Jun 22

OGN Saturday

What better way to start the weekend than with a global round up of positive news stories?

Strange But True

A photographer whose shot of a headless flamingo won a competition for artificial intelligence generated images has been disqualified because the picture was genuine. ‌The striking image - called 'Flamingone' - was entered by Miles Astray into the prestigious 1839 Awards, a competition which attracts entries from some of the world’s leading photographers. ‌Judges were impressed by the sight of a ball of pink feathers on top of two spindly legs. ‌The shot was so surreal that the judges - and the public - were convinced it could only have been created by using sophisticated AI-based photo editing software. To Mr Astray’s surprise, it came third in the competition for AI-generated images and won the contest where the public was invited to vote. Reality can be stranger than fiction!

Extraordinary Records

Country music star George Strait has broken the record for largest US ticketed show with 110,905 fans at Kyle Field at Texas A&M - previously held by the Grateful Dead, who had 107,019 fans in attendance at their 1977 show at Raceway Park in New Jersey. Strait has set many records in his illustrious career: the most No. 1 singles of any artist in any genre, the only artist to chart a top 10 hit every year for 30 years from the 1990s through the 2010s on both Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay, the most No. 1s on the Top Country Albums chart, and the most RIAA-certified gold and platinum albums in the history of country music. Speaking of extraordinary records...

Queen Cash In

It's been a great week for rock band Queen. They have just sold the rights to their music catalogue in a record breaking deal to Sony worth over $1 billion.

By The Numbers

60: The number of countries that have increased access to abortion in the past 30 years, according to ThinkGlobalHealth.

41: The percentage of women researchers worldwide as of 2022, up from 28 percent in 2001, says Elsevier.

10.8: The percentage of uninsured black Americans as of 2022, down from 20.9 percent in 2010, reports hhs.gov.

Eco-Album

Coldplay has a new album announced called Moon Music. In keeping with both the rise in conscious consumerism and the vinyl revival, there’s a limited edition record made using plastic removed from a river Guatemala. The eco-conscious band has collaborated with Dutch non-profit The Ocean Cleanup, who have a mission to rid oceans and waterways of plastic. The band's new album consists of 70 percent river plastic intercepted by The Ocean Cleanup and 30 percent recycled waste plastic bottles from other sources.

Finnish Line

Finland’s multifaceted approach to preventing teenage abortions has proven highly effective, with a 66 percent reduction reported between 2000 and 2023. This large drop, owing to free contraception and obligatory sex education, serves as a model for public health programs. Meanwhile...

Mifepristone

All nine Supreme Court judges have dismissed a suit filed that contested access to the abortion drug mifepristone, which was approved for use by the FDA in 2000. Access to the pill, including by telemedicine, will remain unchanged in states where abortion is legal.

"When we recall the past, we usually find that it is the simplest things - not the great occasions - that in retrospect give off the greatest glow of happiness." Bob Hope