Message to the newsmedia: The decade isn't over!

Perdogg

[Perdogg]

I keep seeing all of the specials and news stories about the "Decade's best this.." and the "Decade's best that.." however, the decade is not over.

The new decade will not begin until January 1st, 2011.

You cannot have year 0.

[rickmichaels]

Any ten year period is a decade. Jan. 1, 2000 to Dec. 31, 2009 is a decade.

[Nateman]

Most BC dates are rather vague , only a few are accurate to within one year. Of course the reason we don't use a year zero is that the zero itself was not in popular use in the year zero. My suggestion is really one of getting the calendar in sync with the rest of mathematics. Did you know in 1582 Pope Gregory added 10 days to the calendar to get it into sync with the seasons? That actually affected real people and their contracts.

[RGSpincich]

The first decade A.D. did not encompass the years 0-9 A.D. They encompassed the years 1-10 A.D. Call them "The First Decade," if you will.

If we must get into it. The year "zero" that you all object to was really the transition period between BC and AD. A period of decades that goes unaccounted for on this year count thing and should really negate any nitpicking over a year zero. In all probability they didn't start counting AD years until Christ had been dead a few. Time did not start at 1AD it was a continuation from 1 BC. Therefore 1BC =0AD and there was a year 0, if you ignore the BC to AD gap.

[matt1234]

Panic in Year Zero was on AMC last night, and I watched it for the first time. It's a good movie and a must-see for anyone with an interest in survivalism. I learned a few things from the movie.

[Perdogg]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Before_Christ

[Diverdogz]

I love that link. The message it sends me is that there was obviously no year "0". Nor was there a year 1, 2, 3, ....or 300, 301, 302.... or 456, 457, 458..... or even 523, 524 but then, the Anno Domini dating system was devised in 525 by Dionysius Exiguus. It wasn't implemented until AD 532.

The made-up nature of the system makes it OK for those of us who wish to call 2010 the start of a new decade.

[Perdogg]

Just becuase you call a dog a cat doesn’t make it a cat.

[humblegunner]

By that same logic, you must think that 1980 was not part of the 80s.

[Perdogg]

1980 was the last year of the 70s.

[humblegunner]

70 through 79 = ten years = decade.

[Diverdogz]

Tell that Dionysius Exiguus. Since the AD dating system wasn’t invented until 525, maybe the new decade doesn’t start until Jan 1, 2015. Or since it wasn’t implemented until AD 532, perhaps it the new decade begins in 2012. The brute force of popular consensus will dictate that we just started the new decade. But you have a legitimate point - its just that the world won’t listen. Hope it doesn’t ruin your year...or decade.

[mysterio]

It’s a new decade. The party poopers tried this same nonsense in 2000. They were ignored then, as well.

[Perdogg]

I guess you believe in global warming too.

[Perdogg]

I think we should just agree to disagree, my FRiend. ;)

[mysterio]

Decades of the 20th century from multiple sources :

link
link
link
link

They are all 0-9. They will continue to be measured 0-9. And centuries will continue to be measured 0-99.

[firebrand]

What is wrong is when they say a nonagenarian, say 93 years old, is in his ninth decade. He's in his tenth decade.