EnvironmentThe bright side
Montelupo repairs the Turbone bank damaged by severe weather
Tuscany reports completion of work following erosion in March 2025, near an old landfill.
AI illustration · Positive Times · ImageGen
From the archive: the edition of , with the original dates and sources for every story. Read the latest edition.
Music for today ·Edition of 18 October 2026
N° 041 8 stories to take with youPerspectives.
WorldThe bright side
Ukraine opens a laboratory to identify asbestos in debris
With Japan’s support, the national facility uses electron microscopy to identify very small fibres.
AI illustration · Positive Times · ImageGen
EnvironmentThe bright side
Bali launches Sungai Lestari to stop plastic before it reaches the sea
The programme focuses on prevention, collection and recycling; two Bali waterways are pilot sites.
AI illustration · Positive Times · ImageGen
ScienceThe good news
Juice looks across Africa on its journey to Jupiter
ESA publishes JANUS images from the September 28 Earth flyby, which also helped test the camera.
Moving forward.
CultureThe good news
Spoleto completes fresco restoration at Santi Giovanni e Paolo
The municipality announces reopening from October 16; work covered the entrance wall and side walls, excluding the apse.
AI illustration · Positive Times · ImageGen
CultureThe good news
Seventy-six students, six schools: Tuscany’s new orchestra makes its debut
At Florence’s Sala Mehta, the ensemble performed Grieg’s first Peer Gynt suite.
AI illustration · Positive Times · ImageGen
SocietyThe good news
Britain announces up to 600 rail apprenticeships over four years
The new route for people aged 16–21 will start in Derby: the places are a future commitment.
AI illustration · Positive Times · ImageGen
WorldThe good news
Albania and Armenia meet regional hepatitis B control targets
WHO recognises prevention progress: no HBsAg-positive tests were found among the children aged 6–8 surveyed.
AI illustration · Positive Times · ImageGen
A little more to discover.
Design · Philosophy · Plants · Curiosities · Words. Ideas worth a closer look.
01Design
Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky: designing the steps, not just the cupboards
The Frankfurt Kitchen made movement and domestic effort design questions, while leaving the division of household work open to discussion.
Read the full story
George Santayana: remembering does not mean standing still
A famous sentence asks us to retain experience, but its context distinguishes useful memory from repetition that can no longer adapt.
Read the full story03Plants
Begonia maculata: spots alone do not identify a plant
Asymmetrical leaves, silvery spots and jointed stems describe a particular begonia: identifying it means looking beyond the decorative pattern.
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Why does metal feel colder than wood?
Two spoons in the same room can share a temperature yet feel different: your hand also senses heat on the move.
Read the full story05Words
Telefono: an Italian word that carries a voice far away
The Italian name joins Greek elements in a modern construction: it describes a function without containing the device’s entire history.
Read the full storyOriginal illustrations made with AI assistance. Facts and sources stay in plain sight.
A chart a day
Edition of
Enlarge the chart Venus: one spin lasts longer than a year.
- Data period
- NASA/NSSDCA · 2025-03-18
- Datobello chart dated
Venus takes about 243.0 Earth days to turn once relative to the stars; its year lasts 224.7. Yet its solar day, from one noon to the next, lasts about 116.8 days. These are three different clocks: the word “day” alone can blur the distinction. [1][2]
The chart converts the durations in NASA’s fact sheet, updated on 18 March 2025, into 24-hour days. The source marks retrograde rotation with a minus sign; the bars show elapsed time and therefore positive values. This is an astronomical comparison, not a new observation made today. [1][2]
A project by gaiaz · Instagram
View the sources
- Planetary Fact Sheet — Metric NASA NSSDCA / David R. Williams · Published · Accessed
- Planetary Fact Sheet Notes NASA NSSDCA / David R. Williams · Published · Accessed
That is quite a lot of good for one day.
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