Read it.  Signed it.  Tweeted it.

Beyond the obvious applications for all things science and research involving collaboration between the USA and metric using countries, wherein there have been disastrous and costly problems due to conversion issues, the economic implications for such a move, at least in the short term, are immense.

An enormous number of home appliances, tools, gadgets galore would be converted, which means bazillions of dollars in domestic purchasing/sales.  There would not likely be another such significant boost to retail in our lifetime, even if only lasting a few years.

After that we can convert the silly English language to a phonetic one.  If we want our children to learn let's give them a language they can learn to read and write at age three.

Seems like a Google search of songs with the phrase "new year" in them.

I like Celtic New Year.  I like most Celtic style music.
ABBA always sounds nice even if I didn't much care for the specific song.

The next four are not really even close to being about the new year.  While I like the Eagles, that one is truly funky, a little too funky.  I think those boys were just having some fun on that track.

Here's a couple I found in an additional search.  The first has a number of different versions.  I thought this one was nice although one by Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is pretty good too..

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve - Nancy Wilson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1YbfCQmr4o

It's Just Another New Year's Eve - Barry Manilow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wSP59NjoIY



Thanks for sharing.

No Grinchiness in here please.

It's not a song that puts you in the happy holiday mood. Neither were its sales particularly good which is the public way of saying meh.  If you like it that's wonderful.  If it puts you in the mood to support starving children in Ethiopia, as was the goal in 1984 by these "artists", that's good too.  I like the instrumental aspect which in my opinion would be best served without the vocal accompaniment.

As for the other folks you mentioned, I'm not sure that labeling White Christmas, and the many other classic and globally loved songs as phony smarmy sugary crap is accurate or fitting or even nice.  And as a footnote, Dean Martin, who has a wonderful (unsynthesized) voice, rarely drank alcohol; he'd played the drunk as part of his stage act.  He was a family man.

Now fight your instinct and be merry. 

I lost the day before Thanksgiving.  Why, why must they play that infernal song?

This post is not a request for help but my recommendation inspired by a friend who needed my help.  He lost his files during a PC crash.  I bailed him out with cleverness, skill, and luck.  After scolding him for not having any automated backup in place I recommended Carbonite to him.  Another friend just this evening revealed that her laptop is on the fritz and yet she has no backup.  Quoting her, "my whole life is on this machine."  So I told her about Carbonite as well and thought why not let everyone know.

I use Carbonite to backup all of my PC files including this web site, big video, music, email, and downloaded software installation files.  Basically, for everything.  I can't imagine how heart broken I would be if I lost the thousands of digital photos and videos of my family.  I would be none too please to lose my work files either.

So I use Carbonite. It is inexpensive, simple to use, and has always been reliable. It also saved me when I accidentally saved over a critically important work file - twice.  I recommend that you sign up right away to safeguard your files because too often there is no going back.  I worry more about catastrophic viruses than accidental mouse clicks, but either way, to not back up your important and valuable stuff is a ticking timebomb.

If you use the referral link below you get to sign up (between now and January 13, 2013), we both get an Amazon gift card ($20) apparently.  That's a pretty good deal considering how inexpensive Carbonite is (I paid $59 last year).

Click below to get started: http://pop.to/14zvr

This is a topic I like in any good community site.  I've had the pleasure of meeting multiple online gaming friends.  Adding a face and a warm handshake or fond embrace to an avatar or online handle is always a good way to further relationships.

Most recently I took advantage of a business trip to the Los Angeles California (USA) area to connect with Sir Osis of Thuliver.  My wife and two little kids were good enough to accompany me.  I like to show off my kids; my best work yet as I like to say.

SOoT and his wonderful spouse joined us for an early dinner at Bubba Gump restaurant and then spent some more time milling about the area (Universal Studios something something mega restaurant and buy some stuff zone).  SOoT is every bit the gentleman in person as I've had the pleasure to come to know through our online connection for nigh on a decade now.  He is an interesting guy who hit the jackpot with his wife, who like mine, gives immense leeway for the ludicrous number of hobbies, interests, and late nights (aka approaching sunrise) we habitually enjoy.

As a long time supporter of my efforts with Strategy Gamers and positive model for the good sportsmanship ethic I espouse here, I am very grateful to SOoT and want to give a big thank you to him for the decade of fun, gaming, engaging forum discussion, and most recently for making the effort to join me to break bread and share a few laughs and get to know each other in person even for just a short while (at some point I legally need to let my kids sleep).

------------------------------------------------
Have an opportunity to meet up with another player - go for it, and tells us about it to grow our community.

Thanks,
Peacemaker

?  Will everything continue in the same way for 4 more years?
Ans.  Yes.

?  Will the deadlock in the congress continue?
Ans.  Most likely things will be exactly the same in terms of entrenchment.  Another do nothing Congress.  I would not doubt that, with respect to the automatic cuts, Congress votes to give themselves more time to make a decision, despite the in-writing deadline and an entire year to come to an agreement.  This is cheating and failure in its highest form and demands an ousting of the entire Congress.  I expect to hear such flag waving sentiments as "the people of this great nation deserve thoughtful leadership on this most important issue therefore it is in the interest of all Americans that we responsibly extend the period in which we can thoughtfully deliberate to resolve the budget shortfall...bla bla bla.

?  Can the US stop its ever increasing budget deficit?
Ans.  Yes, but it probably won't any time soon.  There is always another thing to rally behind, suck it up, and spend spend spend.  Hurricane Sandy will likely add tens of billions to the federal deficit.

?  What will happen with the war against terror/guantanamo?
Ans.  The reality is that the same type of violent actions have occurred as far back as I can remember and longer.  Violence against Americans, or other nations, is not a new thing, only the magnitude of a few of the violent actions/crimes. No amount of money or military force or military operations will change this reality.  We cannot improve the conditions of foreign lands such that the desire to engage in violent actions against others becomes unpalatable to those who may be influenced into taking such action.  We can not realistically fight against the random acts of violence perpetrated by independent individuals and or very small groups of people strewn across the world.  In short, however, we will keep spending boatloads of money to fight people with no country, no land to target, no economic entity to manipulate, no identity to indicate.