Opinion Express

On a mobile device? Click here.

December 17, 2011

---

Let's see the doomsday map After months of closed-door negotiations over new ward boundaries for Chicago, the public is starting to get a peek at the product. PREDICTIONS FOR 2012 Participate in Eric Zorn's annual predictions for the year ahead. Who will be the Republican nominee for president? Michele Bachmann Newt Gingrich Jon Huntsman Ron Paul Rick Perry Mitt Romney Rick Santorum Other Will U.S. Rep. Ron Paul get more than 12 percent of the vote in the Jan. 31 Florida Republican primary? Yes No Will Vice-President Joe Biden be President Obama's running mate? Yes No Will a third-party or independent presidential candidate emerge to win more than 15 percent of the popular vote in the November election? Yes No What will the national unemployment rate be on Election Day in November? Under 7 percent Between 7 and 8 percent Between 8 and 9 percent Between 9 and 10 percent More than 10 percent Will President Barack Obama be re-elected? Yes No Will U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, D-Chicago, be re-elected? Yes No Will U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh, R-McHenry, be re-elected? Yes No Will Republicans maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives? Yes No Will Democrats maintain their majority in the U.S. Senate? Yes No Will the U.S. Supreme Court overturn a key provision in the new health-insurance reform law? Yes No Will former Bolingbrook police sergeant Drew Peterson be found guilty of murdering his third wife, Kathleen Savio? Yes No The case will still be unresolved at the end of 2012 Will the Chicago Teachers Union go out on strike? Yes No Will appellate courts rule in favor of gay marriage in California? Yes No Will Chicago break ground on a casino? Yes No Will Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, get pregnant? Yes No Will the suggested retail price of Amazon's basic Kindle e-reader drop below $50? (It's now $79) Yes No Will chicagotribune.com put much of its content behind a subscription paywall? Yes No Will there be an attack in the U.S. by foreign or domestic terrorists. that kills more than 100 people? Yes No Will the Green Bay Packers go undefeated? Yes No Will Tiger Woods win at least one of professional golf's four major tournaments? Yes No Which of Chicago's Major League Baseball teams will make the playoffs? Cubs Sox Both Neither Which of these pro teams will play for the championship in their sport's final series? The Blackhawks (hockey) The Bulls (basketball) Both Neither How many of these 5 head coaches/managers will still be in place at the end of 2012? Joel Quenneville (Blackhawks), Lovie Smith (Bears),Tom Thibodeau (Bulls), Robin Ventura (Sox), Dale Sveum (Cubs) All five will still be employed Four Three Two One Zero. They'll all be gone How many protesters will be arrested during the G8/NATO meetings in Chicago in May? Less than 100 100 to 300 More than 300 Chapman: Needle exchange, HIV, and the feds Going back to the 1980s, the federal government has been spending money to combat the spread of HIV and AIDS. For most of that time, the effort excluded state and local programs to provide drug users with clean syringes -- even though study after study proved they were highly effective.  Today's columnists Requiem for a contrarian Only once since my foolish adolescence do I recall actually feeling fortunate to be a smoker, a truly insidious addiction that I have since kicked. It was the slightly chilly Washington evening on which I was joined during a smoke break at a friend's birthday party by Christopher Hitchens, one of the few people who can be called a journalist-intellectual without it sounding like a punch line. 10 things you might not know about December holidays After a year like this one, we need a month to relax and recover. Happy December, and may all your trivia come in lists of 10.

Top fashion trends of 2011 Shopping cheat sheet - Dec. 16 Scott Stantis cartoons

Breaking news | Weather | Mobile alerts | Mobile edition | Email newsletters and alerts | Apps SUBSCRIBE: To subscribe to Tribune newsletters and alerts, visit http://www.chicagotribune.com/newsletter. YOUR ACCOUNT: You're currently subscribed with the address gengucid.chica9odotcom@blogger.com. UNSUBSCRIBE: Click here to unsubscribe: http://app.chicagotribune.com/unsub/unsub.cfm?c=JV20Q3&e=gengucid.chica9odotcom@blogger.com&l=196051842&n=SUIQPY ADDRESS CHANGE: Manage all your chicagotribune.com e-mail subscriptions here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/newsletter ASSURE DELIVERY: Add chicagotribune@mail.chicagotribune.com to your address book: http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/site/chi-add-addressbook,0,7862323.story Copyright (c) 2011, Chicago Tribune