The “Noughties”


We like to give names to things so that we can understand them better. This includes periods of time. So, it's not surpris- ing that people want to give a name to the first decade of the 21st century. But, what to call it? The British are calling it the “Noughties” because “nought” is a British word for zero and, of course, “noughtie” rhymes with “naughty.” This is typical British humour.


But people weren't all that naughty in the Noughties. There were, however, some tricky problems. There was the 9/11 ter- ror attack on New York that led to wars in Iraq and Af- ghanistan. There were also big natural disasters such as the tsunami in Indonesia and the terrible earthquake in Sichuan. And during the Noughties, the controversial problems of cli- mate change and global warming became big concerns for people everywhere.


In the Noughties, China became a leader in the world. The success of the 2008 Olympics was just one proof of that; the global financial crisis was another. Some have argued that China's economy saved the world.


The Noughties brought other big changes, too. Cell phones and iPods are now used by everyone whether young or old, rich or poor. Today we are all connected by the Internet. We have faraway “friends” on social networking sites; we message and write blogs. We use the Internet everyday to play, to find in- formation and to shop. Everything is much more convenient than it was just ten years ago.


What will we remember about the Noughties? Harry Potter, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, the Super Voice Girls con- test? Well, probably all that, but what you will remember most about the first decade of the 21st century is that you were young and it was the best time of your life.


Vincy (Foundation 87


EAL


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