Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • Nearly 20 million lives saved in Africa through measles vaccinations. WHO.
  • In the last 20 years, poverty in Paraguay has plummeted from over 50 percent to only 16 percent in 2025. World Bank.
  • Teen births plummet in the United States to 11.7 births per 1,000 in 2025, down from 61.8 in 1991. NPR.
  • Mexico’s president to roll out universal healthcare for 120 million people. Novara Media.
  • The share of renewables in global power generation hit nearly 34% in 2025, overtaking coal for the first time. Ember.
  • Man unexpectedly cured of HIV after stem cell transplant. Tech Fixated.
  • This 13-year-old has earned nearly half a million followers by cooking meals for his unhoused neighbors. Good Good Good.

For more good news, check out Fix the News and The Progress Network.

Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • The global suicide rate has fallen 40% since the 1990s. Our World in Data.
  • In a first, renewables beat natural gas on US grid last month. Canary Media.
  • Five “missing” bird species rediscovered in 2025. Mongabay.
  • Researchers have found that even a short break from your phone yields substantial benefits: improved attention equivalent to erasing a decade’s worth of age-related cognitive decline and a more significant effect on depression than that produced by antidepressants. The Washington Post.

For more good news, check out Fix the News and The Progress Network.

The Simpsons Season 11

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment

“Beyond Blunderdome” (S11, E1) features Mel Gibson who was presented as beloved at the time with Robert Downey Jr. and Hugh Grant presented as degenerates. Just goes to show how easy it is for actors to go from being loved to despised to loved again. Since I’m keeping track of presidential references, I’ll mention an unnamed monocle-wearing president is decapitated in the movie Mel Gibson and Homer make together.

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Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • Argentina’s poverty rate dropped to just 28% at the end of 2025, down from 53% in early 2024. Semafor.
  • Pedestrian deaths in the United States fell 10.9% in the first half of 2025, the biggest recorded drop since national tracking began 15 years ago. GHSA.
  • Uruguay built a power grid that runs almost entirely on renewables—at half the cost of fossil fuels. Forbes.
  • Battery costs have declined by 99% in the last three decades, making electrified transport a reality. Our World in Data.
  • The ampurta, a blond or brown guinea pig-sized marsupial, once endangered, has made a big comeback. Mongabay.

For more good news, check out Fix the News and The Progress Network.

The X Files Season 2

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment

At the end of Season 1, the X Files had been discontinued and Mulder and Scully have been assigned to other duties. Season 2 kicks off with “Little Green Men” (S2, E1) in which Mulder investigates an alien signal picked up by the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. This episode feels very cinematic. There’s a lot of location shooting, a car chase, and Mulder and Scully are separate for much of the episode each doing their own thing. We also get a flashback to Mulder’s sister being abducted. It’s like a mini movie. I had forgotten about how much Mulder likes sunflower seeds until the opening scene depicts him with his feet buried in shells.

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Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • Since 1990, global under-five deaths have fallen from 13 million to 4.9 million a year thanks to vaccines, oral rehydration, bed nets and safer births. Unicef.
  • The youth literacy rate in South Asia has risen from 53% in 1985 to 93% in 2023. Our World in Data.
  • Child labor drops 38.5 percent in the Philippines over last two years. Philstar.
  • Virginia has passed 25 gun reform laws, including a ban on assault weapons. The Trace.
  • After 1,400 years, the first female Archbishop of Canterbury is enthroned. The New York Times.
  • Mexico’s monarch butterfly population jumps 64% year-over-year. The Guardian.
  • Waymo self-driving cars were involved in 92% fewer crashes that cause serious or fatal injuries than human drivers, meaning they’re 13 times safer. Waypoint.
  • Battery costs have declined by 99% in the last three decades, making electrified transport a reality. Our World in Data.
  • China approves brain chip to treat paralysis — a world first. Nature.

For more good news, check out Fix the News and The Progress Network.

Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • 6.2 million fewer people are experiencing hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean since 2020. PAHO.
  • Cancer death rates in the UK have fallen to their lowest level on record. The Conversation.
  • 1.5 million people moved above the poverty line in Uzbekistan in 2025. Euro News.
  • In Malawi, between 2016 and 2024, and maternal mortality declined from 439 to 224 deaths per 100,000 live births. Afro Barometer.
  • Fentanyl-related overdose deaths fell by nearly 30 per cent in the space of a year in the US. NewScientist.
  • A generation ago, Poland rationed sugar and flour while its citizens were paid one-tenth what West Germans earned. Today, the economy of the country has edged past Switzerland to become the world’s 20th largest with more than $1 trillion in annual output. AP.
  • The Quapaw Nation brought one of America’s most contaminated mining landscapes back to life. The Guardian.
  • Cycle lanes, electric cars and other interventions have helped 19 global cities slash levels of pollutants by more than 20% since 2010. The Guardian.
  • India’s second largest state is rolling out free rooftop solar for its poorest citizens. India TV.
  • The whooping crane population has climbed from barely more than 20 individuals worldwide in 1941 to roughly 800 today after decades of habitat protection and captive breeding and release programs. The New York Times.
  • Scientists discover how to turn plastic waste into vinegar. Good Good Good.

For more good news, check out Fix the News and The Progress Network.