The 2010s draws to a close on the heels of a rather tumultuous 2019: obnoxious American president Donald Trump got his ass impeached by the House of Representatives no thanks to one alleged “quid pro quo” phone call with Ukraine, the tit-for-tat trade war between US and China granted a mere reprieve courtesy of a slipshod 'phase 1' ceasefire, Brexit going full steam ahead after Boris Johnson thoroughly crushed Labour in the December British general election, Japanese emperor Naruhito's ascension to the throne (marking the beginning of the Reiwa era), state-owned Saudi Aramco oil processing facilities at Abqaiq and Khurais being severely hit by drone strikes, an undeterred Aramco proceeding to list on Riyadh’s Tadawul exchange months later - even attaining a record $2 trillion market capitalization (just for a few hours though), former Wall Street darling WeWork's IPO ambitions dealt a devastating blow over massive valuation cuts, still ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong pitting citizens against both lawmakers and the police, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unpopular citizenship law seeing many take to the streets, a most violent weekend in May where Israel and Gaza militants battled each other to the tune of at least 23 deaths......
May celebrities alongside ordinary folks who departed prematurely owing to suicide (K-pop stars Sulli, Goo Hara and Cha In Ha), tragic gun violence incidents (victims of Virginia Beach, El Paso, Daytona Beach and Texas Church mass shootings) as well as natural disasters (those who perished in Bahamas' Hurricane Dorian, China's Typhoon Lekima, Japan's Typhoon Hagibis, New Zealand's White Island volcanic eruption, Mozambique's Cyclones Idai and Kenneth) among numerous others retire peacefully in the afterlife.
On a cheerier note, heartiest congratulations to Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge on becoming the world's first person to run a marathon in under two hours (at an absolutely blistering pace of 21.18 km/h), former world no.1 golfer Tiger Woods for capturing the 2019 Masters at Augusta (thus ending his 11-year majors drought), Liverpool for winning the Club World Cup, the Champions League, the European Super Cup and also remaining unbeaten in 50 successive top-flight matches at Anfield (clinching the English Premier League title also appears imminent at present) and tech billionaire Elon Musk on the unveiling of his really tough cybertruck (never mind those inconceivably fragile windows shall we?); then of course I mustn't neglect sneaking in a mention about tenacious youth climate activist Greta Thunberg who was named Time Magazine's Person of the Year.
May celebrities alongside ordinary folks who departed prematurely owing to suicide (K-pop stars Sulli, Goo Hara and Cha In Ha), tragic gun violence incidents (victims of Virginia Beach, El Paso, Daytona Beach and Texas Church mass shootings) as well as natural disasters (those who perished in Bahamas' Hurricane Dorian, China's Typhoon Lekima, Japan's Typhoon Hagibis, New Zealand's White Island volcanic eruption, Mozambique's Cyclones Idai and Kenneth) among numerous others retire peacefully in the afterlife.
On a cheerier note, heartiest congratulations to Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge on becoming the world's first person to run a marathon in under two hours (at an absolutely blistering pace of 21.18 km/h), former world no.1 golfer Tiger Woods for capturing the 2019 Masters at Augusta (thus ending his 11-year majors drought), Liverpool for winning the Club World Cup, the Champions League, the European Super Cup and also remaining unbeaten in 50 successive top-flight matches at Anfield (clinching the English Premier League title also appears imminent at present) and tech billionaire Elon Musk on the unveiling of his really tough cybertruck (never mind those inconceivably fragile windows shall we?); then of course I mustn't neglect sneaking in a mention about tenacious youth climate activist Greta Thunberg who was named Time Magazine's Person of the Year.
How DARE you nearly forgot to pay tribute to moi??? (Image Credit: Reuters)
More at https://www.whitegroupmaths.com/2019/12/final-look-at-2019-school-science-and.html
