2014: Letting It Go

English: Singer/actress Idina Menzel outside the Today Show studios following an appearance and performance promoting the release of her debut Warner Bros album "I Stand." (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The U.S. and Cuba are reestablishing diplomatic relations after more than 50 years.  Is it an admission that Communism will survive the Castro brothers?  The biggest stumbling block to any lifting of the embargo contains the words "requires Congressional approval", and that's not going to be easy.

The Sony Pictures hacking scandal, which resulted in the movie "The Interview" being pulled from release, only proves that making a comedy about killing the real-life leader of a real country wasn't such a bright idea after all.  Or, for that matter, letting the world know what Hollywood studio executives really are thinking behind closed doors.

After the Senate released its report on the CIA allegedly using torture to get answers out of terror suspects, only to find they'd say anything to make it stop, are we really all that different from the terrorists, brutal regimes and Dick Cheney?

The Islamic State has used beheadings and recruitment videos to get its message across.  So how come it took until they had swallowed up half of Iraq before anyone noticed?

It's been a rollercoaster ride for Vladimir Putin's Russia.  First it was the triumphant and controversial Winter Olympics in Sochi.  Then it was taking a piece of Ukraine, and threatening to invade at least half the country.  Now it's an economic crisis brought on by cheap oil and international sanctions.  You sure you want to bring back the Cold War?

We haven't heard about the Ebola epidemic since the election.  That doesn't mean it's over, though.

Michael Brown and Eric Garner became symbols of protest against power-hungry police and the system that enables them.  What will it take to get law enforcement to realize that skin color is not always indicative of criminal behavior?  And how long will it be before the slogans "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" and "I Can't Breathe" are trademarked by Nike?

With Congress about to be run by Republicans for the next two years, should we expect more or less from them?

It sucks to be Malaysian Airlines right now.  Or, for that matter, CNN.

A simple request for all those soldiers returning home from whatever war America is fighting this week:  Would it be possible to keep those contrived homecomings to yourselves, and to not take credit for preserving freedom and democracy where there isn't any to keep?

Target, Home Depot and others whose consumer accounts were hacked into learned hard lessons in how not to react to a crisis without alienating your customers.

TV shows like "Naked and Afraid" and "Dating Naked" would be a lot more interesting if they were on HBO or Showtime.

Those who "cut the cord" in order to save money on their cable and satellite bills should remember two things:  (A) Broadcast TV really is the vast wasteland Newton Minow once talked about, and (B) many of those same cable giants you complain about also happens to control your broadband service.  They're also the ones who want to own the Internet.

We say goodbye to:  Joan Rivers, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Maya Angelou, Jan Hooks, Harold Ramis, Lauren Bacall, Shirley Temple Black, Mickey Rooney, Richard C. Hottelet, Mike Nichols, Polly Bergen, Don Pardo, James Garner, Casey Kasem, Ann B. Davis, Russell Johnson, Gerry Goffin, Marion Berry, Jane Byrne, Joan Mondale, Ben Bradlee, Garrick Utley and Robin Williams.

We got through this without once mentioning the name of a certain tune from a popular Disney animated feature, which made Idina Menzel the Celine Dion of the 2010s.  Oh, we already did?  It's in the title?  And we're using Menzel's picture?  Damn.  See you in 2015.