Just to get last year's unfulfilled New Year's Resolution out of the way first....okay I didn't lose 35 pounds! There I've said it. I had thought that by posting for all to see my goal, then the 'shame incentive' would kick in - forcing me to do it or risk the ridicule of all my faithful readers. Boy was I wrong! The threat of shame only has a limited effect in altering human behavior, after all. So this year, I will merely repeat my goal. Three measly pounds a month. Is that so tough? Uh...yeah. But I'm going to do it anyway. Check this space next year.
Random Thoughts on 2009
The Obama honeymoon is over but.....the relationship may still be saved. The President needs to prove his economic strategy is working and that his health care package is going to deliver on what he promised.
I have to admit I was wrong.. when I said that Sarah Palin leaving the Alaska Governor's office was a mistake. She wrote the best-selling book of the year and has packed venues across the country in her never-ending speaker's tour. Who would have thought it? Although it still does nothing for her experience deficit.
Michael Ignatieff hit the bottom this year but....he may yet recover. He needs to carve out what he and the Liberal Party stand for and connect with voters who still don't know him.
I'm so fed up with.....reality shows. I don't care about Jon or Kate, Octo-mom or Balloon Boy, the Kardashians. [Although I did meet Gene Simmons and was pleasantly surprised at his seriousness as a dad. Go figure!]
The best crisis management of 2009....David Letterman.
The worst crisis management....uh....that would be....Tiger Woods! [Who has got to be very grateful for...Charlie Sheen.]
The greatest musical performance from a political leader.....Stephen Harper...with a little help from his friends. I predict he will have one more showbiz move in him before the year is out!
The best political insider book of 2009.....'The Audacity to Win' by David Plouffe. Strategy, discipline and inclusion beat experience and money.
The most embarrassing new television series involving a failed politician.....former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura.
The most overplayed mawkish media coverage in 2009....the death of Michael Jackson. A sad life doesn't get any better with such 'de-coupled from reality' coverage by CNN and others.
The movie that proves every 'auteur' director needs a tough producer....Quentin Tarantino's 'Inglorious Basterds'. It started as a gripping, intense movie and flatlined into farce in the second half. Not even good farce.
My favorite song of the year.....'Never Forget You' by the Noisettes.
Most poignant and memorable remembrance and funeral of 2009.....that of Sen. Ted Kennedy. A fine tribute to a larger-than-life individual.
Predictions for 2010
1. There will be no Canadian federal election this year. Spring 2011 instead.
2. President Obama will be forced to fire a senior official or Cabinet Member.
3. Canada will win major gold at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
4. Conrad Black will have his conviction thrown out by the U.S. Supreme Court.
5. Gordon Brown will be replaced by David Cameron as the British Prime Minister.
How do I know these things, you may well ask. Have I ever lied to you before?
Until next time.....Happy New Year!
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