2011 Year in Review

Highlights

• OIG inspection in India in February and March where I travelled to New Delhi and Consulates in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.

Doris joined me towards the end of the inspection and we participated in the Holi Festival and made side trips to Jaipur, Amber Fort; Rambaugh Palace, Rajistan and Neemrana, Fort Palace.  We celebrated our anniversary and my birthday while there.

 

For more photos see:  Doris and Bill Travel Adventures Blog- Agra and Jaipur Timeslide 2011 

• March 24 we attended the Charleston Jazz "Jazz Samba" featuring music of Stan Getz, Antonio Carlos Jobim among others with band leader Charlton Singleton and Sax players Robert Lewis, Mark Sterbank and Jon Phillips.

• On May 12, 2011 we took a Revolutionary Walking Tour of downtown Charleston with the Low Country Explorers. Tour included: 

         1. Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, one of the three most historic buildings of colonial  
              America, Faneuil Hall and Independence Hall being the other two.  

 

         2. City Hall, Council Chambers and see the portrait of George Washington and its story.

         3  St. Michael's Church, Pew #43, originally the royal governor's pew, is where both               Washington, and Lee, sat as they attended services.  

 

         4. Churchyards at St. Michael's and St. Phillip's contain graves of Revolutionary notables.  

 

• 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps in September.  March in D.C from Arlington Cemetery. Met old PCVs from Liberia, Chad and PC staff.

 

Alaska Cruise in July aboard the Oceania Regatta from Anchorage to Vancouver.  Salty Dog, Homer; Exit Glacier in Seward; College Fjords, Harvard Glacier; Mendenhall Glacier; Float down Tayla River; Inside Passage; Juno, Ketcikan, Kayak to Eagle Island. 

 

For more photos see:  Doris and Bill Travel Adventures Blog - Alaska Cruise

• OIG inspections of embassies in Nassau and Caracas in September and October.

• Brother Chris and his wife Debbie visited us in late November and  we took them on the Revolutionary war tour of downtown Charleston.

• Departed December 11 for six month TDY in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with U.S./Saudi government Ministry of Interior project with U.S. Embassy.

News of the Nation

The U.S. Avoids Default in 11th Hour • Occupy Wall Street • Campaign 2012 • Election 2011 • States Attemtp to Weaken Unions • Penn State Child Molestation Scandal • The 2010 Census Results • The Tenth Anniversary of 9/11 • Tornadoes Ravaged Parts of the Southeast U.S • New Evaluations Raise the Stakes for Teachers • Gabrielle Giffords Makes a Remarkable Recovery • A nation gets caught up in the trials of Casey Anthony and Conrad Murray and the homecoming of Amanda Knox

News of the World

Arab Spring Creates Tumult in the Middle East • European Nations Battered by Euro Debt Crisis • Osama bin Laden Killed in Pakistan • Iran Continues to Pursue Nuclear Program • U.S. Withdraws Completely from Iraq • Hope for Peace Fades for Israelis and Palestinians • Pakistan's Relationship with U.S. Steadily Deteriorates • Anti-Putin Protests Stun Kremlin • Earthquake in Japan Causes Wide Destruction and a Nuclear Disaster • World Population Reaches a New Milestone • Prince William and Kate Middleton Marry in a Lavish Ceremony • Kim Jong-il, the reclusive leader of North Korea, dies.

Movies:

 

"The King's Speech" won the Oscar for best picture at the 83rd Academy Awards.

 

Colin Firth won the lead actor award for "The King's Speech," and the lead actress Oscar went to Natalie Portman for "Black Swan." Melissa Leo, "The Fighter" and Christian Bale, "The Fighter" won for supporting actress and supporting actor.  

 

Super Bowl

Super Bowl XLV (45) The Packers defeated the Steelers by the score of 31–25. The game was played on February 6, 2011, at Cowboys Stadium, the first time the Super Bowl was played in the Dallas area. I was at the American Club at the Embassy in New Delhi.  The Packers entered their fifth Super Bowl in team history, and became the first #6-seeded team in the NFC to compete in the Super Bowl, after posting a 10–6 regular season record. The Steelers finished the regular season with a 12–4 record, and advanced to a league-tying 8th Super Bowl appearance. Green Bay dominated most of the first half of Super Bowl XLV, jumping to a 21–3 lead before Pittsburgh cut it down to 21-10 just before halftime. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was named Super Bowl MVP, completing 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns.

 

World Series

St. Louis Cardinals are the World Series champions for 2011.   The Cards won the first World Series Game 7 since 2002 and brought home the 11th World Series championship in franchise history. They are the fifth Wild Card team, and the first since 2004, to win the title. St. Louis triumphed behind six-plus impressive innings from ace Chris Carpenter, more big hits by MVP David Freese and Allen Craig, and a return to form by a bullpen that had sprung some leaks lately.

Recap of 2011 Grand Slam Tennis Tournament Winners

·         Australian Open Men's Singles. Winner – Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray

     Ladies Singles. Winner – Kim Clijsters defeated Li Na

·         French Open Men's Singles. Winner– Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer

    Ladies Singles. Winner– Li Na defeated Francesca Schiavone

·         Wimbledon Men's Singles. Winner – Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal

          Ladies Singles. Winner – Petra Kvitová defeated Maria Sharapova

·         US Open Men's Singles. Winner –  Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal

         Ladies Singles. Winner – Samantha Stosur defeated Serena Williams