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.