Kick-starting the week with an eclectic bundle of upbeat news nuggets.
The Crown Treatment
Having abdicated the Danish throne after 52 years on exactly the same date she became queen - and announced her surprise decision live on TV with just two weeks’ notice - there’s little doubt Margrethe II has a sense of drama. After signing the abdication declaration on 14 January, she left the room with tears in her eyes and the words: “God bless the king.” Now the popular royal is to be given The Crown treatment when she becomes the subject of a fictional series about her life. The TV show - working title Af Guds nåde (By the grace of God) - is being developed by Borgen maker Sam Productions and Danish broadcaster TV2. It will be set at Amalienborg palace, the royals’ official residence in Copenhagen, starting with Margrethe’s birth in 1940.
Confetti?
Australian Daniel Lukic, a Sydney-based amateur videographer was on Forster Beach when he was lucky enough to be present with his drone equipment during a rare migration of a huge school of cownose rays as they passed by. “There was probably 400 or 500, maybe even more. It almost looked like glitter,” he told ABC News AU. “I get pretty excited when I see this sort of stuff because it’s a single moment in time where you just had to be there.”
New Lip Balms
Fans of chicken wings can now carry those flavours anywhere to enjoy anytime. Hidden Valley Ranch and Burt’s Bees joined forces to create lip balm flavours you didn’t know you needed - chicken wing. Just launched, fans can now rush to buy a limited-edition four-pack of the balms. The balms come in four flavours - Hidden Valley Ranch, Buffalo Sauce, Crunchy Celery and Fresh Carrot. The four-pack will set you back $11.99 and are only available while limited supplies last!
Record Elections
The mother of all election years. The Super Bowl of elections. Whatever you want to call it, 2024 will be one for the record books, with more people voting than any other year in history.
The Atlantic Council, a think tank, counted 83 elections, more than 50 of them national, occurring in 78 countries.
Jocotoco Foundation
In 1997, when the ground-dwelling bird Jocotoco Antpitta (Grallaria ridgelyi) was first found in Ecuador, it was immediately recognized as critically endangered due to its small range and threats to its habitat. Since the Jocotoco Conservation Foundation was created in 1998, it has established a network of 15 reserves across Ecuador which safeguard a whopping 10 percent of the world's bird species. Each reserve protects areas that are globally significant for bird conservation. Jocotoco's conservation strategy integrates ecotourism, community engagement and education, and scientific research and monitoring. It works closely with local communities to promote conservation awareness and sustainable practices while its ecotourism programs create employment opportunities and revenue for people living around their reserves.
Disney Sunshine
Disneyland is in the middle of a massive sun-catching project. Parking lot planners at the Paris location have started working on the last phase of a solar panel canopy that will cover 11,200 visitor parking spaces. Once complete, Disney officials claim it will be the largest “solar canopy plant” in Europe that it will generate enough energy to power a town of 17,400 people. It’s part of Disney’s push to achieve a goal that’s happily becoming the mantra of most companies these days: net zero by 2030.
Blow to Putin
Anything that knocks Putin is good news, so a new report saying that the demand for oil this year will rise by half the pace seen in 2023, will definitely deliver a blow to Vladimir Putin’s war economy. Weakening global economies and shifts toward energy efficiency will cut demand for crude, the International Energy Agency said in its latest report.
"Think before you speak. Read before you think." Fran Lebowitz
On This Day
22 January 1831: Charles Darwin takes his Bachelors of Art exam at Christ's College, Cambridge, coming tenth out of 171 candidates.
University's list of 10 lost words deemed worthy of being resurrected in 2024. Lexicon...
Loving Indian teen creates gadget for grandma that may help transform dementia care. Alpha Monitor...
Random Collection of Hilarious Signs. It's good to laugh...
Mood Booster
Madagascar: I Like To Move It. How about you?