When You Were Born

My plan is to use this blog to make Everett's baby book using blurb.com. Every now and then I'll add entries that may not matter much to my current reader, but are really intended for my future reader. :) Though this trip down recent memory lane might be fun. :)

Everett, here are some of our world's events (in no particular order) surrounding your birth:

-Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President in January 2009. His inauguration is historic as he is the first African-American president. The 2008 presidential primaries were also historic as he ran against Hillary Clinton, who won more primaries than any other woman in history. We also saw a female Vice-Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, running with John McCain. I would not be surprised if this is one of the presidential races you study in history class.



- President Obama appointed the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor.

- The war continues in Afghanistan and Iraq, which began in March 2003 as a result of the events of September 11, 2001.

- The World Health Organization declares H1N1 influenza strain, commonly referred to as "swine flu", as a global pandemic.

- January 12, 2010, there was a catastrophic 7.0 earthquake in Haiti that devastated the country. There were an estimated 230,000 killed, 300,000 injured, and 1 million homeless. You, 2 months old, attended a devotional gathering with many of our closest friends at your home to pray for the Haitians.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffreygutermanflickr/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

- Ongoing financial crisis and recession which began in late 2007 continues with many calling it the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s causing house prices to decline, and unemployment to increase. In 2009 governments in the US and around the world pumped trillions of dollars into the financial system and into the economies hoping to avert another Great Depression. By the end of 2009 although unemployment had continued to increase, markets had recovered and most thought the worst was over.

- Following the reelection of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, there are a series of sustained protests which are stopped by Iranian Forces.

- In Spring 2008, seven Baha'i leaders in Iran are arrested and falsely accused of espionage and "corruption on earth " by the Iranian government. These charges are punishable by death sentence. There is international outcry and support for these seven. Their third trial date is coming up in April 2010. All charges are categorically false and denied, and there is no due process in the Iranian court system. They are represented by Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, and we all pray for their safe release. There are approximately 30 Baha'is wrongly being held in Iranian prisons currently. Because of this case as well as others, the spotlight is being placed more and more on the Iranian government's actions.



- Michael Jackson, King of Pop, dies suddenly after inappropriate use of prescription medicine. His death brought worldwide mourning.

- The #1 song was Fireflies by Owl City.

- The top two selling movies in 2009 are "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs". Mom is a Harry Potter fan. :)

- Dec 2009 cost of bread $1.75, milk $3.10, gas $2.62/gallon, postage stamps $0.44.