What a year it has been so far ; 2013 looks like it came in with bang and it will go out in the same fashion. It's almost half over and so much has happened both around the world and here in the United States that have remained headlines for weeks at a time. Last we left off at the end of 2012 the nation was grappling the issue of gun laws and gun violence in the midst of the tragic Sandy Hook shooting. Now, in addition there are new pressing matters concerning the U.S of A. It seems the world is in the midst of a great shift, politically, economically, environmentally, socially, you name it. Times are changing and that's not different this year, people are just struggling to keep up. So which stories gained a lot of attention? Which ones were so important they're still being talked about by everyone? Here are the top 10 news headlines that have either taken the world by surprise or had a great impact here in the United States... And the year's not even over yet . Think we missed something? Feel free to comment below!
[Somewhat Honorable mention: Paula Deen and her racism scandal]
10. Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI
February 11,2013 he announced his resignation due to advanced age becoming the first to do so since Gregory XII in 1415.
9. Celebrity Deaths: Roger Ebert. James Gandolfini. Richard Griffiths. Cory Monteith, star of Glee died as just 31 years old. I was lucky enough to get to meet him last year snd he truly was a kind, sweet guy. Our condolences to the family, friends and fans of all the deceased this year.
8. World News: North Korea conducts nuclear testing, Egypt in Riot, Stockholm Riots, Brazil Riots, Turkey Riots. Several nations overseas are in an in-between state and that has a history of causing unrest. The news has been following week after week as one nation, then another fights to change its government.
7. Syria in Civil War
The Syrian civil war began in 2011 and has claimed over 100,00 lives. In March 2013 the U.N released a report that detailed the crimes against humanity committed by the Syrian government. Syria retaliated by warning that all Western reporters will be targeted in the war. At least 150 journalists have been killed in the Syrian War.
6. Supreme Decisions: DOMA/Prop 8
June: The Supreme Court strikes down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act that denied federal benefits such as Social Security to same-sex couples naming it unconstitutional. They also dismissed the Proposition 8 (ban against same-sex marriage in California) case claiming the defendants had no standing in court. Without Prop 8, same-sex can again be made legal in California. Both Supreme Court Decisions are a big step in the LGBT movement towards equal rights.
5. Voting Rights Act of 1965 - removed
June 26, 2013: "Supreme Court effectively strikes down heart of Voting Rights Act of 1965 by a 5-to-4 vote, split down ideological lines, ruling that Congress had not provided adequate justification for subjecting the states to federal oversight;" ruling frees nine states, mostly in the South, to change their election laws without advance federal approval" as reported by The NYTimes. So what does this mean? It means that the states that needed to be watched by the Federal Government to make sure they were being fair and allowing everyone to vote, are no longer being watched and therefore they can impose their own laws and restrictions possibly making it more difficult for certain groups of people to vote.
4. Filibuster: Wendy Davis // Texas abortion bill
In order to stop deliberation on a bill that would close almost all of the abortion clinics in Texas, Senator Wendy Davis had to filibuster for 11 hours , in other words she had to stand up and speak on the topic for eleven straight hours without break or straying off the subject. This was a big deal for several reasons: she was on a three strike rule and received one when her colleague tried to help her with her back brace, the Texas abortion bill would raise restrictions on abortions clinic causing more than 40 of them to have to close leaving only 5 left in all of Texas. When Davis reached the limit and successful pushed the decision back because the meeting end time had been reached, the Republicans had an illegal vote; they passed the bill anyway even though the whol ordeal was being broadcast online to millions. This caused outrage and thousands gathered to protest both in Texas and online.
3. Boston Marathon Bombings
April 15: A Boston Marathon suffered a huge surprise at the finish line when two bombs went off injuring 264 and killing 3. The two men responsible, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, sent the police on a chase before Tamerlan was killed and his brother was captured. He is currently at a Federal Medical Center and on trial for 30 charges pressed against him.
2. Edward Snowden outs the U.S. Government
Former computer technician and CIA contractor, Snowden revealed classified information detailiing the U.S government surveillance program, claiming he had the capabilities to search and seize anyone's communications at any time without a warrant. The companies that have been giving the government personal information of its clients include : Yahoo, Google, Apple, Skype, AOL, YouTube, Facebook and Microsoft. Since then there has been outrage all across the board and the the threat of more classified information to come.
1. Zimmerman Trial Verdict: Not Guilty
We've all been following the case of Neighborhood Watchman George Zimmerman and his murder of Trayvon Martin in Florida. Zimmerman followed Martin by car and then by foot because he looked "suspicious" before he shot him in the head, killing him. It was later found Martin was unarmed and there were no signs of him struggling on the scene. The jury acquitted Zimmerman of all charges triggering a wave of anger and riots in several cities as well as a petition with over 80,000 signatures asking the NAACP to go after Zimmerman for violation the rights of Trayvon Martin. Arguments of course have suggested this is a race issue, this certainly is not the first time a case like this has happened. Even in 2013, is race is still a factor?