The Bear of Bad News Episode 3

IntroHello, my name is welcome to the Bear of Bad News, I’m your host LorBear, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, so I won’t! This is your weekly recap of positive news stories from around the world. Articles included in this broadcast were originally published from march 8th to 14th 2026.The stories in this episode are sourced from various news outlets and publications. The Bear of Bad News does not conduct independent fact-checking or verification of these stories. Listeners are encouraged to review original sources for accuracy and complete context. We are not responsible for the accuracy or content of third-party reporting.Which is a fancy way of saying I read it, I didn’t report it, and here are this week’s stories:Mexico’s monarch butterfly population jumps 64%, offering hope for at-risk species* https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/20/mexico-monarch-butterfly-population-increasesBoy is first to trial ‘life-changing’ exoskeleton* https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1781k90e8roA pet‑friendly homeless shelter pilot reduced the rate of homelessness among the people it helped in California* https://theconversation.com/a-pet-friendly-homeless-shelter-pilot-reduced-the-rate-of-homelessness-among-the-people-it-helped-in-california-276255Ocean bacteria team up to break down biodegradable plastic* https://news.mit.edu/2026/ocean-bacteria-break-down-biodegradable-plastic-0316National Women’s History Museum Annonuces Seven-Figure Donation from Meryl Streep* https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/meryl-streep-donation-national-womens-history-museum-1234778102/Paul Allen’s estate says it has begun the process of selling the Super Bowl champion Seahawks* http://opb.org/article/2026/02/18/seattle-seahawks-sale-paul-jody-allen/GOSH Charity-funded team engineers first lab-grown oesophagus in breakthrough for children’s surgery* https://www.gosh.org/news/gosh-charity-funded-team-engineers-first-lab-grown-oesophagus/Quantum Cryptography Pioneers Win Turing Award* https://www.quantamagazine.org/quantum-cryptography-pioneers-win-turing-award-20260318/In Hunt for Rare Earths, Companies Are Scouring Mining Waste* https://e360.yale.edu/features/mining-waste-rare-earth-mineralsMining made this US tribal area a toxic wasteland. This Indigenous nation brought it back to life* https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/15/quapaw-nation-oklahoma-superfund-cleanupA Tale of Two ParagraphsAnd that is the end of this weeks articles, hopefully they added a little positive joy to your life. Before we end, I have our final segment of the show, something I like to call, A Tale of Two Paragraphs.In this segment, I take the first and last paragraph from an article on substack or another similar source, and read them to you, to encourage you to go read the article yourself. Many people forget the power of the written word to move us, and how intriguing the middle of the story is. The less I read the better, but people often want to know how we got to endings more than the endings themselves, and maybe then you will go exploring the substack and read the paragraphs in between.This weeks article is from substack, entitled “Why I Can’t Retire,” comes from Robert Reich. His paragraph’s are too short here to do literally two paragraphs, so it’s whatever I wanted to read this week. Sue me.Friends,Yesterday I heard from an old friend who urged me to slow down. “You’re overdoing it, Bob,” he said. “A new book. Movie. Substack. Videos. You’re pushing 80, for crying out loud. What are you trying to prove?”I told him I’m not trying to prove anything.He warned me I was going to harm my health.Rubbish.I’m not going to play golf or lie in a hammock and sip mint juleps. That’s not me.A bit more around the middle and an ending of:F_ck retirement. I do all this because I believe in you. I believe in your values. In your thoughtfulness. In your determination to leave this nation and this world a better place than they were before Trump.I believe that together we will get through this and we will prevail.OutroWe hope you enjoyed our show everyone, thanks for tuning in, and until next time, I hate to be the Bear of Bad News, so I won’t! Have a good day.Thanks for reading The Bear of Bad News! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebearofbadnews.substack.com