Good News Thursday

Editor OGN Daily
Sep 18
3 min read

A smorgasbord of tasty good news nuggets to perk up the day.

Tikal National Park, Guatemala — Mexico, Belize and Guatemala join together

Huge New Reserve

Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize share one of the most biodiverse habitats on the planet. Known as the Mayan jungle, this tropical rainforest is home to over 7,000 species, including 200 endangered creatures and a similar number of endemic animals - meaning they can only be found there. In an effort to safeguard this area, the three national governments have created the Great Mayan Jungle Biocultural Corridor, a 14 million acre (5.7 million hectares) protected area. “This is one of Earth’s lungs, a living space for thousands of species with an invaluable cultural legacy that we should preserve with our eyes on the future,” said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. Given its size, the corridor will become the second biggest nature reserve in the Americas, only behind the Amazon rainforest.

Chicago River Swim

Chicago is to hold first open water swim in Chicago River in nearly a century. The Chicago River Swim website says: "Celebrate the Chicago River's remarkable environmental turnaround by applying to the first organized swim since 1927! The Chicago River Swim will offer athletes a once-in-a-lifetime experience to swim among the city's famous skyscrapers and under its iconic bridges. This is truly history in the making." The inaugural event will take place on Sunday 21 September and will raise funds for ALS Research and Youth Swimming Lessons.

Japanese Longevity

The number of people in Japan aged 100 or older has risen to a record high, its government has announced. Setting a new record for the 55th year in a row, the number of centenarians in Japan was 99,763 as of September. Of that total, women accounted for an overwhelming 88 percent.

Dalai Lama Longevity Tips: His Top 5 recommendations for enjoying a long, healthy life.

The Future of Sailing?

French builder Ocean Development has stepped ten years into the future with this 70-foot sailing catamaran, called the MODX70. It’s equipped with systems that will provide 100 percent renewable energy, thanks to proprietary Aeroforce wings, electric motors, hydrogeneration and 750 square feet of solar panels. The boat also looks stylish, with the 75-foot-high wings (each with 1,300 square feet of sail area) delivering 20-knot top end with zero carbon emissions. The five-stateroom layout, with space for two crew, can be customized with the owner’s choice of décor and interior layout.

Africa School Meals

Demonstrating a strong commitment to the importance of education, Reuters reports that governments in sub-Saharan Africa have provided school meals to approximately 20 million more children over the past two years. The largest rise in school feeding of any region in the world, 87 million children total received school meals in 2024. Countries like Ethiopia, Rwanda, Madagascar, and Chad all fed six times as many children. A further benefit is that local farmers were benefiting from the additional school meals. In Benin, the government’s purchase of local food contributed over $23 million to the economy last year, and more than one-third of Sierra Leone’s school meals came from food from smallholder farmers.

Interior of a Roman mausoleum in northeastern Albania — Credit: Albania's Institute of Archaeology

Romans in Albania

Archaeologists have unearthed a rare Roman mausoleum in northeastern Albania. They think it may have belonged to an upper-class individual named Gelliano, who lived in the ancient Roman province of Illyricum around 1,700 years ago. Officials say that the site is the first Roman-era monumental tomb to be discovered in the country. Dating to the third or fourth century C.E., the tomb measures nearly 30 feet long and 20 feet wide. It’s made up of three components: a staircase, entrance hall and a funerary chamber. The discovery has already drawn crowds of curious locals. Albania’s tourism economy has rapidly expanded in recent years, and officials eventually plan to open the site of the tomb to visitors.

"The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life." Muhammad Ali