Art & Good News 11-4-2023
Weekly roundup for November 4th, 2023 with art and uplifting stories
Starting with some art…
Windmills and solar are the future. I have faith and hope that we will continue the positive trends that are seen in countless articles about wind and solar being the future of energy. This illustration has become a reflection of that positive future. It is absolutely not a cross between a lighthouse and a windmill because I wasn’t thinking before I started drawing đŸ˜‚. I hope you all had a wonderful week, and some happy halloween festivities.
Now to the Good News…
Learn the origin story of Chicago’s pothole artist
I love a good story about art, and this episode from Chicago’s WBEZ show Rundown is a really interesting piece on a mosaic artist who has been filling the city’s potholes with beautiful art. Jim Bachor is the artist who fills the potholes with fun contemporary pop culture references in this old world style of art. He was inspired by a tour guides comments while on a trip to Pompeii, and the comments about the lasting quality and staying power of a beautiful mosaic hold true and make the time spent creating these masterpieces all the more impressive. If you have time the episode of the Rundown is an interesting dive into the artistic process, and check out Jim’s Instagram for more examples of the beautiful mosaics he creates.
This next NASA mission to an asteroid is seriously metal
NASA is sending a satellite to check out an asteroid that is unique compared to other asteroids and planets we have explored in the past. The asteroid, named Psyche, was first discovered in 1852 and is one of the largest all metallic asteroids we know about. The goal is to examine the asteroid to determine more info about metal cores of planetary bodies, because asteroids are remnants of planetary formation and how violent collisions at the dawn of the solar system impacted these metal dense cored planets. It is also special because up to this point we have only worlds that were made up of rock, ice or gas. We don’t even know what the asteroid really looks like yet due to its distance from us. The data that can come back from a mission like this will be really interesting to glean as it gets underway.
France pledges to embed abortion rights in constitution
While many countries are increasing restrictions on a woman’s autonomy over her body, France is doubling down on a woman’s right to choose. President Emmanuel Macron is pledging to have a woman’s right to choose whether or not she has an abortion enshrined in the French constitution by next year. The country conducted a poll last year that showed there was a whopping 89% support for better protections of abortion rights. This support sent a clear message that France should take action, while also sending a clear message to other leading nations that more should be done in support of women’s health. This is a positive example for the rest of the world to see that a woman’s choice and health are an important thing to support.