Mid-week collection of uplifting news stories to help put a spring in your step.
The Wednesday Waffle
It’s Wednesday, are you waffling? The internet seems to have a big appetite for trends, and this one is called the “Wednesday Waffle.” To be clear, no breakfast food is involved - “waffle” is an Australian slang term that means to chat at length about nothing in particular.
In a now-viral social media post, Zach Perez describes the Wednesday Waffle as the ritual of sending 1- or 2-minute videos to a group of friends about the happenings in your life on, of course, Wednesday. The idea is to keep a thread of contact with one another in a way that’s more personal than texts but less regimented than scheduled calls. “It just keeps you connected,” Perez says in the clip.
Norway's Ukraine Boost
The Norwegian Parliament has agreed to more than double the financial support to Ukraine for 2025 as the United States continues to withdraw its support under the Trump administration. Norway's state budget for 2025 initially granted €2.98 billion to Ukraine. The increase of 50 billion kroner boosts the total sum for this year €7.24 billion, more than doubling Norway's contribution. None of the politicians were against helping Ukraine in its defence against aggressor Russia, from the far right to the far left.
Plant a Flower
Today is Plant a Flower Day, an annual celebration that takes place on 12 March. It is a day encouraging people to get outside and plant flowers. The day's origin is unclear, but it is believed to have originated in the United States. The idea of dedicating a day to planting flowers has been around for many years, but it wasn't until the early 2000s that Plant a Flower Day became an official celebration. The day was established by the National Garden Bureau, a non-profit organization that promotes gardening and horticulture.
Life-Saving Treatment
In a medical first, doctors in the U.S. treated a fetus with a rapidly progressive congenital disease - while it was still in the uterus, reports LiveScience. A prenatal test showed that the fetus had genetic mutations that indicated type 1 spinal muscular atrophy - which typically leads to severe muscle weakness and difficulties breathing within six months of birth. Heartbreakingly, most children with type 1 SMA die by their second birthday. In this case study, the child who was treated via their mother before it was born has made it to two and a half years old with no symptoms.
Monarchs Bounce Back
Conservationists have been fighting to protect the monarch butterfly for years - and those efforts seem to be paying off. Monarch butterflies wintering near Mexico City this year took up double the area they covered in 2024 (the butterfly count tallies the number of acres the insects cover, not each butterfly), according to Mexico’s Commission for National Protected Areas. This impressive bounce back is attributed to better humidity and climate, as well as ongoing efforts to boost the number of plants the butterflies depend on for sustenance and reproduction.
Safe Space For Science
A French university is providing funding for American scientists to continue their research in France. Aix Marseille University’s “safe space for science” program is for U.S. scientists researching topics like climate change who “feel threatened or hindered in their research” due to the new policies of the current presidential administration.
"Spend a handful of hours a day going fast. Crush a gym session. Do deep work on a project you care about. Spend the rest of the day going slow. Take walks. Read books. Get a long dinner with friends. Either way, avoid the anxious middle where you never truly relax or truly move forward." Charles Miller
On This Day
12 March 1804: Samuel Chase became the first (and, so far, only) U.S. Supreme Court justice to be impeached.
Today's Articles
Mood Boosting Video
Flying Visit: Aerial footage of the extraordinary landscape of Moab, Utah.