The Aughts. Journalists, historians, bloggers, and other social scientists have tried to sum up the past decade in an eloquent well-argued essay, a thoughtful engaging interview, or a thoroughly researched investigative piece. We here at Beanstockd started an email chain on our iPhones and pieced together our favorite fads/novelties/breakthroughs of the last ten years to bring to you the definitive BEANSTOCKD REFLECTION ON THE AUGHTS. It is in list form, of course, and composed using only gmail, iPhone, or BlackBerry — how modern of us.

And with that: the 2000s in 10 points!

1. BARACK OBAMA, could he be Fortinbras to George W. Bush's Hamlet?

2. HIPSTERS, the rise and fall (aka the skinny jean demographic).

3. FORMULAIC AND LAZY NICKNAMES, the proliferation of. (see A-Rod, K-Stew and R-Patz). Whatever happened to nicknames like Billy "White Shoes" Johnson or "The Greatest" Muhammad Ali?

4. FACEBOOK!!! Thanks to Mark Zuckerberg's 2003 internet experiment, we can stalk all our old friends from the comfort of our own homes.

5. LEGGINGS, life, love, and personal fashion savior.

6. REXATRONS, or for the uninitiated, skinny bitches. See leggings.

7. GOING GREEN, and the celebs who made caring for the environment no longer just for granolas and tree-huggers.

8. ASHTON KUTCHER, creator of Twitter? We don't know for sure, but we sure love to tweet!

9. PUNDITS, do we really care to hear your opinion?

10. iBANKING, even though we still don't get what it is.

That's it for 2009! Now, obviously we know this list isn't inclusive of everything noteworthy that took place in the last decade. We were there balling our eyes out when MJ died, too. So feel free to add to our list, especially around 3am when you've come home wasted on cheap champagne.

Happy New Year from Beanstockd!

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Sydney, Australia is going green for this year's New Year's Eve celebration, and not just in a making an effort, headed in the right direction way. Instead, they're going all the way green by throwing a zero-waste, carbon-neutral New Year's Eve bash. The city is even encouraging individuals who attend to resolve to make at least one positive green change in their own lives next year, like eating less meat or stopping the junk mail they receive. Though Sydney's celebration is sure to rock, it’s safe to bet that Scarlett Johansson won't be attending. The actress is already planning on staying home with husband Ryan Reynolds, eating pizza and watching The Twilight Zone. She recently explained, “Going from one party to the next and surfing to find the right thing, and being in a taxicab when the clock strikes — I’m so over that stuff. At the ripe old age of 25. I have the most fun when I’m surrounded by people I love in one place that’s comfortable and we can hear each other. You can play card games, watch movies, I’m happy.” Though Scarlett's position on parties is understandable, we think it might have more to do with her hunky husband. If you were married to Ryan Reynolds, would you ever leave the house?

Christine

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As you may or may not have known, Kevin Jonas got married to his high school girlfriend, hairdresser Danielle Deleasa, a few weeks ago at a castle on Long Island. Kevin, who wanted his bride to have the perfect nuptials, told People, "I knew that my princess needed her glass slippers and her castle.” Um, can we have a Jonas, please? That pretty much sounds like our dream wedding, so long as our peace silk wedding gown is included. Danielle, who wore a Chantilly lace Vera Wang gown (not nearly as eco-friendly as our peace silk option), married Kevin at Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York on the 19th. For their first dance, the couple twirled to “Bella Notte” from Lady and the Tramp – a Jonas family friend strummed the tune on the guitar. What, Nick and Joe had other plans?

Certainly, Nick’s been busy with his side project, Nick Jonas and the Administration. So busy in fact, that rumors are flying the Jonas Brothers are breaking up. With Kevin off to make babies with Danielle, and Nick embarking on a solo career, Joe’s the only one left. He never should have broken up with Taylor Swift…

Sarah

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Like most rock stars these days, U2's The Edge isn't satisfied just strummin' a guitar for a living. A few years ago he and wife Morleigh Steinberg bought 156 acres in the Santa Monica Mountains and have begun building five mansions there, one for them and four to sell. But Malibu's newest real estate moguls aren't planning on building just any homes. These pads will have a minimal impact on the environment and from a distance will look like nothing more than scattered leaves on the ridgeline. The goal is to have the homes be Gold LEED Certified which will require them meeting a high environmental standard including the use of recycled materials in construction and environmentally friendly amenities throughout the homes to reduce energy consumption. The homes will even have native landscaping, electric vehicle charging, solar panels and on-site wastewater treatment. You can find out more about the project at their website, Leavesinthewind.com but don't get too excited about buying one of the homes unless you have a pretty thick wallet. Reportedly, each plot of land goes for $7 million dollars alone.

Christine

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We don’t need Santa to tell us that Jon Gosselin has been naughty this year – which is probably why he got the adult equivalent of coal for Christmas. Gosselin returned home from an eight-day stay in Pennsylvania to discover that his NYC apartment had been ransacked. Everything from clothing to furniture had been slashed by “a butcher knife by a very troubled and sick perpetrator” said Gosselin’s lawyer. That sick, twisted individual? Jon’s lawyer says it’s his ex-girlfriend Hailey Glassman’s – but Glassman’s lawyer is claiming that the entire thing was a publicity stunt dreamed up by Jon himself. Jon’s lawyer claims he’s totally devastated. We understand that feeling – we’ve been devastated by the amount of people hanging non-LED holiday lights. Such a waste of energy! LED lights use 90% less energy than their incandescent counterparts, and they last 10 times longer, but people continue to stick with the classic, wasteful lights of the past.

This all being said, while we can empathize with Jon’s devastation, we can’t really sympathize. We think Santa was right to bring him an unhappy Christmas, because lord knows the guy doesn’t exactly deserve rainbows and sunshine. As for Hailey, here’s hoping she wasn’t involved, because we can’t exactly see her making lots of friends behind bars.

Sarah

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Hey Beanies!

While I had a great Christmas (and hope y'all did too) something about the holidays always seems to rub people the wrong way!

Christmas can't have been too happy in the Sheen household. Notorious rake Charlie Sheen was arrested in Aspen for assaulting his wife, Brooke Mueller. Charlie spent Christmas in jail for either pulling a knife or attempting to choke his wife. However, Perez reports that Brooke may have made the entire thing up when she drunk-dialed 9-1-1.

Also on Christmas, a suspected terrorist attempted to ignite an incendiary device on a plane coming into Detroit's Metro Airport. While Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had enough explosives to blow a hole in the plane, the British educated son of a Nigerian banker only succeeded in burning himself. Investigators are now trying to trace Abdulmutallab's route to terrorism. U.S. officials opened a file on him after his father alerted the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria that Abdulmutallab had become "radicalized."

On Boxing Day, police also escorted Ivana Trump off a New York bound Delta flight. Instead of getting everything, Donald's former wife got mad…at kids running down the aisle of the plane. She was yelling obscenities at the children and later at the crew who tried to restrain her. Eventually, the pilot turned the plane around and the police physically removed her from the plane.

Those Brits have a weird sense of humor. English TV personality Piers Morgan staged a fake Vegas wedding to Paris Hilton. The Britain's Got Talent judge arranged a 15-minute long ceremony complete with  Elvis, Marilyn Monroe and Rat Pack impersonators as part of his TV show, Piers Morgan On…Las Vegas.

Ah, the miracles of the internet! Thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency, it's now easier than ever to check facilities' environmental statuses. The EPA has an online, interactive map which allows anyone to see detailed information about environmental enforcements based on location. This year, the agency mapped 90% of the locations subjected to enforcement regulations such as pollution controls.

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While the world crossed its fingers for positive progress at the Copenhagen Climate Summit, San Francisco celebrated the green spirit of our city at Global Green's 5th Annual Gorgeous and Green Benefit. Held at the recently LEED certified W Hotel in San Francisco, Gorgeous and Green benefits Global Green’s nationwide and local efforts building green housing, communities and schools, such as, the Edes Avenue development project in Oakland. In a partnership with Habitat for Humanity and Pacific Gas & Electric, Global Green helped to achieve affordable, sustainable single-family housing for a neighborhood in East Oakland.

Joining the President of Global Green, Matt Peterson, on the runway, co-chairs Zem Joaquin and Nadine Weil introduced the main event of the evening — an entirely eco-inspired fashion show. Before the runway show, Zem and Nadine (the forward-thinking, fashionable gems of Ecofabulous and Heart of Green) chatted with us about their personal favorites in the innovation of eco-friendly fashion. They overwhelmingly agree, “eco-fashion has never been this beautiful.”

Nadine, wearing a vintage green gown with a tiered train, told us her favorite looks on the runway are from Norwegian designer Leila Hafzi, who showed selections from her spring collection featuring glamorous silk and chiffon gowns of vibrant natural colors like coral, canary and fuschia. “She has some of the most stunning gowns I’ve ever seen — eco or not — and inspired by nature.” We must agree, the combo of flowing feminine silhouettes and plunging necklines looked like wildflowers next to the earth tones we usually see with eco-fabrics. Overseeing her production company in Nepal, Leila Hafzi uses eco-friendly and organic fabrics whenever possible, and promotes fair trade and human rights throughout the production line.

Zem Joaquin wore another featured designer on the runway — local to NYC garment district, Robin Brouilette, whose pale wintry layers, knits, ruffles, and organic silk gowns could compete with the chic-est catwalk couture of the moment.

Zem’s favorite eco-innovator is San Francisco designer Mr. Larkin, who “uses all kinds of organic fibers, and natural dyes from berries and leaves.” On the runway, Mr. Larkin revealed some cutting edge spring designs in the most memorable white milk fiber, (100% biodegradable and nourishes the skin when you wear it) and other natural knits. Gorgeously green Josie Maran chose a vintage-inspired organic cotton lace knit Mr. Larkin piece to complement her natural beauty.

The first collection on the catwalk was by PACT (“change starts with your underpants” — we love their video). PACT debuted a new design by renowned butterfly artist Sage Vaughn — bright orange butterfly boxer briefs. 10% of sales from the organic cotton underwear by PACT is donated to various earthly causes including Global Green, ForestEthics and Oceana.

We were also introduced to Livity (of LA): fun, young, casual wear made from the sustainable, durable materials we know will far outlast the trends of the season. Tees, hoodies, fedoras and more are made with hemp, organic cotton, recycled plastic PET bottles (!), and raffia straw for headwear. “The word 'Livity' is Jamaican patois for a free, healthy and righteous lifestyle of sustainability and unity.”

Also onsite was fashionable eco apparel by Andrea Lusener, Nina Skarra, Sara Shepherd, 10.A.K., Noir, Puridee, Cari Borja and Magdelena Schaffrin, Eco Citizen Boutique and San Francisco's green-minded leader.

“In my day job, I strive to make San Francisco the most sustainable big city in the U.S.,” said Mayor Gavin Newsom. By implementing initiatives like a plastic bag ban and, most recently, a city-wide composting mandate, Newsom (who drives an electric car) continues striding forward for the green cause. So, we had to ask,“Do you recycle your holiday wrapping paper?” He responded, “I haven’t gotten a gift yet, but yes, we should…Absolutely. We will.” (So should you). Then, he turned the tables on us regarding the annual killings of Christmas trees tradition. Although we prefer beach bonfires for our expired trees (citing winter solstice traditions of burning a yule log for warmth), we admit there is a bit of CO₂ emitted. Newsom, on the other hand, dutifully decorated a planted "holiday" tree with LED lights which will continue breathing in CO₂ once it is replanted outside of City Hall.

Thanks to all for the inspirational evening of Earth awareness through fashion and action, and to everyone who is keeping green this season — locally, globally, and gorgeously.

Sharona

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If you've dreamed of partying with the guidos and guidettes of Jersey Shore, it's your lucky day! The show's cast members are now accepting appearance fees to attend parties and events. Apparently, Mike (aka The Situation) and Pauly D are the most sought after, so naturally they're asking the highest price, $7,500 each. Snookie on the other hand is much more affordable; she's only asking $2,000 plus transportation. Ronnie and Vinnie want $3,500 to show up at your Sweet 16 or Bar Mitzvah while Jenni (J-Woww) requests around $5,000. But don't plan on having them at your New Year's Eve party. The whole cast is already booked to appear live on MTV.

Actually, don't expect to be able to book them at all through June. Believe it or not, they're already booked solid. Once you've got your Jersey Shore cast member in place for your big bash, make sure you show Mother Earth some love too. Evites are always better than paper and you can still be creative, add some funny photos (maybe a few photoshopped pics of you and the cast of Jersey Shore) or a few clever reply categories to spice up your email. And to avoid a confrontation over drinks like the one Snookie had with Brad Ferro, personalize paper cups made from recycled materials with some Sharpie art. You'll cut down on the number of cups you use too. To create the right mood, light candles made of beeswax. They cut down on electricity use and add just the right amount of ambiance for a late night hot tub make out session.

Christine

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Well the oldest Jo-Bro has officially married. Kevin Jonas married hair dresser Danielle Deleasa on Saturday in Long Island. It looks like one member of that family will finally get lucky. Mazel tov you two, and I hope for Danielle's sake, he doesn't prove to be a Tiger.

The Senate is still in session as Republicans do their best to prevent the healthcare bill from coming to a vote before Christmas. This past year has seen Congress divide sharply across party lines over issues such as healthcare and the environment, with the Republicans resorting to stall tactics, and the Democrats doing their best to stop them. Each side is accusing the other of partisanship, and the Senate will probably remain in session until Christmas Eve.

The Obama administration and China are calling the Copenhagen summit a success, despite environmentalists' disappointments. The two week conference, and 31-hour US-led negotiating session produced billions of dollars in climate aid for poor nations. The accord also called for a reduction in emissions to keep the temperature at no more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels.

Tiger-gate continues. Watch company Tag Heuer's dropped the professional golfer from their celebrity endorser roster. His wife Elin, continues to debate leaving him. He's probably wishing he kept it in pants. Raowr!

Actress Brittany Murphy died of cardiac arrest on Sunday at the age of 32. The cororner says it appears to be from natural causes. Although her career had recently been plagued with rumors of drug use and difficulty on set, she will always be Tai to me. Rest in peace Brittany! Sarah has more details below.

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