Today's smorgasbord of uplifting news nuggets to help put a spring in your step.
Box Office Records
Avatar: The Way of Water has officially crossed $2.243 billion at the global box office, meaning it has surpassed Titanic (global revenue of $2.242 billion) to become the third highest-grossing film of all time. Now that Titanic is out of the way, Avatar: The Way of Water is now setting its sights on Avengers: Endgame. It will be a bit of a tough battle, as that mega film from 2019 earned $2.799 billion across the globe. If Avatar: The Way of Water wants to claim the ultimate prize of being the highest-grossing film of all time globally, it will have to earn more than the $2.923 billion the original Avatar from 2009 has achieved.
You Couldn't Make it Up
Spain’s secretary of state for transport and the head of the state rail company have resigned amid continuing public and political anger after it emerged that dozens of new trains ordered for two northern Spanish regions were too big to fit through some tunnels.
Killer Instincts
For two weeks, an owl that escaped from New York's Central Park Zoo has flown from treetop to treetop, eluding capture and amassing legions of fans worried about its ability to survive alone in the city. Would Flaco, a majestic Eurasian eagle-owl, go hungry because he hadn't developed an ability to hunt while in captivity? With a collective sigh of relief, the answer is a resounding no. It appears Flaco has regained his killer instincts and is becoming an old hand at swooping down from his lofty perch to feed on the park's bounty of rats. As a result, Zoo officials announced that they were suspending recovery operations, at least for now, but will keep a close eye on the owl's health.
Wise Reflection
“Earlier in my life, I thought the things that mattered were the things that you could see, like your car, your house, your wealth, your property, your office. But as I've grown older I've become convinced that the things that matter most are the things that you can't see - the love you share with others, your inner purpose, your comfort with who you are.”
Time to go Home
A small IT company in India has come up with an unusual way to ensure its employees maintain a healthy work-life balance - by creating software to remind them when their shift is up and it is time to head home. Softgrid Computers' software is equipped with a notification system that kicks in the moment an employee's shift is over, warning them that "the office system will shut down in 10 mins" and asking them to "please go home". The measure comes amid an increased focus on and research into the adverse effect of long working hours on the health and relationships of employees across the world.
Croakless Frog
Up in Tanzania’s Ukaguru Mountains, researchers have found a new-to-science frog species with a unique trait: it doesn’t make a sound. The small, silent Ukaguru spiny-throated reed frog (Hyperolius ukaguruensis) doesn’t croak, chirp, sing, or ribbit. “It’s a very odd group of frogs,” Lucinda Lawson, a conservation biologist and assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati, told Mongabay. The new species, a member of the Hyperolius genus of African reed frogs, was described in the journal PLOS ONE.
E-Roadrunner
VoroMotors has announced a Pro model upgrade to 2021's Roadrunner sit-down electric scoot, which brings more motor power for over 50 mph speeds, a bigger battery with up to 50 miles of riding available, full suspension and chunkier stretch seating. VoroMotors says that the Emove Roadrunner has been a popular ride among e-riders and tech journalists alike. The Roadrunner Pro is up for pre-order now priced at US$2,895. Global shipping is expected to begin in late March.
"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough."
Mae West
On this Day
22 February 1980: During the 1980 Winter Olympics, against the backdrop of the Cold War, the U.S. ice hockey team defeated the favoured Soviet team in one of the greatest upsets in the history of the Olympic Games.
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Mood Booster
Adorably cute polar bear cubs go sledging.
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