Here's Looking at You 2006, Part One: The World View

Here's looking at you 2006.

The approaching new year gets one thinking...
Here's what 2006 makes me think of on a Global scale!

This year brought many new arrivals... Shiloh Nouvel (Brangalina's baby), Suri (TomKat's baby), Kingston (Gwen Stefani & Gavin Rossdale's babe), baby #2 for Britney Spears, baby #1 for Maggie Gyllenhaal (whom I love as an actress), etc. etc.

Then there are the loses. There were 36 people that msn deemed famous enough to list their deaths. Here are just a few... JACK PALANCE (Feb. 18, 1918 - Nov. 10, 2006) who I most remember as Curly from City Slickers. I loved that movie, and I loved that character... so tough, but deep down, completely lovable. DARREN McGAVIN (May 7, 1922 - Feb. 25, 2006) who was the father in one of my absolute favorite Christmas movies, A Christmas Story. AL LEWIS (April 30, 1923 - Feb. 3, 2006), or as I knew him, Grandpa Munster. BRUNO KIRBY (April 28, 1949 - Aug. 14, 2006) who was also in City Slickers, as well as Good Morning, Vietnam. ED BRADLEY (June 22, 1941 - Nov. 9, 2006) who was a Philadelphia native. SYD BARRETT (Jan. 6, 1946 - July 7, 2006) who gave Pink Floyd their name. DANA REEVE (March 17, 1961 - March 6, 2006)... which is so sad because it leaves the poor Reeve's kids with no parents. She was an inspirational woman who showed the real meaning of devotion, not just to her husband, but to an amazing cause. PETER BOYLE (October 18, 1933 - December 12, 2006) Who didn't appreciate his wry "Everyone Loves Raymond" wit?!

And then very recently there was JAMES BROWN and GERALD FORD, who was 93 years old!


Perhaps that one that moved me the most though, was STEVE IRWIN (Feb. 22, 1962 - Sept. 4, 2006). Articles, like this one still make me tear up. He was too young... and leaving behind two young kids and his poor wife. Not to mention all that he did with his life... it's sad to lose people like that.

There have been break ups (Reese and Ryan! Britney and K-Fed.) and make ups.

There was major news:

• Explosion Traps Miners in West Virginia (Jan. 2)
• Spacecraft Heads to Pluto (Jan. 19)
• Steelers win Superbowl XL (Feb. 5)
• The XX Olympic Winter Games open in Turin, Italy (Feb. 10)
• Vice President Shoots Friend During Hunting Expedition (Feb. 11) sorry, just had to include that!
• Milosevic Dies in Prison (March 11)
• Massachusetts Narrows Gay Marriage Rights (March 30) boo...
• Chinese President Visits the U.S. (April 20)
• Moussaoui Sentenced to Life in Prison (May 3)
• CIA Director [Porter Goss] Resigns Abruptly (May 5)
• Thousands Die in Indonesian Earthquake (May 27)
• Senate Defeats Ban on Same-Sex Marriage (June 7) thank g*d.
• DeLay Leaves Congress (June 8)
• FDA Approves Vaccine for Cervical Cancer (June 8)
• Hussein Defense Lawyer Is Killed (June 21) The tenth person in connection to the trial to be killed.
• Ceiling Panels Fall in Boston Tunnel (July 10)
• Hundreds Die in Tsunami (July 18) More than 800 people die. Java, Indonesia.
• Congo Holds Historic Multiparty Elections (July 30) First multiparty election in 46 years!
• Record Number of Iraqi Civilians Die (Aug. 15) more then 3400 in july
• Pluto Is Demoted (Aug. 24)
• Blair Announces Plans to Step Aside (Sept. 7)
• Reports Contradict White House Claim on Link Between Hussein and al-Qaeda (Sept. 8)
• New Prime Minister Takes the Helm in Japan (Sept. 26)
• Gunman Kills Three at Amish School (Oct. 2)
• North Korea Tests a Nuclear Missile (Oct. 9)
• New Secretary General of the UN Is Appointed (Oct. 13)
• U.S. Population Hits New Milestone (Oct. 17) reaches 300 million.
• New Jersey Court Rules in Favor of Gay Couples (Oct. 25)
• Hussein Is Found Guilty (Nov. 5) sentanced to death by hanging
• South African Parliament Votes to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage (Nov. 14)
• Civilian Deaths Reach Record High in Iraq (Nov. 22) we broke our summer record, 3700 in october alone
• Democrats Take Over Congress in Midterm Elections (Nov. 7) Senate as well
• Rumsfeld Resigns as Defense Secretary (Nov. 8)
• Hussein's Appeal Denied! Now he must be hung by the end of January!
  Update: Hussein was hung on the 29th (just after 6 a.m. on the 30th in Iraq.)

And other random facts:

• The Earth turns 4.55 billion years old and now houses 6,525,170,264 people.
• Cost for The War has now topped $436.8 billion.

Can you believe that it's been 5 years since 9/11, a year... no wait, 2 years since the big tsunami (that's weird), a year and a half since Katrina.


This is all so random, I know. But I can never believe how much happens in just one year.