Back when I did my Cowboy Bebop rewatch, I wasn’t able to find the movie (also known as Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door) anywhere. I was recently able to track it down and was finally able to watch it. It’s probably been about twenty years since I’ve seen this movie and didn’t remember anything about it. Since we have the whole crew here, the movie takes place between episodes 22 and 23 of the series. Let’s see how it holds up.
Continue readingGood News Friday
- Malaria vaccine rollout begins in Cameroon. The Guardian.
- Tobacco use declines with only 1 in 5 adults worldwide consuming tobacco compared to 1 in 3 in 2000. PAHO.
- Cancer mortality is down 33% in America in the past three decades, saving an estimated 4.1 million lives, and as many as two-thirds of all cancers can now be treated as chronic conditions or cured outright. American Cancer Society (PDF link).
- Thanks to the HPV vaccine, no cases of invasive cervical cancer were recorded in women immunized at 12 or 13 years of age in Scotland. JNCI.
- 248 million people in India have escaped multidimensional poverty in the last nine years. NITI Aayog (PDF link).
- 21 megacities improved their air pollution levels between 2017 and 2022. DW.
- During 2023, violent crime plummeted to its lowest level in the United States since the 1960s, and by the end of the year inflation had been tamed and unemployment was at historic lows. The Atlantic.
For more good news, check out Future Crunch and The Progress Network.
Signing This Saturday for Big Book of Things That Go Bump in the Night
This Saturday at 5pm, the authors who appeared in The Big Book of Things That Go Bump in the Night (including me) are coming together for a mass signing and reading at Legendarium located at 349 E 900 S here in Salt Lake City. I realize this is short notice, but if you’re able to make it, I’d love to see you there!
Good News Friday
- Cape Verde reaches malaria-free milestone. BBC.
- Eastern and Southern Africa have nearly achieved gender parity in primary education, with 25 million more girls enrolled in primary school today than in the early 2000s. The World Bank.
- Twenty-two states increased their minimum wages in January. The Washington Post.
- Hennepin County, Minnesota, has reduced its homeless population by almost 36% in just two years. Bloomberg.
- 2023 was one of aviation’s safest years on record with zero jet aircraft crashes. Simple Flying.
- The scimitar horned oryx has been brought back from the brink of extinction. ZSL.
- Deforestation rate of the Amazon rainforest halved in 2023. BBC.
- Global annual renewable capacity additions increased by almost 50% to nearly 510 gigawatts in 2023, the fastest growth rate in the past two decades. IEA.
- Renewables hit 55% of German electricity mix. ReNews.
For more good news, check out Future Crunch and The Progress Network.
Good News Friday
- Nearly 100,000 fewer people died in wars and armed conflicts during 2023 compared to 2022. Warp News.
- Renewable energy’s share on German power grids reaches 55% in 2023. Reuters.
- Uruguay now produces up to 98% of its electricity from renewables. The Guardian.
- Scientists hail new antibiotic that can kill drug-resistant bacteria. The Guardian.
- Wage growth is beating inflation. Axios.
- Ten inspiring signs of progress from the past year. Greater Good Magazine.
For more good news, check out Future Crunch and The Progress Network.
The Origins of Early Christian Literature by Robyn Faith Walsh
Because many people today believe in Christianity, studies of ancient Christian texts are handled differently than studies of ancient Greek or Roman religious writings. The field of classics is more strict with regards to what counts as evidence, while religious studies is more lenient. In this volume, Walsh applies the same standards used for studying classics to Christianity.
New Testament scholars often invoke oral history (for which there’s no evidence) or make appeals to the gospel writer’s religious community (for which there’s no evidence). They claim the gospels are unique and ignore the literary tradition they belong to. They claim Jesus is unique and ignore his similarity to Aesop, the Cynics, and the heroes of Greek novels.
Continue readingGood News Friday
- The minimum wage is going up in 22 states on Jan. 1. Axios.
- UK electricity from fossil fuels drops to lowest level since 1957. CarbonBrief.
- Good climate news in 2023. MIT Technology Review.
- The year in gun violence solutions. The Trace.
- What went right in 2023. The Wall Street Journal.
- In 1900, the average life expectancy of a newborn was 32 years. By 2021 this had more than doubled to 71 years. Our World in Data.
For more good news, check out Future Crunch and The Progress Network.
My Story in Factor Four Magazine
I’m a few days late in announcing this, but I’ve just had a new story published in Factor Four Magazine Issue 31 titled “Warm as Stone” that’s free to read. It’s a flash fiction piece, so saying anything about it would probably give too much away. I was inspired to write this story after reading Priya Sharma’s story, “Pearls”, so if you’re familiar with that story, you’ll have some idea what my story is about.
Continue readingGood News Friday
- 66 good news stories you didn’t hear about in 2023. Future Crunch.
- Something good happened every week of 2023. The Progress Network.
For more good news, check out Future Crunch and The Progress Network.
Good News Friday
- Even though 3 in 4 Americans think crime rose this year, 2023 featured one of the lowest rates of violent crime in the United States in more than 50 years, as well as one of the largest national declines in murder on record. Jeff-alytics.
- In 2023, US states have passed 103 gun safety laws for a total of 620 since 2012. Giffords.
- Canada is promoting child care for $10 a day. Vox.
- The number of U.S. electric school buses has more than doubled since last year. US Department of Energy.
- Power generated by wind and solar in the US is slated to eclipse coal-fired electricity next year. Axios.
- More than a third of power consumed in Delhi is green. The Times of India.
- Since 2010, road traffic deaths have fallen by 5%. World Health Organization.
For more good news, check out Future Crunch and The Progress Network.
