Wrapping up the week with some tasty bite sized chunks of good news.
Kindness Reciprocated
Whilst you know of Julia Roberts, you may not know about her unlikely connection to Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. “My parents had a theater school in Atlanta called the Actors and Writers Workshop,” Roberts says. “And one day Coretta Scott King called my mother and asked if her kids could be part of the school because they were having a hard time finding a place that would accept her kids. And my mom was like, ‘Sure, come on over.’” After that, the two families formed a friendship. In 1967, Julia Roberts was born in Smyrna, Georgia. And when her parents, Walter and Betty Roberts, couldn’t afford to pay the bill, the Kings stepped in, the actress said. “They helped us out of a jam.”
30 by 30
Norway is to create ten new national parks along its western edge. Four of them will be brand new, while six will see currently designated conservation areas upgraded into full-blown national parks. It’s all part of its plan to protect 30 percent of Norwegian sovereign territory by 2030.
Bringing Joy
It all started with a happy face. A decade ago, Luis Ruiz, an orthopedic technician at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, was asked by a patient if he could draw one on his cast. Ruiz told the boy he wasn't great at drawing, but after Ruiz was finished, the child's face "lit up," Ruiz says. That inspired him to start offering all of the kids he met a personalized drawing on their cast. "I was not very good, but as time went by, little by little, I got better and better, to a point where now I can almost do anything they ask for," he said. Ruiz estimates he's painted thousands of casts in the last 10 years, and said he loves to make the patients smile and forget they are in the hospital. "The kids just bring me joy," says Ruiz.
Galápagos Penguin
The endangered Galápagos Penguin has recorded its best breeding season on record. In 2010, conservationists began chiselling small holes out of lava for the birds after original nesting sites were taken over by feral predators. 12 years later, a quarter of the population are juveniles - a significant milestone for a species numbering less than 5,000 birds, reports National Geographic.
Burp Busting
The first commercial crop of the methane-busting seaweed Asparagopsis has been harvested off the coast of Western Australia. When added to cattle feed, a daily dose of 20 grams per animal can reduce methane output by up to 95 percent.
World's First Burp Tax: New Zealand farmers may soon be paying for greenhouse gas emissions from their animals. The government says that's good news as it will give famers a competitive advantage. Read on...
100th Great-Grandchild
As an only child, Peggy Koller always wanted to have a large family - and the 99-year-old from Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, got her wish. Peggy recently met her 100th great-grandchild, a boy named in her honor: Koller William Balster. When she learned that the baby had the name Koller, "She was absolutely ecstatic," said Koller's mother. Just days after welcoming her namesake, another baby joined the family: Peggy's granddaughter Colleen gave birth to her 101st great-grandchild. Peggy has 11 children and 56 grandchildren, and now 101 great-grandchildren!
Quote of the Day
"Don’t forget to tell these special people in your life just how special they are to you."
Bob Ross
On this Day
4 November 1922: One hundred years ago today, British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen.
'Tis the season of shorter daylight hours - which means, for at least 10 percent of us, it’s also time for the annual onset of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Top tips...
Woman recreates the 1942 photo of her grandfather standing with his WWII plane - and gets an unexpected flight too. Read on...
It's not just us! A recent study has found that the joy of laughter is actually quite common in the animal kingdom too. Read on...
Mood Booster
The much anticipated Avatar 2 will hit movie theatres on 16 December. Here's the latest official trailer.