A widow's heartfelt request, and more

A widow's heartfelt request

For decades, travelers on the London Underground were given an audio warning to “mind the gap” when boarding. In recent years, the “Tube” has been phasing out the famous phrase, but when the last station to play the message, Embankment, stopped doing so, the authorities received a heartfelt request. The widow of the man who recorded it in the 1960s begged them to reconsider, as she would often visit that station just to hear his voice. Tube bosses agreed, so Londoners will still be asked to “mind the gap” at Embankment.

Arthur Pinajian's near miss

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A celebrated artist finally had his work exhibited in New York City this week, 14 years after his death and six years after his life’s work was narrowly saved from being tossed into a dumpster. Around 3,000 of Arthur Pinajian’s canvases were discovered in a garage in Bellport, N.Y., in 2007, and the purchaser of the property, Thomas Schultz, salvaged as many of them as he could for posterity. Now, 50 of Pinajian’s restored artworks are being shown at a New York gallery, with asking prices of up to $500,000. “It was important that this collection and this artist gets the recognition he deserves,” said Schultz.

Schoolchildren save money for new playground

Schoolchildren in Nashville bought themselves a place to play last week, after saving up spare change for three years. When Lakeview Elementary Design Center couldn’t get funding for a new playground, it asked pupils and their families to start collecting. “We had penny drives, we had nickel drives, we had days for dollars and days for quarters,” said principal Robin Shumate. That saving eventually paid off; the thrifty kids raised $30,000, and there were further donations of $12,000. Whenever she glances at the new playground, said Shumate, “it really just tugs at my heart strings.”