Magic 8-ball downgraded to 3.5-ball
I’d gotten into the habit of this, and I did badly enough for 2008 to suggest that I probably shouldn’t do it again. And by “badly” I mean this:
- The Bush administration will get one last crack at the Supreme Court, and will botch the nomination. [Didn't, but probably would have if they did.]
- The Cuban embargo will be ended, whether or not Fidel Castro survives the year. [About three weeks off, I'm thinking. The embargo, I mean. Whether Fidel is actually still breathing is another matter entirely.]
- Senator Clinton will remain Senator Clinton. [Well, no, although it didn't play out the way I anticipated.]
- The Republicans will lose five Senate seats and seven House seats. [They wish.]
- Condoleezza Rice will resign as Secretary of State by midyear. [Not even close.]
- The Supreme Court will rule that yes, you do have the right to bear arms, even in the District of Columbia. [Got that one.]
- The weather nationwide will be largely uneventful, which will be blamed on global warming. [Wrong on the weather, at least in the last couple of months; correct on the misfixing of blame.]
- In Oklahoma, the Democrats will gain one Senate seat and break the 24-24 deadlock, though the House will remain in the hands of the GOP. [The deadlock is broken, but not in the direction predicted; the House did as expected.]
- In the hope of turning out Jim Inhofe, state Democrats will launch a “Draft Brad Henry” campaign. The Guv, smiling, will decline. [I still don't believe they didn't.]
- New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will launch his independent Presidential bid with a Super Bowl ad. [Maybe 2012, if we're not thoroughly sick of the Nanny State by then.]
- The SuperSonics will open the 2008-09 season in Seattle’s KeyArena. [The who?]
- Katie Couric will ask to be let out of her CBS contract after the November elections. [Unless it happens today, no.]
- KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City will begin phasing out all its 4-related imaging. [Technology makes this unnecessary.]
- Another delay will be announced in the Crosstown Expressway project, and the projected cost will rise to $1.2 billion. [We got the delay; the price tag is still "officially" believed to be under a billion.]
- The announcement will come less than one week before the city holds a sales-tax election to finance improvements to the Ford Center. [Didn't work out quite that way.]
- Kansas and Oklahoma will discuss making their automated toll-road systems compatible with one another, but will reach no agreement. [They didn't even talk, so far as I know.]
- A group of interrelated spam blogs will be blocked by Technorati and frozen out of Google AdSense, and the spammer will sue, citing the First Amendment and charging restraint of trade. [I am surprised none of the evil little feckwits actually came up with this, given the ease of shopping for foolish venues.]
- N. Z. Bear, pressed for time, will offer to sell the TTLB Ecosystem. [He's certainly pressed for time, but he's not selling.]
So if you were waiting for 2009 predictions from this corner, fugeddaboudit. On the other hand, I wasn’t quite as bad off as this bunch.
Kay Dennison »
31 December 2008 @ 10:01 pm
LOL Chaz!!! I never thought you were Carnac the Magnificent!!!! Happy New Year!!!!!
CGHill »
31 December 2008 @ 10:03 pm
Too bad, what with all that time I spent locating Funk and Wagnalls’ porch. (McGehee was no help; he hasn’t emptied a mayonnaise jar since the Truman administration.)
McGehee »
31 December 2008 @ 10:15 pm
I may not actually touch a mayonnaise jar, but I’ve been unintentionally responsible for emptying some — mainly by ordering a burger or sandwich here in Coweta County.