“People are naturally attracted to you.”
For the Annual Manual, we gather together the what’s-what and the where-it’s-at about living in Memphis. This issue — government, education, health, fashion, the arts, recreation, entertainment, and the media — is designed to guide you through the year.
What we cannot do is predict the future, but that doesn’t stop us from trying. For the 2008 Annual Manual, we shook the Magic 8-ball, and last year, we played a game of “20 Questions.” This year, we cracked open fortune cookies to get a feel for what portends for 2010.
Given that the Annual Manual is sent to the printer several weeks before its street date, the exercise can be nerve-wracking. What if, say, a certain former city official gets indicted in the waning weeks of December, making a staffer’s New Year prediction null and void? Or, perhaps that sports star we see great things for suddenly decides to retire before the black-eyed peas grow cold? I guess this year, if we hit any major bumps in our future-telling, we can always retort, That’s how the cookie crumbles. (Insert groan here.)
For our 2009 “20 Questions,” we stated that Bass Pro would not be in the Pyramid. Look! No fish. But that shopping center we said would open at the Fairgrounds is MIA. Senior editor Jackson Baker turned out to be the most gifted seer of the bunch, suggesting that A C Wharton would be the next mayor this year via special election.
As for 2010, we let the fortune cookies lead the way on what will happen. Among the interested parties: Fred Smith, Janis Fullilove, Willie Herenton, and, oddly enough, an angry penguin.
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