Global round-up of good news nuggets to help ensure it's a sunny holiday Monday.
Great and The Good
Buckingham Palace has announced that more than 850 community and charity representatives from across the UK have been invited to enjoy the coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey. These include more that 450 British Empire Medal recipients and 400 young people representing charitable organizations, nominated by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The guests will have the opportunity to watch the 6 May coronation and procession from St. Margaret's Church at Westminster Abbey. The news comes after the palace revealed that invitations were sent to more than 2,000 guests who will form the congregation in the abbey.
Coronation Invite: The invitation for the coronation of King Charles III features the Green Man. But who or what is this creature? More...
Who Knew?
The strongest democracy in the Americas isn’t the United States or Canada, but Uruguay - a small nation of three million people. Free and universal education, public health care, strong unions, and a solid social security system reflects its ethos of nadie es más que nadie - nobody is worth more than anybody else. It now has the largest middle class in the Americas, making up more than 60 percent of the population.
No Plastic Lid
A good cup of coffee can be a powerful thing. Now, a product called The Good Cup is making a powerful difference when it comes to coffee-related waste. The Good Cup, winner of a 2023 German Design Award, eliminates the need for plastic coffee lids forevermore. It’s a recyclable, compostable cup that folds at the top to allow easy pouring, sipping, and reopening, and it has the potential to change the way we drink coffee. If the world were to use 10 billion Good Cups instead of regular coffee cups with plastic lids and plastic-coated paper, they calculate a plastic savings of over 47,000 tons.
Jane Austen's Home
Not everyone can find their own Mr. Darcy. But for £8.5 million (roughly $10.5 million), home buyers can stake their claim on the property where Jane Austen wrote about him. The estate where the beloved author lived when she drafted some of her most famous novels - including Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility - has just hit the market. Austen was born at Steventon House in 1775, several years after her father secured a position as the village’s rector. Located in Hampshire, England, Steventon was where a young Austen received an informal education, amused herself by reading aloud to family members and discovered her love of writing.
End of Hepatitis C
England is on track to become the first country to eliminate hepatitis C, a report has found. It predicted that the virus would be defeated there by 2025, five years ahead of the deadline set by the World Health Organization, which tasked nations with eradicating it by 2030.
Outpouring of Support
Curious as to what her 10-year-old daughter's short, handwritten melody sounded like, a mother posted a video on social media asking whether someone could play it for her. Musicians from around the world responded, playing different arrangements of the melody using a variety of instruments. The composition was even performed by a full string orchestra! The mother and daughter were deeply moved by the outpouring of support from musicians. "When I posted the video," the mother recalls, "I never imagined this response. [A response made by] artists from everywhere...[with] every instrument... every interpretation…This is what music does. It connects us. When everything online seems dark, we can create the light…"
Hope to Millions
Kenya is scaling up its rollout of its landmark Mosquirix malaria vaccine, after a pilot program for 400,000 children was shown to substantially reduce deaths. Early modelling estimates that one life is being saved for every 200 children vaccinated, says ABC News. This is big and is giving hope to millions as there are an estimated 3.5 million cases of malaria in Kenya every year.
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“Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it.” Sir Henry Royce
On this Day
10 April 2019: Astronomers released the first-ever image of a black hole, which is in the centre of the massive galaxy M87.
This country's Constitution gives natural ecosystems the right to exist, thrive, and evolve - and the people can defend them. Victory...
New report: 40 percent of board seats at the UK’s top 350 companies are now filled by women for the first time ever. Milestone...
Hilarious Signs: Spotted beside the road, these 'laugh out loud' signs are sure to brighten your day! Enjoy...
Mood Booster
Never Give Up! Gary Linden celebrated his 73rd birthday by surfing massive waves in the Dominican Republic.