It was hellish in 2022: 236,708 Americans died of Covid-19, there were 600 mass shootings including one in Buffalo, NY where a White Supremacist shot and killed 10 people in a grocery store.
The Supreme Court ignored 50 years of legal precedent and overruled Roe v. Wade immediately canceling the rights of women to make decisions about their health. Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine. Over 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers died, 40,000 civilians were butchered by Russian troops. But the gritty Ukrainians fought back with the help the U.S. and EU supplying advanced weapons. The result was 100,000 Russian causalities and a series of defeats. Time Magazine named Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and “the spirit of Ukraine” as its 2022 Person of the Year.
We also lost Rick Robinson, a long-time commentator on this blog. All we have of Rick now is our memories of his insightful comments. But it will be some time before they fade.
On the Plus Side, the 2022 Midterm Elections, projected by Republicans to be a “Red Wave” turned into a “Red Trickle.” The Democrats held the Senate and won many House seats they were expected to lose. “Candidate Quality”–mostly losers chosen by Trump–became an issue for the GOP.
The House Select Jan. 6 panel investigating the Assault on the Capitol–initially dismissed as a “political stunt”–delivered riveting TV drama exposing Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 Election. I disagree with Liz Cheney on just about every political issue, but she called the Republican Party out for their fecklessness and condemned former President Trump as “an enemy of the Constitution”. You have to admire Liz Cheney for sacrificing her career to defend Democracy.
Amid all this chaos, the wit and wisdom of Patti, Jeff, Deb, Richard, Beth, Todd, Art, Willam, Maggie, Bob, Tracy, Carl, Lauren, Steve, Jerry, Wolf, Stan, Dan, Neeru, Michael, Byron, Elgin, Angela, Scott, Jim, John, Kevin, Randy, James, Kent, Fred, and Matthew as well as all of you who make this blog a part of your day brought hope and sanity in these times of despair and outrage and frustration.
Thank you, thank you very much.
Thank you, George. for being a strong voice for all of us in these crazy times!
Over the years we have seen so much suppression but also new freedom so I hope that in the long run we’ll continue on our way to a better future.
And thanks to everybody for showing that there are voices for human development (I’m just missing a few words in English to explain what I mean).
Again, wish you all and the whole world the very best!
Wolf, Russia has shown the world what the opposite of Democracy is: oppression, indiscriminate bombing, and vicious mass killings of civilians. The EU and the U.S. need to stand firm against Putin’s aggression!
2022 was the year I got married again, after 9years of being a widower. In a few days we will celebrate 7 wonderful months of this — and they said it wouldn’t last!
Dan, congratulations! Clearly, you pursued Happiness…and found it!
Dan, congratulations!
Something similar happened to me:
After losing my wife to cancer I went to GAFIA, visited the USA several times and also my little holiday home in Hungary.
Then a friend there asked: Do you have a new girlfriend? If not – I have the perfect woman for you. And she told that woman the same about me. So after some time we agreed to meet with her in a restaurant. First thing was that I had my dog in the car and when I opened the door for this unknown woman the dog started kissing her …
And it lay at her feet the whole evening which was very nice including the food.
And when I took her home I asked if she had enjoyed the evening – she said YES!
Then I asked her if we should meet again – she said YES!
I asked her WHEN? And she answered TOMORROW!
So now we’ve been together 16 years having a wonderful time including several visits to the USA.
PS:
We were both already over 60 when we were introduced to each other – and yes, we had sex too …
Wolf, your pursuit of Happiness worked out as well as Dan’s! Congratulations to you both! From that 1970 Schlitz beer commercial: “You only go around once in Life so grab all the Gusto you can!” Amen to that!
This is my first stop in the Blogosphere every morning—even before I do Wordle, Quordle, and Octordle! Keep up the good work!
Deb, thanks for your kind words! Maybe I should have a T-shirt made up that says MY BLOG: BEFORE WORDLE, QUORDLE, AND OCTORDLE!
Great post, George, but you missed the lede. The state of your blog is New York.
Jerry, like Billy Joel, I’m in a New York State of Mind a lot of the time!
Like several others I can say this is my first blog stop, and it has been since Bill Crider left us wanting more. It’s also the only one where I comment frequently. Keep it up, and don’t be afraid to piss us off.
Michael, thank you for mentioning me in the same sentence as Bill Crider. Bill Crider’s blog was my First Stop each morning. I appreciate your comments. As you know, I try not to piss off people…but manage to do it anyway especially with Christmas music and Rock compilation reviews!
Thanks for keeping it going again. It is the most eclectic blog I know and run by the nicest host.
Patti, and thank you for showing up with insightful comments! Variety is the Spice of Life so I try to make each blog post a surprise.
George, kudos to you and the gang. Onward and upward.
Fred, I’m glad we have you with us! Onward and upward, indeed!
Yes, now that Bill is gone, yours is definitely the most eclectic place on the internet. You never know what today will bring – Bad CD collections from the ’90s, the latest Disney + offering, an obscure non fiction book that will send me to the library, more SF and fantasy story collections, tales of home improvements (Diane’s Deck!), tasty foods, traveling theater and concerts, whatever.
Keep up the good work!
Jeff, thank you for your kind words! We have a very diverse group who checks out this blog and comments on the posts so I try to reflect that diversity with a mix of content. I have no shortage of books, music CDs, and Blu-rays to dip into for my daily posts. But what attracts many people are insightful, information comments…like the ones you contribute!
George, yours is the only blog where I actually participate.
I know personally many of the folks that weigh in and, after all these years, feel as though I have a connection with many of the others.
Thank you for sponsoring this forum. I get all too many recommendations here but – please don’t stop.
Beth, I especially appreciate you and Michael and other commentators who rarely participate on other blogs…but choose to contribute this this one. Patrick gave this blog to me as a Christmas present in 2008. Since then I’ve tried to come up with reviews and topics that would engage the interest of those who visit the blog. I’ll keep blogging and I hope you keep commenting!
I hope you have everything backed up and archived, George. It would be a tragedy to lose 14 years worth of blog posts. Just your book reviews alone could fill volumes! Not to mention all the other media you review, plus products & events you write about.
Deb, funny you should bring that up! While Patrick was home for Christmas, he received a text that my blog was going to be moved to a new, faster server. Patrick immediately backed up my blog “just in case.” Sometimes during transfers between servers, data is lost. But apparently everything went well: no data lost, no outages on the blog. Patrick is a terrific IT Administrator!
Thanks, and thanks for your comments on my too-sporadic blog, too. 2022 wasn’t quite hellish, except when it was. and most of the worst keeps chugging along.
But always glad to see your posts and comments, and those of our fellow-travelers here. Late-blooming romance not too shabby, either…further congratulations, folks!
And Karen Gillan, despite looking a bit uncomfortable, is a step up from anonymous models…
Thanks, George, for another year of fine reading. While I’ve been scaling back my internet time this past year your blog is still typically the first thing I check out every morning. I agree the last year was rough but there are signs of hope. The Democrats made a lot of headway in state and local elections and here in Michigan, very much a swing state, they not only swept every major office but passed ballot proposals to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution as well as lock in voting rights. It seems that the Dems have finally started to wake up to how to speak to middle America again. Only time will tell…
Happy New Year and best wishes.
Byron, Happy New Year wishes to you, too! You’re right about the Dems making headway in Michigan. And seeing Kevin McCathy get voted down THREE TIMES today shows how dysfunctional the Republican Party is right now. Who in the world would want to be Speaker of the House with that hellish mix of politicians?
Yes, my favorite part is that to get even the support he has now – which we all know is not enough to get the Speaker’s job – McCarthy had to agree that at ANY TIME they disagreed with ANYTHING he did, all it will take is five members calling for a vote to remove him as Speaker.
So, Marjorie Taylor Greene has his testicles in her pocket. Basically, she and the rest of the Crazy Caucus own him. NOTHING will pass the House in this Congress without their approval.
Happy New Year.
Jeff, Kevin McCarthy, willing to make Faustian bargains with kooks like Marjorie Taylor Greene, deserves to twist in the wind as his caucus can’t decide on who will be Speaker of the House. Not a Good Look for the Republicans as the “ruling Party.” Apparently Trump is urging his loyalists in the House to vote for McCarthy.
thanks to you for having this blog, the only one I see, though often I forget to check it out. Here’s to a great 2023
Maggie, the blog is aways better when you share your thoughts here! Can’t wait to see you in San Diego in 2023!
Rick’s loss is definitely felt and I’m so sorry I didn’t find out until as late as I did because of how inconsistent I am with visiting blogs. I have some really great memories of conversations with him and a few treasured books that he sent me over the years. He will be remembered, and remembered fondly, no doubt about that.
Carl, Rick Robinson’s health deteriorated over the past couple of years. He was a valued friend and blog commentator.
Since all my comments have to be moderated, I’ll reserved my bouquets until they aren’t! But I still read this and chime in a lot! I imagine that by the time I’ve passed through your personal TSA phalanx it’s too late for the great unwashed to see my pearls anyway! Nevertheless, carry on and keep calm!