This is Good News Friday, where we find some good economic, energy, and environmental news and share it with PP readers. Please send any positive news to dd@peakprosperity.com with subject header “Good News Friday.” We will save and post weekly. Enjoy!
Economy
California to launch nation’s first statewide earthquake warning system (Sparky1)
“Nothing can replace families having a plan for earthquakes and other emergencies,” Newsom said. “And we know the Big One might be around the corner. I encourage every Californian to download this app and ensure your family is earthquake ready.”
China seeks to boost certified elderly caregivers by 2 million (Sparky1)
By the end of 2018, China had a population of 249 million people aged 60 or older. About a quarter of that number have either physiological or cognitive disabilities, requiring care, according to the World Bank.
In contrast, a recent official estimate puts the number of certified caregivers at 300,000.
17 things frugal people usually don’t do (Adam)
Frugal people do not like to use credit cards as part of their everyday lifestyle. While some have the discipline to pay the cards off every month in full, others choose to stay far away from credit cards. I think self-awareness plays a big role in a person’s success with credit cards. If you know that you’re a spender who has been in debt for years, it’s probably a good time to cut up the cards and pay them off once and for all.
Alabama capital elects first black mayor in 200-year history (sv)
Reed was already the first black probate judge elected in Montgomery County and was one of the first to issue marriage licenses to gay couples in the state. His father, Joe Reed, is the longtime leader of the black caucus of the Alabama Democratic Party. Woods, who owns WCOV-TV, is the son of the late broadcasting executive Charles Woods, a perennial Alabama candidate for more than 30 years.
WATCH LIVE: NASA to conduct 1st all-female spacewalk (jdargis)
NASA leaders, Girl Scouts and others cheered Koch and Meir on. Parents also sent in messages of thanks and encouragement via social media. NASA included some in its TV coverage. “Go girls go,” two young sisters wrote on a sign in crayon. A group of middle schoolers held a long sign reading “The sky is not the limit!!”
At the same time, many expressed hope this will become routine in the future.
New Material Captures Carbon Dioxide and Efficiently Converts It to Useful Organic Materials (Thomas R.)
The material has an organic component with a propeller-like molecular structure, and as CO2 molecules approach the structure, they rotate and rearrange to permit C02 trapping, resulting in slight changes to the molecular channels within the PCP — this allows it to act as molecular sieve that can recognize molecules by size and shape. The PCP is also recyclable; the efficiency of the catalyst did not decrease even after 10 reaction cycles.
Booze run from behind bars: Inmates escape from Texas federal prison, return with whiskey (Thomas R.)
At around 10:30 p.m. Friday, four men were seen leaving the prison grounds and cutting through a neighboring ranch. Officers hiding in the brush stepped out and chased the inmates, who were caught and taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
NASA Engineer Proposes Fuelless Engine To Propel Spacecraft ‘Almost At Speed Of Light’ (Thomas R.)
This is not the first time a fuel free propulsion technique has been proposed. Robert Cook came up with an engine that would be able to convert centrifugal motion to linear motion while Robert Shawyer’s concept utilized trapped microwaves to create thrust. Both ideas didn’t work as they violated the law of conservation of momentum. While LightSail, a project by The Planetary Society replaced rocket propulsion by solar sails, it is still dependent on photons from the Sun.
Hundreds Of Houston Airport Workers To Get Raise, Higher Minimum Wage (sv)
“The order guarantees that hundreds of workers at Bush Intercontinental, Hobby and Ellington airports ultimately will be paid well above the federal and state minimum hourly wage of seven dollars and twenty-five cents,” Turner said while he signed the executive order at Houston City Hall.
Dog Ownership Associated With Longer Life—Especially Among Heart Attack and Stroke Survivors (Thomas R.)
Given previous research demonstrating how social isolation and lack of physical activity can negatively impact patients, researchers in both the study and meta-analysis sought to determine how dog ownership affected health outcomes. Prior studies have shown that dog ownership alleviates social isolation, improves physical activity and even lowers blood pressure—leading researchers to believe dog owners could potentially have better cardiovascular outcomes compared to non-owners.
Students Invent Door Handle for Public Bathrooms That Can Clean and Sanitize Itself (Thomas R.)
By using materials that cost only $13 per door handle, they combined titanium dioxide powder and ultraviolet LED lights to effectively develop a door handle that cleans itself.
Not only that, they also engineered a small gear box and generator to be hooked up to the door itself, making it self-powered. The kinetic energy generated from opening and closing the door provides enough electricity to keep the handle lit and functional.
Indian School Educates Students Who Pay Tuition With Plastic Waste Instead of Money (GNN Podcast) (Thomas R.)
Rather than requiring families to pay for kids’ education, this clever little school is asking students to collect plastic waste from around their communities. Hear our Good News Guru tell the inspiring story on the radio in Los Angeles—during the June 7, 2019 Ellen K. Morning Show on KOST-103.5.
This startup is saving crops by making ‘super bees’ (Sparky1)
In February 2019, the company started testing the formula at a major California almond farmer. Almond farmers, who are planting more almond trees to keep up with surging demand for the nut, are especially struggling to get enough bees to pollinate their crops. Almond farmers generally rent between 2 and 2.5 beehives per acre for the pollination season, but costs have jumped from $50 per beehive to about $230, said Viel.
Bison Are Finally Roaming These Prairie Lands Again for the First Time in 150 Years (Thomas R.)
“Bison are North America’s largest and most iconic mammal, and WWF is thrilled to be part of an effort to create the second largest herd in the National Park system,” said Martha Kauffman, managing director of WWF’s Northern Great Plains program. “The project has touched the imaginations of people across the US, and the matching dollars that WWF has provided wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of our supporters.”
A swim in the Potomac? The river’s remarkable recovery makes that a possibility, report says. (sv)
The Potomac is now on the verge of being one of the nation’s great river recovery stories, Belin said, putting it in the ranks of Boston’s Charles River and Portland’s Willamette as formerly no-go rivers that now invite residents into the water.
“In the next 10 years, the Potomac is poised to be the next urban river where you can go swimming,” Belin said. Conditions are already okay for a dip on many days, but not when rains flush more pollution off the banks.
Gold & Silver
Click to read the PM Daily Market Commentary: 10/17/19
Provided daily by the Peak Prosperity Gold & Silver Group
Article suggestions for the Daily Digest can be sent to dd@peakprosperity.com. All suggestions are filtered by the Daily Digest team and preference is given to those that are in alignment with the message of the Crash Course and the “3 Es.”
The post Daily Digest 10/18 – Good News Friday: The Potomac River’s Remarkable Recovery, Converting CO2 To Useful Organic Material appeared first on Peak Prosperity.
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