A 2016 study also people from 17 Different Countries whether they thought the world was Getting Better or worse. Just 11 percent believed things were improving. 30 percent thought things said more or less stayed the same. But the overwhelming majority 58 percent were of the opinion things were getting less. This dramatic scene is one of a selection of photos taken by photographers in 2018 for the World Press Photo exhibition at the village lantos in berlin but which impression is it that we take home with us one with positive foundations providing us with inspiration joy and amusement but do negative stories overshadow a view of the world one that can be so cruel unjust so traumatizing and terrifying. World in oxford is a more rarefied one the English University town has a special appeal for those with open minds its venerable halls of learning have seen no shortage of unconventional thinkers and people who like to see things along alternative lines. And ritchie from scotland is no exception she has a take on life that is fairly uncustomary. The world does not always a good points but its much much better than it was in the past and i think its really important that we have knowledge of us and understand this to make sure progress continues. Postdoctoral research on Global Development is a champion of presenting the world as it is including the good sides she and her colleagues at the universities Martin SchoolResearch Unit compiled figures and graphics for a database that emphasizes positive trends its featured on their website ole world in data. Life expectancy for example has risen significantly across the world. From a global average of 46 in 1950 to over 70 now. And the proportion of children dying before the age of 5 has steadily declined in many countries Child Mortality is no close to 0. The researchers also have encouraging news on the global poverty front over the last 30 years the number of people below the absolute Poverty Level those with an income of less than 1. 90 per day has fallen by 2 thirds the reason you need to understand these positive developments is because if you come out of the belief that the world is continually getting worse then none of the interventions that we had have actually worked then you become with a sample of the world and then europe and you get into position where he either feel like you can change and our friends will give up all. For. Solutions scientists have literally been taking to the stage to publicize their encouraging findings and a swedish doctor who died 2 years ago was a star on the International Conference circuit as enlightening and then to detaining ted talks have been viewed by millions online and many in the rich countries they think oh we can never end the extreme poverty of course they think so. Thats how. We have been more systematic when we fight. And then i discovered the work. And i really realized that all of the conceptions that have it the way the world is changing were really wrong then all these years in education ive kept up to date. And i just have no idea why it is news tend to be dominated by misery and suffering while positive stories barely have an impact media critic peter little says the imbalance in coverage is no accident. Its negative stories are just part of the Media Product menu that we have. And that menu look good says is determined by intense competition in the media world where the print online or t. V. And radio the desire to court consumers and enhance your brand positioning leads to exaggeration and sensationalism in the process turning human hardship into a spectator sport that is precisely what readers and viewers want says let go. Because people are limited in their process of selection limited to things that deviate from what they themselves see as normal. It might be unpleasant to accept but we tend to define our own happiness via the misfortune of others meaning im not affected thats why we need negative news stories. Very transformative change is. A single event. And the poor on a daily basis there things happen every single day the same thing every single day which you may think are very incremental but over here is a really transformative change is and no one is supporting that. So how does the prevalent present ism affect those who are promoting a more balanced view. Far from being disappointed or bitter and a richie and her team are happy to see even modest progress including grade school level. We see students draw i know theyre well my ups. And then there. Are all to our poverty or so theyre really learning about the world and learning about a large scale which for us its the best thing to see and what better place for a Homeless Team to celebrate the human story than the gloucester green market. Global cold in the region lights just around the corner from our office a microcosm of the modern world and here it is without doubt the positive world. Our global ideas series regularly features people striving to change things for the better for instance by helping to protect nature and our climate. This week we go to southern kenya a vast area home to a wide variety of flora and fauna particularly in the National Park the regions main tourist attraction. Its also home to the mass i a people that traditionally practice strict gender roles but as our reporter betina tomo discovered here to a changing. Room. Early morning in southern kenya near the tanzanian border. You know what oh oh oh. Oh oh oh oh oh oh my names you have to have said to. Me today mr team lioness we should you go to the money i mean the money pool full for 15 excess i said to play balance that it was a lot more about trying to make sure that decided you to walk and not the last leap. She works in a large area of my psych Community Land the local group branch it almost surrounds the say the National Park at the foot of mount kilimanjaro. But purity like car is one of 8 young women who have recently completed their training as rangers. Head ranger is part trick. Together they plan their Daily Missions their work can be very dangerous so any we walk in a very very high. There will be so buffaloes. Sometimes when you go to get through the bushes elephants are best mates out that. Comes through the training precautions and how would you react how would you be aware of your leg as you go out in one. Team lioness as the 8 are known is one of the 1st all female ranger units in kenya and the very 1st made up of my side women are traditionally women are considered weak and do not pursue an occupation outside of the family. Strict rules and hierarchy is observed for centuries in must psych munity so slowly being questioned and loosened. The other group is planning a patrol in the area surrounding the 4 ranger camps on the messiah Community Land in all their 70 rangers here. And we really like idea of this event yeah because though we want to. Them once and also their community that we consider them development to boil and. We can that would animals and the community. Several 1000 elephants live here too they move back and forth between National Parks in the west and the east of the country and traverse my side lands along the way there are no fences barring their path. Purity car and the rest of her team travel long distances on foot. Between 20 and 40 kilometers a day the same as the male rangers. Among their most important duties is talking to people who live here the messiah or seminomadic pastoralist who cover a lot of ground with their flocks and encounter wild animals along the way. Sometimes lions kill cattle elephants rampage in villages the rangers need to hear about problems and be informed if poachers are in the area. They charge animals Movement Patterns and register their g. P. S. Coordinates rangers are on patrol 7 days a week its a way for these women to break out of strict traditional gender roles but the job is far from easy. To cut because the little i know most they will follow and once. They can kill you so scared because a little. Longer that then so their wishes can be close. So you might be not aware but that it can kill you. Once a month purity like car of visits her family in their village for a weeks break. Her daughter lives here and is looked after by the extended family. That i manage her female relatives make jewelry and sell to tourists visiting the National Parks nearby from a side of women this kind of business is not considered controversial. It is also an important source of income. It allowed purity like chorus mother to pay her Childrens School cease. I told my father and my mother that you had to get it to me yet now ive done with my family you want me to come in death in how to live without. Me if you dont want of me to go into work then i told them no because you have educated me id like you implicitly with me to win. Me that. And with her regular income she can support her family. That has earned her respect in the community. What about your. Having seen purity and the other girls join the ranger unit. And seeing them working with confidence we made the right decision you know might have been phoebe and you know now were all going to. Any other girl who will be accepted into a rangy unit also have our acceptance. By. Purity like car is a pioneer a woman of courage and that will one day benefit her daughter as well. The job created a strong bond between the female rangers. It took a while to convince the village elders to give them permission to do the work the project was initiated by the ngo International Fund for animal welfare. This is a community that is really male dominated a lot saw the godchild that women get dont have a c you know lot of issues so weve been importing them not just to doing the job force but also in terms of education and scholarships to see in general weve been playing a bigger role in controversial matters here. Not the one rangers live in tents for now but proper housing is being planned. They spend 3 weeks together at a stretch that creates a sense of community. We discuss how you have been in chad beef cattle how you did continue with these walk then when remits together we encouraged us lets say the all about of their job so when we come together i would talk about food things that i both and even the interaction between us and then we talk about it yeah we had with author. This kind of female empowerment and selfdetermination is something new in their society but it appears to be catching on. Repression and discrimination are part of life for many women around the world on our new Facebook Channel d. W. Women youll find stories about those taking a stand and inspiring others to do the same d. W. Women gives a voice to women of all. Have you ever seen a whale in the wild whale watching expressions provide an opportunity to get up close to these gentle giants. Whales can be spotted in deep waters around the globe from the west coast of north america across the seas to south Africa Europe japan through to australia and new zealand. And something sensational is happening to humpback whales and once again being sighted in several places in the 1970 s. Widespread commercial whaling nearly caused their extinction then in the 1980 s. Whaling was largely banned and now humpback whales are returning to areas where they hadnt been seen decades. Will watchers off shore near new york on board the american princess this is their only bet the out. That has that fabulous. Photographing and recording the humpback whale that was in grout in new york. Every summer the humpback whales migrate here in search of food and are now believed to have strayed as far as the busy shipping lanes of new york harbor. Sylvia ackerman works for the gotham whales Conservation Group and is out here almost every day on the lookout for humpbacks. That whales. Have recovered significantly since the day. Well it was at that protection and our waters now also believed her. Then theyve been in decades. Odds are then we see the 1st 2 whales spouting. A sign that theyre on the hunt. The whale watchers are then also treated to a pod of young dolphins a key prey for both dolphins and humpback whales is menhaden up come on its an oily forage fish that isnt rich supply in these waters. What looks like rain hitting the water is actually a dense school of fish the menhaden often cluster in such concentrations that they can be easily spotted from the air off the coast of long island. The fish feed off algae and plankton that have absorbed Carbon Dioxide as such manhattan are both invaluable filter fish for the ocean and a vital part of the marine food chain. They not only supply the whales and dolphins but also other species the fish like striped bats fish sharks see the birds theyre whats known as a keystone species. Menhaden are an easy catch for whales but also for commercial fishing fleets their catch is reached a level where there were not enough fish left for the whales and dolphins the introduction of fishing quotas in 2013 song stocks recover and the whales return. Further south in rebuild virginia menhaden provide the main source of income the amiga protein corp is the last company on the east coast of the u. S. To catch manhattan on an industrial scale but not for the dinner table there amigo 3 rich flushes turned into fish oil or fish meal these fish here appear to be probably 3 to 4 years old based on the size but representatives from the fisheries agency. Actually well come here and take a sampling will actually determine the exact nature that this air base where we catch them which are in our captains logs selfhelp track that species the bar massive men hate. The menhaden are a big deal in retail until recently there were no official limits on catches of the fish their stock seemed inexhaustible except they werent overfishing brotman haydon close to extinction in the 1960 s. By which point the whales had already left a make up protein believes there is no danger of that happening again thanks to the quota theres no overfishing going on and the fact is that the fishery only takes you know about 6 to 8 percent of the biomass every year 68 percent and the other 94. 00 to 96. 00 or so percent of that biomass is left out there to to Service Ecological purpose. No menhaden no humpback whales a simple enough equation. But the figures cited by the fishing industry are disputed by scientists who are opposed to any increase in the permitted fishing quotas other animals such as the sea hawk also feed on the menhaden its a pivotal element of the entire ecosystem. For we join researcher alan pickett from Long Island Stony Brook University for a trip on her Research Ship theyre studying the biodiversity here in chicago bay which serves as a kind of nursery for a range of atlantic fish including many hayden using bait made of muzzle flash they set up an underwater camera and trap on the bottom of the bay always at the same spot. A few hours later the scientists will retrieve the latest findings for their long term study. Of the concept that really take into account not only the amount of fish of a. Bolts of fish but the amount of fish available to eat by whales by stride past 5 to nose version arcs that concept has been heard loud and clear the team records and measures everything picked up in the trop from baby blowfish to shrimp all links in the chain of the ecosystem which the whales depend on for food. When you see Large Schools right off of the close of new york city you know its incredible this is something that during my lifetime i have not been able to see before so it is just incredible to be able to see. Her excitement is shared by tourists who go on the 4 hour long whale watching tours. To go you know full well be free to crowds but slice of other elements wildlife. Lead off the beach theyre here we love to hear our dirty work native new yorker so were skeptical about everything under so many said they will whales out here we have to see it to believe it because we go back to the days when you know there was no light down here at. The gotham whales activists advocate for the whales and against higher fishing quotas will there be enough men haven for all parties in the long term there. If it stands half of the fleet and thats something the conservationists want to ensure in the hope that migrating humpback whales will keep on returning to feed on fish in the waters off new york city. And now were often told in europe where weve been invited into a home in iceland. Hi my name is software and im from frederick every character is a small village in the south of part of iceland so i want to welcome you into my home. So this is our living room. And here we stay most of the time. Our house is built on a hot area we never have to warm it up not in the end the time. Because its all thats hot. Comfortable. This is also my favorite thing here its from my mother i grew up with this. The flowers. For this for example is a gift from a very good friend and i really love this thing also these 2 years there since i was just since a remember since i was a little girl also this tear here its its very old i think it is for around 250 years old and it comes or its an early from work. With something as people in the old days. And this is my favorite thing here. Might be just that its an old grand piano since 1884. 00 i sometimes play it like that maybe try. Oh. Yes this is our kitchen here. And we have very fresh water you know of warm water and. The oldest. Its so clear you just drink it its very clear very cold the water. So i have a lot of africa things for example here in the window world this is my husband this is my house spent watching the venue is. My husbands name is stephanie ok height that me. But. Its me and my husband. Our mothers. Our children he has 4 and i have 4 and grandchildren. I hope you enjoyed visiting me and my husband here. And i hope you will come here to visit iceland our beautiful country see you here. That still this time did you enjoy our look at the brighter side of life. Drop us a line to global 3000. Come sunday if you get away on facebook d w women see you next week. In. The be in germany usually in dog. Countries abair real work on the bus or cars from observant samoa in the book take your dog for a drive the book down for eternity. Around the world just to. Double. Female of. The women in the indian state of maharashtra they come inland and its a large. Undertaking a sustainable approach to land. For the environment im stephanie since. 90 minutes on t. W. In the other life of climate change. Because mrs. Watson still keeps. One d. S. Do they have their future. Dot com africa megacities. Click counter. For 50 years of religious for peace and people from many different states for working together toward a common goal the peaceful resolution of religious conflicts. Analogous female members or for religion for peace from the middle east or demanding a Larger Community of. The female peacemakers stores january 5th on t. W. This is d. W. News live from baghdad tens of thousands of people are told to evacuate as flames close in on australias 2nd largest city mails that firefighters are struggling against bushfires found by strong winds and School Shooting temperatures lightning started more than a dozen if you find sort of a night also coming up