Oh, what a year

Twenty-ten has been a whirlwind year of politics, scandal, celebrity drama and bad pop music. From Justin Bieber to Lindsay Lohan, the earthquake in Haiti to the oil spill, this year has been full of entertainment, triumph and tragedy. Let's take a look back on the events that shaped this exciting year as we look ahead to 2011.

Unfortunately, this year was marked by tragedy worldwide. A disastrous earthquake hit Haiti, and the world-wide media's attention was focused on the hundreds of thousands of victims for months. The ongoing tragedy, however, was overshadowed in the media when the BP oil spill wreaked havoc on the Gulf, damaging both its wildlife population and the livelihoods of those who depended on it.

We witnessed even more destruction with the flooding in Pakistan that left millions in refugee camps; however, little media attention was paid to this natural disaster. Aid is still desperately needed for the Pakistani citizens without homes and farms, but the lack of attention has made it harder for Americans to acquire information and take action. Perhaps after witnessing all of these events, one resolution we can make is to become more aware of global issues in this increasingly connected world.

Despite the tragedies, all countries were still full of spirit with the Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the World Cup in South Africa. Without a doubt, this year was a momentous one in the sports world. The U.S. led the world in total medals at the Olympics, but Canada beat us out for the most gold medals. Why does Canada have to be better than us at everything? I guess it's the syrup. Spain won the World Cup, and the U.S. did slightly better than in the past, but until we start calling soccer "football" I doubt we're going to win.

In this election year, a lot was on the table for President Obama's administration. Obama had a tough time getting laws to pass and the American public seemed to lose faith, which showed when the midterm November elections took a huge toll on the Democratic Party. Still, the administration succeeded in making historical advances, from health care reform to the repeal of "don't ask don't tell."

In entertainment news, young celebrities dominated the media throughout the year. Lindsay Lohan repeatedly failed to show up to court, failed drug tests and went to rehab more than once. Miley Cyrus recently caused a stir when video leaked of her doing drugs, and Demi Lovato checked into rehab for physical and emotional issues. And of course, Justin Bieber - for who knows what reason - took the world by storm. Some people find him adorable, while others (such as myself) just find him annoying and will never understand this phenomenon. Whatever one's opinion, however, Bieber's reign was a defining part of this past year.

The fact that all of these entertainment, political, environmental and athletic events happened in one year seems kind of crazy. With 2011 around the corner, let us hope that this year is full of more fun and excitement as opposed to sadness and tragedy. And, please, let us all hope that Bieber fever dies down. Even just a little bit.