Welcome to Good News Stories
Here at Good News Stories we bring you upbeat news stories from around the World.
Could Shrimp Save the Planet?
Scientists in China have reportedly found a new use for shrimp – developing a catalyst from shrimp shells which could aid production of biodiesel fuel.
In a world increasingly concerned with global warming, there is a growing turn towards more renewable sources of energy. Xinsheng Zheng and colleagues in China have noticed the importance of renewable fuels like biodiesel.
Current biodiesel production processes produce large amounts of waste water, and the catalysts required to speed up the chemical reactions that transform plant oils into diesel fuel cannot be reused. This new research suggests that a catalyst derived from shrimp shells converted canola oil to biodiesel more efficiently, and quickly than some traditional catalysts, and additionally can be reused.
Their study is scheduled for release in the Aug. 20 issue of ACS’ Energy & Fuels.
Missing Dog Treks 1,200 Miles
A dog who has been missing from her Australian family’s home for 9 years was this month found 1,200 miles away from where she vanished.
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) officers were investigating a potential case of animal cruelty when they found the white fluffy dog, Muffy, in the garden. Thanks to the microchip in the dog’s neck, Muffy’s owner, Natalie Lampard, was able to be identified and they are soon to be reunited.
Quite how Muffy made it all the way down the coast from Brisbane to Melbourne is unknown. Muffy is currently being treated by the RSPCA, and is due to fly home this week.
There’s something in my French onion soup!
On April 12th, Hodousek, age 51 was enjoying dining in the Claim Jumper restaurant for Easter with his family. After being served french onion soup, he bit down on something he apparently thought was cheese. Unable to chew on this, he pulled the hard substance from his mouth and spit it into a napkin.
In shock he discovered it was a condom, tied up! The restaurant manager came over to untie the knot to clarify it was an actual condom and not a glove, in the meantime Hodousek was throwing up several times in the restaurant toilet. Due to loss of sleep and appetite and concerned about catching sexually transmitted diseases he is now suing the restaurant for several damages.
The restaurant happily never got sued as there wasn’t enough strong claims and evidence to prove that the condom was actually from the kitchen.
Archaeologists Find Ancient Roman Shipwrecks
Off the coast of Ventotene in the Mediterranean Archaeologists have found 5 Ancient Roman Shipwrecks which have been found. The ships themselves are between 1,600 and 1,900 years old.
The wreckage and their contents have been discovered in grand condition. They established that the ships never actually capsized. The wrecks were in much deeper waters away from strong destructive currents,laden with contents found in exactly in the same positions as when the ships originally set off.
The largest wreck measures more than 65 feet. A handful of objects were taken out to be studied and will be put on display in Ventotene.
Costa Rica the ‘happiest’ country in the world
Costa Rica has topped the 2009 Happy Planet Index to earn the title of the ‘happiest’ nation.
Unlike traditional development indices, such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the Happy Planet Index takes sustainability into account – looking at life expectancy along with a country’s ecological footprint. Evaluating human well-being along with environmental impact determines where people live long and happy lives.
Out of the 143 nations included, Latin American countries filled nine of the top ten places, with developed nations such as Britain and the US ranked much lower, 74th and 114th respectively.
If you are heading to Costa Rica then make sure you take out travel insurance in case of any emergency situations you may find yourself in as health can be expensive.
US and Russia agree nuclear arms cuts in Moscow
US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev have come to an initial agreement on nuclear power – an issue which has divided the nations since the Cold War.
The agreement sees a reduction in the number of nuclear warheads in Russian and US strategic arsenals to between 1,500 and 1,675 in a period of seven years and the number of ballistic missile carriers to between 500-1,100.
The new treaty is to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START 1) treaty, which was due to expire in December, and sets levels lower than those proposed in the 2002 Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT).
Whilst they remained divided over the issue of Georgia, along with US plans to install a missile defence shield in eastern Europe, Obama said the two countries were both “committed to leaving behind the suspicion and the rivalry of the past”.
The White House has said that the treaty, “commits both parties to a legally binding treaty that will reduce nuclear weapons,” and while this still leaves both countries with sufficient nuclear power able to destroy each other several times over, the opening up of a dialogue represents a huge step forward in international relations.
Painting the countryside blue
Large blues were officially declared extinct in Britain thirty years ago, but the beautiful large blue butterfly has made an astonishing return.
Around 20,000 will be flitting through the countryside this summer as a result of reintroduction efforts, scientists say. It is one of the world’s most threatened species – and one of the most choosy.
Large blues can only live on closely grazed hillsides and meadows where a particular sort of red ant makes its home.
But changes in farming techniques meant this sort of habitat began to disappear until the last native large blue died out in 1979 – before making its latest comeback.
Sir David Attenborough said: ‘The restoration of the large blue butterfly to Britain is a remarkable success story, illustrating the power of ecological research to reverse
damaging environmental changes.’
Their decline used to be blamed on greedy butterfly hunters. However, studies led by Professor Colourful comeback: The large blue butterfly Jeremy Thomas from Oxford University and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology showed that the loss of grazed hillsides where the red ant lives was the cause.
Europe to be powered by the Sahara?
BERLIN, (Reuters) – A 400-billion euro ($554 billion) project linking solar power produced in the Sahara to energy users in Europe and North Africa is a ‘win-win’ for both continents and could also promote integration around the Mediterranean, a German minister said.
Guenter Gloser, deputy foreign minister, told Reuters 20 gigawatts of concentrated solar power (CSP)—the equivalent of 20 large conventional power plants—could be harvested each year by 2020 if the project called Desertec got off the ground.
Residents of Tokyo has new way of fighting burglars
Tokyo (Reuters) – A Tokyo district plagued with burglaries has turned to planting flowers to beautify its streets and help stamp out crime.
“‘Operation Flower’ began about three years ago. By planting flowers facing the street, more people will be keeping an eye out while taking care of the flowers or watering them,” said Kiyotaka Ohyagi, a Suginami City official.
“The best way to prevent crime is to have more people on the lookout.”
Suginami, with a population of 528,800, saw a record 1,710 break-ins in 2002.
When a neighborhood watch group found that there were fewer burglaries in buildings on flower-lined streets, Suginami decided to kick off Operation Flower and asked volunteers to plant seeds on side streets and in front of their homes.
The flowers are part of a wider crime prevention campaign. The district also has 9,600 volunteer patrollers and 200 security cameras set up in areas where there are frequent break-ins. It also emails crime information daily to residents.
HIV in South Africa improving
From Associated Press….
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The number of new HIV infections among South African teens has dropped significantly, prompting hope that national efforts to tackle the epidemic have finally turned a corner after years of denial and delay.
A report by the Human Sciences Research Council released Tuesday said that although young people continue to have multiple sexual partners — which drives South Africa’s epidemic — they are increasingly heeding advice to use a condom.
“There is clearly light at the end of the tunnel,” said Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. “There is real light.”
Motsoaledi, a respected medical doctor, became health minister last month. He must overcome the legacy of former President Thabo Mbeki, who denied the link between HIV and AIDS, and his health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who mistrusted conventional anti-AIDS drugs and promoted beetroot and lemon.
