Ensuring the weekend gets off to a bright start with today's upbeat news nuggets.
Good Week For...
J.K. Rowling, after Hogwarts Legacy, a video game spin-off from the Harry Potter books, was named as the biggest-selling game of 2023. The game crossed 22 million copies sold by the end of 2023, with approximately 2 million of those units selling during the December holiday season, according to Warner Bros. Games. The fun in-game data reveals that 819 million potions were brewed, 1.3 billion magical plants harvested, 593 million magical beasts rescued and 4.9 billion dark wizards defeated within the halls of the virtual wizarding school. It's good to know that games without guns, violence or fast cars can still take the top spot globally.
Fashion World Good News
French fashion conglomerate Kering is pouring $12 million into Mogu, famous for its mushroom-derived leather alternative. Kering has already experimented with the start-up’s mushroom-derived leather alternative, releasing a Balenciaga coat made from the material in 2022. Meanwhile, a 13-year-old from France has scored an internship with LVMH after his mom shared his designs for a new sneaker online. In the USA, mega retailers like Walmart and Target are letting customers keep items they want to return (or donate them) while still giving refunds.
Extra Day in 2024
In case you haven't spotted it in your calendar yet, 2024 will include a bonus day, namely 29 February. Leap years take place every four years, serving the function of keeping our calendar aligned with the astronomical seasons. A simple summary: The Gregorian calendar includes 365 days, but a year of Earth’s orbit around the sun takes approximately 365.25 days, so leap years effectively even out that difference.
California Beavers
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has released a family of seven beavers into the wilderness of Plumas County in an effort to re-establish a breeding population, and they have built their homes for the winter, signalling a successful transition to the wild. This is the first time in over 70 years that the state has worked to restore beaver populations, with the hope that a thriving beaver community will help maintain the mountain meadow ecosystem.
Amazing Transition
Today, Uruguay enjoys a nearly complete transition away from fossil fuels in power production. Depending on weather conditions, the country generates between 90 and 95 percent of its power from renewable sources, sometimes even reaching 98 percent. Uruguay’s transformation presents it as a potential model for countries attempting to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. Contrary to what people expected, rather than job losses, nearly 50,000 new work opportunities arose. Retraining programs aided in adapting to the changing energy landscape, exemplifying the country’s dedication to an inclusive transformation.
Year of The Tiger
The number of tigers spotted by hidden cameras in the core of Thailand’s biggest conservation area rose last year, while a rare sighting of a mother and her cubs has spread hope that the species is breeding in new areas. Camera traps in Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng wildlife sanctuaries captured 120 tigers during an exercise that concluded in April 2023, up from 100 the previous year.
Obscure Psychedelic
Military veterans with PTSD saw drastic improvements in their condition after being treated with a potent psychedelic, a US trial has shown. One month after being treated with ibogaine - an obscure hallucinogenic made from the bark of a shrub native to central Africa - veterans reported that symptoms such as PTSD and depression had decreased by more than 80 percent on average. “The drug seems to have a broad, dramatic and consistent effect,” Nolan Williams, a neuroscientist at Stanford University in California and a co-author of the study in the journal Nature.
“Bad news travels fast. Good news takes the scenic route.” Doug Larson
On This Day
13 January 1908: Henri Farman becomes the first person to fly an observed circuit of more than 1km, winning the Grand Prix d'Aviation.
Simple blood test that can identify 18 early-stage cancers will be a medical “game-changer”, say scientists. Good progress...
Tripling green energy by 2030 is achievable and would keep world on track with Paris Agreement. Upbeat...
Mood Booster
Strap yourself in for Best of GoPro 2023.