Ensuring June gets off to a bright start with a global bundle of upbeat news nuggets.
Hats Off to Gladys
In 2018, as the population of mountain gorillas topped 1,000, they were removed from the critically endangered list and their status upgraded to just endangered. That positive step was due, in no small part, to Ugandan veterinarian Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka. Her working home is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to roughly half of the world's mountain gorillas. But early on she also realized that to help the animals and keep them free from disease and poaching, she needed to also help their human neighbours, launching successful initiatives to improve the health and well-being of the people living around the park.
American Cricket
Two words you probably never expected to see side by side, but experts say cricket is set to crack America for the first time when the Silicon Valley-backed Major League Cricket competition begins its first season in July. More than 40 international players have been lured to the US for the tournament and about £100 million has already been pledged in spending for the league.
Retro-Cool
Although electric typewriters have been made almost entirely obsolete, there's still something to be said for the satisfying clickety-clack of their keys. Well, that sound and feel is back, in the all-aluminum Fineday Bluetooth Mechanical Keyboard. The Korean-designed Fineday can be wirelessly paired via Bluetooth to a Windows or Mac computer, or to an iOS or Android tablet or smartphone. It's possible to prop the mobile devices up in a slot on the keyboard, so they sit where the paper would go on a typewriter.
Ivory Ban
It will soon be illegal to trade ivory from a hippopotamus, walrus, narwhal, killer whale and sperm whale in the UK. The Ivory Act 2018 is to be extended to cover these five species after it came into force last June to protect elephants.
Forest Protection
The EU's highest decision making body just gave the final go-ahead for a new rule designed to stop the import of any products that destroy forests. The cut-off date has been backdated, meaning that only products produced on land that has not been deforested or degraded after 31 December 2020 will be allowed to be imported to or exported from the EU.
Seniors Taking Action
Worried about their grandkids’ future - and rather like the Rocking Chair Activists in the US - more seniors in Canada are taking climate action. Groups like Seniors for Climate Action Now! and Grand(m)others Act to Save the Planet are protesting and focusing their action on fossil fuel funders.
Negative Price
The average price of emissions-free electricity in Finland recently slipped into the negatives during the day. The oversupply of electricity was mainly due to spring flooding, which is super-charging hydropower production. This is a historic moment, according to Jukka Ruusunen, CEO of grid operator Fingrid. "Last winter, the only thing people could talk about was where to get more electricity. Now we are thinking hard about how to limit production. We have gone from one extreme to another," Ruusunen told Yle. The really good news will be when we can all enjoy free or ultra-cheap electricity!
“He’s always asking: ‘Is that new? I haven’t seen that before.’ It’s like, Why don’t you mind your own business? Solve world hunger. Get out of my closet.” Michelle Obama
On this Day
1 June 2002: The Czech Republic became the first country to enact a law to address light pollution; all outdoor fixtures were required to have a shield that prevented light from extending above the horizontal.
A McDonald's and Dairy Queen in Missouri started hilarious "sign war" which inspired other businesses to get involved. No surrender...
Mood Booster
Beethoven's Für Elise performed by Lang Lang.