Eclectic mid-week collection of upbeat news stories to brighten the day.
Unusual View
An astronaut recently captured an image of Earth from the International Space Station that offers an entirely different view of our world and what lies beyond. Astronaut Don Pettit captured the image when the ISS was about 265 miles above the Pacific Ocean. The image was taken just before sunrise, so the parts of the world visible in the photo are still cloaked in darkness. In the background, the gassy, oblong Milky Way is visible. The Milky Way is seen edge-on, meaning that the photo looks across the galaxy’s diameter. The photo is peculiar in that our planet - so famously blue and green with wisps of white clouds - is instead a mossy green hue. A thin band of white delineates the edge of the planet’s atmosphere and the boundary between our world and space.
Little Free Fridge
In 2020, Asmeret Berhe-Lumax started stocking a community fridge in Brooklyn as a way to give back during the pandemic. Since then, her personal project has grown into a nonprofit organization that fills 40 community fridges across New York City, as well as some in Seattle. “I’m literally blown away still,” she said.
America's Oldest Ice Fest
The Valdez Ice Fest isn’t your average small-town festival. For 42 years, Alaska’s hardiest residents have gathered around the frozen waterfalls of Valdez - some of them up to 900 feet tall - to hone their skills, test their mettle and celebrate the state’s tight-knit ice climbing community. Today, it’s one of the longest-running winter festivals in the state. It’s also quickly gaining a reputation as one of the best venues for learning to ice climb in the United States, and as a driving force growing the sport across the nation. People fly in from Canada, Mexico, the Lower 48, and beyond, but the Valdez festival is primarily by locals, for locals.
Odds of 67,000,000 to 1
Englishman Dale Whitnell carded two holes-in-one during a once-in-a-lifetime round on day two of the South African Open at the Durban Country Club. It is estimated the odds of making two holes-in-one in the same round are 67,000,000/1. With such extraordinary odds, you would imagine that nobody has done it before. Not so. Fellow Englishman John Hudson registered two at the European Tour’s Martini International at Royal Norwich in 1971. Brian Harman, who would go on to become Open champion in 2023, achieved the feat on the PGA Tour with two aces at the Barclays in 2015, while last year Frank Bensel Jr made back-to-back holes-in-one during the second round of the US Senior Open in Rhode Island. Should someone recalculate the odds?
Ramp Champ
Before Pete Adler enlisted in the Army, he majored in architecture. Now, after spending 25 years in the military and another 17 years as a civilian employee, Adler is back to his architectural roots. And it’s for a good cause: Building free ramps for his senior and disabled neighbors. When a recipient can afford it, they are only charged the cost of the materials. If they need help covering the cost, project:HOMES steps in to pay the full price (around $2,000). So far he has built over 500 free ramps for neighbors in need.
New UK Degree
The University of Sussex is launching the U.K.’s first climate justice undergraduate degree. Created in response to a survey that found most 14 to 18-year-olds want more rigorous climate change education, the course will equip students with a blend of expertise in climate politics, activism, and environmental human rights.
“Empathy is not weak.” Jane Fonda
On This Day
5 March 1946: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill popularized the term “Iron Curtain”—describing the separation of the Soviet Union and its eastern and central European allies from Western nations - in a speech at Fulton, Missouri.
Today's Articles
'Lost City of Gold': Archaeologists struck gold after the discovery of a 3,000-year-old mining settlement buried beneath the Egyptian sands.
Topless Drinking: Not quite as bold as it sounds - but way better than simply imbibing through a small hole in a can.
Mood Boosting Video
Mesmerising: Synchronised line riders visualise the music in Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.