View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

It’s going to be an exciting month, even though it’s already half over. January will see the changing of the guard in Washington, and possibly in Ottawa, too. While the former is much more of a guarantee than the latter, it’ll certainly be interesting to watch history unfold in both cities.
Some of my students are heading to Washington for Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration, and I have to admit that I’m jealous. While it’s unlikely they’ll get to see anything among the crowd, being present for an historic moment like that is unforgettable. I was shocked when none of them wanted to go to Chicago for election night; when I was a journalism student, everyone wanted to go to protests and anything else of such interest just to be there and be part of history. Something as big as Obama’s win will rarely be repeated in our lifetime.
Then there’s Ottawa, where things have certainly changed since our last issue. With Michael Ignatieff in charge of the Liberals, the party now has more support than the Conservatives, according to a Nanos poll conducted last week. Will Stephen Harper have the courage to bring his own government down with more maneuvering, or will he try to hold on to power and resist forcing Ignatieff’s hand? Interesting times indeed.
Here at home, the annual winter carnival is coming next month, and I hope to see you out at the community events. It’s been a tough, cold winter and we need something to loosen up our backs from shoveling.

I realize this is not the place to advertise, but I’ve been keeping busy working on a new project (above and beyond the paper and school). I’d love for you to visit my new blog, casey365.com if you have a chance. Comments are appreciated! See you soon.