Deaths of 2010
Gary Coleman (1968-2010) - Gary Coleman was only ten years old when he became a child star on Diff'rent Strokes, playing Arnold Jackson, a cute mischievous black child adopted by a wealthy white Manhattan family. The show aired from 1978-1986. He ran for governor of California in 2003 though lost to Arnold Schwartzenegger. In May, he was admitted to the hospital in critical condition, after falling down the stairs at his home and hitting his head. The following day, he was taken off of life support and died shortly afterwards.
Miep Gies (1909-2010) - Miep Gies and her husband, Jan, sheltered Anne Frank, her family, and three other Jews in Amsterdam in attempt to spare them from being sent to concentration camps by the Gestapo. Gies worked as a secretary for Otto Frank and agreed to help hide the Frank family in 1942 when deportation seemed imminent. She hid the family in a series of rooms above Frank's Amsterdam office, providing them with food, books, newspapers, and other supplies from 1942-1944. After a tip from an informant, the group was arrested and sent to concentration camps. After the arrest of the Franks, Gies found Anne Frank's diaries that chronicles her time in hiding. She kept the diaries and gave them to Frank Otto when he returned from Auschwitz at the end of the war. He published them as The Secret Annex in 1947, which was later published as Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Gies was knighted by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1996 and awarded West Germany's highest civilian honor in 1989.
Corey Haim (1971-2010) - Corey Haim was a child star and teen heart throb in the 1980s. His fame spiraled into drug abuse in the 1990s, in which he was in and out of rehab while still making movies. Attempts to resurrect his career included stints in reality TV, including The Two Coreys (2007-2008) with Corey Feldman. He died of pneumonia after collapsing at his home in 2010.
Dennis Hopper (1936-2010) - In May of 2010, Dennis Hopper passed away from prostate cancer. Hopper was an actor, who appeared in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), Easy Rider (1969), Apocalypse Now (1979), Blue Velvet (1986), Hoosiers (1986), Boiling Point (1993), and Speed (1994). Of all his movies, I will remember him most for his stunning portrayal of King Koopa in Super Mario Bros. (1993).
J.D. Salinger (1919-2010) - Jerome David Salinger wrote The Catcher in the Rye in 1951, which told the take of Holden Caulfield, a troubled adolescent who leaves his fancy prep school for an urban walkabout. The book has become a classic amongst high school and college students.
People of 2010
Julian Assange - Julian Assange is the controversial public face of WikiLeaks, an international website that gives whistle-blowers an anonymous way to publish sensitive documents. A former computer hacker and security specialist, Assange released Collateral Murder (a leaked video of a deadly 2007 U.S. Army helicopter attack on Iraqi citizens) in April and over 92,000 documents relating to the war in Afghanistan were released in July. In August, he was accused of sexual assault of two women in Sweden. The investigation was closed, then reopened again. The investigation is ongoing.
Mel Gibson - Over the last few years, Mel Gibson has gone from respected actor to giant joke. First came his Anti-Semitic slurs when he was pulled over for drunk driving in 2006, reportedly stating "Fucking Jews...the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." Then in July of this year, Gibson made a racial slur against Latinos, using the term "wetbacks" as he suggested turning in one of his employees to immigration authorities. A day later, he was dropped by his agency, William Morris Endeavor, after recordings of Gibson were posted on the internet.
During that same month, Gibson had been recorded during a phone call with his former flame Oksana Grigorieva, suggesting that if she got "raped by a pack of niggers" she would be to blame. Gibson was barred from visitation of their daughter due to a domestic violence restraining order.
Wyclef Jean - Wyclef Jean, the rapper and former member of the Fugees, was born in Haiti and lived there until he was nine years old. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti killed 230,000 people and thrust the country into chaos, Wyclef Jean announced his run for president of Haiti in September. Electron officials disqualified him from running, since he had not lived in the country since he was nine years old. Presidential canidates must have resided in the country for five consecutive years.
Kim Jong-un - Kim Jong-un is the third son of the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-il and reportedly has been chosen to succeed him as the country's leader. If this were to happen, he will be the third member of the family to lead North Korea.
Tiger Woods - Tiger Woods has won 14 major championships in golf and 2010 marked a year of complete insanity in his life. The insanity began in 2009, when The National Enquirer alleged that Woods was having an affair with Rachel Uchitel, an event planner. Weeks later, Woods crashed his car outside his home after an argument with his wife, Elin Nordegren. After the accident, a slue of women came forward claiming they had slept with Woods before and during his marriage to Nordegren. Scandal rocked Woods, after several voicemails were released of him pleading to take his name off Jamie Grubb's phone. The release of the voicemail spawned several songs, which can all be found all over the internet. He took a brief break from golf (returning in the Spring of 2010) and announced his divorce during the summer.
Mark Zuckerberg - Who invented Facebook? That would be Mark Zuckerberg, who was ranked 35th richest American according to Forbes magazine. In September, Zuckerberg promised to donate $100 million to New Jersey schools, but I'm still waiting to see that money.
Events of 2010
The Late Night Wars - Back in 2004, Conan O'Brien and NBC negotiated a new contract. A part of the contract would be for O'Brien to take over The Tonight Show from Jay Leno in 2009. With O'Brien's take over of The Tonight Show, Leno would receive a half hour slot earlier in the night that didn't do so well. In January of 2010, NBC executive Jeff Zucker met with Leno and O'Brien to discuss how to get Leno out of prime time and back into late night. A proposal was made that would move The Tonight Show to 12:05 and Leno hosting a 30 minute show at 11:35. Within days, O'Brien released a statement about the change, saying "I sincerely believe that delaying The Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise of broadcasting."
On January 21, Conan reached a deal with NBC that would see him exit The Tonight Show the next day, granting him $45 million ($12 million would be designed for distribution to his staff). In April, O'Brien announced he would be the host a new show on TBS. The new show, simply titled Conan debuted on November 8, 2010.
Arizona Immigration Law - In April, Republican governor Jan Brewer signed into law the country's toughest immigration bill, designed to identify and deport illegal immigrants. Under the law, police officers would be allowed to ask any person suspected of being an illegal immigrant for his or her proof of citizenship or visa. In June, the United States Justice Department quested the law's viability, since immigration is a federal issue not to be enforced by state governments. Weeks later, a federal judged blocked key sections of the law, including law enforcements's ability to request legal documentation of U.S. citizenship and the requirement for immigrants to carry immigration papers with them at all times. A less controversial version of the law was later passed.
Health Care Reform - The House of Representatives passed a bill that they promised would overhaul the American health-care system. Among other new regulations, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act allows children to stay on their parents' health insurance plans until the age of 26, prevents insurance companies from denying coverage due to a patient's pre-existing conditions, subsidizes private insurance for low-and middle-income Americans, and requires all Americans to have some sort of health insurance. Estimates of the law will reduce the federal budget deficits by $143 billion over the next ten years. The government plans to fund health-care reform with a tax on high-cost employer-sponsored health plans and a tax on the investment income of the wealthiest Americans. Most of the changes will not go into effect until 2014.
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal - During the Clinton era, a military policy was created that forbid openly gay men and women from serving in the military. In January, Obama announced that he wanted to repeal the policy and asked top officials at the Department of Defense to look for a way to end the law. After much debate, in December, the Senate voted 65 to 31 in favor of repealing the law. The ban will not be lifted until Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and Admiral Mike Mullen agree that the military is ready to enact the change.
Same-Sex Marriage - In November 2008, 52% of California voted to overturn the state's Supreme Court decision to allow same-sex marriage, in a ballot measure then known as Proposition 8. In August 2010, Judge Vaughn Walker, a federal District Court judge, struck down the law banning same-sex marriage, calling it unconstitutional and discriminatory against gay men and women. Before they had a chance to pick out their wedding attire, a U.S. appeals court ruled that same-sex couples could not marry while the constitutionality of the ban was under review.
War in Iraq - For the last seven years, the United States has been fighting a war in Iraq. On August 31, Obama announced the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the withdrawal of combat troops. The U.S. will continue to be a presence in Iraq, mainly with civilian contractors. The remaining troops are scheduled to leave Iraq by the end of 2011. The announcement came two weeks after the U.S. State Department announced it would increase the presence of civilian contractors in 2011. These contractors will be responsible for training Iraqi police and preventing confrontations between the Iraqi Army and civilian groups.
Chile Copper Mine Caves In - In August, a gold and copper mine in northern Chile suffered a cave-in, trapping 33 minters half a mile underground. The men suffered stifling heat and an uncertain fate for 17 days before a drill broke through the ceiling of their chamber. Through this small hole, the miners were able to communicate with their supporters above ground and receive vital nutrition. After spending 68 days trapped underground, the first of the 33 miners were rescued from the mine on October 12. The rest of the miners were carried to safety over the next 24 hour period.
Oil Spill - In April, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig off the coast of Louisiana killed 11 people and injured 17 others. The ensuing oil spills leaked 5 million barrels of oil along the Gulf Coast. After 68 days of gushing oil and several failed attempts to cap the leak, the flow finally stopped on July 15, with a temporary containment. The Macondo 252 well was declared dead on September 19, 2010. The long term-effects on marine and coastal life are unknown, but expected to be significant.
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