Upbeat News Thursday
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Today's eclectic global selection of upbeat news nuggets.
Pont Neuf Trompe-l’œil
Forty years after Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped Paris’ Pont Neuf in golden fabric, French artist JR has returned to the historic bridge with a monumental intervention of his own. La Caverne du Pont Neuf transforms the 17th-century landmark into a giant cave that visitors can explore free of charge, day and night. Through a massive trompe-l’œil installation, jagged rock formations seem to burst from the structure’s arches. Stretching 120 meters (almost 394 feet) long, 20 meters (almost 66 feet) wide, and up to 18 meters (about 59 feet) high, the artwork covers 2,400 square meters (about 25,833 square feet) of printed inflatable fabric. Visitors can experience it from nearly every vantage point, whether walking across the bridge, cycling along the Seine, cruising on the water, or viewing it from nearby landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower.
Private Parking Space
Most people would be frustrated to discover they couldn't park in a perfectly good parking space. But in one Norwegian city, residents are happily giving up a spot for a very special occupant: a seagull mom named Gunhild - effectively reserving it for the feathered resident while she incubates her eggs. The story began last year when the seagull chose the same parking spot as her nesting site. This spring, she returned and settled into the exact same location, as was given the same friendly treatment.
Warhol Portrait
An Andy Warhol portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II is expected to sell for up to $150,000 at auction later this month. The portrait of the former British monarch was based on the official photograph taken by Peter Grugeon at Windsor Castle in 1975, which was later released for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977. So, not expected to achieve anywhere near the $195 million that a Warhol portrait of Marilyn Monroe went for at Christie's in New York in 2022. It set records for both the most expensive piece of 20th-century art and the highest price for any American artwork sold at auction.
Kindness
A new Gallup poll surveyed U.S. adults and found that most Americans believe kindness is common in everyday life. Six in ten say they often or very often see people treating others with kindness or respect, while nearly two-thirds report personally experiencing multiple acts of kindness in the previous week. Overall, on a scale from “very kind” to “not kind at all,” three-quarters of Americans described their peers as kind.
Rite of Passage
In a world where many teenagers spend their days connected to screens and surrounded by constant supervision, one New Jersey school has spent more than five decades sending students into the wilderness to discover something far more valuable: confidence, resilience, and the power of teamwork. At St. Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey, every freshman is required to complete a challenging five-day trek along the Appalachian Trail before earning the title of sophomore. For many of the students, the experience pushes them far beyond anything they've ever done before. Some have never gone hiking. Others have never camped outdoors. Yet each year, they lace up their boots and set out on a journey that has become one of the school's most cherished traditions.
Good Progress in Benin
In 2017, approximately one fifth of Benin’s population was unrecorded - no birth certificate, no National ID, no anything. This was bad because, in Benin as elsewhere, legal identity is necessary to open a bank account, register a business, take school exams, apply for jobs, or use mobile money. Cue a push by the government to register its citizenry, and less than a decade later, the World Bank says that nearly 99 percent of Benin’s population is in the system, with the government in some cases creating on-the-spot identity documents (two witnesses and a municipal officer!)
"We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out." Ray Bradbury
On This Day
11 June 1987: Margaret Thatcher is the first British Prime Minister in 160 years to win a third consecutive term.
Today's Articles
Mood Boosting Video
Unpretentious: Norway's king announcing the country's World Cup football team.