Celebrating the start of the weekend with a global round up of positive news stories.

Gratitude
Singer, songwriter, and actress Dolly Parton on gratitude (paraphrased from her book: Dream More): "I make a point to appreciate all the little things in my life, because I learned early that if you don't, you get disappointed a lot. If you do, you might be pleasantly surprised quite often. I go out and smell the air after a good, hard rain. I re-read passages from my favorite books. I hold the little treasures that somebody special gave me. By keeping my eyes open for unexpected joys, I find the world gives back more than we sometimes think."
Work/Life Balance
For the first time, work-life balance has surpassed pay as the leading motivator for employees globally, according to an international workplace study now in its 22nd year. The Dutch recruitment company Randstad’s latest annual review of work confirms a trend that many have observed since the pandemic. Surveying 26,000 workers across 35 countries, it found that work-life balance has edged ahead of pay as the main motivator for workers (83% v 82%).

COP30
Brazil appointed a veteran climate diplomat with no direct ties to the fossil fuel industry to be the next COP president. COP30, the UN’s annual climate change conference, will be hosted in the Amazon, and for the first time in 3 years, its president (who plays a crucial role in shaping the agenda and brokering deals) will not hail from the fossil fuel sector. Corrêa do Lago has been Secretary for Climate, Energy and Environment at Brazil’s foreign ministry and Brazil’s chief climate negotiator since 2023 when President Lula da Silva returned to power.

Lost And Found
After Hurricane Helene devastated communities throughout North Carolina, one woman was digging through the debris at her friend’s destroyed home and found a handful of photographs. Heartbroken that these memories were now lost to their owners, Taylor Schenker decided to create a virtual lost-and-found on Instagram to reconnect the photos she’d collected with their owners. She collected around one hundred photos herself and got another one hundred from others, including search and rescue teams. With new photos added daily, the page is filled with school portraits, holiday cards, family vacations, and more - and comments from people claiming their photos.
Couloir Vert
The Democratic Republic of Congo has pledged to create the world’s largest protected tropical reserve, encompassing an area roughly the size of France. Announced via ministerial decree and defined as a ‘community-managed protected area’, the Couloir Vert (or ‘Green Corridor’) will supposedly conserve vast tracts of the Congo Basin, including forest and peatland. It’s the largest tropical carbon sink in the world and home to a huge diversity of species, including eastern lowland gorillas. Some 31 million people are estimated to live in the proposed reserve, which is supported by the European Union and World Economic Forum.

Pandamonium
It’s go time. Yesterday, Bao Li and Qing Bao made their official public debut at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C. And luckily, you don’t have to be in the capital city to get in on the pandamonium. Streaming live from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, the Giana Panda Cam will give animal lovers a front row seat to the action. At the zoo itself, visitors can revel in a two-week-long celebration of the debut dubbed the “District of Panda Party.” In case you missed it, the bear pair arrived at the zoo in October after traveling 8,000 miles from China. Since then, they’ve spent time acclimating to their newly renovated home, which is filled with shallow pools, climbing structures, and plenty of bamboo.
“If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else.” Marvin Gaye
On This Day

25 January 1961: The animated film One Hundred and One Dalmatians was released in the United States, and it became a Disney classic, especially noted for the villainous character Cruella De Vil.
Today's Articles
The Plank: Kick off your running shoes and put away your bike; the best way to tackle high blood pressure involves barely moving at all.
Mood Boosting Video
Devoted Father: Jacana dad keeps his chicks safe from a crocodile.