Getting the week off to an upbeat start with a global collection of good news nuggets.
Safe to Swim
A century after they were banned from swimming in the Seine because it was too polluted, Parisians are preparing to plunge into its waters again. From 2025, public swimming is to be permitted at locations across the French capital. It follows extensive (and expensive) efforts to clean up the waterway, which was closed to swimmers in 1923. It’s not just swimmers that are returning to the Seine. As water quality has improved, marine life is reported to have bounced back, including salmon.
Paris: Where Have All The Cars Gone? Under Mayor Hidalgo, Paris has done as much as any city in the world to wage a war on cars amid a growing awareness of the damaging impact they have on cities, and the health and quality of life of the residents of Paris. Read on...
European First
Spain has become the first country in Europe to give personhood status to an environmental entity - legally recognising the rights of the Mar Menor lagoon to exist as an ecosystem and evolve naturally. Its name is the opposite of the Mediterranean, which is the Mar Mayor of the region. More than 600,000 citizens backed the initiative after the lagoon suffered massive degradation from coastal development and local farming, reports EuroNews.
Violent crime continues to fall in the United States. Between 2012 and 2021, the rate of violent victimization (sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault) declined from 26.1 to 16.5 incidents per 1,000 people. Wouldn't it be nice if this data from Department of Justice appeared in any news outlet other than this one?
Fashion Rental
Fast fashion’s disastrous impact on the planet is well documented, but this week there were signs that a once-fringe solution has finally gone mainstream in the UK. Once the preserve of online re-sellers, major department store chain John Lewis has joined the fray after announcing the launch of its ‘fashion rental collection’. Customers can borrow items for up to 20 days under the scheme, instead of buying them. The initiative is one of a series of pledges made by John Lewis, which said it wants to have rental schemes operating in most product categories by 2025.
Oriflamme
A symbol that inspires confidence, devotion, or courage. A scarlet banner or knight's standard are examples of an oriflamme.
Animal Welfare
New Zealand will ban live animal exports from next April. The animal welfare amendment bill was signed into law on Thursday, with the government saying it would protect New Zealand’s reputation as consumers become more ethically conscious. “It protects the reputation of not just our farmers now, but the farmers of the future,” the agriculture minister, Damien O’Connor, said.
Human Welfare
Following similar news from Spain last week, the Dominican Republic has passed legislation enshrining the rights of domestic workers. They will now have access to minimum wage, defined working hours, insurance coverage, workplace injury protection, survival and disability benefits and inclusion in state pension programs, reports Latina Republic.
Quote of the Day
"Autumn leaves shower like gold, like rainbows, as the winds of change begin to blow."
Dan Millman
On this Day
10 October 1845: To improve the then-unsatisfactory methods of instructing midshipmen, George Bancroft - historian, educator, and secretary of the navy - founded the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
A remarkable story of war-time goodwill to mend a 10-year-old’s broken heart that demonstrates the generous compassion of complete strangers. Read on...
Mood Booster
Elvis Presley sings the Neil Diamond classic - Sweet Caroline - live in 1970.
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