Hat Tip to Wolf Howling
Political, societal, digital and natural happenings that shaped our world — and the faith — last year
From Our Sunday Visitor
By Elizabeth ScaliaAs we ring in 2011 with prayers for the world, our nation, our towns, our jobs and our families — and a fervent wish for peace, balance and a chance to do some good where we can — let us look back at a teeter-totter of a year, where high-riding America suddenly found herself hitting the ground of reality with a thud. War is not over; the economic recovery is slow-to-stagnant and those who are not yet struggling themselves know someone, or love someone, who is.
We learned a few things in 2010: Service economies are hard to grow when housing markets are closed; Brett Favre is not unbreakable; your kids will hear you better if you text them; shooting a TV does not make “Dancing With the Stars” go away; the stock market doesn’t necessarily have any bearing on realities; a college degree in anything but the hard sciences really may not be worth it, after all; Russia is still a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma; Christian oppression is not just for ancient Romans, anymore; reality TV has turned half the nation into voyeurs and the other half into exhibitionists; the wrong people want to be the exhibitionists; TSA patdowns may feel like a flashback to a bad dating experience; airport metal detectors are so graphic the only mystery left is your blood type; and no matter how many channels your cable package provides, you will not get away from the ubiquitous Sarah Palin!
Levity aside, 2010 may have been a mostly uncomfortable, disorienting year, but there were some hopeful notes: Adult stem cell therapies made promising gains in treating tumors, spinal-cord injuries and HIV infection; hardy Christmas retail sales made for a cheerful year-end; and polls show a growing opposition to abortion in America. As we move forward on those positive notes, let’s take one last look at the big stories of 2010.
We learned a few things in 2010: Service economies are hard to grow when housing markets are closed; Brett Favre is not unbreakable; your kids will hear you better if you text them; shooting a TV does not make “Dancing With the Stars” go away; the stock market doesn’t necessarily have any bearing on realities; a college degree in anything but the hard sciences really may not be worth it, after all; Russia is still a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma; Christian oppression is not just for ancient Romans, anymore; reality TV has turned half the nation into voyeurs and the other half into exhibitionists; the wrong people want to be the exhibitionists; TSA patdowns may feel like a flashback to a bad dating experience; airport metal detectors are so graphic the only mystery left is your blood type; and no matter how many channels your cable package provides, you will not get away from the ubiquitous Sarah Palin!
Levity aside, 2010 may have been a mostly uncomfortable, disorienting year, but there were some hopeful notes: Adult stem cell therapies made promising gains in treating tumors, spinal-cord injuries and HIV infection; hardy Christmas retail sales made for a cheerful year-end; and polls show a growing opposition to abortion in America. As we move forward on those positive notes, let’s take one last look at the big stories of 2010.
