It seems a great many people want to believe that the end of 2009 marks the end of the decade. That's only true if you consider any arbitrary block of 10 years to define a decade. If that's the case, then each year is the end of a decade, which then seems kind of silly to point out as being significant.
What I really think people believe is that 2009 is the end of the decade because we're moving from single digits to double digits in the millennium. I suspect many of these same individuals felt that 2000 was the start of the new millennium (which it wasn't) because the year suddenly had a "2" in front of it. As comforting as that numerically-based logic may seem, it's just plain incorrect.
Here's a simple table to illustrate why 2009 is NOT the last year of this decade.
This table is only helpful if you understand that there was no "Year 0" in the world-standard Gregorian calendar. The first year of the current epoch was 1 A.D. That means January 1st, 1 A.D. was the very first day of our calendar.
So, given that long-established fact, December 31st, 2009 is exactly one year prior to the last day of the decade. January 1, 2001 was the first day of our current millennium, and January 1, 2011 (not 2010) will be the first day of the next decade.
But, that shouldn't diminish anyone's celebrations; 2009 was a helluva year and I think most everyone is happy to see it end.
What I really think people believe is that 2009 is the end of the decade because we're moving from single digits to double digits in the millennium. I suspect many of these same individuals felt that 2000 was the start of the new millennium (which it wasn't) because the year suddenly had a "2" in front of it. As comforting as that numerically-based logic may seem, it's just plain incorrect.
Here's a simple table to illustrate why 2009 is NOT the last year of this decade.
This table is only helpful if you understand that there was no "Year 0" in the world-standard Gregorian calendar. The first year of the current epoch was 1 A.D. That means January 1st, 1 A.D. was the very first day of our calendar.So, given that long-established fact, December 31st, 2009 is exactly one year prior to the last day of the decade. January 1, 2001 was the first day of our current millennium, and January 1, 2011 (not 2010) will be the first day of the next decade.
But, that shouldn't diminish anyone's celebrations; 2009 was a helluva year and I think most everyone is happy to see it end.
You are fucktard for having your head so far up your ass that you feel the need to be right about something every 10 years. As defined by the way that popular culture is executed, you are dead wrong, so go fuck yourself.
LOL @ Get a life...you need some anger management classes or some meds or something.
You are correct Craig.
What is astonishing is the extent to which corporate entities, including the BBC, are pushing the corporate lie that 2009 can somehow be tortured into a position where it doesn't belong.
Here is an example of British Broadcasting Corporation calumny and desperation to cover up their lies and fraud as they extract money from the gullible:
The BBC made serious mistakes at the 20th - 21st Century transition and has been dishonestly attempting to perpetuate them ever since. A measure of the BBC's difficulty in this matter is conveyed by their heavy handed approach to the comment below(supplemented by an apparently necessary added preamble)posted at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/fivelivebreakfast/2010/01/greatest_sporting_achievement.html?s_sync=1#comments
and
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/fivelivebreakfast/2009/12/the_greatest_sporting_achievem.html#postcomment
The issues raised by these matters go deeper than the merely chronological.
'The comment below which has been deleted above by 'BBC moderator' more than once without explanation is in the PUBLIC INTEREST and is in full accord with the principles and guidelines of the BBC Royal Charter regarding fairness, openness and straight dealing. Please therefore, as our publicly funded broadcaster, do not censor it again.(If it is removed again the content and additional information will be referred to the appropriate regulatory body and other parties).
Comment censored by the BBC earlier above:
This poll (which created significant mobile phone income for the BBC) was based on a false proposition - that the first decade of the 21st Century could somehow incorrectly be declared by the BBC to end with the end of the year 2009.
This is clearly not the case as the 1st year of the 21st Century was 2001 (the clue is in the number '1') and the 10th and last year of the first decade of the 21st Century is 2010(the clue is in the number '10') and it will end on December 31st 2010
It is no good the BBC arguing that a 'decade' is merely a period of 10 years. It is clear that the BBC has been trying to pass off the specific ten years of 2000-2009 as being the 1st decade of the 21st Century which it clearly isn't (other than perhaps to the seriously innumerate). That specific '1st decade of the 21st Century' labelling of the period 2000-2009 intention is made clearer by the fact that no similar poll was organised for the periods 1998-2007 or 1999-2008 - also 10 year periods of time that can be generically described as 'decades'.
By falsely and dishonestly declaring that the period 2000-2009 is the 1st decade of the 21st Century ending with the last day of 2009 and persuading people on the basis of those false grounds to incur costs by voting via mobile phones which have generated significant partner split profit income for the BBC, the BBC has been trading fraudulently on the back of a clear chronological lie.'
PS Good table!