Wednesday, December 28, 2011

My Top 10 Lists of 2011 (as of 12/28/11)





- Blog #50: Notice anything different about this list? There's no warning on top of the picture that this list isn't in any particular order. That's because this list is going to be order. I'm counting down my best blogs of 2011. Starting from 10, this list will begin from the blogs with the least amount of views to the highest amount of views. 2011 has been a great year for the "Steven Chung's Top 10" site. I have the readers to thank for this site's popularity and I will promise to keep writing! This is now my 50th list. I had been planning on making a roundup of my most popular lists by the end of the year. These are the top 10 lists that have the most views as of this date in 2011. If I plan on continuing these lists, these yearly countdowns will become a daily habitual thing I do. This is going to be the final list of 2011! I present to the millions of internet viewers and blog-lovers...the final "Top 10" list of the year! Starting with...


10. My Top "Future Inventions" that are Bound for Failure/Misconceptions - (560 views)

     
9. My Top 10 Best Halloween Candies - (630 views)


8. My Top 10 Things I Will Miss About High School - (778 views)




7. My Top 10 Nintendo 64 Games - (820 views)


6. My Top 10 Reasons Why Michael Bay Should NOT Make Another Transformers Movie - (922 views)




5. My Top 10 Dog Breeds - (1020 views)


4. My Top 10 Funny Family Guy Moments - (1394 views)


3. My Top 10 Best Pokémon Ever - (6295 views)

2. My Top 10 Favorite Mythological Creatures - (8732 views)


1. My Top 10 Cutest Cat Pictures - (9340 views)



- Yes...the cat blog won. Anyways, that's it! I hope everyone enjoys the New Years celebrations and ready to start off right in 2012! Keep on reading and we'll see you soon!

- Done...Have a Happy New Year!


Saturday, December 10, 2011

My Top 10 News Highlights of 2011

This list is in no particular order and was NOT stolen from another individual. Copyright Infringement will not be tolerated and all property goes to Steven Chung....AH SCREW IT! I don't care...do what you want. :)




Blog #49"I'm baaaaaack!" Unfortunately, I will probably not be back for long. College has definitely been more of a priority and I want to stay on top of things. I still wish to write more lists, but plans don't always work out. Anyways, on to the topic of this particular list. In October, I informed my readers that I would be making two more lists for this year. What better than to end the year with some highlights of the most talked about stories in 2011? Let's be honest...2011 may have been the most exciting, controversial, and memorable years ever when it came to discussing 21st century news. There were a wide variety of news stories being displayed by the day. Since there were so many to choose from, some of the stories you could be thinking about might not have made the cut for my list. Sorry! So, let's congeal the year and remember some of the most outrageous moments of 2011. Here we go...


1. Boston Bruins Win the Stanley Cup! - Ok, so probably not everyone will be happy with this choice. This list just begged to start off on a much needed high note. It begged for it! I may not be much of a sports buff, but I do know that it's been quite a long time since Bruins had last won some sort of major championship game. Try...39 years? 'Tis quite ironic that the final opposition of the Bruins, who also were competing for the Stanley Cup gold, were the Canadian Canucks. We beat Canada...damn right! Boston sports was granted yet another historic moment, which meant this team became the first in Bruins history to play a game 7 in the Stanley Cup Finals. This game was so highly anticipated that even I decided to watch it, just to see who would win. If I told you that I had 100% confidence in the Bruins winning, I'd be lying. Turns out that I was wrong. Game 7 - Final Score: Bruins-4 Canucks-0. Talk about your Pomp and Circumstance! What a celebration! This news hit so hard that Canadian hockey fans went absolutely apeshit, after their team had just lost to Boston. It was certainly a sight to see. Since then, the Bruins have seemingly been on a roll with their winning averages. 39 years...no fan will ever forget this game, this team, or this new-found legacy that became the Boston Bruins.




2. Casey Anthony Trial - I suppose if we're going to be talking about things that are crazy, look no further than the most talked about case of the year. Yup...even more so than Whitey Bulger (who did not make my list, because he and his wife are still on trial). Why the American public chose to focus their attention on this woman's trial, rather than address the larger number of more heinous crimes in the world, I really don't know. To sum up what this case entailed, we have to step back a few years. In 2008, the corpse of 2-year old Caylee Anthony was found nearly a quarter miles away from her home in Orlando. Caylee was reported to be missing by her grandmother, whom Caylee had lived with, along with Caylee's grandfather and former mother, Casey Anthony. Casey soon became the main suspect and was accused on the count of first-degree murder, as well as child abuse and various other charges. If this portion of my list only talked about the case itself, then this entrant probably wouldn't have been here. Because besides the verdict, nothing else seemed to matter. So, guess what happened? The unthinkable. As much evidence as there was to deliberate the case down to a tee and declare the "Guilty" verdict, the jury had found the defendant to be innocent. The public...was...pissed! Facebook statuses galore! News of Casey Anthony's sentence were being aired 24/7! Where was she going to go? Would she be protected by federal authorities? Could someone be plotting a plan to kill Casey? For one reason or another, the public focused on this case a lot. The only thing Casey was convicted for was lying to the police and being a terrible mother...doesn't that say enough!? People want to know what was on this jury's mind! What were they thinking!? Apparently, prosecutors did a horrible job presenting a case to defend a "Guilty" verdict. Where is Casey Anthony now? Nobody really knows. I don't think anyone really cares. Let's be blessed that we may never see her again. (R.I.P. Caylee Anthony) 




3. Royal Wedding of the Century - What a spectacle this was! On April 29, 2011, Prince William of England married Catherine Middleton and everyone under the sun was cordially invited to this extraordinary occasion. I say this was "extraordinary" because the last royal ceremony of this much importance was held about 30 years ago; this was when Lady Diana married Prince Charles. On this beautiful sunny day, over a million people scurried over to the streets of London in order to greet the bride-and-groom to be. Now, I'm sure I'm not going to be the first to tell you that I was unable to watch the entire wedding, let alone see the very beginning of it. I can't even recall what time the wedding was aired in the United States (4 am-ish?), but it was very early and it was a school day. So, it's not like any student was really going to be able to watch this without facing the consequences. But, man...almost every news station was basically covering this wedding, as if it were a play-by-play of the Super Bowl. The news covered every detail: Kate's dress, the venue, the attendance, the invitations, the ceremony, and all of that jolly-good stuff! Unlike the Kardashian wedding (which isn't on this list either, by the way), this was truly a dream come true for both the prince and the princess. This wedding will be one for the books!


      

4. Tragedy in Japan - We're now getting into the more serious accounts. During this year alone, Japan was hit by not just one, but two major environmental disasters in a short span of time. An extremely powerful earthquake shook the ground and came in with an astonishing magnitude of 9.0. It was the largest earthquake to ever hit the country of Japan. What came next? As a result from the earthquake's shockwaves that earlier struck a blow, an enormous 16-foot tsunami tore apart nearby cities and towns. The aftermath of it all was absolutely devastating. Nearly 16,000 people were found dead, along with another 5000 more victims who all went missing within the fires and the waves. This two-for-one weather decimation left the country in a very large mess. To this day, Japan still picks up the pieces of what was left behind from the cataclysm aroused by the freak forces of nature. Unfortunately, the trouble in Japan did not end there. Things went and took a turn from bad to worse. The recovery from the earthquake's destruction was not only delayed by the aftershocks and tsunamis, but soon began a threat of a nuclear meltdown possibility. Countries nearby, including the United States, were on the lookout for signs of tsunami remains and radiation outbursts. Japan was in total chaos. Many nuclear facilities were evacuated and filled with deadly toxins in the air. This was just a horrible thing to ever happen to a country. I really hope that everyone who is reading this article will keep all of the victims of this Japanese catastrophe in their thoughts and prayers. Even today, there are many groups of people in the U.S. who want to give Japan the support to rebuild what was once a sea of thriving cities and towns. We can only hope that Japan will live on.


       


5. Osama bin Laden: Killed by America - This was huge! I'm still in shock that we found him. I'm still surprised that this story faded away as fast as it came in. Many Americans in the East Coast were probably asleep during this big announcement, BUT I SURE WASN'T! May 1, 2011, Obama announced that this would be the death-day of one of America's most-wanted terrorists. The leader of Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, was announced to have been killed by a small team of American NAVY seals. The operation was commanded by none other than the United States President himself, Barack Obama. Sure, there are political arguments that state that the "Bush Administration" was responsible for the plans on impacting the War on Terror with the death of Osama, but it was ultimately Obama who made the call to send the NAVY. These NAVY seals had invaded a Pakistani apartment complex, where Osama was hiding all this time, and shot him twice in the head. This is according to what had been said by the mass-media, President Obama, and the large number of Facebook-user status updates. I'm not even kidding. Everyone went freaking Facebook-nuts about Osama's death! I went freaking Facebook-nuts about Osama's death! This whole scenario proved that America can stand up to defeat the threats of terrorism! Arguably, this call from Obama to send in the NAVY seals had sealed his fate as a second-term president (in my opinion). Of course, this does not mean the end of Al-Qaeda by a long shot. Nonetheless, the celebration was heard all around the world. The US had not only done something right with their policy on war, but justice was served for all those who had lost their loved ones after the dreaded 9/11 attacks. You know what still bothers me about this Osama bit? The American public was never shown a picture of Osama's corpse, yet we're treated to some footage of a bloody Muammar Gaddafi and his eventual death scene. I still don't understand the logic there, but what could possibly be done about this? Osama is gone and the War on Terror continues...(but...I believe we're winning)


      


6. The Recovery Process of Gabrielle Giffords - Just watch this...she is amazing. 




7. Resignation of Anthony Weiner - I believe the picture says it all. This story is so despicable that I'm going to end this one right here and say that: "If you wanna know about this, look it up for yourself!" So many jokes about this man have been made. Seriously, it's not even funny...good riddance. 





8. The Republican Slug-Fe...(ahem)...Race - Boy...where do I start with this one? I suppose I can start with my "outlandish" opinion about how this presidential race is going to end up. None of these Republican candidates are going to win, nor do they even have the chance of winning, and Obama will become a second term president for reasons already stated and more. In fact, this picture below can basically sum up the accomplishments that Obama has made throughout his presidential run in office:


    

So, yeah. Please don't make any political arguments. Not on here, please? While I am all for Obama winning to become a second term president, I am not exactly in full agreement with what's written in the picture. True, Obama did play a role in stopping what could have been an economic disaster, but the economy is still a mess. You have to give the man credit for taking on a challenge that was put in front of him. He did say that tackling "change" would take time in his campaign. What the hell do people expect? Problems like this can't be solved in an instant. Also, while I agree that we "toppled" Gaddafi, I believe that that was mostly the work of the Libyan people. Nevertheless, I'd say Obama has done a very good job as president...what? I'm supposed to be talking about the Republican race? PSHT! Oh, please! Does anyone seriously believe that any of these candidates can win!? Something drastic would have to happen to the Obama Administration in order for there to be any tilt in the balance of this race. Let's go over the names, shall we? I don't want this to go into a whole big political analysis, because I'm not really THAT much into politics, but here are my personal takes on each Republican candidate:


  • Mitt Romney: "What happened? I thought you were going be the final man against Obama. That choice should have been hands down. That's something that a lot of political reporters seemed to say about you. Last I checked, you're way behind some of the other candidates in recent polls. You're not looking too hot at the moment, Mitt. He better start getting serious, if he really wants to win."

  • Newt Gingrich: "You're in the lead now? Really...? Since when did you get so popular? Don't expect this man to win, even if he's in the finals against Obama." 

  • Rick Perry: "Do I really need to say anything? Perry, I'm sure you are a nice man. I really think you should give up. You've made a joke out of yourself. Someone like me can't take you seriously, especially if you're planning on running the country. I don't care if your policies are better than the other candidates. You don't present yourself well and you can't even make a simple speech sound coherent. I once labeled you as the "George Bush 2.0" of this race. I take it back. You're in your own league...the little league."

  • Michele Bachmann: "Not much better than Perry, but I believe she's miles better than Sarah Palin. I'm afraid that doesn't really say much. At least Bachmann doesn't create ridiculous Alaskan hunting shows, when she's trying to run for office. Even with all that said, she won't win...trust me." 

  • Ron Paul: "For some reason, Ron Paul is the only candidate I can take seriously against Obama. But, it makes me wonder something. Apparently, this man has tried to run for presidency many times before. I have two questions on this..." :
        1) Are we not seeing something in Ron Paul? OR 2) Is he a desperate man? 

  • Rick Santorum & Jon Huntsman: "I'm sorry...who?"

  • Herman Cain: "Ohhhh...right! He's not in the race anymore...awkward..."


This is going to be a slow race...I can feel it...




9. Steve Jobs Passes Away - I made that last entry a bit on long side. These last two entries are going to be shorter, but sweeter. October 5, 2011. One of the largest companies in the world loses an incredible and innovative inspiration. The man who made Apple what it is today. The co-founder, chairman, and CEO of the Apple company. Steve Jobs. This was a tragic loss for all of those who looked up to him. Six weeks after resigning from his position as CEO of the Apple company, Jobs passed away at age 56. Jobs had spent years of fighting against pancreatic cancer, only to end in a tragic fashion. Apple was always a company that had its ups and downs when it came to product development. Apple is a prime example of a company that still manages to produce a lot of money, despite the amount of criticism they recieve. We'll buy anything that has "Apple" in it. Will Apple ever be the same without Steve Jobs? Probably not. Does that mean Apple will go downhill. Absolutely not. Times change and Steve Jobs left behind a legacy that is known as Apple. It will only continue to rise, thanks to the people that he raised. (R.I.P. Steven Paul Jobs)



10. Occupy Wall Street/Boston/Whatever - I was originally not going to include the Occupy movement on my list, simply because I had a firm belief that it was going to be a failure right from the very beginning. However, the only reason I changed my mind is because I am actually starting to admire the gaul of these people. They will do whatever it takes to get what they want for the 99%. They'll abuse the 1st Amendment, they'll fight the law, they'll sleep in what looks like a hobo encampment, and those college students who are fighting will skip classes (which they're paying for, mind you) to go to this protest...bullshit. There was no redeeming quality about this movement. The "real-world" people are even beginning to disapprove of this whole protest. You can't convince me otherwise! Uttering the same nonsense over and over again has not been working for this campaign, folks. You have no spokesperson, there's no organization (YES! I KNOW THAT'S A GENERAL STATEMENT! COPE! YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE!), the weather would have forced people to leave anyway, and...let's face it. The people shown protesting don't seem like very good representatives for the cause they're fighting for. From Wikipedia: "The protesters want, in part, more and better jobs, more equal distribution of income, bank reform, and a reduction of the influence of corporations on politics." Umm...so what? We all want that...or do we? Let's see if I can equate these demands. Representing the Occupy Movement, we want:

  • More jobs = Jobs for you. You, who could working right now, are protesting.
  • Communism.
  • Government to make it hard for people to get approved for a car/home loan.
  • The end of corporate support for a political candidate you might want to win.

As flawed as my theory is, something doesn't seem right here...I wonder what that is...

I'm going to go ahead and make the call for this movement. It will soon be over. But, I am certain that this is not going to be the last time we hear from these people. I say: "Regroup, find a unified goal, rename your group, and for God's sake...get someone to lead your charade!" That is all I have to say...



- (Phew...) God, this took a lot out of me. Before I end with my usual one-liner, I want to announce that my next blog will be my 50th blog and it will be my final blog of 2011! Will I continue to write afterwards? Only time will tell. I'm surprised I was even able to do all of this. Soooo...stay tuned!

- Done. (Choose your destiny...)