Good News Wednesday
- Editor OGN Daily
- Aug 30, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 12, 2023
Global round-up of positive news nuggets to brighten the day.
First Chicks in 200 Years
A pair of ospreys has successfully bred in Ireland for the first time in 200 years, says local conservation organization Ulster Wildlife. The birds produced at least two - possibly three -chicks at a confidential location in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The birds were driven to local extinction in the 18th century, but the new chicks provide hope for a comeback amid reintroduction efforts. The family was discovered by Giles Knight, an environmental farming scheme advisor with Ulster Wildlife, who was overcome with excitement. “It was a rub-your-eyes, once-in-a-lifetime moment; an absolute highlight of my 30-year wildlife career - like finding long-lost treasure,” he said.
US Clean Air
NASA's groundbreaking mission called TEMPO has started to bear its first fruits. The mission which stands for Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution, to monitor major air pollutants from space over North America was launched earlier this year and has started producing its first data maps. These data maps show the levels of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, and aerosols in the atmosphere, which affect human health and climate. The mission aims to support the Biden-Harris administration’s climate agenda and their vision of clean air as a fundamental right for all citizens.
Original Sketch
For decades, an original Winnie-the-Pooh sketch had been hiding in a cellar, wrapped in an old tea towel and forgotten in the back of a drawer. Now, the rediscovered sketch could sell for thousands. According to Dominic Winter Auctioneers, the auction house in charge of the sale, the black and white sketch may be the last copy that illustrator E.H. Shepard made of this particular image, one of the final drawings from the first Winnie-the-Pooh book. Shepard drew the illustration on a small 3.5- by 6.5-inch card when he was 79 years old. The card is dated 1958 - over three decades after the book’s publication in 1926.
Apple's U-Turn
In a historic about-face, and after years fighting independent repair, Apple appears to be throwing in the towel. The most valuable company in the world delivered a letter to California Senator Susan Eggman expressing its support for SB 244, a “right-to-repair” bill that would make it easier for the public to access the spare parts, tools, and repair documentation needed to fix devices. The iPhone maker now says repair access "is good for consumers’ budgets and good for the environment."
UK Coal Closure
UK's largest opencast coal mine confirms closure. Campaigners had been pushing for the site in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, to close since its planning permission expired in September last year after 15 years. Now, it's done. That's good news as coal is the most polluting of all the fossil fuels and is being phased out across all sectors in the UK in favour of cleaner options like gas or entirely clean power.
"Love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within." James Baldwin
On this Day
30 August 1983: U.S. astronaut Guion S. Bluford, Jr., became the first African American to travel into space, serving as a mission specialist aboard the shuttle orbiter Challenger, and later flew on three other missions.
Europe's Digital Services Act has come into effect. That's good news for users, and leaves the US in its wake. Transformational...
Mood Booster
Pool Party: Up to 30 hummingbirds enjoy a refreshing dip together.
