Welcome to the final issue of The Voice Magazine for 2023.  We’ve got a few articles appropriate for the season this week, as well as a couple of extra articles just to keep you busy over the holiday break,

While you’re doing that, I’ll be busily trying to choose from the several hundred articles published this year to find what works for the Best of the Voice 2023 that will be showing up on January 5, 2024.  So there’s still time for you to get your selections in, which will not only be your stamp on what was best over the last year, but can also net you some fun swag.

Meanwhile, this week, we end on a strong note, with a new Minds we Meet, a fun article on how your messy desk might be just what you need for motivation if you need to study over the Christmas break, as well as an article to help you navigate if you’ve got work you need to do (like me) over the holiday break!

Plus, we’ve got a double header for scholarships, as they’re both due at the end of January and I thought it would be good to get a head start on them to be sure the holiday break doesn’t keep you from applying on time.  Also, our events list, as usual, changes to a closure list at this time of year so you know when you can get started again. And our look at the organized crime and policing continues with Alek’s look at how one police expert views Canada’s response to organized crime and how his own experience backs it up.

As for me, well, I’m looking forward to the new year.  We’ve got a couple of new writers who may be interested in getting our course exam column restarted, I’ve got my Master’s degree starting up, and I’m both nervous and excited about that as I mentioned in my last editorial, and, honestly, this past year knocked the wind out of my sails for a lot of reasons on the personal side.  I’m hoping that the short break and the new beginnings will work to change the mindset and get me back on track.

Of course, there are headwinds remaining, as the conflict in the middle east continues, and results are getting increasingly politicized.  I spotted a story the other day about how people who speak out in favor of Palestine or against the Israel are facing consequences in the workplace and school, and while I personally believe that Israel’s current actions in Gaza are, sadly, one of the only options left to preserve their safety in the face of Hamas, I can also acknowledge that Israel’s government has done much wrong in the past that it should be held to account for—but that holding to account does not serve as a blanket excuse for absolutely any action taken against them.  And unfortunately for the Palestinian people, Hamas’s terrorism (which it undoubtedly is as they deliberately attacked civilians for the purpose of causing changes in government policy) uses them as shields and bait for the world media.  I see some people calling for peace, or who suggest that Israel’s actions and the significant death toll is far too high, but I wonder if those people have given any serious thought to what the alternative is.  Unfortunately, there’s no good options left, so given that, I think we have to consider what’s best over the long term.

But let’s see what the new year brings, and until then, enjoy the read!