2009 was quite a year. There was the good, the bad and the embarrassing. Some things changed, while others stayed the same. Some people acted heroically, while others behaved badly. There were those folks who we couldn't get enough of, and those who wouldn't go away. There were stories that inspired, and others that infuriated. And just when we thought that we'd seen it all, there was suddenly more to see.

President Obama was inaugurated; the "tea party" protests were initiated; and fugitive Roman Polanski was incarcerated.

The "balloon boy" ran out of air; CNN dumped Lou Dobbs and cleared the air; and a mortifying infidelity scandal forced Tiger Woods to air dirty laundry.

Sarah Palin returned to the spotlight with a new book; Jon and Kate fought for the spotlight in a reality-TV divorce drama; and global warming was in the spotlight thanks to the Copenhagen conference.

Sonia Sotomayor made history by becoming the first Latina on the Supreme Court; Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., made a fool of himself by yelling out, "You lie," during a speech to Congress by President Obama; and the horse-trading in the health care debate made a mockery of the legislative process.

The government spent a ton of taxpayer money bailing out General Motors; President Obama spent some time apologizing after he said that the Cambridge, Mass., police "acted stupidly" in arresting Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.; and a host of Chicagoans, including President Obama, spent time in Copenhagen unsuccessfully lobbying the International Olympic Committee to allow the Windy City to host the 2016 Summer Games.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford got caught "hiking the Appalachian Trail"; San Diego's Adam Lambert got carried away with a suggestive performance during the American Music Awards; and Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio got stripped of his power to enforce immigration law by the Justice Department for allegedly engaging in racial profiling.

Americans panicked over swine flu; mourned the passing of Michael Jackson; and found solidarity with Iranian protesters who risked their lives challenging a corrupt and brutal government.

And then there was the contest for paradox of the year. The winner would seem to be President Obama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, and then giving the order to increase troop strength in Afghanistan. But an honorable mention goes to Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., a family-values conservative who had to weather allegations that his parents had paid off the husband of a former staffer with whom Ensign acknowledged having an affair.

Oh, is that all? This year provided plenty of interesting and intriguing stories — and rarely a dull moment.

REPRINTED FROM THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE.