Author: D. J. Moore

Presidents’ Body Counts by Al Carroll Part 4

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What If

Carroll includes a fascinating section hypothesizing what would happen if different people had become president. Any of these scenarios would make for a fascinating alternate history novel.

For example, Jackson was nearly killed in the Creek War, but a Cherokee warrior named Junaluska saved his life. Had this not happened, John Quincy Adams would have been president instead and the Trail of Tears would not have happened.

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Dead Stars and Stone Arches Book Signing

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I should have posted about this sooner, but last week, I participated in a book signing for Dead Stars and Stone Arches: A Collection of Utah Horror at the grand opening of the Legendarium bookstore and café! Several of the authors and poets were there. We each read a paragraph or two from our stories and poems, then signed about 20-30 books. It was fun to chat with other Utah writers and horror fans.

Since I’m an introvert, I was nervous about doing the reading and thought about backing out, but I’m glad I went. Since there were several other writers there, there wasn’t that much pressure on me and everyone was really supportive of everyone else. I received positive comments about my story from someone who’d already read it and people who liked my reading. It was exciting to talk to a fan in person.

The fact Legendarium is within walking distance of my house was icing on the cake. It’s a really cool place with stained glass depictions of Star Wars and Good Omens characters in the windows and the café has a sign saying they serve breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, and so forth. I’m definitely going to be going back there again.

My story, “Fog of Sand”, takes place in Salt Lake City in the not-too-distant future after the Great Salt Lake has dried up and become a dust bowl. Unfortunately, the Great Salt Lake actually is drying up and has already started becoming a dust bowl.

Someone commented that my story would be hard to read because it’s too real. Not to worry! My story also features a weird cult and the ancient god Erra, so there’s some escapism in there too. If you’re interested, you can ready my story, as well as several other great stories and poems, in Dead Stars and Stone Arches from Timber Ghost Press.

Good News Friday

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  • When Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an ambitious programme to put piped water in all of India’s roughly 192 million rural households by 2024, only about one-sixth had the luxury of doorstep-water supply. Now, 52% have it. Hindustan Times.
  • Togo achieves major feat of eliminating four neglected tropical diseases. The Guardian.
  • Hearing aids can now be bought over the counter. Slate.
  • The USDA is sprinkling fish-flavored vaccines from the sky to fight rabies. CNN.
  • Wind, solar provide 67% of new US electrical generating capacity in first half of 2022. Electrek.
  • The expanded child tax credit kept 4 million kids out of poverty. Vox.

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

Presidents’ Body Counts by Al Carroll Part 3

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Franklin Roosevelt

Franklin Roosevelt did not allow Jewish refugees to the US, condemning many to death in the Holocaust. He also could have lessened the atrocity by attacking Germany sooner than he did. (Incidentally, Henry Ford owned the best selling newspaper in the country and used it to spread anti-Semitism. Ford Auto company was also a haven for Nazis and he promoted their views on company grounds. Ford even received a special award from Hitler.)

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Presidents’ Body Counts by Al Carroll Part 2

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Bill Clinton

Clinton not only didn’t try to stop the Rwandan genocide, he pushed for the UN to withdraw and denied a genocide was happening. Clinton could have saved 300,000 to 600,000 lives if he’d sent just 5,000 US troops to intervene.

Right-wing terrorists murdered at least 288 people from 1995 to 2012 and attempted to assassinate Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama. Clinton’s mishandling of the Branch Davidians, Randy Weaver, and the Republic of Texas militia led to more recruitment for right-wing terrorists.

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Presidents’ Body Counts by Al Carroll Part 1

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When presidents of the United States are ranked from best to worse, they’re generally judged on subjective things like leadership, charisma, etc. and the lists end up merely being a popularity contest, often based on the politics of the person doing the ranking. George Washington is often listed as one of the best presidents, not because he did anything particularly noteworthy while president, but simply because he was the first.

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Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • Child mortality worldwide has declined from 12.6 million under-5 deaths in 1990 to only 5 million in 2020. WHO.
  • How Rwanda could become one of the first countries to wipe out cervical cancer. The Guardian.
  • Teenage pregnancies are declining across the world, with only a third of all women bearing children in adolescence compared to 50% sixty years ago. ORF.
  • Scientists unveil method to destroy certain ‘forever chemicals’. The Hill.
  • California becomes 1st state to offer free meals at school for kids. ABC News.
  • Here are some signs that inflation is calming down. Axios.

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

Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • This group’s wiped out $6.7 billion in medical debt, and it’s just getting started. NPR.
  • A bipartisan act is quietly about to invest billions in boosting green technology. The Atlantic.
  • A bioengineered cornea can restore sight to blind people. MIT Technology Review.
  • Lyme disease vaccine in late-stage trials would be first in 20 years. The Washington Post.
  • Parts of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef show highest coral cover in 36 years. Reuters.
  • Healthy life expectancy in Africa rises by almost ten years. WHO.
  • Researchers agree: The world can reach a 100% renewable energy system by or before 2050. Helsinki Times.
  • Saiga antelopes have increased 10-fold after mass die-off in 2015. New Scientist.
  • This 17-year-old designed a motor that could potentially transform the electric car industry. Smithsonian Magazine.
  • Nuclear fusion breakthrough confirmed: California team achieved ignition. Newsweek.
  • Hydrogel that outperforms cartilage could be in human knees in 2023. New Atlas.
  • New ‘Parp inhibitors’ could prevent certain tumours appearing. The Guardian.
  • Karuna’s experimental schizophrenia drug succeeds in advanced study. Boston Globe.
  • Scientific discovery may facilitate speedy, objective, and accurate diagnosis of PTSD using saliva. Tel Aviv University.

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

Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • Seven years ago, only 19% of India’s 1.3 billion people had access to the internet. That figure now stands at nearly 60%. BBC.
  • Number of uninsured Americans drops to record low. ABC News.
  • Three reasons why a radically better future is more likely than we think. The Progress Network.
  • Cuba boasts 144 new protected areas in its geography. ACN.
  • First 100,000 kg removed from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Ocean Cleaup.
  • New AR glasses allow deaf people to ‘see’ conversations by turning audio into subtitles. Euronews.
  • Genetic heart conditions could be cured for first time in ‘defining moment’. The Guardian.
  • Climate change bill would cut U.S. air pollution deaths by up to 3,900 per year, study finds. Yahoo!
  • Fourth patient seemingly cured of HIV. BBC.
  • Algorithm that detects sepsis cut deaths by nearly 20 percent. Scientific American.
  • Majority of U.S. workers changing jobs are seeing real wage gains. Pew Research Center.
  • The poverty rate in Cambodia fell to 17.8% in 2020 from nearly 40% in 2009. Vietnam Plus.

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