Month: November 2025

Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • New, effective anti-malaria drug could help fight rising resistance. Reuters.
  • Since devoting nearly all of its profits to climate and nature in late 2022, Patagonia has given away an extra $180 million. Fast Company.
  • With new ordinance, Santa Fe becomes first city to tie minimum wage to rental costs. Albuquerque Journal.
  • This vending machine in Colorado dispenses free prescription drugs to people facing homelessness. Good Good Good.

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

Death by Lightning

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment

Death by Lightning is a new four-episode series on Netflix about President Andrew Garfield (played by Michael Shannon). It’s well worth the watch. I’d say it’s historically accurate for the most part. They get a lot right, mentioning that Garfield never learned to swim, showing that he liked show tunes and chess and used to write poetry. There’s a scene of one of his sons causing chaos by riding his tricycle through the White House, which actually happened.

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Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • Cervical cancer vaccines save over 1 million lives in lower-income countries. Gavi.
  • Analysis of 150 U.S. cities shows one of the greatest drops in gun violence ever. The Trace.
  • Egypt eliminates trachoma as a public health problem. WHO.
  • India’s violent crime fell 29% over the past decade, riots fell by 40%, murders by 18%, and rape by nearly 20%. NDTV.
  • The number of murders in London in the first nine months (1st January to 30th September) of 2025 is the lowest since monthly records began and represents a fall of almost 60 per cent compared to 2003. London.gov.uk.
  • Over two decades ago, a small group of women with advanced breast cancer participated in a trial where they received a vaccine, and all are alive today. ABC11.
  • No fossil fuel growth expected in 2025. Ember.
  • A bipartisan coalition of 25 states, representing over half of America’s population and 60% of its economy, has cut greenhouse gas emissions 24% below 2005 levels while growing GDP by 34%. US Climate Alliance.
  • Global fossil use in industry peaked in 2014. Sales of petrol and diesel cars peaked in 2017. Fossil use in buildings peaked in 2018. The Telegraph.
  • Data shows endangered Palau ground doves swiftly recovering after conservation effort. Island Conservation.
  • Thanks to bipartisan effort and partnership between commercial fishermen and environmentalists, more than 50 U.S. fish stocks have bounced back from disaster. USA Today.

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

Dollface by Lindy Ryan

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment

Jill is a horror novelist, which made me suspect she’s an author stand-in, and the afterword pretty much confirms it. Her sister Kitty is a social media influencer, so both of them have jobs which are extremely difficult to make a living at.

For about the first fifth of the book, the only horror in Jill’s life, besides her tragic childhood, is PTA meetings, group texts, MLMs and a serious case of writer’s block. I like that the book debunks the razor blades in Halloween candy myth and other hoaxes.

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Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • In 1970, a category 3 cyclone killed 300,000 people in Bangladesh. Due to forecasting, early warning systems, and cyclone shelters, no year since 2007 has exceeded 200 deaths despite multiple category 4 and 5 cyclones. Our World in Data.
  • How Lithuania more than halved its suicide rate. Reasons to be Cheerful.
  • Czech Republic becomes 69th country to prohibit violence and abuse against children. End Corporal Punishment.
  • From 2016 to 2022, poverty in Mexico declined from 43.2% to 36.3%. The Borgen Project.
  • In Uganda, AIDS-related deaths drop 64 per cent from 2010 to 2024. Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.
  • China’s CO2 emissions have now been flat or falling for 18 months. CarbonBrief.
  • Brazil records biggest annual fall in emissions in 15 years, notably thanks to fight against deforestation. Le Monde.
  • AI finds an enzyme that can break down polyurethane plastic into reusable chemicals. Ars Technica.
  • Man invents solar-powered backpack that turns into a bed and a generator for homeless people. 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
  • Global maternity mortality declined by 41% between 2000 and 2023. WHO.
  • In 1900, only 31% of boys and 23% of girls were enrolled in school worldwide. Today, it’s 91% of boys and 89% of girls. Our World in Data.
  • 95% of kids with “bubble boy” disease cured by one-time gene therapy. New Atlas.
  • Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic may also curb drug and alcohol addiction. Science Daily.
  • So far this year, at least 31 US states have enacted laws designed to lower drug costs. Stateline.
  • Powerful new antibiotic that can kill superbugs discovered in soil bacteria. Nature.

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

The Book of Joseph

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment

In 1835, Egyptian papyri came into Joseph Smith’s possession. He translated one of them into the Book of Abraham. He identified another as the Book of Joseph, but died before he could translate it.

A text called The Book of Joseph appeared on the internet at some point. I haven’t been able to track down when it first appeared or who might have written it. My internet searching indicates it first appeared around the year 2000, although I have a dim recollection of it appearing earlier than this on Usenet. There’s endnotes provided by an Elder Todd J. Jumper, but I can’t find anything about him either.

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