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    Home » New Years – a moving target
    Editorials/Opinion

    New Years – a moving target

    January 9, 2012No Comments8 Mins Read
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    By Mel Copen

    New Years is a time for reflection.  So I thought I would update an article I wrote about New Years Day about a decade ago.

    In reality, there is nothing special about January first.  It’s the day after December 31 and the one before January 2.  Its only tangible element is that it comes 365 days (or 366 in a leap year) after the last New Year’s Day celebration, recognizing the period of time that the earth makes a complete circuit around the sun while spinning on it’s axis approximately 365 ¼ times..  The selection of a date could have coincided with any point on the earth’s orbit.  But it truly is nice that it falls on a holiday.

    In a way, it’s kind of strange to celebrate the New Year, particularly in January.  The original logic made primitive sense.  The first celebrations took place more than 4,000 years ago as the Babylonians celebrated the return of spring, and the planting season.  The Egyptians, Phoenicians and Persians, not to miss a time to party, then followed suit, but to be different, they used the fall equinox.  The Greeks weighted in with the winter solstice.

    Initially, the world used many calendars of varying start-points and length.  Some, particularly those based upon lunar cycles, changed their start points from one year to another.  January 1 was set arbitrarily, after thousands of years of study to determine the length of a year, and several thousand more of haggling and political intrigue to finally fix a “beginning” point (which is still not accepted by everyone today).

    The early Roman calendar consisted of 10 months, starting in March.  Ever wonder how September (7), October (8), November (9) and December (10) got their names?  In about 700 BC,Romeswitched to 12 months (it’s a good thing, or all our calendars today would be obsolete).  But it wasn’t until 153 B.C. that the beginning of the year was moved to January 1 – why?  Simple!  That was the day the Consuls of Rome began their 1 year term of office.  In 46 B.C. when Julius Caesar reformed the calendar, January 1 became firmly established as the first day of the Roman calendar.  But the month of January had been named after the Roman God, Janus (a two-headed god who looked forward and backward – perhaps the first to publish a list of the “best of the past year” and predictions or resolutions for the year ahead).

    But in medievalEuropeit was eventually judged that celebrating on January 1 was too closely tied to this “pagan deity” and in 567 AD, the designation of January 1 as the start of the New Year was banned.  Obviously the party-goers and manufacturers of hats and noisemakers were not about to take this lying down.  So other dates were selected in different parts of the world: December 25, March 1, Easter, and so on.

    Then, in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII redid the calendar, which had gotten a bit messy, and reestablished January 1 as the start of the New Year for all of Catholicism. Since then, January 1 has become the secular standard for the entire world, although many religions and nations continue, additionally, to celebrate their own New Year’s Day based on historical traditions. Interestingly, the Gregorian Calendar was not adopted in theUKand theUSuntil 1752 – previously, New Years had been celebrated in March.

    The true wisdom and significance of a fixed date of January 1 for the start of the New Year has only become apparent with the passage of time.  Even more amazing is the fact that at the time Mr. Caesar and the Pope made their decisions, neither football nor television had been invented.  But without their perspicacity, imagine the problems we would have today if, for example, they had picked a date in April, or July (months after the end of the football season and the Bowl games.

    But arbitrary as the selection of January first may be, the start of a New Year holds a special aura for most of us.  We like things wrapped up in nice neat packages.  The end of a year is a great time to reflect on the past.  And the start of a New Year provides an opportunity to plan for a future filled with positive expectations.  Because nature, in her infinite wisdom, made “the end” and “the start” coincide, we can combine the two efforts into a single process for each cycle.  Most critically, the establishment of a firm New Year gave rise to one of mankind’s greatest inventions – the New Year’s Resolution.

    The art of “New Year’s Resolving” was developed over many centuries of human effort.  The first attempts were rather tentative – like: “I’m going to make it through this day.”  Then people realized they had a whole year to address, and so resolutions changed to: “I’m going to live to see another year.”  But a lot of people didn’t, giving the process a somewhat tarnished image right from the start.  As people became more adept at the process, resolutions became more specific.  They started dealing with bad habits people wanted to relinquish, or good things they wanted to achieve.  In the early days, one could plan on tomorrow being more or less like today.  These days the situation is more complex, however, since repetition and stability have become anathemas and woe to anyone who has to live yesterday, today.

    More recently a new school of thought has developed, as people began to recognize that giving up bad habits and making New Year’s Resolutions is somewhat akin to giving up food and going on a fast – natural forces seem to lead to breaking them.  Some people have become very adept at this.  The extreme illustration came from one of the world’s greatest “Resolutionists.” After analyzing the subject for years, he was determined to change the pattern.  So one year he resolved never to make New Year’s resolutions – and set the world record before he realized what he had done.

    On a personal basis, the actions that led to the establishment of January 1 as the New Year have had substantial repercussions.  My wife, Beverly, is a serious fanatic for setting goals and objectives.  The process starts weeks before, with not-so-subtle hints to all members of the family that the time is coming to review the past and ponder the future.  By January 1 everyone is walking on eggshells, dreading to hear that inevitable request – “so tell me about your goals for the coming year!”  Woe to anyone in the family who does not have a complete and satisfying answer.  But if you, like me, have to, or chose to go through the process, a few serious points that may be of help.

    First, remember that there are usually good reasons why one has developed bad habits or has not accomplished things in the previous year.  It will take more than wishing to change things.

    Second, reflection over the past is an important starting point to identify these reasons and to make sure that plans for the future are realistic and have any hope of fulfillment.

    Third, don’t shoot for the moon.  Think in small steps instead of big leaps. Rather than make resolutions in the form of an eventual goal (e.g. I will loose 20 pounds) build your resolutions around smaller steps (e.g. I will loose a pound a week).  Short term, “clearly achievable” goals are much more motivational than long-term, “possibly achievable” goals.  (The latter will get you to your goal in 5 months and is clearly “doable,” whereas 20 lbs. may be too far off in the distance to be very inspirational and sustainable).

    Finally, if you can, build your resolutions around the process that will get you to your goal, rather than the goal itself (I will go out for a 2-mile walk every morning, or I will give up that dish of ice cream after dinner).  These are much easier to focus on and adhere to and will lead to tangible results. (As you might guess, I have a few “weighty matters” on my mind).

    And finally, if you are absolutely determined not to break or bend any resolutions, don’t make them!  Spend the time enjoying the bowl games or whatever you enjoy doing when the earth hits that point in space that says: “Whoopee!  We’re here again.”

    I hope the coming year is especially happy, healthy, bright and productive for you and your loved ones, filled with joy, peace and much contentment.  By the end of the year, may we see a better and safer world, and all be able to take satisfaction in what we have done to make it so.

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     THE MOMENT IS UPON US

    Dear Sedona,

    The moment is upon us. The time for a united effort to shift the focus back to our community is now.

    The ability to thrive in our community, our environment, our workforce, and the tourist industry, is entirely possible because we have all the resources needed for success.

    Still, we need a council that isn’t afraid to ask the hard questions, that makes decisions based on data and facts, and through discussion, rather than moving and voting in group unison as they so regularly do.

    This is my home. I have been a part of the Sedona community for 28 years. I witnessed the road debacle, the lack of planning, the city circumventing the local businesses ability to thrive, while making choices to expand the local government and be in direct competition with private industry.

    I am a unique candidate because unlike the incumbents, I don’t believe the government should expand in size, nor in operations, nor would I attempt to micromanage every aspect of our community.

    City government should stay in its lane and allow the competitive market of local private industry to prosper. And it should defend our community from corporate takeover and infiltration of our town.

    I do not agree that we should sign onto International Building Codes and regulations by signing Sedona up to the ICC. It is imperative that we remain a sweet, rural community.

    Where are the arts? Where is this organic thriving element that we allege to be animated by. Where is our culture? Where is our community?

    The discord between the decision making process and the desires of the community have never been more clear. It has been nearly a decade in the making.

    It is time for a new era of energy to take charge. An energy that is reflective in the ability to succeed rather than be trapped in out of date consciousness.

    It has been a great honor meeting with each of you. I hear your concerns over the insane and out of control spending and I echo them. A budget of $105,000,000 in a town of 9700 residents is completely unacceptable. A parking structure (that looks like a shoe box) originally slated to cost 11 million, now projected to cost 18 million, is incomprehensible. Especially, considering there is no intention of charging for parking.

    For those who are concerned that I lack the political experience within our established system- that is precisely what Sedona needs… Not another politician, but instead a person who understands people, who listens to the voices within the community, and who will act in service on their behalf with accountability, for the highest good of Sedona. What I am not, will prove to be an asset as I navigate the entrenched bureaucracy with a fresh perspective. Business as usual, is over.

    Creative solutions require new energy.

    Every decision that is made by our local government, must contemplate Sedona first.

    • Does this decision benefit the residents?
    • Does this decision benefit the local businesses?
    • Does this decision actually help the environment?
    • Will this decision sustain benefit in the future, or will it bring more problems?

    What we have now is a city government that expands to 165 employees for 9700 residents. Palm Desert has 53,000 residents and 119 city employees. Majority of our city department heads are not even in town. I find this problematic.

    Efforts towards championing in and courting new solutions for our medical needs are imperative. We are losing our doctors. We must encourage competition with other facilities rather than be held hostage by NAH, who clearly have their own set of dysfunctions.

    We must remember that so many move to Sedona for its beauty, hiking, and small town charm. Bigger, faster, and more concrete does not, in broad strokes, fit the ethos of Sedona.

    The old world must remain strong here in balance, as that is what visitors want to experience. Too many have noted that Sedona has lost its edge and charm.

    As Mayor I will preserve the rural charm of our community, and push back against the urbanization that is planned for Sedona.

    As mayor I will make it a priority to create opportunities to support our youth.  After school healthy, enriching programs should be created for our kids, and available to the Sedona workforce regardless of residency and regardless of school they belong to.

    As Mayor, I will create an agenda to deliberately embody the consciousness of our collective needs here, allowing private industry to meet the needs of our community rather than bigger government.

    I hope to have your vote on Aug 2nd. I am excited and have the energy to take on this leadership role with new eyes, community perspective, and the thoughtful consciousness that reflects all ages of the human spectrum.

    Thank you deeply for your consideration.

    Sincerely,

    Samaire Armstrong

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    Armstrong vs. Jablow: The Main Event
    Ready to Rumble

    By Tommy Acosta
    In the Blue Corner stands Scott Jablow and in the Red Corner of the ring stands Samaire Armstrong, ready to rumble to the bitter end in their fight to become the next Sedona mayor. Jablow weighs in with 1,137 primary election votes (36.13%) under his belt, having wielded his advantage as sitting Sedona City Council vice-mayor to his favor. He brings his years of serving in that capacity into the fray and waged a solid fight in his campaign to make it to the run-off. Armstrong, however withstood a blistering smear campaign from the other opposing candidates and their supporters to make it to the final bout with 967 votes under her belt (30.73%), an amazing feat for a political newcomer. Unfortunately, for the other two candidates, Kurt Gehlbach and sitting mayor Sandy Moriarty, neither put up enough of a fight to make it to the championship bout. Read more→
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