From the galvanizing forces of the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street; from visionaries like Steve Jobs to apparent fiends like Jerry Sandusky and Bill Conlin, Annette John-Hall writes in her Philadelphia Inquirer column that there were plenty of lessons to take from news stories in 2011 into the new year.
… The biggest takeaway? You don't have to resort to Tebowing to ride a winning streak. God grants blessings not based on the righteousness you perpetrate but by the righteous truth you live.
Take the horrific scandal that has taken down a posse of powerful men who colluded with deceit to protect the illustrious Penn State football program.
Sure, Sandusky looked like the salt of the earth on paper. A beloved coach at a beloved institution whose seeming benevolence gave rise to the Second Mile foundation, a nonprofit he founded designed to help at-risk children.
Unfortunately, Sandusky is accused of perpetrating sick assaults on those same disadvantaged children.
And a group of enablers was willing to keep a secret, choosing the institution over the children.
But a recent grand jury report revealed all - the years of alleged abuse and coverup.
Which is fitting. As my Bible-toting grandmother used to say, what's done in the dark will eventually come to light.
You have to wonder, after reports that he molested children 40 years ago, what will become of Conlin, the Hall of Fame sportswriter who, by his own estimation, is "a lot bigger to the Daily News than Sandusky ever was to Penn State."
Read Annette John-Hall's entire column at the Philadelphia Inquirer.