Good things about 2025

 Good things about 2025

How has my 2025 been...not great. How has the worlds 2025 been...not great. However, as we prepare to give a big middle finger to 2025, here is my annual list of good things to have happened this year. As always, it is good to remember that there are ALWAYS good things happening in the world, they just don't tend to make it to the front page.

#1 - Hand transplant

In 2025 successful hand transplants became a thing! Including Luka Krizanac in the US who had a double hand transplant. Giving hope to the huge amounts of people suffering from limb loss across the world.

#2 - Ocean treaty

The High Seas Treaty came into force which means in 2026 international waters will be legally protected. This could help to combat biodiversity loss in the oceans as well as providing many people with more food security. 

#3 - Plaid Cymru defeat reform

Seeing the rise of Reform in the UK is worrying considering that their leader, Nigel Farage, is known for lovely qualities such as anti semitic abuse towards his peers as a youngster, saying he would be open to privatising the NHS and admiring Putin amongst many other things. An EXTREMELY unpopular Labour government seems to be opening the door for him into power. However, Plaid Cymru showed there might be some hope for a battle against the far right by defeating Reform in the Caerphilly by election. Showing everyone that Welsh people don't like orange coloured racists that pretend to be down with the working class. 

#4 - Cop 16 deal

The Cop 16 deal included many positive aspects going forward such as a roadmap to mobilise over 200 billion dollars by 2030 to help protect nature against the many dangers it is currently facing.

#5 - China's emissions reducing

People will often say what is the point of the UK trying to reduce their emissions when countries that Dwarf us, such as China, aren't making the same effort. And lets be honest, they kind of have a point. However, in 2025 China's CO2 emissions either flatlined or fell slightly (depending what you read) showing that they may be taking a step in the right direction. 

#6 - Jake Paul and Andrew Tate both get beaten up in the same weekend

I'm not usually one for violence but let's be honest, seeing Tate's face when he took that uppercut was pretty bloody satisfying. 

#7 - Cancer survival rates

Some cancer survival rates have improved so much that certain ones, such as myeloma, have almost doubled from previous years. Also, fuck cancer.

#8 - Gaza ceasefire 

Yes, the Gaza ceasefire is shakier than your nan after her second glass of new years prosecco tonight and Israel are about as reliable as when your brother promises mum he is never going to hit you again. However, it does show some hope for the people of Gaza who have suffered horrifically this year.

#9 - Australia bans social media for teens

Who is happy that they grew up before social media was a thing? Yeah, me too. However, in a fantastic move towards giving children some of their childhood back, Australia banned social media for people under 16 on some platforms. 

#10 - Ireland gives basic income to artists

There is a reason why the arts in Ireland are thriving, it's because they are being funded! Ireland has now agreed to permanently provide a basic income to some artists. My pick for current Irish artists will always be the novelist Sally Rooney who, in my opinion, is one of the greatest living writers. 

Good Things About 2024

 Good things about 2024

My annual blog post about some of the best things that happened this year!

In no particular order:

#1 - Chopsticks rocket catch

The visual sight of SpaceX catching a starship rocket booster was a real insight into the future. 

#2 - IVF rhino

Scientists successfully performed IVF on a rhino for the first time in history. Perhaps a lifeline for lots of endangered animals out there!

#3 - End of Tory government

They're finally out!

#4 - GB medal haul

Great Britain got the third highest number of medals at this summers Olympics! I always love to see GB punching so far above their weight at the Olympics. If you think sport isn't important, you're wrong.

#5 - ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu 

Benjamin Netanyahu is trying his darndest to be one of the most evil world leaders in recent history. The International Criminal Court recognising this by putting an arrest warrant for him shows some sanity in an insane world, even if it will probably amount to nothing. 

#6 - Fall of Assad

Despite the uncertainty of what will come next, seeing the people of Syria being able to celebrate the fall of a dictator was a good sight to behold. 

#7 - First black astronaut in 60 years

Ed Dwight became the first black astronaut in 60 years to fly into space...at the age of 90. Making him a role model for so many potential future astronauts of colour and also making me feel that maybe I'm not too old to achieve some more of my dreams after all.

#8 - EU emissions shrank

EU emissions shrank AGAIN this year showing that if we can start to slow our impact on the climate, maybe the rest of the world can too.

#9 - Global child deaths at historic low

The number of children dying globally before the age of 5 is now at a historic low. I have long believed that a nation should largely be judged on the safety and wellbeing of its children. Perhaps the same should be said of the entire planet!

#10 - Cancer vaccine

A potential cancer vaccine has been developed that can train the immune system to recognise and destroy cancer cells. Maybe we will be able to see the cure for cancer happen in our lifetimes after all!

Good Things About 2023

 Good Things About 2023

Another year, another attempt to find some positives in what could be viewed as an abysmal year by many. Remember, negative news always spreaders wider and faster than positive news but that doesn't mean positive things aren't always happening.

#10 - The lionesses reach the world cup final

The lionesses continued their recent successes by reaching the final of the world cup for the first time. They may have lost but for 90 minutes we fully believed they might just do it. Plus, we got properly introduced to the legendary Mary Earps.

#9 - Pill cuts risk of breast cancer by half

A pill called Anastrozole is now being offered by the NHS which cuts the risk of breast cancer by half. It is currently being offered to women who are seen as being most at risk.

#8 - The Beatles release their last song

Decades after their last song, the Beatles released their lost track 'Now and Then' with a little help from AI. In my opinion, the song is only okay but you can't deny it being pretty cool that the biggest band of all time had a chance to release some new music. 

#7 - Barbenheimer

When Barbie and Oppenheimer released, they smashed the box office and received great reviews from critics. Hopefully signaling the end of cinema releases being made up purely of Marvel sequels and Disney remakes. 

#6 - Laurence Fox fired

Laurence Fox is the epitome of a human skid-mark. It boggles my mind that there are people on the planet that would admire him (do they exist?). Anyway he got fired from GB news for being a twat!

#5 - 4 day working week

The 4 day work week finally got trialed in the UK. Brits everywhere can dream of the freedom that a 3 day weekend would offer.

#4 - Beavers return to UK

Beavers have begun to be reintroduced into the wild in the UK. They were hunted to extinction 400 years ago but are finally making their welcome return in select areas. Beavers also help to create habitats for other wildlife so it could potentially impact the numbers of other wild animals in Britain.

#3 - Less deforestation in the Amazon

Deforestation fell by over 60% in the Amazon. The Amazon is often referred to as the lungs of the earth and its destruction is often viewed as one of the potential tipping points regarding climate change. Any steps towards lessening the deforestation it has been suffering are beneficial for all of us.

#2 - Gender pay gap shortening

The gender pay gap has been proved to be slowly declining and has fallen by over a quarter since the last decade. It still stands at 7.7% but this number improves when looking at people under 40.

#1 - Lad protects security guard

I can't explain how happy I felt when I saw this video showing an oxygen thief trying to ruin the day of  a Tesco security guard being immediately subdued by a 'have a go hero' who was sick of seeing someone behave like a complete arsehole. Seriously, if there is a Just Giving for this guy let me know. 

Anyway, have a happy new year everyone!

Why Roald Dahl Books SHOULDN'T Be Changed

 Why Roald Dahl Books SHOULDN'T be Changed

Unless you've been living under a rock, you have probably heard the furore surrounding Puffin deciding to edit Roald Dahl books in order to make them 'suitable for modern audiences'. These included Augustus Gloop no longer being referred to as 'fat' and the Twits no longer being referred to as ugly. That's right, they're removing insults made towards fictional characters. Fictional characters who are the antagonists of the books! I can't believe I'm favourably quoting the Queen Consort but she said, 'please remain true to your calling, unimpeded by those who may wish to curb the freedom of your expression or impose limits on your imagination'. When referring to writers, I think she's spot on. 

My first thought when reading about the edits my first though was that we knew words like fat and ugly were rude and offensive when I was a kid, that was part of what made reading Roald Dahl books fun. Any child who has a personality and any kind of mischievous nature (which is most children) doesn't want to read books that are 'safe'. They want to read books that are cheeky and have characters who do and say the wrong things. In fact, I can't think of a single great novel (for children or adults) that couldn't be considered controversial or offensive to some extent. When I was a kid, one of the things that put me off reading books was how safe and boring so many of them were. 

My job involves reading to children every single day and they never enjoy it more than when Horrid Henry plays a cruel prank, they learn something gruesome in Horrible Histories or they hear an insulting description of someone in a Roald Dahl book. Funnily enough, despite enjoying Roald Dahl, they know to not call someone fat or ugly in real life because children aren't idiots and don't need to be patronised. 

Furthermore, it is just wrong to edit a writers work without their consent, especially posthumously. A less interfering option could be to put a 'contains insensitive language' sticker on the front and just let parents, teachers and children decide for themselves. Probably almost every great children's novel could be edited for sensitivity. We could have Horrid Henry where Henry is polite to his teachers and never plays pranks on his brother. We could have an Angry Aztecs where we avoid mentioning human sacrifice. We could even write new books about a child who never upsets anyone or does anything challenging. I'm sure children would love reading that book, right? Let's not start with a book about Twits who aren't ugly. 

Good Things About 2022

 Good Things About 2022

What with Russia, the cost of living, two Tory prime ministers we didn't even vote for and Neil Parish suffering the indignity of accidentally stumbling across pornography whilst innocently searching for pictures of tractors, it would be easy to dismiss 2022 as a terrible year. However, as is my annual tradition, I will try to find some of the positives we saw in 2022. 

#10 - Andrew Tate gates arrested with help from a pizza box.

If you haven't heard of Andrew Tate, he is a man who has made millions from convincing insecure men that he can turn them into millionaires if they pay him money whilst styling himself as an internet guru. He does that thing where he mixes obvious facts with hate speech so people can say, 'well, lots of what he says is actually true.' 

Anyway, whilst verbally attacking that teenage environmental activist we all know, he gave away his location to police via a pizza box and has been arrested for reasons including potentially being involved in human trafficking. So, hopefully we don't hear from him in a while!

#9 - Prince Andrew kicked out of Buckingham Palace.

Another man who was potentially involved with a human trafficker, Prince Andrew seemed to be surviving disturbingly well. I mean, consider how much more hate Megan and Harry have got in the Media than him despite him clearly having having done much worse things than make a mildly critical Netflix show. 

However, in an act of common sense, King Charles has now supposedly banned him from Buckingham Palace. Hopefully meaning we don't have to see his sweaty face as much in the future. 

#8 - Lionesses became European champions.

After 33 years of disappointing England results, I finally got to see an England team lift a major international trophy! It also massively helped to raise positive publicity towards women's football in this country.

#7 - Britain has begun to embrace the 4 day working week.

For a long time, it has been the norm for people in many professions to be expected to work longer and longer hours. This is often accompanied by a toxic 'grind' culture that tries to convince people that longer hours worked, even at the expense of things like sleep and time spent with family, mean greater success (it doesn't). 

However, the world's biggest four day working week pilot is underway in the UK meaning a healthier balance may be on the cards for many people in the near future.

#6 - Work towards a cancer vaccine getting closer.

With all the work towards vaccines in recent years, attention has now been turned towards creating a vaccine for cancer. One of the main companies working towards this has said that there may be cancer vaccine available for the public by 2030!

#5 - A cure for Alzheimer's is now closer.

In another breakthrough for health and medicine, a drug has been tested that appears to slow memory decline by up to 27%. This means that a cure for the most common form of Dementia could now be on the horizon.

#4 - Jack Grealish makes the day for a child with cerebral palsy. 

When Jack Grealish performed a strange, wriggly dance after scoring a goal in the World Cup, it could be easy to think, 'wtf is he doing?' However, it later turned out that he had done this for a 12 year old with cerebral palsy called Finlay Fisher who had made the request after meeting him previously. 

The fact that the first thing Grealish would think about after one of the biggest moments in his career is a young fan with a disability can't help but warm your heart. 

#3 - Some endangered animals are making a come back.

We only ever hear the bad news stories about the environment which is obviously because of how important they are but there are some positives.

For one, despite the vast majority of scientists saying that we are heading towards climate catastrophe, a few of the guys at my gym have told me that climate change is completely made up so we should be fine. In more sane news though, some animals such as the Antolian Leopard and Grey Wolves have actually been increasing in number.

#2 - Steps are taken towards fighting deforestation.

The new Brazilian prime minister has vowed to halt deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest which is a drastic change from the policies of his predecessor. Other countries have also made progress in this area such as many members of the EU now banning the important of many products considered some of the main drivers of deforestation. 

#1 - My son was born!

Maybe not as important for other people but I think he's pretty cool. 

10 Banned Books You Should Read

 10 Banned Books You Should Read.

The year is 2022 and books are still causing enough outrage to make headlines, cause violence or be banned. For me, even though it is sad that this is still the case, it also shows how powerful books still are. I'm sure a lot of people are similar to me in that whenever they hear a book has been banned somewhere or caused mass outrage it immediately makes me want to read it. Furthermore, a lot of the 'controversial' novels I've read have also been some of the best writing that I've ever encountered. In fact, I'm sure that almost every novel I've ever loved could be considered controversial to some extent. One of my uni tutors used to say "nice writes white" which I think meant that if you only wrote about 'nice/safe' things then you wouldn't really have anything interesting to say. Imagine trying to write a novel that had no controversial themes, no characters with controversial traits and wouldn't upset anyone who read it. It would probably be awful or aimed at children under 6. Anyway, here are 10 books that have been banned at some point (8 were banned by actual governments) that I think are worth reading. 

#10 - For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway (suppressed by Spanish authorities).

If you ever want to read classic literature that isn't remotely pretentious then you can't go wrong with Ernest Hemingway. He writes simple prose that is completely accessible to anyone whilst losing none of the grandiose of the moving and profound stories he portrays. 

#9 - Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence (banned for obscenity laws).

It's almost a shame that Lawrence is so famous for his gratuitous (for the time) sex scenes because what I think he is best at doing is portraying place. You really feel you can see, smell and hear all of the settings he creates, so much so that they stay with you once you have finished the book.

 

#8 - Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (banned for being obscene).

It's gross and disturbing but it is also one of the best examples of an unreliable narrator that I have ever read. You really feel as if you are hearing the thoughts of a highly disturbed and delusional individual.

#7 - The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (banned for unflattering portrayal). 

A long book that largely takes place during a long, difficult journey across the United States. You are rooting for the characters the whole way and, in a time of the cost of living crisis, it probably feels more relevant now than ever. 

#6 - The Autobiography of Malcolm X (banned for criticising white supremacy).

I always admire an autobiography where the author doesn't try to portray themselves as a perfect person. This autobiography feels brutally honest and tells the life story of an often misunderstood man.  

#5 - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (banned for using racist language).

Banning a staunchly anti-racist book set in the 30's for having 'racist language' is probably one of the stupidest things I've ever heard and this only happened in schools in America a few years ago. Anyway, it's one of those classic novels that lives up to every bit of hype and should be read by everyone.  

#4 - Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (banned for satirising Stalin).

A book that is still referenced constantly and for good reason. It was also the book that got me into 'serious' reading as a teenager and helped set my life on a better trajectory. 

#3 - Another Country by James Baldwin (banned for being indecent).

The first thing I thought when I read this book was how ahead of its time it was. It feels as if it could be written now and not feel at all aged. The fact that Australia banned it for being, 'continually smeared with indecent, offensive and dirty epithets and allusions' should be reason enough for you to want to read it.

#2 - Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (banned for portraying promiscuous sex).

I've always viewed Brave New World as being an even more accurate dystopia than Nineteen Eighty-Four when compared to the world around me. Do you remember when people were bizarrely upset at Gordon Ramsey recently for choosing which lamb he wanted to eat because we've become so disconnected from where our food comes from that we can't handle someone being even remotely hands on with the meat they eat? That's the kind of thing that still makes me think of Brave New World on a regular basis. 

#1 - The Color Purple by Alice Walker (banned for too many reasons to list). 

This is the perfect book to be at number one. Partly because I consider it one of (if not the) greatest novels ever written and also because it addresses so many sensitive issues that have caused other books in this list to be banned at some point. It does this all with an incredibly strong narrative voice and a story that makes you think and feel more than most other books I've ever read.

Which other 'banned books' should people read?

My Pixar Tier List

 My Pixar Tier List.

I'm not the biggest Disney/Pixar fan on the planet. I don't go to the parks every year, wear Disney branded clothes or put a sticker of Tinkerbell with 'powered by pixie dust' on my car (maybe I should, it would look fabulous). However, Disney/Pixar was definitely a big part of my childhood and you would have to be the the most pretentious of film lovers (rahrahrah Eraserhead rahrahrah) to not admit that they have made some great films. Here is my personal tier list of Pixar films, maybe I'll do the Disney films one day. Just to warn you, my opinion on Finding Nemo might make you hate me and I haven't watched quite a few Pixar films such as Coco or Cars. 

Rank D (a bit shit):

Monsters University - I watched it and can't remember anything that happens so I'm guessing it wasn't great.

Rank C (below average):

Finding Nemo - I know most people love it but Ellen Degeneres' voice acting just really grates on me and I don't like any of the main characters. Definitely overrated in my opinion.

Brave - Beautifully animated but it just seemed really disjointed to me and the whole bear thing felt more random than purposeful. 

Rank B (good):

These films are all good but none of them had a profound effect on me. Solid all round. 

Rank A (great): 

Monsters Inc - Loads of really memorable characters and all the voice acting is spot on. Particularly the little girl Boo, I recommend looking up how they captured her voice because it's adorable.

Toy Story 3 - We all cried at that scene in the incinerator thing. Right?

Up - The first half of this film is some of the most perfect animated story telling I've ever seen. The second half of the film is a bit meh. 

Rank S (I love these!):

Toy Story - My favourite animated film of all time. We had the VHS when I was a kid and probably watched it about 300 times. 

Toy Story 2 - Almost as perfect as the first one and gives Woody a brilliant character arc. Also adds characters that feel almost as iconic as those introduced to us in the first film.

Inside Out - Such a clever idea for a film and one of those rare films that I feel all children would actually benefit from watching. All of the emotions are portrayed and voiced perfectly. 

Soul - One of those films that really stayed with me after I watched it. It's hard to watch this without reflecting on your own life/dreams/decisions and I know me and my wife ended up talking about all of those things for hours after we watched it.

Anyway, please let me know which films I got right/wrong in my rankings or which animated films are your favourites.