2016: That Was The Year That Was

[indigohex]

So now we are in December (the beginning of summer here in Australia), and there has been a lot of events that have shaped 2016. From the death of high-profile people (such as Fidel Castro and David Bowie) to events such as the tragedy of the LaMia Airlines Flight 2933 crash (which only occurred a few days ago) to something more happier (Chicago Cubs winning the World Series for the first time in over a century). So no doubt everyone on the forums have seen the events of 2016, and have memories of these events.

For me, even though I go for North Melbourne in the AFL; I watched the AFL Grand Final in which the Western Bulldogs won their first AFL Premiership since 1954 after finishing seventh at the end of the home and away season (by defeating the Sydney Swans in the Grand Final); and even though I go for Melbourne Storm in the NRL, I watched the Cronuella Sharks win their first ever NRL title, 50 years after joining what was then the NSWRL (they defeated Melbourne in the NRL Grand Final). And the Chicago Cubs winning their first World Series title in over a century (even though Back to the Future Part II predicted that Chicago won the 2015 World Series, well it was a year out in the end, but close).

I am interested in politics and one of the big political stories of the year was the EU Membership referendum in Britain (the Brexit), in which the people voted to leave the European Union; as well as Donald Trump being elected President of the United States (note that if I was American, I would've voted third party). And we had a double dissolution election here in Australia this year, in which the conservative Liberal Party narrowly won the election, and the return of the far-right wing politician Pauline Hanson

So what event do you think shaped 2016.

 

[Lyrebird]

Me finding $10 on the street and then using it to buy food. I knew it was going to be a great year for me.

 

[TheCapsFan]

Though I do think that the Cubs winning the world series was very exciting, I feel that the Olympics were the most important event in the sports world this year. Never again will we get to see Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt win a race; the two greatest athletes of all time on land and in water. But at the same time, athletes like Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky are just starting their Olympic careers. They're both only 19, which means that Biles likely has another Olympics in her future, and Katie at least two more.

In terms of the real world, obviously Brexit and the US Presidential election were two harsh reality checks that if anything, show the disunity within our world as it is today. The deaths of Alan Rickman, Prince, and David Bowie were also a harsh loss for the music and entertainment industries.

 

[zakisrage]

I feel like this year has been mostly disaster, mainly because of how poorly America handled their election (I'm not referring to the results...I'm referring to the ham-handed campaigning, which Trump's mouth only making it worse), Trump winning America's presidency proving that people there have poor taste (no offense to any Americans here!) plus the shocking wave of hate crimes that came after the election, the rise of the alt-right (which IMO is WORSE than the traditional right), Ryan Lochte's bad behaviour at the Olympics, and Pauline Hanson's return to politics.

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

2016 has been a terrible year for the world honestly. Every year has their share of terrible events, but it just feels like there's been more in 2016, with less to really cheer about. We have seen the rise of ISIS with no end in sight. We have had terrible attacks all around the world, like the one in Brussels and that Orlando nightclub. We have seen tragic disasters like the Italy earthquakes and that plane crash. We witnessed the UK break off from the European Union in Bexit. We've seen Americans elect the most unqualified, racist, misogynistic, and disrespectful candidate, which showed us that not only people have poor judgement, but the fact that racism is stronger than ever in America. Also, its not as big as those, but we have lost many iconic figures in film, television, music, literature, and sports. Alan Rickman, David Bowie, Prince, Muhammad Ali, Arnold Palmer, Gene Wilder, Harper Lee, and more. It really has been a bad year for the world.

On the bright side, we've seen things like the Chicago Cubs winning the world series for the first time in over 100 years. We got to see amazing athletes like Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, and rising ones like Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles win big in the 2016 Rio Olympics. We even had Pokemon Sun and Moon.

 

[Almonds]

I guess 2016 had major events in terms of politics all over the world.

It was utter disappointment and outrage in South Korea for 2016. The president's scandal, despite officially revealed in October, pretty much shaped 2016 over here - the worst year ever.

-The president was a puppet of a cult leader's daughter all along.
-The president leaked every single classified information to said cult-leader's daughter, who is NOT a government official and a mere civilian.
-The Blue House bought mountains of viagra with our taxes. All sorts of drugs were also mentioned.
-Failing the trust of the citizens.
-And the list goes on.

This scandal presented one big middle finger to the citizens. The worst part is that the president doesn't even know what she's done wrong and has yet to sincerely apologize to the citizens for everything she's done during her presidency - all she's done was present lies in front of the camera whenever she appeared for a speech. We got to see for ourselves, that the president we elected should have never been our leader. Here's a wish that she'd apologize properly, admit her wrongdoings, step down from her office and get arrested before 2016 is over.

I wish I could say good things about 2016, but this scandal was very upsetting. It shook the nation quite harshly.

 

[Gengarzilla]

Between Brexit, Trump's election, and the deaths of many notable figures (Alan Rickman and David Bowie to name some examples that upset me, RIP you legends), 2016 is a year that I'd rather forget.

 

[indigohex]

I guess 2016 had major events in terms of politics all over the world.

It was utter disappointment and outrage in South Korea for 2016. The president's scandal, despite officially revealed in October, pretty much shaped 2016 over here - the worst year ever.

-The president was a puppet of a cult leader's daughter all along.
-The president leaked every single classified information to said cult-leader's daughter, who is NOT a government official and a mere civilian.
-The Blue House bought mountains of viagra with our taxes. All sorts of drugs were also mentioned.
-Failing the trust of the citizens.
-And the list goes on.

This scandal presented one big middle finger to the citizens. The worst part is that the president doesn't even know what she's done wrong and has yet to sincerely apologize to the citizens for everything she's done during her presidency - all she's done was present lies in front of the camera whenever she appeared for a speech. We got to see for ourselves, that the president we elected should have never been our leader. Here's a wish that she'd apologize properly, admit her wrongdoings, step down from her office and get arrested before 2016 is over.

I wish I could say good things about 2016, but this scandal was very upsetting. It shook the nation quite harshly.

I have been following the events in South Korea (I'm hoping to teach English in South Korea one day), and I am now fearing that South Korea is heading back to the bad old days of her father Park Chung-hee and the dictatorship in South Korea that will destroy the fragile democracy that exists in the country (http://www.globalresearch.ca/south-...dal-mass-protests-impeachment-process/5560562). And no doubt that this story will continue into 2017.

And earlier this year, our former Prime Minister Tony Abbott got thrown out and replaced by Malcolm Turnbull. I should stress that I attended several rallies against Tony Abbott, and Malcolm Turnbull is just as bad as Tony Abbott (mostly against cuts to higher education, health care, and the ABC and SBS - our two public broadcasters). And as mentioned earlier, we had Pauline Hanson re-elected (this time to the Senate), and several more One Nation politicians. And I had a fun time voting below the line on the Senate paper this year here in Victoria (numbering from 1 to 113, and One Nation and the far-right parties were very low in preferences).

I think one lesson we all learned from 2016 is that democracy is precious and that we should fight for democracy against the establishment figures (which people like Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, and Pauline Hanson) are members of, despite claims to the contrary. Don't give up your struggle for democracy.

 

[ocelotlrama jaguar]

Just a reminder- Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by more than 2.5 million+ votes more than Trump. He only won the presidency by having about 80,000 more votes combined in states that the US is at the literal mercy of (Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania) thanks to something called the Electoral College. You'll recognize the same thing happened 16 years ago with Al Gore and George W. Bush, with Bush losing by 500k votes but still winning the presidency thanks to Florida. We don't go by popular votes here in the US. You're entitled to your criticisms of Clinton and Trump as candidates. Just throwing that out there for those of you who want to blame Trump's presidency on all of us Americans when the majority didn't want him in the first place.

Anyways, 2016 has been a pretty garbage year. The one thing I was paying particular attention to was US politics and this year was just awful. What a slap in the face to those of us who care about democracy and equality for all. Normally around this time of year I get a bitter sweet feeling of saying goodbye to something that is never coming back (a year). 2016 can't end soon enough and I am not looking forward to 2017, especially based on Trump's recent behavior with his Twitter tantrums.

I'll say the silver lining in this year was that Austria did not fall for the far-right populism that seems to be popping up all over the western nations. It's something nice to what has just been a quagmire of bad news for human rights and democracy.

 

[Almonds]

I have been following the events in South Korea (I'm hoping to teach English in South Korea one day), and I am now fearing that South Korea is heading back to the bad old days of her father Park Chung-hee and the dictatorship in South Korea that will destroy the fragile democracy that exists in the country (http://www.globalresearch.ca/south-...dal-mass-protests-impeachment-process/5560562). And no doubt that this story will continue into 2017.

The parliament voted to impeach the president. Her presidency should end soon. Praise helix, we're really glad. This is a historical moment for us.

 

[indigohex]

This has been a pretty bad year in the realm of music, starting with David Bowie, and then Prince, a couple of members of Jefferson Airplane (including two in one day), and Keith Emerson from Emerson, Lake and Palmer. And sadly yesterday, Greg Lake - also from Emerson, Lake and Palmer - lost his battle with cancer. Keith Emerson played keyboards and Greg Lake played guitar; and Carl Palmer (who is now the only member still with us) played the drums.

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[Olive]

Why let things that you don't have any control over bum you out?

Yeah, 2016 had its ups and down, just like every other year since the beginning of time, but I like to look back at the choices I made this year and all the cool stuff that happened because of those choices.

I finished my junior year, and first full year, at the university and got a 3.8 GPA. I decided to switch my major from Political Science to Public Administration, and that was a pretty big decision for me. I decided to spend my summer working at a salmon processing plant up in Alaska and made $6,000, plus I got to live on my own for the first time ever and I got to see a whole new part of the world. I finally initiated my process to get confirmed in the Church. I got to watch the amazing finale to XY and got to see AmourShipping get its resolution. My shipping name for Ash x Lillie won its election and will now go down in Pokémon history as an official, main ship name. Just last week I finally built up the courage to talk to this girl from my Public Policy class who I've been trying to talk to since February, and I'm all set to finish this semester with a 4.0.

I met all sorts of awesome - and a few not-so-awesome - people from all over the planet, I learned a whole bunch of amazing things about the world and myself, and I got to make all sorts of memories that I hope I never forget.

So sure, maybe 2016 had its rough patches, but that's just life. Sometimes it's all the little things that add up to make a year great.

 

[indigohex]

Here is an article about those who left us over the past year (Celebs we lost in 2016), ranging from people whose death were mentioned on the forums (such as David Bowie, Prince and Florence Henderson) to people such as singer Leonard Cohen and journalist and presenter of PBS Newshour Gwen Ifill (PBS Newshour airs on SBS here in Australia). And speaking of journalists, Anne Deveson (who was a journalist, broadcaster and social activist) died from Alzheimer's disease just days after losing her daughter to brain cancer (Vale: Anne Deveson).

 

[Lyrebird]

I found a boat. It was a great year.

 

[Gengarzilla]

The parliament voted to impeach the president. Her presidency should end soon. Praise helix, we're really glad. This is a historical moment for us.

Now if only Trump could end up impeached for something. Any legitimate reason would do.

On 2016... I guess many of us just don't have enough good personal things from this year to hold back the junk that affects everyone, or something to keep us occupied. I know that's my problem.

 

[PaulTheProtist]

2016 was a horrible year for me. I was sick a lot, I was bullied a lot, people who were once my friends became jerks to me, I started having depression, and a combination of all those factors made me miss a lot of assignments, making everything more stressful... I'd say I can't wait for this year to end, but to be honest, 2017 doesn't look like it's gonna be much better.

 

[Aulos]

For me personally it was far, far, far from being a garbage year (although the election will certainly be effecting me personally in very negative ways in the future). After 2015, a year riddled with very unexpectedly losing a very special dog and my former-BFF and lover turning very cold to me with no explanation, the later part of 2015 and 2016 were a remarkable turn around in my life - finding hope. Just to contrast properly:

In 2015, I was an overnight stocker at a grocery store (which I hated, more than anything). I had given up on school/music and my life two years before, I will not mince words - I was marching toward my death. The only things keeping me going were my family, dogs, and the hope of my ex getting back together with me (it's a very long story). That puts context behind how bad the events of 2015 were for me.

In 2016, I am back in school, going for music (I will say that if you had told me that could even possibly happen before October 2015 I would think you were lying to me. I had seriously given up. I wasn't good enough. When I got back into playing and learning music in August/September 2015 it was only for fun). I am not working nights anymore. And although I'm romantically very lonely, I don't long for my ex anymore. In addition, I now have my own little dog who needed a home that would give her more love and affection. No dog can ever replace the one we lost last year, that's one thing for sure. But it's not about that, dogs are amazing and there will be another one there to give you all kinds of love. (Although I can not at all forget to mention the two dogs we still have, that we had along the one that passed away. They are amazing, too, and they really helped me survive through 2015. I now live away, so that's why I had to get my own).

So 2016 has been great.

...That election, though. I've never felt so terrified in my entire life. I mention this because I seriously fear for my own future, now. Of course, I fear for everyone else, too.

 

[indigohex]

I was watching The Yearly with Charlie Pickering, and David Bowie's ex-wife finding out about his death on Celebrity Big Brother in the UK , and announced to the house that David had died, thinking it was David Gest who died in his sleep in the bedroom and not David Bowie on the outside. Angie actually clarified that it was her ex-husband and not David Gest, who sadly died a few months later. And the clarification came after running to David Gest's bed to see him asleep and not dead (Big Brother UK: Housemate mistakenly believes David Gest is dead).

And in many regional areas of Australia, there was a major moment on July 1 when there was an affiliation change in which WIN and Southern Cross (which were affiliated with Nine and Ten respectively) switched affiliations, with WIN changing affiliation from Nine to Ten and Southern Cross from Ten to Nine (Nine, Southern Cross, TEN, WIN: affiliate changes).

And speaking of television, it was 60 years of television in Australia, and I remember several shows like Cheez TV and Agro's Cartoon Connection from when I was a kid. So happy 60th Birthday television in Australia.

 

[KaPi96]

Gotta be Leicester City winning the Premier League for me. Probably the biggest upset I`ve ever seen in all sport, let alone football. It should be something that I remember for a fair while.

Given the site this is on I`d also like to say I`d remember 2016 for the release of Sun/Moon, but considering I usually have to look up the release dates for Pokemon games it probably won`t be long before I forget that

 

[indigohex]

Gotta be Leicester City winning the Premier League for me. Probably the biggest upset I`ve ever seen in all sport, let alone football. It should be something that I remember for a fair while.

Leicester City had 5000-1 odds to win the Premier League, and won. When it comes to sport, 2016 was a year of upsets, with some highlighted in the first post of the thread.

Some disturbing news for fans of Star Wars with Carrie Fisher suffering a cardiac arrest while on a flight (Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher critical after suffering cardiac arrest on flight). We all know her as Princess Leia in Star Wars (Episodes IV through to Episode VII).