Is there anything good to find in the bad-news year 2022?

Kenyan exiles and friends of the country abroad will have had a hard time finding news of the presidential election in their local newspaper, though you can be sure that if the legal squabbling turns violent, headlines will appear.

Such is the nature of the information. For editors, the bad news is good news, if you get my meaning, while the good news is ultimately boring.

And there have been enough bad news at home to keep readers fully focussed.

2022 has been a top year for editors around the world, dealing with the Ukraine war and its threat of a nuclear dimension, the seemingly endless Covid pandemic, widespread economic crises, and drought and bush fires delivering unmistakable warnings about climate change.

Glimpses of light 

All are serious subjects, and all demand attention and action. Nevertheless, newspaper readers and TV watchers are human and naturally scour the news bulletins for glimpses of light.

As I write, what has made British people suddenly smile is strange, wet stuff falling from a grey and cloudy sky. 

Yes, rain arrived at last after weeks of extreme heat left large areas of the UK parched and farmers fearing the total loss of crops.

But even the good news comes with a bad-news warning – the threat of flooding. 

Reading University Professor Hannah Cloke, a hydrology expert, said, “The ground is really dry so it acts a little as concrete and water drains straight off.”

Any good news without some sort of “Yes, but…” attached?

Well, scientists at Moderna have received approval for a new Covid booster vaccine for adults, which targets both the original virus strain and the Omicron variant.

Britain is first into the anti-Covid fray with this development, good news for patriots.

Searching the economic arena, we read that rail fares, which usually rise in January, will be frozen until next March.

Prices will then go up, but bosses have pledged that the increase will be below the rate of inflation.

Meanwhile, rail managers entered talks with union leaders in a bid to halt ongoing strikes about pay.

I’m not taking sides here, but what many Britons would consider to be really good news was the sight last week of two removal vans outside of the prime minister’s residence at 10 Downing Street in London.

PM Boris Johnsons and his wife Carrie may remove anything from Number 10 which they paid for. They will have to move out themselves by September 6, when Johnson is replaced as Premier by either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak.

Any other good news? Well, Manchester United are bottom of the Premiership. Oops, better not go there!

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Goats are wearing Global Positioning System (GPS) devices as part of a new, hands-off, grazing scheme being tried out at a nature reserve in Northumberland.

Collars worn by the goats Bluebell, Lily and Hazel contain a tracking system with a noise alert to signal the animals to stop at certain boundaries.

The GPS is a network of satellites and receiving devices used to determine the location of something on earth – the forbidden boundaries, in the case of the goats.

The Northumberland Wildlife Trust said the herding method was humane, and farmer Dave Wilde said the hope was to increase the number of goats to 15 or 20.

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One of the joys of the recent Women’s Euro 2022 football competition was the innocent high spirits of the young spectators, in contrast to the macho yobbishness regularly demonstrated in the men’s professional game by both players and fans.

Oh, and managers, too. At the end of last Sunday’s 2-2 draw between London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal, head coaches Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte were red-carded for squaring up to each other on the touchline.

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More reflections from grumpy oldies:

The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us.

As I watch this generation try to rewrite our history, one thing I’m sure of… it will be misspelt and lack all punctuation.

If you find yourself feeling useless, remember that it took 20 years, trillions of dollars, and four American presidents to replace the Taliban in Afghanistan with the Taliban.

God promised men that good wives would be found in all corners of the world. Then he made the earth round.

Actually, there is no such thing as a grouchy oldie. The truth is when you get older you stop being polite and start being honest.

And a final round for grammar nerds…

Are there any words in English that contain all five vowels and are in the correct order? This is not a facetious question.

English is not difficult. It can be understood through tough, thorough thought.

How do you cause an English teacher to lose her mind? You just did it.

The irony is when someone writes, “Your an idiot.”

Which dinosaur knows the most words? A thesaurus.

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