Celebrating the end of the week with a tasty smorgasbord of good news nuggets.
Saved from Blindness
A five-year-old lion in the Indian state of Gujarat is recovering his vision after doctors performed cataract surgery on both of his eyes. Officials in Gir forest – the last abode of the Asiatic lion – first noticed that something was wrong when the lion stopped responding even when prey was nearby. They took him to a rescue center, where an examination showed he had mature cataracts in both eyes. A cataract surgery involves replacing the eye’s natural lens with one made out of plastic; a special lens was manufactured for the lion’s eyes. Remarkably, the surgery was successful; the lion is recovering and will be released back to the forest soon.
Reading Growth
Giant UK publisher, Bloomsbury, has reported a record year for sales, as the Harry Potter publisher said the increase in reading during the pandemic had become “permanent” after lockdowns eased. The company benefited substantially from Covid restrictions when homebound consumers turned to new hobbies, including reading, to pass the time. In good news for publishers everywhere, CEO Nigel Newton said it was clear that people who picked up a reading habit during the pandemic were continuing to buy books, helping to push annual sales up 24 percent.
Everyday Hero
Phoenix, Arizona: Gas station is losing hundreds of dollars a day after shaving nearly 50 cents per gallon on its gas prices to help customers weather skyrocketing fuel prices. Owner Jaswiendre Singh says: "I do it to give a break to the customer and my community. People don't have the money right now." The station sells around 1,000 gallons a day so he loses about $500 per day. He and his wife also work longer hours, but he doesn't mind. "God gave me help. It doesn't matter. We are not here to make money right now. I'm very happy to help the other people." Twitter users lauded him. "Some heroes wear turbans," said one.
Tittle
The word tittle has got just one tittle in it, but this sentence has six - no, seven - more. It’s the little dot above a lowercase j or i.
Horsing Around
A horse named Sugar has gone viral for pretending to be asleep when she doesn’t want to work. In a post shared on social media, the animal can be seen lying down in the grass in the sun, apparently at ease with life. “Meet Sugar, she doesn't like to be ridden,” the caption reads. “If Sugar is approached with a saddle she lies down and pretends to be asleep. Sugar refuses to open her eyes until the riders leave.” Sugar’s behaviour has led to her being heralded as an icon for lazy workers, with the post being liked almost 400,000 times and counting.
Greece Climate Law
The Greek government has adopted the country's first national climate protection law, aiming for a net-zero strategy by 2050. It sets interim targets of cutting CO2 emissions as of 2030 by at least 55 percent from 1990 levels, and by 80 percent by 2040. All of Greece's coal-fired power generation will be shut down by 2028, and using crude oil to produce power on islands not connected to the mainland grid will be prohibited by 2030.
Climate Friendly U-Turn Down Under: This is probably the biggest story yet in Australia’s still fledgling green energy transition.
Slightly Overdue
A library that received an overdue book in the post from Canada 48 years after lending it out has agreed to waive the overdue fine of £6,170.85 ($7,500). Tony Spence of British Columbia borrowed A Confederate General from Big Sur from Tooting Library, south London, in 1974. Luckily the library, which has no record of the loan, caps fees at £8.50. "I decided to return it as I am a great believer in, and supporter of, libraries," the retired judge said. "And also thought staff might get a chuckle," the 72-year-old added. "It seems they did."
Quote of the Day
“Don't be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.”
Roy T. Bennett
On this Day
17 June 1885: The dissembled pieces of the Statue of Liberty arrive in NYC aboard French ship 'Isere' (the one with a white hull).
Dive in Deeper
That's probably not a headline you ever expected to read, but a serendipitous experiment in Thailand shows surprising results. Read on...
Musical Mood Booster
The community of St Kilda in Melbourne, Australia, join the Happy craze and dance through their village, parks and beaches to Pharrell Williams' smash hit song.