Month: December 2023

Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • Even though 3 in 4 Americans think crime rose this year, 2023 featured one of the lowest rates of violent crime in the United States in more than 50 years, as well as one of the largest national declines in murder on record. Jeff-alytics.
  • In 2023, US states have passed 103 gun safety laws for a total of 620 since 2012. Giffords.
  • Canada is promoting child care for $10 a day. Vox.
  • The number of U.S. electric school buses has more than doubled since last year. US Department of Energy.
  • Power generated by wind and solar in the US is slated to eclipse coal-fired electricity next year. Axios.
  • More than a third of power consumed in Delhi is green. The Times of India.
  • Since 2010, road traffic deaths have fallen by 5%. World Health Organization.

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

Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • FDA approves 2 gene therapies for sickle cell. One is the first to use the editing tool CRISPR. AP News.
  • Australian EV sales have increased by 185% since 2022. The Guardian.
  • Electric vehicles and hybrids grow to a record-high 18% of U.S. light-duty vehicle sales. EIA.
  • Forecast warns when sea life will get tangled in nets — one year in advance. Nature.
  • November jobs report shows labor market is flourishing in US. Axios.

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

Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • Detroit is close to recording its fewest homicides in nearly 60 years. Detroit Free Press.
  • Egypt wiped out hepatitis C. Now it is trying to help the rest of Africa. New York Times.
  • Murders due to gender violence in Spain have decreased by 29% in the last 20 years. Ministerio Del Interior.
  • Since 2016, 25 million people in eastern and southern Africa have gained access to electricity. World Bank.
  • Child and teen cancer deaths fell 24% in the last 2 decades in the US. NBC.
  • Deforestation across the Amazon rainforest so far this year has slowed dramatically, down 55.8% from the same period a year ago. Reuters.
  • The world’s solar capacity has doubled in the last 18 months. PV Magazine.
  • Detroit’s newest road can charge electric cars as they travel on it. Axios.

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

Worst. President. Ever. by Robert Strauss

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment

James Buchanan was born in a log cabin in Pennsylvania in 1791, the second of 11 children, not far from the Mason Dixon line. His father, also named James Buchanan, owned a general store which was successful enough for him to buy a substantial farm, then a store on main street in Mercersburg, and he eventually became one of the richest men in the area. As the oldest son, the younger James Buchanan was the favorite among his siblings, and was particularly close to his mother.

At 16, Buchanan went to college at Dickinson, but since his mother had already educated him in the classics, he found college too easy. He began his lifelong habit of smoking cigars (in later years, he would chew the ends of unlit cigars). He was the smartest student and also the most arrogant, flouting school rules. He got expelled for disorderly conduct.

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Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • Since the year 2000, stunting in children under 5 years of age has declined by one-third, and today, there are 60 million fewer undernourished children. Unicef.
  • Extreme poverty rate dropped faster than ever during the past decades. Gapminder.
  • The poverty rate in Tajikistan has fallen from 32% in 2009 to 13.4% in 2022. World Bank.
  • The Azores bullfinch has been brought back from the edge of extinction. European Commission.
  • Over the past decade, the Black Mambas, an all-female anti-poaching unit in South Africa, has eliminated rhino poaching in the Olifants West Nature Reserve. BBC.
  • 2023 might be the year of peak emissions. Climate Analytics.
  • Solar and wind comprise 88% of all new energy capacity built in India up to October 2023. Solar Quarter.
  • Hoboken, New Jersey has had zero traffic fatalities since January 2017 by lowering the speed limit, increasing visibility, adding bike lanes, and installing curb extensions. Bloomberg.
  • The US doesn’t have universal health care — but some states almost do. Vox.

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