Sunny Saturday News
- Editor OGN Daily
- 40 minutes ago
- 3 min read
What better way to start the weekend than with some upbeat news?
Gorgeous Vistas
To protest the Trump administration’s funding and staffing cuts at national parks, pro-labor news outlet and advocacy nonprofit More Perfect Union launched a multimillion-dollar campaign, erecting 300 billboards in more than 40 cities across the country. The billboards show the famously gorgeous vistas of various national park sites, designed to resemble a classic postcard. But instead of a “wish you were here” message, the billboards say things like: “Rocky Mountain National Park: Now with reduced staff,” and “Death Valley National Park: Heat deaths rise, safety staff cut.” Spanning locations from Arizona to North Carolina, the campaign aims to demonstrate the impacts of these funding cuts and remind people of their power to protect national parks.
First US Felines
Cats are beloved members of many families, with 73.8 million of them prowling and purring their way around 42 million American households. But it wasn’t always this way: Domestic cats are relative newcomers to the Americas, having only arrived roughly 500 years ago with European explorers. Now, a new study is offering even more insight into the history of these four-legged felines. Researchers have discovered the remains of two house cats in a 466-year-old Spanish shipwreck near Florida, which are likely the earliest known cats in the United States. They describe their findings in a new paper published in the journal American Antiquity.
67 Million to One
A 77-year-old golfer has achieved an extraordinary feat by hitting two holes in one during the same round. Kevin Popplewell beat odds of 67 million to one during a competition at Rotherham Golf Club in north east England last weekend. He was stunned to land a 172-yard shot early in the round before repeating his achievement on the 14th hole. Mr Popplewell, the club's former captain, described it as a "once-in-a-lifetime" success and said: "It felt unbelievable." He added: "It took me quite a little while to settle down and stop shaking."
You Couldn't Make It Up
Clayton County jail in Georgia, US, went into a 12-hour lockdown when convicted murderer Julian Brooks Deloach went "missing" after attending a court hearing – before police "realised he had accidentally been left in the holding cell at the courthouse", said The Independent. After a frantic overnight search, Deloach was discovered the next morning in the courthouse cell.
Poverty Plummets
A new report from The World Bank confirms India’s stunning success in poverty reduction: Extreme poverty (living on less than $2.15 per day) fell from 16.2 percent in 2011-12 to 2.3 percent in 2022-23. In more tangible terms, that’s 171 million people lifted from the worst forms of deprivation.
Let There Be Light
The Tanzanian government has set an ambitious goal of universal electricity access by 2030, and its progress, from a mere 14 percent national coverage in 2011 to 46 percent in 2022, is one of the fastest expansion rates in Sub-Saharan Africa. A key driver has been its rural electrification program, which has connected nearly eight million people, over 1,600 healthcare facilities, about 6,500 educational institutions, and more than 16,000 businesses to the grid.
"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all the people some of the time, which is just long enough to be president of the United States." Spike Milligan
On This Day
10 May 1994: Nelson Mandela, whose efforts to end apartheid led to his imprisonment (1962–90) and earned him a share (with F.W. de Klerk) of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, became president of South Africa this day in 1994.