Author: D. J. Moore

Good News Friday

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  • Annual measles deaths fell by 88% between 2000 and 2024, from 777,000 to 95,000 a year. WHO.
  • How India’s state Kerala eliminated extreme poverty. Brookings.
  • Tajikistan has achieved a remarkable poverty reduction, with the national poverty rate dropping from 56 percent in 2010 to just below 20 percent in 2024. World Bank.
  • Coal now generates about one-seventh of U.S. electricity, down from one-half in 2010; solar and wind currently produce more power than coal and employ far more American workers. Canary Media.
  • Solar panels saved this school district so much money that they were able to give teachers $15K pay raises. Good Good Good.
  • More than 80 nonprofits receive $250M for global women’s health from Melinda French Gates. AP.
  • New FDA-approved glasses can slow nearsightedness in kids. AP.
  • Asteroid Bennu carries all the ingredients for life as we know it. New Scientist.

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

Hospital by Han Song

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The prolog reads like it belongs to a different book as it takes place in space in the future and the rest of the novel takes place in a satirical version of a hospital in present-day China.

There are a couple hilarious moments. Our narrator Yang Wei gets sick from drinking water. He’s taken to the hospital by hotel staff. One of them takes out his wallet and bribes the doctor on his behalf. They even offer to take his blood tests for him!

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The Simpsons Season 8

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This season, the first episode is “Treehouse of Horror VII” (S8, E1). It was frustrating for me at the time since I’d come to depend on new Simpsons episodes airing in September, but this season, we had to wait two months until the end of October for the first episode. Like usual, there are three short horror stories. The stand-out episode this time involves the one-eyed aliens trying to take over Earth by replacing the President. However, since it was an election year they had to replace both current president Bill Clinton and Republican presidential hopeful Bob Dole. As we’ve come to expect, The Simpsons pokes fun at both Democrats and Republicans, even if it had a reputation for being a liberal show at the time.

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Good News Friday

~ D. J. Moore ~ Leave a comment
  • Cabo Verde, Mauritius and Seychelles eliminate measles and rubella. WHO.
  • Bangladesh reduced poverty significantly between 2010-2022, lifting 34 million people out of poverty. World Bank Group.
  • Switzerland prohibits use of violence in raising children. End Corporal Punishment.
  • New Mexico now offers free childcare for all. The Guardian.
  • Iowa City made its buses free. Traffic cleared, and so did the air. The New York Times.

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

Plur1bus

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Plur1bus is Vince Gilligan’s latest show. He’s best known for realistic shows like Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, but he also used to work on the X Files. He returns to his sci-fi roots with this one, presenting a world in which everyone on earth except for a dozen people are part of a hive mind. The main character of the show is Carol, a romantasy author who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She’s the only person in America not part of the hive mind. The other main character is the hive mind itself. Although the hive mind is depicted by numerous actors, in effect, the show only has two main characters. We sometimes see other people who aren’t part of the hive mind, but they don’t appear regularly.

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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

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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.