Today's Good News | OGN Daily

A smorgasbord of tasty news nuggets to perk up the day.

cloud seemingly resting on an electric cable — Credit: Eric Kogan

Fortuitous Timing

New York-based photographer Eric Kogan uses shadows, reflections and fortuitous timing in order to create optical illusions in his work, saying “it’s all about spotting unusual moments in everyday places.” In his daily walks around the city, he keeps an eye out for interesting juxtapositions or humorous framings: like this cloud seemingly resting on an electric cable. See more at instagram.com/erickogan

Double Feature

April may be known for its rain showers - but when the clouds part, nighttime skygazers can enjoy meteor showers later this month. Everyone in the Northern Hemisphere will be treated to simultaneous meteor showers from the Lyrids and the Eta Aquarids. They will be streaking through the sky at the same time from April 20 to 26, according to NASA.

Orange coloured cocktail with lots of ice

Snaquiri

UK bars are wrestling with a "thorny" issue, said The Telegraph. With alcohol consumption on a downward trend, especially among Gen Z, hospitality businesses are being made to rethink their drinks offerings. Many establishments have tried to combat the problem by expanding their range of alcohol-free tipples. But there is another option: "just make the cocktails smaller". Instead of offering only "great vats" of margarita or negroni, bars are "discovering the allure" of downsized drinks. Varying in size from "a shot to a few sips", tiny cocktails have become a "staple" of drinks menus up and down the country – from the "snaquiri" (miniature daiquiri) at Manchester's Blinker Bar to the "mouthful of clementine gimlet" on offer at Oma in London's Borough Market, said Vogue.

Grand Slam: US Open's Honey Deuce cocktail raked in $10 million in 2024.

Siamese Crocodile

The Siamese crocodile is one of the world’s rarest crocodilians, with less than 1,000 individuals estimated to be surviving in the wild. The species hasn’t been sighted for more than 20 years in Virachey, one of Cambodia’s most remote national parks. Combined with recent record-breaking hatchings both in the wild and in captivity, as well as new records of releases into the Cardamom Mountains from the NGO Fauna & Flora, conservationists hope to build a species stronghold in Cambodia.

Boris Johnson being pecked by an ostrich through his car window — Yes, that's Boris

Too Funny Not to Share

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was the rather incompetent victim of an animal attack, falling foul of an irate / inquisitive ostrich at a Texas wildlife park. A video uploaded by his wife, Carrie, shows the flightless bird leaning through the window of the family's car before nipping the former PM with its beak. "The former Tory leader quickly pulls his hand away with a yelp of pain and exclaims 'Oh cripes, f***ing hell!'," said The Independent. His wife shared the video on her Instagram saying "it was too funny not to share."

Windy Channel

The UK government has approved plans for a giant wind farm to be built in the English Channel with dozens of turbines as tall as the Eiffel Tower. Once complete, the £4bn development will stretch 50 miles along the south coast. The Energy Secretary said: “This project puts us within reach of our clean power offshore wind target. It’s time to get off the fossil fuel rollercoaster, roll out clean power, protect our energy security and bring down bills for good. The UK has a boundless supply of wind that cannot be turned on and off at the whims of dictators and petrostates.”

"When something doesn't go your way, you just have to take the blinders off and look around you and see what other really great things are waiting for you." Nasa astronaut Suni Williams

On This Day

Planting a tree in Arbor Day in Nebraska

10 April 1872: People in Nebraska celebrated the first Arbor Day, planting more than one million trees; other U.S. states and countries later observed the holiday.