New Year 2017 - Predictions

The prospects for 2017 are even more unclear than is usual for a new year but for what they are worth my predictions are:

1. Newspaper reading: Interestingly  just chatting to people (within the UK at least) about this, the younger generation signify that they rarely buy real newspapers but simply glance at the online versions. Online newspaper reading by those under  about 40 years of age, tends to be more hurried and fewer articles are read in depth or at length. An earlier prediction   (Predictions for 2015) that the Independent  newspaper would go under, sadly almost became reality a little later than predicted  when the Indy ceased printing though it lives on (just) on-line. Having retested The Times - eschewed when the Indy was printed - is rather better than expected and its articles so far at least, seem full authoritative and well written. The Telegraph is too unwieldy as indeed is the Sunday Times both being foolscap type size but I fear for the future of The Guardian - at least its printed version.

Not only is the Guardian far more expensive than The Times but also patently takes a political line which makes reading The Guardian less enjoyable. On the other hand  seeing what is trendy to those on the political  left,  is always educational so I hope it survives.

2. USA and world politics:  The fact that prospective presidents of the USA have to be enormously rich sadly tends to lead to presidential candidates in that country who are at first glance at least not attractive. Hilary Clinton was a candidate of the old school though she would have been the first woman president of the USA. To me she was uninteresting as potential leader of that great nation but seemed the least worst candidate. In the event the USA and the world are awaiting the arrival of Donald Trump as the new president. Again in my humble opinion that is not an attractive prospect though may at least lead to a thaw in USA/Russia relations.

3. Man's Inhumanity to Man: Sadly  my 2015 predictions included the following:

The hideous ISIS killings will continue  but their hideousness is  surely being accentuated by today's virtually instant media reporting.

The 2017 prediction is sadly the same in this  tragic area though the instant media reporting aspect is probably  less relevant than I believed in 2014/5.

4. Disease: Malaria will continue to be tackled and sub Saharan Africa will at last feel the benefits.

5. Religious belief and practice: The decline in this area will  bottom out at least so far as the Christian churches are concerned. The alternative in the West at least appears to be consumerism which will hopefully next year begin to be perceived as being at best, a cul de sac. Rome has some tough decisions to make about women and the Catholic Church and also married priests. Such decisions seem to take an interminable amount of time. I am optimistic that the right decisions will be made in due course though probably  next year will see but the beginning of the decision making process.

6. CO2 emissions: The effect on the planet's sensitive seas,  ice poles and atmosphere is at last being appreciated. Hopefully despite the  incoming USA president's dismissive words about this crucial area, the world's attempts to reduce CO2 pollution will continue

7. Shares: The publication of an RNS by EVR Holdings plc  just before the Christmas holiday, a part of which read:

     EVR Holdings plc (AIM: EVRH), a leading creator of virtual reality ('VR') music content, is pleased to announce that its subsidiary MelodyVR Ltd ('MelodyVR') has signed a VR content creation and distribution agreement with Warner Music Inc. and WEA International Inc. (collectively, 'Warner'). Warner, one of the three largest record companies in the world, reported digital sales in 2015 of US$1.24 billion and owns and operates a number of successful record labels including Atlantic Records, Parlophone Records and Warner Bros. Records.

causes me to anticipate that this company and its share price will do well in 2017 perhaps (though readers must do their own research)  double from the existing shareprice of 6p. However I know nothing about virtual reality content which is what I gather the RNS quoted above is about but do know that the next generation does!

Happy 2017 to all who read or chance upon this blog.