2020 began with a BANG! We have heightened tensions with Iran, fires in Australia, a national election in November, an impeached president, and an expected slight cooling period for the U.S. economy. In other words, this will be one crazy year! I’ll share a few forecasts on the year ahead as well as personal events I’m looking forward to. Hang on tight!

The 2020 election will be one of the ugliest in modern American history. We haven’t been this polarized in many decades! More money will be spent to persuade the electorate than ever before. The President will brand the eventual Democratic nominee (no matter how moderate) as a dangerous far-left socialist. TV and radio will be flooded with political advertising promoting or denigrating a candidate.

I’ll go way, way out on a limb and make a prediction. Even though our present economy is moderately robust, which historically helps an incumbent, I will be an outlier. If the Democrats coalesce around a centrist candidate I believe President Trump will,…LOSE. The key will be a huge turnout of women voters, energized on issues including sexism, healthcare, the environment, education, LGBTQ rights, and trust.

Global warming and greenhouse gas emissions will be an even bigger issue in 2020. Even though the U.S. pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement (200 countries signed the accord and only the U.S. pulled out) many enlightened countries will take more action. The fires in Australia put the issue front and center!

Melting ice and rising seawater will have a drastic effect on animals and mankind. Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia with over 9 million people, is sinking at the rate of over 10″ a year. The government said it plans to relocate to East Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo.

Thank goodness the climate change deniers are becoming fewer and fewer! You can only keep your head in the sand for so long!

Sweden’s 16-year-old climate change warrior, Greta Thunberg, was Time Magazine’s person of the year. From her early protests in Stockholm, she became a symbol leading a worldwide youth movement. “It began with a storyline familiar to every parent of every generation in every corner of the globe: an indignant teenager and a sudden burst of rebellion.” Citizen activism movements by the young and old will be a rising trend this year!

There is a popular and growing movement to ban or heavily tax single-use plastic bags across the United States and globally. More and more states and stores are getting on board.

“SUSTAINABILITY” will be front in center in 2020. More multinational companies will align their operations with the sustainability trend, irrespective of what the Trump administration or other governments do to the contrary. “They are under ever-stronger pressure to make clear that pursuing profits for their shareholders is not the sole purpose of their existence, and to serve their employees, clients and customers better.” We are already seeing a few apparel companies take notice. The industry is the second-largest consumer of water and is responsible for 8-10% of global carbon emissions. Look for more sustainable fashion in the years ahead.

China is the world’s largest polluter at 30%, with the U.S. second at 15%. I found this to be interesting. The Chinese word for “crisis” carries two elements, danger,…and opportunity. OPPORTUNITY IS ALWAYS PRESENT IN THE MIDST OF CRISIS!

And now for events I’m looking forward to this year. Marla has always been a fan of Oprah. I believe she has about 60 “Super Soul Sunday” shows on our recorder! She always wanted to see her live and we’ll see her in Denver this March.

I’m over the moon over a big family reunion in Hawaii!

I’m beyond excited about Paxton’s college selection process. He is focusing on the “ivies.” I’m also a little sad to have him away as he has been such a big part of our lives!

I’m very stoked to be taking one of our grandsons (a 400m runner) and his Mom to a few days of finals at the Track & Field Trials at the new stadium at the University of Oregon in Eugene!

Yes,…I am an Olympic games addict! I’ll be watching just about EVERYTHING from July 24th to August 9th! New this year will be “Rock-climbing, Skateboarding, Surfing, and Karate!”

A big 2020 goal and mission will be to do whatever is needed to keep that beautiful smile on Marla’s face!

I am definitely not at the front of the pack, or sometimes not even in the peloton,…but I really want to do another cycling tour adventure!

In 2020 we will see a number of new streaming services putting heat on Netflix and Amazon Prime!

We need more journalists! Forget that “fake news” crap which is thrown around whenever a President or politician doesn’t like what they hear! Support newspapers and magazines or they will continue to fad away! The number of newspaper employees dropped by 47% between 2008 and 2018, from about 71,000 to 38,000! Remember,…”DEMOCRACY DIES IN DARKNESS.”

In 2020 I salute and applause all the journalists reporting on the scene, often in dangerous situations, to give us the story! 34 Journalists died in 2018 and 25 in 2019.

Ok,…I’m off my soapbox. Let me raise a glass and wish you an enlightened, healthy, transformative, and happy New Year!

Photos: Dick Gentry, Time Magazine, University of Oregon, CNN