And it's Friday once more! My daughter's birthday was yesterday, she's now 12 years old. So I thought we could look back at what was going on in 2003, the year she was born.
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group gives Kossacks a safe place to check in, a daily diary where we can let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, earthquakes, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. It also allows us to find other Kossacks nearby for in-person checks when other methods of communication fail - a buddy system. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, earthquakes etc.), we and your buddy are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
IAN is a great group to join, and a good place to learn to write diaries. Drop one of us a Kosmail and ask to be added to the Itzl Alert Network anytime! We all share the publishing duties, and we welcome everyone who reads IAN to write diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!
We do have a diary schedule. But, when you are ready to write that diary, either post in thread or send FloridaSNMOM a Kosmail with the date. If you need someone to fill in, ditto. FloridaSNMOM is here on and off through the day usually from around 9:30 or 10 am eastern to around 11 pm eastern.
Monday:
BadKitties
Tuesday:
ejoanna
Wednesday:
Caedy
Thursday:
art ah zen
Friday:
FloridaSNMOM
Saturday:
Most Awesome Nana
Sunday:
loggersbrat
The year didn't start with a good omen, though this happened before she was born:
The Space Shuttle Columbia takes off for mission STS-107 which would be its final one. Columbia disintegrated 16 days later on re-entry, killing all seven astronauts aboard.
Then there was this:
The United States Department of Homeland Security officially begins operation.
Of course there were better things such as:
Belgium legally recognizes same-sex marriage.
Elizabeth Smart, was found after having been missing for 9 months.
Human evolution: The journal Nature reports that 350,000-year-old footprints of an upright-walking human have been found in Italy.
British Sign Language is recognized as an official British language.
Europe launches its first voyage to another planet, Mars. The European Space Agency's Mars Express probe launches from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan.
"Wicked", starring Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, officially opens at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco.
Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years, passing 34,646,418 miles (55,758,005 km) distant.
Human Genome Project successfully completed with 99% of the human genome sequenced to 99.99% accuracy.
JK Rowling's fifth Harry Potter book "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is released.
And then of course there was both the beginning and the 'end' of the War against Iraq.
Invasion of Iraq by American and British led coalition begins without United Nations support and in defiance of world opinion.
Apr 7th - U.S. troops capture Baghdad; Saddam Hussein's regime falls two days later.
May 1st - 2003 invasion of Iraq: In what becomes known as the "Mission Accomplished" speech, U.S. President George W. Bush declares that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended" on board the USS Abraham Lincoln off the coast of California.
And just for Bit who likes to play 'punch buggy'
The last 'old style' Volkswagen Beetle rolls off the assembly line in Mexico.
Green punch buggy! No punch backs!! (Though years ago we stopped doing the 'punch' from the punch buggy, comes from having an autistic child with no proprioception. He always punched too hard.)
Popular Films: (at least the ones she likes)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Finding Nemo
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Bruce Almighty
Is it any wonder lines from these films have made it into our daily household vernacular? Pirate!
And last but not least:
Cost of a gallon of Gas $1.83
Resources:
People History
History Orb