happy news year?

another year passes while another begins, and a lackadasical eve hopefully bears no prophecy of a year in kind. on the television dick clark and carson daly stand before an undulating sea of people in times square, new york city, as a timer counts down the last moments of 2006. too bad the year was already over in the big apple three hours ago, despite the words "live" and "en vivo" plastered in the corner as if the general public were comprised of complete idiots. on the most local of local channels, the hyatt party is broadcasted live, and i am treated to less-than-interesting footage of strangers shuffling en masse with their drinks above their heads, while others are on cell phones, no doubt advertising their debut tv-stardom to friends and family.

as the last seconds of last year disappear into forgotten memory, the artificial construction of time itself is laid bare in the comparison of un-synchronized "live" clocks between different televison channels. the snap-crackle-pop of a string of fireworks outside suggest a fast watch, while dancing animated numbers on tv usher in 2007 with a prosaic cartoon bang, complete with prosaic cartoon confetti. fireworks blast into the air from a barge somewhere off the embarcadero coast, while the ferry building sits in quiet stupor, unbedecked this year of former years' cascading sparks. deep booms echo through the night, while i count seconds between watching starbursts and hearing their reports. sounding more like bomb blasts beneath the ratta-tat-tat of illegal fireworks from the beach, street, or backyard, the general calm of general america is unnerving and awkward. half a world away, thaksin supporters rock bangkok with a series of explosions, while a day before, the euskadi ta askatasuna end a "permanent" spanish-basque ceasefire with a boom, not a bang.

aside from new-year hollars from a passing woman on the street, america is relatively quiet. vengeance for hussein is latent, and the terrorism-alert color scale is absent. super-security measures have been toned-down, and a complacent country seems more concerened with rising bridge tolls, confetti-pollution, fireplace pollution, or global warming. in this quiet coming and going of the years, marked more by the death of two great figureheads of eras long gone, as well as the thousands who have warred for peace and paid the price, i can only hope 2007 fosters positive history for ages to come, developing from solemn reverence to fond rememberance; where selfless goals are the only ones accomplished and society is thusly made better.

all the best for 2007; be safe, be healthy, be happy.