MEMORIES

Cost Of Living 2009 How Much things cost in 2009 

Average Cost of new house $232,880.00  Average Income per year $39,423.00  Average Monthly Rent $675.00  Cost of a gallon of Gas $2.73  US Postage Stamp 42 cents  1 LB of Bacon $3.19  Movie Ticket: $7.50  Loaf of Bread $1.77  In-state College Tuition $6,585.00  Price Of Gold Per Ounce ( September 1st 2009 ) $958.00  Price Barrel Of Oil $53.56 per barrel.

What Events Happened In 2009 United States – Hubble Telescope Repair

NASA launches the final space shuttle mission to the Hubble Telescope during May. The Space Shuttle Atlantis carried a seven person crew to complete repairs on the Hubble Telescope for the fifth and final time during the STS-125 mission. The crew consisted of Commander Scott Altman and pilot Gregory Johnson, as well as mission Specialists Michael Good, Megan McArthur, John Grunsfeld, Michael Massimino, and Andrew Feustel. The crew was successful in their mission of replacing several parts and adding two new instruments to the space telescope over the course of five space walks. They also filmed the progress of their mission with an IMAX camera. 

Indian Ocean – Maersk Alabama hijacking and Captain Richard Phillips Pirates Attempt Hijack of MV Maersk Cargo Ship 280 miles southeast of Eyl, Somalia, Hijack Fails but they take the Captain Richard Phillips as a hostage
More Information and Timeline For Cargo Ship MV Maersk hijacking
1. April 8th, four pirates based on the FV Win Far 161 attack the MV Maersk Cargo Ship 
2. Chief Engineer Mike Perry takes 14 members of the crew into a “secure room” as per anti-piracy training. 
3. The 4 Pirates board the ship but are unable to gain control of the ship 
4. After failing to take control of the ship the pirates take Captain Richard Phillips as a hostage and get in a Lifeboat 
5. April 9th United States Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG-96) and the guided-missile frigate USS Halyburton (FFG-40) reach the MV Maersk 
6. April 9th to April 12th Stand off between the 4 pirates holding Captain Phillips on the Lifeboat and the USS Bainbridge and USS Halyburton
7. April 11th MV Maersk and it’s Navy Escort arrive at the port of Mombasa, Kenya 8. April 12th Following concern that the Captain is in danger U.S. Navy SEAL marksmen open fire and kill the three pirates on the lifeboat. Captain Phillips is rescued uninjured In 2013 the story of the attempted hijacking and rescue of Captain Phillips is turned into a movie “Captain Phillips” starring Tom Hanks 

France / Germany — NATO 21st Summit NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) observed its 60th Anniversary at its 21st Summit during April of 2009. The summit was co-hosted by France and Germany and was held in the cities of Strasbourg, Baden-Baden, and Kehl on the 3rd and 4th of April. During the summit Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former Prime Minister of Denmark, was appointed as the Secretary-General of the organization. The group discussed several topics including the conflict in Afghanistan, NATO’s relationship with Russia, and a re-evaluation of future strategies.      United States Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States United States Michael Jackson dies in strange circumstances and brings worldwide outpouring of grief Australia The deadliest bushfires in Australian history ( Black Saturday bushfires ) in the Australian state of Victoria leave 173 people dead and more than 2000 homes destroyed. European Union Slovakia adopt the Euro joining 15 other European countries using the single currency

Europe – Russia shuts off all gas supplies to Europe Russia shuts off all gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine. More Information and Timeline for Gas Crisis  Russia fully closes down gas supplies to Ukraine due to a dispute over a debt of $2.4 billion to Gazprom. Reduced supply had started on January 1st but due to negotiations breaking down all supplies were cut on January 7th. Most of the European Union relies of Gas from the Gas Fields of Russia so although the dispute was between Russia and the Ukraine the effects of it are felt in Western Europe with Bulgaria, Moldova and Slovakia the worst effected. The dispute lasted until a settlement was reached between Gazprom and the Ukraine on January 30th, 2009. 

Italy 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes near L’Aquila, Italy, killing nearly 300.

Nepal – Maoist Protesters Nepal Communist Protesters block Singha Durbar in Nepal. More Information and Timeline for Maoist Protesters in Nepal  On November 12, 2009 thousands of protesters from the Unified Communist Party of Nepal blocked entry points to Singha Durbar, which is the official seat of Nepalese government, as part of a two-day restoration of what they call “civilian supremacy”. They blocked eight access points to the principal government secretariat, and were led by the Maoist chairman and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda,’ Mohan Vaidya ‘Kiran’ and Baburam Bhattarai. The Nepalese capital was badly disrupted by the Maoists, who chanted slogans against the government and blocked all of the roads that lead to Singha Durbar. 

Middle East Israel and Hamas declare a unilateral ceasefire in the Gaza War. Iceland The Icelandic banking system collapse causing the collapse of the Icelandic government and resignation of the Prime Minister Geir Haarde

UK / U.S.A. G-20 summit, involving state leaders rather than the usual finance ministers, meets in London and later in the year in Pittsburg to discuss the ongoing global financial crisis

Guinea-Bissau The President of Guinea-Bissau, João Bernardo Vieira, is assassinated.

Fiji President Josefa Iloilo suspends the nation’s Constitution, dismisses all judges

Thailand Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva again declares a state of emergency in Bangkok and surrounding areas ( September 2008 )

Pakistan Gunmen, near the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan fire on a bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team.

Madagascar A coup d’état in Madagascar overthrows the President Marc Ravalomanana.

South America The country of Paraguay is left with no power for a few hours and 60 million in Brazil also suffer power outage for up to 6 hours.

Greenland Greenland the least densely populated country in the world ( 836,109 sq miles ) population less than 60,000 an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, gains control over its law enforcement, judicial affairs, and natural resources

NATO Albania and Croatia join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Iran Roxana Saberi, an Iranian-American journalist, is sentenced to eight years in prison for espionage by an Iranian court Iran Following the reelection of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on June 13th , there are a series of sustained protests which are stopped by Iranian Forces.

North Korea North Korea launches the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 satellite, Later in the year announces it had conducted a second successful nuclear test in the province of North Hamgyong. North Korea Following former U.S. President Bill Clinton meeting with with Kim Jong-il in North Korea two American journalists, who had been arrested and imprisoned for illegal entry earlier in the year receives pardons.

Scotland The convicted terrorist Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi is freed on compassionate grounds by the Scottish government.

Samoa and American Samoa A tsunami triggered by An 8.3-magnitude earthquake near the Samoan Islands destroys communities and harbors in Samoa and American Samoa leaving nearly 200 deaths

Indonesia A 7.6-magnitude earthquake strikes 28 miles west-northwest of Padang, Sumatra killing over 1,000 in Indonesia

Europe The Treaty of Lisbon comes into force in European Union (EU) member states

U.S.A. US Airways Flight 1549 after being struck by a flock of Canada geese shortly after takeoff Piloted by Captain Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger makes a successful Crash landing In the Hudson River

Technology An American and Russian satellites collide over Siberia, creating a number of Conspiracy theories. But the facts are as the number of satellites increase above the earth the chances of Space collisions increases. NASA launches the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter/LCROSS probes to the Moon to search for water ice near the Moon’s south pole. In November NASA announces they found ‘significant’ ammounts of water on moon The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century, lasting up to 6 minutes and 38.8 seconds, occurs over parts of Asia and the Pacific Ocean. Mobile Phone technology continues to grow with increased use of 3G networks and improvemnents in the Operating Systems that drives most moblile phones today. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) the world’s largest and highest-energy particle accelerator resumes operations in February 2010

Popular Culture 2009 The Death of the King of Pop Michael Jackson ( June 25th ) brings worldwide outpourings of grief, he is the most successful entertainer of all time. His career began in 1964 as the lead singer and youngest member of The Jackson 5. His 1982 album Thriller remains the best-selling album of all time. His personal life led to much critisism including over his ever changing appearance including his nose, and skin color, allegations of child sexual abuse for which he was tried and acquitted in 2005. A public memorial service is held for musician Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. His death is still under investigation and possible charges against his former Doctor will come in 2010. After more than 12 months questions over his life and death generate considerable public interest The top two selling movies in 2009 are “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” and “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs”

Top Song
The Black Eyed Peas – “I gotta Feeling”