"We just can't take all this bad news, so to some degree you start to understand the 'let's fiddle while Rome is burning' attitude, which will only increase. "People will be eating more red meat, drinking, smoking. But the big repentance will come," she cautions. Just not now.

"Look for that in 2009."

Some very interesting observations

I'm all for "getting real" and I hope more companies and people continue to do it in the new year.

I also like the "return to civility" idea. Life's too short to be angry so much. Change the way you react, and surprisingly enough, it eventually changes the way you feel.

Not ME--I wanna keep my edge of outrage and indignation---AAAACK!
...just kiddin', i'm so tired of being pissed off.