One thing’s for sure, 2010 was not short on excitement! In Jamaica, the US and other areas of the globe, we had all kinds of events, beefs, indiscretions and political shenanigans making headlines.

Let’s check out some of the headlines:

The Gulf oil spill, Kathryn Bigelow’s historic Oscar win for Hurt Locker (L) the Haitian & Chilean earthquakes, Duke winning the NCAA title, Spain winning the World Cup, US qualifying for the knockout stage with a thrilling win over Algeria, The Dudus extradition fiasco and the resulting riots in Tivoli Gardens, Toyota recalling millions of vehicles and then losing the throne of top automobile seller to Ford, the meltdown of the Greek economy and then in December the Irish economy, bedbugs take over New York, Chilean miners trapped for months and eventually all freed alive; exhibiting bravery that many of us could only dream about, Air Jamaica is sold to and rebranded as part of Caribbean Airlines, the Manatt affair and the US midterm elections that served as a political bitch slap to President Obama’s policies….(rahtid a whole heap dat!)

Buju Banton’s drug trial, the Wikileaks fiasco, ‘The Decision’ of Lebron James, Nikki Minaj elbowing her way to the forefront of hip hop consciousness, Antoine Dodson becoming a viral sensation, all of these events made 2010 a remarkable and memorable year.

What does the future hold? Well, there are several things worth watching. Next year will mark the half-way point of Obama’s presidency. He is beset on all sides by opponents, Democrats and Republicans alike. While I think he will be able to bounce back popularity wise over the next 12 months, He will have to do a much better job of pushing domestic policy and delineating to the masses directly for it to be successful. He didn’t create the financial mess we are in now, but it’s now his mess, so he will need to do a better job of trying to fix it.

The recent student upheaval in England, opposition to the rising cost of a college education will be a major political issue next year. (Personally I found it refreshing to see the royals rattled!) It will be interesting to see if that government survives the fallout.

Also in Europe, a familiar name is flexing its muscles as the biggest economic engine in Europe. Germany is again a major part of the EU, but their government is not solidly behind the single currency. Considering the predicaments of the smaller European economies (Portugal, Ireland, and Greece) who will vie for position alongside Germany?

In Jamaica proper, what, if anything will be the continued fallout from the Manatt Levy fiasco? I have to admit, I am even more disappointed by the JLP’S performance since their election victory than Obama’s first two years. That situation if its drags through the upcoming year will be a political albatross for the party and with it an uncertain future for Jamaica.

The best that can be hoped for is that 2011 presents a lot more happy endings like the safe rescue of the miners and less sad news like the earthquakes. Someone famous once said “Its darkest before the dawn,” and while it’s pretty dark right now, there’s hope for a better tomorrow.

Or as we say in Jamaica ‘better mus come.’