| 2008 was a year filled with great triumphs and a | | | | presented it's best. Michael Phelps made his mark |
| year scarred by deep sorrow. What 2008 was | | | | on history, breaking Mark Spitz record of |
| not, was a peaceful year, and whether the world | | | | swimming medals and Dara Torez breaking a |
| is a better place, for having endured is unclear. | | | | record of her own. |
| Russia's invasion of Georgia has chilled Russia's | | | | Tainted baby formula sickened tens of thousands |
| relations with the West, a resurgence of the Cold | | | | of babies in China in 2008. Even the US was not |
| War may be on the horizon. The Tibetan monk's | | | | immune to tainted food. A wide spread Salmonella |
| protests being crushed in the streets | | | | outbreak caused a number of illnesses in the |
| demonstrate that freedom of speech, is not a | | | | States. |
| God given right for all. The continued unrest in | | | | The senseless deaths of children like Caylee |
| Middle East is no longer news, but simply part of | | | | Anthony and Precious Doe at the hands of those |
| daily life in the region. | | | | that were suppose to love them the most |
| Close calls with Hurricane Gustav in New Orleans | | | | demonstrate how hopeless some things are in this |
| and the water lapping at the edge of | | | | age of technology. |
| overburdened levies caused concern that the | | | | The world in 2009 will sorely miss some legends |
| lessons of Katrina have still not yet been fully | | | | who passed on in 2008. Heath Ledger's senseless |
| learned. The heartbreaking destruction of | | | | death and the famed actor Paul Newman who |
| Hurricane Ike in Galveston and the Texas coast | | | | had a lifetime of achievements will be missed. The |
| shows that while the US has made progress, she | | | | world also lost the comedic geniuses of George |
| is still no match for mother nature. Nature's wrath | | | | Carlin and Bernie Mac as well. |
| still wields a heavy hand. As horrific as the despair | | | | The world's largest proton beam large hadron |
| in Galveston, it paled in comparison to the cyclone | | | | collider high energy collector was effectively |
| that hit Burma/Mynamar, taking the lives of more | | | | deployed, while the world was not swallowed into |
| than 100,000 people in the region. China, widely | | | | a black hole. Unfortunately, shortly after the test, |
| thought to be a rising world power, was no match | | | | the economic markets imploded. The global |
| for the 8.0 earthquake that collapsed buildings like | | | | economy crash devastated retirees who were |
| tinker toys. | | | | heavily invested in the markets, forgetting that |
| Through leadership change, we often see policy | | | | the stock markets can not only go up but down |
| change. Unfortunately Fidel Castro's retirement in | | | | as well. A sad reality when their savings dwindled |
| 2008 did nothing to free Cuba from the | | | | and the reality of their investments set in with |
| constrains of dictatorship with Raul Castro | | | | the market down almost 40% for the year in |
| stepping into the leadership role on the tiny island. | | | | November. |
| Early on in 2008, the Hollywood writers strike in | | | | Based on this year's reflections, I have made |
| 2008 showed that American can in fact live | | | | some predictions for 2009. |
| without television. Regardless of the break from | | | | Top 10 Winners for 2009 |
| television, technology certainly played a role in the | | | | 1. Personal Responsibility |
| 2008 elections. | | | | 2. Financial Diversification |
| The structure of the US political debates, with | | | | 3. Mobile Malware |
| YouTube questions taking stage early on, | | | | 4. Weight Loss |
| demonstrated how technology shaped the 2008 | | | | 5. Going Green |
| US presidential election. Obama utilizing technology | | | | 6. Social |
| to text his vice presidential choice to his | | | | 7. Cloud Computing |
| constituents was just the tip of the iceburg when | | | | 8. Virtual Collaboration |
| it came to technology's role in the 2008 US | | | | 9. Video |
| election. The radical domestic terrorist, Bill Ayers | | | | 10. RSS |
| and Jeremiah Wright became household names. | | | | Top 10 Losers for 2009 |
| Joe the Plumber, Joe Six Pack, and the average | | | | 1. Global Economy |
| Joe were all invested in the 2008 US Presidential | | | | 2. Republicans and Conservatives |
| election. | | | | 3. Hollywood |
| The historic 2008 US presidential primaries and | | | | 4. China |
| election resulted in many firsts. Ultimately, Sarah | | | | 5. Somali Pirates |
| Palin, the first female Republican vice presidential | | | | 6. Financial Services Industry |
| candidate and the GOP's rising star, went back to | | | | 7. Corrupted Politicians |
| Alaska and the US will crown its first African | | | | 8. Security or Securities |
| American President on inauguration day in 2009. | | | | 9. Outsourcing |
| At the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, China | | | | 10. |