New Years Honours List

I was going to pull a Time Magazine on you all, and nominate the very patient readers of the White Bear's Blog for their faith, loyalty and kind acceptance of two rather long, inexcusable, non-writing hiatuses experienced in 2006. But that would be too much of a cop-out, although you guys really deserve recognition and respect.

So who in the world merits special acknowledgement for their actions over the previous 365? Who stands head and shoulders above the crowd? Whose actions have improved the quality of life for the residents of this planet? Who has set the standard for ethics and morality in MMVI and started to pave the way for a brighter existence for all of mankind?

You know, I can now see Time Magazine's quandary: in thinking this one over for the past half hour I have come up virtually dry. Even as a cynic I can scarce think of any public figure who put some distance between themselves and the rest of the war-mongering, hypocritical, money-whoring bastards populating of media with their lies, spins and fictions. Yep, we, the common people, deserve special recognition for having put up with the shit foisted on us by the people to whom we have given our votes, our money and our attention.

Having got that off my chest I can only come up with two public figures whose actions deserve some degree of admiration: Bill Clinton, for his continued work for the impoverished and disenfranchised (and that televised rant against Faux News's Chris Wallace was an extra added benefit); and Warren Buffett, the second wealthiest man in the world, who has made a committment to bequeath almost all of his riches to charity (he already gave $30.7 billion US to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation).

Slim pickins in 2006, and the older I get the more I develop a sense of distaste for public figures. Let's hope 2007 will yield a better crop of luminaries, though I very much doubt it.