OGN Wednesday
Mid-week collection of uplifting news nuggets from around the world.
Feel The Music
Rachel learned to play cello between the ages of 6 and 18. This long exposure self portrait brilliantly recreates the feeling of getting lost in the sound and vibrations of the music that you physically feel as a musician. No wonder it was the winner of the Self Portrait category of this year's British Photography Awards.
Successful Vaccine
Vaccinating mothers for RSV is keeping babies out of hospital, reports Gavi. Pooled data from the US, UK, Argentina and France show babies whose mothers got the jab in pregnancy are 74 percent less likely to be hospitalised with related lower respiratory tract infections. The mother’s antibodies cross the placenta, so the baby is protected from birth. England saw 63 percent fewer bronchiolitis admissions in babies under three months than expected (and that’s with only 55 percent of mothers vaccinated).
Life to Relaunch
Life Magazine, which was founded in 1936 and became an icon of visual storytelling, will begin publishing again after nearly 20 years. Its first new print issue “offers a window into an America searching for meaning.” That 250-page edition will hit newsstands on 23 November, says The New York Times, and issue will focus on “finding the ordinary in the extraordinary, and the extraordinary in the ordinary,” according to the magazine's editors. The reincarnated brand will expand into other avenues as well, amplifying its quarterly print pieces through digital storytelling, documentaries, and events. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, Life was a wide-ranging weekly general interest magazine known for the quality of its photography.
Titanic Insurance
The only known copy of an insurance ledger covering the hull of the RMS Titanic during its sea trials is to be sold at auction later this month in England on 21 November, with an estimated sale price of £30,000 to £50,000 ($40,000 to $67,000). The policy provides $100,000 worth of insurance coverage to the steel hull under the Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company, one of the ship's major insurers. The binder was signed on 27 March 1912 - just 19 days before the ship sank during its maiden voyage to New York. The policy limits were paid within 30 days of the sinking.
First to 500 km/h
BYD’s Yangwang U9 Xtreme just reached 503.17 km/h (312.66 mph) on a closed highway in Abu Dhabi, making it the first production car ever to go faster than 500 km/h. The FIA and Guinness World Records both recognized the run. It’s the all-electric hypercar’s second top-speed record in just over a year, and the one it broke was its own.
“Made in Ethiopia”
Ethiopia’s programme has catalysed lots of domestic production, reviving 1,115 factories, creating 1.58 million jobs and replacing $5.96 billion of imports with local production, all since 2021. Now it’s expanding its ambitions: while the first phase was largely about getting more out of Ethiopia’s existing industrial base by reopening defunct factories and raising utilisation at plants working below capacity, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Industry says it’s time to expand manufactured exports. The ambition is to compete on price and quality with factories in China, India and Turkey. Meanwhile, did you know that Ethiopia made history by becoming the first country to ban the sale and import of new internal combustion-powered vehicles?
“Only if we understand can we care. Only if we care will we help. Only if we help shall they be saved.” Jane Goodall
On This Day
11 November 1871: Henry Morton Stanley encounters David Livingstone at Ujiji near Lake Tanganyika in Central Africa with the immortal words, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" To which Livingstone replied, "Yes, and I feel thankful that I am here to welcome you". Stanley was a Welsh journalist and explorer commissioned by the New York Herald to locate Livingstone, who had been out of regular contact with the outside world for years while exploring Central Africa. Stanley stayed with Livingstone to explore the region around Lake Tanganyika before returning to write his memoir, How I Found Livingstone. The illustration above is from Stanley's book.
Today's Articles
Timely Shot of Optimism: Democrats’ thumping win in the US midterms has delivered renewed hope at COP31.
"Something Amazing": People around the world help to buy huge noble estate in northern England for conservation.
Mood Boosting Video
Giant Mola Mola: Ocean sunfish rise to the surface for a meal and a spot of pampering.
