Good News Thursday
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Some tasty bite-sized chunks of upbeat news from around the world.
Popular Culture
Gered Mankowitz (b. 1946) is one of Britain's most celebrated music photographers, whose images have helped define the visual identity of popular music from the 1960s onwards. His iconic portraits of The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Marianne Faithfull, Kate Bush, The Jam, Slade, Eurythmics, Duran Duran, George Harrison, Oasis, and countless others have appeared on landmark album sleeves and magazine covers, becoming enduring images in the history of popular culture. On 7 September, over 250 lots comprising more than 100 signed, limited edition and exhibition prints, will go under the hammer in London if you fancy a bit of edgy artwork on your wall. Meanwhile...
Uffizi Revamp
Officials at the Uffizi Galleries in Florence this week shared a vision for the next two years of renovations across the museum, one of the most visited in the world and home to an important collection of Italian Renaissance artwork. Described as one of the Uffizi’s most ambitious projects to date, the nearly $58-million effort will leave virtually every space with new infrastructure or a fresh look. Dozens of projects will restore and repurpose galleries, install new lighting and signs, and create facilities intended to be more useful to visitors. “The Uffizi will emerge even more beautiful and increasingly capable of representing one of Italy’s fundamental cultural icons.”
Postcard From Heaven
Bob Sheppard was amazed when he opened his mailbox, only to discover a letter sent by his late parents more than 26 years ago. He could hardly believe what he found inside his postbox: a weathered postcard from Copenhagen, mailed by his parents 26 years earlier. "I just started looking at it and go, 'Oh my gosh. This is a treasure!'" Sheppard said. "It was the only mail I got that day." The postcard carried a short message from his parents about their trip to Denmark: "Flying in, we saw lots of water and green, green land everywhere. Love, M&D." But by the time the postcard finally reached Sheppard's home, both of his parents had passed on. Surely, a case of a postcard from heaven.
Love Cheese?
In good news for those who love cheese, a University of Toronto study offers new evidence in support of full-fat dairy consumption. The findings from a 12-week study demonstrate that three daily servings of full-fat dairy can be incorporated into a person’s diet without negatively affecting their body weight (or composition), energy metabolism, or blood lipid levels. In fact, the results, published in The Journal of Nutrition, show that participants who ate more dairy saw improvements in blood pressure and had higher intake of calcium, protein and vitamin D.
Darwin Proved Correct
More than 150 years ago, Charles Darwin hypothesized that two plant species in the genus Saxifraga were carnivorous. For a plant to be considered carnivorous, it must attract, capture and digest animals. Darwin thought that the sticky hairs on Saxifraga could be used by the plant to trap insects. To revisit his hypothesis, a team of researchers conducted a series of experiments that revealed a Saxifraga species that grows in China can attract and capture flies. “Talk about an amazing feeling,” study co-author Doug Soltis told New Scientist. “To have the opportunity to confirm a prediction of Darwin is both humbling and very exciting.” Adding: “I would like to think Darwin would be pleased and say ‘I was right - again.’”
First Important Step
“Umit” - which means hope in Kazakh - has been released into a nature reserve on the edge of Lake Balkhash after more than a decade of careful planning to return the caspian tiger to the region. With this release, Kazakhstan became the first country to restore its tiger range after they had been thought extinct, with the last reliable sighting in the country recorded more than 70 years ago. Umit - a wild-caught female tiger transported from the Russian far east - will be joined by more big cats in the coming years, with plans to establish a self-sustaining population of about 50. “Today, we became witnesses of a truly historic event,” declared Yerlan Nysanbayev, Kazakhstan’s environment minister, after the release. “There is a lot of work ahead on monitoring tigers and forming a stable population, but today the first and very important step has been taken.”
"The well-being and the hopes of the peoples of the world can never be served until peace - as well as freedom, honor, and self-respect - is secure." Ralph Bunche
On This Day
13 August 1642: Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens discovers Mars's southern polar cap.
Today's Articles
'Big Bang' Moment: As Voyager 2 hurtles through space 13 billion miles from Earth, NASA performs an important manoeuver.
Mood Boosting Video
Slow Motion: An osprey wins the battle against a large fish.
