What Caught My Eye Today - 2009 Predictions Revisited

Fred's Note: At the beginning of this year (click here), I reported on predictions for 2009 from both the experts and yours truly. Let's see how we did, shall we.

• There will be an assassination attempt on Barack Obama.
  No assassination attempts this year, just a Nobel Peace Prize.
• There will be serious tensions within Europe as the Euro free falls with both France and Germany threatening to leave the European Union.
  They got this one partially right. France and Germany are still in the EU and the Euro is still worth a lot more than the greenback, but Greece is in a major world of financial hurt.
• There is a world wide rekindling of socialist ideals and a major swing back towards communism in Russia.
  I hate to admit it, but the prognosticators hit this one out of the ballpark. Though in Russia's case, I'm thinking there isn't so much a swing towards communism as there is toward "Putinism".
• There will be a major terrorist attack in Dubai.
  Not so much a terrorist attack as it was an attack of reality on the free-spending ways of the sheik. Big brother over in Abu Dhabi was not happy with his under sibling.
• There will be a knife attack on a top celebrity.
  No knife attacks, but man, what a tough year for the celebrity circuit.
• Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal will continue to be unstable nations with corrupt governments.
  No way! These dude totally had their "poop" together this past year.

And then there were my predictions:

• The New York Stock Exchange will close the year above 10500.
  Though there are still 2 trading days left, the Dow close at 10,545. I'm claiming victory on this one.
• Lindsay Lohan will become pregnant
  Shockingly, Ms. Lohan was relatively quiet this year. Pity.
• Prince Charles will not become the King of England...again.
  By sheer coincidence I saw a tabloid a couple of days ago saying Elizabeth II had given her throne to young William. Chalk up another one for me.
• An industrial accident will claim thousands of lives in China
  I'm going with a draw on this one; too difficult to prove what sort on craziness goes on in the Middle Kingdom.
• One of the ex-Presidents will die.
  I'm okay with getting this one wrong.
• The world will miraculously make it through another year without a "dirty bomb" being detonated.
  Right again, though we sure seem to have dodged a lot of close calls this past year.
• The Chicago Cubs will not win the World Series...again.
  Hey, right is right no matter how easy the prediction was.
• Tiger Woods will win at least one major in 2009
  5 tournament wins but no majors. Yeah that's what we'll remember him for in 2009.
• Lance Armstrong will finish in the top 3 in this year's Tour De France.
  Who's da man?
• Osama bin Liden will celebrate yet another year as a fugitive rather than behind bars.
  Maybe the dude died already, and we just haven't gotten the memo yet.

So whose inner Nostradamus has more game? The experts went 2 of 6 and I was 6-3-1. I'll let the record speak for itself.