On December 31 many people will be staying up until midnight to welcome in 2015, hoping for a new beginning. But will it be all a change for the better? Some problems will be solved in 2015 and new problems will arise.
The only significant change is the close-out of personal books and of some corporate books. Many corporations will close their books at the end of some other quarter. We, the People, actually have three and a half months to make a definitive reporting of our books. And many of those “efficient” corporations won’t give us the data we need until late January. So January 1 remains just another day.
Well, many will have the day off, but for us to have the day off without staying home, many people will be working, restaurant servers, gas station attendants, and police and fire. The last two to protect us from some of our New Year’s Eve foolishness.
I was going to explore the various calendars in use around the world, but two things changed my mind. The number of calendars described by Wikipedia was a bit overwhelming, and I didn’t know if I could summarize them by the Reader Weekly’s holiday deadline. Also, I woke from a dream last week about New Year’s Resolutions. Of course, I didn’t write a good summary right away and all I have left is some fuzzy sense of a room with several people discussing something.
On the calendar issue, I was going to explore how we got from a winter solstice celebration to a man-made celebration ten days later in the year. I’ll have to do that another week, maybe next December?
We have attended many New Year’s celebrations and had fun and comradary. Sometimes drank a bit too much and sometimes very little. Close to midnight, the countdown would begin and at midnight the big cheer, “Happy New Year!” Then we might hang around a bit or a lot. But what was really new other than we would have to put a different year on our checks?
Now we have made it a tradition of going to bed at our usual time and sleeping through the night. The world is no better or worse for us having done so.
Many have the custom of making New Year’s Resolutions. They promise themselves and other that they will make some small or big change in their lives. Many of the regulars at a fitness center see how unsuccessful many of these resolutions are. The gym is more crowded in January than in any other month. By February attendance is down and the wait for weight machines is back to normal.
I keep making resolutions all the time: it’s my to-do list. The list keeps getting longer and longer. Those that require attention today get done. Others move up and down the list as some things get done and others added. “Clean desk” is one of them. This past week I actually dusted two-thirds of it! Another is to send slides out for scanning to DVD. I have two piles of slides I have to double check that they were scanned and a carousel of slides I have that I think hasn’t been scanned. Maybe by Wednesday they will either be thrown away or sent on their way to be scanned. Maybe!
Writing this column is always on my list. If the idea is hot and I am organized, the words flow. If I have a hazy idea then it takes more research or more time rattling around in my brain. With the two different ideas for this column competing, it was easier to put writing off to the last minute.
I used finishing a book as my diversion for this. And reading books is another one of those items on my list. I have three bought books that I haven’t even opened yet, and I drop by the library to pick up fiction. Guess which gets priority. And this leads to another addition to my to-do list.
I had read some of Sharon Shinn’s “Archangel” series and just picked up “Mystic and Rider”. It is one of those medieval fantasies where the main characters possess magical powers. In this one our heroic group is on a quest for the king to determine if a rebellion is fomenting. Yesterday I decided I was going to finish it rather than work on this column.
One of the problems in the book is that certain people are out to destroy all mystics. These people claim all mystics are a threat to “normal people“, no matter how little a threat they really are. I sensed a parallel to the politics of today. The book was published in 2005. A phrase that stood out was “Standard fanatical rhetoric!” This was a comment by two of the “good people” after their different encounters with one of the “really bad people”.
As I got closer to the end, I noticed more and more things appeared that would not be resolved in this book. I checked the list of the author’s books and sure enough there is a sequel.
So, if I am going to have any New Year’s Resolution that will be completed, reading all of Sharon Shinn’s books will be the one.
Mel would like 48-hour days and 96-hour energy bars to do all he would like to do.
This was also published in the Reader Weekly of Duluth, 2015-01-01 at http://duluthreader.com/articles/2014/12/31/4614_january_1_is_just_another_day
Showing posts with label resolutions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label resolutions. Show all posts
Thursday, January 01, 2015
Thursday, January 02, 2014
Resolutions, predictions, and premonitions
First, here are my guaranteed true predictions:
I won't break any of my New Year’s resolutions.
The stock market will go up and the stock market will go down.
The nation-wide turnout for the November elections will definitely be less than 70% and maybe even 60%.
There will be no new major national political party. I really hope I am wrong on this.
There will be updates for major fixes in almost all major computer software.
The first prediction is easy. I won’t break any New Year’s resolutions because I don’t make them. I do make plans and to-do lists, some of which I accomplish or do, but too often the items get pushed down and forgotten.
I have made a major commitment to be on a plant-based diet, aka vegan diet. In one of those little bits of randomness, when I saw the animation in the DVD “Forks over Knives” of plaque going off an artery, I was hooked on trying it. Essentially it’s avoiding meat, eggs, and dairy. There went yogurt on my oatmeal and my once a week omelet.
For the most part I’ve stuck to it. Within a week of starting, a friend sent us some Alaskan salmon. It is a standing joke with my wife and I that I get the bones and she doesn’t. Would you believe that almost every piece I ate had a bone and one had three!
The Freethinkers had their December monthly social at Gannucchi’s. Just my luck that every item on the menu had cheese and/or meat. So I went with a turkey sandwich, figuring that was the leanest meat that I could get. The organizers of the monthly social plan to go back in January. I think I better call ahead to Gannucchi’s.
We have our three-year-old grandson from Japan with us. At one visit to the grocery store, he chose a sushi tray. Four of the pieces had salmon. But then he didn’t want those. He wanted only the rice under the salmon. So, Grandpa “had to eat” one of those pieces of salmon.
I hope I don’t get stuck in any of these situations again before my next cardiologist visit. I would like to see an improvement in my flow rate.
The prediction on turnout is easy, because we have so many people who don’t bother to show up, even when they have registered to vote. I don’t know if they are just plain lazy or don’t like any of the candidates. They don’t seem to realize that by not voting, they increase the odds of seeing the candidate they favor least elected.
There will be no new major party unless some national leaders create it. The Green Party has been around for years, but it has not become a major force in politics. The Independent Party of Minnesota has been around since Jesse Ventura won as a Reform Party candidate. There will be a “Forum for Building Progressive Political Power” on January 11 at “Copper Top”. But will the usual “liberal” suspects be able to engage more than each other? The only real hope is that a large number of “moderates” at the national level say enough is enough. It happened in 1854 with only thirty people meeting in Ripon, Wisconsin. The result was the Republican Party had a winning presidential candidate in 1860. Aren’t we past due for a re-alignment? Wouldn’t those who met in Ripon because they didn’t want to compromise on slavery be surprised to learn that their party has morphed into a party that doesn’t want to compromise on corporate interests?
What else can I predict than the no-brainers above?
No major advances will be made on abating global warming, at least at the government level. Many people will do their part on using less energy, but these people will only make a small dent in the emissions. Some municipalities or counties will plant more trees to absorb some of the carbon dioxide.
The sleeper may be China. As the complaints increase about the air pollution in many Chinese cities, the authorities may make a major push for alternative energy sources. This might include major grants to universities and companies to produce more efficient and cheaper energy sources. If they do so, the United States will be a major loser on the manufacturing side. Something the U.S. should have taken seriously, would you believe, in Jimmy Carter’s presidency!
There probably won’t be any major wars, but there will be plenty of local wars and terrorist attacks. Let’s hope Russia can take sufficient steps to thwart any who want to upset the Winter Games at Sochi.
I seriously doubt that there will be any major propaganda push to negate the appeal of hardline Islamists. The Qu’ran, like the Bible, certainly has many passages that call for peace and warn against violence.
My premonition is that China and the U.S. will continue their power play to assert their authority wherever they think their “vital interests” are at stake. Even though it is much more in either’s interests to avoid conflict, hardliners in either capitol could escalate the situation to the point of open war. Think Sarajevo and World War I.
I doubt if any leaders are going to step forward and say “enough”. “We really need to cut down on military expenses. We all could make better use of our resources.”
To end on a brighter note, may you have a happy and prosperous new year!
This was published in the 2014-01-02 edition of the Reader Weekly at http://duluthreader.com/articles/2014/01/02/2696_resolutions_predictions_and_premonitions.
I won't break any of my New Year’s resolutions.
The stock market will go up and the stock market will go down.
The nation-wide turnout for the November elections will definitely be less than 70% and maybe even 60%.
There will be no new major national political party. I really hope I am wrong on this.
There will be updates for major fixes in almost all major computer software.
The first prediction is easy. I won’t break any New Year’s resolutions because I don’t make them. I do make plans and to-do lists, some of which I accomplish or do, but too often the items get pushed down and forgotten.
I have made a major commitment to be on a plant-based diet, aka vegan diet. In one of those little bits of randomness, when I saw the animation in the DVD “Forks over Knives” of plaque going off an artery, I was hooked on trying it. Essentially it’s avoiding meat, eggs, and dairy. There went yogurt on my oatmeal and my once a week omelet.
For the most part I’ve stuck to it. Within a week of starting, a friend sent us some Alaskan salmon. It is a standing joke with my wife and I that I get the bones and she doesn’t. Would you believe that almost every piece I ate had a bone and one had three!
The Freethinkers had their December monthly social at Gannucchi’s. Just my luck that every item on the menu had cheese and/or meat. So I went with a turkey sandwich, figuring that was the leanest meat that I could get. The organizers of the monthly social plan to go back in January. I think I better call ahead to Gannucchi’s.
We have our three-year-old grandson from Japan with us. At one visit to the grocery store, he chose a sushi tray. Four of the pieces had salmon. But then he didn’t want those. He wanted only the rice under the salmon. So, Grandpa “had to eat” one of those pieces of salmon.
I hope I don’t get stuck in any of these situations again before my next cardiologist visit. I would like to see an improvement in my flow rate.
The prediction on turnout is easy, because we have so many people who don’t bother to show up, even when they have registered to vote. I don’t know if they are just plain lazy or don’t like any of the candidates. They don’t seem to realize that by not voting, they increase the odds of seeing the candidate they favor least elected.
There will be no new major party unless some national leaders create it. The Green Party has been around for years, but it has not become a major force in politics. The Independent Party of Minnesota has been around since Jesse Ventura won as a Reform Party candidate. There will be a “Forum for Building Progressive Political Power” on January 11 at “Copper Top”. But will the usual “liberal” suspects be able to engage more than each other? The only real hope is that a large number of “moderates” at the national level say enough is enough. It happened in 1854 with only thirty people meeting in Ripon, Wisconsin. The result was the Republican Party had a winning presidential candidate in 1860. Aren’t we past due for a re-alignment? Wouldn’t those who met in Ripon because they didn’t want to compromise on slavery be surprised to learn that their party has morphed into a party that doesn’t want to compromise on corporate interests?
What else can I predict than the no-brainers above?
No major advances will be made on abating global warming, at least at the government level. Many people will do their part on using less energy, but these people will only make a small dent in the emissions. Some municipalities or counties will plant more trees to absorb some of the carbon dioxide.
The sleeper may be China. As the complaints increase about the air pollution in many Chinese cities, the authorities may make a major push for alternative energy sources. This might include major grants to universities and companies to produce more efficient and cheaper energy sources. If they do so, the United States will be a major loser on the manufacturing side. Something the U.S. should have taken seriously, would you believe, in Jimmy Carter’s presidency!
There probably won’t be any major wars, but there will be plenty of local wars and terrorist attacks. Let’s hope Russia can take sufficient steps to thwart any who want to upset the Winter Games at Sochi.
I seriously doubt that there will be any major propaganda push to negate the appeal of hardline Islamists. The Qu’ran, like the Bible, certainly has many passages that call for peace and warn against violence.
My premonition is that China and the U.S. will continue their power play to assert their authority wherever they think their “vital interests” are at stake. Even though it is much more in either’s interests to avoid conflict, hardliners in either capitol could escalate the situation to the point of open war. Think Sarajevo and World War I.
I doubt if any leaders are going to step forward and say “enough”. “We really need to cut down on military expenses. We all could make better use of our resources.”
To end on a brighter note, may you have a happy and prosperous new year!
This was published in the 2014-01-02 edition of the Reader Weekly at http://duluthreader.com/articles/2014/01/02/2696_resolutions_predictions_and_premonitions.
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