Well, here are the predictions along with a scoring:
1) Fashion's obsession with the sleek, form-fitted look of the 1960s
will continue to fade and designers will turn their attention to the
postwar New Look as the latest inspiration Yes, the 1940s will
move into the spotlight. People will look for simpler, less snug styles
and toward the more wholesome values of the period roughly spanning 1945
to 1955. In a way, this will be the last hurrah for the booming
postwar era that helped define the American Century. CORRECT!
2) There will be a strong reaction to the smarmy, snarky, slutty streak
that the popular culture has taken in recent years and people will begin
to focus more and more on what bestselling author Charles Krauthammer
has called Things That Matter. This shift will take many forms as
movies and TV roll out biblically-themed projects including the
upcoming flick Noah, starring Russell Crowe and Emma Watson. It will be a
time of re-grounding centered around home, hearth and family as
Americans re-examine the erosion of solid values and the loss of
stability the culture seems to have suffered. CORRECT!
3) The GOP will have a very good year as the Republican Party
puts together a more diverse coalition with a more centered platform
without abandoning the bedrock foundations of conservatism that have
always held a common-sense appeal. Republicans will easily retain
control of the House of Representatives, continue to hold a solid
majority among the nation's governors CORRECT! and come thisclose to recapturing
the U. S. Senate in what may be a cliffhanger 50/50 election that forces
Vice President "Uncle" Joe Biden to be the tie-breaking vote. This will
effectively paralyze our lame duck President Barack Obama as his
administration heads into the sunset. Fortunately, wrong!
4) The long knives will be out for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
in 2014 as conservatives continue to [wrongly] gripe that he does not
lean far enough to the right while old-line, traditional GOP stalwarts
question his bona fides and his reliability. CORRECT! The righties will look to
people like Ted Cruz and Rand Paul while the country club Republicans
will take a renewed look at Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Governor Scott
Walker. CORRECT! Christie will have to work both ends and will need to walk a
fine line even as he attempts to mend fences with such well-connected
GOP blue bloods as former Governor Tom Kean. At home, his
Democrat-controlled state legislature will give him additional headaches
as his second term signals the beginning of the end of his tenure. CORRECT! But
don't underestimate Christie or his immense appeal built on no-nonsense
authenticity and a powerful connection with everyday voters and
taxpayers. Christie will build up plenty of IOUs during the year
traveling throughout the country on behalf of GOP candidates He will
remain widely popular and by the end of the year he will be
well-positioned for a presidential run. Half-right/half-wrong.
5) The winter of 2014 will feature below average temperatures for
about two thirds of the nation but this will not be enough to encourage
those who believe in global warming. CORRECT! There will be about 17 named hurricanes in 2014 and some of them will be severe. Wrong.
6) Best Picture Oscar nominations will go to American Hustle,
The Wolf of Wall Street, 12 Years A Slave, Philomena, Nebraska, Captain
Phillips and August: Osage County, among others. CORRECT except for August: Osage County.
7) Hillary Clinton will have a difficult year in 2014 as new
allegations emerge about her time as Secretary of State and concerns
arise over her health. Though she will try to stay out of the spotlight,
she will find herself on the defensive. The idea of her automatically
being the Democrat nominee for president in 2016 will lose some of its
appeal and she may miss her own deadline to decide one way or the other
(by the end of the year) about a presidential bid. CORRECT!
8) The idea of a perfect suburban lawn will begin to fade in 2014
as people turn more and more toward alternative ground covers that are
viewed as more environmentally friendly. These will even include
artificial turf or other synthetic surfaces as people turn away from
traditional, water-dependent ground coverings. Indeterminate.
9) One of the big new terms of the year will be "fandom." For
businesses and other entities, the "fandom" is basically your
most-enthusiastic audience -- the subculture of raving fanatics who can
and will do a great deal of your marketing for you. They will
effectively empower your brand and sell it to others. And social media
makes this group more powerful than ever before. Watch closely as
businesses and even non-profits take a page from sports and put diehard
fans at the top of their list. CORRECT, as evidenced by the ALS water-bucket campaign and several others.
10) Come-from-nowhere political shockers of the year are likely
to emerge from Maryland, Massachusetts or California where Governor
Martin O'Malley, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Governor Jerry Brown will
all toy with a presidential run as a possible Democrat primary
challenger to Hillary Clinton. One (or even two) of these three could
prove to be surprisingly viable. CORRECT!
11) Special mobile websites will die in 2014 as mobile browsers are being replaced by fully functional versions that run on any sort of device. Indeterminate.
12) Best Actor and Actress Oscar nominations will go to Leonardo
DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Matthew McConaughey, Bruce Dern, Chiwetel Ejiofor,
Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock and Judi Dench. ALL CORRECT except for Tom Hanks.
13) In home decor, wood surfaces will be on the rebound. Look for
butcher block to re-emerge along with hardwood, textured wood,
distressed wood and carpentry with natural edges. Painted walls will
lose their appeal. The warm glow of wood will provide a more homey
feeling. Indeterminate.
14) And what about the Phillies and the Eagles? Well, the
teams will not make it to the World series or the Super Bowl
respectively. CORRECT! Look for the Seattle Seahawks to win the first Super Bowl
ever held in New Jersey. CORRECT!
Oh, here's one more just for good measure: The honeymoon will begin to evaporate for Pope Francis
in 2014 as the media prove more skeptical Wrong. and the Pontiff is forced to
grapple with the problems of the Roman Curia and other long-festering
Church issues. CORRECT. The charm offensive will have to give way to the hard
work of turning around a two-thousand-year-old institution. CORRECT! It won't be
easy CORRECT! and it will take its toll on the Holy Father. Indeterminate. Pray for him!
Tally: 16 CORRECT, 5 wrong, 4 Indeterminate.
And our 2015 predictions? Stay tuned. They'll appear right here, tomorrow!
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