Author: D. J. Moore

Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • In 2024, Gavi-supported vaccines saved a record-breaking 1.7 million lives – 400,000 more than in 2023. Gavi.
  • Traffic deaths in New York City reached near-record lows through the first three quarters of 2025, with traffic fatalities down 18 percent compared to the first nine months of last year due to street redesigns. NYC DOT.
  • Since 2010, the number of people using tobacco has dropped by 120 million. WHO.
  • Burkina Faso bans child marriage. Girls Not Brides.
  • Time on social media peaked in 2022, with young people cutting back first. Financial Times.
  • Renewables overtake coal as world’s biggest source of electricity. BBC.
  • Sales of fully electric or hybrid vehicles made up more than half of all new car registrations in the UK last month. BBC.
  • Self-driving cars are 80% less likely to get into a serious crash than human drivers. The Argument.
  • Student invents self-sanitizing door handle for hospitals. 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
  • Since its inception in 2002, health programs supported by the Global Fund partnership have saved 70 million lives. The Global Fund.
  • Since 2016, Uzbekistan’s consistent reforms have lifted 7.5 million people out of poverty. Islamic Development Bank.
  • Huntington’s disease successfully treated for first time. BBC.
  • How America cut deadly city fires in half. Vox.
  • Immigration detention ends in provincial jails across Canada. Amnesty.
  • Bolivia bans child marriage following campaign by children and civil society organizations. Save the Children.
  • The number of child marriages in the US has decreased every year between 2001 and 2020, although it rose slightly in 2021. Unchained at Last.
  • Charitable giving in 2024 was up, according to new Giving USA report. AP.
  • Uruguay decarbonized its grid in just five years, with 98 percent of its energy coming from renewable sources. The Washington Post.
  • Per capita energy-related CO2 emissions decreased in every US state between 2005 & 2023. Clean Technica.
  • Renewables have turned Spain into one of Europe’s cheapest electricity markets. The Progress Playbook.
  • Critically endangered shark, called the ‘labrador of the sea,’ rebounds in Australia. Good Good Good.
  • Scientists create clear coating to invisibly turn windows into solar panels. Science Alert.
  • AI brain scans can triple stroke recovery rates, NHS analysis finds. BMJ.
  • Commercial-scale carbon-capture systems for cement plants are now being deployed, raising hopes that one of the trickiest industrial sectors to decarbonise could finally be on the path towards net-zero emissions. New Scientist.

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

The Simpsons Season 7

~ D. J. Moore ~ 1 Comment

The season opener, “Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part Two” (S7, E1) gets us off to a great start. We’re told Mr. Burns was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. However, he’s then taken to a better hospital where his condition is upgraded to living. Chief Wiggum investigates several suspects. Guest star Tito Puente vowed revenge on Mr. Burns, but he didn’t intend to shoot him, just write a slanderous mambo titled “Señor Burns”. A great musical number. Principle Skinner has an alibi in the form of Superintendent Chalmers, however, he accidentally put on his mother’s make-up when Chalmers saw him, so he tells the chief that Chalmers is his alibi, but anything else he says is a lie. Wiggum hooks the bartender Moe up to a lie detector. Moe says he doesn’t deserve this shabby treatment, but the machine goes off, so he’s apparently lying about that. Great stuff.

Continue reading →

Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • Over the past decade, nearly 100 million fewer children are living in extreme poverty. World Bank.
  • 80 million more children now supported by national school meal programs worldwide than in 2020. World Food Programme.
  • Helsinki achieves zero road deaths in 12 months. Roadpol.
  • Japan sets record of nearly 100,000 people aged over 100. BBC.
  • 73% of adults worldwide said they feel safe walking alone at night in their city or area. This is the highest level recorded since 2006 when Gallup began asking the question. Gallup.
  • The Chicago River is now safe enough to swim in for the first time since 1927. New York Times.

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

You Did Nothing Wrong by C.G. Drews

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment

A recent transplant from Australia, Elodie has just moved to Virginia with her new husband Bren who is renovating his parent’s old house. As the story opens, they’re in the honeymoon phase of their relationship, madly in love with each other.

Elodie is only 22 and Bren is only 23, although they act older than this due to the weight of the world landing more heavily on them than most. (Bren’s parents died when he was 10 and Elodie’s brother died when she was 8.)

Continue reading →

Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • Global maternal mortality rates have fallen by almost 60% since 1985. Our World in Data.
  • Boston is transforming abandoned office space into affordable homes for 1,000+ residents. Good Good Good.
  • New Mexico set to become first US state to guarantee free child care. KOB4.
  • Wind and solar power fuel over one-third of Brazil’s electricity for first time. AP.
  • Apple introduces AirPods Pro 3 with live translation feature. Ars Technica.

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

Utah Indie Bookshop Crawl

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment

The Utah Indie Bookshop Crawl is kicked off on the last Saturday of April every year to coincide with Independent Bookstore Day. Participants have a year to get stamps from participating bookstores across Utah to earn a prize. Apparently, it’s been happening a few years, but I only learned about it this year (probably because I don’t spend much time on social media). You can get a map of the stores to put your stamps on if you go to one of the participating bookstores on Independent Bookstore Day. I missed this, so I printed out my own map.

Continue reading →

Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • America’s prison population has declined to its lowest level since 1992, with around 1.2 million people behind bars, down from a 2009 peak of 1.6 million. The Atlantic.
  • What happens when you trade doomscrolling for hopescrolling. Zocalo Public Square.
  • MrBeast and others YouTubers surpass $40M goal in global clean water fundraiser. Good Good Good.
  • St. John’s Lutheran Church in Madison, Wisconsin to demolish existing worship space to create 110 units of affordable housing. Good Good Good.
  • In July 2025, 99.7% of new capacity in the US came from clean energy and storage projects. Cleanview.
  • Global solar installations surge 64% in first half of 2025 compared with last year. Ember.
  • In Austraila, the ampurta, a rat-sized marsupial micro-predator, is no longer endangered. Science Direct.
  • Solar-powered electric plane unofficially sets new altitude record during five hour flight. New Atlas.
  • AI stethoscope can detect three heart conditions in 15 seconds. British Heart Foundation.

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

The X Files Season 1

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment

I loved The X Files back when it was on the air. It was a super-popular show, getting much higher ratings than streaming shows do today due to the fact The X Files didn’t have as much competition back in the pre-streaming era. It asked the question: What if all the conspiracy theories are true? This had the unfortunate side effect of popularizing obscure conspiracy theories like vaccines containing tracking devices which lead to the modern anti-vax movement of today. But for those of us who recognized that it was a work of fiction, it was a lot of fun. I’d joke with my friends about it being the “flashlight show” since nearly every episode features a scene of Mulder and Scully walking around in the dark with only the light from their flashlights to guide them.

Continue reading →