Wrapping up the week with today's eclectic bundle of positive news nuggets.
Apogee Full Moon
The second full moon of 2024 - the “Snow Moon” - will grace the early evening skies this weekend as it rises in the east just as the sun sets in the west. The farthest from Earth in 2024 - technically called an apogee full moon - the “Snow Moon” will be the year’s smallest full moon.
Word of The Day
Drunkonyms: Uniquely British synonyms for intoxication. Researchers from Chemnitz University of Technology in Germany found that the English language has 546 words meaning drunk, many of which are nouns with an "ed" added to the end, such as "trolleyed" or "bladdered". The regular Briton will be familiar with the classics, such as "wasted" or "hammered". These ol' faithfuls have marked their territory at the top of the nation's favourite drunkonyms list. But what about "fried", "toastered", or "sozzled"? Well, they're valid too, according to this study.
Dune: Part Two
The second part of epic sci-fi film Dune has largely received rave reviews from critics. Starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, expectations for the second part of the story were high after the success of Dune: Part One in 2021 - which garnered 10 Oscar nominations and earned more than $400m (£315m) globally at the box office. David Fear from Rolling Stone said the almost three-hour-long second film is "what a true sci-fi epic looks like" and is "bigger, bolder and better than part one". Another review awarded the new film five stars and said it was "like no other blockbuster in existence". If you'd like to see the movies last official trailer, click here.
Texas Hold ‘Em
Beyoncé has become the first Black woman to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, after her track Texas Hold ‘Em debuted at No 1. In a genre whose relationship to Black artists has often proved controversial, the track marked one of several historical achievements when weekly chart rankings refreshed this week. Texas Hold ‘Em - released simultaneously with the single 16 Carriages in a surprise album announcement during the Super Bowl - is Beyoncé’s first time topping the country charts.
Employee Ownership
Bob Moore, 94, who founded Bob's Red Mill nearly half a century ago, died over the weekend at his home in Milwaukie, Oregon - leaving his company to his 700 employees. The global brand, known for its whole grain oats, baking flours and on-the-go snacks, is currently offering more than 200 products in over 70 countries and enjoyed around $250m in revenues last year. He believed that sharing profits and ownership would "make things more fair and more benevolent."
Rewilding Success
Once considered extinct, giant anteaters have been sighted in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul for the first time in over 100 years. Ecologists concluded that the anteaters had migrated across the border following the release of 110 individuals nearly 100 miles away in northeastern Argentina as part of a rewilding project in Iberá National Park, highlighting the far-reaching impacts of such projects. Their return is especially significant given that giant anteaters fill an important ecological niche by controlling insect numbers, creating watering holes by digging, and serving as prey for big cats.
Pothole Fishing
A teenager has taken to “fishing” in potholes across his town in protest over the state of local roads in Wiltshire, southern England. Ben Thornbury, 19, ordered a rod and a chair to fish around Malmesbury after he was inspired by a post on Facebook. The college student hopes his actions will lead to repairs carried out by Wiltshire council and has also called on James Gray, his local MP, to help out by fishing in a mask bearing his face.
“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.” Seneca
On This Day
23 February 1963: Luciano Pavarotti makes his debut at the Vienna State Opera in La Traviata.
In good news for species conservation, new populations of ‘Skywalker’ gibbons, known to science for only 6 years, have been found in Myanmar. Dawn singers...
Mood Booster
Last weekend at the Grammys, Miley Cyrus sang 'Flowers', the most streamed track on Spotify for 2023, with 1.6 billion streams.