#074 - The Best News of Last Week - February 20, 2023
🦉 - Heartwarming News from Around the World: From Philanthropy to Medical Breakthroughs and Conservation Successes
Get inspired by this week's heartwarming news!
1. Michael Jordan donates $10,000,000 to Make-A-Wish for 60th birthday. It is the largest donation ever received from an individual in the organization's 43-year history.
Six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan is celebrating his 60th birthday on Friday by making a $10 million donation to Make-A-Wish. "For the past 34 years, it's been an honor to partner with Make-A-Wish and help bring a smile and happiness to so many kids," Jordan said in a news release. "Witnessing their strength and resilience during such a tough time in their lives has truly been an inspiration."
2. Girl with deadly inherited condition is cured with gene therapy on NHS
A girl born with a rare and deadly genetic condition is expected to live a long and normal life after becoming the first person to be cured on the NHS with the help of a revolutionary gene therapy.
Teddi Shaw was diagnosed with metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), an inherited condition that causes catastrophic damage to the nervous system and organs. Those affected usually die young. But the 19-month-old from Northumberland is now disease-free after being treated with the world’s most expensive drug, Libmeldy
3. 33 million kids vaccinated against polio in southern Africa
More than 33 million children in several southern African countries have been vaccinated against polio, part of ongoing efforts to eradicate the infectious paralytic disease that has been largely contained in much of the world, the World Health Organization announced on Friday.
About 80 million drops of the inoculation have been placed in the mouths of children across Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe since the launch of an emergency response in March last year, WHO said in a statement.
4. Engineered wood is stronger, fights climate change by capturing CO2
Scientists at Rice University, Texas, have exploited the natural properties of wood to enhance its ability to capture carbon dioxide. The process involves the introduction of highly-porous microparticle metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) into the wood after the internal framework has been cleared out. This process is known as delignification.
5. Fighting Climate Change Was Costly. Now It’s Profitable.
It is a good time to be in the decarbonization business in the United States. The Inflation Reduction Act was designed to entice private companies to invest in the transition away from fossil fuels. Initial reports already suggest that the IRA may be working. An analysis by American Clean Power, indicates that even just the anticipation of its bounty catalyzed $40 billion in investments and created nearly 7,000 jobs in the last few months of 2022.
Last week, the European Commission proposed a “Green Deal Industrial Plan.” It includes $240 billion in loans and $21 billion in grants from EU coffers to subsidize green businesses, a relaxation of state-aid rules to allow member countries to offer subsidies, job training, faster permitting for “clean technology” projects.
6. Turkey earthquake: Young girl rescued after 178 hours under rubble
A young girl has been saved from the rubble of a block of flats in southern Turkey, more than a week after the devastating earthquake struck. Miray had been trapped in the ruins for 178 hours - seven-and-a-half days.
Video showed workers cheering and shouting "God is great" as she was lifted out of the darkness. Several others were saved on Monday, including a 13-year-old boy trapped for 182 hours.
7. Flaco the escaped zoo owl can remain in the wilds of NYC
For two weeks, an owl that escaped from New York's Central Park Zoo has flown from treetop to treetop, eluding capture and amassing legions of fans worried about its ability to survive alone in the big city. Would Flaco, a majestic Eurasian eagle-owl, go hungry because he hadn't developed an ability to hunt while in captivity?
With a collective sigh of relief, the answer was a resounding no: It appears Flaco has regained his killer instincts and is becoming an old hand at swooping down from his lofty perch to feed on the park's bounty of rats.
As a result, Zoo officials announced that they were suspending recovery operations, at least for now, but will keep a close eye on the owl's health.
so this must be the superb owl everyone was talking about :D
That's it for this week. If you liked this post you can support this newsletter with a small kofi donation:
Let's carry the positivity into next week and keep spreading the good news!