Friday's uplifting collection of good news nuggets
Judy and Jerry met in 1969 on the way to the Woodstock festival. Judy’s car broke down, and she and her friends decided to hitchhike. Luckily, Jerry stopped by and offered the strangers a ride. On the way to the festival, something clicked between the two of them, and they have been together ever since. But one thing that always troubled them: they didn’t have a photo from that wonderful day. Until now. Judy and Jerry were shocked when they saw their picture, captured on the day they met, in the documentary ‘Woodstock: Three days that Defined a Generation’. “For 50 years we’ve been looking for a picture of ourselves, and out of the blue one shows up,” Jerry said. “We’d known each other less than 48 hours when that was taken.”
It’s a tough life being a farmer in Sri Lanka... until you pull a half-ton sapphire out of the ground while digging a well. Then it’s absolutely awesome being a farmer! The boulder containing a cluster of 2.5 million carats in star sapphires was unearthed by workmen digging a well. Pale blue in colour, the giant lump of good fortune has been given the name the ‘Serendipity Sapphire’, and could be worth $140 million on the international market, pending inspections and certification by world experts.
The US Senate has just passed the Puppies Assisting Wounded Service Members for Veterans Therapy Act, or PAWS Act for short (you gotta love it!), which requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to create a program for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder to train service dogs. The bill is now headed to the desk of President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign it.
Solar power in Australia outstrips coal-fired electricity for first time. For a fleeting moment last weekend, more than half the nation’s electricity generation came from solar power.
Speaking of Australia: Arguably England's greatest ever cricketer, Ian Botham, has been sent in to “bat for business down under” and help UK firms seize the opportunities created by the free trade deal agreed in outline this summer. He's well known in Australia, not least because he's credited with almost single-handedly defeating its team in the 1981 Ashes tour; and, of course, his historically impressive mullet.
World's biggest wind turbine can power 20,000 houses and each of its blades is 387 feet (118 m) long. The company behind it (China-based Mingyang Smart Energy Group) says that the wind turbine will eliminate 1.6 million tonnes of carbon emissions during its 25 year lifespan.
Congratulations to Taiwan - the country has reported zero community cases of Covid-19 for the first time since May. Acceleration of vaccine rollout and test-and-trace improvements are credited for the turnaround.
Did you know that baby elephants suck their trunks for comfort? Just like babies and young children suck their thumbs. Awww!
Dive in Deeper
Sri Lanka: Teen builds solar powered tuk tuk out of second hand parts to help relieve pandemic stress. Inventive...
Lifestyle change: Successful model from Poland quits the catwalk to teach sewing and design to under privileged women in Kenya. Education...
Shamelessly Cute
Enjoy this endearing collection of shamelessly cute animals being kind and loving. 4 minutes long in total.