In reviewing the year I realized just how much went on, aside from the ongoing economic crisis, which of course brought on Occupy Wall Street, and that spread like wildfire to other metropolitan cities than just Manhattan and then across the globe. People are just tired of big business pulling all the strings on the rest of us, taking and taking and leaving everyone else broke. It's unfortunate that a few had to ruin it for the ones there for the legitimate cause, but predators will go where the victims are.
Our world experienced great victories with the ending of the war in Iraq and the troops finally coming home, Middle Eastern countries saying, "We've had enough and we're going to take it anymore," to their dictatorial leaders and essentially throwing the bums out. Kim Jung Il, Dictator of North Korea, died and of course left the leadership to the son most likely to follow in his footsteps, youngest son, Kim Jung-un. I saw a survey that asked if things would improve there now that dear old dad is gone, I answered no. That was before they announced who would take over. I just knew if there was one who agreed with Kim Jung Il's policies, that would be the successor; not the one who wanted change.
There was triumph over adversity as in the case of Congresswoman Gabriella Giffords coming back from a gunshot to the head where so many, including a very young girl, died, and she too very likely would have succumbed if not for her inner strength and tenacity, not to mention the support of friends and family, and prayers of a nation. We saw the massive loss of Joplin, Missouri to a horrible tornado, not to mention several other cities as severe weather plagued our country last year and left thousands homeless and devastated. The communities are coming together to help those who have lost all. Thank God we haven't lost our giving spirit, even when times are hard.
Speaking of weather, droughts have left many in Texas and Oklahoma without enough to feed cattle and they are having to sell livestock for lack of forage or money to buy the necessary food stuffs the animals require. Between that and the floods of croplands in other states causing vital crops to waste away, higher food prices can be expected, especially as the flooded beef market due to the sell-off of the livestock dwindles to few available.
We watched the dedication to the 9/11 Memorial as the tenth anniversary of that horrible terrorist attack came on seemly too soon – it's seems like just yesterday.
There were many earthquakes last year. One hit Japan causing a tsunami that in turn destroyed a nuclear power facility and contaminated the water, land, and air for many, many miles and killed many people, if not immediately, then certainly in the future as the exposure to radiation does its damage. It worries me that my son who joined the Navy last year may eventually be stationed near there.
The tech industry lost one of its greatest innovators – co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs. He was a reformed workaholic, but left us with gadgets and computer capabilities that were unthinkable when computers first were invented. Of course, Henry Ford couldn't have imagined what has happened in the automobile industry when he started building cars either, so I guess one day even the advances by Mr. Jobs will one day seem old school and antiquated. Let's just hope it doesn't come too fast, I can barely grasp what's available now. (I still use a cell phone for an actual telephone. I don't need a phone that's smarter than I am.)
Of course this is not an exhaustive list. That would take forever! Feel free to comment with your own remembrances of 2011. I look forward to seeing your list and going 'Oh yeah! I remember that.'
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