Whodunit, 2022?

I came across an article titled ‘Is modern life ruining our powers of concentration’ and realised that I started writing this note 5 days too late. So yes, as we lurch from one notification to the other, modern life and its devices are stealing our powers of concentration - and we can pin the blame for all delays on this phenomenon.

There’s a war going on!

Yes, it’s been almost a year. Ukraine is being reduced to rubble. And like modern life, it’s the reason for everything – it’s the reason why oil prices went up and down, and why inflation is up, and why food is more expensive, and super yachts are docked, why Russian women are flying to Argentina to deliver their babies and Chelsea is not doing well in the Premier League. It’s the reason for everything. It’s definitely the reason why people are dying, cold and homeless in winter. The missiles keep dropping but we hear that a cease fire and peace may well burrow their head out of the trenches yet. [Note: Remember Ever Given in the Suez last year – that was also the reason for everything then].

Weather Events

It’s raining, it’s getting colder, it’s getting hotter – and all where it shouldn’t. COP 27 took place in Sharm el Shaikh, Egypt – delegates made speeches. We heard words like sustainability, global warming, climate impact, renewable energy, Antonio Guterres spoke about urgency, leaving a breathing planet for our children – then they all got onto very big airplanes and went home. Then they went shopping in very large SUVs where they’ll get a plastic bag for their efforts. How did it go? Read the emissions against your skyline.

Men played football in Qatar

That was something – Argentina won, France lost, Morocco tried and no it did not go home to England. The First World journalists held a wake for the dead immigrant worker, Emiliano Martinez held his Golden Glove against his [ok let’s leave that out]. Messi wrote his name in history and what a set of games it was! Just so that we remember that world leaders have a sense of humour Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award were announced in Doha.

Turn right from the Metaverse

Yes, that 5G Wi-Fi enabled thing! That man took over twitter, yes that guy with the electric car who became the first human to lose $ 200 bn in his lifetime and who spoke up the Open AI thing. Zuckerberg and Meta lost a little sheen. We chatted ChatGPT and wrote worse – it promises to get better – poets beware! If there was a time to re-start that Man [He, Him, Us, Her, She, Them, Rainbow for all you woke folks] vs Code debate, it’s now.

Exeunt Stage Left

The Queen passed even as Meghan and Harry pressed a few nails into the royal coffin. Pele and Pope Benedict departed almost together. Gorbachev died, Shinzo Abe was shot. Vivienne Westwood and Issey Miyake walked out. It was that kind of year!

It was a bad time to be a tycoon in India as Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, Cyrus Mistry, Rahul Bajaj, Tulsi Tanti, Jamshed Irani and Vikram Kirloskar closed their books of accounts. Sidhu Moosewala, Lata Mangeshkar, Bappi da, Pt Shivkumar Sharma and Birju Maharaj all passed over to the great concert in the sky.

I hear that the word of the year is Goblin Mode [ok it’s two words, I get that] and I understand why that’s a good choice but I really like Nepo Babies more [two words again] for its gossipy, paparazzi, ‘they’re all around us’ flavour. Will Smith slapped Chris Rock, Iran is in the midst of a revolution that nobody wants to talk about and amateur runners and sailors are making their way to North America and Western Europe in unprecedented numbers.

It was both a very good time and a bad one to be a fly on a wall on planet Earth!