Worldwide collection of uplifting news nuggets to help make sure it's a sunny day.
Feat of Endurance
A woman has set a new time record for scaling all the mountains in Scotland higher than 3,000 feet (914m). Ultra-runner Jamie Aarons, aged 43, finished the challenge in 31 days 10 hours and 27 minutes, breaking the previous record by more than 12 hours. There are 282 mountains that meet the benchmark and they are known collectively as the Munros. The challenge saw Aarons ascend 459,000 ft, the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest 16 times. She also ran, cycled and kayaked between each of the Munros, covering a total of around 932 miles (1,500km) on foot and about the same distance by bike.
Bear Necessities
Back in 1996, the addition of three bears from Slovenia launched a conservation plan to reintroduce the near-extinct brown bears in the Pyrenees. The brown bear population was already sparse, and unfortunately, the last native bear from the area was killed in 2004. After this sad event, four female bears were brought in, also from Slovenia, to continue boosting the populations of this keystone species. Conservationists are happy to report that the brown bear reintroduction plan is showing signs of success! The latest count identified 70 bears - a significant increase from the 52 bears counted in 2018 and the highest population recorded for a century.
Top Brew
With 8.6 percent of the American beer market, Modelo Especial has overtaken Bud Light to become the top-selling brew in the country. It’s just another example of how popular Mexican beer has become over the past decade, with many of its best-sellers now representing 80 percent of all beer imports in the US.
Cooing Dolphins
Dolphin mothers use ‘baby talk’ with their babies, a study has found. Researchers recorded the signature whistles of 19 mother dolphins in Florida when accompanied by their young offspring and when swimming alone or with other adults. They found that the mothers adjust their tone when addressing their calves, using “a kind of high-pitched baby talk”, said The Guardian. An expert said “this is unprecedented, absolutely fantastic data”.
Georgian Delicacies
English Heritage properties have announced they are bringing back an 18th-century ice cream flavour: brown bread. Visitors can step back in time this summer with a taste that is said to have notes of nougat and biscotti.
Taste of The Future
We will be able to ‘virtually taste’ takeaways through our phones by 2040, according to a study. The report, called Snack to the Future, also predicted that breathing on a smartphone will be able to help to determine what is healthy to eat. Another potential future technological advancement is that humans will be able to hold virtual reality dinner parties, allowing us to create dream scenarios, “perhaps involving celebrities”, said Sky News.
Intergenerational
The goal of the Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) Eisner Intergenerational Orchestra is simple: to bridge cultural and generational gaps in this sprawling city. Launched in 2021, the orchestra has over 70 members, from teenagers to senior citizens, meaning high school cellists perform next to retired bass players. Maestro Daniel Suk told the Los Angeles Times there is "an absolute crisis," with seniors who are "just so lonely and a younger generation that has no connection to them." The orchestra has changed this; older musicians mentor the younger performers, while the teens help their new friends figure out how to download the app Suk uses to communicate with members. Violinist Gerston Galdamez, 27, has a doctorate in gerontology, and wants to see society change how it views aging and the elderly. "The arts are really the way to do it," he told the Times, and the orchestra is "a canvas for connections."
"Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place." Zora Neale Hurston
On this Day
29 June 2007: Apple's first mobile “smartphone,” the iPhone, went on sale.
The classifieds are a treasure trove for both intended and unintended humour. Here's a handful we spotted recently. Hilarious...
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Mood Booster
Tourist board's funny commercial to try to convince you to go to Iceland.