What's ahead in the new calendar year of 2009? The Good News is not in the business of short-term political and economic forecasting, but we can bring you a region-by-region overview of major trends to watch around the world—undergirded by biblical teaching (see Luke 21:34-36). As Daniel Franklin, editor of The Economist's publication The World in 2009, states in his lead editorial, "Anyone hoping for a period of calm after the turbulence of the past year will be disappointed . . . 2009 promises to be a period of bracing adjustment for a changed world." Let's now pan across the globe, taking note of conditions in the light of biblical prophecies. Since the largest portion of The Good News mailing list is in North America, we begin here.