Greetings and Happy New Year!

What a year it's been. Where did the time go? So many things happened around the world. There were a well of stories to write about in the news. The media provided coverage of the War in Iraq and scared us with warnings of new diseases ranging from the Bird Flu to Avian Flu. As a writer my concentration was put on blogs rather getting back into the flow of regular literature. I know it's hard to keep New Year's resolutions, but I definitely need to start reading good fiction novels and anthologies. I've put that off in 2006 and it's definitely effected my writing. Whoever said a good writer comes from being a frequent reader is right.

Watching the gala at Times Square in New York, seeing the sea of humanity on hand shows how pumped people are about bringing in the New Year. The dedication from hosts like Dick Clark always make the event special. To think, Americans were informed of the deaths of two former world leaders, Gerald Ford and Saddam Hussein just within the past week yet have something to celebrate. We have all come to grips of the never ending scandals and incompetence within the U.S. government. Americans still search for any positive thing that have come from the Bush Administration.

The War on Christmas and mad holiday shopping has ended (at least until Dec. 2007) giving us all a break from such nonsense and back to our normal lifestyles: being fat and lazy, eating at McDonalds too much, overflooding Wal-marts, paying too much for gasoline, returning to work without a promise of a raise or bonus, and always being a rush. Two things in the U.S. must improve, healthcare and jobs. Too many people are unemployed still and patients go in debt after a visit to the hospital and become victims of malpractices. Suffrage has yet to end in this country. Bad publicity, exercise of liberties, and devastating lawsuits may be part of the cure.

Also people should continue to use their talents for good causes such as charities and fund raisers. Less focus can be put on celebrity lifestyles. Let their business be their own...if they do something remarkable then it's worth mentioning. 2007 can be a productive year for those who set their mind on reaching major goals while not letting distractions of global warming and panic alerts on possible terrorist threats rattle you. Living one day at a time is all anyone can do. Heck, you might put a great plan into action by starting your own business, creating a new invention, or run for President, who knows? Until then, farewell to 2006....let's roll in a New Year!