2011 wasn't all bad personally.
I got a new right hip. I had a nice trip to St. Lucia. I got to see Houston while tagging along on my wife's business trip. I also got terminated. Oh well. Keep the cheques coming.
On a broader scale 2011 was darn close to amazing.
I consider the earthquake/Tsunami/nuclear meltdown in Japan to be the story of the year around the world, not just because of the suffering that took place but because of the very power of Mother Nature to wreak havoc on this planet. A second world story that changed the course of history was the rising up of people's everywhere toppling dictators and autocratic regimes. The change that is still going on in the Middle East is reminiscent of the fall of Communism in Europe two decades ago with the potential to be even more impactful especially if the Persian Gulf states go up in flames. The third most important story I thought was the rise of social media. Think of the pictures from Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and now Syria. Without social media these history changing events might not have taken place. The same with Japan. Have you ever seen more stunning pictures taken by so called non professionals disseminated to the rest of us through social media as quickly as you did that day on March 11th? Not ever.
In Canada the Federal Election was gripping because of the rise of the NDP under Jack Layton and the vision Stephen Harper has been employing for the last decade which essentially has the Liberal party running in circles. I don't like it one bit but one does have to admire his ability to chip away at the traditional base of support of the former so called ruling party. In the end although the majority victory for Harper was significant the death of Jack Layton within weeks of his party's success stunned the country making it the number one story of the year. After Layton and the election one would have to think Canada's withdrawal from combat in Kandahar would be the third most important story, although they won't be out of danger until we completely withdraw from Afghanistan.
Locally the stadium debate which dominated 2010 finally concluded in 2011. Was there anything more divisive in the community this past year? Well yes is the answer for by the end of the year we had angry taxpayers demanding the Mayor's head for giving his Executive Assistant a 30 thousand dollar pay raise or a 33 per cent pay hike. Folks we may be mad about this but the stadium issue and it's resolution will resonate down the decades, Bratina's folly notwithstanding.
For me although the settling of the labour dispute with Local 1005 was important and the job announcement from McCain's exciting the third most important story of the year was the renovation and rebirth of the Lister Block soon to be reopened. There is no greater sign of recovery in our downtown core than this reclamation project.
In the world of sports I think there really was only one story that dominated headlines. Concussions. Not only to Sidney Crosby but also a stunning array of top talent in hockey and from football. Heck my daughter received one in 2011 and so we know up close and personal how such an injury can impact a life. I don't really think anything else came close.
What do I think might happen in 2012? I lost my crystal ball some time ago so here is what I hope will happen in 2012. I hope the Mayor of the City of Hamilton begins to understand his role. Since he is only one vote he needs to lead through personal example instead of championing only what he believes in. In other words on big issues with broad implications whether he personally believes in them or not he must understand that if it is going to be good for Hamilton he must becomes Hamilton's champion. If council believes LRT is the way to go then Mayor Bratina must be the leader he was elected to be. If not he will be isolated by council and turn in to the longest running lame duck Mayor we've ever had.
I hope in 2012 that leading Hamilton citizens will put their heads together to come up with a sustainable use for "Auchmar". Not only should the home Sir Isaac Buchanan built be restored to its full glory but so should the 8 acres of land surrounding it. Vision, resources, funding, leadership and above all a lot of hard work are needed now to save Auchmar from the gleam in a developers eye. It can be done by this generation just as Dundurn Castle was saved by others.
In 2012 wouldn't it be nice to see the U.S.A rebound economically and actually trade fairly.
Wouldn't it be interesting to see the democracy movement invade the Arab peninsula?
Would you like to see every Canadian NHL franchise make the playoffs? I would.
Wouldn't it be nice if the Tiger Cats actually got consistent and travelled to the Grey Cup?
It will be interesting to watch which Republican out of a scraggly group emerges to take on the Democratic President. Who will emerge in Layton's shadow as the New Democratic Party leader and will anyone challenge Bob Rae's grip on the Liberals?
Finally and most importantly now that Tim's has left the corner can we get the lights at Aberdeen and Dundurn back to a more traditional sequence. We're idling away the ozone layer people!
Have a great New Year.
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