T.L. Winslow's 2011 C.E. Historyscope

© Copyright by T.L. Winslow. All Rights Reserved.



2011 - The Year of the Tea Party, Occupy Wall Street Movement, Tucson Shooting, Alexandria Bombing, No More Osama, the Arab Spring, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Daffy's Last Quack? The Springtime Year of Arab Revolutions, starting with Tunisia, Lebanon, Blue Bra Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Bahrain, and Syria? The Year of U.S. Debt Downgrading?

Fake Death Photo of Osama bin Laden (1957-2011) Muammar Gaddafi's Capture, Oct. 20, 2011 Blue Bra Woman, Dec. 20, 2011 20111 Fukushina Daiichi Nuclear Disaster, Mar. 11, 2011 Kim Jong-un of North Korean (1983-) John Andrew Boehner of the U.S. (1949-) Eric Cantor of the U.S. (1963-) Gabrielle Giffords of the U.S. (1970-) Jared Lee Loughner (1988-) John McCarthy Roll of the U.S. (1947-2011) Denis R. McDonough of the U.S. (1969-) James R. Clapper of the U.S. (1941-) Peter T. King of the U.S. (1944-) Keith Maurice Ellison of the U.S. (1963-) Sheila Jackson Lee of the U.S. (1950-) Carlos Pascual of the U.S. (1959-) Daniel B. 'Dan' Shapiro of the U.S. (1969-) Rahm Emanuel of the U.S. (1959-) Gary Locke of the U.S. (1950-) N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (1957-) Dilma Rousseff of Brazil (1947-) Ollanta Humala of Peru (1962-) Michael Daniel Higgins of Irelnd (1941-) Rahis al-Ghannushi of Tunisia (1941-) Moncef Marzouki of Tunisia (1945-) Mariano Rajoy of Spain (1955-) Najib Mikati of Lebanon (1955-) Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh of Jordan (1950-) Hosni Mubarak of Egypt (1928-2020) Asmaa Mahfouz of Egypt (1985-) Egyptian Gen. Omar Mahmoud Suleiman (1936-2012) Turkish Gen. Necdet Özel (1950-) Hina Rabbani Khar of Pakistan (1977-) Atifete Jahjaga of Kosovo (1975-) Lara Logan (1971-) Fogel Family of Itamar, Samaria Debbie Wasserman Schultz of the U.S. (1966-) Anthony David Weiner of the U.S. (1964-) John Hickenlooper of the U.S. (1952-) Mary Fallin of the U.S. (1954-) Bill Vidal of the U.S. (1951-) Michael Hancock of the U.S. (1969-) Saudi Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz (1933-) Yingluck Shinawatra of Thailand (1967-) Jeff Immelt (1956-) Christine Lagarde of France (1956-) Abu Bakar Bashir of Indonesia (1938-) Ali Suleiman Aujali of Libya Hamza Abu Fas of Libya Abdurraheem el-Keib of Libya Sheikh Ali Salabi (al-Sallabi) of Libya Yemeni Gen. Abd Rabbuh Mansur al-Hadi (1945-) Naim Qassem of Lebanon Tshakiagiin Elbedorj of Mongolia (1963-) Tariq al-Hashimi of Iraq (1942-) Tunisian Gen. Rachid Ammar (1947-) Sudanese Gen. Mustafa Dabi Ali Farzat (1951-) Burhanuddin Rabbani of Afghanistan (1940-2011) Rostam Ghasemi of Iran (1950-) Ahmed Qatamesh (1950-) Julian Paul Assange (1971-) Julia Eileen Gillard of Australia (1961-) Charlene Wittstock (1978-) and Prince Albert II (1958-) of Monaco Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan (1951-) U.S. Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo (1990-) Anders Behring Breivik (1979-) Sohail Mohammed (1964-) Rezwan Ferdaus Mahamadou Issoufou of Nigeria (1952-) Ahmed Shaheed of Maldives (1964-) Vittorio Arrigoni (1975-2011) Beth Van Duyne of the U.S. Tawakel Karman of Yemen (1979-) Yonathan Melaku Li Na (1982-) Kyrie Irving (1992-) Klay Thompson (1990-) David Richard Freese (1983-) Wilson Abraham Ramos (1987-) Tomas Tanstromer (1931-) Chloe Lattanzi (1986-) Rory McIlroy (1989-) Trevor Bayne (1991-) Dan Wheldon (1978-) Katharine Hayhoe and Andrew Farley (1972-) John R. Hildebrand (1988-) Donald Trump (1946-) Alyssa Campanella (1990-) Yoann Lemoine (1983-) Maikel Nabil Mustafa Akyol (1972-) Mohamed Elibiary Novak Djokovic (1987-) Samantha Stosur (1984-) Tim Thomas (1974-) Dirk Nowitzki (1978-) Mika Koivuniemi (1967-) Tawakel Karman of Yemen (1979-) Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (1938-) Leymah Gbowee of Liberia (1972-) U.S. Cpl. Charles Buckles (1901-2011) Tomas Tranströmer (1931-) Tim Cook (1960-) Shenzhou 8, 2011 Adam Riess (1969-) Pedro Cavadas (1965-) Saul Perlmutter (1959-) Brian P. Schmidt (1967-) Dan Schechtman (1941-) Tom Shroder (1954-) Jake Tyler (1989-) Abhijit Banerjee (1961-) Esther Duflo (1972-) Bruce Alan Beutler (1957-) Michael Bublé (1975-) Carl Johan Calleman (1950-) Terrence William Deacon David Allen Friedman (1950-) Edward Glaeser (1967-) Jules A. Hoffmann (1941-) E.L. James (1963-) Branko Milanovic (1953-) Janet Reitman Nouriel Roubini (1958-) Evan Spiegel (1990-) Tim Ball (1938-) John O'Sullivan Ian Bremmer (1969-)-) Harold Camping (1921-2013) Ernest Cline (1972-) John Lewis Gaddis (1941-) Yuval Noah Harari (1976-) Christian Parenti Dani Rodrik (1957-) Veronica Roth (1988-) Thomas J. Sargent (1943-) Christopher A. Sims (1942-) Tracy K. Smith (1972-) Ralph M. Steinman (1943-2011) Yanis Varoufakis (1961-) 'Time to Get Tough' by Donald Trump (1946-), 2011 Daniel H. Wilson (1978-) Esperanza Spalding (1984-) Fleet Foxes The Kid Bombardos Aaron Lewis (1972-) Scotty McCreery (1993-) Kip Moore (1980-) Frank Ocean (1987-) Ed Sheeran (1991-) Trombone Shorty (1986-) 'The Chew', 2011- 'Bobs Burgers', 2011- '2 Broke Grirls', 2011- 'Falling Skies''', 2011-15 'Game of Thrones', 2011- 'Game of Thrones', 2011- 'Hell on Wheels', 2011-6 'Homeland', 2011- 'The Book of Mormon', 2011 'Matilda the Musical', 2011 'Newsies: The Musical', 2011 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' 2011 'The Adjustment Bureau', 2011 'Apollo 18', 2011 '51', 2011 'Attack the Block', 2011 'Battle: Los Angeles', 2011 'Bridesmaids', 2011 'Colombiana', 2011 'Coriolanus', 2011 'The Descendants', 2011 'Drive Angry 3-D' 'Fright Night', 2011 'Hysteria', 2011 'In Time', 2011 'The Iron Lady', 2011 'Limitless', 2011 Michael Lewis (1960-) 'Moneyball', 2011 'My Week with Marilyn', 2011 'New Girl', 2011- 'Paul', 2011 'The Perfect Age of Rock n Roll', 2011 'Person of Interest', 2011 'Red Riding Hood', 2011 'Source Code', 2011 'Super 8', 2011 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy', 2011 'Youre Next', 2011 Chengdu J-20 London Aquatics Centre, 2011 Alexander the Great Fountain, Skopje, 2011

2011 Chinese Year: Cat (Rabbit) (Feb. 3). This is the U.N. Internat. Year of Forests. World pop: 7B on Oct. 31 (U.N.) or next Mar. 12 (U.S. Census Bureau), 1B new people since 1999; five babies are born each sec. Time Mag. Person of the Year: The Protester (Dec. 14). Babies who are non-Hispanic white are the minority of new U.S. infants for the first time. The Afghan drug war begins failing as opium prices soar and the allies focus on the Taliban not opium farmers. U.S. aid to the Middle East: Afghanistan: $3.9B, Pakistan: $3.1B, Israel: $3B, Egypt: $1.5B ($63B since 1948). Renewable energy overtakes nuclear energy in the U.S.; China uses more concrete in 2011-13 than the U.S. did in the entire 20th cent. The 2011 Tex. wildfire sees 31,453 fires burning 4M acres, exacerbated by the 2010-13 Southern U.S. and Mexico Drought. For the first time the Internet overtakes newspapers as America's top choice for news. China becomes #1 in patent application filings. The Russian Navy launches an extensive rearmament program, incl. 20 new subs, 35 new corvettes, 15 frigates, and 100 new warships by 2020. Mexico deports 46.7K immigrants from Central Am., almost half from Guatemala. China passes the U.S. to become the world's largest smartphone market. On Jan. 1 a half hour into the New Year an al-Mujahidin (al-Qaida affiliate) car bomb explodes outside the Saints Church Coptic Christian church in Alexandria, Egypt, killing 23 and injuring 97 of 1K emerging from Mass, after which angry Christians clash with Muslims on the streets, causing Egyptian pres. #4 (since Oct. 14, 1981) Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak (1928-2020) to utter the soundbyte: "We will cut off the hands of terrorists and those plotting against Egypt's security", adding: "This terrorist act has shaken the conscience of the nation. All Egypt was targeted, and terrorism does not distinguish between Copt and Muslim"; Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu utters the soundbyte "All nations which support freedom stand together in the war against terrorism", scheduling a meeting with Mubarak on Jan. 4; Pres. Obama surprises no one by condemning the attack while taking pains to point out that Muslims were injured in it too, meaning the attackers themselves maybe, since none but Christians were injured; witnesses claim that Egyptian security guards withdrew an hour before the blast; on Jan. 3 the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood drops its opposition to a Coptic presidency, but not really? On Jan. 1 Dem. N.Y. atty. gen. #64 Andew Mark Cuomo (1957), son of former N.Y. gov. #52 (1983-94) Mario Cuomo becomes N.Y. gov. #56 (until ?). On Jan. 1 former Marxist guerrilla Dilma Vana Rousseff (1947-) becomes pres. #36 of Brazil (until Aug. 31, 2016), becoming the first woman. On Jan. 1 a Russian Tu-154 passenger aircraft explodes in Surgut, Siberia (1.35K mi. E of Moscow), killing three and injuring 43 of 128. On Jan. 1 the 2011 Rose Bowl sees the 12-0 TCU Horned Frogs defeat the 11-1 Wisc. Badgers by 21-19. On Jan. 1 Estonia adopts the euro. On Jan. 1 three U.S. missile strikes in the Khyber tribal region near the Afghan border kill 54 alleged militants during a meeting. On Jan. 1 the biggest income tax increase in U.S. history takes effect, falling mostly on small business owners and high-income taxpayers, along with a 60% capital gains tax increase from 15% to 23.8%, incl. new universal health care taxes, and an increase on taxes on dividends from 15% to 39.6%, followed by another 3.5% in 2013; 18K new IRS agents are planned on being hired to help force compliance. On Jan. 1 a Tenn. law requiring jailers to check the citizenship of new inmates to see if they're in the U.S. illegally goes into effect. On Jan. 2 (Sun.) a 7.1 earthquake strikes S Chile. On Jan. 2 Goldman Sachs invests $500M in Facebook after valuing it at $50B - the Beast cometh, or just a great capitalist success story? On Jan. 2 a Russian Orthodox church is set afire with a grenade in Muslim-majority Ordzhonikidze in N Caucasus. On Jan. 2 Pakistan's governing coalition splits as the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leaves Pres. Asif Zardari's govt., leaving him 12 seats short of a majority in the 324-seat parliament and threatening the full-blown operations against Taliban insurgents in NW Pakistan; on Jan. 7 it reverses its decision and rejoins. On Jan. 3 former gov. #34 (1975-83) Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown (1938-) becomes Dem. Calif. gov. #39 (until ?), going on to become the longest-serving Calif. gov. (until ?). On Jan. 3 the 112th U.S. Congress convenes (until Jan. 3, 2013); the Tea Party comes to power in the U.S. as several freshman legislators arrive in Washington, D.C.; the first time that women reps decline since 1978; Eric Ivan Cantor (1963-) of Va. becomes House majority leader (until July 31, 2014), the highest-ranking Jewish member of Congress in history (until ?). On Jan. 3 after raunchy videos from 2006-7 surface, U.S. Navy Capt. Owen Honors is temporarily relieved of duty as 2nd in command of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise - he's just keeping the tradition of Capt. Kirk alive? On Jan. 3 Father Christmas (Dennis Jackson) is banned from a children's nursery in Minn. after a Muslim family complains. On Jan. 4 a partial solar eclipse is visible over Europe, the Arabian peninsula, North Africa and W Asia. On Jan. 4 Iran announces the arrest of several suspected Christian missionaries in Tehran. On Jan. 4 a study by Kevin Brice of Swansea U. in Britain is pub., revealing that up to 100K Britons converted to Islam since 2001, with white women leading the charge. On Jan. 4 Pres. Obama's Gallup approval rating rises back up to 50%. On Jan. 5 Ohio Repub. rep. (1991-) John Andrew Boehner (1949-) is elected speaker #53 of the House by 241 votes (vs. 173 for Nancy Pelosi), uttering the soundbyte: "It's still just me". On Jan. 5 the World Bank issues its first Chinese yuan bonds in Hong Kong. On Jan. 5 a gang of 15-y.-o. teenies shoot it out with police in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. On Jan. 5 six Hamas members are released from a Palestinian Authority prison in Hebron, after which the IDF arrests them; on Jan. 8 the PA announces that is has been holding Hamas members prisoner to prevent Israel from capturing them. On Jan. 5 former U.S. atty.-gen. Ramsey Clark (known for being on Saddam Hussein's legal defense team) visits Hamas in Gaza in a solidarity mission. On Jan. 5 U.S. defense secy. Robert Gates announces that the Pentagon will cut spending by $78B over the next five years, the first military spending freeze since 9/11. On Jan. 6 Pres. Obama selects former Clinton admin. commerce secy. William Daley (brother of mayor Richard J. Daley) (an exec at J.P. Morgan Chase) as his new White House chief of staff, replacing Robert Gibbs, who announced his resignation on Jan. 5. On Jan. 6 (12:30, 12:45) two packages addressed to Md. gov. Martin O'Malley blow up inside two govt. office bldgs. in Md.; one has a message indicating anger at the govt.'s terror warnings; on Jan. 7 another package addressed to Janet Napolitano ignites in a Washington, D.C. postal facility. On Jan. 6 Moroccan analyst Mohamed Darif says that al-Qaida is plotting revenge on Morocco for supporting U.S. efforts against Islamic terror after 9/11 king Mohammed VI pledged support for Bush's war on terror. On Jan. 6 (first day of session) the Repub.-dominated U.S. House of Reps reads the Constitution on the floor for the first time in history; a screaming Birther interrupts the reading and is ejected. On Jan. 6 two young Pakistani men are arrested in Nottingham for a series of rapes and sexual assaults on vulnerable white girls picked up on the streets; on Jan. 9 ex-British Labor justice secy. Jack Straw accuses young Pakistani immigrants of viewing vulnerable white girls as "easy meat" for sexual abuse, causing a PC backlash. On Jan. 6 a Gallup Poll shows that only 31% of Americans identify themselves as Dem., the lowest in 22 years. On Jan. 6 Iranian nuclear chief vice-pres. Ali Akbar Salehi announces that Iran has 40kg of 20%-enriched uranium, up from 30kg in Oct. On Jan. 6 senior Hamas leader Mahmud Zahar accuses Israel of "countless holocausts" against the Palestinians, while claiming that the Nazi genocide of the Jews was a "lie". On Jan. 7 a predawn raid by Israeli troops in Hebron results in a 65-y.-o. Palestinian man being mistakenly shot and killed in his bed, causing street demonstrations; they thought he was wanted militant Wael Mahmoud Said Bitar. On Jan. 7 a suicide bomber in a public bathhouse in Spin Boldak in S Afghanistan on the Pakistani border kills 17 and wounds 20+ washing for weekly prayers. On Jan. 7 Pres. Obama reiterates strong support for U.S. civilian trials of Gitmo jihadists, vowing to overturn language in a new defense bill that blocks them. On Jan. 7 al-Qaida attacks Yemeni troops near Lawadar in S Yemen, killing 10 and injuring six. On Jan. 7 hundreds of protesters in Kabul accuse Iran of stopping fuel tanks from crossing the border into Afghanistan. On Jan. 7 illegal immigration hardliner Steve King (R-Iowa) is passed over as chmn. of the House immigration subcommittee for Calif. Repub. Elton Gallegly. On Jan. 7 Germany orders the closure of 4.7K farms after finding dioxin in animal feed. On Jan. 7 Italian RAI public broadcasting employee Nello Rega is fired on by a suspected radical Muslim in S Italy, causing the dir. to call for the govt. to protect him. On Jan. 7 Amen Ahmed Ali of Bakersfield, Calif. is sentenced to five years in federal prison for spying for Yemen. On Jan. 7 Al-Shabaab mlitants murder 60-y.-o. Mohamed Muhumed (1950-) in Hamey village for refusing to pay his yearly 5-camel jizya tax for infidels. On Jan. 7 Israeli intel chief Meir Dagan revises previous estimates and says that Iran can't acquire a nuke before 2015. On Jan. 7 Taliban leader Mullah Omar has a heart attack, and is treated in a Karachi hospital for several days with the help of Pakistan's spy agency. On Jan. 8 (Sat.) U.S. Rep. (D-Ariz.) (2007-) Gabrielle Dee "Gabby" Giffords (1970-), first Jewish congresswoman from Ariz. is shot in the head during a public event in Tucson, Ariz. outside a Safeway store by er, lone gunman Jared Lee Loughner (1988-), a mixed-up white leftist-rightist pothead whose favorite books are the Communist Manifesto and Mein Kampf, and is against the abandonment of the gold standard; he is captured; six others are killed, incl. federal judge (since Nov. 25, 1991) John McCarthy Roll (b. 1947) and 9-y.-o. Christina-Taylor Green; 13 are injured; on Dec. 6 Gifford read the First Amendment to the House; Gifford's last Tweet said "My 1st Congress on Your Corner starts now. Please stop by to let me know what is on your mind or tweet me later"; the leftist PC media knee-jerks by blaming the Tea Party and/or Sarah Palin for the shooting, causing her on Jan. 11 to release a video calling the politicization of the shooting a "reprehensible... blood libel"; 20-y.-o. gay political intern Daniel Hernandez (1990-) becomes a hero for helping save Giffords by applying pressure to her wounds; on Jan. 10 U.S. secy. of state Hillary Clinton gives a townhall interview in Abu Dhabi, and comments that Gifford's shooter is like Islamic extremists in other countries, pissing them off and causing her to flop; on Jan. 12 Pres. Obama delivers a eulogy before an overflow crowd at Ariz. Stadium at the U. of Ariz., with the soundbytes: "Gabby opened her eyes for the first time", and "The hopes of a nation are here tonight. We mourn with you for the fallen"; after dissing leftist comments that the shooter was motivated by rightist politics, he calls on the country to start "talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds"; the speech is his biggest hit ever, causing his popularity rating to go positive for the 1st time since last May 18; N.Y. Dem. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy uses the shooting as an excuse for introducing legislation prohibiting high-capacity gun magazines; on Jan. 15 shooting victim James Eric Fuller is arrested at a town hall meeting for shouting "You're dead" to Tea Party spokesman Trent Humphries, and is committed for psychiatric evaluation. On Jan. 8 Shiite Iraqi cleric Moktada al-Sadr celebrates his return after three years of voluntary exile in Iran with a speech in Najaf in support of the U.S.-supported Iraq govt. while calling for U.S. troops to leave; too bad, he makes his support of the govt. conditional on its effectiveness. On Jan. 8 Mexican police find 14 decapitated bodies and one with a head outside a shopping center in Acapulco. On Jan. 8 rioting in Nigeria around Jos kills 11; on Jan. 9 jihadis storm a bar and kill seven. On Jan. 8 Islamist insurgents ban unrelated men and women from shaking hands, speaking, or walking together. On Jan. 9 a referendum in Southern Sudan on independence from the Arab Muslim north has a large turnout despite threats by Islamic militants, who on Jan. 10 kill 30 in Abyei, then on Jan. 11 ambush and kill 10; no surprise, there is a 99% vote for secession. On Jan. 9 (5:00 a.m.) there is a "small explosion" at the Tunisian consulate in a suburb of Paris. On Jan. 9 50K march in Karachi, Pakistan in support of blasphemy laws and in support of Mumtaz Qadri, the assassin of Punjab gov. Salman Taseer; on Jan. 10 Pope Benedict XIV calls on Pakistan to repeal its blasphemy laws, saying that they serve as a pretext for acts of injustice and violence against religious minorities, and calling on Middle East govts. to do more to protect Christian minorities, causing Egypt to recall its ambassador to the Vatican for "unacceptable interference"; meanwhile on Jan. 11 Pakistan jails Muslim imam Mohammed Shafi (1965-) and his 20-y.-o. son Mohammad Aslan (1990-) for life for damaging a poster containing verses from the Quran as part of a rivalry between the Deobandia and Barelvi sects. On Jan. 9 a vulture tagged by Israeli scientists flies into Saudi Arabia, where it is arresting for being a Mossad spy; it is later cleared and released. On Jan. 9 suspected al-Qaida militants kill two Frenchmen in Niger, causing France to warn that the African Sahel region is no longer safe for its citizens. On Jan. 9 an Iran Air jet (Boeing 727) en route from Tehran to Orumiyeh crashes near Orumiyeh in NW Iran (460 mi. NW of Tehran), killing 77 and injuring 27 of 104 passengers and crew. On Jan. 9 (Sun.) the animated sitcom Bob's Burgers debuts on Fox Network for ? episodes (until ?), about the Belcher family, incl. Bob and Linda, and their children Tina, Gene, and Louise, who run a hamburger restaurant on Ocean Ave. in Seymour's Bay, N.J. near Wonder Wharf Amusement Park, and compete with Jimmy Pesto's Pizzeria. On Jan. 10 Turkish pres. Abdullah Gul stages a historic visit to Yemen to establish relations, followed on Jan. 11 by U.S. secy. of state Hillary Clinton. On Jan. 10 U.S. vice-pres. Joe Biden makes an unannounced trip to Kabul to discuss Obama admin. strategy, uttering the soundbyte that U.S. troops will stay beyond 2014 if the Afghans want them to. On Jan. 10 Warrensburg, Mo.-born Repub. Mary Fallin (1954-) becomes Okla. gov. #27 (until ?), going on to push for increased use of lethal injection in executions, convene a task force to reform the state criminal justice system, unsuccessfully support the Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of the Okla. State Capitol, seek to expand sales tax and eliminate state income tax, order Nat. Guard facilities to deny spousal benefits to same-sex couples, refuse to comply with EPA regs to combat climate change, sign a law in Apr. 2014 prohibiting Okla. cities from establishing min. wage and sick leave reqts., along with another law in May 2015 prohibiting local govt. from enacting local bans on oil and gas drilling, sign a law in Apr. 15 expanding charter schools statewide, and sign 20 anti-abortion laws while vetoing a 2016 bill making it a felony to perform an abortion. On Jan. 11 (1 p.m.) the Sun rises over Greenland two days earlier than expected, baffling scientists. On Jan. 11 prominent Iranian human rights atty. Nasrin Sotoudeh, who was arrested Sept. 4 is convicted of security crimes and sentenced to 11 years in prison. On Jan. 11 Japan promises to buy EU bonds to help with its debt crisis; meanwhile Portugal says it doesn't need outside help. On Jan. 11 a 71-y.-o. Christian Coptic man is shot and killed by an Allahu-Akbar-shouting Muslim policeman on a train in Upper Egypt, who wounds five more Copts, causing a clash with protesters at the hospital. On Jan. 11 Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu calls for a "credible military option against Iran" to force it to end its nuclear energy program, saying it should be an internat. effort headed by the U.S. On Jan. 11 after U.S. interior secy. Ken Salazar endorses him, Dem. Denver, Colo. mayor #41 (since July 21, 2003) John Wright Hickenlooper Jr. (1952-) becomes Colo. gov. #42 (until ?), waiting in the wings to succeed Pres. Obama. On Jan. 11-13 floods in Southern Queensland. On Jan. 12 the Nov. 2009 Lebanese govt. falls, and on June 13 Muslim billionaire Najib Mikati (Miqati) (1955-) becomes PM of Lebanon (until ?) after uttering the soundbyte that his govt. will go to work "liberating land that remains under the occupation of the Israeli enemy." On Jan. 12 after John Hickenlooper resigns to become Colo. gov., Camaguey, Cuba-born Dem. deputy mayor Guillermo "Bill" Vidal (1951-) becomes mayor #44 of Denver, Colo. (until July 18). On Jan. 12 Saudi Arabia enacts new regs for bloggers, requiring them to obtain licenses and promote Islam. On Jan. 12 U.S. vice-pres. Joe Biden visits Pakistani PM Gilani, uttering the soundbyte: "We are not, we are not the enemies of Islam, and we embrace those who practice that great religion in our country." On Jan. 12 U.S. vice-pres. Joe Biden visits Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. On Jan. 12 U.S. House Repubs. vote to repeal Obamacare. On Jan. 12 Hezbollah abruptly withdraws from the Lebanese cabinet, forcing the collapse of the govt. of PM Saad Hariri just moments after he finishes a meeting with Pres. Obama; on Jan. 17 the first indictment in the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri is filed by a U.N. tribunal, but it is sealed. On Jan. 12 continued deadly protests in Tunisia kill 10, causing the U.N. to call for a probe into the police; on Jan. 13 Tunisian army CIC Gen. Rachid Ammar (1947-), splits with dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and refuses to shoot protesters; on Jan. 14 Ben Ali flees to Saudi Arabia after an army coup, and the foreign minister takes power; some of Ben Ali's relatives take refuge in the Disneyland Hotel in Paris; on Jan. 16 Syrian pres. Bashar al-Assad holds a security meeting over concerns of a copycat uprising; on Jan. 17 amid protests Tunisia announces a new govt. that is open to opposition parties; on Jan. 26 Tunisia issues an internat. arrest warrant for Ben Ali and six relatives for taking money out of the country illegally; on Feb. 13 Italy intercepts 1K Tunisian illegal immigrants and announces a plan to deploy more security forces; on Mar. 7 Beji Caid el Sebsi heads the 3rd govt. since Ben Ali's overthrow; in June Ben Ali is convicted in absentia along with his wife for embezzlement, and sentenced to 35 years in prison and fined $64M; on July 4 Ben Ali is convicted of smuggling and sentenced to 15 years and fined $72K. On Jan. 12 the Mexican govt. announces that 34,612 people have died in the Mexican drug war since pres. Felipe Calderon launched it four years earlier. On Jan. 12 a Muslim mob in Pakistan beats and humiliates two Christian women over alleged blasphemy, causing them to go into hiding with their families. On Jan. 13 U.S. state secy. Hillary Clinton tells Arab leaders in Doha, Qatar that unless they enact political and economic reforms and deal with other problems like depleting oil and water reserves, they will face consequences incl. radical extremist rebellion; meanwhile Turkish PM Tayyep Recep Erdogan calls the Israeli govt. of PM Benjamin Netanyahu the worst in the history of Israel, and urges the Israeli public to "get rid" of him, denying that Hamas is a terrorist org. On Jan. 13 Danish Muslim-to-Christian convert Massoud Fouroozandeh is caught with Christian crosses hanging inside his family cars in Odense, causing angry Muslims to smash them and him to flee with his family. On Jan. 13 the Am. Heart Assoc. issues a call to the public to reduce salt consumption to a max of 1.5g a day. On Jan. 14 U.S. homeland security secy. Janet Napolitano cancels the $1B virtual border fence with Mexico after only 53 mi. are finished. On Jan. 14 Afghan education minister Farooq Wardak announces that the Taliban is no longer opposed to female education, and is putting away the face acid. On Jan. 14 12 al-Qaida militants walk out of a prison in Basra, Iraq dressed in police uniforms. On Jan. 14 a shootout with gang members in Veracruz kills 14; on Jan. 15 Mexico police cmdr. Raul Espinoza and his bodyguard are abducted while on patrol in the port city of Boca del Rio, Veracruz. On Jan. 14 Al-Shabaab militants arrest Muslim father Mo'alim Mohamud Aw-Omar in Kismayo, Somalia after two of his teenage sons convert to Christianity. On Jan. 14 (night) a pilgrim stampede in Kerala, India kills 100+ and injures 25. On Jan. 15 a Muslim jihadists smuggles live bullets into a training exercise in Mosul, Iraq, and kills two U.S. soldiers; meanwhile a group of jihadists enter the Rabi'a Hospital in Mosul and shoot and seriously wound a Christian doctor. On Jan. 16 Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier returns to Haiti after 24 years (1986); on Jan. 18 he is arrested in Port-au-Prince. On Jan. 17 Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak abruptly announces that he's leaving the Labor Party to form his own political block called Atzmaut (Heb. "independence"). On Jan. 17 Pakistani Sunni jihadists explode a minibus full of Shiites in Hangu in NW Pakistan, killing 17 and injuring 11. On Jan. 17 restaurant owner Abdo Abdelmoneim sets himself on fire outside the Cairo parliament because he can't afford to buy bread in a copycat of the event that sparked the Tunisian revolt. causing Islamic scholars at Al-Azhar U. to declare that self-immolation is forbidden under Islamic law. On Jan. 18 the FCC by 4-1 approves a merger between Comcast and NBC Universal. On Jan. 18 a suicide bomber in the Sunni town of Tikrit, Iraq N of Baghdad blows up in a crowd of aspiring police recruits, killing 50+ and wounding 150. On Jan. 18 34 religious and political leaders in Mauritania sign a fatwa banning female genital mutilation (FGM). On Jan. 18 the Central Bank of Ireland prints its own notes, dumping the Euro. On Jan. 18 an Ariz.-style immigration status check law passes in Miss. On Jan. 18 a radio-controlled pipe bomb is found in a backpack along the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade route in Spokane, Wash. minutes before the parade is scheduled to start. On Jan. 18-19 Chinese pres. Hu Jintao visits the White House; on Jan. 20 he holds closed-doormeetings with Congressional leaders, who jawbone him about human rights abuses. On Jan. 19 a 7.2 earthquake hits Baluchistan Province, Pakistan. On Jan. 19 the Repub.-controlled U.S. House votes 245-189 to repeal the Obama health care law of 2010; on Feb. 2 the U.S. Senate votes 81-17 to scrap the 1099 reporting requirement, then by 47-51 the Dems. unanimously defeat a Repub. attempt to repeal the health care law. On Jan. 19 Andrew Ryan (1979-) of Summerhill, Carlisle, England is arrested for burning a copy of the Quran in front of a monument, after which the judge sentences him to 80 days for "theatrical bigotry", and because he stole the book from a library. On Jan. 20 Tunisian Liberation Party leader Osman Bakach utters the soundbyte "Muslims are fed up with these dictatorial regimes and we will not stop until Islam and only Islam is back in power." On Jan. 20 the Largest Roundup in FBI History arrests 127 worldwide incl. 30 made men from seven crime families; they are held on an army base. On Jan. 20 Birmingham imam Shaykh Asrar Rashid tells Muslims not to fight in the British armed forces due to their presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, and calls Queen Elizabeth II a "disgusting woman" for knighting writer Salman Rushdie. On Jan. 21 the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood threatens to foment a Tunisian-style uprising in Egypt if its demands for political reform aren't met; meanwhile retired U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal denies that he is part of a religious order waging war on Islam as claimed by journalist Seymour Hersh, who names Opus Dei and the Knights of Malta. On Jan. 21 anti-govt. clases outside the PM's office in Tirana, Albania kills three and injure dozens. On Jan. 22 a mass demonstration is held in Algeria against the govt. of pres. Abdelaziz Bouteflika; George Soros funds opposition groups and lobbies for Bouteflika to incl. Islamist political parties in his govt. incl. those linked to al-Qaida incl. GSPC, Houmat Daawa Salafia (HDS), and the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat. On Jan. 22 Irish PM Brian Cowen resigns as leader of the Fianna Fail Party, but vows to stay PM until the Mar. 11 election. On Jan. 24 Pres. Obama appoints former Rhodes College prof. Quintan Wiktorowicz to the Nat. Security Council; his research found that the most religious Muslims are least susceptible to radicalization. On Jan. 24 a Hezbollah-backed PM Najib Miqati takes office in Lebanon, causing angry protests as the Shiites gain mo' powah. On Jan. 24 U.S. Border Patrol catches Mexican drug smugglers using a Medieval-style catapault to launch drug packages over the U.S.-Mexico border fence. On Jan. 24 (4:32 p.m.) a Muslim terrorist suicide bomber at the Domodedovo Airport in Moscow sets of a device with the equivalent of 15 lbs. of TNT in a crowded internat. arrival zone, killing 35 and wounding 160+; the bomber is Magomed Yevlovyev (1990-); the initial suspect is Russian Muslim convert Vitaly Razdobudko, who works for Chechen leader Doku Umarov; imam Abdullah Stepanenko, who converted him was convicted of holding a man captive in 2006 and was found with Wahhabist lit. and a manual on explosives in his home; Russian media link the attack to the computer game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. On Jan. 24 gunmen open fire at a soccer game in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, killing seven and wounding two. On Jan. 24 machete-wilding Islamic attackers kill six in two Christian villages in C Nigeria, in retaliation for a New Year's attack on a van full of Muslims that killed eight. On Jan. 25 (Egyptian Nat. Police Day) the 2011 Egyptian (Papyrus) Rev. in Tahrir (Liberation) Square in Cairo begins with Tunisian-copycat violent demonstrations against the govt. of Egyptian pres. #4 (since Oct. 14, 1981) Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak (1928-), sparked by a video blog by activist Asmaa Mahfouz (1985-); they are followed by calls for a 2-day nat. strike; Coptic pope Shenouda III orders Copts to not participate for fear of a Muslim Brotherhood takeover; on Jan. 25 Mubarak's son and heir Gamal Mubarak flees to Britain with his family; on Jan. 26 IAEA dir.-gen. (1997-2009) (mistruster of the U.S., accused of pro-Iranian ties) (Gandhi lookalike?) Mohamed ElBaradei (1942-) returns to Egypt, expecting to lead the protesters; on Jan. 27 the Egyptian stock exchange plunges 6.25% in 15 min., causing trading to halt and the Egyptian govt. to cut off Internet access (first time in Internet history?) (restored on Feb. 2); on Jan. 27-28 U.S. homeland security secy. Janet Napolitano secretly meets with Muslim, Arab, and Sikh "community leaders, incl. three orgs. associated with the Muslim Brotherhood; on Jan. 28 after several vehicles are stolen from the locked-down U.S. embassy in Cairo and used to run people over, fanning riots, the Egyptian military deploys in Cairo under curfew, killing Egyptian protester Sally Zahran (b. 1987-), causing NASA to name a spaceship after her; police use U.S.-made tear gas canisters; after police use rubber bullets and pellet guns on the protesters, 3.8K suffer serious eye injuries, and 1.5K lose one eye; on Jan. 28 Mubarak dismisses his govt., then names a new one on Jan. 29, causing U.S. stocks to take a dip on Jan. 28; on Jan. 29 mobs ignore curfew and set fire to Mubarak's ruling party HQ and state security bldgs., confronting the military, with a Tiananmen Square deja vu moment; Mubarak's wife Suzanne and sons Alaa and Gamal flee to London, while Israel severs diplomatic relations and flies out 200 members of Israeli diplomatic families, and several Arab nations do ditto; on Jan. 29 (Day 5) after giving the order for police to fire on crowds, only to see troops switch sides to the protesters, Mubarak appoints his first-ever pres. and successor, intel head Gen. Omar Mahmoud Suleiman (1936-2012) (known for orchestrating the brutal interrogation of terror suspects abducted by the CIA, then passing intel info. to the U.S.) after passing over his groomed son Gamal Mubarak, sacking Egyptian PM #4 (since July 14, 2004) Ahmad Nazif (1952) in favor of Ahmed Mohamed Shafik Zaki (1941-), who becomes Egyptian PM #49 (until Mar. 3), while IAEA dir. gen. Mohamed ElBaradai announces that "the state of Egypt is in a state of collapse", calling upon the Egyptian army "to take the side of the people" and for Mubarak to step down; on Jan. 29 an escape attempt at Abu Zaabal Prison in Cairo results in eight killed and 123 wounded; on Jan. 29 an assassination attempt is made on Omar Suleiman, killing two bodyguards; on Jan. 28 White House press secy. Robert Gibbs calls for Egypt to turn the Internet and social media back on, after which Chip Reid of CBS asks him "why is the president not standing where you're standing right now?", after which Pres. Obama speaks from the White House State dining room, revelaing that he spoke with Mubarak and told him that "he has a responsibility to give meaning" to the words of his recent speech, and calling on the Egyptian govt. to "refrain from any violence on peaceful protesters"; on Jan. 28 Iranian Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami says that the U.S. dream of creating a new Middle East it dominates isn't coming true, and that a new Middle East based on Islamic principles is taking shape; on Jan. 28 after looters break into the King Tutankhamen collection and destroy two Pharonic mummies, the Egyptian army storms the Egyptian Nat. Museum at Tahrir Square in Cairo to protect it from looters, after which students form a human chain to help them as the army starts disappearing and anarchy reigns; on Jan. 28 leading Egyptian Islamic scholar Saeed Amer of Al Azhar says that protests that cause violence are forbidden (haram) in Islam; on Jan. 29 the Egyptian army surrounds the U.S. and U.K. embassies to prevent a repeat of 1979 Iran?; on Jan. 29 Saudi king Abdullah slams Egyptian protesters as "infiltrators", and says Mubarak "reassured" him about the situation, then begins opening his checkbook and spending $130B in his own country to forestall any Egypt-style revolt; on Jan. 30 the U.S. tells its citizens to leave Egypt as soon as possible, while the Egyptian govt. pulls the license for Al Jazeera Network, which had been broadcasting the protests lives on the Internet; on Jan. 30 U.S. secy. of state Hillary Clinton calls for the Egyptian govt. to conduct elections, while protesters in Alexandria begin shouting anti-U.S. and anti-Israel slogans, and armed gunmen from Hamas cross from Gaza into N Sinai to attack and push back Egyptian forces on orders of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in order to open a new front against the Mubarak regime, causing Hamas to close the Rafah border crossing after Egyptian guards flee their posts; on Jan. 31 Cairo Airport is jammed with foreigners trying to escape, while Hillary Clinton convenes an unprecedented mass meeting of U.S. ambassadors from nearly all of its 260 embassies and other posts in 180 countries; on Jan. 31 Mubarak swears in a new cabinet, while Hamas shoots Grad rockets from Gaza to the S Israeli cities of Ofakim and Netivot, and a Qasam rocket to Eshkol, and Israeli security officials report that "something big" was smuggled from Egypt into the Gaza Strip; on Jan. 31 former U.S. ambassador to Egypt Frank Wisner holds a secret meeting in Cairo with senior Muslim Brotherhood leader Issam El-Erian; on Feb. 1 White House press secy. announces that the new Egyptian govt. must incl. a "whole host of important non-secular actors", becoming the first time that the U.S. govt. supports granting a govt. role to the Muslim Brotherhood, which wants to exterminate Israel, and calls for a referendum on the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty; meanwhile the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood waits in the wings for a possible Islamist takeover, with leader Mohamed Ghanem calling on Egypt to stop pumping gas to Israel and prepare for a war with it; polls show that only 27% of Egyptians support modernizers, while 59% support Islamists incl. Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, causing commentators to conclude that Egyptians want Mubarak ousted because of his non-belligerent stance toward Israel and U.S. ties; on Feb. 1 Pres. Obama's envoy Frank Wisner suggest to Mubarak not to run for reelection, which he accepts, insisting on stay in power until Sept. elections, while U.S. ambassador Margaret Scobey talks with Mohamed ElBaradei; Pres. Obama gives a news conference, calling for an "orderly transition" which "must begin now", saying that Mubarak "recognizes that the status quo is not sustainable and that a change must take place"; too bad, the protesters want Mubarak out immediately, and vow to stay in the streets until he goes; on Feb. 2 (Bloody Wed.) Mubarak and anti-Mubarak forces clash in Tahrir Square, with anti-Mubarak protesters claiming that some of the opposition protesters are security personnel dressed in civilian clothing, while others ride camels and horses and are armed with clubs, injuring 1.5K and killing three; CNN's Anderson Cooper gets caught in the middle of the protesters and punched 10x; four Israeli journalists are arrested in Cairo; on Feb. 2 ElBaradei orders Mubarak to leave Egypt by Feb. 5 (Fri.) or he'll be a "dead man walking", to which Mubarak replies "This dear country is my country... and I will die on its land"; on Feb. 2 Iranian spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast claims that the U.S. is trying "to prevent the tremendous movement of Egypt's magnanimous nation", calling the dispatch of Frank Wisner part of a scheme aimed at "devising deviatory plots"; on Feb. 3 ("Day of Departure") anti-govt. protesters take over the Oct. 6 Bridge, while chaos grips Cairo, causing the army to move in and the U.S. to recall envoy Frank Wisner, while Omar Suleiman invites the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood to a nat. dialog, and the U.S. Senate unanimously approves a resolution calling on Mubarak to create a caretaker govt. but not step down; on Feb. 3 former Israeli cabinet minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer says that the U.S. doesn't realize the catastrophe they're pushing the Middle East into because Mubarak kept the peace with Israel; on Feb. 3 Mubarak grants an exclusive interview with ABC-TV's Christiane Amanpour, telling her that he'd like to resign but can't because the country would plunge into chaos; on Feb. 4 (Departure Fri.) while journalists are being rounded up, beaten, and threatened, Pres. Obama gives a press conference on Egypt, saying that the "entire world is watching", that the U.S. can't decide Egypt's fate, that "suppression is not going to work", and Mubarak "cares about his country - he is proud, but he's also a patriot", and should be asking himself "How do I leave a legacy behind in which Egypt is able to get through this transformative period... and my hope is that he will end up making the right decision"; on Feb. 5 (a.m.) masked men attack the Israeli-Egyptian gas pipeline in El-Arish, Egypt in N Sinai, causing Israel to deploy military forces to demilitarized Sinai, and more on Feb. 16; on Feb. 5 Mubarak meets with his economic ministers in the hopes that curing the unemployment and food price problems might save him; on Feb. 5 France announces that it has suspended sales of arms and riot equipment to Egypt; on Feb. 6 Suleiman forms a constitutional reform committee with opposition groups incl. the liberal Wafd Party, the leftist Tagammu Party, and the Muslim Brotherhood, and agrees to end the 30-y.-o. emergency law, permit press freedom, and release those detained during the protests, with Hillary Clinton saying "Today we learned the Muslim Brotherhood decided to participate, which suggest they at least are now involved in the dialogue that we have encouraged", saying she would "wait and see"; meanwhile Mohamed ElBaradei slams the talks because he wasn't invited, and says they lack credibility; on Feb. 6 Jordanian prince El-Hassan bin Talaal urges that the Muslim Brotherhood not be excluded from a future Egyptian govt.; on Feb. 7 Human Rights Watch announces that 297 were killed during the protests; on Feb. 8 new crowds in Tahrir Square celebrating the release of Wael Ghonim incl. middle class protesters; on Feb. 8 Iranian defense minister Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi claims that the Egyptian uprising is inspired by the 1979 Iranian Rev.; on Feb. 9 strikes erupt around the country, while Al-Qaeda in Iraq urges Egyptians to wage jihad and establish an Islamist govt.; on Feb. 10 Pres. Obama calls for an "orderly and genuine" transition to democracy, and claims that Mubarak will step down; on Feb. 10 Mubarak delivers an Address to the Egyptian People, saying he won't quit and needs to stay in power until the Sept. elections, causing pissing-off the crowd in Tahrir Square, who angrily wave their shoes at him, after which Pres. Obama questions whether his pledge to shift power to his vice-pres. is "immediate, meaningful or sufficient"; on Feb. 10 Iran puts opposition leader Mahdi Karroubi under arrest for asking permission to hold a rally on Feb. 14 in support of the uprisings; meanwhile rumors of the death of Saudi King Abdullah after a phone call with Pres. Obama in which he warned him not to humiliate Mubarak surface; on Feb. 11 (Day 18) after protesters move to the Ittihadiya pres. palace in the Cairo suburb of Heliopolis and threaten massive protests in Tahrir Square, more rumors surface that Mubarak and his family have fled Cairo for Sharm el-Sheikh, followed by an announcement that he has stepped down and transferred power to the military supreme council, with the soundbyte: "In the name of Allah the Merciful, the Compassionate: Citizens, during these very difficult circumstances Egypt is going through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to step down from the office of president of the republic and has charged the high council of the armed forces to administer the affairs of the country. May Allah help everybody"; Rachel Maddow of MSNBC calls it "a Berlin Wall moment"; vice-pres. Joe Biden calls it a "pivotal moment in history", adding: "The United States has largely spoken with one voice"; before stepping down, Mubarak called former Israeli minister Benjamin Ben-Elizier and slammed the U.S., saying that the U.S. push for democracy will result in an Islamist takeover; on Feb. 11 Pres. Obama delivers a Speech on the Resignation of Mubarak, praising the protesters for changing "the arc of history" (from a quote by MLK Jr.), through non-violence not "terrorism and mindless killing", saying that by stepping down, Mubarak "responded to the people's hunger for change", but "this is not the end", adding "What is clear... is my belief that an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful, and it must begin now"; Robert Gibbs resigns the same day, with Obama uttering the soundbyte that he's not the biggest resignation news of the day; Switzerland wastes no time in freezing Mubarak's assets; on Feb. 11 Iranian pres. Imadinnajacket praises the Egyptian uprising as proof that a new Middle East is emerging that will break free of U.S. "interference" and doom Israel; on Feb. 11 South African CBS reporter Lara Logan (1971-) is assaulted by a 200-man Muslim mob shouting "Jew! Jew!", who beat and sexually assault her; on Feb. 12 the Egyptian military pledges to hand power to a civilian grovt. and abide by its peace treaty with Israel, then on Feb. 13 after large demonstrations of police, public and private sector workers, along with rallies to attempt to clear the name of the police for use of force against protesters, it dissolves parliament, suspends the constitution, and calls for elections in 6 mo., and on Feb. 14 issues Communique No. 5 to dozens of remaining protesters to leave Tahrir Square, calling for them to go back to work for nat. solidarity and to restore the economy; on Feb. 15 the Muslim Brotherhood announces the formation of a new political party, but pledges it won't field a pres. candidate in the next election; too bad, the committee appointed to draw up a new constitution in 10 days is headed by a fundamentalist Islamic judge, who refuses to remove Article 2 that makes Islam the state religion and makes Sharia the main source of law, becoming a V for the Muslim Brotherhood; meanwhile the British Guardian claims that the Mubarak regime disappeared thousands of demonstrators; meanwhile Arab govts. in Jordan, Yemen, Syria et al. raise subsidies on food and heating oil, and raise salaries and lower taxes in an attempt to stave off more unrest; after a govt. shakeup in early Feb. in Jordan, new justice minister Hussein Mjali utters the soundbyte that Israel is a "terrorist state that will be destroyed"; meanwhile leftist Jewish billionaire George Soros calls Israel an obstacle to Egyptian reform, pissing-off the Anti-Defamation League (ADL); meanwhile Gamaa Islamiya, Egypt's largest extremist org. resurfaces; Egyptian protester Jamal Ibrahim names his newborn daughter Facebook; on Feb. 18 Victory Fri. sees hundreds of thousands demonstrate in Cairo to celebrate one week sans Mubarak, while tens of thousands of Egyptian migrant workers in Libya begin returning; on Mar. 2 a constitutional referendum is announced for Mar. 19; on Mar. 3 PM Ahmed Safik steps down to prevent planned protests against him the next day, and Essam Sharaf is appointed the new PM of Egypt (until ?); on Mar. 5 protesters raid several State Security Investigations (SSI) offices across Egypt to find evidence of crimes committed during the Mubarak regime; on Mar. 22 an interior ministry bldg. catches on fire during police demonstrations outside it; on Mar. 23 a new law is announced outlawing protests and strikes, with a fine up to $100K; on Mar. 29 the military council postpones parliamentary elections until Sept.; on Apr. 1 Save the Rev. Day sees tens of thousands demonstrate to demand the military council to dismantle the old regime faster; on Apr. 5 the U.N. high commissioner on human rights urges the military council to move towards dem. reform; on Apr. 8 protesters stage a "Friday of Cleansing" in Tahrir Square, calling for a new constitution, removal of the emergency law, an end to military rule, and Mubarak's arrest; on Apr. 9 protesters in Tahrir Square calling for Mubarak's arrest are fired on by security forces, killing two and injuring dozens; on Apr. 10 Egyptian blogger Maikel Nabil is sentenced to three years in prison for criticizing the military; on Apr. 11 Egyptian ex-PM (2004-11) Ahmed Nazif is called in for questioning on corruption allegations; on Apr. 13 while in the hospital for heart problems, Mubarak is arrested for corruption, abuse of power, and the killing of protesters, along with his two sons. On Jan. 25 U.S. state secy. Hillary Clinton announces $500M in additional aid to Mexico this year to fight crime. On Jan. 25 (9:00 p.m. EST) Pres. Obama delivers his 2011 State of the Union Address, claiming that 1M private sector jobs have been added over the past year, vowing to veto all bills containing earmarks, and calling for bipartanship on job creation, along with a 5-year freeze on non-security discretionary spending; the 2nd time since Truman's 1948 State of the Union Address that poverty or the plight of the poor isn't mentioned by a Dem. pres. On Jan. 26 Lauren Booth, sister-in-law of former British PM Tony Blair turns against him and says he should be tried for war crimes over the invasion of Iraq. On Jan. 26 an Islamist car bomb in front of a cafe in Dagestan, Russia kills four and injures six. On Jan. 26 the 2011 Syrian Uprising (ends ?) begins with protests, which escalate to a full uprising by Mar. 15. On Jan. 26 the Carlyle Group agrees to purchase AlpInvest Partners, giving it $150B in assets under mgt., up from $98B, making it the world's largest buyout firm. On Jan. 27 Janet Napolitano announces the retirement of the color-coded Homeland Security Advisory System (introduced Mar. 11, 2002) in favor of the Nat. Terrorism advisory System. On Jan. 27 tens of thousands participate in rival rallies by pro and anti-govt. parties in Sana'a, Yemen, causing the ruling party on Jan. 28 to call for talks with the opposition; on Feb. 2 Yemeni pres. Ali Abdullah Saleh announces that he won't seek to become pres. for life or stand for another term, causing simultaneous pro and anti govt. protests in Sana'a on Feb. 3. On Jan. 27 Mexican pres. Felipe Calderon signs a new asylum law bringing Mexico in line with internat. agreements on handling of refugees. On Jan. 27 Israeli strategic affairs minister Moshe Yaalon claims that Hezbollah has infiltrated agents from Lebanon to the Gaza Strip to train Palestinian militants. On Jan. 27 a Sunni car bomb outside a funeral tent in a Shiite area of Baghdad kills 48+. On Jan. 27 CIA contract security officer Raymond Allen Davis shoots two men trying to rob him in Lahore, Pakistan, causing the Pakistani govt. to arrest him and hold him as a political hostage, terrorist, and spy; on Feb. 19 a Pakistani court orders the arrest of another U.S. consular employee for driving a car that run over another robber while trying to pick Davis up; on Mar. 16 he is released after the families of the victims pardon him in return for $2.34M in blood money, causing countrywide protests; the money was arranged by Saudi Arabia? On Jan. 27 Amazon.com announces that it sells more Kindle ebooks than paperbacks, 115 for every 100. On Jan. 27 the White House outlines an ambitious plan to put 1M electric cars on the road by 2015. On Jan. 28 anti-govt. demonstrations in Tirana, Albana sees three killed by police, causing EU to urge rival political leaders to defuse the crisis. On Jan. 28 3K Islamists and leftists protest in Amman, Jordan against the govt., shouting "We want change". On Jan. 28 the women's wing of the Islamic Jamaat-e-Islami movement demonstrates in Karachi, Pakistan in support of Pakistan's Islamic blasphemy law. On Jan. 28 40K Cypriots demonstrate in Nicosia, Cyprus against cuts in public spending by the Turkish govt. On Jan. 28 the German parliament votes to extend Germany's military mission in Afghanistan by one year despite polls showing the war's unpopularity. On Jan. 28 it is announced that Mark Zuckerberg's fan page was hacked, with a message appearing under his name reading "Let the hacking begin. If Facebook needs money, instead of going to the banks, why doesn't Facebook let its users invest in Facebook in a social way? Why not transform Facebook into a 'social business' the way Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus described it?" On Jan. 28 White House senior adviser David M. Axelrod (1955-) leaves, and 2008 Obama campaign mgr. David Plouffe replaces him. On Jan. 28 (01:00) a UFO is spotted on the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. On Jan. 29 Pope Benedict XVI launches a new outreach called the Courtyard of the Gentiles as an outreach to atheists, starting with a 3-day event in Paris in Mar. On Jan. 29 the Islamic Jamiya org. asks Singapore minister Lee Kuan Yew to explain statements in a recent book that Islam is a difficult religion to integrate. On Jan. 29 the Yemeni al-Qaida cmdr. declares jihad against the Houthi-led Shiite fighters in N Yemen. On Jan. 29 Pres. Obama announces his determination to "spark the minds of innovators" in the U.S. to produce new products and technologies to make the country more competitive. On Jan. 29 Tunisian technocrat PM (since 1999) Mohamed Ghannouchi (1941-) (who serves as pres. on Jan. 14-15) vows a transition to democracy, while hundreds of pro-Islamists protest in Tunisia, shouting "We want freedom for the hijab, the niqab, and the beard", and hundreds of women march in Tunis to express fears of a new Islamist regime that keeps them down; on Jan. 30 exiled Tunisian Islamist Hizb al-Nahdah (Renaissance Party) leader Rachid Ghanouchi (Rashid al-Ghannushi) (1941-) arrives from Britain with 70 party members, and is greeted by crowds cheering Allah Akbar, causing him to utter the soundbyte "I'm no Khomeini" and claim that his views are more moderate; military chief of staff Rachid Ammar becomes Tunisia's powerbroker. On Jan. 29 Dutch-Iranian protester Zahra Bahrami (b. 1965) is executed in Tehran on ambiguous charges, causing the Dutch govt. to cut off diplomatic contact with Iran. On Jan. 29 a cargo train and passenger collide near Hordorf, Germany (near Magdebug), killing 10 and injuring 23. On Jan. 30 the anti-corruption protest fever spreads to India, with marches in New Delhi and other cities. On Jan. 30 Pres. Obama appoints new deputy budget and mgt. dir. Jeffrey Zients to oversee the biggest reorg. of the federal govt. in over 50 years to allow the U.S. to adapt to global economic cooperation. On Jan. 30 Cyprus becomes the first EU country to recognize Palestinian statehood. On Jan. 30 14-y.-o. Bangladeshi girl Hena Gegum (b. 1996) is raped by a 40-y.-o. married man; on Jan. 31 a Muslim Sharia court sentences her to 100 lashes for having an illicit affair, and she bleeds to death in the hospital. On Jan. 31 the Arab Spring begins in Baghdad, Iraq as 100 march in Firdos Square, and 100 more march in Tahrir Square near the Green Zone. On Jan. 31 Oman claims to have uncovered a spy network in its midst run by the UAE. On Jan. 31 Nigerian security officials thwart an Islamist attempt to bomb a Christian church in Bauchi, Nigeria. On Jan. 31 two Islamist bomb explosions in Peshawar, Pakistan kill six incl. a deputy supt. of police. On Jan. 31 the New York Times and Washington Post reveal that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is estimated at 100+ deployed nukes, having doubled since Obama took office, and is surging and set to overtake Britain as the world's #5 nuclear weapons power. On Jan. 31 the U.S. State Dept. issues an updated warning on the "continuing threat of terrorist actions" for U.S. citizens worldwide, along with a 2nd advisory cautioning against travel to Britain. On Jan. 31-Feb. 2 the 2011 North Am. Winter Storm (Blizard), AKA the Storm of the Cent. and the 2011 Groundhog Day Blizzard hits three-quarters of the U.S. with record snowfalls and low temps. In Jan. the British Health Protection Agency announces that a fatal superbug called NDM-1 has invaded Britain from India and Pakistan. In Jan. a U.S. extradition treaty with El Salvador goes into effect. In Jan. the Bombay Stock Exchange and the Istanbul Stock Exchange debut Sharia-compliant equity indexes. In Jan. Muslim GOP activist Subhail A. Khan is outed as a radical Muslim Brotherhood suporter, along with his mother. In Jan. the heartwarming story of homeless African-Am. DJ Ted Williams, who was discovered on the street complete with a golden voice, made it big with a viral video and TV morning show interviews and showered with job offers becomes the Susan Boyle story of 2011. In Jan. world food prices surge 3.4% for the 7th straight mo., reaching a new record. In Jan. two Kurdish mass graves are discovered in SE Turkey, the result of Turkey's war with the Kurdish rebel group PKK. In Jan. Romania begins taxing witches and fortune tellers, causing some to celebrate that they're now legalized. In Jan. Wash.-born Phil Hill (1970-) announces plans for an alien refueling station on the summit of Pikes Peak in Colo., featuring a 480-ft. pyramid sans visitors center and coffee shop (no room). In Jan. after finding that the number of sexual assault cases in Palestinian terrority has increased 7x from 2006-9, the Palestinian Authority launches a plan to combat violence against women with funding from the U.S. and Spain. In Jan. Israel tests its Magic Wand intermediate-range anti-missile system that fills the gap between its Iron Dome system for short-range missiles and its Arrow system for long-range missiles; it begins operation in S Israel on Mar. 27, 2011. In Jan. the U.S. Nat. Security Agency begins the $1.2B Utah Spy Data Center 25 mi. S of Salt Lake City to complement the one in Ft. Meade, Md. In Jan. radical Canadian Muslim imam Said Jaziri, who was deported to Tunisia in 2008 is caught trying to sneak into the U.S. over the Mexican border inside the trunk of a BMW near San Diego, Calif. In Jan. the U.S. unemployment rate falls from 9.4% to 9%, adding 36K new jobs. In Jan. the Ground Zero Mosque org. replaces Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf with Abdallah Adhami, who goes on to call homosexuality a disease, claim that true Muslims follow Sharia, and utters the soundbyte "We have more of a right to Moses" than Jews do; he is fired on Feb. 4. In Jan. the govt. of Tajikistan begins closing mosques on various pretexts, reaching 1.5K by June. In Jan. 25 Islamic scholars Meet to argue in favor of reviving Islam's doctrine of Ijtihad, i.e., reevaluation fo basic teachinges, incl. jihad, women's rights, secularism, etc. On Feb. 1 after the army promises not to get violent 1M+ protest in Cairo against Hosni Mubarak; other protests are held throughout Egypt, incl. 250K in Sinai. On Feb. 1 after protests over poor living conditions and high food prices, Jordan king Abdullah II fires PM Samir Rifai and his cabinet, and asks ex-PM (2005-7) Marouf al-Bakhit to form a new one that will launch reforms. On Feb. 1 Iran human rights activist (Baha'i member) Navid Khanjani is sentenced to 12 years, their heaviest sentence to a human rights activist so far; it also issues five death sentences for others for obscene Web sites and other Islamic offenses; Iran also announces that it will segregate male and female students at Allameh Tabatabai U. On Feb. 1 EU foreign minister Baroness Ashton of Britain scuttles a EU attempt to agree on a statement condemning attacks on Christians in the Islamic word because she won't use the word Christian. On Feb. 1 the Dow Jones Industrial Avg. closes above 12K for the first time since June 2008. On Feb. 2 the German state of Hesse and state employees from wearing the burka. On Feb. 2 British Muslim minister Mohammed Hanif Khan is convicted of raping a 12-y.-o. boy, and sexually abusing another at a mosque in Stoke-on-Trent; he had been honored by Princess Anne for his work. On Feb. 2 IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn warns that the weakened world economy and joblessness could bring war within more nations than Tunisia and Egypt, and calls for a new world currency to challenge the U.S. dollar. On Feb. 3 Category 3 (180 mph) Cyclone Yasi slams into N Queensland, Australia, causing $3.5B damage. On Feb. 3 police chief Manuel Farten of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico is killed along with two bodyguards after holding the job for 33 days. On Feb. 3 the Homeland Security and Govt. Affairs Committte chaired by Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) release their Report on the Ft. Hood Massacre, concluding that the "ticking time bomb" massacre could have been prevented. On Feb. 3 Pres. Obama addresses the Nat. Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., claiming his Christian faith as "a sustaining force" in his life, and praying for an end to violence in Egypt. On Feb. 3 after residents of a former squat are evicted, 1.5k leftists riot in Berlin, Germany injuring 61 police officers, who arrest 82. On Feb. 4 hundreds of protesters, incl. leftists and the Muslim Brotherhood march in Amman, Jordan against the govt. and in support of the Egyptian Rev. On Feb. 4 a Gallup Poll shows that Pres. Obama has the most polarizing 2nd year in office since Ike in 1953, with a 68% gap between Dems. and Repubs.; Reagan's 2nd year gap was 56%. On Feb. 4 140+ Roman Catholic theologians from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland call for an end to celibacy for priests. On Feb. 4 the Jewish People Policy Inst. of Jerusalem claims that Hamas hacked its Web site. On Feb. 4 British PM David Cameron launches a war on 30 years of failed multiculturalism with a new policy of "muscular liberalism", telling Muslims that he is declaring an end to "passive tolerance" of divided communities, and they must integrate and accept core British values and speak English or else they will lose public money. On Feb. 4 Asteroid 2011 CQ1 passes within 5.5K km of Earth, close enough to change its orbit; it is first discovered the same day. On Feb. 5 the New START Treaty goes into force, limiting the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550; it is expected to last until 2021. On Feb. 5 the French senate votes 182-156 to reject a tough Sarkozy-backed immigration bill that would strip citizenship if they have been citizens for less than 10 years and threaten the police, place an "unreasonable" strain on the welfare state, or are guilty of "aggressive begging"; critics liken it to the Vichy regime. On Feb. 5 hundreds of members of the English Defence League stage an anti-Islam demonstration in Luton (N of London), shouting "No more mosques", "Never surrender", and "Islam is of the Devil". On Feb. 5 three teen boys are shot to death in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, two of them U.S. citizens. On Feb. 5 the Vatican announces that Pope Benedict XVI doesn't carry an organ donor card - because his organs are too holy to donate to lesser mortals? On Feb. 5 Sheikh 'Ahed Ahmad 'Abd Al-Karim Al-Sa'idani (AKA Abu Al-Walid Al-Maqdisi), leader of the Salafist jihadi group Jama'at Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad issues a fatwa, saying that while the Quran prohibits the killing of innocents, it is permissible to kill Jewish and Christian civilians in a jihad since they are "fundamentally not innocent" - judge now that ye be not judged - not? On Feb. 5 British Special Forces seize a shipment of 48 Iranian rockets in Nimruz Province, S Afghanistan en route to the Taliban. On Feb. 6 the U.N. celebrates Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Day. On Feb. 6 a machete-wielding mob of 1.5K Muslims attacks the home of an Ahmadiyah Muslim sect leader along with 20 members in Banten Province, Java, Indonesia, killing three and wounding six. On Feb. 6 Pres. Obama gives a pre-Super Bowl interview with Bill O'Reilly, laughing off the millions who hate him with "What they hate is whatever funhouse mirror image of you that's out there - they don't know you", and pooh-poohing the Muslim Brotherhood, saying they don't have majority support, but that there's "no going back" for Egypt. On Feb. 6 20K rally in Lahore, Pakistan over Kashmir, calling for jihad and nuclear war against India. On Feb. 6 a Turkish parliamentary commission releases a report that claims that the Swiss ban on minarets is responsible for increasing xenophobia and Islamophobia in Switzerland. On Feb. 6 a military clash begins on a disputed border by Thailand and Cambodia. On Feb. 6 a video posted by Chechen emir Doku Umarov, Russia's most wanted terrorists claims credit for the Moscow airport massacre, and warns the pop. of Moscow to brace for a "year of blood and tears"; he controls up to 60 suicide bombers in N Caucasus. On Feb. 6 Super Bowl XLV (45) (2011) is played in Arlington, Tex.; the Green Bay Packers defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25; Christina Aguilera flubs a line while singing the U.S. nat. anthem; Packers QB (#12) Aaron Charles Rodgers (1983-) is MVP; Pres. Obama serves White House Honey Ale at his Super Bowl party, becoming the first U.S. pres. to home-brew beer in the White House. On Feb. 7 Pres. Obama delivers a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in an attempt to mend fences. On Feb. 7 AOL agrees to buy the leftist pro-Islam Huffington Post (founded May 2005) for $315M; it has 25M monthly visitors, and blocked TLW from posting. On Feb. 7 Afghan Red Cross activist Said Musa (1965-) is sentenced to death for converting to Christianity; he can only save himself by reconverting to Islam. On Feb. 7 U.S. secy. of state Hillary Clinton announces that the U.S. is starting the process of removing Arabic-speaking Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism following the finalization of the referendum on independence for Dinka-speaking South Sudan, which becomes the first new country of the decade, and up-and-coming U.N. member #193; too bad, the secession of oil-rich South Sudan causes a depression in Sudan. On Feb. 7 24-.y.-o. Christian Imran Masih (b. 1986) is found dead at his Muslim employer Chaudhry Masqood Cheema's farmhouse, and he claims suicide, which is backed up by the hospital and police, causing Christian protests. On Feb. 8 police in Burundi arrest eight Pakistani Muslim preachers for preaching jihad. On Feb. 8 hundreds of Islamists storm a courthouse in Temanggung, Indonesia and set two churches on fire to protest a lenient 5-year sentence for Antonius Richmand Bawengan, a Christian convicted of blaspheming Islam, which they think merits the death penalty. On Feb. 8 U.S. House majority leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) says that the primary goal of U.S. policy in Egypt should be to "stop the spread of radical Islam". On Feb. 8 a Jordanian official discloses that senior Palestinian Authority and Fatah officials incl. Mahmoud Abbas and his two sons have been given Jordanian citizenship, despite Jordan revoking the citizenship of thousands of other Palestinians. On Feb. 8 the U.S. House votes 277-148 to reject a 9-mo. extension of counterterrorism survillance powers under the U.S. Patriot Act. On Feb. 9 a suicide bomber posing as a dairy deliveryman strikes a Kurdish security HQ in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, killing seven and wounding 80. On Feb. 9-10 the govt. of Malayasia resumes talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Clap on, clap off, it's the Clapper? On Feb. 10 U.S. nat. intel dir. #4 (since Aug. 5, 2010) James R. Clapper (1941-) tells Congress that he didn't miss warning signs of turmoil in Egypt, and tells Rep. Sue Myrick (R-N.C.) that the horrible Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood is "a very heterogeneous group, largely secular, which has eschewed violence and has decried al-Qaeda as a perversion of Islam", that it has "pursued social ends, a betterment of the political order in Egypt" and "There is no overarching agenda, particularly in pursuit of violence, at least internationally"; its violent record 60 years ago is forgotten, along with its slogan "God is our objective, the Quran is our Constitution, the Prophet is our leader, struggle is our way, and death for the sake of God is the highest of our aspirations", and its handbook which incl. the soundbyte "Prepare yourself and train in the art of warfare, and embrace the causes of power. You must learn the ways and manners and laws of war. You must learn them and embrace them and adhere to them, so that your Jihad will be the one accepted by Allah"; hours before his testimony the real Muslim Brotherhood admits that Sharia in Egypt is "not its immediate end, but we will work for it in future", the opposite of secular; Clapper spokesman Jamie Smith later releases a clarification: "In Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood makes efforts to work through a political system that has been, under Mubarak's rule, one that is largely secular in its orientation. He is well aware that the Muslim Brotherhood is not a secular organization"; meanwhile FBI dir. Robert Mueller tells Congress that the Muslim Brotherhood has supported internat. terrorism, and that its ideology inspired Osama bin Laden and other terrorists; last Dec. 23 Clueless Clapper was caught being unaware of British anti-terror raids when questioned by Diane Sawyer of ABC-TV; on Mar. 10 Clapper tells the Senate Armed Services Commitee that "over the longer term Qaddafi will prevail", causing the Obama admin. er, to contradict him; on May 29, 2011 Muslim Brotherhood leader Sheikh Sheikh Hazem Abu Ismail announces his candidacy for pres. of Israel, promising to turn Egypt into an Islamist state complete with Sharia, and to go to war with Israel. On Feb. 10 French pres. Nicolas Sarkozy joins other world leaders, declaring that multiculturalism has failed, with the soundbyte "Of course we must all respect difference, but we do not want... a society where communities coexist side by side... If you come to France, you accept to melt into a single community...and if you do not want to accept that, you cannot be welcome in France"; on Feb. 15 Dutch Christian Dem. leader Maxime Verhagen does ditto, followed on Feb. 18 by Australian Liberal politician Cory Bernardi, who says "Islam itself is the problem, it's not Muslims"; in Feb. France's governing party announces plans for a nat. debate on the role of Islam and respect for secularism among Muslims; on Mar. 11 Sarkozy fires Muslim diversity head Abderrahmane Dahmane for calling on Muslims not to support his governing UMP party. On Feb. 10 the U.S. Treasury announces that Lebanese Canadian Bank SAL has been laundering millions of dollars in drug money for Hezbollah. On Feb. 10 the Islamic Umma Party is founded as the first political party in Saudi Arabia as a sop to the Arab revs. in other countries? On Feb. 10-12 fighting in Southern Sudan between the army and rebels under Gen. Athor kills 105, mostly civilians. On Feb. 10-12 the first regional Conservative Political Action Conference is held in Orlando, Fla., attended by 11K; surprise guest Donald Trump (his first appearance since its 1973 founding) comes out as a conservative in a speech, hinting at a White House Run (decision by June), with the soundbyte: "America is becoming a whipping post for the rest of the world... America today is missing quality leadership, and foreign countries have quickly realized this. It's for this reason that the United States is becoming the laughing stock of the world... And I can tell you this, if I run and if I win, this country will be respected again... If I decided to run, I will not be raising taxes. We'll be taking back hundreds of billions of dollars from other countries that are screwing us, we'll be creating vast numbers of productive jobs, and we'll rebuild our country so that we can be proud. Our country will be great again"; of course he can't help talking about himself, with the soundbyte: "Over the years I've participated in many battles and have really almost come out very, very victorious every single time. I've beaten many people and companies, and I've won many wars. I have fairly but intelligently earned many billions of dollars, which in a sense was both a scorecard and acknowledgment of my abilities", adding "I may be willing to put that to work", although "Frankly I wish there was a candidate that I saw that would be fantastic, because I love what I'm doing." On Feb. 11 Pres. Obama meets with Canadian PM Stephen Harper to agree on a common "perimeter" around the two countries along with a biometric system to track North Ams. On Feb. 11 the New York Times Bestseller List finally incl. ebooks. On Feb. 11 the Iran-Balkan News Agency IRBA pub. a list of 24 NATO bases in Turkey. On Feb. 11 the Umatilla native Am. tribe is permitted to hunt and harvest bison outside Yellowstone Nat. Park per an 1855 treaty. On Feb. 12 a planned speech at the annual Jewish Keren Hayesod dinner by ex-pres. George W. Bush is cancelled after the Swiss govt. issues an arrest warrant for alleged war crimes. On Feb. 12 anti-govt. demonstrations in Algiers, Algeria result in 400 arrests, while the govt. shuts down the Internet, and an anon. group stages a cyberattack on the Web site of the Algerian Interior Ministry. On Feb. 12 more govt. vs. anti-govt. demonstrations in Sa'naa, Yemen end with police beating anti-govt. protesters. On Feb. 12 armed men hurl a grenade into a crowded nightclub in Guadalajara, Mexico, killing six and woundin 37; hours earlier a shootout between the cartel and the army in Monterrey killed eight. On Feb. 12 Egyptian-born Muslim cab driver Sam Hassan Daly (1958-) plows into a crowded sidewalk in the Gaslamp District of San Diego, Calif., injuring 25. On Feb. 13 U.S. House Speaker John Boehner says that though he believes that Pres. Obama was born in Hawaii and is a Christian, he won't tell Americans what to think who question it, and that it's not just a ploy to delegitimize and weaken him as a foreign-born closet Muslim. On Feb. 13 a drive-by shooting on the outskirts of Mexico City kills seven. On Feb. 13 the 53rd Grammy Awards sees African-Am. singer-bass player Esperanza Spalding (1984-) become the first jazz artist to win the best new artist award. On Feb. 14 Pres. Obama proposes a 2012 federal budget that will cut the deficit by $1.1T over 10 years. On Feb. 14 suspected Fatah al-Islam member Ghaleb Taleb is arrested in Athens while allegedly planning attacks in Europe. On Feb. 14 Indonesian Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir (1938-) is put on trial for being the leader of a terrorist network based in Aceh, to which he replies "I was only defending Islam"; on June 16 he is convicted of supporting a jihadist terrorist camp, and sentenced to 15 years in prison. On Feb. 14 Columbian authorities announce the seizure of the first fully submersible drug-smuggling submarine capable of reaching the Mexican coast. On Feb. 15 Libyan human rights atty. Fathi Terbil, who represents the families of 1.2K detainees killed in a 1996 massacre in Abu Salim Prison in Tripoli is arrested, causing a day of rage on Feb. 17, escalating into an armed revolt starting in Benghazi in E Libya, causing Libyan ambassador to the U.S. (since Jan. 2009) Ali Suleiman Aujali (known for working to get Abdelbaset al-Megrahi returned to Libya) to resign; the 2011 Libyan Civil War (Revolt) (Feb. 17 Rev.) begins (ends Oct. 23) on the 100th anniv. of the 1911 Libyan War to oust the Ottoman Empire; in Feb. Pres. Obama signs a secret pres. directive authorizing the State Dept. and CIA to begin Operation Zero Footprint to arm the Libyan rebels, giving command authority to NATO Adm. James G. Stavidris not the U.S. military? On Feb. 15 U.S. state secy. Hillary Clinton warns that nations that restrict the Internet to hold back popular demand for dem. reforms in the Middle East do so at their own risk, and that the U.S. is ready to help the dissidents evade the restrictions. On Feb. 15 Islamic rebels clash with police in Karachayeva-Cherkessia and Stavropol in the Russian Caucasus, killing three police and three rebels. On Feb. 15 opposition protests in Tehran anger Iranian lawmakers, who shout and chant for them to be executed, causing the Rev. Guard to issue a letter on Feb. 18 promising not to shoot at protesters. On Feb. 15 oil industry sources announce that drug cartel gunmen are threatening to attack isolated natural gas well drillers in N Mexico unless they pay protection money. On Feb. 15 the U.S. reverses itself and informs Arab govts. that it will support a U.N. Security Council statement reaffirming that it "does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity". On Feb. 15 Ghaybullo Avzalov, head of Tajikistan's S Khatlon Province announces new measures to combat the spread of radical Islam, starting by distributing 400K free copies of the Quran - spreading more? On Feb. 16 a U.S. ICE agent Jaime Zapata is killed and his partner Victor Avila wounded 100 mi. N of Mexico City en route to Monterey; on Feb. 24 Mexican authorities capture Julian Zapata Esponza AKA Tweety Bird (El Piolin) along with five other suspected Zeta members in San Luis Potosi, and arrest 700 suspects, confiscating drugs, weapons and $8M in cash. On Feb. 16 after visiting the Saudi port of Jeddah in the Red Sea, two Iranian warships, the frigate Alvand and the supply ship Kharq head for Syria via the Suez Canal for the first time since 1979 en route to their ally Syria, causing Israel to declare a high alert, suspecting them of carrying weapons for Hezbollah, and Iranian supreme assaholah Ali Khamenei to issue the soundbyte "The fake Zionist government is a cancerous tumor and the cause of different diseases and political, economic calamity in the region"; he also issues the soundbyte: "The main problem in the Muslim World is the presence of the United States. It is the biggest problem... We need to remove the United States from the Islamic world." On Feb. 17 (night) police in Bahrain crack down on peaceful anti-govt. protesters in Manama's Pearl Square, shooting them with shotguns while they sleep and firing guns at them in the street; on Feb. 20 thousands of protesters return after the troops pull out. On Feb. 17 Hillary Clinton pledges $150M to assist Egypt's dem. transformation. On Feb. 18 Islamic fundamentalist cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi returns from Qatar to address a rally of hundreds of thousands in Cairo's Tahrir Square, telling them "The revolution isn't over. It has just started to build Egypt... Guard your revolution", and calling for the conquest of Al-Aqsa (i.e. Jerusalem); despite the rev. being owed to his Internet activity, he bans non-Islamist leftist Wael Ghonim from the stage. On Feb. 18 Yemeni protesters hold a Friday of Fury. On Feb. 18 Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) protesters in Jakarta, Indonesia against the Ahmadiyah minority Muslim sect demand that pres. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono outlaw it, threatening another march next mo. On Feb. 18 Pres. Obama visits an Intel plant in Hillsboro, Ore. along with CEO Paul Otellini. On Feb. 18 the the U.N. Security Council votes 14-1 to pass a resolution condemning Israeli settlements as illegal and calling for an immediate halt to all settlement building; U.S. ambassador Susan Rice says that the U.S. "regrettably" vetoes it, because "This draft resolution risks hardening the positions of both sides... We reject in the strongest terms the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity. While we agree with our fellow council members and indeed with the wider world about the folly and illegitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity, we think it unwise for this council to attempt to resolve the core issues that divide Israelis and Palestinians"; on Feb. 25 German chancellor Angela Merkel talks with Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone, and after he slams her for supporting the resolution she responds "How dare you? You are the one who disappointed us - you haven't made a single step to advance peace." On Feb. 18 Tunisia's transitional govt. approves a gen. amnesty of political prisoners, incl. convicted terrorists. On Feb. 18 an Afghan soldier turns jihadist in Pul-e-Khumri and fires on German troops, killing three and wounding six. On Feb. 18 four men are tied and thrown 600 ft. over a bridge to their deaths in Chilpahcingo, Mexico. On Feb. 18 U.S. secy. of state Hillary Clinton expresses the hope that military action will split the Taliban from al-Qaida, laying the groundwork for a political solution in Afghanistan. On Feb. 19 Somalian pirates hijack the yacht Quest, with four Americans aboard. On Feb. 19 the house of reps. of Utah by 58-15 passes a law giving law enforcement officials the power to check the immigration status of those suspected of being in the u.S. illegally, with it being mandatory if they are charged with class A misdemeanors and felonies. On Feb. 19 Islamic jihadists kill four tourists from Moscow in N Caucasus en route to a ski resort. On Feb. 19 George Soros tells CNN that he doesn't expect the regime in Iran to survive the year. On Feb. 20 Libyan troops fire machine guns at mourners marching in a funeral for anti-govt. protesters in Benghazi, Libya, after which they seize some army vehicles, and the fighting erupts into a civil war to oust Muammar Gaddhafi, with troops joining armed protesters while the govt. tries to hang on by clamping down on news and the Internet far better than in Egypt, and Daffy's bald son Saif Gaddhafi gives an impromptu TV speech promising 100K deaths, vowing to "fight until the last man, the last woman, the last bullet, then offering a new govt. in 48 hours; Madman Daffy is worth $200B?; he orders soldiers who refuse to shoot protesters to be tied up and set on fire, while rounding up mercenaries; on Feb. 21 Libyan airplanes bomb protesters in Tripoli, while two Libyan Mirage jets escape to Malta to avoid carrying out the orders; meanwhile the Libyan ambassador to London resigns and joins the protesters, and rumors spread that Daffy himself has fled the country for Switzerland or Venezuela; on Feb. 21 Hillary Clinton condemns the govt. violence and tells Gadhafi to "stop this unacceptable bloodshed"; on Feb. 22 Col. Daffy gives a speech on state TV, rejecting demands to resign, saying "I will not leave the country, and I will die as a martyr" on Feb. 23 Egyptian Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi calls on Libyan soldiers to kill Daffy; on Feb. 23 the African Union joins in condemning the use of force against protesters in Libya; on Feb. 23 Pres. Obama "strongly condemns" the violence in Libya but doesn't call for Daffy's resignation, causing Libyan rebels to begin shouting "Send Bush!"; on Feb. 23 Iranian pres. Imadinnajacket tells the Daffy to allow free speech and "let their peoples express their opinions and then follow their noations", while simultaneously suppressing his own peoples' free speech; on Feb. 23 Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini expresses fears that up to 300K Libyans might flee to Italy, while Malmo U. prof. Anne Sofie Roald utters the soundbyte "We can't deny that today Islam is regarded as the biggest threat to Europe for many Europeans"; on Feb. 24 Daffy blames Osama bin Laden for the uprising; on Feb. 25 after his troops fire on demonstrators, bizarre ranter Daffy appears in Green Square, proclaiming "I am here" and telling the crowd "Dance, sing, live your lives... Ghadafi is here among his people"; meanwhile on Feb. 25 the Islamic Emirate of Libya is proclaimed in Derna in NE Libya; on Feb. 25 Pres. Obama finally imposes sanctions on Libya minutes after the U.S. flies its diplomats out of the country, with the soundbyte: "We will stand steadfastly with the Libyan people in their demand for universal rights and a government that is responsive to their aspirations. Their human dignity cannot be denied"; on Feb. 26 Obama finally calls for Daffy to step down immediately, and hours later the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopts U.N. Security Council Resolution 1970, condemning the use of lethal force by Daffy's govt. and imposing sanctions, referring the matter to the Internat. Criminal Court, causing Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to criticize Obama for hypocrisy for not doing ditto with Iran; on Feb. 28 British and German military planes rescue hundreds of stranded oil workers and civilians in E Libya; on Mar. 1 Hillary Clinton tells Congress that Libya is collapsing into "protracted civil war"; meanwhile rumors spread in the Arab press that Daffy is a secret Jew; on Mar. 2 Daffy's forces launch a counteroffensive against the rebel-held E half of the country, and battle for control of the Brega Oil Port, while the U.S., Britain and France send hundreds of advisers to train and support anti-Daffy forces in E Libya, and India sends three warships, and U.S. warships USS Kearsarge and USS Ponce the Suez Canal en route to Libya; on Mar. 3 the Internat. Criminal Court in The Hague announces that they're going to investigate Daffy and his inner circle incl. his sons for crimes against humanity; on Mar. 4 Pres. Obama ramps up the strength of his remarks, saying that the U.S. is keeping "all options open", incl. considering enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya, and insisting that Daffy leave office because he has lost his authority to lead; on Mar. 5 Pres. Obama sends U.S. defense secy. Robert Gates to Cairo as the unrest veers out of control and seize the HQ of the security police in Alexandria and Cairo, while the military leaders start losing their grip; on Mar. 6 there are brutal battles in Bin Jawwad; on Mar. 11 in Addis Ababa the African Union Peace and Security (PSC) rejects any use of force on Libya; on Mar. 12 Daffy's forces tighten their grip on the coastal road linking his territory to the rebel-controlled E, while the Arab League in Cairo recognizes the rebels and calls on the U.N. security Council to impose a no-fly zone to protect the rebels, which the White House hails as an "important step"; on Mar. 13 Al Jazeera cameraman Ali Hassan al-Jaber is killed in S Libya in an ambush; on Mar. 13 U.S. defense secy. Robert M. Gates says that the U.S. would have no trouble enforcing a Libyan no-fly zone if Pres. Obama orders one; on Mar. 15 the G8 rejects a no-fly zone over Libya in favor of stringer economic sanctions; on Mar. 15 four New York Times journalists go missing win Libya; on Mar. 16 Daffy warns the rebels in Benghazi that they will be shown "no mercy", after which on Mar. 16 the U.S. ramps up to pushing for U.N. authorization for a full military attack; on Mar. 17 by 10-0-5 the U.N. Security Council passes U.N. Security Resolution 1973, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Libya and authorizing member states "to take all necessary measures... to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack", setting up a no-fly zone (first U.N. resolution to authorize military action to protect civilians), causing celebrations in Benghazi, after which Libya declares a ceasefire while Daffy's son Seif al Islam al Qadhafi says that the Daffy family is "not afraid", and claims the resolution is "unfair" because they have "proved to everybody that there have bee no air strikes against civilians"; on Mar. 19 (8th anniv. of U.S. invasion of Iraq) French fighter jets deploy over Libya, firing on and destroying four Libyan tanks near rebel-held Benghazi, which is under attack by Daffy's forces, while the U.S. launches Operation Odyssey Dawn, starting with U.S. warships in the Mediterranean firing 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles to destroy 20 Libyan air defense sites, putting the U.S. into its 3rd simultaneous war in a Middle Eastern Muslim country; Pres. Obama utters the soundbyte "I want the American people to know that the use of force is not our first choice, and it's not a choice that I make lightly, but we can't stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people that there will be no mercy"; unfazed, Daffy sets up a human shield of supporters at his compound, and vows a "long war" in Libya, and opens his armories to issue 1M guns to his loyal followers to fight a civil war, which doesn't stop the compound from being hit by "accidental" U.S. airstrikes; on Mar. 22 a U.S. F-15 jet crashes in NE Libya after a technical failure after both crewmembers eject safely; discord in NATO emerges on Mar. 21 as Turkey blocks participation, Italy issues a veiled threat to withdraw use of its bases, and Vladimir Putin of Russia calls the Security Council resolution "flawed", saying it is "reminiscent of a medieval call for a Crusade", because "it allowed intervention in a sovereign state"; on Mar. 24 NATO assumes partial control over the no-fly operations; on Mar. 25 Libyan rebel cmdr. Abdel-Hakim al-Hasidi admits that his fighters have al-Qaida links, having fought against Allied troops in Iraq; on Mar. 27 Pres. Obama give a Speech on Libya, saying that the Libya mission saved "countless" civilian lives; on Mar. 30 the rebels retreat from the oil port of Ras Lanouf, blaming lack of air support; on Mar. 30 Libyan foreign minister Musa Kusa defects to Britain; on Mar. 31 Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan says that sending weapons to the Libyan rebels could feed terrorism because Daffy has unleashed war between Christians and Muslims; on Apr. 2 NATO "friendly fire" kills 13 Libyan rebels; on Apr. 2 Hillary Clinton's aid Sidney Blumenthal sends her an email confirming that the real reason for removing Col. Daffy is that his govt. "holds 143 tons of gold, and a similar amount of silver", not to mention all his oil; on Apr. 4 Italy recognizes the opposition Libyan Nat. Transitional Council; on Apr. 5 Daffy sends a letter to Pres. Obama, addressing him as "Dear Son", and asking him to stop the NATO airstrikes, which he calls an "unjust war against a small people of a developing country", asking for a ceasefire; on Apr. 14 al-Qaeda #2 man Ayman al-Zawahiri issues a video telling Arab nations to intervene militarily in Libya to eject Daffy before "Western aid... turns into invasions"; on Apr. 15 Daffy's forces shell Misrata, the only remaining rebel stronghold in W Libya, while his daughter Aisha gives a defiant speech; on Apr. 20 the Obama admin. announces $25M in nonlethal aid to the rebels; on Apr. 25 NATO forces bomb Daffy's compound, flattening a bldg. inside it; on May 19 NATO air strikes hit eight warships belonging to Daffy in Tripoli, Al Khums, and Sirte. On Feb. 20 thousands of protesters march in Rabat, Morocco, demanding a new constitution and more democracy. On Feb. 20 authorities in China stage a show of force to stop a planned Jasmine Rev.-style protest as called for via the Internet. On Feb. 20 Kamal Helbawi, leader of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood gives a speech in Iran settling the issue by saying that the Egyptian Rev. was Islamic not democratic. On Feb. 20 hundreds of Copts protest in front of the state TV bldg. in Cairo to call for Egypt's constitution to be amended to establish a secular not Islamic state. On Feb. 20 singer Pat Boone says that Christians must mobilize now to defeat Pres. Obama in 2012. On Feb. 21 (09:15 a.m.) Mount Bulusan in the Philippines erupts. On Feb. 21 Egypt's public prosecutor asks for a freeze on Hosni Mubarak's foreign assets, which the EU agrees to on Feb. 25, along with a travel ban on Libya's leadership, and an arms embargo. On Feb. 21 a group of 90 Islamic preachers and scholars around the Muslim World issues a statement supporting the revs. in Tunisia and Egypt and slamming democracy and "un-Islamic" political parties - if you're not holy in Allah's eyes you can never have the right to rule by sheer numbers? On Feb. 21 Christian Union Sen. Roel Kuiper announces his goal of amending the Dutch constitution to ban Islamic Sharia law. On Feb. 21 U.S. Gen. David H. Petraeus stinks himself up with a comment that Afghans caught up in a coalition attack in NE Afghanistan may have burned their own children to exaggerate civilian casualties. On Feb. 21 a 6.3 earthquake near Christchurch, New Zealand kills 75, with 300 missing. On Feb. 21 Repub. pres. contender Mike Huckabee criticizes Islam as "the antithesis of the gospel of Christ"; on Feb. 24 he adds that Am. Muslims are receiving special treatment "at the expense of others", and that this is "un-American". On Feb. 22 Egyptian Coptic priest Daoud Boutrus is found dead in Shatab, increasing tensions between Copts and Muslims. On Feb. 22 Israeli archeologist Eilat 'Mazar announces the discovery of a wall in Jerusalem dating to 1K B.C.E., which he claims bolsters the Biblical account of the reign of Solomon. On Feb. 23 oil prices on the New York Mercantile Exchange hit $100 a barrel for the first time since 2008. On Feb. 23 a group of 180 police in Yangdang in Hubei Province, China raid a Christian legal center and arrest a group of Christians. On Feb. 23 the Council on Am.-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and ACLU sue the FBI over surveillance at Calif. mosques, claiming their First Amendment rights were violated by targeting the most devout and likely to engage in terrorism; on Mar. 18 FBI dir. Robert Mueller testifies to Congress that "We have no formal relationship with CAIR because of concerns with regard to the national leadership." On Feb. 23 Amir Kabir U. and the Industrial U. of Isfahan in Iran open two supercomputer centers in a ceremony led by Pres. Imadinnajacket. On Feb. 23 (night) a Palestinian Grad rocket hits Beersheva, Israel, injuring 14. On Feb. 23-24 Egyptian army forces storm the 5th cent. St. Bishoy Monastery in Wadi el-Natroun (66 mi. from Cairo), injuring 19; meanwhile a 2-day meeting between the Vatican and the Egyptian Inst. of Sunni Islam set for Feb. 23-24 is suspended because the Muslims want the pope to apologize first, causing Pope Benedict XVI to refuse and reply that the dialogue will continue on God's time. On Feb. 24 20-y.-o. Saudi Tex. student Khalid Aldawsari (1990-) is arrested on terrorism charges, incl. plans to build a bomb and target the Dallas residence of Pres. George W. Bush along with dams and nuclear power plants; meanwhile the FBI sends a warning letter to fertilizer stores. On Feb. 24 gunmen open fire on six children playing in front of a home in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, killing three. On Feb. 25 hundreds of thousands protest across the Middle East in solidarity with the Libyans. On Feb. 25 high-ranking Juarez drug gang boss Luis Humberto Peralta Hernandez (AKA El Condor) is killed in a gun battle with police in Chihuahua, Mexico; meanwhile three gunmen are killed in a failed attack on Garcia mayor Jaime Rodriguez Calderon. On Feb. 25 Pres. Obama names Jeremy Bernard as the first openly gay White House social secy. On Feb. 25 U.S. federal officials announce an investigation of Tri-Valley U. in Calif. for luring hundreds of foreign students by promising to take care of their visa problems. On Feb. 25 the U.N. Internat. Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announces that it has received info. indicating that Iran is "not engaging with the agency in substance on issues concerning the allegation that Iran is developing a nuclear payload for its missile program." On Feb. 25 Christian Dior suspends its Gibraltar-born head designer (since 1997) John Galliano (Juan Carlos Antonio Galliano-Guillen) (1960-) for an alleged anti-Semitic speech in a Paris bar, incl. "I love Hitler" - you're under arrest, drop that fascinator? On Feb. 26 Facebook-planned demonstrations in Mauritania are staged by up to 1.5K. On Feb. 26 elections in Ireland become the worst D since 1932 for the ruling Fianna Fail party, and a V for Fine Gael. On Feb. 26 the U.N. Security Resolution votes 15-0-0 for Resolution 1970, condemning the use of lethal force by the Libyan govt. against protesters in the civil war, and imposing a series of internat. sanctions, becoming the first time a country is unanimously referred to the Internat. Criminal Court by the council; France is accused of violating the resolution by parachuting weapons to Libyan rebels. On Feb. 27 after three weeks of debate, the EU issues a statement denouncing the persecution of Christians by Muslims, albeit in a timid fashion; meanwhile Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan is given a hero's welcome in Germany by Turkish immigrants, telling them to infiltrate, er, integrate into German society but not assimilate, learning the Turkish language before German. On Feb. 27 Muslims throw a bomb at the car of prominent Gaza Strip Christian surgeon Maher Ayyad (1955-) for preaching Christianity. On Feb. 27 Am. Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan says that the revolts in the Middle East and North Africa are imminent in the U.S.; he also refuses to cut loose his old buddy Col. Daffy. On Feb. 27 the 83rd Academy Awards, presented at the Kodiak Theatre in Hollywood, hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway awards the best picture Oscar for 2010 to The King's Speech, along with best dir. to Tom Hooper, best actor to Colin Firth, and best original screenplay to David Seidler; Natalie Portman wins best actress for Black Swan; Christian Bale wins best supporting actor for The Fighter, and Melissa Leo wins best supporting actress for ditto; The Social Network wins best adapted screenplay and best original score; We Belong Together by Randy Newman from Toy Story 3 wins best original song. On Feb. 28 Iran arrests opposition leaders Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi. On Feb. 28 British Airways Muslim computer expert Rajib Karim (1980-) is found guilty of conspiring with Anwar al-Awlaki to blow up a plane. On Feb. 28 four people storm the Libyan embassy in Berlin, vowing to kill Col. Daffy and shouting Allah Akbar. On Feb. 28 Osama bin Laden's #2 man Ayman al-Zawahri issues a message urging Tunisians and Egyptians to create Islamic states. On Feb. 28 (night) Muslims storm the Christian village of Dabwak in C Nigeria near Jos and murder a mother and her four children. In Feb. the U.S. unemployment rate drops to 8.9%. In Feb. Raed Salah, leader of the Islamic movement in Israel is arrested in Jerusalem on suspicion of starting a forest fire to protest the Jewish Nat. Fund; on May 24 he addresses students at Tel Aviv U. and utters the soundbyte: "We must keep fighting until we remove the Israeli occupation and free holy Jerusalem"; on June 28 after entering the country illegally and giving a lecture, British authorities arrest him, pissing-off Palestinians and Arab Israelis, who accuse Israel of being behind it. In Feb. the U.S. begins sending spy drones into Mexico to monitor the drug trade; on Mar. 3 after it helps locate suspects in the murder of U.S. ICE agent Jaime Zapata, Mexican pres. Felipe Calderon agrees to allow it to continue; in Mar. it is revealed that they really began sending them in 2009. In Feb. an arrest warrant is issued for former Pakistani pres. (2001-8) Gen. Pervez Musharraf for involvement in the 2007 assassination of former PM Benazir Bhutto, causing him to live in self-exile in London. In Feb. the Obama admin. accuses the secretive Lebanese Canadian Bank of financing Hezbollah, causing it to be shut down and sold. In Feb. the first Islamic TV channel in Russia debuts. In Feb. the Borders chain of bookstores files for bankruptcy and closes 200 of its 642 stores. On Mar. 1 the funeral of former Islamist Turkish PM Necmettin Erbakan (b. 1926), who died on Feb. 27 draws thousands of Allah Akbar-shouting protesters. On Mar. 1 more massive protests across Yemen cause embaddled pres. Ali Abdullah Saleh to offer to form a unity govt., blaming it all on the West, with the soundbyte that there is "an operation room in Tel Aviv with the aim of destabilizing the Arab world", and "It is all run by the White House"; on Apr. 30 Saleh backs out of a mediated deal that would have allowed him to step down in exchange for immunity, and his forces shoot at demonstrators, killing four. On Mar. 1 Am. Muslim Brahim Lajqi (1960-) is convicted of falsifying immigration documents and sentenced to five years, but is not charged with threats to blow up the White House and other federal bldgs. and vowing to "slaughter the enemies of Islam". On Mar. 1 Taliban gunmen on motorbikes wound 15 girls at a college party in Marden, Pakistan, 25 mi. NE of Peshawar. On Mar. 1 German defense minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg resigns after revelations that he plagiarized large parts of his doctoral thesis in law at the U. of Bayreuth; on Mar. 2 Hans-Peter Friedrich succeeds him, on Mar. 5 uttering the soundbyte that Islam is not part of Germany. On Mar. 1 in response to Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's treatment of protesters in the civil war, U.N. Gen. Assembly Resolution 65/265 is adopted, suspending Libya's right to take part in the U.N. Human Rights Council. On Mar. 2 Pakisani minority affairs minister (Christian) Shahbaz Bhatti is killed by Muslim gunmen for opposing their sick Muslim blasphemy laws. On Mar. 2 two U.S airmen are killed and two more seriously injured by Allah Akbar-shouting 21-y.-o. Kosovan Albanian Muslim gunman Arid Uka (1989-) in a bus outside Frankfurt Airport in Germany, becoming the first successfully Islamic terrorist assassination in Germany, causing Pres. Obama to condemn the attack, saying "I am saddened, I am outraged by this attack"; Uka receives a life sentence, with possible deportation to Kosovo in 15 years; as usual, the PC press tries to coverup the Muslim angle, and the German govt. claims he acted as a "lone wolf", until they arrest German Muslim Rami Makanesi (1985-) whom they suspect of working for al-Qaida to develop a Euro support network - lone wolf or known wolf? On Mar. 2 the U.S. Supreme (Roberts) Court rules 8-1 in Snyder v. Phelps that protests by the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan. at military funerals where they shout that God is killing U.S. soldiers to punish the U.S. for homosexuality are constitutionally protected, trumping a jury verdict that they're offensive; Samuel Alito is the lone dissenter, saying a family has a right to bury their dead sons in peace. On Mar. 2-3 an Obama-Calderon Summit sees Mexican pres. Felipe Calderon also meet with House Speaker John Boehner and U.S. business leaders; on Mar. 3 Calderon announces that cables released by WikiLeaks have caused "severe damage" to the U.S.-Mexico relationship, and that he can no longer work with U.S. ambassador (since Aug. 9, 2009) Carlos Pascual (1959-), causing him to resign on Mar. 19; on Mar. 4 the two countries unveil a deal to resolve their 19-year cross-border trucking feud, and Calderon utters the soundbyte that organized crime in Mexico jeopardizes the prosperity of North Am. On Mar. 3 British radical Islamist Anjem Choudary holds a protest in front of the White House demanding that Sharia be enacted, causing a counter-protest. On Mar. 3 Pres. Obama expresses "deep regret" over a NATO airstrike that killed nine Afghan boys in the Pech Valley in Kunar Province on Mar. 1. On Mar. 3 Egyptian PM Ahmad Shafiq resigns in favor of transportation minister Essam Sharaf, who plans to form a caretaker cabinet. On Mar. 3 Am. Muslims Mohamed Mahmood Alessa (1989-) and Carlos Eduardo Almonte (1986-) plead guilty to planning to join al-Shabaab in Somalia to kill U.S. troops; it is later revealed that 21 Muslims jihadists were recruited from Minn. to join al-Shabaab. On Mar. 4 London School of Economics dir. Sir Howard Davis resigns for accepting a Ł300K research grant from a foundation run by Col. Daffy's son Saif al Islam Gaddafi. On Mar. 4 a Muslim Appreciation Day at the mosque of the Islamic Society of Tulsa, Okla. is made mandatory for police officers; Capt. Paul Fields is suspended for two weeks for refusing to order his officers to attend. On Mar. 5 a Sunni bomb in a Sufi shrine in Nowshera in NW Pakistan kills 10 incl. a child, and injures 30. On Mar. 5 the Gulf Cooperation Council meets to prepare a Marshall Plan for Oman and Bahrain in an attempt to quell the unrest there; on Mar. 14 Saudi Arabia sends troops into Bahrain to quell the uprising, pissing-off the U.S.; on Mar. 15 Bahrain's king imposes a 3-mo. state of emergency and gives the military wide authority to battle the protesters. On Mar. 5 4K Muslims attack Coptic Christian homes in Soul, Atfif in Helwan Governate, Egypt (30 km. from cairo), and burn down the Church of St. Mina and St. George. On Mar. 6 (4 a.m.) Muslim New York City cabbie Mohammed Azam (1983-) runs over two of four men hailing a cab in Manhattan. On Mar. 6 the History Channel debuts the 8-part miniseries The Kennedys in Canada after canceling the U.S. debut because it isn't historically accurate enough. On Mar. 6 Obama's new deputy nat. security adviser (since Oct. 22) Denis McDonough (1969-) releases a statement titled "Partnering with Communities to Prevent Violent Extremism", touting American tolerance and religious freedom, and parroting Obama's Cairo speech, saying that Islam has nothing to do with violent extremism and that the Egyptian Rev. was commendable for "the moral force of nonviolence - not terrorism, not mindless killing". On Mar. 7 the price of oil jumps to $106 in Europe amid fierce Libyan fighting. On Mar. 7 Space Shuttle Discovery reenters Earth's atmosphere for the last time, ending its 39th and final voyage after 5,750 orbits and 150M mi. On Mar. 7 protesters outside the U.S. embassy in Manama, Bahrain are greeted by an embassy official who offers them a box of doughnuts. On Mar. 8 the Mar. 8 Coalition in Lebanon sees Hezbollah, Amal, and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) unite against PM Najib Mikati and Walid Jumblatt. On Mar. 8 the Obama admin. finally admits that it will quit trying to close Guantanamo Bay, and resumes military trials there. On Mar. 8 a car bomb outside the office of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Faisalabad, Pakistan kills 30+ and wounds 100+; it was set by the Islamist Al Tawhid Wal Jihad org. in revenge for killing one of their own. On Mar. 8 the Black Hawks self-proclaimed anti-Islamist terrorist commando group announces a war on them in North Caucasus. On Mar. 8 zillions of dead fish wash up along a marina in Redondo Beach, Calif.. On Mar. 9 a video of Betsy Liley and Ron Schiller, an exec of Nat. Public Radio (NPR) calling the Tea Party racist and saying that NPR would be better off without federal money causes his resignation; the PC media covers up the real story that the investigative journalists James O'Keefe et al. were stinging him while posing as a Muslim Brotherhood connected org., which they were very friendly to; on Mar. 17 the U.S. House votes along party lines to block federal funding for NPR. On Mar. 9 responding to an Iranian call for protest marches there, Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal says that Saudi Arabia won't permit foreign intervention in its internal affairs. On Mar. 9 the Peter King Hearings on Islamic Radicalization in the U.S. ("The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and That Community's Response"), chaired by U.S. Rep. (R-N.Y.) (1993-) Peter T. King (1944-) (a longtime supporter of the IRA) begin; Minn. Dem. Rep. (Muslim) Keith Ellison (known for support of the Nation of Islam and financing of a trip to Mecca by the Muslim Brotherhood) puts on a crying act at the injustice of singling out one group, which happens to be the group responsible for radical extremist Muslims, namely Muslims, American and not; Tex. Dem. Rep. (1995-) Sheila Jackson Lee (1950-) gives a long ranting speech mixing Islam up with the KKK et al., calling for the committee to take up "cold cases" from the civil rights era, and thumping the Constitution to try to stop the hearings. On Mar. 9 three Shiite opposition groups call for an end to the monarchy in Bahrain, and replacement by a "democracy". On Mar. 9 Ill. becomes U.S. state #16 to abolish the death penalty; the last execution in Ill. was in 2000. On Mar. 9 the Dalai Lama gives up his political role in Tibet's govt.-in-exile in favor of an elected rep. On Mar. 9 a Pew Research Center Poll shows that 40% of Americans think that the Islamic religion is more likely to encourage violence than others, while 42% don't; Republicans and Tea Partyers are on the winners team, thinking that it does. On Mar. 9 the Ninth (Unity) Wave begins, ending on Oct. 28 with the achievement of Unity Consciousness, according to Swedish Mayanist Carl Johan Calleman (1950-). On Mar. 10 Saudi police open fire at a Shiite protest in Qatif, Saudi Arabia; on Mar. 11 a planned Day of Rage in Saudi Arabia is a dud, with several hundred protesting in heavily Shiite E Saudi Arabia; the fall of the Saudi royals will bring a worldwide recession? On Mar. 11 the 9.0 2011 Tohoku Japan Earthquake (biggest ever) strikes off Senai (near Tokyo), causing tsunami alerts in 20+ countries, with a 33-ft. wall of water swamping town in N Japan, killing 10K and causing $35B in damage; an explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi (No. 1) Power Plant nuclear reactor 170 mi. NE of Tokyo causes radiation to hit 1Kx the safe level, causing a 6-mi. exclusion zone to be placed around it, after which a 2nd power plant explodes; on Mar. 14 the 3rd nuclear power plant explosion occurs, causing panicked residents of Tokyo to flee as the U.S. braces for possible radioactive fallout; the earthquake shortens the length of the day by 1.8 microsec.; on Mar. 15 100K protesters throughout Germany call for closing of nuclear power stations; on Mar. 17 German chancellor Angela Merkel orders Germany's older nuclear reactors to be temporarily shut down for a safety check; on Mar. 18 Pres. Obama orders a review of nuclear power plants, while standing strong on the need for more; on Mar. 26 after radioactive iodine spikes 1.2Kx higher than normal in nearby seawater, Japanese authorities order the evacuation zone to be expanded to 18 mi.; on Apr. 12 Japan raises the crisis level at Fukushima to 7 (highest), equal to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. On Mar. 11 a Rasmussen Poll of U.S. voters shows that 63% think that gaining control of the U.S.-Mexico border is more important than legalizing undocumented workers already in the U.S. On Mar. 12 (night) Palestinian Arab terrorists infiltrate a Jewish town in the N West Bank settlement of Itamar near Nablus in Samaria and brutally stabs and kills the sleeping Fogel Family of five, incl. a child and an infant; Palestinians in Gaza celebrate the murders and pass out candy; on Mar. 15 two members of Mahmoud Abbas's official security forces are arrested for it, causing Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman to accuse the Palestinian Authority of perpetuating terror attacks via incement against Israelis; on Mar. 16 Palestinian pres. Mahmoud Abbas offers to visit Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip for the first time in four hears to reunite Fatah with Hamas; on Mar. 21 20K attend the Fogel Family funeral; on Apr. 19 the Israelis arrest Amjad Awad (19) and Hakim Awad (18) of the nearby village of Awarta; U.S. PC media is strangely silent about the whole affair. On Mar. 12 the Malaysian govt. blocks the import of 35K Bibles in the Malay language from Indonesia, then releases them on Mar. 16. On Mar. 13 gunmen ambush a van in Parachinar in NW Pakistan and kill 11, incl. eight civilians before police kill three gunmen. On Mar. 13 tens of thousands demonstrate the 6th anniv. of the uprising against Syria in Beirut demanding that Hezbollah be disarmed. On Mar. 13 after preaching against secular violence in Nigeria Muslim imam Ibrahim Ahmed Abdullahi is murdered in his mosque in Maiduguri by Boko Haram gunmen. On Mar. 13 Philip J. Crowley resigns as U.S. asst. secy. of state for public affairs for remarks that pre-trial detention of WikiLeaker PFC Bradley Manning is "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid". On Mar. 13 it is revealed that Pres. Obama told his aides that it would be much easier to be pres. of China. On Mar. 14 Pres. Obama addresses the Kenmore Middle School in Arlington, Va., saying "In the 21st century, it's not enough to leave no child behind. We need to help every child get ahead." On Mar. 14 (2 p.m.) a suicide bomber in Kunduz Province in N Afghanistan kills 33 and wounds 42, most of them volunteers trying to enroll in the nat. army. On Mar. 14 Pervez Musharraf appears on BBC-TV, saying that he believed that Britain gave him "tacit approval" to torture terrorism suspects. On Mar. 14 a bomb explodes at the office of the moderate Liberal Islam Network (JIL) in Jakarta, Indonesia, injuring four incl. a police officer. On Mar. 14 it is announced that the Egyptian army shelled 6+ vehicles attempting to smuggle weapons into Egypt from Sudan. On Mar. 14 a 35-y.-o. man in Grand Cayman stages a 9/11 phone prank claiming to be an Islamic jihadist planting C4, getting him arrested. On Mar. 15 U.S. secy. of state Hillary Clinton arrives in Cairo; she is snubbed by a coalition of six youth groups from the Egyptian rev.; after pledging $90M in emergency economic aid, she visits Tahrir Square with PM Essam Sharaf, saying that she's "deeply inspired" by the rev., with the soundbyte: "To see where this revolution happened and all that it has meant to the world is extraordinary for me. It's just a great reminder of the power of the human spirit and universal desire for human rights and democracy. It's just thrilling to see where this happened." On Mar. 15 the Israeli navy seizes the Liberian flagship Liberia 320 km off the Israeli coast, claiming that it carries Iranian weapons destined for Hamas et al. in Gaza Strip. On Mar. 15 the Royal Canadian Mounted Police charge two Canadian Muslims incl. Ferid Imam and ? with terrorism-related offenses involving al-Qaida, incl. training Najibullah Zazi. On Mar. 15 the African Union Summit in Ethiopia discusses the formation of an African Union Authority to replace the African Union Commission as the next step towards a U.S. of Africa. On Mar. 15 Canadian Liberal MP Justin Trudeau blasts a Discover Canada guide calling honor killings "barbaric", saying "there needs to be a little bit of an attempt at responsible neutrality"; after a Tory firestorm, he apologizes. On Mar. 15 WikiLeaks whistleblower Julian Paul Assange (1971-) claims that the U.S. diplomatic cables leaked by WikiLeaks helped spur the Arab uprisings because it made it difficult for the U.S. to continue supporting the regimes while trying to explain to them that they couldn't rely on U.S. support if they used military force on protesters. On Mar. 15 protests in Damascus demanding dem. reforms and the release of political prisoners are met with security forces firing on them, triggering the Syrian Civil War (ends ?) between the Syrian govt. of Bashar al-Assad, rebel groups incl. the Islamic Front, Al-Nusrah Front et al., and Hezbollah. On Mar. 17 Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu criticizes Europe's "strange fusion" of radical Islam and the far left, saying "There is a new boiling anti-Semitism of radical Islam that sweeps Europe as a whole, and there's a strange fusion – it's the only word I can use to describe it – a fusion with the anti-Semitism of the radical far far left"; meanwhile Ehud Barak warns that Israel faces a "diplomatic tsunami" for its indecisiveness about a new Palestinian state, which has been recognized by 110+ countries. On Mar. 17 British Muslim former hospital dir. Saeeda Khan is convicted of trafficking Tanzanian woman Mwanahamisi Mruke (1963-) then using her as a slave. On Mar. 18 thousands protest in Sana'a, Yemen; govt. forces fire on them from rooftops, killing 52 and wounding 200. On Mar. 18 hundreds of Saudi Shiites protest in E Saudi Arabia in support of Shiites in Bahrain, causing King Abdullah to offer them $93B more in benefits while strengthening security forces. On Mar. 18 (Fri.) Syrian rebels begin naming Fridays for their rev. cause; the first one is "Day of Dignity". On Mar. 18 an ABC News - Washington Post Poll finds that for the first time over 50% (53%) of Americans say it should be legal for gays and lesbians to marry; in 2004 it was 32%; 44% are opposed, vs. 62% in 2004. On Mar. 18 Visa announces a new peer (person-to-person) payment system. On Mar. 18 masked men open fire in a bar in Acapulco, Mexico, killing 10 and injuring four. On Mar. 19 elections in Egypt on a referendum on changes to the constitution to reduce the powers of the pres. and ensure fair elections see a crowd throw stones at Mohamed ElBaradei in Cairo while trying to vote, calling him a U.S. agent; article #2 of the constitution making Islam the official religion is not up for vote; after Islamist groups incl. the Salafists declare plans to establish political parties for the coming pres. elections, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces announces that Egypt won't "fall into the hands of Islamists"; Christian Copts begin fleeing Egypt, reaching 93K by late Sept. On Mar. 19 Pres. Obama makes a trip to South Am., starting with Brasil, announcing that he wants to put the two nations "on a path toward even greater cooperation for decades to come", pledging that the U.S. will be a "major customer" for Brazilian oil in coming years; on Mar. 18 (eve.) an anti-Obama protest in Rio causes the police to use rubber bullets; on Mar. 20 Obama gives a speech in Rio, praising Brasil's democracy as an example to his, er, the Arab world; on Mar. 21 (Mon.) he visits Chile, and talks about expanding economic copper, er, cooperation; on Mar. 23 he ends by visiting El Salvador, saying that the best strategy for curbing illegal immigration to the U.S. is to create economic growth there. On Mar. 19 Palestinian militants fire 50+ rockets into Israel, the heaviest barrage in two years; meanwhile Hamas police beat up reporters and confiscate their reporters. On Mar. 19 Muslims spray Sri Mandir Hindu Temple in Auburn, Australia with bullets. On Mar. 21 U.S. Sen. (D-Va.) James Webb issues a press release, saying that the U.S. mission in Libya "lacks clarity". On Mar. 21 Pfizer begins selling Viagra Jet, a new chewable form in Mexico. On Mar. 22 German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble says that Islam is a part of German society and that Germany must not discriminate. On Mar. 22 Venezuelan pres. Hugo Chavez utters the soundbyte that capitalism may have ended life on Mars. On Mar. 22 U.S. secy. of state Hillary Clinton gives an interview to Diane Sawyer of ABC World News, revealing that Libyan Col. Madman Daffy is exploring exile options. On Mar. 22/23 (midnight) after 15 boys aged 10-15 imitate the Arab Spring protesters by placing graffiti on public bldgs., and the secret police under Bashar al-Assad's cousin Gen. Atef Najeeb torture them by pulling their fingernals, outraging the pop., Syrian forces attack the Al-Omari Mosque in Deraa 70 mi. S of Damascus near the Yarmuck River border with Jordan, killing six protesters. On Mar. 23 a bomb tied to a telephone pole near a bus stop outside the Internat. Convention Center in C Jerusalem wounds 25. On Mar. 23 clashes between pro and anti govt. tribesmen in Al-Jawf in N Yemen kill 40+. On Mar. 23 Palestinian militants in Gaza fire a new barrage of rockets deep into Israel, causing the Jerusalem Post to declare it the start of the Third Intifada. On Mar. 24 U.S. attys. Stephen W. Preston, Mary B. DeRosa, Jeh Johnson, and Rear Adm. James W. Crawford III meet in secret to develop a legal rationale to take out Osama bin Laden, paving the way for the SEAL hit. On Mar. 24 by 22-7-14 the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva adopts a resolution on combating intolerance based on religion, finally dropping all reference to Islam in revulsion against Pakistan's infamous blasphemy laws, dropping restrictions on peaceful free expression and calling on member nations to adopt "measures to criminalize the incitement to imminent violance based on religion or belief"; after Iran fails to heed a Gen. Assembly call to improve their record, it also creates its first-ever special rapporteur for human rights in Iran after the Org. of the Islamic Conference bloc splits ranks; on June 17 ex-foreign affairs minister of Maldives (Muslim) Ahmed Shaheed (1964-) is appointed (until ?). On Mar. 24 the U.S. Census Bureau announces that the new mean center of pop. is 2.7 mi. NE of Plato, Mo. (pop. 109); in 2000 it was in Edgar Springs, Mo., 40 mi. NE.; U.S. pop. is 308M; Hispanic pop. is up to 50M. On Mar. 25 10K protest in Syria, causing the govt. to crack down, with troops killing 37 in Daraa in S Syria as they try to topple a statue of ex-dictator Hafez Assad; the 10K-man Iranian Rev. Guard Corps is put in charge of ending the uprising; on Apr. 8 Syrian soldiers are shot for refusing to shoot at protesters in Banias; on Apr. 13 hundreds of women march in protest after mass arrests in Baida. On Mar. 25 after being criticized for refusing to help the NATO mission in Libya, the German Bundestag votes to broaden the German mission in Afghanistan. On Mar. 25 U.S. prosecutors admit that a human smuggling ring brought in an undetermined number of potential Somalian Muslim jihadists via Brazil. On Mar. 25 Muslims in London, England protest to demand Sharia law for the U.K. On Mar. 25 a report by the Swiss-based Displacement Monitoring Center claims that 230K+ have been displaced by drug violence in Mexico, and about half may have taken refuge in the U.S.; meanwhile Mexico finally repeals federal criminal penalties for adultery. On Mar. 25 the Asia Times reports that Osama bin Laden was recently spotted in the Hindu Kish Mts. of Pakistan-Afghanitan; meanwhile Al-Qaida in Libya steals some SAMs from an arsenal in Libya. On Mar. 26 Syrian pres. Bashed Ass, er, Bashar al-Assad issues an amnesty for 260 prisoners in Sednayya Prison outside Damascus; too bad, they are mainly islamists, who join Islamist terrorist orgs. like ISIS and al-Nusrah Front. On Mar. 27 Islamic militants seize a weapons factory in Abyan, S Yemen. On Mar. 27 Taliban fighters abduct 50 off-duty Afghan policemen in an ambush in the Chapa Dara district of NE Kunar Province. On Mar. 27 an Israeli strike on a Palestinian rocket squad in Gaza Strip kills two militants. On Mar. 27 former U.S. defense secy. Donald H. Rumsfeld says that he is worried that the Muslim Brotherhood will hijack the Egyptian Rev. On Mar. 27 Hillary Clinton's advisor Sid Blumenthal sends her an email informing her that U.S.-backed Libyan Arab rebels are exterminating anybody with black skin, and does nothing about it? On Mar. 28 the New York Times puts up a firewall on the Internet to block non-paying subscribers. On Mar. 28 Repub. pres. hopeful Newt Gingrich gives a speech at Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Tex., and says that he's worried that the U.S. could turn into "a secular atheist country, potentially one dominated by radical Islamists". On Mar. 28 an unusual air attack is staged by the Russians against a militant Islamist base in North Caucasus, after which on Mar. 29 pres. Dmitri Medveyev warns the separatist fighters to surrender or "be destroyed". On Mar. 28 the Mansfield City School District in Ohio withdraws permission for a Tea Party group to stage an event on school grounds featuring a speaker who urges Muslims to convert to Christianity, causing them to sue. On Mar. 29 the govt. of Syria resigns; Hillary Clinton condemns it for its harsh treatment of pro-democracy protesters. On Mar. 29 uniformed jihadists in military trucks blast their way in a provincial govt. HQ in Tikrit, Iraq, killing 55+ and injuring 95. On Mar. 29 the first-ever hearings on Discrimination Against Muslims in the U.S. are held by the Senate Judiciary Committee's panel on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights, chaired by asst. Sen. Dem. majority whip (2007-15) Richard Joseph "Dick" Durbin (1944-), who claims it's not an attempt to counter Pete King's House hearings, and utters the soundbyte: "We should all agree that it is wrong to blame an entire community for the wrongdoing of a few"; Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) questions the need for the hearings in light of the fact that most religious hate crimes in the U.S. are committed against Jews, and says he's "stunned" that Muslim Advocates dir. Farhana Khera gives advice to Muslims to not speak to the FBI or infidel law enforcement sans an atty. On Mar. 29 a German govt. conference on Islam in Berlin is boycotted by Germany's main Muslim group the Central Council of Muslims. On Mar. 29 after many complaints from the Israeli govt. et al., Facebook shuts down the Third Intifada Group, calling for Muslims to launch another war against the Jews. On Mar. 29 ABC-TV's Diane Sawyer interviews Pres. Obama, and compares him to Abe Lincoln who prayed when "his own wisdom and that around him was insufficient for the day", and got him to respond "I do a lot of praying" - to Allah? On Mar. 29 U.S. HUD secy. Shaun Donovan says that no other pres. "better understands" the need for public housing than Obama, and that the admin. will fight House Repubs. over proposed cuts. On Mar. 29 the London Conference on Libya sponsored by Britain and France in hopes of building a consensus sees several Arab states back out, incl. Egypt. On Mar. 29 the moderate Muslim Am.-Islamic Leadership Coalition is founded to defend the U.S. Constitution, religious pluralism, U.S. security, and diversity in Islam as a counter to CAIR etc. On Mar. 30 Pres. Obama calls for a one-third cut in oil imports by 2020. On Mar. 30 Ugandan pres. Tamale Mirundi says that Libyan dictator Col. Daffy is welcome to live in his country - today and tamale? On Mar. 30 Syrian pres. Bashar Assad blames "conspirators" for the wave of protests against his authoritarian rule. On Mar. 30 a suicide bomber on a motorbyke blows up in a crowd in Swabi, Pakistan (44 mi. from Islamabad) as they gather to meet hardline Islamist leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman of Jamiat Uleme-e-Islam. On Mar. 30 a massacre in Blolequin, Ivory Coast sees 85 men, women and children seeking refuge in a govt. bldg. killed. On Mar. 30 Yemeni-Am. Islamist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki breaks his silence on the Arab Spring, saying that Islamists are elated by the revolts against govts. they have long despised. On Mar. 30 a new poll by Quinnipiac U. finds that 50% of voters say that Pres. Obama doesn't deserve a 2nd term, with 41% saying he does. On Mar. 30 the U.S. House Oversight and Govt. Reform Committee issues a report alleging that the Dept. of Homeland Security has politicized the way it responds to FOIA request for info. from the public and press. On Mar. 30 new German interior minister Hans-Peter Friedrich hosts a Conference on Islam with Muslim leaders in Berlin, saying that he wants to "work together on preventing radicaliation and extremism"; he proposes a "security partnership" with German Muslims, causing a firestorm of controversy. On Mar. 30 the 9/11 Commission tells the Senate Homeland Security Committee that the U.S. is still unprepared for terrorist attacks. On Mar. 30 the Ł8M Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre of Islamic Studies at Cambridge U. in Britain opens. On Mar. 30 U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.) introduces legislation to order secy. of state Hillary Clinton to designate Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist orgs. On Mar. 30 the LA Times reports White House comments that "CIA officers on the ground in Libya are coordinating with rebels and sharing intelligence." On Mar. 30 (midnight) Camp Pendleton, Calif. issues a security alert after three Middle Eastern Muslim men in two vehicles drive to it under suspicious circumstances - Islamophobia? On Mar. 31 Israel releases a map showing how Lebanon has been booby-trapped with 1K underground military sites by Hezbollah, which they call "resistance tunnels"; on Mar. 31 Hamas member Hasan Abyu Jaser is killed in a tunnel collapse. On Mar. 31 Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan gives a speech praising Libyan dictator Col. Daffy and thanking him for lending them $8M over the years, giving the Nation of Islam its first headlines in years. In Mar. the U.S. Army is exposed for its Afghanistan Kill Team that posed for photos of murdered civilians. In Mar. Ntrepid Corp. of the U.S. is awarded a $2.76M contract to develop sock puppet software to manipulate social media on non-English speaking Web sites incl. Arabic, Farsi, Urdi, and Pasho as part of the $200M Operation Earnest Voice Program. In Mar. billionaire real estate celeb Donald Trump (1946-) begins making moves to announce his Repub. candidacy for U.S. pres., saying that "I have some real doubts" that Obama was born in the U.S., and dissing him for not releasing his birth certificate, saying there might be something on it he doesn't want people to see, such as that it lists him as Muslim, or worse, maybe Obama originally had a different surname and father; Trump reportedly sent investigators to Hawaii on the trail of it, stay tuned; he also claims that Obama spent $2M+ trying to keep his birth certificate, college transcripts, etc., sealed, when actually that number is little more than speculation; Orly Taitz claims that it was more than $5M, paid to nat. law firm Perkins Cole, but then, signing Executive Order 13489 (Jan. 21, 2009) sealing all his records didn't cost him a cent, did it? In Mar. the U.S. economy adds 216K job, leaving unemployment at 8.8%. In Mar. 51% of Americans ages 12+ have profiles on Facebook. In Mar. the U.S. military begins issuing 13K Individual Gunshot Detectors that can tell where a shot was fired from, incl. distance and direction in less than 1 sec. In Mar. Tibetan Buddhist monks begin self-immolation to protest Chinese govt. opression; by Nov. 9 monks and one attempt suicide. On Apr. 1 after reports that Christian pastor Terry Jones burned a Quran in Fla. in Mar., a mob of enraged Muslims in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan turns violent, killing eight at a U.N. operational center, beheading two of them, after which Jones calls on the U.N. to take "immediate action" against Muslim nations to hold them accountable for the deaths, urging them to "alter the laws that govern their countries to allow for individual freedoms and rights, such as the right to worship, free speech and to move freely without fear of being attacked or killed"; instead, Pres. Obama extends condolences to the families of the murdered, and calls desecration of the Quran "an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry"; on Apr. 2 the Muslims continue their rampage in Kandahar, killing 10 and wounding 83, causing U.S. gen. David Petraeus to condemn Jones, calling Quran burning "hateful", "intolerant", and "extremely disrespectful", adding "we condemn it in the strongest manner possible"; a 2nd and 3rd day of rage sees more marches and mayhem, followed by a 4th and 5th; meanwhile officials in Pakistan send a letter to Interpol demanding the arrest of Jones for his "violent crime", and U.S. Sens. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) call for Quran burning to be criminalized, with Graham uttering the soundbyte "Free speech is a great idea, but we're in a war." On Apr. 1 protests in Douma, Syria (near Damascus) cause 10 to be killed; on Apr. 3 thousands march in Douma to mourn those killed in protests; meanwhile pres. Bashar Assad appoints a former agriculture minister to form a new govt. On Apr. 1 British security and counter-terrorism minister (since May 13, 2010) baroness Lilian Pauline Neville-Jones (1939-) tells the Daily Telegraph that the govt. needs to persuade the Muslim pop. that the U.K. is a single nation, and that they don't just "rub along together" but must be persuaded that their longterm future lies in Britain - but not in becoming British? On Apr. 2 a massacre of 1K+ in Duekoue, Ivory Coast in an area controlled by forces fighting to install pres. Alassane Ouattara is reported by a Catholic charity. On Apr. 3 a group of Islamists stage a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh against a govt. policy giving women equal rights to inheritance, and throw stones, causing police to open fire and use tear gas, killing one and injuring 25. On Apr. 3 the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood gets more vocal and demands that the govt. establish Saudi-style modesty police. On Apr. 3 an Islamist suicide attack in the Sufi Sakhi Sarwar Shrine in Punjab, India kills 41. On Apr. 3 the Obama admin. flops, dropping support of pres. Ali Abdullah Saleh; Yemeni officials announce that al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has seized the city of Jar and declared an Islamic Emirate; pres. Saleh let them in to bolster his tenuous grip on power? On Apr. 3 Somalia declares the new state of Azania. On Apr. 3 Ai Weiwei, the Chinese artist known for the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing is arrested for criticism of the govt. On Apr. 3-10 the miniseries The Kennedys debuts on History Channel, starring Greg Kinnear as JFK, Katie Holmes as Jacqueline Kennedy, Barry Pepper as RFK, and Tom Wilkinson as Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. On Apr. 4 (4th day of 4th mo. of the 44th anniv. of the assassination of MLK Jr.), U.S. pres. #44 Barack Obama (born on Aug. 4 and elected pres. on Nov. 4, 2009) launches his reelection campaign. On Apr. 4 U.S. atty.-gen. Eric Holder finally announces that he's cleared military prosecutors to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others accused in the 9/11 case for military trials at Gitmo, flopping on his Nov. 2009 decision to try them in a civil court in New York City; knowing how bad it makes Obama looks, he tries to blame Congress for forcing him to do it. On Apr. 4 Iranian pres. Imadinnajacket utters the soundbyte: "A Mideast without Israel and America is now possible"; on Apr. 7 he adds: "You should know that the Zionist regime has reached the end of the line and no one can save this regime." On Apr. 4 the U.S. Dept. of Education Office for Civil Rights releases a letter headed "Dear Colleague" that dramatically changes procedures for handling alleged sexual assault cases, making suspects guilty until proven innocent and bypassing the police to please hardcore feminists. On Apr. 5 the Obama admin. gives Congress a report on Pakistan, saying that its military has "no clear path toward defeating the insurgency" by al-Qaida. On Apr. 5 the Wall Street Journal reports that the U.S. has frozen military aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces, which are controlled by Hezbollah. On Apr. 5 a Debate on the Practice of Islam is held by France's ruling party in an attempt to stem the growing influence of the far right party of Marie Le Pen; meanwhile French interior minister Claude Gueant is prosecuting for declaring that the "growing" number of Muslims in France poses a "problem" - suicide in Eurabia? On Apr. 5 the legislative house in Ala. passes an Ariz.-style immigration crackdown law by 73-28, sending it to the Ala. senate. On Apr. 5 Israel attacks Sudan, killing 100+ in an air strike. On Apr. 5 renewed clashes in Yemen in Sana'a and Taiz kill three and injure 400+; on Apr. 6 tens of thousand siege the HQ of the governate of Taiz; meanwhile 15 are arrested in Aden after clashes with police; on Apr. 8 ("Fri. of Determination") hundreds of thousands protest in 15 of Yemen's 21 governates; on Apr. 10 clashes between protesters and police in Taiz result in four killed and 43 injured, with 500 becoming ill from tear gas; on Apr. 11 Saleh announces acceptance of a 30-day exit plan offered by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC); on Apr. 12 hundreds of thousands protest the GCC proposals; on Apr. 13 the 1st Armored Div. defects from Yemen's army; on Apr. 15 ("Fri. of Tolerance") hundreds of thousands protest throughout Yemen; on Apr. 17 GCC ministers meet with Saleh's opposition in Riyadh, while two protesters are killed and 45 injured in Sana'a; on Apr. 21 Saleh's eldest son Ahmad leads the Repub. Guards against armed tribesmen in the S governate of Lahj, killing 15, incl. 13 soldiers; on Apr. 22 ("Last Chance Fri.") hundreds of thousands protest in main cities; on Apr. 27 protesters advancing towards the state TV bldg. in Sana'a are attacked by police, who kill seven and injure 100+; on Apr. 29 ("Fri. of Loyalty with Martyrs") hundreds of thousands demonstrate in 17 governates, while Saleh dismisses atty.-gen. Abdullah al-Ulifi for demanding an investigation of the Repub. Guards; on May 4 tens of thousands protest in major cities after the govt. bombs the Yafea district of the Lahj governate; meanwhile the govt. accuses protesters of cutting out the tongue of a poet loyal to Saleh; on May 5 tens of thousands demonstrate, demanding that Saleh step down; on May 6 ("Fri. of Loyalty with People of the South") hundreds of thousands demonstrate throughout Yemen, while Saleh vows a crackdown on "opposition-backed bandits" for hitting oil pipelines and a power plant in Marib Governate; on May 8 protests in Taiz and Hodeidah governates kill three and injure 20 protesters; on May 9 "rev. youth" close offices in Ibb, Taiz, and Hodeidah; meanwhile four are killed and 100+ injured in Taiz by govt. troops dispersing protesters sieging govt. offices; on May 11 thousands march toward the Council of Ministers bldg. in Sana'a, killing 12 and injuring 150, plus another eight killed in Taiz, Hodeidah and Ibb; on May 13 ("Fri. of Decisiveness") hundreds of thousands protest throughout Yemen, which Saleh counters by calling it the "Fri. of Unity"; meanwhile fights between the 1st Armoured Div. and the Repub. Guards in Ban Matar District 40 km W of Sana'a kill three soldiers; on May 14 five Repub. Guardsmen are killed in an ambush by tribesman in Marib governate 180 km E of Sana'a, along with six govt. security forces in Rada in Beida governate 150 km SE of Sana'a. On Apr. 6 the Obama admin. reaches an agreement with Colombia regarding violence against labor leaders, enabling a free trade agreement negotiated by the Bush admin. to win approval although Obama campaigned against it in 2008. On Apr. 6 U.S. defense secy. Robert M. Gates visits Saudi Arabia to mend fences with King Abdullah and discuss the $60B arms deal. On Apr. 6 Syria reverses its ban on teachers wearing the Islamic veil, and closes the country's only casino in a bid to appease Islamists amid calls for more pro-dem. demonstrations; meanwhile Tunisia announces that women will be allowed to wear hijan on photographic IDs. On Apr. 6 Mexican police uncover a mass grave near San Fernando (80 mi. S of Brownsville, Tex.) in Tamaulipas containing 183 bodies; on Apr. 15 16 police officers are arrested for covering for the drug cartel, which kidnapped bus passengers en route to Matamoros, where 400 unclaimed suitcases are reported. On Apr. 6 the U.S. Govt. Accountability Office (GAO) tells Congress that the TSA failed at least 23x to stop terror suspects who boarded planes at U.S. airports; on Apr. 7 the U.S. govt. announces that its new style of terror alerts will be seen on Facebook and Twitter. On Apr. 6 Acorn (Assoc. of Community Orgs. for Reform Now) is convicted in Las Vegas, Nev. of felony "compensation" for registration of voters, becoming their first criminal conviction. On Apr. 7 former PM (1993-4) Mahamadou Issoufou (1952-) becomes pres. of Niger (until ?), inheriting the 2011-2 Sahel Food Crisis, and launching the 3N (Nigerians Feeding Nigerians) Initiative next year. On Apr. 7 the Taliban attack a police compound in Kandahar, Afghanistan, killing six Afghan security personnel, who kill four Taliban jihadis; the use of an ambulance by the attackers is later lamented by the Taliban, who promise an investigation and that it won't happen again. On Apr. 7 a Muslim gunman opens fire on students at Tasso da Silveira Primary School in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, killing 20. On Apr. 7 French interior minister Claude Gueant warns that humanitarian permits granted to thousands of Tunisians are temporary, and that France won't tolerate a "wave of Tunisian immigration". On Apr. 7 the Iraqi army clashes with the People's Mujahedeen, an Iranian exile group at Camp Ashraf N of Baghdad, killing 33, then blocks humanitarian aid. On Apr. 7 the first-ever Islamic univ. in Albania opens in Tirana. On Apr. 7 the Hawaiian Appeals Court rejects a request by Robert V. Justice to "inspect and copy" Obama's birth certificate, saying he must be a close family member - duh, so why doesn't a close member request it to satisfy everybody? Because Obama told them he's got nothing to hide, or the reverse? The burden of proof is on Obama if he wants the issue to go away, else it shouldn't, it could be a major scandal in U.S. history, if anybody still cares about the Constitution that is, because his entire presidency could become like the Lost Season of Dallas, when Pam wakes up and finds Bobby in the shower? On Apr. 8 Pres. Obama signs an executive order to continue the nat. emergency with respect to Somalia declared on Apr. 12, 2010. On Apr. 8 N.Y. Repub. U.S. sen. Gregory R. Ball, chmn. of the Senate Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs holds another hearing on Muslims and terrorism, hearing a talk by ex-Muslim Nonie Darwish; a Curious George doll with Star of David stickers on it and a hate-filled Muslim letter is sent to him, which on Apr. 14 is traced to Jameela Barnette of Marietta, Ga. who also sent the bloody pig's foot to Peter King. On Apr. 8 1K non-Iranian Shiite clerics and students from Qum, Iran demonstrate outside the U.N. HQ and Saudi embassy in an attempt to get the Iranian govt. to support the protesters in Bahrain, shouting Death to America and Death to the Saud Family; meanwhile demonstrations are held in several Iraqi cities calling for the departure of PM Nouri Al-Maliki, and an end to corruption. On Apr. 8 1M stage a protest in Liberation Square in Cairo demanding that the Egyptian govt. abandon the peace treaty with Israel and lift the blockade on Gaza Strip. On Apr. 8 the Izzadin Kassam Brigades of Hamas shoot an anti-tank missile at an Israeli school bus, injuring a student and the driver, causing Israel to respond with air attacks in Gaza Strip, killing five; meanwhile Hamas ramps up the rocket attacks on Israel. On Apr. 8 prominent Muslim cleric Moulvi Showkat Ahmad Shah, who denounced stone-throwing protests as un-Islamic is murdered outside a mosque in Srinagar. On Apr. 8 (Fri. night) Dems. surrender $38.5B in cuts to Repubs. to avert a U.S. govt. shutdown. On Apr. 8 NASA astronaut Cady Coleman aboard the Internat. Space Station performs the first Space-Earth flute duet with Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. On Apr. 8-11 Bretton Woods II is held in Bretton Woods, N.H., sponsored by leftist billionaire George Soros, who wants a NWO OWG with a global currency under U.N. rule. On Apr. 9 a Muslim opens fire with an automatic weapon at a crowded shopping mall outside Amsterdam, Netherlands, killing six and wounding 11. On Apr. 9 the U.S. criticizes Saudi Arabia for putting restrictions on the Internet. On Apr. 9-10 Am. rock star Bob Dylan performs in China and Vietnam after allowing the govt. to preapprove his playlist - the 1960s are dead? On Apr. 10 1K Muslims and leftist anti-war activists protest in Union Square in New York City, carrying signs that read "Stop War/Terrorism/Islamophobia". On Apr. 10 a 21-.y.-o. Jew in Villeurbanne (near Lyon), France is attacked by anti-Semites and seriously wounded as he returns from a Torah course. On Apr. 10 an Islamic jihadist in Dagestan in N Caucasus is killed when his suicide vest prematurely detonates. On Apr. 10 Welsh British Nat. Party candidate Sion Owens (1970-) is arrested for burning a Quran in his garden; the charges are dropped, but the investigators state that "almost certainly other proceedings will ensue". On Apr. 11 tens of thousand protest Mexico City to demand an end to the war on drugs, chanting "No More Blood" and calling for pres. Felipe Calderon's resignation for sending the army on the cartels in late 2006, causing 35K deaths. On Apr. 11 France's new anti-veiling law comes into effect, making it illegal to hide one's face in public or encouraging another to do so, whether a Muslim or not, causing protests outside Notre Dame Cathedral, with two arrested; only 2K women bear the burqa or niqab in France; on Apr. 11 the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood issues a warning, calling the French veil ban "the beginning of a dangerous battle". On Apr. 11 Ivory Coast pres. #4 (since Oct. 26, 2000) Laurent Gbagbo is arrested at his residence in Abidjan by French and U.N. troops after a battle; in Nov. he is extradited to The Hague and charged with four counts of crime against humanity in the Internat. Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with post-election violence. On Apr. 12 an Egyptian man declares himself to be the Mahdi (Muslim Messiah) at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, and is immediately arrested. On Apr. 11 female deputy police chief Atifete Jahjaga (1975-) is elected pres. of Kosovo (until Apr. 7, 2016). On Apr. 11 U.S. state secy. Hillary Clinton gives a news conference with Finnish foreign minister Alexander Stubb in Washington, D.C., and decries the marginalization of women in the Islamic world, saying they must be empowered for true democracy in the Middle East. On Apr. 12 the 50th anniv. of first astronaut in space Yuri Gagarin causes Russian pres. Dmitri Medvedev to gush. On Apr. 12 the U.N. declares the Palestinian Authority largely ready to govern a Palestinian state. On Apr. 12 an Egyptian man declares himself to be the Mahdi (Muslim Messiah) at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, and is immediately arrested. On Apr. 13 Pres. Obama gives a Speech on the Deficit, calling for it to be reduced by $4T over the next 12 years. On Apr. 13 the FBI announces the dismantling of the giant internat. Coreflood botnet that commandeered 2.3M Windows PCs (1.8M in the U.S.), and stole up to $100M. On Apr. 13 U.S. Rep. (R-N.C.) Sue Myrick, chmn. of the Intel subcommittee begins holding hearings on the Egyptian-based Muslim Brotherhood. On Apr. 14 Pres. Obama, British PM David Cameron, and French pres. Nicolas Sarkozy pub. an op-ed in the New York Times, with the soundbyte: "There is a pathway to peace that promises new hope for the people of Libya - a future without Qaddafi that preserves Libya's integrity and sovereignty, and restores her economy and the prosperity and security of her people." On Apr. 14 after their gang leader Abu al-Walid al-Maqdisi was arrested by Hamas on Mar. 2, Italian pro-Palestinian activist Vittorio Arrigoni (b. 1975) is kidnapped in Gaza by members of al-Qaida-linked Tawhid wal-Jihad, then hanged on Apr. 15 after their ransom demands aren't meant; Hamas denies involvement, as does Tawhid wal-Jihad. On Apr. 14 350 Islamist Salafi hardline protesters in Zarqa, Jordan clash with supporters of Jordan's king, wounding dozens. On Apr. 14 a delegation from the British Foreign Office led by consul-gen. Marie-Louise Archer meets in Alexandria, Egypt with the Muslim Brotherood. On Apr. 14 Obama interviews fan George Stephanopoulos of ABC-TV, and utters the soundbyte: "I think that over the last two and a half years there's been an effort to go at me in a way that is politically expedient in the short term for Republicans, but creates, I think, a problem for them when they want to actually run in a general election where most people feel pretty confident the president was born where he says he was, in Hawaii. He doesn't have horns... We're not really worrying about conspiracy theories or birth certificates" - that settles it - the president says he was born in Hawaii - which president, Clinton? On Apr. 14-16 the U.S. tornado outbreak of Apr. 14-16, 2011) produces 178 confirmed tornadoes across 16 days, killing 38 and causing $2.1B damage, becoming the deadliest since the 2008 Super Tues. tornado outbreak. On Apr. 15 leaders of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) meeting in S China unanimously criticize the West for waging war on Libya and causing civilian casualties. On Apr. 15 Islamists armed with swords, daggers and clubs attack police in Zarqa, Jordan, wounding 51; 32 others are treated for tear gas inhalation, while eight civilians are injured. On Apr. 15 a suicide bomber in a mosque in Ciberon, West Java (180 mi. from Jakarta) detonates, wounding 28 incl. several policeman, becoming the first Islamist suicide bomb in Indonesian history. On Apr. 15 the Egypt govt. appoints 20 new governors, incl. Emad Mikhail, a Copt for the city of Qena, causing Islamist protests. On Apr. 15 protests by Sunnis in Ahwaz, Khuzestan, Iraq result in 12+ killed. On Apr. 15 (night) hundreds of Egyptians rally outside the Israeli consulate in Alexandria, Egypt, calling for a new intifdada aginst the Jews in Israel. On Apr. 15 (night) non-Muslim Kashmiri candidate Haseena Akhtar is pulled out of her home and murdered by suspected Muslim rebels. On Apr. 15 U.S. comedian Jerry Seinfeld appears on the BBC-TV morning show Daybreak, and calls the upcoming royal wedding a "circus act" for people who think they're "special". On Apr. 16 hundreds of mad Muslims attack the Christian village of Gurjarnwala, Punjab after a bag with torn pages of the Quran is found hidden near a home. On Apr. 16 top U.S. congresswoman Kay Granger (R-Tex.) warns that if the Palestinians pursue a unilateral statehood declaration with the U.N. that the U.S. could reduce aid to both. On Apr. 16 a suicide bomber in an Afghan military uniform kills five NATO and four Afghan soldiers at Forward Operating Base Gamberi in Laghman Province, E Afghanistan. On Apr. 16 Roman Catholic protesters destroy the hated Piss Christ by Andres Serrano while on display in a museum in former papal seat Avignon, France. On Apr. 17 a poll of Repubs. in Iowa show that 48% believe that Pres. Obama wasn't born in the U.S. On Apr. 17 the XXX porno-filled medieval fantasy series Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" novel series debuts on HBO (until )?, set in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, about noble families who vie for control of the Iron Throne, as Littlefinger, Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, and Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell. On Apr. 18 after the U.S. debt tops $14.3T for the first time ever, Standard & Poors lowers its outlook on the U.S. to negative for the first time since it started assigning outlooks in 1989, causing stocks to slide. On Apr. 18 (8 a.m.) Islamist suicide bombers detonate two cars outside the Green Zone in Baghdad, killing nine and wounding 23. On Apr. 18 thousands of protesters in Homs, Syria demand the resignation of pres. Bashar Assad. On Apr. 18 in response to the election of Christian pres. Jonathan Goodluck, Muslims in N Nigeria kill 100+ Christians and burn 40+ churches; meanwhile two al-Shabaab militants murder newly-converted Christian Hassan Adawe Adan (b. 1990) in Shalambod, Somalia as part of a campaign to exterminate Christianity from Somalia. On Apr. 19 Pres. Obama holds an Easter Prayer Breakfast at the White House in Washington, D.C., with the soundbyte: "I wanted to host this breakfast for a simple reason, because as busy as we are, as many tasks as pile up, during this season, we are reminded that there's something about the resurrection, something about the resurrection of our savior Jesus Christ that puts everything else in perspective." On Apr. 19 a Boeing 737 carrying First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Jill Biden has a close call with a Boeing C-17 military transport jet that gets within 2.94 mi. as they are about to land at Andrews AFB near Washington, D.C. On Apr. 19 Repub. Ariz. gov. Jan Brewer vetoes a law requiring pres. candidates to prove their citizenship before their names can be placed on the state ballot. On Apr. 19 a mill outside Kabul, Afghanistan that recycles worn-out Qurans into toilet paper draws an angry stone-throwing mob of 1K, causing the govt. to arrest three and shut it down. On Apr. 20 U.S. Adm. Mike Mullen is interviewed on Pakistani TV, accusing Pakistan's spy agency of supporting the Hawwani network of Islamic militants in Afghanistan, who are killing U.S. and NATO troops. On Apr. 21 300 Israeli leftist intellectuals incl. 17 Israel Prize winners in Tel Aviv announce: "We are here to welcome the expected announcement of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, according to the borders of our independence, fixed during the 1949 armistice"; it also calls for a complete Israeli pullout from the West Bank. On Apr. 21 police uncover a 330 lb. bomb buried near a church near Jakarta, Indonesia set to to off on Easter Sun. (Apr. 24). On Apr. 21 Israel warns the U.N. that a planned new Gaza flotilla has organizers tied to Hamas and other Islamist jihadist groups. On Apr. 21 Israeli authorities rearrest Palestinian activist Ahmed Qatamesh (1950-), who was detained for six years in the 1990s. On Apr. 22 Fla. pastor Terry Jones is briefly jailed for refusing to pay protection money to the city of Dearbornistan, Mich. in the event of Muslim violence at his planned protest outside a mosque. On Apr. 22-24 Tex. Gov. Rick Perry declares Days of Prayer for Rain in Tex. On Apr. 23 hundreds of Russian nationalists and racists stage a rally in Moscow to demand an end to social welfare payments for Muslim repubs. of North Caucasus. On Apr. 24 (Sun.) Easter falls on the latest date since 1943 C.E. On Apr. 24 an Islamist bomb at Sacred Heart Church in Karradah, Baghdad wounds three civilians and three policemen. On Apr. 24 Allah-Akbar-shouting Palestinian police open fire on pilgrims visiting Joseph's Tomb in Nablus. On Apr. 24 Pres. Obama and his family attends Easter Sun. service at Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., which was founded in 1863 by freed slaves from Fredericksburg, Va. On Apr. 25 a daring jailbreak by the Taliban in Kandahar, Afghanistan sees 488 escape in a tunnel that took 5 mo. to dig. On Apr. 25 ProPublica becomes the first non-print journalist to win a Pulitzer Prize for journalism, for its series "The Wall Street Money Machine". On Apr. 25-28 the 2011 Super Tornado Outbreak in the S, midwest, and NE U.S. produces 360 confirmed tornadoes, killing 324 and causing $12.2B damage, with up to 210 mph winds; on Apr. 27 4.5 in. hail falls in Saltville, Va. On Apr. 26 French pres. Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi meet in Rome to discuss the influx of North African (mainly Muslim) immigrants. On Apr. 26 the world's last typewriter factory, Godrej & Boyce in India shuts down. On Apr. 27 the legislative house of Mo. passes a law banning state courts from making rulings based on foreign (read Sharia) laws. On Apr. 27 the Fatah-Hamas Accord is signed; the Islamic Jihad refuses to join the unity govt.; the Obama admin. says they won't support the new govt. unless it commits to peace conditions spelled out by the Quartet (U.S., Russia, EU, U.N.), but continues plans to send the Palestinian Authority $550M in U.S. aid despite bipartisan opposition; Likud leader Moshe Kahlon said that if there is a unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood, Israel should annex the West Bank; on Apr. 30 Gaza PM Ismail Haniyeh calls on the PLO to withdraw its recognition of Israel; on May 4 a Palestinian Nat. Accord is signed by all Palestinian factions; after Mahmoud Abbas says that he will continue pursuing peace talks with Israel, Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar says that Hamas will stick to its stance of not recognizing or negotiating with Israel, but "if Fatah wants to negotiate with Israel over trivialities, they can"; the unity is a sham to help their appeal in the U.N. for Palestinian statehood in Sept.? On Apr. 27 an Afghan Air Corps pilot gets in an argument with nine Am. trainers at Kabul Airport, then leaves, returns with a rifle and methodically slaughters them. On Apr. 27 two Christian Afghan asylum seekers, Ahmed Faizi and Ali Hussani are deported from the U.K. despite fears that they will be killed for apostasy by the Taliban or other Muslims. On Apr. 27 after a 4-year battle backed by the ACLU, U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney rules that CAIR can't have access to FBI files on it because of nat. security concerns. On Apr. 27 after the pressure by Donald Trump mounts, the White House finally releases a certified copy of the long form birth certificate, saying that the nation was being "distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers", causing Trump to claim "I won", and say that he's "proud" of forcing the release, dropping out of the race in May; no surprise, the birth certificate lists the place of birth as Kapiolani Maternity and Gynecological Hospital in Honolulu, the father as Barack Obama Sr., and the delivering physician as Dr. Richard Kimble, er, David A. Sinclair, who conveniently died in 2003 without telling anybody; too bad, it's only a copy, dated Apr. 25, 2011 and signed by the state registrar, not the real birth certificate made in 1961, which has never been forensically tested, and the serial number is out of sequence with the Nordyke Twins, born in you know what hospital a day after Obama, leading to more doubts, although the ball is now in the Birthers' court?; for starters, it's got plenty of evidence of being PhotoShopped, actually, created with Adobe Illustrator, with multiple typefaces, and shows evidence that the original birth certificate was scanned while still in its binder, complete with curved surfaces, while the information on the form doesn't curve with the printed text, and worse, the certificate purports to be a color scan of an actual piece of paper, but it has no chromatic artifacts; tt also goofs and lists Obama's daddy's race as African instead of Negro, a modern PC terminology; nationally recognized Adobe and Microsoft computer expert Mara Zebest has stated that "The PDF file released by the White House contains evidence of manipulation suggesting that one or more forgers utilized existing Hawaiian birth certificates to assemble fraudulently for Barack Obama a document the president presented to the world as authentic." And why did mommy wait to sign it until Aug. 7, and Sinclair until Aug. 8? Who is the registrar, it looks a lot like "Ukelele"?; why did a purported Kenyan birth certificate have the exact same time of birth if it was a fake and the authors didn't have access to the real one, aha, it's starting to make sense?; did mommy have a premature delivery in the British colony of Kenya, then fly back to Honolulu, walk into the hospital with the infant Messiah, and ask for them to help make him a legal alien quick, maybe telling them she had it at home in Honolulu, meanwhile telling her mother to place an ad in the local paper as a cover story, and now the hospital has to go along with the fraud to avoid criminal charges?; how convenient that all key witnesses are now dead, incl. mommy, daddy, grandparents, and Sinclair; bada bing, bada boom, the name of the hospital was Kauikeolani Children's Hospital until 1978, when it merged with Kapi'olani Maternity Home?; wrong, it was called that by the Hawaii legislature in 1954; funny how Obama jumped and released the certificate right before the immigration file of his daddy Barack Sr. was released, showing how he was suspected of never divorcing his first wife in Kenya, which would make his marriage to Ann a sham for the purpose of securing immigration status, and make Obama the illegitimate child of a foreign bigamist - somebody take my pulse? On Apr. 27-28 a tornado-thunderstorm outbreak in the U.S. South does $5B damage and kills 343 in five states, becoming the 2nd deadliest in U.S. history since the Mar. 1932 Ala. twister outbreak that killed 332; three TVA nuclear reactors are knocked out; on Apr. 29 Pres. Obama visits Ala. to survey the damage and offer condolences. On Apr. 28 a Sunni suicide bomber kills 10 in the Imam al-Hussein Mosque in Baladruz in C Iraq 50 mi. NE of Baghdad. On Apr. 28 a remote-controlled bomb in a cafe in Marrakesh, Morroco kills 11 foreigners and three Moroccans. On Apr. 29 (early a.m.) a Pentecostal Christian church in Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia is firebombed. On Apr. 29 (Fri.) (11 a.m. BST) the royal wedding of Prince William, duke of Cambridge, and Catherine "Kate" Middleton in Westminster Abbey (16th royal wedding there) is watched by 2B; she becomes the first commoner to become heir to the British throne in over three cents.; her wedding dress is designed by English fashion designer Sarah Burton (1974-), formerly of Alexander McQueen's fashion house; she is heir to the Party Pieces fortune; a group of extremist Muslims threaten to disrupt it, then back off. On Apr. 29 Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru sign a trade agreement, creating one of the biggest trading blocks in Latin Am.; meanwhile the Mexican Senate unanimously votes to overhaul Mexico's anti-trust law to stiffen fines and add prison sentences for monopolistic practices. On Apr. 29 Egyptian foreign minister Nabil al-Arabi announces that Egypt is permanently opening the Rafah border crossing to ease the Israeli blockade on Gaza. On Apr. 29 German authorities arrest three Moroccan al-Qaida suspects in North Rhine-Westphalia carrying a "large amount of explosives". On Apr. 29 soldiers fire on protesters carrying olive branches in Banias, Syria, killing 16+. On Apr. 29 a U.S. appeals court overturns an order to suspend federal funding for stem cell research, becoming a V for the Obama admin. On Apr. 29 a Biannual Report to Congress on the Afghanistan War claims that the 2009 surge has produced "tangible security progress". On Apr. 29 Saudi king Abdallah issues a decree making it a crime to insult public figures, incl. religious clerics. On Apr. 29 (eve.) pastor Terry Jones stages an Anti-Islam Rally outside city hall in Dearborn, Mich., which is cut short by loud counter-demonstrators who outnumber his and storm the barricades, causing mayor John O'Reilly Jr. to call the Muslims, er, Jones a troublemaker. On Apr. 30 police break up 300 angry Muslims threatening to burn a church in Gujranwala in E Pakistan after rumors of a Quran burning. On Apr. 30 the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood announces the formation of the Freedom and Justice Party, headed by Dr. Muhammad Morsi, and that it will contest up to half of the parliamentary seats in the Sept. elections, but will not field a pres. candidate. On Apr. 30 the U.S. places sanctions on senior Syrian officials Maher Assad, his cousin Atif Nijab, and intel dir. Ali Mamluk. On Apr. 30 the Syrian military seizes the landmark Omari Mosque in Daraa from protesters, killing 6+. On Apr. 30 the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner sees Pres. Obama roast Donald Trump, chiding him for questioning his birth certificate and comparing that with being a UFO nut etc., dissing his credentials and experience; the real reason Trump later runs for U.S. pres.? - 30 months later he has Obama's job? On Apr. 30 (night) a NATO airstrike on Tripoli narrowly misses Libyan Col. Madman Daffy and kills his youngest son Saif al-Arab (b. 1982); Daffy fabricates a claim that three grandchildren were also killed; after the bombing attack frenzied Libyans sack the U.S., U.K. and U.N. embassies; on May 1 Turkish PM Erodgan urges Daffy to leave Libya. In Apr. the Iranian Rev. Guards Web site pub. an article about the day after Iran tests its first nuclear bomb, saying it "will be an ordinary day for us Iranians but in the eyes of some of us there will be a new sparkle"; it turns out to be a hoax. In Apr. unemployment in the U.S. rises 0.2% to 9.0%; in Germany it drops to a 20-year low; employment among black men drops to the lowest point in 40 years; meanwhile U.S. taxes are at the lowest level since 1958. In Apr. Mt. Tambora in Indonesia, scene of the humongous 1815 earthquake begins getting active again, with 200+ quakes/mo., spewing ash and smoke as high as 4.6K ft. (1.4km). In Apr. British Astronomer Royal (since 1995) Martin John Rees (1942-) is awarded the Ł1M Templeton Prize, pissing-off the British scientific establishment, which doesn't want to have anything to do with Christianity. On May 1 (Sun.) after Pope Benedict XVI signs off on his first miracle on Jan. 14, Pope John Paul II is beatified. On May 1 suspected al-Qaida gunmen kill seven soldiers in Abyan and Sayoun E of Yemen. On May 1 a 12-y.-o. suicide bomber kills three incl. a district council head in Shaken Ditrict of Paktika Province, Afghanistan on Day One of the Taliban's spring offensive. On May 1 New York city mayor Michael Bloomberg appears on NBC-TV's "Meet the Press", and suggests that "you pass a law letting immigrants come in as long as they agreed to go to Detroit and live there for five or ten years, start businesses, take jobs, whatever." Ding, dong, the witch is dead? On May 1 (23:40 p.m. EDT) (12:40 a.m. local time) 66 years after the announcement of Adolf Hitler's death) Pres. Obama announces that pesky al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden (b. 1957) was killed by 23 U.S. Navy SEALs, an interpreter, and a tracking dog named Cairo in Operation Neptune Spear around 3:30 p.m. EDT in a $200K (20M rupee) 10-bedroom 3K sq. ft. mansion compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan ("City of Pines", founded as a British garrison town in the 1840s and named after deputy commissioner Maj. James Abbott) in the Hazara district of the NW Frontier Province 31 mi. NE of Islamabad and 93 mi. E of Peshawar, located only a few hundred yards from the elite Kakul Military Academy, the Pakistani equivalent of West Point or Sandhurst; Pres. Obama remote-views the hit from his Situation Room along with secy. of state Hillary Clinton, deputy nat. security advisor John O. Brennan et al., with Brennan calling Obama's decision to green-light the hit one of the "gutsiest calls of any president in memory", later claiming that the U.S. troops had been "met with a great deal of resistance", and that bin Laden had used a woman as a human shield, later finding out that he misunderstood Am. William McRaven and that he was unarmed; on Nov. 6, 2014 bin Laden's killer is revealed to be Robert O'Neill (1976-); the town is HQ of a brigade of the 2nd Div. of the Northern Army Corps, and home to many retired officers; the $1M mansion built in 2006 is surrounded by 18 ft. walls topped with barbed wire(an ISI safe house?); in Aug. the U.S. got a tip about the mansion by tracking his personal couriers; Osama moved there in 2006 after U.S. drones drove him out of the mountains?; the CIA set up a spy house nearby to watch, and kept it secret from the Pakistani govt.; fabled Seal Team Six stages Operation Neptune's Spear with two special ops super-secret stealth helis and an unmanned drone; one heli hard-lands in the compound after mechanical failures; four are killed besides bin Laden, incl. his oldest son Hamza, a female used as a shield, courier Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti (only one to return fire) and his brother; the first shot at bin Laden misses, and he shoves a wife at the SEALS before being killed; four of his children and two wives are arrested, and his computer disks captured (the original al-Qaida or database?); on May 6 al-Qaida and the Taliban confirm bin Laden's death, promise retaliation; Pres. Obama remote-views the hit from his Situation Room along with secy. of state Hillary Clinton, deputy nat. security advisor John O. Brennan et al., with Brennan calling Obama's decision to green-light the hit one of the "gutsiest calls of any president in memory", later claiming that the U.S. troops had been "met with a great deal of resistance", and that bin Laden had used a woman as a human shield; bin Laden leaves a will giving $29M to continue global jihad; on May 6 Yemen praises bin Laden's killing, while the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas condemn it; Jordan says that it hopes Osama's death will end the "terror era"; on hearing the good news, thousands swarm Ground Zero in New York City to celebrate; in Nov. 2011 Navy Seal cmdr. Chuck Pfarrer pub. a book about the mission, saying that bin Laden was killed within 90 sec. of entering his home, only 12 bullets were fired, and they would have captured him if he had surrendered; the Pakistani govt. is not officially involved in the operation although it is suspected they helped locate the compound and knew of it, with elite Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) kept out of the loop on suspicion they were on bin Laden's side; in Mar. 2014 it is revealed that Ahmed Shuja Pasha, head of the ISI knew bin Laden's whereabouts along with other top officials; hundreds flock to Ground Zero to cheer his death; the intel community warns of possible retaliatory attacks; the first of five nat. security meetings about the compound was held on Mar. 14, and the attack was originally authorized in Mar. as a B2 stealth bomber strike, but Obama changed his mind since he wanted evidence that bin Laden was dead; bin Laden's Yemeni former teenie wife Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah (1983-) tries to protect him by rushing the SEALs and is shot in the leg, then is left behind when there is no room on the only remaining heli; the news causes U.S. financial markets to surge; on May 1 Pres. Obama gives a Speech on the Late Osama bin Laden, issuing the soundbyte "Justice has been done"; too bad, he repeats his dumbass soundbyte: "The United States is not and never will be at war with Islam", and adds the double dumbass soundbyte: "Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader, he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al-Qaida slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries including or own, so his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity" (he should know, he's a true Muslim?); also: "As we have stated repeatedly since the 9/11 terror attacks, bin Laden never represented Muslims or Islam"; on May 2 Obama adds that "This is a good day for America", adding "The world is safer. It is a better place because of the death of Osama bin Laden. Today we are reminded that as a nation, there's nothing we can't do when we put our shoulders to the wheel, when we work together. And we remember the sense of unity that defines us as Americans"; on May 4 Obama ends speculation by announcing that he won't release bin Laden's death photo, saying he has been ID'd by his wife and children and doesn't want to stir Muslim anger, "That's not who we are", "We don't need to spike the football"; an NBC Poll reveals that 64% agree with his decision; under Osama bin Laden's leadership, al-Qaida was responsible for 10K deaths and injuries in a dozen years; bin Laden's clothing had two phone numbers sewn into it, along with 500 Euros; on Obama's orders his body is quickly (within 24 hours of death) buried in the North Arabian Sea after ritual burial rites in accordance with Islamic practice, incl. the reading of Quran Sura 1 and its curse on Jews and Christians, despite Obama claiming he isn't a real Muslim, and despite Sunni doctrine that it's a "sin"; devout Muslims begin calling the site the "Martyr's Sea"; the quick disposal raises suspicions that it's all a hoax to save Obama's presidency despite govt. claims of DNA verification; on May 5 archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams say that the killing of unarmed bin Laden left a "very uncomfortable feeling"; on May 5 Pakistani army chiefs eat crow, er, warn the U.S. not to violate Pakistani sovereignty or face "the direst consequences", and call for cuts in U.S. military personnel inside the country, which doesn't stop the U.S. from staging a predator drone strike in NW Pakistan on May 6 that kills eight Talibani; analysis of the captured material from his compound shows that bin Laden was considering an attack on U.S. commuter trains on the 10th anniv. of 9/11; on May 6 Pres. Obama tells cheering solders of the 101st Airborne Div. at Ft. Campbell, Ky., awarding the Pres. Unit Citation to SEAL Team Six, calling them "the finest small fighting force in the history of the world", and shaking the hand of the lucky SEAL who killed bin Laden, uttering the soundbyte: "We're making progress in our major goal... of disrupting and dismantling, and we are going to ultimately defeat al-Qaida. We have cut off their head and we will ultimately defeat them"; meanwhile the U.S. Congress gets pissed-off at the complicity of the Pakistan govt., and prepares a list of sanctions incl. cutting aid; the initial lead of bin Laden's courier's nickname came from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed after waterboarding, causing the debate on waterboarding to resume; on May 7 the CIA releases photos and five videos found in bin Laden's compound showing him preening while shooting propaganda films, describing him as thinking of himself as a "head coach" to al-Qaida; on May 8 Pakistan's ambassador to the U.S. promises that "heads will roll" as Pakistan investigates how bin Laden could hide for years in his country, and also promises "zero tolerance"; on May 9 Pakistani PM Yousuf Raza Gilani calls bin Laden's killing "indeed justice done", but warns against any more unilateral strikes, saying they will be met with "full force"; it is revealed that after 9/11 the U.S. and Pakistan struck a secret deal to permit the U.S. to hunt and kill bin Laden on Pakistani soil; on May 11 the U.S. Senate Armed Forces Committee is allowed to view photos of dead bin Laden; a stash of porno is found in bin Laden's computer drives; on May 17 U.S. Sen. Majority Leader (D-Nev.) Harry Reid says that the U.S. needs a "good relationship" with Pakistan, and now "isn't the time to start flexing our muscles"; Pakistani army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani faces a colonel's revolt by the 11-man Corps Commanders for letting the U.S. raid happen; Calif. diver Bill Warren announces plans to spend $400K searching for bin Laden's body; Pakistan arrests the CIA informants who helped locate Obama, causing deputy CIA dir. Michael J. Morrell to rate Pakistan's cooperation with the U.S. on counterterrorism operations as 3 on a scale of 1-10; in 2013 Pakistan begins building a $30M amusement park in Abbottabad. Free speech is dead in Europe, and now the pop. is defenseless against mass Muslim immigration? On May 3 the Danish high court reverses the acquittal of Lars Hedegaard, pres. of the Free Press Society, and fines him 5K kroner for making anti-Muslim comments in Dec. 2009 incl. "Girls in Muslim families are raped by their uncles, their cousins, or their fathers", and "When a Muslim man rapes a woman, it is in his right to do so." On May 3 five Muslims are arrested under anti-terrorism laws near a nuclear waste-processing plant in Seallafield, England. On May 3 Ammar Qurabi, head of the Nat. Org. for Human Rights in Syria claims that 1K+ have been arrested in the latest sweep by the forces of pres. Bashful Asshole. On May 3 Jordanian PM Ma'rouf Al-Bakhit says that Jordan won't consent to the establishment of a Palestinian state that doesn't incl. a guarantee of the "historic right" of return, and that it will fight any attempt to eliminate this issue or undermine Jordanian interests. On May 3 the Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami (Arab. "helpers of the global jihad") send a message to jihadist forums around the world to prepare a jihad against the "Zionist-Crusader alliance" for the killing of Osama bin Laden; its head is Abu Suleiman al-Naser (al-Nassir) of al-Qaida in Iraq. On May 4 Queens, N.Y.-born Jewish Princess, er, U.S. Rep. (D-Fla.) (1993-2001, 2003-) Debbie Wasserman Schultz (1966-) becomes chmn. #52 of the Dem. Nat. Committee (until July 28, 2016), succeeding Tim Kaine. On May 4 Pres. Obama meets at the White House with Britain's Prince Charles, offering his best wishes to the newlyweds, and praising his work on environmental issues. On May 4 Sandlin Matthew Smith (b. 1964), wanted for the bombing of a mosque in Jacksonville, Fla. almost a year earlier is shot and killed by the FBI after he pulls a weapon during his arrest. On May 4 the Great Mississippi River Flood of 2011 begins, cresting on May 10 near Memphis, Tenn. before ending on June 20 after killing 20 and causing $2B-$4B damage. On May 5 Pres. Obama visits Ground Zero in Manhattan, N.Y., and lays a wreath, uttering the soundbyte: "When we say we will never forget, we mean what we say"; 49 of 50 9/11 family members accept an invitation to be with him, the 50th John Vigiano saying he didn't like the way it was addressed to "Dear 9-11 family member - no names". On May 6 the U.S. goes for two in a row and launches a drone strike in Yemen aimed at Anwar al-Awlaki, killing two aides. On May 6 (Martyrs Day) Syrian pres. Bashar Assad lays a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Damascus while surrounded by supporters; meanwhile protests throughout Syria see security forces fire on protesters, killing 30, causing the U.N. to send a team to investigate, while the EU places sanctions on Syria. On May 6 Francesc Antich, pres. of the Balearic Islands issues the first official Spanish apology for the execution of Jews during the Spanish Inquisition. On May 7 after rumors of a mixed romance, Muslims and Christians fight on the street in W Cairo, killing five. On May 7 thousands of Muslim Salafists stage three protests in Cairo, demanding the prosecution of Coptic Pope Shenouda III and the release of the wives of two priests they claim converted to Islam; during the night Muslim mobs set two Coptic churches on fire in Cairo during Muslim-Christian clashes that kill 12 and injure 200+; St. Mary's Church in Imbaba near Cairo is torched, but on May 26 the Egyptian army orders its reconstruction. On May 7 protesters in Kuwait demand the execution of a blasphemer who insulted Aisha, Mother of Believers, and Omar bin Al-Khattab, a companion of Muhammad via graffiti inside a mosque. On May 7 after an 11-stay strike ends with 25 associates of Iranian pres. Imadinnajacket being arrested for sorcery, the growing rift with Ayatollah Khamanei results in street fights between their supporters. On May 7 rock star Madonna splits with Muslim boy toy hip hop dancer Brahim Zaibat after 9 mo. after her devotion to Jewish Qaballah conflicts with his religion and causes arguments. On May 7-8 U.S.-Taliban Talks in Germany are mediated by the Germans. On May 8 the king of Bahrain orders the end of emergency rule (began in mid-Mar.) on June 1. On May 8 Yemeni pres. Ali Abdullah Saleh announces that he won't resign until the protests end. On May 8 the Syrian govt. broadens its military crackdown on protesters, killing 14 in Homs, and arresting hundreds. On May 8 Mexican authorities catch drug lord Jose Zarco (1979-). On May 8 (night) the crew of Am. Airlines Flight 1561 en route to San Francisco tackle and arrest Muslim man Rageh Almurisi (1972-), who has a Yemeni passport and Calif. ID, and was banging on the cockpit door while shouting "Allahu Akbar", which the PC press attempts to coverup. On May 9 reps of 25 towns in Libya meet in Abu Dhabi in a show of unity. On May 9 NATO announces that it has significantly weakened the Taliban insurgency by capturing or killing thousands of militants in Afghanistan in the past 3 mo. On May 9 a ship carrying up to 600 trying to flee Tripoli, Libya sinks off the N coast of Libya. On May 9 the U.S. Navy announces that it will soon authorize chaplains to perform same-sex marriages in Navy chapels; on May 11 after howls from Congress, it suspends the idea. On May 9 Bashar al-Assad's adviser and spokeswoman Bouthaina Shaaban claims that the Syrian govt. has gained the upper hand in the 7-week uprising. On May 10 a 7.1 earthquake hits off New Caledonia in the South Pacific. On May 10 Microsoft agrees to purchase 170M-user Skype for $8.5B, becoming the biggest deal in Microsoft history (until ?). On May 10 Galleon Group co-founder Raj Rajaratnam is found guilty of 14 counts of insider trading, becoming the biggest case in a generation. On May 10 Pres. Obama visits El Paso, Tex., becoming his first visit to the U.S.-Mexican border since being elected with 67% of the Hispanic vote, and brags about cracking down on illegal immigration, calling for Repubs. to join him in legalizing border-crossers; he makes fun of Pres. Bush with the soundbyte: "All the stuff they (Repubs.) asked for, we've done... I suspect that there will be some who will try to move the goalposts on us... Or they'll want a higher fence. Maybe they'll need a moat. Maybe they'll want alligators in the moat. They'll never be satisfied"; Hispanic disillusionment with Obama causes Dem. Fernando Romero to found the Tequila Party, which holds is kickoff event on June 4 in Tucson, Ariz. meanwhile on May 10 the Tex. legislature passes a law that restricts cities providing sanctuary to illegal immigrants. On May 10 hundreds of Taliban militants launch a large-scale attack on Afghan police near Parun, Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden has been taken out, so his action movie career is kaput on the home front? On May 10 Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver announce that they're separating after a quarter cent. of marriage; on May 7 they celebrated the graduation of their nephew, but Maria wasn't wearing her wedding ring; she moves out on him. On May 10 federal officials in Manhattan announce that cell phone users in New York City and Washington D.C. will soon be able to receive emergency alerts via text message. On May 10 the supreme court of India recommends the death penalty for honor killers, calling the practice "barbaric" and "feudal". On May 10 U.S.-born Yemeni al-Qaida jihadist Anwar al-Awlaki issues a letter calling on U.S. Muslims to embrace jihad and war against the U.S. govt. On May 11 German police raid the homes in Ulm and Bonn of two alleged Islamic extremists suspected of raising funds for terrorists in Pakistan's border region. On May 11 Turkish opposition politicians Bulent Didinmez and Ihsan Baratcu resign 1 mo. before the gen. election, bringing the total to four who had to resign over secret sex tapes are posted on the Internet showing them in extramarital affairs. On May 11 an AP Poll reveals that Pres. Obama's approval rating has reached 60%, highest in two years, and over half believe he should be reelected; too bad, a Rasmussen Poll has Obama's approval rating at 48%, and a Gallup Poll has it at 52%. On May 11 NATO forces capture several suspected insurgents in Kandahar, Afghanistan. On May 11 after a 2-mo. siege Libyan rebels seize the city of Misurata. On May 11 the Times of India reports that Lashkar-e-Tayyiba is obtaining biological weapons incl. anthrax from al-Qaida. On May 11 (eve.) Pres. Obama hosts controversial rapper Common (Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr.) (1972-) at the White House. On May 12 the Am. Journal of Public Health pub. a report claiming that 1.1K+ women are raped daily in the Dem. Repub. of Congo (DRC). On May 12 Dutch MP Geert Wilders visits Toronto, Canada, and tells Canadians that they should ban immigration from the Muslim World, with the soundbyte: "What happened in Europe will also happen here. We should wake up to the fact that Islamisation means less freedom to us and our children... Freedom is the most precious thing we have. (Canadian soldiers) didn't give their lives to free Europe, (so that) not 50, 60, 70 years later we would face another totalitarianism ideology called Islam." On May 12 two Muslim men from North Africa Mohamed Mamdough and Ahmed Ferhani (1984-) (Morocco and Algeria) are arrested in Manhattan, N.Y. for allegedly talking about attacking Jewish synagogues and attempting to purchase AK-47s and hand grenades. On May 12 the U.S. District Court holds its last oversight hearing on its antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft. On May 12 seven top Mexican Immigration Inst. officials are fired amid allegations of being involved in kidnapping migrants. On May 13 the first revenge for the killing of Osama bin Laden sees two explosions in a paramilitary training center in Charsadda District, Pakistan kill 69. On May 13 the Pakistan Parliament holds a 10-hour session and decides that all U.S. incursions incl. drone strikes must end or it will impede free passage of NATO materials headed for Afghanistan. On May 13 a Palestinian refugee protest to mark Nakba Day sees IDF forces fire on protesters crossing from Syria onto the Golan Heights, killing six and wounding 71. On May 13 Joseph Jeffrey Brice (1990-) of Clarkston, Wash. is arrested for attempting to aid Islamic terrorists by creating a jihadi website and posting bombmaking tips; after pleading guilty in Sept. 2012, he is sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on June 12, 2013. On May 14 IMF dir. Dominique Strauss-Kahn is arrested at Kennedy Internat. Airport and accused of a sexual attack on maid Nafissatou Diallo at the Midtown Manhattan Sofitel New York Hotel; on July 1 after it comes out that the maid is involved in criminal activity and isn't on the up-and-up, changing her story and lying, he is released without bail and charges dismissed, only to have Tristane Banon, daughter of Moroccan Jew Gabriel Banon accuse him of attempted rape in France; on Aug. 23 the charges are finally dropped after the prosecution says no jury will believe Diallo; the DA's press conference is interrupted by the big 2011 East Coast Earthquake. On May 14 Arab rioters storm Jewish homes in the Moscowitz housing project in Old Jerusalem following the funeral of a Palestinian teen shot the day before in rioting. On May 15 Allah-Akbar-shouting Muslim truck driver Issa Islam plows into cars in Tel Aviv, killing one and injuring 17; he is charged with murder and seven counts of attempted murder. On May 15 the decapitated bodies of 27 farm workers are discovered in Peten, N Guatemala; the Los Zetas drug cartel is suspected. On May 16 the U.S. hits its debt limit of $14.294T. On May 16 the Internat. Criminal Court issues warrants for the arrest of Libyan Col. Daffy, his son Seif, and Libyan intel head Abdullah al-Sanoussi. On May 16 Iran sends an aid flotilla from the S port city of Bushehr to Bahrain to express solidarity with the Shiite pop.; after opposition by the Gulf Cooperation Council, it turns back. On May 16 motorcycle gunmen kill Saudi diplomat Hassan M. al-Kahtani in Karachi, Pakistan; retribution for the killing of Osama bin Laden? On May 16 former Obama White House #23 (Jan. 20, 2009 to Oct. 1, 2010) Rahm Israel Emanuel (1959-) becomes Dem. mayor #55 of Chicago, Ill. (until May 20, 2019), going on to see his approval ratings tank in late 2015 for protecting cops from justice, esp. the killer of 17-y-o. Laquan McDonald. On May 17 mixed-up Pakistan ground forces exchange fire with a NATO heli in Datta Khel near the Afghan border, with Pakistan claiming that the heli attack their checkpoint; meanwhile Pakistan announces the arrest of a senior al-Qaida operative. On May 17 the "Berlin patient" Timothy Ray Brown (1966-) of San Francisco, Calif. becomes the first known AIDS patient to be cured after a stem cell bone marrow transplant. On May 17 British PM David Cameron announces that the first 450 troops will withdraw from Afghanistan this year. On May 17 a U.N. Report on China claims that for more than a decade China has been aiding Iran and North Korea in developing ballistic missiles and nukes and getting around sanctions. On May 17 a Pew Poll shows low confidence in Pres. Obama by world Muslims, with the highest being Indonesia, at 63%, and the lowest being Turkey, at 14%; Palestinian Territories: 15%, Jordan: 25%, Pakistan: 16%, Lebanon: 55%, Egypt: 27%. On May 17-20 British Queen Elizabeth II visits Ireland. On May 18 Pres. Obama issues an executive order imposing sanctions on Syrian pres. Bashar al-Assad and six senior Syrian govt. officials, incl. a freeze on U.S. assets and a ban on cos. doing business with them. On May 18 violence in Afghanistan in Taloqan in Takhar Province and other locations kills 28. On May 18 Sol Lineas Aereas Flight 5248 crashes in S Patagonia, Argentina, killing all 22 aboard. On May 19 (12:15 p.m. EDT) Pres. Obama gives his 2011 Speech on the Middle East at the U.S. State Dept. in Washington, D.C., hailing the "extraordinary change" taking place, and stating that "The United States believes... the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps", reversing longstanding U.S. policy that this was only the Palestinians' goal, becoming the first U.S. pres. to require it as a starting point for negotiations with Palestinians, with the soundbyte: "We know that our own future is bound to this region by the forces of economics and security, by history, and by faith"; "A new generation has emerged, and their voices tell us that chance cannot be denied"; "The status quo is unsustainable. A lasting peace will involve two states for two peoples", adding "Symbolic actions to isolate Israel at the United Nations in September won't create an independent state", and that the "future of Jerusalem" remains to be worked out; he adds: "The full and phased withdrawal of Israeli military forces should be coordinated with the assumption of Palestinian security responsibility in a sovereign, non-militarized state. The duration of this transition period must be agreed, and the effectiveness of security arrangements must be demonstrated", meaning that Obama's plan is for Israel to first unilaterally withdraw to the 1967 borders, then later negotiate some border swaps; he also calls for Syrian pres. Bashar Assad to "lead that transition [to democracy] or get out of the way"; he also pledges $1B in aid to the Muslim Brotherhood-infested Egyptian regime; Jews do a double-take when he says that Israel must be able to defend itself "by itself", and calls for a "full and phased withdrawal of Israeli military forces"; the speech causes former Mass. gov. Mitt Romney to say that Obama "threw Israel under the bus"; Obama then meets with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, who even before the meeting voices his displeasure with the speech, calling Israel's pre-1967 borders "indefensible", and calling on him to reaffirm the U.S. commitments made to Israel in 2004, with the soundbyte "Among other things, those commitments relate to Israel not having to withdraw to the 1967 lines which are both indefensible and which would leave major Israeli population centers in Judea and Samaria beyond those lines. Those commitments also ensure Israel's well-being as a Jewish state by making clear that Palestinian refugees will settle in a future Palestinian state rather than in Israel. Without a solution to the Palestinian refugee problem outside the borders of Israel, no territorial concession will bring peace"; "Equally, the Palestinians, and not just the United States, must recognize Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people, and any peace agreement with them must end all claims against Israel"; he says that Israel also needs a military presence along the Jordan River, and won't deal with the terrorist org. Hamas; Obama's speech causes U.S. Jews to begin to turn on him; after the speech, Obama allegedly flew into a rage with his people, shouting "What the fuck was that?"; on May 21 the Palestinians defy Obama, pressing on for a Sept. U.N. declaration of statehood, while Obama gives a speech to AIPAC, assuring them that his commitment to Israel is "ironclad", that the U.S. demands Hamas to recognize Israel's right to exist, and that the borders he's talking about are not identical to the June 4, 1967 lines, although he fails to recognize that they were never borders, only armistice lines dating back to 1949; AIPAC member Mort Zuckerman later utters the soundbyte "For the first time since their state's founding Israelis feel Americans aren't behind them"; U.S. Sen. majority leader (D-Nev.) Harry Reid utters the soundbyte "The place where negotiating will happen must be the negotiating table, and nowhere else. Those negotiations will not happen, and their terms will not be set, through speeches, or in the streets, or in the media. No one should set premature parameters about borders." On May 19 the U.S. State Dept. tells Turkey that sending another flotilla to Gaza will not be "helpful". On May 19 China issues an ultimatum to the U.S. that any attack on Pakistan will be interpreted as aggression against them, harkening back to the 1958-61 Berlin Crisis. On May 19 thousands of Salafi Muslims surround the Coptic St. Mary and St. Abraham Church in Ain Shams, Egypt to prevent its reopening; the police do nothing. On May 20 a convoy of N Sudanese soldiers and U.N. peacekeepers are ambushed near Goli, Sudan (near Abyei) by unknown attackers. On May 20 Syrian security forces fire on protesters around the country, killing 27. On May 20 a gun battle between Mexican soldiers and CDG drug cartel gunmen in Matamoros kills three gunmen. On May 20 a suicide vest strapped to a 12-y.-o. boy in Nooristan, Afghanistan prematurely explodes, killing him along with several other insurgents, causing the Afghan Nat. Intel Directorate to detain 100 other boys 12-17 for their safety. On May 21 a suicide bomber in an Afghan military uniform detonates inside the main military hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing six medical students. On May 21 Taliban militants blow up a tanker carrying oil for NATO forces in Afghanistan in the Landi Kotal area of Pakistan's Khyber tribal region; a secondary explosion kills 15 trying to siphon fuel; another bomb damages 14 tankers in a nearby town. On May 21 Iranian authorities raid 30 homes of members of the Baha'i sect in a crackdown. On May 21 Saudi Arabia pledges $4B to the Egyptian ruling council in order to shore it up. On May 21 (6 p.m.) Armageddon (Judgement Day) is supposed to arrive via a worldwide earthquake starting in Fiji and New Zealand, after which mass graves will open while 200M lucky saved people ascend to Heaven, after which the remainder live on an anarchic Earth for 5 mo. until God annihilates it, according to U.S. Christian broadcaster (ex-civil engineer) Harold Camping (1921-2013) of Oakland, Calif., gaining thousands of true believers before it goes bust; he then resets the date to Oct. 21. On May 22 the first Islamic halal restaurant in Italy opens in Bologna. On May 22 Saleh loyalists seize the UAE embassy in Sana'a, Yemen, taking U.S. and other diplomats hostage; on May 26 big blasts rock Sana'a as Yemen nears civil war. On May 22 a dozen bomb attacks in and around Baghdad kill 18 and wound 80. On May 22 the EU opens a diplomatic office in rebel-held E Libya, pledging support for a dem. Libya where Col. Daffy "will not be in the picture". On May 22 Islamic jihadists attack the Mehran naval aviation base in Karachi, Pakistan, killing four. On May 22 Chinese police announce a search for a man who threw eggs and shoes at Fang Bingxing, architect of China's Great Internet Firewall. On May 22 Saudi police arrest Manal al-Sharif (1979-), a female Internet consultant for Armco, who defied Saudi law and drove a car in Al-Khobar while wearing a black abaya, then posted a video of it on YouTube; they then jail her for a week and force her to sign a document agreeing not to talk to the press or continue her protests, and crack down on others allied with her in her campaign and shut down their Facebook page; in early June princess Reem al-Faisal, granddaughter of King Faisal speaks out in the Arab News, jokingly suggesting that women at least be allowed to drive camels; billionaire prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz al-Saud also speaks out for women, saying that the pilot of his private jet is a woman, and that his wife gets away with driving; on June 17 a protest sees Saudi women driving openly in droves; on June 22 Huma, er, Hillary Clinton expresses support for the Saudi women, but takes pains to deny that the U.S. has anything to do with their movement; meanwhile in June the Saudi committee for religious edicts issues a fatwa banning men and women from mingling at offices and educational institutions "until the Day of Judgment", while King Abdullah ends the practice of male-only clerks at lingerie shops, which caused them to guesstimate sizes by staring at their abayas; too bad, on Jan. 24, 2012 Manal al-Sherif is killed in a car crash. On May 22 elections in Spain are a V for the conservative Popular Party over the ruling Socialist Workers Party by 10% (2M votes); in 2007 the Popular Party lost by 100K votes. On May 22 the market cap for IBM surpasses Microsoft, $207.52B vs. $206.52B; at one point Microsoft's value was 3x higher. On May 23 a slew of 70 tornadoes in seven states hit the U.S. Midwest (worst tornado outbreak in 1958 years), the worst one, an EF-4 (200 mph) killing 116 in Joplin, Mo. On May 23 Pres. Obama begins a week-long European tour, starting with his mother's ancestral homeland in Ireland,. where he utters the soundbytes: "There's always been a little green behind the red, white, and blue", "My name is Barack Obama, of the Moneygall Obamas"; "I've come home to find the apostrophe that we lost somewhere along the way"; on May 24 he after leaving Ireland early to avoid the volcanic ash from Grimsvotn Volcano in Iceland, Obama visits Buckingham Palace, receiving a royal welcome from the queen and royal family along with a 62-gun salute; too bad, he signs the guestbook at Westminster Abbey with the date "24 May 2008". On May 23 Afghanistan reports that Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has been killed in Pakistan while in the custody of the Pakistani ISI; they deny it. On May 23 the U.S. and U.K. launch a new Nat. Security Strategy Board. On May 23 armed clashes break out in yummy Sana'a, Yemen between police and tribes loyal to opposition leader Sadiq al-Ahmar; on May 25 the U.S. orders nonessential diplomats to leave Yemen; on May 27 Ali Abdullah Saleh's forces use helis and MiG fighter jets to attack bases of a rival tribal group after they seize an army camp; meanwhile on May 27 tens of thousands gather for the Fri. of Peaceful Rev., carrying the coffins of 30 killed in clashes and releasing white doves. On May 23 clerics in Aceh, Indonesia criticize a call from Amnesty Internat. to stop the practice of caning. On May 23 Switzerland stops refueling Iran Air jets. On May 23 a Hill Poll reveals that 61% of voters believe that the Arab uprisings will make things more difficult for the U.S. On May 24 Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint session of Congress, telling them he will accept uprooting Jewish settlements in a "generous" peace deal with Palestinians, but not accept a return to the 1967 borders, or share Jerusalem, or deal with Hamas, demanding a permanent Israeli military presence along with the Jordan River, with the soundbytes "I am willing to make painful compromises to achieve this historic peace. As the leader of Israel, it is my responsibility to lead my people to peace. This is not easy for me. I recognize that in a genuine peace, we will be required to give up parts of the Jewish homeland. In Judea and Samaria, the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers. We are not the British in India. We are not the Belgians in the Congo."; "This is the land of our forefathers, the Land of Israel, to which Abraham brought the idea of one God, where David set out to confront Goliath, and where Isaiah saw a vision of eternal peace. No distortion of history can deny the four thousand year old bond, between the Jewish people and the Jewish land. But there is another truth: The Palestinians share this small land with us. We seek a peace in which they will be neither Israel's subjects nor its citizens. They should enjoy a national life of dignity as a free, viable and independent people in their own state. "They should enjoy a prosperous economy, where their creativity and initiative can flourish. You have to ask it. If the benefits of peace with the Palestinians are so clear, why has peace eluded us? Because all six Israeli Prime Ministers since the signing of Oslo accords agreed to establish a Palestinian state. Myself included. So why has peace not been achieved? Because so far, the Palestinians have been unwilling to accept a Palestinian state, if it meant accepting a Jewish state alongside it. You see, our conflict has never been about the establishment of a Palestinian state. It has always been about the existence of the Jewish state. This is what this conflict is about." On May 24 Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi accuses the left wing of wanting to change Milan into "an Islamic city full of Roma", adding "Milan cannot be allowed to become an Islamic city, a Romopolis full of Roma camps and encircled by foreigners whom the left even wants to give the right to vote." On May 24 a roadside bomb in Kandahar, Afghanistan kills 10 road workers and injures 28. On May 24 (a.m.) NATO conducts its heaviest bombardment so far of Tripoli, Libya, striking 15+ targets. On May 24 Labour councillor Naveeda Ikram becomes the first Muslim woman lord mayor in the U.K. in Bradford. On May 24 a massive refinery blast in Abadan, Iran during a visit by pres. Imadinnajacket kills two - shaken not stirred? On May 24 Libyan ambassador to Brazil Salem Omar Zubeidy gives a speech at the HQ of the ABI in Rio, claiming that the CIA was behind the riots in Libya in recent months, starting with the one on Feb. 17; on May 25 the African Union meets in Addis Ababa, and issues a decision calling for peaceful resolution of the Libyan crisis, starting with a ceasefire. On May 25 Pres. Obama gives a Speech to the British Parliament, saying that Western influence remains strong in the world despite emerging powers incl. China, India, and Brazil, and that Western powers have a responsibility to uphold "universal rights" via multilateral forums incl. the G20, with the soundbyte: "Ultimately freedom must be won by the people themselves, not imposed from without"; he gives a joint press conference with British PM David Cameron, saying that he believes a 2-state solution for Israel and Palestine is achievable, urging Palestinians to negotiate with Israel over statehood instead of seeking U.N. recognition first. On May 25 a suicide bomber in a pickup truck levels a police bldg. in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing five and wounding 30 officers; only the bomber's finger is found. On May 25 former Bosnian Serb war criminal gen. Ratko Mladic is captured in a small town near Belgrade living under an alias; he is extradited to the Netherlands to stand trial for genocide et al. on his 1995 indictment after his men massacred 8K Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica. On May 25 the Taliban kills Khan Mohammad, head of the Porak girls' school in Logar Province, Afghanistan. On May 25 new European laws on Web browser cookies require the user to give explicit consent first. On May 26 the U.S. Supreme (Roberts) Court rules 5-3 in Chamber of Commerce v. Whiting to uphold the 2007 Ariz. law revoking licenses of businesses knowingly employing illegal aliens, becoming a big D for the Obama admin.; dissenters incl. Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Sonia Sotomayor; Kagan recused herself. On May 26 Belgium becomes the 2nd country after France to ban the burqa. On May 26 U.S. secy. of state Hillary Clinton visits Pakistan in an attempt to salvage relations after the killing of Osama bin Laden, and pressures them to help find four militant Islamic leaders incl. Osama's deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri; on May 27 she says that Pakistani officials have conceded that bin Laden had a support network in Pakistan to remain undetected for at least five years in Abbottabad; in exchange for a clean bill of health regarding bin Laden, the Pakistan military promises to start a military offensive in North Waziristan, but soon reneges. On May 26 fighting among rival drug gangs in W Mexico kills 28, causing 700+ to flee villages. On May 26-27 the G8 Summit is held in Deauville, France; on May 27 they meet with Egyptian PM Essam Sharaf and Tunisian PM Beji Caid Essesbi; on May 27 the summit ends with Russia acknowledging that Libyan Col. Daffy has to go, and agreeing to mediate his exit; G8 nations issue a statement expressing support for the dem. uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, and unveil the Deauville Partnership, pledging $20B for economic aid, mainly to Tunisia and Egypt, with no conditions about democratization; Canadian PM Stephen Harper blocks the G8 from issuing a statement calling for Israel to return to its 1967 "Auschwitz" borders; on May 27 Obama visits Poland, meeting with Polish pres. Bronislaw Komorowski before returning to the U.S., and praising it as an example for pro-dem. movements in North Africa and the Middle East to follow. On May 27 a suicide car bomb attack in Hangu in NW Pakistan kills 36, incl. 10 policemen, and injures 50+. On May 27 two Italian U.N. peacekeepers are killed by an IED near Sidon, S Lebanon. On May 27 Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi claims that the ouster of two autocratic leaders proves that Islam is compatible with democracy, with the soundbyte: "The principle has been established that democracy is not only compatible with Western countries and their civilizations, and I believe this is very important." On May 27 Egypt reopens its border with Gaza Strip at the Rafah crossing after four years, then implements a series of restrictions on May 31, causing angry Palestinians on June 4 to storm the gates; on May 28 hundreds of thousands demonstrate in Tahrir Square in Cairo to denounce the military govt., calling for a "2nd rev." On May 27 a Jerusalem Post poll reveals that 40% of Jewish Israelis believe that the Obama admin. is pro-Palestinian. On May 28 hundreds protest in Amman, Jordan, calling for closure of the Israeli embassy and nullifcation of the peace treaty with Israel. On May 28 police arrest several people at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. for protesting a recent court decision upholding a ban on dancing. On May 29 (Sun.) pres. (since May 5, 2010) Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (1957-) is sworn-in for a 4-year term as pres. of Nigeria (until Mayh 29, 2015); meanwhile the new Muslim Personal Law Bill gives more power to Islamic Kadhi courts for Muslims in matters of marriage, divorce, and inheritance, pissing-off Christians, who claim it promotes Islamic fundamentalism. On May 29 French Conservative minister George Tron (1958-) resigns over rape allegations after two women encouraged by the Dominique Strauss-Khan case come forward. On May 29 a NATO air strike in Helmand Province, Afghanistan inadvertently hits two civilian homes, killing two women and 12 children. On May 29 three Greenpeace activists board the Leiv Eiriksson Oil Rig off the coast of Greenland to protest deepwater drilling in Arctic waters; dozens of environmental activists climb on top of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to demand an end to the use of atomic energy. On May 29 the MV First Ocean bulk carrier ship is attacked by Muslim pirates in the Gulf of Aden, and is saved by the Iranian navy, its 12th confrontation since late Mar. On May 29 former Egyptian Bank of Alexandria CEO Mahmoud Abdel Salam Omar is arrested for a sexual attack on a maid at the Pierre Hotel on 5th Ave. in Manhattan, N.Y. On May 29 the Wallow Fire in Apache Sitgreaves Nat. Forest in E Ariz starts, burning for more than 1 mo. and destroying 840 sq. mi. of forest, displacing 10K, and doing $79M damage; on June 18 U.S. Repub. Sen. John McCain suggests that it was started by illegal immigrants, causing Hispanic groups to demand he apologize after non-Hispanic campers Caleb Joshua Malboeuf (26) and David Wayne Malboeuf (24) are charged by federal authorities. On May 29 (10:45 p.m.) United Airlines Flight 990 (Boeing 767) en route from Washington, D.C. to Ghana with 144 passengers is disrupted when a passenger lowers his seat too far, causing the person behind him to start a fight, ending in the flight returning to Dulles Airport while U.S. F-16 jets are scrambled. On May 30 the city of Zinjibar, S Yemen falls to Islamist militants, their 2nd. On May 30 19-y.-o. Russian Christian girl Katya Koren (1992-) is stoned to death in her village in the Ukraine after participating in a beauty contest, causing reports that she was Muslim and was executed for violating Muslim Sharia; it turns out to be a classmate, Bilal Gaziyev, a Crimean Tatar. On May 30 an Egyptian security official claims that over 400 al-Qaida members have made their way into the Sinai Peninsula. On May 30 the First Gathering of European Muslim and Jewish Leaders in Brussels, Belgium, organized by two U.S. Jewish groups declares that Muslims have "deep roots" in the European continent, and that Muslims are as imperiled by Islamophobia as Jews are by anti-Semitism; a dozen Muslim leaders sign the declaration. On May 30 a Gallup Poll reveals that Pres. Obama's approval rating is just 37% among active military or veterans, vs. 48% among non-military personnel. On May 31 Israeli strategic affairs minister Mose Ya'alon calls on the "entire civilized world... to take joint action to avert the nuclear threat posed by Iran", with a military strike being on the table. On May 30 the Sydney Morning Herald reports that billboards reading "Jesus: Prophet of Islam" are being paid for by Muslims in Australia, causing an uproar, with Roman Catholic bishop Julian Porteous calling them "provocative and offensive". On May 30 Muslim clerics of Jamiat-Ulema-e-Islam hold a press conference in Karachi, Pakistan to demand that the Bible be banned for containing "immoral stories". On May 31 Pres. Obama nominates former Edison Internat. CEO John Bryson as commerce secy. On May 31 the U.S. Supreme Court by 8-0 throws out the lawsuit against former U.S. atty.-gen. John Ashcroft by Am.-born Muslim Abdullah al-Kidd, with justice Antonin Scalia writing: "Qualified immunity gives government officials breathing room to make reasonable but mistaken judgments about open legal questions." On May 31 the U.S. govt. refiles charges against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other alleged 9/11 conspirators to allow prosecution before a military commission in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. On May 31 defying the Daghestani authorities, the Congress of the Nogays is held by 3K in Terkli-Mekteb, demanding a new Nogay motherland composed of Daghestan, Stavropol, and Checnya. On May 31 Maulana Salimullah, senior leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party is gunned down and killed in the Latambar area of NW Pakistan; four others are injured. On May 31 Syrian pres. Bashar al-Assad issues a decree granting a gen. amnesty to political opposition parties incl. the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood; meanwhile the story emerges of Hamza Ali al-Khateeb (b. 1998), who was tortured to death and castrated by Syrian security forces. On May 31 Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina announces her support for restoring Islam as the state religion after abolishing the 1972 secular constitution; meanwhile a 40-y.-o. woman in the Jhalakathi district of Dhaka, Bangladesh cuts off the penis of a man trying to rape her in her shanty, then takes it to the police as evidence; meanwhile Moldovan PM Vlad Filat pledges to review the recent registration of Islam as one of the country's recognized religions. On May 31 Afghan pres. Hamid Karzai issues an ultimatum to NATO to stop air strikes on Afghan homes, warning them that if they don't then the Afghan people will drive them out as occupying enemy forces, warning that if they continue "We will be forced to take unilateral action". On May 31 Pakistani journalist Syed Saleem Shahzads, who wrote the week before about infiltration of the Pakistan navy by al-Qaida is found murdered. On May 31 a bus plunges into a river in Assam State in NE India, killing 31. In May Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter are all visible within the same 6 deg. area of sky. In May Taiga Ishikawa of Tokyo's Toshima ward becomes the first openly gay political office holder in modern Japan. In May authorities in Tatarstan, Russia warn of radical Islam spreading into their region, which had been known for Muslim-Christian mutual tolerance. In May Iraqi Muslim immigrants Waad Ramadan Alwan and Mohanad Shareef Hammadi are indicted by the U.S. govt. for trying to obtain and ship Stinger missiles and money to al-Qaida in Iraq. In May Cuban-born Hillary Clinton favorite Carlos Pascual (1959-) (U.S. ambassador to Ukraine in 2000-3) succeeds David L. Goldwyn as dir. of the U.S. State Dept. Bureau of Energy Resources, working to draw Ukraine into the Western sphere while pissing-off Vladimir Putin. In May the U.S. unemployment rate rises to 91%, with the economy adding only 54K jobs. In May Saudi Arabia announces plans to build 16 nuclear reactors by 2030. In May Nepal census takers recognize a "third gender" for gay and transgender people; they decriminalized gay sex in 2008. In May-June after record snowfall in the Rocky Mts. of Mont. and Wyo. and near-record spring rainfall in C-E Mont., the 2011 Missouri River Flood results after six major dams are opened to prevent overflow, flooding towns and cities from Mont. to Mo. incl. Bismarck, N.D., Pierre, S.D., Dunes, S.C., South Sioux City, Neb., Sioux City, Iowa, Omaha, Neb., Council Bluffs, Iowa, Kansas City, Mo., and Jefferson City, Mo. On June 1 Dutch politician Geert Wilders delivers his final remarks at his misguided hate speech trial in Amsterdam, saying "I am risking my life in defense of freedom in the Netherlands", and "The Netherlands is threatened by Islam. Islam is an ideology of hate and destruction. Islam threatens Western values and norms.", and "Acquit me. I do not encourage hatred, I do not encourage discrimination." On June 1 the state of Ill. declares the Islamic calendar month of Ramadan "green", becoming the 1st U.S. state. On June 1 the first of three eclipses, a midnight solar eclipse in the high Arctic occurs, followed on June 15 by a full lunar eclipse, and on July 1 by a partial solar eclipse over the Antarctic. On June 1 El Salvador defense minister Gen. David Munguia says that Mexican drug cartels are trying to buy high-powered army weapons in Central Am.; meanwhile Mexican police arrest 25 drug cartel members in Hidalgo, Mexico, incl. a police chief. On June 1 a plague of tornadoes hits the U.S., incl. N Calif., Kan., Neb., and Mass. On June 1 the biggest protest so far in Syria sees hundreds protest in Abdoun holding placards calling Bashful Asshole a butcher; ex-Muslim Brotherhood pres. Salem Falahat calls on the Syrian army to shoot at Israel rather than their own people; on June 3 a protest by 50K in Hama sees security forces fire on the protesters, killing 34. On June 1 former Israeli Mossad chief Meir Dagan says that Israel only has the capability to delay Iran's nuclear ambitions, not stop them, and that "Israel would not withstand a regional conflict ignited by an Israeli strike of Iran's nuclear facilities". On June 1 the Washington, D.C. think tank Center for Global Development recommends that the U.S. delay the $7.5B Kerry-Lugar-Berman aid package to Pakistan authorized in 2009. On June 1 the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture releases the MyPlate icon to replace the Food Pyramid. On June 2 200 Taliban militants dressed in Afghan military uniforms cross the border and ambush a security checkpoint in Upper Dir, Pakistan, killing 25 Pakistani troops. On June 2 Japanese PM Naoto Kan narrowly survives a no-confidence vote over the post-tsunami crisis. On June 2 Palestinian Authority chmn. Mahmoud Abbas tells his people on TV in Arabic: "We refuse to recognize a Jewish state". On June 2 German pres. Christian Wulff says that Islam is part of a modern changing Germany, and necessary to develop a vibrant society, with the soundbyte: "If one is not open to other religions, one cannot expect Muslim societies to be receptive to freedom of religion" - and when did Muslim countries agree to their part of this bargain? On June 2 White House counsel Bob Bauer resigns, causing Birthers to claim it's because he knows the certificate can't stand up to a criminal investigation. On June 3 (Fri.) the Muslim Youth League in the West Bank sponsors a march toward Jerusalem to mark the 1967 Israeli occupation; they repeat on June 5. On June 3 former U.S. Sen. John Edwards is indicted by a federal grand jury in Raleigh, N.C. for misuse of $1M in campaign finance funds to coverup his affair and child with former campaign staffer Rielle Hunter. On June 3 the pres. palace in Yemen is shelled by members of the Hashed tribe of Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar; rockets slam into a mosque where Ali Abdullah Saleh is praying, wounding his PM and killing four others, and giving him severe burns, after which on June 4 Saleh flees to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment; his brother ?, cmdr. of the Yemeni Repub. Guard is behind the palace massacre? On June 3 al-Qaida "military brain" Ilyas Kashmiri is killed in Pakistan in a NATO drone stroke in NW Pakistan; his death is confirmed on July 7. On June 3 about 300 protest in Tahir Square in Cairo, demanding Sharia law for Egypt. On June 3 Islamist militant David Murashev (1977-) is arrested for hacking North Ossetian poet Shamil Dzhikayev to death for denouncing Muslim pilgrims on Hajj who allegedly urinated on a memorial to children slain in the 2004 Beslan School Siege. On June 3 a U.N. Report on the Internet declares Internet access a human right, dissing France and Britain for passing laws removing access of accused copyright scofflaws, and other countries for blocking access to quell political unrest. On June 3 U.S. state secy. Hillary Clinton receives an email from Anne-Marie Slaughter, with the title "Google email hacking and woeful state of civilian technology". On June 4 the U.N. Security Council calls for Sudan to pull out of the disputed Abyei region. On June 4 Pres. Obama decides not to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, citing nat. security interests; the Palestinian Authority welcomes it as "encouraging"; meanwhile thousands of Israelis mark the 44th anniv. of the 1967 Six-Day War by demonstrating in Tel Aviv against the continued occupation of the Palestinian territories. On June 4 Syria shuts down the Internet. On June 4 a CNN Poll reveals that American support for Israel over the Palestinians is 67%, up from 60% in 2009, vs. 16%; 65% say that the U.S. shouldn't take sides in the conflict, 35% say it should take Israel's side, and 1% wants it to take the Palestinian side. On June 5 hundreds of Palestinians and Syrians storm the Israeli border near the Golan Heights, causing Israeli forces to open fire, killing 20 and wounding 350, causing Syrian police to hold them back on June 6; on June 6 Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu utters the soundbyte that the attempt to break Israel's borders proves that "The argument is over the fact of the establishment of the state of Israel." On June 5 the IAEA warns Iran that its nuclear program has "possible military dimensions", with new info. revealing secret activity since 2004 and as recently as 2010; it also calls out Syria for ditto. On June 5 Tijuana mayor Jorge Hank Rhon, one of Mexico's richest men is arrested in a military raid that uncovers an arsenal in his home. On June 6 120 security personnel are killed in Jisr al-Shughour, Syria, causing the govt. to vow to deal "decisively" with the gunmen. On June 6 (Khordaad 14) the Shiite Mahdi is due to arrive in Medina. On June 7 U.K. home secy. Theresa May unvieils PM David Cameron's new violent extremism prevention policy, which finally recognizes that the goal of jihad is the establishment of Sharia, hence those who advocate Sharia may be non-violent but fail to "reflect British mainstream values". On June 7 a rocket barrage in a Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad kills five U.S. soldiers, becoming the most fatalities in a single day since May 11, 2009. On June 7 NATO rejects a Russian missile defense proposal that would have required NATO to share details. On June 7 former U.S. secy. of state Henry Kissinger attends a global affairs conference in Berlin, and says that Dem. change in Bahrain is not in the interest of the U.S. because Shiites might take over, leading to "the breakup of Saudi Arabia". On June 7 moderate Muslim prof. Maksud Sadikov (b. 1963) is shot dead at his home in Makhachkala, Dagestan after criticizing radical Islamists. On June 8 after the Obama admin. allows some deepwater drilling, ExxonMobil announces the discovery of 700M barrels of oil in the Gulf of Mexico, becoming the largest find in 12 years. On June 8 Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan announces that Turkey won't close its door to Syrians fleeing unrest. On June 9 Chihuahua atty.-gen. Carlos Manuel Salas says that the drug cartels have 14K armed men in the N Mexico cities of Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua. On June 9 the U.S. issues sanctions on Iran for attacking 2009 election protesters. On June 9 the Palestinian Authority says that it may postpone plans for seeking unilateral recognition of statehood in the U.N. in Sept. in exchange for U.S. guarantees that Israel will refrain from "creating facts on the ground". On June 9 the U.S. govt. announces a plea bargain deal with accused NSA spy Thomas Drake, dropping 10 felony charges in exchange for a guilty plea to one misdemeanor, with no prison time. On June 9 Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani utters the soundbyte that Iran will use its missiles to defend other Muslim nations if threatened. On June 10 Pres. Obama signs an executive order creating the White House Rural Council to strengthen the rural U.S. economy. On June 10 outgoing U.S. defense secy. Robert Gates delivers a speech in Brussels, saying that the U.S. military alliance with NATO faces a "dim if not dismal future", dissing its penny-pinching and lack of political will, with the soundbyte: "Future U.S. political leaders, those for whom the Cold War was not the formative experience that it was for me may not consider the return on America's investment in NATO worth the cost." On June 10 gay rights activists target a mosque in East London, England for harboring homophobic clerics, claiming a 21% rise in gay hate crime in the area. On June 10 Malaysian PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak warns Malaysian Muslims not to accept foreign doctrines based on violence and intolerance, and instead stick with moderate Islam. On June 10 the Barnabas Fund reports that Eritrean Christians fleeing persecution in Eritrea face imprisonment, torture, beatings, and sexual assault after they arrive in Egypt. On June 10 stone-throwing Muslim Arabs on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem force hundreds of Jewish worshippers to flee. On June 10 Somalian minister Mohamud Abdullahi Weheliye is killed by his suicide bomber niece, who works for al-Shabaab, and is also killed; meanwhile soldiers open fire on stone-throwing protesters angry at an agreement to oust the country's PM, killing two. On June 10 Pres. Obama presses Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu to accept his policy that Israel's pre-1967 border should be the basis of peace talks. On June 10 CIA dir. Leon Panetta visits Islamabad, Pakistan, and tells them that security officials colluded with militants, tipping them off to an IED factory raid. On June 10 the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services issues warnings, adding eight substances to its Report on Carcinogen, listing formaldehyde as a carcinogen, and styrene as a possible carcinogen. On June 11 Syrian troops come under fire as they attack the rebel town of Jisr al Shughur. On June 11 tens of thousands protest nuclear power in Tokyo, Japan. On June 11 crazed Muslim Abdullah Mohammed (1960-) gets mad at elderly shopper William Perry (1941-) in a Pathmark store in Harlem, N.Y., steps on his foot at the Lotto desk, leaves, returns with a razor, and slashes his neck in a meat aisle. On June 12 elections in Turkey are a V for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), who win 50% of the vote and 325 seats in parliament, a 90-seat margin over the secular opposition, giving resurgent Islamism another boost. On June 12 Hamas rejects Fatah's nomination of Salam Fayyad for PM of the transitional Palestinian govt., accusing him of cooperating with the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. On June 12 Jordanian king Abdullah II announces sweeping reforms in a nationally-televised address, promising to establish a parliamentary majority govt. et al. On June 12 Bahrain begins trying former Shiite MPs Matar Matar and Jawad Favrouz for calling for regime change in mid-Mar. On June 12 Mexican authorities discover 210 migrants from Central and South Am. crammed in a truck heading to the U.S. in S Mexico. On June 12 Israel Radio reports that Pres. Obama has given Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu an ultimatum of 1 mo. to decide whether to accept his proposal to resume talks with the fake so-called Palestinians based on the 1967 lines. On June 12 South Korea announces that North Korea can likely miniaturize a nuke for placing on a rocket. On June 12 Am.-Israeli tourist Ilan Chaim Grapel (Grappelli) (AKA Ilan Goren) is arrested in Egypt as an alleged Mossad spy; he is released on Oct. 27 and returns to Israel. On June 12 Yemeni acting pres. Abdullah Oubal agrees with opposition parties to begin discussions on transferring power from embattled pres. Ali Abdullah Saleh. On June 12 multimillionaire FIDE pres. (since 1995) Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov (1962-) (known for claiming to be taken for a ride of the galaxy by E.T.'s in Sept. 1997) plays a game of chess with Libyan dictator Col. Daffy Duck. On June 13 the U.S. Congress Govt. Accountability Office pub. a report that reveals that the U.S. govt. still doesn't have a foolproof way to check foreign visitors in and out of the U.S., leaving an unknown number unaccounted for. On June 13 a roadside bomb in South Waziristan kills three Pakistani soldiers. On June 13 a 51-y.-o. hijabbed Muslim woman from McLean, Va. causes a panic on the Red Line when she shouts "Praise Allah, I'm going to kill the world" and throws a backpack onto the train at Rockville, Md. before exiting; she ends up in a mental health facility. On June 13 former Fatah strongman (Mahmoud Abbas' rival) Muhammad Dahla is voted out of the party after allegations of corruption and crimes. On June 13 Germany and the UAE recognize the Libyan rebel Transitional Nat. Council; meanwhile Daffy's forces flank Misrata in a pincer movement. On June 13 Buffalo, N.Y. Muslim Saddam Hussein Mohsin (1981-) is charged with attempted murder of Detroit police officer Charles Armour with his car after he tries to stop him from driving the wrong way down a 1-way street. On June 13 Indonesian authorities announce that they have foiled a jihadist plot to poison police with cyanide, arresting 16 suspects. On June 13 Lebanese PM Najib Mikati announces a new cabinet dominated by Hezbollah and its allies; Hezbollah has 18 of 30 sets in parliament. On June 13 Boko Haram Islamists shoot and kill four at a beer garden in Bulunkutu, N Nigeria. On June 13 74-y.-o. Libyan-born Jew Raffi Cohen (b. 1937) is murdered in Rome, shocking the city's Jews. On June 13 the U.S. Dept. of Education releases the 2010 Nat. Assessment of Educational Progress, which reveals that only 12% of h.s. seniors have a firm grasp of U.S. history; 2% understand the meaning of Brown v. Board of Education. On June 13-23 the Unexpected Israel exhibit in the Duomo Piazza of Milan, Italy takes place despite protests from pro-Palestinian activists. On June 14 after Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi condemns attempts to "delegitimize and boycott" Israel, Italy and Israel sign eight bilateral agreements. On June 14 U.S. state secy. Hillary Clinton issues a statement comparing the unrest in Syria to the 2009 Iranian protests, claiming that "Iran is supporting Syrian assaults on protesters". On June 14 U.S. House Speaker John A. Boehner sends a warning to Pres. Obama that unless he gets authorization from Congress for his military action in Libya, he will be in violation of the War Powers Resolution, giving him until June 17 to prove a clear justification; too bad, Obama overrides the usually binding conclusion of his own Office of Legal Counsel and tells Congress that what the U.S. is doing in Libya doesn't fit the definition of "hostilities". On June 14 Knesset members visit Joseph's Tomb in Shechem for the first time since 2000. On June 14 Pres. Obama visits Puerto Rico for 4.5 hours, becoming the first U.S. pres. to visit since JFK in Dec. 1961; meanwhile Obama gives an interview with NBC-TV's "Today" show, saying that his family "are not fully invested" in a 2nd term. On June 14 after pressure from within the military, Pakistani army chief gen. Ashfaq Kayani meets with pres. Asif Zardari and PM Yousuf Raza Gilani and decide not to come under "foreign" (U.S.) pressure in their military operations in North Wazaristan; meanwhile the Pakistan Daily warns that "A break with the U.S. might go in favor of Al-Qaeda's plans to impose a 'nuclearized' theocracy on Pakistan." On June 14 S.C. passes a law requiring employers to use the federal online E-Verify program to verify that their employees can legally work in the U.S., with suspension of the business license as the punishment for failure to cooperate; a similar law was passed on June 9 in Ala. On June 15 25-y.-o. Austrian Islamist Thomas M. is arrested in Vienna and accused of planning a 9/11-style attack on the Reichstag. On June 15 Kuwaiti Shiite Nasser Abul is arrested for posting criticism of the ruling families of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia on Twitter. On June 15 Yemen claims to intercept financial transfers made through Qatar to fund dissidents, warning it to stop. On June 15 U.S. Muslim soldier Pfc. Naser Abdo (1990-), who was approved as a conscientious objector to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan is charged with possession of child porno. On June 15 Tajikistan passes a law banning children and adolescents from attending mosques - they're way smarter than the rest of the world? On June 15 the Obama admin. claims that its deeper engagement with the U.N. has helped counter its anti-Israel bias; on June 17 the Arab-dominated U.N. Human Rights Council passes a resolution retaining Israel as the only one of its 192 member states that is the target of a dedicated permanent item on its agenda, ignoring human rights abuses in Muslim countries. On June 15-16 U.S. rep. (R-N.Y.) Peter King chairs hearings on Radical Islam Infiltrating U.S. Prisons, sparring with Sheila Jackson, who tells him to turn the spotlight instead on "Christian militants", Rep. (D-Mi.) Hansen Clarke, who gives an irrelevant speech about prison reform, and Rep. (D-Calif.) Laura Richardson, who accused King of racism for focusing on one particular group, causing King to utter the soundbyte "The fact is that this committee was set up to combat terrorism, it was set up after September 11. There are already procedures in place that follow gangs in prison. Unfortunately because [of] too many instances of political correctness, we do not have protocols put in place to follow those who had trained in jihad in the prison systems. And that's why this is unique.", then adds "Your party had control of this committee for four years and had not one hearing on prisons, on skinheads, on Nazis, on Aryan Nation, on white supremacists, at all. Suddenly this issue emerges when we start talking about Muslim radicalization... If we find out that neo-Nazis are coordinating with a foreign power to attack this country, then we will investigate it." On June 16 Pakistan lobbies for membership in the China-dominated Shanghai Cooperation Org., and urges Afghanistan to join also. On June 16 Lebanon mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani tells Palestinian reps. in Beirut that they are "trash" that are no longer welcome in his country. On June 16 al-Qaida announces that former #2 Ayman al-Zawahiri is now #1, causing the U.S. to announce that they will hunt him down and kill him like they did Osama bin Laden; al-Qaida announces that it will "never recognize any legitimacy for the alleged" state of Israel". On June 16 (10:55 a.m.) a Boko Haram suicide bomber at the police HQ in Abuja, Nigera becomes Nigeria's first? On June 16 an Islamist bomb in Netanya, Israel kills three and wounds 12. On June 16 the Taliban warns Prince Harry that if he is captured in Afghanistan on his 2nd tour of duty next year, he will be shown no mercy and will be "destroyed". On June 16 an Australia-Malaysian people swap deal sees 4K refugees go to Australia while 800 go back to Malaysia, which alredy has 93K refugees from Myanmar. On June 16 the OIC (Muslim)-financed Council of Europe pub. a Report on Racism, calling for horrible laws against online "hate speech" to be pumped up by stronger laws making it "impossible" to even use it. On June 17 Spain freezes 33M euros of assets held by a detained associate of ousted Egyptian pres. Hosni Mubarak et al. On June 17 a suspicious vehicle outside the Pentagon containing ammonium nitrate is identified as belonging to Muslim U.S. Marine lance cpl. Yonathan Melaku, who is found carrying a notebook containing phrases incl. "Taliban rules" and "Mujahid defeated Croatian forces"; later a videotape showing firing shots at the U.S. Marine Corps museum while shouting "Allahu Akbar" along with documents on bombmaking are found in his home; under Obama influence, the Washington Post reports "motive unclear" - Semper Fi? On June 17 protests across Syria sees Syrian security forces shoot and kill eight protesters; meanwhile a Syria-allied Lebanese politician is killed by gunmen shooting at people holding an anti-Assad protest in N Lebanon. On June 17 protesters in Guangzhou Province, China protest the treatment of a pregnant migrant worker by police, who forced her to move her food stand off a road in Xiantang and pushed her to the ground. On June 17 the U.S. Human Rights Council issues its first condemnation of discrimination against gays, lebians, and transgender people, which is supported by the U.S. and opposed by Islamic and African countries. On June 17 White House communications dir. Dan Pfeiffer is heckled and booed at the liberal activist Netroots Nation conference in Minneapolis, Minn. On June 17 London-based Al-Sharq al-Awsat reports that Hamas vetoed a "good deal" offered by Israel for the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. On June 17 a report in Der Spiegel claims that the June-July Women's World Cup of Football in Germany may bring Islamist violence because they regard it as decadent. On June 17 U.S. Rep. (R-Calif.) Darrell Issa says that he believes that Obama's Justice Dept. is covering up a scandal where they allowed Mexican drug cartels to purchase guns in the U.S., causing Obama to fire ATF Bureau chief Kenneth Melson. On June 17 the new 2011 Moroccan Constitution with dem. reforms is unveiled; on July 3 a referendum approves it by a 98.5% vote. On June 17 the U.S. Conference of Mayors introduces a resolution calling for a quicker end to the Afghan War and a speedier withdrawal of troops, becoming their first anti-war resolution since the Vietnam War. On June 18 NewsMax reports that North Korea may have tested a "Super EMP" weapon that produces a large electromagnetic pulse. On June 18 Syrian troops attack a Syrian refugee camp near the Turkish village of Boynuyogun in Hatay province near the Syrian border. On June 18 Afghan Pres. Hamid Karzai acknowledges that the Afghan and U.S. govts. have been holding talks with the Taliban; meanwhile Taliban suicide attacks in Kabul kill nine. On June 18 U.S. atty.-gen. Eric Holder makes the claim that lawyers are America's "most effective terror-fighting weapon", pissing-off nat. security experts. On June 19 (Sun.) (Father's Day) Pres. Obama sends his first Tweet: "Being a father is sometimes my hardest but always my most rewarding job. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there." On June 19 Afghan Pres. Hamid Karzai accuses U.S.-led NATO troops of remaining in the country "for their own national interests", causing outgoing U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry warns that the U.S. people are growing weary of being viewed as occupiers, saying "My people in turn are filled with confusion and they grow weary of our effort here." On June 19 a NATO airstrike in the Souk al-Juma neighborhood of Tripoli accidentally kills civilians, incl. a child. On June 19 9-y.-o. Pakistani girl Sohana Jawed (2002-), who was kidnapped en route to school and forced to wear a suicide vest escapes her captors as they tried to get her to attack a paramilitary checkpoint in NW Pakistan. On June 19 Miss Calif. Alyssa Marie Campanella (1990-) of LA is crowned Miss USA, saying "I'm a huge history geek", as well as a "science geek". On June 19 Falling Skies debuts on TNT-TV for 52 episodes (until Aug. 30, 2015), starring Will Patton as Capt. Dan Weaver, and Noah Wyle as history prof. Tom Mason, 2nd-in-command of the 2nd Mass. Militia Regiment, who help a group of civilians flee Boston after an alien invasion by brown 6-legged Skitters, Mech attack drones, and the Overlords (Espheni). On June 20 the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rejects a class action for gender discrimination in Wal-Mart Stores Inc. v. Dukes, but splits 5-4 over the scope of the decision. On June 20 the 9-ship Freedom Flotilla II, led by the Audacity of Hope (after a book by Pres. Obama) leaves for Gaza from various Mediterranean ports carrying 1.5K activists from 100 countries, incl. leftist writer Alice Walker; this despite the May 27 Egyptian decision to reopen its border at Rafah with Gaza; flotilla coordinator Mohammed Sawalha is a Hamas leader in the U.K.; writer Alice Walker is aboard; 1,150 of 1,500 activists drop out; on July 1 after a new pro-U.S. Greek-Israeli-Turkish alliance is created, Greek authorities detain the Audacity of Hope, and on July 2 arrest the capt. when he tries to slip away; on July 4 Hamas blows up Egypt's gas pipeline to Israel and Jordan in protest (3rd time in 6 mo.); on July 7 the flotilla gives up and disperses. On June 20 the Israeli govt. announces the building of a new wall on the occupied Syrian Golan Heights to block infiltration of Palestians through the border town of Majdal Shams. On June 20 (6:30 p.m.) Egypt Air 986 (B777) comes dangerously close to a mid-air collision after failing to follow ATC instructions. On June 20 16-y.-o. Faheen Abdul-Jaleel of Rochester, N.Y. brutally stabs his 13-y.-o. cousin Samina Qasim in an attempted honor killing, which he tries to cover up by calling it an argument. On June 21 tens of thousands demonstrate again in Yemen against Ali Abdullah Saleh, demanding the departure of his sons Ahmad and Khaled Saleh. On June 21 a Russian Tupolev Tu-134 crash-lands in Karelia, Russia, killing 40. On June 21 La Familia cartel drug lord Jose de Jesus Mendez Vargas, AKA El Chango (The Monkey) is captured in Aguascalientes, Mexico. On June 21 the Wall Street Journal exposes anti-black ethnic cleansing in Misurata, Libya by the Brigade for the Purging of Slaves and Black Skin. On June 21 (eve.) Pres. Obama gives a Speech on Afghanistan titled "The Way Forward in Afghanistan", saying that he will withdraw 33K troops by the end of Aug. 2012 in time for the pres. election season, starting with 5K in July and 5K by the end of 2011; "This decade of war has caused many to question the nature of America's engagement around the world. When threatened, we must respond with force, but when that force can be targeted, we need not deploy large armies overseas. We stand not for empire, but for self-determination"; his own top military advisers are against his plan, and NATO doesn't plan on turning over the war to the Afghan army until the end of 2014. On June 21 Boston, Mass. crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger (1920-) is arrested in Santa Monica, Calif. after being on the run since 1994 from charges of 21 killings and racketeering. On June 21-26 First Lady Michelle Obama, her daughters Malia and Sasha, and mother Marian Robinson visit Africa, starting with Johannesburg, followed by Gaborone. On June 22 a jailbreak in Mukalla, Yemen sees 62 al-Qaida members overpower guards while others attack the prison from the outside. On June 22 S.C. passes a new immigration law requiring police to check the immigration status of anybody they arrest; on Oct. 31 the U.S. Dept. of Justice sues them over it after the Dept. of Homeland Security announces that it has cancelled long-standing checks of transportation hubs for illegal immigrants; meanwhile Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas outs himself as an illegal U.S. immigrant in the New York Times, risking prosecution to influence the debate. On June 22 Gig Harbor (near Tacoma), Wash. man Brooks Papineau aims a gun loaded with armor-pierced bullets at a police officer after a traffic stop, and is killed; his truck is carrying a large ammount of ammo, a Quran, and books on converting to Islam; the 40th Islamic terrorist attack against the U.S. foiled since 9/11. On June 22 after a tipoff from a convicted Seattle Muslim, Am. Muslim converts Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif (Joseph Anthony Davis) (1978-) of Seattle, Wash., and Walli Mujahidh (Frederick Dominigue Jr.) (1979-) of LA are arrested for plotting to attack a military recruiting station with machine guns a la Ft. Hood. On June 22 the Pakistani army questions four majors about links to the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir global Islamist party, causing members to stage a demonstration on July 1 calling for Islamic rule. On June 24 the U.S. House of Reps. votes down a resolution to grant Pres. Obama authority to continue supporting the NATO mission in Libya by 123-295, with 70 Dems. and eight Repubs. switching sides. On June 24 a suicide bomber in S Yemen kills four, incl. three soldiers, and injures 10. On June 24 former Rwandan minister for family and women affairs Pauline Nyiramasuhuko becomes the first woman convicted of genocide for her part in the 1994 Rwanda genocide; her son Arsene Ntahobali is also convicted; they receive life sentences. On June 24 Pres. Obama launches the Nat. Robotics Initiative, part of the Advanced Manufacturing Initiative, with the soundbyte: "You might not know this, but one of my responsibilities as Commander in Chief is to keep an eye on robots. And I'm pleased to report that the robots you manufacture here seem peaceful, at least for now." On June 25 N.Y. becomes state #6 to legalize gay marriage, along with Washington, D.C. On June 25 German interior minister Hans-Peter Friedrich meets with Muslim community leaders and urges them to prevent the radicalization of Muslim youth, causing the usual PC firestorm. On June 25 a car bomb in a hospital in Logar Province, Afghanistan kills 27 and injures 52. On June 25 six Taliban militants, some of them in burqas, incl. a husband-wife pair detonated in a police station in Kolachi, NW Pakistan, killing 10 policemen. On June 25 Egyptian finance minister Samir Radwan says that Egypt won't borrow from the IMF despite prior loan agreements. On June 26 hundreds of Muslim youths burn a Jehovah's Witness hall in Dakar, Senegal during a meeting; local imam Thierno Mbeugne tries to justify the attack by claiming that the JWs were handing out crosses, when their cult doesn't believe in them. On June 26 a Boko Haram Islamist attack in a beer garden in Maiduguri, Nigeria kills 25+. On June 26 Palestinian Authority pres. Mahmoud Abbas announces that he will go to the U.N. for recognition of an independent Palestinian state in Sept. On June 26 Pakistani Taliban deputy cmdr. Waliur Rehman tells the AP that it will avenge Osama bin Laden's death by carrying out 10 new terrorist attacks incl. in the U.S. and Europe; meanwhile former Fadayeen-e-Islam Taliban cmdr. Shakirullah Shakir is killed in Miramshah, North Waziristan. On June 26 U.S. churches embrace Chrislam via the Faith Shared group? On June 26 a Gallup Poll shows that only 45% of Americans in the lowest income bracket ($24K a year or less) approve of the job that Pres. Obama is doing, vs. 47% of Americans in the highest bracket ($90K a year or more). On June 27 the U.S. Supreme (Roberts) Court by 5-4 in McComish v. Bennett strikes down a key provision of an Ariz. public financing law, giving those who opt for campaign funds from the govt. to apply for more if their privately-financed opponents spend more than they get, saying that a "trigger mechanism" violates the free speech rights of the opponents. On June 27 the Internat. Criminal Court in The Hague issues warrants for Libyan Col. Daffy, his son Saif al-Islam, and his brother-in-law Abdullah al-Sanussi for crimes against humanity incl. murder and persecution. On June 27 Iran tests the long-range Sajiil missile, which has a range of 2K km, allowing it to strike Israel; on June 29 British foreign secy. William Hague says that Iran has been secretly testing ballistic missiles capable of delivering nukes, violating U.N. Resolution 1929, causing Saudi prince Turki al-Faisal to say that if Iran comes close to developing nukes it will follow suit and "pursue policies which could lead to untold and possibly dramatic consequences". On June 27 the U.S. Supreme (Roberts) Court rules 7-2 in Brown (Schwarzenegger) v. Entertainment Merchants Assoc. that states don't have the power to act as parents and censor violent games for minors, voiding a 2005 Calif. law. On June 27 Kurdish militants attack Turkish troops in Orenburch, Turkey in the Van region, killing one soldier and wounding three; meanwhile a Turkish gay pride march is held in Istanbul. On June 27 Turkish-born ex-boxing champ Fuat Sanac is elected head of Austria's Islamic community, succeeding Anas Schakfeh (since 1999). On June 27 Space Rock 2011 MD passes 7.5K mi. above the Earth's surface over the S Atlantic Ocean. On June 28 France confirms that it has supplied weapons to the Libyan rebels despite a U.N. arms embargo; meanwhile on June 29 Britain decides against arming them. On June 28 Rinderpest is officially declared wiped out by the U.N. in a ceremony in Rome. On June 28 (night) a Taliban suicide attack at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan sees six attackers storm it during a conference of Afghan provincial govs. and go through the rooms targeting the 300 Afghans and foreigners staying there, killing six until they are killed, showing that they can get the Yankee infidels where they live. On June 29 the U.S. Senate passes Resolution 185, calling on Palestinians to halt their bid for unilateral recognition by the U.N. and threatening to suspend financial aid. On June 29 the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security pub. a new list of specially designated countries that support terrorism, adding Israel for the first time while dropping North Korea; meanwhile the Obama admin. resumes formal contact with the Muslim Brotherhood, whose avowed goal is Islamist takeover of the U.S., while U.S. deputy nat. security advisor John Brennan says that the new Obama admin. counterterrorism strategy will be to focus on would-be terrorists in the U.S. who are inspired by al-Qaeda's "hateful ideology", and adds that this is the first strategy to "designate the homeland as a primary area of emphasis in our counterterrorism efforts", adding the immortal soundbytes: "Our strategy is... shaped by a deeper understanding of al-Qaida's goals, strategy and tactics... I'm not talking about al-Qaida's grandiose vision of global domination through a violent Islamic caliphate. That vision is absurd, and we are not going to organize our counterterrorism polices against a feckless delusion that is never going to happen"; on June 30 Hillary Clinton in Budapest says that the Obama admin. is loosening criteria for interaction with the Brotherhood, permitting diplomats to deal directly with low-level officials; on July 2 Brotherhood spokesman Mahmoud Ghozlan says that they are "ready for dialogue", but only "within a framework of mutual respect", calling for the Obama admin. to "side with the rights of the people and their demands and to stop supporting the corrupt and tyrannical regimes, backing the Zionist occupation and using double standards"; meanwhile the Obama admin. imposes financial sanctions on Syrian and Iranian domestic security forces for killing of peaceful anti-govt. protesters in Syria. On June 29 the Yemeni air force mistakenly bombs a bus in Zinjibar, killing four; meanwhile clashes with rebels kill 23 on both sides. On June 29 two Chinese warplanes chase a U.S. U-2 spy plane over the 100-mi. Taiwan Strait, becoming the first direct conflict since 2001. On June 29 French journalists Herve Ghesquiere and Stephane Taponier are released, becoming the longest-held Western hostages in Afghanistan; they were kidnapped on Dec. 30, 2009 in Kapisa NE of Kabul. On June 30 the U.N. Special Tribunal for Lebanon issues arrest warrants for four members of Hezbollah, incl. senior official Mustafa Badreddine for the 2005 assassination of Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri. On June 30 U.S. State Dept. official Daniel Benjamin tells the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the Obama admin. doesn't think that Hezbollah is doing anything in Venezuela other than fundraising, pissing-off Repubs., who think they're into terrorism. On June 30 after a Coptic Christian couple is attacked at a bus terminal, and the man has the effrontery to fight back, a Muslim mob of thousands attacks Christian homes and business in 75% Coptic W Kolosna, Egypt in Minya Province, injuring 10. On June 30 a panel of FDA experts votes that the world's best-selling cancer drug Avastin is unsafe to use on breast cancer patients. On June 30 thousands protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh to protest the new 2011 Bangladesh Constitution that proclaims it an Islamic state. On June 30 Iranian supreme assatolah Ali Khamenei holds a meeting with Iranian officials where he warns that the U.S. is in a Zionist plot to stir up trouble with Syria, after which he sends a letter to the Obama admin. warning them not to pressure the Syrian leadership or Iran will retaliate against U.S. troops in Iraq. On June 30 Kabul Bank ex-chmn. Sherkhan Farnood and ex-CEO Khalilullah Fruzi are arrested for $900M in fraudulent lending activities. On June 30 Atlanta, Ga. public school suptd. Beverly Hall resigns days before a report is released that she encouraged teachers and principals to change student test answers to get higher scores on standardized tests so she could get a bonus. On June 30 (4 p.m.) a bus strikes a Taliban IED in Khash Rod District in the SW Nimroz Province of AFghanistan, killing 20 civilians. In June the first Arctic-crossing algae from the Pacific to the N Atlantic in 800K years are accompanied by a whale native to the Pacific. In June a huge E. coli outbreak in Germany starts in Hamburg, killing 22 and sickening 2K; it is traced to bean sprouts. In June the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) begins fighting the Sudanese army in the Nuba Mts. of South Kordofan. In June the Central Bank of Nigeria announces plans to switch to non-interest Islamic banking. In June the Anthony Weiner Scandal sees Dem. N.Y. U.S. rep. (1999-) Anthony David Weiner (1964-) get caught sending photos of his wiener to love mates on the Internet despite having married Saudi-raised (puppet?) Muslim Hillary Clinton deputy chief of staff Huma Mahmood Abedin (1976-) 11 mo. earlier on July 10, 2010 (officiated by Bill Clinton), compounded by lying before a complete confession, causing calls for his resignation, incl. from Pres. Obama despite support from pregnant Huma, after which he finally resigns on June 16; Huma's marriage is a sham arranged for convenience by her Saudi puppetmasters, and is not recognized by Sharia?; Huma was once rumored to be Hillary's lesbian lover, and her mother Saleha Abedin belonged to the Muslim Sisterhood, a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, while her brother Hassan Abedin works at the infamous Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, whose board is loaded with Muslim Brotherhood members, and who has aspiring Turkish caliph Muhammad Fethullah Gulen (Gülen) among its trustees; the Clintons helped Gulen flee to the U.S. after being indicted in Turkey in 2000. In June the 57-member Org. of Islamic Cooperation (Conference) (OIC) sets up the 18-member OIC Permanent Commission on Human Rights (OICCHR); too bad, it reverses the Western logic of human rights to protect Islam, advocating "the non-use of the universality of human rights as a pretext in the state;s internal affairs and diminish their national sovereignty", and calling upon OIC members to work together to "increase Islamic solidarity to confront any initiative that may lead to use of human rights as a means of exercising pressure on any member state"; nothing but a Saudi tool to foist a world Islamic blasphemy law on infidels? In June the first Christian-Muslim gay marriage in the Nordic countries sees Knut Egil Asprusten (1967-) and Kaltham Alexander Lie (1962-) get hitched in Oslo, Norway. In June the Gary Becker Milton Friedman Inst. for Research in Economics is established at the U. of Chicago by Lars Peter Hansen et al. In June the U.S. unemployment rate rises to 9.2%, adding only 18K jobs. On July 1 another protest in Tahrir Square sees thousands protest the slow pace of change. On July 1 300K protest in Hama, Syria (2nd largest since start og uprising in Mar.), while the police and military give them a wide berth, after which pres. Bashar al-Assad fires gov. Ahmed Abdul-Aziz on July 2, and sends tanks into the city on July 4, arresting dozens. On July 1 1M-1.7M protest in Tripoli, Libya in support of Col. Daffy and against NATO. On July 1 Moroccans vote for constitutional changes proposed by King Mohammed VI, incl. full equality of women, the rights of minorities incl. Jews and Berbers, criminialization of torture, and the independence of the judiciary; they also invest executive authority in the head of the party that wins the most seats in parliament. On July 1 the Internat. Community of Democracies meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania sees U.S. secy. of state Hillary Clinton liken the Arab Spring to the democratization of E Europe in the 1990s, and utter the soundbyte: "Today there are new democracies fighting for life, there are vicious autocrats clinging to power. This is an hour of need, and every democracy should stand up and be counted." On July 1 the 17th African Union Summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea sees the leaders wrestle with what to do about once-impregnable Libyan dictator Col. Daffy, who threatens to attack European civilians, causing U.S. state secy. Hillary Clinton to call for him to stand down. On July 1 the govt. of Bolivia renounces the U.N. Anti-Drug Convention because it objects to classifying coca leaf as an illegal drug. On July 1 the Sudanese army seizes Kufra in S Libya, which is the gateway to Libyan oil fields. On July 1 the U.S. embassy in Pakistan holds a gay pride celebration, pissing-off the Muslim establishment, incl. Jamaat-i-Islami leader Ameer Munawar Hassan, who claims the U.S. "has violated the rules and laws of the land". On July 1 Monaco prince Albert II (b. 1958) marries South African swimmer Charlene Lynette Wittstock (1978-), who becomes princess of Monaco and is set to work producing an heir. On July 2 R.I. authorizes same sex civil unions, but no gay marriage. On July 2 a planned rally by Stop Islamisation of Europe in Strasbourg, France, seat of the EU Parliament is cancelled by EU authorities - making their point? On July 2-3 (night) Boko Haram jihadists kill a politician, three retired police officers, and six others, then set off a bomb at a police beer garden in Maiduguri, N Nigeria, killing 10. On July 3 the first free elections in Thailand since 2006 gives a landslide V to Yingluck "Pu" (crab) Shinawatra (1967-), sister of exiled ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who becomes PM of Thailand on Aug. 5 (until ?). On July 3 a Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) attack on a construction vehicle in Bingol, E Turkey kills one Turkish soldier and injures another. On July 3 U.S. Sen. (I-Conn.) Joe Lieberman tells Fox News Sunday that Iran has a "day of reckoning coming", and that the U.S. should "retire our ambiguous mantra about all options remaining on the table" and make sure that defense secy. nominee Leon Panetta has a plan for attacking them. On July 4 Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu reverses policy on Libyan col. Daffy, pledging $200M in additional aid for the rebels on top of the $100M they pledged under U.S.-EU pressure. On July 4 a statue of U.S. Pres. Ronald Reagan is unveiled in Grosvenor Square in London, England. On July 4 the Indian govt. announces the discovery of a $22B gold-jewel treasure trove in the 16th cent. Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. On July 5 Christine Madeleine Odette Lagarde (1956-) of France becomes the first woman dir. of the IMF (until ?). On July 5 after a 6-week trial in which the defense portrayed her as a slut and liar to a T, Fla. mom Casey Anthony is found not guilty of murder or manslaughter over the death of her 2-y.-o. daughter Caylee, causing massive outrage; she is convicted of four misdemeanors of providing false info. to law enforcement, and is released from jail on ?. On July 5 the U.K.-based Muslims Against the Crusades Islamist group calls on U.K. to establish three independent "emirates" that are completely under Sharia, incl. Bradford and Dewbury in Yorkshire, and Tower Hamlets in East London. On July 5 German chancellor Angela Merkel comes under fire for a $1B arms deal with Saudi Arabia to supply it with 200 Leopard 2 battle tanks, but lawmakers fail to override it. On July 5 an Azerbaijani tanker plane crashes in Afghanistan en route from Baku to Bagram Air Base, killing nine crew. On July 5 Zetas drug gang leader (Mexican army deserter) Jesus Rejon Aguilar (AKA El Mamito), suspected in the slaying of U.S. agent Jaime Japata is captured. On July 5 (11 p.m. local time) white Muslim convert jihadist Saifullah (b. 1961), key aide to Osama bin Laden is killed by a U.S. drone in Mir Ali, N Waziristan, Pakistan along with five other militants. On July 5-8 protests in Karachi, Pakistan kill 71, causing security forces to be authorized to shoot gunmen on sight. On July 6 after his enemies seek to arrest his closet aides, Iranian pres. Imadinnajacket issues a warning that if they try it he will expose corruption in the Rev. Guards, incl. smuggling of cigarettes. On July 6 the U.S. and Mexico end a 15-year cross-border trucking dispute by signing a pact, lifting punitive tariffs on $2.4B on U.S. goods in exchange for Mexican trucks complying with all U.S. federal motor vehicle safety standards and install monitoring systems to track hours on the road. On July 6 the Obama admin. decides to try Somalian Islamic militant Ahmed Abdulkadir Warseame in the U.S. civil courts, pissing-off Repubs. On July 7 after Saudi al-Qaida military cmdr. Walid Mashafi Ali Asiri (AKA Abu Khaled Al Asiri) is killed along with 40 others in Zinjibar, al-Qaida militants ambush Yemeni soldiers in S Yemen, killing 10. On July 7 surprise appearance on state TV by Yemeni pres. Ali Abdullah Saleh sparks a wave of violence. On July 7 rapist-murderer Humberto Leal Garcia Jr. of Mexico is executed in Tex. despite a last minute appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court by the Obama admin.; his last words are "Viva Mexico". On July 7 News Corp. chief exec Rupert Murdoch announces plans to shut down the 168-y.-o. News of the World, Britain's largest circ. newspaper after a scandal about hacking into the phones of thousands of British citizens and payoffs to police for info.; his deputies Lee Hinton and Rebekah Brooks resign by July 15; on July 17 Sir Paul Stephenson, head of Scotland Yard resigns; on July 19 Rupert's wife Wendi Murdoch (1969-) becomes a hero after she smacks an assailant on the head after he throws a foam pie at him. On July 7 1K secular Muslims protest in Tunisia to protest creeping takeover by Islamists bent on Sharia. On July 7-8 scores of pro-Palestinian activists trying to fly into Israel are blocked at airports in Europe; two Am. activists who arrive in Israel are deported on July 8. On July 8 (12:28 a.m. ET) Space Shuttle Atlantis takes off on its final flight, returning before dawn on July 21. On July 8 (Fri.) protests in Egypt sees tens of thousands demand justice for victims of Hosni Mubarak's regime and a clear transition plan to democracy, shouting "No parties, no Muslim Brotherhood", causing Egyptian maj. gen. Mohsen El-Fangary to tell the protesters on July 12 that they won't allow public life to be disrupted or their authority to be "hijacked"; meanwhile 500K protest in Orontes Square in Hama, Syria, greeting U.S. and French ambassadors Robert Ford and Eric Chevalier, while other demonstrations take place throughout Syria; July 9 Syrian forces raid Homs; on July 11 protesters in Damascus break into the U.S. embassy, and attack the French embassy, but are repelled by gunfire; on July 12 the U.N. Security Council votes 15-0-0 for Resolution 1998, condemning attacks on schools and hospitals as subject to being placed on a list of those committing "grave violations" against children. On July 8 killer bees attack 46-y.-o. Oscar Navarro and his dog and kill them in Tucson, Ariz. On July 8 Calif. begins requiring Amazon.com and other large out-of-state retails to collect sales tax on online purchases made by Calif. customers. On July 8-9 a killing spree in Mexico by the Zetas drug cartel kills 40+. On July 9 (9:57 local time) (00:57 GMT) a 7.1 earthquake in guess-where NE Japan off Honshu Island is needed like a hole in the head. On July 9 after a decades-long struggle to free itself from Muslim-run N Sudan, oil rich South Sudan officially becomes a nation #54 in Africa; on July 9 pres. (since July 30, 2005) Salva Kiir Mayardit (1951-) becomes pres. #1 (until ?), visiting Israel in Dec. to thank it for its help during the first civil war (1956-72), uttering the soundbyte: "Only we can determine how our vision will be read in history books generations from now. Will we let our challenges define us, or will we rise as a nation and define our own future?... If we work together, the story of South Sudan will inspire the world"; Sudan exports 150K barrels of oil a day via a pipeline running through Sudan, providing $1K a year for each of its 8M citizens; too bad, his son Salva Kiir converts to Islam; on July 13 the U.N. Security Council adopts Resolution 1999 without vote to admit South Sudan (#193). On July 9 a senior Iranian Rev. Guard cmdr. threatens the U.S. with attack on its aircraft carriers if Iran is attacked over its nuke program. On July 9 the Obama admin. announces that it is suspending up to $800M in military aid to Pakistan for expelling U.S. military trainers and to spur it into fighting the Taliban more effectively, causing Pakistani defense minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar on July 12 to say that Pakistan might withdraw thousands of troops from the border areas in response. On July 9 Nigeria bans motorbikes in Maiuguri to stop Boko Haram attacks. On July 9 Iranian Rev. Guards brig. gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh announces that they have tested long-range nuke-capable ballistic missiles during the month of Bahman (Jan. 21 - Feb. 20). On July 10 a Muslim immigrant destroys the image of the patron saint in the sanctuary of St. Calogero in Sicily. On July 10 Newt Gingrich calls the dismal U.S. economy the Obama Depression. On July 10 the Middle East Quartet meets in Washington, D.C., and endorses Pres. Obama's May 19 speech. On July 10 U.S. defense secy. Leon Panetta utters the soundbyte that weapons supplied by Iran have become a "tremendous concern" for the U.S. in Iraq, which saw more combat deaths of U.S. troops in June than in any mo. since June 2008. On July 10 Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan issues a message to Pres. Obama to redefine terrorism in the Middle East and use it as the basis for a new foreign policy, i.e., accept Hamas and Hezbollah. On July 10 after NATO's air war on him gets nowhere, French defense minister Gerard Longuet gives a speech on TV saying that NATO has "stopped the hand that was striking" Libyan Col. Daffy, and that the rebels should begin direct negotiations with him. On July 10 France becomes the first nation to ban the fracking technique for oil and natural gas extraction. On July 10 the govt. of Australia announces a $24.74 per metric ton tax on carbon emissions. On July 10 the Kalka Mail passenger train derails near Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh, India, killing 67. On July 10 Karamakhi village imam Magomed Makhdiyev is shot and killed in his mosque in Dagestan, Russia by a Muslims who didn't like his opposition to hijabs. On July 11 the Middle East Quartet (U.S., EU, U.N., Russia) meets in Washington, D.C. to discuss ways to revive the stalled Palestinian-Israeli negotiations; Palestinian pres. Mahmoud Abbas utters the soundbyte that the U.S. should not have veto power over its decisions; U.S.-Israeli relations reach a historic new low? On July 11 U.S. state secy. Hillary Clinton utters the soundbyte that Syrian pres. Bashar al-Assad has lost his legitimacy, pissing-off him and his govt. On July 11 hundreds protest in Tunis, Tunisia, calling for the govt. to refrain from establishing diplomatic ties with "Zionist Israel". On July 11 a bomb attack in Battagram, Pakistan in Peshawar kills six incl. three policemen, and wounds 10. On July 11 Israel passes a controversial ban on settlement boycotts, allowing settlers to sue Israelis who promote boycotts of settlements, which is even opposed by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as a disservice to Israel's democratic rep. On July 11 an overloaded cruise ship in a reservoir on the Volga River sinks in wind and rain, killing 55. On July 11 (night) 30-y.-o. teacher Firdaus, who is showing students how to build a terrorist bomb in the Islamic Umar bin Khatab school in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia on Sumbawa Island sets it off accidentally, killing himself, causing a 2-day standoff by machete-wielding students and teachers with police, who arrest the headmaster on July 15, who is accused or running a terrorist training camp for the Islamist Jemaah Anshorut Tauhid group headed by Abu Bakar Bashir; more than two dozen homemade pipe bombs are found in the school. On July 11 Egyptian politician Ahmed Ezz El-Arab makes statements denying the Holocaust and claiming that 9/11 was an inside job, pissing-off human rights groups. On July 11 the U.S. House of Reps. votes 233-193 to preserve their scheduled phase-out of incandescent light bulbs under the 2007 U.S. Better Use of Light Bulbs (BULB) Act. On July 11 a contingent of 600 Hindus arrives in the border town of Attari, India after fleeing Islamist jihadists in Sindh province, Pakistan. On July 11 (5:30 p.m. local time) Muslim passenger Saleh Ali S. Alramakah (Alramaleh) (1990-) of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia disrupts United Airlines Flight 944 en route from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany, causing it to land in Cleveland, Ohio by repeatedly using an electronic device in the bathroom despite warnings, then getting belligerent, kicking and spitting at passengers. On July 11 Alphas debuts on Syfy Channel (until ?), starring David Strathairn as Dr. Lee Rosen, head of a team of people with ESP who fight a renegade criminal team. On July 12 Afghan Pres. Hamid Karzai's half-brother Ahmed Wali Karzai, head of the Kandahar provincial council is assassinated by police official Sardar Muhammad at his home in S Afghanistan, leaving a power vacuum in S Afghanistan; the Taliban claims responsibility, calling it "one of our biggest achievements"; on July 14 his funeral is hit by another suicide bomber, killing four incl. Kandahair's chief cleric. On July 12 Egyptian deputy PM Yehia el-Gamal resigns as protests in Tahrir Square enter day #5; on July 13 the military govt. announces the early retirement of 600 senior Mubarak-era police officers to mollify protesters. On July 12 the U.N. stinks itself up by making North Korea the pres. of the Conference on Disarmament, joining China, Iran, and Pakistan to stop the arms race. On July 12 Pres. Obama threatens to cut off Social Security checks after Aug. 3 if there is no agreement on an increase in the U.S. debt ceiling, causing Sen. (R-Fla.) Marco Rubio to call him an incompetent pres.; on July 13 Obama walks out of debt limit talks, with the soundbyte "I've sat here long enough. No other president, including Ronald Reagan would sit here like this." On July 12 Norway files terrorist charges against Iraqi-born Islamic cleric Mullah Krekar, founder of the Kurdish Islamist group Ansar al-Islam for threatening Norwegian politicians with death if he's deported. On July 12 Israel opens the traditional baptism site of Jesus on the Jordan River after removing mines, pissing-off Palestinian officials; it has been closed since the 1967 war. On July 12 Neptune completes its first full orbit since its 1846 discovery. On July 13 three Islamist explosions in Mumbai, India kill 20 and injure 81. On July 13 diplomatic sources reveal that Iran is planning to install centrifuges for higher-grade uranium enrichment in an underground bunker. On July 13 Turkish police arrest 14 in Ankara for plotting to get even for the death of Osama bin Laden by attacking U.S. installations. On July 13 drug cartel gunmen kill 11 in Monterrey, Mexico in a turf war. On July 13 a blog post in the Canadian anti-consumerist org. site Adbusters launches the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement, calling for a peaceful demonstration for people regardless of their access to wealth, which is held on Sept. 17, attended by 1K, spreading around the U.S. and the world. On July 14 the Arab League announces that it will ask the U.N. to recognize a Palestinian state in Sept. On July 14 the U.S. Defense Dept. announces that 24K computer files were stolen by "foreign intruders" from a defense contractor in the spring, causing it to begin designating cyberspace as an "operational domain", with a more robust defense. On July 14 Calif. gov. Jerry Brown signs a controversial law requiring public schools to teach gay history in social studies classes - this in a nation of history ignoramuses? On July 14 a group of seven illegal immigrant students get arrested in a street protest in in San Bernardino, Calif. to see what the Obama admin. will do with them. On July 15 ("Fri. of the Last Ultimatum or Call") thousands protest in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, calling for faster reforms, and end to military trials of civilians, and an end to the military govt. On July 15 1M demonstrate in Damascus, Syria in the suburbs of Douma and Qaboun; 28 are killed and scores are wounded around Syria. On July 15 Pres. Obama appears on morning TV, and says "The American people are sold" on tax increases, pushing a deal with Repubs. to trade them for raising the debt ceiling. On July 15 the U.S. govt. formally recognizes the Libyan rebels as the legitimate govt., and backs them with $30B in frozen Libyan assets in the U.S. On July 15 drug gunmen ambush police on a highway in Sinaloa, Mexico, killing 12 plus a bystander; meanwhile a riot in the Sanctions Enforcement Center in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas kills seven prisoners, while 59 escape; meanwhile Mexican authorities announce the discovery of one of the largest marijuana plantations ever found in Mexico, 200 mi. S of San Diego in Baja Calif. On July 15 Boko Haram members throw a bomb at a police car in Maiduguri, N Nigeria, wounding seven. On July 15 after asserting Muslim superiority until officials crack, Kulsoom Abdullah becomes the first woman to compete in the U.S. weightlifting championships (in Council Bluffs, Iowa) while wearing Muslim clothing covering her arms, legs, and head. On July 15 U.S. secy. of state Hillary Clinton addresses the Org. of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Istanbul, Turkey, with the soundbyte: "The Human Rights Council has given us a comprehensive framework for addressing this issue on the international level. But at the same time, we each have to work to do more to promote respect for religious differences in our own countries. In the United States, I will admit, there are people who still feel vulnerable or marginalized as a result of their religious beliefs. And we have seen how the incendiary actions of just a very few people, a handful in a country of nearly 300 million, can create wide ripples of intolerance. We also understand that, for 235 years, freedom of expression has been a universal right at the core of our democracy. So we are focused on promoting interfaith education and collaboration, enforcing antidiscrimination laws, protecting the rights of all people to worship as they choose, and to use some old-fashioned techniques of peer pressure and shaming, so that people don't feel that they have the support to do what we abhor"; on July 16 she speaks at a coffee house in Istanbul, and criticizes Turkey's human rights record, incl. lack of religious freedom, censorship of the Internet, and improper detention of 50 journalists during the Sledgehammer Coup last year, but adds that it is "one of the most exciting places in the world" because of ties to both Eastern and Western cultures. On July 16 after new rocket strikes, an Israeli air strike wounds a Gaza gunman; meanwhile medics find the remains of another man killed in an earlier attack in Hamas-controlled territory. On July 16 an Afghan army soldier kills a NATO soldier near Lashkar Gah in S Afghanistan, which is scheduled to be one of the first places NATO will hand security control to Afghan forces. On July 16 al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) suicide bombers detonate a car bomb outside a police HQ in Bordj Menaiel in E Algeria; another suicide bomber on a motorcycle detonates among rescue workers; four are killed. On July 16 Iranian forces begin shelling the self-ruled Kurdish region of N Iraq, displacing 200+ families. On July 17 (1 a.m.) Australian Muslim convert Chris Martinez of Sydney is whipped by four fellow Muslims for drinking alcohol; he still claims that Islam is peaceful. On July 18 a new Egyptian cabinet is sworn-in by the military govt. amid reports of Hosni Mubarak being in a coma, pissing-off protesters. On July 18 Malaysia agrees to establish diplomatic ties with the Vatican after a meeting between PM Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Pope Benedict XVI in Castel Gandolfo outside Rome. On July 18 former EU commissioner Frits Bolkenstein releases a book which claims that due to anti-Semitism among young Moroccans, Jews have no future in the Netherlands and should emigrate to the U.S. or Israel, causing Dutch politician Geert Wilders to reply that it's the anti-Semitic Moroccans who should emigrate; meanwhile the death of a 22-y.-o. Turkish man in a jail cell in Beverwij, Netherlands causes accusations of police brutality. On July 18 (12 p.m. local) 14 rioting Chinese Muslims attack a police station in Hotan in Xianjiang Uygur province in NW China, hacking security guard Memet Eli to death, taking six civilians and some staff hostage, and trashing the station while shouting Allah Akbar, after which police kill them. On July 18 Iranian weightlifter (Iran's strongest man) Ruhollah Dadashi is stabbed to death in Tehran after taking pres. Imadinnajacket's side in the power struggle with supreme leader Asahollah Ali Khameinei. On July 18 Fort Hood, Tex.-born Dem. Michael Hancock (1969-) becomes mayor #45 of Denver, Colo. (until ?) (2nd African-Am.); on May 5, 2015 he is reelected with 80.16% of the vote. On July 19 Russian authorities claim to foil a major terror attack in Moscow, arresting four from the N Caucasus. On July 19 the FBI arrests Fairfax, Va. man Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai (1949-), chmn. of the Kashmiri Am. Council for working for decades as a secret agent of Pakistan to funnel millions of dollars from the Pakistani govt. to U.S. elected officials to help drive India out of the disputed Kashmir territory; they also issue an arrest warrant for Zaheer Ahmad (1948-), who is in Pakistan. On July 19 Israel intercepts the French Gaza Flotilla ship Dignite al Karama containing 15 leftists et al. as it tries to break the blockade; it is the last ship of the original 10-ship flotilla. On July 20 Iranian pres. Madman Inastraightjacket threatens to destroy the U.S. and Israel if attacked, saying "Resistance will continue until Iran sends its enemies to the morgue", calling the U.S. and Israel "on the verge of collapse and gasping for their last breaths." On July 20 Brian Ross of ABC World News reports that the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security is concerned about potential attacks by insiders at U.S. utility plants, incl. nuclear plants. On July 20 Irish PM Enda Kenny attacks the Roman Catholic Church in parliament, praising the Cloyne Report for showing how allegations of sexual abuse by priests in Cork has been covered up by the Church, and saying that the historic relationship between church and state in Ireland cannot be the same again. On July 20 the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security releases its See Something, Say Something video, for its new $10M program to encourage Americans to report "suspicious activity", pointedly characterizing the most likely suspects as white middle class Americans not Muslims or Arabs. On July 21 Palestinian Authority info. minister Nabil Amr becomes the first Palestinian official to go on record that they should defer statehood another year; meanwhile Hamas foreign minister Mahmoud al-Zahar gives a TV interview, in which he utters the soundbyte "Palestine in its entirety is Islamic waqf land, which cannot be relinquished." On July 22 (7/22/11) (3:26 p.m. local time) (13:26 GMT) (65th anniv. of the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem by the Jewish Irgung?) two bombs in Oslo, Norway (home of the Nobel Peace Prize) damage several bldgs. incl. the office of PM Jens Stolgenberg, killing eight and injuring 10; at 4:50 p.m. the same man disguised as a police officer opens fire at a summer youth camp for members of the ruling Labor Party on Utoya Island 25 mi. from Oslo, where Stolgenberg is scheduled to attend a Labor Party conference, calling people to come to him them shooting them with a rifle, incl. those fleeing by jumping in the water, killing 68 and injuring 309 by the time police arrive at 6:20 p.m.; after initial speculation that it's an al-Qaida attack, and the jihadist group Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami taking credit for it briefly, the killer turns out to be blonde-blue Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik (1979-) (AKA Andrew Berwick), a nationalist non-fundamentalist pro-Israel pro-gay Protestant Christian, son of a retired Norwegian diplomat who has been estranged for over 16 years and later says he should have killed himself, who has posted on anti-Islam Web sites, and claims to be one of 15-80 secret Justiciar Knight Commanders devoted to ridding Europe of Marxists and multiculturalists, and saving it from becoming Islamized by sparking a Christian war against Islam; he leaves an unexploded bomb and a romantic but unrealistic 1.5K-page manfesto 2083: A European Declaration of Independence under the alias Andrew Berwick; hours before the attack he emailed to his friends a list of Euro traitors, whom he claims deserve the death penalty for permitting the spread of Islam in Europe, incl. Gordon Brown, Prince Charles, Angela Merkel, Nicolas Sarkozy, and European Commission pres. Jose Manuel Barroso; he was delayed both ways from Oslo to Drammen by accident caused by Muslim truck driver Mohamed (1991-), messing up his timetable; under Norway's permissive laws he faces a max of 21 years in prison; the Utoya Island meeting incl. "Break the Israel Blockade" games, causing Am. blogger Wayne Madsen to blame the Mossad for the attack; Glenn Beck compares the Norway Camp to the Hitler Youth, with the soundbyte "Who does a camp for kids that's all about politics?"; on July 25 100K hold a rose march in Oslo; on July 26 Norway's ambassador to Israel Svein Sevje says that Norwegians consider the "occupation" to be the cause of the terror against Israel, and that Breivik's attack won't change their minds; on July 26 Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi ally Mario Borghezio describes some of Breivik's ideas as "excellent", saying he agrees with his "opposition to Islam and his explicit accusation that Europe has surrendered before putting up a fight against its Islamization"; on July 27 Norwegian PM Jens Stoltenberg speaks at the Central Jamaat Mosque in Oslo to attend a memorial ceremony for the two Muslim victims of Breivik's attack, Bano and Ismail, saying "We will be one commnity, across religion, ethnicity, gender, and rank. Bano is Norwegian, Ismail is Norwegian, I am Norwegian. We are Norway, and I am proud of this"; on Aug. 4 the blogger Fjordman, who is repeatedly referencesdin Breivik's manifesto reveals himself to be 36-y.-o. Peter Jensen; in Jan. 2014 Breivik flops and disowns the anti-Islam movement, claiming to have been trying to discredit it and spark a neo-Nazi movement. On July 22 Pres. Obama signs an order to end the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy in the military, effective Sept. 20. On July 22 Belgium becomes the 2nd EU nation after France to ban the full Islamic face veil in public. On July 22 1M demonstrate in Hama and Deir Ezzor, Syria; eight are killed. On July 22 Islamists stage demonstrations in Ramsis, Egypt to demand that secularists leave Egypt; on July 23 armed men clash with pro-reform protesters marching toward the Egyptian ministry of defense in Cairo, injuring dozens. On July 22 a NATO-U.S. strike on a Haqqani Network training camp in Sar Rowzah District in Paktika Province, E Afghanistan kills 80. On July 22 the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee cuts the Obama admin.'s $51B 2012 budget request for the State Dept. and foreign aid for the Palestinians, Egypt, Lebanon, and Yemen by $6.4B, while leaving Israel's $3B in military aid unchanged. On July 22-23 activists for the rival Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiai (MQM-h) battle in E Karachi, Pakistan, killing 12 on July 22, and eight more on july 23. On July 23 (early a.m.) a rebel-Nato strike on Tripoli, Libya incl. an RPG hit near Col. Daffy's Bab al-Aziziya compound during a meeting between him and his son, intel chief, and PM. On July 23 gunmen on motorcyles kill Iranian physicist Darioush Rezaei (b. 1976) in front of his home in NE Tehran, causing Iranian brig. gen. Mohammed-Reza Naghdi to blame Israel and the U.S., and utter the soundbyte: "In order to protect the security of our country, we have no option but to have the Zionist regime wiped off the map"; on Aug. 2 Der Spiegel blames the Israeli Mossad, caliming that in recent months it has engineered "the virtual decimation of the Islamic republic's elite physicists". On July 23 former Peruvian armed forces chief of staff gen. Francisco Contreras warns that Iran is supporting terrorist orgs. throughout South Am. On July 24 clashes in Cairo, Egypt injure 298. On July 24 the state of N.Y. allows the first same-sex couples to marry, with New York City mayor Michael R. Bloomberg officiating the wedding of staff members Jonathan Mintz and John Feinblatt along with their two daughters Georgia and Maeve - watch where you kiss me? On July 24 Peoria, Ariz. Muslim Ajaz Rahaman (1969-) plows into the Surprise shopping center in Sun City West in his Porsche Cayenne SUV, hitting three cars and injuring a pedestrian before crashing into a nail salon; he dies in the hospital - vehicular jihad? On July 24 (night) 300K leftists protest rising housing prices in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, shouting "Revolution", and "Muabarak, Assad, Netanyahu", resulting in 42 arrests. On July 25 a group of Libyan diplomats storm the Libyan embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria, smashing statues and portraits of Col. Daffy and declaring it under control of opposition forces. On July 25 Pres. Obama addresses the Nat. Council of La Raza, promising to fight for immigration reform while blaming the Repubs. On July 25 Israeli authorities seize a boat in the Dead Sea carrying arms to Palestinians from Jordan. On July 25 Pres. Obama delivers a speech on the budget impasse which is threatening on Aug. 2 and can cause the nation's AAA credit rating to be downgraded et al., calling it a "dangerous game" and calling on the people to deluge congresspersons with pleas to compromise; House majority leader John Boehner responds that Obama just wants to continue increasing spending. On July 25 the Taliban shoots down a NATO Chinook heli near the Nangalam Base in the Pech River Valley in E Afghanistan. On July 25 a Muslim mob attacks Coptic Christians in Ezbet Jacob Bedawi, Egypt (near Samalout) with rods and pipes over their installation of a new church bell. On July 26 the U.S. returns 33 Mexican soldiers who accidentally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border over the Donna-Rio Bravo Internat. Bridge in S Tex. On July 26 the Fourth Conference of the Arab-Palestinian Resistance Front in Cairo, Egypt calls for a massive Arab uprising to save Palestine from the pesky Jews, saying that the Arab Spring is a good start. On July 26 Hamas executes a father in son in Gaza for aiding Israel; Fatah calls the execution "illegal". On July 27 a Taliban suicide bomber with an exploding turban assassinates Kandahar, Afghanistan mayor Ghulam Haider Hamidi (b. 1946); meanwhile top U.S. cmdr. Navy SEAL Adm. Eric T. Olson says that al-Qaida has been bloodied and is "nearing its end", with the killing of Osama bin Laden being a near-fatal blow, and the Arab Spring proving that the Muslim World doesn't need it to overthrow Muslim dictators, although a new generation of militants can make it necessary for special ops to fight them for a decade. On July 27 English Christian churchgoer John White (1948-) is jailed for leaving pork products outside a mosque - just free samples? On July 28 the Obama admin. accuses Iran of a "secret deal" with al-Qaida to provide money, recruits, and transit for attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan, saying "This network serves as the core pipeline through which al-Qaida moves money, facilitators and operatives from across the Middle East to South Asia"; the U.S. Treasury Dept. indicts six members incl. Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil, Atiya Abd al-Rahman, Salim Hasan Khalifa Rashid al-Kuwari, Abdallah Ghanim Mafuz Muslim al-Khaar, and Ali Hassan Ali al-Ajmi; Treasury spokesman David S. Cohen says "Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism in the world today." On July 28 after winning a runoff election over Keiko Fujimori, left-winger Ollanta Moises Humala Tasso (1962-), who led an usuccessful military revolt against pres. Alberto Fujimori in Oct. 2000 becomes pres. of Peru (until?), causing the largest 1-day plunge in the Peruvian stock market because of his opposition to the Conga open mine pit project of the Yanacocha Co., owned by Newmont Corp. in Denver, Colo. On July 28 German Muslim converts Robert Baum (1978-) and Christian Emde (1973-) are arrested as they enter Britain with jihadist lit., bombmaking manuals etc. On July 28 Abu Sayyaf jhihadists kill five soldiers, behead two of them, and wound 26 in S Philippines. On July 28 Fatah security forces raid the home of Fatah official Muhammad Dahlan (Abu Fadi) (1961-) to stop him from blocking a reconciliation with Hamas. Oh July 28 children in Gaza fly a record 15K kites, their 4th world record this summer. On July 29 a million man march called for by the Muslim Brotherhood takes place in Tahrir Square and other cities in Egypt. On July 29 Pres. Obama announces new fuel economy regs. for 2025; cars must get 54.5 mpg. On July 29 5K Syrian soldiers of the 7th Armored Regiment defect in Deir ez-Zor and take over the airport. On July 29 tens (hundreds?) of thousands of Muslim Brotherhood members let the cat out of the bag and call for an Islamic Sharia state in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt in the largest demonstration since Feb., with banners reading "Sharia above the constitution"; on Aug. 1 the military clears the remnants of a 3-week sit-in protesting the slow pace of change, with help from mobs of ordinary citizens. On July 29 tens of thousands protest in several cities in Yemen again, with a defector gen. giving them protection in Sana'a with a large military vehicle convoy; on July 30 opposition tribesmen threaten to strike Sana'a Internat. Airport in retaliation for attacks on their villages in Arhab, 20 mi. to the N. On July 29 after a court charges 22 suspects incl. several gens. and military officers of carrying out an Internet campaign to undermine the govt. Turkey's top four senior military cmdrs., led by CIC Isik Kosaner resign in protest over the detention of 250 officers for conspiring against the govt. of PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, allowing him to tighten Islamist, er, civilian control over the longtime secular military by appointing a new top military brass on July 30-Aug. 8 led by new CIC #28 (until ?) Gen. Necdet Ozel (Özel) (1950-) (until Aug. 18, 2015). On July 30 (2 p.m.) Islamists burn down a Christian church in Fuoni, Zanzibar while shouting "We do not infidels to spoil our community, especially our children." On July 31 allegedly secular Syria launches the Islamic religious TV satellite channel Noor al-Sham (Light of Syria) in an attempt to appease the religious pop. On July 31 Bloody Sun. in Hama, Syria sees Syrian tanks storm it and kill 136 civilians; on Aug. 1 they attack it again and kill eight, while demonstrations erupt in other parts of Syria in support, causing Italy on Aug. 2 to recall its ambassador and urge other Euro nations to do ditto, while Russia announces that it won't oppose a U.N. Security Council resolution to condemn the violence, which is issued on Aug. 3, causing Bashar al-Assad on Aug. 4 to issue a decree permitting a multi-party political system, while having his troops round up and execute hundreds in Hama via firing squad; on Aug. 5 Syria announces that it has captured (and pulverized) Hama, and stopped the 5-mo.-old rebellion. On July 31 Hezbollah announces that it has carried out 19 operations against U.S. forces in Iraq. On July 31 former Mexican federal police officer Jose Antonio Acosta Hernandez, accused of ordering 1.5K drug killings and masterminding the attack on the U.S. consulate employee last year is arrested. On July 31 Pres. Obama announces a last-min. deal on the budget and debt crisis before the Aug. 2 deadline, causing U.S. Rep. (D-Mo.) Emanuel Cleaver, chmn. of the Congressional Black Caucus to call it a "sugar-coated Satan Sandwich"; on Aug. 1 Russian PM Vladimir Putin issues the soundbyte about the U.S.: "They are living beyond their means and shifting a part of the weight of their problems to the world economy... They are living like parasites off the global economy and their monopoly of the dollar... Thank God that they had enough common sense and responsibility to make a balanced decision"; on Aug. 1 the U.S. House votes 269-161 to approve it and raise the debt ceiling by $14.3T, with Gabrielle Giffords returning to vote for it; on Aug. 2 the Senate approves it by 74-26, and Pres. Obama signs it into law; it slashes the defense budget by $350B; on Aug. 4 the Dow Jones Industrial Avg. drops 512 points, erasing the year's market gains; on Aug. 5 after the Obama admin. spends 60% of the $400B initial budget increase in one day (largest in history), the U.S. federal deficit tops $1T, 2nd largest in history, with the govt. in its 34th straight mo. in the red, causing Standard and Poor's to downgrade the U.S. debt from AAA to AA for the first time in U.S. history (same as 1917 rating), with the soundbyte "The downgrade reflects our opinion that the fiscal consolidation plan that Congress and the administration recently agreed to falls short of what, in our view, would be necessary to stabilise the government's medium-term debt dynamics. More broadly, the downgrade reflects our view that the effectiveness, stability, and predictability of American policymaking and political institutions have weakened at a time of ongoing fiscal and economic challenges"; on Aug. 8 the Dow Jones Industrial Avg. plunges by 634.76 (5.6%) points, ending at 10,809.85, worst 1-day loss since Dec. 1, 2008, and first below-11K close since Oct. 2010; the total loss since Aug. 1 in 1.3K points, dropping like a stone, causing ditto to world stock markets, causing a reaction against Standard & Poor's; on Aug. 8 Pres. Obama utters the soundbyte "Markets will rise and fall, but this is the United States of America... The U.S. will always be a triple-A country, despite what rating agencies say"; on Aug. 9 after the Federal Reserve Board announces that it will keep interest rates at the current historic low through 2013, the Dow rebounds by 429.9 points - the Titanic has scraped the iceberg? On July 31 a suspected Islamist attack in Kashgar, Xinjiang, China kills 11. In July the U.S. economy creates 117K new jobs, lowering the unemployment rate to 9.1%. In July Al-Shabaab begins blocking starving people from fleeing S Somalia, setting up a camp to imprison and starve them to death. In July Google launches their Facebook-killer Google+ social network service - let's hope? In July the Mexican newspaper El Milenio exposes a program by the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security to monitor the Internet, incl. social media sites, blogs, and forums worldwide. In July Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan establish a Customs Union. On Aug. 1 Hezbollah deputy secy.-gen. (#2 in charge) (since 1992) Naim Qassem utters the soundbyte: "Billions of dollars have been offered to us to rebuild the deprived south Lebanon and in return to surrender our arms and stop the work of the resistance. But we told them we're not in need [of their money] and the resistance will go on regardless of the consequences." On Aug. 1 Israeli forces raid a refugee camp in Kalandia, West Bank and kill two after being set upon by stone-throwing Palestinians. On Aug. 1 the U.S. Congress creates a special envoy for Middle East religious minorities to highlight persecution of Christians and Jews by Muslims. On Aug. 1 Pres. Obama and First Lady Michelle issue a Statement on the Occasion of Ramadan, sending "best wishes to Muslim communities in the United States and around the world", and urging people to help the humanitarian crisis in Somalia. On Aug. 2 the U.N. Human Rights Committee issues a Report on Blasphemy Laws, saying that they are incompatible with the U.N.'s Internat. Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that came into force in 1976 and was ratified by 167 states; meanwhile the Geneva-based Human Rights Council is still controlled by the Muslim OIC. On Aug. 2 (5:30 a.m.) a bomb at a Christian church in Kirkuk, Iraq injures a priest and 19 others, and damages 40 homes. On Aug. 2 a Muslim plot to kill 45+ Hindu Amarnath pilgrims in a bus in Kakizund, India. On Aug. 2 female Kurdish nationalist Turkish MP Aysel Tuglik is convicted of spreading terrorist propaganda for making a speech in Yuksekova in SE Turkey on Mar. 17, 2010 supporting the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). On Aug. 2 Mohammed Moussaoui, pres. of the Muslim Council of France announces that almost 150 new mosques are under construction in France; there are now more practising Muslims than Roman Catholics in the country. On Aug. 2-5 ethnic violence in Karachi, Pakistan kills 47; 240 were killed in July. On Aug. 3 Champaign, Ill.-born Daniel B. "Dan" Shapiro (1969-) becomes U.S. ambassador #19 to Israel (until ?). On Aug. 3 the British govt. announces the arrest of six and seizure of 2.6K lbs. of cocaine in June, worth $490M, becoming the largest drug bust in British history. On Aug. 3 the number of Americans on food stamps reaches a record 46M. On Aug. 3 N.J. gov. Chris Christie nominates Indian-born Sohail Mohammed (1964-) to be the 1st Indian-Am. and 2nd Muslim judge in N.J., telling reporters: "Sharia law business is just crap... and I'm tired of dealing with the crazies... It's just unnecessary to be accusing this guy of things just because of his religious background." On Aug. 3 Col. Daffy's son Saif al Islam Qaddafi announces that his regime is breaking down and forging an alliance with radical Islamists, giving them the town of Darna to become "an Islamic zone like Mecca". On Aug. 3 a Gallup Poll on Muslim-Ams. assisted by the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center headed by Dalia Mogahed finds that they are more optimistic about their future than other faith groups, and that their views are highly similar to Jews; meanwhile the Muslim-infested Obama admin. releases the Nat. Strategy on Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States (AKA the Obama Doctrine), masterminded by Nat. Security Council extremism expert Quintan Wiktorowicz, announcing a new policy for fighting radical Islam by stopping the use of material by well-studied Islam expert Robert Spencer because it isn't "accurate", and replacing it by Muslim disinfo. propaganda designed to undermine the U.S., because although al-Qaida has a "bankrupt ideology", claiming that accusing the entire Am. Muslim community of complicity in terrorism could "feed the sense of disenchantment and disenfranchisement that may spur violent extremist radicalization." On Aug. 4 former Iranian Rev. Guard cmdr. (2007-11) Rostam Ghasemi (1950-) becomes head of OPEC (until ?). On Aug. 4 the U.S. govt. announces that the 2011 Somalian Famine has killed 29K children under age 5 in the last 90 days. On Aug. 4 the entire 20-man police force of Ascension, Mexico quits after drug cartels kill the police chief and five officers over the last 3 mo. On Aug. 5 the U.S.-Bahrain Defense Pact (signed Oct. 28, 1991) is renewed for another 10 years. On Aug. 5 the Western-backed Somalian govt. of pres. Sheikh Sharif Ahmed ousts 3K Al-Shabaab fighters from Mogadishu. On Aug. 5 five New Orleans police officers in La. are found guilty by a federal jury for shooting six citizens (killing two) and trying to cover it up during the Hurricane Katrina aftermath. On Aug. 5 a jilted Muslim Mehmet Y (1985-) shoots the 45-y.-o. mother and 22-y.-o. sister of his 24-y.-o. ex-wife in a busy public square in Berlin, Germany. On Aug. 6 (a.m.) a decrepit Vietnam-era U.S. twin-rotor Ch-47 Chinook heli is shot down in Wardack Province in E Afghanistan by the Taliban, killing all 38 aboard incl. five Army troops, seven Afghan commandos and their interpreter, three AF controllers, and 22 Navy SEALs of the 300-member bin Laden-killing Team 6, becoming the largest U.S. military loss since the Jan. 2005 heli crash in Anbar Province; on Aug. 6 a bomb hits a convoy of NATO supply tankers in Peshawar, Pakistan, destroying 16; on Aug. 9 Pres. Obama makes a surprise visit to Dover AFB to pay his respects to the heroes; on Aug. 10 U.S. special forces claim to hunt down and kill the Taliban cmdr. and shooter responsible for the heli attack; the SEAL raid on Osama bin Laden was a fake because he had been dead for years, and Obama gave the Taliban the info. and weapons needed to assassinate the SEALs who went on the raid to silence them? On Aug. 6 the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) condemns Muslim arson attacks on three Christian churches in Riau Province, Indonesia during the past week. On Aug. 6 rioting in the poor area of Tottenham, N London begins after a fatal police shooting of 29-y.-o. black Mark Duggan, spreading to Enfield 5 mi. to the N, followed by Manchester, Nottingham, Salford, and Birmingham, killing one; 16K police are called out, and 1.2K are arrested, causing PM David Cameron to utter the soundbyte: "The sight of those young people running down streets, smashing windows, taking property, looting, laughing as they go, the problem of that is a complete lack of responsibility, a lack of proper parenting, a lack of proper upbringing, a lack of proper ethics, a lack of proper morals"; it's really a race riot but the PC media covers it up? On Aug. 7 the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood retracts its position that it will accept a secular govt. in Egypt, wanting an Islamist govt. On Aug. 8 arrest warrants are issued for 14, incl. seven senior pro-secular gens. in Turkey for setting up Web sites to disseminate free speech, er, anti-govt. propaganda. On Aug. 8 (11 p.m. local time) (21:00 GMT) a NATO airstrike in Majer S of Zlitan 100 mi. E of Tripoli in Libya kills 85 civilians. On Aug. 8 Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait pull their diplomats out of blood-soaked Syria, with Kuwaiti foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed Al-Sabah uttering the soundbyte "No one can accept the bloodshed in Syria", and King Abdullah calling on Assad to stop "the killing machine and end the bloodshed"; the body count is up to 1.6K since Mar. On Aug. 8 tapes recorded by Jackie Kennedy Onassis months after JFK's assassination are released by the JFK Library in Boston, revealing that she believed that LBJ and other "influential individuals" orchestrated it; too bad, that was only an advance report; when the tapes come out in Sept., they only talk about how JFK thought LBJ shouldn't becomes pres. but still was going to keep him on the ticket. On Aug. 9 radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr calls on U.S. troops to pull out of Iraq on his Web site. On Aug. 10 China tests its first aircraft carrier, after refurbishing an old one obtained from Russia, causing the U.S. to ask it explain why it needs one - to conquer Taiwan? On Aug. 11 Pres. Obama hosts a White House Ramadan Dinner 1 mo. before the 10th anniv. of 9/11, uttering the soundbyte: "There's no them and us - it's just us". On Aug. 12 Muslim gunmen ambush some police accompanying terror suspects to the dentist at the U. of Peshawar in Pakistan, killing three police then freeing the terror suspects, who incl. a Taliban cmdr. On Aug. 13 Muslim gunmen use Ramadan as a ruse to break into the house of U.S. embassy official Warren Weinstein in Lahore, Pakistan and kidnap him. On Aug. 13 after high winds, the main stage at the Ind. State Fair collapses prior to a performance by Sugarland, killing five and injuring 45. On Aug. 13-16 the Syrian army assaults the Palestinian enclave of Latakia, causing 10K residents to flee. On Aug. 14 a suicide bomber at a police HQ in Tizi Ouzou, Algeria (60 mi. E of Algiers) injures 29. On Aug. 14 six suicide bombers storm a provincial governor's compound in Charikar, Afghanistan (50 mi. N of Kabul), killing 22. On Aug. 14 Pakistan launches its first comm satellite from a facility in China. On Aug. 14 Chinese army chief of staff Gen. Chen Bingde makes a state visit to Israel, a first. On Aug. 14 after expressing support for Israel via a poem in Arabic on a Web site, St. Louis, Mo. Muslim Alaa Alsaegh is attacked by two Muslims, who carve a Star of David on his back. On Aug. 15 bombs in a dozen cities in Iraq kill 60+ incl. seven Sunnis who used to be aligned with al-Qaeda but turned on them, who are pulled from a mosque in Baghdad by gunmen who execute them. On Aug. 15 Am. billionaire Warren Buffett calls on the "mega-rich" to pay more in taxes, saying that he would raise taxes on households making $1M or more, plus additional for those making $10M or more. On Aug. 16 Seattle, Wash.-born former Dem. Wash. gov. #21 (1997-2005) Gary Faye Locke (1950-) becomes U.S. ambassador to China #10 (until Mar. 1, 2014). On Aug. 16 the Obama admin. denies to Taiwan its request for new Lockheed Martin F-16C/Ds, instead forcing them to retrofit older F-16A/Bs. On Aug. 16 Pres. Obama utters the soundbyte that a "lone wolf terrorist, somebody with a single weapon being able to carry out wide-scale massacres of the sort that we saw in Norway recently" is more likely than a coordinated 9/11-type attack, especially an Islamist one. On Aug. 16-21 the XXVI World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain is attended by 1M-1.5M. On Aug. 17 Dubai admits to monitoring social media for signs of coming protests and strikes. On Aug. 17 the separatist Freedom Party (FP) holds a protest in Srinagar; police detain senior leader Shabir Ahmad Shah, "the Nelson Mandela of Kashmir". On Aug. 17 U.S. secy. of state Hillary Clinton orders Israel to apologize to Turkey over the flotilla attack last year or face strained ties, to which Israel replies stuff it. On Aug. 17 the Am. Psychological Assoc. (APA) holds a Conference on Pedophilia in Baltimore, Md., seeking to normalize pedophiles as "minor-attracted persons". On Aug. 18 Pres. Obama finally calls for bashful Syrian dictator Bashar al-Sosad, er, Assad to "step aside"; coordinated messages for his resignation come from Britain, France, Germany, and the EU, along with a U.N. recommendation that Syria be referred to the Internat. Criminal Court for investigation. On Aug. 18 24 Al-Qaida in the Sinai Peninsula gunmen aided by the Popular Resistance Committee and Jaish al-Islam cross the Egyptian border into Eilat, S Israel, and kill eight Israelis and wound 20+, with five gunmen killed, after which on Aug. 19 Israel retaliates and kills five Palestians dressed as Egyptian policeman on the Eliat Road, which causes Egypt to threaten to recall its ambassador and end the 1979 peace accord until defense minister Ehud Barak publicly apologizes and offers a joint investigation on Aug. 20 (night). On Aug. 19 on the anniv. of Afghan independence from Britain in 1919 Taliban suicide bombers attack the British Council in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing eight; meanwhile a turban bomber in Helmand Military Corps Center wounds three policeman. On Aug. 19 a Ramadan suicide bombing at a mosque in Ghundi, NW Pakistan in the Khyber tribal region near the Afghan border kills 48 and injures scores; they were trying to get anti-Taliban elders. On Aug. 19 a storm at the outdoor Pukkepop Rock Festival in Hasselt, Belgium kills five. On Aug. 19 Bill Clinton receives a $1M check for his birthday from the pro-ISIS Islamist state of Gutter, er, Qatar. On Aug. 20 Pakistani army troops kill 12 militants infiltrating the Gurez Sector near the dividing line between India and Kshmir. On Aug. 20 Am. celeb Kim Kardashian marries New Jersey Nets player Kris Humphries (1985-); they break up in 72 days. On Aug. 21 Iran sentences the three Am. hikers Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd, and Joshua Fattal (captured near the N Iraq border on July 31, 2009) to eight years in priz for espionage, causing singer Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) of England to call for their release; Sarah Shourd was freed on $500K bail in Sept. 2010. On Aug. 21 Col. Madman Daffy's sons Saif al-Islam, Saadi, and Mohammed are reported captured, and his personal guard surrenders to rebel forces who are closing in on Tripoli, while his troops begin deserting, causing Daffy to appear on TV to exhort his supporters and tribes to rise up and defend him; meanwhile Pres. Obama issues the soundbyte "Tripoli is slipping from the grasp of a tyrant", French pres. Nicolas Sarkozy calls on Daffy to give up "immediately what power he has left" because a rebel V is "no longer in doubt", and U.S. Repub. Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.) praise Daffy's fall but task Obama for his limited use of airpower; too bad, on Aug. 22 after allegedly being allowed to escape by the rebels, Saif al-Islam Daffy reappears, and rallies loyalists; on Aug. 23 the rebels take Daffy's Bab Al-Aziziya fortress compound in Tripoli. On Aug. 21 Sharia is abolished for Muslims in Greece, incl. polygamy. On Aug. 21 Bloomberg News pub. an article claiming that the Wall St. aristocracy got $1.2T in secret loans from the U.S. govt. in 2007-10. On Aug. 22 battles in S Yemen kill 80 al-Qaida militants. On Aug. 23 (1:51 p.m. EST) the 5.8 2011 U.S. East Coast Earthquake (worst in 67 years) centered in Mineral, Va. S of Washington, D.C. is felt all the way to Boston and Chicago, causing the White House, Pentagon, and other govt. bldgs. and memorials to be evacuated; an unrelated 5.3 earthquake hit S Colo. just before the bigger quake. On Aug. 24 Steve Jobs announces that he's stepping down as CEO of Apple, and names Mobile, Ala.-born gay bud Timothy Donald "Tim" Cook (1960-) as his successor, while seeking to become the chmn. of the board; in 2014 he becomes the first Fortune 500 CEO to come out. On Aug. 24 in response to Apple's motion for a preliminary injunction in its iPad patent infrigement suit over the Galaxy Tab 10.1 smartphone, Korean manufacturer Samsung cites the 1968 film "2001: A Space Odyssey as prior art for tablet computers. On Aug. 25 (4 p.m.) a grenade attack at the Casino Royale in Monterrey, Mexico kills 40+. On Aug. 25 Syrian anti-Assad cartoonist Ali Farzat (1951-) is pulled out of his car in Ummayad Square, Damascus by masked gunmen and viciously beaten, breaking both of his hands then ordering him to quit it. On Aug. 26 a Muslim suicide bomber attacks the U.N. HQ in Abuja, Nigeria, killing 10+ and injuring scores. On Aug. 26 after pressure from the Arab League, Honduras officially recognizes Palestine as an independent state. On Aug. 28 Palestinian Authority chmn. Mahmoud Abbas declares that they won't recognize a Jewish state of Israel, and tells the internat. community to stuff it. On Aug. 28 an Allah Akbar-screaming Nablus-area Muslim in Tel Aviv steals a cab, rams border police outside a nightclub, gets out, and stabs seven, incl. five police officers. On Aug. 29 Afghan and coalition security forces kill and capture multiple insurgents in a Haqqani terrorist network attack cell in E Afghanistan. On Aug. 30 Rye Playland in Westchester County, N.Y. is disrupted by 15, incl. three scarved Muslim women who got pissed-off at being barred from rides. In Aug. Russia announces that its 5th-gen. stealth fighter, the PAK FA will become operational in 2015. In Aug. police inspector Bernard Witthaut tells the Westdeutschen Allgemeinen Zeitung that Muslim no-go areas beyond police control are spreading throughout Germany. In Aug. for the first time since 1945 the U.S. has zero job growth. In Aug. the U.S. has its 2nd warmest Aug. on record (1st in 1983) at 75.7F; the avg. summertime temp is 74.5F. In Aug. zero U.S. troops are killed in Iraq, the first time since Mar. 2003. On Sept. 1 Libyan Col. Madman Daffy reaches 42 years in power. On Sept. 2 Turkey expels Israeli ambassador Gaby Levy and cuts military ties over the 2010 Gaza Fake Freedom Flotilla incident; on Sept. 2 the 105-page U.N. Report on the 2010 Gaza Fake Freedom Flotilla Incident is released, concluding that the blockade is legal but that the Israeli commandos used excessive force; on Sept. 5 Turkey humiliates 40 Israeli passengers after they land in Turkey en route from tel Aviv to Istanbul; on Sept. 4 Israel and Greece sign a mutual defense pact, then on Sept. 16 invoke it against Turkish naval-air movements in the E Mediterranean. On Sept. 2 Pres. Obama announces that he will not raise federal air pollution ozone standards, pissing-off environmentalists. On Sept. 2 Mexican pres. Felipe Calderon delivers a state of the nation speech, in which he will continue his fight against drug cartels and vows to clean up the cops. On Sept. 2 the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) pub. a Survillance Report on Mental Illness Among American Adults, with the soundbyte: "Published studies report that about 25% of all U.S. adults have a mental illness and that nearly 50% of U.S. adults will develop at least one mental illness during their lifetime", calling for "surveillance efforts at the national or state level... directed toward documenting anxiety disorders." On Sept. 3 1M protest in Tel Aviv, Israel to protest against the govt. On Sept. 3 Iranian pres. Madman Imadinnajacket meets with Qatari emir Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, during which the emir gives him a request by Pres. Obama to obtain his consent to maintaining 15K troops in Iraq for another two years, along with a request to stop hostile operations against U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, to which Madman replies that if Syria is attacked, "the first missile will fall on you." On Sept. 7 (10:14 a.m. local time) a suitcase bomb explodes outside the high court of New Delhi, India, killing 11 and injuring 66. On Sept. 7 the Second Global Conference on World Religions After September 11 in Montreal, Canada sees the Dalai Lama, Tariq Ramadan et al. speak. On Sept. 8 Iranian pres. Madman Inastraightjacket finally joins the chorus and calls for an end to the Syrian crackdown. On Sept. 8 amid low opinion poll ratings, Pres. Obama calls for an end to the "political circus", and delivers a speech pitching his $447B U.S. American Jobs Act stimulus bill. On Sept. 8 the U.S. govt. announces that three suspected jihadists waltzed into the U.S. in Aug. and plan to launch a "vehicle-borne attack" on 9/11, triggering heightened security. On Sept. 8 after exposing the regime of PM Nouri al-Maliki for foisting fear a la Saddam Hussein, Iraqi journalist Hadi al-Mahdi is assassinated at his home. On Sept. 9 the U.S. Senate by 89-9 passes the U.S. America Invents Act, changing the patent system from first-to-invent to first-to-file, with a new bureaucracy to review patent applications. On Sept. 9 (5 p.m. local time) as the authorities observe without interfering, a Muslim mob of 5K from Tahrir Square storms storms the Israeli embassy in Cairo, Egypt, tears down a protective wall, and ransacks it, causing the Israel ambassador and staff to flee at 9:30 to Tel Aviv, leaving six Israeli security guards, who lock themselves in a room, and are rescued at 4 a.m. by Egyptian commandos; on Oct. 31 71 Egyptians get 6-mo. suspended sentences for the attack. On Sept. 11 (9/11/11) the U.S. Nat. Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum at the old WTC site in in Manhattan, N.Y. opens on the 10th anniv. of 9/11, incl. the biggest manmade waterfall on Earth, and the Tribute in Light; Pres. Obama delivers a 9/11/11 Speech that carefully avoids blaming Islam for 9/11, and even implies that it was an act of God by quoting Psalms 46:8: "Come behold the works of the Lord, how he has wrought desolations in the Earth"; no surprise, the weekend event A Call to Compassion at the Nat. Cathedral in Washington, D.C. features a Muslim imam and a Buddhist nun, but no evangelical Christians, pissing-off Frank Page, pres. of the Southern Baptist Convention; American fear of an imminent terrorist attack is near the low point, at 38%; Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu gives a speech in Jerusalem, warning of Islamic radicals achieving the "ultimate terrorist nightmare" of getting nukes. On Sept. 11 an Islamist suicide truck bomber at a NATO base in Wardak Province in C Afghanistan kills four civilians and injures 77 troops, becoming the worst suicide bombing in the Afghan war; the same province where the Navy SEALs heli was shot down in July. On Sept. 11 about 100 Islamists protest near the U.S. embassy in Cairo demanding the release of Egyptian "Blind Sheikh" Omar Abdel-Rahman, mastermind of the 1993 WTC bombing. On Sept. 11 lifelong friends Brendan Mess (25), Erik Weissman (31), and Raphael Teken (37) are brutally murdered in Mess' apt. in Waltham, Mass.; the murders are later traced to Boston Bombers Tamerlan and Djokar Tsarnaev, along with Ibrahim Todashev. On Sept. 12 Yukiya Amano, head of the U.N. IAEA nuclear agency announces plans to pub. new info proving that Iran is building nukes. On Sept. 13 U.S. Rep. (R-N.Y.) Peter King testifies on Muslim-Am. radicalization before a British Parliamentary committee, saying the he won't be stopped by political correctness. On Sept. 13 Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erodgan visits Egypt, where he is given a hero's welcome; the Muslim Brotherhood tasks him for telling Egypt to erect a secular govt. like in Turkey, and warns Turkey not to seek Middle East domination; on Sept. 16 he visits Libya, and gives a speech in Martyrs' (Green) Square in Tripoli, saying that the Syrian regime that inflicts repression on its people won't survive. On Sept. 13 Lloyd's of London sues Saudi Arabia for $215M for terrorist attacks and jihad in the Balkans. On Sept. 13-14 the Taliban Haqqani Network stages a 19-hour rocket attack on the U.S. embassy in Kabul that kills 14 and wounds 77, showing the U.S. that when they leave they shouldn't have even arrived; on Sept. 14 U.S. defense secy. Leon Panetta warns Pakistan that he blames them for it, and that the U.S. will "do everything we can" to defend its forces; on Sept. 23 U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff chmn. Adm. Mike Mullen accuses the Pakistani intel community of connections to the embassy attack, saying "The Haqqani Network... acts as a veritable arm of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Agency." On Sept. 15 Pres. Obama decides to sell a $4.2B arms package to Taiwan, incl. an upgrade to its F-16s, causing China to threaten the U.S. with "disaster", with the soundbyte "Don't play with fire". On Sept. 15 the Islamist Syrian Nat. Council is formed in Istanbul to help overthrow Bashar Assad and set up an Islamist govt. On Sept. 16 France finally outlaws Muslims praying in the street; on Sept. 16 Netherlands becomes the 3rd country after France and Belgium to draft legislation banning the burka, with a max fine of 380 Euros. On Sept. 16 Britain amends its universal jurisdiction law to allow Israelis accused of war crimes to enter the U.K. without risk of arrest, pissing-off leftists. On Sept. 16 a plane crashes near the grandstand at the Reno Air Races in Nev., killing three and injuring 50. On Sept. 16 Financial Times of Britain reports that Pres. Obama personally warned Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan that if it doesn't change its position towards Israel, the U.S. will not sell weapons to Turkey. On Sept. 16 the U.S. announces the killing of top al-Qaida man in Pakistan Abu Hafs al-Shahri. On Sept. 16 Israel becomes an assoc. member of CERN in Switzerland as a prelude to full membership. On Sept. 17 the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) Movement goes activist with 24/7 occupation of part of Lower Manhattan, N.Y. On Sept. 17 Maldives criminalizes the preaching of any religion other than Islam. On Sept. 18 Turkish deputy PM Besir Atalay warns that Turkey will freeze its ties with the EU if Cyprus occupies the rotating EU presidency in the 2nd half of 2012, causing Hans van Baalen of Netherlands to declare that Turkey has disqualified itself for EU membership. On Sept. 18 the Palestinian Authority uses Latifa Abu Hameid, mother of four terrorists who killed seven Israeli civilians and attempted to kill 12 others as their poster girl for their statehood campaign with the U.N. On Sept. 18 Islamist insurgents explode multile bombs in the Thai border town of Su-Ngai Golok, known for its brothels, killing five and wounding 110. On Sept. 19 Pres. Obama proposes a debt reduction plan that calls for $3 in new taxes for $1 in new spending cuts. On Sept. 19 Saudi Arabia announces that 41 suspects will be tried for forming a cell linked to al-Qaida that planned to attack U.S. forces in Kuwait and Qatar; meanwhile Saudi Arabia pays $200M to the Palestinian Authority to help it apply for full U.N. membership. On Sept. 19, the sitcom 2 Broke Girls debuts on CBS-TV for 138 episodes (until Apr. 17, 2017), about roommates Max Black (poor, brunette), played by Kat Dennings (Katherine Litwack) (1986-), and Caroline Channing (nouveau pauvre, blonde), played by Beth Behrs (1985-), who work in a diner in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, N.Y. to raise $250K to start a cupcake business, with the running tally shown at the end of each episode. On Sept. 20 a Kurdish rebel car bomb explodes near a high school in Ankara, Turkey, killing three and wounding 34. On Sept. 20 after being lured by a false offer of a Taliban peace offer, former Afghan pres. Burhanuddin Rabbani (b. 1940), head of the Afghan high peace council is assassinated by a Taliban (Haqqani Network?) suicide turban bomber in Kabul, causing Pres. Obama and Afghan pres. Hamid Karzai to issue a joint condolence statement at the U.N., and claim it won't set peace talks back. On Sept. 20 Palestinians hold mass demonstrations on the eve of the U.N. gen. assembly vote on Palestinian statehood. On Sept. 20 Pres. Obama tells the Libyan rebels "We will stand with you", pledging support for a post-Daffy Libya. On Sept. 20 the Obama admin. announces that it has sharply warned Pakistan to cut ties with the Miranshah-based Taliban Haqqani Network in the tribal region along the Afghan border (which it blames for the Sept. 13 attack on the U.S. embassy in Kabul) and help eliminate its leaders, else the U.S. will act unilaterally. On Sept. 20 four U.S. Marines are killed in an ambush in Ganjgal, Afghanistan. On Sept. 20 the sitcom New Girl (working title "Chicks & Dicks") debuts on Fox Network for ? episodes (until ?), starring Zooey Claire Deschanel (1980-) as Los Angeles middle school teacher Jessica "Jess" Christopher Day, who moves into a loft with three men, Nick, played by Jake Johnson (Mark Jake Johnson Weinberger) (1978-), Schmidt, played by Max Greenfield (1980-), and has-to-be-black Winston, played by Lamorne Morris (1983-). On Sept. 21 Pres. Obama gives a speech to the U.N. Gen. Assembly, opposing the Palestinian Authority's bid for statehood through the U.N. Security Council, with the soundbytes: "One year ago, I stood at this podium and I called for an independent Palestine. I believed then, and I believe now, that the Palestinian people deserve a state of their own"; "Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the U.N. If it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now"; French pres. Nicolas Sarkozy gives a speech to the gen. assembly and calls for a resolution to upgrade the PA to "observer status", claiming that failure will spark Muslim violence, with the soundbyte "Let us cease our endless debates on the parameters. Let us begin negotiations and adopt a precise timetable"; meanwhile pro-statehood protests by Palestinians in the West Bank result in a 16-mo.-o. Israeli baby being struck by a stone in the head; Obama poses for a group photo, and blocks the face of Mongolian pres. #4 (since June 18, 2009) Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj (1963-) with his hand. On Sept. 21 the Arab League calls for freezing Syria's and Yemen's membership until they stop violence against protesters. On Sept. 21 Iran finally releases convicted U.S. spies Shane Bauer and Joshua Fattal on bail. On Sept. 21 Syria's SANA news agency accuses Turkish camps housing 7.5K Syrian refugees of being "centers of isolation full of rape and torture". On Sept. 21 Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan appears on U.S. TV, and says that the term "moderate" doesn't need to be used with Islam because it excludes all extremists - what about the sultans? On Sept. 21 the U.S. military finally allows openly gay service members to serve. On Sept. 21 a McClatchy Newspapers and Marist College Poll shows Pres. Obama just 5 points ahead of Sarah Palin, 49% to 44%; Obama's approval rating falls to its lowest at 39%, while for the time time a majority (52%) of registered voters disapprove of him. On Sept. 21 (10:53 p.m. local time) after a 2-decade legal battle Troy Davis is executed in the state prison at Jackson, Ga. for the murder of off-duty police officer Mark McPhail in 1989. On Sept. 22 the Federal Reserve Board announces Operation Twist, a plan to shift debt holdings to spur growth, causing the Dow Jones Industrial Avg. to fall 391 points, wiping out all the gains of the year amid rumors of a coming 2nd double-dip recession; billionaire George Soros announces "I think we are in it already." On Sept. 22 Iranian pres. Madman Inastraightjacket gives a U.N. speech, taking on 9/11 ("mysterious"), the Holocaust ("excuse to pay ransom... to Zionists"), etc., causing 30 nations incl. the U.S., U.K., France, and Germany to walk out; Israel boycotts his speech entirely; meanwhile former U.S. pres. Bill "Bubba" Clinton blames Benjamin Netanyahu for sabotaging the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. On Sept. 22 British fitness instructor Lucy Misch (1984-) becomes the first pole dancer in Saudi Arabia. On Sept. 22 Jonathan Nolan's sci-fi crime drama series Person of Interest debuts on CBS-TV for ? episodes (until ?), starring James Patrick "Jim" Caviezel (1968-) as ex-CIA agent John Reese, who is presumed dead, and hooks up with mysterious billionaire genius Harold Finch, played by Michael Emerson (1954-), who uses his AI system The Machine to prevent violent crimes. On Sept. 23 Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu gives a speech to the U.N., noting the "malignancy [that] is growing between East and West" of militant Islam, and bemoaning "Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon now presides over the U.N. Security Council"; meanwhile just before Netanyahu's speech, after rebuffing last-minute U.S. pressure, Mahmoud Abbas gives a speech to the U.N. Gen. Assembly asking for it to accept Palestine as a member state, with the soundbyte: "It is a moment of truth, and my people are waiting to hear the answer of the world"; meanwhile top Hamas official Ghazi Hamad says that Hamas wasn't consulted about the bid, and is ill-prepared for it. On Sept. 23 Yemeni pres. Ali Abdullah Saleh makes a surprise return to Yemen after 3 mo. of medical treatment in Saudi Arabia. On Sept. 23 Operation Mountain Gardian, a large-scale DEFCON 1 "cocked pistol" maximum readiness terrorism alert drill involving 81 agencies is held in 10 locations in Denver, Colo., and joined by Pres. Obama; simulated weapons, smoke, emergency vehicles, and other equipment. On Sept. 23 Pope Benedict XVI calls for Christianity and Islam to forge a relationship based on "dialogue and mutual esteem", claming they could enjoy a "fruitful collaboration". On Sept. 24-25 the Fiqh Council of North Am. (FCNA) adopts a resolution at its gen. meeting in Va. that the U.S. Constitution is compatible with Sharia law - like two scorpions in a bottle? On Sept. 25 Libyan rebels announce the finding of the remains of 1.7K prisoners slain in Abu Salim Jail during Col. Madman Daffy's rule. On Sept. 25 Saudi King Abdullah announces that women can now vote in municipal elections and have limited political power, but not until 2015, and not vote, but only nominate themselves and participate in the nomination of candidates - still can't drive though? On Sept. 25 Britain charges six Pakistani Muslims with planning to unleash suicide bomb attacks. On Sept. 25 Al-Shabaab militants behead 17-y.-o. Somalian Christian Guled Jama Muktar (b. 1994) near Deynile (12 mi. from Mogadishu). On Sept. 25 (eve.) an Afghan employed by the U.S. govt. kills one American and wounds another in a CIA office in Kabul. On Sept. 26 a Gallup Poll finds that a record 81% of Americans are dissatisfied with the way the country is being governed. On Sept. 26 the food and lifestyle TV talk show The Chew debuts on ABC-TV (until ?), replacing the soap opera All My Children, hosted by chefs Mario Francesco Batali (1960-), Michael D. Symon (1969-), and Carla Hall (1964-), along with fashion consultant Clinton Kelly (1969-) and nutrition consultant Daphne Oz (1986-). On Sept. 27 the Israeli govt. approves 1.1K new housing units in East Jerusalem. On Sept. 27 Turkey officially accepts delivery of its first domestically manufactured warship, the 300-ft. stealth corvette TCG Heybeliada. On Sept. 28 26-.y.-o. Mass. Muslim Rezwan Ferdaus is arrested for a plot to bomb bldgs. in Washington, D.C. with remote-controlled aircraft filled with plastic explosives. On Sept. 28 Mexico's Supreme Court votes 7-4 to reject a decision to legalize abortion. On Sept. 29 a suicide bomber near a bank where policemen are picking up their salaries in Kirkuk, Iraq kills two and wounds 60. On Sept. 29 China launches the unmanned 8.5 ton Tangong-1 ("Heavenly Palace") space station. On Sept. 29 the first Hajj flight arrives at the new King Abdulaziz Internat. Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. On Sept. 29 the White House calls for the release of Muslim convert Christian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who is scheduled for execution in Iran for not reconverting to Islam. On Sept. 29 the U.S. Treasury Dept. announces sanctions against brothers Faizullah and Malik Noorzai from Afghanistan for raising millions for the Taliban. On Sept. 29 the Islamic Defender Front (FPI) in Indonesia appeals on its Web site that all "un-Islamic" statues in the country be destroyed, esp. those in public places; meanwhile on Nov. 2 Salafists veil a mermaid statue in Alexandria, Egypt. On Sept. 30 the U.S. finally whacks al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) leader Anwar al-Awlaki (b. 1971) in the mountains of Yemen, along with al-Qaida mag. ed. Samir Khan; they wanted to kill him on 9/11, but there were too many civilians around. On Sept. 30 a car bomb at a Shia funeral in Hilla, Iraq 57 mi. S of Baghdad kills 18 and wounds several. On Sept. 30 3K Salafist Muslims burn the Mar Gerges Church in Aswan, Egypt, then loot and burn nearby Christian homes and businesses. On Sept. 30 Afghanistan holds Sound Central, its first rock festival since 1975. On Sept. 30 the Pentagon announces that military chaplains may perform same-sex weddings, even in states where it is illegal, causing U.S. Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) to say that the Obama admin. is "bordering on lawlessness"; meanwhile on Oct. 3 White House press secy. Jay Carney dodges a question about a letter written by U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops pres. Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, who wrote Obama in late Sept. warning him that his Justice Dept.'s argument that federal courts should hold that opposing same-sex marriage is the legal equivalent of racial discrimination will precipitate an enormous nat. conflict between church and state. In Sept. Iran announces the launch of its first Spanish language TV channel HispanTV, which debuts on the Web then goes broadcast by the end of the year. In Sept. the Tevatron at the Fermi Nat. Accelerator Lab. in Batavia, Ill. is shut down after 27 years of searching for the elusive Higgs Particle. In Sept. NASA implements no-fly zones on the Moon to protect Apollo historical sites - keep the coverup going? In Sept. the U.S. unemployment rate remains at 9.1%, with 103K jobs added. In Sept. niqab-clad woman Kenza Drider announces her bid for pres. of France. On Oct. 1 control of U.S. forces in Iraq switches from the military to the U.S. State Dept. On Oct. 1 the U.S. Congress blocks $200M in aid to the Palestinians over their statehood bid; meanwhile Iranian supreme assaholla Ali Khamanei rejects the Palestinian U.N. statehood bid, saying that any deal that accepts the existence of Israel would leave a "cancerous tumor" threatening the security of the Muslim Middle East. On Oct. 1 senior Haqqani Network leader in Afghanistan Haji Mali Khan, uncle of network leaders Siraj and Badruddin Haqqani is captured in Paktiya Province by a NATO-Afghan operation. On Oct. 1 a mob of 150 shoots and hacks to death 19 and injures six in Lingyado in NW Nigeria. On Oct. 1 Pakistani bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri is sentenced to death in Rawalpindo for murdering Punjab gov. Salman Taseer despite invoking the Quran to justify it, triggering bloody riots in major cities on Oct. 1-2. On Oct. 1 Occupy D.C. begins in McPherson Square in Washington, D.C. with two encampments; on Oct. 29 Howard U. students join; on Nov. 22 a group who set out from New York City arrive; on Feb. 4, 2012 police raid them, arresting 11 but leaving 15 tents; on June 10, 2012 they vacate. On Oct. 2 the Syrian state-run Al Baath newspaper tells U.S. ambassador to Syria Robert Ford to quit supporting the protesters or expect more rotten egg attacks. On Oct. 2 New York City police arrest 700+ demonstrators from the Occupy Wall Street protests on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. On Oct. 2 Egyptian ambassador to Ramallah Yasser Othman tells the Bethlehem-based Ma'an news agency that Egypt fears that Israel might seize control of the Sinai Peninsula. On Oct. 2 the Unknown Soldiers of the Hidden Imam in Iran sends emails to 11 Iranian ex-Muslim Christians who left the country, threatening them to return to Islam or be killed. On Oct. 2 seven bullet-ridden bodies are dumpbed at a downtown bus stop in the resort city of Zihuatanejo, Mexico; drug violence results in 20 killed along a stretch of coastal vacation spots. On Oct. 2 (Sun.) the political thriller series Homeland debuts on Showtime for ? episodes (until ?), starring Claire Catherine Danes (1979-) as CIA officer Carrie Mathison, and Damian Watcyn Lewis (1971-) as her USMC hubby Sgt. Nicholas Brody, who is held captive by al-Qaida and is suspected of turning; "The nation sees a hero. She sees a threat"; episode 1 of season 5 has CIA man in Syria Peter Quinn debriefed by his bosses, who ask him how their strategy is working, to which he replies: "What strategy? We have no strategy." On Oct. 3 Minn. Muslim woman Amina Farah Ali (1976-) is arrested in U.S. court in Minneapolis for refusing to stand for the judge for a 2nd time, claiming to recognize only Islamic law, not U.S. law; she and Hawo Mohamed Hassan are on trial for raising money to funnel to Al-Shabaab in Somalia. On Oct. 4 Syrian pres. Bashar Assad warns that he will set the Middle East on fire if NATO attacks Syria, with the soundbyte: "If a crazy measure is taken against Damascus, I will need not more than six hours to transfer hundreds of rockets and missiles to the Golan Heights to fire them at Tel Aviv", causing Israel to respond via Turkey that if he starts a war with them to divert attention from his domestic problems, they will target him personally. On Oct. 4 Russia and China veto a U.N. resolution condemning Syria and threatening sanctions, causing British foreign secy. William Hague to call it "deeply mistaken and regrettable", and French foreign minister Alain Juppe to call it a "sad day for the Syrian people", while Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erodogan says that Turkey and other nations will press ahead with sanctions. On Oct. 4 Al-Shabaab militants detonate a truck bomb in front of the education ministry in Mogadishu, Somalia, as students and parents wait for scholarship info., killing 100+ and wounding dozens. On Oct. 4 a mosque in Tuba-Zangariyee, Upper Galilee near Safed is burned by Jews, causing a day of rage by Muslims, followed by the arrest of 20 Palestinians on Oct. 5 at dawn. On Oct. 4 all of Iraq's political parties but the Sadrists agree to keep U.S. trainers past the 2011 withdrawal deadline, but don't grant them immunity from prosecution as requested by the U.S.; Sadrist leader Moqtada al-Sadr announces that starting on Jan. 1 he's reviving his Mehdi Army to exterminate all of the 3K-4K U.S. soldiers remaining in Iraq. On Oct. 4 Rusian PM Vladimir Putin floats the idea of a new Eurasian Union to compete with the EU; in Nov. Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus sign an agreement to launch it by 2015 - call it PU? On Oct. 5 AsiaNews claims that the Saudis are plotting to use their oil money to bring Egypt under Islamist rule and expel all other religions incl. Coptic Christians. On Oct. 7 Syrian Kurdish leader Mashaal Tammo is killed in his apt. in Qamishli by masked gunmen; on Oct. 8 police fire on the funeral procession, causing 50K to mourn at his funeral on Oct. 9 amid calls for the 1.7M Syrian Kurds join the rising against Bashar Assad by his son Fares Tammo. On Oct. 7 surging Repub. pres. candidate Herman Cain is caught with his pants down with a question about Uzbekistan, with the soundbyte: "When they ask me who's the president of Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan I'm going to say, 'You know, I don't know. Do you know?' And then I'm going to say, 'how's that going to create one job?'" On Oct. 8 bombs strike two oil pipelines in S Iraq, causing temporary production halts. On Oct. 9 (Black Sun. in Cairo) riots break out in Cairo, Egypt after Coptic Christians protest the attack on their church in Merinab village by Muslims, after which police take on the Copts, firing into the crowd and running over it in armored vehicles, killing 24 and injuring 270; no surprise, Pres. Obama calls on the Muslims, er, all sides to show restraint so that the elections can go on. On Oct. 9 police in Tunisia arrest dozens of 300 Islamist demonstrators who are attacking the offices of a TV channel showing the film "Persepolis" and trying to set it on fire. On Oct. 9 Hamas enacts new entry restrictions for Gaza, requiring most foreigners to obtain a visa. On Oct. 9 U.S. special rep for Pakistan and Afghanistan Marc Grossman admits that 19K Pakistani civilians have been killed in terrorist attacks since 2003. On Oct. 9 the anti-clerical party of Janusz Palikot (1964-) captures a record 10% of the popular vote and 40 seats in Poland's lower house of parliament. On Oct. 10 Dutch MP (Middle East expert) Wim Kortenoeven blasts the govt. of Turkey for "sliding into an abyss of Islamic extremism" and for its "belligerence" against Israel. On Oct. 11 U.S. officials claim to have disrupted an Iranian plot to assassinate Saudi Arabian ambassador (since 2007) Abdel Al-Jubeir (1962-) along with bomb attacks on the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington, D.C., and arrest Am. Muslim Manssor Arbabsiar; on Oct. 13 Pres. Obama says that there is no doubt that members of the Iranian govt. knew of the plot, and warns that they will be held accountable for their "reckless behavior"; the Obama admin. also accuses Iran of trying to recruit a Mexican drug cartel member into the plot, and ramps up its internat. sanctions on Iran, with vice-pres. Joe Biden saying that "Nothing has been taken off the table"; Iranian foreign minister Ramin Mehmanparast calls the claims "ludicrous", and blames Zionists; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich shows that this plot is a "very embarrassing and difficult moment" for the Obama admin., and shows that Obama is clueless about Iran; did the Obama admin. break the news to divert attention from the Fast and Furious scandal that's putting heat on U.S. atty.-gen. Eric Holder? On Oct. 11 the Israeli cabinet approves a deal to return kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit after 1,934 days in captivity, in return for 1,027 Arab POWs, 477 of them convicted terrorists; no surprise, Saudi cleric Awad al-Qarni issues a $100K reward to any Palestinian who kidnaps another Israeli soldier, after which Saudi prince Khaled bin Talal (brother of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal) pledges $900K more; on Nov. 5 Saudi king Abdullah provides his private plane to ferry them to the hajj in Mecca free of charge, while Mahmoud Abbas promises to build homes for them. On Oct. 11 (Tue.) the sitcom Last Man Standing debuts on ABC-TV for ? episodes (until ?), starring Tim Allen as sporting goods store exec Mike Baxter of Denver, Colo., Nancy Travis as his geologist wife Vanessa Baxter, Alexandra Krosney/Amanda Fuller as daughter Kristin Beth Baxter, Molly Ephraim as daughter Amanda Elaine "Mandy Baxter, and Kaitlyn Dever as daughter Eve Baxter. On Oct. 12 a slew of coordinated bomb attacks targeting police in Iraq kills 25 and wounds dozens. On Oct. 12 Underwear Bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab stuns prosecutors by abruptly pleading guilty and issuing a rant about Islam on the 2nd day of his trial, calling his bomb a "blessed weapon to save the lives of innocent Muslims" and that the purpose was to retaliate against the U.S. for supporting Israel, adding: "Participation in jihad against the United States is considered among the most virtuous deeds in Islam and is highly encouraged in the Quran", pissing-off CAIR spokesman Dawud Walid, who says 'The Quran clearly states whoever kills an innocent soul has committed an act like murdering all of humanity', and the Quran commands Muslims not to kill themselves." On Oct. 12 Serbia receives EU candidate status; Albania is rejected, and Turkey is put on hold. On Oct. 13 two bomb blasts in Baghdad, Iraq kill 16. On Oct. 13 the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Internat. Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICID) in Vienna, Austria is established by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Austria, and Spain. On Oct. 14 U.N. human rights commissioner Navi Pillay calls for "immediate measures" to protect civilians in Syria. On Oct. 14 Pres. Obama announces the deployment of 100 troops to C Africa to advise forces fighting the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army. On Oct. 14 the U.S. Dept. of Justice announces a V for Am. Muslim teacher Safoorah Khan, who was denied 19 days unpaid leave to go on Hajj to Mecca; she will receive $75K. On Oct. 14 (7:00 p.m. local time) Tunisian Islamists firebomb the home of Nessma private TV chief Nabil Karoui for broadcasting the film "Persepolis" on Oct. 7, which they claim violates Islamic values. On Oct. 14 Ahmed (Saif) Omar Abdul Rahman, son of Blind Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman is killed by a U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan. On Oct. 15 an Islamist suicide attack at the Provincial Reconstruction Team base in Panjshir, Uzbekistan kills two security guards; on Oct. 17 the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) claims credit, and also claims that they had help from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban). On Oct. 16 Comet Elenin passes within 21M mi. of Earth. On Oct. 16 a riot in Matamoros Prison in Mexico, known for housing drug gang members kills 20. On Oct. 16 U.S. forces announce that they have been taking increasing rocket fire from Pakistan in the past month; officers allege that the jihadists are operating in sight of the Pakistani military. On Oct. 16 Operation Linda Nchi (Swahili "protect the country") begins as Kenyan troops cross into Somalia to help the Somalian army pursue Al-Shabaab militants, gaining more help from the Ethiopian military; it ends in June 2012. On Oct. 16 the daytime TV talk show Super Soul Sunday, hosted by Oprah Winfrey debuts on the Oprah Winfrey Network (until ?). On Oct. 17 a bomb near a liquor store in Baghdad, Iraq kills seven and injures 18. On Oct. 18 two 18-y.-o. men from Cardiff, Wales are detained by Kenyan police for attempting to join the Somalian jihad. On Oct. 18 U.S. state secy. Hillary Clinton makes an unannounced visit to Tripoli, Libya after the Defense Dept. positions assets off the Libyan coast in case it needs to rescue her - unlike the diplomats in Benghazi? On Oct. 19 the Third Papuan Peoples' Congress in Indonesia sees police invade and disperse attendees, then arrest 300, charging five with rebellion and incitement. On Oct. 19 the Swiss study The Network of Global Corporate Control by Stefania Vitali, James B. Glattfelder, and Stefano Battiston is pub. in New Scientist, exposing a small group of 1,318 central banks and other financial institutions as a cartel controlling the global economy through control of the 43K transnational cos.; 80% of the control is in the hands of 737 of them; 40% of the total wealth is controlled by 147 of them. On Oct. 19-28 the 107th World Series sees the St. Louis Cardinals (NL) defeat the Texas Rangers (AL) 4-3 in the first 7-game WS since 2002; St. Louis 3B player David Richard Freese (1983-) is MVP. On Oct. 20 five 20-something French Moroccan Muslims are arrested after breaking into the Bexar County Courthouse in San Antonio, Tex. On Oct. 20 after NATO bombers destroy his convoy, causing him to hole-up in a drainage pipe, Libyan dictator (since Sept. 1, 1969) Muammar al-Gaddafi (b. 1942) is captured hiding under a manhole, dragged by a mob, and killed near Sirte, shot several times while begging for his life, sparking large outbursts of joy; he was sodomized by a bayonet first?; Pres. Obama calls it a "momentous day in the history of Libya", adding "Today we can definitely say that the Gaddafi regime has come to a end. One of the world's longest dictators is no more"; Hillary Clinton utters the soundbyte: "We came, we saw, he died", pissing-off Vladimir Putin and increasing his hatred for her; on Oct. 23 transitional nat. council chmn. Abdel-Jail declares to a large crowd that the Libyan Rev. has ended, and vows that the new govt. will be based on Sharia; on Oct. 21 German chancellor Angela Merkel says that Daffy's death clears the way for a new era of peace and democracy in Libya; on Oct. 26 U.S. Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan says that those rejoicing Daffy's death will come to sorrow, and predicts that the U.S. is unprepared for the backlash from his worldwide supporters; during his last days Daffy wrote to Italian PM Silvio Berlusconing, asking for help in stopping the bombing; on Oct. 28 NATO announces the end of its 7-mo. Libya mission; too bad many local militia leaders renege on their pledge to give up their weapons so they can act as "guardians of the rev.", and instead loot Daffy's arsenals; Daffy's female bodyguards are hunted down, raped, and murdered. On Oct. 21 Pres. Obama triumphantly announces the Iraq pullout by the end of the year, with the soundbyte "After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over"; on Oct. 23 retired Army gen. John M. Keane (author of the 2007 troop surge) calls the plan an "absolute disaster" that puts Iraq at risk of an Iranian "strangling"; meanwhile the Obama admin. begins planning for a military buildup in the Persian Gulf - you can be my wing man anytime? On Oct. 21 top Obama U.S. Justice Dept. officials invite a gaggle of Muslim activists to tell them what to do, giving them their chance to vigorously lobby for cutbacks in anti-terror funding, changes in federal agent training programs, new curbs on investigators, and above all, a legal declaration that any criticism of Islam constitutes racial discrimination - yes, naked Sharia, even though they have to stoop to the pretext that the ideology of Islam is a race, when it wants to absorb all races whether you like it or not, clearly the First Amendment is going to get its biggest test since ever; on Oct. 24 the Obama admin. takes off the rubber mask and announces that the U.S. govt. will begin removing all references to Islam in connection with terrorism, and revamp the FBI and other agencies' training programs to gut them of all the valuable knowledge about Islam and jihad that moi and so many others have been publishing on the Internet for free; on Oct. 25 Pres. Obama issues an executive order to give it force, if he's not a Muslim plant he should get an Oscar for playing one in the White House, eegads, the truth is now banned from the top; FBI agent Kenneth Moore in Knoxville, Tenn. approved the FBI memo detailing the info. purged from FBI training programs. On Oct. 21 Quebec Muslim Mouna Diab (1985-) is charged with trying to export assault rifle parts to Lebanon for jihad. On Oct. 21 the world ends, according to Harold Camping, whose original date May 21 has been corrected. On Oct. 22 Saudi crown prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Said (b. 1930) dies, causing a scramble to reestablish the succession, resulting in King Abdullah naming 77-y.-o. Prince Nayef (Naif) bin Abdul-Aziz (1934-2012) as new crown prince on Oct. 27, who vows that Saudi Arabia would "never sway from and never compromise on" adherence to Wahhabi doctrine, removing religious authorities who objected to the mingling of men and women in public spaces. Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud as the new crown prince and deputy PM on Oct. 27 On Oct. 22 U.S. state secy. Hillary Clinton visits Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and warns Tajikistan and Uzbekistan that their efforts to crack down on religious freedom might backfire with increased sympathy for radical Islamist views in C Asia. On Oct. 22 Afghan Ores. Hamid Karzai announces that if the U.S. invades Pakistan, Afghanistan will support Pakistan not the U.S. On Oct. 22 an Al-Shabaab suicide bomber wounds two AU peacekeepers in Mogadishu, Somalia; meanwhile Al-Shabaab warns Kenya of an imminent jihad, with the soundbyte "Your skyscrapers will be destroyed, your tourism will disappear"; on Oct. 23 Kenyan forces join an offense against them, advancing toward their stronghold of Kismayu; on Nov. 4 Al-Shabaab rebels announce that they are going to plunge Kenyan forces into an "endless war". On Oct. 22 an Egyptian court sentences Ayman Yusef Mansur to three years of hard labor for insulting Islam in postings on Facebook. On Oct. 22 a mass Rally to Defend Islam Against Christian Proselytization is held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. On Oct. 23 elections in Tunisia are a V for Islamic Ennahdha Party, which wins 91 of 217 assembly seats, and calling for a coalition with secular groups on Oct. 26 after claiming a lead, incl. the secularist Congress for the Repub. (CFR), and the Ettakatol (Dem. Forum for Labour and Liberties); on Oct. 28 the moderate Islamist party An-Nahda agrees to supply 42 of the 49 women elected to the nat. unity govt.; Tunisian Jews are discouraged by the Islamic V. On Oct. 23 the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood (Islamic Action Front) (IAF) declines an offer from King Abdullah II to join Jordan's new cabinet, headed by squeaky clean PM-designate Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh (1950-), who becomes PM of Jordan on Oct. 24 (until May 2, 2012). On Oct. 23 the 2011 Iranian Aria Embezzlement Scandal state trading scandal sees Iranian pres. Imadinnajacket accused of being involved in the emblezzelement of 2.8B toman from seven banks via his aide Mahafarid Amir Khosravi (1969-2014), causing Imadinnajacket to threaten to resign; 341 Shiite scholars are accused, making it the largest fraud in Iranian history. On Oct. 23 Palestinian pres. Mahmoud Abbas gives a TV interview, saying that he will never recognize a Jewish state of Israel, and that the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was a good thing. On Oct. 23 the fairy tale drama series Once Upon a Time debuts on ABC-TV for 155 episodes (until May 18, 2018), set in seaside Storybrook, Maine, starring Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan; season 7 moves to Hyperion Heights in Seattle, Wash., starring Jared S. Gilmore as Emma's son Henry Mills; also stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White, Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen, and Josh Dallas as Prince Charming. On Oct. 24 the SE Turkey Earthquake kills 264; on Oct. 26 Israel begins sending civilian planes with earthquake relief despite tensions between the govts. On Oct. 24 citing "credible threats" against his safety, the U.S. pulls its envoy Robert Ford out of Syria, causing Damascus to follow suit. On Oct. 24 elections in Switzerland give the far-right Swiss People's Party (SVP) its first drip in 20 years, from 28.9% in 2007 to 25.9%. On Oct. 24 seven new mosques are officially recognized in Flanders, Belgium, making a total of 24. On Oct. 24 a YouGov-Cambridge Poll conducted in July finds that 73% of Iraqis believe that it is likely that Iran will act aggressively toward Iraq after the U.S. troops leave in Dec.; 51% say that the security situation within Iraq will worsen. On Oct. 25 ethnic Malay Muslim rebels in predominantly Buddhist Yala, Malaysia shoot soldiers dead then explode a bomb that kills three and wounds 34. On Oct. 25 Islamists in Malaysia call for the country to ban a Nov. concert by gay English pop star Sir Elton John, saying that he promotes "hedonism". On Oct. 25-26 (night) protests in Sana'a, Yemen incl. hundreds of women burning their veils in protest against violence. On Oct. 26 Pres. Obama visits Colo. to push student loan relief. On Oct. 26 Germany announces that it's "reconsidering" deal to sell Israel a 6th Dolphin class sub over chancellor Angela Merkel's disapproval of new housing plans for E Jerusalem. On Oct. 26 10th grader Mehnez is killed by her fiance on her way to school in Pishtakhara, Peshawar, Pakistan after she refuses to abandon her education. On Oct. 27 (7 p.m. local time) twin bomb blasts in Baghdad, Iraq kill 18 and injure 37. On Oct. 27 Pope Benedict XVI speaks at a gathering of 300 world religious leaders in Rome, and acknowledges "with great shame" that Christianity has used force in its long history, but claims that violence in God's name has no place in the modern world. On Oct. 27 in the case of Taner Akcam v. Turkey, the European Court of Human Rights unanimously rules that Turkey can't criminalize recognition of the Armenian Genocide. On Oct. 27 Saddam Hussein's home region of Salahuddin N of Baghdad declares regional autonomy in Iraq. On Oct. 27 Al-Shoula, a consortium of 12 Spanish cos. beats French rivals to win a 6.7B euro ($9.3B) contract to build a high-speed railway on the Mulim hajj route between Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. On Oct. 27 U.S. state secy. Hillary Clinton gives an interview to BBC Persia, saying that the State Dept. is planning to set up a "virtual embassy" in Tehran to facilitate Iranian student visas. On Oct. 27 the Dow Jones Industrial Avg. closes above 12K for the first time since Aug. On Oct. 28 a French court cancels a permit for a mega-mosque in Marseille, France that was touted as a symbol of Islam in France. On Oct. 28 a car bomb near Aden, Yemen kills Ali al-Haddi, head of Yemen's anti-terror force. On Oct. 28 (5:00 a.m. local time) Wahhabist gunman Mevlid Jasarevic opens fire at the U.S. embassy in Sarajevo, Bosnia, and is wounded after wounding a policeman; 17 are arrested. On Oct. 28 after advice by her Saudi attache Huma Abedin, U.S. state secy. Hillary Clinton announces that the U.S. is now ready to negotiate with Taliban leader Mullah Omar, and regards his involvement as crucial to peace prospects in Afghanistan. On Oct. 28 Palestinian pres. Mahmoud Abbas gives a speech on Israeli TV, where he admits that the Arab world erred in rejecting the 1947 U.N. Partition Plan. On Oct. 28 Syrian forces open fire on protesters in Homs and Hama, killing 30. On Oct. 28 Iran sends a diplomatic note to the U.S. complaining about its claims that it was involved in a plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the U.S., and demanding an apology. On Oct. 28 three niaq-wearing women with shielded faces are denied entry to a courtroom in Gothenburg, Sweden for the trial of Lars Vilks attempted murderer Abdi Aziz Mahamud. On Oct. 28 Palestinian Nat. Authority foreign minister (since 2006) Mahmoud al-Zahar (1945-) utters the soundbyte about Western civilization: "This civilization will not be able to withstand the great and glorious Islam, with its great humane platform." On Oct. 29 a Taliban (Haqqani Network?) suicide bomber rams his van into an armored NATO bus in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing 17, incl. five ISAF troops, becoming the deadliest attack on coalition forces in over 2 mo.; the Taliban claims that the bomber was a Kabul-born 23-y.-o. European Afgahan; meanwhile an Afghan soldier turns his weapons on Australian NATO soldiers in Nish, Kandahar Province, killing three. On Oct. 29 the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood visits Gaza Strip, allegedly for the first time. On Oct. 29 Minneapolis, Minn. Muslim Abdisalan Hussein Ali (b. 1989) and one other stage a suicide attack on African Union troops in Mogadishu, killing scores of peacekeepers, becoming the 3rd Am. Muslim used by Al-Shabaab. On Oct. 29 officials of the Obama admin. meet with hundreds of parents, teachers, and community leaders at a Bullying Prevention Summit, claiming that one-third of 40M students are bullied each year; no surprise, the summit focuses on Muslim students, despite statistics showing that it's Jews who are victims of most bias incidents. On Oct. 29 members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Assoc. in Britain begin helping the Royal British Legion collect money for the annual Poppy Appeal. On Oct. 29 (7 p.m.) immigrant Arab Muslims stone Roman Catholic festival-goers at the Joyeuse Union Don Bosco in Nimes, France. On Oct. 29-30 Muslim protests against Islamophobia in Berne, Switzerland anger Jews when some protesters wear a yellow Star of David with the intent of comparing themselves to persecuted Jews. On Oct. 30 Israeli pres. Shimon Peres calls the spate of recent rocket attacks from Gaza a "declaration of war"; meanwhile an Israeli airstrike in Gaza Strip kills one, causing calls for a ceasefire by the Palestinians. On Oct. 30 Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad gives his first interview with a Western journalist since the beginning of the 7-mo. uprising, saying that Western intervention will cause "another Afghanistan, or tens of Afghanistans" because "Syria is the hub now in this region - it is the fault line, and if you play with the ground you will cause an earthquake." On Oct. 30 an Israeli court sentences former Israeli soldier Anat Kamm (1987-) to 4.5 years in prison for leaking classified military documents about a policy of assassinating Palestinian fighters to a newspaper. On Oct. 30 a twin bombing at a music store in a Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq kills 32 and wounds 71. On Oct. 30 Iranian pres. Madman Imadinnastraightjacket hails the U.S. troop exit from Iraq as a "golden" victory. On Oct. 30 Libyan interior PM Mahmoud Jabril confirms the presence of chemical weapons in Libya, and says that foreign inspectors will arrive later in the week to deal with them. On Oct. 30 Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan holds a large rally in Lahore, causing established political parties concern. On Oct. 30 the Iran-sponsored Press Union of the Islamic World is launched by 38 countries. On Oct. 31 by 107-14-52 (U.S., Israel, Canada, Germany, Sweden, and Australia against, France in favor, Britain abstains) UNESCO becomes the first U.N. agency to grant the Palestinians full membership, causing the U.S. to stop their $80M annual financing (22%) of it under 1990 Public Law 101-246 that prohibits them from funding any U.N. body that admits Palestine as a member state before a negotiated settlement with Israel; Israel retaliates by building 1,650 more homes in E Jerusalem and 350 in the West Bank settlements of Gush Eztion and Maaleh Adumim, and withholding tens of millions of dollars/mo. of custom and sales tax revenue collected for the Palestinian Authority at Israel-controlled checkpoints; Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat claims that Israel should have been the first to congratulate them. On Oct. 31 a 4-man Taliban suicide team attacks a U.N. HQ in Kandahar City, Afghanistan, killing five. On Oct. 31 the Tashnaq Party in Lebanon organizes an expulsion of all Syrian Kurds from the predominantly Armenian district of Burj Hammud. On Oct. 31 elections in Kyrgyzstan retain PM Almazbek Atambayev's party in power. On Oct. 31 the Jund Al-Khalifah (Soldiers of the Caliphate) based on the Afghan-Pakistan border claim credit for two bombings in the city of Atyrau in Kazakhstan in retaliation for banning the veil. On Oct. 31 a mosque in Wichita, Kan. is heavily damaged by fire after receiving anti-Islam letters. On Oct. 31 the 7th billion person on Earth is born. In Oct. a total of 23 U.S. soldiers are killed in Afghanistan, making the war total 1,720. In Oct. the U.S. unemployment rate falls from 9.1% to 9.0%, with only 80K new jobs added. In Oct. the Obama admin. makes mosques off-limits to FBI survillance incl. undercover sting operations without special approval from the Sensitive Operations Review Committee of the U.S. Justice Dept. On Nov. 1 700 rebel fighters attack Kadugli and Teludi, South Kordofan, killing hundreds of SPLN-North fighers. On Nov. 1 dual U.S.-Libyan citizen Abdurraheem el-Keib is chosen by the Libyan Nat. Transitional Council as PM of Libya (until ?) to replace Mahmoud Jibril, who resigned on Oct. 23. On Nov. 1 Israeli strategic affairs minister Moshe Ya'alon says that Israel must confront Iran's attempts to get nukes, and not depend on others to do it. On Nov. 1 South African Judge Richard Goldstone pub. an op-ed in the Washington Post (after the New York Times turns him down), blaming himself for his Goldstone Report, and going on to blast those who claim Israel is an apartheid state, with the soundbyte "It is important to separate legitimate criticism of Israel from assaults that aim to isolate, demonize and delegitimize it", calling the apartheid charge "an unfair and inaccurate slander against Israel." On Nov. 1 Greek PM George Panadreau announces that Greece will hold a referendum on the $180B Greek bailout announced by EU leaders the week before, pissing them off, after which on Nov. 3 he drops it. On Nov. 1 Israeli strategic affairs minister Moshe Ya'alon says that Israel must confront Iran's attempts to get nukes, and not depend on others to do it, testing its new Jericho ICBM in a show of strength against Iran. On Nov. 1 the U.S. House of Reps votes to reaffirm the motto "In God We Trust", to which Pres. Obama responds "I trust in God, but God wants to see us help ourselves", accusing them of wasting time. On Nov. 1 2.5M Muslim pilgrims begin flocking to Mecca for the annual hajj, which starts on Nov. 4 (Fri.); Pres. Obama utters the soundbyte that the Hajj is "one of the world's largest and most diverse gatherings" - except that non-Muslims who enter Mecca are executed? On Nov. 1 Turks and Kurds clash in Paris, France, wounding 15; meanwhile Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu urges Iraqi Kurds to cooperate with Turkey in fighting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), saying otherwise Turkey has the right to invade Iraqi territory to prevent attacks on Turkish targets. On Nov. 1 an oil conference in Cape Town, South Africa claims that the breakaway nation of Somaliland has huge unexplored oil potential. On Nov. 1 Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavro tells the Serbian press that if its objections to NATO's planned missile defense system are not heeded, Russia could take steps of "a technically military nature". On Nov. 2 Syrian-born Baton Rouge, La. Muslim Jamal M. Roman (1960-) is convicting of defrauding state and local govts. of $726K in sales taxes and funneling $700K to Syria, and is sentenced to 53 mo. in federal prison plus two years of post-prison supervision. On Nov. 2 Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits Germany to celebrate the 50th anniv. of the guest worker agreement, and issues the soundbyte "German politicians do not acknowledge the contribution of the three million Turks in Germany enough." On Nov. 2 the offices of the French satirical mag. Charlie Hebdo are firebombed the day it is set to pub. an issue with a cover satirizing Muhammad, causing French PM Francois Fillon to speak out against the attack; on Nov. 3 they go offline after death threats, then on Nov. 4 pub. the Muhammad cartoon that pisses-off the Muslims in a special supplement distributed with the left-wing newspaper Liberation, after which on Nov. 8 it runs another issue showing a cartoonist kising a bearded Muslim man, with the caption "Love is stronger than hate". On Nov. 2 Syria claims to fully accept peace proposals by the Arab League, incl. troop pullout from cities and meetings with the opposition. On Nov. 2 senior religious official Jamel Oueslati claims that radical Islamists have seized control of 150-200 of Tunisia's 5K mosques since the Jan. Rev. On Nov. 2 after extensive natural gas discoveries, Mexico scraps plans to build up to 10 nuclear plants. On Nov. 2 as Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu lobbies the Knesset to strike Iran's nuclear facilities, Iran's top military official maj.-gen. Hassan Fayrouz Abadi says that if this happens Iran will cause serious damage to Israel and the U.S. On Nov. 2 a U.S. Congressional committee approves tougher sanctions on Iran, focusing on the central bank of Tehran. On Nov. 2 the 2-ship Freedom Waves for Gaza flotilla, consisting of the Tahrir and the Saoirse leaves Turkey to try to run the Gaza blockade, carrying 27 activists from nine countries incl. the U.S.; on Nov. 4 the Israeli navy seizes the ships 50 mi. from Gaza. On Nov. 2 a jury awards $7.5M in damages to Iranian-born Am. Muslim Shawn Esfahani, owner of Eastern Shore Toyota after a competitor calls his business "Taliban Toyota" and accuses him of being a terrorist. On Nov. 2 Tel Aviv holds a massive civil defense drill. On Nov. 2 Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses Germany of letting it down in its bid for EU membership, claiming it should show much more solidarity; it also fails to recognize Turks' efforts to integrate into German society. On Nov. 2 a liquor store in Assi Youcef, Algeria is burned down by a group of Muslims terrorists; they first enter the shop and steal their mobile phones to get their IDs. On Nov. 2 PAN member Ricardo Guzman Romero, mayor of La Piedad in Michoacan, Mexico is shot and killed while campaigning for a Nov. 13 election. On Nov. 2 the 12K-member Bosnian Islamic Society becomes the first Muslim in Sweden to begin receiving the "church tax" along with the Church of Sweden. On Nov. 2 China docks two space vehicles for the first time, the unmanned Shenzhou 8 and the Tiangong-1 space lab. On Nov. 2 the G-20 Summit in Cannes, France is attended by Pres. Obama, who shakes the hands of Euro leaders then gives Turkish Islamist PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan a big hug. On Nov. 3 the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Oversight Subcommittee votes 14-9 to subpoena internal White House documents on the solar co. Solyndra, which filed for bankruptcy after receiving a $535M federal loan guarantee; the White House rebuffs the subpoena, claiming it is politically motivated. On Nov. 3 Italy pub. a Survey on Antisemitism, which finds that 44% of Italians harbor some prejudice or hostile attitude towards Jews. On Nov. 3 a triple bombing in oil hub Basra, Iraq kills eight and wounds dozens. On Nov. 3 Israeli Benjamin Netanyahu orders in investigation into an info. leak about Israel's plans to attack Iran, blaming the heads of Mossad and Shin Bet, Meir Dagan and Yuval Diskin, as well as opposition Kadima Party leader Tzipi Livni; meanwhile Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah announces that his forces have 10K rockets ready to fire at Tel Aviv, and can handle the Israeli military without aid from Iran or Syria. On Nov. 3 women's groups in Galkayo, Somalia in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland announce a drive to lobby authorities to ban female genital mutilation (FGM). On Nov. 3 France, Britain, and Colombia announce their decision to abstain from any vote on Palestinian membership in the U.N.; the U.S. has already pledged to veto it in the 15-member U.N. Security Council. On Nov. 3 after their fight over the Church's handling of sex abuse cases earlier in the year, Ireland closes its embassy to the Vatican, claiming it "yields no economic return", becoming the first major Roman Catholic country to do so. On Nov. 3 a cleaning woman at Ostwall Museum in Dortmund, Germany mistakes a $1.1M Kippenberger installation titled "When It Starts Dripping from the Ceiling" for a mess and destroys it. On Nov. 3-4 U.S. drone raids in Somalia and Pakistan kill 120. On Nov. 4 Israeli soldiers exchange fire with Palestinian terrorists at the N Gaza border fence after they are ambushed. On Nov. 4 U.S. Afghanistan cmdr. Gen. Peter Fuller is relieved by Internat. Security Assistance Force cmdr. Gen. John R. Alolen for making comments against pres. Hamid Karzai and calling his govt. "isolated from reality". On Nov. 4 Pres. Obama announces that he would be "satisfied" if the Muslim Brotherhood won the Egyptian elections, say that he will judge elected parties based "on what they do, and not what they're called"; he adds that in his last visit to Cairo he didn't meet with Muslim Brotherhood officials, but would have given the chance. On Nov. 4 10K march in Moscow, Russia against Muslim immigrants, calling for ethnic Russians to "take back" Russia. On Nov. 4 Germany passes a new law that forces employers to recognize qualifications of immigrants, effective next Mar. 1. On Nov. 4 former Mossad dir. Ephraim Halevy says that Iran poses no "existential threat" to Israel, thus attack it must be a last resort, and that an attack "will impact the region for 100 years". On Nov. 4 St. Louis, Mo. cab driver Mohamud Abdi Yusuf (1980-) pleads guilty to funneling $6K to Al-Shabaab in Somalia. On Nov. 4 Pres. Obama admits that U.S. pilots flew French fighter jets off a French carrier in the Mediterranean Sea during the final strike on Daffy's convoy in Sirte. On Nov. 4 officials of Jefferson County, Ala. vote to file the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history (until ?). On Nov. 5 FARC's guerrilla leader Guillermo Leon Saenz Vargas (b. 1948) (AKA Alfonso Cano) is killed in combat by Colombian forces. On Nov. 5 former U.N. head Kofi Annan says that the West should not fear the rise of Islamic political parties in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings, with the soundbyte "Islam doesn't mean terrorism." On Nov. 5 Obama admin. spokesman William Taylor, vice-pres. of the Inst. of Peace utters the soundbyte that they'd be "satisfied" with a Muslim Brotherhood V in Egypt; meanwhile the U.S. State Dept. requests $2B from Congress to train parties of "all ideologies" for the elections - U.S. taxpayer money for Islamist enemies of the U.S.? On Nov. 5 YouTube removes a video posted by Minn. Congressional candidate Gary Boisclair warning voters about his Muslim opponent Keith Ellison swearing his oath on the Quran, which teaches Muslims to regard non-Muslims as infidels and fight them, claiming it as shocking and disgusting content. On Nov. 5 Iranian supreme assaholah Ali Khamenei calls on the Muslim nations of the world to form an "internat. Islamic power bloc". On Nov. 6 a series of blasts at a market in Baghdad, Iraq kill six. On Nov. 6 Israeli pres. Shimon Peres warns that an Israeli strike is "now closer to being applied than the application of a diplomatic option"; causing Libertarian Tex. Rep. Sen. and pres. candidate Ron Paul to call concern over Iran's nuke program "blown out of proportion", and that instead the U.S. should be "offering friendship" to Death to America Iran. On Nov. 6 the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture announces a new 15% Christmas Tree Tax on large farmers to support a federal program to improve their image and marketing; although it was initiated by tree farmers during the Bush admin., Fox commentator Tammy Bruce can't resist using it as more evidence that Pres. Obama is a secret Muslim who hates Christmas. On Nov. 6 the Western series Hell on Wheels debuts on AMC for 57 episodes (until July 23, 2016), about the building of the Union Pacific Railroad after the 1865 assassination of Pres. Lincoln, starring Anson Adams Mount IV (1973-) as chief engineer Cullen Bohannon, Colm J. Meaney (1953-) a mean investor Thomas "Doc" Durant, and Common (Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr.) (1972-) as freed slave Elam Ferguson. On Nov. 7 despite the Arab League agreement, Syria launches a bloody assault to retake Homs. On Nov. 7 the IAEA releases a Report on Iran's Nuclear Capability, saying that Iran has mastered the critical steps for building nukes after receiving help from foreign scientists, and is on the brink of getting nukes; no surprise, the Obama admin. only seeks to impose more sanctions; U.N. sanctions are also unlikely because of Russian and Chinese opposition, the Russian foreign ministry saying that the IAEA presented no new facts, and deliberately politicized existing ones, ignoring Iran'a willingness to cooperate, with the soundbyte that the IAEA "had a set goal to deliver a guilty verdict"; meanwhile the Israelis ex-IAEA chmn. Mohamed ElBaradei of being an Iranian agent who covered-up their nuke program during his term; he denies it; on Nov. 10 Imadinnajacket utters the soundbyte "This nation won't retreat one iota from the path it is going... Why are you ruining the prestige of the (U.N. nuclear) agency for absurd U.S. claims?", and Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini warns the U.S. and Israel that "Anybody who takes up the idea of an attack on Iran should get ready to receive a strong slap and an iron fist"; on Nov. 11 Hillary Clinton demands that Iran respond within days to the IAEA report, and says that the U.S. is seeking to marshal internat. support for more sanctions; on Nov. 13 Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu claims that the full extent of Iran's nuclear program isn't reflected in the IAEA report. On Nov. 7 Islamic Relief Worldwide releases its 2010 Annual Report, showing an 89% increase in zakat donations since 2006, to Ł64M; the IRW had been caught giving assistance to Hamas, and accepting $50K from an agent of Osama bin Laden in 1999. On Nov. 7 the Taliban posts a message on its Web site celebrating the U.S. troop withdrawal as a big V, and calling the U.S. the "greatest enemy of Islam", mocking Pres. Obama's soundbyte that the U.S. is not and never will be at war with Islam. On Nov. 7 Hamza Abu Fas is appointed Libyan minister for religious affairs, responsible for returning Libya to traditional 4-wives-at-a-time Sharia. On Nov. 7 the former office of Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi is invaded by security forces, who confiscate equipment. On Nov. 7 sources in Israel reveal that the U.S. Congress plans to unfreeze some of the $200M in assistance to Palestine, causing it to follow suit and plan to renew its funds transfer. On Nov. 7 the Penn State U. Pedophile Sexual Abuse Scandal begins with a grand jury report about football asst. Jerry Sandusky, spreading to icon coach Joe Paterno for his role in the coverup, who is fired on Nov. 10 along with univ. pres. Graham B. Spanier; Paterno utters the soundbyte: "This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight I wish I had done more"; on Nov. 9-10 (night) thousands of Penn State students riot in protest. On Nov. 7 U.S. secy. of state Hillary Clinton gives an address at the Nat. Dem. Inst., and utters the soundbyte that the claim that "Muslims cannot thrive in a democracy" is "insulting, dangerous, and wrong, and promising that the Obama admin. will work with ascendant Islamist parties in the Muslim World - they do it in this country every day" - like when her hubby claimed that he didn't have "sex with that woman"? On Nov. 8 Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi tenders his resignation effective Nov. 13 on the condition that parliament pass the austerity measures demanded by the EU, with the soundbyte that he feels "liberated"; on Nov. 14 former EU commissioner Mario Monti becomes PM of Italy (until ?). On Nov. 8 (Tues.) Hattiesburg, Miss. mayor Johnny DuPree, first black Miss. gov. candidate since Reconstruction loses 59-49 to Repub. lt. gov. Phil Bryant; Miss. voters also reject 58-41 a measure which would have defined "personhood" as beginning at fertilization; powerful Ariz. politician Russell Pearce, author of the Ariz. immigration law is recalled; a measure in Ohio to continue the work of Repub. gov. John Kasich in curbing the power of unions is rejected. On Nov. 8 the U.S. Bureau of Land Management criticizes a congressional proposal to add FDR's June 6, 1944 D-Day Prayer to the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C., saying that it would "dilute" its "central message", along with its ability to "inspire" visitors. On Nov. 8 U.S. atty.-gen. Eric Holder tells Congress that the recently banned FBI training on Islam as violent and Muslims as terrorist sympathizers is not only "flat-out wrong" but undermines govt. efforts to stop terrorism because it has a "negative impact on our ability to communicate effectively" with Am. Muslims. On Nov. 8 to fight global warming caused by carbon dioxide emissions, the Clean Energy Act of 2011, introduced by the Labor govt. of Australian PM #27 (2010-13) Julia Eileen Gillard (1961-) is passed, establishing an emissions trading scheme preceded by a 3-year period of fixed carbon pricing, with the goal being to "drive substantial changes in patterns of energy production and energy use"; on July 1, 2014 it is repealed by the Labor govt. of Tony Abbott. On Nov. 8 the public school district of Cambridge, Mass. schedules a holiday to recognize the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha; a first. On Nov. 8 (Eid al-Adha) Muslim gunmen shoot dead three Hindu doctors in Shikaripur, Pakistan after a dispute over a dancing girl. On Nov. 8 CAIR publicly blasts Somali-born anti-terrorism activists Omar Jamal and Abdi Bihi as "anti-Muslim" for blowing the whistle on terrorist efforts to recruit Somalis from Minn. for Al-Shabaab. On Nov. 8 Saudi cleric Aidh al-Qarni calls on the Arabs to manufacture nukes to take on the West, with the soundbyte "The world respects no one but the strong." On Nov. 9 coalition forces defeat a massive assault by the Haqqani Network in Paktika Province, Afghanistan near the Pakistani border, killing 60-70 terrorists. On Nov. 9 ethnic Serbs Albanians clash in N Kosovo, killing two and wounding one. On Nov. 9 the Pentagon announces the new Air Sea Battle Concept, a Cold War posture on China with the goal of denying its military access to areas near its territory and in cyberspace. On Nov. 9 a Repub. Pres. Debate sees Tex. gov. Rick Perry fail to remember one of the three federal agencies he had vowed to close if elected, badly hurting his candidacy; the debate is a V for Newt Gingrich, who surges in the polls despite poor funding. On Nov. 9 the U.S. govt. charges seven Estonians with a Web scam that swaps their ads onto users' pages on 4M computers and made them $14M. On Nov. 9 the U.S. military warns Congress that budget cuts by the Obama admin. are seriously weakening the U.S. defense. On Nov. 9 the Obama admin. stages a 3-min. test to seize all the airways in the U.S., which fails miserably. On Nov. 9 Praveen Togadia, secy.-gen. of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in India calls for beheading of those who convert Hindus to other religions; meanwhile 31 Hindus who burned 33 Muslims alive in Gujarat state are sentenced to life in prison. On Nov. 9 a U.S. Commission on Internat. Religious Freedom releases a Report on Pakistani Schools, saying that they teach Hindu hatred and view non-Muslims as "enemies of Islam". On Nov. 9 the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung pub. a Report on Forced Marriages by the German ministry for family affairs, which finds that almost half of forced marriage brides are German, and a third are minors. On Nov. 9 Honduran pres. Porfirio Lobo begins the session of the council of ministers with a Quran reading and Muslim prayer to welcome female members of the Islamic community. On Nov. 9 Venezuelan-born Minn. Twins catcher Wilson Abraham Ramos (1987-) is abducted near his home in Valencia, Venezuela and held for ransom; on Nov. 11 police raid the kidnapper's home and rescue him. On Nov. 9-23 the Occupy Wall Street Movement marches from New York City to Washington, D.C., demonstrating at a congressional committee that's deciding whether to keep Pres. Obama's extension of tax cuts enacted under Pres. George W. Bush, which they claim only benefit the rich. On Nov. 10 the 2nd 2011 Turkish Earthquake in E Turkey. On Nov. 10 bowing to environmental activists, the Obama admin. delays a decision on the 1.7K-mi. Keystone XL Oil Pipeline from Alberta, Canada to Okla. and the Gulf Coast until after the 2012 election. On Nov. 10 Repub. pres. candidate Mitt Romney pub. an op-ed in the New York Times saying that if elected he'd "prepare for war" with Iran, starting by deploying more warships in the Persian Gulf. On Nov. 10 U.S. Rep. Allen West denounces the "five-star resort" at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba after a report claims the U.S. spends $800K a year for each of the 171 prisoners. On Nov. 10 Britain home secy. Theresay May bans the extremist Muslim Muslims Against Crusades (MAC) after they plan to protest Armistice Day on Nov. 11; on Nov. 14 British Muslim (Conservative party co-chmn.) Lady Warsi utters the soundbyte that extremist Muslims such as Anjem Choudry forfeit the right to call themselves Muslims. On Nov. 10 Libyan rev. spiritual leader Sheikh Ali Salabi (al-Sallabi), spiritual guide of announces that he's forming a new political party to rule Libya based on the "moderate" Islamic laws of Turkey and Tunisia. On Nov. 10 Human Rights Watch releases a Report on Mexico claiming widespread human rights violations in the war on drugs. On Nov. 11 (11/11/11) the superstitious hold marriages at 11:11 a.m. all over the world; Egypt closes the pyramids, claiming that pesky Jews, Freemasons, and numerologists are planning to hold un-Islamic rituals there. On Nov. 11 (11/11/11) the U.N. Security Council votes on full membership in the U.N. for the Palestinians. On Nov. 11 (Veteran's Day) The Call, a 24-hour Christian prayer meeting hosted by Lou Engle is held in Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. despite calls by CAIR to beef up security in Muslim-filled Dearbornistan. On Nov. 11 Labour Party pres. (since 2003) Michael Daniel Higgins (1941-) becomes pres. #9 of Eire (until ?), going on to make the first state visit by an Irish pres. to the U.K. in Apr. 2014 and win election to a 2nd term in 2018 by a landslide, with the largest personal mandate in the history of Eire (822,556 first preference votes). On Nov. 11 a U.S. federal grand jury indicts suspected al-Qaida member Abdeladim El-Kebir, AKA Abi al-Barra, who was arrested in Germany in Apr. with conspiracy to provide material support to al-Qaida. On Nov. 11 30K attend an Al-Aqsa Rally to celebrate the Palestinian POW release. On Nov. 11 Mexican interior minister Francisco Blake Mora (b. 1966) is killed in a heli crash near Mexico City. On Nov. 11 U.S. Sgt. Calvin Gibbs (1985-) is sentenced to life in prison for encouraging his troops to kill three Afghan civilians; cutting fingers and yanking teeth from corpses to keep as trophies didn't help his case. On Nov. 11 Niger announces that late Libyan Col. Madman Daffy's son Saadi Gaddafi is being granted asylum; the other son Saif al-Islam's whereabouts are still unknown. On Nov. 11 Rabbi Dan Martzbach is shot and killed by Israeli forces who mistake his vehicle for terrorists; two women are wounded; the Israeli govt. classifies the incident as an act of terror so his family can receive nat. insurance. On Nov. 11 would-be Muslim robber Jordy is shot dead in Liege, Belgium, causing Muslims to go on a rampage the same night. On Nov. 11 Pres. Obama opens a college basketball game between Mich. State and the U. of N.C. aboard the Osama bin Laden-killing aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. On Nov. 11 Hungary reports a higher than usual concentration of iodine-131 prticles in the atmosphere, along with Czech, Poland, Slovakia, and Austria; the source is Pakistan, which had a leak at the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant on Oct. 19? On Nov. 11 Israel announces that it's rushing the installation of laser anti-missile defenses on its airlines after news of Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb acquiring SAMs from Libya. On Nov. 11 (12:35 EST) a bullet is fired at the White House, entering a window, after which Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez is arrested on Nov. 16 at a hotel in Indiana, Penn. On Nov. 11 Boko Haram militants storm the town of Damaturu, Yobe, Nigeria, and destroy 10 churches and kill 150, incl. 130 Christians who wouldn't recite the Islamic shahada statement of belief. On Nov. 11 the site of a planned mosque in Gretchen, Switzerland is found to have pig parts and blood in an effort to desecrate the ground and prevent its construction; the Muslims say they will build it anyway. On Nov. 12 after the Syrian govt. fails to quit oppressing the protesters, an urgent meeting of the Arab League called by Qatar to discuss the situation in Syria; it calls on Syria to stop the killing of civilians, and suspends it from the league, causing armed crowds to storm the Saudi, French, and Turkish consulates in Latakia, Syria; Pres. Obama congratulates the league; on Nov. 13 Jordan's King Abdullah becomes the first Arab leader to call for Bashar al-Assad to step down. On Nov. 12 an explosion at a weapons factory near Tehran, Iran kills 17 and wounds 16, incl. senior weapons industry officer Hassan Tehrani Moqaddam. On Nov. 12 Pres. Obama's chief Middle East adviser Dennis Ross resigns after working for five U.S. presidents. On Nov. 12 a suicide bomber attack in Taraz, S Kazakhstan kills five. On Nov. 12 the govt. of Bahrain claims that Iranian-linked terror cells linked with the Rev. Guard planned attacks against the Saudi embassy and a Gulf causeway linking Bahrain with Saudi Arabia. On Nov. 12 Ahmed Rezaie (b. 1980), son of high-ranking Iranian official Mohsen Rezaie is found dead in Gloria Hotel in Dubai. On Nov. 12 the Salafist jihadist Web site Minbar Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad pub. a fatwa by Sheikh Abu Mundhir Al-Shinqiti allowing mujahideen to join rebel forces in Arab countries, and encourages them to form their own forces. On Nov. 12 the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) condemns forced conversions of young Pakistani Hindu women to Islam, saying that such a "malicious campaign is in full swing" there. On Nov. 12-21 Pres. Obama goes on an Asian Tour, starting with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Honolulu, where he pokes fun at Birthers, and announces that China and Russia are united with the U.S. on the need to prevent Iran from getting nukes; on Nov. 18 he attends an East Asian Summit in Bali, Indonesia; on Nov. 19 Obama has a surprise meeting with Chinese PM Wen Jiabao, confronting him with China's claims to the South China Sea. On Nov. 13 the TLC show All-American Muslim debuts (until), attempting to whitewash them as just plain average boring Am. Joes who happen to dress funny. On Nov. 14 the govt. of Yemen announces the release of three French aid workers held hostage by al-Qaida for 6 mo. after help from the sultan of Oman. On Nov. 14 the EU decides to impose additional sanctions on 18 Syrians connected with repression in Syria. On Nov. 15 the Israeli Knesset approves two new bills that critics say threaten the independence of the supreme court. On Nov. 15 the Iranian govt. disses a claim by the Iranian Christian news agency Mohabat News that young Iranians are converting to Christianity, with the soundbyte: "While Western media keep reporting that people in Europe and America are converting to Islam, the agents of Western political cliques claim that Iranian youth show a sincere interest in Christianity. These claims are being made to cover up the fact that Western people are coming towards Islam." On Nov. 16 the U.S. nat. debt reaches $15T. On Nov. 16 Pres. announces a new security agreement with Australia to counter the growing aggressiveness of China, which Obama says the U.S. doesn't fear, starting by setting up a Marine base with 2.5K Marines. On Nov. 16 a bomb explodes at the Queen Elissa Hotel in Tyre, Lebanon, which is frequented by U.N. staffers; no casualties. On Nov. 16 Syrian army defectors attack military and intel bases near Damascus. On Nov. 16 a Loya Jirga (assembly of elders) called by Hamid Karzi to discuss the Afgan-U.S. Strategic Partnership Agreement is rejected by the Ittehad-e-Ulema Afghanistan alliance of orthodox clerics, who call for jihad against the U.S. and its allies, and urges other Muslim clerics to issue fatwas for jihad. On Nov. 16 Tex. Muslim Barry Walter Bujol Jr. (1981-) is convicted of attempting to provide material support to Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). On Nov. 16 Benetton clothing co. in Italy starts an ad campaign featuring a PhotoShopped photo of Pope Benedict VI kissing Egyptian #1 imam Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayed, pissing-off the Vatican and causing them to threaten legal action. On Nov. 16 protesters storm the Kuwaiti Parliament during a debate on corruption. On Nov. 17 Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan utters the soundbyte that the world must "hear screams" from Syria and do something to stop the bloodshed. On Nov. 17 the long-banned Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood holds its first public conference on Libyan soil, calling for a broad nat. reconstruction effort. On Nov. 17 Coptic Christians clash with Muslim residents in Shoubra, Cairo as they march in memory of those killed by the army on Oct. 9; on Nov. 19-23 tens of thousands of Islamists and others protest against the military in Tahrir Square, causing the military to get violent, killing 38 and injuring 1.75K, after which on Nov. 22 the Egyptian cabinet offers to resign, and the military promises to speed up the election to the first half of 2012; too bad, fighting continues on Nov. 23. On Nov. 17 the govt. of Pakistan summons their ambassador to the U.S. Hussain Haqqani for sending a memo to U.S. Adm. Mike Mullen seeking help in reining in the military after the Osama bin Laden raid. On Nov. 17 the African Union announces a plan to stabilize Somalia by sending Ethiopian troops to open a new front against al-Shabaab. On Nov. 17 Egyptian Salafist parliamentary candidate Muna Salah announces that "Women are deficient in intelligence and religion, and it is not permissible for them to be in authority", then explains that being a rep only will give her partial not complete authority. On Nov. 17 the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood holds its first press conference in Libya after being banned for decades. On Nov. 18 the U.S. House votes 261-165 to reject a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution; they last time they voted on a one was in 1995, which passed with a 300-132 vote. On Nov. 18 Syria finally agrees to allow observers "in principle"; meanwhile govt. forces kill 11; meanwhile Russia sends warships to Syria to prevent a NATO attack; on Nov. 20 Israel-hating UNESCO accepts Syria as a member of its human rights committee; too bad, on Nov. 25 Syria ignores the Arab League deadline to accept observers, causing the latter to slap unprecedented sanctions on them on Nov. 27, which causes them to fold and agree to the deal on Dec. 19. On Nov. 19 Libyan col. Madman Daffy's son Saif al-Islam is captured in SW Libya between Obari and Sabha after a firefight. On Nov. 19 Dominican-born New York City Muslim convert Muhammad Yusuf (Jose Pimentel) (1984-) is arrested one hour before he can finish a pipe bomb to kill cops and soldiers, uttering the soundbyte that he wanted to show that "there was mujahideen in the city ready to wage jihad", after which NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg says "He appears to be... a lone wolf"; Pimentel said he was thinking of changing his name to Osama Hussein; Conn. Sen. Joe Lieberman begins lobbying Google to ban terrorist material. On Nov. 19 Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak announces that Iran is less than a year away from being unstoppable in its quest for nukes. On Nov. 19 Azerbaijani physician, writer, and Islam and Iran critic Rafiq Tagi (b. 1950) is stabbed 6x in Baku by an unknown assailant, and dies on Nov. 23. On Nov. 20 Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Youssef Qaradawi orders Egyptions not to vote for secularists or non-Muslims in the upcoming elections. On Nov. 20 elections in Spain boot out the Socialists in a landslide in favor of the conservative Popular Party led by Mariano Rajoy Brey (1955-), who on Dec. 21 becomes PM of Spain (until June 1, 2018). On Nov. 20 Pres. Obama signs a continuing resolution to avoid a govt. shutdown by funding several agencies through the fiscal year and extending the continuing resolution unti Dec. 16; tucked into Div. B Title II is a Non-Investigative Cooperation With Unindicted Co-Conspirators in Terrorism Cases provision, which incl. Obama favorite CAIR (Council on Am.-Islamic Relations). On Nov. 21 the U.S. reveals that poor field operations have allowed Hezbollah to expose and capture 12+ CIA agents in Lebanon and Iran, crippling its intel capability. On Nov. 21 the bipartisan Congressional Budget Deficit Supercommittee announces failure as $1.2T in automatic cuts to defense and budget cuts are set to take effect in 2013. On Nov. 22 the Obama admin. sues Utah over its immigration law, saying that it preempts federal authority - meaning that the feds won't do anything about it, so they don't want any state to? On Nov. 22 South Korea passes a free trade agreement with the U.S. that had been in limbo since 2007. On Nov. 22 a remote-controlled bomb attack on a girls school in Mardar, NW Pakistan wounds eight and kills a policeman. On Nov. 22 a Repub. pres. debate in Washington, D.C. sees leading candidate Newt Gingrich advocate that some illegal aliens be allowed to stay in the U.S., after which he says that he is "prepared to take the heat". On Nov. 22 Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski says that Israel must learn to live with a nuclear Iran. On Nov. 22 thousands of leaked emails are released from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) showing them deliberately misrepresenting the scientific lit. in order to support an alarmist position on global warming. On Nov. 22 the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood receives a video warning from the Internet activist Anonymous movement called Operation Brotherhood Takedown, with the soundbyte "Anonymous has decided to destroy the Muslim Brotherhood... Nothing will stop us. We will show no mercy." On Nov. 22-26 Israeli pres. Shimon Peres makes an official state visit to Vietnam. On Nov. 23 Queen Elizabeth II of Britain hosts a state dinner for Turkish pres. Abdullah Gul, saying that Britain and Turkey have a "special relationship", and calling for Turkish membership in the EU; she pisses-off guests by forcing them to eat halal lamb; on Nov. 23 Britain and Turkey sign a strategic partnership, with closer military ties. On Nov. 23 an independent commission releases a Report on Bahrain, finding that it used torture on protesters. On Nov. 23 the U.S. orders citizens to immediately leave Syria; meanwhile the USS George H.W. Bush, their newest aircraft carrier parks off the coast. On Nov. 23 Russian pres. Dmitry Medvedev dredges up the ghosts of the Cold War by announcing that Russia will deploy new missiles targeted at U.S. missile sites in Europe if it goes ahead with their planned shield. On Nov. 23 the FBI charges a group of seven Amish led by Sam Mullet with hate crimes for running a breakaway group that cuts beards et al. On Nov. 23 Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu gives a speech to the Knesset, saying that the Arab awakening is moving the Arab world "backward", turning into an "Islamic, anti-Western, anti-liberal, anti-Israeli, undemocratic wave", adding that ceding territory to the Palestinians was unwise at such a time when "We can't know who will end up with any piece of territory we give up"; also "In February, when millions of Egyptians thronged to the streets in Cairo, commentators and quite a few Israeli members of the opposition said that we're facing a new era of liberalism and progress. They said I was trying to scare the public and was on the wrong side of history and don't see where things are heading." On Nov. 23 Yemeni pres. (since May 22, 1990) Ali Abdullah Saleh signs an agreement in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to step down in favor of his vice-pres. (since Oct. 3, 1994) Maj. Gen. Abd Rabbuh Mansur al-Hadi (1945-), with a pres. election within 90 days, ending over three decades of autocratic rule; he is promised immunity and can keep his title until the elections; he is Arab leader #4 to fall to the Arab Spring; on Nov. 26 he returns to Yemen; on Nov. 27 he declares a gen. amnesty for all who committed "follies" during the 10-mo.-old uprising. On Nov. 24 French reporter Caroline Sinz is beaten and raped by a mob in Tahrir Square, after Egyptian-Am. journalist Mona Eltahawy was detained on Nov. 22 by police and sexually assaulted. On Nov. 24 U.N. high commissioner for human rights Navi Pillay calls for a moratorium on flogging as a punishment for fornication, and criticizes the Maldivian constitution for promoting that along with requiring that all citizens be Muslim, causing Maldivians on Nov. 25 to stage a protest outside the U.N. bldg. in Male. On Nov. 25 an Indian activist organizes a Million-Man Caravan to Liberate Jerusalem. On Nov. 25 (64th anniv. of the U.N. Partition Plan) a 5K-person Muslim Brotherhood rally in the Al Azhar Mosque in Cairo to promote the "battle against Jerusalem's Judaization" turns against Israel, with calls to "one day kill all Jews". On Nov. 25 NASA launches the Curiosity 1-ton Mars super-rover. On Nov. 25-26 (night) NATO helis and fighter jets attack two military outposts near the border in NW Pakistan, killing 24 Pakistani troops and injuring 13, further tanking U.S.-Pakistan relations, causing Pakistan to block supply routes for NATO troops in Afghanistan, after which the CIA calls off its drone campaign until ?. On Nov. 26 the British govt. announces that online criminals and cyber bullies will be banned from the Internet. On Nov. 27 elections in Morocco are won by the the Islamist Justice and Development Party, which wins 107 of 395 seats. On Nov. 28 in retaliation for supporting sanctions, Iranian MPs chanting "Death to England" vote to expel British ambassador to Tehran Dominic Chilcott, and threaten a repeat of the 1979 embassy hostage crisis; on Nov. 29 Basij paramilitary volunteers posing as students like in 1979 storm the British embassy. On Nov. 28 elections in Egypt are a V for the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist (incl. Salafist) parties, who win 70% of the vote, incl. 40% for the Muslim Brotherhood and 25% for Al Noor; on Dec. 14 round two - a new Pakistan? On Nov. 28 after a "year-long review", Al-Shabaab bans 16 aid groups incl. six U.N. agencies from C and S Somalia. On Nov. 28 Saudi Arabia announces plans to add 500K men to its military and buy $30B worth of new weapons. On Nov. 28 Cyber Mon. sees a record half of all Americans go cybershopping for Christmas, spending $1.2B and causing the Dow Jones Industrial Avg. to go up by 293 points. On Nov. 28 a mob of thousands of Muslims attack Copts in El Ghorayzat village, killing two and wounding several while looting and burning houses and businesses. On Nov. 28 the U.S. Commission on Internat. Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is shut down. On Nov. 29 Hezbollah rockets from Lebanon hit N Israel. On Nov. 29 U.S. vice-pres. Joe Biden visits Baghdad to mark the end of the war in Iraq. On Nov. 29 after years of high fuel prices, #3 U.S. airline (only one not to file after 9/11) Am. Airlines files for bankruptcy; meanwhile Mich. gov. Rich Snyer approves a state takeover of the city of Flint, Mich. On Nov. 29 despite the threat of an Obama veto, the U.S. Senate votes 61-37 to increase the military role in fighting al-Qaida by giving them the right to arrest and indefinitely imprison without trial suspected members anywhere; U.S. citizens are exempt, and the pres. has the right to issue wavers and put them in the civilian system. On Nov. 29 Islamists explode a bomb at Atilano Pension House in Zamboanga City, Philippings, killing three and wounding 27 during a wedding. On Nov. 30 Turkey slaps tough economic sanctions on Syria, freezing assets, suspending military sales, and suspending ties with the central bank; meanwhile a heavily-armed Libyan with Syrian citizenship opens fire at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, wounding a soldier and security guard before he is killed. On Nov. 30 six central banks incl. the U.S. Federal Reserve decide to help rescue the EU, causing the Dow Jones Industrial Avg. to spurt by ? points, helped by news that U.S. unemployment in Nov. decreased from 9% to 8.6%, with 120K new jobs added. On Nov. 30 Israel announces that it will release tens of millions of dollars in tax funds owed to the Palestinians. In Nov. Tex. Muslim activist Mohamed Elibiary, one of 26 members of the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security advisory council, and the only one given access to a classified database on terror watch lists and sensitive FBI reports leaks info. for Muslim political gain and to damage Tex. gov. Rick Perry, causing a firestorm of controversy. In Nov. Somalia and CAR commit to ending the use of child soldiers. In Nov. Exxon Mobil signs an oil-gas exploration deal with the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Govt. (KRG), pissing-off Iraq, which threatens to cancel its contract to develop the 8.7B barrel West Qurna Phase One oilfield in S Iraq. On Nov. ? leftist Jewish lesbian activist Sarah Schulman pub. an op-ed in the New York Times in which she defines the terms "pinkwashing" and "homonationalism". On Dec. 1 the U.S. Senate votes 93-7 to pass the $662B U.S. Nat. Defense Authorization Act despite Obama's threat to veto it over a provision mandating military custody of any suspected terrorist caught on U.S. soil; the U.S. Senate votes 45-55 to reject an amendment by Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) that would have excluded U.S. citizens from indefinite detention after being captured on or off U.S. soil; the Defense Authorization Bill incl. a provision repealing the military prohibition on sodomy and bestiality; another amendment allows military chaplains to decline to perform same-sex marriages; on Dec. 15 (Bill of Rights Day) after Pres. Obama drops his veto threat, the U.S. Senate passes it by 86-13. On Dec. 1 Newt Gingrich predicts that "I'll be the nominee" of the Repub. Party. On Dec. 1 al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri releases a video admitting that #2 Aliyah Abd al-Rahman was killed by U.S. drones in Aug., then claiming that they are holding Jewish-Am. citizen Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped in Lahore, Pakistan in Aug. On Dec. 1 the Elvis Museum in Dusseldorf, Germany opens, becoming the biggest outside the U.S. On Dec. 1-2 the Great 2011 Calif. Windstorm fells hundreds of big trees; meanwhile the drought in Mexico is the worst in 70 years, with 1.7M cattle dying. On Dec. 1 Turkey begins a drive against Kurdish rebels in Iraq (ends ?); on Dec. 28 Turkish warplanes bomb rebels in Kurdistan, Iraq, mistakenly killing 35 civilians. On Dec. 2 the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) is formed in a summit in Caracas, Venezuela by Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolia, Argentina, Brazil, and Cuba. On Dec. 2 U.N. human rights commissioner Navi Pillay calls for the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad to be referred to the Internat. Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, saying that 4K+ have been killed, incl. 307 children. On Dec. 2 U.S. vice-pres. Joe Biden calls on Turkey to impose new sanctions on Iran, and praises it for pressuring Syria to stop its crackdown on protesters. On Dec. 2 Muslim clerics whip a mob into attacking 15 liquor stores, two massage parlors, and two hotels in Zakho, Iraq in the Kurdistan region. On Dec. 3 amid multiple sexual misconduct allegations Repub. pres. candidate Herman Cain suspends his candidacy. On Dec. 3 U.S. defense secy. Leon Panetta urges Israel to "get to the damned table" and resume negotiations with the Palestinians. On Dec. 3 the Center for Progressive Reform (CPR) issues the report Behind Closed Doors at the White House: How Politics Trumps Protection of Public Health, Worker Safety, and the Environment, claiming that a small group of "free-ranging" economists control federal rules, causing the Obama admin. to "persistently ignore" mandates of previous admins. On Dec. 3 Ar-Rahma (Arab. "mercy"), the first grand mosque in Ukraine is inaugurated in Kiev. On Dec. 4 elections in Russia are a D for PM Vladimir Putin's governing party, which barely clings to a majority, causing 50K to protest in Moscow on Dec. 10 against Putin, claiming electoral fraud and demanding an end to his rule, followed on Dec. 24 by a 2nd rally. On Dec. 5 after a request in Nov. 2010 by Afgan Pres. Hamid Karzai, a Conference on Afghanistan is held in Bonn, Germany. On Dec. 5 the U.S. govt. reports that North Korea is readying its first road-mobile ICBM, capable of hitting the U.S. On Dec. 5 Iran downs a U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel spy drone in E Iran after it crosses the Afghanistan border; the Iranians work to reverse engineer it while Pres. Obama asks for it back. On Dec. 5 three bombs explode in crowds of Shiite Ashura pilgrims in Hilla, Iraq, killing 22, mostly women and children, and wounding 60. On Dec. 6 two attacks against Shiites in Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan kill 56 and wound 160+. On Dec. 6 U.S. state secy. Hillary Clinton makes a historic speech at the U.N. HQ in Geneva calling for worldwide LGBT rights; Pres. Obama issues an order to the federal govt. to fight for homosexual rights abroad. On Dec. 7 during a joint session of the Senate and House Homeland Security Committee, U.S. Rep. (R-N.Y.) Peter King, chmn. of the House Homeland Security Committee utters the soundbyte that the the "Ft. Hood attack was not an anomaly", and that al-Qaida and other Muslim terrorists are busily infiltrating the U.S. military, making the U.S. homeland the most dangerous place for GIs outside of foreign war zones; meanwhile Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) blasts the U.S. Defense Dept. for classifying the Ft. Hood Massacre not as terrorism, Islamic or otherwise, but "workplace violence". On Dec. 7 liberal Canadian lesbian Muslim Irshad Manji is attacked by 22 Muslim protesters from Sharia4Belgium during a panel discussion in Amsterdam, demanding her execution; two are arrested. On Dec. 8 (12:15 p.m.) ? kills a Va. Tech police officer during a traffic stop, then kills himself. On Dec. 9 a delegation of high-ranking Afghan military and police visit Ground Zero, the Pentagon, and Camp Pendleton. On Dec. 9 Repub. pres. candidate Newt Gingrich calls the Palestinians "an invented people" who want to destroy Israel on the Jewish Channel; on Dec. 14 U.S. state secy. Hillary Clinton harps on him, saying that it's not "helpful". On Dec. 9 the Muslim-appeasing Obama admin. unveils its 20-page Strategic Plan for Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the U.S., which incl. involving schools and law enforcement in educating the public about the dangers of Islamic jihad, er, whitewashing Islam and weakening them up for more? On Dec. 9 a fire at the Advanced Medical Research Inst. Hospital in New Delhi, India kills 90, iincl. 86 patients, most while they slept. On Dec. 10 a U.S. federal judge enters a $10B default judgment against Iranian pres. Madman Inastraightjacket on behalf of torture victims of his regime. On Dec. 10 Hamas announces that it has joined the worldwide Muslim Brotherhood, and changed its name to "Islamic Resistance Movement, a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood - Palestine". On Dec. 11 three Islamist bomb blasts in Jos, Nigeria kill one and wound 11 trying to view a televised soccer match. On Dec. 11 the Jerusalem Post reports that Hamas has established forward bases and rocket production facilities in the Sinai Peninsula. On Dec. 11 the Israeli cabinet votes unanimously to finance a $160M program to stop the flow of illegal African immigrants by building a border fence and expanding a detention center. On Dec. 11 Pres. Obama is interviewed on CBS-TV's "60 Minutes", and makes the claim that his accomplishments make him the #4 best U.S. pres. of all time after LBJ, FDR, and Lincoln. On Dec. 12 Iranian intel minister Haydar Moslehi meets in Riyad with Saudi prince Nayef; on Dec. 14 the Iranians reveal that the Saudis agreed not to "replace Iranian crude if Iran faces any sanctions". On Dec. 12 Pres. Obama holds a Ceremony to Mark the End of the Iraq War in the White House along with Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki, with the soundbyte that the U.S. left Iraq with "heads held high", saying that "history will judge" if it was a "dumb" war, with the soundbyte: "Everything that American troops have done in Iraq, all the fighting and all the dying, the bleeding and the building, the training and the partnering, all of this has led to this moment of success. Now, Iraq is not a perfect place. It has many challenges ahead, but we're leaving behind a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq, with a representative government that was elected by its people"; he also unveils his Iraqi Interactive Timeline on the White House Web site; the U.S. military officially ends the Iraq War (begun in 2003) on Dec. 15, after spending $806B on it, and suffered 4,487 dead and 32,226 wounded, plus hundreds of thousands of mental casualties; too bad, al-Maliki starts moving a little to swiftly to consolidate his power, arresting hundreds of former Sunni Baath Party members and evicting Western cos. from the Green Zone, and on Dec. 19 putting an arrest warrant out on Sunni vice-pres. #1 of Iraq (since Apr. 22, 2006) Tariq al-Hashimi (al-Hashemi) (1942-) for allegedly running death squads, warning that if Sunnis seek autonomy "rivers of blood" will flow, signalling a Shiite coup and making a mock of U.S. pontifications about a Western-style democracy. On Dec. 12 the Palestinian Flag is raised over the UNESCO HQ in Paris despite U.S. opposition. On Dec. 12 British PM David Cameron vetoes proposed changes to the EU treaty meant to defend the Euro, denying that he has consigned Britain to the sidelines. On Dec. 12 the govt. of Canada bans Islamic face veils at citizenship ceremonies. On Dec. 12 Saudi woman Amina bint Abdulhalim Nassar is executed for sorcery, execution #73 in 2011. On Dec. 12-14 a Muslim-dominated fake Meeting on Religious Tolerance hosted by U.S. ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook in Washington, D.C. gives the OIC yet another chance to try to undermine free speech in the U.S., thanks to Hillary Clinton, who announced it in July in Turkey. On Dec. 12-21 protests in Wukan, S China over a govt. "land grab" end with the govt. brokering a deal; on Dec. 21-? protests in Haimen, S China 130km E of Wukan over a proposed coal-fired power plant. On Dec. 13 the U.S. Congress freezes $700M in aid to Pakistan until it gives assurances that it is fighting the spread of IEDs. On Dec. 13 Pakistan passes a new Antacid Law, criminalizing acid burnings of women by men, also marrying off young girls to settle tribal disputes, and laws preventing women from inheriting property; there were 8K violent crimes reported against women in 2010. On Dec. 13 Moncef Marzouki (1945-) becomes interim pres. of Tunisia (until ?), who vows to lay the foundations for a civil democratic repub. and pluralistic society. On Dec. 13 Belgian-born Morrocan descent Muslim Nordine Amrani (b. 1978) responds to a request for questioning by police by going on an armed rampage, lobbing three grenades into a square filled with Xmas shoppers before opening fire, killing four and wounding 122, then killing himself; the body of a 45-y.-o. cleaning woman is found in a shed near his home; it is later revealed that he didn't speak Arabic and wasn't Muslim. On Dec. 13-19 Tropical Storm Washi devastates the Philippines, hitting Mindanao on Dec. 16, followed by Palawan on Dec. 17, killing 1,268. On Dec. 14-15 the $137.2M Elizabeth Taylor Jewelry Auction is the most valuable in history. On Dec. 15 the U.S. flag is lowered at Baghdad Internat. Airport in Iraq, marking the end of the 8-year fiasco, er, mission. On Dec. 15 Syrian army defectors turn their weapons on their fellows in Dara, killing 27. On Dec. 15 bootleg booze kills 143 in E India. On Dec. 15 Iceland formally recognizes a Palestinian state. On Dec. 15 Russian Dagestan anti-corruption and anti-Islamic extremism journalist Khadzhimurad Kamalov (b. 1965), founder of the muckracking newspaper Chernovik is shot to death as leaves his office. On Dec. 15 Israel bombs a 6-jeep convoy in Abu Thabaq, Sudan carrying weapons to Hamas from Iran as it nears Egypt, killing four. On Dec. 15 U.S. District Court judge George Daniels announces that Iran shares responsibility for the 9/11 attacks. On Dec. 16 Pres. Obama addresses the Union for Reform Judaism in Washington, D.C., and defends his record in Israel with the soundbyte: "No U.S. administration has done more in support of Israel's security than ours. None. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. It is a fact", pointing to support of Israel's Iron Dome rocket defense system, its efforts to help the besieged Israeli embassy in Cairo in Sept., and actions to counter attempts to delegitimize Israel in the U.N.; meanwhile the Emergency Committee for Israel runs an ad with the title "Why Does the Obama Administration Treat Israel Like A Punching Bag?" On Dec. 16 Syria deploys 72 advanced Russian Yakhont (SSN-26) shore-to-sea missile along its coast, along with 21 Scuds on its Turkish border. On Dec. 16-? violent protests in Cairo; on Dec. 17 Napoleon's Institut d'Egypte in Cairo, containing 20K rare books and mss. is burnt by Islamists; on Dec. 20 after a photo of military troops beating and stripping a woman activist half-naked in the street, exposing a blue bra, 10K women stage a March Against Army Brutality. On Dec. 17 Korean dictator (since 1994) Kim Jong-il (b. 1941) dies, and is succeeded by his youngest son Kim Jong-un (1983-), who on Dec. 29 is declared the new nuclear-packing supreme leader (until )?; on Dec. 22 (3:00 p.m. EST) the U.N. observes a Minute of Silence for Kim Jong-il, pissing-off Western delegations, who boycott it; on Dec. 28 the U.N. lowers its flags worldwide for the clown's 2-day funeral. On Dec. 17 the last U.S. troops leave Iraq, with only 200 remaining in Baghdad for training and protection of embassy personnel; actually 8K remain in the Kurdistan region? On Dec. 17 Leon Panetta becomes the first U.S. defense secy. to visit Libya, uttering the soundbyte that he hopes that the new post-Daffy govt. can disassemble the militians into "one Libya". On Dec. 17 overflowing rivers caused by a typhoon in S Philippines strike while people are asleep, killing 430+, and forcing 100K from their homes. On Dec. 18 U.S. ambassador to Israel Thomas Pickering suggests to Hillary Clinton a plan to restart stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations by starting a new intifada against Israel - what a bitch? On Dec. 19 Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal et al. invest $300M in Twitter.com. On Dec. 19 U.S. vice-pres. Joe Biden utters the soundbyte that the Taliban is not an enemy of the U.S., only al-Qaida. On Dec. 19 U.S. secy. of state Hillary Clinton announces the U.S. Nat. Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, an attempt to patch Pres. Obama's fractured Muslim outreach policy in light of Islamist takeover of the Arab Spring and attempts to institute woman-suppressing Sharia. On Dec. 19 New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg announces the $450M 2M sq. ft. Cornell-Technion Applied Science Univ. Campus on Roosevelt Island, with the soundbyte by deputy mayor Robert K. Steel: "When people look back 100 years from now, I believe that they will remember today as a signal moment in the transformation of the city's economy." On Dec. 19 Jewish-Am. comedian Jackie Mason disses Pres. Obama for his White House Hannukah celebration, calling it a photo opp and fraud. On Dec. 20 the U.N. Security Council votes 14-1 (U.S.) for a resolution condemning Israel's latest settlement expansion plans, with the Israelis saying that they shouldn't interfere in their internal affairs and focus on restarting peace talks. On Dec. 20 after years of OIC lobbying, the U.N. Gen. Assembly adopts the infamous Religious Intolerance Resolution, a blatant attempt to stifle free speech about one and only one religion, Islam; no surprise, the Obama admin. backs it after they drop the "defamation of religion" language and add a paragraph affirming "the positive role that the exercise of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the full respect for the freedom to seek, receive and impart information can play in strengthening democracy and combating religious intolerance"; it calls on member states "to take effective measures to ensure that public functionaries in the conduct of their public duties do not discriminate against an individual on the basis of religion or belief", and expects them to make "a strong effort to counter religious profiling, which is understood to be the invidious use of religion as a criterion in conducting questionings, searches and other law enforcement investigative procedures", calling on them to implement "measures to criminalize" the behavior of "incitement to imminent violence" based on religion - although it's mainly Muslim countries that this occurs in? On Dec. 21 the U.N. Security Council votes 15-0-0 for Resolution 2028, "Noting with concern that the situation in the Middle East is tense and is likely to remain so, unless and until a comprehensive settlement covering all aspects of theMiddle East problem can be reached." On Dec. 21 the U.N. Gen. Assembly votes 89-30-64 to pass a Resolution Condemning Human Rights Abuses in Iran. On Dec. 21 Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki drops a bomb with the announcement that he's ready to turn Iraq over to Shiite rule. On Dec. 21 U.S. petty officers Marissa Gaeta (1988-) and Citlalic Snell (1989-) become the first lesbians to share a "first kiss" on the pier after Gaeta returns from the USS Oak Hill at Virginia Beach, Va. On Dec. 21 three Girl Scout leaders resign and dissolve their troops after their Colo.-based troop decided to admit 7-y.-o. transgender child Bobby Montoya in the fall. On Dec. 22 Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal sign a strategic partnership agreement in Cairo for nat. reconciliation under the paradign of "popular resistance", forming a new temp. leadership for the PLO that incl. Hamas and Islamic Jihad, with prior PLO agreements with Israel respected unless/until Hamas takes it over completely. On Dec. 22 a wave of 16 bomb attacks in mostly Shiite neighborhoods of Bagdead, Irock kill 69 - Iraq is on the verge of civil war? On Dec. 22 after France passes a law criminalizing genocide denial, incl. the 1915 Turkish genocide of Armenia, Turkey cuts diplomatic ties with France; French MP Valerie Boyer, who proposed the law receives death threats and has her Web site attacked. On Dec. 22 five gunmen in El Higo, Veracruz, Mexico ambush three buses and kill seven passengers before being shot dead by security forces. On Dec. 22 Al-Shabaab publicly flogs Christian convert Sofa Osman (1982-) in Janale, Somalia (125 mi. from Mogadishu) for apostasizing from Islam. On Dec. 23 twin suicide car blasts in Damascus, Syria kill 44 and wound 100; the Syrian govt. blames them on al-Qaida, while Hezbollah blames the U.S., which it calls "the mother of terrorism". On Dec. 23 the Pakistani Taliban avenges the death of a senior cmdr. in Oct. with a strike on a Frontier Corps fort in Tank District, Pakistan, killing one and capturing 15, who are executed with AK-47s and a video released. On Dec. 23 an Anti-Israel Rally in Cairo features the crowd shouting "One day kill all Jews." On Dec. 23 in Maldives the ruling Maldivian Dem. Party (MDP) demonstrates in support of moderate Islam, while Islamist parties rally in "defense of Islam", protesting statements by pres. Mohamed Nasheed against religious extremism; on Dec. 25 he utters the soundbyte that Maldives must continue to support the "traditional form" of Islam like for the past 800 years, and not ban music and art, engage in FGM, or child marriage. On Dec. 23-24 a shootout between Boko Haram and govt. forces in Damaturu, Nigeria kills 61; on Dec. 25 Nigeria's Blackest Christmas sees Boko Haram bomb three churches, killing 39, incl. a Roman Catholic church in Madalla (near Abuja), killing 35, causing Pope Benedict XVI on Dec. 25 to call for peace in the world, and the Christian Assoc. of Nigeria on Dec. 29 to tell Christian Nigerian pres. Goodluck Jonathan that this is a "declaration of war on Christians and Nigeria as an entity", causing him to declare a nat. emergency on Dec. 31 for the states NE states of Yobe and Borno, and vow to "crush the terrorists". On Dec. 24 more protests in Sana'a, Yemen result in 13 "March for Life" protesters killed by govt. forces, causing more protests on Dec. 25, calling for the resignation of vice-pres. Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. On Dec. 24 U.S. secy. of state Hillary Clinton celebrates a sale of 80 Boeing F-15 fighter jets worth $29.4B to Saudi Arabia; in Mar. 2015 they are used to bomb Yemen. On Dec. 24 the Price Tag Operation sees a Jewish resident of Maaleh Shomron, Israel ambushed in his car, after which someone spray-paints a slogan on the wall of a mosque in the nearby village of Beit El and puts it on the Internet, generating more publicity. On Dec. 24 Iran begins a 10-day series of military maneuvers in the Strait of Hormuz, putting the U.S., U.K., and Israel on red alert. On Dec. 24 Ugandan Christian pastor Umar Mulinde, a Muslim apostate is attacked by Muslims with acid on Christmas Eve for preaching in support of Israel; he is flown to Israel for treatment. On Dec. 24-25 the 2011 Reviving the Islamic Spirit Conference in Toronto, Ont., Canada has a record 20K attendance. On Dec. 25 Pres. Obama's 2011 Christmas Day Proclamation breaks with tradition, and calls Jesus a "good man" Islam-style instead of the Son of God, which Islam considers blasphemy. On Dec. 25 (2:30 p.m. local time) a suicide bomber at a funeral ceremony in Taloqan, Takhar, Afghanistan kills 19+ civilians incl. MP Alhaj Mutalib Baig, and injures 50+. On Dec. 25 two mortars hit the 3K-person Camp Ashraf, Iraq 40 mi. from Baghdad, home to the dissident People's Mujahideen Org. of Iran (PMOI) days after the Iraq govt. extends a year-end deadline camp closure date. On Dec. 25 Am. Muslim Jameela Cecilia Barnette (b. 1958) of Marietta, Ga., known for posting messages on Facebook et al. calling Jews monkeys etc. assaults a Cobb police officer on Xmas morning, and is shot and killed. On Dec. 26 Syrian tank forces battle anti-Assad forces in Homs, Syria, killing 20, pissing-off the 50 Arab league observers, who arrive on Dec. 27, led by Sudanese Gen. Mohamed Ahmed Mustafa Dabi (al-Dabi), and are greeted by tens of thousands of anti-Assad protesters, who on Dec. 30 call for al-Dabi's resignation after he says that the situation is calm and reassuring, causing the Arab League on Jan. 1 to call for their withdrawal; on Jan. 2 Arab League secy. Nabel El-Araby admits that the killings by the security forces haven't stopped. On Dec. 26 a suicide attack at the interior ministry in Baghdad kills five and wounds dozens, causing the Shiite Sadrists to call for parliament to be dissolved and early elections. On Dec. 26 Gaza's Hamas PM Ismail Haniyeh (Haneyya) visits Egypt for the first time since 2007, saying that his meeting with his Islamist ideological mentors the Muslim Brotherhood threatens Israel, and calling on the Arab League to implement their decisions to break the seige of the Gaza Strip; at a ceremony marking Hamas' 24th anniv., Haniyeh says that Hamas may work for the "interim objection of liberation of Gaza, the West Bank, or Jerusalem", along with reconciliation with Fatah, but the "strategic" goal remains: "The armed resistance and the armed struggle are the path and the strategic choice for liberating the Palestinian land from the sea to the river, and for the expulsion of the invaders and usurpers... We won't relinquish one inch of the land of Palestine"; on Jan. 8 he visits Tunisia, where he utters the soundbyte that the latest meetings between Palestinians and Israelis is a "futile gesture"; the Muslim Brotherhood calls Hamas its "role model"; he then visits Sudan and Tunisia. On Dec. 26 Iran signs an oil deal with Afghanistan to provide 1M tons beginning in 2012. On Dec. 26 a busload of Palestinian Christians and Muslims belonging to the Muslim-Jewish org. Free Muslims Coalition travels to the Ariel Jewish Settlement to demand equal rights and remove the segregation wall. On Dec. 27 Iran threatens to stop the flow of oil shipments thrugh the Strait of Hormuz if foreign sanctions are imposed on its crude exports. On Dec. 27 after rockets are fired into S Israel, the Israeli air forces strikes two targets in Gaza, killing Islamic Jihad leader Abdullah Telbani, and injuring two others. On Dec. 27 Moscow, Russia sees its lowest Dec. temp in 113 years, 39.4F (4.1C), beating the record of 3.3C in Dec. 1898. On Dec. 28 Cyprus announces the discovery of natural gas off its S coast. On Dec. 29 the Egyptian govt. raids 17 human rights NGOs to investigate "foreign funding". On Dec. 29 a Turkish air force attack in Uludere kills 35 Kurds, mistaking civilian smugglers for PKK fighters, causing the govt. to call it a "blunder" and start an investigation. On Dec. 29 German man Harry Burkhart (1977-) launches a series of 50 arson attacks in S Calif. (Hollywood, Westside) to get even for his mother's losing fight against deportation to Germany. On Dec. 30 a gasoline truck crashes and burns in Caracas, Venezuela, engulfing several cars and a bus, killing 13 and injuring 16. On Dec. 30 a roadside bomb in Trinkot, Uruzgan, Afghanistan kills four civilians and injures one. On Dec. 30 hundreds of Sunni Muslims in Baghdad celebrate the withdrawal of U.S. forces near the Abu Hanifa Mosque in Azamiyah; Shiites don't join them; on Dec. 31 all U.S. troops must be withdrawn from Iraqi territory per the Status of Forces Agreement signed by U.S. pres. George W. Bush. On Dec. 30 New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg holds an interfaith breakfast, attended by 368, which is snubbed by 15 Muslim clerics and civic leaders upset over NYPD surveillance of Muslims; about 60 Muslims still show up. On Dec. 30 China announces plans for a manned mission to the Moon by 2020, first since the U.S. in 1972; a space station is planned for 2016. On Dec. 31 Pres. Obama signs the 2011 U.S. Nat. Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) despite "serious reservations" regarding provisions regarding interrogations of terrorist suspects, who can be indefinitely detained, a reqt. for Obama to submit a report to Congress before sharing any info. on U.S. ballistic missiles with Russia, and sanctions on financial institutions dealing with Iran's central bank, which allow exemptions to avoid upsetting energy markets; Obama pledges to exempt U.S. citizens from the indefinite detention law - meaning we're at his mercy? On Dec. 31 Iraq PM Nouri al-Maliki declares Iraq Day marking the U.S. pullout and calling for the country to unite; meanwhile Sunnis in Shiite neighborhoods begin getting nervous and moving. On Dec. 31 Iran proposes new nuclear talks with the six powers, the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Russia, and China. In Dec. the 2011-2017 Calif. Drought begins (ends Mar. 2017), killing 102M trees in 2011-16, and 62M in 2016 only, after which severe floods are caused by Pacific storms, causing the Calif. Drought Manipulation Conspiracy Theory to be proclaimed by various sources, claiming it was manufactured via weather modification. Japan's old restrictive (1.5K people a year allowed to pass) bar exam is scrapped, opening the doors for Japan to catch up to the litigious U.S., where 75K pass each year. On Dec. 31 22-y.-o. Australian woman jumps over Victoria Falls on a bungee cord, which snaps, causing her to plunge into the Zambezi River; she survives, after which Zambia's tourism minister makes a bungee jump on Jan. 9 to prove it's safe. In Dec. after a strike against Canadian-based oil co. Pacific Rubiales in Colombia in 2011 results in the Colombian military cracking down on them, after which the Clinton Foundation receives large donations from it and its founder Frank Giustra, U.S. secy. of state Hillary Clinton protects the Colombian govt., ignoring its violence against workers and praising its progress on human rights, permitting hundreds of millions of dollars of U.S. aid to flow to its military, flip-flopping and backing the 2006 U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (CTPA) which tramples workers rights. In Dec. the U.S. unemployment rate declines to 8.5% from 8.6%, adding 200K jobs. IBeth Van Duyne becomes Repub. mayor of Irving, Tex., becoming known for opposing illegal immigration and Muslim Sharia, drawing the wrath of the insidious Hamas front CAIR; on May 8, 2017 she becomes the U.S. HUD regional administrator for Tex. and four surrounding states. With U.S. and French help, Poland launches a nuclear energy program, with the target date for generation of nuclear power set in 2021. U.S. Sen. John Kerry sends a letter to Iranian pres. Imadinnajacket recognizing Iran's right to enrich uranium on its own soil; not revealed until June 23, 2015 in a speech by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Nord Stream Natural Gas Pipeline from Russia to Germany is completed. Sports: Tiger Woods falls out of the top 50 world golf rankings for the first time since 1996. On Jan. 2 the 8-8 Oakland Raiders become the first NFL team to go undefeated (6-0) in their div. (AFC West) and not make the playoffs; to rub it in, they ended the season with a 31-10 defeat of 10-6 div. leader Kansas City Chiefs. On Jan. 17-30 the 2011 Australian Open sees Li Na (1982-) of China defeat #1-seeded Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinal, becoming the first Asian player to reach a tennis grand slam final; meanwhile Francesca Schiavone and Svetlana Kutznetsova play the longest match in women's grand slam history, 4 hours 44 min.; on Jan. 28 Kim Clijsters defeats Li Na in three sets to win the women's singles title; Novak Djokovic defeats Andy Murray in three sets to win the men's singles title. On Jan. 22 Mika Juhani Koivuniemi (1967-) of Finland wins the PBA Tournament of Champions along with a record $250K prize after defeating Tom Smallwood 269-207; in the semifinal he defeats Tom Daugherty 299-100 after leaving the 10-pin on the final shot, the largest margin of victory in a PBA match, with Daugherty's score becoming the lowest in a nationally-televised PBA match; on Apr. 15 Koivuniemi defeats Sean Rash 237-224 in the PBA Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas, Nev. On Feb. 19-Apr. 30 the 2011 Cricket World Cup is held; India defeats Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the final, becoming the first team to win the cup final on home soil; on Apr. 30 a match between Pakistan and India in Mohali is arranged by Indian PM Manmohan Singh to improve relations. On Feb. 20 the 2011 (53rd) Daytona 500 is won by 20-y.-o. Trevor Bayne (1991-), becoming the youngest driver to win the race, and only to win on the first attempt. On Mar. 15 NCAA March Madness, jointly produced by CBS Sports debuts on TBS-TV (until ?) to cover the annual NCAA Men's Div. 1 Basketball Tournament. On Apr. 29 senior officials of the French Football Federation incl. French nat. coach Laurent Blanc are accused of setting a secret 30% quota on "athletic black and Arab players in favor of more "intelligent" white players in youth academies. On May 7 the 137th Kentucky Derby is won in 2:02.04 by 20-1 longshot Animal Kingdom, ridden by John Velazquez (after regular rider Robby Albarado is injured), who rallies to beat Nehro by 2-3/4 lengths; favorite Uncle Mo was scratched with an illness. On May 1 the New York Mets v. Philadelphia Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park in Philly (audience 40K - largest crowd in the U.S.) is rocked by news that Osama bin Laden has been killed; the Mets win 2-1 in the 14th inning. On May 29 the 2011 (95th) Indianapolis 500 is won by Daniel Clive "Dan" Wheldon (1978-2011) of England (2nd win) after leader John R. "Captain America" Hildebrand (1988-) (rookie) hits the wall on the final turn of the final lap; too bad, on Oct. 16 Wheldon is killed in a collision at the 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Hildebrand is injured in the same crash. On May 31-June 12 the 2011 NBA Finals see the Dallas Mavericks defeat the Miami Heat by 4-2; MVP is German-born power forward Dirk Werner Nowitzki (1978-) (#41) of the Mavericks. On June 1-15 the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals see the Boston Bruins defeat the Vancouver Canucks 4-3, becoming their first since 1972); MVP is Bruins goalie Timothy James "Tim" Thomas Jr. (1974-) (oldest and 2nd Am.-born player to win), who snubs a White House appearance on Jan. 23 because of political differences with Pres. Obama. On June 4 Li Na defeats Francesca Schiavone to win the French Open women's singles title, becoming the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam singles title; in 2010 Schiavone became Italy's first Grand Slam women's title winner. On June 19 Rory McIlroy (1989-) of Northern Ireland wins the U.S. Open of golf in Bethesda, Md. with a record 16 under par; too bad, NBC-TV omits the words "under God" and "indivisible" from the Pledge of Allegiance, causing an outcry. On June 23 the 2011 NBA Draft sees 30 teams draft 60 players in two rounds at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., incl. seven freshmen, seven sophomores, 14 juniors, 19 seniors, and 12 internat. players, after which the New Jersey Nets relocate to Brooklyn, N.Y., becoming the Brooklyn Nets; 6'3" Australian-born point guard Kyrie Andrew Irving (1992-) of Duke U. (freshman) is selected #1 by the Cleveland Cavaliers (#2), winning the rookie of the year award, followed by the 2003 NBA 3-point shootout competition; forward Derrick Williams of the U. of Ariz. (sophomore) is selected #2 by the Minnesota Timberwolves; center Jonas Valanciunas of Lietuvos Rytas in Lithuania is selected #5 by the Toronto Raptors; guard Brandon Knight of the U. of Ky. (freshman) is selected #8 by the Detroit Pistons (#7); guard Kemba Walker of the U. of Conn. (junior) is selected #9 by the Charlotte Bobcats (#15); 6'7" shooting guard Klay Alexander Thompson (1990-) of Washington State U. (junior) is selected #11 by the Golden State Warriors, going on to help them win the 2015 NBA Championship, their first since 1975; forward Markieff Morris of the U. of Kansas (junior) is selected #13 by the Phoenix Suns (#11); forward Kawhi Leonard of San Diego State U. (sophomore) is selected #15 by the Indiana Pacers, who trade him to the San Antonio Spurs; Montenegran-born center Nikola Vucevic of USC (junior) is selected #16 by the Philadelphia 76ers; guard Iman Shumpert of Georgia Tech (junior) is selected #17 by the New York Knicks (#21); Lithuanian-born forward Donatas Motiejunas of Benetton Treviso in Italy is selected #20 by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who trade him to the Houston Rockets (#20); forward Kenneth Faried of Morehead State U. is selected #22 by the Denver Nuggets (#35); guard Reggie Jackson of Boston College (junior) is selected #24 by the Oklahoma City Thunder (#15); guard Norris Cole of Cleveland State U. is selected #28 by the Chicago Bulls, who trade him to the Miami Heat (#30); guard Jimmy Butler of Marquette U. is selected #30 by the Chicago Bulls; forward Chandler Parsons of the U. of Fla. is selected #38 by the Houston Rockets (#25); Qatar-born forward Tanguy Ngombo is selected #57 by the Dallas Mavericks (first NBA player from Qatar), who trade him to the Portland Trail Blazers; guard Isaiah Thomas of the U. of Washington (junior) is selected #60 by the Sacramento Kings. On July 9 (2:01 p.m. local time) Derek Jeter hits his 3,000th career hit as one of five hits in a 5-4 V over the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. On Aug. 29-Sept. 12 the 2011 U.S. Open of Tennis at Billie Jean King Nat. Tennis Center in Flush Meadows Park in Queens, N.Y. sees Novak Djokovic (1987-) of Serbia defeat defending champ Rafael Nadal 62, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 on Sept. 12 to win the men's singles title, becoming the first Serb to win a grand slam singles title, and the youngest player in the open era to reach the semifinals in all four grand slam events; on Sept. 11 after defending champ Kim Clijsters bows out due to an abdominal muscle injury, Samantha Jane "Sam" Stosur (1984-) of Australia defeats Serena Williams to win the women's singles title, becoming the first Australian woman to win a majors title since Evonne Goolagong Cawley at Wimbledon in 1980. On Oct. 14-30 the 2011 Pan-Am. Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. Architecture: On June 21 the 80-ft.-tall bronze Alexander the Great Fountain in Skopje, Macedonia is unveiled, becoming the largest Alexander the Great Statue on Earth (until ?). On June 30 China opens the 16.6 mi. Jiaozhou Bay (Qingdao Haiwan) Bridge in Shangdong Province, becoming the longest bridge over water (until ?), passing the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in La by 2 mi. On July 27 the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 London Olympics opens, designed by Iraqi-born British architect Zaha Hadid. In Sept. the $11M Saudi-financed Great Gothenburg Mosque in Sweden opens. On Oct. 26 the Ł1.7m Exeter Mosque in Devon, Britain opens after three years. Nobel Prizes: Peace: Tawakel (Tawakkol) Karman (1979-) (Yemen) (first Arab woman) (first Yemeni) (first Muslim Brotherhood member), Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (1938-) (Liberia), and Leymah Roberta Gbowee (1972-) (Liberia); Lit.: ; Tomas Gosta Transtromer (Gösta Tranströmer) (1931-) (Sweden); Physics: ; Adam Guy Riess (1969-) (U.S.) and Saul Perlmutter (1959-) (U.S.), and Brian P. Schmidt (1967-) (Australia) [accelerating expansion of the Universe]; Chem.: Daniel "Dan" Schechtman (1941-) (Israel) [quasicrystals]; Medicine: Bruce Alan Beutler (1957-) (U.S.) and Jules A. Hoffmann (1941-) (Luxembourg) [activation of innate immunity], and Ralph Marvin Steinman (1943-) (U.S.) (awarded three days after he dies) [the dendritic cell's role in adaptive immunity]; Economics: Thomas John "Tom" Sargent (1943-) (U.S.) and Christopher Albert "Chris" Sims (1942-) (U.S.) [economy and policy instruments]. Inventions: On Jan. 11 the Chinese twin-jet 1.5K mph highly maneuverable Chengdu J-20 5th generation stealth fighter makes its first flight, going on to replace the Russian S-35 in ? after its WS-10 turbofan is successfully cloned; the test catches the U.S. off-guard again; it is based on pieces of a wrecked USAF F-117 Nighthawk downed by the Serbs in 1999? On Feb. 4 the Northrop Grumman X-47B robot jet fighter makes its first successful test flight. On Feb. 26 the $298 Nintendo 3DS is released in Japan, becoming the first portable game device with 3-D graphic technology. On Mar. 3 the WebGL (Web Graphics Library) JavaScript API is released, allowing the rendering of 2-D and 3-D graphics within compatible Web browsers without using plug-ins. On Mar. 18 NASA's New Horizons Pluto probe crosses the orbit of Uranus; meanwhile NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft begins orbiting Mercury. On Mar. 18 Internet overseer Icann gives final approval to the new porno domain .xxx. On Apr. 15 the U.S. and Russia meet to discuss plans for Prometheus a nuclear-powered ion-propelled spacecraft. On May 10 Boeing successfully tests its Phantom Ray stealth killer drone. On May 16 Space Shuttle Endeavour, takes off from Cape Canaveral carrying cmdr. Mark Kelly, hubby of wounded Ariz. rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head on Jan. 8 and attends the launch; on May 18 it docks with the ISS, attacking the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to it on May 19; after landing on July 1 at 2:35 a.m. EST, it is decomissioned and sent to a museum in Los Angeles, Calif., leaving only Space Ship Atlantis, which makes its final trip, STS-135 on July 8-21, ending the U.S. Space Shuttle program. On Aug. 5 the NASA Lockheed Martin Juno spacecraft is launched from Cape Canaveral on a 5-year 1.74B mi. cruise to Jupiter, arriving on July 5, 2016 to measure its composition from a close orbit 4K km. above the surface; in Feb. 2, 2018 after 37 orbits it burns up in Jupiter's atmosphere, er, its mission is extended until July 2021. In Sept. Snapchat multimedia messaging app is founded by former Stanford U. students Evan Thomas Spiegel (1990-), Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown, going on to to becoming popular with mobile phone users, reaching 187M users by Feb. 2018. On Oct. 31 China's unmanned Shenzhou 8 blasts off on a Long March 2F rocket from Jiuquan Launch Center, docking with the Tiangong 1 space module (launched Sept. 29) on Nov. 3 and Nov. 14, becoming the first unmanned Chinese docking, becoming the 3rd country after the Soviet Union (Russia), Japan, and the European Space Agency. In Oct.-Dec. the Mars Science Lab robotic surface rover is launched by NASA to look for evidence of life, making the first precision landing on Mars. The U.S. Army releases the Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV), an unmanned blimp-like spy ship that can hover at 20K ft. for up to three weeks, and is planned for deployment in Afghanistan. The Blue Waters supercomputer by IBM et al. is completed. D-Wave announces the D-Wave One, the first commercial quantum computer; next year it claims the creation of a 300-qubit quantum simulator, and on May 16, 2013 creates a 512-qubit quantum computer; in June 2014 tests show it to be no faster than a normal PC. The Chinese Dong Feng 21A missile is the first that can potentially destroy a U.S. aircraft carrier. The Lytro Camera is introduced, becoming the first that can change the focus of a photograph after the shutter clicks. British Loughborough U. student Jake Tyler (1989-) invents Vax ev, the first super-inexpensive vacuum cleaner made from cardboard. The first Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are offered by Stanford U., MIT, and Harvard U. Science: On Jan. 3 Johnson & Johnson announces a new cancer blood test that can detect one cancerous cell in a billion healthy ones. On Jan. 4 Public Library of Science ONE pub. a paper by scientists at Princeton U. reporting the construction of the first artificial proteins that enable the growth of living cells. On Jan. 21 scientists at the Max Planck Inst. in Munich and UTA pub. their finding that there is no direct link between black holes and dark matter. On Jan. 21 the USDA approves the drug Viibyrd, an anti-depressant that causes minimal interference with sexual desire. On Jan. 21 Am. mathematician Ken Ono of Emory U. pub. a paper solving the age-old problem of partition numbers in number theory, proving that they behave like fractals. On Jan. 21 researchers at the U. of B.C. pub. the first Global Map of Surface Permeability. On Jan. 25 Neurology pub. an article by Nikunj K. Patel of Frenchay Hospital in Bristol, England, reporting that deep brain stimulators can help control blood pressure. On Jan. 27 Nature pub. an article announcing the finding of the most distant object yet seen in the Universe, at a distance of 13.2B l.y. In Jan. scientists at Stanford U. detect the first-ever gamma-ray flares coming from the Crab Nebula (M1). In Jan. Larry Taylor et al. discover that lunar water may have originated from comets that smashed into it soon after it formed. On Feb. 1 Rainer Herges, Marcel Dommaschk et al. of Kiel U. pub. an article in Science announcing the first time that the magnetic state of a single molecule at room temp has been controlled via a molecular machine similar to a record player. On Feb. 7 scientists at Oxford U. test a universal flu vaccine. On Feb. 8 scientists at Oxford U. and Trinity College, Dublin announce a way of splitting layered materials into a 1-atom sheet similar to graphite. On Feb. 9 researchers at Harvard U. and MITRE Corp. announce the first programmable nanoprocessor. On Feb. 10 Angewandte Chemie pub. the discovery by researchers at Va. Commonwealth U., McNeese State U., Peking U., and John Hopkins U. of Superhalogens. On Feb. 10 Armando Giuliano et al. of St. John's Health Center announce that women with early breast cancer may not need to have radial surgery to remove cancerous lymph nodes under the armpit, just the sentinel one nearest the cancer. On Feb. 13 researchers at Northwestern Medicine announce the discovery of the first evidence of a human DNA fragment in a bacterial genome, Neisseria gonorrhoeae. In Feb. NASA's Kepler team announces the discovery of KOI 326.01, the most Earth-like planet exoplanet yet found; too bad, in Mar. they realize they made an error in the star's brightness, and demote it. On Mar. 17 PLos Genetics pub. a new phylogenetic tree for primates, which resolves several longstanding issues in taxonomy. On Mar. 25 it is revealed that Gen. Electric (GE) made $14B in profits last year and paid zero taxes; since Feb. 23 CEO (since 2000) Jeffrey Robert "Jeff" Immelt (1956-) has been head of Pres. Obama's competitiveness and jobs council. On Mar. 25 a study by Northwestern Medicine finds that young U.S. adults who frequently attend religious activities are 50% more likely to become obese by middle age. On Mar. 28 a report by the British Royal Society claims that China will overtake the U.S. in scientific output as soon as 2013. In Mar. the first mammalian test tube sperm is successfully grown in a lab from cells taken from mouse testicles by Takehiko Ogawa of Yokohama City U. In Mar. the Organic Lake Virophage, the first virus that attacks other viruses is discovered in a lake in E Antarctica. On Apr. 3 researchers at Penn. State U. announce a new sixth type of symmetry in materials, rotation reversal; the other five are rotation, inversion, rotation inversion, translation, and time reversal. On Apr. 4 the Proceedings of the Nat. Academy of Sciences announce the first hi-resolution structure of an RNA Nano Square. On Apr. 4 Kip Thorne of Caltech pub. a new theory of Tendex and Vortex Lines to conceptualize black holes. On Apr. 7 researchers at the U. of Wash. announce the first successful technique to let a brain talk to computers by using the speech centers, with patients controlling a cursor on a computer screen by speaking words out loud. On Apr. 4 George Cody, Cornel Alexander, and Larry Nitler of Carnegie Inst. pub. research proving that complex organic carbon-containing solids were made from formaldehyde in the early Solar System. On Apr. 13 the Allen Inst. for Brain Science releases the first anatomically and genomically comprehensive human brain map, which shows a 94% similarity between human brains, and that 82% of all human genes are expressed in the brain. On Apr. 19 Jeremy Levy et al. of Pittsburgh U. announce the SketchSET sketch-based single-electron transistor, the first single-electron transistor made entirely of oxide-based materials. In Apr. a NASA satellite spots a stellar explosion more than 13B l.y. from Earth, becoming the most distant ever detected (until ?). In May the Worms From Hell, nematodes or roundworms that live 1 mi. below the Earth's surface are discovered in gold mines in South Africa. On June 9 Neuron pub. the discovery of the first known connection between the nervous and vascular systems. On June 13 researchers at Lund U. in Sweden pub. a technique for turning human skin cells into brain cells without passing through the stem cell stage. On June 15 Robert Bambara et al. of the U. of Rochester pub. a discovery in Nature of a new way to change the genetic code by modifying mRNA to change its instructions for creating a protein. On June 16 scientists at George Mason U. reveal that solar storms are caused by a giant magnetic rope. On June 17 Science pub. the creation of the first crystals from metallic glass by Wendy Mao et al. of the U.S. Dept. of Energy. On June 17 Arthur Grossman of Carnegie Inst. et al. pub. the GreenCut, a list of 597 proteins that are encoded in photosynthetic plant and green algae genomes. In June the Moneta System of computer storage based on phase changes in the crystal structure of the metal alloy chalcogenide is demonstrated by UC San Diego faculty. In June the breakthrough SpermComet male infertility test is announced, which will save time, money and anguish for couples worldwide. On July 6 scientists announce the discovery of the first molecules of hydrogen peroxide in space - astronauts can all go blonde? On July 7 Paolo Macchiarini et al. at the Karlinska U. Hospital in Sweden perform the first synthetic windpipe transplant. On July 8 a study is pub. by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center that suggests that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can stop inter-brain memory competition when trying to learn two lists of dissimilar items, preventing forgetting. On July 10 John Deick et al. of McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine in Canada pub. an article in Science announcing the first successful isolation of a human blood stem cell in its purest form, capable of regenerating the entire blood system. On July 11 Chee Wei Wong et al. of Columbia U. announce the first optical nanostructures that can fully control light dispersion via changing the index of refraction to create a net zero refractive index. On July 15 NASA's Dawn spacecraft becomes the first probe to enter an orbit around an object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, returning close-up images of the giant asteroid Vesta. On July 19 Shengwang Du et al. of Hong Kong U. of Science and Technology announce that they have proved experimentally that nothing travels faster than light, which is confirmed on Nov. 17, closing the decades-long debate about whether Albert Einstein was right; it rules out time travel? On July 22 Physical Review E pub. an article by scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst. that when only 10% of a pop. hold an unshakable belief, it will spread like wildfire and be adopted by the majority. On July 23 Xiang Zhang et al. of ? announce the first visibile light invisibility cloak. On July 27 astronomers announce the discovery of the first Earth Trojan asteroid, that shares Earth's orbit around the Sun, named 2010 TK7. On July 27 scientists at Seoul Nat. U. announce the creation of the first glowing dog using cloning, which glows fluorescent green under UV light after being given the antibiotic doxycycline. In July a team led by surgeon Pedro Cavadas (1965-) at Hospital La Fe in Spain perform the first double leg transplant on a 20-y.-o. male amputee, who in June 2013 has his legs amputated after an unrelated illness forced him to stop taking anti-rejection drugs. In July the percentage of contiguous U.S. land area experiencing exceptional drought reaches the highest levels in the history of the U.S. Drought Monitor. On Aug. 1 the European Space Agency's Herschel space observatory detects the first oxygen molecules in space in Orion. On Aug. 4 NASA announces the possible discovery of water on Mars, most likely salty. On Aug. 4 Quantum Rare Earths Developments Corp. announces the discovery of a large rare earth deposit in the U.S. equal to about 1/3 of the reserves of China, which has a 97% market share. On Aug. 12 scientists at the U. of Manchester announce the first scientific evidence that there is a genetic contribution to human intelligence. On Oct. 21 the first manned flight of an electric multicopter takes place in Germany. On Oct. 22 a Tandem twin-baloon airship operated by JP Aerospace of Calif. sets a record 95,085 ft. (28,982m) for highest airship flight, almost 4 mi. higher than before. On Oct. 30 scientists at the Roslin Inst. in Edinburgh, Scotland announce the discovery of retrotansposons, genes found in brain cells that change thousands of times over a lifetime, making brain cells genetically different from other cells in the body, as well as genetically distinct from each other. On Nov. 9 Japanese researcher Yoshiki Sasai et al. of the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology announce that they have grown working pituitary glands from mouse embryo stem cells. On Nov. 11 U.S. scientists announce the discovery of two interstellar gas clouds containing only original elements from the Big Bang. On Nov. 15 Genron Corp., world's #1 embryonic stem cell research co. announces that it's closing its program down. In Nov. Prof. John Webb et al. at U. of New South Wales report astronomical observations indicating that the fine structure constant alpha changes throughout the Universe, making it possible that the Universe is actually infinite. On Dec. 9 researchers from Inserm in France pub. a paper revealing that the brain's cortex plays an essential part in emotional learning. On Dec. 20 NASA scientists announce the discovery of the smallest most Earth-size alien worlds yet, Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f. In Dec. British researchers announce the first sucessful tretment using gene therapy of Hemophilia B, the kind that plagues the European royal family incl. Queen Victoria. In Dec. researcers at Georgetown U. announce a breakthrough, a way to finally keep cancer cells alive in the lab. The Hanke-Henry Permanent Calendar is invented by Richard Conn Henry and Steve H. Hanke at JHU, a new calendar where each year is identical. The U.S. Defense Dept. invests $6M in the BioDesign Project, with the goal of eliminating "the randomness of natural evolutionary advancement" by creating genetically engineered organisms that "produce the intended biological effect" and can "ultimately be programmed to live indefinitely". The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) of the Italian Nat. Inst. of Nuclear Physics (INFN) begins operation to investigate neutrinos; 120 33kg ingots of radiation-free lead recovered in 1988 from a Roman shipwreck between -80 and -50 off Sardinia shields the observatory. Chemical elements #14 (flerovium) (at. wt. 289) and #116 (moscovium) (at. wt. 292) are added to the Periodic Table. An article is pub. in Lancet claiming that sufferers of chronic fatigue syndrome have a 60% chance of improvement if they see a pshrink and exercise, and a 20% chance of recovery; in Sept. 21, 2016 after the authors are issued a court order to release their raw data, a team of independent scientists pub. an article in Virology Blog, revealing only a 10% chance of being helped, and a 0% chance of recovery. The first gene bank in the Arab world opens in Qatar. Nonfiction: J. Christian Adams, Injustice: Exposing the Racial Agenda of the Obama Justice Department; claims that the Obama admin. has politicized it. Fouad Ajami, The Road to Serfdom and the Arab Revolt (July). Mustafa Akyol (1972-), Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty (July 18). Hugh Aldersey-Williams, Periodic Tales: A Cultural History of the Elements, from Arsenic to Zinc. Marc Andreessen, Why Software Is Eating the World; "Software companies are poised to take over large swathes of the economy." Jose Arguelles (1939-2011), Manifesto for the Noosphere: The Next Stage in the Evolution of Human Consciousness. Tim Ball (1938-), Charles Anderson, Martin Hertzberg, Claes Johnson, Joseph Olson, John O'Sullivan, and Hans Schreuder, Slaying the Sky Dragon - Death of the Greenhouse Gas Theory (Jan. 18); claims to disprove the theory of manmade global warming by carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions; a product of Principia Scientific Internat. (PSI), founded in the U.K. in 2010 by British-born Canadian-Am. atty. John O'Sullivan to push the claim that CO2 is not a greenhouse gas. Ken Ballen, Terrorists in Love: The Real Lives of Islamic Radicals. Abhijit Banerjee (1961-) and Esther Duflo (1972-), Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty (Apr. 26); a "radical rethinking" of the economics of poverty based on randomized control trials. Shaul Bartal, The Fedayeen Emerge: The Palestine-Israel Conflict, 1949-1956. Timothy Beal, The Rise and Fall of the Bible: The Unexpected History of an Accidental Book (Feb.). Rob Bell, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived (Mar. 15); discounts the idea of Hell in the Bible a la the Jehovah's Witnesses. Jeremy Ben-Ami, A New Voice for Israel: Fighting for the Survival of the Jewish Nation (July 19); by the founder of J Street. Pope Benedict XVI (1927-), Jesus of Nazareth - Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection (Mar. 10); internat. bestseller. J.M. Berger, Jihad Joe; Americans who go jihadist. Andrew Berwick (Anders Breivik) (1979-), 2083: A European Declaration of Independence. Hanne Blank, Big Big Love: A Sex and Relationships Guide for People of Size (and Those Who Love Them) (Sept.). William Bloom (1948-), The Endorphin Effect: A Breakthrough Strategy for Holistic Health and Spiritual Wellbeing (Nov. 3). Frank Brady, Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall: From America's Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness. Asa Briggs (1921-), Secret Days: Codebreaking in Bletchley Park: A Memoir of Hut Six and the Enigma Machine (May 1); about his 5-year stay at Bletchley Park, working with Alan Turing and Gordon Welchman, and how he didn't tell his wife about it until the 1970s, never telling his parents. Patrick J. Buchanan (1938-), Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025? (Oct. 11); gets him fired from MSNBC. Daniel Byman, A High Price: The Triumphs and Failures of Israeli Counterterrorism. Dolores Cannon (1931-), The Three Waves of Volunteers and the New Earth (Sept. 1). Richard Carrier (1969-), Why I Am Not a Christian: Four Conclusive Reasons to Reject the Faith. Stephen L. Carter, The Violence of Peace: America's Wars in the Age of Obama; he got elected as a critic of the Bush admin., then turn around and affirmed its war policies? Jack Cashill, Deconstructing Obama: The Life, Loves, and Letters of America's First Postmodern President (Feb. 15); claims to prove that Bill Ayers wrote Obama's book "Dreams From My Father". U. of Chicago, The Chicago Assyrian Dictionary; started on it in 1921. Deepak Chopra (1946-), Marianne Williamson (1952-), and Debbie Ford, The Shadow Effect: Illuminating the Hidden Power of Your True Self; how to utilize your dark side. Patricia Churchland, Braintrust; the neuroscience of morality. Bill Clinton (1946-), Back to Work: Why We Need a Smart Government for a Strong Economy (Nov. 8). Rik Coolsaet (et.), Jihadi Terrorism and the Radicalisation Challenge: European and American Experiences, 2nd Ed.. Michael Coren (1959-), Why Catholics Are Right. Ann Coulter (1961-), Demonic: How the Liberal Mob Is Endangering America (June 7); the Dem. Party is about demonic mobs because it channels the French Rev., while the Repub. Party is about the opposite because it channels the Am. Rev.? Phil Cousineau (1952-), Beyond Forgiveness: Reflections on Atonement (Feb.). Felice Dassetto, The Iris and the Crescent; Muslims will be the majority in Brussels by 2030? Terrence William Deacon, Incomplete Nature: How Mind Emerged from Matter; claims that the Theory of Everything that's being developed by scientists makes it "absurd that we exist", and offers the solution that the properties of mind emerge from a higher-order reciprocal relationship between self-organizing processes. Brett M. Decker and William C. Triplett II, Bowing to Beijing; the massive U.S. debt complicates its relationship with Red China. Jiim Denison, Radical Islam: What You Need to Know (July). Joan Didion (1934-2021), Blue Nights (memoir); the death of her daughter Quintana in 2005; title refers to certain time in the "somer solstice... when the twilights turn long and blue". Meir Doron and Joseph Gelman, Confidential: The Life of Secret Agent Turned Hollywood Tycoon Arnon Milchan (July 30). Patrick T. Dunleavy, The Fertile Soil of Jihad: Terrorism's Prison Connection. Stephen Dubner (1963-) and Steve Levitt (1967-), SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance (May 24). Abigail R. Esman, Radical State: How Jihad Is Winning over Democracy in the West. Barry Estabrook, Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit. James P. Farwell, The Pakistan Cauldron: Conspiracy, Assassination and Instability. Niall Ferguson (1964-), Civilization: The West and the Rest; his attempt to answer the "most interesting question" of today: "Why, beginning around 1500, did a few small polities on the western end of the Eurasian landmass come to dominate the rest of the world?", attributing it to six "killer apps" largely missing elsewhere in the world, "competition, science, the rule of law, medicine, consumerism and the work ethic." Amy Finley (1973-), How to Eat a Small Country (autobio.) (Apr.); how she saved her marriage by moving with her hubby to France and touring around looking for nearly-lost dishes incl. tete de veau, boiled baby cow face. Guy Finley (1949-), The Seeker, the Search, the Sacred: Journey to the Greatness Within (Oct. 1). Frank J. Fleming, Obama: The Greatest President in the History of Everything. Joshua Foer (1982-), Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything (Mar. 3); NYT bestseller. David Friedman (1950-), The Thought Exchange: Overcoming Our Resistance To Living A Sensational Life (Apr. 18); claims that positive thinking techniques and the Law of Attraction can't work unless the person becomes aware of their physical sensations and is willing to experience them; filmed in 2012. Graham Fuller, A World Without Islam; argues that the East would still be at war with the West even if Islam never happened. Frank Furedi, On Tolerance. Brigitte Gabriel (1964-), Because They Hate (autobio.). John Lewis Gaddis (1941-), George F. Kennan: An American Life (Nov. 10) (Pulitzer Prize); about U.S. diplomat George Frost Kennan (1904-2005), the "Father of Containment". Gangaji (1942-), Hidden Treasure: Discovering the Truth in Your Life Story. Pamela Geller (1958-), Stop the Islamization of America: A Practical Guide to the Resistance (Sept. 6). John Gibler, To Die in Mexico: Dispatches from Inside the Drug War. Mark Girouard (1931-), Enthusiasms (essays). Edward Glaeser (1967-), Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Rich, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier. David P. Goldman, How Civilizations Die (and Why Islam Is Dying Too). Amit Goswami, How Quantum Activism Can Save Civilization: A Few People Can Change Human Evolution; The Quantum Doctor: A Quantum Physicist Explains the Healing Power of Integral Medicine. Daniel Hannan, The New Road to Serfdom: A Letter of Warning to America (Oct. 4); "Hannan has the insight and experience to help America recapture its distinctive ideals and avoid turning into a socialist state." Yuval Noah Harari (1976-), Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind; English tr. pub. in 2014. Thom Hartmann (1951-), Rebooting the American Dream: 11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country. Sam Harris (1967-), Lying. Brian Haughton, Handbook of Paranormal Powers: Discover the Secrets of Mind Readers, Mediums, and More! (Feb. 1). Katharine Hayhoe and Andrew Farley (1972-), A Climate for Change: Global Warming Facts for Faith-Based Decisions (Mar. 21); attempts to reconcile climate change wth evangelical Christianity. Chris Hedges (1956-), That World As It Is: Dispatches on the Myth of Human Progress (Apr. 12); "Brace yourself. The American empire is over. And the descent is going to be horrifying." Adam Hochschild (1942-), To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918. Jonathan Israel (1946-), Democratic Enlightenment: Philosophy, Revolution, and Human Rights 1750-1790. Philip Jenkins (1952-), Laying Down the Sword: Why We Can't Ignore the Bible's Violent Verses; after studying the Bible and Quran in the light of 9/11, the clueless British loon concludes that "the Bible contains far more verses praising or urging bloodshed than does the Quran", not mentioning that Jehovah authorized violence only to take and rules the Holy Land, while Allah authorizes it to take and rule the whole world. Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow. David Kaiser, How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival; about the San Francisco Fundamental Fysiks Group (founded in 1975). Ian Kershaw, The End: The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1944-1945. Timuran Khan, The Long Divergence: How Islamic Law Held Back the Middle East. Kwame Kilpatrick (1970-), Surrendered!: The Rise, Fall, and Revelation of Kwame Kilpatrick (autobio.). Jeff King, Islam Uncensored. Aaron Klein and Brenda J. Elliott, Red Army: The Radical Network That Must Be Defeated to Save America. Marcy Jane Knopf-Newman, The Politics of Teaching Palestine to Americans: Addressing Pedagogical Strategies; portray Palestinians as innocent victims of evil Nazi-like Israelis? Nancy Koehn (1959-), Oprah (Brand) Renew; Oprah: Leading with Heart. Denis Lacorne, Religion in America: A Political History; English trans. of 2007 French ed. Richard Lynn, The Chosen People: A Study of Jewish Intelligence and Achievement; Jewish success is based on high IQ? Irshad Manji (1968-), Allah, Liberty and Love: The Courage to Reconcile Faith and Freedom (June). Manning Marable (1950-2011), Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention (Apr. 4) (Pulitzer Prize); claims that he exaggerated his early criminal career, and had a bi affair with a white businessman, also that some of his killers are still not charged and running around loose. Greil Marcus, The Doors: A Lifetime of Listening to Five Mean Years. Joe McGinniss, The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin (Sept. 20); exposes her love life et al.; she cares about nobody except herself? David McCullough (1933-), The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris (May 24); about Americans in Paris in 1830-1900 incl. James Fenimore Cooper, Mark Twain, Samuel Morse, Elihu Washburne, Elizabeth Blackwell, Mary Cassatt, George Healy, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Branko Milanovic (1953-), The Haves and the Have-Nots: A Brief and Idiosyncratic History of Global Inequality (Aug. 7); followed next year by his Milanovic Elephant Chart, which shows the lower middle classes in rich countries being squeezed out of economic growth in the "decile of discontent", later feeding the Brexit and Trump revolutions? Michael Mirdad, Healing the Heart & Soul: A Five-Step, Soul-Level Healing Process for Transforming Your Life. Soraya Mire, The Girl With Three Legs (autobio.); the horrors of female genital mutilation (FGM). Patrick Modiano (1945-), L'Horizon; Jean Bosmans loses his lover Margaret Le Coz to a train. Dambisa Moyo (1969-), How the West Was Lost: Fifty Years of Economic Folly -- and the Stark Choices That Lie Ahead (Jan.); NYT bestseller. Steven Naifeh (1952-) and Gregory White Smith (1951-2014), Van Gogh: A Life; NYT bestseller. Sylvia Nasar (1947-), Grand Pursuit: The Story of Economic Genius. John Julius Norwich (1929-), The Popes: A History. Suze Orman (1951-), The Money Class: Learn to Create Your New American Dream (Mar.). Christian Parenti, Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence (July 12); claims a link between climate change and political unrest in mid-lat. regions of Earth. Sir Roger Penrose, Cycles of Time: An Extraordinary New View of the Universe (May); bites on claims by Armenian physicist Vahe Burzadyan that the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation reveals events before the Big Bang; the idea is immediately challenged by several physicists. Marcello Pera, Why We Should Call Ourselves Chritians: The Religious Roots of Free Societies. Mark Perry, Talking to Terrorists: Why America Must Engage With Its Enemies. Paul R. Pillar, Intelligence and U.S. Foreign Policy: Iraq, 9/11, and Misguided Reform (Sept. 6). Steven Pinker (1954-), The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (Oct. 4); claims that human violence has been decreasing over time. Christian Prince, The Deception of Allah, Vol. 1. Janet Reitman, Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion (July); a popular treatment of their dirty laundry, pissing them off, like always :) Condoleezza Rice (1954-), No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington (autobio.) (Nov. 1). Corey Robin (1967-), The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin; claims that conservatism is based on the principle "that some are fit, and thus ought, to rule others", and isn't about liberty or limited govt. but is a "mode of counterrevolutionary practice" to preserve hierarchical power; "To obey a real superior... is one of the most important of all virtues - a virtue absolutely essential to the attainment of anything great and lasting." Dani Rodrik (1957-), The Globalization Paradox: Democracy and the Future of the World Economy; claims that hyperglobalization (deep economic integration), nat. sovereignty, and dem. politics can't all be maintained at the same time, only two of the three, arguing that nat. priorities should take precedence over globalization, which should be customized under a light frame of internat. rules. Nouriel Roubini (1958-) and Ian Bremmer (1969-), A G-Zero World; claims that "Old models of understanding global dynamics are struggling" to keep up with rapid changes, with the soundbyte: "We are now living in a G-Zero world, one in which no single country or bloc of countries has the political and economic leverage - or the will - to drive a truly international agenda. The result will be intensified conflict on the international stage over vitally important issues, such as international macroeconomic coordination, financial regulatory reform, trade policy, and climate change. This new order has far-reaching implications for the global economy, as companies around the world sit on enormous stockpiles of cash, waiting for the current era of political and economic uncertainty to pass. Many of them can expect an extended wait." Donald Rumsfeld (1932-), Known and Unknown (autobio). (Jan.). Jeffrey Sachs (1954-), The Price of Civilization: Reawakening American Virtue and Prosperity; top Harvard economics prof. calls U.S. politics a "corporatocracy" in which "powerful corporate interest groups dominate the policy agenda", naming the Military-Industrial Complex, the Wall St.-Washington Complex, the Big Oil-Transport-Military Complex, and the Health Care Industry. Doug Saunders, Arrival City: How the Largest Migration in History Is Reshaping Our World. Julian Savulescu, Ruud ter Meulen, and Guy Kahane (eds.), Enhancing Human Capacities (Mar. 18). Arnold Schwarzenegger (1947-), Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story (autobio.) (Oct.). Peter Schweizer (1964-), Throw Them All Out: How Politicians and Their Friends Get Rich Off Insider Stock Tips, Land Deals, and Cronyism That Would Send the Rest of Us to Prison (Nov. 15). Janny Scott, A Singular Woman: The Untold Story of Barack Obama's Mother (May). David Sehat, The Myth of American Religious Freedom (Jan. 14); John Selby (1945-), Expand This Moment: Focused Meditations to Quiet Your Mind, Brighten Your Mood, and Set Yourself Free. Jack Shaheen, Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Villifies a People; reviles "Blackhawk Down", and grooves on "Kingdom of Heaven". Tom Shroder (1954-), The Hunt for Bin Laden. Stanley Siegel, Your Brain on Sex: How Smarter Sex Can Change Your Life. Mitchell D. Silber, The al-Qaeda Factor: Plots Against the West. Juliann Silvuka, Soap, Sex and Cigarettes (July 19). Patrick Sookhdeo, Islam in Our Midst: The Challenge to Our Christian Heritage. Jonathan Spyer, The Transforming Fire: The Rise of the Israel-Islamist Conflict; it's no longer just the Israel-Arab conflict. Eric Stakelbeck, The Terrorist Next Door: How the Government Is Deceiving You About the Islamist Threat (May 2). Sol Stern, A Century of Palestinian Rejectionism and Jew Hatred. Mark Steyn (1959-), After America: Get Ready for Armageddon (Aug. 8). Hege Storhaug, But the Greatest of These Is Freedom: The Consequences of Immigration in Europe. David Stowe, No Sympathy for the Devil (Apr.); how 1960s-1970s rock and roll influenced religion and politics to create Christian rock. Richard Sugg, Mummies, Cannibals, and Vampires (June 29). Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan, The Eleventh Day: The Full Story of 9/11 and Osama bin Laden (July 19). Ron Suskind, Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President; disses Pres. Obama. Gabriel G. Tabarani, Jihad's New Heartlands: How the West Has Failed to Contain Islamic Fundamentalism. Victor Thorn (1962-2016), 9/11 Made in Israel: The Plot Against America (Aug. 30). Michael Totten, The Road to Fatima Gate: The Beirut Springs, the Rise of Hezbollah, and the Iranian War Against Israel. Deepak Tripathi, Breeding Ground: Afghanistan and the Origins of Islamist Terrorism. Donald Trump (1946-), Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again (Dec. 5) (NYT bestseller); blasts Pres. Obama, Obamacare et al.; "President Obama has been a disaster for America. In four short years, he's wrecked our economy, saddled our children with more debt than America managed to rack up in 225 years, and gone around the world apologizing for our country - as if the greatest nation in the world needs to apologize for being a land of opportunity and freedom, which we were before Obama became president. Now, America looks like a broken country - stripped of jobs, stripped of wealth, stripped of respect. And what does President Obama do about it? He plays nice with a China that is doing everything it can to destroy our economy, while refusing to stand up for America with Middle Eastern oil mobsters who think they can hold us hostage through higher prices at the pump, and chucking billions in 'stimulus' money to his friends and supporters while letting the rest of us foot the bill. This can't go on. And if Donald J. Trump has anything to say about it, it won't"; reveals that he has become more conservative, moving from "tax the wealthy" to "reduce taxes". Stefania Vitali, James B. Glattfelder, and Stefano Battison, The Network of Global Corporate Control; exposes a small group of central banks and other financial institutions. Ibn Warraq (1946-), Why the West Is Best: A Muslim Apostate's Defense of Liberal Democracy. Brian Glyn Williams, Afghanistan Declassified: A Guide to America's Longest War. Colin Woodard, American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America (Sept. 29). Robin Wright, Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the Islamic World; the Arab Spring. Andrea Wulf, Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Revolution. Yanis Varoufakis (1961-), The Global Minotaur: America, Europe and the Future of the Global Economy; 3rd ed. July 2015; the U.S. is a global minotaur, consuming surplus capital from the global economy to maintain global economic stability; the 2008 crash happened after the collapse of the banking system wounded it? Bat Ye'or, Europe, Globalization and the Coming Universal Caliphate. Zondervan Pub. House, The New Internat. Bible; revised version of the 1978 ed. that sold 300M copies. Art: Mehmet Aksoy, Monument to Friendship Between Turkey and Armenia (statue); erected in Kars, Turkey near the Armenian border, it pisses-off Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who calls it a "freak". Gil Vicente, Enemies; series of charcoal drawings showing the artist assassinating the pope, Pres. Bush et al. Music: The Internet Killed Rock and Roll Year? The worst year in rock history? The first year that women (Lady Gaga, PJ Harvey, Rihanna, Adele) dominate pop music? 311, Universal Pulse (album #10) (July 19); incl. Sunset in July. Jane's Addiction, The Great Escape Artist (album #4) (Oct. 18) (#12 in the U.S.), first with bassist Dave Sitek; incl. Irresistible Force. Adele (1988-), 21 (album #2) (Jan. 21) (#1 in the U.S. and U.K.) (10M copies); incl. Rolling in the Deep (#1 in the U.S. and U.K.), Someone Like You, Set Fire to the Rain. Amon Amarth, Surtur Rising (album #8) (June 27) (#34 in the U.S.); incl. War of the Gods, Destroyer of the Universe. The Kid Bombardos, Turnin' Wrong (album) (debut) (Sept. 19); named after a 1920s French boxer by three of his great-grandkids, incl. Vincent Martinelli (1990-) (vocals, guitar), Thomas Martinelli (1986-) (bass), David Loridan (1988-) (guitar), and Simon Martinelli (1991-) (drums); incl. Sundays, Goodbye Babe, I'm Gonna Try. Billy Bragg (1957-), Don't Buy the Sun; about the Sun hacking scandal. Michael Buble (1975-), Christmas (album) (Oct. 24) (#1 in the U.S.) (3.39M copies; becomes the first Christmas album to win a Juno Award for album of the year. Colbie Caillat (1985-), All of You (album #3) (May 3) (#6 in the U.S.); incl. I Do, Brighter Than the Sun. Alice Cooper (1948-), Welcome 2 My Nightmare (album) (Sept. 13) (#22 in the U.S.); sequel to "Welcome to My Nightmare" (1975); incl. I Am Made of You, I'll Bite Your Face Off, What Baby Wants (w/Ke$ha). Cults, Cults (album) (debut) (June 7); incl. You Know What I Mean. Death Cab for Cutie, Codes and Keys (album #7) (May 31) (#3 in the U.S., #24 in the U.K.); incl. You Are A Tourist. Panic! at the Disco, Vices & Virtues (album #3) (Mar. 22) (#7 in the U.S.); incl. The Ballad of Mona Lisa, Ready to Go (Get Me Out of My Mind). Disturbed, The Lost Children (album) (Nov. 8). Snoop Dogg (1971-), Doggumentary (album #11) (Mar. 29); incl. Sweat, Boom. 3 Doors Down, Time of My Life (album #5) (July 19). Cake, Showroom of Compassion (album #6) (Jan. 11) (#1 in the U.S.); incl. Sick of You, Long Time. Dawes, Nothing Is Wrong (album #2) (June 7); incl. If I Wanted Someone, Time Spent in Los Angeles. Elysian Fields, Last Night on Earth (album #6) (June 14); incl. Red Riding Hood. Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues (album #2) (May 3); incl. Helplessness Blues, Grown Ocean, The Shrine/An Argument, Montezuma. Lady Gaga (1986-), Born This Way (album #3) (May 23) (#1 in the U.S.); incl. Born This Way, Judas ("I'm in love with Judas"), Hair. Bloodhound Gang, Fishin' for Hookers (album #5). Glasvegas, Euphoric Heartbreak (EUPHORIC /// HEARTBREAK \\\) (album #2) (Apr. 4) (#10 in the U.K.); incl. Euphoria, Take My Hand, Whatever Hurts You Through the Night, Stronger Than Dirt (Homosexuality Pt. 2). Selena Gomez (1992-) and the Scene, When the Sun Goes Down (album #3) (June 28); incl. Who Says, Bang Bang Bang. Guano Apes, Bel Air (album #4) (last in 2003) (Apr. 1); goes from nu metal to hard rock; incl. Oh What a Night, Sunday Lover, This Time, When the Ships Arrive. P.J. Harvey (1969-), Let England Shake (album #10) (Feb. 11) (#32 in the U.S., #8 in the U.K.); incl. The Words That Maketh Murder, The Glorious Land. Uriah Heep, Into the Wild (album #23) (Apr. 12); incl. Into the Wild. Incubus, If Not Now, When? (album #7) (July 12) (#2 in the U.S.); named after the Primo Levi novel; incl. Adolescents, Promises. Bon Iver, Bon Iver (album #2) (June 17) (#2 in the U.S., #4 in the U.K.); incl. Perth, Calgary. Jessie J (1988-), Who You Are (album) (debut) (Feb. 25) (#11 in the U.S., #2 in the U.K.); incl. Price Tag (Jan. 28) (#23 in the U.S., #1 in the U.K.), Nobody's Perfect #9 in the U.K.). The Black Keys, El Camino (album #7) (Dec. 6) (#2 in the U.S., #29 in the U.K.); incl. Lonely Boy (#64 in the U.S.). Chloe Lattanzi (1986-), Play With Me. Aaron Lewis (1972-), Town Line (EP) (solo debut) (Mar. 11) (#1 country) (#7 in the U.S.) (200K copies); Staind guitarist goes country; incl. Country Boy (w/George Jones and Charlie Daniels) (#50 country) (#87 in the U.S.). Black Lips, Arabia Mountain (June 7); incl. Spidey's Curse, Mr. Driver, Raw Meat, The Lie, Time, Noc-A-Homa. LMFAO, Sorry for Party Rocking (album #2) (June 21) (#12 in the U.S., #8 in the U.K.); incl. Party Rock Anthem, Champagne Showers, Sexy and I Know It (#1 in the U.S.). Jennifer Lopez (1969-), Love? (album #7) (Apr. 28) (#5 in the U.S., #6 in the U.K.); incl. On the Floor (w/Pitbull), I'm Into You (w/Lil Wayne). Mae, Evening (EP) (Mar. 8). Barry Manilow (1943-), 15 Minutes (album) (June 13). Scotty McCreery (1993-), Clear As Day (album) (debut) (#1 country) (first country act to debut at #1) (#1 in the U.S.) (1M copies) (Mercury Records); incl. Clear As Day, I Love You This Big (#15 country) (#11 in the U.S.) (900K copies), The Trouble with Girls (#17 country) (#55 in the U.S.) (800K copies), Water Tower Town (#38 country). Mike + the Mechanics, The Road (album #7) (Apr. 18); first without Paul Carrack; incl. The Road. The Dead Milkmen, The King in Yellow (album #8) (Mar. 19); first since their 1995 breakup; incl. Meaningless Upbeat Happy Song, Fauxhemia. Nicki Minaj, Stupid Hoe. Arctic Monkeys, Suck It and See (album #4) (June 6); incl. Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair. Kip Moore (1980-), Mary Was the Marrying Kind (Mar. 14) (debut) (#45 country); Somethin' 'Bout a Truck on Sept. 27, 2011 (#1 country). Dropkick Murphys, Going Out in Style (album #7) (Mar. 1); incl. Going Out in Style. Nonpoint, Miracle (album #6) (May 4) (#59 in the U.S.);p first with guitarist Zach Broderick; incl. Miracle, Frontlines. Frank Ocean (1987-), Nostalgia, Ultra (mixtape) (Feb. 16); his breakthrough; incl. Novacaine. Phantogram, Nightlife (EP) (Nov. 11); incl. Don't Move. Pitbull (1981-), Planet Pit (album #6) (June 17) (#7 in the U.S.); incl. Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor) (w/T-Pain) (#7 in the U.S.), Give Me Everything (w/Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer) (#1 in the U.S.), Rain Over Me (w/Marc Anthony) (#75 in the U.S.). Eric Prydz (1976-), Niton (The Reason) (#45 in the U.K.). Red, Until We Have Faces (album #3) (Feb. 1); incl. Faceless, Feed the Machine, Not Alone, Lie to Me (Denial). Busta Rhymes (1972-), Extiction Level Event 2 (album #9). Gil Scott-Heron (1949-2011), I'm New Here (last album). Big Sean, Dance (A$$) Remix (w/Nicki Minaj). Seether, Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray (album #5) (May 17) (#2 in the U.S.); incl. Country Song, Tonight, No Resolution, Here and Now. Ed Sheeran (1991-), The A Team (June 12) (#16 in the U.S.) (#3 in the U.K.); a ho addicted to "class A drug" crack. Trombone Shorty (1986-), For True (album #8) (Sept. 13) (#1 jazz) (#72 in the U.S); incl. For True. Skrillex (1988-), More Monsters and Sprites (EP) (June 7); incl. First of the Year (Equinox). Britney Spears (1981-), Hold It Against Me (Jan. 23); 2nd artist to debut more than one song at #1. Staind, Stained (Seven) (album #7) (Sept. 13); incl. Not Again, The Bottom (used in the 2011 film "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"), Eyes Wide Open. Cobra Starship, <>Night Shades (album #4) (Aug. 29) (#50 in the U.S.); incl. You Make Me Feel.... Joss Stone (1987-), LP1 (album #5) (July 26). Within Temptation, The Unforgiving (album #5) (Mar. 25) (#50 in the U.S., #23 in the U.K.); incl. Faster, Sinead, Shot in the Dark. The Ting Tings, Kunst (album #2). Warrant, Rockaholic (album #8) (May 17); first with lead singer Robert Mason; incl. Life's A Song. The Throne, Watch the Throne (album) (debut) (Aug. 8); Jay-Z (1969-) and Kanye West (1977-); incl. Otis, H*A*M. Woodkid (Yoann Lemoine) (1983-), Iron (Mar. 28). Movies: Jason Connery's 51, (Feb. 26) (SyFyChannel) stars Bruce Boxleitner, John Shea, and Jason London, about the USAF allowing some reporters access to Area 51 in Nev. just as vicious shape-shifting Patient Zero busts out. Emad Burnat's and Guy Davidi's 5 Broken Cameras (Nov. 23) is a documentary about nonviolent Palestinian protesters in Bil'in, West Bank, pissing-off IDF reservists, who claim that it's "inciting". George Nolfi's The Adjustment Bureau (Feb. 14) (Universal Pictures), based on the Philip K. Dick story "Adjustment Team" stars Matt Damon as Brooklyn Congressman David Norris, and Emily Blunt as his babe Elise Sellas, who fight the you know what, headed by Thompson (Terence Stamp), which regulates people's lives; brings in $127.9M on a $50.2M budget. Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego's Apollo 18 (Sept. 2) is a sci-fi horror film about an alleged secret Apollo mission launched in Dec. 1974 that never returned because they encountered hostile alien life on the Moon, causing the program to be terminated; does $25.5M box office on a $5M budget. Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist (B&W) (May 15) stars Jean Dujardin as George Valentin, and Berenice Bejo as Peppy Miller, silent film stars facing the coming of the talkies. Joe Cornish's Attack the Block (Mar. 12), about a teenie street gang in South London on Guy Fawkes Night defending themselves from aliens from outer space stars John Boyega as Moses, Alex Esmail as Pest, Franz Drameh as Dennis, Leeon Jones as Jerome, and Jodie Whitaker as nurse Samantha Adams. Jonathan Liebesman's Battle: Los Angeles (Mar. 11) stars Aaron Eckhart as Marine Staff Sgt. Michael Nantz, who leads a platoon during a global alien invasion; does $211.8M box office on a $70M budget. Jodie Foster's The Beaver (May 6) stars Mel Gibson as toy co. CEO Walter Black, who is kicked out by wife Meredith (Foster), and begins using a beaver hand puppet to communicate with her and teenie son Porter (Anton Yelchin); a box office flop ($1M on a $21M budget). Goran Olsson's Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975) (Feb.) is a documentary about African-Am. civil rights activists in the Black Power moement. Paul Feig's Bridesmaids (Apr. 28) (Universal Pictures) stars Kristen Wiig as Annie Walker, Melissa McCarthy as Megan Price, Wendi McLendon-Covey as Rita, Elle Kemper as Becca, Rose Byrne as Helen Harris III, and Maya Rudolph as Lillian Donovan in a raunchy comedy for women that became a surprise box office hit; features Chis O'Dowd as Annie's beau Officer Rhodes; features an appearance by Wilson Phillips; final screen appearance of Jill Clayburgh as Judy Walker; "Chick flicks don't have to suck!"; does $306.4M box office on a $32.5M budget. Joe Johnston's Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22), based on the Marvel Comics series stars Chris Evans as Steve Rogers alias Capt. America, Hayley Atwell as his babe Peggy Carter, Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Chester Phillips, Sebastian Stan as James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, and Hugo Weaving as Johann Schmidt the Red Skull. David Dobkin's The Change-Up (Aug. 5) (Universal Pictures) stars Jason Bateman as married-with-children atty. Dave Lockwood, who envies swinging bachelor Mitch Planko (Ryan Reynolds), and after they piss in a park fountain they wake up with switched bodies; does $75.5M box office on a $52M budget. Olivier Megaton's Colombiana (Sp. "woman from Colombia") (July 27) (EuropaCorp) (TF1 Films Production) (TriStar Pictures) (Stage 6 Films) stars Zoe Saldana as 25-y.-o. Colombian super-assassin Cataleya (a genus of orchids) Restrepo, Michael Vartan as her artist lover Danny Delaney, and Cliff Curtis as her Chicago-based criminal uncle Emilio, who sends her on hit missions while she dreams of getting even with her father's Colombian murderers Don Luis (Beto Benites) and Marco (Jordi Molla); does $61M box office on a $40M budget; "Vengeance is beautiful". Xavier Durringer's The Conquest (May 18) is about Nicolas Sarkozy (Denis Podalyes) and his rise to the French presidency, along with his miserable relationship with wife Cecilia. Robert Redford's The Conspirator (Apr. 15) stars Robin Wright as Mary Surratt, and James McAvoy as atty. Frederick Aiken, who tries to clear her of being involved in the plot to assassinate Lincoln. Ralph Fiennes' Coriolanus (Feb. 14) (Fiennes' dir. debut), set in the modern era stars Fiennes as Coriolanus (Caius Martius), Vanessa Redgrave as Volumnia, and Gerard Butler as Volscian Gen. Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler); does $1.1M on a $7.7M budget. Jon Favreau's Cowboys & Aliens (July 29), based on the graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg set in 1873 stars Daniel Craig as amnesiac gunslinger Jake Longergan, who stumbles into the Wild West town of Absolution, run by Col. Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford), and helps fight off ETs; grosses $100M in the U.S. and Canada, and $174.8M worldwide on a budget of $163M. David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method (Sept. 2) (Sony Pictures Classics), written by Christopher Hampton from his 2002 stage play "The Talking Cure", which was based on the 1993 John Kerr book "A Most Dangerous Method: The Story of Jung, Freud, and Sabina Spielrein" stars Keira Knightley as patient-turned-pshrink Sabina Spielrein, Michael Fassbinder as Carl Jung, and Viggo Mortenson as Sigmund Freud; does $27.4M box office on a $14M budget. Lee Tamahori's The Devil's Double (July 29) (Lionsgate) stars Dominic Cooper as mad-as-a-hatter Uday Hussein, son of Sodamn Insane, and Latif Yahia, who he forces to become his body double (fedai); does $4.8M box office on a $19.1M budget. Alexander Payne's The Descendants (Sept. 10) (Fox Searchlight Pictures), based on the 2007 novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings stars George Clooney as rich Honolulu atty. Matthew "Matt" King, whose dream life in Hawaii is ruined by the sickness of his comatose wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) and rebellious daughters Scottie King (Amara) and Alexandra "Alex" King (Shailene Woodley); does $177.2M box office on a $20M budget. Patrick Lussier's Drive Angry 3-D (Feb. 25) (Millennium Films) (Summit Entertainment) stars Nicholas Cage as undead criminal Milton, who breaks out from Hell after 10 years with Satan's personal gun the Godkiller in order to save his granddaughter from the Accountant (William Fichtner) and Jonah King (Billy Burke) with help from friend Webster (David Morse) and hot waitress Piper (Amber Heard) from Stillwater, La.; does $28.9M box office on a $50M budget. Zhang Yimou's The Flowers of War (Dec. 16), based on the novel "The 13 Women of Nanjing" by Geling Yan, and set during the 1937 Rape of Nanjing stars Christian Bale. Will Gluck's Friends with Benefits (July 22) stars Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, who try to have sex without a relationship; does $150M box office on a $49M budget. Craig Gillespie's Fright Night (Aug. 14) (DreamWorks Pictures) (Reliance Entertainment) (Michael De Luca Productions) (Walt Disney Studios), a remake of the 1985 film stars Anton Yelchin as Las Vegas teenie Charley Brewster, who discovers that his weird next-door neighbor Jerry Dandridge (Colin Farrell) is a vampire, and nobody believes him; David Tennant plays Las Vegas magician and vampire expert Peter Vincent; Christopher Mintz-Plasse plays Charley's friend Edward "Evil Ed" Lee; Imogen Poots plays Charley's babe Amy Peterson; does $41M box office on a $30M budget. Christopher Neil's Goats (Jan. 24), based on the 2011 Mark Jude Poirier novel stars David Duchovny as pot-smoking Goat Man, surrogate father of 15-y.-o. Ellis Whitman (Graham Phillips), who has to leave his home and flaky New Ager mother Wendy (Vera Farmiga) in Tucson, Ariz. for East Coast prep school Gates Academy. Michel Gondry's The Green Hornet (Jan. 14), updated to PC heaven to make Kato the real brains behind the outfit stars Seth Rogen as Britt Reid AKA the Green Bee, er, Green Hornet, and Jay Chou as Kato. Joe Wright's Hanna (Apr. 7) stars Saoirse Ronan as a genetically-enhanced girl raised in the N Finland wilderness by her ex-CIA agent father Erik Heller (Eric Bana) to be an assassin, who is later hunted by CIA agent Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett); does $63.8M box office on a $30M budget. Martin Scorsese's 3-D Hugo (Nov. 23), based on Brian Selznick's 2007 novel "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" and set in a 1930s Paris railway station stars Asa Butterfield as Hugo Cabret, Sir Ben Kingsley as toy shop owner Papa Georges, Jude Law as Hugo's clockmaker father, and Sacha Baron Cohen as Inspector Gustav. Tanya Wexler's Hysteria (Sept. 15) (Beachfront Films) (Chimera Films) (Beachfront Films) (Chimera Films) is a British comedy starring Jonathan Pryce as Dr. Robert Dalrymple, a nd Hugh Dancy as Dr. Mortimer Granville, who invent the vibrator in 1880 to cure female hysteria, becoming wealthy, with Martimer marrying Dalrymple's feminist daughter Charlotte Dalrymple (Maggie Gyllenhaal); (Feb. 18), based on the Pittacus Lore novel stars Alex Pettyfer as extraterrestrial superman John, who falls in love with Earth babe Sarah (Dianna Agron) while he's supposed to be saving Earth along with Number Six (Teresa Palmer) and his mentor Henri (Timothy Olyphant). George Clooney's The Ides of March (Aug. 31) (Columbia Pictures), based on the 2008 Beau Willmimon play "Farragut North" stars Clooney as Penn. Dem. gov. Mike Morris, Philip Seymour Hoffman as his campaign mgr. Paul Zara, and Ryan Gosling as his asst. Stephen Meyers, who hooks up with Morris' intern Molly Stearns (Evan Rachel Wood), whom he also hooks up with, causing a potential scandal, after which Zara stabs Meyers in the back, and he gets even using N.C. Dem. Sen. Franklin Thompson (Jeffrey Wright) as bait; Paul Giamatti plays rival Ted Pullman's campaign mgr. Tom Duffy; Marisa Tomei plays NYT reporter Ida Horowicz; does $76M box office on a $12.5M budget. D.J. Caruso's I Am Number Four (Feb. 18) (DreamWorks Pictures) (Reliance Entertainment) (Walt Disney Studios) (Touchstone Pictures), based on the 2010 Pittacus Lore teeny sci-fi novel Alex Pettyfer as superman John Smith AKA Number Four from the planet Lorien, leader of eight who fights the invading Mogadorians, who have to kill them in sequence; meanwhile John falls in love with Earth babe Sarah (Dianna Agron) while he's supposed to be saving Earth along with Number Six (Teresa Palmer) and his mentor Henri (Timothy Olyphant); does $150M box office on a $50M budget. Andrew Niccol's In Time (Oct. 28) stars Amanda Seyfried and Justin Timberlake in a dystopian 2026, where humans are genetically engineered to stop aging at 25 and can only live longer by earning it, allowing the rich to get rid of the poor; brings in $173.9M on a $40M budget. Phyllida Lloyd's The Iron Lady (Dec. 26) (20th Cent. Fox) (Weinstein Co.) (Icon Productions) stars Meryl Streep as British PM Margaret Thatcher, Jim Broadbent as her hubby Denis, and Anthony Head as PM Sir Geoffrey Howe; does $115M box office on a $10.6M budget. William Friedkin's Killer Joe (Sept. 8) (Voltage Pictures) (LD Entertainment) is an Am. Southern Gothic film based on the 1993 Tracy Letts play, starring Matthew McConaughey as hired killer Joe "Killer" Cooper, who is hired by 22-y.-o. West Dallas, Tex. drug dealer Chris Smith (Emile Hirsch) to kill his mother Adele for the insurance money and ends up making Sharla Smith (Gina Gershon), wife of Ansel Smith (Thomas Haden Church) suck his drumstick while chasing his sister, hot Dottie Smith (Juno Temple); an NC-17 rating lowers box office receipts; does $3.7M box office on a $10M budget. Neil Burger's Limitless (Mar. 8), based on the 2001 novel "The Dark Fields" by Alan Glynn (1960-) stars Bradley Cooper as Eddie Morra, a New York City author suffering from writer's block, who starts taking smart drug NZT-48, which changes him into a stock market wizard and causes him to hook up with business tycoon Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro) while he begins using 100% of his brainpower all the way to the White House; does $161.8M box office on a $27M budget. Marc Forster's Machine Gun Preacher (Sept. 23) (Relativity Media) (Lionsgate) stars Gerard Butler as Sam Childers, and Michelle Monaghan as his babe Lynn Childers, wh rescue rescue children in South Sudan from the Lord's Resistance Army with the help of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA); does $3.3M box office on a $30M budget. Kenneth Lonergan's Margaret (Sept. 30), held up for 4 years in court stars Anna Paquin as New York h.s. student Lisa Cohen, who witnesses a bus accident in Manhattan and flirts with her teacher Aaron Caije (Matt Damon) when not appearing in court with bus driver Jason "Maretti" Berstone (Mark Ruffalo). Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris (May 20) stars Owen Wilson as Hollywood screenwriter Gil, and Rachel McAdams as his fiancee Inez, who vacation in Paris with her wealthy conservative parents Mimi Kennedy and Kurt Fuller, then hook up with her friend Paul (Michael Sheen), and get transported to the 1920s, meeting Lost Generation figures incl. Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates); Allen's highest-grossing film (until ?). Bennett Miller's Moneyball (Sept. 9) (Columbia Pictures), based on the 2003 Michael Lewis book is a clone of "The Social Network" starring Brad Pitt as Oakland Athletics gen. mgr. Billy Beane, who pisses-off mgr. Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman) by hiring geeky Yale econ. grad Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) to recruit new better and cheaper players using raw number-crunching, causing a 20-game winning streak in 2002; too bad, the system is adopted by other teams, and after making the playoffs for five straight seasons, they don't make it for the next five; does $110M box office on a $50M budget. Simon Curtis' My Week with Marilyn (Oct. 9) (BBC Films) (Weinstein Co.)), written by Adrian Hodges stars Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe, and Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier (who later claims that the experiment killed his desire to direct again) during a week in 1957 while filming "The Prince and the Showgirl" when he she is being escorted around London by Oliver's asst. Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) after her hubby Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott) returns to the U.S., falling for her and getting his heart broken; Judi Dench plays dowager queen Sybil Thorndike; does $35M box office on a Ł6.4M budget. Greg Mottola's Paul (Feb. 14) (Relativity Media) (Working Title Films) (Universal Pictures) stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as Graeme Willy and Clive Gollings, two British sci-fi geeks with a big RV who help wisecracking cig-smoking alcohol-swigging ET Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) escape from FBI agents Lorenzo Zoll (Jason Bateman), Agent Haggard (Bill Hader) et al. to his home planet, pleasing nostalgia buffs with numerous sci-film references; Sigourney Weaver plays FBI chief Big Guy; Jeffrey Tambor plays famous sci-fi writer Adam Shadowchild; features a voice cameo by Steven Spielberg; "Who's up for a close encounter?"; does $98M box office on a $40M budget. Scott Rosenbaum's The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll (Aug. 5) about the 27 Club stars Kevin Zegers as 27-y.-o. has-been rock star Spyder, whose debut album was a hit but 2nd album tanked, causing him to go back to his small hometown, hooking up seven years later at age 27 with writer of his debut album Eric, son of a punk rock guitar legend who turned music school teacher, then deciding to go on a band journey along Route 66 to reexamine their lives. Gore Verbinski's Rango (Mar. 4) is an animated film starring the voice of Johnny Depp as a pet chameleon stranded in the Mojave Desert, who meets armadillo Roadkill (Alfred Molina) and searches for the Old West town of Dirt. Catherine Hardwicke's Red Riding Hood (Mar. 7) (Appian Way Productions) (Warner Bros.), produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and based on the Charles Perrault folk tale stars Amanda Seyfried/Megan Charpentier as Valerie, Virginia Madsen as Suzette, Billy Burke as Cesaire, Julie Christie as the Grandmother, Shiloh Fernandez/D.J. Greenburg as Peter, and Gary Oldman as Father Solomon; does $89.1M box office on a $42M budget. Rupert Wyatt's Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Aug. 5), a remake of "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" (1972) stars James Franco as San Fran scientist Will Rodman, and Andy Serkis as chimp Caesar. Mikael Hafstrom's The Rite (Jan. 28) stars ever-scary Anthony Hopkins as Father Lucas, an exorcist who gets possessed; Colin O'Donogue plays Michael Kovak, who becomes a you know what. James Cameron's 3-D Sanctum (Feb. 3), about a collapsed underwater cave stars Richard Roxburgh as Frank McGuire, Ioan Gruffudd as Carl Hurley, Alice Parkinson as Victoria, and Rhys Wakefield as Josh McGuire. Dominic Sena's Season of the Witch (Jan. 4) (Atlas entertainment) (Lionsgate), set in the year 1344 stars Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman as Teutonic Knights Sir Behmen von Bleibruck and Sir Felson, who get sick of civilian massacres during the Smyrniot Crusades and desert, finding that the Holy Roman Empire has been devastated by the Black Death, and end up having to escort an accused witch Anna (Claire Foy) to a remote monastery to use the Key of Solomon on her, finding that she's not a witch but only possessed by Baal; does $91.6M box office on a $40M budget. Christopher Suen's Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy (Apr. 14), a remake of a 1991 2D film is a 3D erotic comedy that takes Hong Kong by storm, with a first-day box office greater than "Avatar"; does $6.4M box office on a $3.5M budget. Duncan Jones' Source Code (Apr. 1) stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Capt. Colter Stevens, who becomes a guinea pig for Source Code, designed by Dr. Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright), which allows its user to experience the last 8 min. of another person's life; grosses $147M worldwide. Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch (Mar. 25) (Warner Bros.) stars Emily Browning as Babydoll, who is about to be lobotomized, causing her to fantasize heavily about Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Rocket (Jena Malone), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), and Amber (Jamie Chung); "Alice in Wonderland with machine guns"; does $89.8M box office on a $82M budget. J.J. Abrams' Super 8 (June 9) (Bad Robot Productions) (Amblin Entertainment) (Paramount Pictures), produced by Steven Spielberg is a sci-fi horror film starring Joel Courtney (film debut), starring Elle Fanning and Kyle Chandler as teenies Joe Lamb Alice Dainard, and in Lillian, Ohio, who are filming their own Super 8 zombie movie when a train derails, releasing dangerous ETs, becoming a cross between "E.T.", "Stand by Me", and "The Goonies"; Kyle Chandler plays Deputy Joe Lamb; the town's factory has a sign reading "Accident-Free"; does $260.1M box office on a $50M budget. Ami Canaan Mann's Texas Killing Fields (Oct. 14) stars Sam Worthington as Texas cop Mike Souder, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as New York cop Brian Heigh. Michael Pavone's That's What I Am (Apr. 29), set in the 1960s stars Ed Harris as Mr. Simon, a h.s. teacher suspected of being gay and never denying it while mentoring student Andy Nichol (Chase Ellison); Amy Madigan plays Principal Kelner. Tomas Alfedson's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Sept. 5) (StudioCanal) (Working Title Films) (Focus Features), based on the 1974 John le Carre novel stars Gary Oldman as George Smiley (Beggarman), who is forced to retire in Oct. 1973 after agent Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong) is sent to Budapest to meet a defecting Hungarian gen. and is captured, causing Percy Alleline (Tinker) (John Hurt) to become the new Control, with Bill Haydon (Tailor) (Colin Firth) as his deputy, launching Operation Witchcraft to exchange Soviet intel for U.S. intel with the CIA, after which Smiley comes out of retirement to catch a suspected mole; Ciaran Hinds plays Roy Bland (Soldier), David Dencik plays Toby Esterhase (Poorman), Toby Jones as Sir Percy Alleline (Tinker), Mark Strong plays Haydon's lover Jim Prideaux; Benedict Cumberbatch plays Smiley's asst. Peter Guillam; does $80.6M box office on a $21M budget; "The fanatic is always concealing the secret doubt." Brett Ratner's Tower Heist (Nov. 2) stars Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick, and Casey Affleck in a story about getting even with Bernie Maddox type scammer Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda). Paul W.S. Anderson's The Three Musketeers (Oct. 14) stars Logan Lerman as D'Artagnan, Orlando Bloom as the duke of Buckingham, Christoph Waltz as Cardinal richelieu, and Milla Jovovich as M'lady De Winter. Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life (May 16) stars Brad Pitt (Mr. O'Brien), Sean Penn (Jack O'Brien), and Jessica Chastain (Mrs. O'Brien) in a surrealistic visit to 1950s Tex. and the O'Brien family, along with the Big Bang and evolution of the Earth. Madeleine Stowe's Unbound Captives stars Rachel Weisz as widowed frontier woman May, who is rescued by frontiersman Phineas (Robert Pattinson), who helps her search for her kidnapped children. Jaume Collet-Serra's Unknown (Feb. 16) (Warner Bros.), based on the 2003 French novel "Out of My Head" by Didier Van Cauwelaert stars Lian Neeson as Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson), who travels to Berlin with his wife Liz (January Jones), and soon finds himself impersonated by Martin B (Aidan Quinn), and fights to recover his identity only to end up in a spy thriller plot; does $136.1M box office on a $40M budget. Steven Spielberg's War Horse (Dec. 25) (DreamWorks Pictures) (Walt Disney Studios), based on the 1982 Michael Morpurgo children's novel set before/during WWI stars Jeremy Irvine as English teenie Albert Narracott, who raises Bay Thoroughbred foal Joey to be a plow horse before it is sold and shipped overseas as a cavalry horse then captured by the Germans; does $177.6M box office on a $66M budget. Francis Lawrence's Water for Elephants (Apr. 22) (20th Cent. Fox), based on the 2006 Sara Gruen novel stars Robert Pattinson as Polish-Am. Cornell Depression Era vet student Jacob Jankowski, who abandons his studies after his parents are killed and joins the small Benzini Bros. travelling circus, where he falls for Marlena Rosenbluth (Reese Witherspoon) and deals with her ringmaster hubby August Rosenbluth (Christoph Waltz), who mistreats Polish-speaking Rosie the Elephant; does $117M box office on a $38M budget. Madonna's W.E. (Sept. 1) stars Abbie Cornish as lonely NYC housewife Abbie Cornish, who fantasizes about Edward VIII (James D'Arcy) and Wallis Simpson (Andrea Riseborough); does $900K box office on a $29M budget. Cameron Crowe's We Bought a Zoo (Dec 23) (Vinyl Films) (20th Cent. Fox), based on the 2008 memoir by Benjamin Mee stars Matt Damon as widower Benjamin Mee, who purchases a dilapidated zoo and struggles to open it to the public with veteran zookeeper and future babe Kelly Foster (Scarlett Johansson), son Dylan Mee (Colin Ford), daughter Rosie Mee (Maggie Elizabeth Jones), and strict zoo inspector Walter "Walt" Ferris (John Michael Higgins); does $120.1M box office on a $50M budget. Adam Wingard's You're Next (Sept. 10) (HanWay Films) (Lionsgate) debuts, about slashers Fox Mask (Lane Hughes), Lamb Mask (L.C. Holt), and Tiger Mask (Simon Barnett), who attack the Davison family led by Erin (Sharni Vinson) during a wedding anniv. getaway; does $27M box office on a $1M budget, becoming a cult hit. Plays: Bono (1960-), The Edge (1961-), David Campbell (1948-), Julie Taymor (1952-), Glen Berger, and Roberto Aguire-Sacasa (1973-), Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (rock musical) (Foxwoods Theatre, New York) (June 14) (1,066 perf.); stars Reeve Carney as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Jennifer Damiano as Mary Jane Watson, Patrick Page as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, T.V. Carpio as Arachne, Michael Mulheren as J. Jonah Jameson, Ken Marks as Uncle Ben, and Isabel Keating as Aunt May; most expensive Broadway production so far (until ?). Rajiv Joseph, (1974-) Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (Mar. 11) (Richard Rodgers Theatre, New York); the Broadway acting debut of Robin Williams. Robert Lopez (1975-), Trey Parker (1969-), and Matt Stone (1971-), The Book of Mormon (musical) (Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York) (Mar. 24) (2,538 perf.); two young Mormon missionaries travel to Uganda and run up against reality; the LDS Church responds with ads saying "You've seen the play, now read the book." Alan Menken (1949-), Jack Feldman, and Harvey Fierstein (1954-), Newsies: The Musical (musical) (Paper Mill Playhouse, Milburn, N.J.) (Sept. 25) (Nederlander Theatre, New York) (Mar. 29 2012) (1,005 perf.); based on the 1992 film "Newsies", which was inspired by the 1899 New York City Newsboys Strike. Tim Minchin (1975-) and Dennis Kelly (1969-), Matilda the Musical (musical) (Cambridge Theatre, West End, London) (Nov. 24) (Shubert Theatre, New York) (Apr. 11, 2013); based on the 1988 Roald Dahl children's novel about a 5-y.-o. girl with telekinesis. Poetry: Seth Abramson (1976-), Northerners. Tracy K. Smith (1972-), Life on Mars (May 10) (Pulitzer Prize); about her father, who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope and died in 2008. Novels: Jean Marie Auel (1936-), The Land of Painted Caves (Mar. 29); Earth's Children #6 of 6. Tyra Banks (1973-), Modelland (Sept. 13); Tookie Da La Creme, Dylan, Shiraz, and Piper join the Intoxibellas; NYT bestseller. Julian Barnes (1946-), Pulse (short stories). Richard Barager, Altamont Augie (Apr. 15). Steve Berry (1955-), The Jefferson Key; Cotton Malone #7; The Devil's Gold; Jonathan Wyatt #1. Ernest Cline (1972-), Ready Player One (Aug. 16) (first novel); gunters Wade Watts and Art3mis in the OASIS; filmed in 2016. James S.A. Corey, Leviathan Wakes; about the Expanse, where the Belters who live in the Asteroid Belt come in conflict with people from Earth and Mars. Lisa Genova (1970-), Left Neglected; a woman suffers from left (hemispatial) (unilateral) neglect. Alan Glynn (1960-), The Dark Fields (Limitless); filmed in 2011 by Neil Burger as "Limitless". Victor Davis Hanson (1953-), The End of Sparta: A Novel (first novel). E.L. James (1963-), Fifty Shades of Grey; bestseller (100M copies); Washington State U. senior Anastasia "Ana" Steele hooks up with young entrepreneur Christian Grey and gets into kinky sex wit him; filmed in 2015; followed by "Fifty Shades Darker" (2012), and "Fifty Shades Freed" (2012). Stephen King (1947-), 11.22.63; Maine schoolteacher Jake Effing travels back in time to prevent the assassination of JFK. Adam Lebor, the Budapest Protocol. Haruki Murakami (1949-), 1Q84; Aomame likes to kill with slender needles to the back of the neck. Joseph M. Pujals, Islam's Fire: A Bank Robbery with Interest (first novel) (Jan. 12); Carl Lukin traces a $985M theft from the World Bank to radical Pakistani Muslims. Veronica Roth (1988-), Divergent (first novel) (Apr. 25); teenie Beatrice "Tris" Prior in post-apocalyptic Chicago; followed by "Insurgent" (2012), "Allegiant" (2013); filmed in 2014-7. Brian Selznick (1966-), Wonderstruck. Mona Simpson (1957-), My Hollywood; 30-something composer Claire and her Filipino immigrant nanny Lola. Charles Stross (1964-), Rule 34; sequel to "Halting State" (2007). Graham Swift (1949-), Wish You Were Here; caravan park mgr. Jack Luxton on the Isle of Wight pines about the decay of rural England. Brad Thor (1969-), Full Black. Barry Unsworth (1930-2012), The Quality of Mercy (last novel); sequel to "Sacred Hunger" (1992). Luis Alberto Urrea, Queen of America; sequel to "The Hummingbird's Daughter" (2005). Amy Waldman, The Submission; the 9/11 memorial jury inadvertenly picks Muslim architect Mohammad Khan. Andy Weir (1972-), The Martian (first novel); filmed in 2015 by Ridley Scott starring Matt Damon; "Apollo 13 meets Cast Away". Daniel H. Wilson (1978-), Robopocalypse; about a future society where humans rely on robots, until the superintelligent A.I. named Archos appears, plotting to destroy all humanity. Kevin Wilson, The Family Fang (Aug. 9); a kooky family of performance artists; filmed in 2015 by Jason Bateman. Robert Charles Wilson (1953-), Vortex (July). Births: Deaths: Am. "Honey West" actress Anne Francis (b. 1930) on Jan. 2 in Santa Barbara, Calif. (pancreatic cancer). English "Kobayashi in The Usual Suspects" actor Pete Postlethwaite (b. 1946) on Jan. 2 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire (cancer). U.S. WWII Easy Co. leader Maj. Dick Winters (b. 1918) on Jan. 2 in Ephrata, Penn. (Parkinson's). Scottish "Stuck in the Middle" singer Gerry Rafferty (b. 1947) on Jan. 4 in Bournemouth, Dorset (liver failure). Am. Tyson Foods CEO (b. 1930) on Jan. 6 in Fayetteville, Ark. English actress Susannah York (b. 1939) on Jan. 15 in Chelsea (multiple myeloma). Am. music promoter Don Kirshner (b. 1934) on Jan. 17 in Boca Raton, Fla. Am. writer-activist John Ross (b. 1938) on Jan. 17 in Lake Patzcuaro, Mexico (liver cancer). Am. politician R. Sargent Shriver Jr. (b. 1915) on Jan. 18 (Alzheimer's). Am. fitness guru Jack LaLanne (b. 1914) on Jan. 23 in Morro Bay, Calif. (pneumonia). English historian Dorothy Thompson (b. 1923) on Jan. 29. English "James Bond Theme" film composer John Barry (b. 1933) on Jan. 30 in Glen Cove, N.Y. (heart attack). Am. "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams" writer-dir.-producer Charles Edward Sellier Jr. (b. 1943) on Jan. 11 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho (suicide). French "The Last Tango in Paris" actress Maria Schneider (b. 1952) on Feb. 3 in Paris (cancer). Swedish "I Am Curious (Yellow) actress Lena Nyman (b. 1944) on Feb. 4 in Stockholm (cancer). Am. rock guitarist Gary Moore (b. 1952) on Feb. 6 in Estepona, Spain. Am. DEC founder Ken Olsen (b. 1926) on Feb. 6 in Indianapolis, Ind. Am. football player Dave Duerson (b. 1960) on Feb. 17 in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla. (suicide); leaves message saying he wants his brain to be used for research on Chronic Traumatic Encepalopathy (CTE). Indian guru Premananda (b. 1951) on Feb. 21; dies while serving a double life sentence for rape and murder of girls in his ashram in Tiruchirapally (Trichy). Am. last WWI vet Cpl. Frank Buckles (b. 1901) on Feb. 27 in Charles Town, W. Va. Turkish PM (1996-7) Necmettin Erbakan (b. 1926) on Feb. 27 in Ankara. Dutch physicist Simon van der Meer (b. 1925) on Mar. 4 in Geneva, Switzerland; 1984 Nobel Physics Prize. Am. "Running Bear" singer Johnny Preston (b. 1939) on Mar. 4 in Beaumont, Tex. Am. Miss America 1943 Jean Bartel (b. 1923) on Mar. 6 in Brentwood, Calif. Am. basketball player Chuck Noble (b. 1931) on Mar. 7. Am. journalist David Broder (b. 1929) on Mar. 9 in Arlington, Va. Am. psychologist David Rumelhart (b. 1942) on Mar. 13 in Chelsea, Mich. (Pick's disease). Am. "Dr. Matt Powers in The Doctors" actor James Pritchett (b. 1922) on Mar. 15 in New York City. Tunisian diplomat Mohamed Habib Gherab (b. 1926) on Mar. 17. Am. country singer Ferlin Husky (b. 1925) on Mar. 17 in Westmoreland, Tenn. (heart failure). U.S. defense secy. #63 (1993-7) Warren Christopher (b. 1925) on Mar. 18 in Los Angeles, Calif. Am. writer-artist Jose Arguelles (b. 1939) on Mar. 23 in Australia. English-born Am. "Cleopatra" actress Dame Elizabeth Taylor (b. 1932) on Mar. 23 in Los Angeles, Calif.: "I am a very committed wife; and I should be committed too for being married so many times." Am. historian Edwin Gaustad (b. 1923) on Mar. 25 in Santa Fe, N.M. Am. drummer Carl Bunch (b. 1939) on Mar. 26 in ? (diabetes). Am. Super Glue inventor Harry Coover Jr. (b. 1917) on Mar. 26 in Kingsport, Tenn. Am. Dem. politician Geraldine Ferraro (b. 1935) on Mar. 26 in Boston, Mass. (multiple myeloma). Am. "Rope", "Strangers on a Train" actor Farley Granger (b. 1925) on Mar. 27 in New York City. Am. historian Manning Marable (b. 1950) on Apr. 1 in New York City (sarcoidosis); dies three days before his magnum opus "Malcolm X" is pub. Am. folk musician Gil Robbins (b. 1931) on Apr. 5 in Esteban Cantu, Baja California, Mexico (prostate cancer). Belgian Hoegaarden brewer Pierre Celis (b. 1925) on Apr. 9 in Austin, Tex. Am. oldest Am.-born man Walter Bruening (b. 1896) on Apr. 14 in Great Falls, Mont. English "Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who" actress Elisabeth Sladen (b. 1946) on Apr. 19 (cancer). Am. TelePrompTer inventor Hubert "Hub" Schlafly (b. 1919) on Apr. 20 in Stamford, Conn. Am. "Honey Parker in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman" actress Yvette Vickers (b. 1936) on Apr. 27 in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, Calif.; her mummified body is found after ? weeks/months. Am. Christian evangelist David Wilkerson (b. 1931) on Apr. 21 on U.S. Route 175, Tex. (auto accident). Australian radio astronomer Bernard Mills (b. 1920) on Apr. 25 in Sydney. Am. feminist writer Joanna Russ (b. 1937) on Apr. 29 in Tucson, Ariz. Saudi al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden (b. 1957) on May 1 in Abbottabad, Pakistan (KIA); leaves a 255-page diary. Am. physicist Robert Brout (b. 1928) on May 3 in Brussels, Belgium. Am. "Perry White in Superman" actor Jackie Cooper (b. 1922) on May 3 in Beverly Hills, Calif. British-born Australian last WWI combat veteranu Claude Stanley Choules (b. 1901) on May 5 in Perth. Spanish golfer Seve Ballesteros (b. 1957) on May 7 in Pedrena, Cantabria (brain tumor). Canadian CCD inventor Willard Sterling Boyle (b. 1924) on May 7 in Wallace, N.C.; 2009 Nobel Physics Prize. Am. hall-of-fame baseball player Harmon Killebrew (b. 1936) on May 17 in Scottsdale, Ariz. Am. singing cowboy Ted Johnson (b. 1916) on May 17 in Walnut Creek, Calif. Am. wrestler Macho Man Randy Savage (b. 1952) on May 20 in Seminole, Fla. (heart attack). English-born Mexican artist Leonora Carrington (b. 1917) on May 25 in Mexico City. Am. physicist Hal Lewis (b. 1923) on May 26. Am. poet-musician ("Godfather of Rap") Gil Scott-Heron (b. 1949) on May 27 in New York City. Am. Tex. gov. #42 (1979-83) and #44 (1987-91) Bill Clements (b. 1917) on May 29 in Dallas, Tex. Hungarian pres. #2 (2000-5) Ferenc Madl (b. 1931) on May 29 in Budapest. Am. medical physicist Rosalyn Sussman Yalow (b. 1921) on May 30 in Bronx, N.Y. Am. theatrical producer Philip Rose (b. 1921) on May 31 in Englewood, N.J.; dies 4 mo. before his wife Doris Belack. Am. "Marshall Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke" actor James Arness (b. 1923) on June 3 in Brentwood, Los Angeles, Calif. Romanian-born Israeli shipping magnate Sammy Ofer (b. 1922) on June 3 in Tel Aviv. Am. right-to-die activist Jack "Dr. Death" Kevorkian (b. 1928) on June 3 in Royal Oak, Mich. (liver cancer). Am. psychiatrist Arnold M. Cooper (b. 1930) on June 9 in Southampton, N.Y. (lung cancer). British travel writer Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor (b. 1915) on June 10 in Dumbleton. Am. "The Coasters" singer Carl Gardner (b. 1928) on June 12 (heart failure). Soviet human rights activist Yelana Bonner (b. 1923) on June 18 in Boston, Mass. (heart failure). Am. "Lt. Columbo" actor Peter Falk (b. 1927) on June 23 in Los Angeles, Calif. (Alzheimer's). Am. "Perry Mason Theme" composer Fred Steiner (b. 1923) on June 23 in Ajiic, Jalisco, Mexico (stroke). Am. Unix pioneer computer scientist Robert Morris (b. 1932) on June 26 in Lebanon, N.H. Swiss pharmacologist Hartmann F. Stahelin (b. 1925) on July 5. U.S. First Lady (1974-7) Betty Ford (b. 1918) on July 8 in Rancho Mirage, Calif.; she and hubby Gerald Ford were the 1st U.S. pres. and first lady to both live into their 90s, with the Reagans becoming #2 on July 2. Am. "Gilligan's Island", "The Brady Bunch" TV producer Sherwood Schwartz (b. 1916) on July 12 in Los Angeles, Calif. English actress Googie Withers (b. 1917) on July 15 in Sydney, N.S.W., Australia. Am. Mattel Inc. co-founder Elliot Handler (b. 1916) on July 21 in Los Angeles, Calif. Mexican "first Bond girl in Casino Royale" actress Linda Christian (b. 1923) on July 22 in Palm Springs, Calif. Am. "Father of Cryonics" Robert Ettinger (b. 1918) on July 23 in Detroit, Mich.; yes, he is cryopreserved, along with mother and wife Mae Ettinger (d. 2000) at the Cryonics Inst. in Clinton Township, Mich. (founded 1976), patient #106. South Vietnamese PM (1965-7) Nguyen Cao Ky (b. 1930) on July 23 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. English singer Amy Winehouse (b. 1983) on July 23 in London (drug OD); joins the 27 Club, incl. Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Brian Jones. Am. "America" rock musician Dan Peek (b. 1950) on July 24 in Farmington, Mo. Am. "Sen. Pat Geary in The Godfather Part II" actor G.D. Spradlin (b. 1920) on July 24 in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Australian painter Margaret Olley (b. 1924) on July 26 in Paddington, N.S.W. Japanese baseball pitcher Hideki Irabu (b. 1969) on July 27 in Rancho Pales Verdes, Calif. (suicide by hanging) (still moping about being called a "fat pussy toad" by George Steinbrenner?). English global evangelical movement leader John Stott (b. 1921) on July 27 (3:15 p.m. local time) in Lingfield, Surrey; "The evangelical world has lost one of its greatest spokesmen, and I have lost one of my close personal friends and advisors. I look forward to seeing him again when I go to heaven." (Billy Graham) Am. physicist (George W. Bush science adviser) John Marburger (b. 1941) on July 28 in Port Jefferson, N.Y. (non-Hodgkins lymphoma). Cuban-born Mexican writer Eliseo Alberto (b. 1951) on July 31 in Mexico City (kidney transplant complications). Russian geographer-explorer Andrey Kapitsa (b. 1931) on Aug. 2 in Moscow. Am. "Moses Hightower in Police Academy" actor-athlete Bubba Smith (b. 1945) on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles, Calif. German last gay Nazi death camp survivor Rudolf Brazda (b. 1913) on Aug. 3 in Bantzenheim, E France. Russian physicist Vladimir Lobashev (b. 1934) on Aug. 3. Am. feminist psychologist Carol Nagy Jacklin (b. 1939) on Aug. 8 in Julian, Calif. (cancer). Am. robotics pioneer George Devol (b. 1912) on Aug. 11 in Wilton, Conn. English novelist Stan Barstow (b. 1928) on Aug. 12 in Baglan, Neath Port Talbot, Wales. Slovenian PM (2000) Andrej Bajuk (b. 1943) on Aug. 16 in Ljubljana. Am. historian John R. Hubbard (b. 1918) on Aug. 20 in Rancho Mirage, Calif. English actor-dir.-producer John Howard Davies (b. 1939) on Aug. 22 in Blewbury, Oxfordshire (cancer). Am. "Jailhouse Rock", "Hound Dog" songwriter Jerry Leiber (b. 1933) on Aug. 22 in Los Angeles, Calif. Am. baseball pitcher Mike Flanagan (b. 1951) on Aug. 24 in Monkton, Md. (suicide). Lebanese historian Kamal Salibi (b. 1929) on Sept. 1 in Beirut. Am. "JFK in PT 109" actor Cliff Robertson (b. 1923) on Sept. 10 in Stony Brook, N.Y. Romanian-born shipping magnate Yuli Ofer (b. 1924) on Sept. 11 in Herzliya, Israel; wealthiest man in Israel. Am. country singer Wilma Lee Cooper (b. 1921) on Sept. 13 in Sweetwater, Tenn. German physicist Rudolf Mossbauer (b. 1929) on Sept. 14 in Grunwald; 1961 Nobel Physics Prize. Am. singer (Bob Hope's wife) Dolores Hope (b. 1909) on Sept. 19 in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles, Calif. Am. historian Oscar Handlin (b. 1915) on Sept. 20 in Cambridge, Mass.; "He reoriented the whole picture of the American story from the view that America was built on the spirit of the Wild West, to the idea that we are a nation of immigrants." (James Grossman) Afghan pres. #10 (2001) Burhanuddin Rabbani (b. 1940) on Sept. 20 in Kabul (assassinated). Am. country singer-songwriter Johnny "Country" Mathis (b. 1933) on Sept. 27. English historian Patrick Collinson (b. 1929) on Sept. 28. Am. Nat. Park Service head (1993-) Roger George Kennedy (b. 1926) on Sept. 30 (melanoma). Canadian-born Am. biologist Ralph M. Steinman (b. 1943) on Sept. 30 in Manhattan, N.Y.; 2011 Nobel Med. Prize. Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali (b. 1931) on Oct. 2. Am. actress Doris Belack (b. 1926) on Ocr. 4 in New York City; dies 4 mo. after her husband Philip Rose. Am. law prof. Derrick Bell (b. 1930) on Oct. 5 in New York City (cancer). Am. Apple Computer co-founder Steve Jobs (b. 1955) on Oct. 5 in Palo Alto, Calif. (cancer); "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." (compare to Luke 9:23-24 :) Am. civil rights leader Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth (b. 1922) on Oct. 5 in Birmingham, Ala. Am. Oakland Raiders owner (1970-2011) Al Davis (b. 1929) on Oct. 8 in Oakland, Calif. Am. musician-artist Mikey Welsh (b. 1971) on Oct. 8 in Chicago, Ill. (heart failure from OD). Am. "Laura Harrington Brooks in Peyton Place" actress Patricia Breslin (b. 1931) on Oct. 12 in Baltimore, Md. (pancreatitis). Am. computer scientist Dennis Ritchie (b. 1941) on Oct. 12 in Berkeley Heights, N.J. Canadian silent film actress Barbara Kent (b. 1907) on Oct. 13 in Palm Desert, Calif. Sicilian-born Am. "Leave It to Beaver", "Hawaii Five-O", "Sanford and Son", "Police Woman", "M*A*S*H", "Fantasy Island" jazz composer Pete Rugolo (b. 1915) on Oct. 16 in Sherman Oaks, Calif. English auto racer Dan Wheldon (b. 1978) on Oct. 16 in Las Vegas, Nev. (collision at the 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway). Am. historian John Morton Blum (b. 1921) on Oct. 17 in North Branford, Conn. Libyan dictator (1969-2011) Muammar Gaddafi (b. 1942) on Oct. 20 near Sirte; dragged from a drainpipe then lynched by a mob after a rebel fighter sodomizes him with a knife; on Oct. 26 after 5 days of public display in a meat market refrigerator, his body is buried in a secret location in the desert. Am. rock photographer Barry Feinstein (b. 1931) on Oct. 21 in Kingston, N.Y. Am. CBS-TV journalist Bob Pierpoint (b. 1925) on Oct. 22. Saudi crown prince (2005-11) Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (b. 1928) on Oct. 22 in New York City. Am. chemist Herbert Aaron Hauptman (b. 1917) on Oct. 23 in Buffalo, N.Y.; 1985 Nobel Chem. Prize. Am. country singer Liz Anderson (b. 1927) on Oct. 31 in Nashville, Tenn. Niger pres. #3 (1987-93) Ali Saibou (b. 1940) on Oct. 31. Am. "Dorothy's father in The Golden Girls"actor Sid Melton (b. 1917) on Nov. 2 in Burbank, Calif. (pneumonia). Am. IBM exec John Roberts Open (b. 1925) on Nov. 3 in Ft. Myers, Fla. Am. TV commentator Andy Rooney (b. 1919) on Nov. 4; dies 1 mo. after leaving 60 Minutes. Colombian FARC guerrilla leader Guillermo Leon Saenz (b. 1948) on Nov. 4 in Suarez, Cauca (KIA). Am. heavyweight champion boxer "Smokin' Joe" Frazier (b. 1944) on Nov. 7 in Philadelphia, Penn. (liver cancer). Jamaican-born Am. rapper Heavy D (b. 1967) on Nov. 8 in Beverly Hills, Calif. (respiratory distress). Am. "The Family Circus" cartoonist Bil Keane (b. 1922) on Nov. 8 in Paradise Valley, Ariz. (heart failure). Am. basketball player Ed Macauley (b. 1928) on Nov. 8 in St. Louis, Mo. Indian-born Am. biochemist Har Gobind Khorana (b. 1922) on Nov. 9 in Concord, Mass.; 1968 Nobel Med. Prize. Swiss-born U.S. neocon defense expert Fred Charles Ikle (1924) on Nov. 10 in Bethesda, Md. Swedish Miss World 1951 Kiki Haakansson (b. 1929) on Nov. 11 in Los Angeles, Calif. Am. Death House Landlady Dorothea Puente (b. 1929) on Mar. 27 Chowchilla, Calif.; dies in prison. Am. breast cancer activist Evelyn Lauder (b. 1936) on Nov. 12 in Manhattan, N.Y. (breast cancer). Am. basketball player-coach Walt Hazzard (b. 1942) on Nov. 18 in Los Angeles, Calif. British-Am. New Age psychotherapist Roger J. Woolger (b. 1944) on Nov. 18 in New Platz, N.Y. English "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" actor John Neville (b. 1925) on Nov. 19 in Toronto, Ont. (Alzheimer's). English "A Taste of Honey" dramatist Shelagh Delaney (b. 1939) on Nov. 20 in Suffolk (breast cancer). Am. biologist Lynn Margulus (b. 1938) on Nov. 22 in Amherst, Mass. Am. jazz drummer Paul Motian (b. 1931) on Nov. 22 in Manhattan, N.Y. Nigiarian Biafran pres. #1 (1967-70) Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu (b. 1933) on Nov. 26 in the U.K. Am. astronomer Charles Thomas Kowal (b. 1940) on Nov. 28 in Cinebar, Wash. Am. "Captain America" comic book writer Joe Simon (b. 1913) on Dec. 14 in New York City. French couture embroiderer Francois Lesage (b. 1929) on Dec. 1. Am. country singer Billie Jo Spears (b. 1937) on Dec. 14 in Vidor, Tex. (cancer). English-born Am. atheist writer-critic Christopher Hitchens (b. 1949) on Dec. 15 in Houston, Tex. (esophageal cancer). British actor Nicol Williamson (b. 1936) on Dec. 16 in Amsterdam, Netherlands; "The greatest actor since Marlon Brando" (John Osborn). Korean dictator (1994-2011) Kim Jong-il (b. 1941) on Dec. 17. Czech pres. (1989-2003) and writer Vaclav Havel (b. 1936) on Dec. 18 in Hradecek.



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