Positive News Saturday
- Editor OGN Daily
- May 3
- 4 min read
What better way to start the weekend than with some positive news?
Prophetic Letter
On 10 April 10 1912, Archibald Gracie boarded the Titanic in Southampton and got comfortable in his first-class cabin. As crew members readied the ship for its inaugural voyage across the Atlantic, Gracie dashed off a letter to a friend. “It is a fine ship, but I shall await my journey’s end before I pass judgment on her,” he wrote. His musings were eerily prescient, as we all know what happened next. However, Gracie survived and went on to write a book about his experience. Now, the letter Gracie wrote while onboard the Titanic (posted in Ireland en route) has found a new owner. It just sold for £300,000 ($399,000) on during an auction held by Henry Aldridge and Son in Wiltshire, England. “The stories of those men, women and children are told through the memorabilia, and their memories are kept alive through those items,” auctioneer Andrew Aldridge told NPR.
Wealth Tax Surprise
In 2022, Massachusetts voters approved a 4 percent surtax on incomes over $1 million or more, which was projected to bring in $1 billion in income for the state - but critics feared it would make wealthy people leave the state. In fact, the opposite happened: Researchers found the number of people making $1 million or more annually has increased by nearly 40 percent since it the tax went into effect, reports MassLive. Additionally, the number of ultra-wealthy residents - making at least $50 million or more annually - has also grown, from 1,954 in 2022 to 2,642 in 2024. And the added revenue surpassed projections, generating $2.46 billion in 2023 alone. Revenue from the tax is going to “fund essential programs that expand economic opportunity for all,” like free school lunches and free community college for state residents.
Wing Ding
A woodpecker trying to fight its own reflection has damaged more than 20 cars in a US town. The spate of windscreen and wing mirror vandalism had mystified residents of Rockport, Massachusetts, until a local captured a photo of the bird "whacking away at vehicles", said NBC. Wildlife expert Ron Magill told the broadcaster that the behaviour was probably a "very aggressive territorial courtship display". Birds "don't understand it's a reflection; they think it's a competitor", he said.
Trump Dubai
President Trump's latest big move in the Middle East doesn't involve proposing a peace treaty, nor a trade deal, but instead a high-rise. The Trump Organization and developer DarGlobal have revealed plans for a supertall skyscraper in Dubai that the firms say will boast the world's highest outdoor swimming pool. The Trump International Hotel & Tower, Dubai will rise to a height of 350m (1,148ft), making it a considerable skyscraper and around the fifteenth-tallest in Dubai. It will feature a simple and slender overall form, enlivened by an uppermost section that has a void, and looks a bit like a big handle.
Sweet Solution?
The world's insatiable love of chocolate is facing a challenge as climate change threatens the rainforests where cocoa beans grow. But scientists believe they may have found a sweet solution, says CNN. Lab-grown chocolate is created through a procedure called cellular agriculture, in which cocoa bean cells are cultured in a vat of sugary water, similar to how plant cells are cultivated, and then processed to produce a chocolate product. This version could also have higher levels of anti-inflammatory polyphenols compared to the real thing.
One Million Homes
The first of 64 gargantuan wind turbines is up and spinning in the North Sea. The wind farm will eventually be able to power homes in Germany and the Netherlands. EnBW is one of Germany’s largest energy companies, and the He Dreiht offshore wind farm, translated as the “It Spins” wind farm, has been financed without any government subsidies. Capable of generating 980 megawatts of peak power - each unit has a hub height of 142m and a rotor diameter of 236m - it will deliver enough energy to power 1.1 million homes, with each turbine being so large that a single spin of their giant blades could power a house for a whole day, reports Electrek.
“A good rule to remember for life is that when it comes to plastic surgery and sushi, never be attracted by a bargain.” Graham Norton
On This Day
3 May 1979: Margaret Thatcher of the Conservative Party was elected British prime minister, becoming the first woman in Europe to hold that post; she later became the longest continuously serving British premier since 1827.
Today's Articles
Pontiff's Vestments: Small, medium or large? The Pope's tailor is preparing a selection of robes that can be donned at short notice.
France 1894: Uproar as cats appear to defy the Laws of Physics in photos presented by physiologist Étienne-Jules Marey.
Mood Boosting Video
Time-Lapse: Mesmerising crystal clear night skies.
