Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Add Good to your Google News feed.
Google News Button

L.A. Gone Wild

Take a tour of the astonishing urban ecology amongst the concrete.

By Nicola Twilley,
Nicola Twilley
See Full Bio
Geoff Manaugh
Geoff Manaugh
See Full Bio
Apr 18, 2011

 Every three months, GOOD releases our quarterly magazine, which examines a given theme through our unique lens. Recent editions have covered topics like the impending global water crisis, the future of transportation, and the amazing rebuilding of New Orleans. This quarter's issue is about cities, spotlighting Los Angeles, and we'll be rolling out a variety of stories all month. You can subscribe to GOOD here.

 
citiespalos verdesthe cities issueferal peacocksmonarch waystationla brea tar pitslos angeles county vector control districtnatural history museum of los angelesexotic animal training schoolgood 023

The Latest

jack white, cell phones, rock stars, technology, music
Culture

Jack White proudly went 50 years without a cell phone. Then his wife bought him one.

beastie boys, gold record, ad-rock, mike-d, conan o'brien
Culture

The Beastie Boys smashed their own gold-record plaque and made a weird, hilarious discovery

walking, joint health, stress management, cardiovascular fitness, longevity, healthy aging, wellness
Health

A major new scientific study says walking exactly 8,250 steps a day greatly boosts your health

freddie mercury, queen, cats, pets, rock songs
Culture

Freddie Mercury's cat inspired this playful Queen song that their drummer 'hates'

More For You

hearing loss, rare medical conditions, reverse slope hearing loss, audiology, women's health, viral hearing loss, health news

A young woman cups her ear

Canva

Woman wakes up unable to hear men’s voices—doctors stunned by rare condition

In a moment that sounds like it could be straight from a thriller movie, a woman named Chen from Xiamen, China, woke up one morning in a hospital unable to hear her boyfriend’s voice. Shockingly, it wasn't just his voice; she couldn't hear any male voices at all—though she could hear women’s voices clearly.

The perplexing situation led Chen to consult Dr. Lin Xiaoqing, an ear, nose, and throat specialist at Qianpu Hospital. Dr. Xiaoqing confirmed Chen had a rare ear disorder known as Reverse Slope Hearing Loss (RSHL). “She was able to hear me when I spoke but couldn't hear a male voice. She couldn't hear him at all,” Dr. Xiaoqing explained, per the Daily Mail.

Keep ReadingShow less
concerts, annoying people, live music, rock music, fans

Everyone should avoid being the stereotypical annoying people at rock concerts.

Photo credit: Canva, Aja Koska (left) / Photo credit: Canva, maxbelchenko (right)

The 8 most irritating people at every rock concert and how to avoid being one of them

To be annoyed at a rock concert is to be human. If you can walk out of a venue filled with hundreds or thousands of fans—many of whom have been tossing back drinks for three hours—without a gripe or two during the car ride home, you’ve accomplished something special. Most of us soak in live music as a form of escapism, so music-crowd clichés can be particularly irritating. But we have to share these spaces with each other like polite and responsible adults, so it’s important to shine a light on our worst tendencies. How else can we grow?

In that light, let’s examine the eight most irritating stock characters at concerts, with some hopefully helpful reminders on how to avoid becoming them. Perhaps, with a bit of self-reflection, we can achieve less "Play 'Free Bird!'" and more pure freedom.

Keep ReadingShow less
movie theaters, economics, film industry, film culture, movies

What would get you to go to the movies?

Photo credit: Canva

Too many trailers? Here are 4 easy ways to save the moviegoing experience.

For people who love to go to the movies, things are not looking good. As the film theater industry struggles financially and home theaters become less expensive, it’s hard to justify the cost of going to the movies during the age of streaming. It doesn’t help that parents report spending over $100 for a family of four on tickets and snacks, only to watch nearly a half hour of trailers and ads before the film starts. Yet, according to one 2024 study, 30% of Americans stream two movies or more per week while 34% still prefer to watch films in the theater. Since the issue isn’t a love of movies as an entertainment art form, one can believe there are ways to improve the movie-going experience.

In response to this, the mega movie theater chain AMC introduced a warning regarding the length of trailers and a 50% ticket discount on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. However, their response has been criticized by many as tone deaf since those discount days are school nights, and it’s fairly common knowledge among film goers that trailers will take nearly 30 minutes at the start of showtime. Though those efforts missed the mark, there are still some things that could help the movie theater industry stay in business and allow the communal experience of going to theaters live to see the future.

Keep ReadingShow less
parenting, fatherhood, shared parenting, viral video, TikTok trends, wholesome stories

Wife pretending to sleep on a couch in front of her husband and daughter

Canva

Wife pretends to nap, husband's reaction leaves millions swooning

Social media influencer Julie Barboza shared an intimate moment on TikTok that quickly captured the hearts of millions. In the video, Julie pretends to fall asleep on the couch to see how her husband, Corey Stefanik, would react—and his thoughtful gestures became an instant viral hit, viewed over 4.8 million times.

In the heartwarming clip, Julie whispers to her young daughter, "Tell dada I'm sleeping, okay?" and lies down, feigning sleep. When Corey enters the room and sees his wife "napping," his gentle and considerate actions speak volumes.

Keep ReadingShow less
yes, taylor hawkins, jon davison, foo fighters, rock bands

Taylor Hawkins helped Jon Davison go from Yes tribute singer to joining the actual band.

Photo credit: Steve Knight via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic, cropped (left) / 606kiwis via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0, cropped (right)

How rock legend Taylor Hawkins helped a former Yes tribute singer join the real band

In a sense, and without realizing it, Jon Davison was training to be the singer of Yes his whole career. The musician, a native of Laguna Beach, California, grew up obsessed with vintage prog-rock—a passion he developed in high school alongside childhood friend and collaborator Taylor Hawkins. "[W]e heard Rush and flipped out on our discovery of progressive rock!" he told interviewer Barry Nothstine in 2010. "I would read these Bass Player magazine articles with Geddy Lee, describing his influences at the time, and discovered through him other progressive bands like Yes and Genesis. I was completely taken by Yes in particular, and from that time on, they have been my favorite group and greatest musical influence."

As Davison's career blossomed within the prog world, he landed multiple gigs—including one as the singer of a Yes tribute band, Roundabout. And when the real Yes found themselves looking for a new vocalist in 2012, Hawkins—now a longtime member of Foo Fighters and a friend of Yes bassist Chris Squire—put in a good word for his longtime pal. "Taylor was instrumental in helping me get the gig with Yes," Davison told Classic Rock in 2022. "I’d decided to pursue lead vocals, and he was really supportive of me doing that. He pushed Chris to take a listen to what I was doing when they needed a new singer. ...I’m eternally grateful to Taylor for being so instrumental in that. He helped give me a second chance at a musical career after I thought it was all behind me."

Keep ReadingShow less
tron, playboy, disney, tron: legacy, design

Even though it was a Disney film, Tron: Legacy still had its sexy moments.

www.flickr.com

Disney and Playboy once collaborated on a photoshoot. The results were electrifying.

Maybe you wouldn’t imagine a collaboration between Playboy and Disney would ever exist, but you’d be on the wrong side of history. This pairing actually took place in 2010, on the occasion of Tron: Legacy’s release. In a pictorial, the two legendary universes blended together for a dance between the futuristic light suits of Tron and the sexy babes of Playboy. What’s interesting, though, is that this idea had actually been on the table nearly 30 years before, upon the release of the original Tron in 1982.

The original Tron, released 43 years ago this week, took place in a digital universe never before seen on the silver screen. It was so foreign, however, that Disney’s marketing and public relations teams actually didn’t know how to market it yet. According to Moving Innovation: A History of Computer Animation by animator and animation historian Tom Sito, Playboy came along and presented the potential partnership first. The pitch included a “photo spread called ‘The Girls of Tron,’ featuring nude Playboy models with their naughty parts discreetly covered by circuit boards,” Sito wrote. But Disney was by no means at a place where they would accept such an offer from the magazine, whose reputation at the time even barred it from being sold at 7-Eleven convenience stores (Did Playboy do a “Women of 7-Eleven” spread in response? Yes. Yes, they did.) A few years earlier, the magazine had also encountered obscenity charges. The offer was rejected.

Keep ReadingShow less
watching tv, comfort tv shows, psychology, nostalgia, television

Why do we revisit shows repeatedly?

Photo credit: Canva

Psychologists reveal why your brain likes watching the same TV show again and again

Picture this scenario: You’ve had “a day.” Maybe work was extra stressful. You could have experienced a break-up. Perhaps you took a certification exam and are anxious about the results. Or you caught a bug and feel sick. In any case, you sit down to relax and watch some TV. There are plenty of new shows you want to see, yet instead you put on Friends again for the 80th time. Sure, it’s a show you like, but why does your brain tell you to watch the same TV show over and over again? Well, there are several psychological reasons behind it.

One of the main reasons you may be rewatching the same shows consistently is due to your cognitive load. When you work throughout the day, you could be bombarded with new things to remember, new tasks ahead of you, and need to think critically throughout it all. Our attention and working memory are finite resources, and watching a new show requires you to pay close attention to learn the characters, follow the plot, and wonder where the story will go next. This is why so many people chose to binge-watch a familiar show during the height of COVID-19 when there was so much change in the usual day-to-day routine. When you've already seen a show or film, there’s no anxiety, stressful anticipation, or suspense during the watch experience because you already know what’s coming next. A familiar show lets your brain relax so you can enjoy watching it and take a mental break.

Keep ReadingShow less
deaf accessibility, caption glasses, Kendyl Pool, assistive technology, inclusion, hearing impairment, innovative tech

A young girl wearing hi-tech goggles

Canva

Deaf girl’s reaction to new caption glasses goes viral

For Kendyl Pool, a 10-year-old who has been profoundly deaf since birth due to inner ear malformations, communication has always been through American Sign Language (ASL). But everything changed dramatically on her 10th birthday when she tried an innovative new device: caption glasses that let her visually experience spoken words in real time.

Her reaction was pure joy and amazement.

Keep ReadingShow less
© Copyright 2025