🌞 The music icon fund children’s literacy

I’m feeling introspective and have a question for you all. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

I’ll compile the wise words and share them next week. Have a beautiful Sunday!

An endangered sea turtle found over a year ago has been returned to its native waters in the Gulf of Mexico.

The turtle, whose name is Boeier (after the boat that rescued it) was found near the Netherlands after it became entangled in a commercial fishing boat’s net last year. The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is one of the most endangered species of sea turtle in the world, and little Boeier got caught in a current and ended up more than 8,000 kilometres away from its native waters.

It ended up being rescued and taken to Rotterdam Zoo where it was nursed back to health and eventually flown to Houston, where it arrived late last month. Following a string of medical tests, a healthy-looking and feeling Boeier was released into the Gulf of Mexico last week.

According to Houston Zoo, “Boeier’s journey is a testament to the power of collaboration and compassion in wildlife conservation, and its return to the Gulf of Mexico marks a significant milestone for the preservation of these magnificent creatures.”

We've written about the work of iconic Country music star Dolly Parton over the years for TDA's good news section - and today, she's making headlines for giving $US4.5 million to launch a new literacy program aimed at improving the literacy of young children.

The program, called Begin Bright, has the goal of ensuring every child in Nashville starts school with improved reading ability, and includes the creation of resources for teachers and parents as well.

It's part of Parton's broader 'Imagination Library' initiative, a program that provides over three million free books to children under five across the U.S. every month.

As of July this year, the Imagination Library had provided over 244 million free books to American children.

The Victorian Government has announced it will make pads and tampons free in public places.

Victoria was the first jurisdiction to make pads and tampons free in public schools. Now, the products will be available free of charge from vending machines.

The State Government said 50 vending machines will be installed in women’s, gender-neutral, and accessible public bathrooms across 30 Melbourne locations. The initiative will then be expanded to 700 sites next year, with machines to be installed at Victorian train stations, libraries, hospitals, courts, and TAFEs.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said pads and tampons are “a necessity,” and should be accessible “whenever and wherever”. Meanwhile, the state’s Minister for Women Natalie Hutchins said the program “provides cost-of-living relief for women while providing them the basic dignity they deserve”.

Here’s how to make the most of your time off in 2025!

As they say, work smarter, not harder. By taking your leave with public holidays, you can turn long weekends into epic adventures. With Intrepid’s Cyber Sale, here’s some trips that line up perfectly with a few annual leave hacks. 

New Year's: Go local and take off Jan 2-3 & 6-7 for a week on the Tasmania Adventure trip.

Easter & ANZAC Day: Take off Apr 14-17 & 22-24 for a 14-day holiday on the Essential Sri Lanka trip. 

2025 Christmas/New Year: End the year with two weeks in Borneo on Intrepid’s Real Borneo trip  - take off Dec 22-24, 29-30 & Jan 2.

Save on your next trip with Intrepid's Cyber sale!

In case you missed it, New York City has a new Honorary Dog Mayor. Simon the basset-cattle has emerged victorious from the very competitive voting process and will now be the leader of NYC’s dogs.

His first policy? Make more dogs wear ties. (He didn’t say this, but we think his cute little collar tie could set a new trend.) Simon’s owner said after the appointment that Simon is excited to be a mayor for not just dogs, but humans too.

He added: “Who would have thought that a wide-earred rescue dog from Texas could make his way to the Big Apple and become Mayor?!” It’s a reminder to us all to dream big.

P.S. Believe it or not, this is actually a serious story. The New York Times even featured the Very Important Election on its first page this week.