As you'll know there are more posts tagged "2011" than anything else. This has been a very busy year with a lot of very important stories. Difficult though it may be to choose the top ten, here's what we at The Urban Mystic have decided upon. There is some overlap with what the readers chose yesterday.
1. The Economy, Stupid
Whether we're talking about the gargantuan matrix that is the US tax code, all 71,684 pages, admonisions from economist Niall Ferguson on the need to stop spending, S&P downgrading the US credit rating from AAA to AA+, or real unemployment being close to 20%, the economy has touched all of our lives. It has touched every piece of news in the past year and will be the salient issue in next year's presidential election. Surprisingly none of the readers thought so.
2. The World Gone Mad
It's not every day that a fictional story turns into reality. The so called "Arab Spring" that was warned about here and, again, by Niall Ferguson, turned the world upside down, decapitated several governments, and spilled over to Europe and America. Ranking number 4 on the popular list, this is one the readers definitely understood the significance of.
3. Sathya Sai Baba's Mahasamadhi
Baba's premature departure really hit hard. It was a troubling time for millions around the world.
4. The Israeli/Palestinian Issue
Whether it be the numerous outlines of the true history of Israel dating back to the stone age, or the original borders of the British mandate, or simply the fact that the Palestinians are unwilling to ever accept peace with Israel, this is one of the most important stories of all time, let alone of 2011. Draw a circle around Israel 300 miles across and you will not find a more free country. Instead you will find a policy of human rights violations, religious persecution, sex discrimination, and genocide. It is of paramount importance to defend Israel and their right to exist.
5. 7 Billion People and Demographic Collapse
2011 saw the birth of baby 7 billion and prompted actions correcting the myth of overpopulation. There are not too many people on the world. To the contrary, way too many people are being killed in sex-selective abortions, especially in China.
6. The Tenth Annaversary of 9/11
This year was not only a time to reflect on 9/11, the sacrifices made, the heroics displayed, it was also the time we tied up the loose ends and came full circle with the death of Osama bin Laden. For a decade he had been the boogie man lurking in the shadows of children's nightmares, then he was shot, unceramoniously dumped in the sea, and made top secret for no good reason. What the hell, the son of a bitch is dead, let's celebrate.
7. My Little Pony
Certainly one of the greatest things to happen to my life, and certainly the most popular post ever on The Urban Mystic. I think we've all learned more than 100 things from My Little Pony, including something about ADHD and depression and how to deal with affluence without becoming an ass.
8. Integral Politics
It spawned a legend. It spawned a sequel. It spawned a really long, confusing thing about history too. Whether you're left, right, or fall toward one of the other eight ends of the political spectrum, there's something here for you.
9. NASA Nixes Climate Change
NASA's 11 year study (2000-2011) definitively killed any notion of climate change by showing that the upper atmosphere has not only not warmed but it's hemorrhaging heat at an alarming rate. Any story from NASA that uses the term "alarmist" that many times in reference to the climate change proponents has got to turn heads. It's the greatest step forward in getting rid of this albatross since November 2009's Climategate scandal.
10. Forbidden Knowledge
Okay, which story has had the most contributers? Which story has created more posts than any other? Which story is the bane of The Urban Mystic? Here's a hint, "Google Bob Coutie + Nitinol". It's Bob Coutie's forbidden attacks on Uri Geller that led to the longest post in Urban Mystic History and love it or hate it a story can't have that big an effect and not make it to the list.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
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