Shout-out notables and disappointments in 2023:Cronin and Loevy
Many people and events marked this year just ending. The American economy was surprisingly strong with record employment and stock market achievements. But events in Ukraine and the Middle East have been major disappointments.
Here’s what caught our attention.
Entertainment and sports
Taylor Swift: This American 34-year-old singer-songwriter has become, an international pop icon. She is a shrewd, independent businessperson with her own production company. Her Eras tour jam packed stadiums and broke records and the Ticketmaster website. It and her remarkable performances over the past few years have helped make her a billionaire.
“Barbie:” Hollywood’s lighthearted and goofy film charmed millions of summer moviegoers.
Shohei Ohtani: This Japanese baseball pitcher and designated hitter for the Los Angeles Angels just signed a 10-year $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is one of today’s greatest and most enjoyable-to-watch baseball professionals. He has earned the nickname of “Showtime.”
Simone Biles: She is the most decorated and the best gymnast in the world. She took a break to deal with stress and came back this year and led her U.S. team to major victories, earning even more gold medals.
Nikola Jokic: This Denver Nuggets basketball superstar from Serbia has won two league MVP honors and led his team to an NBA championship title last June. Wins praise as the best all-around NBA player.
Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz: the two biggest young stars in professional tennis. Coco is a 19-year-old American who won last summer’s women’s U.S. Open. And she has been ranked No. 1 in women’s doubles. Carlos, a 20-year-old Spaniard, won the 2022 men’s U.S. Open (the youngest player ever to win that tournament) and the 2023 men’s Wimbledon title. He was ranked No. 1 in men’s professional tennis for a period this year. Both are fearless newcomers.
Lionel Messi: One of international soccer’s charismatic superstars, he joined the Inter Miami team in 2023 and did so in a spectacular way to help transform American soccer. He was named Time magazine’s athlete of the year.
Business
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell: Much criticized for a slow early response to rising inflation, Powell and the Federal Reserve are now credited for helping to guide the American economy in a healthy direction.
Jensen Huang and Nvidia: Korean-American Huang is the cofounder of the chip maker Nvidia. Nvidia makes more of the chips used to power artificial intelligence systems than any other company. Formed in 1993 in Sunnyvale, Calif., its stock value increased by nearly 240% in 2023 and earned it membership in stock market journalism’s “Magnificent Seven” mega tech club.
Generative AI: Artificial intelligence projects have been around for decades. But Open AI’s ChatGPT was launched in late 2022 and enjoyed a “breakout year” in 2023 as an accelerator of digital engines for gathering and organizing data and information. It has generated excitement, debates and litigation disputes. Yet the AI revolution has apparently just begun.
TikTok: A worldwide video hosting app featuring creative short videos on dance, music, fashion, food and everything else. Founded in 2016 by ByteDance, a Chinese firm now estimated to be worth $300 billion. The state of Montana tried this year to prohibit people watching it in that state. Some politicians are calling for a ban, or at least strict regulation, because they fear its data is shared with the Chinese government and for fear of disinformation campaigns in the United States.
Elon Musk: He continues to be one of the most entrepreneurial, richest, and notable controversy generators in the world. Tesla (electric automobiles) and SpaceX (space exploration) and X are three of his best-known companies.
Politics
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson: This little-known representative from Louisiana won a surprising vote in the Republican Conference to replace Kevin McCarthy of California. Johnson has a very narrow majority in the U.S. House and leads a Republican Party that is sharply divided on several important issues.
Nikki Haley: She has emerged as a surprise challenger to former President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination for president. She is a former two-term governor of South Carolina and served as Trump’s first ambassador to the United Nations. Though a conservative, she has appealed to more traditional fiscal and moderate Republicans, but Trump still has a commanding lead in the race for the GOP 2024 nomination.
Mike Johnston: A former Colorado state senator and a foundation president, Johnston emerged from a large field to become mayor of Denver. He faces major challenges in reviving downtown Denver following COVID and in dealing with homelessness problems.
Yemi Mobolade: A small-business owner and former Chamber of Commerce official, Mobolade ran an impressive grassroots campaign for mayor of Colorado Springs. The election was nonpartisan, but Mobolade defeated two prominent Republicans to become the first non-Republican mayor in recent Colorado Springs history. Mobolade was born in Nigeria and came to the U.S. as a college student.
Jeni Arndt: A Colorado College graduate, she won reelection with a remarkable 92% of the vote to earn a second term as mayor of Fort Collins. She previously was a popular state representative.
Mike Coffman: This former Republican congressman won reelection to a second term as mayor of Aurora, the third most populous city in the state. He was reelected with 54.5% of the vote.
Ken Buck: He announced he will retire from the U.S. House at the end of 2024. He has represented the 4th Congressional District of Colorado, which includes most of northeastern and eastern Colorado. He previously served as chair of the Colorado Republican Party and had earlier been a prosecutor. Several Republicans, including Rep. Lauren Boebert (currently an embattled incumbent for Colorado’s 3rd District) are vying to replace Buck.
Disappointments — 2023
The Hamas attacks on Israel and the ensuing Gaza war.
The frustrating Ukraine War against Russian invasion led by Vladimir Putin.
Hate speech and political divisiveness in the United States.
The fentanyl crisis and resulting drug overdose deaths.
The Southern border crisis with huge numbers of immigrants seeking asylum or entry to the United States.
The mismanagement and inadequate regulation of Silicon Valley Bank.
Conspiracy theorists such as Robert F Kennedy Jr., and Vivek Ramaswamy, candidate for the Republican nomination for president.
U.S. Rep. George Santos of New York, who was ousted from Congress for misrepresenting his resume, among other things.
U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, for his many criminal indictments.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who lost a libel defamation suit over stolen votes in the 2020 presidential election campaign.
Cryptocurrency operative Sam Bankman-Fried, convicted of fraud and money manipulation.
Fraudster entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes, convicted of misrepresenting Theranos’ assets and products — sent to prison this year to serve 11-year sentence.
“X” for its confusing policies and financial strategies.
The rising federal debt and the growing size of the interest payments on the debt
Best wishes for a healthy, prosperous and wonderful 2024.
Taylor Swift performs during the first of two shows at Empower Field at Mile High for The Eras Tour on Friday, July 14, 2023, in Denver, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/Denver Gazette)
Simone Biles shows her gold medal after the women’s all-round final at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, in October. Biles was named the AP Female Athlete of the Year for a third time.
U.S. Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., leaves the Capitol after being expelled from the House of Representatives on Dec. 1.