John Lennon said the lyrics he wrote for “A Day in the Life”, the haunting last track of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, was inspired by contemporary newspaper articles. That was over half a century ago in 1967 and the feeling it nailed of hurried daily life infused with dark news continues to reverberate…

One of the best antidotes I’ve found to the relentless daily barrage of bleak news is the website Beautiful News, which features a daily infographic of positive news.

Scan the homepage for subjects that interest you.

Click on a square to read in more closely. A short explanation at the bottom gives the gist.

Click on DATA in the menu bar and you can find the research data that was used to create the graphics.

I find it more powerful and heartening than some of the other “positive” sites that have cropped up over the past year, including David Byrne’s Reasons to be Cheerful.. Perhaps because it is a quick potent hit of FACT that is not asking me to feel one way or another…

Each graphic is a reminder that there are amazing people out there patiently working on things to sl-o-o-w-w-w-ly cause change…

With thanks to Ruth Kissane.