Every day we read or listen to the news with expectations of a new terrorist attack or some crazy kidnapping. We hear about another third world country falling farther and farther into poverty and the unfortunate and let me just say terrifying spread of multiple diseases, including Zika— which I’m not going to lie, I am kind of expecting to get while here in Costa Rica scaling the canopies searching for sloths. It’s so easy that it almost seems expected of us to become hopeless for good global news; that’s exactly what I feel you need today, some global feel good! Here are your top Global Good-News stories of the week!
Think your battles with you land lord are bad? If you really think so they you should be rejoicing and cracking a beer for the finally established most-difficult lease agreement I’ve ever witnessed. The Australian aborigines have inhabited the land down under for more than 50, 000 years now and like with the colonization of most nations, they ended up being transported from their land during British settlement. Due to the stress that comes with being transplanted paired with the aborigines’ traditional ways—many won’t reproduce if not on their sacred land—their populations have dwindled. However, Prime Minister Turnbull have granted the aboriginal tribe Larrakia back their land and provisions and a budget set aside to ensure the upkeep of the land.
Female body and beauty pressures are something that women in every country seem subject too and while many women do let these influences get to them, the Dove Beauty Campaign in Canada is here to challenge that as much as I challenge that it isn’t wrong for me to eat an entire half dozen of doughnuts by myself and still consider myself to be fit-conscious. According to a Dove study, “seventy-five percent of Canadian women are more often complimented on their looks than their professional achievements”. The campaign includes a multitude of stunning women both rocking their looks, brains and courage, Canada lets spread the female confidence!
With the release of "Finding Dory" it is no surprise that researchers are now eavesdropping on Whales in an attempt to speak whale! In Mineola, New York, USA scientists have develop high-tech acoustic creeping techniques in the form of a buoy in order to learn more about whales than just the fact that they frequent the New York Harbor. Researchers are listening in to the sound data of a multitude of whales, but specifically focusing on baleen whales. Hopefully the information gathered from listening into the whale-pow wows can help to bring these baleen whales off the endangered species list— Dory and Nemo would be very proud of our scientific accomplishments!
Approximately 90 percent of the water in Gaza is undrinkable due to pollution and no means to distill it, however, Gazan genius Fayes Al-Hindi is tired of being thirsty and is working to change all that. He has developed a system to distill and purify water using solar power and is also helping to eliminate plastic waste in Gaza by putting the now pure drinking water into previously used plastic bottles. His small scale distillery is able to produce 2.6 gallons of clean water a day and with continual support he could help to provide this same system for every home and family.
Of course, we cannot end a happy anything without a happy dog story…which brings us to Kabul, Afghanistan. During war, soldiers have a rough time dealing with the stressors of war so having a ruff-friend helps to ease those stresses at least for a little while. In addition to soldiers having their own four-legged companions to bond with they see many more animals whom are strays and could use help. That is where Pen Farthing found the perfect opportunity to intervene. Farthing has started a pet (mostly dog) rescue in which soldiers can say in what areas they had seen strays or where they had made furry companion friends and Farthing and his Nowzad Dogs team go out: find these animals; give them medical attention— including spaying and neutering; help rehabilitate them into pet-friendly-off-the-streets life and; help to reunite them with their soldier friends. They are also a non-profit company so any help or advertising is wonderful for them, so woof the word!
