Global Predictions for 2007

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Okay soothsayers, fortune tellers, prognosticators all - at least those brave anough among you to do so - what do you predict will be the chief headlines on a global scale in 2007?

William Safire starts us off - comment on his or add your own:

The Office Pool, 2007 By WILLIAM SAFIRE
Published: December 29, 2006
Washington

OPTIMISTIC predictions took a beating in 2006 (except for the stock market), but today ?- in my 33rd annual office pool in this space ?- is my chance to recoup. In these multiple choices, pick one, all or none.

1. The "O'Connorless Supreme Court" will decide

(a) without reversing Roe v. Wade to uphold laws restricting late-term abortion because they do not impose an "undue burden" on women

(b) that public schools in Seattle and Louisville, in their zeal to prevent re-segregation, have gone too far in using race in selection of students

(c) to reject Massachusetts' case to force the Environmental Protection Agency to raise auto emissions standards, holding that "global warming" gives the state no standing to sue without new law

2. Dow Jones industrials will

(a) reflect 4 percent economic growth to rise in 2007 to close above 14,000

(b) fall out of bed to 10,000 in what the Republicans will claim is the Democratic recession

(c) soar to 15,000 before ending the year around 14,000

(d) change from a boring numerical index to lively prose opinions in the with-it Wall Street Journal

3. Bipartisan achievement of 110th Congress and Bush White House will be

(a) blue-ribbon Social Security panel providing cover to raise retirement age to 70 for those now under 50

(b) passage of Leahy-Pence shield law permitting whistleblowers to expose corruption to reporters without fear of being ratted out by runaway prosecutors

(c) immigration reform allowing earned citizenship of current illegals and installing 1,700-mile fence named after the nativist Millard Fillmore

(d) substantial minimum-wage increase with reduction but not elimination of "death tax"

4. Congress will override Bush veto of

(a) federal support of stem-cell research

(b) federal negotiation of drug prices

5. The word most often heard in 110th Congress will be

(a) sellout

(b) compromise

(c) subpoena

(d) civility

(e) payback

6. The Oscar for best picture in a year of great pictures will go to

(a) Martin Scorsese's "Departed"

(b) Paul Greengrass's "United 93"

(c) Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima"

(d) Stephen Frears's "Queen"

(e) Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris's "Little Miss Sunshine"

7. The level of American troops in Iraq at year's end will be

(a) over 100,000, down from surged 160,000

(b) under 100,000, down from today's unsurged 140,000

(c) under 80,000 with announced timetable for downsizing in 2008 to 40,000 in secure Iraqi Kurdistan

8. Iraq will be

(a) in full-scale civil war

(b) on the road to shaky democracy with insurgency weakening

(c) split three ways with Kirkuk as capital of Kurdistan

9. Iran at year's end will be

(a) more intransigent than ever and on the way to matching North Korea's nuclear weapon

(b) more reasonable after plunge in oil income, anti-terrorism boycott, labor-student unrest and global sanctions

(c) red-faced at double cross from Arab Iraqi Shiites

10. Publishing sleeper-seller will be

(a) "Sacred Games" by Vikram Chandra, a gangster novel like an Indian "Godfather"

(b) Jim Lehrer's novel "The Phony Marine"

and in non-fiction

(c) "Spy Wars: Moles, Mysteries and Deadly Games," by a retired spook, Tennent Bagley, which refutes C.I.A. groupthink about the molehunter James Angleton being paranoid

(d) "Father's Day," by Buzz Bissinger, about his twin sons, one exceptional and the other damaged

11. Internal party struggle will be

(a) John Edwards's labor-appealing protectionism versus Hillary Clinton's championing of Nafta-style free trade

(b) John McCain as pro-life versus Rudy Giuliani as pro-choice

(c) cognitive dissonance of anti-bias liberals at bias toward a conservative Mormon candidate

12. Scientific news will be in

(a) neuro-circuitry

(b) deep brain stimulation in treating depression

(c) sequencing the genome of higher apes in studying evolution

(d) vaccine approaches to treatment of Alzheimer's as well as eradication of malaria

(e) gene duplication to detect mental illness

(f) commercial hype about cranial calisthenics

13. Year-end polls of likely primary voters will have in the lead among Democrats

(a) Clinton

(b) Obama

(c) Edwards

(d) Gore

(e) Richardson-Biden-Dodd-Dean

and among Republicans

(a) McCain

(b) Romney

(c) Giuliani

(d) Gingrich-Rice-Brownback-Hagel

14. Time and chance will happeneth to all predictions if

(a) McCain scampily blows his stack

(b) Clinton freezes over

(c) Romney is brainwashed

(d) Obama loses his cool over press interest in "Rezkogate"

15. Key factor in swing-voter choice of next president will be

(a) experience

(b) freshness

(c) character

(d) name recognition

(e) seizure of health-care issue

(f) Internet organization

My picks are: 1 (all) 2 (c) 3 (b) 4 (both) 5 (c) 6 (d) 7 (a) 8 (b) 9 (b) 10 (c) 11 (a) 12 (all) 13 (a), (a) 14 (all) 15 (c)

William Safire, a former Times Op-Ed columnist, is the chairman of the Dana Foundation.
NY TIMES SOURCE

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I would be willing to invest every dime I have on the fact that the Dow will not hit 15,000 in 2007. In fact, I already have. The DJIA essentially will end 2007 below what it is now.

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war, rumours of war, environmental disasters, terrible economic downturn, betrayal of the handicapped by the government, more and more US soldiers slaughtered in the Middle East, constant reassurances by bushco that things are progressing nicely and record viewing numbers for American Idol.

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I predict the market will do well in 2007 unless the Dems manage to get some hefty tax hikes past President Bush and I don't see that happening.

Look for more presidential vetoes in 2007 than we have seen in the previous six years. In fact, as there was only one veto in the previous six years, look for a LOT more vetoes in 2007.

I don't think Congress will override federal funding for embrionic stem cell research or government government control on drug prices. I think Safire missed on that one.

Unless the Dems manage to deep six the funding for our military in Iraq, I do think that will improve in the coming year and we will see democracy begin to take hold there while there will be significant decrease in terrorist activity as the Iraqis themselves step up to the plate.

I predict Britney Spears will marry and divorce again in 2007.

I think the Donald will win the shouting match with Rosie.

And I agree American Idol will be big again this year IF they come up with a more impressive talent pool than they did in 2006.

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O'Connerlesss court will decide (b)

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But how will they decide LSM? What is your prediction?

I guess its too late to predict that Saddam Hussein won't make it to 2007.

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Foxfyre wrote:

But how will they decide LSM? What is your prediction?

I guess its too late to predict that Saddam Hussein won't make it to 2007.

I believe that the USSC will decide that the powers that be went too far in their zeal to segregate schools. Bussing a kid 20 miles to school when there's a school within walking distance is an unneeded expense & stupid.

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LoneStarMadam wrote:

Foxfyre wrote:
But how will they decide LSM? What is your prediction?

I guess its too late to predict that Saddam Hussein won't make it to 2007.

I believe that the USSC will decide that the powers that be went too far in their zeal to segregate schools. Bussing a kid 20 miles to school when there's a school within walking distance is an unneeded expense & stupid.

I agree and think there is a good chance SCOTUS will rule sensibly on that one. I also predict they will agree that a state can ban partial birth abortion and that Massachusetts has no jurisdiction to dictate what kind of cars Detroit has to manufacture.

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LoneStarMadam wrote:

Foxfyre wrote:
But how will they decide LSM? What is your prediction?

I guess its too late to predict that Saddam Hussein won't make it to 2007.

I believe that the USSC will decide that the powers that be went too far in their zeal to segregate schools. Bussing a kid 20 miles to school when there's a school within walking distance is an unneeded expense & stupid.

My God I agree. 1000%. Someone inform the media.

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By the end of 2007 the world will be happy and at peace. Freedom will ring throughout the globe! Iraq will become a damn nice vacation spot! George W Bush will become known as the greatest President in history! Everyone will be rich and love thy neighbor! And all diseases will be cured!

Damn -- that's gotta be the stupidest post I've ever made.

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NickFun wrote:

By the end of 2007 the world will be happy and at peace. Freedom will ring throughout the globe! Iraq will become a damn nice vacation spot! George W Bush will become known as the greatest President in history! Everyone will be rich and love thy neighbor! And all diseases will be cured!

Damn -- that's gotta be the stupidest post I've ever made.

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Global Predictions for 2007

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