Today is International Women’s Day! It’s been a United Nations-recognized holiday since 1977, but the first gathering took place all the way back in 1911. The 2024 theme for the global day is Inspire Inclusion. “When we inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion, we forge a better world,” the International Women’s Day website reads. “And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there’s a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment. Collectively, let’s forge a more inclusive world for women.” To celebrate today, consider patronizing a women-owned business, reading about some trailblazing women who reached major milestones after 40, or donating to Nice News’ March Cause of the Month, benefitting the YWCA.
Veteran homelessness has long been considered a crisis in the United States: During a January 2023 Point-in-Time count, the Department of Housing and Urban Development found that about 22 of every 10,000 veterans were experiencing homelessness. But a recent report from The War Horse shows that the efforts to curb this crisis are working — and they could be scaled up to help all unhoused people. According to the nonprofit newsroom, 83 communities and three entire states (Connecticut, Delaware, and Virginia) have “effectively ended” veteran homelessness. And from 2010 to 2022, the number of unhoused veterans more than halved. That’s thanks to significant investment from the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has adopted the Housing First model of tackling homelessness and ramped up its support programs. “The VA is driving the [national] reduction in veterans homelessness,” said Sam Tsemberis, founder of the Pathways Housing First Institute, the organization that created the model. Read more about how exactly the department has done it, and how those methods could be applied to civilians, too.
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Las Vegas sees plenty of high-profile guests come through its famous Strip, but one recent visitor was rarer than most. A yellow-billed loon — “one of the 10 rarest birds that regularly breed on the mainland U.S.,” according to the National Park Service — made a stopover at Lake Bellagio, causing the adjacent hotel to temporarily halt its iconic fountain show. Yellow-billed loons typically nest and breed in Arctic tundra habitats, so this particular bird likely got a bit lost as it makes its way north for the warmer months. Its Vegas vacation didn’t last long, though. On Wednesday, the Nevada Department of Wildlife relocated the loon “to a more suitable and remote location where it has space, food, and quiet surroundings,” spokesperson Doug Nielsen told the Associated Press. The animal “appeared to be in good health” when it was rescued from the human-made lake (which has since resumed its daily water shows). “The important thing at this point is the bird is where it has an opportunity to get reoriented and resume its northern migration,” Nielsen said. Meet the lost loon and watch a video of its release into the wild.
Culture
Malala Yousafzai Visits Texas Elementary School Named in Her Honor
Fort Bend Independent School District
On Sunday, Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai visited Malala Yousafzai Elementary School in Richmond, Texas. It was the education activist’s first trip to the Houston-area school, the only one in the U.S. that bears her name, since it opened in 2020. She said she was “over the moon” to finally see it. “I could stand here for hours and hours because I don’t want to leave this school,” she told an audience of about 400 students, teachers, parents, district leaders, elected officials, and school board members, according to The Fort Bend Star. “I want to be a student again and learn with you all. I want to be part of the choir.” Yousafzai, 26, began advocating for girls’ education as an adolescent in Pakistan. She garnered international attention after surviving a Taliban attack and won the Nobel Peace Prize at age 17. Today, she helms the Malala Fund, which works worldwide to “champion every girl’s right to 12 years of free, safe, quality education.” “I want you to believe in dreams, believe in yourself, and see yourself as a changemaker of today and tomorrow,” Yousafzai told the students at Malala Elementary. “You can do it.”
In Other News
Lawmakers are relaunching the Planetary Science Caucus with the goal of supporting and investing in space research and exploration.
Barbie unveiled the latest dolls in its Role Models collection, featuring Viola Davis, Shania Twain, Helen Mirren, and more.
This bright red Ferrari, stolen from a Formula One driver in Italy in 1995, has finally been recovered in the U.K.
Pencils down: For the first time, the SAT has gone all-digital for U.S. students taking the college entrance exam.
Something We Love
Otstar Jar Opener This product comes to you from the great Nancy Meyers. One of the director’s Instagram followers recently asked her what her favorite item under $100 is, and Meyers confidently answered with a photo of this handy jar opener. “Way under $100,” she wrote. “Love it.” The multi-function tool can help you open various lid sizes, from stubborn pickle jars to soda caps. Thankfully, Associate Editor Ally Mauch was up late scrolling social media earlier this week so we could bring Meyers’ recommendation to Nice News readers.
Recommendations are independently selected by our team but may result in a commission to Nice News which helps keep our content free.
Inspiring Story
Meet the climate grannies
Older women are a passionate and essential subsect of the environmental movement — and many are calling themselves climate grannies. “When I look my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren, my children, in the eye, I have to be able to say, ‘I did everything I could to protect you,’” one 78-year-old activist said.
The 2024 Crufts is underway! If you’ve never heard of it, Crufts is an international dog show dating back to 1891. Boasting more than 18,000 pup participants, it’s hosted by The Kennel Club in the U.K. This year’s competition kicked off yesterday and runs through Sunday — check out some photos of the dogs arriving in style.
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