Memorable moment of 2013
The Dream Still Lives On - This year marked the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where Dr Martin Luther King Jr delivered his historic ‘I Have a Dream’ speech standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. An estimated 200,000 to 300,000 people of all different races participated and approximately 75-80% of the marchers were black. The march is largely credited with helping pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and helped motivate the Selma to Montgomery marches which led to the Voting Rights Act being passed in 1965. This year, celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and Jamie Foxx along with President Barack Obama gave speeches urging us all to recognize how far we’ve come, but also encouraged us to continue to keep Dr King’s dream alive as we still have so far to go.
Music – The most talked about moment in music would most definitely be the latest album dropped by Beyonce'. Simply titled, Beyonce’, it is the latest offering this powerhouse performer and most provocative might I add. Mrs. Carter dropped a full length studio album which includes a full length video of each song exclusively released on iTunes on December 13th. It was a bold move and has never been done before. Record sales were through the roof making it the fastest selling album ever worldwide in iTunes store history. Leave it to Mrs. Carter to provide us shock and awe. The album does not disappoint.
End of an Era – After suffering a prolonged illness, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela departed this life on December 5, 2013 at his home in Johannesburg, surrounded by his family. Often described as ‘the father of the nation’, Mandela was a politician, philanthropist, activist, lawyer, African nationalist, democratic socialist and most known for being an anti-apartheid revolutionary. He was a controversial figure for much of his life and was repeatedly arrested for rebellious activities. In 1962, he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison on charges of conspiracy to overthrow the state after leading a sabotage campaign against the apartheid government the previous year. Mandela served over 27 years in prison and was released in 1990 during a time of escalating civil strife. He soon joined negotiations to abolish apartheid and establish multiracial elections in 1994 which led to him victory in becoming the first black president of South Africa that same year. His administration worked to expand healthcare, encourage land reform and his charitable work focused on combating poverty and HIV/AIDS. Although he is gone, his life’s work will undoubtedly live on through the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
Politics – On October 1, 2013, the US government entered into a shutdown after Congress failed to enact legislation appropriating funds for fiscal year 2014 as it relates to Obamacare by the September 30 deadline. Approximately 800,000 federal employees were placed on indefinite furlough & another 1.3 million were required to report to without knowing if or when they would get paid. Only those government services deemed ‘expected’ under the Antideficiency Act were continued and only those employees deemed ‘expected’ were to report to work. The 16-day-long shutdown was the third-longest in US history, after the 18-days shutdown in 1978 and the 21-day 1995-1996 shutdown. The Continuing Appropriations Act of 2014 was eventually passed on October 16th and the President signed it shortly after midnight on October 17th putting an end to the shutdown.
Electronics – Apple does it again with the newest additions to their technology family. The iPhone 5 with new features including fingerprint recognition to unlock the device has become one of the most sought after mobile phones. The MacAir laptop boasts an all day battery life, Intel Core processors, faster all flash storage and the new OS X Mavericks, the world’s most advanced desktop operating system. It’s everything you need to run your office at your fingertips. The new iPad Air has lighter and sleeker build, faster processor and Bluetooth 4.0 technology & 1080p HD video recording. The iPod Touch has a 4-inch multi-touch Retina display, offers iOS 7, internet, apps and games as well as iMessage and Siri. iPod touch now comes with a color matching loop which is a great way to keep it safe without worrying about dropping it.
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rEDD'S 5 Memorable moments OF 2013
Reminescing with Nikko Murphy
Looking back with Nikko Murpny