Happy New Year 2011

New Year Celebration All Around the world.

Turn out the lights . . . And Tomorrow starts: Happy New Year

In honor of the year just past, I'll quote Dandy Don Meredith (who died this past year).  Back when I was growing up and then going to college, Dandy Don would close every Monday Night Football telecast, which we would watch religiously to catch Howard and Don do their thing, with a verse from a Willie Nelson song:

Turn out the lights

The party's over

They say that

All good things must end

Call it tonight

The party's over

And tomorrow starts

The same old thing again

We have turned out the lights on 2010, for good or for ill, what was is over and done with, and now tomorrow starts.  Hopefully, though, we'll not do the same old thing again!  But in the spirit of Dandy Don, who always knew that next week, another game would be played, we look forward to a new year, hopeful for what it will bring, knowing that for good things to happen we'll have to commit ourselves to that end. 

As we we look forward to 2011, it might be worth pausing to consider some of the important historical moments that we will mark.

• The 400th anniversary of the publication of the Authorized Version of the Bible, better known to most people as the King James Version.  It should be honored, not because it is the best or most reliable translation, which it isn't, but for the impact it has made on the English language.  (1611)
• Then there is the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the nearly five year ordeal called the Civil War, a war that was sparked by the recognition that a nation could not remain united half free, half slave.  The beginning of the process started January 9th, when five states seceded, and shots were fired on a US Naval vessel supplying Fort Sumter. (1961)
• The 70th Anniversary of Pear Harbor, the attack on the Naval Base in Hawaii that finally drew the United States into World War II.  This number reminds us that the so-called Greatest Generation that made such a mark on American life is quickly fading into history.  The youngest sailors at Pearl would now be in their late 80s. (1941)
• We will observe the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Peace Corps by John F. Kennedy (1961)
• The 25th Anniversary of the first public IPO of Microsoft, an event that marks the true beginning of the computer age as we know it as the general public (1986).
• This fall we will mark the 10th Anniversary of the terrorist event we know as 9-11.  I remember at the time making the statement that the world as we know it no longer exists.  I wonder if I was correct?  What difference has this event made on our lives?  Are things better or worse?  This will be an important conversation to undertake this coming year, especially as we move toward the creation of special observances of that day.  (2001) 

It is a New Year.  It offers opportunities to do new things.  What will we make of the year ahead?

The Closing of the Year 2010

At the stroke of midnight tonight a year will end, and a new year will begin.  We will, I'm sure, during the course of the day contemplate the things that have happened over the year -- the vacations we took, the roofs we put on our houses, the elections we participated in, the movies we viewed and the books we read and perhaps wrote.  We will ruefully think of missed opportunities and rejoice in the great things that got accomplished.  We'll remember the big November election that shook up the political establishment and remember that it was a year in which we lost Mr. Cunningham (Tom Bosley) and Mrs. Cleaver (Barbara Billingsley).  Oh, I can't forget the biggest event of my year, something I've waited all my life to see -- the San Francisco Giants won their first World Series in San Francisco and first in franchise history since 1954. 

Looking backward, each of us will have something different to share, even as we look forward to the next year, wondering what to make of it.  What opportunities will present themselves this coming year, a year in which we observe the anniversaries of the commencement of the Civil War, the publishing of the King James Version of the Bible, and 9-11. 

As we think about all of this and share our memories, which I invite you the reader to do, maybe it's appropriate to keep in mind the words of the Teacher from Ecclesiastes 1 -- just to keep things in perspective:

The words of the Teacher,* the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

2 Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher,*

vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

3 What do people gain from all the toil

at which they toil under the sun?

4 A generation goes, and a generation comes,

but the earth remains for ever.

5 The sun rises and the sun goes down,

and hurries to the place where it rises.

6 The wind blows to the south,

and goes round to the north;

round and round goes the wind,

and on its circuits the wind returns.

7 All streams run to the sea,

but the sea is not full;

to the place where the streams flow,

there they continue to flow.

8 All things* are wearisome;

more than one can express;

the eye is not satisfied with seeing,

or the ear filled with hearing.

9 What has been is what will be,

and what has been done is what will be done;

there is nothing new under the sun.

10 Is there a thing of which it is said,

‘See, this is new’?

It has already been,

in the ages before us.

11 The people of long ago are not remembered,

nor will there be any remembrance

of people yet to come

by those who come after them.   (Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 NRSV)

Predictions for 2010

I don't own a crystal ball, nor do I have any special psychic powers or connections to the Almighty that would grant me privileged insight. But I do understand a little bit about what is going on in the world, and it's a challenge to look ahead and try to figure out what a new year may bring.

The following are 10 predictions that I am willing to make for the new year that we just began. Every year brings with it major news developments, exciting sporting accomplishments, political intrigue, public scandals, celebrity gaffes, natural disasters, and other headlines. We can take a look back at the end of 2010 and see how I faired with these:

1) Israel-Iran War: There is just no way that Israel can allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. If the mullahs are not overthrown and Ahmadinejad kicked out on his apocalpyse-desirous can in the first few months of the year, Israel cannot wait much longer. It's a bit of an upset that the Israelis have waited this long. This will be huge.

2) American Congress: The Republican Party will make major inroads in both Houses of Congress in the 2010 mid-term elections. Probably not enough to take over either House, unless of course the Obama administration continues to bury the U.S. in debt and continues to take over private industry. My bet is the Dems up for election will paint themselves moderately enough to salvage a slight Dem majority.

3) Terrorism in the West: There will be a moderate-to-major successful Islamofascist terrorist attack somewhere in either Great Britain or the United States this year. The radical Islamists have sworn to keep coming at us, they continue to make actual attempts, and we keep getting lucky most times. Our luck will run out somewhere, some time.

4) American Financial Debacle: Unemployment will continue to rise, credit will continue to remain tight, the housing market will continue to stagnate. The policies that the Obama administration is utilizing simply do nothing to spur ongoing economic growth. There will be calls for more stimulus, just what we need (sic). At some point in the year the Fed will raise interest rates to stave off inflation, worsening many areas of the economy. The stock market will end the year lower than the final 2009 levels.

5) Natural Disaster: The world has been rocked in recent years by major tsunamis, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, more so than at any time. Or does it just seem that way because we now have 24-hour news coverage? In any event, the U.S. got away without a major hurricane striking the mainland in 2009. We won't be as lucky in 2010, and look for at least one other major event elsewhere in the developed world this year.

6) The Sports World: Predicting champions is the longest of long shots, but here goes. The Super Bowl will see the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the New England Patriots. How's that for a homer pick? Want another one? Okay, the Philadelphia Phillies will defeat the New York Yankees in a World Series rematch. The Chicago Black Hawks will win the Stanley Cup by downing the New Jersey Devils. The Cleveland Cavaliers will upend the LA Lakers for the NBA title. Kansas wins the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

7) Olympics Incident: The Winter Olympics are being held in Vancouver next month. The largest sporting event on earth remains the greatest attraction for television, athletes, fans - and terrorists. Watch for some attack or attempted attack at some venue. If Vancouver lucks out, or makes it's own luck with tremendous security, the real challenge is next. London hosts the 2012 Summer Olympics, and that one should be a real security challenge.

8) Celebrity Deaths: We all know there will be some. The usual suspects this time around include Billy Graham, Nancy Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Dick Clark, Elizabeth Taylor, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Kirk Douglas, Betty Ford, Nelson Mandela, Jerry Lewis, Fidel Castro, Osama bin Laden and Abe Vigoda, who I personally think may never die. But the real challenge is predicting the younger folks who really shouldn't go, but who end up in accidents or overdoses or as homicides/suicides. Put me down for a couple on the longshots: Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan.

9) Science and Sci-Fi: There will continue to be no proof of intelligent life on other planets. No flying saucers or other beings will visit/invade the earth. The H1N1 virus will fade from the headlines amid warnings from the medical community that some major disease will eventually break out among humans that will indeed cause a worldwide crisis, and they will be right - eventually. By the way, your life can already be tracked via things like GPS on your cellphone and via your debit/credit card usage. This will become even more invasive in the coming year.

10) Weight Loss: Okay, here is the biggie. Yours truly will lose weight, a great deal of it, and get in the best shape that I have been in since my police academy days two decades ago. This is the one that I hope actually comes through for me. Well, this and the Republicans making strong Congressional gains. I am starting the effort this coming week. Wish me luck.

So there go ten areas where I am willing to go out on the limb with some general and specific predictions. It will be a great year for some, a terrible year for others, the last year on earth for some, the first year for others. In short, in the end it will be pretty much like any other year. It's all ahead of us right now. It will be interesting to take a look back in 11 months or so and reflect on this article with the knowledge of the reality of what actually occurred.

New Year Resolutions

What will yours be? To perhaps lose some weight? Statistics show that weight loss, getting in shape, and other such related items are the #1 resolution that folks make for the New Year. This is going to be the year that you finally drop those extra 10, 20, 50, 80 pounds and whip your sorry butt into real, solid physical condition, and then keep it that way with regular maintenance. Unfortunately, as I know all too well, the vast majority who make this resolution will drift away from it by the spring, definitely by the summer. The #2 on the resolution list is perhaps even more likely to fail: quitting smoking. How many times have you said that this will be the year that you put out your last cigarette, and never pick up another? The 'patch', drugs, will power, all of it is begun in an earnest effort to rid yourself of the vile weed. But this one usually is done in shorter order than the weight-loss resolution. As far as I can recall, there is only one resolution that I have made in all of the 30 or so years that I have been making them that I have managed to keep. About 7-8 years ago I realized that I had gotten away from one of the things that gave me great joy as a young man. That was reading good books. I was reading the newspaper, even reading some articles online, but I hadn't picked up a book in years. That wasn't the case when I was younger. From the time of my childhood and mostly through my twenties, I read books regularly. So at about age 40, I made the resolution that I was going to read books more. As a tool, I resolved to go out and get a library card, and read at least one book a month. I went to the library, got the card, took out what turned out to be a great biography of legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi titled 'When Pride Still Mattered', and have never looked back. There is almost never a time when I don't have at least one book that I am currently reading, and I highly recommend that Lombardi bio. This year my resolution has more to do with faith than anything else. I have resolved to try to do what God wants me to do more than doing what it is that I want. Those two things have often been in conflict in the past, as they are in most folks lives. I hope that by keying on His desires for me rather than my own, that I will see solid, positive changes across many facets of my life. We'll see. I have a lot of hope, because as a believer in Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour I know the full power of God. He can do great things in your life if you just let Him in and give him more control. So there is my New Year resolution for 2009. It's far bigger than losing some weight, quitting smoking, or reading more books. And it's the one that I hope actually comes to pass, more than any other that I've gone after. God bless you all in the New Year, and all of your families and close friends. I hope that whatever your own personal resolutions are, that you will achieve success at them, and that perhaps you will consider adding a piece of my own to your own efforts. I believe it will make those battles a lot easier for you. Happy New Year!

Another Auld Lang Syne

In 1788, 29-year old Scottish poet Robert Burns sat himself down and wrote a poem that he titled 'Auld Lang Syne', which would literally translate today into "old long since", "long long ago", or even "days gone by." It was similar in phrasing and verse to a 1711 work by James Watson, and Burns himself stated that his work was based on an older one. The song that is traditionally sang today as we ring out an old year and ring in a new one, as we will tonight at midnight, is attributed to Burns and includes the spirit of the older Watson work with Burns own work blended into it. The spirit being that in celebrating another 'auld lang syne' we are remembering days or times that have gone before. People in our lives, events, places that have been important to us. This has been the practice stretching back for a couple of hundred years now, as the Scots celebrated a new year with the song and spread this custom into England, then further on into America and around the world. It became a true New Year's Eve staple when in 1929 band leader Guy Lombardo began to use it in his radio and later his television broadcasts as his signature song to ring in the new year. In modern times we take the song to be a last look back at what has happened in our lives and in our world over the past year, and then look forward to a new start in a new year. In 1981, pop singer Dan Fogelberg released the song 'Same Old Lang Syne', which has become a popular radio staple here in America during the Christmas holidays. In the hauntingly melancholy Fogelberg song, the main character has a chance encounter in a grocery store on Christmas Eve with an old lover. They embark on a brief reunion over a few drinks and shared memories, but in the end must move away from that moment's reflection on 'the good old days' and back into the reality of their lives and their futures, which do not include one another. As I look back on my life, there are many similar people as in the Fogelberg song. People who still hold a solid place in my heart, who in fact will always hold that place. I look back on them in fondness from time to time, but then move forward again with my life as it is today. That those former friends and lovers are no longer an active part of that life makes most of them no less special to me. So as I look back on 2008 tonight, there are many people and events that I will remember with fondness that are particular to this past year. At the top of the list is a welcome to the world to my new grandson, Reznor Lydon Lloyd. Then there are the new co-workers whom I got to know in my first year at the police department's Advanced Training Unit. The classmates and teachers that I met during my final year at St. Joseph's University added to my year. On the big stage of local and world events there was the incredible Phillies World Series run, and in politics the emergence of a strong conservative woman in Sarah Palin. Those were the "hello's", there are always the goodbyes. This past year, fortunately for me, there were few family members in that category. However, four of my fellow Philly cops lost their lives this year in the line of duty. And so my 'auld lang syne' will include Steve Liczbinski, Isabel Nazario, Pat McDonald, and Tim Simpson. I look forward to 2009 with hope for better times for my children and grandchildren, and hope for continued health and happiness for myself and my wife Debbie. The new year will ultimately bring incredible drama across the world, stories that we cannot envision at this moment. I hope and pray that, for the most part, they bring positive developments for most of the world's inhabitants. Tonight as the ball drops and the countdown ends, we will celebrate another auld lang syne. I wish you all and all of your family members a very happy, healthy, safe, fun, prosperous New Year in 2009.