There are some very important challenges facing the United States right now. These have been discussed in a wide variety of the posts appearing in this blog. I am ready to consider that country and the world are taking some stock of what has been happening because we are near the end of a calendar year. I have done end of the year things before and hope to do them again but this year I am doing a longer than usual list of people to watch in the second decade following the terrorist attacks on the United States which occurred on September 11, 2001. I began this shortly after 9/11 2010 and will probably continue to somewhere near 9/11 2011. However, many candidates for mention come to my attention from the web, books, newspapers, personal acquaintance and television as well as other sources. One thing I did was to watch the Barbara Walters special the annual “Ten Most Fascinating People” episode on ABC last night. Following her one hour special with Oprah which I also watched. There are already some commonalities with my longer two post list. Kate Middleton and Sarah Palin have made both lists so far and I am not finished. However, most of her people are not candidates for my list. Also only one of her list is not an American. The majority of my list are not Americans although the Americans are heavily represented .
The full Barbara Walters list is:
1. General David Petraeus commander of US forces in Afghanistan
2., Sarah Palin;
3. Kate Middleton
4. LeBron James extremely talented and spotlight motivated basketball star.
5. Jennifer Lopez;
6. Sandra Bullock;
7. the cast of Jersey Shore;
8. Justin Bieber;
9. Mark Zuckerberg youthful billionaire and Facebook founder
10. Betty White perhaps America’s best known current nonpresidential octogenarian and almost continuously successful actress.
David Letterman, one of America’s great late night comics has done a top ten list about the Barbara Walters list and I have the link here. http://www.cbs.com/late_night/late_show/video/?pid=eoxyF3SIWxJnuIAI3D_WdPjlSLch7DSV.
My own list has already displaced my day to post a thought on Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Patroness of the United States on her feast December 8. It may be becoming a bit obsessive. Here are the links to my two posts so far:
1. https://franksummers3ba.wordpress.com/2010/09/15/the-last-year-of-the-9-11-decade-has-begun/
2. https://franksummers3ba.wordpress.com/2010/12/08/fifteen-more-people-to-watch-in-9112011-9112021/
So, while I will be posting on other subjects I hope to bring this list a bit further before the first decade in question runs out. It is even possible I will get another part of the list before New Year related both to my general theme and to the year that is passing and the one coming.
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