Mid week global round up of good news nuggets to brighten the day.
Celebrating Women
The late Native Hawaiian hula teacher Edith Kanaka’ole is among five women who will be individually featured on US quarters in 2023 as part of a program to depict notable women on the coins. The US Mint described Kanaka’ole, who died in 1978, as a composer, chanter, dancer, teacher and entertainer. The US Mint said the other four women to appear on the coin next year were Bessie Coleman, the first African American female pilot; Eleanor Roosevelt, the first lady and author; Jovita Idar, the Mexican American journalist and activist; and Maria Tallchief, America’s first prima ballerina. Each quarter will carry the image of George Washington on the other side.
Odobenidae
By the early 1950s, only a small population of Svalbard’s walruses survived the more than 300 years of ivory hunting. To prevent the walruses from disappearing completely, the Norwegian government banned commercial hunting. In 2006, researchers were thrilled to count 2,629 walruses in Svalbard, and the latest count recorded 5,503. Conservationists say that it’s vital to continue protecting the great walrus, as it's the last remaining species in a family called Odobenidae, which in Greek means “those who walk with their teeth.” Hopefully, Norway’s success story will inspire other initiatives to push forward, even if things may seem bleak, and serves to confirm yet again that nature remains resilient, as long as we give it space and peace.
Act of Kindness
Liliana Figueroa from Phoenix tells this story: "Before work one day last December, I stopped at a deli and ordered an everything bagel with cream cheese. It was toasty warm, and I couldn’t wait to dig in. But as I left the store, I noticed an older indigent gentleman sitting at the bus stop. Knowing it would probably be his only warm meal of the day, I gave him the bagel. But all was not lost for me. Another customer from the deli offered me half of her bagel. I was so delighted because I realized that in one way or another, we are all looked after."
Raise a Glass to...
... Merrill Pittman Cooper, who received his high school diploma at the distinguished age of 101. Cooper attended Storer College in West Virginia from 1934 to 1938 but had to drop out when his family moved to Philadelphia. He made a long and successful career for himself in the transportation industry, but told family members he regretted not earning his diploma. Storer College was established in 1865 to serve newly freed slaves in the wake of the Civil War, and was the only education resource for Black residents of West Virginia at the time. It closed in the 1950s, but is still part of the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Cooper’s family reached out to park staff who worked with local education teams to get Cooper a special ceremony and, at long last, the diploma he deserves.
Biophilic Design
Scientists from the University of Surrey and Imperial College London have achieved an increase in energy absorption in ultra-thin solar panels by a record breaking 25 percent. The team used solar panels just one micrometer thick with a disordered honeycomb layer on top of the silicon panel. The biophilic design draws inspiration from butterfly wings and bird eyes to absorb sunlight from every possible angle, making the panels more efficient.
Boaty McBoatface
The new Royal Research Ship, Sir David Attenborough, is proving its capabilities as an icebreaker. On its first outing to the Antarctic, the £200m polar vessel - popularly known as Boaty McBoatface - has been smashing through thick frozen floes. The Attenborough is now very close to being declared a fully serviceable ship for science and logistics at the highest latitudes.
Tigermania
Tomorrow is the start of the Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National in Georgia. A day that all golf fans look forward to, and speculation is rife as to whether Tiger Woods will feel fit enough to play. Will he? Won't he? It's the question on everyone's lips. The 15-time major champion has been away from competitive golf for over a year, having suffered serious leg injuries in a car crash in February 2021. But Woods, 46, has been spotted playing a few practice rounds at Augusta, including one on Monday, which has only fuelled rumours of a comeback...
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Quote of the Day
“Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.” Eskimo Proverb
On this Day
6 April 1896: Pierre, baron de Coubertin, a founder of the International Olympic Committee and its president from 1896 to 1925, realised his goal of reviving the Olympics when the first modern Games opened in Athens this day in 1896.
Dive in Deeper
The James Webb Space Telescope is one of the greatest scientific endeavours of the 21st century and it has just completed the sixth step in the process of creating the most accurate and focused images ever captured of the cosmos. Read on...
Musical Mood Booster
Pianist performs a Dubstep version of Moonlight Sonata for the first time.