#More than 1 million vets have received new toxic exposure benefits

[afeelgoodblog]

The Top 7 Best News of Last Week - August 8, 2022

🐶 - The story of a dog which was stolen 5 years ago and was found this week made me tear up :')

1. Coral makes comeback on Great Barrier Reef

Coral cover has bounced back across two thirds of the Great Barrier Reef.

The northern and central sections of the reef have the highest levels of coral cover recorded in 36 years of monitoring by the Australian Institute of Marine Science. While the reef has suffered negative effects from mass coral bleaching events in 2020 and again this summer, they weren't anywhere near as deadly for coral as the ones in 2016 and 2017.

The reef has also benefited from a few years without being battered by cyclones.

2. Emerald green hummingbird, feared to be extinct, has been spotted in Colombia

After years of attempts to find one of the world’s 10 most wanted bird species, the Santa Marta sabrewing has been unexpectedly rediscovered deep in the mountains of Colombia.

The tiny hummingbird had only been officially spotted twice: once when it was discovered in 1946 and again in 2010 when it landed serendipitously in a researcher’s mist net. Since then, it has been presumed by many to be extinct. “It’s so incredible to see photos and video of the Santa Marta sabrewing,” said John Mittermeier, director of threatened species outreach at the American Bird Conservancy, in a press release. “It’s like seeing a phantom.”

3. For 1st time since war began, Ukrainian grain ship leaves Odesa, bound for Lebanon

The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni, carrying Ukrainian grain, leaves the port in Odesa, Ukraine, on Monday.

More ships are expected to leave from Ukraine's ports through the safe corridors. At Odesa, 16 more vessels, all blocked since Russia's invasion on Feb. 24, were waiting their turn, with others to follow, Ukrainian authorities said.

4. Mother, daughter both pilot Southwest flight: 'It's been a dream come true'

Flying the friendly skies could not have been more touching for Southwest Airlines passengers en route from Denver, Colorado, to St. Louis, Missouri, last Saturday. 

Their pilots were Captain Holly Petitt and her daughter First Officer Keely Petitt, a mother-daughter duo in what the company calls a first for its flights. 

How nice for them! I can't help but smile :)

5. Iguanas reproducing on Galapagos island, more than a century after disappearing

Iguanas populated the island in vast numbers when Charles Darwin visited in the 1830s. Scientists believe the iguana disappeared from the island in the early 20th century, but now A land iguana is reproducing naturally following its reintroduction there.

In 2019, the Galapagos National Park authority reintroduced more than 3,000 iguanas from a nearby island to restore the natural ecosystem of Santiago, which lies at the centre of the Pacific archipelago.

6. Baytown family stunned their stolen dog 'Sheba' was found 5 years later

A Baytown family is stunned after receiving a message that their dog who was stolen five years ago was found more than 600 miles away. The Malmstrom family still can't get over the video that recently arrived on their phones.

"We were all crying," Stephanie Malmstrom recalled. "Me and my girls were just boohooing."

My dogs are my life and if they went missing that would be awful, so happy for this family!

7. Senate approves bill to aid vets exposed to toxic burn pits

A bill enhancing health care and disability benefits for millions of veterans exposed to toxic burn pits won final approval in the Senate on Tuesday, ending a brief stalemate over the measure that had infuriated advocates and inspired some to camp outside the Capitol.

The Senate approved the bill by a vote of 86-11. It now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law. Biden described the legislation as the biggest expansion of benefits for service-connected health issues in 30 years and the largest single bill ever to address exposure to burn pits.

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