every year

I really dislike it when, every single New Year's Eve and Day and really in the entire week leading up to New Year's, online newspapers print stupid articles about what MIGHT happen in the coming year. Right now there is an article on cnn.com entitled "2009 Political Predictions: What will be the big story?"

Isn't the whole point of the future the fact that NO ONE KNOWS what's going to happen? These articles make very pedestrian predictions about how "the biggest story will be the continued violence in the Middle East." a) No, I bet you anything there will be some stupid scandal that the news media will enjoy far more than anything Middle East-related. b) since when has the Middle East actually constituted a "big" story? Yes, it absolutely OUGHT to be a big story- a HUGE story. But it never seems to get much attention- I mean, god forbid we read about death and destruction and violence before we read about Bristol Palin's baby.