Been so busy recently with various things that today almost passed me by.
I honestly thought the anniversary of reasons to be cheerful wasn’t going to be for another week so today isn’t just the 10 year anniversary of Facebook.

Have to say I’m shocked by the fact that it has been a full year of positive news.
In some ways I guess my point has been proven but I don’t see this as a reason to stop.
This blog has made people smile, saved a life and has changed the view that many people have of the news and the possibilities of things around the world.

So for comparison here are today’s positive news stories:

And for those of you who didn’t share in the start on facebook, here’s where it all began:

Each morning I drive to world listening to the Today show on Radio 4 and I’m left with a regular sense of impending doom; I check my Social Media Feeds & E-mails for stories of my friends joy and successes and I’m generally bombarded with rants, shared posters about evil government and how the economy is screwed; I glance at the front pages of newspapers in the queue at the canteen at work to see a steady flow of stories about broken relationships, corruption and death; I get home and turn on the TV to be assailed by images of horror and more news about the end being pretty much nigh. Now while a bit of an exaggeration it often feels like I’m not exaggerating at all or if I am only a little bit. So I look outside and see the sky is still there, I look around and see that no one appears to have suddenly dropped dead and that lunch is still being served.

So I am generally left asking if things really as bad as people keep telling me? Now, I will freely admit that as someone living in the developed west with solid qualifications and a partner I love to bits I have got it better than plenty of people in the world, but I keep getting told that we are all going to get it in the neck any minute now so I thought I would have a look and see if there was anything below the fold that it was worth mentioning. So here are some headlines you likely have not heard:

• Last week Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Bredon Ayanbadejo came out in support of same sex marriage.
• Today legislation to give same sex couples the right to marriage gets its first reading in the commons and should pass the first vote.
• In sports news the England’s Womens Rugby Team started their 6 nations with a 76-0 win over Scotland.
• US plans to allow women to fight on frontlines in the military.
• Barclays Bank Chief has waived his bonus.
• There’s genuine movement on regulation to protect against another collapse in financial institutions, and banks facing being broken up if they fail to comply.
• South Africa’s richest tycoon is giving half his fortune away to help the poor.
• Somalia has a president and a government that is slowly but steadily taking control back of the country with the support of African union forces. Bloke isn’t a warlord but a former lecturer.
• UK Got a manufacturing boost which should help the economy. I know that lots of people believe that we don’t manufacture anything in the UK anymore but we actually have an amazing reputation for producing amazing engineers and high end precision manufacturing. The Raspberry Pi Model B, the little computer that is taking the world by storm, was conceived in the UK and is now produced in UK with Google backing a project to supply them to schools to help improve the teaching of engineering, technology and coding.
• On a similar note Jaguar Land Rover had a record year in 2012 and are making serious plans for the future.
• The company that makes Black Cabs has had its future secured by a Chinese Car Manufacturer
• While poor management may have let HMV down there’s a queue of companies wanting to buy the business and get it back trading with Hilco the company that rescued HMV Canada being at the head of the queue.

One of the big challenges for green power like Solar, Wind & Tidal is that while they have great potential they often produce lots of energy when demand is low which cannot be stored for later. Last week a new Mega Battery was switched on in Texas as a potential answer to exactly this issue. This also goes along with the work on using such energy to generate hydrogen or compressed as alternative answers to the same question.

• Richard III body has been found in a great effort by Leicester University and other historians meaning we have found a wonderful piece of history once thought lost forever.
• For art lovers out there see great works of art are being given to the nation. Genuine treasures coming out of private collections.
• Biffy Clyro who had their first single Number 1 via Olly Murs have finally got a long deserved #1 Album.
• Also check out Jake Bugg evidence that there is still plenty of good music out there.

Some of these are fluffy human interest stories, others have genuine impact for our lives and futures.
Remembering the eighties, nineties and noughties I don’t think I can remember any extended period of time when someone wasn’t telly me that something awful was happening or about to happen, weather it was terrorists, unemployment, impending financial doom, or certain death if your went to the doctors or used the NHS (Again exaggerating…a little). Recently a lot of the worst news has not come from revelations of past misdeeds, for me such news should not be bemoaned but celebrated as the truth comes to light and we can see how society has moved on and that people have a chance at justice. At some point something bad will likely happen to all of us in our lives. At that time you may well have to choose between staring into the darkness where everything will seem broken or impossible, or look to the positive, build on it and climb a little higher.

Hope everyone finds a ray of sunshine today.
check out Jake Bugg evidence that there is still plenty of good music