Positive News Saturday
- Editor OGN Daily
- Jul 15, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 24, 2023
What better way to start the weekend than with a global round up of positive news nuggets?
Great Kentucky Hoard
A man in Kentucky recently found a buried cache of gold coins from the Civil War period, likely to be worth millions of dollars. Consisting of nearly seven hundred $1, $10, and $20 gold dollars issued by the US Mint between 1840 and 1863, the discovery is being called the 'Great Kentucky Hoard.' According to the Numismatic Guaranty Co. which certified the hoard’s authenticity, the rarest items are the 1863-P $20 1-ounce gold liberty coins, which can go for six figures at auction. 18 were included in the hoard. These were minted by the US Treasury after gold was discovered in California, and do not include the phrase “In God We Trust” which was added after the end of the Civil War.
End of Mosquito Bites?
Israeli scientists have developed an advanced "chemical camouflage" that stops 99 percent of mosquito landings on the treated skin. The new repellent combines indole, a fragrant substance found in flowers, with a cellulose polymer. Unlike typical topical repellents that work by stopping mosquitoes from biting an individual, this novel formula acts pre-emptively, preventing the mosquito from approaching an individual in the first place. "The combination of this polymer and our repellent is the perfect personal protection system you could imagine, with long-range effect and long duration," stated Dr. Bohbot, the lead researcher. The team anticipates bringing this advanced mosquito repellent to the market next year. Fingers crossed!
Ecological Civilisation
France is seeking to turn itself into an 'ecological civilisation.' Over the next four years the Ministry of Ecological Transition will train 5.6 million public sector workers about the climate crisis, including how to use that knowledge to change the way they work.
Otter Steals Surfboard
A sea otter keeps pinching surfers’ boards in California, reports The Telegraph. The five-year-old otter, known as Otter 841, has been “jumping atop surfboards, nudging their owners out of the way and basking in the sunshine as it waits for the swell in Santa Barbara”, said the paper. However, while “most people have found the encounters charming”, officials are now attempting to return her to captivity, to prevent her biting someone.
Sea Otters Are Climate Super-Heroes: Few other animals eat as much relative to their weight or play such a pivotal role in maintaining their environment. More...
Seabird Conservation
The Nature Conservancy says that 70 years of data show that seabird conservation efforts around the world have been remarkably effective. Documenting 851 separate conservation events, targeting 138 seabird species, and spanning 551 locations, researchers found 80 percent of events resulted in the return of targeted species, and 76 percent achieved breeding within an average of two years of implementation.
Income Progress
The World Bank divides the world's economies into four income groups: high, upper-middle, lower-middle, and low. Twenty years ago, 120 countries were classified as either low or lower-middle income. Things have changed a lot since then. The latest classifications show that only 80 countries now fall into those categories.
Strange But True
A restaurant in China may be facing a hefty fine after promoting a dumpling-eating challenge that authorities say encourages food waste. The restaurant, in Sichuan province, offered a free meal and the title of 'King of the Big Stomach' to the diner who could eat 108 spicy dumplings in the quickest time possible. But authorities say the challenge violates laws introduced in 2021 to tackle what President Xi Jinping called a “shocking and distressing” level of food waste. Beijing “also banned the live-streaming of binge eating and competitive eating”, said the BBC, and some local authorities have introduced their own policies “to support the crusade against wasted food”. Some restaurants anxious to avoid fines even weigh customers “to determine how much food they should be given”, the site reported.
“Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.” Will Rogers
On this Day
15 July 1799: The Rosetta Stone is found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta by French Captain Pierre-François Bouchard during Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign.
A different kind of high school - one that’s essentially a trade school to create a pipeline to landing a skilled blue-collar job. Practical...
YouTube channel hosted by this particular grandpa only had 200 subscribers. Then, suddenly, everything changed. Skyrocketing...
Catherine Deneuve, 77, fronts new Saint Laurent campaign, proving that models don't always have to get younger and younger. Belle de jour...
Mood Booster
A creatively entertaining John West salmon commercial from 2012.
