THE YEAR IN REVIEW
The year started off promising, and ends with hope as the only remaining alternative. The Iowa Caucuses officially kicked off the long presidential election campaign. And in the end, Obama was elected as the nation's first African-American president.
From a personal/business standpoint, the Golden Globes were cancelled. But the GRAMMYS, MTV Movie Awards, Teen Choice Awards, and a few other red carpet events kept me busy. And then there was GE and a few good things they bring to life. But that's another story.
Back in January, Los Angeles hosted a Turkish night at Staples Center as Hedo as the Magic beat the LA Clippers. We organized a similar night in Orlando, while I was there on business also in January. In February, I went to the Superbowl in Arizona with my brother, as our beloved Giants beat the then unbeaten New England Patriots.
21 Days, 21,000 miles in March for me, during which I attended the premiere of the first Turkish-American film Broken Angel in Istanbul. I guess Paris wasn't the only celebrity to visit Istanbul. :) Matt Lauer and the Today show broadcast from Istanbul in April. And the Queen visited in May.
In June, Turkey had a great showing at Euro2008. Win after improbable win led to a third place finish after a heartbreak of a loss to Germany. As for its first qualifying match of the 2010 World Cup, Turkey beat Armenia 2-0 in Yerevan, with Turkey's President Gul of Turkey in attendance. The iPhone 3G came out. The Summer Olympics in Beijing was a success. And Michael Phelps made history.
Then there was Sarah Palin. And Tina Fey. In October, Turkey was elected to the UN Security Council. And in November Obama proved, 'Yes, You Can.' TalkTurkey had endorsed Obama immediately following the more repurtable Colin Powell's lead. And then there was the economy. And bailouts. Gas was almost at $5 a gallon in the summer, only to drop back down to around $1.50 by year's end.
Bombay bombing kept terror on the front pages. I presented a series of posts on the Ottomans. Some Turks apologized. And Rick Warren, the controversial evangelist gave the keynote speech at an American Muslim gathering. He's due to give the invocation at the inauguration.
Among the notables, Charlton Heston, Paul Newman, George Carlin, and Tim Russert passed on. So did Yankee Stadium, and Shea. Brett Favre became a Jet. Tiger was out for the season. Howard Stern got hitched. And Adriana was off the market. I even felt an earthquake in California. But most important of all, I think I found my true love.
The following are the top 25 posts, in my opinion, amongst the 333 or so posts of mine in 2008. Sorted by date, in descending order.
And if you really feel nostalgic, check out The Best of 2007.
Enjoy!
Part I: Turkish Navy & Piracy Part II: The History of Superpowers Part III: Back to the Future Part IV: Ottomans in Exile Part V: The New Old Turks
