Hi there guys and gals! I'm thankful a new decade is coming, this one has been a disaster it seems. That, or I'm pessimistic. Here is a brief explanation as to why I look forward to this new decade. Grab a chair and get comfy, a VERY long read here! Let's see, where oh where should I start...How about Automotive?
This decade, a great recession hit, putting General Motors and Chrysler in deep crap...and debt. After filing for bankruptcy and millions and millions in bailouts, GM and Chrysler could make it, but it doesn't look promising. GM's companies and production lines are dropping like flies while trying to find buyers and Chrysler is trying to keep their head above water. The GM Big Block got the death penalty and the last one rolled off the line at the Tonawanda Plant in NY. Hummer was sold to an overseas Chinese company. Chrysler had Fiat take a stake in them and as a result, Fiats could return to the U.S. market. Chrysler is not pulling out of debt like they did in the late 70's/early 80's. We have lost or are VERY CLOSE TO LOSING:
-Plymouth
-Pontiac
-SAAB
-Saturn
-Oldsmobile
-GM Big Block V8 Engines
Not to mention, the numerous plants that have been killed off and the jobs lost. Their sales, while they had a period of height this year, could be hurting more in the long run because of a certain government program as well. Not to mention the bailouts. Need I say more? I think some legendary companies got sent to the crusher this decade.
NEXT!!
How about the sports world? I don't remember anything making more news than the likes of the NFL and Motorsports, specifically NASCAR.
Motorsports:
In 2000, NASCAR driver, Kyle Petty, lost his son, the fourth generation Petty, Adam Petty in a crash during practice and the same year, Kenny Irwin lost his life. Both deaths were at New Hampshire Speedway. Both VERY young. Very sad. It gets worse for the motorsports world. This day, I remember, I can remember getting the paper the day after, the headline was "BLACK SUNDAY". At the 2001 Daytona 500, The Intimidator, Dale Earnhardt was killed on the final lap, in the final turn 4. My dad remembered going to work that day, and one of his co worker's eyes were red as tomatoes from crying that day. Then, after a long struggle with bad equipment, dropping sponsors, lack of funds, etc. and EVEN after Kyle left his team to help out in the late 90's (bad move!) Petty Enterprises closed their doors and Richard Petty formed "Richard Petty Motorsports" with another struggling NASCAR team and it still isn't too hot. As well as Dale Earnhardt Incorporated (DEI) went into a merger. Also, Craftsman Truck Series and "Days Of Thunder" star, Bobby Hamilton succumbed to lung cancer.
Football:
I'll start off with a recent and local one, Cincinnati Bengals lose fellow player Chris Henry after a fight with his girlfriend. Tennessee Titan, Steve "Air" McNair after a nasty murder. Earlier this year, a boating accident in the Gulf Of Mexico claimed quite a few young NFL players, only one survived in the frigid waters. Derrik Thomas was a Hall-Of-Fame bound NFL player when we was paralyzed after a car wreck, he died two weeks later in the hospital of a blood clot. Korey Stringer from the Minnesota Vikings, at a whopping 6 foot 4 and as much as 388 pounds, died of heat stroke at training camp in 2001. I can go on and on with this stuff, did some people have it coming? YES. Was it just time for some of them with a somewhat clean record? YES.
NEXT:
How about some major news?
On 9-11-2001, four commercial airliners were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists and one was flown into each of the Twin Towers. One hijacked plane was crashed into the Pentagon. The fourth was bound for The White House, but a bunch of heroic passengers brought it down in a Pennsylvania field. Sadly, those passengers died in the crash. The World Trade Center Attacks were a terrible tragedy we cannot forget.
In December 2004, a major tsunami attacked countries near the Indian Ocean killing 230,000 people. The devastating DEC. 26, 2004, tsunami struck a dozen countries around the Indian Ocean rim. Its towering waves wiped out entire coastal communities, devastated families and crashed over tourist-filled beaches the morning after Christmas.
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the United states, with Louisiana suffering the most. Katrina was one of the five most deadly hurricanes in U.S. History. It affected Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Ohio. With the total death toll at 1,836 and missing 705. Katrina caused preliminary damage estimates well in excess of $100 billion, eclipsing many times the damage brought about by Andrew in 1992.
In Sago, West Virginia, on Jan. 2, 2006, a coal mine explosion occurred and trapped 13 miners for two days, only one survived. It was the worst mining incident in West Virginia since 1968 and the worst in the US since 2001.
On April 16, 2007, the massacre at Virginia Tech occurred. 32 were killed and several more wounded, the attacks were reportedly two hours apart. It was the deadliest peacetime shooting incident by a single gunman in U.S. history, on or off a school campus.
November 5, 2009, a gunman opened fire at Fort Hood, killing 13 soldiers and wounding 30 others and 2 civilian police officers. It is currently being investigated as a homegrown terrorist attack.
Christmas 2009, a terrorist got on board a commercial airliner in Nigeria bound for Detroit and attempted to blow up the plane. The attempt was unsuccessful and passengers onboard restrained him. Investigation is still going.
NEXT:
Economy:
The economy this decade has not been very healthy either. The day of the 9-11 terrorist attacks and for a while after, there was a small recession and many became unemployed. My dad was one of them. Also, around the middle of the decade, gas prices started going out of control and we had another "gas crisis". Gas prices for regular in some areas were as high as $5.00 a gallon. Some places might have been higher. These prices caused people to drastically change their spending habits. For some, it meant choosing between milk and eggs or gas to put in the car to go to work. The housing bubble occurred and many people got loans they couldn't pay off and SHOULDN'T have got in the first place for houses they COULD NOT afford. The gas crisis and the housing bubble lead to a deep, dark recession. Thousands and thousands of people have lost their jobs, companies have gone out of business, like Circuit City, for example, while others have filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy and may or may not make it. Some of the biggest takers of bailout money were car companies and despite their corruption...banks. Bernie Madoff also cheated investors out of almost $65 billion. The court appointed trustee estimated actual losses to investors of $18 billion. On June 29, 2009, he was sentenced to 150 years in prison, the maximum allowed. Should I go on with this or do you get the picture?
NEXT:
Many famous and legendary people have passed away this decade. Young and old. Fans of the Pontiac GTO and Back To The Future have mourned the loss of John DeLorean. Home Improvement neighbor, Earl Hindman (Wilson Wilson) succumbed to lung cancer. Batman lovers all over the world saw the death of the young Heath Ledger, who played the Joker in a new Batman movie. But, the biggest year for famous deaths has got to be 2009. The summer of '09 has earned the nickname "The Summer Of Death". The most shocking death to many, is the death of Michael Jackson who died the same day as "Charlie's Angel", Farrah Fawcett. In 2000, NASCAR fans mourned the loss of Adam Petty and the following year, Dale Earnhardt Sr.
Friends, I can go on, and on, and on, and on, but I think you get the picture. Not only has this decade been a terrible train wreck for the world, but it is also a bad one for me due to personal reasons. Which I will not discuss here. There was SOME good, but the bad seems to out weight it if you ask me. I tried to keep this as "Bench Friendly" as possible. Yet, if it does violate the rules, then go ahead and move it to Off Topic. If you think I missed something, go ahead and say so, I can't fit 10 years of crap in one thread. Welcome the new year, and a new decade, and hopefully, a better one. :yes:
Maybe I'm just pessimistic or something...
This decade, a great recession hit, putting General Motors and Chrysler in deep crap...and debt. After filing for bankruptcy and millions and millions in bailouts, GM and Chrysler could make it, but it doesn't look promising. GM's companies and production lines are dropping like flies while trying to find buyers and Chrysler is trying to keep their head above water. The GM Big Block got the death penalty and the last one rolled off the line at the Tonawanda Plant in NY. Hummer was sold to an overseas Chinese company. Chrysler had Fiat take a stake in them and as a result, Fiats could return to the U.S. market. Chrysler is not pulling out of debt like they did in the late 70's/early 80's. We have lost or are VERY CLOSE TO LOSING:
-Plymouth
-Pontiac
-SAAB
-Saturn
-Oldsmobile
-GM Big Block V8 Engines
Not to mention, the numerous plants that have been killed off and the jobs lost. Their sales, while they had a period of height this year, could be hurting more in the long run because of a certain government program as well. Not to mention the bailouts. Need I say more? I think some legendary companies got sent to the crusher this decade.
NEXT!!
How about the sports world? I don't remember anything making more news than the likes of the NFL and Motorsports, specifically NASCAR.
Motorsports:
In 2000, NASCAR driver, Kyle Petty, lost his son, the fourth generation Petty, Adam Petty in a crash during practice and the same year, Kenny Irwin lost his life. Both deaths were at New Hampshire Speedway. Both VERY young. Very sad. It gets worse for the motorsports world. This day, I remember, I can remember getting the paper the day after, the headline was "BLACK SUNDAY". At the 2001 Daytona 500, The Intimidator, Dale Earnhardt was killed on the final lap, in the final turn 4. My dad remembered going to work that day, and one of his co worker's eyes were red as tomatoes from crying that day. Then, after a long struggle with bad equipment, dropping sponsors, lack of funds, etc. and EVEN after Kyle left his team to help out in the late 90's (bad move!) Petty Enterprises closed their doors and Richard Petty formed "Richard Petty Motorsports" with another struggling NASCAR team and it still isn't too hot. As well as Dale Earnhardt Incorporated (DEI) went into a merger. Also, Craftsman Truck Series and "Days Of Thunder" star, Bobby Hamilton succumbed to lung cancer.
Football:
I'll start off with a recent and local one, Cincinnati Bengals lose fellow player Chris Henry after a fight with his girlfriend. Tennessee Titan, Steve "Air" McNair after a nasty murder. Earlier this year, a boating accident in the Gulf Of Mexico claimed quite a few young NFL players, only one survived in the frigid waters. Derrik Thomas was a Hall-Of-Fame bound NFL player when we was paralyzed after a car wreck, he died two weeks later in the hospital of a blood clot. Korey Stringer from the Minnesota Vikings, at a whopping 6 foot 4 and as much as 388 pounds, died of heat stroke at training camp in 2001. I can go on and on with this stuff, did some people have it coming? YES. Was it just time for some of them with a somewhat clean record? YES.
NEXT:
How about some major news?
On 9-11-2001, four commercial airliners were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists and one was flown into each of the Twin Towers. One hijacked plane was crashed into the Pentagon. The fourth was bound for The White House, but a bunch of heroic passengers brought it down in a Pennsylvania field. Sadly, those passengers died in the crash. The World Trade Center Attacks were a terrible tragedy we cannot forget.
In December 2004, a major tsunami attacked countries near the Indian Ocean killing 230,000 people. The devastating DEC. 26, 2004, tsunami struck a dozen countries around the Indian Ocean rim. Its towering waves wiped out entire coastal communities, devastated families and crashed over tourist-filled beaches the morning after Christmas.
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the United states, with Louisiana suffering the most. Katrina was one of the five most deadly hurricanes in U.S. History. It affected Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Ohio. With the total death toll at 1,836 and missing 705. Katrina caused preliminary damage estimates well in excess of $100 billion, eclipsing many times the damage brought about by Andrew in 1992.
In Sago, West Virginia, on Jan. 2, 2006, a coal mine explosion occurred and trapped 13 miners for two days, only one survived. It was the worst mining incident in West Virginia since 1968 and the worst in the US since 2001.
On April 16, 2007, the massacre at Virginia Tech occurred. 32 were killed and several more wounded, the attacks were reportedly two hours apart. It was the deadliest peacetime shooting incident by a single gunman in U.S. history, on or off a school campus.
November 5, 2009, a gunman opened fire at Fort Hood, killing 13 soldiers and wounding 30 others and 2 civilian police officers. It is currently being investigated as a homegrown terrorist attack.
Christmas 2009, a terrorist got on board a commercial airliner in Nigeria bound for Detroit and attempted to blow up the plane. The attempt was unsuccessful and passengers onboard restrained him. Investigation is still going.
NEXT:
Economy:
The economy this decade has not been very healthy either. The day of the 9-11 terrorist attacks and for a while after, there was a small recession and many became unemployed. My dad was one of them. Also, around the middle of the decade, gas prices started going out of control and we had another "gas crisis". Gas prices for regular in some areas were as high as $5.00 a gallon. Some places might have been higher. These prices caused people to drastically change their spending habits. For some, it meant choosing between milk and eggs or gas to put in the car to go to work. The housing bubble occurred and many people got loans they couldn't pay off and SHOULDN'T have got in the first place for houses they COULD NOT afford. The gas crisis and the housing bubble lead to a deep, dark recession. Thousands and thousands of people have lost their jobs, companies have gone out of business, like Circuit City, for example, while others have filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy and may or may not make it. Some of the biggest takers of bailout money were car companies and despite their corruption...banks. Bernie Madoff also cheated investors out of almost $65 billion. The court appointed trustee estimated actual losses to investors of $18 billion. On June 29, 2009, he was sentenced to 150 years in prison, the maximum allowed. Should I go on with this or do you get the picture?
NEXT:
Many famous and legendary people have passed away this decade. Young and old. Fans of the Pontiac GTO and Back To The Future have mourned the loss of John DeLorean. Home Improvement neighbor, Earl Hindman (Wilson Wilson) succumbed to lung cancer. Batman lovers all over the world saw the death of the young Heath Ledger, who played the Joker in a new Batman movie. But, the biggest year for famous deaths has got to be 2009. The summer of '09 has earned the nickname "The Summer Of Death". The most shocking death to many, is the death of Michael Jackson who died the same day as "Charlie's Angel", Farrah Fawcett. In 2000, NASCAR fans mourned the loss of Adam Petty and the following year, Dale Earnhardt Sr.
Friends, I can go on, and on, and on, and on, but I think you get the picture. Not only has this decade been a terrible train wreck for the world, but it is also a bad one for me due to personal reasons. Which I will not discuss here. There was SOME good, but the bad seems to out weight it if you ask me. I tried to keep this as "Bench Friendly" as possible. Yet, if it does violate the rules, then go ahead and move it to Off Topic. If you think I missed something, go ahead and say so, I can't fit 10 years of crap in one thread. Welcome the new year, and a new decade, and hopefully, a better one. :yes:
Maybe I'm just pessimistic or something...
Jan.1, 2000 to December 31,2009.........doesn't = 10 years no matter what "spin" is applied to the logic. Wikipedia is site that allows it's content to be edited by users as they see fit......very reliable info to be garnered there l
