Taylor Swift’s new romance, debt-paying gift and solar eclipse are one of 2023’s most joyous moments – World News

The romance that brought sports fans and music fans together, the heavenly wonders that turned the eyes of millions to the skies, and the spiritual homecoming for some Native American tribes will be with us in 2023. These are just some of the moments that have inspired and brought joy to me.

In a year of multiple wars, deadly mass shootings, earthquakes, wildfires, sexual harassment incidents, and other tragedies, these events are among the events that broke the chaos of 2023 and made people feel hopeful. It was.

As Taylor Swift says, “Hold on to the memories.” Here are some of them:

friendship bracelet with phone number

This is how Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce plans to land a superstar Taylor Swift I was at a concert on her Ellas tour in Missouri’s capital. It didn’t work at first.

But a romantic gesture and a public admission of defeat on the podcast “New Heights” caught the Grammy winner’s attention. After the power pair went public with their relationship (she went to a Chiefs game and sat in the box with Kelsey’s mom, much to the delight of her fans), they began to take the world by storm. .

Sportscasters calculated Swift’s impact on Kelce’s game stats and TV ratings, national magazines provided comprehensive dating timelines, and Swift fans combed through Kelce’s old social media posts to find out if he was queen. I checked to see if it was suitable.

During a tour in Buenos Aires, the then 33-year-old singer changed the lyrics from “Karma is the guy on the screen” to “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs.” And her fans went wild when she jumped into Kelce’s arms after her concert and gave her his iconic kiss.

“I think we’re all excited about it. Until they start making good rom-coms again, this is what we have,” said longtime fan Michael Owens, 37, of Zionsville, an Indianapolis suburb. ) said.

This Halloween, a pair of pint-sized trick-or-treaters wore fancy dresses and Chiefs jerseys, but Owens turned the outdoor display into a tribute. The mother of three dressed one of the 12-foot-tall skeletons in a Chiefs jersey, another in a sparkly dress, and stacked three smaller skeletons on top of each other. and created what she called the “Tower of Swifties.”

“There are so many sad things in the world, so why not find something to cheer about and give us joy,” she said.

majestic solar eclipse

In October, millions of people, from the Oregon coast to the beaches of Corpus Christi, Texas, wore special glasses and peered upwards to admire the dazzling lights. “Ring of Fire” solar eclipse the sun’s.

“It’s a kind of spiritual, but almost tangible, solar eclipse,” said Angela Speck, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Texas at San Antonio, recalling the type of solar eclipse that ancient Mayan astronomers called a “broken sun.” ” he said.

The crowds in the eclipse’s path cheered as the moon blocked out all but the sun’s bright outer circle.International convention participants balloon festa He jumped off the launch pad in Albuquerque, New Mexico. NASA broadcasters said they felt chills when the moon cast a shadow on Earth, and one broadcaster became so emotional that he started crying.

This phenomenon was a precursor to that total solar eclipse It will sweep through Mexico, the eastern half of the United States, and Canada in April 2024. However, the next solar eclipse will not be visible in the United States until 2039, and then only in parts of Alaska.

selfless act in death

A surprise letter arrives in the mailbox informing the recipient that their medical debt will be cancelled.

they have casey mcintyre To be grateful. The 38-year-old book publisher from New York City nearly died from cancer in May. But during what her husband, Andrew Rose Gregory, called her “bonus summer,” her young mother made plans to help her people after she was gone. Her goal was to eliminate her medical debt.

In a message posted after his death in November, she wrote, “I loved each and every one of you dearly, and I promise you, you knew how deeply I was loved.” He appealed for donations.

By December, more than $900,000 had been raised, enough to erase nearly $90 million in debt.Because it’s a non-profit organization Rest in peace, medical debt. It states that every dollar donated buys about $100 in debt.

“Her positive spirit resonates with so many people,” said Alison Sesso, the nonprofit’s president and CEO.

The initiative was inspired by people McIntyre met during his treatment. They were worried not only about their health but how they would pay for their treatment. She has good insurance, and she “could never have imagined that she would have to deal with insurance on top of cancer,” Sesso said.

The fundraiser, which quickly reached its original goal of $20,000, gave her family a little something “something positive” to focus on during their grief. It was especially difficult for McIntyre’s family because her daughter was just a toddler when she died. 2.

“It may sound crazy, but she didn’t seem angry at all,” Sesso said. I accept that this happened and plan to move forward. ”

Return to spiritual home

When the Grand Canyon became a national park more than a century ago, many Native Americans who called it home were forced to flee.

In 2023, meaningful steps were taken to address the federal government’s actions. The ceremony was held in May, rename This popular campground is located in the inner canyon that runs from Indian Gardens to Havasupai Gardens (Havasupai: “Haa Gyo”).

This was a pivotal moment in the tribe’s relationship with the U.S. government, nearly a century after the last tribal member was forcibly removed from the park. The Havasupai Tribe remained landless for some time until the federal government set aside land for its members deep within the Grand Canyon.

after that Augustpresident joe biden The National Monument was signed over the objections of Republican lawmakers and the uranium mining industry to protect approximately 1,562 square miles (4,046 square kilometers) of Grand Canyon National Park from north to south.

This is another major step for the Havasupai tribe and the 10 other tribes that consider the Grand Canyon their ancestral homeland.

of new national monument My name is Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni. “Baaj Nwaavjo” means “where the tribe roams” to the Havasupai people, and “I’tah Kukveni” means “our footprints” to the Hopi people.

Jack Ponjesva of the Grand Canyon Trust, an advocacy group representing tribes and environmental issues in the region, said the measure would limit new mining claims and strengthen tribes’ calls for environmental stewardship.

He said this could open the door to more cultural tourism, where visitors can learn not only about the landscape but also about the tribes, from the tribes themselves.

Pongesva, a member of the Hopi tribe, said the dedication is “hopefully the beginning of this healing, the beginning of looking back and seeing what went wrong and moving forward together.”

resilient return

Fir is the mainstay of the Christmas tree plot. But in Isle Royale National Park, near the Michigan-Canada border, balsam fir trees were being eaten away.

gray wolf Rolf Peterson, a biologist at Michigan Technological University, said inbreeding is already wiping out moose populations on remote islands in Lake Superior, resulting in a “runaway freight train” of moose populations that are trapped in snow. He said this is depriving the wolves of trees, which were their main food source during the long winter.

Big changes are starting to take place with ambitious plans to airlift wolves from the mainland to the park. This year’s report says wolf populations are rebounding and total elk numbers are declining, giving trees a chance to recover.

The plan had its critics, but Peterson said there were no other viable options. Climate change, particularly global warming, is reducing ice bridges, reducing the ability of wolves to migrate from the mainland, and diversifying the gene pool.

“It was a tough job,” Peterson said, but it “worked out beautifully.”