Predictions for 2010? Results for 2009!

Every year, taking a page from Art Bell, I take predictions for what will happen in the upcoming year. If you have a prediction, something you know or feel will happen in 2010, post it here (please no "gimmies," predictions involving me, or predictions that could get the authorities on my ass). On Dec 31, 2010, we'll take those predictions and see if they happened.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE no Prediction that'll get me a visit from Government Agencies? Please?

So, did the predictions y'all made for 2010 come true?

heather2u: We will realize that things are worse than we ever imagined. We will also realize that we are stronger and more resourceful than we ever imagined. '09 will be a major growth experience for us all - well, many of us. - Well...kinda depends on wether or not you had a bad year, then a good year. That's a lot of us. So yeah. Ding ding ding.

jessie_c: Some form of ENDA will pass. It will be controversial. - According to Wikipedia, it's been "Referred to the Judiciary, Administration, Education and Labor, and Oversight and Government Reform committees. Hearings held September 23, 2009 in Education and Labor committee." I think that's a BZZT.

jessie_c: [Canadian Prime Minister] Harper will lose the next confidence motion and will call another election. - Looks like the Vote of No Confidence from 2008 fizzled in early 2009. No vote of confidence vote, and no election. Sadly he will win again but likely not a majority (or just barely). BZZT.

ghostangel: Obama will probably have at least one attempt on his life in the next 4 years. - I really hate these kinds of predictions, since they're the ones that get people visits by the FBI. (No more of these, please :) ). Thankfully, this is a big BZZT!...there's been no major threats to Barak, although supposedly there was one against Michelle. Again, please, no more of these kinds of predictions, thanks. :)

ghostangel: I will have an intermediate/expert understanding of German. - Was sagen Sie, Ghostie?

pazi_ashfeather: Although the economy will not about-face within the year, there will be a noticeable, albeit brief, spike in the markets sometime within two weeks of the inauguration. (I've got a theory. Let's see what happens.)...



Ding Ding Ding about the brief spike...although the economy is kinda STARTED to about face.

madrona: Barack Obama will restart the New Deal Alphabet Agencies to lower unemployment. When striking the first symbolic blow with a pickax to break ground for a new railroad, he will inadvertently discover a magical underground realm filled with unicorns. The horns the unicorns shed each year will turn out to be the missing ingredient in the cold fusion process and nearly free energy will hasten the approach of the Singularity. The resultant peace and prosperity will, of course, trigger the beginning of the Tribulations as outlined in the book of Revelations. - BZZT But MaxiBig Points for Creativity.

borgcube_jedi:The US changeover from analogue to digital TV will cause problems in rural areas as many people are upset about being unable to receive broadcast stations they used to. Also as a result, the viewership of broadcast TV among people over the age of 40 will decrease. (Cable and satellite TV patronage may or may not go up). - Mount Vernon, WA lost ALL their Digital TV, and stations had to scramble to get repeaters working. Same with some South Sound areas, and many others. So I give this a big Ding Ding Ding. I couldn't find any info on Television viewerhip, though. Where're the Nielsens when you need them?

wytwolf: Obama will be overly criticized for everything he does, and people will constantly grumble about the change he'll bring, because no one really likes change (even if they think they do). - DING DING and DING. I do think he's overly criticized (although there are a LOT of valid criticisms out there), and we've seen people bringing guns to "Town Hall" meetings with him. I'd call that "grumbling."

aspasia13: There will be another round of stimulus checks in the US. The relief will be mild at best for retailers as most people use the money to pay down debts rather than spur much new spending. - No stimulus checks this year, at least I did n't get one. But I know I'd use it to pay off my debt, rather than buy a new TV. BZZT.

aspasia13: The public will demand to know how the bailout money was used by the banks. While congress will hold hearings on the matter, in the end no one will be held accountable and no clear answers will be known. - Ding ding ding ding! Although in the end we kinda DID find out where the money went: Bonuses (and the occasional loan).

aspasia13: Banks will continue to not lend much money for most if not all of the year as the economy continues to stagnate. - DING DING DING! (the economy is getting at least a little less stagnant, though).

aspasia13: Lingering worries about the US economy will cause more investment in the Euro. More oil rich countries will switch from trading exclusively in dollars to a combination of USD, Euro, and Yuan. - This is a provisional Ding ding ding. I've heard a lot about people investing more in the Euro, but it's tumbling along with the Dollar. OPEC countries are CONSIDERING moving to another currency, but the US has screamed bloody murder to keep it from happening.

aspasia13: US Mining will begin to slowly increase as Chinese demand for raw materials continues to increase. This will have a modest boost on the economy, but the effect will be small overall. - I can't really say. I hadn't heard too much coming from the mining sector at all, and if there ws any boost, it was negligible. We'll throw that one to the judges.

aspasia13: US troops will begin to pull out of Iraq towards the end of the year, but it won't ease the strain on the military or their families as further troops are deployed to Afghanistan. - That's such a HUGE DINGDINGDING. So so true.

aspasia13: A political crisis will crop up in Iraq resulting in new leadership in the country. The result will be an even weaker central government whose main focus will be arbitrating the control of oil. - BZZT. The Iraqi Government doesn't seem to be in any more crisis than usual, and the one real thorn it it's side has been pretty quiet lately. Once we're gone, however....

aspasia13: A "surge" will be attempted in Afghanistan but, due to the vastly different culture and political situation than Iraq as well as not being nearly enough for the current situation, will only have mild success with little overall gains. - I'm going to give this a BZZT for 2009 as we didn't have a surge in 2009. 2010, however...oi....

aspasia13: Another terrorist attack will take place in India, raising tensions even further with Pakistan. India will make cross border attacks to take out targets they believe are responsible. The Pakistani government will protest and send more troops along the border, but no strong action will be taken at the urging of the US and other western governments. - No big attacks in India in 2009 ::knock on wood::. Pakistan didn't fare so well.... BZZT

aspasia13: The tribes of northwest territories of Pakistan, long-time supporters of the Taliban, will instigate attacks against the Pakistani government that will gradually increase due to lack of significant action against India and US for cross border attacks. The Pakistani intelligence service (which also has strong clandestine support for the Taliban) will make a coup attempt. The end result will be the first civil war in a country with nuclear weapons (though that might not be IN 2009, but events of 2009 will lead to it). - YEs and no and no and yes and no and yes. The attacks against the Pakistani government happened, and boy did they happen, so Ding Ding Ding on that. The coup and civil war haven't happened...yet ::knock on wood:: So Bzzt on that.

aspasia13: Russia will make a deal with China to make a new gas pipeline between the two countries so that it will not be at the mercy of Europe as its only customer. - Bzzt.

aspasia13: Russia will again invade Georgia under the guise of eliminating terrorist threats. The US will protest and again send ships into the Baltic but will not be able to do much as efforts are focused on Afghanistan and Pakistan. The EU will try to intervene diplomatically, but Russia will end up remaining in occupation after threatening to cut off gas supplies. - Bzzt, but ask again in 2010....

aspasia13: U.S. Health care reform will be mentioned, but not introduced to congress this year. - Oh, that's a great big BZZT. Now whether it'll be effective or not....

aspasia13: Existing same-sex marriages in CA will not be nullified as they will be deemed by the courts to have been done legally while it was allowed. - Ding ding ding! Now if we could get them to recognize the first batch, and...well...everyone since.

aspasia13: California Prop 8 will be ruled invalid for procedural reasons (e.g. a simple ballot measure cannot override California's equal protection clause). - I wish. Sadly....Bzzt....

aspasia13: Republicans will immediately blame Obama for the new stimulus package and the Afghanistan surge not having immediate results, despite them saying "these things take time to have an effect" when Bush did them in 2008. Nevertheless they will claim "Bush made them work, and Obama can't!" - BZZT...sorta. The stimulus and surge haven't happened (well, the surge hasn't happened YET).

aspasia13: The main two focuses of the Obama presidency will be the worsening situation in Afghanistan/Pakistan and the Economy. - That's a big Ding ding ding! although the Afghanistan thing is a recent development.

zaecus: here will be a massive natural disaster in Chinese territory requiring outside assistance. The US will be instrumental in helping deal with the aftermath of the natural disaster. At least one major news outlet will ask the question, "Where was this when New Orleans needed it?" As a result, foreign opinion of the US will begin to recover but domestic opinion of the US government will suffer. - I'm going to give this a Bzzt, but I could deinately see it happening one day.

zaecus: An alpaca will be seen eating the roses in the white house rose garden. - Bzzzzzzzmmmmmmmmmm...flowers....::drools::

Predictions for 2010? Results for 2009!

Every year, taking a page from Art Bell, I take predictions for what will happen in the upcoming year. If you have a prediction, something you know or feel will happen in 2010, post it here (please no "gimmies," predictions involving me, or predictions that could get the authorities on my ass). On Dec 31, 2010, we'll take those predictions and see if they happened.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE no Prediction that'll get me a visit from Government Agencies? Please?

So, did the predictions y'all made for 2010 come true?

heather2u: We will realize that things are worse than we ever imagined. We will also realize that we are stronger and more resourceful than we ever imagined. '09 will be a major growth experience for us all - well, many of us. - Well...kinda depends on wether or not you had a bad year, then a good year. That's a lot of us. So yeah. Ding ding ding.

jessie_c: Some form of ENDA will pass. It will be controversial. - According to Wikipedia, it's been "Referred to the Judiciary, Administration, Education and Labor, and Oversight and Government Reform committees. Hearings held September 23, 2009 in Education and Labor committee." I think that's a BZZT.

jessie_c: [Canadian Prime Minister] Harper will lose the next confidence motion and will call another election. - Looks like the Vote of No Confidence from 2008 fizzled in early 2009. No vote of confidence vote, and no election. Sadly he will win again but likely not a majority (or just barely). BZZT.

ghostangel: Obama will probably have at least one attempt on his life in the next 4 years. - I really hate these kinds of predictions, since they're the ones that get people visits by the FBI. (No more of these, please :) ). Thankfully, this is a big BZZT!...there's been no major threats to Barak, although supposedly there was one against Michelle. Again, please, no more of these kinds of predictions, thanks. :)

ghostangel: I will have an intermediate/expert understanding of German. - Was sagen Sie, Ghostie?

pazi_ashfeather: Although the economy will not about-face within the year, there will be a noticeable, albeit brief, spike in the markets sometime within two weeks of the inauguration. (I've got a theory. Let's see what happens.)...



Ding Ding Ding about the brief spike...although the economy is kinda STARTED to about face.

madrona: Barack Obama will restart the New Deal Alphabet Agencies to lower unemployment. When striking the first symbolic blow with a pickax to break ground for a new railroad, he will inadvertently discover a magical underground realm filled with unicorns. The horns the unicorns shed each year will turn out to be the missing ingredient in the cold fusion process and nearly free energy will hasten the approach of the Singularity. The resultant peace and prosperity will, of course, trigger the beginning of the Tribulations as outlined in the book of Revelations. - BZZT But MaxiBig Points for Creativity.

borgcube_jedi:The US changeover from analogue to digital TV will cause problems in rural areas as many people are upset about being unable to receive broadcast stations they used to. Also as a result, the viewership of broadcast TV among people over the age of 40 will decrease. (Cable and satellite TV patronage may or may not go up). - Mount Vernon, WA lost ALL their Digital TV, and stations had to scramble to get repeaters working. Same with some South Sound areas, and many others. So I give this a big Ding Ding Ding. I couldn't find any info on Television viewerhip, though. Where're the Nielsens when you need them?

wytwolf: Obama will be overly criticized for everything he does, and people will constantly grumble about the change he'll bring, because no one really likes change (even if they think they do). - DING DING and DING. I do think he's overly criticized (although there are a LOT of valid criticisms out there), and we've seen people bringing guns to "Town Hall" meetings with him. I'd call that "grumbling."

aspasia13: There will be another round of stimulus checks in the US. The relief will be mild at best for retailers as most people use the money to pay down debts rather than spur much new spending. - No stimulus checks this year, at least I did n't get one. But I know I'd use it to pay off my debt, rather than buy a new TV. BZZT.

aspasia13: The public will demand to know how the bailout money was used by the banks. While congress will hold hearings on the matter, in the end no one will be held accountable and no clear answers will be known. - Ding ding ding ding! Although in the end we kinda DID find out where the money went: Bonuses (and the occasional loan).

aspasia13: Banks will continue to not lend much money for most if not all of the year as the economy continues to stagnate. - DING DING DING! (the economy is getting at least a little less stagnant, though).

aspasia13: Lingering worries about the US economy will cause more investment in the Euro. More oil rich countries will switch from trading exclusively in dollars to a combination of USD, Euro, and Yuan. - This is a provisional Ding ding ding. I've heard a lot about people investing more in the Euro, but it's tumbling along with the Dollar. OPEC countries are CONSIDERING moving to another currency, but the US has screamed bloody murder to keep it from happening.

aspasia13: US Mining will begin to slowly increase as Chinese demand for raw materials continues to increase. This will have a modest boost on the economy, but the effect will be small overall. - I can't really say. I hadn't heard too much coming from the mining sector at all, and if there ws any boost, it was negligible. We'll throw that one to the judges.

aspasia13: US troops will begin to pull out of Iraq towards the end of the year, but it won't ease the strain on the military or their families as further troops are deployed to Afghanistan. - That's such a HUGE DINGDINGDING. So so true.

aspasia13: A political crisis will crop up in Iraq resulting in new leadership in the country. The result will be an even weaker central government whose main focus will be arbitrating the control of oil. - BZZT. The Iraqi Government doesn't seem to be in any more crisis than usual, and the one real thorn it it's side has been pretty quiet lately. Once we're gone, however....

aspasia13: A "surge" will be attempted in Afghanistan but, due to the vastly different culture and political situation than Iraq as well as not being nearly enough for the current situation, will only have mild success with little overall gains. - I'm going to give this a BZZT for 2009 as we didn't have a surge in 2009. 2010, however...oi....

aspasia13: Another terrorist attack will take place in India, raising tensions even further with Pakistan. India will make cross border attacks to take out targets they believe are responsible. The Pakistani government will protest and send more troops along the border, but no strong action will be taken at the urging of the US and other western governments. - No big attacks in India in 2009 ::knock on wood::. Pakistan didn't fare so well.... BZZT

aspasia13: The tribes of northwest territories of Pakistan, long-time supporters of the Taliban, will instigate attacks against the Pakistani government that will gradually increase due to lack of significant action against India and US for cross border attacks. The Pakistani intelligence service (which also has strong clandestine support for the Taliban) will make a coup attempt. The end result will be the first civil war in a country with nuclear weapons (though that might not be IN 2009, but events of 2009 will lead to it). - YEs and no and no and yes and no and yes. The attacks against the Pakistani government happened, and boy did they happen, so Ding Ding Ding on that. The coup and civil war haven't happened...yet ::knock on wood:: So Bzzt on that.

aspasia13: Russia will make a deal with China to make a new gas pipeline between the two countries so that it will not be at the mercy of Europe as its only customer. - Bzzt.

aspasia13: Russia will again invade Georgia under the guise of eliminating terrorist threats. The US will protest and again send ships into the Baltic but will not be able to do much as efforts are focused on Afghanistan and Pakistan. The EU will try to intervene diplomatically, but Russia will end up remaining in occupation after threatening to cut off gas supplies. - Bzzt, but ask again in 2010....

aspasia13: U.S. Health care reform will be mentioned, but not introduced to congress this year. - Oh, that's a great big BZZT. Now whether it'll be effective or not....

aspasia13: Existing same-sex marriages in CA will not be nullified as they will be deemed by the courts to have been done legally while it was allowed. - Ding ding ding! Now if we could get them to recognize the first batch, and...well...everyone since.

aspasia13: California Prop 8 will be ruled invalid for procedural reasons (e.g. a simple ballot measure cannot override California's equal protection clause). - I wish. Sadly....Bzzt....

aspasia13: Republicans will immediately blame Obama for the new stimulus package and the Afghanistan surge not having immediate results, despite them saying "these things take time to have an effect" when Bush did them in 2008. Nevertheless they will claim "Bush made them work, and Obama can't!" - BZZT...sorta. The stimulus and surge haven't happened (well, the surge hasn't happened YET).

aspasia13: The main two focuses of the Obama presidency will be the worsening situation in Afghanistan/Pakistan and the Economy. - That's a big Ding ding ding! although the Afghanistan thing is a recent development.

zaecus: here will be a massive natural disaster in Chinese territory requiring outside assistance. The US will be instrumental in helping deal with the aftermath of the natural disaster. At least one major news outlet will ask the question, "Where was this when New Orleans needed it?" As a result, foreign opinion of the US will begin to recover but domestic opinion of the US government will suffer. - I'm going to give this a Bzzt, but I could deinately see it happening one day.

zaecus: An alpaca will be seen eating the roses in the white house rose garden. - Bzzzzzzzmmmmmmmmmm...flowers....::drools::