1.Locals in Minneapolis are “Interrupting Violence”–One Lawn Chair at a Time. I absolutely love this story. Some residents of Minneapolis were tired of seeing so much violent crime. Recognizing that the local police were overloaded, they decided to take matters into their own hands. How? By simply bringing their lawn chairs and sitting down. They asked officers where the most violent neighborhoods were and all they do is sit down and create a presence. They talk. They engage. And it’s working.
2. Apple Co-Founder, Steve Wozniak, Launches Company to Clean Up Space Debris. This is something you don’t think about every day, but apparently there is a large amount of “space trash” circling our globe right now–around 27, 000 pieces at this moment. With numerous new satellites slated to enter orbit in the next few years, Steve Wozniak has launched a company called Privateer Space to clean up the existing junk. NASA has said that space junk–especially small pieces can be extremely dangerous and highly damaging, so I’m just glad someone thought to do this necessary job. I think he should be featured on Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe.
3. Mars Rover Grabs its First Rock Sample. The Mars Rover, Perseverance, was able to drill into the surface of Mars and grab a rock sample and send photos of it back to the folks at NASA. It is a truly historic moment, in that this is the first Mars Rock that will eventually make its way to our planet. The rover is currently exploring the bottom of an ancient lake bed known as the Jezero Crater. Scientists believe that this would be the best place to search for signs of ancient microbial life–should any exist.
4.Firefighters Have Been Winning the Battle to Protect Sequoia’s Giant Trees–Using Blankets. It seems that every summer California is overrun with wildfires. This year a lightening strike ignited a raging fire in the Sierra Nevada mountains where all of the famous giant sequoia trees grow. Fire fighters were able to wrap trees in fire proof blankets and save the mighty giants. Whew! I’m so glad because this is a definite must see on my bucket list.
5. Lost Sea Turtle Washed Ashore with Hypothermia Gets Flown Home to Spain With Its Own Boarding Pass. The three year old Loggerhead sea turtle named Julius Caesar had washed up on shore in Ireland suffering from hypothermia. It is thought that Julius accidently got caught in a wrong current taking him far away from the warm waters he needs to survive. Thanks to the folks of Aer Lingus Airlines, he was safely transported back to his home, getting his own seat so they could monitoring his health and well being. Glad you made it home, Julius!
What good things have you heard about this week? Feel free to share anything you find and remember–keep smiling!