Some More News - SMN: Some Good(ish) News To End 2023

Episode Date: December 20, 2023

Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tmO5ZJrX-XtXzFDmUEC_Qm9AuleZlquxsM-k4iJZotQ/edit?usp=sharing HelloTUSHY is offering our listeners an exclusive limited time offer of 15% off your first bidet order PLUS FREE SHIPPING! Go to https://hellotushy.com/morenews for 15% off all bidets!If yo u want to take ownership of your health, it starts with AG1. Try AG1 and get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3K2 AND 5 free AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase. Go to https://drinkAG1.com/morenews.Right now, Nuts.com is off ering new customers a free gift with purchase and free shipping on orders of $29 or more at https://Nuts.com/morenews.  Check out our MERCH STORE: https://shop.somemorenews.com   SUBSCRIBE to SOME MORE NEWS: https://tinyurl.com/ybfx89rh...

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Yes. It's definitely still here. Okay, correction. It wasn't actually cleaned, not even a little bit, but it does appear to be slowly congealing and forming into a dry, lumpy mass. But yeah, at least the smell's gone. It's gone!

You're welcome, Cody. That's your Christmas gift, just so you know. Oh, thanks-ish. I am happy and kind of surprised that worked. I mean, what other explanation would there be unless we all suddenly lost our sense of smell for some reason? No.

Well. Lowering the bar, some goodish holiday news. Wormpool, you are all taking COVID tests man just hold still No! Wormble has no nose! You are covered in holes okay I'm gonna swab something Oh no! Oh god he's gonna get out of the couch I'm on it!

Remember his spit is acidic! Man she is off like a dart. Okay, so. Hey there, Newsy Poozies! We haven't forgotten about Yousies. We never forget about Yousies. Ever. In fact, we care about you so much that we got you a holiday gift in the form of yet

another Some Good News episode. Legit good news from the year 2023 and a little bit earlier earlier actually. Not that stepped on John Krasinski shit, which hey, there's our first batch of good news right there. Remember how he sold the concept of good news during the pandemic? Well, that version of some good news doesn't seem to be a thing anymore. It's gone, and that's good.

I mean, he still apparently got paid for pretending to think up the concept of good news and then selling the concept to a corporation before that corporation realized that they bought literally nothing. And at this point, it's actually kind of old news that that happened. But, it's the little wins, okay? Which is actually the premise of today's episode. Little wins! Starting with... Ayy, I got some good news for you. You get it?

AI, AI. Okay, maybe dial it back with the title. Weird energy there. So remember when previously on Shodi, we talked about the many dangers of self-driving cars and the need for regulation. Well, it appears that in October, 2023, California ordered self-driving car company Cruise

to immediately and indefinitely cease operations in the state due to the whole hitting pedestrians and blocking emergency vehicles jizz, among other safety issues. Not only that, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is also looking into Cruise because apparently pedestrians and people that need emergency services

vote or something. And not only that, Cruise's CEO recently quit. Nobody wants to work anymore. And also, Cruise is now suspending all of their operations, which is good because they were bad. Also, Tesla is recalling more than 2 million cars to fix its autopilot software, which is, you'll never guess, in 10 jillion years, broken.

And listen, I don't want you to think we're anti-self-driving cars and anti-AI. I, for one, like to stretch out in my trunk when I'm driving alone to work, and I don't even have a self-driving car. But in order for this technology to succeed, it has to, you know, not do this. It's a reasonable ask.

But both self-driving cars and AI have been seriously over-hyped by the tech industries getting them off the ground, causing a lot of confusion about what their limitations are, which in turn has made money ghouls rush to try and replace people with these technologies. As we discussed previously on X-Men, this is a big issue with AI specifically. But the good news there is that corporate interest in ChatGPT and other, big quotes, creative AI seems to be dwindling.

In June 2023, traffic to the chat GPT website fell by almost 10% as did the downloads of its app. But we don't have exact numbers for that. There's also a heavy interest by the federal government to regulate AI partially thanks to our Joey-est president watching Mission Impossible. Cruise is saving movies and tech. Cruise the guy, not the company, obviously.

Although Joey, the president, not the baby kangaroo, seems to be worried about the wrong thing there. But still, glad he's getting out to the theater and watching nearly three hour films, I guess. But the immediate problem sadly has nothing to do with sick motorcycle stunts or bad poetry so much as replacing jobs and copyright issues. Which is why more and more creatives

are suing OpenAI and other such groups for copyright and intellectual property violations, which is good because they are bad. On top of that, several AI chatbots are telling users inaccurate information and making them nigh worthless. It's become too much of a headache for companies to deal with,

so it's still better to just hire a person, let's call them Harold, to do the work instead of relying on AI. After all, if there's a screw up, they could just fire Harold rather than, I don't know, spank the robot? How do you discipline an AI? Anyway, the point is, unlike a robot,

Harold is spankable, accountable. Of course, this is all kicking the can down the road and we need to come up with actual policy for how jobs will be replaced by robots. But still, until we get those laws, this is good. Perhaps we need a spankable lawmaking robot. It should be noted that we are finding actual good uses for AI as well.

Scientists are using AI image generators that are similar to DAL-E and MidJourney to help map out different proteins and compounds that could be studied, potentially creating new medicines and therapeutics. This protein mapping and building process is time consuming, but is significantly less so thanks to AI. Other science guys, gals, and non-binary pals

are using AI to similarly map out and build materials that could improve solar power, batteries, and solar powered batteries, because that is what AI should be used for. Monotonous work to help speed up processes while still being supervised by a human. Not creative work with soulless, unemotional eyes that still can't get hands right,

and is still kinda racist and sexist about it. At best, I'll take a robot butler, but it better not whistle while it works. That's mouth art. Haunting silence only, please. Perfect. Anyway, point is that the good things are working and the bad things are getting less popular.

On that subject and the subject of tech in general, another thing that can be argued as good news is the death knell of the NFT, which we talked about for a couple minutes previously on the X-Files. Make no mistake, the reality that so many people got swindled into this ape-loving Ponzi scheme like it was the 1990s Beanie Baby boom sucked.

But it's good that non fungible tokens were fungibly exposed and no one seems to want them anymore. Because obviously NFTs aren't anything like at all. Say what you want about a Beanie Baby collection, they can at least be sewn into a giant Beanie Baby beanbag chair, a multicolored dream coat of their polyester pelts, or a disappointing companion slash lover.

After all, that's your disappointing choice. You can't even make a cum rag out of a bored ape JPEG. Speaking of bodily fluids. Taxes! Yay! That has nothing to do bodily fluids, taxes! Yay! That has nothing to do with fluids, but we're moving forward. This one is gonna be real quick,

but it's very much worth mentioning. Previously on Lost, we mentioned that one of several problems with our tax system is that it serves companies like H&R Block and Intuit that hinder most Americans from filing their taxes for free. Well, the good news is that the IRS created software allowing Americans to file their taxes on their own at no cost in 13 states.

Yay-ish. Also, it has some restrictions like making independent contractors, gig workers, and people claiming a childcare expense credit ineligible for filing. So it's a very hopeful start, but it's still kind of disappointing as a whole and can still be confusing, not like Lost.

Ah, the point is that we're at least making progress in this area and it can hopefully expand and become more refined in the coming years. Turbo tax, more like turd bow sacks. Sack full of turds. The other good tax news is that the IRS is using its Inflation Reduction Act money to track down 1,600 wealthy tax cheats deep into 2024

and promises not to increase audit rates for those making under $400,000 a year. That said, 2022 data shows that the IRS still disproportionately targeted low income taxpayers. But hey, they could prove us wrong next year. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Taxes solved, sorta, not really, but better, sorta. No, no, no, don't take your clothes off.

Good, the demon puppet is naked. Awesome, what else is good? Eat this news, drug prices might go down. Eat it. Okay, really gotta work on the titles. That one seemed a bit threatening actually, but, one of the things we talked about

was how our totally broken profit-based healthcare system often gate-keeps needed medicine from people due to the cost. But thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services will soon be able to actually negotiate drug prices with these pharmaceutical companies. The first batch is starting in 2026, With a handful of Medicare Part D drugs, such as blood thinners, diabetes drugs, and a rheumatoid arthritis medication, so your granddad can comfortably grip

and crank the meat grinder to make and eat sugar-soaked sausages again. The secret ingredient is the soaking sugar. You may think it's simple syrup, but I assure you it is not amateur. Get wise, all right? Get hip to the soaked sugar. Then in 2028, the government will move on

to the Medicare Part B coverage, which includes more preventative medicine, as well as mental health and research and a bunch of other things. It's hard to know what will be included along the way or whether or not these negotiations will pan out. After all, you may have noticed that 2026 is after the next election.

That's how time works, unfortunately. And so while this is good news, it's also a very clear example of how far behind our country is when it comes to healthcare issues in general. So while it's obvious that our current healthcare system needs a lot more help, sweetened meat products aside, it's still good to see that 92% of the population was insured in 2022,

a slight increase from the previous year. Now how impactful and helpful and affordable that health insurance coverage is, well, that's incredibly debatable. But better than is, well, that's incredibly debatable. But better than nothing? Maybe. Could having 92% of the population insured while one in four people are still struggling

with medical debt be just an indicator of the larger problem? I don't know. This is the good news episode. So I guess just know that when you're 70, you can treat your diabetes. Enjoy that pancreas now. Good advice. Really take that pancreas for a spin while you can treat your diabetes. Enjoy that pancreas now. Good advice.

Really take that pancreas for a spin while you can. And speaking of... Warmbloooooooos! It's wet! Ah! Gah! Why is he so wet? He looks dry, but he's wet.

He's like oily. So oily! Oh God. So oily! It's... It's... Oily! So... Oily! Oh god! So oily! Okay, so... We should... Cut to an ad while we get things under control, please. Enjoy some...

Maybe... Holiday themed ads. Now! Mush ads! Mush! Do it! Do the ads! Okay, Warm Boat!

You come right back! Fucking pisses me off! What? I said come back! Do the ads! Okay, Warbone, you come right back! Fucking pisses! Wow! I said come back! Huh? No! Yeah! Oh! Nice try!

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Welcome back to some more Wombo. Here's some good news, Bo. COVID is over for good and, um, for Wombo. It's over for Wombo, which means Wombo doesn't need a COVID test and, um, doesn't need pants. No pants for Wombo. He's over there. Get him. Wombo, who's tired of your human modesty? He's over there, get him! Wormboocore's tired of your human modesty!

Oh, I gotta stop eating so many cigars! Hey everyone. Gonna take a breather and read the news while Cody tries to tackle Wormbo, who... Turns out... Makes his own grease. So yeah, just add that to the TV tropes page, I guess. He slid inside the fence. Oh God, he could be anywhere. Anyway, welcome back. Previously on this episode, Cody talked about some good news

actually happening in 2023 because, well, we just gotta not be a bus kill all the damn time. We just gotta. Also, our theme today is incrementally good news, like a, like a wisp of fresh air and a fart tornado. So speaking of, well, none of that. Money stuff and mental health. Money, stuff, and mental health. So, as we've mentioned previously on every other video we've ever done, a lot of economic hardships could be lightened up if we just gave people money. Just, you know, give it to them. In exchange for nothing.

They don't even have to be nice. And it looks like there are now more arguments to support that. A universal basic income program implemented in Stockton, California, showed that outside of a pandemic, which honestly we're still a bit shook about, a mere $500 per month significantly improved the recipient's financial stability, as well as their job prospects and mental health. Perhaps that's because it's easier to focus on finding work if the threat of homelessness or food scarcity isn't looming over you. Denver's UBI program is directed at 800 people facing housing instability

and is showing positive results halfway through its pilot study. housing instability and is showing positive results halfway through its pilot study. Specifically, a healthy percentage increase in folks retaining housing and owning homes. The project splits the participants into different payment levels, and the report shows many in the larger payment group have full-time jobs. More participants in all payment levels are living in rented or owned homes, and fewer of them are sleeping outside. Awesome news!

And that, of course, helps a lot with the housing problems we've touched upon previously on Arrested Development. So, while giving money might be seen as purely economical, it's also providing peace of mind and improving the mental health of those who are in need. Speaking of which, more cities are implementing and investing money in civilian response teams to respond to mental health crises, rather than relying on the police. The city of Columbus actually has two programs, the Columbus Safety Collective, which has received funding but has yet to officially start, and NetCare's Mobile Crisis Unit, both of which have zero police involvement.

In Denver, there's the STAR program. Indianapolis currently has the Mobile Crisis Assistance Team, and also a new program that does not include any police. And Seattle has now made it possible for certain 911 calls to be dispatched to the Community Safety and Communications Center instead of the cops. And this is on top of the programs we've brought up previously on Dragon Ball Z, such as the CAHOOTS program in Oregon and Unarmed Responders in Olympia, Washington. There's also the HEART program in Durham, North Carolina, the San Francisco Street Crisis Response Team, Albuquerque Community Safety,

and New York City's Be Heard program. Fun fact, in their first six months, Be Heard only needed to call the NYPD two times over safety concerns, while the NYPD asked Be Heard for assistance 72 times. My point is that this stuff works and is good and that makes Katie happy. You don't want Katie to be unhappy, do you? I don't think so. Also good, according to the Council on Criminal Justice, crime rates were generally lower in the first half of 2023 than they were in the previous

year, with the exception of car theft. In fact, in fact, okay, this is good, okay? You know how everyone complains about organized shoplifting and how Deepon the police is making people into criminals or whatever. Well, the National Retail Federation, which previously stated that half of the $94.5 billion in missing merchandise was caused by organized shoplifting, has since retracted that statement. Apparently it was not 50%, but rather closer to 5%. Whoops! Oh no, how could I have misread that? Whoops! Oh no, how could I have misread that? Despite what the news often says, crime rates aren't soaring and more policing isn't the only answer. Can we

get it in writing? Crime is better than ever! That's not... okay, title monkey. Come on, try again. Crime is better gooder than ever. Sure, fine. I don't want to fight. It's not worth it. Next segment, please. We wish you a merry labor summer. Woo, labor. We sure love labor.

Or rather, we love supporting labor, which we hate doing but have to. Until we die! And luckily, Gallup polls are showing a significant increase in public support for labor unions over the last few years, especially compared to its historic low in 2009. Thanks, Obama! Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of private and public sector workers belonging to unions grew by 270,000 people last year. And so far, 457,000 U.S. workers were a part of 315 strikes this year, which has led to 7.4 million missed days of work in 2023.

Not Cody, though. I mean, he tried to call out sick once, so I went ahead and I lit his porch on fire. I admit, we were both a little bit wrong that day. Mostly him, but like, got a little bit of responsibility on my part, maybe. Anyway, the five-month-long WGA strike seemed to work out for the writers, with them earning a collected $233 million more per year than their previous contract and nearly tripling the original offer made by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. They also added provisions against AI, essentially protecting their profession from being replaced by the predictive text your cell phone uses. Which is a weird thing to have to fight against.

One can argue that there is still the issue with residuals being made through streaming services, however it's clear that their current contract is at least significantly better than their original offer thanks to their strike. Meanwhile, their counterparts that, you know, act out the wordy words that the WGA writes, aka SAG-AFTRA, they just voted to end their strike in 2023. There is still a big concern about the contract's lax AI protections, which is why I personally actually voted no,

if you were wondering. But it is a better contract than the original one offered earlier in the year, though there's still a lot of progress that we have to make. I don't know, maybe there's some kind of a porch fire solution situation. I have experience. But wait, there's more! Well now there is a tentative contract deal on the table with all of the big three automakers. The UAW reportedly struck an agreement with GM just earlier today. Ford was first, followed by Stellantis over the weekend. The union had been fighting for better pay benefits and shorter work weeks. We saw more than 45,000 members joining the picket

lines over the course of the past six weeks. Heck yes! The people who are responsible for building the cars those actors and writers used to get to the film set, aka the United Auto Workers, also reached tentative agreements with Ford, GM, and Stellantis. They got around a 25% pay raise over the next four years, and a bunch of other good stuff too. This was after over 45,000 union members went on strike, causing so much disruption that they were actually able to reclaim benefits that were originally lost during the 2008 contract negotiations. That includes benefits like cost of living adjustments and quicker timelines to top wages.

So that's how successful it was. In fact, it's now even inspiring workers at Tesla and Toyota to organize as well. Meanwhile, the Teamsters union representing UPS also got an amazing deal simply by threatening to strike, increasing wages for both full-time and part-time drivers. This win could also influence Amazon and other similar industries to improve their working conditions and wages to meet or beat their competition. Which is why unions are good even if you're not in one. As we argued previously on I'm not gonna do the bit anymore. Cody can do

the bit if he wants to, okay? We do not, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna keep doing the bit. We understand how previously on works. Boo! Oh boo hoo, go strike about it, monkey. Of course, while there is momentum, there's still a fight to be had. Hotel workers in Los Angeles are striking for better cost of living benefits so they can actually afford to live in the city they work in. Seems, you know, reasonable. Unite Here Local 11 represents 15,000 of these workers and is in contract negotiations with about 60 LA hotels. The workers' primary demand is a 7% fee on hotel rooms that would help them with housing costs, as many of them are commuting long distances after being priced out of the city. As NPR notes, that money could be used for things like affordable

housing or loans to assist with rent. And, in theory, this could replace the current fees that guests pay. So those pesky add-on fees you pay would still be annoying, for sure, but will at least be annoying for, you know, a good reason. You know, to support the hotel worker currently forced to clean out your wet towels on the floor, and of course the many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many sperms you've left on those bedsheets. Very gross. You're gross, okay? The strike is, of course, getting hostile resistance from hotel managers, with some

of them allegedly asking striking workers for immigration paperwork. So that's fucked up. This strike really should be getting more attention, perhaps as a rising tide to help lift the ships of other service industry workers throughout the country. So it seems like while there is still a lot of work, sacrifice, porch fires, and attention that needs to be made, the momentum and planning seems to be there. So, okay. Hey, what else is good? Environmental Invigoration So, here's some good news about the planet we're on.

You know the one. It's mostly blue and has all the jizz on the bread sheets. It's Earth, right? Earth. And listen, I don't want to be a John Krasinski about this and pretend like we're going to solve climate change with a few good headlines. But it's important to celebrate and praise any and all actions that mitigate that damage. Because that's on the road to recovery. Just like how, if Warmbo at least puts on his shirt, he'll get an Oreo. Not gonna help.

So for starters, everyone on Earth, remember that's the planet that we live on, is using less coal, oil, and gas to generate power, leading to the first annual drop in fossil fuel use or electricity that wasn't caused by a recession or a pandemic. In fact, the U.S. is on its way to close half of its coal generating capacity by 2026. So, way to go everyone! Grab a slice of cake! Except UX on mobile. Fuck you. You know why. You know why. In other news about us unfucking our planet, Native tribes are teaming up with

contractors to begin the largest river restoration project in American history. They are planting 19 billion seeds along the bank of the Klamath River in Oregon with the intention to grow 96 different species of plants. So I guess we're actually re-fucking the ground rather than un-fucking it. Which is good because the ground is horny. At the same time, the U.S. has actually cataloged its old-growth forests for the first time, which is promising since it could help protect and conserve those areas. Going from the thirsty-as-hell ground to the equally horny sea, scientists have successfully grown new coral in their labs to offset the bleached and damaged coral reefs around Miami.

And going from the sea back to the ground, Oklahoma has restored almost 100 streams through water monitoring and also refining cattle grazing practices and preventing chemical runoff into the water. But let's not forget the sky. The country's air quality actually improved in 2022, along with Americans still driving less than before the pandemic and also having shorter commutes to their jobs. So that is cool and good. Thank you, COVID. Yeah, that's probably not the moral to this. Anyway, there's also good agriculture and food news too. Well, food-ish.

Do you like salmon? Either as a food or the getting on wet pet? Well, the Puget Sound's annual pink salmon run, which is not a kinky charity race yet, was the largest it's been in the last decade. This is when salmon move from the ocean back into the rivers to spawn. So actually, I guess it is kind of like a kinky charity race. All right, neat. Meanwhile, scientists have now genetically engineered an eco-friendlier avocado that takes less water to grow and is more resistant to extreme climates. So yeah, you can now cook up some avocado salmon or feed your pet salmon, an avocado guilt-free.

Now, all we need is genetically engineered, eco-friendly toast, and millennials will finally be able to afford houses! This is all good and neat if you squint and ignore the looming threat of climate change, which is what we are doing. Like I said a few minutes ago, this whole video is more about small incremental updates to our previous videos. More things being less bad as opposed to good things being added, if that makes sense. So after the break, we're going to try and give you some good news that isn't sprinkled with a bunch of asterisks, specifically science news, more specifically recent discoveries. And speaking of asterisk shaped things, we're also gonna try and get some clothes on Warmbo. Woohoo!

Be right back. Unless I'm not! Warmbo is sweet! Warmbo, I swear to God! We sure love nuts, don't we folks? Nuts for breakfast, nuts for lunch, not dinner, obviously. Using nuts under your car tires to get out of the snow, building little statues out of nuts. My kitchen floor, nuts. And since you and I both love nuts an equal amount, you should really check out nuts.com. They have nuts for everyone and more. They have nuts for everyone and more.

Roasted nuts, dried nuts, sweets, pantry items, and even specialty flours. Also, did I mention they got nuts? I'm literally up to my ankles in nuts right now. Fresh nuts too. Wow. That's because nuts.com roasts their nuts and pop their corn the day it's shipped. I really, I really love nuts. Every night I sleep in a pile of their cilantro lime pistachios. It's how I get my glow.

I also eat the nuts, you know, when the mood strikes me. I don't just sit in them. And right now, Nuts.com is offering new customers a free gift with purchase and free shipping on orders of $29 or more at Nuts.com slash more news. So go on and check out all the delicious options at Nuts.com slash more news. You'll receive a free gift and

free shipping when you spend $29 or more. That's Nuts.com slash more news. Nuts! It's what.com slash more news. Nuts! It's what's around me all the time. Okay, count to three. You pull the fridge out and I'll drop the laundry hamper on it. One, two, three!

Woo! Ah, nice twice! Snap, are you okay? Yeah, yeah, I'm so fucking gnarly. Katie, the fridge is on your neck. Hold on, I'm gonna get something to pry it off. No, leave me.

I feel so alive. Oh. Okay. Then. Hey. Hi. Welcome back. Katie's fine.

Anyway, as she said before she had to go, a lot of good news feels like things are just getting less bad, you know? You ever think about that? Which is why for our next segment, we are going to talk about the good things being added into the world. New things, science things.

You like science things. I'm blacking out. Discoveries of Science. Oh yeah, science baby. Discoveries, invention, we love it. Katie's still fine. Now, time to get into my popular science loving character, Cody, I like science too, you jerks.

I don't need a funny little accent to talk about it. Okay, I don't, great. Okay, so let's begin outward and go inward, starting with space, which is outward. Get it? Get it. Space scientists, which they love being called, are discovering a lot of cool stuff out there. Boldly going where no man has gone before,

trekking among the stars like on some sort of celestial hike. And these celestial hikes have given us new knowledge about the space outside of us. We're studying rocks from an asteroid originating more than 200 million miles from Earth that contained water and carbon, which adds to the theory that asteroids may have provided our planet with the ingredients needed to start life and subsequently a lot of delicious cocktails. Asteroids are basically space sperm, is what it suggests.

We also found water on a so-called main belt comet, which is technically not a comet, but an asteroid that has comet-like characteristics, which, okay, you're a comet then. Don't try to be special, comet, which is what you are, you comet. This one is between Mars and Jupiter, planets, the significance being that we now know there is water in that area in the form of ice. Of course, water is everywhere in space.

There's a spot in space with just a big gob of water, just 140 trillion times the amount of water on earth, just floating around in space. And if 12 billion light years is a little too far slash long for you, don't worry, there's also water on the moon and that's closer. Water, water everywhere. And still, ah, still just out of reach.

It's on the moon, that's so far. Oh, how are we gonna get up there? Meanwhile, NASA launched a mission to observe a solar system made nearly entirely of metal as Europe is exploring three of Jupiter's moons. No word on if it's heavy metal or like Viking metal. Heck, maybe it's crust punk. We just don't know yet.

One of those moons being explored is Europa, an icy little fella with, we presume, a large ocean underneath its surface, warmed by Jupiter, and nearby moons just going to town on its tides, warming it up, cracking the surface. There's an ocean down there. What's in the ocean? An ice demon?

A microbe? Who knows? Who? Who knows? Who? Who knows? We're also studying dwarf galaxies as a means to discover how our galaxy was formed. We found out that space-time churns like an ocean. We witnessed a black hole gobble up a gas planet

like some kind of galactus or unicron, depending on your religion. All of these recent events in space exploration and analysis can help us unravel mysteries about how we came to be, where we came from, and how somehow Palpatine returned. The dead speak in Space Discovery. But perhaps you're more an Earth-first person.

Well, then there's still good news for yous. Would you like to know more? Last week at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, scientists at the National Ignition Facility achieved fusion ignition, and that is creating more energy from fusion reactions than the energy used to start the process. It's the first time it has ever been done in a laboratory. This milestone moves us one significant step closer to the possibility of zero carbon abundant fusion energy powering our society. That announcement was made late last year,

and make no mistake that the primary purpose of these tests was for making weapons as nuclear deterrents, and it shouldn't be seen as a savior of our climate change emergency. Sorry for the asterisk. But it's still a big deal in terms of the possibility of developing clean energy on a massive scale. This is in addition to the International Energy Agency

recently saying that, quote, "'Renewables will become the largest source "'of global electricity generation by early 2025, "'surpassing coal. "'Basically, by 2027, we're going to add "'as much renewable energy as we did "'in the past two decades.'" Also helping to save the climate, at least a little bit,

is the Inflation Reduction Act, rearing its head again, which will not only reduce carbon emissions, but will lower the cost of utility bills for most Americans. Also in terms of energy, there are some great strides being made all around. Researchers at the Department of Energy have developed a perovskite cell that is more efficient, stable, and cheaper to use

for solar batteries compared to silicon. There is also promising progress in developing transparent solar panels with the hope to use them on skyscrapers to power up buildings and electric cars, weave them into clothing to charge your small electronics, and implant them into your warm, supple flesh to power medical devices,

as well as the Tamagotchi you swallowed back in fifth grade. You gotta keep that thing alive at all costs. Otherwise, beep boop, it makes the beep boops, you know? But what if you're sick and tired of hearing about sun energy already? Shut, get out of here, sun energy! Shut up about the sun! You're my least favorite Gatorade flavor, you fucking sun.

What are we talking about? Oh, there are also some non-solar energy innovations underway that, we're talking about energy. California is installing one of former President Trump's greatest enemies, wind turbines, that are floating and anchored to the sea floor. Ocean winds are more consistent compared to winds inland, so this could provide a worthy method to provide power

to communities that live along the coast. Earlier this year, Italian energy company Eni successfully tested a prototype converter to derive energy from ocean waves by connecting it to the Italian island of Pantelleria's grid. Now it's limited so far, only generating enough power to run 260 dishwashers. But think of the last time ocean water properly washed your dishes.

You can't. Believe me, I have ruined several trips to the beach due to seagulls pecking at the dried chili cheese stuck on my soup mug. This Chinaware is ruined! Thanks Poseidon! There's also a gauntlet of good news regarding not just the planet you live on, but the entity you live in. your gross body. We're making headway in a number of cancer treatments.

First, trials for a new breast cancer drug are showing promising results in both increasing the survivability of breast cancer patients and slowing the growth of tumors. The drug specifically targets a mutant protein called HER2, a sequel absolutely nobody asked for, but I'm curious where they go with it.

Wait, oh, HER2 is a protein that exists in 15 to 20% of breast cancer patients. Of course, early detection is key, so it's pretty great that researchers from Sheffield Hallam University have now developed a tool to detect breast cancer from fingerprints, with initial trials showing 98% accuracy. Meanwhile, a new drug for rectal cancer showed

that all 18 participants in the trial study were in complete remission after taking it. Obviously, it needs to be tested further and in a larger group of patients, but any golfer can tell you that 18 out of 18 is a fucking miracle. Also, a pill developed for post-op lung cancer treatments is cutting the mortality rate in half.

Prevention of cancer is also making progress. In 2022, English doctors developed a, quote, game-changing, game-changing, game-changing, how do you say game-changing in a British accent? Game, game, game-changing blood test that can detect up to 50 different cancers in the early stages, which could lead to fast-tracking diagnoses and treatment

if anything was spotted. That year, doctors also experimented with an mRNA vaccine that showed promising results against melanoma in conjunction with immunotherapy. Hell, mRNA has opened up the potential of developing vaccines for other cancers and has provided reasonable hope for immunizations against pancreatic, colon, and breast cancer.

It can't be stated enough that all of this stuff still needs rigorous testing and multiple trials before we get ultra happy. But there are reasons to be optimistic given these early test results. In fact, the CRISPR technology and mRNA therapy that was used to fast track and develop a COVID vaccine is leading to development of other vaccinations.

Call that a silver lining, I guess, even if you don't believe in mRNA vaccines. For malaria, a disease which kills 600,000 globally each year, Oxford developed a vaccination that's treating residents in Ghana and Nigeria, with early trials suggesting that it reduces symptomatic infection by 80% or more. Researchers at the University of Chicago

used a new technique that, to quote The Week, "'Completely reversed a multiple sclerosis-type "'autoimmune disorder in mice, "'using a new technique that tricked the liver into neutering a specific immune response. Basically, the current treatment for autoimmune disease really screws with your immune system, but this version would fix that,

assuming the technique translates from mice to human. So that's nifty and also neat and even boss. We're also making headway in HIV treatment as a 53 year old man in Dusseldorf is completely cured of HIV after receiving a stem cell transplant a decade ago. And when I say cured, I mean he no longer has HIV. He doesn't even have to take medication to manage it.

It's just gone, at least so far. So nice job Dusseldorf. Go Dorfers! The mascot you definitely have not looking it up. Go fighting Dorfers! So yeah, a lot of good discoveries. Actual good, cool stuff that will hopefully lead to more good stuff. A shockwave of good, like the explosion of rainbows

from a nuclear unicorn. You know, the bomb developed by Lolly Poppenheimer. It's nice to remember that the world is often good and people are still trying to make things better for other people. I don't know if you know this, but we cover the news on this show. Specifically, we cover things that need to be fixed

because it would be boring if all of our episodes were us saying no notes and then cutting to the credits, which actually, we can't do that, all right, fine. But this also means we skew pretty negative when it comes to what we talk about, not to mention that the media is far more focused on negative stories in order to generate interest,

because I guess that's just what we're into. Humans have a real tragedy kink apparently that sucks this is all to say that we're sorry we're sorry that our version of good news is often simply pointing out that things are less bad because our show is focused specifically on things that are bad and need to be fixed and we hope you don't take that to mean that the world is all bad there are a lot of good things that don't need to be fixed like And we hope you don't take that to mean that the world is all bad. There are a lot of good things that don't need to be fixed. Like paper clips, or dogs, or the human act of wishing for and working toward making things

better. Even just a little bit better. Also the Lord of the Rings films. Those are perfect. No notes. No! Get off! Let me finally test this rat fucker and find out if he has colds in his mouth. No! No! Total victory!

We did it! Oh! Mission accomplished. We did it, everyone. We had to destroy the studio and our own bodies, but we finally caught Warmbo, the thing we were definitely celebrating at the start of this. This is truly a holiday miracle. You said it, friend. I don't even care that my windpipe is slightly crushed. Corn cream.

Oh, good. The corn cream is talking now. I love that. That is great. Fun. Fun development. Huh? Oh, you know what? Actually, I forgot.

We forgot one. Here's some good news. The Cybertruck is out and available for everybody. That's progress to make. Well, it is a miracle. It is a miracle. None of us would have thought. Who would have thought that it would

finally be available for more than they said and also with the panels all askew and also doesn't seem to be very good at like why would anyone buy that beast well let alone just in rear wheel drive like what are you gonna do with it did you see the christmas tree video it's a culture war signifier it looks like like that scary dog. You all know that. We don't know. I know because we talked about it earlier. She's talking about the target dog. They're scary.

They're horrifying dogs. Looks like it. Google target dog and then find out what it is. And then like Google image search it. Because the target dog is obviously meant to be cute. But like they're ugly, bad dogs. They're nightmares. And it looks like the Cybertruck. They're good boys and girls. It's fine.

Fuck you. What? This has gone awry. Yeah, now. Not before. Fun today. Oh, Worm was here. Hey. Hi.

Your dicks are showing. Hi everybody. Thank you for watching the video. Be sure to like and subscribe. Also, we have a podcast where you can listen to both of us talk about the most interesting things in the world. Oh, I love that. I love that. I love that. I love that.

I love that. I love that. I love that. I love that. I love that. I love that. I love that. Hi everybody, thank you for watching the video. Be sure to like and subscribe. Also, we have a podcast where you can listen to both of us talking, not that one though. And a Patreon where you can... Did you already say Patreon? No. We have a Patreon that you can patronize.

Patronize. Patronize? Don't be patronizing, but you can patronize if you want. No presh. Ah, Cody. Merch! don't be patronizing but you can patronize if you want no presh ah cody merch we have merch available at the link at the bottom and a podcast called even more news i said that fuck we have another this show is a podcast this show some more news is a podcast and i forgot to do that okay this show as a podcast and the merch thing that I already mentioned.

Great stuff. Great merch. Like and subscribe. And a happy new year.