1. As we wind down 2017 and put a bow on the year, it’s time to look ahead to 2018 and make predictions for the New Year.
a. Who will make more money in 2018?. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Chairman and CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg or CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Warren Buffet?
b. Will the border wall along Mexico begin construction?
c. Will the Cleveland Indians win the World Series?
d. Will the “Rocket Man”, North Korean President Kim Jong-un be put in his place?
e. Who will be the next governor of Ohio?
f. Will the Cavaliers win their second NBA championship?
g. Will LeBron James be a Cavalier in the fall of 2018?
h. Will the stock market be a bull or bear market in 2018?
i. Will both Jim Thome and Omar Vizquel be enshrined in Cooperstown?
j. Will the Republicans continue to control the House and Senate after the mid-term elections?
k. Will Jimmy Haslam remain the owner of the Cleveland Browns?
l. Will the investigation into Russian influence on the Presidential election end? Will President Trump face obstruction charges?
2. The weather forecast for Times Square calls for frigid temperatures on New Year’s Eve with a low temperature of 13 degrees. Have you been to New York City to see the ball drop? If not, is it on your bucket list?
3. The NFL has bowed out of Sunday Night Football in Week 17. This is the first time that the NFL has canceled the final Sunday Night Football game since 2006. The traditional night-game finale usually ends with two playoff contenders. The NFL hadn’t yet decided which two teams would play in the Sunday night game, but none met the criteria for a must-watch game. Is the cancelation an indictment on the popularity of the league in a season where the league has seen another ratings dip?
4. “Cleveland Magazine” is out with their “Most Interesting People” of the year list and it includes Women of Our Future Founder Savannah James, author David Giffels who wrote a memoir of grief and recovery, plus size model Alysse Dalessandro, brew master Shaun Yasaki, weightlifter Holly Miller, figure skater Sharita Taylor, Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco, Cavs guard Kyle Korver, Bishop Nelson Perez and TV 3 meteorologist Michael Estime. Besides yourself, is there a Clevelander who is famous or not so famous who is a “Most Interesting Person”?
5. Swimming great Katie Ledecky edged out tennis star Serena Williams for the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year. In balloting by U.S. editors and news directors announced Tuesday, Ledecky received 351 points, edging out Williams with 343.Williams won the Australian Open for her Open era-record 23rd Grand Slam tennis title. Shortly after, Williams announced a break from tennis while preparing to deliver her first child. Ledecky earned five golds and a silver at this year’s world championships in Budapest, maintaining the upward trajectory she first established as a surprise gold medalist at the 2012 London Olympics. Who is the male athlete of the year? Candidates include Houston Astros mighty mite Jose Altuve, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant and LeBron James.
6. Top civil servants in England have one wish for the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: Don't invite the Obamas. Officials fear an invite to the Obamas and a snub to President Donald Trump could jeopardize relations. Harry and former president Barack Obama are good friends and have a close relationship. Obama has been a supporter of Harry's Invictus Games for wounded warriors. A source told The Sun, "Harry has made it clear he wants the Obamas at the wedding, so it's causing a lot of nervousness." What do you think?
7. Dateline: The United Kingdom. A mother took to the UK social forum “Mumset” to complain about a woman who was sunbathing topless at a pool in front of her kids at a family vacation resort. One mother posted “if looking at her boobs makes you uncomfortable, stop looking” while others “Mums” agreed with her. What do you think? Is it OK for women to go topless in front of children who are not her own?
8. The French government will ban students from using mobile phones in the country’s primary, junior and middle schools at the start of the next school year. Reports say that children will be allowed to bring their phones to school, however they will not allowed to use them until they leave, even during breaks. The French education minister said the ban was also a “public health message to families”, adding: “It’s good that children are not too often, or even at all, in front of a screen before the age of seven.” Do you agree with the French government's efforts?
9. Charlottesville, Virginia Police Chief Al Thomas, who is black, is stepping down following a critical review of his department's response to a White Supremacist rally in August that took the life of counter-protester Heather Heyer. A 200 plus page review found his police department was "ill prepared, lacked proper training and had a flawed plan for managing the Unite the Right rally." Thomas said in the statement that "nothing in my career has brought me more pride than serving as the police chief for the city of Charlottesville." Is Thomas the scapegoat for what happened this past summer?
10. In what is being hailed as one of the great finds in recent years, scientists in Egypt have discovered a hidden chamber inside Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza. The discovery was made using cosmic-ray based imaging, which shows how modern particle physics can reveal new information about ancient structures. The Great Pyramid was built during the reign of Pharaoh Khufu who reigned from 2509 to 2483 B.C. Archaeologists are still unsure how the Great Pyramid, which is 14 stories tall, was built. How could the pyramids have been built 4,500 years ago when human construction technology did not exist? Did an advance race of aliens build it?