Mid-week round up of positive news nuggets to brighten the day.
Salvage Success
The Nuestra Señora de las Maravillas (Our Lady of Wonders) was a Spanish galleon laden with treasures so sumptuous that its sinking in the Bahamas in 1656 sparked repeated salvage attempts over the next 350 years. So when another expedition was launched recently, few thought that there could be anything left – but exquisite, jewel-encrusted pendants and gold chains are among spectacular finds that have now been recovered, having lain untouched on the seabed for hundreds of years. That's good news for the government of the Bahamas and the team that found the sunken treasure: Allen Exploration
A Grand Love
When two teenage strangers posed together on the edge of the Grand Canyon in 2001, they didn't realize they were capturing the beginning of their love story. Carrie and Kris were both touring the area with their families, and struck up a conversation that lasted for hours. They exchanged email addresses to keep it going, building a years-long friendship even though Carrie lived in the US and Kris in Denmark. Through college and the first years of adulthood, they still kept the connection. They knew something was there, and in 2008, Kris took the plunge and traveled to the US to visit Carrie - a woman he had only met in person for a few hours, seven years before, in a completely different time of life. Together, they returned to the place at the Grand Canyon where they had first met. They're married now, with three children of their own.
US Coal
S&P, a financial services firm, estimates 145 GW of coal capacity will retire in the US this decade, with coal’s share falling from the current 22 percent to 5 percent in 2030. Thanks technology.
Ferrule
The protective point or knob on the far end of an umbrella.
New Goal
When Lesein Mutunkei scores a goal, he plants 11 trees - one to represent each player on his team. The 18-year-old amateur footballer from Kenya started his Trees4Goals program to mobilize young athletes in his region to take up his pledge of planting trees every time they score. Now, he's urging FIFA and the sport's biggest stars to take part, too. Mutunkei knows the amazing impact that could be made if professional teams started celebrating their wins by giving back to the environment. "Football is a universal game and climate change is a universal problem," Mutunkei said. "It has the power to connect, engage, educate and inspire my generation to create a safer and greener future." Let's hope his idea gains traction.
Hopping Mouse
After a 200 year absence, the Mitchell’s hopping mouse has returned to Australia, with scientists hoping to bolster the population from 150 mice in a protected area that is cat and fox free. It’s part of a state-wide project to return the wild populations of more than 20 locally extinct species that suffered from habitat loss and feral animals.
Zealandia
Not far away, an ecological revolution in Wellington, New Zealand, is underway, as the return of native bird species, and close encounters with orca and whales fuel a volunteer conservation movement. The city is seeing an explosion in wildlife thanks to the presence of Zealandia, the world’s first fully fenced urban eco-sanctuary that's located just 10 minutes from downtown.
Plugged In
Global electricity access rose markedly between 2010 and 2020, from 83 percent to 91 percent of the world's population, with the number of unserved falling from 1.2 billion to 733 million during that period.
Quote of the Day
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.”
Amelia Earhart
On this Day
3 August 1492: Hoping to find a westward route to India, Christopher Columbus set sail on his first transatlantic voyage, departing from Palos, Spain, with three small ships - the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María.
The mullet peaked in the 80s but it's making a comeback. Whether you love it or hate it, these are some of the finalists in the 2022 Kids Mullet Championship. Read on...
New pill with a digestion-resistant molecule has an astonishing ability to help prevent a range of hereditary cancers. Read on...
Mood Booster
We thought it would be funny to watch a duck eating a watermelon, so we searched "duck eating watermelon" on YouTube. It supplied us with this perfect gem, featuring a chicken as a bonus. Thank you, YouTube.