2011 Was A Whopper Of A Year!

Not only was 2011 the best year of my life on a personal level, it was a helluva year for America and the world in general!  Everything from complete upheavals in countries with leadership shifts and economic collapses to earth shifts that lead to earthquakes and tsunamis took place this year.  The most important and inspirational moment for me was observing the 10th anniversary of 9/11, which entailed the unveiling of beautiful memorials in Shanksville, PA and New York City at Ground Zero.  The most significant world event to me would be what the media has dubbed the “Arab Spring,” but in reality is the beginning of the formation of the Caliphate.  The ripples caused by waves from the Muslim Brotherhood began in Tunisia and traveled through Egypt, Bahrain and Yemen leading to the fall of leadership and more uprisings in Jordan and Syria.  The greatest loss to death would be the 460 troops who lost their lives in battles this year.

Remember all of these noteable weather moments from 2011:

Japanese Earthquake and Tsumani; Christchurch, New Zealand earthquakes that started and ended the year; Hurricane Irene; Jolin, Missouri tornado; flooding from Illinois to Lousiana and incredible blizzards.

Remember these notable deaths from 2011:

Andy Rooney, Elizabeth Taylor, Amy Winehouse, Joe Frazier, Jackie Cooper, Jane Russell, Peter Falk, Harry Morgan, Cliff Robertson, Frances Bay, Al Davis, Macho Man Randy Savage, Jack Lalanne, Dan Wheldon, Clarence Clemmons, Betty Ford, Geraldine Ferraro, Jeff Conway, Jack Kevorkian, Christopher Hitchens, David Broder and of course, Steve Jobs.

And the top stories from 2011 in no certain order:

Casey Anthony Trial in which she is found not guilty.  Rep. John Boehner becomes Speaker of the House.  Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and several others are shot in Arizona by Jared Loughner and Giffords makes an amazing recovery from a bullet wound to the head while the Tea Party, Sarah Palin and vitriolic speech are blamed as motives even though Loughner is diagnosed as nuts.  The Space Shuttle Program shuts down with final shuttle flight in July.  Kate Middleton weds Prince William in a wedding watched worldwide.  Scandals emerged through WeinerGate, which forced Rep. Anthony Weiner to step down because he Tweeted obscene photos of his weenie; Arnold Schwarzennegar is forced to admit an affair when the family housekeeper reveals an affair between the two from long ago and brings forward a love child; Fast & Furious puts Attorney General Eric Holder and the Obama Administration along with the ATF on hotseat after it is revealed they planned to make it look like guns in Mexico were coming from America by selling guns and letting them walk to drug cartels in Mexico and Border Agent Brian Terry is killed by one of those guns; Solar company Solyndra goes bankrupt after receiving $500 billion dollars from Porkulus and several other “green” companies topple as it is revealed the companies were all being propped up by stimulus funds as political favors and MF Global goes under putting former Governor John Corzine on hotseat and nearly $1.2 billion goes missing.  The NBA and NFL each had lockouts.  Kim Jong Il, leader of North Korea, dies of massive heart attack and power passes to his son Kim Jong Un.  Republican Presidential Candidates begin their races and several debates ensue while polls take the country on a roller coaster ride and trumped up salatious rumors cause Herman Cain to leave the race.  Osama Bin Laden is found and after deliberating for longer than it should have ever taken, President Obama orders his killing, which is carried out by SEAL Team 6 and young people take to streets to celebrate and wreck stuff.  Eurozone Crisis begins as Greece collapses with Italy following and the European Union meets over and over trying to decide how to bail out countries, save the Euro and hold the European Union together.  Dr. Conrad Murray is found guilty of manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson.  American troops pull out of Iraq completely and Al Qaeda crawls out from the shadows a few days later and terrorist attacks ensue.  And finally there is Occupy Wall Street that took over most major cities as young people, homeless people and activists took to the streets demanding more entitlements in the form of free college, free food and pretty much a free ride leaving in its wake heaps of garbage, over 400 crimes, defacation in streets and on cop cars and clogging of the free market.

Yes indeed, 2011 was a whopper of a year!  What will 2012 bring?