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Thursday • February 29, 2024
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It’s Leap Day! Though leap years were created to keep the calendar in sync, Feb. 29 has evolved to be somewhat of a holiday (especially for the roughly 5 million people around the world who have a leap birthday). It may seem straightforward, but the math behind a leap day goes beyond an extra 24 hours every four years. For example, did you know that it’s not actually every four years? Years divisible by 100 are not leap years unless they’re also divisible by 400 — i.e. 2000 was a leap year, but 2100 won’t be. Learn more about leap years in this Associated Press article, including what would happen if we didn’t have them.
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Health & Wellness
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| Meet the 5th Person in the World to Achieve HIV, Leukemia Remission |
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| City of Hope |
When Paul Edmonds learned he had AIDS in 1988, he viewed it as a death sentence. But therapies helped him take control of the illness for more than three decades — and now he’s in full-blown remission, all thanks to a cancer diagnosis.
Blood cancers are common in older HIV patients, according to the cancer center City of Hope, where Edmonds, pictured on the left with husband Arnold House, was treated for his leukemia. In 2019, he received a transplant of stem cells that had a rare genetic mutation that causes HIV resistance.
As a result, he became the fifth person in the world to be cured of leukemia and reach HIV remission, a milestone recorded earlier this month in a study published by The New England Journal of Medicine. Of those five people, Edmonds, 68, is the oldest and had HIV for the longest period, 31 years.
Though he initially kept his identity anonymous, Edmonds went public with his journey last year. “A big reason I want to tell my story is to bring some hope for people with HIV,” he said at the time. “And I want to remember all those we lost.”
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Why It’s Time to Put Your Savings Into a High-Yield Account
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Annual percentage yields for high-yield savings accounts are currently reaching rarely seen highs. So what does that mean for you? If you don’t have your savings in a high-yield account right now, you could be missing out on earning practically free money every single month.
Nice News partner FinanceBuzz is even seeing banks allowing clients to earn up to 5% APY* (and even higher) on every dollar. Rates this high could equate to thousands over time — and all you have to do is deposit your cash into one of these accounts. Click below to read about which ones FinanceBuzz recommends.
Disclaimers: *APY means annual percentage yield. Rates accurate as of 2/9/2024. Fees may reduce earnings.
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*Please support our sponsors! They help us keep Nice News free. ♡
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Environment
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| How Crafting Is Helping to Clean Up Trash on Mount Everest |
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Jasper Chamber/ iStock
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Nepal’s Department of Tourism estimates that there are nearly 140,000 tons of waste on Mount Everest, all left behind by adventurers who set out to climb its peak. Thanks to a government initiative kicked off in 2019, the trash now gets collected and recycled, but there are some items, like ropes, that cannot go through the recycling process.
Enter Shilshila Acharya. She owns a waste processing business in the country’s capital and runs a program that uses some of that extra material and provides job opportunities for Indigenous women. Acharya employs 15 craftswomen to turn ropes and other waste into new products, such as boxes and table mats.
“While this may seem insignificant compared to waste in the mountains, it’s a start,” she told NPR, adding, “We aim to connect local expertise, mountain waste, and the local economy.”
One of the craftswomen, Sunita Kumari Chaudhary, said she initially didn’t know the materials she was working with were from Everest. “Later, I learned that [the ropes were] collected during a mountain cleaning campaign. And people like me, who are far from the mountains but belong to the Indigenous Tharu community, are using our traditional skills to transform this waste into something entirely new.”
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Culture
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| In a First, All National Women’s Soccer League Teams Will Receive New Nike Kits |
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| Nike |
For the first time, all 14 clubs in the National Women’s Soccer League will receive new Nike kits ahead of the 2024 season. Per a press release from the NWSL, each team’s unique uniform draws “inspiration from the colors and landscapes of the areas where they live and play.”
They contain a level of detail and boldness that was lacking in previous kit iterations, “when teams looked like local youth clubs,” ESPN reports. Nike has also done away with white shorts, based on input from players about visible period leaks. Beyond the exciting designs and practical changes, though, the league-wide upgrade is a sign that NWSL is “leveling up” 11 seasons in, Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer Julie Haddon told the outlet.
Jerseys and other NWSL merchandise will now be more accessible and fashionable than ever, which will help grow its fan base and commercial success. “A lot of fans of the NWSL are drawn to the culture of the league and the energy of the league and the fashion-forward content that is out there with the players,” Haddon said. “So, I think there’s a lot of excitement around the way we’re building new audiences together. We’re bridging the audience of the current avid fan with the future fan.”
Click here to see each team’s kit, and below to read more about what the change means for the future of the NWSL.
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In Other News
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Inspiring Stories
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Happy 25th birthday!
Mary Lea Forsythe is 100 years old today, but it’s technically only her 25th birthday. “I always thought I was blessed,” she said of growing up with a leap day birthday. “It was so much fun. We celebrated whenever we wanted to.”
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“It’s been a lifeline”
On the coasts of Australia, the organization Surfing Mums is helping moms enjoy the sport and stay in the water by providing childcare while they surf. “It’s much more than just someone looking after your child, it’s a community that’s powerful to be around,” one member said.
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Post of the Day
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@Jefferies_
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Harry Jefferies shared this photo of his grandfather on X, explaining that the 85-year-old has been working on his rock map of Scotland since 1992 and wanted it to go viral on social media. The post garnered over 100,000 likes and millions of views in just a few days, so we’d say he’s succeeded. “He collected rocks during amateur geology trips over 30 years. He says it had to be geologically correct and also aesthetically pleasing,” Jefferies wrote, adding that his grandpa is now “over the moon” by the internet’s response to his creation. Get a closer look at it. (Photo Credit: @Jefferies_/ X)
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Quote of the Day
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| “There is light in darkness, you just have to find it.”
- bell hooks
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