Monday's Uplifting News
- Editor OGN Daily
- May 1, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: May 12, 2023
Kick starting the week with an eclectic bundle of upbeat news nuggets.
Saving Many Lives
Ghana and Nigeria (which has the highest number of malaria deaths in the world) have approved Oxford's highly effective R21 malaria vaccine for children under the age of three. The world's biggest vaccine maker says it will make 20 million doses available in the next two months, reports Reuters. Professor Adrian Hill, Director, Jenner Institute, University of Oxford says: "We expect R21 to make a major impact on malaria mortality in children in the coming years, and in the longer term contribute to the overall final goal of malaria eradication and elimination."
Risqué Names
Little Pricks Acupuncture had to change its trading name after being rejected by Companies House officials - the UK registry for company names. More than 350 “risqué names” were vetoed by the agency last year, including Quick Screw, Stiff Nipples Air Conditioning and a courier company hoping to register the name About Effing Time, The Sun reported. A Companies House spokesperson said: “We have a statutory responsibility to ensure the names we register do not have the potential to offend.” Phew!
Material Difference
Behind the thick wooden walls of a small school in northern Denmark are two wholly uncommon materials: One is often burned to run the country’s district heating systems. The other usually rots away on the beach. But at the Feldballe School in Rønde, Denmark, Henning Larsen Architects, used these two materials - straw and a seaweed called eelgrass - to form the insulation and ventilation systems of a revolutionary kind of building. Designed specifically to reduce the amount of carbon emissions that result from the building’s construction and operable lifespan, the school is showing how biomaterials can help the construction industry hit environmental targets without sacrificing aesthetics. Building material choices are becoming increasingly important when it comes to reducing the carbon impacts of construction.
Solo Celebrations
A newly single father-of-five, from Kent in south east England, has celebrated the end of his 23-year marriage by driving around with the words “Just divorced” daubed onto his car. Angus Kennedy, 58, says that though his separation with his ex-wife Sophie was “amicable”, he wanted to mark the moment the painful process was over, so he decorated his 2004 Subaru with flowers and ribbons, and covered it in upbeat messages such as: “Honk if you’re single!” Divorce, he added, doesn’t “have to be doom and gloom. It can be a celebration of a new start.”
New mRNA Vaccines
Two mRNA vaccines are in development that could prevent Lyme disease, the pharmaceutical company Moderna has announced. The vaccine would become the first application of mRNA technology to bacterial pathogens. The disease comes from tick bites and can cause fever, chills, joint pain, and rashes; if left untreated, it can lead to facial palsy and heart palpitations. There are about 120,000 cases of Lyme reported each year in the U.S. and Europe.
Galápagos Discovery
Scientists have discovered a pristine coral reef in a previously unexplored part of the Galápagos Marine Reserve. The reef, which is about 1.2 miles long and lies 600 metres beneath the surface, was found by marine biologists using a submersible craft. They described it as “teeming” with life, including pink octopuses, crabs, sharks and rays. The discovery has raised hopes that some reefs will be able to withstand the impact of warmer and more acidic seas.
“My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far I’ve finished two bags of M&Ms and a chocolate cake. I feel better already.” Dave Barry
On this Day
1 May 1941: Orson Welles's Citizen Kane, considered by many critics to be the greatest film ever made, premiered in New York City.
A statue of a mermaid with large breasts and a generous bottom has caused a bit of a stir in Italy. Rubenesque...
At the White House last week, kids dressed as Secret Service agents help protect the podium on the 30th anniversary of Take Our Kids to Work Day. Creating awareness...
Mood Booster
Take a look at the new trailer for Mission Impossible 7 - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
