Jun 24

Monday's Upbeat News

What better way to start the week than with some bite-sized chunks of upbeat news?

Team USA to Wear Denim

Ralph Lauren is leaning on an all-American material for the upcoming Paris Olympics and Paralympics: denim. Ralph Lauren has unveiled its opening and closing ceremony uniforms, marking its ninth time as the official outfitter of Team USA. The opening ceremony look, which athletes will debut on 26 July at the start of the Summer Games, features blue jeans paired with a classic navy blazer atop a striped oxford shirt. “The directive we get is to have the athletes look like ambassadors, to have a certain sense of formality and to feel comfortable,” the company said.

Koala bear in a tree — Koala bear in Australia

Cooling Koalas

For the first time, free-ranging wild koalas have been observed regulating their body temperatures ahead of the hottest days of summer, by lowering their temperatures well below average during cooler morning conditions. The research has been published in Conservation Physiology. Research lead Dr. Valentina Mella said, "This strongly suggests koalas predict the hottest days from morning conditions and adjust their core temperatures accordingly. We have never seen this type of behavior before in koalas."

Hats Off to Alberta

In a feat once thought impossible, the Canadian province of Alberta went from 80 percent coal power to zero - years ahead of schedule. Back in 2001, coal accounted for as much as four fifths of the electricity on the province's grid, according to Scott MacDougall, director of the electricity program at the Pembina Institute, a green-energy think tank. "The industry was up in arms that it wasn't possible," Shaffer told CBC News. "Even parts of the government were in disbelief. I think there was a general view that phasing out by 2030 would actually be very challenging, and yet here we are."

The Simpson cartoon family — Coffin lid / The Simpson family

Egypt Predicts Simpsons?

Well, that's the claim of numerous people on social media. One of the most recognisable characters from the world of animation is Marge Simpson - who appears to have a doppelganger from ancient Egyptian times. The discovery of the mummy's coffin was announced nine months ago, but it's recently gone viral thanks to social media. But why is that? Well, all because of The Simpsons. The upper lid of the coffin has an image of a yellow-hued woman wearing a green dress with an extremely tall blue crown. Sound familiar? Well, it certainly resembles Marge Simpson's outsized blue hair and her strapless green outfit.

Anker's 2-in-1 USB-C cable — Credit: Anker

Handy New Device

Anker’s trying something new that could potentially cut the number of cables you need to untangle. Its 2-in-1 USB-C cable allows two devices to simultaneously charge from a single USB-C port with built-in 'Smart Power Management' that automatically adjusts power distribution based on “each device’s power needs.” At $25, the Anker 2-in-1 USB-C charging cable is a tempting upgrade if the inside of your everyday carry is looking like a rat’s nest of wires.

UK Fossil Fuels

Following similar rulings elsewhere in the world, the climate impact of burning coal, oil and gas must be taken into account when deciding whether to approve projects, the Supreme Court in London has ruled. The landmark judgment sets an important precedent on whether the “inevitable” future greenhouse gas emissions of a fossil fuel project should be considered.

Campaigners hailed the ruling as a “huge win in the fight for a liveable climate” and said it gave a boost to several other domestic lawsuits challenging fossil fuel extraction.

Nvidia Stock

Though the average investor may not have even heard of it until recently, Nvidia is the hottest company around, and is now one of the world’s most valuable. And for investors who were lucky enough to get in early, the gains are meteoric. An investment of $1,000 in Nvidia in June 2014 would be worth over $297,600 today, according to calculations from Morningstar Direct. That’s cumulative growth of 29,660 percent.

"You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from." Cormac McCarthy

On This Day

Kenneth Arnold with a drawing of a flying saucer

24 June 1947: American businessman Kenneth Arnold saw a number of objects “flying like saucers” while piloting a small plane over Mount Rainier in Washington; it was considered the first modern sighting of UFOs and gave rise to the term flying saucer.