Maybe this ought to be called “the FUD Edition”, Part II… After one year, remember the first FUD Edition?
As we count down the minutes to the start of 2010, let’s review some of the things that have captivated us (for lack of a better term) over the course of 2009:
- The world economy, and certainly the US economy, with odd “jobless recovery” seen in some of sectors in the stock market;
- Moderate improvement in gas prices and a lot of backpedaling from doom-and-gloom environmental prognosticators;
- Slow real estate recovery in a few select regions in the US market, leading pundits to wonder whether 2011, not 2010, is the year that consumers
- More revelations of of financial misdeeds at a variety of ostensibly “reputable” financial firms, all while their executives are cashing in BIG-TIME with huge bonuses and salary raises;
- Continued car industry collapses in the US due to [insert-your-reason-here], and attempts by a few of the big-name companies to return to relevancy in the minds of consumers, despite lackluster achievements in energy saving technologies;
- Further disastrous job loss woes in the US, depending on whom you ask… some people see the continued worsening as the unemployment rate surpasses 10% and even more people completely drop out of attempting to find jobs;
- Crazy reality show stunts, and stunts for publicity by certain individuals that revealed serious national security deficits, including at the White House itself;
- Active and even more planned tax hikes in various US jurisdictions;
- Return of the blockbuster gaming phenomenon, such as Modern Warfare 2 and Borderlands;
- …
And you can certainly add more items to the list.
So: the wrap-up message for 2009 has just got to be…
Better luck next year, and thanks for all the fish! 
