Feel Good Friday

“For the nation’s semiquincentennial, we asked Times Opinion columnists and writers to pluck a moment from this complicated history that represents the best of what this country can be. What are the accomplishments, movements and ideas that continue to inspire us? Here are 16 nominations for America’s highlight reel.” NYT (Gift Article): It’s America’s Birthday. What Are We Celebrating? (For one thing, we don’t look a day over 249.)

+ “Rob, who repairs virtually unfixable bicycles for free and gives them away in his community, is working to keep bikes out of landfills. But he’s also working on something else: feeling useful again, and figuring out what his brain is capable of after a catastrophic accident.” After a brain injury, he found purpose fixing bikes no one else would bother with.

+ Buildings May Soon Have ‘Immune Systems‘ That Fight Airborne Disease.

+ “Thirty-five nations are working together to build a massive magnetic fusion device in France to prove the feasibility of nuclear fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy.” Photos: Building the World’s Largest Fusion Reactor.

+ Dua Lipa Opening Physical Library for Banned and Censored Books.

+ Dad Gave Up His Dream Car to Raise 6 Sons. Decades Later, His Youngest Bought It Back. (Maybe my kids can find my old Walkman…)

+ “You didn’t buy it because it looked enticing. Not because of its retro pink-and-gold packaging, and certainly not because of the photos on the box, which make the muffins look like tortilla-chip-sprinkled cups of raw ground beef. You bought it because your oldest kid is about to graduate from high school, and you’re shaky on your feet. You’re lucky you didn’t pull the box off the shelf and collapse into a freezer full of toaster waffles.” Trader Joe’s Strawberry & Corn Flake Muffin & Loaf Cake Mix.