Things Are Good

Malaria is still a giant problem for African nations and the Gates Foundation is looking to help the people living on the continent. The Gates Foundation is donating $258 million to various places to combat malaria over the next five years.

Iran has something that is unique for the Middle East: the only all-female firefighter squad.
From The Christian Science Monitor:
“Not every rescue requires a feminine touch. But in the Islamic Republic, which tolerates little public mixing of the genders, the 11 women here are breaking new ground and creating a model for cities across the [...]

The CBC is reporting that some Palestinian militant groups have agreed to stop launching rockets.
Recently there has been an increase in violence in Israel and this recent peace agreement brokered by Egypt should curb some violence.

The planet Mars made it’s closest pass by Earth in 60,000 years in late August this year. The red planet will be taking another close swing by Earth this week-end so those with telescopes might want to take a look. This week-end Mars will be closer to Earth by about 3 times it’s average [...]

A Canadian engineer has proposed to use tornadoes to power wind turbines that in turn will create electricity. The concept is similar to a solar tower, which uses solar heat to produce wind power. Efficiency of a solar tower relies on how big it is, the bigger the better. The tornado-based power plant does not [...]

Previously shunned by the vast majority of people in the developed world, zero-energy housing is gaining in popularity. California (of course) is on the forefront of this trend. Newsweek has more to say about lowering the energy cost in new houses.
“Aside from the bright patch of solar modules on the roof, Premier Gardens looks like [...]