Mid week collection of tasty morsels of good news.
Asparagus may be popular in Belgium, but local lawyers were surprised to find a recipe for the vegetable hidden among laws and royal decrees last week. The text appeared to have been accidentally (really?) copied and pasted into legislation on the price of drugs and medical supplies. "Bon Appétit!" read the final line of the recipe, before returning to more serious issues. Sounds to OGN rather like the Swiss catographers who hid figures in a number of maps, thus proving the Swiss do have a sense of humour afterall.
In a similar vein, the Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, was forced to abandon a ceremony dedicating a road in Rome to one of his predecessors, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, after officials noticed the name on the stone plaque was misspelled. Instead of “Azeglio”, the street marker said “Azelio”. Mattarella had already turned up to the event on Tuesday, alongside members of Ciampi’s family and the mayor of Rome, before the embarrassing mistake was noticed.
Getting a Covid-19 vaccine undoubtedly has its health benefits - and for one lucky woman, getting the shots changed her net worth too. Last week, Abbigail Bugenske became the first winner of Ohio's $1 million "Vax-a-Million" lottery, a campaign started by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine to help boost stalling vaccination rates in the state. (Ohioans who have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine can enter the drawer).
Britain records no new deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test for first time since July 2020.
Luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce has an exciting project in the works: an ultra-luxurious EV called Silent Shadow. The fully electric vehicle will be ready for Rolls-Royce's customers within the decade, reported Automotive News, but no exact release date or specs were shared. All anyone outside of Rolls-Royce knows is that the lavish and prestigious automaker is working on its new EV, and that's about it.
An ‘urban forest’ is to be created in Glasgow over the next decade. Councils in the city have agreed to plant 18m saplings - the equivalent of 10 trees per resident. The project would boost tree cover in the city from 17 to 20 percent. A fifth of the city’s outlying rural landscape will also be forested as part of the initiative.
Are you missing world-class art? Here's an exhibition that you can visit from the comfort of your sofa. VoMA - the world's first Virtual online Museum of Art - showcases pieces by the likes of Frida Kahlo and Vincent Van Gogh. You can explore the galleries for free here.
San Francisco man returns Bob Dylan album to Ohio library - 48 years late. “I am returning with this letter an overdue item by my count, approximately 17,480 days overdue as of this writing.” He also sent $175. It was not immediately clear if the library had known the record was missing. But the branch manager said: “The funny thing about this is that we don’t charge overdue fines any more. As long as we get the item back, we see no need to penalize people."
His wife of 57 years had just been moved into a care home and sadness was his only companion - until his grandson surprised him by fulfilling a lifelong dream. 12-year-old Harrison Gurney wanted to cheer up his grandad and came up with a plan to give him the surprise of a lifetime. Malcolm Hanson had loved Spitfires ever since he was a boy living in 1945 London during World War II. Harrison knew that he dreamed of flying in one, so, to help him celebrate his 80th birthday, the boy wrote letters to airfields and private Spitfire owners across the UK asking for help. “It breaks my heart to see him so sad. I want him to smile again,” read part of the letter. Bosses at Goodwood Aerodrome in West Sussex were so touched that they offered to fly the two of them in the classic aircraft. Harrison managed to raise enough money to fuel his granddad’s surprise by doing chores around the house and offering to do garden work for other family members. Isn't that great?!
Dive in Deeper
Sharks that glow in the dark: Scientists have found that three deepwater shark species living off New Zealand glow in the dark. [1 min] Bioluminescence...
Vast wildlife habitat: Managing verges for nature in the UK would create a combined area the size of London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh for wildflowers. [1 min] Great idea...
Autonomous ocean roving saildrones: Monitoring the health of our oceans is essential for devising comprehensive action plans to help us better respond to climate challenges. [1 min] Saildrones...
Patagonia
Gorgeous three minute time-lapse film showing the wonders of Patagonia. Not quite as good as visiting, but a wonderful way to let your imagination run wild.