What better way to start the week than with a global round up of positive news nuggets?
Girl Power
If you really, really want a Spice Girl stamp, then you're in luck. The UK's Royal Mail is issuing a set of 15 stamps celebrating one of the world's most successful pop groups, as they mark their 30th anniversary. It's the first time Royal Mail has dedicated an entire stamp issue to a female pop group. The Spice Girls said they never could have dreamed of that happening when they first formed, adding: "That's Girl Power!" Talking of girl power...
Harriet Honoured
Admirers of Harriet Tubman and numismatists alike can now buy coins commemorating the famed abolitionist and human rights activist issued by the U.S. Mint. The agency has begun offering a $5 gold coin, a $1 silver dollar and a clad half-dollar, featuring designs depicting three different eras in Tubman's life, including her historic role of transporting enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad. "We hope this program will honor the life and legacy of Harriet Tubman and inspire others to learn more about this amazing woman," says Ventris Gibson, director of the U.S. Mint.
Raise a Glass to...
The Humphrey family - proud parents to a set of unique twins! Mom Eve gave birth to baby Ezra at 23.48 on 31 December in New Jersey. His twin Ezekiel didn't come along until 00.28 on 1 January, as everyone in the hospital was celebrating the new year. Twins born in different years are bound to happen from time to time, but the likelihood is infinitesimally small: Only about 3 percent of live births are twins, so, you know, the math gets even tricker from there.
USA on a Roll
In 2022 economists predicted with 100 percent certainty that the US was going to enter a recession within a year. It didn't happen. In fact, GDP growth is now the fastest of all advanced economies, 14 million jobs have been created under the current administration, unemployment is at its lowest since WW2, and new business formation rates are at record highs. Inflation is almost back down to pre-pandemic levels and wages are above pre-pandemic levels (accounting for inflation).
Restoration Complete
The site of one of the most important monuments in classical antiquity - the palace where Alexander the Great was crowned king - has reopened after a 16 year restoration. The Palace of Aigai, near Greece's northern port city of Thessaloniki, was built more than 2,300 years ago. It was later destroyed by the Romans and unearthed through excavations beginning in the 19th Century. Its renovation cost more than €20m ($22m) and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who attended a ceremony for the site's reopening at the weekend, described it as a "monument of global importance".
Smart Glass
German optics titan Zeiss is heading to CES this week to show off its Multifunctional Smart Glass technology, which can float holographic and augmented-reality content on a transparent surface for such things as head-up displays in cars, 3D control elements in smart homes, and even a transparent videocam in the middle of a glass panel. We can expect to see it in our day to day lives not too far in the future.
Dirty Cash
A US couple's dog ate an envelope filled with $4,000 cash. The good news is that they were able to salvage $3,550 - but only after some rather unpleasant work. Clayton Law said he left an envelope filled with $4,000 in $100 and $50 bills on the kitchen counter for workers who were installing a fence. After Cecil, a seven-year-old goldendoodle, ate the cash, the couple were able to retrieve some bills when he vomited, but saving more money involved "a lot of waiting and a whole lot of very dirty work", said UPI.
"Familiarity breeds contempt - and children." Mark Twain
On This Day
8 January 1790: U.S. President George Washington delivered the first State of the Union.
The kindness of strangers helped a Burger King employee of 27 years buy his first home. Happy ending...
How to Lose Weight Naturally Without Dieting: Next time you're shopping, add these foods to your list. Top 7
Mood Booster
Beautiful Nature: Mixture of gorgeous clips, accompanied by uplifting music.