Jewish New Year -- will you be included in the "Book of Life" for Year 5772?

from WASHINGTON POST dot-com column by Yonah Bookstein

Rosh Hashanah, an ancient holiday described in the Torah (Hebrew Bible), is observed on the first two days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei and is a commemoration of the Big Bang which fashioned the universe, our planet, and ultimately Adam and Eve. Rosh Hashanah is the anniversary of humanity experiencing the world.
While you might think that Jews party like it’s 5772 — yes, that is the year on the Hebrew Calendar — don’t look for all night bashes as you are more likely to find your Jewish friends in synagogue or at their parent’s house. Many Jews, who would otherwise not be caught dead in a synagogue, somehow find their way there on Rosh Hashanah. Jews believe that on that day, God judges the world and decides, “who will live and who will die...” We ask God for forgiveness and pray to be inscribed in the “Book of Life” for a sweet and healthy New Year. And, really, who wants to miss out on that?
Rosh Hashanah inaugurates a time of reflection called the aseret yamei teshuva, ten days of penitence. We believe that while we can find forgiveness for sins committed against the Boss,  it is left to to us to seek out and apologize to people we have wronged in the previous year. The aseret yamei teshuva end on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, when God’s decree for the coming year is sealed, and the final version of our contract issued.
There are three ways to avoid being left out of that Book of Life even if one has not behaved well: repentance (teshuva), prayer (tefillah), and charity (tzedakah). Consequently, Jews give a lot of charity and spend a lot of time in prayer, or at least in synagogue. We humble ourselves as we start the process of asking forgiveness. Teshuva is a process of getting our community and ourselves back on track, out of bad habits and into living meaningful and righteous lives.
The most famous symbol of the holiday, the Shofar, is sounded in synagogues on Rosh Hashanah, and is critical to our obligations on Rosh Hashanah. It’s not an ancient trumpet for the likes of Wynton Marsalis, rather the Shofar is serious business and fashioned from a ram’s horn. The blasts of the Shofar are likened both to the wordless cries of the humanity speaking to God, and a wake-up call to the soul which transcends rational explanation.
Some of our other cherished customs include: dipping challah and apples into honey and eating honey cake to symbolize our wish for a sweet new year; consuming  huge meals with too many courses, calories, and cousins; tossing bread crumbs into living waters during a ceremony called “Tashlich” to symbolically cast away our sins; and renewing synagogue memberships.