Some tasty bite-sized chunks of news to brighten the day.
You Couldn't Make It Up
A Florida school district voted to ban a book about banning books - and the irony isn’t lost on those criticizing the move. The Tallahassee Democrat reported that the Indian River County School Board voted to remove Ban This Book by Alan Gratz. The author said school board members banned the book precisely because of its topic. “It feels like they know exactly what they’re doing and they’re somewhat ashamed of what they’re doing and they don’t want a book on the shelves that calls them out.” Gratz said his book doesn’t teach “rebellion against the school board,” but civic engagement.
Bear Cam Season
It’s officially bear cam season! For those unfamiliar, that means the wildlife cameras at Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve are turned on 24/7 to capture scores of bears searching for salmon in Brooks Falls. July is one of the most active months, so why not take a look?
Grandparents' Paid Leave
Grandparents in a Portuguese town will be entitled to paid leave in an effort to boost the country’s low birth rates. The local council of the seaside town of Cascais, outside Lisbon, said it would grant a month of paid leave for all its employees on the birth of their first grandchild and just over two weeks’ leave on the birth of subsequent grandchildren. The thinking is that it will give older people a better quality of life as the population ages and encourage parents to have more children, knowing they have support at hand. “By valuing grandfathers and grandmothers we are seeking to preserve and promote family cohesion and solidarity,” Carlos Carreiras, the mayor of Cascais, told the Portuguese newspaper Expresso.
First Time Ever
Frank Bensel Jr., a 56-year-old golfer, made back-to-back holes-in-one at the US Senior Open. In case you're wondering, the odds of that happening are 67 million to one, according to the National Hole-in-One Registry, and a hole-in-one is made just once every 3,500 rounds across more than 500 million rounds played in the US each year. No golfer has ever made back-to-back aces in any Tour-sanctioned event on record either, according to the PGA Tour Champions, a professional tour for golfers aged 50 and over.
Back Where it Belongs
The silver pocket watch was a prized possession of Theodore Roosevelt, a keepsake given to him by his sister and her husband in 1898 before he became president that would travel with him around the world and end up at Sagamore Hill - his home on Long Island, New York, and now a national historic site. But in 1987, it went from museum piece to pilfered prize when someone stole it from an unlocked case at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in Buffalo, New York, where it was on loan. It was mystery that endured 36 years until it turned up at a Florida auction house and was seized by federal agents. It has now been returned to public display at Sagamore Hill as the National Park Service and the FBI triumphantly announced it was back home during a ceremony featuring Roosevelt’s great-grandson, Tweed Roosevelt.
Record Breaker
Inside Out 2 crosses $1 billion at global box office, becoming the fastest animation film to break the billion dollar threshold - in just 19 days after its release. Pixar is back on form.
Silky Silence
In a recent study, MIT researchers created a “hair-thin” fabric that generates sound waves to interfere with unwanted noise - much like noise-canceling headphones. The material was also able to block noise transmission, not just interfere with it. When the silk was held still, researchers found that it could suppress vibrations and reflect sound, similar to a mirror reflecting light, thus preventing noise from going through the fabric. According to the researchers, the fabric has the potential to create quiet in large rooms and cars, rather than just in ears like headphones and earplugs do. Lead author Grace Yang said in a statement: “This is just the beginning.”
Germany on Track
By far the biggest European energy user, Germany wants to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 65 percent by 2030. It’s an ambitious target, and one that’s difficult to hit given lower-than-expected funding, but a new federal analysis suggests the target is now within reach (for the most part) under current climate policies, says Clean Energy Wire.
"When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us." Helen Keller
On This Day
2 July 1979: The United States first issued the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin, making Anthony the first woman to be depicted on U.S. currency. Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) was a social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement.
Today's Articles
1920s Hacienda: Marilyn Monroe's Los Angeles home saved from demolition after being designated as a historic cultural monument.
Fringe Jokes: With the Edinburgh Fringe kicking off next month, here's some great one-liner jokes from past events to perk up the day.
Bookfind of The Century: In 2007, a retired doctor paid $14k for a copy of Andreas Vesalius' De humani corporis fabrica, one of the most influential books in history. And sold it for...
Healthy Longevity: In places where people live the longest without chronic disease, they tend to drink these five beverages on a daily basis.
Mood Boosting Video
World's Best Mimic? Sir David Attenborough takes us through the amazing lyre bird's remarkable repertoire.
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