I cannot, however, stomach the almost saint-like defence of Luis Suarez by many of the clubs fans. It seems that if you happen to be a Liverpool FC fan who voices an opinion that what Suarez did was wrong, the so call ‘Kop-ites’ (those who consider themselves to be the only true Liverpool fans) waste no time firing back that you’re wrong, that it’s all a conspiracy between Manchester United and the Football Association, and that you should go support someone else.

Let us look at the facts:

• Luis Suarez is a professional footballer, and is paid tens of thousands of pounds a week to act in a manner befitting his status as one of the most prominent players for one of the most well supported clubs in world football.
• Luis Suarez has admitted that he called Manchester United captain Patrice Evra a word that he felt to be racially vilifying. Suarez, in his defence, stated that this word was used to describe coloured people in his home country of Uruguay.
• Patrice Evra altered his story, clarifying the word that he claimed Suarez called him.
• The Football Association found Suarez guilty of racially vilifying Patrice Evra and suspended him for 8 matches. Liverpool did not appeal the verdict or suspension, however manager Kenny Dalglish insisted throughout that Suarez was innocent of all charges..
• Upon his return from suspension, ironically at Old Trafford versus Manchester United, Suarez refused to shake Evra’s hand prior to kick-off, after having assured Liverpool team and club management that he would do so. This was viewed by hundreds of millions of TV viewers around the globe, and filled the sports sections of print and electronic news media for days.
• Liverpool FC team and club management have since issued statements against Suarez’s actions at Old Trafford, stating that he misled the club in his intentions to shake Evra’s hand.

Whether Suarez is a racist or not, is not for me to decide. However, surely as a professional athlete, he should have been aware that he is playing sport in a country that has been long beset by racial tensions. There is simply no defence these days for referring to anyone, in any workplace, by the colour of their skin.

While I, like most people (if we’re all honest) am no saint, there is a clear line regarding what you can and cannot say. What you say in private company is your own business, but when you say it on such a prominent stage, viewed by millions, there is nowhere to hide.

I have worked and played sport with people of all nationalities and skin colours, and one constant among them is that they are happy to let you call them any name under the sun, just as long as you don’t preface it with their skin colour. Fair enough, I say.

So surely, while we can act in a civil manner in our own places of work, can’t we expect the same of those who are paid as much in a month as most of us are likely to earn in a year?

Suarez came to Liverpool FC with a reputation as a trouble maker, having bitten a fellow player on the shoulder while playing in the Netherlands and committing an intentional hand ball in a World Cup Quarter Final to deny his opponents a goal (the ensuing penalty was also missed, earning Uruguay a place in the semi finals in the most unsporting manner). He then bragged about his ‘feat’, declaring himself the new ‘hand of God’.

Kenny Dalglish is to be admired, if only for the misguided loyalty he has shown his player. I certainly don’t think of Dalglish as a racist, or a supporter of racist behaviour.

I do however feel that he realises that Suarez is one of the few genuine match winners that Liverpool have in their squad. Steven Gerrard and Craig Bellamy aside, it’s difficult to see where the goals or creativity will come from if Suarez is not on the pitch.

Part of me feels that this is the root of Dalglish’s unwavering support of Suarez (at least up until Old Trafford) and Dalglish risks his own legacy at the club by staunchly defending Suarez for the wrong reasons.

This is hardly the type of player I want at my club. In Australian sporting parlance, he would be classed as a ‘grub’. Unsportsmanlike. Not the type of player you’d buy a beer after the game.

Many of those die hard ‘true’ Liverpool fans are correct when they say we should now move on… hopefully without Luis Suarez come Season 2012/13!

Ahead of it’s time yet infinitely timeless.

It is an album that is as relevant today, as it was upon release, evidenced by the fact that in the period from 1991 through to 2011, it sold in excess of 9 million copies in the USA alone. That’s almost 500,000 albums a year. And it’s still selling. 15 million copies in the USA to date, where according to Wikipedia, it is estimated one in every fourteen people owns a copy.

Staggering numbers.

But in an era where even artists like, err, well, Nickelback can shift millions of albums, it is an album that can’t just be judged on sheer figures alone.

The lyrics in Dark Side of the Moon dealt with the issues that affect each and every one of us every day of our lives. The passage of time, money (or a lack thereof), insanity, war, politics, greed. Deep, yet not overpowering. They can be as much or as little as you want them to be.

And then there is the musicianship.

Breathtaking.

David Gilmour is rightfully viewed as one of the greatest guitarists of all time (witness his solo in Time if you doubt his credentials). He is also a criminally underrated singer. Richard Wright’s keyboards and harmony vocals are ass equally awe inspiring, especially on his track, the beautiful Us and Them.

While many view The Wall as the quintessential Roger Waters Pink Floyd album, it shouldn’t be forgotten that the lyrical direction on Dark Side of the Moon is all Waters. And Nick Mason… well, he played drums.

And then there is Clare Torry’s singing on The Great Gig in the Sky. One of the greatest moments in music history.

It truly is one of those rare albums that can be listened to… not just heard, but actually listened to. Ideally, with headphones in a darkened room, start to finish just like they did in the 70′s (mind altering substances entirely optional).

If you’ve never heard Dark Side of the Moon, there is no better time to experience it. If you can afford the “immersion” edition, jump at it. If not, grab the 2 disc “experience” edition. You won’t be disappointed.

The soundtrack to our lives.

Watching the whole process evolve on TV made me reach for my DVD’s of The West Wing. Specifically, seasons 6 and 7, which focus on the battle between Congressman Matthew Santos and Senator Arnold Vinick (shown left) for the office of President.

If you haven’t watched The West Wing and you’re considering it, it’s probably too late to avoid spoiling the final few seasons for you. In an election that goes down to the wire, Santos (played by Jimmy Smits) narrowly defeats Vinick (played by the ever brilliant Alan Alda) and the series concludes with the new presidents first day in the oval office.

It’s common knowledge among fans of the series that the character of Matt Santos was based on a pre-Presidential Barack Obama, and while we’ve all witnessed Obama’s presidency first hand, it made me wonder – whatever happened to Matt Santos?

Was he able to implement his education reforms? Whatever happened to Josh Lyman, to Sam Seaborn? Or was Santos a one term wonder? Defeated because he couldn’t live up to the legacy of Jed Bartlett?

Is it a little too much to ask for a The West Wing: The Next Four Years? C’mon Aaron Sorkin, you know we want it!

However, after witnessing not only his magnificent record breaking innings of 329 not out in the second test match between Australia and India last week, I am forced to eat large servings of humble pie. After a successful opening day with the ball had lurched ominously towards disaster with the loss of three early (late) wickets, Clarke dug in valiantly alongside his much maligned former skipper Ricky Ponting to rescue not only the innings, but quite possibly his standing in the eyes of the Australian public.

Clarke showed that he could roll his sleeves up, could bat all day, could dominate one of the better bowling attacks in world cricket. But most importantly, he showed that he could lead the team, that he could inspire the team. That he could be equally gracious and humble in victory and unselfish in a game where personal statistics are so often prized by many players. Only the most ardent Clarke haters would have begrudged him for batting on an extra hour or two longer to chase down Matthew Hayden’s Australian record and Brian Lara’s World Record scores of 380 and 400 respectively.

But while he has earned much praise for his innings, and rightly so, it is the other things, the little things surrounding the innings that have forced me to rethink my perceptions of Clarke. While the cynics have (incorrectly) pointed out that Clarke was pointing out to potential sponsors that his now record breaking bat was sponsor-less, he was in-fact pointing to the McGrath Foundation stickers adorning the back of his bat, in tribute to the life and work of the late Jane McGrath for whom day 3 at the test was honoring. Hardly the mark of a selfish show pony. That he allowed Mike Hussey to reach a personal milestone while unselfishly forgoing his own was another example of team and team mates before himself.

Further testimony to his good character was the emotion that he showed his predecessor Ricky Ponting when the former skipper bought up his first century in two years. The embrace he gave Ponting showed everyone at the ground that Ricky’s hundred meant as much to him as it did to Ponting. While Australians by and large love to chop down tall poppies, Clarke went a long way to showing that he is still that cricket loving kid from the western suburbs of Sydney. He just happens to be living the life that we all wish we could be living and he shouldn’t be crucified for that.

As to the current and long term problems facing Australian cricket, and international cricket at large, well, that is for another time…

With the benefit of hindsight, no one can accuse 2011 of being ‘just another year‘. It was so much more than that. Disasters, both natural and man made left their marks upon the face of humanity and saw the faith and limits of endurance and tolerance of millions tested.

A land of drought and flooding rains…

Environmentally, 2011 was truly remarkable. Australia was hit by some of the most damaging and widespread floods ever seen, stretching across vast tracts of the eastern seaboard, with New South Wales, Victoria and worst of all, Queensland (see photo, left), battered by record torrential rainfall. In stark contrast, drought and bush fires scorched parts of Western Australia, showing the extremes in climate that affect this wide brown land.

Our neighbours in New Zealand were not spared natures fury, with the city of Christchurch rocked by several massive earthquakes. Aftershocks continue to this day. Japan was battered by a massive Tsunami, the result of a magnitude 8.9 earthquake in March. Those who watched the tragedy unfolding live on TV will never forget the haunting images of cars, houses, whole villages being swept before the massive waves as they crashed across the north of Japan. The Japanese National Police Agency confirmed 15,844 deaths, 5,890 injured and 3,451 people missing across eighteen prefectures, as well as over 125,000 buildings damaged or destroyed.

The finger of god…

Late April. Tornado Alley, USA. The single largest outbreak of tornadoes in recorded history. In total, 359 tornadoes were confirmed by the National Weather Service in 21 states from Texas to New York over a three day period.

The 27th of April however has become known as one the most prolific and destructive tornado days in United States history with a record 208 tornadoes touching down that day, with 4 EF5 tornados recorded. Typically, the USA sees one EF5 tornado a year. Overall, the tornado that hit Tuscaloosa Alabama killed 64 people and injured more than 1,500.

A man made hell…

Terrorist attacks. Economies and governments under siege. Revolutions. Uprisings. Civil Wars. Famine. Disease. We even had Justin Bieber in 3D (okay, okay… I’m just trying to inject some humour into this!) We saw two terrorist leaders killed in Muammar Gaddafi and Osama Bin Laden (allegedly), but not an end to terrorist attacks. However, while many regard Anders Breivik’s killings as an act of terror, I still view it as nothing more than the worlds worst act of mass murder. Either way you look at it, 76 innocent lives were taken by an insane person.

Every other week saw the economic problems of several of the worlds largest economies splashed across the front page of every major newspaper on the planet. Economies once thought too big to fail were begging for bailouts left right and centre. Greece. Spain. Italy, all on the verge of falling. The almighty US dollar was belted from pillar to post. Trillions were wiped off stock markets, millions lost jobs, lost homes, lost families. The GFC’s legacy of greed is still well and truly with us, with the rich continuing the get rich at the expense of the poor.

Oh, and we hit 7 billion people too…

So, 2012 then?

So here we stand at the beginning of 2012. Hollywood would have us believe that this is it. Don’t bother planning for 2013. In fact, don’t worry about anything after the 21st of December. My thoughts about 2012? Well, stick around and I’ll tell you on New Years Eve, December 31st 2012. All I will say now is that I have a feeling that 2012 isn’t going to be a smooth ride by any stretch of the imagination.