2011's Ten Biggest, Most Memorable Events

What was the biggest event of 2011? The Japanese tsunami, the US or European debt crises, or the deaths of Osama bin Laden, Kim Jong-Il, Muammar Gaddafi, or even Steve Jobs? Or was it something else?

In a year where the world's population reached 7 billion (October 31), Gregorian Year MMXI has revealed no less hype, drama and tragedy than we're used to seeing. Perhaps in terms of enormity the following ten events can be considered (in reverse 'countdown' order of importance) the biggest, most memorable:

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NUMBER TEN - NASA's Space Shuttle Program Concluded

Atlantis' last, Flight STS-135, concluded the final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program when it lands back at the Kennedy Space Center on July 21. 135 missions were flown between 1981 and 2011. Besides its launching of space probes, satellites, and work with the International Space Station, the Program's most memorable legacy might, unfortunately, be the 1986 Challenger and 2003 Columbia disasters.

NUMBER NINE - Twin Terrorist Attacks in Norway

The world is shocked when it learns of the 76 people killed in simultaneous attacks in Oslo and the island of Utoya on July 22. What is designed by the terrorist to divide the country actually unites it-in its grief. It compels many democracies to reconsider their approach to justice for such situations.

NUMBER EIGHT - Steve Jobs' Death

Whilst the death of Steve Jobs (October 5) pales into insignificance when compared with other critical world events for the year, there is no question the impact such a death, and therefore his life, had over the world. Millions of tributes are written as the world laments the passing of a technological genius.

NUMBER SEVEN - Horn of Africa Famine

Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya are entrapped in a famine affecting the livelihoods of nearly 15 million people; the worst in 30-60 years. Various aid agencies work together in the troubled regions to assist as they can, and to promote the plight of these ultra-poor to the comparatively rich Western world. This crisis sickens several seasoned social justice commentators for the sheer size of the famine and resultant desolation and the comparative apathy of the world's response.

NUMBER SIX - Muammar Gaddafi Killed

Reports of the October 20 death of the Libyan dictator stream into lounge rooms. It is a win not only for the local people, but for democracy and hope for the wider region and more global world. Just two months earlier, during the Battle of Tripoli, Libyan rebels ousted Gadaffi's regime.

NUMBER FIVE - North Korean "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-Il Dies

On December 17, North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-Il dies of a heart attack aged 69. News breaks slowly over national television and filters into the international community within 48 hours as many brainwashed North Korean nationals enter into severe mourning. Soon the mooted successor emerges: Kim Jong-Il's youngest son Kim Jong-Un. This event causes widespread interest and concern for regional and global threats because of political instability. A one million strong genocide and a one million strong army are the legacies of Kim Jong-Il.

NUMBER FOUR - US Debt-Ceiling Crisis

In late July, the culmination of 30 years of growing debt, together with the consequences of the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, sees the United States days from bankruptcy; as a result President Barack Obama engineers the Budget Control Act, 2011, into legislature. The US government bond is downgraded for the first time in the nation's history.

NUMBER THREE - Osama bin Laden Killed

What is arguably the biggest event of 2011, for the sheer magnitude of one terrorist's destructive legacy, perhaps the biggest influence over worldwide affairs in the first decade of the 21st century, is finalised on May 1. Bin Laden's death brings an outpouring of emotion worldwide, significantly months before the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

NUMBER TWO - Impending Collapse of the Euro

The economies of Greece and Italy, among others, severely stretch the sustainability of the Euro. Momentous political and economic reforms are made as the Euro system teeters on the brink of collapse, which threatens to drag the world into a prolonged recession.

NUMBER ONE - Japan Earthquake and Subsequent Tsunami

The March 11, 14:46hrs (Japan Standard Time), 9.1 Magnitude Tohoku undersea megathrust quake, with an epicentre 70 km from dry land, at a relatively shallow underwater depth of 32 km, hits the mainland of Japan, via a tsunami, shortly after. The biggest secondary impact is on Sendai and the Fukushima nuclear power plant, initiating a protracted national nuclear emergency. At an estimated economic cost of US5 billion, the World Bank rates it the most expensive natural disaster on record. Almost 16,000 people die, almost 6,000 people are injured, and some 3,600 are listed still missing, from 18 prefectures. Significantly, this earthquake shifts earth minutely off its axis.

© 2011 S. J. Wickham.

2011's Ten Biggest, Most Memorable Events

Steve Wickham is a Registered Safety Practitioner (BSc, FSIA, RSP[Australia]) and a qualified, unordained Christian minister (GradDipBib&Min). His blogs are at: http://epitemnein-epitomic.blogspot.com/ and http://inspiringbetterlife.blogspot.com/

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Siberian Tigers - The Biggest Cat Species In The World

The Siberian Tiger is found in cold regions in Russia and China. To survive in the harsh climate, the tiger builds up fat reserves. Siberian Tigers are also much larger than the tiger variants found in warm habitats, since a large body will conserve heat more efficiently than a small body. During the cold winter, a Siberian Tiger will need up to 10 kilograms of meat a day to do well. It hunts primarily wild boar, deer and elk and can eat much more than 10 kilograms in one gulp if given the opportunity. Siberian Tigers have been noticed when they feast on 50 kilograms of meat or more. The staple food is wild boar, and the Siberian Tiger population is therefore dependent on a healthy wild boar population. Roughly 50 percent of the tigers' diet is typically made up by wild boar. Siberian Tigers can also catch smaller prey, such as lynx, rabbit, rodents and fish. The Siberian Tiger can also occasionally hunt bear.

The hunting style of the Siberian Tiger is based on surprise attacks. The Siberian Tiger is capable of running faster than 50 miles an hour, but can only keep up this speed during short and explosive attacks. The Siberian Tiger will therefore usually choose to hunt during the night, when it can use its supreme night vision to ambush prey. The Siberian Tiger is also equipped with superb hearing and a keen sense of smell that is helpful during the hunt.

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The Siberian Tiger lives in oak, birch and coniferous woodlands in Russian Siberia and northern China. The Chinese population is almost extinct, just like the Korean population, but the Russian population shows strong signs of recovery and has increased significantly during the last two decades. In 1997, there were approximately 350-400 Siberian Tigers living in Russia.

Siberian Tigers mate during December or January and the cub litter is born during early spring when the climate is less harsh and prey offspring are abundant. The Siberian Tiger is a solitary dweller and they will only form pairs during the short mating period. Two Siberian Tigers have been seen hunting together during the mating period, but this is quite extraordinary. They will usually prefer to hunt alone even during the mating period. The female tiger will care for the cubs alone and teach them how to hunt. The gestation period of the Siberian Tiger is 3-3.5 months.

The Siberian Tiger litter will usually comprise three or four cubs. The cubs are born toothless and with closed eyes. After 14 days, the eyes will begin to open. The cub will consume milk from the mother for roughly six months. Siberian Tigers learn how to hunt from their mother. After around a year, the cubs will have become somewhat independent and capable hunters, but they will still stay with their mother until they are 3-5 years old. The life of the young cubs is hard and it is unusual for more than one tiger from each litter to reach maturity.

Siberian Tigers - The Biggest Cat Species In The World

Read more info about the Siberian tiger and White Siberian tigers [http://www.siberiantiger.info/white.php]

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