Author: D. J. Moore

Dollface by Lindy Ryan

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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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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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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Good News Friday

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  • The global homicide rate has fallen by around a quarter in this century. WDI.
  • Thirty-five years ago, polio paralysed around 350,000 children per year. Following a UN-led international push, that number is now less than 50. UN News.
  • Maldives becomes the first country to achieve ‘triple elimination’ of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B. WHO.
  • How Brazil reversed its teenage pregnancy epidemic. The Telegraph.
  • Analysis of 150 U.S. Cities shows one of the greatest drops in gun violence ever. The Trace.
  • The rate of peanut allergies in children ages 0 to 3 in the US fell by more than 40% after 2017 due to new recommendations. AP.
  • Renewables overtake coal for first time on monthly basis in Australia’s main grid. Renew Economy.

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

Good News Friday

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  • Europe and Central Asia saw an almost 50 per cent decline in the child poverty rate between 2014-2024. unicef.
  • Fiji becomes the 26th country to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem. WHO.
  • The US is on track for the fewest shooting deaths of any year since 2015. The Trace.
  • North Carolina wipes out $6.5B in medical debt for 2.5M people. AP.
  • Incarcerated firefighters in California, previously paid only 5 to 10 dollars a day, will now get minimum wage. KTLA5.
  • More than 100 countries have cut their dependence on fossil-fuel imports and saved hundreds of billions of dollars by continuing to invest in renewables. CarbonBrief.
  • Green turtle bounces back from brink of extinction. BBC.

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

Good News Friday

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  • The 21 Pacific island countries and areas have collectively been verified as having eliminated measles and rubella. WHO.
  • Three years ago, 33 million Brazilians went to bed hungry. Today, Brazil is off the United Nations Hunger Map. iPES.
  • A decade after the Paris Agreement, global greenhouse gas emissions are barely rising, up just 0.3% a year since 2015, compared with 1.7% the decade before. ECIU.
  • India added 20.1 GW of renewable energy capacity between April–August 2025, more than double the same period last year. PV Magazine.
  • New England’s final coal plant shuts down years ahead of schedule. Canary Media.
  • Southern right whales awe admirers in Patagonia after coming back from brink of extinction. Phys.org.
  • Scientists in China have developed a tough new bamboo-based plastic that biodegrades in 50 days. New Scientist.

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

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.