Some tasty bite-sized chunks of positive news to brighten the day.
A Mother's Love
Alvaro Herrero has been named the 2025 Underwater Photographer of the Year. The Spanish photographer earned the title for his shot of a mother humpback whale with her newborn calf. His photo, titled Radiant Bond and taken in French Polynesia, beat out some 6,700 submissions from around the globe. “The mother is accompanying her calf to the surface, because the baby is still so small and clumsy,” says Herrero. “The calf is releasing a few bubbles underwater showing it is still learning to hold its breath properly. For me, this photo really shows a mother’s love and communicates the beauty and fragility of life in our ocean.”
Apple's Trump Bug
Apple has said it will fix an iPhone bug that replaced the word “racist” with “Trump” when dictating text messages. People using the company’s voice-to-text feature, which allows them to dictate text messages, found that the text box would briefly show the word “Trump” when they said “racist”. Apple promised to fix the bug - which was probably deliberately created by a techie at the firm - after it went viral on social media.
Cosmic Treat
Skywatchers will get a cosmic treat tomorrow night with a celestial gathering of planets. A planetary alignment, or a "planet parade," will grace our night sky just after dusk, according to SkyatNightMagazine. You can expect to see seven planets align Friday when Mercury joins Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus and Saturn. But not all of them will be easy to see, especially with the naked eye. You'll need a good pair of high-powered binoculars or a telescope to see Uranus and Neptune. Regardless of how you're viewing them, the hardest planets to see will be Saturn and Neptune because they are close to the horizon and the sun. If you can see them, they'll be toward the west just after the sun sets. The time will vary based on your location. Mercury also should be visible in the western part of the sky just after sunset. This seven-planet alignment won't be visible again until 2040.
Win Win
When we envision the Amazon rainforest, most of us instinctively picture lush greenery, diverse wildlife, and vibrant colours. But there are also highways that cut through the land, making it difficult for native wildlife - like the endangered Groves’ titi monkey and Guiana spider monkey - to cross roads safely. That’s where aerial crossings come in. “Connecting the population, we can make it stronger and allow it to grow,” Fernanda Abra, a Brazilian biologist and founder of the award-winning Reconecta Project, told CNN. So far, she’s helped build over two dozen canopy crossings throughout a 2,000-mile stretch of highway in the Amazon. The hammock-like bridges stretch over roads, allowing tree-dwelling species to move as they please and avoid road collisions - a win for animals and people.
You Couldn't Make It Up
A winter village attraction in China has apologised for using fabric, white sand and soapy water in place of real snow. Photos shared by visitors to Chengdu Snow Village in Sichuan province "showed large cotton wool sheets strewn about the grounds, only partially covering leafy areas", said Reuters. Organisers said the weather had been unseasonably warm, but admitted their substitute snowscape "did not achieve the expected effect".
High Speed Police Car
Lamborghini has been supplying the Italian State Police with vehicles for more than 20 years. To date, Lamborghini has supplied six high-performance vehicles to the Italian police force, with their primary role being in high-speed organ transplant deliveries: over 200 organ transports have used the fleet. The cars have a refrigerated compartment for organ transport and a defibrillator for emergency situations. ‘We are extremely proud to celebrate 20 years of collaboration with the Italian State Police, an institution we deeply respect for its daily work protecting citizens,’ says chairman and CEO of Lamborghini, Stephan Winkelmann. The publicity benefits are no doubt a welcome side effect.
"Snatching the eternal out of the desperately fleeting is the great magic trick of human existence." Tennessee Williams
On This Day
27 February 1951: The Twenty-second Amendment, which effectively limited to two the number of terms a U.S. president may serve, was ratified.
Today's Articles
For The First Time: Work-life balance has surpassed pay as the leading motivator for employees globally.
Mood Boosting Video
Roberta Flack: Honouring the great singer with one of her biggest hits. Shouldn't every day include a beautiful love song to stir the soul?