There was a lot that happened in 2011. In the Information Age, there's no escaping anything. It's time to look back and evaluate some things in the year we have all had to say goodbye to.It was a good year for Canadian music. With me in a bit of a folk phase for a long time now, I'd like to say Feist's Metals was the album for me last year. It was great, but my hip-hopping brother seems to have rubbed off on me because the Canadian album of 2011 really goes to a kid from Toronto.The Weeknd's House of Balloons defines lyrically fresh. What's different about The Weeknd compared to much of the other hip hop I don't listen to, is that he possesses a voice of gold to contrast the dark and sometimes depraved lyrics.The Canadian news story of the year has to be the Conservatives taking majority power in the House of Commons. I may not like it, but the way this government is going about their business and the type of legislating they are doing, it's going to leave a lasting impression on the country for years to come. Whether that impression is favourable or terminally bad is still up in the air. Being an optimist, I'd like to say that I am hopeful for something that right now seems so hopeless. Steve Williams was one of the most talked about names in sports last year. If you're wondering what sport he plays, he's a race car driver from New Zealand. He was a champion in 2006, but that's not why he was the sportsman, or poor sportsman of the year in 2011. He also used to caddy for Tiger Woods, making him the first caddy ever to grab as many headlines as his pro in a single year. Tiger may not have ended their relationship on the most cordial or appropriate terms when he fired Williams in 2011, but it's also been well-established that Williams broke the most sacred of unwritten rules in a sport that tediously writes out every single rule. He broke the Caddy Code that says caddies are supposed to be seen and not heard, and if at all possible, not seen either, because well, they're just caddies. It's not the easiest of jobs, but the guy made millions carrying Woods' clubs. He probably should do it quietly like all of his peers. The United Nations also dubbed 2011 the International Year of Forests and Chemistry. What those two things have in common, or what significance they held in 2011 is a tough one to decipher. I understand that to appreciate forests and worry about conservation is very noble, but chemistry?Apparently the purpose of that one was to recruit young people into science fields. The UN should have greater concerns than filling an occupation that is short staffed. Now that the year is done, it's time to select the best of the Southeast Trader Express front page photo contest. What better way to look back on the previous year than through the lenses of the community? You can vote for your favourite photo through the Estevan Mercury's Facebook page.
