The Upside

As we near the end of the year (and, well, a decade even!), we all see those Best Of/Worst Of lists making their appearance. Today, I share The Guardian's The Upside List of the most positive things that happened in 2019. Although the #365ofgoodWR project is all about highlighting the good things happening locally, it's nice to take a moment to see the good happening in a broader context. So here's their list: 

• The school strikes and mounting awareness of the climate emergency.
• The fact that more people voted in elections than ever before.
• The sudden awareness of the power of the tree.
• The great progress in the battle against Aids and malaria.
• The growing consumer backlash against environmental waste.
• The cautious optimism about ketamine as a treatment for psychological disorders.
• The numbers of companies successfully experimenting with four-day working weeks.
• Upsider responses to our requests for unsung heroes – we will publish this as an alternative honours list between Christmas and new year.
As for this week, an eclectic flurry of uplifting journalism, including:
• Why Dutch prisons are so empty. Three-minute read.
• A room with a view (to a career in journalism). One-minute read.
• Young women take over Finnish government. Even shorter.
• A new country for the Pacific? Ninety-second read.
• The town giving families $500 a month. Two-minute read.

What do you think? Did they cover all the 'biggies'? What else would you add to this list? Comment below! 

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