OGN Friday

Editor OGN Daily
1 minute ago
4 min read

Concluding the week with an upbeat collection of stories from around the world.

Giving It Away

Billie Eilish is donating $11.5 million from her world tour to causes supporting food equity and climate justice. In her acceptance speech at the WSJ Innovator Awards, Eilish also challenged the ultra-rich to make impactful donations, too, saying, “I’d say if you have money, it would be great to use it for good things and give it to some people that need it. Love you all, but there’s a few people in here that have a lot more money than me. If you are a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but give your money away, shorties.”

Onto a Wiener

A lawyer for the US tax authority is using the current government shutdown to fulfil his lifelong dream of running a hot dog stand. Tax attorney Isaac Stein had originally planned to launch Shysters Dogs - “motto: ‘the only honest rip-off in DC’” - as a hobby, said NPR, but he is now slinging dogs full time after becoming one of the hundreds of thousands of federal employees placed on furlough. “I am having a grand old time,” he told the broadcaster from behind his cart on a street corner in the nation’s capital.

World's Tallest

The Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain, is known for its rainbow-tinted stained-glass windows and its links to Antoni Gaudí, the eccentric architect who designed the towering structure. Now, the Catholic basilica has yet another claim to fame: It’s also the world’s tallest church. Last week, workers placed the first part of a cross atop the still-unfinished Sagrada Familia. The new addition brings the church’s height to just over 534 feet, surpassing the 530-foot-tall Ulm Minster in Germany, which had held the title since 1890. The central Tower of Jesus Christ, which the cross is affixed to, is expected to be completed in the coming months. Its addition will bring the Sagrada Familia’s height to 564 feet. The first stone of the cathedral was laid in 1882.

The Power of Hope

Tracking 25,000 adults over a 14-year period, researchers found that those with high levels of hope saw improved economic, employment, and educational outcomes, as well as better health and overall well-being. In a research summary, the study authors defined hope as distinct from optimism, which is the “belief that things will get better.” Hope, rather, is “the determination to make them better, which reflects agency and determination (grit).” They found that hopeful folks were also more resilient and adaptable, seemed less affected by negative life events, and had a stronger “internal locus of control.”

Hot Ice Cream?

Is it possible to be so hot that one is cool? Tyra Banks is about to test that out. The former supermodel turned entrepreneur has announced she’s launching hot ice cream. If you are wondering what that is exactly, you are not alone. Here’s what we do know: Banks has an ice cream company company called Smize & Dream that has a shop in Australia. “Not a latte. Not a hot chocolate,” Banks posted on Instagram. “But your favorite scoops, transformed into liquid. hot. ice cream. Sippable, baby.” It’s called “Hot Mama” and sounds much like…melted ice cream. “Unlike traditional ice cream or hot chocolate, it is intentionally churned and warmed to create a creamy, dreamy consistency that can be sipped from a cup,” her PR says. “The U.S. launch slated for this winter aims to introduce fans to this unique dessert experience, which has already gone viral in Australia.”

'Femtech'

Several largely female-led 'femtech' startups and a handful of academic research teams are looking at how period blood - collected non-invasively - can be used to help test for a range of women’s health conditions, including endometriosis, traditionally diagnosed through surgery. Some are wondering if it could be “the most overlooked opportunity” in women’s health, says The Guardian. Much of the research focuses on using menstrual effluent to help diagnose gynaecological and reproduction health conditions. It also might be used to screen for cancers, track hormones and monitor diabetes, and one group is investigating its potential in stem cell research. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, meanwhile, is so interested in the area that it has launched a $10m menstruation science initiative in early 2025. As MIT’s Linda Griffith put it: “This is frontier science.”

"If you want your children to listen, try talking softly to someone else." Ann Landers

On This Day

7 November 1805: Lewis and Clark Expedition first sights the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the Columbia River, after a journey of nearly 18 months. Captain Clark noted the "Great joy in camp" and the sound of the waves, marking the expedition's ultimate goal after their arduous journey.