Highlighting Good Things Happening Globally

For 30 years, professional violinist Martin Agee has performed in some of the world’s most renowned music venues, from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House. But two years ago, he
landed his favorite gig: playing classical music for shelter dogs at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Adoption Center in New York City.

Every few weeks, Agee carries his violin to the shelter’s Animal Recovery Center, which houses animals coping with medical and behavioral issues stemming from cruelty and neglect. Often, dogs herald his arrival with barking, jumping and general chaos. Then he sits in a chair and begins to play soothing sonatas by classical composers like Bach, Handel and Mozart.

 

Thousands of Acres of Koala Haven Forest to Come Under Logging Bans in New South Wales​

By
Andy Corbley
-
Sep 13, 2023


credit-Great-Koala-National-Park-Facebook.jpg


Down Under, there’s a massive campaign to connect 315,000 hectares, or 750,000, acres of coastal habitat for koalas in New South Wales into a single national park.

Now, a new logging ban to come into effect will protect 106 “hubs” across 8,400 hectares (21,000 acres) of forest where koalas in the wild are known to congregate in largest numbers.

It was a “historic step forward,” said Nature Conservation Council acting chief executive Brad Smith, describing the area as “the most important koala habitat in the world.”


The parcel is just one part, though key, of the 315,000 hectares that a coalition of conservation organizations is hoping to protect forever to ensure koalas can survive the eons.

Given the Moniker “Great Koala National Park,” the 315,000 hectares are currently split between conservation areas and state forest across an area the size of Yosemite. The GKNP would unify it all under a heavier level of protection.


Koalas need a particular kind of forest biome, one that lies close to the coast where real estate is often coveted. In this case, the 21,000 acres were saved from logging, another activity in these woods.

MORE ENDANGERED SPECIES NEWS: Heroic Dog Gets Award for Saving Over 100 Koalas From Australia’s Bushfires

NSW government mapping of koala habitat confirms the GKNP proposal would protect the most important koala habitat in the region.

Koalas are the only living member of the Phascolarctidae family, which makes them totally unique on this planet.

MORE AUSTRALIAN NEWS: Woman Lost 8 Days in the Australian Bush Survives to See Her 4 Children Again ‘It is miraculous’

Currently, only 58% of the GKNP proposal is protected from logging, and the coalition acknowledges that this latest ban is merely a step in the right direction.

GKNP estimates that it would cost the state around $1.5 billion to buy all the land and set up the park infrastructure, while the worldwide fame of having a place to come and be practically guaranteed to see koalas in the wild would add handsomely to the already $20 billion made every year in the state of New South Wales from nature tourism.

Thousands of Acres of Koala Haven Forest to Come Under Logging Bans in New South Wales
 

Rosh Hashanah 5784 begins at sunset on Friday 15th September and runs through to nightfall on Sunday 17th September.

It is the beginning of the 'Ten Days of Repentance' which ends with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement on September 24th.

Wishing all my Jewish relatives, friends and those on SF who celebrate… a Happy Rosh Hashanah.
May your New Year be blessed with abundance and all the sweetness of life.


Shanah Tovah

If anyone is interested you can watch a live service here:


Central Synagogue, Manhattan is a beautiful place…I attended a couple of services here years ago with my Jewish SIL.

🌹🌷🌹🌷
 
Jamala said:
Rosh Hashanah 5784 begins at sunset on Friday 15th September and runs through to nightfall on Sunday 17th September.

It is the beginning of the 'Ten Days of Repentance' which ends with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement on September 24th.

Wishing all my Jewish relatives, friends and those on SF who celebrate… a Happy Rosh Hashanah.
May your New Year be blessed with abundance and all the sweetness of life.


Shanah Tovah

If anyone is interested you can watch a live service here:


Central Synagogue, Manhattan is a beautiful place…I attended a couple of services here years ago with my Jewish SIL.

🌹🌷🌹🌷
Click to expand...
Thank you for sharing this! Happy Rosh Hashanah!
 
Jamala said:
For 30 years, professional violinist Martin Agee has performed in some of the world’s most renowned music venues, from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House. But two years ago, he
landed his favorite gig: playing classical music for shelter dogs at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Adoption Center in New York City.

Every few weeks, Agee carries his violin to the shelter’s Animal Recovery Center, which houses animals coping with medical and behavioral issues stemming from cruelty and neglect. Often, dogs herald his arrival with barking, jumping and general chaos. Then he sits in a chair and begins to play soothing sonatas by classical composers like Bach, Handel and Mozart.

Click to expand...
This is amazing! What a labor of love!
 
Today 16th September is International Red Panda Day…

Red pandas are endangered, and researchers believe that their total population has declined by more than 50% over the last 20 years. Scientists estimate that there may only be 2,500 red pandas remaining in the wild today

There are red pandas at several zoos in the UK including almost on my doorstep in Hertfordshire, at Paradise Wildlife Park.
We love them and so do our grandchildren. Here are some of the times they have enjoyed seeing these beautiful animals:

Playing in the snow:




Birth of a new baby!


Baby taking first steps!


❤️😍❤️😍
 
Holly shared that in 2007, she lost her young son, Jake. The family chose to donate his organs and, in an awe-inspiring twist of fate, Kim’s newborn son, Beckham, was the recipient of Jake’s heart.

If you play the video, be sure to have tissues ready….

 
Historic Touchdown: NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Capsule Containing Asteroid Bennu Sample Has Landed !

DUGWAY PROVING GROUND, Utah  —  NASA's first-ever samples of an asteroid in deep space have landed safely on Earth in a historic first for the United States.

In a mid-morning operation at the U.S. Army's Dugway Proving Ground in the arid Utah desert, teams with NASA and the U.S. Air Force successfully recovered a space capsule with samples of asteroid Bennu taken by the agency's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in 2020. The mission marks the first time that NASA has taken a sample of an asteroid, not to mention successfully recovering it.

After traveling for over 4 billion miles (6.2 billion kilometers) to reach Bennu and then make the journey home, the OSIRIS-REx probe released its sample return capsule this morning while it was about 63,000 miles (101,000 km) above Earth. The capsule contains some 250 grams (8.8 ounces) of rocks and other material from Bennu, material that could help answer some of scientists' most burning questions about the origins of life on Earth and the early days of our solar system



"Touchdown for science!" said Jim Garvin, chief scientist of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, from the landing site during a live broadcast.
 
After successfully delivering NASA’s first asteroid sample collected in space, the OSIRIS-REx mission, now renamed OSIRIS-APEX, is embarking on a new journey — this time to study an asteroid that will closely approach Earth in just a few years.

Apophis, a space rock roughly 1,200 feet (366 meters) across, will come within 20,000 miles (32,187 kilometers) of Earth in about 5 ½ years, which is closer than satellites that orbit our planet and 10 times nearer than the moon.

The asteroid was named for the Egyptian god of chaos and darkness and is believed to be shaped like a peanut.

One hour after Apophis makes its close approach to Earth on April 13, 2029, OSIRIS-APEX — which is short for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security-APophis Explorer — will use Earth’s gravity to enter an orbit around the asteroid and closely study it for 18 months.

The spacecraft won’t be able to collect a sample from Apophis, because the sample collection head was included in the capsule with the Bennu sample delivered to Earth. But OSIRIS-APEX will use its gas thrusters in an attempt to kick up dust and small rocks both on and below Apophis’ surface to study them about 15 months after orbiting the asteroid.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/25/world/osiris-apophis-mission-scn/index.
 
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, Calif., welcomed a young Przewalski’s horse,earlier this year to mother Nikki and father Ziggy. The youngster was born through a pairing recommended by the Association of Zoo and Aquariums’ Przewalski’s Horse Species Survival Plan® (SSP).

The Przewalski’s horse SSP program, overseen by conservationists nationwide, manages the ex situ population of the species to ensure that the species remains healthy and genetically diverse.

Sometimes referred to as “the last wild horse,” the Przewalski’s horse is a critically endangered species that was considered extinct in the wild until 1996. The species has survived for the past 40 years almost entirely in zoos around the world, and ongoing reintroductions of Przewalski’s horses into their native habitats have established several herds in grasslands in China and Mongolia.

The successful birth of this calf at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park highlights the crucial role of conservation efforts at AZA-accredited facilities in preserving this species.

Meet Gobi….


:love::love:
 
Hollywood’s writers strike was declared over after nearly five months Tuesday night when board members from their union approved a contract agreement with studios, bringing the industry at least partly back from a historic halt in production.

The governing boards of the eastern and western branches of the Writers Guild of America and their joint negotiating committee all voted to accept the deal, two days after the tentative agreement was reached with a coalition of Hollywood’s biggest studios, streaming services and production companies. After the vote they declared that the strike would be over and writers would be free to start on scripts at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.

Late-night talk shows — the first to go dark when writers walked out on May 2 — are likely the first shows that will resume. Scripted shows will take longer to return, with actors still on strike and no negotiations yet on the horizon.

The writers still have to vote to ratify the contract themselves in early October, but lifting the strike will allow them to work during that process, the guild told members in an email.

✍️✍️✍️✍️
 
In Australia, it's becoming harder to find koalas in the wild, with the rough total estimate nationwide half of what it was 20 years ago. Now WWF Australia is giving a helping hand to the endangered species and working to regrow the population.


For 60 years, WWF ((World WildLife Fund) has worked to help people and nature thrive. As the world's leading conservation organization, WWF works in nearly 100 countries.
 
Well, this is not global news, but in my neck of the woods a big deal, ballroom dancer/ballet dancer becomes Boot Scootin Momma :LOL:

Friends are celebrating a 40th wedding anniversary at the weekend and are having a country and western theme for their party. They’ve erected a temporary wooden dance pad in the garden and seven members of the line dance group I practise with including moi are asked to give a floorshow 💃💃

We’re doing three numbers, opening with this one which our patient choreographer spent hours teaching us.
Final rehearsal was at the crack of dawn today…🤠

Hubby has agreed to accompany the hostess on the guitar..she’s a great country and western singer 👩‍🎤


See y’all later and have a great weekend 💃🤠👩‍🎤
 
According to the Journal of Medicine, participating in leisure activities like line dancing has been associated with a lower risk of dementia and a host of other health problems.

For example: improved condition of your heart and lungs. increased muscular strength, endurance and motor fitness, increased aerobic fitness, improved muscle tone and strength.

So come on SFers…. Get those legs moving. This is an easy peasy one …

 

Tens of thousands attend climate demo in Swiss capital​

klima.jpg

According to organizers, tens of thousands of people took part in the national climate demonstration in the city of Bern on Saturday. They called for immediate climate protection.

The unusually long demonstration started at 2:30pm with a slight delay not far from Bern train station, as a reporter from the Keystone-SDA news agency reported. The destination was the Bundesplatz. The organisers spoke of over 60,000 participants.

Participants formed several demo blocks on topics such as health, agriculture and outdoor activities. They wanted to illustrate that the effects of the climate crisis are already being felt in all areas of society.

The main demand of the rally was climate justice. The climate crisis is further exacerbating the inequalities that already exist at the global level, it said in a call. The countries of the Global North caused the crisis, the worst consequences of which would first affect the people in the South.

“The forest is burning, the Arctic is melting, politics is sleeping” could be read on one of the many handwritten banners. “If the climate were a bank, we would have saved it long ago,” was written elsewhere on a piece of cardboard.

The Swiss Climate Alliance called for the demonstration. According to its own information, it includes over 140 organisations from the areas of environment, development, churches, youth, trade unions and consumer protection.

Tens of thousands attend climate demo in Swiss capital

​

 
Paco Dennis said:

Tens of thousands attend climate demo in Swiss capital​

klima.jpg

According to organizers, tens of thousands of people took part in the national climate demonstration in the city of Bern on Saturday. They called for immediate climate protection.

The unusually long demonstration started at 2:30pm with a slight delay not far from Bern train station, as a reporter from the Keystone-SDA news agency reported. The destination was the Bundesplatz. The organisers spoke of over 60,000 participants.

Participants formed several demo blocks on topics such as health, agriculture and outdoor activities. They wanted to illustrate that the effects of the climate crisis are already being felt in all areas of society.

The main demand of the rally was climate justice. The climate crisis is further exacerbating the inequalities that already exist at the global level, it said in a call. The countries of the Global North caused the crisis, the worst consequences of which would first affect the people in the South.

“The forest is burning, the Arctic is melting, politics is sleeping” could be read on one of the many handwritten banners. “If the climate were a bank, we would have saved it long ago,” was written elsewhere on a piece of cardboard.

The Swiss Climate Alliance called for the demonstration. According to its own information, it includes over 140 organisations from the areas of environment, development, churches, youth, trade unions and consumer protection.

Tens of thousands attend climate demo in Swiss capital

​

Click to expand...
That's good news Paco!
 
Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian activist currently serving multiple sentences in Tehran's Evin Prison, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for fighting against women's oppression in the country and promoting human rights.

Mohammadi, 51, has frequently been arrested for her efforts assisting jailed activists and their families, with her first arrest taking place in 2011. Mohammadi is the 19th woman to win the award and the second Iranian woman after human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi won in 2003.

Narges fought and still fighting for human rights for women including the abolition of polygamy.


The former vice president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC) organization was chosen by a panel of experts in Norway from a list of just over 350 nominations.
 
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