It's the final countdown!

Yes, those familiar with the group, Europe (not to be confused with Asia), will recognize these lyrics from their 1986 hit single titled of course, The Final Countdown. I use the line to discuss my blog topic for the day, Top Stories of 2008. This time of year, most newspapers, magazines, local TV news stations and radio programs, discuss their top stories of the year. Most have some national or worldwide interest, many have local topics mixed in. Not to be left out, I want to post my Top Stories of the year that was 2008. I will first list the stories and then add some dialogue for my reason it made the list. As a fan of David Letterman, I will also list the stories in reverse order of importance:

#10. Olympics in China
#9. Blago
#8. Rain
#7. KU
#6. Palin
#5. A-B
#4. Stock Market
#3. Gas
#2. Obama
#1. My Blog

Ok, let's discuss. At #10, I felt the Olympics were of course a big story in 2008, not only since they come around once every 4 years, but since they were in China, that was a big deal, and of course there were many stories and personalities that came out of the Olympics, but none bigger than Michael Phelps. #9 is a story still unfolding, but was huge here in the midwest where I live and is being felt around the nation. There have always been jokes about corruption in Chicago politics, but it proved to be not so funny as Gov. Rod Blagojevich, was discovered to be selling the empty senate seat (left vacant by Barack Obama) to the highest bidder. What a guy. We won't hear the last of this story for some time. #8, Rain. Well, rain was more than a nuisance this year as most of the midwest was deluged with record amounts of precipitation that caused crop failures, flooding, and people thinking about building their own arks. Here in Missouri the rainfall set a record when it passed 55 inches for the year. #7, KU. As a former KU student and fan of Jayhawk basketball since the Danny Manning era, I was of course very happy that my team won the NCAA Basketball Championship in March of 2008. It was an exciting game that went down to the final minute and proved how important free throw shots really are. This season will be a rebuilding year, but KU has a history unmatched by most schools except perhaps, UCLA and Kentucky. #6, Sarah Palin. When 2008 began, most Americans outside of Alaska did not know who Sarah Palin even was. As the year ends, most Americans have a new found admiration for her, whether they like her politics or not. She certainly made a splash in the presidential elections as she gave Obama a run for his money and has many people thinking she is the future of the Republican party whether she makes her own run for office in 2012 or not. #5, A-B, which if you don't live in St. Louis stands for Anheuser Busch. This year marked the year Anheuser Busch sold out to Inbev, the global brewery giant from Belgium. While most all of their stockholders benefited from premium pricing for their shares, it meant the loss of thousands of local and national jobs, charitable donations, and a change in the face of a national icon in the brewery business. #4, the stock market crash of 2008 will be known as the worst ever year in the markets since 1931, and has devastated portfolios and retirement accounts of millions of families around the world. The credit crisis and failures of several former Wall Street investment banks has promised to change the way people invest and diversify their money for years to come. #3, Gas, and it's related commodity, oil. Nothing is talked about more frequently, and with such passion as gasoline prices. They change every day and is a big factor in most people's budgets, but like the stock market, never have we seen a year like this one, where gas prices rose to over $4.00 per gallon in the summer, only to fall to close to $1 per gallon by year end. It changed the way people drove and the cars they purchased, and has hurt and then helped families budgets like never before. Where gas prices go from here is anyone's guess, since new conflicts in the Middle East and OPEC's supply squeeze has yet to take effect on the market prices. One thing is for sure, people will talk about gas prices next year, too! #2, Obama. When 2008 began, most people were expecting Hilary Clinton to take the Democratic nomination and square off against whoever the Republican party would dare to throw her way. By, August, it was Obama to the rescue, as his platform of change got millions of people excited about the next 4 years. Time will tell, as he has yet to take office, but his followers and detractors agree that he has made some bold moves in selecting his cabinet, and after a year like 2008, just about everyone wants improvement to the economy, the stock market, and global conflicts. And finally, #1, my blog. You might disagree, but for me, my blog was the biggest story of 2008. I can now capture and discuss important and annoying topics of the day, as I dissect the themes
and trends of society. My blog team and followers are growing as I near the end of 2008 and look forward to 2009. By the end of next year I will be a part of the St. Louis Bloggers Guild and will surely be a link on many national media websites. Be sure to make your new year's resolution to join my blog and become a follower. My insights and acumen will brighten your day and make you a more informed American. As we get ready to say goodbye to 2008, share my blog with your friends and family as we welcome 2009, the Year of the Blog!