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2004: The Year in Review
Dec. 31st, 2004 07:41 amIt's December 31st, and I have to go to work in a few minutes, both early, and on a day that many other people in so called "professional" circles are getting the day off. Damn New York Stock Market. Hopefully things will go smoothly (they didn't yesterday) and we'll get out at 4 so I can get to Dallas before the ball drops.
Last week I was freezing for Christmas, last night I actually used the air conditioning to cool off the house. It's that crazy here.
So with that in mind, 2004 was a nutty year. Certainly one that seemed to go more backwards than forwards. For every bit of progress we made, like marriage equality in Massachusetts, there was plenty of steps back, like 11 states passing constitutional amendments to band marriage equality because of scared populaces.
So with my few minutes before work, I'll paint a few sketches of the top stories I can remember...for memory is already fleeting...
1. Earthquake and Tsunami - Already you know it will be the event most remembered world wide as 120,000 + people died in a huge disaster. A 9.0 earthquake, a wall of water, and a whole nation, the Maldives, goes underwater for a moment in time. It's unimaginable, and for months we'll be watching the relief efforts.
2. Iraq lingers on, and on - the vote is coming up, and the insurgency, and our soldier's death count continues to grow. our leaders seem to keep saying everything is cool. Is it really? Still no exit strategy?
3. A boob changes everything. Janet Jackson becomes the IT girl for public indecency, and suddenly in every corner there are books to be banned, words you can't say, things you can't do and social taboos. There seemed to be a pivot point for public morality, and this was it. Would the FCC fine you for it? After Janet's boob, they might. And to think it happened here in Houston.
4. And another boob gets his job back - In one of the worst- run campaigns ever, George W wins re-election and conservatives gloat, but still, their man still won in a pretty close race. Neither man did well, and the nation remained divided. Still, the hard line of fighting terrorism seems to remain.
5. Same-Sex Marriage, the other front of the culture war: Gays marry, sometimes for real, sometimes not, but what happens for the camera at least gets people talking as gays become the family values hockey puck for the elections. Still, the debate will go on for years, as California still goes on with their challenges, and other stated look for their options. Elsewhere, Canada, Belgium, New Zealand, Great Britain, Israel and others grant at least some legal status for same-sex partners.
6. Hollywood, You say you hate it - But you buy it anyway. just as many people bought tickets to Spiderman 2 as did to Passion of the Christ. Sure, they cut the homo out of Alexander, and see how that did? Still, shows with backstabbing, murder, and sex still do well, despite the railing of groups against them...the Monday Night Football scandal of a Desperate Housewife dropping her towel in front of Terrell Owens? Desperate Housewives up, MNF down.
7 Sports - My Astros did well, but not as well as the Boston Red Sox, Lance Armstrong wins again, the Olympics were a snore, Steroids threaten to ruin baseballs record, and how many people really care if there's no hockey season?
8. Why not import drugs from Canada? Heck Vioxx causes Heart attacks, so does Celebrex and Aleve, we can't seem to find this before we put them on the market, and we say drugs from our neighbor to the north are unsafe?
9. Oil prices shoot through the roof - Barrels of oil become scares as world demand grows. The Price gets up to $55 a barrel and pump prices fly past $2 a gallon in many areas. will it actually change people's habits? Unlikely in the short term.
10. Hurricane Fever - Florida gets hit not once, but four times by hurricanes. Disney World reports Walt still frozen.
Honorable mention, Russian hostage Crisis, Sudanese genocide
And that's the year in my view. Now for 2005...
Last week I was freezing for Christmas, last night I actually used the air conditioning to cool off the house. It's that crazy here.
So with that in mind, 2004 was a nutty year. Certainly one that seemed to go more backwards than forwards. For every bit of progress we made, like marriage equality in Massachusetts, there was plenty of steps back, like 11 states passing constitutional amendments to band marriage equality because of scared populaces.
So with my few minutes before work, I'll paint a few sketches of the top stories I can remember...for memory is already fleeting...
1. Earthquake and Tsunami - Already you know it will be the event most remembered world wide as 120,000 + people died in a huge disaster. A 9.0 earthquake, a wall of water, and a whole nation, the Maldives, goes underwater for a moment in time. It's unimaginable, and for months we'll be watching the relief efforts.
2. Iraq lingers on, and on - the vote is coming up, and the insurgency, and our soldier's death count continues to grow. our leaders seem to keep saying everything is cool. Is it really? Still no exit strategy?
3. A boob changes everything. Janet Jackson becomes the IT girl for public indecency, and suddenly in every corner there are books to be banned, words you can't say, things you can't do and social taboos. There seemed to be a pivot point for public morality, and this was it. Would the FCC fine you for it? After Janet's boob, they might. And to think it happened here in Houston.
4. And another boob gets his job back - In one of the worst- run campaigns ever, George W wins re-election and conservatives gloat, but still, their man still won in a pretty close race. Neither man did well, and the nation remained divided. Still, the hard line of fighting terrorism seems to remain.
5. Same-Sex Marriage, the other front of the culture war: Gays marry, sometimes for real, sometimes not, but what happens for the camera at least gets people talking as gays become the family values hockey puck for the elections. Still, the debate will go on for years, as California still goes on with their challenges, and other stated look for their options. Elsewhere, Canada, Belgium, New Zealand, Great Britain, Israel and others grant at least some legal status for same-sex partners.
6. Hollywood, You say you hate it - But you buy it anyway. just as many people bought tickets to Spiderman 2 as did to Passion of the Christ. Sure, they cut the homo out of Alexander, and see how that did? Still, shows with backstabbing, murder, and sex still do well, despite the railing of groups against them...the Monday Night Football scandal of a Desperate Housewife dropping her towel in front of Terrell Owens? Desperate Housewives up, MNF down.
7 Sports - My Astros did well, but not as well as the Boston Red Sox, Lance Armstrong wins again, the Olympics were a snore, Steroids threaten to ruin baseballs record, and how many people really care if there's no hockey season?
8. Why not import drugs from Canada? Heck Vioxx causes Heart attacks, so does Celebrex and Aleve, we can't seem to find this before we put them on the market, and we say drugs from our neighbor to the north are unsafe?
9. Oil prices shoot through the roof - Barrels of oil become scares as world demand grows. The Price gets up to $55 a barrel and pump prices fly past $2 a gallon in many areas. will it actually change people's habits? Unlikely in the short term.
10. Hurricane Fever - Florida gets hit not once, but four times by hurricanes. Disney World reports Walt still frozen.
Honorable mention, Russian hostage Crisis, Sudanese genocide
And that's the year in my view. Now for 2005...
