Good News To Beat The Halloween Creepies

Your healthy dose of feel-good current events in pop culture, fashion, travel, science, and everything in between…

And like a candy-scented breeze, the latest round of carefree weekly updates has arrived, showcasing 10 topical reports cherry-picked to deliver an opportuuunity to chill out and deeply breathe in that familiar smoky scent of easy fall times (Halloween, no less!) that lie so very directly ahead.

Take the chance to unapologetically recline, perhaps in a marshmallow-floofy robe, and lounge with some harmless (yet fascinating) stories selected to give you some clickable, likeable current events that are finally worth sharing with your favorites.

Peruse, ponder, audibly “awww,” lol a little, and enjoy the good news you might have missed:

According to Austin cool kids, Buda is the new place to hang like a local, as it sits just far enough outside of the booming Texas oasis that the touring Silicon Valley crowd can’t yet find them. “If you bring a date, you can actually talk with them,” says Chris Denny, the 33-year-old creator of just-opened Doc’s Drive-In Theater on the east side of town. Admittedly not holding out hope for a huge resurgence in the pastime, that’s kind of the point — the theater is screening spooky films to keep the retro night out alive and well. “We built it,” he told reporters with a laugh, “so come on down!”

Cuddling up close, scream shouting, soaking wet while frowning, quietly absorbing this new reality: the reactions of these cats are rendered even more powerful by the 19 firefighters holding them in their arms. Risking their lives for our pets? Worthy of a triple scroll and a few welcome tears.

There’s simply nothing about this reflection of Mariah Carey in a window, secretly coaching her children’s spirit performance, that doesn’t make perfect sense.

The screenwriter best known for The Devil Wears Prada is reminding everyone that women are never too old to accomplish their dreams, and suddenly everything looks fresh and new and full of hope. Her simple message that created a snowball of incoming data on successful dames of all ages? “Nora Ephron was 51 when she directed her first movie. Nancy Meyers was 49. Their kids were grown. If you’re a women who writes, acts, edits, ADs, etc and you’re ready to direct, you’re not too old. I was 47. Tell the people you work with your dream. Put your hand up. Men ask. Ask.”

Reading through this article about why we get goosebumps without actually getting goosebumps seems unlikely. There’s something about the fact that scientists aren’t completely sure why we get them at all that adds to the seemingly impossible task. One researcher’s guess as to why something can be associated with both thrills and chills? “It’s like evolution is rewarding us for figuring out something isn’t a threat.”

The best part of the US Embassy in Australia accidentally sending out a photo of a cat wearing a Cookie Monster costume while holding a plate of chocolate chip cookies instead of a meeting invite is already public affairs counselor Gavin Sundwall’s apology: “Sorry to disappoint those of you who were hoping to attend this “cat pajama-jam” party, but such an event falls well outside our area of expertise.”

What comes in a spray can and lasts pretty much forever? Massive Attack, the British trip hop outfit that gained a cult following in the 90s, is rereleasing their album Mezzanine next month as spritz-able DNA for its 20^th anniversary. Why? “If you think about DNA versus the ridiculous amounts of server farms that have got to be cooled 24/7 all around the world, this looks like a much better solution going forward,” says member Robert Del Naja. “It allows us to archive music for hundreds to thousands of years.” One “matte black” can reportedly hold about a million copies.

Piggybacking on the theme of spritz-able innovations, our own FP just released their first fragrance launch this month for those seeking the truly natural. Rather than bottling harsh chemicals and synthetic aromas, the team perfected an organic sugar cane alcohol base for their 1809 collection that makes its recipes as clean as its scents. Plus, some insider info about office dogs.

Calling them “masters of the long-distance relationship,” this piece on the life-long bond that albatrosses nurture with their ability to fly millions of miles during a lifetime is a surprisingly heartwarming watch. Here, a cutie teen couple shares the spotlight with an old pair still living the dream of true love.

Thank you, Blue Heron Farm, for sleeping cactuses and tiny ladybugs. The small-town puppy foster home is dressing its baby sweethearts in Halloween costumes for 31 days to help find them happy homes.

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