Happy New Year

I don't have much to say as 2005 comes to an end. It has been a good year, on balance, for the Team.

Tonight Mrs. Tmj and I are home alone. The Goddesses have social commitments and it will be just mom and I watching the ball drop at midnight.

Used to be I'd pull the cannon out and fire a blank round at the stroke, but there are just too many old folks with weak hearts in the neighborhood and it's raining too much to make a pull down to the park worth it.

Old age may be creeping up on me.

I don't have any resolutions this year. There's much I can do to improve; I'll let you know how things go (if only intermittently) as the new year unrolls.

Predictions for the next year:

1. Iran and Syria will be under new management, Iran first. I see a spring strike against Iran's nuclear infrastructure and other critical military assets.

2. Republicans pick up two or three house seats, and at least two senate seats. They don't deserve either, but more Red staters will vote to keep democrats out than doctrinaire conservative Republicans will stay home in protest of the disgraceful lack of leadership and discipline on display in the current caucus.

2a. Please PLEASE replace Frist.

3. There will be multiple indictments in the NSA leak case, and more than a few pleas.

3a. One of the pleas will be made by a sitting democratic congressmen/senator.

3b. Indicted FS or CIA professionals won't be offered deals. There will be a message sent.

4. Photo I.D. will be required for the 2008 general elections. This prediction is based on the widespread fraud to come in November of 2006, which will set standards of deceit and chicanery that Mayor Daley or LBJ would blush to even consider.

5. Howard Dean, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi will lose their leadership positions before summer.

5a. In the event this doesn't happen, increase the numbers in prediction number two by at least two house seats.

6. The U.S. economy will cool off about a percentage point worth of GDP during the winter months. By March, Paul Krugman will announce the looming end of running water and flush toilets. TmjUtah and millions of other small investors will see that column and invest in blue chips, small caps, and index funds and realize double - digit gains by October. Shucks, it worked last year...

7. Hybrid cars will become more popular but battery replacement costs will begin to become a factor in resale value. This fact will go underreported.

8. Michael Yon will not receive the Pulitzer Prize. Damn it.

9. Kofi Anaan will retire to be dictator of a small African country. Possibly Berkley.

10. The EU economy will contract four percent. At least four percent, as far as anybody will be able to tell, given the way they do accounting over there.