Many of you will awake from a night of celebrations with friends and family, maybe some of you will be feeling a little fragile this morning and will be reaching for the paracetamol. But as we leave 2011 behind, what can we expect from 2012, and are we prepared?
This year the future king got married and we lost Amy Winehouse. But what will next year bring? 2012 is not only a leap year; it is also the predicted year that the world will end. But before you all start writing your ‘things to do before I die’ list, firstly we should see what else is happening in 2012.
London Olympics
The London 2012 Olympics will be finally upon us, seven years after winning the initial bid. The games will commence on 27 July, and finish on 12 August. Many commercial properties involved in the games were already in place, even before the Olympic bid was made. These include: Earls Court, Lord’s Cricket Ground, The O2 Arena, Wembley Stadium and Arena, Wimbledon, just to list a few.
As well as using existing commercial properties, the Olympic Games have also built new venues, some of which form part of the ‘Olympic Legacy’ and will go on to be used after the games have finished. However, some of the brand new commercial properties that were built for the event will be demolished later this year. This raises the issue of wasting tax payers’ money, when surely a use for a brand new state of art building could be found.
The Olympic Stadium is fortunately one of the new London commercial properties, which will not be demolished. The stadium will be used as a community venue after the games for cultural and sporting events.
Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II
This year also marks the 60th anniversary of when Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the throne. Although some of our readers may not be royalists, you may be interested to know that this anniversary will be marked with a bank holiday. The extra bank holiday will be on the 5 June, and the spring bank holiday in May has now been moved to the 4 June, which is the Queen’s official birthday. This will give people a much deserved four day weekend. So what are your plans for your mini break? Will you be visiting commercial properties for some retail therapy or maybe watching a film? Or will you just enjoy your days off in the comfort of your own home, watching the congregation on television?
The end of the world
According to eschatological beliefs, the 2012 phenomenon, when the world ends, is predicted to happen on the 21st December. The date was predicted from an old calendar (the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar), which comes to an end on that date. Although many people may believe the phenomenon, many scientists and astronomers have quashed the theory.
But if you choose to believe the beliefs, how will you spend your final year? Will it be any different to your previous years? Will you continue to participate in the Monday morning rush to get into the office on time, or will you spend every penny you own and enjoy everyday?
