OGN's making it anything other than a Black Friday!
GivingTuesday
Instead of participating in the Black Friday frenzy this week, we're supporting GivingTuesday. This is an initiative that started in 2012 with the simple idea of encouraging people to do good. It has now developed into a global movement in over 100 countries, inspiring businesses and communities to celebrate generosity.
Space Bias
The guidelines for naming a planet’s surface features are biased towards men, an academic has said, as research shows fewer than 2 percent of Mars’s craters are named after women. An analysis of the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) database has also revealed that only 32 (2 percent) out of 1,578 known Moon craters bear a woman’s name. Efforts are now being made to change this state of affairs. In an open letter published in the journal Nature Astronomy, Annie Lennox, a doctoral researcher at The Open University - and, yes, she's the former lead singer of the Eurythmics - she urges the IAU to change its policies which are “biased towards white men”.
Wildly Successful
The once abandoned Caribbean island of Redonda, part of Antigua and Barbuda, has been transformed into a biodiverse haven for plant and animal species. The island was mined for guano in the early 20th century, and when the miners left, the island was infested with rats and feral goats, devastating the native landscape. After conservationists, removed the rats and goats, the island has seen a much more rapid regeneration than expected. Seabirds have returned, and the endangered ground dragon population has increased thirteenfold. While the conservationists are now considering reintroducing some native species, the majority of the restoration has been accomplished simply by restoring the conditions for the intelligence of the ecology of the island to rebalance itself.
Ironic Sponsor
After 60 years, The Rolling Stones are still going strong and gearing up for another concert tour. The legendary rock band will embark on the Hackney Diamonds tour in support of their recent album of the same name - kicking off in Houston in April next year. The tour is being sponsored by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
Elephants Have Names
Elephants may be the first non-human animals to have names for each other, according to a new study. The yet-to-be peer-reviewed research posted in bioRxiv was carried out among African elephants living in the savannah ecosystem in Kenya. Researchers found the elephants addressed one another using individually specific calls. This behaviour, observed in elephants for the first time, could be advantageous to them as even closely bonded members of the species tend to communicate and coordinate over long distances via rumbles. Researchers believe having names allows elephants to attract the attention of a specific individual and enhance their coordinating ability for moving to and from resources when they are out of sight from one another.
Dance Floor Finale
Prior to his death earlier this month, "fun-loving" Darwin Bernal, from El Salvador, asked his family to arrange a "unique send-off" at a nightclub, the New York Post reported. His open casket took "centre stage on the dancefloor" at the club, in the city of La Unión, as mourners shimmied around the coffin to loud Latino music. "He loved to party and loved to dance," his daughter said.
Progress For Women
Since October 2021, seven sub-Saharan African countries have implemented legal changes that have had a profound impact on women's economic participation, reports World Bank. Côte d’Ivoire and Gabon have led the way, with the elimination of all restrictions on women's employment, legislation on gender-based discrimination in financial services and domestic violence, and mandates for equal remuneration.
"It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up." Muhammad Ali
On This Day
24 November 1859: Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection was published.
Gulfstream flies into history as its jet completes the first ever transatlantic flight burning 100 percent Sustainable Aviation Fuel. Good progress...
Unassuming man living in a trailer, with no car and shabby clothes, astonishes his local community by leaving them millions. Legacy...
Mood Booster
Slo-mo: Amazing aerobatic skills allow swallows to drink and bathe whilst flying.