Fab News Friday
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Wrapping up the week with a global collection of positive news nuggets.
Light Cone
Dr. Elliot McGucken is a fine art photographer and physicist, and that combination matters. His ongoing series Spacetime Light Cone Sculptures pulls directly from Einstein’s theory of relativity, specifically the light cone, a geometric model describing the relationship between space, time, and the speed of light. To make it visible, McGucken flies drone-mounted lights through night skies above remote American landscapes, using long exposure to trace glowing cones and hourglass forms that hang in the darkness like diagrams of the cosmos made physical. Above the Trona Pinnacles and Alabama Hills, the sculptures look like portals or strange transmissions from somewhere just outside our understanding.
Divine Providence
A 14th-century church in Lancashire, northern England, has been saved from closure after a donation of rare coins from a “mystery benefactor” was belatedly discovered under its altar, said The Times. St Wilfrid’s, in the village of Melling, was struggling to fund repairs when the coins were found in a plastic bag, along with a note dated 2022 from a wellwisher. The nine gold Britannias - a limited edition coin issued by the Royal Mint in 1999 - have since been sold, fetching almost £30,000 (approx. US$40,000) for the church coffers.
Lifetime Achievement
George Clooney will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival, recognizing a career that has spanned acting, directing and producing across film and television. “I’ve had so many extraordinary moments in Venice,” Clooney said in a statement. “This festival is without question my favorite and to be given the Golden Lion is a tremendous honor. It also probably means I’m old, but I’ll take it.” In announcing the honor, Venice Artistic director Alberto Barbera described Clooney as “a complete and charismatic artist” whose career has combined mainstream success with an ongoing commitment to ambitious filmmaking and humanitarian causes. The 2026 Venice Film Festival runs 2 - 12 September.
Neil The Seal
“The only bloke in Tasmania who can stop traffic, ignore everyone, and still be loved for it,” says Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie about Neil, the 1,000kg seal and part-time resident of the island’s southern coastal communities. Locals look forward to the five-year-old’s regular trips into town, although his growing bulk has caused damage to cars, fences and bollards. The enormous elephant seal has been crushing fences, blocking traffic and bashing into parked cars, in what experts say is play-fighting behaviour. In short, he’s acting like an unruly teenager, play-fighting with seal stand-ins.
Halftime Show
FIFA and Global Citizen have announced that Justin Bieber has joined as a co-headliner of the World Cup 2026 Final Halftime Show, taking place on Sunday 19 July. He joins Madonna, Shakira, and BTS for the first Halftime Show in FIFA World Cup history. Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel and PS22 Chorus, the acclaimed choir of 4th and 5th graders from a public elementary school in Staten Island, New York, featuring Coldplay will also appear in the 11 minute show, which has been curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
Tiny EV Hits US
How cute is this little runaround? The Fiat Topolino is about the size of a golf cart, but it’s actually a street-legal EV with an electric range of up to 46 miles. Measuring just over 8 feet long, the low-speed vehicle (LSV), is legal on public roads with speed limits of 35 mph or less, making it perfect for driving around neighborhoods, beach towns, or resorts. The 2026 Topolino (Italian for 'little mouse') is already hugely popular in Italy and is now on sale in “limited quantities” in the US through select Fiat dealers, starting at $13,995 (not including a $990 destination fee).
Less Food Waste
A new California law is making it easier to reduce unnecessary food waste with a new labeling system that could be a win for both the planet and residents’ wallets. The law nixes “sell by” labels, which, much to the confusion of many shoppers, are not actually indicative of when something may go bad but rather for businesses to keep track of product rotation. Instead, all food products in the Golden State will now have “use by” and “best if used by” labels. The former indicates the date by which a food product is no longer safe to eat, while “best if used by” is the date by which a product is at its peak freshness or quality. The key is that the labels are unambiguous, so people aren’t throwing food and money out the window unnecessarily.
“Although I understand that all days are equal with 24 hours each, most of us agree that Friday is the longest day of the week and Sunday the shortest!” D.S. Mixell
On This Day
10 July 2018: Drake shattered The Beatles' 1964 record when he simultaneously charted seven singles in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 during the release week of his album Scorpion in July 2018. The Beatles previously held the record with five simultaneous top-10 hits.
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