Now that a woman has captured the Oscar for ”Best Director” for the first time in history… perhaps it is time for women to advance into other male dominated arenas. The cartoon above has an interesting spin on the subject… What are your thoughts? (Cartoon by Kal)

President Obama is trying to conclude his efforts to pass a Health care bill for Americans. When you think of health care, many folks also think about drugs. The cartoon above seems to suggest that unhealthy amounts of money are being earned in the trade of medical drugs. What do you think? (cartoon by KAL)

The 2010 Winter Olympics are over… now it is time to prepare for the 2012 summer Olympics in London! If this cartoon is correct, it seems the athletes will need to start training as well assemble their entourage. Do you you think this is an accurate representation of sport today? Or is the cartoonist’s brain on steroids?  (Cartoon by KAL)

The Winter Olympics fill our TV and computer screens with pictures of competitors in daring and dangerous situations. In the cartoon above, it seems that it is not just skiers who can take a fall. (Cartoon by Kal)

Some people think it is time for urgent action to help save the world from climate change. Other folks are much less worried. President Obama seems to know in which direction he wants to go… it just may slow going!  (cartoon by Kal)

On Wednesday, January 27, President Obama delivers his first State of the Union Address.

This is his chance to outline his accomplishments from his first year in office and his plans for the year ahead. Some folks think he needs to talk tough (see cartoon above) and fight his critics. What do you think the President should say to the nation? (cartoon by KAL)

A year is a long time in politics. Twelve months ago President Obama was looking strong, but today things are different. (Read the blog post above for proof.) Still, many presidents have ups and downs during their four years in office. Do you think President Obama will recover to become more popular in the months and years ahead? (Cartoon by KAL)

Since the attempted Christmas day bombing of an passenger plane heading from Europe to Detroit, airport security has been under greater scrutiny. The question is… can airline passengers ever be totally safe?  The cartoon above has its fun with the topic. What’s your take on the security at airports? (cartoon by KAL)

So… what will 2010 hold for You?

This question was posed to the USDemocrazy bloggers by our esteemed editor. Below are 2 predictions from each of our writers. There is one a serious observation and one well a little more cheeky. Check back a year from now to see how well we score in the future-telling business!

From Stefmav:
1. People will start to become more aware of the amount of information Google is collecting, resulting in some sort of lawsuit.
2. US Democrazy will be the primary means for educating astronauts of current events and happening when traveling in space.

MZ_Hammer:
1. The US Federal Reserve raises interest rates to quell fears of inflation.
2. Michael Phelps shocks the world by wining a gold medal for ice dancing (apparently he is as good on water as he is in it).

Chickpea:
1. The world of politics will continue to become more and more divisive. Climate change and the economy, two items on congress’s agenda, will become very heated in the year to come.
2. Michael Jackson will rise from the grave and cut a Christmas album with Tupac.

Politizen:
1. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will step down over the fallout from her reaction to the thwarted Christmas Day bomb plot, and be replaced by Joe Lieberman. Despite initial criticism from democrats over the selection of Lieberman, the decision will be seen as tactically brilliant in retrospect.
2. Despite the efforts of our editors, we here at USDemocrazy will win our first Webby award.

ForeverPlaid:
1. The USDemocrazy team will lose more sleep than usual during, what we foresee to be, an interesting and contested election cycle this fall. Yep… it’s that time again!
2. The producers of “All Things Considered” will realize they’ve failed to consider something, leading to a collective existential crisis for lovers and makers of public radio everywhere.

Susa:
1. Unemployment will take a while to fix, and will be at its worst in 2010, which will cause the government to invest more money in social projects, including education and infrastructure.
2. The USDemocrazy bloggers will keep their well-paying positions as bloggers!

Lady_bug:
1. Salzburg, Austria will discover that USDemocrazy’s Foreign correspondent is actually a long lost member of Austrian royalty and shower her with lots of pastries and wienerschnitzel  ; )
2.The Philadelphia Eagles will advance in the NFL Playoffs… but not far enough to reach the Superbowl, letting their fans down once again : (

LegalEagle:
1. Gun rights laws are going to become a buzz topic in ‘10.
2. After reaching 10 guns per capita, Texas will secede from the Union… and dare any one to stop them.

In the spirit of the holidays we have decided to give you a carol to sing with your friends and neighbors.( Courtesy of David Horsey). Of course there are some cynics who don’t believe in climate change… We at USDemocrazy know it is a certainty… because Santa told us so…

This time of the year there are many articles and TV shows looking BACK at the events of the past year. The cartoon above dares to look ahead at the events of the next decade. Which of these do you think are most likely to happen?  (Cartoon by KAL)

Among one of the biggest challenges in 2010 for the world is dealing with a grouchy Iran. The government in Iran claims it is pursuing nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. The cartoon above is a little more skeptical. Is this a fair comment?  (cartoon by KAL)

At The Copenhagen Climate Summit there are bound to be some disagreements among nations. One big dividing line is between the rich nations and the poor nations of the world. They often disagree as to how to pay for any new pollution controls. The cartoon above suggests that perhaps the rich and the poor will be working together in the future. Is the cartoonist being a little too cynical? (Cartoon by KAL)

Next week will be an important time for the planet as the leaders of 65 countries gather to tackle climate change. Carbon emissions will be a key focus, but the cartoon above suggests other things need to be considered. Is this a fair comment? (cartoon by KAL)

In The 1980’s the former Soviet Union sent 100,000 troops to invade and pacify Afghanistan. This week President Obama will increase US troops presense in that country. Is there a history lesson that should be discussed here? (cartoon by KAL)