Hollywood actors will stop having botox injections to rid their faces of any expression lines whatsoever. And - no this is a legit part of that first prediction - they'll stop having fillers to make them look like they're related to Donald Duck.
Babyboomers over the age of 55 will accept that 55 is the new 55, not the old 40 and that no matter how much ironing they do of their wrinkles, time waits for no plastic surgeon.
Children under the age of five will be allowed to have a childhood - before their hyper-manic parents rush them off to math tutorials, music classes, swimming coaches, creative dance and/or creative writing classes. That's after they've spent their time in utero listening to uplifting music and being read to every evening. Children over the age of five? A lost cause. In the Third World, they'll die of hunger and in the First World, their childhood will be stolen in the name of an ill-defined 'success'.
People will stop involving God in everything from the gaudy Academy Awards ceremonies in which she is thanked endlessly - as if god has nothing better to do than look after the vacuous lives of HollowWood 'stars'. In 2009, God won't be given as the reason we're doing something as ungodly as:
going to War,
ignoring the millions of poor and underfed people in our own country
hating people because they're not in the same religious belief group as us
Compassion will replace greed as a cultural value. We'll notice those who have less than we have, rather than continue to whinge about the fact that our neighbour's flat screen TV is half an inch (1cm) bigger than ours. We might even go to the next step of doing something for people worse off than we are.
Collaboration will be the 2009 replacement for competition. That will mean that Chief Executive Officers will have reduced annual bonuses because it will be recognised that so many people had to collaborate to achieve the results for which one person has been paid.
Honesty will pervade all facets of our lives. That means that every athlete competing in major sponsored sporting events will be given any enhancement drug they can name - or just think of. That way, we'll know we're not continuing to delude ourselves that some of them are clean.
Public transport will replace the car as a means of getting to work - for those lucky enough to have a job. That's not because everyone has suddenly gone Green. It's because it'll be so much cheaper than buying fuel for our cars.
The people still claiming that there hasn't been an economic meltdown will be proved right. Either that, or they'll start distributing whatever they're on so we can all pretend that it'll be business as usual.
My tenth and most important prediction for 2009 is that as with all years preceding it, what happens to us and the world in 2009 will be down to our actions.
» left by Dr Jeannette Kavanagh from Melbourne, Australia (310 days 22 hours ago.)
Thank you Kathy for taking the time to read my predictions and making the time to comment so kindly. As someone famous once said - I think it was one of those Churchills - ' humour is a very serious thing' and sometimes a lighthearted approach to serious matters can go awry. I'm glad you got it. Have a wonderful 2009.
» left by Yves from Sydney (310 days 21 hours ago.)
I think that what Dr Kavanagh says in this article makes a lot of sense, at least to me. Loved the humor
Those are some lofty goals. Unfortunately, I believe just the opposite. If anything, there might be a new religion, called Environmentalism. I don't know why many of them leave a Creator out of the picture when they speak of it. It all boils down to greed and love. If we only obeyed the message laid out by God, we wouldn't be facing these problems.
» left by Dr Jeannette Kavanagh from Melbourne, Australia (309 days 22 hours ago.)
Thank you Jennifer for taking the time to comment. Happy New year and every good wish to you for 2009.
I agree that many of the predictions I spelt out for 2009 depend on greed being replaced by a selfless love -love of our planet and of each other. What happens in 2009 will come down to our own actions. Those actions may be inspired by a religious belief in god's message(s) as transmitted to us by Buddha, Mohammed, Jesus, Krishna, et al. They may be inspired, outside a religious framework, by an ability to see beyond our own pettiness and self-centredness. I hope that those who love God can also love and look after Mother Earth. If not, that would be very sad.
I agree with Kathy Walsh--I laughed as I sighed at some of the sad truths in this word as we have it these days. I loved # 5 the most. I would just add that I would hope that parents stop taking their small children to the docs to be loaded up on prozac wen they are just trying to be kids and their creative juices are flowing.
» left by Jeannette Kavanagh (307 days 19 hours ago.)
Again, thank you Teresa for your time in reading the predictions and in commenting. I absolutely agree that we over-medicate our children when in most cases, as you say, they are merely displaying childish behaviour. Blessings to you and your family also.
Thank you Ed for taking the time to read my article and for your positive comments. In Melbourne at the moment, the only prediction we want is a cool change in the weather. Not something we can control! I'll be reading more of your articles since there are parallels in our work and background.
I've only been to one day of the Open so far but missed the drama of the players fainting and having to pull out of the competition.
I had to run a workshop yesterday for teachers who have just started their new school year. I felt like such a fake because I was there to talk about what makes good teaching/teachers. I'd been invited by the Principal who'd heard me speak at another event about my time working as a sole teacher in a school for Indigenous students in Utopia - 300kms north of Alice Springs. Now that was hot. So while I felt like I'd collapse in the heat, I was talking about the Central desert and working in a green tin shed. But it's wierd, I think one just adapts and when I knew that every day in Spring, Summer and Autumn would be between 90 and 120, I went with it.
» left by Bobbi Linkemer from St. Louis, MO USA (286 days 7 hours ago.)
You are clever and insightful. Wow. Wish I'd written it or even taken the time to sit down and think about those things. My personal hope (can't even call it a prediction) is that I will stop long enough to contemplate what matters and write about it as well as you have.
I share your wish about taking more time to think and to write. We are so fortunate that with the www we can transmit our thoughts around the globe. I love writing but I must confess that after I finish my work, meet up with family and friends, go to the movies, read books and...so on. There aren't enough hours. Then I read about people who have 13 children under 6, act as UN ambassadors, run three multi-national companies and still have time not just to write but to write whole books which become best sellers.
I used to work with a couple of people who put me to shame when it came to producing academic articles. I decided to be really present in what I was doing - visiting my Mum, walking in the moonlight, whatever - rather than go into self-reprimand for what I was NOT doing. Like you though, I still hanker to do more.
Have a wonderful 2009 which began really well with such an inspirational human as your new President.
» left by jude from houston (286 days 6 hours ago.)
This was great...and would really love to see it transpire. I really agree with the part about Hollywood, and all the things that need to change. When the majority of our nation follows in the footsteps of what hollywood says and does is a scary thing.
Thank you Jude. It is scarey how influential movie makers and movie stars have become. Some use their influence for the good, but many of them are what I think of a empty vessels. I used to get all that gossip mixed up and some years ago, I thought that Brad Pitt was with Angelina Jolie while he was still with his former wife. I can't recall how I made that error but hey! some time later, my mistake became a fact - of sorts. BTW I think that she has a good heart and a lively intelligence.
Having watched your new President's inaugural address, I'll be naughty and get political by suggesting that all Americans - whether or not they voted him into Office - can be proud to have such an inspiring and splendid orator. May 2009 be a great year for him and your nation.
Thanks Kathy and the same wish goes back to you. I must do some more writing now that I'm back in Melbourne - last year I worked with Indigenous Australians in Utopia. That's about 300km north of Alice Springs with really bad Internet connection. Besides, I was too exhausted to write even though I find it enjoyable.
Your way down under? Austrailia? Cool... I seen little clips on sesame street where the kids are sliding down the big sand hills...i thought it looked fun, but I rather slide down the snow banks here in canada. I don't like sand in my eyes....LOL
So some places in Austrailia the people have to build their homes under ground because it is so hot....I would love to visit austrailia someday. I don't know where Utopia is, but I must google it and see, I love learning things like that.
Acutally I just googled Indigenous Australians in Utopia in images...so your a doctor that works with like the poorer parts of the world? My 2nd cousin Kathleen Lefevre does that. She travels all over the world, Haiti, china, Africia etc...I wish I had a nursing degree so I could do that to.
What a great job you have....
Take care and YES keep writing, that was a very entertaining and interesting article and it kept me glued to the screen....
Keep Cool from Canada - we just has a blizzard and we can't get out, storm stuck. The trees look pretty though, I see the snow it up under the windows of the house, and they are approx 6ft off the ground.........got to go shovel
Just wanted to comment again on your going to Utopia...so many different people in the world...many different color skins, different shapes, sizes, different noses, eyes, cultures, rich, poor....its amazing !!! It's amazing how many different cultures, races of people there are in the world....and we are all the exact same on the inside.
How wonderful it is to be able to meet these people like you do....I envy you, and that's a sin I guess. But I should say, wow your lucky.
I am very grateful aswell that I love all races, you know how some people don't like each other cause of color, race, religion etc....I just enjoy everyone I meet.......
» left by Dr Jeannette Kavanagh from Melbourne, Australia (280 days 21 hours ago.)
Thank you Kathy for your very generous comments. When I get around to working out how one puts photos in articles, I'll post an article about my time in Utopia. I learned so much there - about community and about kindness. But yes, it is true that we are all permutations and combinations of one race - the human race.
Just to correct a false impression. I have a PhD hence the title 'doctor' - I started out my career as a teacher, but after (far too) many years of additional study, I branched out into my own consultancy and counselling business. Although I'd worked with teachers over the past decade, I hadn't been in a classroom for ages. When I applied to go North, they accepted me immediately - a sign of how desperate they are to recruit, and how my referees went into hyperbole about my skills.
I genuflect to our teachers. It is such a demanding and often under-appreciated profession. Without great teachers, we have great nothing - no great poets or politicians, or plumbers. The rewards are commensurate with the input and I gained immeasurably from my time in Utopia.
In financial terms however, I earned in a year what I'd paid in tax the previous year - about $70K. That's with the special isolation allowance. I'd forgotten what it was like to be on a salary and I couldn't believe that it was so low. In Australia, one reaches the top of the teaching salary scale after nine years. So if you've been teaching for 15, 20 or even 30 years you receive the same salary as someone with 9 years' experience. Anyway, no one goes into teaching for the money. Nor did I leave teaching solely to make money - I felt I could grow as a professional and contribute more outside the classroom.
Thanks for the cooling thoughts from Canada. Apologies that this comment was a bit longer than I'd intended. Those fingers on the keyboard have a mind of their own.
PhD, Doctor, Teacher....your wonderful and lucky to be able to go to help those people...........god bless and I am jealous... :) Were getting another snow storm in a couple of days... ;(
» left by Jeannette from Melbourne, Australia (269 days 12 hours ago.)
How kind of you Priestess Kandi.
Of course when I wrote those predictions, I was not to know of the devastation that we have faced and are still facing, here in Melbourne and in other parts of our state of Victoria. Over 180 people have died in the bushfires. I wrote an article about the fires on Monday - it's on Searchwarp under News -other, and when I wrote, I was incredulous that 37 people had perished. One spectacularly beautiful town, Marysville, has been literally razed to the ground.
I've read your article about MRSA and it was a revelation. I'm so glad that you received the help you needed to get through that ordeal.
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