Welcome back to The mj15 Blog's four part 2010 installment of End of the Year. In case you missed parts one and two, click here and here. The following is part three, where I give out irrelevant awards in almost every category that I can think of except for the year's top people and videos. As with every post, I hope that you enjoy.
At every one of my forty six End of the Weeks and all eleven of my End of the Months this past year, I usually like to take that time to giving out awards to certain things or occurrences to have happened during that time span. Besides the usuals (the top stories, the best videos, the top person), these awards vary from either the TV show premiere of the Week to the winner of the week to even the interception of the week. Basically, this is what this post will be as well, except that it will be dedicated to the past twelve months. Now that you know the purpose of what you're reading, let's get started. We have a lot of things to cover.
Words of the Year:
- Bedbugs
- Austerity
- Tea Party
- Vuvuzela
- Goal
- Refudiate (a made-up buzz word coined by Sarah Palin mixing together refute and repudiate)
- Double-Dip Recession
-Team Coco
- Junk Shot/Top Kill/Static Kill and any other code names during the BP Oil Spill
- Double Rainbow
- Snowmageddon/Snowpocalypse
- Belieber (fans of Justin Bieber)
- Inception
-Gate Rape (TSA patdowns)
- Gleek (fans of the TV show "Glee")
- Retweet
- Sanity
Quotes of the Year:
- "This is a big fuckin' deal": US Vice President Joe Biden to President Barack Obama following the passing of the new health care bill.
- "In this fall...man, this is tough. In this fall, I'm going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat." Lebron James, answering the question asked by Jim Gray as to where he will play basketball in 2010-2011.
- "If you touch my junk, I'm going to have you arrested." Oceanside, CA resident John Tyler, just as he was about to get gate raped by TSA officials.
- "What do I know about college football? I look like Orville Redenbacher. I have no business talking about college football." Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee, when asked to expand on his "We do not play the Little Sisters to the Poor" quote about the football schedule for TCU and Boise State.
-"Well, obviously, we have a rapist in Lincoln Park. He's climbing in your windows, snatching your people up, trying to rape you. So, y'all need to hide your kids, hide your wife, and hide your husband 'cause dey rapin' errbody out here." Antoine Dodson, with the quote that made him an Internet sensation this past year.
- "It's a double rainbow all the way...what does it mean?" Paul "Bear" Vasquez in the video that instantly made him an Internet celebrity.
-"Fuckin' magnets: How do they work?" Insane Clown Possee, asking life's most complicated question in their music video "Miracles."
- "I am not a witch. I'm you." Christine O'Donell in a campaign ad, responding to a clip of her in 1999 stating that she practiced witchcraft in college.
- "I'd like my life back" Former BP CEO Tony Hayward to reporters during the oil spill epidemic.
-" Chi! Chi! Chi! Le! Le! Le! Los mineros de Chile!" A chant during October's Chilean miner rescue.
- "Don't retreat. Instead-reload." Sarah Palin in a May tweet.
Movies of the Year:
- "Toy Story 3"
- "The Social Network"
- "Inception"
- "The King's Speech"
- "Black Swan"
- "The Fighter"
- "Waiting for Superman"
- "Inside Job"
- "Winter's Bone"
- "True Grit"
- "The Kids Are All Right"
- "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World"
- "How to Train Your Dragon"
Feud of the Year: Conan O'Brien vs. Jay Leno & NBC
With a combination of the ' Jay Leno Show' experiment turning out to be a total disaster and NBC scared of losing Leno to a rival network, NBC (led by then President Jeff Zucker) thought that it would be a good idea to move the show to 11:35 p.m./ET and bump "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" thirty minutes later to 12:05 a.m./ET. O'Brien didn't approve, writing a letter stating that he would never allow the move to happen. This resulted in the two week period known as the second coming of the Late Night War, Conan received a big bump in fan support as well as a bye-out by the company and eventually starting a new show on TBS, Leno taking back the "Tonight Show" hosting gig, an Zucker resigning in a few years. And they say that late night TV isn't as special as it used to be!
Rally of the Year: Jon Stewart's and Stephen Colbert's "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" on 10/30
It was either this, or Glenn Beck's "Rally to Restore Honor" back in October, and I think most of us know which of these two was the better one.
Album of the Year: Kanye West's "My Beautiful Dark, Twisted Fantasy" (did you expect anything else?)
Song of the Year: Cee-Lo Green: "F*ck You"
Its tone is angry, its tune is catchy, and its the song that is perfect to sing during a break-up and/or heartbreaking moment. In other words, "F*ck You" (or "Forget You" if you listen to the radio version of the song) is a fantastic song overall, and one that just may go down as one of the best break-up songs in recent memory.
-Runners-Up: Kanye West "Power," Eminem ft. Rihanna "Love the Way You Lie," Kanye West "Runaway," Broken Bells "The High Road," The Heavy "How You Like Me Now?," Arcade Fire "Ready to Start," Katy Perry "Teenage Dream," Janelle Montae ft. Big Boi "Tightrope," Antoine Dodson & The Gregory Bros. "Bed Intruder Song," Taio Cruz "Dynamite," Train's "Hey, Soul Sister," Lady Antebellumn "Need You Now," Ke$ha "Tik Tok."
(Ed. note: The runner-ups were chosen for a wide range of reasons, from the quality to their domination on the pop charts like the horrendous "Hey, Soul Sister")
Facebook Page of the Year: Betty White to Host SNL (Please)
Not only did the campaign work as White ending up hosting the show with an Emmy-award winning performance in early May, but it also helped sky-rocket Betty White to celebrity stardom not seen since the "Golden Girls" days.
Deaths of the Year: While 2010 wasn't as memorable as the startling amount of deaths in 2009, there were still plenty of people that tragically passed away from our world. These people include John Wooden, Gary Coleman, Dennis Hopper, Leslie Nielsen, Tony Curtis, Greg Giraldo, Don Meredith, Jimmy Dean, Sparky Anderson, Barbara Billingsley, Lech Kaczynski and more.
Downfalls of the Year:
-Sports: Tiger Woods and Brett Favre (tie)
Two men, once great and powerful in their own right, both ended the year by wishing that it had never happened in the first place. After three months that saw his approval ratings dwindle and personal life fall apart, Tiger Woods finally returned to playing golf back in April. Unfortunately for Woods, the year would turn out to become one of the worst in his professional career after finishing it without winning a single title, losing his first ever PGA Tour Fed Ex Cup Playoffs after previously going 2 for 2 and, to make things worse, losing his coveted #1 ranking to Lee Westwood a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, for Favre, the year began in the highest of highs with his Minnesota Vikings playing in the NFC Championship game and him playing in one of the best stretches of his career. But then, the Vikings lost a heart-wrenching loss in overtime to the Saints, and Favre's year would never be as good as it was before. He had another annoying "will he or won't he" summers where it once again took as late as August for him to come back to Minnesota, then his team ended up having a disappointing season (6-9 at this point). Add onto that Deadspin releasing the story of him sending inappropriate photos to three New York Jets employees back in 2008 and him getting injured severely in the last two games that he has played causing his 297 game consecutive starts streak to snap and with him ending the season sitting on the bench, and you've got yourself a quarterback that wished that he hadn't played this extra season.
- Entertainment: Jay Leno
His 10 p.m./ET primetime show was cancelled and, thanks to the whole Late Night War fiasco, had his approbal ratings dwindle to their lowest rates ever. On the flip side, at least he finally has his hosting gig on "The Tonight Show" back!
- Politics: Gordon Brown
Lost Great Britain's most recent election for Prime Minister while also going through "Bigotgate," when news microphones overheard calling an old lady a "bigot," causing the press to destroy him and his chances at re-election ruined even more.
-Business: Tony Hayward
He was the most hated man in America for nearly a quarter of this past year thanks to his role as CEO of BP during the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, with the hatred growing even larger as every day passed without the leak getting capped. His demonization by the press and the American public resulted in him stepping down from his role as the oil company's chief executive officer. But, hey, at least he got his life back!
-Web-Related: Chat Roulette
Its not unusual for companies to have quick rises and then quick falls. But how many of them can you say did that in the same year? For the Internet chat site, Chat Roulette, that was just the case this past year. In early 2010, it became a web sensation, with many predicting it would soon become as popular as Facebook or Twitter. But then, just as that happening, the amount of users and the popularity of the website dwindled as the months went by. Now, it appears that Chat Roulette is slowly on its way to joining the same class of Internet sites as Friendster and MySpace rather than Facebook and Twitter. But, then again, that's what happens when you allow people to suddenly flash their private parts to users on your website.
Thesis of the Year: The "F*ck List" of Duke University Student Karen Owen
There are many different topics in this world of which you can make a thesis statement out of. This year, Duke senior Karen Owen took that liberty too far by actually spending a Powerpoint presentation rating all of her collegiate athlete sex partners over the past four years. It was crude, classless, narcissistic, poorly written, and worst of all embarrassing to all of the male parties involved. And if you thought that the majority of the public opinion towards Duke wasn't already bad enough!
Internet Meme of the Year: Cigar Guy
When Mark Pain took this amazing snapshot of Tiger Woods hitting a golf ball right towards his camera lens, it instantly became one of the best sports photos of the year thanks to its awesomeness and one-in-a-billion odds of getting that shot in the first place. But that wasn't the only thing that was great about Pain's photo. It also introduced us to Cigar Guy, the funny-looking Hindu version of Miguel Angel Jimenez, looking on as the ball was about to hit Pain's lens. The face immediately became a worldwide sensation as well as a Photoshop-must, with some great ones available for viewing here, here, here, and even here.Its too bad that we found out his actual identity, though. Could've been one of the decade's greatest mysteries, like who killed Natalie Holloway or was Michael Jackson really innocent for the boy-molesting crimes.
-Runner-Ups: Sad Don Draper, Sad Keanu, "F*king Magnets: How Do They Work" "Epic Beard Man," "Forever Alone," "Release the Kraken," anything involving "Inception."
Questionable Decision of the Year: NBC Cancelling "Law and Order"
Seven months later, and this move still puzzles me. The network had a chance to claim one of their shows, one of the most legendary shows in network television history, as the longest running primetime drama ever (surpassing previous record holder "Gunsmoke). But no, the network decided that it would be best for the show to finally get canceled. Why? I mean, its not like you had any great new fall shows to fill that reliable audience that "Law and Order" typically brings. In fact, let's look back at all of their new dramas premiered and will soon premiere in this new TV season:
- "Outlaw"- awful; cancelled after only eight episode
- "Undercovers"- boring; cancelled after only eleven episodes
- "Chase"- awful and boring; is about to get cancelled thanks to its bad ratings
- "The Event"- premiered to huge ratings, but then considerably lost viewership every week. Plus, its basically this year's version of "Flash Forward," where the show just basically thought of this one interesting premise (What is the Event? What was the cause of the flash?) without any idea of how to carry on the rest of the season and are now basically scrambling for some ideas. Speaking of "Flash Forward," the show is looking ever more likely that it will meet the same fate as that show, receiving the same six month break by NBC. If history repeats itself, it should result in a loss of even more ratings and, eventually, a cancellation.
- "Harry's Law"- just reeks "cancel me," even if it hasn't premiered yet. And even if it does somehow end up getting decent ratings and picked up for a second season, I still have a feeling that it will suck.
So, great job, NBC! Oh, and by the way, how could you cancel "Law and Order" and yet pick-up "Law and Order: Los Angeles" at the same time? Oh, well, at least they didn't cancel "Chuck," "Community" and "Parks and Recreations." Still, Jeff Gaspin has a lot of fixing to do once he takes over Zucker's role as NBC Universal President.
Rescue of the Year: That of the 33 Trapped Chilean Miners Back in October
It was the story that took over the entire world by storm. For two days, millions of people around the world were glued to their TV sets or the Internet looking for the latest updates on the status of the rescue operations of the thirty three miners down in Chile which were trapped underground for over two months. Many great moments occured, but in the end the operation turned out to be a success as all of them left the hell which they had experienced into a life of instant stardom, scheduled appearances, book deals and perhaps some movie deals or two.
Gaffes of the Year:
"You're telling me that the separation of church and state is found in the First Amendment?" Christine O'Donell during a Delaware senatorial debate.
"Peaceful Muslims, pls refudiate." Sarah Palin in her memorable tweet that coined the term "refudiate."
"..." Arizona governor Jan Brewer, drawing a blank during an Arizona gubernatorial debate in September.
"I don't know Jeff. Was there? I must have missed that." Awful, yet lovable Sky Sports in-game reporter Chris Kamara when asked which player received a red card durring an EPL soccer match.
Scandals of the Year:
- Sports: The Ben Roethlisberger Rape Allegations
While the Favre-Streger story was scandalous in its own right, at least the ol' gunslinger didn't get suspended for it (he ended up receiving a $50K fine instead). Unfortunately for Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, that did turn out the case when the NFL prohibited him from playing the first four games of the 2010 season thanks to allegations this past spring that he raped a female in the ladies bathroom. This was the second time in two year that Big Ben was charged with such a crime, but unlike the first case which was a civil lawsuit, this one turned out to be a criminal lawsuit with police investigation, forensics and everything. Fortunately for Roethlisberger, he was found to be innocent once again, but not before another offseason of humiliation and public dissaproval.
- Entertainment: The Messy Divorce Between Sandra Bullock and Jessee James
Who knew that neo-Nazi, gothic females were all the rage among celebrity daredevils these days?
(Runners-Up: Charlie Sheen's October Adventure, Mel Gibson's Rant, Paris Hilton's Cocaine Arrest)
- Politics: Dutchess of York Sarah Ferguson Offers Husband Prince Andrew For Money
Makes you wonder if this will be Kate Middleton in a few years.
Video Game of the Year: "Red Dead Redemption"
This game is a fantastic follow-up from the "Grand Theft Auto" series from Rockstar Games with a nice plot, great game play and an impressive mix of big gun fighting action and simple on-the-range moments that make this game feel like a real-life Western.
Product of the Year: The iPad
Was this a necessary device that Apple needed to make? No. Is it just basically an oversized iPod touch? Yes, yes it is. But you got to give it to Steve Jobs and company for creating a device that appealed to millions across the country and around the globe. In just the first month alone, nearly three million of them were sold to consumers, and has quickly become one of the fastest selling products of all-time. It just goes to show you, Apple could make anything it wants these days and earns millions off of it instantly.
The "What If" Moment of the Year: Gordon Hayward's Last Second Miss in the NCAA Title Game Against Duke
Back in April, with the final seconds winding down in the NCAA Championship and his Bulldogs trailing 60-58 against Duke, Butler star player chucked the baseball the net as best as he can, hoping for a miraculous three to win his team the game. It ended up missing by exactly one inch, and Duke would go on to win that exciting college basketball game. But what if that shot had gotten in? Well, for starters, Gordon Hayward's shot would have gone down as not only the greatest shot in college basketball history, but also the greatest moment in basketball history period and one of the greatest sports moments ever. It would have completed Butler's unexpected journey through the year's tournament in the most exciting way possible, immediately putting the team in the category of other great college basketball Cinderalla stories including the 1985 Villanova team and the 1983 NC State team. And let's not forget about that possible movie deal! It just goes to show you how much every inch counts in the game of basketball.
Pictures of the Year (Besides Mark Pain's "Cigar Guy" Photo Mentioned Earlier):
Lebron James Dunks While Miami Heat Teammate Dwyane Wade Celebrates
Pelican Oil-Coated In The Gulf Coast During the BP Oil Spill
Devastation at Haiti
Poland Mourns Death of President Lech Kaczynski
Volcanic Eruption in Iceland
Last Combat Troops Leave Iraq
Paul Pierce Celebrates Game Winning Shots Against New York Knicks
Jim Thome On 09/27 Cover Of Sports Illustrated
Man And Boy During 2010 Pakistan Flood
Firing of the Year: US General Stanley McChrystal as the nation's top Commander in Afghanistan.
During the Icelandic volcanic eruption back in April which ended up disrupting many flights across the continent of Europe, Michael Hastings was fortunate enough to spend a lengthy amount of time with Gen. McChrystal that would eventually transform itself into a profile piece on Rollings Stones magazine, titled "The Runaway General." In it, McChrystal had some harsh words to say on many members of the Obama administration. In one famous moment during the Rolling Stones piece, he was quoted with jokingly saying "Who's that?" when asked about VP Joe Biden. The startling moments in the piece angered the White House, and eventually had McChrystal resigning, with Gen. David Petraeus taking over in his place, famous for creating the surge strategy in Iraq. While the firing of McChrystal was a big story in itself, as Ishaan Tharoor of TIME points out, it also raises questions about the state of the union between the White House and the country's military leadership as well as the US's Middle Eastern war effort as well.
Comebacks of the Year:
-Business: General Motors
A year after the company went bankrupt and asked the government for a bailout, the American auto company has quickly rebounded in 2010 with one of their most profitable years since 2004, new cars that Americans might want to start buying (like the Chevy Volt) and is slowly becoming one of the country's newer redemption stories (though, with the U.S. government giving it millions of dollars in bailout money, maybe the comeback really wasn't that much of a surprise).
-Sports: Michael Vick
From a well-maligned convicted felon to an NFL MVP candidate who is doing a fantastic job at improving the public perception of him, Vick is certainly rebounding faster than Britney Spears rebounded from that strange time in '06-'07. It just goes to show you, no matter what you do, that in the sports world winning can change everything.
-Entertainment: Betty White
Betty White has almost always been a lovable celebrity, but in 2010 that popularity increased dramatically thanks to a Snickers Super Bowl ad, a hosting gig on "Saturday Night Live,"her seventh career Emmy and a wonderful return to cultural relevancy.
- Politics: The Republican Party
Not only did the GOP regain the majority of the seats in the House for the first time since the 2006 mid-terms, but it also gained a lot for fanfare as the approval ratings of President Obama continue to plunge.
Dress of the Year: Lady Gaga' Meat Suit Worn at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
You can wear it as food and eat it later. It's two fantastic uses of meat for the price of one!
Politicians of the Year:
Barack Obama
David Cameron
Sarah Palin
John Boehner
Christine O'Donell
Jimmy McMillan
Basil Marceaux
Boleslaw Komorowski
Rand Paul
Silvio Berlusconi
Top Sports Moments of the Year:
-Lebron James's Decision
Sure, it was a horrible one-hour special that made you want to shower for feeling so dirty. However, it was the climax to one of the most talked about stories in American sports during 2010, so there.
- The New Orleans Saints Winning Super Bowl XLIV
Not only was it the most watched event in American TV history, but it (more importantly) gave an entire city that was just a few years ago in ruins thanks to Hurricane Katrina a reason to believe.
-Armando Galarraga's Imperfect Game
In most cases, the story of a perfect game turned awry thanks to a horribly botched call by an umpire during the last out of the game would turn into a Don Deckinger like story, with the pitcher going all Moises Alou post-Steve Bartman play and thousands of fans sending death threats to the umpire. In this case, however, it turned into one of the year's best moments, with Galarraga forgiving the call that umpire Jim Joyce admitted after the game was the wrong call and that inspiring moment the day after the game with Galarraga giving Joyce the llineup card for the Detroit Tigers and Joyce tearing up in response. Goes to show you, that no matter how many pre-Madonnas there are in sports, that there are still plenty of class act like Galarraga to balance the number out.
- The Chicago Blackhawks Winning Their First Stanley Cup in 49 Years
Do I really need to say more than I already have?
- Figure Skater Joannie Rochette Winning an Olympic Bronze Medal Days After Her Mother Passed Away
Truly an inspiring moment, and one that ended every dry eye in that ice rink as well as in millions of households worldwide
- Sidney Crosby's Overtime Winning Goal Against the US To Give Canada The Olympic Gold Medal in Hockey
A great ending to not only a fantastic game, but also to the Winter Olympics itself.
- Landon Donvan's Goal Against Algeria
USA! USA! USA! USA!
-Spain Wins the 2010 FIFA World Cup
This one is just pretty much self explanatory. Not only did the team win in tremendous fashion (with a goal in the 108th minute by Andres Iniesta), but it was also the country's first ever World Cup and a wonderful conclusion to the grandest soccer tournament on the planet.
-The John Isner-Nicholas Mahut 11 Hour Duel
Because I don't think we will ever see a 70-68 fifth set tiebreaker for a very, very long time (if not ever).
-The San Fransisco Giants Win Their 1st World Series Since 1954
Featuring Tim Lincecum as the team's perfect savior!
- Roy Halladay's Postseason Perfect Game
Sure, it didn't occur in the World Series like the perfect game that Don Larsen had back in 1954. But the fact that Roy Halladay, a man pitching in his first postseason start, would throw a perfect game against one of the top offenses in MLB during the 2010 season is still pretty incredible and easily one of the best moments of this year's postseason.
-The NFL's New Policy Against Hard Hits
I talked at length of this back in October when it was first announced, but I will restate it again: it was nice to see the NFL care about concussions for once, but it was more of an overreaction. Should be interesting to see how the new fines will change the amount of hard hits overtime, though.
-Jimmie Johnson Wins a Record Fifth Straight NASCAR season title
So, he has to rank among one of the greatest stock car drivers now, right?
-Connecticut's Women's Basketball Team Wins Their 89th Straight Game
While their streak and UCLA men's basketball team's 88 game win streak are really apple and oranges, it is still an impressive achievement by Geno Auriemma, Maya Moore and the rest of the Connecticut women's basketball team, one that shouldn't be disregarded.
Leaked Documents of the Year: The 250,000 Diplomatic Cables Released by WikiLeaks
TV Advertisement of the Year: Old Spice's "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like"
Well, it did win an Emmy...and it had a man on a horse. I think all the requirements for best commercials of the year have been checked out.
-Runner-UP: Nike Football's "Write the Future"
Animal of the Year: Paul the Octopus
Paul was kind of like this year's Barbaro (except for the fact that one raced and the other stayed under water the whole time). For an entire month, he was one of the biggest stars on the planet, correctly picking every match that he was asked to predict during the World Cup and receiving suitors from many other zoos and aquariums for the privilege in his membership there. And then, a few months later, he tragically passed away, at the young age of two. But, hey, at least he had a very memorable life while it lasted. Plus, he was more relevant in his short time than Balloon Boy's parents, so there's something to be proud of!
Stories of the Year:
- The Biggest Involving the US Federal Legislative Body: US Congress Passes New Health Care Bill
No more pre-existing conditions, an increase in the cut-off date from young adults in their parents' health care plan, an increase in the amount of people with health care...say what you will about Obama, but at least he actually did something that he promised to do (sort of).
-The Biggest Involving the US State Legislative Body: Arizona Passes New Immigration Law
According to the new law passed in the state, state officials and law authorities have the right to check anyone as they do so please if they feel that they are illegal immigrants. Some say its a racist bill. Some say it helps the state in the fight to keep illegal immigrants from entering and living in this country. But, then again, I'm sure that you already know this by now.
-The Biggest Involving the US Judicial System: The US Supreme Court Blocks Ban on Corporate Spending Limits
In a close 5-4 back in January on the case Citizens United vs. the Federal Election Commission, the court ruled that a campaign donation limit for corporations is considered unconstitutional, stating that it violates the most basic First Amendment principle. The ruling was huge, in part because it now give corporations the same right to spend as much money as they want to any political campaign just as any individual, even though it could be argued that corporation donations have much more value than individual donations. Should be interesting to see what will be the effect of all this.
-The Biggest One Involving the United States Fighting in the Middle East: Last US Combat Troops Leave Iraq
Well, at least there's one part of the Middle East that we aren't at war with (technically).
-The Biggest One Involving Military Weapons in Asia: North Korea Bombs South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island
The tension between the two countries were already stagnant to begin with. Now, with this attack by the North, I'm afraid that it has increased the tension to a possible war-approaching status.
-The Bloodiest: Mexico's Drug War
When I first selected this story for this very category in 2009, the country was in a disarray. Thousands of innocent people were murdered because of it, hundreds of cities became uninhabitable every days and especially at night and many people were trying to save themselves from the crisis by immigrating to the US. Now, its been a full year later and not much still has changed. This past month, news came out that over 30,000 people have been killed in Mexico solely due to the drug war while 27,000 people have been arrested because of it in this year alone. And if you ever had the chance of watching CNN's Karl Penhauls series of reports on the topic back in June (sample here), you would also know that the drug war has ruined many businesses and have made many cities and towns war areas. Now, thousands are starting to flee the nation, including up to 230,000 in one city alone.
When and how this drug war will end is an unknown question. But, hopefully, there come an end sometime very soon. As for right now, there is still a state of emergency going on in the US's southern border nation.
- The Most Disruptive: The Eruption of Iceland's Mt. Eyjafjallajokull
The eruption caused the closings of many airspaces across Europe which resulted in constant delays of flights across the globe for weeks at a time, even affecting the funeral of Polish President Lech Kaczynski with many diplomats unable to attend thanks to the volcanic ash. It also disrupted the global economy, created a few electrical storms and made million of people pissed. Sorry, Bjork, but for once you weren't the worst thing to come out of Iceland.
-The Most Spy-Tastic: Ten Alledged Russian Spies Arrested in the US
It's the story that brought back the good old days of the Cold War and introduced us to Anna Chapman. What more could you ask for?
-The Most Religious: The March Abuse Scandals of the Catholic Church
I said it once and I will say it again:I don't care if these reports are just "Petty gossip," its still really sad and actually makes me kind of embarrassed to be part of the RC Church right now.
-The Most Controversial: The Proposed "Ground Zero Mosque" in New York City
Although the building was neither near Ground-Zero nor a mosque in the first place, many people were angered about the possibility of an Islamic building placed near an area that has been attacked by Arabs just nine years ago. What followed next would be dozens of anti-mosques protests in New York City and across the country along with an unfortunate series of anti-Islam actions by many Americans ranging from vandalizations of many other mosques in the country, the case of a man stabbing a Muslim cab driver to death and, of course, the countless burnings of the Quran on 9/11 (including one infamous planned burning that didn't happen by one pastor Terry Jones). The Islamic recreational center was eventually allowed by New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and the NY city council, but not before some internal damage was made in this country.
- The Most Entertaining Story Out of South Carolina: The Election of Alvin Greene as the State's Democratic Nominee for Senator
Between this story as well as the fact that this the state home to both an unfaithful governor and ex-governor, a very rude Senator and a horsef***er, you have to ask yourself: just what the hell is going on in South Carolina?
-The Weirdest: Man Forced To Eat His Own Beard During Fight
Overall, I do kind of feel for the victim in what must have been an unusual and even traumatizing moment in his life. However, looking at pictures of the man, I'm sure that that wasn't the worst thing he has ever eaten.
-The Most Tragic: The 7.0 Magnitude Earthquake in Haiti
-The Most Insane: Man Arrested For Groping While Dressed as Captain America With Burrito In His Pants
News headlines simply do not get better than that!
- The Most Catastrophic: The BP Oil Spill
By now, you've heard of it all: the explosion at Deepwater Horizon in April, the firing of CEO Tony Hayward, the failed operations with the cool action movie-like names, and the cap that was finally placed in July. Let's just all be glad the story is over at last.
And...that's going to do it for this very lengthy part 3! Be sure to come back New Year's Eve, as I wrap up End of the Year 2010 by naming my choices for the the year's best, most memorable and even most influential people of the year, along with my vote for 2010's Person of the Year. Until then, enjoy these final days of the calendar, precious reader.
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you have any suggestions and/or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
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