Some say TGI Friday. Why not OGN Friday?
Got a ski trip planned this year? Or know someone who needs a stocking filler for some warm winter headgear? Just type Beardo Ski Mask into Amazon and take your pick from the company's truly whacky selection of amazingly realistic animal ski masks.
Flip the Script on Plastics campaign wants Hollywood to join the fight against plastic pollution by urging popular TV shows and movies to stop featuring single-use plastics and trade them in for more sustainable alternatives. Decades of research show that scripted entertainment plays a powerful role in shaping our social norms, attitudes, and behavior on a wide variety of health and social issues. It's hoped that if Hollywood leads by example by only showing sustainable alternatives to plastic on screen, others will be encouraged to opt for eco-friendly options as well.
Acts of kindness: Professional violinist Martin Agee has performed on some of the world’s most renowned stages, such as Carnegie Hall and Sydney Opera House. He's also an animal lover and every few weeks visits the Adoption Center of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in New York City. He plays soothing sonatas to the dogs there who suffer from medical and behavioral issues due to cruelty and neglect. Agee’s goal is to help the animals recover, get socialized, and eventually find a forever home.
Diamonds are not the planet’s best friend. Their mining requires a tremendous amount of resources, energy, land and pollution. But a diamond is essentially just crystalline carbon. However, the good news is that two companies have begun producing diamonds made from carbon captured from the air: Aether in the US, and Sky Diamond in the UK. “Everything we need to create a sky diamond comes from the sky,” says Dale Vince of Sky Diamond. “The carbon is taken from the atmosphere, wind and sun provide all our energy, and the water we use is captured rain. The only thing we put back into the world is cleaner air than we took out.”
There’s new hope for one of the world’s most endangered animals: the black rhino. It was recently announced that numbers of these incredible creatures are slowly but surely on the rise. In 2012, the black rhino population was at just over 4,800. However, due to the efforts of relocating groups and a clamp down on poachers, that number now is over 5,500. This increase may feel like slow progress, but it is progress nonetheless. A conservation story certainly worth smiling about.
Prostate cancer breakthrough: Many patients with prostate cancer are treated with drugs to which they quickly develop resistance. Now, a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified an RNA molecule that suppresses prostate tumors - and they’ve hailed it as a new strategy to treat the cancer which has developed resistance to hormonal therapies.
Just thinking about the climate crisis can make you reach for a stiff drink. A New York startup offers the chance to do so emissions-free. The vodka from Air Company only has two ingredients: CO2 and water. Or, as the website puts it: only air, water and sun. Typically, alcohol is distilled after fermenting fruit or grain. Producing a bottle of vodka made from wheat, for instance, emits about 13 pounds of climate gases that are generated in the growing, harvesting and transporting of the grains. Air Co.’s vodka, by comparison, eliminates as much CO2 as eight trees would, co-founder Gregory Constantine says. He refuses to spill the recipe for proprietary reasons, but the production process essentially uses solar energy to transform CO2 into pure ethanol, not unlike the way plants use photosynthesis to turn CO2 into food. The patent has won awards from NASA and the United Nations.
"A friend is someone we turn to when our spirits need a life. A friend is someone we treasure for our friendship is a gift. A friend is someone who fills our lives with beauty, joy, and grace. And makes the world we live in a better and happier place." Unknown poet.
Dive in Deeper
Relaxing Ambiance
The gentle sound of rain and thunder is soothing - a great way to relax and beat insomnia. Here's an 8 hour clip. Why not try it tonight? Actually, at any time, it's mesmerisingly peaceful and calming.