Good News Thursday
- Jul 2
- 4 min read
Today's smorgasbord of tasty new nuggets from around the world.
“Half Second Before”
The 1839 Awards are named in honor of the year that the photography was first made widely available to the public. Each year, the competition celebrates photographers through different contests, including in color photography. “These images are windows into faraway places, challenges to what the photographic image can be, and invitations to encounter the world from new, unexpected points of view,” 1839 explains. “They give us the all- too-rare opportunity to pause, to look more slowly, and to feel the world more deeply than we did before.” And this surfer was definitely about to "feel the world more deeply." Amateur and professional photographers can enter 1839’s Photographer of the Year contest before 15 September.
Nun Too Pleased
An abbess sacked for “courting media attention” to promote her convent’s prosecco has formed a breakaway sisterhood, said The Times. While “Cistercian nuns generally shun the outside world”, 34-year-old Mother Aline Pereira Ghammachi made television appearances and used social media to revive the fortunes of San Giacomo di Veglia monastery, near Venice. “Five loyal nuns” have also left the convent, and the group says it intends to continue its community life outside of the Church.
Charitable Donations
Donations to charity in the U.S. rose by an inflation-adjusted 3 percent in 2025. Donors gave $617 billion to charities, and giving increased in all categories, from corporations and living individuals to bequests and foundations. Bequests alone jumped by nearly 17 percent, the third time in the last four years that form of giving came in at a double-digit increase, which analysts say could signal the start of the “Great Wealth Transfer” of baby boomers passing along their enormous wealth.
The First Camera to Become a Philanthropic Statement: Imagine if Jony Ive, Apple's legendary designer, made a camera. Well, he already has. But only one.
Wildlands Protection
As part of new wildlands protection law, the French Government has announced the creation of a new nature reserve in French Guiana spanning 370,000 acres. Called the Rocky Peaks of Armontabo, the reserve includes giant, isolated granite mountains surrounded by intact rainforest of rich biodiverse value. The Armontabo Peaks are a feature of a geo-eco region called the Guiana Shield which stretches across the Guianas, Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia, and which is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. The northeast corner of South America is rapidly becoming one of the most protected areas on Earth. Along with Armontabo, neighbouring Suriname announced protections for 25 million acres last year.
New to Science
Scientists announced last month they discovered 31 potentially new-to-science species off the coast of Brazil, all found in just two weeks. The team on the efficient expedition honed their focus on the ocean midwater, which encompasses 90 percent of the living space on our planet but is also one of the least explored sections. “The midwater is chock full of incredible animals that we don’t know much about,” said Karen Osborn, the team’s chief scientist. “And this was an area that hadn’t been explored before so there were more opportunities to find new species.” The findings include nine jellyfish, seven comb jellies, and a surprisingly fast-swimming gossamer worm, pictured.
First Elk Visitors
Colorado is home to more than 100 wildlife overpass structures, and its newest one, which opened in December, is currently the largest in the world. The Greenland Wildlife Overpass was designed specifically for elk, mule deer, and pronghorn, who are both abundant in the area and are notoriously distrustful of underpasses and enclosed tunnels. Six months after it officially opened, the first three elk were recorded using the crossing, safely crossing six lanes of highway. Officials celebrated the historic crossing, saying it’s proof “the new structure is working!”
“Don’t be afraid to reach for the stars. I believe a good education can take you anywhere on Earth and beyond.” Ellen Ochoa
On This Day
2 July 1962: Sam Walton opens his first Walmart store in Rogers, Arkansas - launching an enterprise that grew into one of the world's largest retail chains. He built a business empire that transformed the retail industry in America and beyond. Walton's business approach included emphasizing American-made products and involving employees through profit-sharing programs. By the time of his death in 1992, Walton had built Walmart into a retail giant with nearly 2,000 stores and 400,000 employees.
Today's Articles
2 July 1843: An alligator falls from the sky during a thunderstorm in Charleston, South Carolina. Yes, really.
Incredibly Rare: Polar bear adopts a cub. She already had one of her own but, when spotted again, she had another one in tow.
Mood Boosting Video
Don't Try This Yourself: The fastest ever urban downhill run through the narrow mountain bike course in Genova.
