What better way to start the week than with some upbeat news stories?
Strange But True
An episode of a virtual fireplace was Netflix’s most-watched Christmas show in the UK. The hour-long Crackling Birchwood Fireplace features footage of burning wood on an open fire, on loop. The programme notes read: “Snapping, crackling birch logs set the mood for a relaxing good time as a beautiful fire comes to life with glowing embers and dancing flames.” A variation of the fireplace, Crackling Fireplace, was the third most-watched TV show on Boxing Day. Netflix has been streaming virtual fireplaces since 2013 when the original Fire Place for Your Home was first shown.
Healing Process
Hospitals are “the ugliest places in the world”, says Swiss architect Jacques Herzog. Luckily, he has a solution for the often grim buildings, with innovative designs that “make the experience as pleasant as possible for everyone”. At Zurich’s new children’s hospital, the entrance resembles a spa, complete with marble sculptures, and bedrooms lead to wide corridors filled with natural light. While 17 parents shared a shower in the old hospital, now every room has its own en suite bathroom, and children have been kept in mind at every step, with cubbyholes filled with cushions and walls ready for doodling. “It is an unbelievably neglected area,” adds Herzog. “But I am totally convinced that architecture can contribute to the healing process.”
Italian Tennis
The sport had been relegated to the sidelines of the country’s national sports, overshadowed by football and Formula One - but is now enjoying a renaissance in Italy, led by the world men’s No 1, Jannik Sinner, who is followed by a cohort of young, talented players now climbing towards the top of the game. The rise of the sport has also left national television at a crossroads, broadcasters at times grappling with whether to show live matches of the country’s football team or ATP tournaments. Last month, Italy won the Davis Cup for the second year in a row, while the women’s team secured the Billie Jean King Cup. The percentage of Italians following tennis has nearly doubled since 2016. According to a survey by the leading sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport, children’s tennis club enrolments have risen by 30 percent in 2024 alone. In 2001, the total number of tennis players registered in clubs was just 129,000; today, registrations have surpassed a million.
Holiday Visitor
Savannah Burgoyne was at home with her young children in Arlington, Virginia, getting ready for Christmas when, much to her surprise, she spotted an 'ornament' that she most definitely not placed atop her Christmas tree: a barred owl. It had got into the house down the chimney but, happily, the local Animal Welfare League sprang to the rescue and managed to release the bird back into the wild. Savannah joked that she was disappointed there was no letter from Hogwarts that came with the owl.
Treasure Hunt For Golden Owl Ends After 31 Years: The quest drew thousands of curious participants hoping to solve a series of elaborate riddles.
Beautifully Preserved
Archaeologists in rural Kent, UK, have unearthed a “really incredible” 6th-century sword from an Anglo-Saxon cemetery near Canterbury. It is exceptionally well preserved; the silver-and-gilt hilt has a finely crafted decorated pattern, and the blade is embossed with runic script. Parts of the weapon’s leather-and-wood scabbard - and its beaver fur lining - have also survived. A ring is attached to its pommel, which archaeologists believe might symbolize an oath to a king. Duncan Sayer, the lead archaeologist, said the sword is “really incredible, in the top echelons of swords, an elite object in every way, which is wonderful."
Life Saver
When United Airlines Capt. David Whitson was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, only healthy blood from a donor could save him. His family wasn't a match, so his caregivers consulted the national bone marrow registry. That's when Allie Reimold got the call. Her selfless act saved the life of the father and commercial airline pilot. Years had passed since they last met in person. But just a week before the eighth anniversary of his life-saving transplant, Whitson - who’d just piloted a flight from Dallas to Houston - got a tip: Reimold was also in Houston, about to board a flight due to take off in 40 minutes. David was on the other side of the airport. With the approval of the jet's captain, he ran across the airport to find her. She'd already boarded when she heard an announcement from a familiar voice: It was Whitson, recounting the story of the stranger who saved him for her fellow passengers. (Oh, and if her donation weren't enough, Reimold is now a cancer prevention researcher.) “It’s still overwhelming to me that a stranger would take the time to save my life,” he told CNN. “It just gave me hope.”
“We should never want to become anyone else, because the greatest fulfillment we can ever get out of life is by becoming the best possible version of ourselves.” Alexi Pappas
On This Day
30 December 1902: A new southing record was set by Robert Falcon Scott, in company with Ernest Henry Shackleton and E.A. Wilson, as they reached the Ross Ice Shelf at the head of the Ross Sea in Antarctica.
Today's Articles
Funny Signs: Regular readers will know that OGN has featured the signs outside El Arroyo in Texas before, and here's the latest collection.
New Law in New York: "New York has fired a shot that will be heard round the world: the companies most responsible for the climate crisis will be held accountable.”
Mood Boosting Video
Hang on Tight! GoPro selects the best - mostly adrenalin fuelled - clips of 2024.