Global round up of bite sized chunks of good news to brighten the day.
First Folio
An original copy of William Shakespeare’s First Folio, often referred to as the most important book in English literature, will be auctioned next month in New York. The book, which was printed almost 400 years ago, is one of fewer than 20 copies left in private hands and is estimated to fetch up to $2.5m (£2m), according to Sotheby’s. Curated by Shakespeare’s trusted colleagues John Heminges and Henry Condell, the folio comprises 36 plays, half of which had never before been printed. No contemporary manuscripts of Shakespeare’s texts survive and so without the First Folio it is possible that 18 works, including Macbeth, The Tempest and Twelfth Night, might have been lost to history.
I'm Not Extinct!
A rare Galápagos species, the “fantastic giant tortoise”, long thought extinct, has been identified for the first time in more than a century in what scientists called a “big deal” for the famed islands’ embattled biodiversity. The animal is the first Chelonoidis phantasticus to be seen since a male specimen was discovered by the explorer Rollo Beck during an expedition in 1906. The newcomer has been named Fernanda, after the Fernandina Island, a largely unexplored active volcano in the western Galápagos Archipelago that she calls home.
Ramping Up
Environmental groups have welcomed Joe Biden’s invoking of national security powers to rapidly expand the production of clean energy technology. Biden has triggered the Defense Production Act, a cold war-era law used to compel businesses to ramp up production of certain materials to aid national security, to boost the output of solar panels, building insulation, transformers for power grids and heat pumps. Jean Su, director of energy justice at the Center for Biological Diversity, said Biden’s latest actions represented a “tremendous sea change” in his approach to tackling the climate crisis.
Grawlix
You know when cartoonists substitute a bunch of punctuation marks for curse words? They’re using grawlix.
Madonna and Child
A Renaissance masterpiece found hanging in a 90-year-old woman’s London bedroom has just sold for $320,000 (£255,000). The oil-on-canvas painting - likely created by a follower of Renaissance artist Filippino Lippi - depicts a pensive Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus as he plays with two angels. Lippi was the son of the renowned painter Fra Filippo Lippi. Born in Italy in 1457, Lippi was an artist in his own right, studying under Sandro Botticelli and working with Botticelli and other Renaissance artists on frescoes at Lorenzo de’ Medici’s villa in Spedaletto.
Range Extender
Cargo bikes are already the quickest way to transport goods across a city, according to a study published last year. Now they have even more of a competitive advantage thanks to two German companies, which have developed lightweight solar panels for electric cargo bikes - extending the range of electric cargo bikes by up to 20 percent. Recent estimates suggest that up to 51 percent of all freight journeys in cities could be replaced by zero-emissions cargo bikes.
Canada World-First
Canada is poised to become the first country in the world to require that a warning be printed on every cigarette. The move builds on Canada’s mandate to include graphic photo warnings on tobacco products’ packaging, a policy that started an international trend when it was introduced two decades ago. “Adding health warnings on individual tobacco products will help ensure that these essential messages reach people including the youth, who often access cigarettes one at a time in social situations, sidestepping the information printed on a package,” says the minister of mental health and addictions, Carolyn Bennett. While the exact messaging printed on cigarettes could change, Bennett said the current proposal is: “Poison in every puff.”
US Gun Reforms
A glimmer of positive news as campaigners in the US welcome a potential deal on gun safety reforms which include tougher checks for buyers under the age of 21 and cracking down on illegal gun purchases. Ex-lawmaker Gabrielle Giffords, injured in a 2011 shooting in Arizona, said they were an “important step forward”. CNN notes that the plans enjoy the support of ten Republican senators, which would give them enough support to overcome the “Senate filibuster”.
Quote of the Day
"The world is round so that friendship may encircle it." Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
On this Day
14 June 1777: The Continental Congress approved the Stars and Stripes as the first national flag of the United States.
Dive in Deeper
Mission Impossible
Brits may remember this great beer advert for Carling Black Label from 1989.