A selection of bite sized chunks of good news to brighten the day.
Return of the Rug?
With crucial elections coming up, the French president - Emmanuel Macron - has unbuttoned his white shirt for a behind-the-scenes campaign photo to reveal his furry chest. Until recently, it was believed to have been invented by Sean Connery and Burt Reynolds in the 60s and 70s. Chest hair is now thought to have been around as long as man himself, but has come and gone, according to acceptability and fashion. Is the visible hairy chest making a comeback and, more importantly for Macron, is it a vote winner?
External Pressure
In good news for our planet, the US is going to lean on Australia to increase its 2030 emission reduction pledge this year, with a senior official declaring it was “a long time ago” when the Abbott government set the target the Morrison government says is “fixed”. The assistant US secretary of state for environmental affairs, Monica Medina, said the US was “determined that everyone raise ambition” in helping tackle climate issues. Medina has signalled that the US was particularly focused on countries that did not commit to deeper cuts at the climate summit in Glasgow last year.
Our Cosmic Address
What is planet Earth’s cosmic address? If someone from a planet in a distant galaxy wanted to send us a parcel via intergalactic post - presuming such a service existed - what address would they need to write? On Earth we tend to write house or flat number, street name, village, town or city, followed by county or state, post / zip code, and country. But what about writing this local address on a cosmic scale? What are the constituent regions of our place in the grand cosmos? Well, according to the BBC's Sky at Night Magazine, their cosmic address would be: Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST, United Kingdom, Planet Earth, Solar System, Oort Cloud, Local Interstellar Cloud, Local Cavity, Orion Arm, Milky Way, Local Group, Virgo Supercluster, Laniakea Supercluster, the Universe. Just insert your details prior to Planet Earth and await your cosmic delivery!
Nannaria Swiftae
Taylor Swift, U.S. mega-star singer-songwriter, has earned another accolade - she now has a new species of millipede named in her honour. It's uncertain whether she thinks that's good news, but the scientist super-fan who discovered the twisted-claw millipede in the Appalachian mountains and named it Nannaria Swiftae said he did so because ‘her music helped me through grad school.'
Quebec Action
Following the lead of Greenland, Quebec has become the second jurisdiction in the world to explicitly ban oil and gas development in its territory after decades of campaigning by environmental organizations and citizen groups. For a jurisdiction within Canada — which is among the top five oil producers worldwide — to forgo the industry as part of its current and future economy immediately after the federal government indicated it will continue to pursue fossil fuel expansion “sends a really powerful signal,” said Caroline Brouillette of Climate Action Network Canada.
Solar Bus
Saving fuel, slashing emissions, and cutting pollution are just some of the benefits of installing solar panels on public transportation buses - and the city of Munich is buying a ticket to the future by doing just that. Founded by a trio of German friends in 2016, Sono Motors has partnered with the Munich Transport Company, and their novel solar bus trailer will soon hit the roads, carrying passengers in daily operation. The Sono Solar Technology is offering projected savings - per bus - of 2,500 liters of diesel each year and a reduction of 6.5 metric tons of CO2.
Quote of the Day
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Aesop
On this Day
21 April 1782: Friedrich Froebel, German educational reformer and the founder of the kindergarten, was born in the German state of Thuringia.
Dive in Deeper
News is bubbling out of Congress that a climate-focused version of Biden's 'Build Back Better' is on its way and may salvage his election promise. Read on...
There has been little in the way of observable astronomical events in the night sky this year, but the Lyrid meteor shower marks the first major event and hits its peak this week. Read on...
Dancing and Golf Tricks
In 1938, dancer/golf trick shot artist Fred Astaire performed an entertaining tap dancing golf sequence in the movie Carefree.