Celebrating the end of the week with some snippets of upbeat news.
Cash in The Capitol
Next month, the Man in Black will be immortalized in bronze in the United States Capitol. Johnny Cash is one of two Arkansas natives - along with civil rights leader Daisy Bates, whose statue debuted in May - recently chosen to represent the state in Washington, D.C. Congressional leaders announced that Cash’s new statue will be unveiled in September in the Capitol’s National Statuary Hall. The hall displays statues of two renowned residents from each state.
Europe's Big Five
Made famous by 19th-century big game hunters in East Africa, the Big Five - lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo - are what almost every modern-day safari-goer hopes to see. But, while the dream of an East African safari might be out of reach for many of us, it doesn’t mean the Big Five are. The IUCN and Rewilding Europe have declared that the wolf, lynx, brown bear, wolverine and bison are Europe’s very own Big Five. Why not start planning your own European safari?
Extraordinary Success: In what one conservationist called “the greatest recovery of a cat species ever achieved through conservation,” the Iberian lynx has been brought back from the brink of extinction.
Epic Adventure
A 47-year-old paralyzed man hopes to become the first person to cycle the entire 1,000-mile length of Britain using a motorized bike controlled by his chin. Andy Walker set off on his epic voyage from Lands End earlier this week, in a specially made quad-cycle with the goal of arriving at John O’Groats in two weeks - and he’s raising thousands for a charity involved in motor neuron disease (MND), an incurable brain condition. The ex-competitive swimmer was 28 when he suffered a spinal cord injury after hitting a rock as he dove into the sea from Goa, India. He was left paralyzed from the neck down, and local doctors gave him just a one percent chance of survival. Good luck Andy!
Titanium Heart
In a global first, the Texas Heart Institute successfully implanted an artificial titanium heart that uses magnetic levitation - the same technology that powers bullet trains. The total artificial heart (TAH) uses a magnetically levitated rotor to pump 12 liters of blood a minute, the frictionless technology significantly extending the device's lifespan while the patient waits for a donated heart. The breakthrough is a "beacon of hope for countless patients awaiting a heart transplant," said Dr. Joseph Rogers, who led the research.
Strange But True
There are plenty of top laptops for you to pick from, so each release has to do something to get your eyeballs. This Asus laptop certainly went a different way about it, shall we say. Never mind a gorgeous display or top-notch audio, Asus has gone and added a scent diffuser to the Adol Book 14 Air. The scent gimmick comes from a fragrance dispenser embedded in the laptop’s lid, which holds an infused fragrance sheet. The magnetically attached CNC-cut cover lets you swap scents. The fragrance sheets won’t last forever, but the package includes three scents: Basil and Mandarin, Rose of Man’s Land, and Be a New Her - whatever that is.
New For 2024
The Cambridge Dictionary has just added IYKYK: An abbreviation for “if you know you know”, used to suggest shared knowledge or a private joke that others might not understand.
Colonial Williamsburg
Last spring, crews broke ground on a new archaeology center in Colonial Williamsburg that will house the living history museum’s collection of artifacts, as well as laboratories, classrooms and exhibitions. While constructing the center, they made an unexpected - and fitting - discovery: the remains of a 17th-century building and a variety of artifacts from the same period. Archaeologists are continuing to excavate the site in Virginia, which had been covered by a parking lot since the 1960s. So far, they’ve unearthed a 32- by 24-foot brick foundation (which includes a cellar) and a well located about 40 feet away, according to a statement from Colonial Williamsburg.
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to live - to breathe - to think - to enjoy - to love!” Elbert Hubbard
On This Day
9 August 1173: In Pisa, Italy, construction began on a bell tower that became internationally famous as the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Today's Articles
Kindness: We know kindness is good for mental health, but did you know it's also good for physical health?
Are You a Killer? SmartyPlants is a brilliant (hopefully) new app to help you keep your cherished houseplants alive.
Mood Boosting Video
Friendly Encounter: Diver gets up close and personal with a sperm whale.