Global collection of good news nuggets to help put a spring in your step.
Amelia Earhart
Later this month, after a 23 year delay, the United States Capitol will unveil a statue of Amelia Earhart, who will become only the tenth woman honored in the National Statuary Hall Collection. Established in 1864, Statuary Hall is an imposing room in the Capitol displaying two statues from each state. In Earhart's case, that's Kansas. Her statue will stand along with another famous former Kansas resident: Dwight D. Eisenhower. Amelia Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Her disappearance during a flight around the world in 1937 became an enduring mystery.
Move It, Move It
A new study published in the National Institutes of Health found that increasing daily steps from 4,000 to 8,000 is associated with a 51 percent lower risk for all-cause mortality (“death from all causes”), and taking 12,000 steps per day was associated with a 65 percent lower risk. Interestingly, “the authors saw no association between step intensity and risk of death after accounting for the total number of steps taken per day.” In other words, you don’t need to exercise hard to be healthier and live longer. Just go for a walk. And again tomorrow.
Celebrations
Three oil companies have canceled their drilling leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Environmentalists are celebrating the crucial move in protecting both wildlife and ecosystems, and combating climate change.
Good News for Islay
There are also celebrations on a Scottish island as a distillery has donated £1 million to the local community for their “patience” after the world record sale of a “vanishingly rare” single malt cask to a mystery collector. Generations of distillery workers at Ardbeg Islay were recognised for their work in creating the 1975 cask of whisky which was sold at auction for a world record of £16 million. To celebrate the sale, Ardbeg has donated £1 million to causes on the island of Islay - that's a meaningful amount for an island with only 3,000 residents.
Random Fun Fact
The Alpine Swift is able to stay airborne for over 6 months without touching down. It holds the world record for the longest recorded uninterrupted flight by a bird, at over 200 days in the air as it hunted flying insects on its wintering range in the skies over West Africa.
Wales to Go Slow
The default speed limit will be lowered to 20 miles per hour on residential roads in Wales in an effort to reduce traffic accidents and get residents to swap their cars for bikes or public transport. Local 20mph restrictions have been introduced in several towns and cities, but the move to impose it across all residential roads from 2023 would be a first in the world, according to campaigners.
Offshore Wind
Offshore wind had a great year in 2021, with over 21 gigawatts installed. If you read OGN regularly, you may have heard of several offshore wind installations in the North Sea but the action offshore was in China, where 17 gigawatts (GW) of new offshore wind power was installed last year. That’s about 80 percent of the global total.
Quote of the Day
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
Mahatma Gandhi
On this Day
14 July 1789: Bastille Day - the French Revolution begins with the storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris (now celebrated as France's national day).
For centuries, scientists have proclaimed ginger's healing properties. Here's the modern research evidence that agrees. Read on...
Venice is to become the first city in the world to charge a fee for day-only visitors - it's good news for residents. Read on...
Mood Booster
Mansour Bahrami - the court jester's best Wimbledon trick shots.