What better way to start the week than with some upbeat news stories?
Mosaic Masterpiece
The remains of one of the largest villas in Roman Britain can now be viewed again following renovations to the roof that keeps its historic mosaics safe. North Leigh Roman Villa in Oxfordshire, which has a near complete mosaic floor, underwent conservation work during the past year. Volunteers said the "essential work" had "safeguarded the mosaics for future decades and generations". The villa was one of the largest in Roman Britain with a history of occupation spanning five centuries. By the early 4th Century it included three bath suites, 16 mosaic floors and 11 rooms with under-floor heating.
Love-Filled Effort
After a fire shuttered a new bookstore, romance novel enthusiasts came together so the shop could start its next chapter. The bookstore, Friends to Lovers, opened in Alexandria, Virginia, on Nov. 14, and three days later the building caught on fire, damaging merchandise and 800 books. Local romance readers raised more than $45,000 for the store. The support has "really buoyed me and pushed me to create something better out of the ashes," owner Jamie Fortin said to NPR.
Indonesian Children
Indonesia’s new government has begun an ambitious program to feed nearly 90 million children and pregnant women in order to combat malnutrition. The bulk of the plan provides free lunches and milk at school. It's the world's largest feeding program.
Fir Tree Feast
Every January, elephants at Berlin Zoo enjoy a fir tree feast, courtesy of the city's Christmas tree vendors, who donate their unsold stock to the zoo. Mammal curator Florian Sicks told The Associated Press that, as well as being a tasty snack, the trees also provide entertainment for the elephants. "The animals can fight with them, they can rub themselves against them, they can throw themselves over them," he said. For the giraffes, zoo staff hoist them up high for more natural feeding for the long-necked creatures and they are no doubt a particularly welcome attraction for the zoo's reindeer.
Chicago Milestone
The city of Chicago kicked off 2025 with a bang by delivering on a promise that took years to achieve: all city-owned buildings are now 100 percent powered by renewable energy. More than 400 buildings - including O’Hare International Airport, Harold Washington Library, 98 fire stations, and two of the world’s largest water treatment plants - are now purely using clean energy. With city structures using about 800,000 megawatt hours of energy annually, the transition is projected to slash Chicago’s carbon emissions by 290,000 metric tons every year - which the city says will create the same effect as eliminating 62,000 cars from the road.
‘Cleanest Ever’
The UK’s electricity grid was the cleanest it’s ever been in 2024, thanks to surging renewables and the closure of the country’s last coal-fired power plant. New analysis by Carbon Brief showed that CO2 emissions per unit of electricity have fallen by more than two-thirds in the last decade. In total, fossil fuels made up just 29 percent of the UK’s electricity in 2024 - the lowest level on record - while renewables reached a record-high of 45 percent. Nuclear accounted for 13 percent.
"Action is the antidote to despair." Joan Baez
On This Day
13 January 1908: Henri Farman becomes the first person to fly an observed circuit of more than 1km, winning the Grand Prix d'Aviation.
Today's Articles
Mood Boosting Video
Above and Beyond: UPS delivery driver takes on a very icy driveway.