Good News Thursday
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- 4 min read
Today's bite-sized chunks of positive news to perk up the day.
Fortunate Timing
Karl Arps was demonstrating the signs of a heart attack during a training course when he really had one, and went into cardiac arrest. Realizing something was amiss, students at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wisconsin, immediately sprung into action during the serendipitously timed demonstration. The last thing Arps remembers is feeling dizzy and hearing a student say he didn't look right. The next thing he remembers is waking up in an ambulance. "From what I was told, they did everything like we told them to do in CPR class," the 72-year-old instructor told As It Happens. "Thank you does not seem enough. They saved my life, period."
Not Extinct After All
On a remote peninsula in Indonesian Papua, a species thought extinct for thousands of years by scientists has been confirmed to survive. The evidence did not come from a formal survey. It began with conversations with Tambrauw elders, who described a forest glider they had known for generations. Their accounts, combined with earlier photographs, led researchers to verify the continued existence of the ring-tailed glider, reports Mongabay. The finding can be described as a rediscovery, though that framing reflects a scientific perspective, not a local one. For the Tambrauw, the animal was never lost. It remains part of a body of knowledge tied to hunting, story and custom. The glider also carries cultural significance, including a role in initiation practices. That status affected how openly it was discussed with outsiders and helps explain why earlier expeditions did not document it.
Two Heads
From a collector's perspective, two heads are definitely better than one. An OGN reader tells us that he recently purchased in a GreatCollections online auction a "Two Headed" no date Canada cent (c. 1978-1989) flip-over double-struck, uniface reverse strikes mint error. This unique combination of errors in the striking process by the Royal Canadian Mint created a two-headed error coin bearing two double-obverse images of Queen Elizabeth II. He acquired this rather special "one of a kind" Canadian cent for $1505.25.
Europe's First
Brighton and Hove Albion have released their plans for Europe's first purpose-built women's football stadium, which will cost £80m ($108m). The south coast club say the new stadium will "provide a permanent home and identity for the women's team" and will be located on a site immediately adjacent to the Amex Stadium - the home of Brighton's Premier League side. It will hold an initial capacity of 10,000 and will be connected to the Amex via a bridge walkway. "The prospect of a bespoke stadium, built exclusively for women's players, staff and supporters, is incredibly exciting," said the club's managing director of women's and girls' football. "It is a project that is the first of its kind in the UK and Europe, and one of only three in the world, and will capture the imagination of stakeholders across the women's game, not just here, but globally."
"Remarkable"
Climate scientists have long suspected that electric vehicles lead to a reduction in air pollution. But a new study from the Lancet Planetary Health Journal used satellites to measure just how big that impact is. From 2019 to 2023, a national team of scientists measured nitrogen levels across nearly 1,700 ZIP codes in California, the state with the highest rates of EV use in the country. They found that for every increase of 200 electric vehicles, nitrogen dioxide emissions decreased by 1.1 percent. Sandrah Eckel, a public health professor at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine and lead author of the study, said the results were “remarkable.”
No "Coal Comeback"
Many predicted that the energy crisis caused by Trump's foray in Iran would lead to a “coal comeback.” Happily, a new report from the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air found the opposite. CREA's analysis shows that coal-fired generation was flat in March on a global scale, with seaborne coal transport volumes falling 3 percent - a new low since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. As fossil fuel power generation continues to falter, renewables are helping buffer the problems caused by the Strait of Hormuz blockade. Before its closure, the Strait was used for nearly a fifth of global Liquefied Natural Gas transports. But according to the CREA, the solar and wind capacity added in 2025 is enough to offset that loss twice over.
“So, where’s the Cannes Film Festival being held this year?” Christina Aguilera
On This Day
14 May 1853: Land surveyor, newspaper publisher and inventor Gail Borden patents his process for condensed milk. Inspired by Shaker technology and a desire to provide safe, unspoiled milk, this innovation transformed the dairy industry and gained massive demand during the American Civil War.
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