Author: D. J. Moore

Garfield: A Biography by Allan Peskin

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James Abram Garfield (named after a brother who died in infancy) was born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His parents felt the death of the first James was punishment from God for not being religious, so they became Disciples (Campbellites). His father died a couple years later after catching a chill while fighting a fire.

His mother sold some land and took in sewing to make money. His 12-year-old brother Thomas worked the fields of their farm. His sisters Mary and Mehitabel (Hittie) did house work. James  was too young to be especially close to his older siblings. When neighborhood boys made fun of him for being poor and not having a dad, he was said to have “the skin of a rabbit” because he was so sensitive.

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Good News Friday

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  • California, Nevada among U.S. states moving to ban slavery in prisons. Context.
  • Murder is likely falling at the fastest pace ever recorded in 2024. Jeff-alytics.
  • Shootings in Philadelphia are down by nearly 40 percent. The Trace.
  • Guinea has eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus. Unicef.
  • Over the past three decades, routine immunizations have prevented 1.1 million deaths and saved the United States $540 billion. The New York Times.
  • In 1980, Ethiopia had the highest death rate from tuberculosis in the world. Since then, the country has achieved a sixfold reduction in the death rate. Our World in Data.
  • A computer algorithm has achieved a 98% accuracy in predicting different diseases by analyzing the color of the human tongue. University of South Australia.

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

Good News Friday

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  • The global number of children not attending school has declined by nearly 40% since 2000. Our World in Data.
  • Air pollution deaths in children under 5 down 53% since 2000. IISD.
  • Some 14.7 million people in Brazil were spared from going hungry last year, a drop from 8% to 1.2% of the population. gov.br.
  • Crime in San Francisco is now below pre-pandemic levels. The San Francisco Standard.
  • COVID-19 vaccines led to an overall reduction in cardiovascular events. Nature Communications.
  • Samsung just showed a 600-mile solid-state EV battery, charges in 9 minutes. Ride Apart.
  • Chile is phasing out coal faster than any other developing nation. In the first half of 2024, coal accounted for just 17.5% of Chile’s electricity output, down from 43.6% in 2016. The Progress Playbook.
  • The number of malaria cases and deaths in Bangladesh is steadily decreasing. The country has seen a 96 percent reduction in malaria deaths between 2008 and 2023. Warp News.

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

Good News Friday

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  • A twice-yearly injection of lenacapavir prevented 100% of new HIV infections in trial. Health Policy Watch.
  • Two centuries ago, only 1 in 10 adults could read. Today, it’s almost 9 in 10. Our World in Data.
  • Bangladesh has seen a 96% decline in malaria deaths since 2008. Gavi.
  • Renewables generated half of the EU’s electricity in the first half of 2024. Ember.
  • Solar power in the US has shot up by 25 percent compared to just one year earlier. Ars Technica.
  • China’s installed new energy capacity, mainly consisting of wind and solar power, surpasses that of coal for the first time. CGTN.

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

Good News Friday

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  • Human rights have improved in all world regions over the last century. Our World in Data.
  • In 1986, there were an estimated 3.5 million cases of Guinea worm disease in at least 21 countries. There haven’t been any reported cases so far this year. The Carter Center.
  • There are 2.45 million fewer Filipinos living in poverty since 2021. Bilyonaryo.
  • A new program in Oregon offers new mothers up to three home visit from a trained nurse at no cost. NPR.
  • A 7th person with HIV is probably cured after stem cell transplant for leukemia. NBC News.
  • South Korea’s supreme court has ruled that same-sex couples are eligible to receive the same health insurance benefits as heterosexual couples. Reuters.
  • The proportion of the world’s adults with a net worth of less than $10,000 has plunged this century, from 75% in 2000 to less than 40% in 2023. Axios.
  • The Great Green Wall Initiative has successfully restored 18 million hectares and created 350,000 jobs across the 11 participating countries in North and West Africa. International Banker.
  • Renewable power generation overtakes fossil fuels in Italy for the first time. PV Tech.
  • The teen birth rate in the U.S. declined 71% between 2000 and 2022. Axios.
  • The global number of children not attending school has declined by nearly 40% since 2000. Our World in Data.

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

The Words of Righteousness to All Men by James C. Brewster

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The full title of this book written by James C. Brewster is “The Words of Righteousness to All Men, Written from One of the Books of Esaras, [Esdras] Which Was Written by the Five Ready Writers, In Forty Days, Which Was Spoken of by Esaras, in His Second Book, Fourteenth Chapter of the Apocrypha, Being one of the Books Which Was Lost, and Has Now Come Forth, by the Gift of God, In the Last Days”.

At the age of 10, Brewster claimed to have been visited by the same Angel Moroni who had visited Joseph Smith. He was disfellowshipped from the mainstream Mormon church a year later. In the Preface, he claims to have begun writing this book in 1838 when he would have been about 12. This book was published in 1842 when he was about 16, which is quite impressive (although Joseph Smith wasn’t impressed). When Smith died two years later, Brewster began to accumulate followers and cofounded the Church of Christ (known as the Brewsterites) four years after that.

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Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • Renewables will overtake coal as world’s biggest power source next year. The Progress Playbook.
  • Once thought to be extinct, sixty Siamese crocodiles have successfully hatched in the wild. Fauna & Flora.
  • Drones are helping plant 100 million mangrove trees in the UAE by 2030. New Scientist.
  • Renewables meet 82% of Portugal’s electricity needs in first half of 2024. The Progress Playbook.
  • Air pollution deaths in children under 5 down 53% since 2000. SDG.

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

Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • Just 13% of workers in the U.S. are now earning less than $15 an hour; two years ago, that number was 31.9%. Axios.
  • The proportion of the world’s adults with a net worth of less than $10,000 has plunged this century, from 75% in 2000 to less than 40% in 2023. Axios.
  • Baltimore reports 36% decline in homicides for 2024. Hoodline.
  • In 2023, Latin America and the Caribbean fell to the lowest poverty rate in the last two decades. World Bank.
  • Over 200 million schoolchildren gained access to improved water, sanitation, or hygiene services between 2015 and 2023. Unicef.
  • Since 2006, Rwanda’s overall life expectancy has risen from 56 to 70. Think Global Health.
  • Morocco’s multidimensional poverty rate decreases from 40% to 5.7% in last 20 years. Hespress.
  • Colombia deforestation fell to 23-year low in 2023. Reuters.
  • In the United States, wind power has generated more electricity than coal for the second month in a row. Sherwood.
  • Power producers in the United Kingdom cut the use of fossil fuels in electricity generation by 16% over the first five months of 2024. Reuters.
  • Used electric cars are not just cheap—they are cheaper than similar gas cars. The Atlantic.
  • In 1991, 48 countries had abolished the death penalty. Today 112 countries have abolished it. Amnesty International.

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

The Gospel of Afranius by Kirill Yeskov

~ D. J. Moore ~ 1 Comment

This book is a response to Josh McDowell’s Proofs of the Resurrection which I haven’t read. Apparently, McDowell starts by assuming the gospels are historically reliable, then argues that every non-supernatural explanation for the resurrection of Jesus doesn’t work, therefor the resurrection must have occurred by process of elimination.

The gospels are obviously not historically reliable, but for the sake of argument, Yeskov assumes they are. He points out McDowell doesn’t account for a good-faith misbelief of an honest and sane person. As a result, there’s a whole category of non-supernatural explanations McDowell leaves out including optical illusions, hallucinations, and biases.

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Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • Indonesia has lifted 3 million people out of poverty in a decade. Antara.
  • The homicide rate in Boston has fallen 78 percent in just one year. The New York Times.
  • From overfished to sustainable harvests: Pacific bluefin tuna rebound to new highs. NOAA Fisheries.
  • Germany achieves 58% renewable energy share in first half of 2024. DPA International.
  • Three-quarters of the European Union’s electricity has been generated by CO2 emissions-free sources so far this year. Reuters.

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