Global collection of uplifting news nuggets to brighten the day.
Ukranian Identity
Around 1899, Edgar Degas was working on a series of paintings depicting folk dancers from the Russian Empire. While the French Impressionist is best known for painting the graceful, disciplined ballerinas of Paris, this foray into folk dancing allowed him to explore dynamic movement and vibrant color. Until last week, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City called its piece from this series Russian Dancers. Now, facing pressure from the art world, the Met has officially renamed the piece Dancers in Ukrainian Dress. The museum is following the example of London’s National Gallery, which changed the name of another painting in the series from Russian Dancers to Ukrainian Dancers last year. The Met has also re-identified several painters as Ukrainian rather than Russian.
Progress in Brazil
Illegal gold mining is one of the drivers of deforestation in the Amazon, but the new Brazilian government has made stopping it a priority, reports Reuters. It has already evicted thousands of illegal gold miners from the Yanomami territory, an indigenous reservation the size of Portugal, and restoring the sanctity of indigenous land.
First Time Father
Mr. Pickles, a 90-year-old radiated tortoise and the oldest animal at the Houston Zoo, became a father for the first time last week. Mr. Pickles and his 53-year-old partner, Mrs. Pickles, welcomed three hatchlings: Dill, Gherkin, and Jalapeño. Radiated tortoises, which can live for up to 150 years, are critically endangered and rarely produce offspring, Houston Zoo officials said. So, this is a really big dill.
Look Up: 5 Planets Are Aligning. As a parting gift, March is giving sky gazing enthusiasts a gorgeous planetary alignment before April swoops in. The best night to enjoy the celestial event is tonight! More...
Win Win
Two Delhi-based engineers have designed a replacement for polystyrene packaging out of “rice stubble” - the dead stalks left over after the rice season in India, millions of tons of which are burned every year. In his factory, they turn 250 metric tons of rice stubble harvested from 100 acres of farmland in Punjab and Haryana into packaging, while paying the farmers a rate of $30 per acre for something they would usually burn. Since launching, their innovation has already prevented over half a million pounds of polystyrene from entering landfills.
Cheap Travel
In a boost for green travel, the German government has approved a €49 ($52)-a-month public transport ticket offering unlimited journeys on regional trains, buses, trams and metro services. German transport minister, Volker Wissing, said the scheme could be a “role model for the whole of Europe”. High rail fares in other countries, notably the UK, are blamed for deterring train travel and increasing car use.
“Love is flower like; Friendship is like a sheltering tree.” Samuel Taylor Coleridge
On this Day
28 March 1930: Built as Byzantium about 657 BCE, then renamed Constantinople in the 4th century after Constantine the Great made the city his capital, the Turkish city of Istanbul officially received its present name on this day in 1930.
Doctor and longevity expert swears by these five foods to age well, live longer, and reduce the risk of chronic disease. Top 5...
A group of lawyers in England say they will refuse to participate in the prosecution of peaceful climate protesters. Read on...
11 Year Old Artist Who Makes Millions: Many artists struggle to make ends meet. This is not the case for Andres Valencia. Little Picasso...
Mood Booster
Panda mother teaches cub how to eat bamboo.
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