by William Upton‚ The National Pulse: Revelations in February that the Chinese communist government sought to interfere in the past two Canadian elections on behalf of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the ruling Liberal Party have sparked a public inquiry in Ottowa. Over the past three weeks‚ the inquiry commission has heard testimony from top Trudeau government aides‚ national […]

Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Let us know what you think at info@reasonstobecheerful.world. Greener pastures We all know that spending time in nature is good for us. But when it comes to green spaces‚ not all neighborhoods are created equal. A story from the Washington Post that Contributing Editor Michaela Haas shared this week digs into local “NatureScores” and what they reveal. Michaela says:   How green is your city&;#63; We’ve written about how access to nature improves health. This new app lets you enter your address and you can see for yourself how much nature surrounds you. Fighting fire with fire Planned‚ carefully controlled fires‚ known as prescribed burns‚ are used across a wide range of landscapes to prevent more destructive wildfires. This week‚ Editorial Director Rebecca Worby shared an Inside Climate News story about the successes and challenges of using this practice in Texas‚ a state where it isn’t widely accepted.  Firefighters igniting a prescribed burn on private lands in Texas. Credit: Colin Shackelford / Flickr Becca says:   Texas is different from many other states that face high (and increasing) wildfire risk in that the vast majority of its land is privately owned‚ which means lots of individual landowners have to get on board for something like prescribed burns to work. What else we’re reading Brazil and Colombia see “remarkable” decrease in forest destruction after leadership changes‚ data show — shared by Contributing Editor Peter Yeung from CBS News New technology can keep whales safe from speeding ships — shared by RTBC founder David Byrne from The Economist The US Urgently Needs a Bigger Grid. Here’s a Fast Solution — shared by Executive Editor Will Doig from the New York Times Elsewhere in our channels… This week’s episode of The Journalism Salute — a podcast of interviews with journalists about who they are and what they do — features RTBC Editorial Director Rebecca Worby. The post What We’re Reading: Mapping Nature Access‚ Fighting Wildfires and More appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.

Scottie Scheffler may be a two-time Masters champion and arguably the best golf talent since the advent of Tiger Woods‚ but he's a man who has his priorities in order -- and the sport he currently dominates is No. 4. Scheffler‚ the No. 1 player in the world‚ scored a...

Barron Trump‚ the youngest son of former President Donald Trump‚ is the ultimate example of a true &;quot;poor little rich boy.&;quot; The handsome yet unassuming young man has had to deal with the endless hateful attacks on his family and the fear that the Democrats would find some way to...

A good Samaritan who tried to stop a carjacking by shooting the suspect is himself dead‚ becoming a cautionary tale about the critical importance of firearm training. The chilling incident occurred in March‚ but a graphic video of the crime went viral this weekend. According to police‚ the clip shows...

Seems there really is a job for everyone. Even if you're failed Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley‚ who kept pushing an obviously losing campaign well past its expiration date‚ someone out there is willing to hire you. But rather than a management position at her local McDonald's‚ the former South...

Why would one want to destroy one of America's natural wonders&;#63; That's what the National Park Service would like to find out. In a Monday news release‚ the agency announced it was seeking the public's help to find two men who were caught on camera deliberately destroying a protected rock...

Left-wing activists' extreme narcissism always leads them to the same conclusion: You have no rights that they must respect. The latest example occurred Monday in Miami‚ Florida‚ where police arrested seven pro-Palestinian protesters for obstructing traffic‚ according to WSVN. That police response in Miami contrasted with the situation in some...