January 2010
The Public Observer takes a look at news and events in 2010 and offers a photo roundup of New Year's images from The Associated Press.
ECONOMY
The global economy last year suffered its worst recession since the Great Depression and will remain an issue throughout 2010 as sluggish expansion takes hold. Economists at the International Monetary Fund predicted in their World Economic Outlook released in October that advanced economies will continue to experience rising unemployment rates until late in 2010. Clear signs of economic recovery likely won't appear until the end of the year on a fourth-quarter-over-fourth-quarter basis when real GDP is expected to rise by about 1 3/4 percent from 2009:Q4 to 2010:Q4, according to the IMF.
MIDTERM ELECTIONS
Voters will head to the polls on Nov. 2 in midterm elections that will serve as a referendum on President Barack Obama's administration. The hurting GOP hopes to gain some seats in Congress to offset the majorities enjoyed by the Democrats in both the House and Senate. The aforementioned economy likely will play a key role in the election, particularly if unemployment rates have not fallen. The looming election also will influence the Obama administration's playbook during the first half of the year, particularly over partisan issues such as energy legislation and comprehensive health care reform.
BIG-BANG MACHINE
The world's largest cosmotron will ramp up its energy level this year when the $10 billion Large Hadron Collider starts conducting experiments to examine suspected physics phenomena such as dark matter, antimatter and the condition of the universe shortly after the Big Bang billions of years ago. Major new scientific discoveries are expected after the atom smasher gets up to full speed in February.
MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION
Efforts to legalize marijuana will occur in California, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Washington state in 2010 as cash-strapped states look for a way to tax pot. Marijuana is illegal under federal law, but the Obama administration has loosened guidelines on federal prosecution. The Associated Press reported last week that about two dozen states, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Wisconsin, are considering pot-related bills that range from medical marijuana to decriminalizing possession of small amounts of pot.
PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST?
The foundations of a Palestinian state could be laid in the Middle East in 2010 if peace talks that broke off a year ago between the Palestinians and Israel can resume. Egyptian-sponsored talks to reconcile the militant Palestinian group Hamas with the rival Fatah movement showed some progress in recent months and their reconciliation would remove a major roadblock to the stalled peace process. U.S. envoy George Mitchell has been trying to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table for months and is expected in the region in the coming weeks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week presented Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak with ideas for resuming peace talks. Egypt, which was the first Arab country to make peace with Israel, has long been a mediator between the Jewish state and the rest of the Arab world.
NEW YEAR'S PHOTO ROUNDUP
Here's a look at some New Year celebration images provided by The Associated Press.
Swimmers brave the icy waters of the North Sea in Ostend, Belgium on Saturday. More than 6,000 swimmers took part in the annual New Year's wim in freezing temperatures. (AP Photo/Yves logghe)
In this image made from APTN, people wave red flags during a march through Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea on Saturday,. Tens of thousands of North Koreans rallied in the capital Saturday to support the communist government's policies for the new year, including improved relations with the U.S. and South Korea and a higher standard of living. (AP Photo/APTN)
In this photo taken Friday, Jan. 1, 2010, a giant dragon head is used in a performance to usher in the new year in Aojiang town of Pingyang county in Wenzhou in eastern China's Zhejiang province. The 78-meter-long dragon weighing as much as 3 tons was carried by more than 200 artists. (AP Photo)
A dipper plunges into Lake Ontario during the New Year's Day Courage Polar Bear Dip in Oakville Ontario on Friday Jan. 1, 2010.
Organizers estimate over 500 people took part in the dip which raises
funds for charity. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young)
A woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty marches in London's New Year's Day Parade, Friday, Jan. 1, 2010. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
People lift their hands to the sky at sunrise on New Year's Day in Cancun, Mexico, Friday, Jan. 1, 2010. (AP Photo/Israel Leal)
Jennifer Lopez performs on the Nivea Countdown Stage on Times Square in New York Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Italy's Marco Fois dives into the Tiber River from the 18 meter (59 feet) high Cavour Bridge in Rome, Friday, Jan. 1, 2010, to celebrate the New Year. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Fireworks from the Space Needle light up downtown Seattle, to welcome the new year Friday, Jan. 1, 2010. (AP Photo/The Seattle Times, Cliff DesPeaux)
In this photo provided by the Las Vegas News Bureau, fireworks burst over the Las Vegas Strip at midnight on New Year's Day Friday Jan. 1, 2010, as seen from Trump Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Las Vegas News Bureau, Darrin Bush)
Thousands of people watch fireworks over Copacabana beach during New Year celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, Jan. 1, 2010. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
Fireworks light the sky above the Quadriga at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin shortly after midnight, greeting the New Year Friday, Jan. 1, 2010. Hundred thousands of people celebrated the beginning of the New Year 2010 in Germany's capital. (AP Photo/Gero Breloer)
400 spotlights illuminate the Eiffel Tower during the New Year's Eve in Paris, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009. The Eiffel Tower, the 324 meters (1,063-feet) high tower, mark its 120th birthday in 2009. (AP Photo/ Michel Euler)
A blue moon rises above Dyche Hall at the University of Kansas Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009, in Lawrence, Kan. While not blue in color, the second full moon in a calendar month is called a Blue Moon. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
--Paul Chavez, Clear365 News Editor
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