2011: A Year That Made You Say 'Oh Wow, Oh Wow, Oh Wow'

From the killing of Osama Bin Laden to weather unlike anything we have seen, from revolutions with meaning to revolutions still looking for a cause, 2011 was filled with events that will affect us for years to come.

There was the typical gloom and doom that each year brings, yet 2011 had its own unique spin.

Our weather issues first started on the day after Christmas 2010 with a blizzard unlike which we have not seen in quite some time.

The Protester was Time magazine’s Person of the Year, 2011. You could not watch the news this year without seeing a protest somewhere. Was this our biggest story?

Every time you turned on the TV there was another revolt! When a merchant in Tunisia set himself on fire it went viral and people revolted. Egypt erupted and ended a 30 year reign of terror with the ousting of Hosni Mubarek. This was followed by rebels finally overcoming and then killing Mommar Gadhafi in Libya. Kim Jong-il of North Korea died and the feeling of possible revolt, uprising and terror reigned heavily of many.

Someone explain to me Occupy Wall Street. You’re revolting about not having enough money? Stop going to Yankee games and paying $10 for a beer! You REALLY want to make a difference? Go home. Take a bath. You’re a stinking mess. Quit drugs. Go back to school. Get a job. On Wall Street no less and take the ‘do-the-right-thing’ revolutionary attitude and make it work and make a REAL difference. We can ALL use it.

The shooting of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was the same day, January 8^th of my first meeting as a leader of a support group at Kessler. When I got home and being energized after a productive day it took a back seat fast watching what had happened in Tuscan, AZ. I watched intently over the past year and as a person who went through a horrible illness that included multiple operations, frustration, prayers, countless hours of therapy and so much more I had an insiders view knowing all too what a critical health issue was and what Ms. Gifford and her family were going through… many prayers were said for Gabby, her husband Mark and their families.

Was the biggest story the tornados that hit Joplin, MO and the surrounding areas? Many efforts of goodwill were held including one here in town that I was proud to be a part of, the clothing drive sponsored by Cedar Grove UNICO.

Could it be Hurricane Irene? I still have about 20 ‘D’ batteries left over. At least we will use some for Christmas.

Or was it the flooding in the Springtime for our neighbors in Fairfield and Little Falls and Wayne. Can someone shout out DREDGE THE DAMN RIVER!! DO SOMETHING!! Year in, year out it is the same thing. It rains, Winter snow run off, low lying areas by the Passaic River get flooded. People lose everything. State government asks Federal government for Federal Disaster money. People applied for relief to FEMA. People waited. People’s lives are ruined in the meantime. This Spring it will rain again. It is a never ending circle.

It may have been the Halloween snowstorm that took everyone by surprise. We were lucky. Lisa and I never lost our power; we only ‘lost’ half a tree. But it fell in the backyard, did not hurt anyone nor did it break anything. Truly, no joke, we got lucky!

Perhaps it may be some of the so-called celebrities who showed why they could never hold down a day job. First up, Arnold Schwarzenegger. You realize that he was Governor of the most populated state in the beginning of 2011. Yet within weeks of his departure it was found he had a child with his mistress years ago and, in fact this child was born within the same time as his youngest son whom he had with his wife, about a week apart.  Gives new meaning to his movie title ‘True Lies’ doesn’t it? Sorry, had to go there, but just once.

Charlie Sheen gave new meaning to weird. His behavior went beyond bizarre. Another new meaning as WINNING spelled LOSER in all CAPS. There was Congressman Weiner who had to resign because of his sending lewd photos of himself and this was wrong on so many levels…Why Why Why?? Another LOSER all spelled in CAPS.

There were some new names to the voice of scandal such as Dominique-Straus-Kahn, a possible future leader of France and head of an important International Monetary Fund for sexual assault. The case was dismissed for lack of credibility. There is another missing person/death in Aruba and Gary Giordano has a bull’s-eye all over him.

Giordano’s attorney is Jose Baez, the same attorney that helped shock America as Casey Anthony walked free. Wonder what they did for Christmas. 

The child sex abuse scandals at Penn State with Jerry Sandusky and then in aftermath it happened again at Syracuse with Bernie Fine. Talk about disgust! Three words should NEVER be next to one another in a sentence – child – sex – abuse. NEVER.

There is also the disgrace of the hacking scandals by Rupert Murdoch’s companies, the media mogul who may not have no morals whatsoever. Is there no shame? I mean, ever?

Congress. The mere mention of the name this year made everyone sick. The debacle regarding the debt ceiling and then in a recent report on ‘60 Minutes’ the beginnings of scandal involving, among others, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in a legal but morally unethical stock manipulation may not be the biggest story this year; but next year in what is an Election Year, look for this to really grow in to a very big deal. Just think, they used to call Pete Rose ‘Charlie Hustle’.

The biggest story certainly was not the embarrassment of a lavish, over-the-top wedding which may have lasted longer then the 72 day marriage. Also, even though it is a huge event, it is not the failure if the banking system in Greece.

The Mets were, well, the Mets with their own story. First they build a stadium for Jose Reyes, and then do not resign him. Cancer will not kill me, nor will sepses. But the Mets …

Derek Jeter was very Derek Jeter-like in getting his 3000 hit with a home run and going 5-for-5. Mariano Rivera became the all time saves leader recording his 602^nd .. Simply amazing!

A big story for me this year was the changing of the prayers at the Catholic Mass. As an amputee I am used to change - but this is one I am just not ready for. What is understood with a specific intent in one language may not necessarily translate well in another. ‘Also with you’ is a favorite response. I will try though…

Another was a changing of the guard for some regulars on TV. From Oprah Winfrey and Meredith Vieira to Andy Rooney and Regis Philbin, there were some long time regular faces who said Goodbye. Mr. Rooney died only a few weeks after he retired. Oprah went on to run her network; Meredith is spending more time with her family. Regis, well, I started watching him when I was in the hospital in 2008 and he became a part of the morning routine. Had him on every day when I worked out or when I went for my morning walk with Tony, my aide. Nothing is more upsetting to me on a normal basis then to disrupt my morning routine. He is a class act and we wish him well.

Yet not all news was bad in 2011. The world got a brief respite from doom-and-gloom headlines

as Pope John Paul II was a step closer to becoming a Saint. The Holy Father is in my opinion a saint already, this is just a formality. Also there was more good news in April when Prince William and Catherine Middleton wed at Westminster Abbey.

Their wedding was one of the most-watched events of the year -- from TV to the Internet. On the streets of London, many captured royal images on their mobile devices and instantly shared them with friends.

April 29 gave us the Royal Wedding and April 30 gave us Donald Trump. This was the night of the Washington (DC) Correspondents Dinner when Seth Meyers ripped in to Donald Trump who was toying with the idea of a run for the Presidency. ‘The Donald’ was fuming and proved that his hair may be thick but his skin is thin... I like The Donald, but if he can’t handle Seth Meyers poking fun at him, how can he really handle the world’s problems?

The defining moment this year was in the deaths of two men. One represented good. The other evil. Yet each left a mark on us all for years to come.

It took only 90 seconds or 11 years, depending on your perspective and how you look at it but the killing of Osama bin Laden, the most wanted terrorist in the world, happened before a stunned nation on May 1^st a few months shy of the 10th anniversary of the terror attacks of 9/11.

As is my custom, I was watching Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN as my beloved NY Mets were playing the Philadelphia Phillies. I typically have the radio on as I like the radio play-by-play better than what is on TV and heard this chant of USA-USA-USA and then learned the reason why…and it is announced the Osama bin Laden was killed by American forces. This evil thing was dead and everyone rightfully rejoiced.

There was a wreath laying ceremony afterwards. No speeches, just the President and NY and NJ Governors in attendance as the President presented a wreath and had direct family members present only at the World Trade Center. It was no longer called Ground Zero. With the passing of bin Laden and the building of the Freedom Tower, it was proper to move on.  September would mark the 10 year anniversary of that awful day in 2001. This September 2012 will see for the first time since 2001 that the 11^th will fall on a Tuesday. But bin Laden was dead.

The other death made me iSAD.

Steve Jobs died of pancreatic cancer on October 5th. His final words, according to his sister, were "Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow!" Steve Jobs was an absolute genius. Not even a close second. He was a visionary much like Henry Ford, Walt Disney and Thomas Edison.

He changed the way we communicate and gave purpose to technology. He defined and shaped the way we do things. From music to movies to phones to content to reading to communication to colaboration to choices. He will shape generations to come. A life well lived, and we are all better for it.

How ironic that many of us learned of the death of Steve Jobs by viewing one of his devices. In a way, isn't that the best way to pay tribute to a true visionairy?

Oh wow, Oh wow, Oh wow  - which is what we said when we first saw the iPOD, iPhone, and well – iEVERYTHING - it was iSAD when we heard he died as we all had a collective Oh wow, Oh wow, Oh wow when we learned Steve Jobs had passed away.

Oh wow, Oh wow, Oh wow.

Fitting words for 2011.