Good News Friday

  • Living standards have improved a lot since the 1980s. 24 charts that show we’re (mostly) living better than our parents. Full Stack Economics.
  • 3D-printed implants that grow new breast tissue before breaking down without a trace could help breast cancer survivors. The Guardian.
  • Dissolving implantable device relieves pain without drugs. Northwestern.
  • In a world-first, scientists create eco-friendly cement from algae. Interesting Engineering.
  • Climeworks is building a bigger carbon removal plant — and getting some new competition. Grist.
  • $26K solar car now has a factory — and will roll out this year. Freethink.
  • How child mortality fell from 40% to 3.7% in 200 years. Big Think.
  • India reports 86% fall in malaria cases since 2015 and a 79% reduction in deaths. Economic Times.
  • French drugmaker Sanofi will make 30 of its treatments, including insulin, available on a not-for-profit basis in 40 lower-income countries. Reuters.
  • The DNA-altering technology CRISPR is making strides in potential one-and-done treatments for sickle cell disease, genetic liver conditions, and more. Boston Globe.
  • NHS to test using drones to fly chemotherapy drugs to Isle of Wight. The Guardian.

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

Dead Stars and Stone Arches Book Tour and Giveaway

Dead Stars and Stone Arches

A Collection of Utah Horror

Presented by Timber Ghost Press

There is something out there, just beyond the reach of human understanding. It flits at the corner of our eyes and titillates the hairs on the back of our necks. You can feel it sometimes, just under your skin. Fortunately, most of us will never know the full extent of what lies sleeping in the cosmos. They are the lucky ones. However, those few who glimpse the maddening truth become forever changed. Contained within this esoteric tome are thirty-seven stories and poems about forbidden knowledge, hidden terrors, and mind-breaking horrors that lurk in the dark places of the earth. Be warned, though, there’s no stopping once you start this journey, and sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

Featuring poems and stories by:

Michael Jess Alexander, Mickie Bolling-Burke, J.M. Cullen, Daniel Cureton, Steven Dee Kish, Donald Evans, Nicholas J. Evans, K. Scott Forman, Arthur Goodhill, Joseph Hope, Derek Hutchins, C.R. Langille, C.H. Lindsay, Carter Lappin, Bryan McEntire, D.J. Moore, Eric Nirschel, Lehua Parker, Cygnus Perry, Jonathan Reddoch, Levi Robinson, Nnandi Samuel, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, Henry Snider, Joshua P. Sorensen, Paul Starkey, S.J. Townend, Heidi Voss, Chad A.B. Wilson, William R.D. Wood

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Amazon * Timber Ghost Press

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$10 Amazon

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Good News Friday

  • Hopes rise for new malaria vaccine with 77% efficacy. The Guardian.
  • COVID vaccines saved 20M lives in 1st year, scientists say. AP News.
  • Texas plans to place charging stations for electric cars every 50 miles on most interstates. The Texas Tribune.
  • Scientists harness light therapy to target and kill cancer cells in world first. The Guardian.
  • Student debt canceled for 200K borrowers who say they were defrauded. Politico.
  • Equatorial Guinea has eliminated sleeping sickness. WHO.
  • How we got bipartisan gun reform. Persuasion.

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

Good News Friday

  • For the first time in the history of Hawaii’s prison system, there are no incarcerated juvenile females. Newsweek.
  • Scientist develops antimicrobial, plant-based food wrap designed to replace plastic. Rutgers.
  • Nanoparticle sensor can distinguish between viral and bacterial pneumonia allowing doctors to avoid prescribing antibiotics in cases where they won’t be effective. MIT News.
  • U.S. House passes a major wildlife conservation spending bill. NPR.
  • A look at state efforts to combat climate change in 2022, so far. Changing America.
  • Hoboken hasn’t had a traffic death in four years. Curbed.
  • Colombia’s landmark Road Safety Law could save countless lives. WHO.
  • Buying from Mark Cuban’s pharmacy could save Medicare billions, study says. The Wall Street Journal.
  • Evanston, Illinois is the first city to offer reparations to Black residents. Reasons to be Cheerful.
  • A Brazilian town fought poverty using basic income. Yes!
  • Skills-based hiring is catching on as fewer employers require college diplomas, a major step toward shrinking the racial wealth gap. Reasons to be Cheerful.

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

Black Stars

In “The Visit” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, gender roles are reversed. Men are expected to be house husbands while their wives work. Medical research focuses on women, so men’s health issues like enlarged prostate are not funded. Male masturbation is outlawed instead of abortion. Single men who go out without a woman are harassed. This story has a very obvious message about gender discrimination, so readers who don’t like being preached at will likely bounce off this story, but at least the characters are realistically drawn.

Continue reading

Good News Friday

  • China reduced air pollution in 7 years as much as US did in three decades. Bloomberg.
  • The number of homeless people in Houston has been cut by 63 percent since 2011 by moving more than 25,000 homeless people directly into apartments and houses. The New York Times.
  • The percentage of youths referred to adult courts dropped from 8% in 2010 to 2% in 2019. AP News.
  • People of Gaza swim in ‘crystal blue’ sea again, as sewage pollution reaches its lowest rate in years due to sewage treating facilities stepping up their operations. Euronews.
  • Local efforts have cut plastic waste on Australia’s beaches by almost 30% in 6 years. CSIROscope.
  • In Bali, bird sellers help endangered mynah make a comeback. AP News.
  • Golden lion tamarin conservation efforts have been successful, growing the population from a one-time low of 200 animals to more than 2,000 today. Mongabay.
  • Rats fitted with tiny backpacks are being trained to help earthquake survivors. Study Finds.
  • Australia’s minimum wage earners to get $40 a week pay rise. The Guardian.

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

Good News Friday

  • More than 250 self-declared gun enthusiasts in Texas have signed on to an open letter supporting efforts at bipartisan gun reform legislation. The Texas Tribune.
  • The collective wealth of the bottom 50% of households in America has nearly doubled in two years. Bloomberg.
  • These Republican states are passing clean energy bills in the name of freedom and economics. Grist.
  • How an experimental service in a library prevents incarceration. Next City.
  • Monarch butterflies saw a resurgence in Mexico. The Verge.
  • Breast cancer drug trial results in ‘unheard-of’ survival. The New York Times.
  • German lawmakers approve €12 minimum wage. DW.
  • Togo eliminates trachoma as a public health problem. WHO.

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

Good News Friday

  • Bipartisan lawmakers target addiction crisis by boosting non-opioid pain management. The Hill.
  • Pfizer to offer all its drugs not-for-profit to 45 lower-income countries. The Guardian.
  • Plastic packaging might be biodegradable after all, say German scientists. DW.
  • The living coffin that transforms your body into compost. Positive News.
  • Ban has prevented 2 million surprise medical bills so far, insurers say. Axios.
  • Four new states will extend postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months. The 19th.
  • ‘Mind blowing’ ancient settlements uncovered in the Amazon. Nature.

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