2015 was an unusual year. It saw the rise of nonestablishment politicians vying for the Republican nomination, and, as of this writing, businessman Donald Trump had a commanding lead. The Democrats appear to have settled on Hillary Clinton, despite her email server problems and the hangover from Benghazi. It was the year of radical Islamic terror. Charlie Hebdo, the Russian airliner, the Paris attacks and the attacks in San Bernardino showed us that while radical Islam has not yet been able to replicate an attack of the magnitude of 9/11, the movement can still be quite lethal, albeit on a smaller scale thus far. The U.S. economy continues to lumber along and, despite muted growth, the Fed decided to lift interest rates for the first time since the Great Recession.
Here are my some of my standouts in 2015.
Favorite Film - Far From the Madding Crowd. Ok, it was not a blockbuster, but I am a sucker for a good love story where the lovers come together after a long trail of adversity, and I am doubly a sucker for one that is a classic. This film version of the Thomas Hardy novel was well acted and Carey Mulligan was outstanding as Bathsheba Everdene. Close behind it was the Cold War thriller, Bridge of Spies with Tom Hanks. Ex Machina was a very interesting film that will be seen in retrospect as prescient--raising numerous issues about artificial intelligence.
In literature, among the novels I read were three that could serve as doorstops--Seveneves by Neal Stephenson (which would have been better and half its size), A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (too depressing, too long and too in-your-face with its gay themes) and Purity by Jonathan Franzen.
My favorite work of fiction--Purity. Like many modern novels, Purity needed to be better edited, but I liked the flawed, authentic characters. And I am always intrigued by novels that deal with the themes of secrets--of what we disclose to whom. Purity contained several passages that made you stop, put the book down, and ponder for awhile. As a runner up, I liked The Door by Hungarian writer Magda Szabdo. The Door explores the complex relationship between a woman and her enigmatic housekeeper.
My favorite work of nonfiction--Dead Wake by Erik Larson. Yes, I know it was overpromoted. And the WSJ Book Club annointed Erik Larson as its unofficial spokesperson, so I suffered a slight case of Erik Larson overexposure. But Dead Wake is to the Lusitania what A Night to Remember was to the Titanic. H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald was my runner up. To deal with the loss of her father, Macdonald turns to nature and falconry to process her grief.
Music was a little thinner this year than last. Adele again did well and came up with a blockbuster album. But my favorite album was by Australian Courtney Barnett, whose album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit really resonated with me. I loved the song Dead Fox and you can hear the unmistakable influence of Lou Reed in that song.
Biggest falls from grace-- Bill Cosby and Chipotle. Bill Cosby was the father figure of a generation and now faces sexual assault charges. Chipotle was a high flyer in the fast food industry--brought to its knees by multiple E. Coli outbreaks. Both will keep PR staffs busy for a long, long time.
Worst prediction ever-- Peak oil. Many predicted that we would run out of the stuff. We are now drowning in it. The price has collapsed and is now below $37 a barrel. We are now playing Petroleum Limbo---how low can it go?
Biggest falls from grace-- Bill Cosby and Chipotle. Bill Cosby was the father figure of a generation and now faces sexual assault charges. Chipotle was a high flyer in the fast food industry--brought to its knees by multiple E. Coli outbreaks. Both will keep PR staffs busy for a long, long time.
Worst prediction ever-- Peak oil. Many predicted that we would run out of the stuff. We are now drowning in it. The price has collapsed and is now below $37 a barrel. We are now playing Petroleum Limbo---how low can it go?
Most interesting development--- Activities that were heretofore the purview of government taken over by the private sector. While the DHS as policy did not check the social media postings of the San Bernardino terrorists, the hacker group Anonymous began to successfully hack into the accounts of ISIS members and "out" them.
Space flight is another area where the private sector has taken the lead. There is healthy competition between Jeff Bezos (Blue Origin) and Elon Musk (SpaceX). Apollo was the last government program to reach an announced a goal within the timetable that was established and it captured the imagination of the nation. Since then, NASA is a shell of its former self. Under the Obama administration, manned space flight has ceased and the agency has been converted into a climate change measuring agency and recognition of Islamic contributions to science has been incorporated into its charter. That slack has been taken up by the private sector and I expect to see more of it in the future as NASA continues to ossify.
Most intriguing developments-- Virtual reality, robotics, and artificial intelligence. These areas are making great leaps but also will create difficult dilemmas for humanity. Virtual reality will bring the news closer to home, and will make certain experiences more accessible. But what of their authenticity? Robotics presents complex questions---especially in love and in war. Drones now do some of our fighting. But what happens when we let drones make the decisions on when and whom to attack? Stephen Hawking believes that artificial intelligence could threaten mankind. The films The Terminator (1984) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) correctly envisioned the fear that technology might overrun humans. In the field of love, sexbots are being developed to attend to our carnal desires. Although they are a decade or more from being usable, there is already a debate raging on whether they should be banned. Some say women have had vibrators for years, so what's the big deal. Others believe they could have a detrimental effect on human relationships and society.
2016 will be an interesting year. The Democrats are putting all their chips on a candidate that remains under F.B.I. investigation and has more baggage than could be accommodated on any domestic airline flight. With the economy in stall mode and our foreign policy in collapse, the Republicans should have a layup. But their own dysfunctions have propelled a loose-lipped populist nonpolitician to the lead. And we are going to see the results of raising interest rates in a sub-3% growth economy with collapsing commodity prices.
Stay tuned. It will get interesting.
Most intriguing developments-- Virtual reality, robotics, and artificial intelligence. These areas are making great leaps but also will create difficult dilemmas for humanity. Virtual reality will bring the news closer to home, and will make certain experiences more accessible. But what of their authenticity? Robotics presents complex questions---especially in love and in war. Drones now do some of our fighting. But what happens when we let drones make the decisions on when and whom to attack? Stephen Hawking believes that artificial intelligence could threaten mankind. The films The Terminator (1984) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) correctly envisioned the fear that technology might overrun humans. In the field of love, sexbots are being developed to attend to our carnal desires. Although they are a decade or more from being usable, there is already a debate raging on whether they should be banned. Some say women have had vibrators for years, so what's the big deal. Others believe they could have a detrimental effect on human relationships and society.
2016 will be an interesting year. The Democrats are putting all their chips on a candidate that remains under F.B.I. investigation and has more baggage than could be accommodated on any domestic airline flight. With the economy in stall mode and our foreign policy in collapse, the Republicans should have a layup. But their own dysfunctions have propelled a loose-lipped populist nonpolitician to the lead. And we are going to see the results of raising interest rates in a sub-3% growth economy with collapsing commodity prices.
Stay tuned. It will get interesting.
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