Out with 2007 and In with 2008

Despite my hopes for the year 2007, this year was again marked with scandal and tragedy. We experienced the Virginia Tech massacre, the former Pakistani Prime Minister assassination, Iran's continued nuclear standoff, Mynamar's unrest, and China's many product recalls. There were wildfires in California and a bridge collapse in Minnesota. I mourn. I even mourn Anna Nicole Smith, a women who fought for her inheritance in the U.S. Supreme Court, only to die of drug overdose at the young age of 39.

With my daughter diagnosed with lead poisoning this year, the toy recalls from China hit home. The most positive memorable moment of 2007 was when Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) became the first female speaker of the House of Representatives as Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress. I repeat the same hopes for 2008 that I shared in 2007: peace and humanity, respect for the environment, and better understanding of the increasingly global nature of our world. One hope I'd like to add this year is to find Madeline McCann, the British girl who disappeared in Portugal on May 3rd.