Decade in Review

[RedHotGT]

Now I know that there is hundreds of events that has shaped this decade...
And new years eve is a good time to reflect on what has happened in the past year (or ten years).
So, here is my top ten events of the 2000s (not in order of significance), and also 3 words that I believe summarize the decade...

1. The birth of my 3 x sons (2004, 2007, 2009)
2. September 11 Terrorist Attacks (2001)
3. Bali Bombings (2002)
4. Saddam Hussein overthrown in Badgad (2003)
5. Boxing Day Tsunami (2004)
6. Death of Peter Brock and Steve Irwin in the same week (2006)
7. Hurricane Katrina (2005)
8. London Terrorist Attacks (2005)
9. Sydney Olympics (2000)
10. Global Financial Crisis (2009)

3 words to summarize the decade
Terrorism
Technology
Mother-Nature

Anyways, just thought I'd stir the thoughts in your heads...
Have a great new year, new decade, and holiday break (if you're taking one!)

[prydey]

technically, the decade ends at the end of 2010.

[xy500]

and how is that so? if it began 1st jan 2000, ten years from then is tonight! or are you implying the decade began 1st jan 2001? (effectively did it start 1st jan year 0 or 1st jan year 1)

[flappist]

Originally Posted by xy500

and how is that so? if it began 1st jan 2000, ten years from then is tonight! or are you implying the decade began 1st jan 2001? (effectively did it start 1st jan year 0 or 1st jan year 1)

Well it actually started about 45 BC or so as the calendars have been stuffed up a few times.

The last day of the 20th century was 31-12-2000 and the first day of the 21st century was 1-1-2001 not 0-0-2000......

[MYVYSS]

I would have thought the election of a black man to the white house would have made it into the top 10.....

[Trek]

Originally Posted by flappist

Well it actually started about 45 BC or so as the calendars have been stuffed up a few times.

The last day of the 20th century was 31-12-2000 and the first day of the 21st century was 1-1-2001 not 0-0-2000......

Was going to say it myself, but you beat me to it.

Thanks for helping everyone else realise this, flappist.

[Dave_Obsession]

Now I don't have any kids so that frees up a spot!!

I will try and put mine in what is my order of significance - It's sad that the top spots are filled by 'bad' things...

1) September 11, 2001

Changed the world forever as we know it. The whole world stopped for a day. Terrorism became everybody's 'word of the week'...

2) Other 'man-made' disasters - Bali Bombings, London Bombings, Madrid Bombings, all the ones that still happen in Pakistan, Irag, Afghanistan, Israel...

How people can willingly do what they do to other human beings is reprehensible...

3) Natural disasters - Hurricane Katrina, Boxing Day Tsunami, Black Saturday

Mother Nature at her worst. That being said, some of the Black Saturday fires were started by firebugs - those people are pure unadulterated scum.

4) Australia finally qualifiying for a World Cup in 2006

As a 'soccer' person, this was simply huge. When John Aloisi scored that penalty....never has there been a time when a nation has been that happy for a split second! Random strangers hugging and high-fiveing in pubs and bars everywhere. Simply amazing! I feel privileged to have been a part of that moment.

5) Sydney Olympics in 2000

Australia was the centre of the universe for two weeks. Enough said.

6) Technological advances

The iPod, dual-core processors, flatscreen TV's, Bluetooth....the list goes on and on.....

7) Barack Obama elected President of the United States of America (2009)

Like an earlier post stated - a black man in the White House. Whilst it doesn't affect us directly as Australians, to think about what had to change over in the USA for this to occur is staggering.

8) Global Financial Crisis of 2009

The world realised how fragile the economy can be - and how bad it is when American financial institutions who borrow too much money, go bust.

9) The death of Sir Donald Bradman (2001)

A man who in his time held the hopes and dreams of a nation like nobody else ever has or ever will. Simply the greatest cricketer the world will ever see. May he forever rest in peace.

10) The reliance on oil, the search for alternative fuels and the birth of Dubai

As oil grows more and more scarce, the world is fighting over it like never before, as well as trying to explore other methods of powering our planet. At the same time, the wealth that oil has created has led to a super-city in the middle of nowhere - Dubai! The stuff that is being built there is mind-boggling. So much money!!!

Apologies to 'climate change' which comes in at no.11

I would use the same three words as the OP to describe the 'noughties'
Terrorism, Technology and Mother Nature.

I welcome comments on my list!!!

[uranium_death]

Absolutely no doubt the biggest event worldwide was September 11, 2001.
The entire Western world's outlook on the outside world changed. We've become far more security-conscious and unfortunately, a lot of people tongue-in-cheek suggest that we do bomb-searches on all Muslims, which is grossly unfair.

Of course, we also have the conspiracy theorists too...

Either way, it was a real awakening to the dangers of the world for many who like myself, were grossly naieve at the time of the potential severity of terrorism.

Personally, the highlights of the decade for me were quitting teaching (yay!), EverQuest II, being involved in local tennis, as well as Geelong winning the 2007 Premiership...

All in all, this has been a good decade.

[Mickxr8]

might be off topic. all the ^^ above comments are quite valid and rightly so. i hope the next decade is nice to us. my off topic question is what were people doing when the planes hit the towers ?. (this is my biggest memory of the the decade )

mods feel free to delete if needed

[xy500]

Originally Posted by flappist

Well it actually started about 45 BC or so as the calendars have been stuffed up a few times.

The last day of the 20th century was 31-12-2000 and the first day of the 21st century was 1-1-2001 not 0-0-2000......

and so how does this explain that decades start after year 1?
rather than including the first year.

[JG66ME]

Originally Posted by prydey

technically, the decade ends at the end of 2010.

Correct, and yet people find this difficult to understand.
:

[russellw]

The confusion arises because of the habit of referring to decades by their numeric value - thus the 60's had to end at the completion of 1969 and the noughties (or whatever stupidity it was coined with) must logically conclude at the end of 2009.

Cheers
Russ

[xy500]

Originally Posted by russellw

The confusion arises because of the habit of referring to decades by their numeric value - thus the 60's had to end at the completion of 1969 and the noughties (or whatever stupidity it was coined with) must logically conclude at the end of 2009.

Cheers
Russ

that still doesn't make any sense, if you don't refer to decade in numerical terms, how else can they be defined?
The fact is, if decades are defined the way you are saying, then the first year of our calendar didn't form a part of any decade, century or millennium.

[GUTLES]

Amazing whats happened in the last 10 years, was just thinking about myself, I've lived out of my parents home for just over 10 years now, got married, had 3 kids born, brought a house & I'm sure there's alot more, pretty big decade for me, I can still remember the millenium NYE like it was yesterday..

[prydey]

Originally Posted by GUTLES

I can still remember the millenium NYE like it was yesterday..

yeah, fevola kicked 11 goals against collingwood in a game they put on for the occasion. i think it was the first anyone had heard of the young kid (at the time)

Originally Posted by xy500

that still doesn't make any sense, if you don't refer to decade in numerical terms, how else can they be defined? The fact is, if decades are defined the way you are saying, then the first year of our calendar didn't form a part of any decade, century or millennium. Today 08:29 AM

the first year would've been yr 1, not year 0, therefore the end of the first decade was the end of yr 10. 2000yrs later we are 1 yr short of seeing off another decade.

when people refer to 80's, 70's etc, technically it is the era they are referring to, not a definitive decade.

[Revolver]

Simple example/question when you count, do you start at 1 or 0? Theres your answer.

[loosey]

So when you're born you're one years old?

[gtfpv]

the biggest intelectual challange of the decade . - deciding when it started and when it ends .

[gtfpv]

Originally Posted by uranium_death

Absolutely no doubt the biggest event worldwide was September 11, 2001.
The entire Western world's outlook on the outside world changed. We've become far more security-conscious and unfortunately, a lot of people tongue-in-cheek suggest that we do bomb-searches on all Muslims, which is grossly unfair.



Either way, it was a real awakening to the dangers of the world for many who like myself, were grossly naieve at the time of the potential severity of terrorism.


All in all, this has been a good decade.

deleted post .

[xy500]

Originally Posted by Blue Beast II

Simple example/question when you count, do you start at 1 or 0? Theres your answer.

when you count you start with zero, and the first instance is number one. if your counting apples, you dont assume you already have one. You have zero until you have one, then maybe two etc.
Year zero begins with day 1, ends with dec 31st year zero, next day one year has past making it january 1st year 1. Even the first day isn't a day until it ends, so at the start of day 1, you had zero years zero days zero hours zero seconds.

[xy500]

Originally Posted by prydey

the first year would've been yr 1, not year 0, therefore the end of the first decade was the end of yr 10. 2000yrs later we are 1 yr short of seeing off another decade.

when people refer to 80's, 70's etc, technically it is the era they are referring to, not a definitive decade.

if thats the case, we counted a year that did not exist. Like i said, if the calendar system is based on our understanding of mathematics, it makes no sense at all.

[gtfpv]

people who die at age 100 are actually in there 101st year at time of death.
if a century is made up of 10 decades . then how many years are in the last decade?

[xy500]

Originally Posted by gtfpv

people who die at age 100 are actually in there 101st year at time of death.
if a century is made up of 10 decades . then how many years are in the last decade?

yes but thats because your expressing a continuous concept as a discrete number, ie your example the person may be 100.4956 years old, in our discrete age definition that means you are 100 years old even though you were in your 101st year.
Same example - ages. you're not born at age 1 are you? your born 0, but age usually expressed in days, weeks or months until one year is reached.

[russellw]

How about we simply consider this a review of the 10 year period between January 1st, 2000 and December 31st, 2009 and leave the semantics of decade definition to the scholars.

Cheers
Russ

[Ducati888]

Originally Posted by xy500

when you count you start with zero, and the first instance is number one. if your counting apples, you dont assume you already have one. You have zero until you have one, then maybe two etc.
Year zero begins with day 1, ends with dec 31st year zero, next day one year has past making it january 1st year 1. Even the first day isn't a day until it ends, so at the start of day 1, you had zero years zero days zero hours zero seconds.

Counting the years doesn't go by 1, 2, 3, etc, it goes by first, second, third, etc.

Therefore, and as there was no 'year zero', the current AD calendar commenced on the first day of the first month of the first year, or 01-01-01.

You don't turn one until the end of the first year after your birth, but it is your first year of life. You need to complete ten full years to turn 10. It's exactly the same thing.

Therefore the decades run from the start of the first year 01-01-01 to the end of the tenth year, 31-12-10.

2010 is the final year of the current decade. 2001 was the first year of the new millennium.

[BOSHOG]

it seems people here will argue about the color of poo

[Revolver]

Look, with true mathmatics a certain day of the year, we can be (refering to the measuring of a decade) the day might be 0.54 of the 5th year but when counting dates we don't factor in the decimals. Even the hour can have a bearing on that. But lets stop nit picking.

Originally Posted by russellw

How about we simply consider this a review of the 10 year period between January 1st, 2000 and December 31st, 2009 and leave the semantics of decade definition to the scholars.

Cheers
Russ

An Astute obsevervation. Weve gone off topic. Lets Make our decade in review disussion to the aforemention dates of 01-01-2000 to 31-12-2009.

[302 XC]

the decade that was !!!
told my boss to get stuffed (after 14 years what a relief)
payed of all my debts(i think ive gotta get a little mortgage now,but only a little one)
own everything
got more toys than ever and enjoying them
and now alot happier
the last 10 years are now history
onwards and upwards
and you guys that got nothing better to do than argue about 0 or 1
you need to get out more often,lack of daylight is effecting you LOL

[gtfpv]

Originally Posted by Ducati888

Counting the years doesn't go by 1, 2, 3, etc, it goes by first, second, third, etc.

Therefore, and as there was no 'year zero', the current AD calendar commenced on the first day of the first month of the first year, or 01-01-01.

You don't turn one until the end of the first year after your birth, but it is your first year of life. You need to complete ten full years to turn 10. It's exactly the same thing.

Therefore the decades run from the start of the first year 01-01-01 to the end of the tenth year, 31-12-10.

2010 is the final year of the current decade. 2001 was the first year of the new millennium.

agreed . now back on topic .

[vik351]

Originally Posted by BOSHOG

it seems people here will argue about the color of poo

Depends on what you eat...

vik... :