134 Reflecting on 2017

Reflecting on 2017

Good grief! January is nearly halfway over. We haven’t even celebrated Christmas 2017. The grandchild had bronchitis, husband sick, etc., etc., etc. You may recall that our 2017 was highlighted with funerals, weddings, broken appliances, new furnace, rewired electricity, and leaks. Hoping for a nice, quiet, uneventful 2018. Maybe, maybe not. We shall see.

Also, regular readers know that I spend far too much time “surfing the web.” So, I checked many sites to see what 2017’s most popular “hits” were. Below are some highlights of last year that I found. Maybe you will know them all; most will know most of them. 

First, I was flabbergasted that if one simply types in “top stories of 2017,” the return is over 8 million results in .83 seconds (and we still have Hughes Net for our computer service!). 

Next, I read my favorite news sites; then, I chose a few random sites as well. [An aside: some popular press, including the Washington Post, showed the top 10 for each month and no cumulative list--those I eliminated in my unsophisticated analysis.] Third, I have listed for you the findings of respected news sites. Here’s hoping you enjoy skimming them and maybe learning about something or someone you missed. I did. How do “breaking news” stories not embed themselves in the neurons?

The Associated Press: 

1. Sexual Misconduct(the list is too long to iterate here) 

2. Trump’s First Year controversies (again, the list is long) 

3. Las Vegas Mass Shooting 

4. Hurricane Onslaughts – Harvey, Irma, and Maria 

5. North Korea (who has the biggest red button – my editorial remark) 

6. Trump/Russia Probe along with the fates of Comey, Mueller, and Flynn 

7. Obamacare--What Happens Next? 

8. Tax Overhaul – What does it mean for budget deficits, health care, and corporate taxes? 

9. Terror Attacks – from NYC to Istanbul, from Barcelona to England, and places worldwide
10. Islamic State – losses in Mosul, Iraq, and Raqqa, Syria, but continuing operations in Egypt and Afghanistan.

NPR: (note differing interests) 

1. Trump politics 

2. California’s iconic Sequoia Tunnel Tree felled by storm 

3. Radioactive Cloud particles over Europe--where did they come from? 

4. Republican Tax Overhaul and its effects 

5. Las Vegas Shooting

The New York Times:
1. Las Vegas Shooting 

2. Alabama Election--Jones defeats Moore 

3. Mayweather v. McGregor--10 rounds TKO 

4. Hurricanes 5. Judge Blocks Trump order on refugees 

5. Matt Lauer Firing (referencing many offenders before this announcement)

Google: Most popular searches for 2017 

1. Hurricanes 

2. Matt Lauer 

3. Tom Petty’s death (oops--I thought he was the race car driver! Duh!) 

4. Super Bowl 2017 

5. Las Vegas shooting 

6. Mayweather v McGregor fight 

7. Solar Eclipse (how quickly we forget--the only site choosing eclipse that I selected) 

8. Aaron Hernandez (had to look him up!!--guess not watching enough football and sports news) 

9. Fidget Spinners

So, now, dear readers, it’s on to 2018. Stay warm and stay well. 

Savvy Glenne