2010 has been a rough year. Perhaps we remember the bad times more than the good, but I do not think that many could doubt we have faced many trials in the past twelve months.
2010 started with the massive earthquake in Haiti. Despite nearly a year having passed Haiti is still struggling to recover. The initial outreach by the global community has waned, and as has our attention.
On a more positive note the February Winter Olympics were a massive success for Canada. It was a great moment in our collective national memory. It felt like a massive surge of patriotism across the country, from coast to coast. Canada was well represented on the world stage, and our performance will be tough to beat.
In April the Icelandic volcano, which shut down European flights, leaving thousands stranded. It seemed like Mother Nature was having a field day. But we got ours back when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. When historians look back at 2010, it seems like the massive pollution and destruction that occurred will be what keeps their interest, and notes this year.
Spring saw Greece enter a financial crisis, triggering a ripple in the European economy, which has yet to stop.
Around the world during the summer and fall saw political and social unrest. The problems in the global economy caused pain on the ground. Riots, protests and unrest marked much of the past twelve months.
The consequences were manifested when in November when the U.S. Congress switched from complete Democratic control to a Republican controlled House of Representatives. President Obama, who won in 2008 in a landslide was rebuffed by the American public.
The 2000s have been called the Lost Decade. 2010 has not proved much of an improvement. So here’s to 2011, may it be more gentle to the world than 2010 was.
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