Church offers prayers for the jobless

Or, as the Church of England calls it, those deemed "redundant."

What will happen in the new year?

There's no telling, for sure. Certainly not with the economy. But some things will happen this year. Some highlights:

January: The Czech Republic assumes the presidency of the European Union; Barack Obama assumes the presidency of the American union.

February: Awards month (Writers Guild of America, 7th; Grammy Awards, 8th; NAACP Image Awards, 12th; Academy Awards, 22nd).

March: Madness.

April: Baseball's Opening Day (6th).

May: The new wing opens at the Art Institute of Chicago.

June: Milwaukee's Summerfest begins (27th).

July: John Calvin's 500th birthday (10th).

August: Most of Europe takes a monthlong holiday. Let's follow suit.

September: The UN General Assembly meets in New York.

October: The International Olympic Committee announces the host of the 2016 Summer Games (2nd). In the running: Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.

November: The UN Climate Change Conference, seeking to reach a new agreement on cutting greenhouse gases, opens in Copenhagen (30th).

December: The largest cruise ship ever built, the Finnish-made Oasis of the Seas, takes its maiden voyage with 5,400 passengers.

SOURCES: The Economist and the International Herald Tribune.