Goodbye to a Wild Year

2011 certainly wasn't a quiet year. The world over, huge changes, natural disasters and economic malaise peppered the news and affected the lives of millions. Of course, 2011 also marked a very significant life change for me in that I retired from the "regular" work force.

Looking over the following list from the Associated Press, it seems clear that 2011 was quite a life-changing year for millions across the globe, in one way or another. I hope 2012's list of top news stories will be much less astounding.


OSAMA BIN LADEN'S DEATH: In May, the nearly 10-year manhunt ended with a nighttime assault by a helicopter-borne Navy SEAL squad on the terrorist leader's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Bin Laden was shot dead by one of the raiders.
JAPAN'S TRIPLE DISASTER: A 9.0-magnitude earthquake off Japan's northeast coast in March unleashed a tsunami that devastated scores of communities, leaving nearly 20,000 people dead or missing and wreaking an estimated $218 billion in damage. The tsunami triggered the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986 after waves knocked out the cooling system at a nuclear power plant.
ARAB SPRING: It began with demonstrations in Tunisia that rapidly toppled the longtime strongman in January. Spreading rapidly, the Arab Spring protests sparked a revolution in Egypt that ousted Hosni Mubarak in February, fueled a civil war in Libya that climaxed with Moammar Gadhafi's death in October, and fomented a bloody uprising in Syria against the Assad regime. Bahrain and Yemen also experienced major protests and unrest.
EU FISCAL CRISIS: The European Union was wracked by relentless fiscal turmoil. In Greece, austerity measures triggered strikes, protests and riots, while Italy's economic woes toppled Premier Silvio Berlusconi in November.
U.S. ECONOMY: Hiring picked up a bit, consumers were spending more, and the unemployment rate finally dipped below 9%. But millions of Americans remained buffeted by foreclosures, joblessness and benefit cutbacks.
PENN STATE SCANDAL: In November, former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was accused of molesting 10 boys; two senior Penn State officials were charged with perjury; the longtime president and coaching legend Joe Paterno were ousted.
GADHAFI TOPPLED: After nearly 42 years of mercurial and often brutal rule, Moammar Gadhafi was toppled by his own people in August. Anti-government protests escalated into an eight-month rebellion that culminated in Gadhafi being and killed in the village where he was born.
CONGRESSIONAL SHOWDOWNS: Partisan divisions in Congress led to several showdowns on fiscal issues. A fight over the debt ceiling prompted Standard & Poor's to strip the U.S. of its AAA credit rating in August. In November, the so-called supercommittee failed to agree on a deficit-reduction package of at least $1.2 trillion -- potentially triggering automatic spending cuts of that amount starting in 2013.
OCCUPY WALL STREET PROTESTS: It began Sept. 17 with a protest at a New York City park near Wall Street, and within weeks spread to scores of communities across the U.S. and abroad. The movement depicted itself as leaderless and shied away from specific demands, but succeeded in airing its complaint that the richest of Americans benefit at the expense of the rest.
GABRIELLE GIFFORDS SHOT: The popular third-term Democratic congresswoman from Arizona suffered a severe brain injury when she and 18 other people were shot by a gunman as she met with constituents outside a Tucson supermarket in January. Six people died, and Giffords' painstaking recovery is still in progress.

Is The American Dream a Nightmare?

Are those Wall Streeters, bankers, movers and shakers really in charge of all that matters in these United States? Does our vote or that letter to your Representative really amount to a hill of beans? Is corporate profit some nasty plan to beat down the middle class?

Being a child of the sixties, I find the Occupy Wall Street movement somewhat interesting. Personally, I can dismiss the whining about college tuition debt and the inability to get a job...no one promised a job to the holder of a BS in (you name the course of study). On the other hand, does 1% of the population control all legislation coming at us from Washington? Did you see the 60 Minutes piece on lobbying and corruption at the federal level of government a couple weeks ago? It was both amazing and disgusting. 

How many elected officials are there because of some inner desire to serve their country? How many are there to line their pockets and insure their own financial security? 

On those angles, I side with the OWS crowd. Things need to change and they must change soon. Change how? There's the question folks. Honestly, it seems rather fruitless to think about or try to do anything about this lack of real patriot leaders. How will we turn this ship 180° after so many years of sailing in the wrong direction? I know, lots of questions and no real answers. 

Below, I'd like to share two videos presenting views that are somewhat different, yet similar. Take ten minutes, watch each of them and comment your agreement or disagreement below. It could be quite interesting and I promise I won't use one of my many pepper spray containers on you if I don't agree. 

> the following video is not suitable for minor children or those with tender ears! <

As Our World Turns

• Egypt turned upside-down
• Angry Libyan citizens being shot down by soldiers and mercenaries on the ground, in helicopters and planes
• Four Americans killed by Somali pirates
• Protests continue in Bahrain, no end in sight

Here at home...

• Thousands of public and private union members in Wisconsin protest proposed changes while all their Democrat State Senators hide and refuse to do their jobs
• In Ohio, more thousands protest union-busting bills in the legislature
• Following the lead of their Wisconsin cohorts, 67 Indiana House Democrats are leaving the state, in hiding, so the legislature doesn't have a quorum  
• Gasoline prices in the U.S. expected to keep rising with the Middle East unrest; $4 a gallon this year???
• California, New Jersey, Hawaii, Ohio and more states are in danger of total insolvency
• While one-quarter of the counties in the U.S. are losing population (story here)

What the hell is going on in our world?

Whatever is happening, have you taken steps to prepare yourself to be more self-sufficient, no matter what comes along? Its beginning to look like modern survivalists are something more than goofy, whacked out, the-world-ends-tomorrow, tin foil hat-wearing crazies. There's a rumble underfoot and the result may not be pretty, my friends.