Mid-week collection of upbeat news stories to brighten the day.
Legends Slot
Rock star Rod Stewart has been confirmed to play Glastonbury's legends slot in 2025, 23 years after his last appearance at the festival. One of the best-selling artists of all time, he will be playing the coveted Sunday teatime slot. The news comes shortly after the star announced his intention to stop playing "large-scale world tours" at the end of 2025. The 79-year-old said he was "proud, ready and more than able to pleasure and titillate my friends at Glastonbury" next June. The Sunday afternoon slot always draws one of the biggest crowds of the festival, and Sir Rod will become the first person to have headlined the event and been given legends billing.
Mature Industry
Jane Quicke has become the 15th generation of her family to run a cheesemaking business in Devon, south west England, and is now gearing up for the busiest time of year. Quicke's Cheese was established in 1540 and has been recognised as producing the best cheddar in the country. Jane, 35, has taken over the reigns from her mother Mary, who ran the business for 37 years. The family firm produces up to 200 tonnes of cheddar cheese each year, with a third of that being sold to customers at Christmas time.
Massage Law
In South Korea, a fascinating law exists that reserves the profession of licensed massage therapy exclusively for visually impaired individuals. This tradition, rooted in a century-old Japanese colonial law, continues to shape livelihoods and ensure opportunities for blind communities in the country. The law originated during Japan’s occupation of Korea in the early 1900s. Recognizing the limited job opportunities available to blind individuals, the colonial government established this provision to guarantee a stable income source for them. Even after Korea regained independence, the law endured as a reflection of societal efforts to empower and support people with visual impairments.
Cars For Trees
Paris aims to replace 60,000 parking spaces across the city with trees by the end of this decade, according to its newly released climate plan. The goal of ripping up parking spaces is part of a larger aim to create more than 700 acres of green space by 2030. “Trees and nature are natural air conditioners,” officials note. “Their development makes the city more pleasant to live in during periods of high heat.”
Swapping Some Cows For Trees: Reducing global cattle production by just 13 percent and turning it over to nature could lock away the equivalent to three years’ worth of global carbon emissions.
Cautionary Sign
Hilarious sign in Toronto explains what to do if you spot a coyote during the day. Underneath a photo of a coyote, pinned to a telephone pole beside the road, is what looks like a public service announcement but is actually a comedic masterpiece that will sound suspiciously familiar to fans of Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner.
Tallest People
With an average height of 6 feet for men and 5 feet 7 inches for women, the Netherlands is the country with the world's tallest people. Followed by Montenegro, Estonia, Denmark and Iceland. Want to see the stats for the top 20 countries? Click here
"The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better." Bobby Kennedy
On This Day
27 November 1895: Through the will drawn up by Alfred Bernhard Nobel - the Swedish chemist, engineer, and industrialist who invented dynamite - the Nobel Prizes were established on this day in 1895.
Today's Articles
Finland: The country's Green City Plan is setting a new global standard for urban environmental stewardship.
Best of The Worst Dad Jokes: Notoriously cringeworthy or hilariously funny - depending on your point of view.
Mood Boosting Video
Kookaburra: Are you filming me? Did you get my permission?!