News Above the Noise: Week of December 4, 2022
1. TIME's Top 100 Photos of 2022
TIME Magazine’s top 100 images of 2022 demonstrate just how different this year was from any other. From young protesters in Iran supporting women’s rights and Russian tanks in Ukraine, to the millions of voters who participated in elections held around the world, the photos show many of the changes we’ve collectively experienced. They also display powerful examples of progress, such as the U.S. Supreme Court class picture with their first ever Black female Justice and the first James Webb Space Telescope image released by NASA. To see the full collection, click here.
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2. What Makes China’s Wave of Protests Different This Time
Thousands in China have taken to the streets to stand up against the country’s harsh Covid-19 lockdown policies. The diverse mix of protesters throughout several locations—including workers, students, rural residents, and middle-class people—has some calling these demonstrations the biggest threat to China’s ruling Communist Party since Tiananmen Square in 1989. Learn more about why the Chinese protesters are resisting their government’s policies now, plus the changes they’re hoping to see here.
3. Calling Out of The Blue: Why Would You Do This to Someone You Love?
For many of us, impromptu calls have become roughly equivalent to showing up unannounced at someone’s home. As text messaging became the preferred way of communicating all but the gravest of news, our comfort and patience with person-to-person calls have eroded and the ringtone can carry an ominous feeling. Read more about why this once-preferred method of reaching out can create anxiety for some people here.
4. Why Is It So Hard for Men to Make Close Friends?
American men appear to be stuck in a “friendship recession”— a trend that started before the pandemic but seems to have accelerated over the past several years. In a survey conducted in 2021, less than half of the men said they were truly satisfied with how many friends they had. Fifteen percent said they had no close friends at all, which has increased fivefold since 1990, and the survey found that men were less likely than women to rely on their friends for emotional support. Learn four strategies that can help men to foster deeper friendships here.
5. What It’s Like To Live With Brain Fog
Brain fog, a form of cognitive dysfunction, has been plaguing people with certain chronic illnesses for years. Many of those affected describe feeling hazy, slow, drunk, or lost, and the often debilitating condition is in the spotlight now that a new wave of people with long covid are experiencing it. Research shows the majority of long-covid patients have reported brain fog, struggling with impaired attention, concentration, memory and processing speed. To learn about potential causes and first-person accounts of the condition, click here.
Editor's Note: Every week, The Sunday Paper's team of journalists sift through the news to find what Rises Above the Noise, makes sense of what's happening in the world, and provides hope for your week to come. While we do our best to provide our own informative summary of each piece, some publications require their own subscriptions beyond our control.
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