Review of 2012

2012 in review:



    The 100th anniversary of the Titanic:

      It’s been a year and I can still remember what a big deal it was that Titanic’s 100^th anniversary was happening in 2012. For some reason I heard a lot about it, and through it learned some pretty cool things about it in general. I had seen the movie (and love it) and thought that having something man-made that big was just amazing. They would say, “Not even God could sink this ship,” and its name, Titanic (meaning huge in size with strength) was heard close to the phrase “The unsinkable ship.” Titanic was one of the biggest sea vessels ever built, and on that specific voyage, would be carrying thousands of people who didn’t even have a chance of seeing their lives coming to an end because of the unsinkable ship. Among the hundreds of people who lost their lives, there have been Titanic survivors, the ones who got saved and who happened to be at the right place at the right time. I had read about Titanic at this time and couldn’t believe all the publicity the museum was getting, but for some people, I guess, it was more than just a movie.

 

The Hunger Games:

     My little brother could tell you everything you could ever want to know about this one, The Hunger Games. I’m pretty sure we all can remember all the buildup that came with the release of the first of The Hunger Games trilogy back in March. This was said to be the movie to change it all, directors and film critics were predicting that this movie would override all the others before it and that it was just going to be amazing, and they weren’t far from it in saying that. This movie is based on a futuristic setting of the nation where instead of states, we are divided into districts. These districts have different resources, but none seem to have the basis for successful living, nutrients. Kids from these districts are chosen and forced to fight to the death for the well-being of their specific district. I have seen this and honestly, I’m not a fan, but the 155 million dollars it brought in while in theaters says differently. Not only is it one of the top earning movies, but it also beat the ever famous Twilight on opening night.

 

Hurricane Sandy:

     In late October of 2012, an unusual breeze was in the air, which happened to turn out to be a full blown hurricane. Hurricane Sandy hit us hard sweeping through the east coast and starting from the southern Caribbean region. Many have never seen a storm so devastatingly destructive before, nor has many things come close to the amount of cost of damage. Hurricane Sandy has taken nothing short of billions of dollars in repairs and is still showing her effects today in some areas that got hit the hardest. The death toll for Hurricane Sandy was approximated to be around at least 149 people spanning from Georgia clear up the east coast. A few reminders of Hurricane Sandy; jersey Shore was absolutely wiped out and a given nickname of the “Frankenstorm,” due to its destructive pattern and force leading up to 70-100 mph winds tearing up everything in its path. Also, power outages were awful; people were left without power for weeks at a time based on where you were compared to where Sandy was the most aggressive.

 

The Election:

     It comes as no surprise that former president Obama did win the 2012 election against Senator Romney in the presidential election. This was an extremely close race, as Obama and Romney were neck and neck almost the entire time switching paces only momentarily up until the last few electoral votes were submitted. Ohio was the deciding state and the decision, based on voters was in favor of Obama, thus making the decision unanimous for Obama. It was reported that Obama won (obviously) the electoral votes, while Romney did win the popular vote, which I think says a lot about a candidate. I’m sure this election will be remembered for many as a nervous time; I know I will remember it as it is the first time I had ever voted.

It's the end of the world!!...again:

     This past December was said to have been the month in which the world would finally end thanks to the Mayans calender that suddenly ended on December 21, 2012. This story was even broad casted on the news as being on a lot of people's minds; many were scared as well as unshaken. The Mayan calender ended on that specific day and no one really knows why, so, what happens when we don't have an explanation for something..we panic..some of us anyway. Clearly, it was not the end, we are all still here and no one knows when the end will be.

 

Sandy Hook:

This event, unfortunately, is one that many of us would prefer to forget. On December 14, 2012 in Newton Connecticut Sandy Hook Elementary school was under an attack of a gunman carrying more than 100 rounds of ammunition. The gunman entered the school through a broken window and immediately opened fire. When police arrived on the scene the gunman was dead due to suicide, while inside 20 students and six adults were found dead; the victims of this brutal crime. For weeks after and still today families mourn the deaths and all of Connecticut and surrounding areas have been showing their love and support to Sandy Hook and the families. Since this event issues such as school safety and gun control have greatly talked about and rethought. The people in Newton never expected anything like this to happen, and they shouldn’t have; it shouldn’t ever have to happen anywhere, especially in a rural town such as Newton. This is why we need to be thankful that we live in a small town with low crime and continue to keep the Sandy Hook victims in mind.

 

Man Jumps From Space:

     This one is amazing. Austrian skydiver Mr. Felix Baumgartner broke the sky fall record by falling 128,000 feet and also traveled faster than the speed of sound by falling almost 900 mph. This has been this man’s goal in life I guess to push himself to new heights. This jump passed his last jump record and even jumped ahead of his mentors own record of sky falling back in 1960. A huge percent of the world was watching on October 14, 2012 as this man made history and set a huge bar for whoever wants to try. Since then he has been on numerous talk shows and has gotten a lot of support. There is video of the entire jump documented and to watch it is pretty crazy, when he is getting ready to jump you can actually see the Earth as he is right at the edge of space; more power to him. This obviously went down in the book of world records.

 

Same Sex Marriage:

     Gay marriage is not a new thing, but it being seen as completely fine is. With this last election in November, it has been made legal to marry someone of the same sex in certain states in the United States. Currently, nine states in the nation and they are: Washington, Washington D.C., Vermont, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Connecticut. Gay marriage first became legalized on November 7, 2012. Many people knew this was coming, but the question remains if it will eventually become legal in every state. The views that usually come into play when dealing with same sex marriages revolve around your personal religious beliefs. Many people view marriage as a commitment between two people, and of course those people want to be treated as equal, thus wanting to be able to publically make the same commitment with their loved one.

R.I.P. Andy Griffith:

     Andy Griffith, beloved star of the famous television show, “The Andy Griffith Show” passed away on July 3, 2012. Andy died of a heart attack at his North Carolina home, was the information shortly reported after the tragic event. Many were saddened to hear the news of the American actor’s quick pass over, however many say they know exactly where he is now. Andy was a winner of the Medal of Freedom and was nominated for a Tony Award for two separate parts. He was a southern-gospel singer and lover as well as a Grammy winner. Andy was 86 years old when he died, and he was put to rest in the Griffith family cemetery on Roanoke Island approximately just five hours after the pronounced time of death. Many say Andy was a lovable man who enjoyed making people laugh and I’m sure he will continue to be greatly missed.



 

Theater Shooting:

     This is something that happened so randomly that no one was ever expecting it. On July 20, 2012 a mass shooting broke out in a casual movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. The shooting occurred during a midnight premier of the Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. On opening night, movie theaters everywhere were packed with anxious views waiting to see what was called the best Batman movie yet, and only true Batman fans would venture out just to be one of the first people to see it at midnight. At about 12:30- 12:39, the masked gunman set off tear gas grenades into the audience and began to open fire aimlessly. Police arrived on the scene just seconds after a 911 call was made from someone in the theater and on arriving they witnessed 12 people dead with 58 people injured. Police said they did not wait for ambulances to arrive before they started taking people in serious medical attention to the hospital in their own patrol cars. Later it was made public that President Obama made a special visit to Colorado to grieve with the families of the lost loved ones, it was also said that in the midst of the audience a baby was one of the victims killed.



 

Cancer Cure?:

     Amazingly, it has been coming up that the HIV/AIDS virus might possible be the key to curing certain cancers. Studies have been developed that say with the proper work and procedure an HIV/ virus could be made to go after and kill cancer cells in a person’s body. These HIV cells have to be genetically altered in some ways in order for them to mutate in a way that attacks the cancer cells in the body. Once the HIV takes over the cancer it is mutated but can be cured. There have been a couple people so far who have agreed to undergo the research by offering their bodies as test subjects; miraculously, one girl is completely cured of her cancer. Scientists have waited a long time to be able to do something as big as this and now that it’s started I believe the cure will be found. If they can continue this work and experimentation cancer can finally be put to rest.

 

R.I.P. Whitney Houston:

     Beloved, famous singer and actress, Whitney Houston was found dead on February 11, 2012, while staying in a Beverly Hilton Hotel. She was only 48 when she passed away and had just finished a movie, Sparkle, in which she played the talented mother to three girls. Houston’s body was examined in hopes to find the correct cause of death and it was indeed found. It was obvious to many that Whitney had a drug problem and upon the examination, cocaine and metabolites were found in her system along with over the counter prescriptions of various natures. An overdose/ fatal reaction was said to have been the correct cause of death. Whitney was laid to rest on February 19, 2012.