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PODCAST

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun

Caloroga Shark Media / Happiness Good News Lab

Every day the news feels heavy. 5 Good News Stories is your daily antidote — five short, uplifting stories about human kindness, scientific breakthroughs, unexpected heroes, and moments that remind you the world isn"t as broken as the headlines suggest. Hosted by John McDermott, each episode is under 10 minutes and designed to start your morning right or reset your afternoon. If you"re looking for a positive news podcast, a feel-good daily listen, or just five minutes of happiness — this is your

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All Episodes

4:06

Police disguised as Lunar New Year lion dancers...

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/04/02

Johnny Mac presents five good news stories: In Scotland, hikers rescued four dogs after they fell through snow near a cliff, and a rope-lowered rescuer recovered Aggie, a five-year-old spaniel, from a hole after a cold night at 3,000 feet. In Thailand, police disguised as Lunar New Year lion dancers tackled a 33-year-old repeat offender suspected of stealing about $81,000 in Buddhist objects and two 12-inch statues. In California, over 90 fish stocks have been nearly rebuilt after 25 years of

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4:38

What makes dogs happy?

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/03/31

Nikon outfitted Grizzler the sheepdog with a camera that snapped photos when his heart rate rose, producing Instagram images of what excites him, from other dogs and food to wildlife and random objects. Scientists at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology created a spray-on powder that rapidly forms a hydrogel barrier to seal bullet wounds and remains stable for two years at room temperature. In the Galapagos, 158 endangered giant tortoises were released on an island where they had

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4:55

One-Armed Hole-in-One, Solo Atlantic Row, Underwater...

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/03/29

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: Patrick, who lost an arm in a work accident and learned golf after years of recovery, made a 120-yard hole-in-one with a seven iron at Over Stone Park, saying golf saved his life. Taryn became the first woman to row the 3,000-mile “world’s toughest row” solo from the Canary Islands to Antigua, finishing in 46 days after three years of training. Retired naval officer Joseph lived 93 days in a 100-square-foot pressurized pod at the bottom of the Atlantic,

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3:50

Mets to hold Bobby Valentine Fake Mustache Night

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/03/28

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: a Finnish couple won the 2026 wife-carrying race on a 380-meter course and earned a barrel of local ale, with racers carrying a partner over hills and obstacles amid water-spraying spectators and a 50-kilogram minimum weight rule. The large tortoiseshell butterfly, long classified as extinct, has been spotted in six locations and may be reclassified. In the UK, a rare pale pink fairy club fungus native to Italy was found in England, the first recorded Great

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3:40

Robot solved Rubik's Cubes

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/03/27

Johnny Mac eports that the Two Brothers set a Guinness World Record with a robot solving a 4x4x4 Rubik’s cube in 45.3 seconds using four robotic arms and two cameras with shutters for fairness, beating a 2014 mark of 1:18 after multiple improving attempts. A large study of over 100,000 women found AI analysis of routine mammograms can identify calcium in breast arteries linked to future cardiovascular disease, with mild calcification tied to about a 30% higher risk of serious events, and experts

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4:41

Turkeys Terrorize Town

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/03/26

Johnny Mac presents five good news stories: a Mississippi man gets back the class ring he lost on a beach in 1982 after a treasure hunter found it with a metal detector, still in excellent condition; Richard sets a Guinness attempt by folding 250 paper planes in one hour, beating the previous 200 record with each plane tested for flight; a pet milk snake missing for 15 months is found living under a neighbor’s compost heap and returned home in good health; conservationists reintroduce five

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4:34

Ghostbusters Firehouse Honored, Fish-Inspired...

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/03/24

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: the Smithsonian names the Ghostbusters New York City firehouse (Hook and Ladder 8) among 250 places to visit as America approaches its 250th anniversary, with the full list at smithsonianmag.com; German scientists develop a fish gill-inspired wastewater filter that removes up to 99% of microplastics by rolling particles along a cone-shaped mesh into a separate chamber; a Ryanair passenger buys all 68 onboard scratch-card packets and wins nothing, amid

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5:20

A cow escaped on to the high school tennis courts

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/03/22

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: urban explorers Mitch and Jake find a remote Scottish bungalow packed with dusty teddy bears and dolls, allegedly hoarded by a widow, after a long search and trek; Alan at the Trumpet Inn offers a 5% cash discount to offset card fees, shifting payments from mostly card to about half cash; a cow on the loose in Nebraska wanders onto a high school tennis court, prompting a lockdown until police and rodeo helpers herd it to the fairgrounds and back to its

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5:17

150-year-old bottle of beer tastes pretty ok

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/03/19

Johnny Mac presents five stories: Tom’s Eiffel Tower proposal to Taylor is nearly ruined when a woman with a selfie stick blocks their hidden phone, but the stranger’s own video captures the couple hugging, kissing and showing the ring. In London, Rose alleges a neighbor ripped out her fence, cut into her decking and hot tub enclosure, and moved a new fence over a meter into her garden; police called it civil, but a boundary survey says her original fence was correct and she’s working with the land

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5:12

Teddy Bear Toss Record

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/03/17

Johnny Mac delivers five good news stories: Hershey Bears fans continued a 25-year “teddy bear toss” tradition, throwing 81,796 stuffed animals onto the ice after the team’s first goal (after setting a 102,343 world record last season) to benefit children and families in Central Pennsylvania. The nonprofit American Prairie removed its 100th mile of derelict barbed wire, eliminating about 500,000 pounds of scrap metal to help wildlife move freely, as it works toward national park designation after

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4:46

Double amputee climbs highest mountain on all 7...

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/03/15

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: In Texas, Sean enlisted an entire preschool class to surprise his fiancée Zoey with a bridal shower; the couple had attended the school at age four and reconnected at a 2021 summer camp. New research from Newcastle University suggests a single 10-minute high-intensity cycling session can quickly change blood molecules, increasing 13 proteins including one tied to DNA repair, potentially helping suppress cancer growth in overweight but otherwise healthy

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4:41

Police Sergeant faked working from home

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/03/12

Nicola ignored her husband Martin’s advice to stop entering prize drawings and won a £4.5 million, mortgage-free, fully furnished five-bedroom Lake District home with a private lake plus $315,000 cash, giving the couple financial security and options to live in, rent, or sell. A notorious 22-room Florida “theme park” house—with rooms like a saloon, pirate room, 1950s space theme, and a taxidermy room with stuffed cats—found a buyer at the $500,000 asking price to become a short-term rental. A sea

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4:08

The Museum Of Personal Failure

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/03/10

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: Vancouver opened a pop-up Museum of Personal Failure at Kingsgate Mall, created by Evan after a breakup, featuring donated objects with written explanations such as a wall of rejection letters, failed relationship notes, broken car parts, and unfinished songs. A missing parakeet named Snow was caught after landing on a kindergartener’s head at St. No’s Catholic School and was reunited with her family. In San Diego, Cassie received a library copy of The

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4:16

A Rock mysteriously moved 1700 miles on its own

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/03/08

Host Johnny Mack presents five good news stories: a small climbing rock called “Portable the Rock” disappeared from Squamish, British Columbia and was later spotted 1,700 miles away at the Iron Man bouldering area in Bishop, California, with plans to return it; six American bison (three males, three females) were released onto Native prairie land at Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve in Kane County, Illinois, marking their return after about 200 years; in China, doctors preserved a 30-year-old

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4:30

Coyote Swims to Alcatraz

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/03/05

Johnny Mac shares five good news stories: a coyote is filmed swimming ashore at Alcatraz Island, with park rangers alerted and an amateur naturalist saying it could survive briefly on the island; a decades-missing class ring found buried on a New Jersey beach by a metal detector enthusiast is traced from the initials “BW” to Barbara Ledge of Crete High School (class of 1966) and returned to her Nebraska family; an animal shelter in Nova Scotia reports having no animals currently available for

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4:27

Cows use tools now

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/03/03

Johnny Mac presents five stories: Austrian researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna document a Swiss Brown cow named Veronica deliberately using sticks and a long-handled brush to scratch herself, meeting the scientific definition of tool use. Off the coast of Baja California, underwater photographers and free divers rescue a devil ray (mobula ray) severely entangled in a buoy line from a shark fisherman while sharks circle nearby; after being freed, the ray swims away and

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5:08

Dolly Parton the Donkey

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/03/01

Johnny Mac shares five uplifting news stories. First, a woman's cats discover a mouse, leading to an elaborate but failed capture attempt. Second, a finger prick test may soon simplify Alzheimer's diagnoses. Third, researchers identify bacteria as a contributor to kidney stones. Fourth, a Chilean man quits his job after being mistakenly paid 330 times his salary and wins a legal battle. Lastly, Michigan State Police successfully return a wandering donkey named Dolly Parton to her owner.John also

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4:46

TSA stops Turtles In Bra Smugglers

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/02/26

In France, a man donates his field to create an orchard and community garden. In Poland, an emu is safely returned home after a forest adventure caused by fireworks. At the Rio Zoo, animals get popsicles to beat the summer heat. In New Zealand, a 66-year-old hiker missing for two weeks is found alive. Finally, the TSA reveals the most unusual items left at airport security, including turtles in a bra and a replica bomb.John also hosts Daily Comedy NewsUnlock an ad-free podcast experience with

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4:32

Kegs of Beer close highway

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/02/24

Johnny Mac shares five intriguing and positive news stories. A Tennessee candy shop deals with a bear that repeatedly breaks in, while volunteers in Wales discover hundreds of old shoes, possibly from a 19th-century shipwreck. AI-powered robotic sorters help Republic Services improve recycling efficiency. In Rome, the House of Griffins, a historical Roman site, can now be toured virtually. Finally, an overturned truck spills 264 kegs of beer, causing a highway closure but leaving everyone safe. John

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3:58

Police Officer Turns Into Frog

5 Good News Stories - happiness and fun ·

2026/02/22

Johnny Mac showcases five quirky and uplifting news stories: a police officer mistakenly reported as a frog due to AI errors, a herd of sheep causing chaos in a German supermarket, a Belarusian daredevil breaking a sky surfing record over Mount Everest, goats attempting a break-in at a retirement facility in Washington, and a Chinese stuffed horse going viral due to a production error that gave it a sad appearance. John also hosts Daily Comedy NewsUnlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga

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