Just Good News Monday
- Editor OGN Daily
- Apr 17, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: May 7, 2023
Global round-up of good news nuggets to help ensure it's a sunny Monday.
Adapting and Thriving
Congratulations to Corey Arnold for winning the prize for Wildlife & Nature in the Sony World Photography Awards 2023 after tracking animals like black bears, coyotes and raccoons across America to show how they have adapted to survive and even thrive in areas where the environment has been shaped by humans.
Boaty McBoatface
Do you remember when the UK's environmental research agency, in 2016, tried to crowdsource the name for their next “royal research ship” (RRS), and the winner was . . . Boaty McBoatface? The results were ignored, and the agency ended up naming the ship the RRS David Attenborough. The UK’s National Oceanography Centre, however, which apparently has a much better sense of humour, dubbed three of their autonomous water vehicles Boaty McBoatface in 2017. For the past five years these vehicles have been zipping around gathering climate research in remote areas where human pilots can’t go, like miles under Antarctic ice shelves.
US State Agencies Upping the Funny Factor: Wildlife departments in Washington and Oklahoma have led the way as government officials find a new voice on social media. More...
Stepping Up
When the people of Globe, Arizona were cut off from popular hiking trails due to wildfires and flooding, they didn’t stow their boots. Instead, they forged new urban trails by clearing hidden, overgrown concrete staircases used by the town’s copper miners long ago - and decking them out with public art. Community volunteers cleared trash and hauled away dirt, then artists painted dozens of murals with poppies, scenes from Globe’s history, cactuses, Gila monsters and more along the staircases that now make up what’s called the “Stairizona Trail.”
There are routes for all types of hikers and fresh-air-seekers, from a 1.4 mile stroll with 244 stair steps to a 6.4 mile trail that hits nine staircases. According to The Arizona Republic, “every outing becomes a treasure hunt of art, architecture and mountain views.”
Remarkable Sandgrouse
Many birds’ feathers are remarkably efficient at shedding water - so much so that “like water off a duck’s back” is a common expression. Much more unusual are the belly feathers of the sandgrouse, especially Namaqua sandgrouse, which absorb and retain water so efficiently the male birds can fly more than 20 km (12 miles) from a distant watering hole back to the nest and still retain enough water in their feathers for the chicks to drink and sustain themselves in the searing deserts of Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa.
Fossil Fuel Exodus
Many will wonder why took it so long, but the International Finance Corporation - the private sector arm of the World Bank - has finally closed a loophole that allowed its clients to fund new coal projects. It’s the latest financial institution to join the fossil fuel exodus.
End of The Fossil Age: Experts are calling time on the fossil age as new analysis shows 2023 will be 'peak coal'. More...
Back to School
Detroit’s Wayne State University is forgiving a portion of tuition debt for ex-students who dropped out - if they come back to the school to pursue a degree. Recognizing that difficult life circumstances - an illness, a job loss - can derail a college student from getting their diploma, the university is offering to erase $4,000 in debt. So far, 500 students have taken advantage of the program and re-enrolled. More than 150 have earned degrees.
Gap Narrows
The unemployment rate for black Americans hit a record low in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bureau reported that the employment gap between white and black people narrowed to 1.8 percentage points last month - a historic low.
“Advances are made by answering questions. Discoveries are made by questioning answers.”
Bernard Haisch
On this Day
17 April 2003: Anneli Jäätteenmäki was sworn in as prime minister of Finland, which thereby became the second country (after New Zealand) to install a woman as head of both state and government.
Mood Booster
Wise Words: Ancient Proverbs: This video contains a collection of some the greatest proverbs from across the globe and throughout history.
