 7 common household devices easily reduced my electricity bill

You might be shocked at how many 'vampire devices' could be in your home, silently draining power.

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With numbers of abandoned cats soaring, we somehow found ourselves with 11

How our two-bedroom terrace become something of a cat rescue centre is illustration of nationwide crisisHow many cats is too many cats? I can’t tell you exactly, but a couple of weeks ago, I had 11 cats living in my terrace house. And I can say with confidence this is absolutely, definitely too many…

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The pioneering light boxes helping Orkney islanders avoid seasonal affective disorder

Wintering Well boxes to counter effects of low light on mental health are ‘super popular’, says island librarian“Boxes of light” are being used to help people who struggle with low winter mood while living in one of Scotland’s darkest communities as part of a wider research initiative to support the…

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Tributes as UK's first female Asian lord mayor dies

Councillor Manjula Sood, who served Leicester throughout her political career, dies aged 80.

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Country diary: Little rituals to help sparrows and wrens | Paul Evans

The Marches, Shropshire: Boxing Day has its own more violent customs between humans and animals. That’s not the world I choose to live inThe sparrows are a shuffling, chirruping shadow in the bushes, a static of anticipation. They are waiting for food, calling for it. They have not forgotten what th…

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Don’t fret the first night and nap if you need: how to sleep well, away from home

Disturbed sleep is very common as you adapt to a new environment, but with good sleep hygiene and some practical adjustments you can quickly settle inRead more summer essentialsGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailAs the working year draws to a close, many of us only have one hope for the seas…

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‘The hidden engine room’: how amateur historians are powering genealogical research

Wealth of datasets compiled as private passions are now a goldmine for those hunting for their ancestorsThe autumn sunlight is filtering through quietly falling leaves as Louise Cocker stands in front of the gravestone of James Henry Payne and takes a quick photograph. Payne died at the age of 73 in…

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A surprising brain cleanup reduced epileptic seizures and restored memory

A new study suggests temporal lobe epilepsy may be linked to early aging of certain brain cells. When researchers removed these aging cells in mice, seizures dropped, memory improved, and some animals avoided epilepsy altogether. The treatment used drugs already known to science, raising the possibi…

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Handwritten letters are still a powerful force for good | Letter

Frankie Meehan on the decline of letter writing and Amnesty International’s annual Write for Rights campaignYour editorial (22 December) declares that the “writing’s on the wall” for letter writing. In the month of Amnesty International’s annual Write For Rights campaign, I would like to suggest tha…

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My big night out: I went to a White Stripes gig with a colleague – and she became my best friend

On that brilliant night at Ally Pally 21 years ago, Laura and I decided to go to Detroit on holiday. Since then there have been countless adventures: road trips, dive bars, rock camps …Kicking-out time, January 2004, and Laura and I are sitting on the kerb waiting for a bus outside Alexandra Palace …

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‘Emerge from misty woods above a sea of clouds’: readers’ favourite UK winter walks

Readers revel in winter light, wildlife spectacles and cosy pubs from Norfolk to Northumberland• Tell us about your favourite European beach – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucherWho needs the Swiss Alps when you have Macclesfield Forest on your doorstep? Walking from Trentabank car park, the 50…