So the new cycle has felt especially dark and especially heavy this week I think it's a very strange sensation to feel like your attention is being dragged from one bad news story to another it's like we couldn't even dwell in the sorrow or the tragedy that unfolded in one part of Sydney because you then had to focus on another part of.
Sydney which almost invented a third story of the two of those together exactly and I think um as we've spoken about at length on the podcast this week that does a lot for your Health when you're watching it unfold and so today we wanted to try end the week um by focusing on something a little different we wanted to speak about only the good.
News so that you can hopefully go into the weekend feeling as uplifted as possible of course given the circumstances and find that space to look at the brightness among the darkness okay I'm Keen to get into this because I want to feel uplifted myself what can we start with uh so I wanted to start with a homegrown good news story.
Which is about everyone's favorite or my favorite at least succession star Sarah snook so this week snook won best actress at the Olivier Awards and that is for her role in The Picture of Dorian Gray that's currently showing on London's West End have you heard anything about this play it's a single woman play right it is I mean it.
Literally is a single woman play but Sarah snook plays 26 characters wow in this show it goes for over 2 hours it's meant to be absolutely incredible it was showing in Sydney and then snook has been been performing it in London the play was developed and originally performed at the Sydney Theater Company a couple of years ago and now as I said.
It's in London snook was incredibly modest in accepting her honor she said that while it's build as a one woman show it's not it's the crew who are on stage with me all the time every night and they are vital and constant support and they are inspirational so thank you to the crew for being there in this show with me are the Olivia Awards like the.
Oscars highly highly prestigious they're the top honor you can win if you're an actor on a stage not bad for someone that has absolutely killed it across the award season and I just I don't know I feel really proud she's Australian and she's just clearly such a versatile actor and I am dying to go see this play in London that closes a week before I.
Get to London it's incredible to see Aussie kill it overseas in entertainment we love our Global Superstars uh and I think we can add snook to the list what else have you got so we're going to move over to Nigeria next where the world's first vaccine against menitis will be rolled out this is a really significant story because Nigeria is a hot spot for.
The deadly disease in Africa with 153 deaths recorded over the past 6 months now the vaccine is reported to protect against the five major strains that are prevalent in the country and we heard a bit from the World Health organization's director General who said and I quote menitis is an old and deadly foe but this new vaccine holds the potential to.
Change the trajectory of the disease preventing future outbreaks and saving many lives it always strikes me when we report on medical Innovation that we kind of throw it in as a good news story or talk about it quickly can you imagine the years of research and work that has gone into creating a little vial of a solution that can literally save.
People's lives it's incredible and I think it's really important to give the space to these innovations that are as you said saving lives and changing the face of disease all AC the world it's absolutely amazing we're going to definitely keep an eye on that story because it's clearly one that still has a bit to run um now I want to talk about.
Women's sport because we've talked about women's sport in this podcast a lot over the last 12 months um especially with the World Cup last year we're steaming towards the Olympics where a lot of the finest female athletes in the world are going to be on display but locally we've had a victory in women's sport this week right we have so last weekend the A-.
League women women made history setting a new Australian record for the most attended season of women's sport ever in the semi-final between the New Castle Jets and the Central Coast Mariners the number of Spectators reached nearly 300,000 people wow that's surpassing the previous record held by the 2023 AFL women's regular season it is just such a.
Victory for sport I think that I just go back to all the naysay during the Women's World Cup who said this is a moment in time it will never convert meaningfully and and to see a domestic game getting those sorts of numbers months and months and months after the World Cup I think it just shows that support for women's sport isn't going.
Anywhere that sponsorship deals and funding for these games are going to have to reflect the spectator numbers that are flowing through and I just think you know it proves everyone who said that wrong and shows that support for women's sport is a fixture in this country and we get to see the matildas back in action in Paris in 98 days but.
Who's counting s me okay we've got time for one more good news story what can you take us out with so this one is about a European Union announcement of a 3.5 billion Euro investment in Ocean protection and sustainability now that's around 5.8 billion Australian dollars the EU reps said that the billions would be split across investments in pollution.
Management biodiversity and sustainable fishing and I think this is a really good news story to end on because I feel like we obviously talk about the effects of climate change on this podcast really often and just this week scientists declared the fourth ever Global Coral bleaching event is underway so I think that when we're talking about stories.
Like that when we are highlighting the very severe and very significant effects of climate change I do think that we need to bring some hope and we do also need to highlight the work that's being done to try to combat the effects of climate change and so in this case a fairly substantial Financial commitment by the European Union there hopefully to.
Better protect oceans I think you know try to balance the bad with the good and I think this is a really meaningful contribution and hopefully we'll go a long way in protecting our oceans it's a lot of money so that's that's pretty impressive to see such a major Financial commitment it is now Sam before we jump off and head into the weekend I wanted.
To ask if you have a recommendation to give our listeners to help them feel a little bit lighter over the coming days can you go first so that I can go last cuz I have a prise hey I'm James and I edited the video you're watching if you're enjoying what you're watching we'd love for you to subscribe so you can stay up to date.
With all our latest video explainers plus it'll also help us reach new audiences thank you so much and now back to the Deep dive what please okay I will go first um I have had a few restless nights this week where I haven't been able to sleep um and I find myself scrolling TI talk cuz that's really going to help you not not.
Sleeping I'd like to not hear from anyone about my sleep hygiene um however what I have really enjoyed this week in my scrolling Abyss um is watching videos of people completing the Boston Marathon wow um so firstly watching anyone finish a marathon is an amazing amazing thing to witness like the the pure strength and mental determination it takes I'd.
Know yeah jeez I did a half Mar you ever done a half marathon you for asking um I have not run once since then and that was nearly 2 years ago um but watching people finish that is one thing watching people finish the Boston Marathon is another we know obviously that there was a terrorist attack that took place a number of years ago in Boston at that.
Finish line and so I just think it shows the circle of life it shows that you know strength brightness happiness ultimately wins and to watch you know I watched a 76-year-old run across the finish line and hug his wife and it was just so beautiful and it makes me really happy so I would recommend um watching those videos if you need a bit of a.
Pickme out the big tagline after the Boston bombings was Boston's strong I was in Boston wow and this idea of like a city coming together and and keeping strong and when I was watching some of the clips of this year's end you can see Boston Strong signs still everywhere amazing it's now part of the city's identity yeah okay Sam what's yours okay.
So I've been I I think I missed a chapter um and I don't of life of of a good solid um entertainment education okay I don't know why I I've missed this important chapter but I feel like I've missed out on romantic comedies and so I've been an important genre so important there's so many references I now know that people are throwing out.
There that come from funny movies um so this week we're knocking some off to try and get some lightness back Bridesmaids best movie never seen that before watch that and then have you heard of a movie called honey I have heard of a movie called because oh my God that makes you feel so good and there 20 years too.
Late and there's a bit of a how's this going to work for a podcast this is a bit of a this soundtrack yeah if I could set one song as an alarm it'd be this and I think this is a nice way to get every R get out of the podcast and into their weekend all right well on that note have a great weekend we'll be back again on.
Monday see you
