A recap of last month's uplifting eventsAs we ease our way into 2022, check out a very important treaty, a new constitution, trees for every resident, generous researchers, sunflowers, a kangaroo, and more.
January 30, 2022
by Ilonka Wloch From the start, youth poet Amanda Gorman nudged us in a good direction with New Day, a poem cerebrating the new year and honoring the past. "We must always pave a way forward,
this hope is our door, our portal, she says" In the area of world peace, China, France, Russia, the UK and the US issued a pledge to prevent nuclear war because "No one can win a nuclear war” France also introduces free birth control for all women under 25. The move is part of a series of measures taken by President Emmanuel Macron's government to boost women's rights and alleviate youth poverty. Rarely does a country get a chance to lay out its ideals and write a new constitution. Chileans, who yet again set a world example for democracy in action, did just that. They not only rewrote their constitution, but also incorporated the planet’s wellbeing by having ecological issues play a central role. Wales is aiming to foster stewardship of the planet in their own way. They are offering a free tree for every household.
A battery breakthrough quintuples electric vehicle range making it great news for present and future electric car owners. Bio-inspired membrane finally allows next-generation lithium-sulfur batteries to reach full potential. And Greenland says no to all oil and gas exploration, forever banning it! These four UK activists found themselves ‘ecstatic and stunned’ as jury acquitted them of criminal damage over toppling statue of a slave trader. Just as in New Orleans, the City Council voted unanimously to rename Robert E. Lee Blvd for legendary musician Allen Toussaint. One charming Jordanian city where minarets and church towers share the skyline, caught UNESCO’s eye, and was recently named a "place of tolerance and urban hospitality” Speaking of hospitality, Afghan refugees are finding a warm welcome in many places including in small-town America. Check out this Amish refuge, a college town, and the “Ellis Island of the South” We are also finding generous and creative ways to cope with the pandemic. Such as this artist who is filling her neighborhood with mysterious fairy doors, Texas researchers offering new patent-free Covid vaccine as “gift to the world” and in India, a researcher developing a kit to diagnose Covid in just 12 seconds. And yay to our brave teens! Just at the turn of the year, this Australian lifeguard saved a kangaroo from rough surf in her first ever rescue. Take a look at how she did it. Lastly, some colorful research by UBC concluded that sunflowers possess invisible - to our human eye - colors which not only help them attract bees, but also protect the plant from drought. May the month of February continue with a palette of brightness, attracting more happiness, and protecting us from hardships. |
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