As 2024 ends, half of this country is dreading what will be four years of insanity.  I can only hope that there will be an awakening that leads to controlling the worst impulses of human greed and our government becoming a corporatocracy.  For now, let see what will become of our democracy. I for one, truly believe that most Americans are more pragmatic and centered than those on the right or the left.

 Every year, I have tortured myself to reflect on what the past 12 months were like for me personally as well as highlighting key events in the world. In this year’s review of 2024, here is my best shot at what made the cut.

But First … Let’s Start with Little Ole Me

For me, 2024 ended my first year-long, self-journey, traveling through three continents, visiting eight countries, 16 cities and at least 20 neighborhoods and small towns. My travels took me through six months of Mexico’s major cities, three months in Italy, traveling from Rome to Tuscany, Florence and Venice. From there a month in London, a week in Dubai, three weeks in Turkey, ten days in Egypt, 14 days in Cape Town and 18 days in Kenya. Both exhausting and challenging, yet unforgettable.

After returning to the US, I spent the last three months fluctuating between New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia, all places familiar to me connecting with friends and family as I prepare for a second year of travel to South America.  I am currently residing now in Cartagena, Colombia.  I plan to pace myself a bit in 2025 by sticking to just one continent.

Let us move to the rest of the world.

Most Global Impactful Events of the Year (Warning: most of it remains difficult to process)

Wars in Europe and Africa have dominated worldwide politics, impacting the lives of millions of people. The suffering and destruction continue to affect the economies of countries, migration patterns, the weariness of international military and economic support and the recent shift of the Middle East conflict with the sudden fall of Syria’s al-Assad regime.

Furthermore, many European nations are experiencing significant elections and policy shifts caused by these and many other conflicts, much like the US. None more dramatic and consequential than the 2024 election of Donald J. Trump and a majority Republican Congress (but not by much). Probably the most notable characteristics of this election are the huge amounts of corporate dollars invested in political campaigns, the influence that social media and podcasters played, the role of Elon Musk and the huge amount of disinformation generated mostly by the right (yup, by the right).

As expected, the US Supreme Court has continued to lose the trust and confidence of most Americans. There are no consequences for those judges who continuously violate protocol regarding conflicts of interest.  Furthermore, several of the worst antidemocratic conservative majority decisions were made in 2024. They are: former President Donald J. Trump is now  partly immune from prosecution on the charges he plotted to subvert the 2020 election. Second, the court narrowed the reach of federal criminal laws aimed at public corruption and white-collar crime and third, the reversal of a lower court ruling on an unconstitutional racial gerrymandering in South Carolina.

I guess I should comment on President Biden and Vice President Harris but frankly it is way too painful. Truth be told, everything has already been said, of which I agree with most of it. Let me not underrate the importance of having women run for the highest office. We just need to be more strategic. For instance, maybe we need a couple of female vice presidents for “women voters” to get the message.   Let me also spare both of us my not highlighting all the insanity created by Trump and Elon in 2024. Get ready for 2025.

Moving away from politics to other events… 2024 has been tracked as the hottest year on record, highlighting the escalating impact of global warming that has led to more frequent and severe natural disasters. No surprise that Congress managed to past next year’s budget with significant disaster recovery funds for states recovering from severe storms, floods and wildfires. Money for intervention and not prevention seems to be the easy way out.

Immigration remains a hot topic in 2024 for many reasons. For instance, US population growth experienced a significant increase with most of it being driven by international migration. In fact, states such as New York, California, Illinois and New Jersey have seen a reversal of population decline, mostly due to the influx of immigrants, not all are undocumented.  This is a very complicated economic issue for the US that does not get solved by mass deportation. The immigration crisis is a worldwide problem more severe than in the US.  For instance, both Europe and Asia each hosted around 87 and 86 million international migrants, comprising 61% of the global international migrant stock.

OK, What About Some Good News……

Let’s start with this year’s outstanding Olympic games in Paris followed by an estimated five billion people worldwide. Paris was indeed transformed. Kudos to the American swimming and gymnastics teams for all their well-earned medals. Special nod to Simone Biles who came back stronger, showing that prioritizing mental health does not limit you.  Also, a special nod to Yefei Zhang, Chinese swimmer for winning the most medals at the Paris Olympic which certainly helped China tie with the US for medals in 2024.

The Great North American Solar Eclipse of April 8th, 2024, crossed over a significant region of the US and Mexico.  One of the biggest travel events bringing solar travelers to communities that have never experienced any form of tourism.  A phenomenon that will not happen again for 21 years.  Solar travel has become big business worldwide.

 AI’s public image seems to be improving as more scientific discoveries in health care, science, robotics reveal its potential to address climate change, chronic diseases, and many of life’s mundane tasks. Yet there are reasons to be concerned as less regulations continue to be lobbied by tech companies seeking greater profit margins at the expense of us humans.

Social media has been more in the spotlight this year with TikTok taking the lead, possibly being banned or sold. Overall, social media continues to have an ugly side along with the desire for people to stay connected.  It amazes me how people are so willing to post everything they do on social media, much of it silly or in poor taste.  However, I do love those pet and baby videos.

 More good news…inflation remains low or stagnant in the US but not globally, although folks are not seeing it in their grocery bills and when dining out.   It will be interesting to see how this will change under the new administration’s  outlandish economic proposals.

 Best and Worst of Pop Culture…. moving on to something more entertaining

Pop culture is what keeps us curious and in a good mood when we are confronted daily with depressing news and bad humans. This year, there is not that much to highlight minus the usual petty nuisance.  Starting with the worst of pop culture, here are my picks:

 The Worst

   The arrest of Sean Diddy Combs with no bail options. It is likely to be one of most scandalous court cases with multiple lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and rape. All those “white parties” and who went to them may soon come under public scrutiny. Security needs to watch Diddy’s cell.

Blake Lively “Me Too” Hollywood harassment case takes us back to Harvey Weinstein whose rape conviction was overturned in April for retrial. More to come on both these cases in the new year.

 Probably the most damaging sexual assault and rape trial involving Dominique and Gisèle Pelicot took place in France.  A ten-week mass rape trial that shocked the world. The perversion of a husband, father, grandfather who allow over 50 men rape his wife while she was drugged and unconscious. The trial was open to the public due in part to Ms. Pelicot’s courage and bravery in waiving her anonymity. This case does shed some light on France’s rape laws that are both lax and vague. The question is whether this will lead to any change besides the imprisonment of her husband and his collaborators. This will make for an interesting movie.

Lastly, let me not forget Luigi Mangione, the social media folk hero that alleging assassinated the CEO of United Healthcare. A young privileged white guy angry at the health care profit-oriented delay and deny system of care. Understandably, one can see why he now has a growing fan club that most likely will get bigger when the trial begins. In a recent survey by NORC, University of Chicago, it was found that most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials share responsibility for the CEO’s demise. Can these proceedings open the opportunity to put on trial the health care insurance industry?   Let’s wait and see.

 The Best

Taylor Swift’s two year-21-countries concert tour earned over 2 billion dollars.   Besides being an accomplished global pop star, she is also an economic engine for so many communities. Upon completing the tour, she distributed 197 million dollars (mostly 6 figure bonuses) to her staff. What corporate CEO would do that today?  Hard not to admire her fearless determination to speak her mind while pathetic grown men like Donald Trump and Elon Musk verbally attack her on social media.  Taylor, take a break, you deserve it.

 The Sad News of Saying Good-bye

This year, there were many celebrities and notable politicians that left us in 2024, both young and old. The one death I believed was most impactful and heart wrenching was the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.  His death certainly squashed the hopes and aspiration of a younger generation of Russians who desire the end of a repressive government.  His courage and determination as both a leader and a politician are admirable. After several assassination attempts, Alexei returned to Russia, realizing that he could not do this work without being in Russia. As expected, he was imprisoned, isolated, and tortured to death as he continued to speak out. This type of leadership is lacking worldwide and is easily forgotten.  I can only hope that there are more men who aspire to be like him who can step up and pick up where he left off.  Rest in peace Alexei.

 Final Note

 I want to again channel Time’s Top 100 Photos of the Year by sharing Limited Limitless Living’s Top 70 Photos for 2024. The choosing of only 50 photos is quite hard for someone who loves photography. The photos are of everything I love about city life and people, capturing moments that reflect daily living worldwide.  My travels were plentiful and are mostly this year’s choices. Last photo is a pic of me for the fun of it.  Remember to click the center of the photo to see the full view. If interested in reading my 2023-year review and photos, click here.

As we enter year 2025, I honestly don’t know what to expect (besides chaos). I can only hope that there will be plenty of firewalls to prevent the worst. I plan to limit my news and do what I can for the benefit of humanity.   In 2025, I wish for peace and that we all find within ourselves what makes us happy. Happy New Year!!!

 

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