Ensuring the week gets off to a good start with an eclectic bundle of upbeat news nuggets.
Oops: Name Too Long
A Spanish duke has been told that his baby has too many names. Fernando Juan Fitz-James Stuart y de Solís, the 17th Duke of Huéscar and his wife, Sofía Palazuelo, have baptised their second child Sofía Fernanda Dolores Cayetana Teresa Ángela de la Cruz Micaela del Santísimo Sacramento del Perpetuo Socorro de la Santísima Trinidad y de Todos Los Santos. "The girl will not be able to be registered in the Civil Registry with a string of names that surpass all rules", reported El Pais.
World's Best Cheese
Delicate, creamy, buttery and soft, with mild peppery blue veins, Norway’s Nidelven blå, a pasteurised cow’s milk blue cheese made on a small farm was just named the best cheese at the World Cheese Awards. There were a record number of entrants with 4,502 different cheeses submitted from across the globe. The winner beat a Belgian morbier-style cheese into second place, with a Swiss Alpine entrant coming third. “This is really great,” said Morten Gangstad, the winning cheesemaker. “All of us who work in the dairy are here today, and we did not expect this. But it’s fantastic.”
Stones Top Beatles
The Rolling Stones have surpassed The Beatles as the band with the most chart-topping studio albums. Sir Mick Jagger, 80, and his septuagenarian bandmates have claimed top spot in the UK chart with their latest release Hackney Diamonds. The Stones have now overtaken The Beatles as the act with the most UK number one studio albums. If you haven't seen the retro-cool video of the Stones' first single off Hackney Diamonds click here and if you haven't heard that The Beatles are about to release a new single, click here.
Top Young Scientist
Heman Bekele's invention, Skin Cancer Treating Soap, earned the 14-year-old a $25,000 prize and the title of America's Top Young Scientist. For the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, Bekele developed a compound-based soap that treats melanoma, the most common cancer in the US. This soap only costs 50 cents to make per bar, and it's Bekele's goal to create a nonprofit to distribute the product to people in need. As part of the competition, Bekele was paired with a 3M scientist who helped him take his idea from concept to prototype. "I believe that young minds can make a positive impact on the world," Bekele told USA Today.
Atelier Jolie
Angelina Jolie is launching her own contemporary fashion house, titled Atelier Jolie. The label’s first collaborator will be French luxury house Chloé, one of the very few luxury brands that are a certified B Corp - meaning that they must “meet the highest standards of verified, overall social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability.” Jolie has set up shop inside a Noho studio space in NYC that formerly belonged to Andy Warhol. Atelier Jolie’s Chloé collaboration will launch in Chloé boutiques and on the company’s webstore in January.
Aztec Sculpture
The earthquake that hit Mexico City last year did some unexpected archaeological work. Following the quake, researchers found a nearly 500 year old Aztec snakehead that had been lying about 15 feet below the surface - weighing in at 1.3 tons, it measures 5.9 feet long, 2.8 feet high and 3.3 feet wide. In addition to its large size, researchers were struck by its colors. Even after centuries underground, the snakehead is still decorated with traces of vibrant pigments - including black, white, red and blue - covering approximately 80 percent of its surface.
EU Pesticide Action
The Environment Committee of the European Parliament has voted to ensure sustainable use of pesticides and reduce their use by at least half by 2030. Members of Parliament voted to also reduce the use of “more hazardous products” by 65 percent as compared to the average from 2013 to 2017. “This vote brings us one step closer to significantly reducing chemical pesticide use by 2030,” said MEP Sarah Wiener.
"The best protection any woman can have is courage." Elizabeth Cady Stanton
On This Day
30 October 1938: Orson Welles's radio dramatization of H.G. Wells's War of the Worlds was broadcast, causing great alarm as some listeners feared a genuine invasion from Mars.
Sweden's Hilarious New Marketing Campaign: Because every year 120,000 people ask Google whether Sweden is the same country as Switzerland. Yes, really...
A project to create Europe’s largest forested national park in the wilderness of Romania is underway. Reserve...
Life's Lessons: People share their thoughts on some of life's essential lessons learned 'the hard way'. Relatable...
Mood Booster
Stayin' Alive: Bee Gees classic gets a glorious new solo acoustic treatment.