My Best of 2022 Stories

Another year has passed, so for the first time on my blog, I will give you what I feel were the top stories of 2022. So, let’s do this:

Russia invades Ukraine

On the morning of Feb. 24, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” into Ukraine after eight years of fighting. Thus, a significant escalation was about to take place. Putin challenged Ukraine’s right to statehood and claimed Ukraine was governed by neo-Nazis, which is false. Minutes after Putin’s address, the invasion began.

As a result, thousands of people on both sides were killed. Refugees from Ukraine scrambled to find safety elsewhere, the most significant departure since World War II. Most of the world condemned Putin and Russia. However, I believe Putin expected to waltz in and take over Ukraine. Instead, he witnessed a nation ready to fight to the bitter end with everything they had. 

The ring leader for this is Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy was able to score billions of dollars of help from 40 countries while inspiring his people to keep going. Interestingly, on Dec. 22, Putin now says he wants to end the war with Ukraine and find a diplomatic solution. Yes, it isn’t easy to trust Putin, but it sure says one thing. Without using nuclear weapons, Russia met its match.

Weather gone wild

Has this been a crazy year for the weather? We either endured a record 116-degree heat over Labor Day in Sacramento, California or froze in the Buffalo blizzard in late December. The latter turned deadly under 50 inches of snow and 70 mph winds. Welcome to the year for extreme conditions.

During the year, not many states were spared the weird weather. For instance, 83 tornadoes made their way across the South. Hurricane Ian blew through Florida and up the East Coast, killing over 125 people. Thanks to drought conditions, wildfires tore through the West, including states like Colorado, whose not used to wildfires like this. Major floods occurred in Missouri and Kentucky, and even Yellowstone National Park, where devastating floods of this magnitude had never been seen before.

Unfortunately, this could be simply another chapter for things to come. Adam Smith, an economist and scientist with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, told the Washington Post that “the lessons we are learning from these more frequent, more costly extreme weather events should be apparent now across many regions. There’s no reason to expect trends to reverse or flat line.” Indeed, as our climate continues to change, so do weather conditions. 

The passing of Queen Elizabeth

I find it strange that Queen Elizabeth is not with us anymore. She was the face of the Royal Family for 70 years and 214 days, the longest reign of any female monarch in history. It isn’t easy to imagine the United Kingdom without Elizabeth. Her power began on Feb. 6, 1952, until she died at age 96.

Elizabeth was born Princess Elizabeth of York in 1926 and married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947. Elizabeth served 170 prime ministers and took historic trips to countries such as China and Russia. She also met with five popes and many more events, including the queen.

Yet, while she had some grand moments, she endured some tough times. That included her children’s divorces and the death of her former daughter-in-law Diana in 1997. One of her most challenging moments came in 2021 when Phillip died. Still, Elizabeth’s journey was unlike any other in the UK.

Elon Musk buys Twitter.

Elon Musk sure has his hands in a lot of cookie jars. His bread-and-butter Tesla cars and SpaceX were a select few that took rides into space. But, Musk’s most significant move in 2022 was his purchase of Twitter.

After some back-and-forth negotiations, which included an initial offer in April, Musk finally purchased the struggling social network for $44 billion in October. That followed a firestorm of activity such as massive layoffs, paid subscription services, and the lifting of a permanent ban on some users, including former President Donald Trump. Musk said he wanted to promote free speech, but was it his version of free speech?

Many celebrities departed Twitter because of what they said was misinformation from Twitter (or Musk). Meanwhile, the Twitter acquisition came at a price. He used Tesla stock to purchase Twitter, and the year ended with Tesla stock down around 50%. Musk became the first person to lose $100 billion in a calendar year. Ouch! Meanwhile, Musk is considering stepping down as CEO, but let’s not forget how he likes to flip-flop. It should be an interesting 2023 for Mr. Musk.

Donald Trump sinking

This wasn’t a banner year for former President Donald Trump. Perhaps a better way to say this is he’s getting just desserts. The highlight came when he announced he would run for president as a Republican in 2024. If things don’t go his way, there has been speculation he may run for a third party.

Now for the bad news. The Jan. 6 commission implicated Trump as the ringleader of the attempted coup of the nation’s capitol building. Then his real estate company, the Trump Organization, was convicted of tax fraud in November. And the midterm elections went badly for Trump-backed candidates. No wonder why some GOP candidates want nothing to do with him.

Finally, the fight over releasing his tax returns concluded as the House Ways and Means Committee released them publicly. They might make for some eye-opening reading. For example, they show some income coming from foreign countries, and his overall income ranged from a deficit of $32.4 million in 2016 to a high of $24.4 million in 2018. That’s just the tip.

The question for Donald Trump in 2023 is will he escape the long arm of the law? 

Rise and fall of the Rams

Full disclosure, I have been a fan of the Rams for many years, even though they moved to St. Louis and returned to Los Angeles. If you are as familiar with the Rams as I am, you know this team winning the Super Bowl is worthy of being a top story. Let’s call it a rare event.

Rams owner Stan Kroenke vowed to go all-in for the 2021 season, giving full support to General Manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay. The transformation was highlighted by trading for quarterback Matthew Stafford and bringing in pass rusher Von Miller to blend with pass rusher Aaron Donald and wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Kroenke made good on the promise as the Rams slipped past the rival 49ers for the NFC title in January and the Bengals in February for only their second world championship.

Then came the 2022 season, and the Rams folded fast. Mass injuries to the offensive line were the start, and things collapsed quickly. Stafford, Kupp, and Donald joined the injury list, and the Rams have the worst record for a defending Super Bowl champion in history. Will it be another 20 years before we see a Rams title? We’ll see.

Will Smith’s shocking slap

So, the Academy Awards show was cruising along when, all of a sudden, actor Will Smith left his seat, walked on stage, and slapped host Chris Rock in the face as Rock was presenting Best Documentary Feature. I’m unsure about the rest of you, but I didn’t know what was happening. I’m sure other viewers were shocked, too.

Smith was upset with Rock’s joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, which she had been shaving since 2021 due to Alopecia Areata. After the slap, Smith continued to shout profanities. Rock could compose himself and complete his presentation without any further incident. Smith was later asked to leave, but he refused. The big irony is that Smith later won Best Actor and apologized for the slap without mentioning Rock.

While I can understand Smith’s anger, his outburst was inexcusable, especially at such a prestigious event as the Oscars. The Academy was justified in banning him from Academy events for 10 years. Of note, Smith has apologized to Rock along several mediums. 

Brittney Griner swap

Brittney Griner is a two-time Olympic champion and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury star center. But in February, she found herself behind bars in Moscow when cannabis oil was in her bag at a Russian airport. Coincidentally, this happened just days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Griner was in Moscow to play in Russia during the WNBA off-season.

Griner claimed the discovery was an “honest mistake,” but Russian authorities didn’t buy that. She went to court (more like a kangaroo court) and was sentenced to nine years. Being a black woman who is openly gay brought lots of worldwide attention.

Meanwhile, it was clear that Russia saw this as an opportunity. Indeed, the US and Russia agreed to a swap. Griner was released from jail for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death.” While I’m delighted for Griner, I must admit that I feel uneasy about the release of someone like Bout.

Another American, former Marine Paul Whelan, looked like he might be part of the swap, but he was denied and remained imprisoned. 

Vin Scully

You bet I will put the most outstanding baseball broadcaster ever in my top 2022 list. Again, full disclosure, I have been a Dodgers fan for many years, and the passing of Vin Scully hit many Dodgers fans and me very hard.

Scully was more than just a play-by-play man. He didn’t just tell players’ stats and their batting averages. Scully told stories about players, some with a funny side, some informative, and some harrowing stories. Scully had the knack of saying what we were all thinking at any given moment during a game. 

Unlike many broadcasters, Scully was certainly no homer. He told it like it was, and, often, it was painful to hear for Dodgers fans. Amazingly, he was in the booth for 67 years. I mean, he had the most excellent job in sports. I miss him greatly. RIP Vinny. 

Roe v Wade was struck down.

The Supreme Court torpedoed abortion rights in June when it struck Roe v. Wade. In 1973, the Supreme Court’s landmark decision ruled that the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution provides a “right to privacy” that protects a woman from having an abortion.

Fast forward to the present, as the high court overruled Roe saying that women were not protected under the Due Process Clause. The clause was ratified in 1868 and was unknown in US law until Roe. Now states can ban abortions, although conditions can also rule abortion is legal. 

A woman’s right to have an abortion has been one of the most controversial issues for decades. 2023 would’ve marked the 50th anniversary of the original ruling. I must say that I am dismayed by the Trump court ruling. A woman should have the right to have an abortion, especially if there are medical concerns or if a woman has been raped, among other circumstances. The bottom line? Government must not dictate what a woman can or cannot do with her own body regarding abortions. Hopefully, one day, a nationwide ruling can reinstate legal abortions.

Honorable mention

The economy sucked in 2022, with inflation exceeding 7.5 percent, thanks partly to the Ukraine invasion that choked the supply chain and made grocery shopping very painful. The Federal Reserve responded by raising interest rates often, but anyone with credit noticed higher payments. … Legendary news anchor Barbara Walters died at 93. She was a pioneer for female journalists and was known for her interviewing skills while hosting numerous TV shows such as “Today,” “20/20,” and “The View.”… Brazilian soccer star Pele died at 82. The greatest futbol player of all time was instrumental in bringing the sport of soccer to the forefront of the world’s stage and making it the most popular sport on the planet. … Former Pope Benedict XVI died at the age of 95. He vowed to rid the church of the “filth” of a sex scandal but was reluctant to hold bishops accountable. … US border authorities encountered more than two million migrants in fiscal 2022, clearly showing that a border crisis is still alive in the southwest, and lawmakers must create a plan that works. … Kim Kardashian and Kanye West divorced after eight years of marriage, leaving us with the question, did Kim have enough of Kanye’s public outbursts? … The midterm elections were billed as a Red Wave, and instead, Democrats held on to the Senate but lost the House. … The Winter Olympics rebounded in Beijing from Covid, although the TV ratings slumped. But there were notable performances from snowboarder Chole Kim, figure skater Nathan Chen, skier Eileen Gu, speedskater Suzanne Schulting, and ice dancers Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume. … The CDC revealed a new Covid-19 variant is starting to take hold in the US, and there are discussions of masks being enforced once again. … Sadly, 2022 showed we are getting nowhere with mass shootings where this was a record year (639 mass shootings according to Gun Violence Archive) with no end in sight. … President Joe Biden heads into the new year with a 39% approval rating, according to Reuters, near the lowest level of his presidency. Will he rebound in 2023?