Sending 2010 Off: What the heck happened last year?

Welcome to The Itinerant Librarian where we are sending away 2010. Now news summaries and highlights are mandatory this time of the year. Therefore, going with the tradition, this is my version of the end-of-year summary, or in plain English: "what the heck happened last year?"

Let's start with a little challenge. How much do you remember of 2010? Take this small quiz from Mental Floss to see what you recall.

Before we go on to the list, let me cater to those people who just need to have a news summary. Molly, of Rocketboom, gives us "The Top Ten Worst Moments of 2010."  She can be a bit of a ditz at times (I liked their previous hostess better), but this is a pretty good summary of all that happened in 2010.



 Now let's get to the links:

• Well, for openers, people died. Now I could go out and find one of those "who the hell died last year?" compilations, but I am sure my three readers know how to find them on CNN or any other of the usual news sources. Here, we try to find things that are a bit more unique, such as a list of people who died that you may not have heard of. From Mental Floss blog, where they are "remembering 10 people we lost in 2010."  For example, did you know that the last of Ziegfeld Follies girls died in 2010?
• Apparently, there were a bunch of movies premiering in 2010. If you did not have the time or the inclination to watch all of them, here is a 6-minute video that edits all 270 of those movies in one clip. Watch it and see how many you recognize. A hat tip to BuzzFeed. 
• John Scalzi gives us a look at "The Most Notable Science-Fiction Films of 2010."  
• Another way to summarize 2010 is by protest signs. From asshats to the bizarre, here is a collection of "The 75 Best Protest Signs of 2010." Also via BuzzFeed.
• 2010 was a year where the recession pretty much continued (yes, I know, those economists said it ended sometime around 2009, but you just have to see the average person out there and take a look around to see things are still bad). A lot of the economic problems have to do with greedy people, pure and simple. And boy did we have some greedy asshats in 2010. Via AlterNet, here is a list of "The 10 Greediest People of 2010." 
• AlterNet also provides a list of their 10 Most Popular Economic Stories of 2010. 
• Bankers and CEOs are not the only asshats out there. Politicians certainly misbehaved in 2010. All this misbehavior added new words to our language, and you may need a little help keeping track. Here, provided by The Daily Beast, then is a 2010 Political Dictionary. No, Aqua-Buddha is not a new superhero. 
• Want more vocabulary? Mental Floss lists "Merriam-Webster's Top Ten Words of 2010." 
• Sometimes the most entertaining stuff comes from advertisements. AdFreak has put together its list of "30 Freakiest Ads of 2010." Links and clips are included. There may be some risque content (as in say, lingerie or humor that may be a bit dark.. This is my way of telling the squeamish, repressed, easily offended, or just more conservative to use their discretion). 
• News also happened in terms of sex and love. Via SUNfiltered, here we have "The Best Sex and Love News of 2010" and "The Worst Sex and Love News of 2010."  A hat tip to Em & Lo.(If you visit Em & Lo, do keep in mind some content may be risque. It is a sex advice site after all, along with other interesting things). 
• Overall, 2010 may have been a pretty bad and hard year, but I do not want to leave it all in the negative. So, from Common Dreams, here are the "10 Most Hopeful Stories of 2010." Put together, there may be a kernel of hope in here. 
• I have to include at least something about librarians. It seems some librarians apparently found some news that interested them as well. As a librarian myself, I see some of these as things of interest and importance, and I see some as things I could not care less about. I will let my three readers guess which stories are which. Anyhow, from LISNews, here are "Ten Stories That Shaped 2010." 
• Via Nerve.com, we get the Top 20 Internet Lists.  From lesbians who look like Justin Bieber to cats in sweaters, you will find something amusing here.
• 2010 was full of asshats who said stupid things. Bigots and religious hypocrites had a field day saying stupid stuff as well as politicians. The folks at the Texas Freedom Network have compiled lists of quotes for 2010 from the Texas SBOE (who are pretty much an embarrassment to the state), science, religious freedom (no, not defending religious freedom, but conveniently forgetting there is such a thing as religious freedom, or thinking it only applies to their Christian deity. For instance, did you know there is a danger that there will not be any Protestants in government? The horror. Find out which dumbass politico said just that), Muslim bashing (again, religion is OK as long as it is not Islam or anything other than Protestatism),  and some miscellaneous stupidity (for example, did you know yoga is demonic? Find out which asshat said just that).
• Have a look at some neat, freaky, or just weird ads when AdFreak puts together their "25 Most Popular AdFreak Posts of 2010." My personal favorite is the exploding crocodile.  They also have a list of "10 Uncool Ads and Products featuring Jesus." This last one is not for the faint of heart or the uptight religious people with no sense of humor. You have been warned.

This will likely be my last post for 2010. I would like to take this moment to thank my three readers, and to wish everyone out there a Happy New Year. Here's to hoping 2011 is much better. If you celebrate, and you drink, please do so in moderation. And if need be, get a designated driver or call a cab (if you plan ahead, program a cab company's phone number into your cellphone so you have it if you need it). Don't be one of those tragedies we seem to get every end of year from drinking and driving. Also, if you use fireworks, be careful. Have fun, be safe, and see you next year.

And do come back next year. Over at The Gypsy Librarian, I will be posting my end of year reading list and commentary. I read some interesting books last year, so if you are a reader, you want to come back for that.