2019, Some Positives

With 2019 coming to an end, I found myself thinking back on the past 12 months. For me, it was a pretty good year. But for many others...this year was a tough one for many reasons. As suck, since it's the last day of 2019, I thought I'd help show that 2019 wasn't completely without hope and joy...and some things to have a laugh about. Here's some positives of the year, courtesy of the Good News Network!

- In Vancouver, Canada, the world's first commercial electric airplane completed a successful flight. The ePlane, a six-passenger DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver, made a 15-minute flight on the Fraser River. Imagine that in the future, electric planes could be carrying people across the oceans in the future.

- In Georgetown Medical University, researchers there have discovered the brain's "off switch" for epilepsy seizures. This discovery could revolutionize treatment by making it possible to treat the particular neurons that misfire when seizures hit. This is pretty awesome, and I hope it ends up helping out a lot of people who need this.

- After serving six years as a Green Beret in Iraq and Afghanistan, Nate Boyer became the oldest rookie to play for the NFL at the age of 30. What's more amazing about this is that before he tried out for the University of Texas's football team, he never played football. He taught himself how to play via YouTube. He now plays for the Seattle Seahawks. Just goes to show that age is no impediment to being awesome.

- Ricky Butler is a Star Wars fan. He's been one since he first saw A New Hope in 1977. He's also a semi-retired actor who enjoyed building things and working with electronics. To celebrate The Rise of Skywalker, he built a working replica of R2-D2. The replica is able to move around, light up, and make noises like the actual droid. That's pretty cool.

- Desertification has become a major problem for Egypt, with 96% of the country becoming desert. Scientists there are determined to fight this problem, using recycled sewer water to create a forest. The Serapium Forest, located 10 miles west of the Suez Canal, contains a variety of trees like eucalyptus, teak, and mahogany trees. They're fed by recycled wastewater, which still is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus. Trees get fed real good from that. Scientists there have estimated that potentially 1.6 million acres of desert in the country could be made into arable forest land. Global warming and climate change have been big issues in recent years, so seeing this is a nice ray of hope.

- Engineers at the University of Illinois have developed a method to make lithium-ion batteries easily recyclable. Lithium-ion batteries are notorious for electrical shorts that can cause explosions and fires. This discovery could potentially lead to the creation of rechargeable batteries that don't lose charge after multiple uses and recharging, not to mention easier to recycle. Safer, too.

- When it comes to heavy metal, many of the most famous groups often hailed from the United States or the United Kingdom. However, Indonesia has put out their own heavy metal band. Meet Voice of  Baceprot. Comprised of three Muslim schoolgirls (Firdda Kurnia, Eusi Siti Aisyah, and Widi Rahmawati), they were inspired to create a band and make music after first hearing System of a Down in middle school. Despite protests from more conservative Indonesians, the girls have become very popular, playing in the biggest stages. Rock on, girls. They're showing that heavy metal is for everyone.

- Aleph Farms, an Israeli food company, announced in October that they managed to produce lab-grown meat in space. This innovation could help redefine the way that meat is produced, reducing land waste, water waste, and pollution. I honestly want to try a hot dog made from this meat.

- This video. Taken at the Shamarra Alpaca Farm in New Zealand, the farm is home to about 160 alpacas. It's a tourist trap for people who are fans of the fuzzy critters. It's very nice watching alpacas graze....

- In Oregon, a man name Rick Herrmann had been taking up the saxophone, and he's developed himself an unusual fanbase: His cows. Two videos of him playing for his cows were put up on social media by his daughter, and the videos have gotten over 12 million views. It's nice having your skills appreciated, even if the appreciators are bovine.

So, yeah. 2019 wasn't all bad. There were some things to take joy in. Hopefully, 2020 will be a good year for everyone reading this.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! See you next time!