The Most Notable Events of 2023

Many people were glad to see 2023 end. Nobody knows if 2024 will be better. But we can always hope.

Let’s do a quick review of last year, recalling the highlights. Or, should I say, lowlights? If nothing else, perhaps we can learn from some of them.

The decline of worldwide freedom

The stated global goal of U.S. policy back in the day was making the world safe for democracy. A great idea. But decades later, things seem to be going in the wrong direction.

Entering 2023, the non-profit organization Freedom House made an announcement. Freedom and democracy had declined in 2022 for the 17th consecutive year. Now make it 18.

Military governments have ousted democratically-elected governments in African nations, Central America, and Thailand.

Even the democracies in some countries have used laws and intimidation to silence critics. The legal “freedom” to disagree is worthless if people are afraid to exercise it.

Artificial Intelligence Scares

Geoffrey Hinton was one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence. Elon Musk is the world’s wealthiest person and chief technology officer of SpaceX. Steve Wozniak is a co-founder of Apple.

All three possess a huge knowledge base of artificial intelligence (AI). But they also have something else in common. They are all warning about the dangers of AI.

Hinton quit his job at Google to warn the world about AI. Musk and Wozniak signed an open letter discussing AI’s “profound risk to society and humanity.” 

AI offers incredible promise. Especially in the fields of robotics and healthcare. But the concern is that it’s growing faster than can be controlled. Dangers associated with it range from mass unemployment to the extinction of humanity.

Hamas Attacks Israel 

In one of the most blatant and savage attacks in memory, the terrorist group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. They killed some 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 200.

A week before the attack, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said this. “The Middle East region is quieter today than it has been in two decades now.” Saudi Arabia was about to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. And there was a ceasefire in Yemen’s civil war. 

Following the deadliest day in Israel’s history, Israel launched airstrikes against Gaza and invaded the northern portion. A temporary ceasefire resulted in the freeing of about 100 hostages. But fighting then resumed. It caused a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Many are still wondering if the war will result in a wider Middle East conflict. In part, it already has. Rockets have landed in Israel from Lebanon and Syria. Israel has responded to those attacks as well. But their main goal in Gaza is to eradicate Hamas.

Weather Records Shattered

It’s no secret that extreme weather has increased in the U.S. and around the world in recent years. There are more extreme weather events than ever before. And they are more severe than ever.

The year 2023 was the hottest year around the world since they began keeping such records. Some scientists say it was the hottest year in 125,000 years.

The excessive heat results in additional snow meltage, which causes flooding. Plus drought, which negatively affects the food supply and increases wildfires.

It also leads to the spreading of disease. Not to mention more strain on electrical grids. Scientists are working on ways to absorb carbon dioxide. But it’s unlikely anything effective will be developed in the near future.

Other Events

Here are some other events from 2023:

  • February 3: A Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, resulting in water contaminations and evacuations.
  • February 4: The U.S. shot down a Chinese spy balloon that had drifted across the country. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken then canceled a diplomatic trip to Beijing. 
  • March 12: Federal intervention was required after several regional banks failed. Including Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.
  • March 30: Donald Trump became the first former U.S. president to be indicted for a crime. 
  • June 18: The Titan submersible suffered a catastrophic explosion en route to the Titanic shipwreck. It killed all five aboard.
  • July 25: Interest rates soared to their highest level in 22 years in America.
  • August 8: A massive wildfire on Maui killed 99 people and nearly destroyed the town of Lahaina.
  • October 25: A gunman went on a shooting spree in Lewiston, Maine. He killed 19 people and wounded 13.

As Always – Preparedness Is the Key 

Every year will have its ups and downs. It’s inevitable. And every year will feature a new set of problems.

What’s important is to look at what is similar year after year. The single most obvious similarity is emergencies. We will always have them. Some will be weather-related, others will be economic.

Some will result from overseas wars or domestic terrorism. Or supply chain issues or infrastructure deterioration.

We couldn’t control things that went wrong in 2023. And we won’t be able to control things that will go wrong in 2024. The only thing we can control is how prepared we are to deal with the emergencies, crises, and disasters that are right around the corner. 

Preparedness is the key. It means peace of mind now and safety and comfort later. It’s well worth the effort.

Comments

  • Gertrude(Trudy)Metzger - January 16, 2024

    I am 92 years old and am very concerned about the future for my grandchildren. I hope I am gone before this country is overtaken by the zealous far left mobs. We have kicked Gid out of schools and the Ten Commandments out of courthouses. We have abandoned the principles upon which this nation was founded. It will take a miracle to get control of the government to get back to our roots. There is just so much one person, one family, one region can do to turn the tides. I have a large supply of food that will last longer than I will. Water is the only thing I lack to survive. I pray for better outcomes. This coming election will be the saving or the collapse of the USA. I remember Pearl Harbor and how united the country was. The negativity and hate and decisions are tearing us apart. Thank you, Patriots. It’s the mind set of the military that saved and can save us.

  • Margaret Beverly - January 15, 2024

    Quite frankly I am terrified of AI. It has become (as far as I am concerned) Public Enemy #1 to the Human Race. It is already taking over jobs and putting people out of work. I went on a chat page with a large company.I explained the purpose of my call. (The response (as close as I can remember); I love to help Human beings. I cannot help you with this be cause I am still learning. But you can check your balance or make a payment I can help you with that.) I thought , and still kind of do, that it was funny. Thinking more about it I realized that it was extremely scary. Needless to say, more and more companies are going this route. Are there any real people in Customer Service anymore?

  • Kenneth Bandel - January 15, 2024

    Folks;
    Thanx a huge lot for being there, for America. We, out here in the real world, need all the support and supplies we can get; since the regular system (we all used to have) is disintegrating. To the question.
    I personally think A.I. is a “two-edged sword”. As a Launch Comm Engineer at Vandenberg SFB; I get to pay attention to this developing technology out here. On one hand, it can be configured to do a lot of very complex processing and evaluations. This will be of tremendous value to science and research. The other side is more serious. We have already heard that an A.I. device was programmed to evaluate a military exercise and to decide its participation level. It chose to allow our friendly forces to be destroyed so, that its much larger perceived goals could be accomplished! If these devices can be programmed to become self-aware and self protective, we just might see the results we see in the movies “Terminator” or “iRobot”; or even a “HAL2000” like in the movie. A ton of careful planning and programming is necessary, with these kinds of devices!!

    Also, please note that I don’t often purchase items from “4Patriots” these days. This is NOT because I don’t want your nice products. It’s all about delivery. These days; Santa Maria, CA. where I live; has a lot of homeless and illegal immigrants wondering around. They sometimes follow the UPS, Fed-Ex, and USPS delivery trucks on their routes. The era of “Porch-Pirates” is now here. I don’t want to purchase your neat stuff only to have it poached off my front porch. Sorry, but this is of serous concern. I do have a couple of your large food packs and the 1800 generator. Wish it could be more. If only these delivery services would allow us “Office Will-Call Pick-up”.
    Anyway, keep-up the good work!!!
    Ken Bandel

  • George wall - January 15, 2024

    Knowledge is the key to survival keep up the good work helping others to understand the importance in being prepared for life’s challenges

  • Joel R McCloud - January 15, 2024

    In response to your recient letter. It is my belief that the human race will be taken out by AI units. How soon this happens depends on how fast and hard the idiots developing them work on them. Think Terminator- I don’t think that posibility is so far fetched as some people think. bye for now Joel R McCloud

  • Joel R McCloud - January 15, 2024

    A couple of years I bought a six month supply of food for emergencies. Since thenI have aquired different items as funds became available, I would very much like to take advantage of your super chromium 9-ninty package. Especially the solar power units. However at a price of over five thousand dollars, this is nuthing more than a pipe dream for me – being retired on a fixed income. Purchasing one of these packages is just not feasable. I have sampled a few food items and found them to be excellent (my opinion). Keep up the good work Thank You LLAP Joel R McCloud

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