I try to pay attention to things that are going on in the world, and I just thought I would share some of the things that I remember from 2013 and my thoughts about them.
In the world:
A huge meteor crashes in Russia and was caught on hundreds of dash cams
*In my US Gov class, we talked about why so many people had the dash cams that captured the meteor and how law enforcement is so corrupt in some places that many people have dash cams to have proof of crime*
Catholic Pope Francis was elected after Pope Benedict XVI resigned
*Completely opposite of the leadership structure of the church I belong to, I found this entire process extremely interesting. First, the fact that a pope resigned--the first one in 600 years to do so--was shocking in and of itself, but then to vote the first pope from somewhere other than Europe added to the drama of the case. Following how this situation developed through the year was very interesting.*
Bombs go off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon
*I was in Kansas City for a volleyball tournament when we turned on the TV and saw the news coverage. As sad and horrible as this was, stories like this always seem to restore my faith in mankind. It seems that every time tragedy strikes, there are those ready to answer the call and step into the role of hero whether they wanted to or not. Boston as a city and Americans in general came together in an incredible way. *
Fertilizer plant in Texas explodes just a few days after the Boston bombings
*I remember hearing about this and thinking what a tragedy it was, but even more, I knew it would be overshadowed by the few-days-prior, extremely public tragedy in Boston.*
A clothing factory collapses in Bangladesh killing more than 1,000 people
*Not everything that comes from disaster is bad. As horrible and tragic as this was, it shed light on the bad working conditions that still exist in the world today. It sparked worldwide discussions about the fact that this clothing factory is not unique in it's dangerous and low-paying working conditions.*
A tornado destroyed hundreds of homes and families in Oklahoma
*I have always wondered what compelled people in the first place to settle down somewhere where there is a "tornado season." I feel so bad and cannot possibly imagine what it would be like to live in fear that a massive wind tunnel could tear apart your home and everything in it. Once again, it was amazing to see the outpouring of support and help sent to the victims of mother nature's awe-inspiring destruction.
The Egyptian military ousted President Morsi after just a year in office.
*This story just reminds me about how lucky I truly am to be born and living in the United States of America. There are a lot of problems here, and issues that will take a long time to resolve, but I believe we are truly a blessed nation. I believe the early leaders of our country were led by God when they wrote the Declaration of Independence and eventually the Constitution. The government that was established in those early days of our nation was the first and only one of it's kind to ever be successful for so long, and I'm grateful for it.*
Prince George was born to Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William
*I am absolutely NOT one to obsess over "famous people." I honestly feel like they are just human beings like the rest of us and there's no reason to idolize them. I am, however, very slightly obsessed with Kate Middleton and Prince William (waking up at 3:30 AM to watch the royal wedding isn't that weird, right?) I was excited about their newest addition and wish them the best with their royal life.*
The Government shut down for sixteen days in October
*I'll remember this for awhile because Air Force was supposed to come and play us but because the government shut down, they couldn't leave the campus. We ended up rescheduling, but that was a pretty interesting situation.*
Typhoon hit the Philippines
*When I see stories like this, I really just want to take food and able people and just feed and rebuild lives, clear away all the rubble and build new places and just give hugs. It makes me so sad to see so much destruction caused by natural disasters.*
Nelson Mandela died on December 5th
*As much as he was celebrated, and from everything he stood for, I have a hard time saying anything against him, but I think that maybe his legacy is maybe a little misunderstood. I believe that Nelson Mandela was the best kind of man with ideals and the motivation to see those ideals become a reality. However, there is still an incredible amount of corruption in South African leadership, and I think that is legacy is a little bit misrepresented. It is too bad that there aren't more people like him, though.*
xoxo CPTVPT
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