I'm almost certain it is - that's why they drop it very slowly to the final count down from 10 to 0 (12 teh New Year) and then everyone gets Irish again - lot of kissing , hugging and consumption of pints (we do that twice a year - St. Paddy's Day & that's an all day affair w/green beer & green rivers, especially in Chicago. I understand Waterford is not in good financial shape these days. Maybe they can speed up the drop and create some business for them.