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NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
AFC’s New Year’s New Year’s message from Opposition Leader David Granger message to Guyanese
THE Alliance For Change (AFC) extends best wishes to all Guyanese as we enter a new year. 2014 was a year of many challenges and it brought to the fore the indomitable spirit of the Guyanese people as we sought to overcome these challenges. We saw an increase in serious crime that more often than not, resulted in the gruesome murder of our citizens. This was compounded by the failure in many instances of the Police to bring the perpetrators to justice. Many families will go in to 2015 without a loved one due to speeding on our roads. On the last day of 2014, we learnt of yet another young mother dying in child’s birth. For so many families, 2014 was a devastating year where murder, suicide or other fatal incidents brought grief and pain. For many more, the past year was one of stagnation where hoped for promotions and advancements were not realised as personal economic growth did not materialise despite additional efforts. In the business sector, the hardships and trials continued as many of our local businesses struggled to compete in an uneven playing field. On the political front, we saw the worst form of governance as the minority PPP government suspended the National Assembly rather than defend its record in a debate
of a No Confidence Motion. We saw illegal spending of the people’s money by the very minority Government and who would forget the debasement of the office of Attorney General by its present holder or the feral blasé unleashed on the American Ambassador by the Education Minister. Indeed, the chronicles of 2014 would show that it was not a year of which we could be proud. But, 2014 was not without its successes. Our CSEC student did our country proud as they excelled at the National and Regional levels. Our sportsmen and women also kept our flag flying high, especially our Rugby players. Throughout the year, the unconquerable spirit of the Guyanese people shone through and allowed us to rise to every challenge that we faced. 2015 will no doubt have its share of challenges but it also presents that periodic opportunity to free ourselves of the shackles of bad governance. It is expected that early in the New Year, we will have the opportunity to go to the polls to elect a new government. Let us use this opportunity wisely to rid ourselves of those who squander our money while filling their own pockets, give away our patrimony and keep us divided. Let 2015 be the year when we take back our country. Long live the unconquerable spirit of the Guyanese people and a just and rewarding 2015 to all of us!
GUYANA’S ‘Year of democratic renewal’ dawns on 1st January, 2015. Guyanese in 2015 will have an opportunity to choose a new government in the forthcoming general and regional elections. The choices facing the nation are clear. Our choice will be between the inauguration of a ‘government of national unity’ proposed by A Partnership for National Unity on the one hand or a continuation of the ‘winner-takes-all’ approach adopted by the People’s Progressive Party Civic administration on the other hand. Our choice will be between electing APNU’s multi-party partnership and perpetuating the PPP’s one-party dictatorship. Our choice will be between inclusionary democracy and one-party dictatorship. Our choice will be between electing new councillors in fresh municipal and local government elections or enduring further incapacitating central government control of our towns and neighbourhoods.
Guyanese, far too frequently in 2014, have had to protest against the People’s Progressive Party Civic administration’s dictatorial prorogation of Parliament and its refusal to hold local government elections. We have had to demand investigations into police torture. We have had to demand regular and reliable electricity supply in hinterland centres such as Bartica, Lethem and Mahdia. We have had to demand the payment of ‘living’ wages for our working people, improved schools for our children, enhanced social protection for senior citizens and safer roads for everyone. We have had to bear the brunt of the high rate of crime including armed robberies, arson, inter-personal violence, murder, piracy, rapes, fatal road accidents and trafficking in persons. We have suffered most from the high cost of living, high level of unemployment and high rate of migration. These have all taken a toll on our families and our quality of life.
David Granger
We deserve a society in which we could look forward to living in safety, to working for ‘living wages’ to cope with the cost of living and to enjoying adequate social protection in our old age. 2015 must be a ‘Year of democratic renewal.’ APNU is prepared to participate with political and social partners in a government of national unity to make this a reality. Such a government will aim at improving educational standards for our children, providing jobs for our young people, protecting our women and girl children from criminal violence and ensuring the country is safe for all. My best wishes for a happy new year to everyone!
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NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
PPP extends New PNCR New Year’s Year’s Greetings to message for 2015 all Guyanese THE dawn of a new year always brings with it a renewed sense of hope and optimism for a better and more prosperous Guyana. The PPP shares this optimism and feels proud of the role it has played as the ruling party in influencing and shaping the several programmes and policies which cumulatively have impacted positively on the living and working conditions of the Guyanese people. The PPP is confident that the best days in our individual and collective lives are still ahead of us. There can be no doubt that the foundations for a strong and secure Guyana has been firmly laid thanks to the visionary leadership of the PPP and the PPP/C administration. Regrettably, the full potential of our development has been stymied by a reckless and unsupportive Opposition which have used their combined one-seat majority to deny the people of Guyana a better quality of life. And, as if that were not enough, they have now joined forces in their attempts to remove the popular, democratic and duly elected PPP/C Government led by President Donald Ramotar by way of a no-confidence motion. One consequence of such reckless action by the Opposition was the decision by
President Ramotar to prorogue Parliament to allow for political stability and normalcy in the administration of the affairs of the state. There can be no doubt that despite the setbacks, we have achieved much. The hard work of our President and his administration has paid dividends and the tidal wave of prosperity has lifted all boats. All Guyanese look forward for a continuation of this momentum of growth and development in the coming period ahead. The New Year of 2015 from all indications will be an exciting one which hopefully will see an end to political gridlock, greater political maturity on the part of our political Opposition and a continuation of the peace, progress and prosperity which has now characterised our national life. The PPP takes this opportunity to thank all its members, supporters and friends for standing by the Party over the years and looks forward to their continued support especially at this critical time in our history when dark clouds are hovering the land. The PPP is confident that the Guyanese people will make the correct political choices when called upon to so do so that the dreams and aspirations of our citizens can be realisaed. Once again, a Happy and Productive New Year to one and all!
New Year’s message from Speaker of the National Assembly AS we prepare to put away the things of 2014 and to welcome the hope and promise of a better and brighter New Year in 2015, it is both expected and appropriate to reflect on the year behind and look with great expectation to the prospects awaiting us tomorrow. Undoubtedly, 2014 was a challenging year both personally, and for the National Assembly, even as it faced continued misunderstanding, gridlock, and finally, the unwanted and unhelpful prorogation of Parliament in November 2014. However, we all have to be thankful that our faith, families, friendships and fortitude were our strengths that saw us through to its end. These give us great hope that the promise of a better year lies ahead, and is attainable, and a belief that these strengths will continue to undergird us in the months and years ahead. A National Assembly is the constitutionally identified forum for the people’s representatives to exchange views and opinions, and to debate and legislate for the “peace, order and good government” of the nation. No one expects this en-
deavour to be without difficulty, and especially so in a minority government configuration as the 10th Parliament is; but it is expected that we the representatives will have the strength and belief in ourselves, and nation, to work through the difficult periods whenever they arise. Only quite recently, Sweden, finding itself with not too dissimilar problems as ours, successfully navigated a way forward by relying on its “tradition of solving difficult problems.” This is a proud tradition that Guyana has to build up, and unfortunately, will be unable to do so if we run away or skirt those problems whenever they arise. In this regard the unilateral suspension of the Parliament must be seen as an error that has interfered with, and interrupted, the natural evolution of our parliamentary democracy. Therefore, more importantly than making the decision to choose the route of General elections in 2015, the year must be dedicated to finding answers to difficult questions and solutions to seemingly intractable problems. These can only be achieved through continuous
Raphael Trotman
and meaningful dialogue and consultation with the people. As a President once urged a nation, so too today it is urged and reminded that: “With all the creative energy at our command, let us begin an era of national renewal. Let us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. And let us renew our faith and our hope…It does require, however, our best effort and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds, to believe that together with God’s help we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us.” (Ronald Regan 1981). Best wishes for a peaceful, stable and prosperous 2015!
HAPPY New Year! To every home, family and community across the far-flung regions of our country. The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) extends greetings for a Happy New Year to all Guyanese at home and in the Diaspora. It may be true to say that the past year brought forth all of the possible ills that can overwhelm our society. Yet, and not for the first time in its history, the Guyanese people overcame. As the New Year dawns, the PNCR calls on all of our peoples, regardless of race, ethnicity, political affiliation or religion, to join A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) in bringing about the transformation of our country so that Guyana’s vast resources may, at last, be made to serve the imperative for development and social advancement of all the people of Guyana. Guyanese in 2015 will have an opportunity to choose a new Government in the forthcoming general and regional elections. The
opportunity to correct the many ills facing our beloved country; opportunity to remove many of the fundamental obstacles that have halted the development of our country and ourselves; and, opportunity to place Guyana on the path to national harmony and real progress by electing APNU’s multi-party partnership and ushering in a Government of National Unity. On this the first day of the New Year, it is our hope that all of us will realise a measure of prosperity in our personal lives and that each of us, wherever we may be, will endeavour to make some contribution, however small, to the development of our country. The PNCR, therefore, looks forward to participating, as it has successfully done in the past, in the continuing drive for the peaceful development of this dear land of ours. The Party wishes all Guyanese a very Happy New Year and looks forward to the New Year with optimism and hope. May God Bless our Nation as we strive to provide a Good life for all Guyanese!
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NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
A YEAR OF MIXED BLESSINGS By Hydar Ally THE year 2014 has come to an end. It was a year of mixed blessings. On the positive side, we saw a continuation of the growth trajectory and a further consolidation of our social and economic gains. Our economic performance remains fairly robust and the economic fundamentals intact. Our foreign reserves remains sound and there is also general stability in our foreign exchange rates vis a vis other currencies in particular the U.S. dollar. One consequence of this is that inflation was kept in check and with that the stability of general price levels. What this means in effect is an increase in the purchasing power of the Guyana dollar especially when seen against salary increases that are higher than the rate of inflation. This means a bigger basket of goods and salaries for our public servants and other govern-
Hydar Ally
ment employees. Our biggest challenge was at the political level where the combined Opposition parties used their one seat majority to block government spending both on recurrent and capital expenditures. Money that was earmarked for human development failed to get the parliamentary approval from the combined Opposition including those set aside in the budget for Amerindian development and student loans. On the capital side expenditure to facilitate the
construction of several transformational projects such as the Amalia Falls Hydro-Electric Power, the Cheddi Jagan Airport Expansion Project, the Specialty Hospital, the Marriott Hotel Project failed to get the nod from the APNU and the AFC. And as if those were not enough, the Opposition parties refused to lend parliamentary approval for the passage of an important piece of legislation, the Anti-Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism Bill intended to bring the country in line with other countries in terms of legislation to protect the integrity of the country’s finances and the fight against money laundering and terrorism. One would have thought that this latter piece of legislation would have been the least contentious from an Opposition standpoint since its passage would have blown a good wind over the whole of Guyana but the Opposition parties clearly opted for narrow partisan interests rather than safeguarding the national interests. But by far it was the attempt by the combined Opposition to move a no-confidence motion against the President and his PPP/C administration that will go down in our history as the most defining action of the year which triggered the unprecedented decision by President Ramotar to prorogue Parliament after all reasonable attempts by the President to find a way for-
ward failed to meet the expectations of a power-hungry Opposition. The year 2015 commenced as the year 2014 ended with a prorogued parliament. This situation cannot continue for any foreseeable period which means that fresh elections are very much on the horizon. From all indications, the PPP/C administration will most likely be returned to office this time with a greater mandate by winning a majority of seats in parliament which will lead to a return to normalcy to the body politic. Guyanese are tired of the political stalemate which has characterised most of 2014 and are anxious to bring this madness to an end. The political immaturity of the political Opposition and their inability to put the country’s national interest above narrow partisan interests have not gone down well with the vast majority of the Guyanese people including erstwhile supporters of the AFC and the APNU. The future looks bright for Guyana in 2015 as many of the pipeline projects would be completed including the four lane highways on the East Coast and the West Coast of Demerara. Many of the projects which were stalled by the Opposition parties would re-commence including the Amalia Falls Hydro-Project, the Specialty Hospital, the Airport expansion project and the Marriott Hotel which would be completed early in the new year. I take this opportunity to wish all Guyanese a prosperous and productive New Year.
NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
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New Year’s message from Dr. Frank Anthony – Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport
“A new chapter in life waiting to be written. New questions to be asked, embraced, and loved. Answers to be discovered and then lived in this transformative year of delight and self-discovery. Today carve out a quite interlude for yourself in which to dream, pen in hand. Only dreams give birth to change.” – Sarah Ban Breathnach As we stand on the cusp of 2015, now is the time for us to take a little time to reflect on the past year, and with optimistic visions plan for the year ahead. We at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport are encouraged by the achievements of the last year; we will like to thank the persons and organisations that work with us during the pass year, because of your passion and dedication we have been able to achieve so much. As we move 2015, we expect that it would be a vibrant and exciting year. We expect to forge new partnerships, to provide more services, to increase the scope of our activities and to reach more citizens across the country. We urge all of you to be part of this journey. As we introspect about the past year and contemplate about the New Year, let us think about our role, what can we do to better ourselves, our communities and country. Let us work together, to make these dreams and aspirations into reality. I wish you and your family all the best for 2015.
Dr. Frank Anthony
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New Year’s
Traditions in Rio,
WE all know that the New Year’s Eve in Rio de Janeiro is the most celebrated one in the whole world. Millions of people from several places around the world meet up and experience the majestic fireworks across kilometers of beaches all around Rio de Janeiro’s shores, especially in Copacabana. Members of the gay community are found at the location since Rio is considered one of the most gay-friendly sites in the world. The joy of the New Year’s celebration Rio-style is filled with parties and amazing experiences that will shock you if you have not yet experienced something like that before. However, there are some important aspects of the celebration that tourists might be missing out, what makes this a genuine Brazilian New Year’s style.
Tradition on clothes
White is the base outfit for anyone coming in for New Year’s Eve in Rio. It is not mandatory, you should not be wearing a color more predominant than white. However, since white is a bit light, you can use traditional accent colors for the bikini, trunks and undergarments. The different colors attract different kinds of luck. White is of course about peace. Green means good health. Yellow pertains for money. Red is to attract passion and romance. Purple denotes inspiration. Choosing the right underwear will make you look good and trendy. Remember, Brazil is the home of
some of the most popular supermodels and current faces of many houses and you would not want to be caught dead in a nasty outfit.
Tradition on Food
Food is everything in New Year’s Eve in Rio. Eating the right kinds of food products will ensure a more prosperous year ahead and it will surely give you tons of appreciation of the culture and the diversity of products that can be found in this place. For the New Year’s Eve in Rio, Lentils are very important staples. This food means health and it is of course something you would want most especially after an expensive trip. Pork and fish are specific food choices since these are foods that move forward. By midnight, you have to eat 7 pieces of raisins. Do not throw the seeds though. Keep it in your wallet and you will surely have money in that wallet all the time.
The offerings for the sea
Iemanja is a popular goddess in the Brazilian myths and she is the deity that has control over the waters. It is important to appease her with gifts such as flowers on New Year’s day or the day before. If you are in the beach, light some candles and throw flowers toward
Brazil
NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
the sea. There are some that make a small flotation device to put in bouquets of flowers as well as material goods. They say that if the goods were sent back, they were not accepted. It is fine. You can try it out again next time! It is a very spiritual thing based
on the past and this tradition has been in existence even before the country had transformed Christianity in the predominant religion.
Other kinds of Traditions
Good luck can increase if you jump over 7 different waves while making your New Year ’s wishes, one for each
wave. This will make your wishes possible and your luck better for the coming year. If you have celebrated the New Year ’s Eve in Rio out of the beach, you can jump 3 times with your right foot or you can also use a stool and climb down using your right feet first. If you want to in-
crease y o u r luck in l o v e , m a k e sure that the first person you greet when the is someone
New Year comes of the opposite sex. Remember, the best experience of the New Year’s Eve in Rio will not be complete without these amazing traditions that will make it much more than just partying all night long.
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NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
NEW YEAR’S WISHES New Year’s message by New Year’s message from Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett – Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade AS we greet the New Year I wish all Guyanese, here in Guyana and in the diaspora, a peaceful, healthy and productive 2015. Let us all celebrate and capitalise on our diversity and multi-culturalism which make our country such a beautiful and unique place in the world, while simultaneously recognising the many common values and attributes that bind us together as Guyanese. Let us rededicate our efforts towards a better and brighter Guyana for all, so that we can fully realise our motto of ‘One People, One Nation, One Destiny’. H a p p y N e w Ye a r Guyana!
Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett
HILTON HEMERDING
MY greatest wish in that my beloved country, Guyana, return to that quiet and peaceful country that I knew it to be before I left the shores some 25 years ago. The upsurge of violence and murders leave me astonished and disappointed. I had and still do have friends of all races and like so many of my fellow Guyanese I am of mixed race that is why the racial divide has bothered me so much. For the New Year 2015 let us all make a concerted effort to be ‘ONE PEOPLE, ONE NATION, WITH ONE DESTINY’. Let us help each other to be more loving and kind to one another. From my heart to your heart, with love and best wishes for the New Year!
ZINA EDWARDS
EVERY year we have people wishing for the same
things and not really doing anything about it, if they really take a look back at the year in review. My hope, and not necessarily my wish, is for people to be more focus and vigilant. It is important that we take time or an extra second to make a decision and know that it can make a difference. Be more conscious about your health, ‘get in the know’ about every and anything. It will either make us or break us, but at least we know.
OLIVE GOPAUL
I WISH for there to be peace among our people. I wish that as Guyanese we can work together no matter what is our political affiliation or religious or social origin to continue the development cycle of our beautiful land. There are too many young men, especially, who have gone or are going astray. Haste and violence are answers to challenging situations. As adults and more so as parents, we each must take on the responsibility to get into the minds of young people, of our children and help them to first understand their troubles and why they are troubled, and further to do everything in our power to get them back on track. For women who have submitted themselves to abusive relationships, I wish that they each will garner the strength and put one foot in front of the other and walk away in faith. And finally, I wish that we each will take the time to use a receptacle to dispose of our garbage. This tiny gesture will create a huge impact because once it is added up, our environment can be kept clean.
NEAZ SUBHAN
On behalf on myself, family and the staff of the Government Information Agency (GINA) I would to Turnt to page IX ►
Bishop Juan A. Edghill
– Minister in the Ministry of Finance YOU are only old when your regrets take the place of your dreams. 2015 is a year filled with possibilities. Success will come when we overcome our fears of being different to others. I believe that as a country we can continue to achieve significant breakthroughs as we endeavour for more mature discussions that will eventually lead to fruitful actions. As we look back on the past year, we must grasp lessons learnt and strive to do better. We must be convinced as a people that we possess the qualities that are needed for the development of Guyana. Let us strategise for the fulfilling of Guyana’s Dream. Let us work on it in 2015. A blessed and prosperous New Year to all Guyanese.
Bishop Juan A. Edghill
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NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
Indian maestro seeks harmony with Vienna New Year’s Concert INDIAN maestro Zubin Mehta will seek to inject what he says is some much-needed harmony into the world when he conducts the illustrious Vienna New Year’s Concert on January 1. “All over the world there are people who hate each other,” Mehta, 78, who is holding the baton for a fifth time at the annual waltz fest beamed live to 50 million people worldwide, told Austrian daily Die Presse. “This music can at least bring people together for two and a half hours,” he said. Indeed, the 90 or so countries able to watch Thursday’s concert live include for the first time conflict-riven Ukraine, as well as other newcomers as far afield as the Bahamas, Armenia and Mehta’s native India, organisers said. The Vienna Philharmonic’s annual “Neujahrskonzert” ringing in the new year from Golden Hall of the exalted Musikverein is devoted largely to the kings of 19th century waltz, the Strauss family.
Each year has some variety, however. Last year, alongside favourites like “The Blue Danube” and “The Radetzky March”, with Daniel Barenboim conducting, the programme included works commemorating the centenary of the start of World War I. This time the occasion is a happier one, with music marking the 650th birthday of Vienna University as well as the 200th of the Austrian capital’s Technical University and the 150th of Vienna’s grand Ringstrasse boulevard. These include for example “Accelerationen” (“Accelerations”) and the “Elektro-magnetische Polka” by Johann Strauss junior, as well as his “Studenten-Polka” (“Students’ Polka”). Non-Strauss pieces include the “Champagne Galop” by 19th century Danish composer Hans Christian Lumbye -- which starts with the pop of a champagne cork. Certain works such as “Wein, Weib und Gesang” (“Wine, women and song”) will be accompanied by ballet performances by
Zubin Mehta Vienna State Ballet soloists choreographed by Italian Davide Bombana. “Certain traditions give people a feeling of safety,” said Andreas Grossbauer, the Vienna Philharmonic’s new chairman. “Bedtime stories, birthday cakes -- and perhaps also the New Year’s Concert.” The event started life on December 31, 1939, under the Nazis but in the subsequent years these dark beginnings were forgotten and it gradually became a much-loved, regular event in the classical music calendar. In the 1980s after the 25-concert reign of Austrian Willi Boskovsky and six-times American successor Lorin Maazel -- who died this year -- it was decided to have a
different conductor each year. These have included such greats as Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado -- who also passed away in 2014 -- and Mehta in 1990, 1995, 1998 and 2007. The Mumbai-born conductor, who first came to Vienna to study in 1954 and whose posts have included music director of the New York Philharmonic, said though that he was “just as excited” as before his debut 24 years ago. “I can think of no greater (honour),” he said. “When I walk from the Imperial (hotel) towards the Konzerthaus of the Musikverein, it’s like I was in my living room. I feel so at home here.”
NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
New Year’s message GPSU President Patrick Yarde WE have commenced the year 2 0 1 5 , a n e w y e a r, where after reviewing our experiences in 2014 resolved to change positively the challenges we, as a Union, have encountered, challenges directed to our very survival. 2015 must be the year for positive change. Let us stand firm in defense of the Constitution and Laws of Guyana; we must stand firm for trade unionism in Guyana; we must stand firm for equal rights and justice; we must advance unity for our national brothers and sisters, and for the general Patrick Yarde good and development of our homeland in a fair and evenhanded manner. As members of the premier Union in Guyana, the Guyana Public Service Union, we must set the example in our nation where leadership has been lacking for decades. This task we shall not fail to carry out in the interest of our country. I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a happy, prosperous and fulfilling New Year, in so doing committing ourselves to bring about positive change in Guyana.
NEW YEAR’S WISHES
From page VII
extend to all Guyanese best wishes for 2015. 2014 was challenging for the Agency and it would be remiss of me if I didn’t recognise the profound resilience displayed by the hard-working staff and the unwavering support received from our superiors. I would especially like to wish them all and their families a blessed and productive New Year. Every New Year brings the possibility of new challenges. It is my fervent wish that, if challenges were to be faced, they would be mitigated through inner strength and determination that Guyanese are known for. The beginning of a new year also provides the opportunity for personal reflection in an effort to examine our successes and where we may have failed in the previous year. I am sure all would endeavour in this regard, which would be immensely useful in guiding us all to sustain and even improve on our accomplishments and to turn failures into success. Once again I extend best wishes to all for a healthy and prosperous 2015.
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NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
New Year’s Day in India NEW YEAR’S Day according to the Gregorian calendar (January 1) is one of the most popular occasions in India. Many people throughout India celebrate this festive occasion with loved ones or in large gatherings.
What Do People do?
People in all parts of India dress colorfully and indulge in fun filled activities such as singing, playing games, dancing, and attending parties. Night clubs, movie theatres, resorts, restaurants and amusement parks are filled with people of all ages. People greet and wish each other Happy New Year. Exchanging messages, greeting cards and gifts are part and parcel of the New Year celebration. The media covers many New Year events which are showcased on prime channels for most of the day. People who decide to stay indoors resort to these New Year shows for entertainment and fun. The age-old tradition of planning new resolutions for the coming year is a common sight. A few of the most popular resolutions include losing weight, developing good habits, and working hard. Larger cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai organize live concerts which are attended by Bollywood stars
and other well-known personalities. Large crowds gather to attend such shows, while some individuals prefer to celebrate with their close friends and family members. The fun filled occasion is considered a great opportunity to get closer to the loved ones in your life and to revive contact with lost friends. The idea is to wave goodbye to the year gone-by and welcome the New Year in the hope that it will invite truckloads of happiness and joy in everyone’s life.
Public Life
New Year’s Day on January 1 in the Gregorian calendar is a restricted holiday in India. Individuals can take a limited number of restricted holidays but government offices and most businesses remain open and public transport remains available. Most people are known to report late to work on January 1 due to late night celebrations. The security is tightened in prime cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore as incidents of molestation and fights have been rising the last few years. The arrival of foreign tourists is at its peak during New Year’s Day on January 1, especially in locations such as Goa which is known to be a favorite tourist destination.
Bihu Festival in India - Assamese New Year Celebration and Traditions
Background
The New Year signifies that the time has arrived to bid farewell to the by-gone year and to welcome the New Year. Traditionally, the New Year was celebrated on the first of March every year. However, this date was
switched to January 1 as it is considered to have a more religious significance. With the growth of the western culture across the globe, New Year’s Day on January 1 in the Gregorian calendar has been one of India’s many celebrations. There are different opinions as to when New Year’s Day that falls on January 1 in the Gregorian calendar was first celebrated in India. Some say that it was observed when the British colonized India while others say that its popularity bloomed only after the 1940s. It is important to note that different calendars are used among different groups in India so the New Year is celebrated at different times, based when it is marked in these calendars. This article is about New Year’s Day in the Gregorian calendar, which is celebrated worldwide and falls on January 1. Other New Year’s dates include Diwali (Hindu calendar).
Symbols
As such there are no materialistic symbols linked with this event in India however one gets to experience the vibrant colors and joyful atmosphere filled with parties, prayers and social feasts. People across India escalate their happiness with good music, dance, crackers and lighting.
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NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
Times Square Ball Drop IT’S no secret that one of the most popular destinations in the world for the most highly anticipated night out of the year – New Year ’s Eve – is New York City. It’s all about the sights, sounds, and unique entertainment that this city has to offer—centered, of course, on the Times Square Ball. When you gather in Midtown to watch the Ball Drop, you’re part of a long, rich history of partying! In 1903, The New York Times newspaper was about to open their new headquarters, the city’s second tallest building, in what was then known as Longacre S q u a r e . T h e p a p e r ’s o w n e r, Adolph Ochs, decided to commemorate their opening with a midnight fireworks show on the roof of the building on December 31, 1903. After four years of New Year ’s Eve fireworks celebrations, Ochs wanted a bigger spectacle at the building to draw more attention to the newly-renamed Times Square. An electrician was hired to construct a lighted Ball to be lowered from the flagpole on the roof of One Times
Square. The iron Ball was only 5 feet in diameter! The very first drop was on N e w Ye a r ’s Eve 1907, one second after midnight. Though the Ti m e s w o u l d later move its headquarters, the New Year’s Eve celebration a t O n e Ti m e s Square remains a focal celebration for the world. The Ball has gone through some major transformations in its 100-plus years of partying. The original Ball was replaced in 1920 with a 5-foot, 400-pound iron Ball. This Ball lasted to 1995, when a third Ball debuted, adding rhinestones and a computerized lighting system fea-
turing strobe lights. For the arrival of the new millennium, an entirely new Ball was constructed. Weighing 1,070 pounds and measuring 6 feet in diameter, the fourth ball was covered with 504 Waterford Crystal triangles illuminated with 168 halogen bulbs
outs i d e . I n t e r n a l l y, 4 3 2 bulbs of clear, red, blue, green and yellow colors along with strobe lights and spinning mirrors lit up the night. It was retired on December 31, 2006 newly rigged with light-emitting diodes. In honor of the Ball Drop’s 100th anniversary, a fifth de-
sign debuted New Year’s Eve 2008. Manufactured again by Waterford Crystal with a diameter of 6 feet, weighing 1,212 pounds, it used LEDs, computerized lighting pattern, and can produce over 16.7 million colors, but only consumes the electricity of 10 toasters! The 2008 Ball was only used once— a sixth new Ball debuted on New Year’s Eve 2009 and is still in use. Today’s Ball is 12 feet in diameter, weighing 11,875 pounds. While retaining the 2008 design, this Ball was rebuilt double its previous size. To accommodate this new Ball, the flagpole was also enlarged, now rising 475 feet above the street. It remains atop One Times Square year-round, reminding the people below of the most exciting night of the year, and building the anticipation. Where will you be this New Year’s Eve? How will you become a part of the Ball’s history?
The Mail Coa
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Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales
NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
Hans Christian Andersen
It was bitterly cold. The sky glittered with stars, and not a breeze stirred. “Bump,’ an old pot was thrown at a neighbor’s door - and, “Bang! Bang!’’ went the guns, for they were greeting the New Year. It was New Year’s Eve, and the church clock was striking twelve. “Tan-ta-ra-ra, tan-ta-ra- ra!’’ sounded the horn, and the mail-coach came lumbering up. The clumsy vehicle stopped at the gate of the town - all the places had been taken, for there were twelve passengers in the coach. “Hurrah! Hurrah!’’ cried the people in the town - for in every house the New Year was being welcomed - and, as the clock struck, they stood up, the full glasses in their hands, to drink success to the newcomer. “A happy New Year,’’ was the cry - “a pretty wife, plenty of money, and no sorrow or care!’’ The wish passed round, and the glasses clashed together till they rang again - while before the towngate the mail-coach stopped with the twelve strange passengers. And who were these strangers? Each of them had his passport and his luggage with him they even brought presents for me, and for you, and for all the people in the town. Who were they? What did they want? And what did they bring with them?
“Good-morning!’’ they cried to the sen town-gate. “Good-morning,’’ replied the sentry, for had struck twelve. “Your name and profession?’’ asked the the one who alighted first from the carriag “See for yourself in the passport,’’ he r “I am myself!’ and a famous fellow h arrayed in bearskin and fur boots. “Com tomorrow, and I will give you a New Year throw shillings and pence among the peop balls every night, no less than thirty-one. In is the highest number I can spare for balls. are often frozen in, but in my offices it is comfortable. MY NAME IS JANUARY. I chant, and I generally bring my accounts w Then the second alighted. He seemed fellow. He was a director of a theater, a m masked balls, and a leader of all the amuse can imagine. His luggage consisted of a g “We’ll dance the bung out of the cask val-time,’’ said he. “I’ll prepare a merry tun and for myself, too. Unfortunately I have n live, the shortest time, in fact, of my whol only twenty-eight days. Sometimes they p a day extra - but I trouble myself very li that. Hurrah!’’ “You must not shout so,’’ said the sent “Certainly I may shout,’’ retorted t man. “I’m Prince Carnival, traveling und THE NAME OF FEBRUARY.’’ The third now got out. He looked t personification of fasting - but he carried h nose very high, for he was a weather proph In his buttonhole he wore a little bunch violets, but they were very small. “MARCH, MARCH!’’ the fourth pa senger called after him, slapping him o the shoulder, “don’t you smell somethin good? Make haste into the guard-room, th are feasting in there. I can smell it alread FORWARD, MASTER MARCH!’’ But it was not true. The speaker on wanted to make an APRIL FOOL of him, f with that fun the fourth stranger general began his career. He looked very jovial, a did little work.
ach Passengers NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
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“If the world were only more settled!’’ said he “but sometimes I’m obliged to be in a good humor, and sometimes a bad one. I can laugh or cry according to circumstances. I have my summer wardrobe in this box here, but it would be very foolish to put it on now!’’ After him a lady stepped out of the coach. SHE CALLED HERSELF MISS MAY. She wore a summer dress and overshoes. Her dress was light green, and there were anemones in her hair. She was so scented with wild thyme that it made the sentry sneeze. “Your health, and God bless you!’’ was her greeting. How pretty she was! and such a singer! Not a theater singer nor a ballad-singer - no, but a singer of the woods. For she wandered through the gay, green forest, and had a concert there for her own amusement. “Now comes the young lady,’’ said those in the coach - and out stepped a young dame, delicate, proud, and pretty. IT WAS MISTRESS JUNE. In her service people become lazy and fond of sleeping for hours. She gives a feast on the longest day of the year, that there may be time for her guests to partake of the numerous dishes at her table. Indeed, she Turn to page XV ►
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NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
New Year’s Resolutions By Dr. Ralph F. Wilson “I NEVER make New Year’s Resolutions, anymore,” the man told me, “I never keep them, anyway.” I can remember all too many resolutions I’ve made and let slip away, too. But I believe New Year’s resolutions are worth making. Let me tell you why. First, we all need changes. Some we find very hard to admit to ourselves. I’ve heard people who say, “I have no regrets about my life. If I had it to do over, I’d do it the same way again.” But that attitude is way too blind and self-serving so far as I’m concerned. There is great power in confession--to ourselves, to God, to others. Owning up to our failures is the first, painful step on the road to something better. Second, when we change calendars is a good time for reassessment. How did last year go? What do I want to do differently
this year? This time of year always reminds me of a passage of scripture, better understood by farmers than suburbanites: “Break up your unplowed ground, and do not sow among thorns” (Jer 4:3). It makes sense. The more land you put into production, the more prosperous you’ll be. But some of us are stupid enough to try to sow seeds in land overrun by star thistle without breaking up the soil and taking care to root out the thorns as they come up. Call it laziness. Call it stupidity. Let me ask you a serious question. What percentage of your life is producing something of value to God? How much “unplowed ground” do you have that ought to be broken up in this coming year and made useful? Reassessment. The brink of a new year is a good time for reassessment. Third, New Year’s is an excellent time for mid-course corrections. Sure, we might fail in what we set out to do, but if we fail
to plan, the old saw goes, then we plan to fail. If you’re so fearful of failure that you never set up your row of tin cans to shoot at, you’re not very likely to hit any at all. Failure is not the end. For the person who determines to learn from it, failure is a friend. One of my heroes in the Bible is the Apostle Paul. Talk about failure! Throughout his life he was opposed, persecuted, shipwrecked, stoned and left for dead, deserted by trusted co-workers, slandered, and scorned. Sometimes it seemed that projects to which he had devoted years were turning to dust before his eyes. But during from one of his stints in prison, we can see from one of his letters an unwillingness to quit. “Forgetting what is behind,” he wrote, “and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:1314, NIV) No wonder he made a mark on his world. He stopped looking back, and looked forward instead. He didn’t let the fear of failure keep him from trying again. Fourth, New Year’s is a time to learn
to rely more heavily on the grace of God. Now I’ve met a few self-made men and women and so have you, but so often these people seem proud and driven. There is another way: beginning to trust in God’s help. One more secret from the Apostle Paul: “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength,” he said (Phil 4:13, NIV). And God’s strength saw him through a lot--through pain, through joy, and through accomplishment. If this last year, you didn’t practice relying on the Lord as much as you should have, there is no time like the present to make a New Year’s resolution. In fact, why don’t you say a short prayer right now--use these words if you like: “Dear God, I want the new year to be different for me.” Now spell out in prayer some of the changes you’d like to see. And close this way: “Lord Jesus, I know that I’m going to need a lot of help for this. So right now I place myself in your hands. Help me to receive Your strength. Amen.” Good. Now you’ve got a much better chance of a Happy New Year.
The Mail Coach...
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NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
keeps her own carriage, but still she travels by the mail - coach with the rest because she wishes to show that she is not proud. But she was not without a protector - her younger brother, JULY, was with her. He was a plump, young fellow, clad in summer garments, and wearing a straw hat. He had very little luggage because it was so cumbersome in the great heat. He had, however, swimming-trousers with him, which are nothing to carry. Then came the mother herself, MADAME AUGUST, a wholesale dealer in fruit, proprietress of a large number of fish-ponds, and a land-cultivator. She was fat and warm, yet she could use her hands well, and would herself carry out food to the laborers in the field. After work, came the recreations, dancing and playing in the greenwood, and the “harvest home.’’ She was a thorough housewife. After her a man stepped
out of the coach. He is a painter, a master of colors, and is NAMED SEPTEMBER. The forest on his arrival has to change its colors, and how beautiful are those he chooses! The woods glow with red, and gold, and brown. This great master painter can whistle like a blackbird. There he stood with his color-pot in his hand, and that was the whole of his luggage. A landowner followed, who in the month for sowing seed attends to his ploughing and is fond of field sports. SQUIRE OCTOBER brought his dog and his gun with him, and had nuts in his game-bag. “Crack! Crack!’’ He had a great deal of luggage, even a plough. He spoke of farming, but what he said could scarcely be heard for the coughing and sneezing of his neighbor. It WAS NOVEMBER, who coughed violently as he got out. He had a cold, but he said he thought it would
Auld Lang Syne By Dr. Ralph F. Wilson This song, often attributed to Scotland’s favorite poet, Robert Burns, is often sung at New Year’s celebrations. “Auld lang syne” literally means “old long ago”. A better translation is perhaps “times gone by.” Should auld acquaintance be forgot And never brought to Robert Burns (1759-1796) mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot And days of Auld Lang Syne? For Auld Lang Syne, my dear, For Auld Lang Syne; We’ll take a cup of kindness yet For Auld Lang Syne And here’s a hand, my trusty friend, And gives a hand o’ thine; We’ll take a cup of kindness yet For Auld Land Syne. For Auld Lang Syne, my dear, For Auld Lang Syne; We’ll take a cup of kindness yet For Auld Lang Syne
Burns claimed that the song was not his own. In sending the song to Mrs. Dunlop in December, 1788 he speaks of it as being much older. “Light be the turf on the breast of the heaven-inspired poet who composed this glorious fragment! There is more of the fire of native genius in it than half-a-dozen of modern English Bacchanalians.... This old song and tune has often thrilled through my soul.” To Thomson he wrote in 1793: “The air is but mediocre; but the song of itself — the song of the olden times, and which has never been in print, nor even in manuscript, until I took it down from an old man’s singing — is enough to recommend any air.” The tune which Burns knew was not the one we sing. The tune we’re familiar with was picked by George Thomson, the tune of “Can ye labour lea.”
leave him when he went out woodcutting, for he had to supply wood to the whole parish. He spent his evenings making skates, for he knew, he said, that in a few weeks they would be needed. At length the last passenger made her appearance - OLD MOTHER DECEMBER! The dame was very aged, but her eyes glistened like two stars. She carried on her arm a flower-pot, in which a little fir tree was growing. “This tree I shall
guard and cherish,’’ she said, “that it may grow large by Christmas Eve, and reach from the floor to the ceiling, to be adorned with lighted candles, golden apples, and toys. I shall sit by the fireplace, and bring a story-book out of my pocket, and read aloud to all the little children. Then the toys on the tree will become alive, and the little waxen Angel at the top will spread out his wings of gold leaf, and fly down from his green perch. He will kiss
From Centre
every child in the room, yes, and all the little children who stand out in the street singing a carol about the `Star of Bethlehem.’ ‘’ “Well, now the coach may drive away,’’ said the sentry - “we will keep all the twelve months here with us.’’ “First let the twelve come to me,’’ said the Captain on duty, “one after another. The passports I will keep here, each of them for one month. When that has passed, I shall
write the behavior of each stranger on his passport. MR. JANUARY, have the goodness to come here.’’ And MR. JANUARY stepped forward. When a year has passed, I think I shall be able to tell you what the twelve passengers have brought to you, to me, and to all of us. Just now I do not know, and probably even they do not know themselves, for we live in strange times.
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NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015 Put in about one teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play, and a heaping cupful of good humor.
“Here we are in a month named after the Roman god Janus, an appropriate personification of the start of the new year. This particular Roman god had two faces so that he could look ahead toward the future and back at the past at the same time. As we get rid of an old year and look forward to a new one, we all try to be a little like Janus. We know through experience what we did wrong and what we did right, and hope to do better this year. Some people make ambitious new year’s resolutions; others just take a deep breath and hope for the best.…”
To Start A New Year
“A new year is unfolding—like a blossom with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within. Lord, let this year be filled with the things that are truly good—with the comfort of warmth in our relationships, with the strength to help those who need our help and the humility and openness to accept help from others. As we make our resolutions for the year ahead, let us go
forward with great hope that all things can be possible—with Your help and guidance.”
Recipe for a Happy New Year
Take twelve fine, full-grown months; see that these are thoroughly free from old memories of bitterness, rancor and hate, cleanse them completely from every clinging spite; pick off all specks of pettiness and littleness; in short, see that these months are freed from all the past—have them fresh and clean as when they first came from the great storehouse of Time. Cut these months into thirty or thirty-one equal parts. Do not attempt to make up the whole batch at one time (so many persons spoil the entire lot this way) but prepare one day at a time. Into each day put equal parts of faith, patience, courage, work (some people omit this ingredient and so spoil the flavor of the rest), hope, fidelity, liberality, kindness, rest (leaving this out is like leaving the oil out of the salad dressing— don’t do it), prayer, meditation, and one well-selected resolution.
I Am the New Year
I am the new year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time. I am your next chance at the art of living. I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months. All that you sought and didn’t find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination. All the good that you tried for and didn’t achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires. All that you dreamed but didn’t dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have—these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose. I am your opportunity to renew your allegiance to Him who said, “Behold, I make all things new.”
A Year of Time Though even thinking on the subject of time may prove discomforting, it is not a bad idea—especially at the beginning of a new year. As we look into <year> we look at a block of time. We see 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,536,000 seconds. And all is a gift from God. We have done nothing to deserve it, earn it, or purchased it. Like the air we breathe, time comes to us as a part of life. The gift of time is not ours alone. It is given equally to each person. Rich and poor, educated and ignorant, strong and weak—every man, woman and child has the same twenty-four hours every day. Another important thing about time is that you cannot stop it. There is no way to slow it down, turn it off, or adjust it. Time marches on. And you cannot bring back time. Once it is gone, it is gone. Yesterday is lost forever. If yesterday is lost, tomorrow is uncertain. We may look ahead at a full year’s block of time, but we really have no guarantee that we will experience any of it. Obviously, time is one of our most precious possessions. We can waste it. We can worry over it. We can spend it on ourselves. Or, as good stewards, we can invest it in the kingdom of God. The new year is full of time. As the seconds tick away, will you be tossing time out the window, or will you make every minute count? Time for New Beginnings
“This is a time for reflection as well as celebration. As you look back on the past year and all that has taken place in your life, Remember each experience for the good that has come of it and for the knowledge you have gained. Remember the efforts you have made and the goals you have reached. Remember the love you have shared and the happiness you have brought. Remember the laughter, the joy, the hard work, and the tears. And as you reflect on the past year, also be thinking of the new one to come. Because most importantly, this is a time of new beginnings and the celebration of life.”
A New Year’s Prayer
Dear Lord, please give me… A few friends who understand me and remain my friends; A work to do which has real value, without which the world would be the poorer; A mind unafraid to travel, even though the trail be not blazed; An understanding heart; A sense of humor; Time for quiet, silent meditation; A feeling of the presence of God; The patience to wait for the coming of these things, With the wisdom to recognize them when they come. Amen.
A New Year
Another fresh new year is here … Another year to live! To banish worry, doubt, and fear, To love and laugh and give! This bright new year is given me To live each day with zest … To daily grow and try to be My highest and my best! I have the opportunity Once more to right some wrongs, To pray for peace, to plant a tree, And sing more joyful songs!
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NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
January 1 Becomes New Year’s Day THE early Roman calendar consisted of 10 months and 304 days, with each new year beginning at the vernal equinox; according to tradition, it was created by Romulus, the founder of Rome, in the eighth century B.C. A later king, Numa Pompilius, is credited with adding the months of Januarius and Februarius. Over the centuries, the calendar fell out
of sync with the sun, and in 46 B.C. the emperor Julius Caesar decided to solve the problem by consulting with the most prominent astronomers and mathematicians of his time. He introduced the Julian calendar, which closely resembles the more modern Gregorian calendar that most countries around the world use today.
As part of his reform, Caesar instituted January 1 as the first day of the year, partly to honor the month’s namesake: Janus, the Roman god of beginnings, whose two faces allowed him to look back into the past and forward into the future. Romans celebrated by offering sacrifices to Janus, exchanging gifts with one another, decorating their homes with laurel
branches and attending raucous parties. In medieval Europe, Christian leaders temporarily replaced January 1 as the first of the year with days carrying more religious significance, such as December 25 (the anniversary of Jesus’ birth) and March 25 (the Feast of the Annunciation); Pope Gregory XIII reestablished January 1 as New Year’s Day in 1582.
New Year’s Traditions
In many countries, New Year’s celebrations begin on the evening of December 31—New Year’s Eve—and continue into the early hours of January 1. Revelers often enjoy meals and snacks thought to bestow good luck for the coming year. In Spain and several other Spanish-speaking countries, people bolt down a dozen grapes-symbolizing their hopes for the months ahead-right before midnight. In many parts of the world, traditional New Year’s dishes feature legumes, which are thought to resemble coins and herald future financial success; examples include lentils in Italy and black-eyed peas in the southern United States. Because pigs represent progress and prosperity in some cultures, pork appears on the New Year’s Eve table in Cuba, Austria, Hungary, Portugal and other countries. Ring-shaped cakes and pastries, a sign that the year has come full circle, round out the feast in the Netherlands, Mexico, Greece and elsewhere. In Sweden and Norway, meanwhile, rice pudding with an almond hidden inside is served on New Year’s Eve; it is said that whoever finds the nut can expect 12 months of good fortune. Other customs that are common worldwide include watching fireworks and singing songs to welcome the new year, including the ever-popular “Auld Lang Syne” in many English-speaking countries. The practice of making resolutions for the new year is thought to have first caught on among the ancient Babylonians, who made promises in order to earn the favor of the gods and start the year off on the right foot. (They would reportedly vow to pay off debts and return borrowed farm equipment.) In the United States, the most iconic New Year’s tradition is the dropping of a giant ball in New York City’s Times Square at the stroke of midnight. Millions of people around the world watch the event, which has taken place almost every year since 1907. Over time, the ball itself has ballooned from a 700-pound ironand-wood orb to a brightly patterned sphere 12 feet in diameter and weighing in at nearly 12,000 pounds. Various towns and cities across America have developed their own versions of the Times Square ritual, organizing public drops of items ranging from pickles (Dillsburg, Pennsylvania) to possums (Tallapoosa, Georgia) at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
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NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
Is Quitting Smoking on Your Calendar for 2015?
QUIT smoking to start your year off right. Every January 1, people all over the world make New Year’s resolutions. If you’re one of the nearly 7 out of 10 current U.S. smokers who want to quit, why not get started today? Smoking is still the number one cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. Quitting now can cut your risk for diseases caused by smoking and leave you feeling stronger and healthier. Tiffany, a former smoker, found many benefits of quitting, such as tastier food and more energy. She describes some of
the rewards that came to her when she quit in a video entitled “Surprising Things About Quitting” from CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers (Tips) campaign. Most smokers who want to quit try several times before they succeed, but you can take steps that can improve your chances of quitting for good.
Develop a Quit Plan
Planning ahead is a major part of successfully quitting smoking. Smokefree.gov offers details on how to
create an effective quit plan, including: ► Picking a quit date. Starting the new year smokefree is a great idea. ► Letting loved ones know you’re quitting so they can support you. ► Listing your reasons to quit smoking. See the “Smoking and Diabetes” ad featuring Bill—another former smoker who participated in the Tips campaign—for advice on finding your reasons to quit. ► Identifying triggers that make you want to smoke so you can avoid them, especially during the early days. Because cigarettes contain nicotine, a powerfully addicting chemical, your body may feel uncomfortable until it adjusts. This is known as withdrawal, and there are medications that can help lessen this feeling and the urge to smoke. Studies show that smokers who use medicine to help control cravings, along with coaching from a quitline, in a group, or from a counselor, are much more likely to succeed than those who go it alone. Talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or other health care provider before using any medications if you: ► Are pregnant or nursing ► Have a serious medical condition ► Are currently using other medications ► Are younger than 18 years of age Many options are available if you are considering using medications to help you quit smoking. The most common smoking medications are nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs), which give your body a little of the nicotine that it craves without the harmful chemicals found in burning cigarettes.Examples of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved NRTs that you can buy over the counter include: ► Nicotine patches ► Nicotine gum ► Nicotine lozenges NRTs that require a prescription include nicotine inhalers and nasal spray; your doctor can also prescribe medication that does not contain nicotine (such as bupropion or varenicline) to help you quit smoking completely. As the start of a new year approaches, isn’t now the perfect time to quit smoking? You can start 2015 as a healthier you by developing a quit plan, using free resources, and finding a smoking medication that is right for you. Even if you don’t smoke yourself, you can use this article to help a friend or family member become smokefree in 2015!
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NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
New Year’s Resolutions for TV Characters
SMART people behaving foolishly. That seems to be the essence of scripted TV these days, as characters we’ve come to admire for their savvy get themselves into terrible trouble because they make regrettable decisions. Sure, that sort of behavior makes for great drama and comedy, but it also makes for messy lives. If our favorite TV characters really want to clean up their acts, they’ll take our advice and adopt these custom-tailored New Year’s resolutions. Sansa Stark (“Game of Thrones”): I will not accept any wedding invitations. Mindy Lahiri (“The Mindy Project”): I will remember that life is not a romantic comedy, and everything doesn’t turn out the way it does for Meg Ryan. Lisa Simpson (“The Simpsons”): After 25 years, I will finally pass the second grade. Don Draper (“Mad Men”): Maybe seeing Bert Cooper dancing down the hallway after his death is a sign that I shouldn’t drink so much. Saul Goodman (formerly of “Breaking Bad,” soon to be seen on “Better Call Saul”): I will find a better class of clientele. Maybe just white-collar criminals. The cast of “Scandal”: We will stop mixing work and our social lives. Frank and Claire Underwood (“House of Cards”): Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. Alicia Florrick (“The Good Wife”): Me, too. Fitz (“Scandal”): Oh, one more for me: no more presidential phone sex. You never know who’s listening... Jane Villanueva (“Jane the Virgin”): I’ll go through with the malpractice suit against the gynecologist whose epic blunder left me pregnant, even if she is the sister of hunky, wealthy Rafael. Or at least I’ll make Rafael cough up for daycare. Jonah (“Silicon Valley”): I will never get into a driverless, computer-controlled car again. The cast of “Orange Is the New Black”: Is it too late to get time off for good behavior? Paige (“The Americans”): I know my parents are weird and secretive, but I will not look too hard for the skeletons in their closet, since I might be super creeped out by what I find. Sheldon Cooper (“The Big Bang Theory”): I will interact more with lesser human beings, and I won’t always bring disinfectant wipes. Jules Cobb (“Cougar Town”): I’ll stop drinking so much red wine and switch to something less heavy-duty. Like white wine. Will Graham (“Hannibal”): I will try to get some sleep, though I’ll surely be troubled by nightmares. Jack Larsen (“Stalker”): Um, maybe I should stop being a stalker? Or at least appearing to be one? Sterling Archer (“Archer”): You know that whole “Miami Vice” thing we did throughout last season? I’ll forget it if you viewers will. John Thackery (“The Knick”). Imagine how much more brilliant and trailblazing a surgeon I could be if I weren’t high on liquid cocaine all the time. Maybe I could have invented transplant surgery in 1900 if I weren’t so busy probing the spaces between my toes for injectable veins.
The extended Braverman clan (“Parenthood”): When we have our series finale at the end of January, we won’t make you cry... too much. The cast of “Parks and Recreation”: Neither will we... oh, who are we kidding? You’ll weep as hard as if Li’l Sebastian died all over again. Valerie Cherish (“The Comeback”): I’ll be back. Robert Crawley, Lord Grantham (“Downton Abbey”): I
will consult with my family before embarking on any new business ventures, since I’m clearly hopeless at such things. Although that American fellow, Ponzi, seems like a successful money manager... Dowager Countess Violet Crawley (“Downton Abbey”): I shan’t be making any resolutions, as I do not require any self-improvement. Though I can think of others who do.
Pope sends New Year’s tidings to partying Brazilians XX
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - POPE Francis has recorded a video message at the Vatican offering New Years greetings to two million revelers, including around 800,000 tourists, preparing to party on Rio’s famed Copacabana beach. The message, which will be broadcast as the city also celebrates 450 years of existence, “will be presented just before the traditional midnight fireworks display,” a Rio city
NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
hall spokesman said, confirming that it had been received Monday. “Dear Brazilian people, it is with great joy that I address you on the eve of a new year marking the start of celebrations commemorating 450 years since the foundation of the city,” the pontiff will tell revelers. The New Year fireworks display will see 34,000 rockets
and 24 tons of fireworks launched on the stroke of midnight from 11 boats anchored 400 meters (440 yards) from the shoreline. The fireworks will also include letters and figures, forming the slogan “Rio450” in the night sky. In the video, the pope says he is greeting “at such a happy moment the beloved ‘Carioca’ people.” Many Rio locals, nicknamed Cariocas, will dress in
People react to fireworks during New Year’s celebrations at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on January 1, 2014 (AFP Photo/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
white and make a traditional offering of garlands of flowers to Yemanja, goddess of the sea in the Candomble Afro-Brazilian faith. With Brazil entering high summer, temperatures were Wednesday hovering around 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and no rain was forecast ahead of the celebrations. Rio city authorities have drafted some 3,600 police to maintain security along the 4.5-kilometer (2.5-mile) beach. When the pope, from neighboring Argentina, visited Rio in July 2013, some three million people gathered in Copacabana beach for a mass that closed a Catholic youth festival.
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NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
New Year’s Resolutions Should Be About Happiness Not Weight Loss things that ever happened to us, but no one’s a bundle of joy 24 hours a day. The worst thing imaginable would be for something to happen to my kids, but they still bring lots of stress and worry that I didn’t have before I was a dad. What I would say is that they’ve given my life more purpose, and that helps with happiness. But when people say they’re perfectly happy without children, we don’t have to presume they’re lying! Technology and happiness
The Huffington Post UK | By Natasha Hinde THE New Year is here and as we close the door on the trials and tribulations of 2014, we’re also beckoning whatever awaits us in 2015. Whether you’ve suffered loss, anxiety or a terrible breakup in 2014, there are a few things you can do in order to stick two fingers up to the bad stuff and embrace the good stuff. Instead of planning to (quite literally) bust a gut getting rid of your post-Christmas food baby - and feel terrible in the process - make happiness your priority when it comes to New Year’s resolutions. New Year’s resolutions ?With New Year’s resolutions you have to work out whether what you intend to change is actually going to make you happier. We tell ourselves stories – “I need to lose weight, I need to read more books” – but a lot of that is based on things we think should make us happier. You can end up making yourself miserable by not being the person you feel you should be. We have to make sure that the stories we get from our parents or the media don’t get in the way of finding the experiences that really will make us happier. There are small changes that we can build into our lives on an everyday basis, such as getting ten minutes’ more fresh air, spending a bit more time with people we like, helping someone or listening to music. I listen to Spotify on my commute in and out of London and it certainly makes me happier because music really does penetrate the ?soul. You don’t have to give up your job or go and hug a tree in California. Happiness can come from making what seem to be very trivial changes. Lost happiness is lost forever Don’t think about your wellbeing and happiness like you do finances. With money, you can save it today to spend more in the future. But happiness isn’t a bank account. You can’t say: “I’m going to ?make myself miserable today to? be happy tomorrow” because the misery you’re experiencing today ?is real! It’s like seeing a rubbish ?film at the cinema and thinking: ?“I bought the ticket so I’d better stay until the end”. Why put yourself through it? If something is painful? and pointless, you should stop doing it.
Children and happiness
Most of the happiness data shows having children to be neutral at best. We’re told to say our kids are the most amazing
Everyone’s posting on Facebook about what ?a brilliant time they had last night and you think: “My life’s so grim”. By comparison, misery comes from that. But there’s also the happiness of contagion. Happy posts can make people reading them feel happier. If you’re using virtual interaction as a substitute for face-to- face relationships then you’re less happy, but? if it’s complementary, it can make you happier. I strongly suggest that people turn off their mobile for a
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The Butterfly By Author Unknown
NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen
A MAN found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small
body and small, shriveled wings.
opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he
several hours as it struggled to force its body through that
expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and
little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It
expand to be able to support the body, which would contract
appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could
in time.
go no further. So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair
Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.
It never was able to fly. What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
New Year’s Resolutions Should Be About...
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bit each day, otherwise your attention is constantly drawn to it. I’ve identified “phantom vibration syndrome”, when you think you’ve got a message and you look at your phone but you haven’t. We’ve become addicted to technology and it’s not good. Finding happiness after loss All the evidence suggests that we’re remarkably resilient creatures. Our psychological immune system kicks in to familiarise the pain of loss and, in time, we’re all right again. I know it might not help how you feel now, but the pain that you’re feeling isn’t going to last forever. Finding happiness after divorce After a break-up, most of us end up with someone better than that idiot we were with before, even if we did think we were going to spend the rest of our life with them. When people get divorced, their happiness actually starts to bounce back in a way that it doesn’t with separation. Separation comes with uncertainty and uncertainty is very attention-seeking. My advice is to be brutally honest with the other person and – as soon as you reach the conclusion yourself – tell them that there’s no prospect of getting back together. We sometimes think closure feels like a bad thing, but that’s a very good example of how our behaviour can be inconsistent with what makes us happiest. The secret to happiness I think you’re as happy as you can possibly be when you have the right balance of pleasure and purpose in your life. Some people are pleasure machines, some are purpose engines, but if you’re at either extreme, you’d be happier if you gave up a bit of what you have a lot of. If you have a pleasure-seeking life and decide to spend 20 minutes every day doing something that feels purposeful, like gardening or volunteering, you’ll probably be happier – but it’s certainly not the same for everyone.
NEW YEAR SUPPLEMENT Thursday, January 1, 2015
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