Monday, December 26, 2005

Goodbye 2005, welcome 2006.

Goodbye 2005.
It's during this last week of the year that I start to contemplate and reflect upon events that have transpired and people of note that have passed on.
Out with the old and in with the new.
As far as the old is concerned, every television station is cranking out their version of a "look back" with retrospective commentary and video clips.
The year 2005 was a busy year. Probably not any busier than previous years but so well covered by the media that it seemed that there was a non-stop series of natural and man-made disasters, tragedies and scandals.
A tsunami which claimed over 200,000 lives. An earthquake producing an estimated death count of over 100,000. Staggering numbers too high to rationally contemplate. Other well-covered events included Hurricane Katrina, the death of Pope Paul II, a report that an estimated 30,000 Iraqi plus over 2,100 US deaths so far in the WOT and removal of the Saddam regime. Governmental political squabbling taken to such an extreme that it would have our country's founding fathers shaking their heads in disbelief if they were around today.
These were not the good old days.
What will 2006 bring us?
Is the expansion of China's economy going to bode well for the average US worker? If we worried about manufacturing jobs drying up when NAFTA went into effect, this should really remove any doubt. Lay-offs in manufacturing will continue.
The budget deficit is completely out of control. Are the chickens coming home to roost soon? Stay alert on this one because it will have severe consequences.
When will our troops start to come home from Iraq and Afghanistan? Rumors are flying that at least the next rotation may not be replaced with a full complement. We should be that lucky. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Will Pat Robertson make some more outlandish predictions invoking the wrath of God on sinful cities? Please Pat, cool it for all our sake.
Will the far-left wing of the Democratic Party continue to worry more about suspected terrorists' rights than they do about our right to a safe and secure homeland for our families? Yes, as long as George Bush is still in office.
Will Google diversify even further? How about pharmaceuticals or medical services besides the books, classifieds, music, videos, mail and blogs.
Are the NY Yankees going to dominate baseball for the next five years with the recent acquisition of Johnny Damon? I don't think so. It may give them a slight edge but as recent history has shown, no guarantee. I will again root for the "less than rich" underdog teams in MLB and continue to hate the Yankees (except for Jeter).
Will the White Sox repeat? Maybe, but I'm rooting for the OTHER Sox!
Go Red Sox.

8 comments:

Fahd Mirza said...

The death toll of south asian tremor was more than 100,000 (as I live in the affected area).

As you mention the chinese economy growth, I want to ask a question to get the true picture.

What is your and popular opinion about outsourcing in America?

roman said...

fahd mirza,
Thank you for the update on the tragic death toll of the earthquake. I also heard that many people do not have living accommodations and that the emergency tents are not suitable for winter conditions. Hopefully the government and NGO's are addressing this issue.
Many workers in the computer sciences industry, like programmers, lost their jobs during the last 10 years or so. These workers had to find other jobs that pay less. Obviously, they are not happy about this. I understand that outsourcing is a natural progression in a free enterprise (capitalist) system. What is dramatic is the rapid spread and development of the WWW that truly makes this a global economical phenomenon. Your country, India and Bangladesh have been fortunate in this respect because of the highly educated workforce available. China brings a new and formidable player on the world stage and will present stiff competition in the years ahead.

Its Me! said...

What I heck is Catcher in the Rye all about anyways. I always wondered....thanks for the comments on my blog, though proper blog-vistor etiquette(sp) would require you to have taken my side. I'll let it pass. this time.

Fahd Mirza said...

Roman, yes, the conditions are harsh in the affected area, but the world community is with Pakistani people in these testing times. There the resources are scarce and the weather is getting harsher and harsher day by day, but the spirit of people is very high. The relief work is going on, and our community has allocated days to everyone to go in the worst affected areas. My turn was last Sunday.

roman said...

dotbar,
Thanks for stopping by my site.
Cather in the Rye was a required reading in high school here in Boston. It was a surprisingly interesting story about a sixteen year old named Holden Caulfield. There is a good revue here http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/catcher/.

Dr Kuha said...

I like to celebrate New Years sometime in March or April. Mostly because that's when the snow melts, which is more conducive to getting drunk, and because January 1 is a pretty arbitrary New Years day anyway. I mean, why the hell is it in the middle of the winter?
And plus, it's nice to party on the REAL New Years day, with everyone and then throw a huge barbecue kegger in the Spring, and invite everyone along. Just calling it New Years, is an excuse to stay up well past midnight and get totally pissed.

roman said...

dr kuha,
Sounds good to me. There has always been something inherently wrong with party celebrations in the middle of winter up in the northern tier of the country. New Years eve 1989-90 was at the Hyatt
in Can-Cun. Temps in the 80's, many tequila sunrises and passing out on the beach. Great Time.
In 1999-2000 at the Danversport Yacht Club north of Boston. Temps at single digits with gale force winds bringing the chill factor to 20 below. I recall waiting in the parking lot to get into the place and having the wind literally biting(stinging) my ass through my clothes. Not a great time.

Vman said...

we should be much more concerned with china's military expansion than it's economic. Read my latest post covering something you touched on, civil liberties and terrorism.