Upbeat News Thursday
- Editor OGN Daily
- 21 minutes ago
- 4 min read
What better way to start the day than with a collection of good news nuggets?
World Record Klimt
Two years ago, Gustav Klimt’s final portrait - a vibrant portrait of an unidentified woman with a fan - topped the artist’s auction record when it sold for a staggering $108 million. The Austrian painter’s record is expected to be shattered again by a monumental, six-foot-tall portrait of a young heiress that was looted by the Nazis and nearly destroyed during World War II. Rarely seen for decades, it hung in the home of the Estée Lauder heir Leonard A. Lauder until he passed away in June. Next week, Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer is expected to sell for above $150 million as the top lot in a sale of Lauder’s collection, hosted by Sotheby’s. The collection, which includes two other works by Klimt - both landscapes of Lake Attersee, estimated above $70 and $80 million - could fetch more than $400 million combined.
Making History
Recently, Florida coach Todd Golden had people yelling at him at halftime to get 7-foot-9 center Olivier Rioux in the game. Golden relented with 2:09 to play - and made history in the process - after chants of “We Want Ollie” swept through the O’Connell Center. Rioux became the tallest person to ever play college basketball when he made his debut in a 104-64 victory over North Florida. Rioux, a 19-year-old redshirt freshman from Canada and the world’s tallest teenager, drew so much attention from the Ospreys that he didn’t even touch the ball. “It felt great,” Rioux said. “The support from everybody was amazing, even on the bench and even the fans. I think everybody supported me. I’m very grateful.” When asked about making history, Rioux quipped: “It’s another day, I guess.”
New Class of Drugs?
An antibody-like compound - called nanobodies - only found in camelids like alpacas, lamas, and dromedaries, could be used to treat human brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study published in the journal Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. “Camelid nanobodies open a new era of biologic therapies for brain disorders and revolutionize our thinking about therapeutics,” said Dr. Philippe Rondard, CNRS in France. “We believe they can form a new class of drugs between conventional antibodies and small molecules.”
Cocoa Emissions Solution
Growing tall trees to provide shade for cocoa plantations in west Africa could sequester millions of tonnes of carbon, according to a new study. The research, published in Nature Sustainability, finds that the additional carbon stored in shade trees, such as banana and palm trees, could entirely “offset” cocoa-related emissions in Ghana and Ivory Coast, without reducing production. West Africa produces about 60 percent of the world’s cocoa, which is one of the most emissions-intensive crops to grow. The authors map the shade provided by trees across cocoa agricultural systems in west Africa, then project how much additional carbon storage would be created by expanding it. An author of the study says that cocoa plantations have been a “big” driver of deforestation and the emissions it causes, but the findings show that there is “huge potential” for cocoa to be “part of the solution”.
Wicked Witch
Just in time for the theatrical release of Wicked: For Good, fans will get a chance to own memorabilia from the 1939 original film, The Wizard of Oz, and one item is especially witchy. Heritage Auctions is putting the black hat that Margaret Hamilton wore as the Wicked Witch of the West up for sale. The wool hat is quite large, measuring nearly 14-inches high with a 19.5-inch diameter brim. It also has a 22-inch elastic chin strap worn by Hamilton during flying scenes to keep it secure. The hat surely won't be as much as $28 million - the price achieved by Heritage for Judy Garland's pair of ruby slippers.
Dying Wish
Did you know that today is World Kindness Day? To celebrate it, OGN came across this story about Doug Rich and the kindness of over 300 strangers that are helping make his dying wish come true. After a lifetime of serving others, terminally ill volunteer Doug Ruch dreamed of one final journey - to Australia. Thanks to the generosity of strangers on GoFundMe, more than $16,000 has been raised to make his dream a reality, giving Doug the chance to live out his final adventure and experience the trip of a lifetime.
Hopeful Start
COP30 in Brazil is off to a hopeful start, with $5.5 billion in initial pledges for a global forest fund that’s designed to generate predictable, long-term payouts to reward countries and frontline communities for the verified conservation of standing forests and forest restoration. Another reason to be hopeful about this year's jamboree is that Brazil appointed a veteran climate diplomat with no direct ties to the fossil fuel industry to be their COP president (unlike recent COP presidents). Corrêa do Lago has been Secretary for Climate, Energy and Environment at Brazil’s foreign ministry and Brazil’s chief climate negotiator since 2023 when President Lula da Silva returned to power.
When a man opens a car door for his wife, it’s either a new car or a new wife. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
On This Day
13 November 1789: In a letter to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, Benjamin Franklin writes "in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes"
Today's Articles
Choline: 90 percent of us are not getting enough of this essential nutrient that's linked to anxiety. But there's an easy solution...
Rare Earth Minerals: Are all the critical minerals we need to power our tech sitting right under our noses?
Literary Feat: In a delightful show of community spirit, locals used a novel approach to moving thousands of books.
Mood Boosting Video
What a Wonderful World: Enjoy David Attenborough and Louis Armstrong in this delightfully uplifting video.