It’s that time again - the week after Christmas when all the gifts have been opened and all of the leftovers have been eaten. And somewhere between the visit from Santa Claus and the New Year’s Eve fireworks, I always seem to get a bit nostalgic as I look back and take stock of all the events that have unfolded over the past twelve months. It seems that for me, 2010 has been a year of extremes.
When things were good, they were wonderful. And when they were bad, they were nightmarish. Think Chilean miners and Gulf oil spill. Think Wikileaks, Tiger Woods, mid term elections, and home foreclosures. Think Haitian earthquake and the Winter Olympics. And while all of these events leave their imprint on the collective consciousness of our culture, it is surely the things that happen right here in our own backyard that shape our lives in the indelible way that leaves us changed, for better or worse.

Read more