Wrapping up the week with a collection of positive news stories from around the globe.
Incredibly Rare
South Georgia Island is one of the remotest places on Earth, known for its rugged landscape, freezing climate, and extraordinary wildlife. During a recent visit, Belgian photographer Yves Adams discovered something unexpected - a strange bird waddling along. It soon became clear that it was an incredibly rare all-black penguin. As you can see, it lacks the distinctive yellow markings and white belly typical of its species, with its black feathers covering the entirety of its body.
Hot Chocolate
A British therapist, Amy Sutton, has "a box of tricks for mood boosting - from breathwork to gratitude, meditation to grounding. However, this is one that I haven’t really shared with clients, although I think I will now. It sounds simple, but this is a very specific hot chocolate. First, I use cacao powder, which is the raw, unprocessed version of cocoa. It’s a lot richer in taste, though a little more bitter and packed with good stuff like minerals and antioxidants. I heap a big dessert spoonful into a mug, then I dollop a teaspoon of honey on top and add a teeny amount of hot water to create a glistening paste. Meanwhile I’ve heated my whole milk in the microwave. I slowly pour the milk on bit by bit while stirring gently and making sure every bit of the bitter-sweet mixture is dissolved. Drinking this, for me, is the definition of a mindful moment."
Swiss Scientists Eliminate The Need For Sugar in Chocolate: And that's not all. For the first time, the entire cocoa fruit is used in this new process.
Conservation Success
The snow leopard population in Kazakhstan has rebounded to near-historic levels, with roughly 189 individuals now residing in the country. This marks a significant achievement in conservation efforts, as such numbers were last observed in the 1980s. Since 2018, Kazakhstan has implemented a snow leopard conservation project under the United Nations Development Program. Its initiatives have improved protection in 14 natural areas across the country through the use of advanced technologies, including camera traps, drones, and thermal imaging devices. As a result, the snow leopard population has increased by more than a quarter since 2019.
Strange But True
Residents of a tiny, rural Welsh village are breathing a sigh of relief after Google Maps removed a listing for a non-existent Aldi supermarket placed there by pranksters. Holidaymakers and delivery drivers had been pulling up to a sheep farm in the countryside expecting to find the store, WalesOnline reported, but Google has finally deleted the fake listing after a milk tanker became stuck on a narrow country lane last week.
The Nor-way
Norway is on track to be the first country to eliminate diesel and petrol car sales - and did it without banning them. In 2024, nine out of 10 new cars sold in Norway were fully battery-powered, putting the country on track to only add new electric cars to its roads by 2025.
Fully electric cars accounted for 88.9 percent of new cars sold last year, up from 82.4 percent in 2023 - led primarily by Tesla, Volkswagen, and Toyota. Notably, the country achieved this milestone without adding any ban on combustion-engine cars. Acknowledging that “people don’t like to be told what to do,” the country instead heavily incentivized purchases of electric vehicles and imposed higher taxes on diesel and petrol cars.
Offshore Drilling Ban
Responding to calls from coastal communities around the U.S., President Biden used his authority under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to ban new offshore drilling for oil and gas in almost all U.S. coastal waters. The move will protect offshore areas along the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and parts of Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea from future oil and gas leasing projects. Because of the nature of the ban, experts say it would be challenging to reverse in the future. The order does not impact large portions of the Gulf of Mexico, where the majority of drilling already occurs.
“Music always sounds better on Friday." Lou Brutus
On This Day
10 January 1776: Thomas Paine published Common Sense, a 50-page pamphlet that sold more than 500,000 copies within a few months and called for a war of independence that would become the American Revolution.
Today's Articles
Interesting Idea: Transatlantic energy cable linking America and Europe could help facilitate the transition to renewable electricity.
Best Method: The healthiest way to eat broccoli for maximum nutritional benefit from this highly beneficial vegetable.
Mood Boosting Video
The Wonders of Nature: Enjoy a 5 minute trip around the world looking at some of nature's most beautiful sights.