Written by Fogy. Improved by an editor who doesn’t get tired.
Yep. Once again, Fogy arrives with an inconvenient view of what this is all supposed to mean.
In ancient times, celebrating the passage of time made sense. The seasons mattered. Survival depended on knowing when to plant, when to harvest, when the floods would come. Time was not symbolic—it was existential.
Fast-forward a few millennia and we now sell overpriced tickets to stand in a freezing crowd at Times Square, staring at a descending ball, pretending that something profound is happening.
And that’s the crux of it.
Early societies followed priests and shamans not out of blind faith, but necessity. These figures understood patterns—rudimentary astronomy, cycles of nature, the slow logic of the heavens. The masses didn’t need to understand how time worked; they just needed to obey it.
Time, after all, is a human construct—created to impose order on a universe that refuses to offer it freely. Night and day alone were not enough. The sky was too complex, the seasons too erratic, the consequences too severe. So we built calendars. We named months. We crowned custodians of time.
And, inevitably, power followed.
Those who claimed mastery over time also claimed authority over labour, ritual, fear, and hope. Tragedies, floods, droughts—all explained through arcane calculations and divine alignment. Wealth accumulated. Obedience followed. The flock bleated willingly.
So yes, I’ve flirted long enough with humanity’s ancient theatrics. Time to step down from the pulpit and say what the New Year means to me.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Why?
Because the New Year is an invention—useful once, ceremonial later, hollow now. A ritual preserved long after belief in its foundations has evaporated.
Midnight does not strike once. It ripples endlessly around the globe, indifferent to fireworks and countdowns. The planet doesn’t reset. The universe doesn’t pause. Nothing begins again.
And yet—we pretend.
We would do far better to celebrate every day as New Year’s Day.
Waking up. Still here. Another night survived. Another light seen. That is reason enough.
So do we have little to celebrate—or far more than we admit?
Celebrate each day, not one invented moment a year, and life quietly becomes something better.
For many, it is the fulfilment of religious desire or obligation — a moment to give thanks for what has passed and to hope for better things to come.
For others, it is the annual carnival of consumerism: too much money spent on too many things that make very little sense, except that desire and guilt surf the same wave toward a hollow kind of glory.
For some, it is a short but exhausting holiday obligation — time spent with people they barely like, tolerate just enough to survive the encounter, and eat enough in one sitting to feed a hungry village in Sudan.
Then there are the victims of relentless sales propaganda, chasing a Coca-Cola version of Christmas they barely understand, demanding outrageous gifts while testing the limits of Mum's or Dad’s credit card — and their willingness to carry another year of meaningless debt.
Others still see Christmas as a commercial lifeline: the moment companies hope to claw back losses from a gummy year, scraping overloaded warehouses clean in preparation for the next cycle of overproduction.
Commissions, 13th salaries (in Brazil), and bonuses for distinctly mediocre performance are handed out, only to be dissolved into wasteful parties and shallow celebrations — cosmetic victories while real debts and life-changing investments are once again postponed.
Fogy was told during his very first job interview that public holidays like Christmas and New Year’s would no longer exist for him. As a chef, he would be working while everyone else was playing. Was he prepared to accept that?
He smiled and answered honestly: What difference does that make to my life?
Christmas had long since lost its glitter and promise.
For Fogy, Christmas is what people should practise all year round:
Being kind and respectful to others — without expecting anything in return.
The essence of Christmas, stripped of its noise and ornament, is simply this:
Give from the heart.
Celebrate the best in your fellow human.
And stop ignoring those who are genuinely in need — regardless of the date on the calendar.
However you choose to celebrate, have a great one.
Quinn te Samil — Retrospect 2025: When the World Had Reasons to Applaud.*
Some years are defined by strain. Others, more quietly, by recognition. 2025 belonged to the latter—not because the world became easier, but because effort, patience, and integrity were finally acknowledged.
What follows is not mood or sentiment. These are specific, named moments—earned victories that cut through fatigue and reminded people why sustained work still matters.
Nobel Peace Prize — Courage, Named and Risked
The Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 was awarded to María Corina Machado, recognised for her sustained, non-violent struggle for democratic rights in Venezuela.
It was an unambiguous choice: civilian courage over comfort, persistence over power. In a year where democratic backsliding felt normalised, the Nobel committee chose to spotlight moral endurance—the kind that rarely benefits from headlines, but reshapes history over time.
Brazil’s Cultural Breakthrough — A Two-Act Recognition
Brazil’s cinematic triumph in 2025 unfolded in sequence, and the order mattered.
Fernanda Torres — The Signal Moment
In early 2025, Fernanda Torres won the Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress for her performance in I’m Still Here.
It was a historic first: no Brazilian actress had previously won a Golden Globe in a leading acting category.
The impact was immediate. This was not token praise or late discovery—it was a declaration that Brazilian performance belonged at the very centre of global cinema. Oscar attention followed not out of curiosity, but inevitability.
The Oscars — Recognition Sealed
That momentum culminated at the Academy Awards, where I’m Still Here, directed by Walter Salles, won Best International Feature Film—Brazil’s first victory in that category.
Together, these moments formed a rare and powerful arc: performance recognised → film honoured → national cinema affirmed.
Brazil did not “arrive” in 2025.
It was finally acknowledged.
Ferrari — Endurance, Restored
In motorsport, 2025 was a year of credibility regained.
At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P, driven by Robert Kubica, Phil Hanson, and Yifei Ye, claimed overall victory—an achievement built on discipline, engineering clarity, and restraint.
By season’s end, Ferrari secured both Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ titles in the World Endurance Championship, with Antonio Giovinazzi, James Calado, and Alessandro Pier Guidi crowned world champions.
Endurance racing rewards systems, not mythology.
In 2025, Ferrari proved it still knows how to build them.
Paris Saint-Germain — Obsession Fulfilled
On 31 May 2025, Paris Saint-Germain finally completed its long pursuit of European glory, defeating Inter5–0 to win the UEFA Champions League.
The night belonged to Désiré Doué, whose performance symbolised not just triumph, but transition—PSG moving from star-dependence to structure and identity.
Paris didn’t scrape through.
Paris arrived.
Unexpected Joys That Rewired Belief
2025 also delivered moments whose power lay in surprise:
Rory McIlroy completing the career Grand Slam at The Masters
Crystal Palace winning the FA Cup, their first major trophy
Newcastle United lifting the EFL Cup, ending a long domestic drought
India winning their first ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup
These were not footnotes. They were permission slips—proof that history remains negotiable.
Closing Reflection
Many of the recognitions celebrated in 2025 were not born in this year. They were the visible result of decades of preparation, persistence, and belief, finally intersecting with opportunity.
And that may be the most hopeful takeaway of all.
If the work done before 2025 could yield such moments of affirmation, then perhaps the work done during 2025—often unseen, often unrewarded—will carry its own quiet harvest in 2026.
Progress rarely announces itself when it begins.
It speaks when it is ready.
— Quinn te Samil
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References & Verification Summary
Nobel Peace Prize (2025)
Recipient: María Corina Machado
Source: Nobel Prize Committee official announcement and citation
Golden Globe Awards (2025)
Fernanda Torres — Best Actress for I’m Still Here
Source: Golden Globe Awards official results and press releases
Academy Awards (97th Oscars)
I’m Still Here (Dir. Walter Salles) — Best International Feature Film
Source: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Motorsport
24 Hours of Le Mans 2025: #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P — Kubica / Hanson / Ye
FIA World Endurance Championship 2025: Drivers’ & Manufacturers’ titles — Ferrari; Drivers: Giovinazzi / Calado / Pier Guidi
Source: FIA WEC and ACO official race and season reports
Football
UEFA Champions League Final 2025: PSG 5–0 Inter; Player of the Match: Désiré Doué
Source: UEFA official match report
Other Sporting Milestones
Masters Tournament (McIlroy), FA Cup (Crystal Palace), EFL Cup (Newcastle United), ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup (India)
Sources: Official governing bodies and match records
There are years that announce themselves loudly, and years that do their work quietly, leaving the evidence only when you step back. 2025 belongs to the latter.
This was not a year defined by a single rupture or revelation. It was a year of accumulation—of pressures that crossed thresholds without ceremony, of systems bending rather than breaking, of humanity revealing its habits more than its intentions.
What follows is a clear-eyed account of the year as it unfolded beyond any one nation’s gravity.
A Planet Testing Its Own Limits
By mid-year, it was no longer controversial to say that the climate conversation had shifted from prevention to management. Heatwaves across South Asia, Southern Europe, and parts of Africa were not merely hotter—they were longer, compounding energy, water, and food stress. Flooding in regions that once planned for drought, and drought in regions engineered for abundance, underscored a blunt truth: adaptation lagged reality.
The world gathered again at COP30 in Belém, deep in the Amazon basin. Symbolism was abundant; consensus less so. Commitments were restated, timelines extended, and enforcement quietly deferred. Yet something did change: climate policy began to be framed less as an environmental obligation and more as a civilisational insurance policy. That reframing matters—even if action still trails language.
Conflict Without Endings
If 2024 was the year the world realised wars would not neatly conclude, 2025 was the year it accepted that resolution is no longer the default state.
The war involving Ukraine remained unresolved, evolving into a grinding stalemate shaped as much by industrial capacity and political endurance as by battlefield manoeuvre. Meanwhile, conflict involving Gaza Strip continued to fracture diplomatic norms, exposing the fragility of humanitarian frameworks that depend on consensus to function.
Less reported—but no less devastating—were the continuing crises in Sudan and Haiti, where state capacity eroded faster than global attention could follow. 2025 reminded us that silence is not neutrality; it is abandonment with better optics.
Democracy Under Quiet Revision
Across continents, democracy was not overthrown—it was edited.
Elections proceeded with familiar rituals but altered conditions: constrained media, legalistic exclusion, administrative friction. Power shifted not always to extremes, but toward durability—leaders and systems optimised to stay, not to serve.
A pattern emerged: legitimacy increasingly derived from stability narratives rather than representation. The question most governments answered in 2025 was not “Are we just?” but “Are we still functioning?” That recalibration may prove consequential.
Technology: Governance Tries to Catch Up
Artificial intelligence stopped being framed as novelty and started being treated as infrastructure. The implementation phase of the European Union’s AI Act became a global reference point—not because it solved everything, but because it tried to draw lines where none had existed.
Elsewhere, the year exposed a widening gap: nations capable of regulating technology versus those merely consuming it. AI-driven productivity gains accumulated unevenly, reinforcing older economic hierarchies under the guise of innovation. By year’s end, it was widely accepted that technological neutrality is a myth. Every system encodes values, whether acknowledged or not.
Movement, Migration, and the Human Constant
Climate pressure, conflict, and economics converged most visibly in human movement. Migration corridors expanded, hardened, and in some cases collapsed under political strain. Yet 2025 also revealed something quieter: cities and communities adapting pragmatically where states hesitated ideologically.
The world did not agree on migration. It adapted to it anyway.
Culture Without Borders
Culturally, 2025 was less about spectacle and more about connection fatigue. Global platforms continued to flatten language, humour, outrage, and grief into consumable formats, even as local identities pushed back with renewed specificity.
Art, literature, and long-form commentary found smaller but more committed audiences. Attention became scarce; meaning, selective. The loudest voices did not always win—but they drowned out many worth hearing.
Closing Reflection
2025 will not be remembered as the year everything changed.
It will be remembered as the year when it became undeniable that nothing was returning to how it was.
The world did not collapse. It recalibrated—unevenly, imperfectly, and often without consensus. The myths of control softened. The language of certainty eroded. In their place emerged a more sobering awareness: resilience is not a virtue; it is a requirement.
And perhaps that is the quiet lesson of the year. Not optimism. Not despair.
Attention.
— Quinn te Samil
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References & Context (Summary)
Climate & Environment
Outcomes and negotiations at COP30; UNFCCC briefings on adaptation finance and loss-and-damage mechanisms.
2025 temperature, heatwave, flood, and drought assessments from World Meteorological Organization and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change updates.
Conflict & Humanitarian Crises
Ongoing assessments of the war in Ukraine by United Nations and International Crisis Group.
Humanitarian situation reports concerning the Gaza Strip, Sudan, and Haiti from OCHA.
Governance & Democracy
Global election integrity and democratic backsliding analyses from Freedom House and International IDEA.
Technology & Regulation
Implementation and global impact discussions of the AI Act by the European Union; comparative policy responses tracked by OECD.
Migration
Global migration flows and displacement figures from International Organization for Migration and UNHCR.
Wouldn’t it be nice to focus on the positives this year, the very good things that have stood out, yet Fogy looks back and cannot, for the life of him, find a single example that draws attention away from the underlying theme that seems to prevail — terrorism.
Israel’s attack on Gaza, both Ukraine’s and Russia’s attack on each other, with African and Asian nations all bent on enacting their own terrorist events.
Perhaps Fogy is being overdramatic and old age is blinding him to better things, or perhaps it was simply January 20th, inauguration day in the US, which marked the moment when the world suffered its most ferocious terrorist attack.
11 months of terror.
With executive orders rocketing out one after the other, we would be mistaken if we thought we had gone back in time to those first hours of 2017. The veracity and sheer violence of these new orders were as bad as many had predicted, with tariffs once again centre stage and immigration revived as the attack-dog mentality — now escalated to National Guard deployments in Washington DC and many other predominantly Democratic-held cities.
And a Supreme Court — supremely populated by a savvy engineer during his first term — unwilling to defy the wishes, nay orders, of the commander-in-chief. The use of power to make even outdated laws useful in meeting campaign promises has extended to exacting retribution against those who dared threaten him between reigns.
A disrupted planet spent weeks reeling from the perceived consequences of not acquiescing to the rule of a wannabe king. Weeks turned into months and the oscillating decision-making of their leader made basketball appear more like lawn bowls. Hell on earth, we might think — and for a great number it was — while for others eager to capitalise on the MAGA machine roller-coaster, fortunes were once again ripe for the making.
We now live in an age where trillionaires are spoken of as inevitable, billionaires multiplying and rising like cream on their now overly expensive coffee.
And most people, when asked, all express disbelief that it has only been 11 months. Yet 11 months in, nations have segregated, the political right rub their hands in glee, and the little man remains poorer than ever.
That reckoning did not unfold in isolation. Trump was quick to frame the Bolsonaro trial as evidence of political persecution, using it as leverage in trade rhetoric and threatening punitive tariffs against Brazil should its institutions continue down what he called an anti-democratic path. Justice became bargaining chip, sovereignty a negotiable inconvenience.
Add to this the DOGE crusade — austerity dressed as efficiency — running neatly parallel with mass layoffs now conveniently attributed to AI. Automation becomes the excuse rather than the cause, while balance sheets soar and livelihoods evaporate.
Nations are being forced to ignore the plight of the poor to play the rich man’s game, one that guarantees they can each stay on the same court.
Affordability was the platform that drove Americans to mistakenly believe once again that their future fortunes were guaranteed in the hands of a failed businessman, whose swarthy tongue layered lie upon lie of misinformation onto a willing herd. Now affordability, like so many other positives and negatives, is labelled a Democratic failure and dismissed as fake news.
So why is the world — and 2025 — so dominated by the American nightmare?
Mostly because their divine leader has poked his nose into every world event bar none. From stealing headlines and pocketing medals meant for others, to being awarded a pseudo peace prize by FIFA to compensate for his loss to the Venezuelan opposition leader who actually stood up to a bully in pursuit of peace in her own land.
Whose name dominates all newspaper headlines, for good or bad? That would be the American president. Lest we forget, a similar strategy dominated his first term — except now the world wants to believe he represents the future. Shame on them.
And what of the rest?
Climate change has followed its rocky road through Pará, with COP30 heavy on talk and future wishes now placed firmly in hiatus — a pause rendered explicit by an executive order declaring America’s automotive future to lie in combustion engines. This backward-leaning trend is to be endured for at least three more years.
Weapons shipments have increased dramatically; war appears to be the only real guarantee economies have to counter the continued trade domination of China.
Sporting events keep the minions entertained, and the media’s attention safely diverted from such trivial distractions as the future of the planet.
A prince no more, and a Harvard without its Summers — while other revered figures, Chomsky included, find their names dragged once more through the Epstein mire. Heads roll quietly, reputations fray publicly, yet the Teflon-coated Donald remains immune as the files expose, yet again, the fear and power games playing out behind the curtain.
And Hamas? Just one of the tangled Palestinian arms fighting for a long-denied sovereignty, now facing possible extinction under overwhelming Israeli firepower. Good or bad, their actions have ignited a renewed demand for international recognition.
There really should have been many other remarkable events that made 2025 a standout year, except that circumstance and disruption by a very small minority have overshadowed what might otherwise have been a positive year — instead dragged through an ever-deepening mire of convolution.
Roll on 2029.
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References & Context (2025)
US executive power, tariffs, immigration, and National Guard use
After four years of driving with the number 1, he has proven that he was — and has always been — a worthy champion. To lose a fifth title by only two points says plenty about a driver who may not have had the car he needed to dominate, yet still won more races than the other two contenders.
But I digress.
The worthy champion of this year is Lando Norris.
After the Canada debacle, he has hardly set a foot wrong. A mechanical issue in Zandvoort only hardened the resolve he carried through thick and thin, placing himself in the strongest position possible heading into the final round.
Congratulations, Lando Norris — and the entire McLaren team.
As for the Aussie, his waning chances post-Zandvoort hinted at an uncharacteristic lack of self-belief, Fogy suspects, rather than simply a failure to capitalise on Norris’s misfortune. Much of this sport still hinges on the sheer volume of positive energy needed to keep fortune favouring the brave. Better luck next time — and surely there will be a next time.
Interestingly, finishing 13 points behind the champion in third place puts him one point better than his own manager’s 2010 campaign, when Mark Webber ended 14 points behind Sebastian Vettel.
And what of the negative vibes that dumped the Ham into another Q1 exit, starting 16th? Let the real Hamilton step up — and he did. Converting that lowly start into a well-earned eighth was testament to his experience: each overtake a masterclass in preparation and execution.
Ferrari didn’t quite bring the car they expected, but the upgrades were enough to keep Leclerc a distant yet credible threat to Norris throughout the race.
Outstanding drives came from the lower ranks too: Alonso’s sixth, Stroll’s hard-earned tenth, Hülkenberg from 18th to ninth, and Ocon with a deserving seventh.
And the also-rans? George and Kimi had one of those off-days in a car that never quite hooked up around this circuit. Disappointing race, but a well-deserved second in the Constructors’.
Racing Bulls and Williams suffered heavily in the DRS trains, reduced to pawns in the day’s long strategic grind. Still, they finished ahead of the hapless Alpines, clearly relieved to close the book on their nightmare season.
And Yuki? He tried — really tried — to fulfil the role he was handed. A year-long pursuit of the impossible was repaid with warm recognition from his team, with Max himself praising Yuki’s contribution. There’s real substance there, and it may well help an ambitious Hadjar bring out his best next season. Of course, he’ll also be the threat Hadjar must overcome if those performances don’t come. Tactically, a smart move by Red Bull.
A long night of celebrations awaits everyone — a fitting close to a successful season all round.
When the final race of 2010 in Abu Dhabi began, the three protagonists were lined up in the following order: Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) on 246 points, Mark Webber (RB) eight behind, and Sebastian Vettel (RB) fifteen behind Alonso. Lewis Hamilton was 24 points back with only the faintest mathematical chance — possible only if all three ahead failed to score enough.
That race turned on an unlikely figure — the Renault driver Petrov — who proved instrumental in keeping both Alonso and Webber stuck behind him. It left Vettel with just enough points to draw level with Alonso. How was the result decided? Both had five wins, two second places, and three thirds. Vettel won the title simply because he had three fourth places versus Alonso’s two.
Cue 2025, and suddenly Qatar makes déjà vu feel uncomfortably real. Norris sits on 408 points, Verstappen 12 behind, while Piastri has slipped to four behind Max in third.
But how did we even get to this point in the 2025 season?
Qatar is a McLaren circuit through and through — a place where their strengths shine unmistakably. Except that you can never rule out a mighty Max, and that is exactly what happened.
The sprint was predictable enough, with few surprises unless you count George’s unexpected second place and a labouring RB only managing fifth. Good points for the Aussie out front, and damage limitation for the other Papaya in third.
The main race saw the Ham once again relegated to the role of also-ran, starting as far back as in his recent outings. The red machines look lost in this 2025 format, with LeClerc only tenth on the grid. Their championship standing — a lowly fourth — hardly compares with the nail-biting second place of just a year ago.
Max, starting third, swept past a struggling Norris (starting second) and set off after Piastri.
Seven laps in, an ambitious Hulk clattered into an unwilling Gasly, bringing out a safety car. All the field bar the McLarens peeled into the pits to get their first stops done.
With the pack bunched up behind the SC, both McLarens were forced to push as hard as they could to rebuild the gap they needed to make their first-and-second hopes viable. But a freshly-shod Dutchman lurked close behind, shadowing their every move. Lap 24: Piastri pits. Norris the following lap. (A 25-lap maximum was mandated per tyre type.) And Max began executing the steps necessary to guarantee another win — keeping the McLarens just far enough away to prevent any meaningful attack. One more stop each, and Max was never headed. Piastri held second; Norris faded to a frustrating fifth until Antonelli had a moment that handed fourth back to the Papaya kid.
And what of the others? A DRS train formed, locking most drivers into their finishing positions. One or two unfortunate moments shuffled things slightly, but overall — in Bortoletto’s words — “Rather boring.”
Hadjar was among the biggest losers when his front tyre gave out just five laps from home. Still, the fallout dragged his teammate into a worthy ninth and delivered another points finish for the hapless Yuki.
Is this shaping up to be another 2021 — or even another 2010 — where a team’s reluctance to make the right calls hands the title to the underdog? One more race. Seven days. We’ll know soon enough.
