Four years ago, as the year 2020 got underway, I wrote a very short entry to my personal blog called “What is January 1st Good For?”
Here it is:
“I should have guessed this, but the first day of the year is a very good day to work on your memoir. I woke early and almost immediately began writing.
”It makes sense. You can feel the transition of the years almost physically. That is a good context for this kind of work.”
***
At the time, I was in a hospital, recovering from a series of maladies. I had as yet no inkling of just how momentous a year 2020 was to be.
First there was Covid-19, the pandemic that virtually shut our world down, setting off a wave of repercussions we are still dealing with today.
Then came the George Floyd killing by Minneapolis police and an unprecedented outpouring of anger on our streets.
Public opinion over both Covid and the nascent Black Lives Matter movement was deeply split — and the significance of that division was magnified because it was an election year.
The incumbent president, Trump, chose to fan the flames of division in his quest for re-election. His opponent, Biden, talked of unity in an almost nostalgic way. Unity seemed as distant a dream in the USA in 2020 as it does today.
After a nasty campaign, Biden won by 7 million popular votes and by an Electoral College total of 306-232. It wasn’t really very close. The better guy won, fair and square.
But we all remember what happened next — the Jan. 6th riot and Trump’s effort to disrupt the official certification of the electoral result.
***
So once again, I asked myself yesterday, what is January 1st good for? Memoir-writing? Yes, perhaps.
But it’s also a time to recount this painful recent history and to steel ourselves for another rough election battle this time around. May our better angels once again prevail.
***
I don’t really want to start off the new year on a gloomy note. I’m thankful to all of you who read these reports. Happy New Year and may it be a very good one for all of you!
HEADLINES:
Israel says war in Gaza expected to continue throughout 2024 (BBC)
Iran showcases its reach with militia attacks across Middle East (WP)
Israel Plans to Withdraw Some Troops From Gaza (NYT)
Nikki Haley’s comment on the US civil war was no gaffe (Guardian)
Trump’s leading Republican primary challengers said in recent days that they would pardon him of any felony convictions if they were elected president. (WP)
Elon Musk's X gets another valuation cut from Fidelity (Axios)
Powerful earthquake hits Japan (CNN)
Appeals Court Allows California Ban on Guns in Most Public Places to Take Effect (NYT)
Neurons in The Brain Appear to Follow a Distinct Mathematical Pattern (ScienceAlert)
America’s slowest population growth since Great Depression (Axios)
Journalism profession has ‘lost its way’ — and it’s not just the New York Times (The Hill)
The Afghan women’s rights activist who says the world should talk to the Taliban (NBC)
3 scary breakthroughs AI will make in 2024 (LiveScience)
A New Kind of AI Copy Can Fully Replicate Famous People. The Law Is Powerless. (Politico Mag)
Decoding the Black Box of AI – Scientists Uncover Unexpected Results (SciTechDaily)
The next act for generative AI (Financial Times)
How Some Experts See The Future Of AI In 2024 (Forbes)
Man Needs Verbal Assurance That Hand Stamp Will Get Him Back In (The Onion)
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