Living In The (Not So Distant) Past

Before you say goodbye to 2011 for good (or after you do it), take a glance back at the year that was in news stories. My Aol.com colleagues and I compiled a list of our 25 favorite stories that we covered on the homepage this year. Some of them are huge news stories you no doubt recall while others are on the obscure side, but are no less interesting or unforgettable. Perhaps you missed a few of them.

My favorite story basically came down to a toss-up between this amazing story and series of photos about a bunch of lions in the wild and the overall 'favorite' story on our list, which you'll have to click through to the article to see. Check out the entire list of 25 right here and bring on 2012. Happy New Year!

Exclusive Photos: Uptown Hoboken Waterfront Walkway

Work began on the waterfront area of Hoboken Cove (or Weehawken Cove as many call it) in September 2010, and included the demolition of the few remaining ruins of what used to be the Todd Shipyard. Construction on the waterfront walkway to connect Hoboken and Weehawken began in earnest about a year ago, entailed some minor reshaping of the waterfront geography and is nearly complete. So, how's it looking? Pretty good, as these photos reveal:

Interview with New York Times reporter Diana Henriques for HuffPost

Last week, I had a Q&A interview with Diana Henriques of the New York Times published on The Huffington Post. Henriques is a Times veteran and an award-winning writer whose book, The Wizard of Lies, was released last week. The book chronicles the epic Ponzi scheme perpetrated for decades by Bernie Madoff.

The interview mainly focuses on Henriques's experience getting to know Madoff, corresponding with him over the phone and e-mail and meeting with him in-person at a federal prison in North Carolina. Henriques was the first reporter to interview Madoff and the only author who's written a book on Madoff to have his cooperation. We also touched on the state of the SEC pre-Madoff and some of the changes the regulatory body has made in the wake of Madoff's arrest and imprisonment.

She also gave her analysis on just how much Madoff's wife and kids knew about the Ponzi. It's a fascinating interview and Henriques, who really dove deep on this project, provides some marvelous insight that you probably can't get anywhere besides Bernie Madoff. Check it out.