This commentary is by Bob Stannard of Manchester, an author, musician and former state legislator and lobbyist.
For some, this past year has flown right by. For others it felt like it would never end. Let’s take a look at some of the events that helped shape the year and may have consequences for the future, shall we?
January: We kicked off the year in the dumps with the former disgraced president announcing in November of 2022 that he’d be running for president again. Most people could see that he had to run again as it’s his only chance to stay out of prison. If you’re thinking of running away to Canada, forgetaboutit. Canada just voted for a two-year ban on foreigners buying property.
February: America saw five gun shootings. Courts shoot down a New Jersey law that would allow victims to sue the gun industry. Our military shoots down a Chinese spy balloon. More classified documents were found at former Vice President Mike Pence’s house.
March: NATO increases its membership with Finland joining. The indicted former president would have America pull out of this important global alliance. Romania becomes the first country to have an artificial intelligence advisor. Prominent South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh found guilty of murdering his wife and son. 171 trillion pieces of plastic now litter the world’s oceans, increasing from 16 trillion in 2005. Oil company Saudi Aramco posts earnings of $161 billion for 2022 — highest ever recorded annual profit by a publicly listed company. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says the world has less than a decade to stop catastrophic warming: must reduce greenhouse gasses by half by 2030.
April: U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk suspends Food and Drug Administration’s approval of key abortion pill mifepristone, leading to U.S. government request for legal appeal to stop nationwide ban. Fox News settles lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million, moments before trial, with Fox admitting it had defamed Dominion during U.S. 2020 election by broadcasting conspiracy theories. Guinness world record for largest afro at 5 feet, 5 inches (165cm) set for the third time by Aevin Dugas of Reserve, Louisiana.
May: Geoffrey Hinton, ‘the Godfather of AI,” resigns from Google to speak out about the dangers of AI. 40-year-old U.S. weight-loss company Jenny Craig announces it will close due to weight of crushing debt. World Health Organization declares Covid-19 over as a global health emergency but says it remains a significant threat, with seven million known deaths (real total likely to be 20 million). Canadian province Alberta declares a state of emergency over unprecedented wildfires — more than 100 — which have forced the evacuation of 25,000 people. Vermonters fear tourists might not see fall foliage.
June: Trump found guilty of sexually assaulting E. Jean Carroll. Fined $5 million. George Harrison’s “Here Comes The Sun” becomes first Beatles song to register a billion streams on Spotify. Mike Pence and Chris Christie announce they’re running for president. New York’s air quality sinks to the lowest in the world thanks to Canadian fires. Trump pleads not guilty to stealing top secret documents found in his house. Claims Mr. Nobody brought them to Mar-a-lago.
July: Israel launches its biggest military operation against militants in the Jenin refugee camp, West Bank, in 20 years, killing eight people. Hottest global temperature ever recorded as average global temperature tops 17.18 degrees Celsius. NASA beams Ringo Starr’s voice wishing “peace and love” across the universe via the Deep Space Network in honor of his 83rd birthday. Elton John completes his final tour. Finger removed from the dike of the Dutch government. It collapsed. BARBIE!!! SAG-AFTRA strike. The show will not go on. 2023 wildfire season in British Columbia, now most destructive on record. City of Phoenix, Arizona breaks a five decade heat record recording 19 consecutive days of temperature at or above 110°F.
August: Trump indicted by Jack Smith for election conspiracy. Trump and 18 others are indicted by Fani Willis in Georgia. July declared the warmest month in 172 years. 5,300 year old Anatolian farmer/mummy discovered. Evangelicals who believe the Earth is only 6,000 years old scramble to determine how long he’d been farming. Trump arrested and has mugshot taken in Georgia.
September: Aerosmith begins final tour. Former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio sentenced to 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Intense flooding caused by the heaviest rainfall in 140 years in Hong Kong. U.S. sets a record for 23 weather disasters in one year costing more than $1 billion, in less than nine months. Aerosmith postpones tour after Steven Tyler blows out his voice. The Sound of Silence.
October: Colombian army apologizes for murder of 6,402 civilians and falsely passing them off as left-wing guerrillas to boost their kill rate 15 years after armed conflict with FARC. Yeah, gotta keep those kill rate numbers up. New research confirms fossil footprints 23,000-21,000 years old at White Sands National Park, New Mexico, probably the oldest evidence of humans in the Americas. Throws monkey wrench into the Earth only being 6,000 years old. Hamas attacks Israel. RFK Jr. launches independent bid for president. Taylor Swift continues Eras Tour. Not to be outdone, Madonna goes on tour. Kevin McCarthy ousted as U.S. House speaker, breaking record for the shortest term ever.
November: 120 fires confirmed still burning across Australia. Speaking of monkey wrenches, two International Space Station astronauts lose a tool bag during a spacewalk 200 miles above earth — will disintegrate safely falling to earth … we hope. The Beatles release John Lennon’s “Now and Then”. Their first #1 single in 54 years. Ohio votes to protect abortion rights and legalizes pot. SAG-AFTRA ends 118 day strike. THE SHOW MUST GO ON. Daryl Hall sues John Oats ending any hope of that tour happening. Taylor Swift is Spotify’s most-streamed global artist of the year with 26.1 billion streams. Russia’s Supreme Court outlaws LGBTQ+ ‘movement’ calling them an extremist organization.
December: As of the second week of December there have been 627 mass shootings in America. That’s down 18 from last year, but don’t worry, we still have a few weeks left. House GOP gives George Santos the boot for lying. Still supports Trump, a known pathological liar. We kiss KISS goodbye as their tour ends. Taylor Swift named Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year”. A big deal — Shohei Ohtani signs a North American pro-sports record 10-year $700m deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Homelessness in the U.S. increased by 12%, with more than 650,000 people experiencing homelessness. Rudy Giuliani to pay $148 million to two former Georgia election workers in civil defamation suit. Will increase homeless number to 650,001. Channeling his inner Hitler, Donald Trump says immigrants coming to the U.S. are “poisoning the blood of our country.” Homophobic, climate change-denying, religious zealot speaker of the House adjourns for the year after accomplishing absolutely nothing.
And so ends another year here on Planet Earth. A note to my faithful readers. Thanks to all who have offered positive comments on my 24 columns this year. To those who offered not so positive comments, keep reading. You may find one you like. Here’s hoping for a very happy new year to all.
