Holiday Post 2014: What the Hell Happened?

We come to the last post in the 2014 Holiday Post series. Tomorrow is Three Kings Day (also known as Epiphany to many), so for Puerto Ricans like me we are still in holiday spirit (unlike other quitters who took down the Christmas three on the 26th of December). Anyhow, I like ending the year looking back a bit. I will say 2014 is a year that I am glad to leave behind. From losses in the family to terrible news nationally and around the world, it is a year I won't miss much. When I do this post, I try not to pass on just the usual stories. Let's have a bit of fun with it I say. So, here we go: what the hell happened in 2014?

News

Because we still feel like we have to recall the news

• Mother Jones has a nice compilation of the biggest news stories of 2014 in photos. If you don't want to read a lot and get the power of photos, this may be for you. 
• Getting the news via The Daily Show is a tradition for many smart folks by now. Here is a year in review using Daily Show clips. Story via TruthDig.
• John Oliver is fast becoming another source of serious news and commentary. You know the state of journalism is down the toilet when the best journalism right now more often than not comes from the comedians. Anyhow, here are some of Oliver's best rants. From student loans to Ferguson to Net Neutrality, John Oliver not only said it, but said it well and showed he was well informed, unlike every other so-called journalist out there. Story also via TruthDig.  
• Overall, as Mark Fiore points out, it was a "year in crazy." 

Civil Rights and Equality

2014 was not a good year for civil rights, equality, and progressive politics. Sure, there were some good points, but there were also a lot of very bad things. 

• Robert Reich gives us his 2014 wrap up (link to YouTube video). At times, he does seem a bit more optimistic than I would be. I am really trying to not go full cynic, but given things like the new U.S. Congress, it is not easy.
• Slate offers a list of the 10 worst civil liberties violations in the U.S. 
• 2014 was the year that reminded us, yet again but more forcefully, that there is no post-racial U.S. Via Colorlines.

Money, Dinero, Moolah, Benjamins. . .

Whether it was the bad economy or money in politics, moolah was in the news quite a bit. 

• The money certainly was not with these 8 product fails of 2014. Interestingly enough, at least one of these failures did attract some librarian attention (guess which one. I will give you a hint: it was not the Burger King special fries). Story via AlterNet.
• The money was not with these advertising failures neither. These brands are still around pretty much, but these were not their brilliant moments in advertising. Story via AdWeek.
• Still, there certainly was enough money for some big shots to do some big dollar deals in 2014. Story via Bizmology. 
• Money was big news. It also mixed with politics. Here are some stories that were underreported in terms of politics and/or money. Via Bill Moyers.

Pop Culture

It is not an end of year compilation without some pop culture stuff. 

• Bad movies? Check. Here is a list of 19 worst movies of 2014, according to Rotten Tomatoes. Story via Huffington Post. And here is another list of 20 more worst films of 2014 via AV Club. The overlap between the lists is very minimal. It does not cease to amaze me how people can make shitty products and still get paid well to put out that shit.
• Personally, I question the notion that there may be any good reality television, let alone any best reality television. However, to appease any of my readers who enjoy reality television, here is your list of the best in that genre for 2014. Story via Reality Blurred.
• Hypocrites and assholes? Yep, got those too. Story via AlterNet.
• On the positive, there were some very badass women in 2014. Story via BuzzFeed.
• There were also plenty of responsible gun owners. Here is a sampling from Tennessee. Via Southern Beale.
• There were some trends in liquor and bars in 2014, things like #limepocalypse where due to a lime shortage suddenly you had to get real creative with your margaritas (or just drink something else). Story via Liquor.com.
• Christians were still getting persecuted in 2014, among other things. Just ask Mrs. Betty Bowers.
• And people could not care less as we drove a few more species into extinction in 2014. Story via Living Alongside Wildlife.
• We have to provide at least one library-related link, so here is Gavia Libraria's 2014 in review.
• [These next links may be a bit risque for some folks. If you are one of those folks, you can skip to the end] Not a bad year for sex toys and erotica. Hey Epiphora looks at the best and worst sex toys of 2014. When it comes to the bad ones, again, how some people manage to make bad stuff and still get paid amazes me. Dr. Dick's Sex Advice also has his list of best adult products for 2014. I will say some in this list look like something out of some science fiction film rather than a sex toy.

And there we have it, a small sampling of what the hell happened in 2014. Thanks for reading. As always any and all comments are welcomed (within reason). Also stay tuned to my end of year reading report, coming up soon.