Month: March 2022

The Outsiders edited by Joe Mynhardt

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment

The Outsiders is a shared-world anthology which takes place in a small gated community in the UK called Priory, home to a cult that worships a colossal squid. Five different authors each contribute stories which fit together nicely. Each of our viewpoint characters are outsiders in some way either for being largely friendless, being black in a largely white neighborhood, being an unbeliever, or being gay in a religious community that frowns upon that. I felt like each story in the collection was better than the one before.

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Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • Endangered bat not seen in 40 years found in Rwanda. The Guardian.
  • NIH launches clinical trial of three mRNA HIV vaccines. NIH.
  • In Sweden, drones are beating ambulances to the scene — and saving lives. Reasons to be Cheerful.
  • In a remote corner of California, a state program successfully shelters homeless people. LA Times.
  • Covid restrictions prevented dengue in hundreds of thousands of people in 2020. The New York Times.
  • New Mexico’s governor just signed a bill to make college tuition-free. CNN.
  • New York closes 6 state prisons as inmate numbers drop. NBC New York.
  • EPA OKs plan to release 2.4 million more genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida and California as part of an expanded effort to combat transmission of diseases like Zika, dengue fever and canine heartworm. NBC News.
  • “Drug factory” beads implanted in mice take out tumors within a week. New Atlas.
  • State-of-the-art “living” concrete alternative soaks up carbon and heals itself. Anthropocene.

For more good news, check out The Progress Network, and Future Crunch.

Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • Worried about political polarization in the U.S.? Most people identify as neither Republican nor Democrat, give more money to charities than to political organizations, and don’t watch polarizing news. Axios.
  • 175 nations agreed last week to fast-track a treaty to curb plastic pollution. Bloomberg Green.
  • Denver has expanded the Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) program, which dispatches licensed mental health professionals instead of police for certain 911 calls. 9News Denver.
  • Delaware is shrinking racial gaps in cancer death. NPR.
  • An oral medication shows benefits treating Type 1 diabetes for at least two years after diagnosis. UAB.
  • Nanorobots propelled by magnets can be used repeatedly without fuel, offering a sustainable and cost-effective way to clean up industrial wastewater. NewScientist.
  • Target is raising its minimum wage to as much as $24 an hour. NPR.
  • Saudi Arabia has eliminated trachoma. WHO.
  • Japan’s 10-year cancer survival rate increased to 58.9%. Nippon.
  • Large-scale treatment decreases prevalence of Schistosomiasis by 60% among school-aged children in sub-Saharan Africa. WHO.
  • U.S. adopts rules easing path to green cards for abused, neglected minors. Reuters.
  • Britain pardons all men convicted under historical laws that criminalized being gay. Global Citizen.
  • New Zealand’s brown kiwi no longer threatened as population swells to 20,000. Stuff.
  • Humpback whales no longer listed as endangered after major recovery. ABC News.

For more good news, check out The Progress Network, and Future Crunch.

The Plague by Albert Camus

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment

“There’s no question of heroism in all this. It’s a matter of common decency. That’s an idea which may make some people smile, but the only means of fighting a plague is – common decency.”

During the beginning of the Covid pandemic, The Plague by Albert Camus had a spike in popularity. I’m a bit late to jump on the bandwagon, but I’m glad I got around to reading it. Quotes from it, such as the one above, speak directly to our times, in which an act of common decency, such as wearing a mask, is the best way to fight disease.

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The Word of the Lord by Harry Edgar Baker

~ D. J. Moore ~ 1 Comment

There are three different texts titled The Word of the Lord used by different Mormon splinter groups. One was written by Otto Fetting between 1927-1933. Another was written by William Draves starting in 1933. However, I could find next to nothing online about about the text written by Harry Edgar Baker between 1916 to 1918. Wikipedia mentions the other two books sharing this title, but not this earlier one.

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Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • In Afghanistan, women have been allowed to go back to Kabul University. Twitter.
  • An experimental drug that addresses anhedonia could increase the brain’s capacity to experience pleasure and herald a new era of precision medicine in psychiatry. Neo.Life.
  • Reported crime in Japan hits postwar low for seventh year running. Nippon.
  • A new distribution system is helping African countries ramp up vaccinations. New York Times.
  • How the US women’s soccer team won its battle for equal pay. El Pais.
  • In Uganda, a new approach to ending sexual and gender based violence: training men. Minority Africa.
  • Germany: Traffic deaths fall to lowest point in 60 years. DW.
  • New sickle cell treatment given to first patients in England. BBC News.
  • Guaranteed income program in DC lowered rates of food insecurity, report says. The Hill.

For more good news, check out The Progress Network, and Future Crunch.

Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • Polio has nearly been eradicated in Pakistan. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
  • Move over, crypto. A record number of workers are becoming millionaires with their boring 401(k)s and IRAs. Washington Post.
  • We can now use CRISPR to fight tick-borne diseases. Freethink.
  • A Florida plan to save manatees is working — thanks to 25 tons of lettuce. NBC News.
  • Belgium approves four-day week and gives employees the right to ignore their bosses after work. Euronews.
  • US approves new headlights that won’t blind oncoming drivers. AP News.
  • A major barrier to affordable housing is finally falling. Reasons to be Cheerful.
  • By altering the blood type of lungs, researchers raise the possibility of universal organs for transplants. STAT.
  • There’s finally a malaria vaccine. Meet the woman making sure it reaches Kenya’s children. Global Citizen.
  • Psychedelic therapy for depression still effective one year later. New Atlas.
  • These eye drops could replace your reading glasses. Scientific American.
  • Advances and breakthroughs in mental health worth celebrating. Good Good Good.
  • Mutation protecting against Alzheimer’s edited into human cells. Freethink.

For more good news, check out The Progress Network, and Future Crunch.