2008: The Longest Year

From The Washington Times:

For many, 2008 was an annus horribilis that could not end soon enough. It was a leap year, so we had an extra day, and chronologists report that because the Earth, like the economy, is slowing down, it was necessary to add an extra second on Dec. 31 to get things right. So it may have been in fact what it felt like - the longest year ever.

The year 2008 has much to answer for. Perhaps that is why the Chinese call it the Year of the Rat when people should not rely on too much luck. In the United States, we experienced a presidential campaign that seemed interminable, a frightening financial system meltdown and global recession so severe that no economist will predict with clarity when we might emerge.

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