New Sweden: The “Secret” American Colony

by Eliot Stein BBC    Ask most Americans and they’ll tell you that the United States started in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776 when the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence.    But chances are, almost none of those coming realizes that the US’s political and ideological birthplace was once part of a little-known …

Five Choices For Disaffected American Expats

by Blake Bachelor CNN    (Blogger’s note: Yesterday we ran the first part of a BBC story explaining why many Americans, especially retirees, are leaving for other places. Today reporter Blake Bachelor gives details of just where to go and how best to thrive there.)    Here are five countries that are well-suited for retirees. …

Strangers Build Community Via Co-Housing

by Charlotte Cox BBC    When Nikki Little and John Porter retired, they considered buying a bungalow for just the two of them.    Instead, they invested in a one million-pound  ($1.33 million US) house tucked away on Devon’s rugged and remote Hartland Peninsula – and looked for a community of like-minded people to join …

Meet the 98-year-old ‘Angel of Route 66’

by Rebecca Treon BBC    On a dusty stretch of northern Arizona, about an hour west of Flagstaff, the neon glow of Angel and Vilma Delgadillo’s Original Route 66 Gift Shop still flickers to life each morning.    Inside, 98-year-old Angel Delgadillo greets the stream of visitors pouring in from tour buses with a handshake and …

Ten Surprising Foreign Language Enclaves

by Dictionary Scoop    Migrations, trade, and other historical events have contributed to the spread of languages to regions far from their origins. But sometimes, we arrive at a new location expecting to hear a particular language, only to be surprised by the use of a language we wouldn’t expect.    Here are ten places in …

The “Voice Of The Blind” Opens In Romania

by Oana Ghita and Rodica State Agerpress    Romania’s First museum dedicated to the history, culture and contributions of blind people opened Thursday in Bucharest.    The ‘Regina Elisabeta’ Technological High School in Bucharest, in partnership with the Light into Europe Foundation, inaugurated the ‘Regina Elisabeta’ Museum of the Blind Community and Education.   According to …

Laundry Built On A Bus Helps Homeless

by Kevin Burton    Today’s glad tidings from the Good News Network, I kid you not, involve going to a laundromat.    Or should I say a laundromat going to you.    My wife and I just had a major repair done to our washer. We had a little wait for a repair person to …

Christmas Miracle For Girl With Leukemia

by Good News Network    Christmas 2025 is better and brighter for one family whose daughter is on the mend from a previously untreatable form of childhood cancer.    Christmas 2024 saw then-5-year-old Bryn Ailinger isolated in a child cancer ward, having been diagnosed with precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia which harbored a rare and …

Talking Turkey And Thanksgiving Terms

by Dictionary Scoop     Thanksgiving is more than just turkey, family gatherings, and football games; it’s a time stuffed with unique words that make perfect sense in the spirit of the season.    The holiday’s vocabulary is as rich as the meal itself. Join us as we explore ten Thanksgiving-related words that carry meanings, histories, and fun trivia. 1-Bounty: …

The Island Where Horsepower Still Rules

by Stephen Starr BBC    Home to the Motor City of Detroit, where companies like Ford, General Motors and Chrysler originated, the US state of Michigan is often called “The car capital of the world.” But off the state’s northern coast in Lake Huron is a serene, scenic island that has been luring travelers for …