The Year In Review
(stories you may have missed because you were out snorting blow and banging hookers)
1) Along with the alleged fiscal cliff comes a real financial cliff. The farm bill also expires at December 31, and failure to pass a new one will drive dairy prices into the stratosphere.
Good government advocates (like myself) believe the farm bill needs to be all but abolished. There is no reason for corn prices to be subsidized. There is no real reason for dairy prices to be subsidized, either, except for helping families afford milk for their kids. Milk prices could double (probably even higher, given how corn is such an integral part of feed prices) and put a real crimp in working families' budgets.
2) The number of journalists jailed worldwide broke a record this year. In a world where democracy seems to be taking greater root, this is an unhealthy development.
3) The Antarctic is warming three times faster than expected. Hurricane Sandy was just a prelude.
4) 2012 was the worst year on record for mass shootings in the United States.
5) If you were hoping for a breakthrough in Middle East peace next year, don't count on it. Believe it or not, there's a conservative crazier than Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel who could impact the elections next year and win the prime ministership.
6) Crack and blow your mind away with the 100 best photos from space of 2012.
7) Nearly a thousand species have gone extinct since man started exploring the planet in the 17th century. Here's a tribute to them.
8) As healthcare prices have soared over the past ten years, people are taking less and less care of themselves. Exhibit A.
9) This will happen more and more as global temperatures rise and droughts extend: The Mississippi River is closing.
10) Finally, you will own a robot before the decade is out.
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