The Week in Good News: ‘Crazy Rich Asians,’ Self-Destructing Plastic, Honors for Military Dogs
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Version 0 of 1. Sometimes it seems as if we’re living under a constant barrage of heavy news. But it isn’t all bad out there. This feature is meant to send you into the weekend with a smile, or at least a lighter heart. Want to get The Week in Good News by email? Sign up here. Here are seven great things we wrote about this week: “Crazy Rich Asians” is a romantic comedy with a reported budget of $30 million. The last time a major Hollywood film set in the present showcased a predominantly Asian cast was a whopping 25 years ago, with “The Joy Luck Club.” Jon M. Chu, the director, issued an open casting call for Asian and Asian-American actors. “We just didn’t want to miss anybody,” he said. “I wanted this to be the ‘Avengers’ of Asian actors.” If the film is a success, it could encourage more big-budget movies with casts like this one. Six actors and one singer told us what it was like to work on an all-Asian Hollywood film: “It made me realize how often I’ve been the only person of color, and certainly the only Asian actor, on a film or TV set. It was wonderful to look around and see people from all over the world,” Gemma Chan said. Read more » Plastic waste is a growing problem. Luckily, scientists are working to make new materials that are durable, but have a built-in self-destruct mechanism. This requires forcing molecules together into long chains — called polymers — that are inherently unstable. Letting those chains split back into small molecules is called “unzipping.” By building in triggers that respond to things like light or acid, scientists can control exactly how and when their polymers unzip. And in theory, at least, these polymers could help mitigate plastic pollution. Read more » First Lt. Marina A. Hierl is the leader of a platoon of roughly 35 men, the first woman in that post in a male-dominated organization that had fiercely opposed integrating female troops into combat. “I wanted to do something important with my life,” she said. “I wanted to be part of a group of people that would be willing to die for each other.” Her arrival initially drew jabs, but Lieutenant Hierl soon earned her platoon’s respect. “She’s one of us,” Lance Cpl. Kai Segura said. Read more » Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned the spotlight on the pristine village of Mawlynnong in 2015, calling it a source of inspiration in India’s waste crisis. Mawlynnong’s streets are swept daily by villagers, bamboo trash cans are placed at every street corner, and trash is composted. Tending lush gardens is also a part of the village’s tradition. “Now we have been named the cleanest village in Asia, and we have it in us to improve, until one day our village will be the cleanest village in the world,” the head of the village council said. Read more » Six military dogs, including four on active duty, were present when Senator Robert Menendez announced the creation of a “Guardians of America’s Freedom Medal,” the Defense Department’s first official commendation for military working dogs. “These dogs endure multiple tours of duty. Some come back having lost limbs and others give their lives in service to their teams,” Mr. Menendez said. “Yet until now, the U.S. military did not recognize the incredible service and sacrifice of working dogs and their handlers.” Now the likes of Robby, a German shepherd and retired drug-sniffing dog who was at the announcement ceremony, can get the tributes they’ve earned. Read more » A mission is afoot to improve the country’s scientific and technological prowess, and it got a boost when Senegal welcomed a team of more than three dozen scientists from the United States and France, part of NASA’s New Horizons program. They chose Senegal, with its peaceful countryside and clear night skies, in hopes of observing the silhouette cast by an ancient chunk of rock orbiting beyond Pluto as it passed in front of a bright star. About two dozen Senegalese astronomers and scientists accompanied them in the field. Read more » His out-of-office email message read, “I’m away from my computer having the adventure of a lifetime, attempting to become the first American to row solo across the North Atlantic Ocean!” Bryce Carlson, a high school biology teacher from Cincinnati, rowed for 38 days, 6 hours and 49 minutes, setting a new speed record for a west-to-east solo crossing of the North Atlantic. (It’s about 2,000 miles.) He made it last Saturday to St. Mary’s Harbor in Britain, where hundreds had gathered to greet him. “It was not the three to five people I was expecting,” he said. “ ‘Surreal’ does not even come close relative to what I was expecting.” Read more » What would you like to see here? Email us at goodnews@nytimes.com. You can enjoy more of this feature at nytimes.com/goodnews. |