For us at the WeeklyDIVA, 2006 ranks as one of those years that flew by but lasted an eternity. People came and went, thanks to new jobs, new relationships, and life happenings. So, of course, did the news—too much to recall. But like people, some news can linger. And the news of 2006 will likely linger for some time. We’ve chronicled much of it here in the WeeklyDIVA.

IRAQ: For one, 2006 marked a brutal year in Iraq for U.S. troops and the Iraqis as sectarian violence escalated into what some termed a “civil war.” Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld signed off with much fanfare after the mid-term elections signaled a shift in American thinking about the war and new strategies are being explored.

DARFUR: A long-waged battle in Sudan —too long to adequately recount here— took root in the World’s conscience. An estimated 400,000 people have been slaughtered there in a violent crossfire between the Janjaweed and rebel groups. Millions are displaced, the killing continues, and Sudan’s acceptance of United Nations peace keepers is on shaky ground.

WOMEN: More women climbed the political and corporate ranks. Female presidents took the reins in Chile and Liberia; Nancy Pelosi will be the first female Speaker of the House. The new Pepsi Chief Executive Indra Nooyi raised the number of female Fortune 500 CEOs to 11, up from nine in 2005.

More lingerers:
The world caught fire in more ways than one as heat reached a 400-year high, Israel and Hezbollah engaged in a summer-time rocket war, and North Korea’s Kim Jong-il tested missiles. Meanwhile Iran continues to test its nuclear program boundaries with the United Nations. Alternative energies buzzed as Al Gore touted carbon-less energies. Venezuela’s fiery President Hugo Chavez called President Bush “the devil” at a United Nations meeting, Cuban leader Fidel Castro took ill, and Saddam Hussein has was sentenced to death. Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds became household names in 2006, as did “carbon-less energy.” Meanwhile, terrorism yet again gripped the nation as British authorities thwarted an alleged terror plot on planes. And now we can’t take liquid on planes. Somewhere in space, we lost a planet, ensuring that the only Pluto our kids will know is the one at Disney World. Immigration bubbled, gas prices skyrocketed, and, oh, of course, the Cardinals won the World Series! (Okay, we’re from St. Louis.)

The big picture
Many things happened in each of our communities and families that will stick with us too, touching us and leaving a bit of 2006 inside forever. It starts all over again on January 1. A fresh slate to fill again with people, life happenings and news that will come and go, some without a passing thought, others that will linger.

We’ll be here next year to explain some of it!

Here’s to 2007. Happy New Year!