Spain's solar paneled graveyard, and more

Spain's solar paneled graveyard

The cemetery in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, a working-class town outside Barcelona, has suddenly become a very energized place. That’s because the cemetery’s mausoleums are now capped by 462 solar panels, producing enough energy to power 60 homes. Flat, open land is rare in the densely populated town, and the graveyard was the only viable spot for officials to move ahead with their solar energy program. Families of the deceased agreed to the unusual arrangement after officials convinced them it would be a noble gesture. “The best tribute we can pay to our ancestors is to generate clean energy for generations,” said cemetery official Esteve Serret.

Britain's oldest newlyweds

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John Dawkins and Penny Cooper have become Great Britain’s oldest newlyweds, with a combined age of 179. Taking advantage of a leap year tradition, 89-year-old Dawkins proposed to 90-year-old Cooper last Feb. 29, after a nine-year courtship. Following the ceremony last week at a local registry office, the couple held a reception at the nursing home where Cooper lives. Both had been previously married; among their guests were 10 great-grandchildren. “It is a wonderful thing to love,” said Dawkins. “Without a shadow of a doubt, I would have been a very grumpy old man if I had not met Penny.”

Obama's cookie habit

When Barack Obama campaigned in Iowa last year, he and his family frequented the Baby Boomers Café in Des Moines, where they grew to love the shop’s chocolate chunk cookies. Word of the Obamas’ cookie habit spread, and now, sales of the cookies have shot from 400 a week to more than 1,000, with requests coming from as far away as Mexico. “Two months ago I was giving these cookies away,” said co-owner Rodney Maxfield. “Now, it’s like ‘I need two dozen cookies, I need four dozen cookies.’ I think everybody just thought, ‘Oh, great cookie, great president—the world is a happy place.’”