The Gospel of Matthew Century?
"As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your
coming and of the close of the age?" And Jesus answered them, "Take heed that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name,
saying, 'I am the Christ', and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed;
for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be
famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the sufferings. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and
put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for my name's skae. And then many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate
one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead you astray. And because wickedness is multiplied, most men's love will grow cold.
But he who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony
to all all nations; and then the end will come." - Matthew 24:3-14
"For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if
those days had not been shortened, no human being would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. Then if any
one says to you, 'Lo, here is the Christ' or "There the Christ is', do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show
great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect." - Matthew 24:21-4
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the Sun will be darkened, and the Moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall
from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then all the tribes of
the Earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and he will send out his
angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." - Matthew 24:32
"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven,
nor the Son, but the Father only. As were the days of Noah, so will be
the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood
they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until
the day when Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood
came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man."
- Matthew 24:36-9
"Rejoice then, O heaven and you that dwell therein. But woe to you, O
earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath,
because he knows that his time is short." - Revelation 12:12
Dead people don't read history, they are history, and living people
don't read history, they make history? There are more people alive
than ever before, history speeds up, and there is a history explosion?
One day history will happen far faster than anybody can study it?
Having a little trouble falling asleep these days? Are your debts
becoming nightmares? With your degree you can go places, but there's
nowhere to go but here? Is life all just a test? Is fact fiction and
fiction fact? Do you get the personal attention you deserve? Do your
crime scenes get investigated in time? What are the closing costs and
fees? Way, or no way? Don't get it? You just did? Call what
toll-free number? You can build a deck, go to Bora Bora, and the rate
is? Is there only One Mortgage? Will civilization flower, wax, wane,
flounder, flip-flop, belly flop, or end just like that, poof? Is the
West getting overrun with gays, lesbians, race-mixers, neo-pagans,
barbarians, and going the way of Roam Rome Rome? Is the last cent.
where humans are their own boss? Is this cent. the End of Time, or
just the beginning? The end of time for the world, or just the old
world of churches, priesthoods, Bible believers and/or Millennium Fever
(MF) itself, after a 2K-year mind-lock? How can we all go on like
this for another millennium?
The seven-layer-crunch-wrap knowledge economy is born, but does it remain a lawless frontier, get tamed, become the tool of Big Brother,
or think outside the bun? World government is inevitable, as is a single world language? But just when when when and how how how?
Genetic engineering comes to a gut-check time? Humans will not be able to move off the Earth for tens, hundreds or thousand of years? Do we
learn to get along or die, mutate, get saved, or stay unrepentant sinners and turn into bird food in Jehovah's long-promised black is
black I want my baby back Armageddon while only a tiny remnant survive to go back to Eden and be with Christ? Will man make himself obsolete
with his creations or become the master of creation? Will artificial intelligence find its limit, break out of its box, or kills its father
and marry its mudder? Will computer virtual reality technology permit the line between fact and fiction to be blurred so completely that news
and even history can be manufactured by the govt.? Or what what what? Will equality finally arrive, racial, sexual, social, or anything else,
or egalitarianism be considered tried and failed, and discarded in favor of alpha, beta, gamma and delta classes of people in a Brave New World
with No Whining signs posted? Will robots that relieve us of the need for manual work ever arrive, and what will their arrival do for or to
us? Will the future pop. be monoracial, multiracial, or amalgamated into an earthrace that gets along with everybody and views the former
"races" on Internet history sites? Will political power continue to remain concentrated in a few hands? Will electronic democracy arrive,
and, if so, will republics be replaced by mobocracies, and politicians become day traders priding themselves on great speed and quality
service? If there is global cannibalism, who will get eaten first, and who will have real shoes and who have trick shoes and who will call
goodbye shoes? I'm scared of the whole thing? You know how hard the whole airport thing is for me? Stay tuned by staying alive?
| Country | Leader | From | To | |
| United States of America | William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (1946-) | Jan. 20, 1993 | Jan. 20, 2001 |  |
| United Kingdom | Tony Blair (1953-) | May 2, 1997 | June 27, 2007 |  |
| United Kingdom | Queen Elizabeth II (1926-) | Feb. 6, 1952 |  |
|
| Russia | Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (1952-) | Dec. 31, 1999 | May 7, 2008 | |
| People's Republic of China | Jiang Zemin (1926-) | 1989 | 2002 |  |
| Canada | Jean Chrétien (1934-) | Nov. 4, 1993 | Dec. 12, 2003 |  |
| France | Jacques Chirac (1932-) | May 17, 1995 | May 16, 2007 |  |
| Germany | Gerhard Schroeder (Schröder) (1944-) | Oct. 27, 1998 | Nov. 22, 2005 |  |
| Spain | King Juan Carlos I (1938-) | Nov. 22, 1975 | June 19, 2014 |  |
| Mexico | Ernesto Zedillo (1951-) | Dec. 1, 1994 | Nov. 30, 2000 |  |
| Israel | Ehud Barak (1942-) | July 6, 1999 | Mar. 7, 2001 |  |
| Egypt | Hosni Mubarak (1928-) | Oct. 14, 1981 |  |
|
| Iraq | Saddam Hussein (1937-2006) | July 16, 1979 | Apr. 9, 2003 |  |
| Papacy | John Paul II (1920-2005) | Oct. 16, 1978 | Apr. 2, 2005 |  |
| U.N. | Kofi Atta Annan of Ghana (1938-) | Jan. 1, 1997 | Dec. 31, 2006 |  |
2000 Doomsday Clock: 9 min. to midnight. Chinese Year: Golden Dragon (Feb. 5) (lunar year 4698) (Jewish year 5760) - the Century of the Dragon? Time Man of the Year: George W. Bush (1946-); next time 2004. This is the U.N. Internat. Year for the Culture of Peace, also the World Mathematical Year. Generation Alpha consists of people born in 2000-2025. Up to 262M were killed by govts. in the 20th cent., usually after gun confiscation. World pop.: 6.2B (vs. 1.65B in 1900), with 800M in the Americas (13%) (South Am. 520M, North Am. 316M), 700M in Europe (12%), 800M in Africa (13%), 31M in Oceania, and 3.67B in Asia (60%) (twice as much as the others put together); that's approx. 100M * (8 + 7 + 8 + 37) = 100M * 60; approx. 150K people die each day; approx. 100B people have been born since Creation - people are so fickle? Rural pop. in the U.S. is 16% of total pop. (vs. 72% in 1910); the percentage of the U.S. labor force engaged in agriculture (farms) drops to a new low of 2.1% this year. The Earth enters the Anthropocene epoch of geological history, the first period of geological time shaped by a single species, characterized by the 6th largest mass extinction in Earth's history? The Earth's spin abruptly turns E and speeds up 2x to 17cm (17 in.) a year, moving toward the British Isles instead of Hudson Bay; in 2016 it is traced to lost water in Eurasia from climate change. U.S. utilities begin a new push to build coal-fired electric power plants, with 150 projects under planning or construction by spring 2007; meanwhile the U.N. IPCC-led global warming lobby plots the total shutdown of all plants around the world. In 2000-3 the Federal Reserve lowers the federal fund rate from 6.5% to 1%, causing an easy credit financial boom. In this decade U.S. pop. grows 9.7%; the Twenty-Second (22nd) (2000) U.S. Census reports the U.S. pop. as 281,421,906 (13.2% increase) (79.6 per sq. mi.) (13.2% increase since 1990); white pop. is 75.1%, the lowest in history since the first Census in 1790 (80.7%); birth/death rate per thousand 14.4/8.5; Detroit and Philadelphia are the only top-10 U.S. cities in pop. to lose pop. since 1990. Avg. life expectancy in developed countries has increased from 47 years in 1900 to 76 years (U.S.: 74.3 males, 79.7 females); in undeveloped countries almost 6M children die every year from starvation (James T. Morris, exec dir. World Food Programme). Pop. of China: 1.285B (official); 1.3B-1.5B (actual)? Pop. of India: 1B, incl. 220M vegetarians, most of any country. Pop.: Indonesia: 214M; Brazil: 182M; Russia: 145M; Bangladesh: 140M; Japan: 127M; Nigeria: 117M; Germany: 82M; Vietnam: 81M; Egypt: 74M; Iran: 68M; Turkey: 67M; Britain: 60M; France: 59M; Italy: 57M: South Korea: 47M; Spain: 40M; Poland: 38M; Canada: 31.5M; Iraq: 24M; Saudi Arabia: 24M; North Korea: 22M; Taiwan: 22M; Singapore: 4.5M. Pop. of Africa: 800M, but avg. per-capita income exceeds $1.5K in only six of the 48 sub-Saharan countries - don't say it? Pop. of Mexico: 97.5M; since 1991 11.3M immigrants entered the U.S. legally, but they are accompanied by 8.4M illegal immigrants, after which the number of new illegal immigrants average 800K a year in 2000-2004 and 500K a year in 2005-2008; after 9/11 (2001) the destination changes away from Calif., N.Y. and N.Y. to Ga., Ore., Colo., N.C. and Iowa.; many inner city libraries switch to books in Spanish; the U.S. spends $90B by 2010 for border security. Pop. of Israel: 6.5M, incl. 5.4M Jews - and the whole world's fate depends on this tiny elite's Bermuda shorts? Over 80% of world long distance voice and data traffic is carried by 25M km (15M mi.) of fiber optics cable. The first decade in which the U.S. employs more govt. workers than manufacturing workers; industrial production declines during this decade for the first time since the 1930s, along with GDP and number of jobs, while a $6.2T deficit in traded goods is compiled ($3.8T in manufactured goods). This is the warmest decade on record (until ?), according to NASA; 2009 is the 2nd warmest year since 1880, when modern temp measurements began to be taken, and 2005 is the warmest year, with the other hottest recorded years occurring since 1998. This is the safest decade so far in U.S. aviation (until ?), with 153 fatalities, 1 death per 50M commercial flight passengers. Between this Dec. and Dec. 2010 Mich. loses 48% of its manufacturing jobs. Late in the year the U.K. begins a stealth mass immigration policy to promote multi-culturalism; too bad, the Labour govt. foists it on the pop. to "rub the Right's nose in diversity", which is not revealed until Oct. 2009 after a points-based system is introduced in Feb. 2008. Since its advent, the wonderful doctrine of Marxism (powered by the pseudo-science of Darwinian evolution) has spawned states (Soviet Union, Red China, etc.) that have killed over 130M of its own people in peacetime? This year global overnutrition exceeds undernutrition for the first time in history (by 200M people), according to the U.N. Global sea levels have risen 8 in. in the past cent.; Mexico City is sinking 6-8 in. a year; Iceland grows wider by 1.5 acres a year. The U.S. illegal drug market is estimated at $150B a year, with 40M Americans believed to use drugs, and 6M addicts. The U.S. produces 6M barrels of petroleum a day, with proven reserves of 21B barrels, down from 39B in 1970, while Saudi Arabia has 262B and Venezuela has 73B. By this year automation has caused the number of coal miners to plummet in the U.K. to about 13K from 1.2M in 1978, and in the U.S. from 700K in 1924 to 82K; coal accounts for 43% of annual global carbon emissions (2.7B tons), and supplies 26% of the world's energy needs (40% oil, 24% natural gas); China gets 75% of its electricity from coal-fired plants, India 60%, U.S. and Germany 50%; Australia is the world's largest coal exporter, supplying almost one-third. The U.S. consumes 93 kilowatt-hours of power per capita per year, equal to 2K gal. of oil; declining energy quality leads to a U.S. recession by the end of the decade? By this year about 125K tons of gold have been mined worldwide, 90% during the last 150 years; South Africa produces 50% (2K tons a year); the U.S. is #2, and Australia is #3 (300 tons); 80% of it is used for jewelry, and 200 tons goes into electronics manufacture; 25% of all gold ever mined is held in ingot forms; the U.S. has the most gold in its banks, but India has the most total gold (counting jewelry); a solid cube 15 in. on a side weighs one ton. By this year the Ganges (Ganga) River in N India, fed by the Himalaya Mts. flows through 29 cities with a pop. over 100K, 23 with a pop. of 50K-100K, and 48 more towns. The Shadow Banking System, incl. hedge funds, money market funds, and structured investment vehicles begins growing dramatically until the 2008 recession. A poll of seniors at 56 top U.S. colleges by the Am. Council of Trustees and Alumni reveals a woeful ignorance of U.S. history, with only 25% being familiar with Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, 29% knowing what Reconstruction was, 52% familiar with Washington's 1796 Farewell Address, and only 22% knowing where the phrase "Government of the people, by the people, and for the people" comes from (Lincoln's 1863 Gettsbyurg Address); meanwhile 99% can identify Beavis and Butthead, and 98% recognize Snoop Doggy Dog; this causes U.S. Sen. (D-W. Va.) Robert Byrd to slip an amendment into Title X providing $50M for the Teaching Am. History Program of the U.S. Dept. of Education; too bad, it turns into an $800M a year boondoggle by 2009 for supporting high school and college level history teachers, and college students till don't know U.S. history, not to mention world history - enter TLW to the rescue, I wish? This year once-starving India goes from an example for U.S. kids made to finish their plates in the 1960s to a net exporter of grain, and soon Americans become worried as their jobs are outsourced to their highly educated English-speaking dirt-cheap workforce. The Earth has warmed about 1.4 deg. F in the last cent., accelerating during the last four decades. Global CO2 levels measured at Niwot Ridge, Colo. reach 375 ppm, up over 30% from pre-industrial levels of 275; the levels continue to rise by 1 ppm per year. Despite vaunted advances in medicine, there are 2M yearly deaths from diarrhea (4B cases), 1M deaths from malaria (300M cases), 500K deaths from measles (30M cases), 2M deaths of children under age 5 from pneumonia, 1.5M deaths from TB, not to mention, ahem, HIV/AIDS. By this year 1.1K famous or semi-famous people have claimed to be Christ since 1900. The century starts out with the major issue of Ecapitalism vs. Ecommunism up for grabs, as massive capital is infused into Web dot com companies, while the unpoliceable structure of the Internet makes it hard for owners of any type of intellectual property to protect their rights and earn money for their work; meanwhile others initiate massive eprojects where anonymous or nearly anonymous people literally give their work away for free, incl. OpenSource and Wikipedia, threatening the traditional publishing market, incl. books, newspapers, music, TV, movies and software; will the result be a reinvention of capitalism in the E-world, or will Ecommunism win, and if so, will the result be good, bad, or indifferent? - stay tuned? On Jan. 1 Wisconsin defeats Stanford by 17-9 to win the 2000 Rose Bowl. On Jan. 1 (Sat.) (4:00 a.m.) the Millennium is first celebrated by the Chatham Islands 800 km E of New Zealand with a major internat. ceremony linking all nations on Earth. On Jan. 1 global fears of the Y2K Computer Bug, date-wraparound glitches that could immobilize or destroy the world prove groundless after many software firms rake in big bucks supposedly programming preventatives; as much as $100B was spent in the U.S. to fix it; meanwhile the millennium celebrations go on as scheduled worldwide. On Jan. 3-10 Israel and Syria hold inconclusive peace talks. On Jan. 3 elections in Croatia unseat the ruling HDZ party with an alliance of Social Dems. and the Social Liberal Party, and Social Dem. Party leader Ivica Racan (1944-2007) becomes PM #7 on Jan. 31 (until Dec. 23, 2003), going on to soften nationalism and ease human rights restrictions; on Feb. 7 moderate Stjepan "Stipe" Mesic (1934-) defeats Vlatko Pavletic in a runoff election for pres., and Mesic succeeds the late Franko Tudman, immediately inviting the 300K exiled Serbs to return to Croatia. On Jan. 5-8 the Kuala Lumpur Al-Qaida Summit is held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, attended by several high-level al-Qaida members (Soviet Afghan war veterans) incl. Walid (Waleed) Muhammad Salih bin Roshayed bin Attash (1979-) (Osama bin Laden's errand boy), Khalid Muhammad Abdallah al-Mihdhar (1975-2001), Nawaf Muhammed Salim al-Hazmi (1976-2001), and Ramzi bin al-Shibh (al-Shaibah) (1972-), hosted in his hotel room by U.S.-educated Malaysian microbiologist (anthrax researcher) Yazid Sufaat (1964-) (member of Jemaah Islamiyah), where they plan the Oct. 12 attack on the USS Cole in Aden, Yemen along with the 9/11 attacks; al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi go on to hijack Am. Airlines Flight 77 and crash it into the Pentagon; Kuala Lumpur is home to the twin Petronas towers; Fahd Mohammed Ahmed al-Quso (1974-2012) misses the meeting and meets with some of them later in Bangkok, Thailand; meanwhile U.S. intel informs Pres. Clinton of an airplane hijack plot scheduled for Mar.-Aug., but it "was disregarded because nobody believed that Osama bin Laden or the Taliban could carry out such an operation." On Jan. 9 Malcolm in the Middle debuts on Fox Network for 151 episodes (until May 14, 2006), showing that white is still pretty much right in the U.S., starring Francisco Frankie Muniz (Muñiz) IV (1985-) as genius boy Malcolm, who hates taking classes for Krelboynes (gifted children), and Jane Frances Kaczmarek (1955-) and Bryan Lee Cranston (1956-) as his parents Lois and Hal, who are always catching him with his hand in the cookie jar, with the catchy theme song Boss of Me by They Might Be Giants. On Jan. 10 America Online (AOL) announces an agreement to buy Time Warner for (say again?) $162B, becoming the largest corporate merger so far (until ?). On Jan. 11 the armed wing of Islamic Salvation Front concludes its negotiations with the Algerian govt. for an amnesty and disbands. On Jan. 11 the trawler Solway Harvester sinks off the Isle of Man. On Jan. 12 after New York City-born Israeli rep Ronald Steven Lauder (1944-) (son of cosmetics magnate Estee Lauder) (appointed by outgoing PM Benjamin Netanyahu) and Syrian pres. (since Mar. 12, 1971) Hafez al-Assad (1930-2000) produce the draft "Treaty of Peace Between Israel and Syria" based on land (the Golan Heights) for peace, peace negotiations between Israeli PM Ehud Barak and Syrian foreign minister Farouk al-Shara are held in Shepherdstown, W. Va.; too bad, they fall through when al-Assad dies on June 10. On Jan. 12 Britain announces that its military will conform with the practice of other Euro countries and end the ban on openly gay men and women serving in the armed forces - blew it and licked it jokes here, now let's talk bathrooms? Police power vs. fleeing people, the New Millennium Look for the U.S.? On Jan. 12 the increasingly something U.S. Supreme Court rules 5-4 in Illinois v. Wardlow that police are justified in conducting a stop-and-frisk search on anyone who arouses their suspicion merely by fleeing from them, reversing the Ill. Supreme Court - would make sense if they are black not white like me, moo, moo? Make that police power federal while we're at it? On Jan. 12 after a Fla. judge rules that 6-y.-o. Cuban refugee Elian Gonzalez (1994-) may stay, U.S. atty.-gen. Janet Reno announces that the case is a federal not state matter and intervenes, saying that the INS may return him to his father Juan Miguel Gonzales in Cuba, causing the latter to come to Washington, D.C., while a U.S. district court orders the kid to remain pending a hearing; on Apr. 22 after his great uncle in Miami promises to turn Elian over to his father but reneges, the saga culminates in his forcible armed seizure from a home in Miami's Little Havana on TV by assault rifle-toting feds, who take 3 min. in a predawn raid, but split the nation, at least diverting minds from Millennium Fever for awhile; future atty.-gen. Eric Holder is involved with the seizure; on June 28 Elian returns to Cuba with his father after the lame comparisons with Waco and Ruby Ridge, plus a demonstration in Miami on May 6 in favor of Reno's actions cause opinion to swing against the Castro-hating Little Havana refugees, weakening their clout and causing talk of normalizing U.S.-Cuban relations; Elian's daddy goes on to get a seat in the Cuban nat. assembly, and Fidel Castro gives the family a spacious house - leave the U.S. to go to a Latin country, whom are they kidding? On Jan. 13 Serbian paramilitary leader Zeljko Raznatovic (AKA Arkan) (b. 1952) (wanted on war crimes charges) is shot in the left eye by masked gunman Dobrosav Gavric (b. 1976) in the lobby of Belgrade's Intercontinental Hotel and killed along with his business mgr. Milenko Mandic and police inspector Dragan Garic; his wife and children are unharmed; Gavric is wounded by bodyguard Zvonko Mateovic. On Jan. 14 a U.N. tribunal sentences five Bosnian Croats to up to 25 years for the 1993 killing of 100+ Bosnian Muslims in a Bosnian village. On Jan. 16 in Sacramento, Calif., a commercial truck carrying evaporated milk is driven into the State Capitol bldg., killing the driver - is his name Harvey Milk? On Jan. 16 a runoff in Chile results in Socialist Party candidate Ricardo Froilan (Froilán) Lagos Escobar (1938-) defeatig right-wing candidate Joaquin Jose Lavin (José Lavín) Santiago (1953-), becoming Chile's first Socialist pres. since Allende in 1973; he is sworn-in on Mar. 11 (until Mar. 11, 2006); meanwhile on May 24 Chile ends Augusto Pinochet's immunity, clearing the way for trial on murder and torture charges. On Jan. 16 Muhammad (Mohammed) Badie (1943-) becomes supreme leader (gen. guide) (chmn.) #8 of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (until ?); on Apr. 28, 2014 he is sentenced along with 682 Muslim Brotherhood supporters to death, which is reduced on Sept. 15, 2014 to life, then changed to death on Apr. 11, 2015 along with 13 other senior members; on Aug. 22, 2015 he receives a 6th life sentence, followed by a 7th on May 8, 2017. On Jan. 18 former German chancellor Helmut Kohl resigns as honorary chmn. of the opposition Christian Dem. Party after being accused by the party leadership of "violating his duties" in refusing to reveal who gave him $1M+ while in office. On Jan. 18 Russian forces enter the Chechnyan capital of Grozny, kicking out rebel forces, who continue guerrilla raids; on Feb. 14 the Russian authorities order Grozny residents to leave and seal off the city; too bad, both sides have nuclear weapons and threaten to use them, creating worlwide anxiety. On Jan. 18 (9:48 a.m.) the strange 15-ft. Tagish Lake Meteorite impacts the Earth in Canada between Yukon Territory and British Columbia; in Aug. 2001 the first opal-like crystals from space are found in it. On Jan. 18 TLW celebrates his 47th birthday with the usual T-bone steak, cabernet wine, and chocolate cake. On Jan. 20 the Dot-Com Bubble causes the Dow to reach an all-time high of 11,722.98 before losing nearly 1K points in two weeks. On Jan. 20 Turkish foreign minister Isma'il Cem and Greek foreign minister George Papandreou meet in Ankara, becoming the first visit by a Greek foreign minister to Turkey in 38 years; the talks end with an accord for economic cooperation and promises of peace in Cyprus; on Feb. 8 pres. (since Mar. 10, 1995) Constantinos "Kostis" Stephanopoulos (1926-2016) is reelected for a 2nd 5-year term as pres. of Greece (until Mar. 12, 2005). On Jan. 22 George W. Bush and Al Gore (whom Bush calls "Ozone Man") win the Iowa caucuses to take the lead in the U.S. pres. race. On Jan. 24 fundamentalist Christian Burmese Karen guerrillas of "God's Army", led by cigar-smoking 12-y.-o. twins Johnny and Luther Htoo (1988-) seize a Thai hospital in Ratchaburi 75 mi. W of Bangkok near the Burmese border, taking about 700-800 patients and staff hostage; Thai security forces rescue the hostages after a 22-hour standoff, but dozens of insurgent groups in Burma fight on. On Jan. 25-30 the First World Social Forum is held in Porto Alegre, Brazil to promote the alternative globalization movement AKA global justice movement, AKA anti-Capitalist Communism-Socialism. On Jan. 26 Japan's Education Ministry announces the formation of a panel of experts to devise measures for improving English teaching methods after PM Keizo Obuchi proposes making English Japan's official second language to keep up with the Internet age. On Jan. 27 Pres. Clinton gives his last 2000 State of the Union Address - his private or his public one? On Jan. 27 Hany Mawla (1973-) becomes the first Muslim on the superior court in N.J., also the youngest. On Jan. 29 delegates from more than 130 countries in Montreal sign an Internat. Biosafety Treaty, regulating internat. trade in genetically modified "Frankenfood" products, incl. grains; meanwhile on Apr. 5 the U.S. Nat. Academy of Sciences issues a report urging caution concerning growing and using genetically engineered food, but concluding that nothing being sold currently poses any actual threat - jack up my corn? On Jan. 30 Super Bowl XXXIV (34) is held in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga.; the St. Louis Rams (formerly L.A. Rams) (NFC) (coach Dick Vermeil) defeat the Tennessee Titans (formerly Houston Oilers) (AFC) 23-16 after "The Tackle", where Titans QB (#9) Steve LaTreal "Air" McNair (1973-2009) throws a complete pass to wide receiver Kevin Tyree Dyson (1975-) (#87), and Rams linebacker (#52) Michael Anthony "Mike" Jones (1969-) tackles him 1 yard short of the goal line (despite Dyson stretching out his right arm in vain), stopping a game-tying score as time expires, causing Vermeil to weep; former grocery bagger Rams QB (#13) Kurtis Eugene "Kurt" Warner (1971-) (who led the NFL in passing in the regular season) is the MVP. On Jan. 30 a Kenya Airways Flight 431 (Airbus A310) crashes en route from Abidjan, Ivory Coast into the Atlantic, killing 169 of 179. On Jan. 31 Alaska Airlines Flight 261 carrying 88 passengers and crew crashes mysteriously into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Point Mugu, Calif. NW of Los Angeles, killing all aboard - at least they got to watch the Super Bowl first? On Jan. 31 Ill. Repub. gov. (1999-2003) George Homer Ryan (1934-) announces a moratorium on executions in his state after 13 wrongfully condemned inmates have been exonerated since 1977 after 12 were executed, and half of the 260 capital cases in the state had been reversed on appeal; in Feb. a Gallup poll finds that 66% of Americans support capital punishment, down from 80% in 1994; too bad, on Apr. 17, 2006 a federal jury in Chicago finds him guilty of racketeering conspiracy, fraud, and tax charges, making him the 3rd Ill. gov. in three decades to be convicted of federal felony charges in Al Capone Town. On Jan. 31 British physician (gen. practitioner) Dr. Harold Frederick Shipman (1946-2004) AKA "Doctor Death", "the Angel of Death" is convicted of 15 counts of murder and given a "whole life tariff", becoming the first British physician convicted of murdering his patents; he is suspected of killing as many as 297 people, all patients, in 1995-8; on Jan. 13, 2004 he hang himself in his cell in HM Prison Wakefield in West Yorkshire; on Jan. 27, 2005 the £21M Shipman Inquiry Report is pub., concluding that he probably murdered 250+, 80% of them women, usually by injecting diamorphine into them then falsifying their medical records. In Jan. a Tokyo conference downplays the atrocities committed by Japanese troops during their occupation of China, and declares that the Nanjing Massacre of 1937 is a "myth", causing an internat. outcry joined by Japanese historians and the Chinese govt. - coverups only work for the winners' side? In Jan. a new subway opens in Athens after seven years of construction under the scrutiny of 50 Greek govt. archeologists, who have bee sifting debris for artifacts - pass them stone penii? On Feb. 1 rebels flee the Chechen capital of Grozny after weeks of intense bombardment, later regrouping in the mountains for a multi-year guerrilla campaign against the Russians. On Feb. 1 Al Gore wins the N.H. Dem. primary, and Vietnam war hero John Sidney McCain III (1936-) of Ariz. wins the Repub. primary, causing Gary Bauer to withdraw from the race on Feb. 4, followed by Steve Forbes on Feb. 10. On Feb. 2-13 violence breaks out between Serbs and ethnic Albanians in "model Yugoslavian city" Mitrovica, Kosovo, only this time it's the minority Christian Serb pop. that flees from Muslim Albanian attacks in the midst of U.N. peacekeeping forces. On Feb. 3 in Austria the center-right People's Party forms a coalition with the far-right Freedom Party, led by xenophobe Joerg (Jörg) Haider (1950-2008) (known for pro-Nazi statements since 1990), sparking internat. protest, beginning right, er, in Vienna, and causing talk of ousting Austria from the EU; in late Feb. after hundreds of thousands of Austrians march in protest against him, Haider resigns as head of the Freedom Party, but retains his post as gov. of the S province of Carinthia (until Oct. 11, 2008), causing most member nations of the EU to lift sanctions on Sept. 12, and the 14 nations (incl. Israel and the U.S.) that had cut off bilateral diplomatic relations to restore contact; the problem of Croatians, Bosnians, and other E Europeans immigrating since the early 1990s and taking jobs away from Austrians keeps his party afloat. On Feb. 6 after purchasing a $1.7M 5-bedroom colonial home in Chappaqua, N.Y. in Sept. 1999 to qualify, ballsy U.S. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton officially enters the N.Y. Senate race as a Dem. On Feb. 6 hijackers seize an Afghan plane, releasing the hostages in Stansted, England on Feb. 12. On Feb. 6 Tarja Halonen (1943-) is elected as the first female pres. of Finland, taking office on Mar. 1 (until Mar. 1, 2012); U.S. TV host Conan O'Brien (1963-) later makes hay of his resemblance to her. On Feb. 7 Yugoslav defense minister (since 1993) Pavle Bulatovic (1948-) is shot dead by unidentified gunmen while dining at a Zagreb soccer club. On Feb. 11 the IRA misses a disarmament deadline, causing the British on Feb. 15 to suspend the new North Ireland Assembly, created in 1999 as part of the U.K.'s historic devolution program; it is reinstated on June 4 after Sinn Fein agrees to disarm. On Feb. 11 Russia's commercial creditors agree in Frankfurt to restructure $31.8B of its external debt after effectively writing off about half of it, exchanging $22.2B in Soviet-era debt and $6.8B in Russian state debt for new 30-year Russian Federation Eurobonds, clearing the way for Moscow to reenter internat. money markets for the first time since Aug. 1998. On Feb. 11 a bomb explodes in front of a Barclay's Bank across from the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street, injuring dozens. On Feb. 11 JetBlue Airways Corp. of Queens, Long Island, N.Y., founded by Sao Paulo, Brazil-born Salt Lake City Southwest Airlines exec (Mormon) David G. Neeleman (1959-), who obtains slots at Kennedy Airport for his 162-seat A320 planes begins operation, operating 12 hours per day on routes averaging 1K mi. (San Juan, Puerto Rico, Long Beach, Calif., etc.), and showing a profit almost immediately. On Feb. 13 the comic strip "Peanuts" makes its final appearance after 50 years (begun 1950) after cartoonist Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz (b. 1922) dies of colon cancer in his Santa Rosa, Calif. home on Feb. 12, having decided it should die with him. On Feb. 14 the worst tornadoes to hit SW Ga. since 1936 hit early in the morning, killing 22, injuring hundreds, destroying several poultry farms. Let's start the Black Century with the Ultimate White Handouts? On Feb. 15 crocodile-like Zimbabwe dictator-pres. (since Dec. 22, 1987) Robert Gabriel Mugape, er, Mugabe (1924-), who claims he was told as a child that God picked him to be a great leader holds a referendum on a draft constitution to increase his power and give his govt. a mandate to seize white-owned land without compensation; since whites number only about 70K out of a total pop. of 12.5M, yet dominate the nation's agriculture, this vote is a no-brainer, but Mugabe's opponents win nearly 55% of the vote; on June 25 Mugabe wins a narrow V in the pres. election, and the opposition Movement for Dem. Change (MDC) wins 25 seats in parliament to Mugabe's 62, despite his strong-arm tactics; mandate or not, Mugabe begins seizing white-owned farms and giving them to black political allies with no background in farming, causing the entire country's farming economy to collapse and the country, once Africa's breadbasket, to begin starving and need handouts, which is compounded by the U.S. Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001 (Dec. 21, 2001), which enacts a credit freeze, reducing the country's trade surplus from $322M in 2001 to -$18M in 2002, with inflation reaching 12,875% in 2007; meanwhile anybody who tries to protest is savagely beaten, incl. chief opposition leader Morgan Richard Tsvangirai (1952-), who ends up with a fractured skull; the other African leaders keep a code of silence about the Mugging Ape's regime, and by 2013 all white-owned farms in Zimbabwe are kaput, but the country's large reserves of platinum and uranium along with the Marange Diamond Field (largest in the world) help stay Mugabe in power. On Feb. 17 meat cutters at Wal-Mart's in Jacksonville, Tex. vote to join an independent labor union, causing Wal-mart to fire them all and switch to a supplier of pre-packaged meat, resulting in awful meat? On Feb. 17 the U.N. Security Council votes 14-0-1 (China) for Resolution 1290 to admit Tuvalu; on Oct. 31 it adopts Resolution 1326 without vote to admit the Federal Repub. of Yugoslavia, which in 2003 becomes Serbia and Montenegro, which become separate in 2006. On Feb. 24 after Iraq refuses him entry, Pope John Paul II makes a "virtual pilgrimage" of Old Testament prophet Abraham's city of Ur, using props and videotape, then travels for real to Egypt, where he visits the place believed by many to be the Biblical Mount Sinai, then goes to Bethlehem and Jerusalem in an effort to reconcile all three Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam); too bad, when he visits a Palestinian refugee camp on the West Bank to deplore the plight of the residents, and expresses empathy in English for the hardships of refugee life, his remarks are not translated into Arabic. On Feb. 25 investors wise up about the software-only trick mirror Internet dot.com cos., causing a stock plunge, and signalling the end of the Internet stock boom; in Apr. the U.S. stock market experiences a minor (25-30%) crash. On Feb. 26 reformists win control of the Iranian parliament for the first time since the 1979 Islamic Rev., and Iranian pro-reform pres. Mohammad Khatami wins overwhelming support for his programs, even though supreme asahollah leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has kept many moderate and reform candidates from running on grounds that they are not Islamic enough; meanwhile Iranian youth rebel against the theocratic regime by going American, surfing the Net and learning how to do Western infidel sex, drugs, and rock & roll. On Feb. 26 Pope John Paul II vists Mount Sinai in Egypt - to look for the rest of the 70 Commandments? On Feb. 29 a 6-y.-o. boy shoots and kills his 6-y.-o. classmate Kayla Renee Rolland at Theo J. Buell Elementary School in Mount Morris Township, Mich. using a Smith and Wesson .32-cal. handgun; he is too young to be charged, but gun control advocates take up the case, and on Mar. 17 Smith and Wesson (now owned by an English co.) agrees to limit the manufacture and distribution of handguns for fear of more lawsuits, and promises to install smart gun technology within three years to allow only authorized users to fire them. On Feb. 29 (night) Tenterfield, N.S.W., Australia-born woman Katherine Mary Knight (1955-) stabs to death her partner John Charles Thomas Price in Aberdeen, N.S.W. then hangs his skin on a meat hook and cooks his head and other body parts with the intention of feeding them to his children; on Nov. 8, 2001 she receives the first life sentence for a woman in Australian history. In Feb. cybervandals stage a massive denial of service campaign on the Internet, blocking access to Amazon.com, eBay, Yahoo! et al. In Feb. world oil prices reach $30 a barrel as OPEC countries restrict output, rising to $34 in early Mar., up from $11 at the end of 1998; on Mar. 27 OPEC ministers (except Iran) agree to increase production by 1.2M barrels a day, then Iran caves in too, and by May the price has fallen back to $30, double the 1999 price; too bad, on Aug. 25 it's back up to $35 per barrel, causing commercial users to force the French govt. to reduce taxes on gasoline, while PM Tony Blair refuses to lower British taxes, causing protesters to blockade refineries, bringing Britain to a near standstill by Sept.; Spanish truckdrivers join the protest in mid-Sept. In Feb. U.S. FDA guidelines take effect permitting dietary supplements to make gen. "structure/function" claims (e.g., "supports the immune system"), but barring claims or implications that a product will cure a specific malady. On Mar. 1 Egyptian pres. Hosni Mubarak repeals an Ottoman-era law making it a crime for a woman to run away from an abusive husband, and gives women equal rights to divorce, becoming the only country except Tunisia where they can divorce without the husband's consent, while the hubbys get auto-divorces at will under the Muslim Sharia. On Mar. 1 Finland proclaims a new constitution. On Mar. 2 former Swedish foreign affairs minister (1978-9) Hans Martin Blix (1928-) becomes exec chmn. of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) (until June 2003), going on in 2002 to search Iraq unsuccessfully for WMDs. On Mar. 7 the Panel on U.N. Peace Operations is convened under chmn. Lakhdar Brahimi (1934-) of Algeria, going on to pub. the Brahimi Report on Aug. 21, noting that there is still no standing U.N. army or police force, calling on the U.N. to focus more on intel, with the soundbytes: "Tell the Security Council what it needs to know, not what it wants to hear", and not to send peacekeepers where there is no peace to keep; on Nov. 13 the U.N. Security Council votes 15-0-0 for Resolution 1327, recalling Resolution 1318 and attempting to implement the Brahimi Report. On Mar. 8 Danish politician Geert Wilders gives a Speech to the British House of Lords warning in vain that the entire continent of Europe is about to be swallowed by Islam, and quoting Turkish PM Erbakan and Libyan dictator Daffy Gaddafi in support. On Mar. 8 two Tokyo Metro trains have a sideswipe collision, killing five. On Mar. 9 the FBI arrests Iranian-born U.S. art dealer and art forgery suspect Ely Sakhai (1952-) in New York City; in 2005 he gets 41 mo. in priz and a $12.5M fine. On Mar. 9 the Center-Liberal coalition govt. in Norway loses a confidence vote called by the Labor Party over its opposition to gas-powered electrical plants; on Sept. 4-14 motorists blockade oil terminals in an effort to cut gasoline taxes, which at 70% cause Norwegian gasoline to be among the highest priced in the world. On Mar. 10 Pres. Clinton writes a message to Bassam Estwani, chmn. of Dar al-Hijrah Mosque, toying with the idea of a visit, but later declining; it soon becomes home to Anwar al-Awlaki. On Mar. 10 the NASDAQ Composite Index reaches an all-time high of 5,133 after having doubled in a year, becoming the peak of the Dot.Com Mania as it falls by 9% within a week and dips below 2K within a year. On Mar. 12 Pope John Paul II apologizes for the Church's past sins, incl. mistreatment of Jews, heretics, women, and aborigines - are they entitled to reparations? On Mar. 14 the Fowler Report is presented to to the U.N. by a team of investigators led by Canadian U.N. ambassador (since Jan. 1995) Robert R. Fowler (1944-), detailing the financing of UNITA blood or conflict diamonds via sale on the internat. market, causing the U.N. Gen. Assembly in Dec. to adopt U.N. Gen. Assembly Resolution 55/56, AKA the Kimblerley Process Certification Scheme to certify rough diamonds as not financing a rebel or other violent group, requiring a special certificate. On Mar. 14 Stephen King becomes the first best-selling author to offer a novel, Riding the Bullet in ebook form on the Web; it is downloaded 400K in the first 24 hours, free on some Web sites, $2.50 on others, and he pulls the plug at 500K; in July he offers the thriller The Plant on the Web, but one chapter at a time at $1 per on his Web site StephenKing.com. On Mar. 17 over 500 members of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments, a local religious cult founded by Joseph Kibwetere (Kibweteere) (b. 1932) are burnt to death in a church in Kanungu, Uganda (200 mi. SW of Kampala); hundreds more corpses are discovered later, and by late Mar. the body count reaches 914, becoming the largest religious mass suicide-murder since the 1978 Jonestown Massacre in Guyana. On Mar. 18 Chen Shui-bian (1951-) is elected pres. of the Repub. of China (ROC) (Taiwan) with 39% of the vote in a 3-way race, ousting the Nationalist govt. in power since 1949; he is sworn in on May 20, saying he won't "let Taiwan become another Hong Kong or Macao", but stopping short of declaring independence, making the U.S. itchy. On Mar. 19 U.S. pres. Clinton arrives in New Delhi for a state visit. On Mar. 20 former Black Panther H. Rap Brown, now known as Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin (1943-) is captured after a gun battle in Atlanta, Ga. which kills a sheriff's deputy. On Mar. 20-July 16 the Philippines govt. battles the rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front; on Sept. 16 the govt. begins an assault on the Muslim Abu Sayyaf guerrilla group after it takes 21 internat. tourists hostage on Jolo Island and demands recognition as fighting for an independent Islamic state, plus fishing rights and money; too bad, Pres. Joseph Estrada fails to rescue the hostages, causing his public support to tank. On Mar. 21 Pope John Paul II begins the first official visit by a Roman Catholic pontiff to Israel. On Mar. 21 the U.S. Supreme Court rules 5-4 in FDA v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. that the FDA has never received authority from Congress to regulate tobacco products, and rejects 1995 FDA rules to restrict marketing of cigarettes to children and teenagers along with the Clinton admin. anti-smoking initiative. On Mar. 23 Pasteur Bizimungu resigns, and on Mar. 24 vice-pres. Paul Kagame (1957) becomes pres. #6 of Rwanda (until ?), the first Tutsi pres. On Mar. 25 Muslim economist Rustam Nurgaliyevich Minnikhanov (1957-) becomes pres. #2 of Tatarstan (until ?). On Mar. 26 former KGB lt. col. (judo expert) (raised in a crowded apt.) Vladimir Putin (1952-) is elected pres. of Russia (until ?) with 53% of the vote vs. 30% for Communist Party leader Gennadi A. Zyuganov; he increases oil and gas prices to boost the Russian economy, enabling the govt. to resume payment of salaries and pensions, making him look good to the people. On Mar. 26 the Kingdome in Seattle is demolished to make way for Qwest Field. On Mar. 26 the 72nd Academy Awards in Los Angeles awards the best picture Oscar for 1999 to American Beauty, along with best dir. to Sam Mendes, and best actor to Kevin Spacey; best actress goes to Hilary Swank for Boys Don't Cry, best supporting actor to Michael Caine for The Cider House Rules, and best supporting actress to Angelina Jolie for Girl Interrupted. On Mar. 27 nat. assembly elections are held in Iraq, and surprise, the Ba'th (Nat. Progressive Front) candidates all win, since only they are allowed to run; Saddam Hussein decides to switch from the U.S. dollar to the Euro, pissing-off U.S. vice-pres. Dick Cheney and leading to the opinion that it's time for a regime change in Iraq? On Mar. 27 French PM Lionel Jospin replaces four of his Socialist cabinet ministers to quiet criticism; on Sept. 4 protests begin over rising fuel prices, with truckers and motorists blockading refineries and service stations; the protests spread throughout Europe; on Sept. 24 a nat. referendum in which only 30% of the electorate particiates reduces the term of the pres. from 7 to 5 years. On Mar. 28 a school bus in Murray County, Ga. on the Tenn.-Ga. state line gets hit by a CSX freight train, killing three children. In Mar. South Korea holds peace talks in Geneva along with secret meetings with several Western powers. In Mar. CIA agent (1982-2005) Gary Berntsen is sent to Afghanistan to capture a senior al-Qaida leader; too bad, the mission is called off, pissing-off Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, who says that the U.S. is "not serious"; after 9/11 he returns with a new mission to eliminate al-Qaida completely, only to be backstabbed by the Pakistan ISI. In Mar. the Dow Jones Industrial Avg. reaches a record 10,923.55, then plummets 617.78 points (5.7%) to 10,305.77 on Apr. 14, its largest point drop so far, after news of a 0.7% increase in the U.S. Consumer Price Index for Mar.; meanwhile the NASDAQ tops 5K on Mar. 10 then plunges 355.49 points (9.7%) to 3,321.29 on Apr. 14, another record drop; the Dow closes on Dec. 31 at 10,786.84, down 6.2% from its Dec. 31, 1999 value of 11,497.12; the NASDAQ closes on Dec. 31 at 2,470.52, down 54% from its peak and 39.3% for the year - what's good for Microsoft is good for the country, I hope not? In Mar. Ford Motor Co. agrees to buy Land Rover from BMW for $2.7B, and Jaguar for another $2.5B, and on Apr. 14 announces that it will pay its shareholders a record $10B special dividend; on May 11 Ford chmn. William Clay Ford Jr. (1958-) admits that the SUVs on which his co. has made so much money cause serious safety and environmental problems, but vows to reduce tailpipe emissions, boost fuel economy, and make them less dangerous in crashes with ordinary cars; Ford sells both divs. off in Mar. 2008 to Tata for $2B. On Apr. 1 Japanese PM Keizo Obuchi (b. 1937) suffers a stroke and falls into a coma, and on Apr. 5 gaffe-prone Liberal Dem. Party secy.-gen. Yoshiro Mori (1937-) becomes PM #85 of Japan (until Apr. 26, 2001); Obuchi dies on May 14, and Mori goes on to put his foot in his mouth by calling Japan "a divine country with an emperor at its center", recalling the racist official state Shintoism of the past, and causing his cabinet's approval rating to fall to 19%. On Apr. 1 (U.S. Census Day) most census questions are delivered to U.S. citizens in official envelopes. On Apr. 1 Abdoulaye Wade (1926-) of the Dem. Party of Senegal becomes pres. #3 of Senegal (until ?). Could this be the end of some kind of era? On Apr. 3 U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson (1937-) finds that Microsoft Corp. violated the U.S. Sherman Antitrust Act by its predatory behavior aimed at maintaining a monopoly for its "let's crash again" beautiful-disaster Windoze (Windows) operating system by keeping an "oppressive thumb" on competitors and seeking to tie its almost-as-cruddy Internet Explorer Web browser to it as "part of a larger campaign to quash innovation", urging litigants to appeal directly to the Supreme Court in order to expedite his punishment; on Apr. 28 the U.S. Dept. of Justice and 17 state attys. gen. ask Jackson to break Microsoft into two parts with serious curbs on their activities, although the computer users don't seem to care much either way; Bill Gates calls the proposal "radical" and totally denies wrongdoing, but finally yields a bit on May 10, proposing some minor limitations on its dealings with computer makers, which the Justice Dept. complains on May 16 are not enough, causing Jackson to order the breakup on June 8, and the Supreme Court to refuse to hear the case in Sept.; meanwhile once solid gold Microsoft stocks go on a downhill slide from just over $90 a share to $70 on June 7, adding to the dot com stock bust - time to roll out the baksheesh and buy the govt., start 'er up? On Apr. 3 Haitian broadcast journalist Jean Dominique (b. 1930) is gunned down in Port-au-Prince as he arrives at radio station Haiti-Inter to deliver the 7 a.m. morning news; he recently accused the nat. election board of planning to sabotage upcoming polls, and attacked a local pharmaceutical co. whose cough syrup was blamed for the deaths of 60 kids - hmm, I'll take what's behind curtain #1? On Apr. 4 local elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina give Vs to nationalist parties, causing NATO to continue postponing troop reductions. On Apr. 4 Russia launches Soyuz TM-30, the last human spaceflight to the Mir space station, carrying cosmonauts Sergei Viktorovich Zalyotin (1962-) and Aleksandr (Alexander) Yuriyevich "Sasha" Kaleri (1956-); it returns on June 16; on Oct. 31 Soyuz TM-31 blasts off to the Internat. Space Station, carrying cosmonauts Yuri Pavlovich Gidzenko (1962-), Sergei Konstantinovich Krikalev (Krikalyov) (1958-), and William McMichael Shepherd (1949-) of the U.S.; Soyuz TM-31 returns next May 6 with Talgat Musabayev, Yuri Baturin, and Dennis Tito. On Apr. 6 Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, chief minister of Assam, India releases a statement claiming Pakistan Interservices Intel (ISI) of fostering an Islamist militancy; it proves to be unfounded until ?. On Apr. 8 a controversial U.S. Osprey plane crashes, killing 19 U.S. Marines. On Apr. 9 nat. elections in Greece give the PASOK Party 158 of 300 seats in Parliament, becoming the first Greek party to win a majority in three consecutive elections; its main rival the New Democracy Party wins 125 seats; Costas Simitas remains PM of Greece. On Apr. 9 a new B&W version of Fail Safe debuts on CBS-TV, with intro. by Walter Cronkite, starring Richard Dreyfuss as the U.S. pres., Noah Wyle as his translator, George Clooney as Col. Jack Grady, and Harvey Keitel as Brig. Gen. Warren A. "Blackie" Black. Der Freiheit Der Sprache Still Sucks Egg Yolk in Europe? On Apr. 11 British historian David Irving (1938-) (known for the soundbyte "More women died on the back seat of Edward Kennedy's car at Chappaquiddick than ever died in a gas chamber in Auschwitz") loses his libel suit against Penguin Books and U.S. author Deborah Lipstadt (1947-) over her 1994 work Denying the Holocaust, and his reputation as a Holocaust-denying historian is supposedly trashed, and hers ascendant; on Feb. 20, 2006 he is sentenced to three years in priz in Vienna under a 1992 law for two speeches in 1989 denying the Holy Holocaust, despite a last minute contrite flip-flop "confession" to avoid the full 10-year sentence; in 1992 he had been fined $6K by a judge in Germany; he is released on probation on Dec. 20 after serving 13 mo. and flies back to London to his wife Bente Hogh - shut up, and that settles it? In mid-Apr. world finance ministers gather in Washington, D.C. for meetings of the IMF and World Bank, and demonstrators block traffic to protest their selling out to the multinational cos. On Apr. 16 sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah of Selangor dies after a 55-year reign, longest since prince Franz Joseph II of Liechtenstein, leaving Thai king Rama IX as the longest reigning monarch on Earth (since 1950). On Apr. 17 Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin (1943-), a direct descendant of Muhammad the Prophet becomes raja of Perlis. On Apr. 19 an Air Philippines Boeing 737-200 en route from Manila to Davao City crashes into a coconut grove, killing all 131 aboard. On Apr. 19 Italian PM Massimo D'Alema resigns, and is replaced by former Socialist Party member Giuliano Amato (1938-), who forms a center-left coalition, but it falters, and on Sept. 26 he resigns, and is replaced by Francesco Rutelli (1954-), mayor of Rome, becoming the 58th Italian govt. since WWII. On Apr. 25 Vt. approves civil same-sex unions. On Apr. 25 Pres. Clinton signs Public Law 10-185, which permits police to use a "complaint" to seize private property on a "theory" that it is involved in a criminal offense, with the private owner having the burden of proof of innocence in court to retrieve it; in 2011 the statute is used to seize $1.8B in property, paying police depts. a bounty of $445M; actually this law makes it more difficult to seize private property before criminal trial, but easier after a conviction? On Apr. 26 a strike by the Workers Confederation in Bolivia combined with a plan for water rate increases spark riots in Bolivia, which are quickly suppressed by pres. Hugo Banzaer Suarez. On Apr. 28-30 the Millennium March on Washington in suport of LGBT rights in Washington, D.C. is attended by 200K-1M, and incl. the Equality Rocks Concert, featuring Melissa Etheridge, k.d. lang, George Michael, Pet Shop Boys, and Garth Brooks. In Apr. Jordan becomes a member of the World Trade Org. (WTO), and on Oct. 24 signs a free trade agreement with the U.S., becoming the first ever signed by the U.S. with an Arab nation. In Apr. rebel RUF forces in Sierra Leone under Foday Saybana Sankoh (1937-2003) refuse to demobilize, and kill seven Zambian and Kenyan U.N. peacekeepers on May 3, then take 500 more hostage on May 6; on May 8 demonstrators attack Sankoh's compound in Freetown, losing 19 but causing him to flee, and on May 17 he is ratted out while hiding in his abandoned house, shot in the leg and handed over to the govt. In Apr. British authorities accuse former Sotheby's chmn. Adolph Alfred Taubman (1924-) and former Christie's chmn. Sir Anthony Tennant of conspiring in the early 1990s to limit competition by fixing commissions charged to buyers and sellers; Taubman pleads guilty in Oct. - who do you think you are, Microsoft? In Apr. after U.S. Sen. (R-Minn.) (1995-2001) Rodney Dwight "Rod" Grams (1948-2013) introduces a bill on Oct. 21, 1997, the U.S. Treasury issues its first $100M worth of gold-tinted copper-brass-manganese Sacagawea Dollar Coins, circulating them through Wal-Mart stores and in 5K lucky boxes of Cheerios brand breakfast cereal; Lubbock, Tex.-born sculptor Glenna Maxey Goodacre (1939-) uses Shoshone student Randy'L He-Dow (Bannock "close to ground") Teton (1976-) (pr. "HEE-tho") as a model for the Shoshone guide's face; they tarnish easily, and soon turn into collector's items as nobody wants to circulate the suckers that are too small to seem like dollars? On May 3 New York archbishop John Cardinal O'Connor (b. 1920) dies of brain cancer at his Manhattan residence after a 16-year term in which he defended the poor and working class among the 2.37M Catholics in his archdiocese, while fighting to keep them breeding like rabbits free of abortion and homosexuality; he is succeeded by Bridgeport, Conn., bishop Edward Michael Egan (1932-), who carries on his views. On May 3 a rare 7-way celestial conjunction of the Sun, Moon, and all the planets from Mercury to Jupiter occurs on the New Moon. I'm bringing sexy back, go heavy go with it? On May 4 the U.S. Nat. Park Service begins a "prescribed burn" at the Bandolier Nat. Monument, which is caught by high winds and sweeps past firebreaks on May 11, destroying tens of thousands of acres of woodland and hundreds of homes and threatening Los Alamos Nuclear Labs, freaking environmentalists. On May 5 a rare grand conjunction of the five naked eye planets plus the Sun and Moon occurs. On May 6 the IRA offers to open its secret weapons arsenal to internat. inspection, raising hopes for peace in Ulster; too bad, paramilitary orgs. on both sides continue the violence, drug dealing and protection rackets. On May 8 Mich. swimming-pool installation co. owner Larry Ross (1953-) wins half of a record $363M lottery jackpot, netting $61M after taxes; he bought the ticket with change left after buying a hot dog with a $100 bill in a Detroit suburb at the suggestion of wife Nancy. On May 9 a jury in Baton Rouge, La. 4-term Dem. gov. (1972-80, 1984-8, 1992-6) Edwin Washington Edwards (1927-) guilty on 17 of 26 counts of fraud and conspiracy after a 4-mo. trial, with a possible life sentence; he was tried in 1985 and 1986 but not convicted, but this time U.S. atty. (also a Dem.) Eddie Jack Jordan Jr. (1952-) wins, claiming to end the cynicism in La. politics; in 2002 he is sentenced to 10 years, and begins his sentence in Oct. 2002. On May 16 judge Ahmet Necdet Sezer (1941-) becomes pres. #10 of the Repub. of Turkey (until Aug. 28, 2007), going on to back secularism and ban women wearing veils from official receptions, while pardoning 202 leftist militants. On May 31 Survivor debuts on CBS-TV (until ?), with 16 strangers marooned on a Malaysian island vying to win $1M by being the one to "outwit, outplay, outlast" the other dopes, while suffering horrible primitive living conditions and humiliation under the eye of a camera (good editing though?); after it becomes the top-rated U.S. TV series for the season, it spawns a boom in Reality Shows (until ?); they steal their motto from the 1952 film "Blackbeard the Pirate", which contains the line "When he closes on her, he'll find himself outgunned, outfought, outwitted"?; on Aug. 23 gay white nudist Richard Hatch (1961-) wins in front of 50M viewers despite being the most manipulative and unlikeable, making the show more popular? On May 10 the U.S. FDA approves saline breast implants as long as their high risk of complications are warned of by physicians. On May 11 Russian troops wearing ski masks and carrying machine guns raid the Moscow offices of Media-Most, Russia's biggest media co. and the most outspoken critic of Pres. Putin and his Kremlin cronies; former PM Sergei Kiriyenko calls the raid "a public act of intimidation", and even Communist Party leader Gennadi A. Zyuganov says "it looks disgusting" - Putin on the blitz? On May 16 leftist Dominican Rev. Party opposition leader Hipolito Mejia (1941-), an agronomist and businessman is elected pres. of the Dominican Repub., ousting the ruling pro-privatization Dominican Liberation Party; he is sworn-in on Aug. 16 (until Aug. 16, 2004). On May 16 UPI is acquired by News World Communications Inc., controlled by Unification Church leader Rev. Sun Myung Moon, causing correspondent (since 1943) Helen Thomas to resign on May 17, calling it "a bridge too far"; in July she joins Hearst Newspapers as a columnist, and loses her front row seat at pres. news conferences (since 1961), along with the first question and the ending "Thank you, Mr. President", saying "They don't like me... I ask too many questions". On May 17 the Serbian govt. seizes control of the main opposition TV station in Belgrade, accusing it of advocating an uprising against Slobodan Milosevic, causing 20K demonstrators to take to the streets, chanting "Slobodan, save Serbia, kill yourself" and "To The Hague, Slobodan, to The Hague!" On May 17 the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act is signed by Pres. Clinton, becoming the biggest U.S. trade measure since the 1994 World Trade Org.; the U.S. unilaterally lowers tariffs for a number of African goods and eliminates import quotas for African textiles made with native or U.S. material (sweaters woven in Africa from Asian or European yarn are still covered by U.S. quotas) - another white handout to the blacks, hoping they won't want to move in? Your choices just got a whole lot younger? On May 18 after a controversy during the 2000 pres. preimary, the S.C. Legislature passes the South Carolina Heritage Act of 2000, ordering the Confederate Stars and Bars battle flag removed from its Sandlapper capitol dome after 138 years (1862), and after the Johnny Rebs get over their shock it is removed on July 1, becoming the last Confed. state to do it; never fear, a smaller square version is put next to the Confederate Soldiers' Memorial on the N side of the Capitol in front of the main entry, but after yet more NAACP protests it is removed also, er, it is left flying while an African-American History Monument is unveiled on Mar. 26, 2001; meanwhile on Aug. 8 fortune intervenes, as the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, which in 1864 became the first sub to sink an enemy vessel is raised from the ocean off sandlapping Charleston, S.C. after 136 years - 9 years till Pres. Barack Obama? On May 18 Boo.com collapses in London after 6 mo. from lack of funds. On May 18-19 a coup is attempted in Paraguay against the govt. of Gonzalez Macchi. On May 19 permanent occupation of the Internat. Space Station (ISS) begins. On May 19 businessman George Speight (AKA Ilikimi Naitini) (1957-) stages a coup in Fiji. On May 19 South Korean PM Park Tae-joon (1927-) resigns soon after taking office after a financial scandal is revealed. On May 23 Israeli troops unilaterally withdraw from S Lebanon to the border after 22 years of occupation, and PM Ehud Barak announces "The 18-year tragedy is over", referring to the 1982 Israeli invasion that took over the "buffer zone" to protect N Israel from attacks by Hezbollah guerrillas, who now ride through the zone in triumph, claiming that they chased the Israelis out and that their withdrawal was "slinking and servile"; call him smart or dumb, but in 2001 after leaving office Netanyahu visits a home in Ofra in the West Bank to pay condolences to the family of an Israeli man killed by Palestinians, and admits that he was fooling Pres. Clinton by making token withdrawals from the West Bank per the Oslo Accords while actually entrenching the occupation, which doesn't come out until 2010, after he becomes PM again on Mar. 31, 2009. On May 25 the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict is adopted by the U.N. Gen. Assembly by a 263-54 vote, requiring parties to ensure that children under age 18 are not forcefully recruited into their armed forces and do not take part in hostilities; it comes into force on Feb. 12, 2002; by Feb. 2018 180 states sign it, with 13 states signing but not ratifying it; the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography is adopted by the U.N. Gen. Assembly, coming into force on Jan. 18, 2002; by Feb. 2018 183 states sign it, with nine states signing but not ratifying it. On May 26 13-y.-o. honor student Nathaniel Brazill (1987-) kills his English teacher Barry Grunow on the last day of classes in Lake Worth, Fla. for preventing him from talking with two girls in his classroom; he receives a 28-year sentence - preventing him from talking to girls until he's too old to enjoy it, and likes men better anyway? On May 28 volcanic Mt. Cameroon erupts. Fu on you, Fujimori? On May 29 Alberto Fujimori (1938-) wins election to a 3rd pres. term in Peru despite a constitutional prohibition against it after opposition leader Alejandro Toledo (1946-) raises a stink about a rigged election and starts an election boycott; in Sept. opposition leader Luis Fernando Olivera "Popy" Vega (1958-) shows evidence on TV that Fujimori's security chief Vladimiro Montesinos (1945-) bribed a congressman, and on Sept. 16 Fujimori announces that he is firing Montesinos and calling for immediate new elections, then on Sept. 19 stalls and postpones them until summer 2001; Montesinos flees to Panama on Sept. 24, then Fujimori moves the elections up to Mar., while Montesinos sneaks back in; on Nov. 17 Fujimori flees to Japan and sends a letter announcing his resignation, after which congress rules on Nov. 21 that he is "morally unfit" to continue after 10 years of corrupt dictatorship, and selects centrist party leader Valentin Paniagua Corazao (1936-2006) as interim pres.; on Aug. 28, 2003 a govt. report reveals that his govt. troops, peasant milita, and Shining Path Maoist rebels combined have killed more than 69K, 75% of them Quechua-speaking Indians (54% Shining Path, 46% govt.); on Nov. 7, 2005 Fujimori is arrested in Santiago, Chile as he tries to return to Peru to run for re-election after five years of exile in Japan despite an internat. arrest warrant and a congressional ruling barring him from public office until 2011, and is extradited to Peru on 21 charges of abuse of power, corruption and massacres, all because he had 30% support in a 2004 voter poll. On May 29 former Indonesian pres. Suharto is placed under house arrest and charged with corruption and abuse of power. In May New York City mayor Rudolf Giuliani announces that he has prostate cancer and will not be a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, causing Repubs. to nominate Long Island rep. Enrico Anthony "Rick" Lazio (1958-); meanwhile Dems. nominate First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, another women's first; too bad he snubs Gianelli's Sausage Stand at the State Fair in Syracuse, N.Y., saying he is "so-so on the sausage sandwiches", will Bill and Hillary enthusiastically chow down, hurting his campaign, even coming up in his failed 2010 run for N.Y. gov. In May the RateBeer Web site is founded by Bill Buchanan to rate beers, reaching 4.5M ratings of 200K beers from 16K breweries; the #1 beer in the world is Westvleteren 12 from Westvleteren Brewery in Belgium. On June 1 Tex. Gov. George W. Bush finally pardons a 78-y.-o. death row inmate after letting 130 executions go undisturbed. On June 1 Mt. Etna on Sicily erupts. On June 1-Oct. 31 Expo 2000 is held in Hanover, Germany; the official song is Schon (Schön) ist die Welt by Nina Hagen. On June 4 (Sun.) after seeing "Star Wars", a fan mistakenly sits on a 16th. cent. Ming Dynasty chair (1368-1644) purchased in 1996 for $453K, causing it to break in three places; he isn't hurt and they decide not to hold him liable. On June 6 Ferenc Madl (1931-2011) is elected pres. #2 of the Repub. of Hungary by the parliament, and is sworn-in on Aug. 4 (until Aug. 5, 2005). On June 6 the Nat. D-Day Museum in New Orleans, La. opens, expanding into the Nat. WWII Museum in 2008. If you're looking for a noble profession try law? On June 7 U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson in Washington, D.C. orders the breakup of Microsoft Corp., saying that it "has proved untrustworthy in the past" and doesn't appear to accept his ruling that it has broadly violated U.S. antitrust laws, saying "There is credible evidence in the record to suggest that Microsoft, convinced of its innocence, continues to do business as it has in the past and may yet do to other markets what it has already done" to dominate operating systems and Internet software; he breaks Microsoft into two separate competing cos. (for at least 10 years), one for its Windows op. system and the other for its computer application software (Microsoft Office, Access, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.) and Internet businesses (Internet Explorer browser, etc.); Microsoft appeals, calling the ruling "an unwarranted and unjustified intrusion into the software marketplace", while the govt. seeks an immediate review by the U.S. Supreme Court - heavily armed and heading north on Main Street? On June 7 Israeli PM Ehud Barak's govt. is thrown into tumult when the Knesset approves a bill to break up the govt. and stage new elections just as Barak is preparing for final peace talks with the Palestinians for the summer. On June 7 a suicide bomber in Colombo, Sri Lanka ruins the first-ever War Heroes Day, killing cabinet minister C.V. Gooneratne and 20 others. On June 9 the U.S. House of Reps. votes 279-136 (incl. 65 Dems.) to phase out the federal estate (inheritance) tax, even though only 2% of Americans die with estates large enough ($675K for an individual, $1.3M for a family-owned farm); a Dem. proposal to keep it for estates of $4M or more is defeated 222-196; too bad, Pres. Clinton vetoes it on Aug. 31. On June 10 Hafez al-Assad (b. 1930) dies of a heart attack in Damascus after 31 years in power (since 1969), and on July 10 his British-trained opthalmologist son Bashar al-Assad (1965-) succeeds him as pres. (dictator but nice?) of Syria (until ?), being promptly promoted from col. to lt. gen.; the Damascus Spring of intense political-social debate begins until the govt. suppresses it in fall 2001, arresting dissident economist Aref Dalila (1943-) and sentencing him to 10 years for calling for freedom of expression and an end to govt. monopolies; he is released on Aug. 10, 2008. On June 10 eight guards at Corcoran State Prison in Calif. are acquitted of civil rights violations for allegedly staging gladiator-style fights among inmates. On June 11 local elections in Montenegro give a majority of posts to pro-independence candidates. On June 11 New York City's annual Puerto Rican Day parade ends with an ugly incident in Central Park, where 10 amateur videotapes show as many as 50 drunken black, white, and Hispanic youths spraying women with water, ripping off their clothes, and groping and fondling them while police stand by ogling them and shrug off demands to intervene; after a stink is raised, police identify many of the perps from the tapes and make arrests, and try to coverup their inaction by blaming a shortage of radios - they weren't afraid, right? On June 13 attempted papal assassin Mehmet Ali Agca is pardoned. On June 13-15 South Korean pres. Kim Dae-jung meets with North Korean pres. Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang, becoming their first meeting; they hold a banquet, singing "Our Wish Is Unification"; on June 19 the U.S. eases trade sanctions against North Korea; on Oct. 13 Dae-jung is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, although Japan and China don't relish the prospect of a reunited Korea; Jong-il was just having fun? On June 14 after the spot market for energy begins operating in Apr. and prices rise significantly in May, the Calif. Electricity Crisis begins when 97K cusotmers in the San Francisco Bay area suffer a blackout duromg a heat wave, after which San Diego Gas & Electric alleges manipulation of the markets in Aug., followed by several hundred thousand customers blacked-out next Jan. 17-18, 1.5M next Mar. 19-20, and 167K next May 7-8 after Calif. Gov. Gray Davis declares a state of emergency next Jan. 17, and Pacific Gas & Energy Co. files for bankruptcy in Apr.; next Sept. energy prices normalize, after which Enron files for bankruptcy in Dec., and is blamed for manipulating energy prices; Calif. Gov. Gray Davis ends the state of emergency on Nov. 13, 2003. On June 14 the Jehovah's Witnesses relax their automatic disfellowshipping policy on members who receive a blood transfusion - a billion-dollar real estate empire is theirs to lose when the wrongful death lawsuits start rolling in? On June 15 the presidents of North and South Korea sign a historic Korean Peace Accord after 50 years of anything but. On June 15 King Abdullah II of Jordan accuses Israel of trying to block Jordan from developing a peaceful nuclear energy program; Israel denies it. On June 15 the MIR space station is switched off. On June 17 a 6.5 earthquake rocks S Iceland on its nat. day after 88 years of quiescence; another occurs on June 21. On June 19 the U.S. Supreme (Rehnquist) Court rules 6-3 in Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe to declare the practice of student-initiated and student-led prayer at public high school football games unconstitutional because it could be really initiated by the govt. officials behind the scenes; John Paul Stevens for the majority writes "Regardless of whether one considers a sporting event an appropriate occasion for solemnity, the use of an invocation to foster such solemnity is impermissible when, in actuality, it constitutes prayer sponsored by the school"; Rehnquist dissents, stating that the court's opinion "bristles with hostility to all things religious in public life"; Scalia and Thomas also dissent. On June 20 the British find 58 bodies of illegal Asian immigrants suffocated in a Dutch truck. On June 21 the Scottish parliament votes 99-17 to scrap Section 28, a law preventing the promotion of homosexuality - men wearing skirts jokes here? On June 22 17-y.-o. Eric Michael Clark (1983-) shoots Flagstaff, Ariz. police officer Jeff Moritz after being pulled over for playing loud rap music, later claiming he thought he was killing a "space alien"; he is found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life, then appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court. On June 22 a Wuhan Airlines Y7-100 en route from Enshi to Wuhan that is forced to circle for 30 mi. due to thunderstorms crashes near Sitai, China, killing all 40 passengers and four crew plus seven on the ground. On June 24 the Canadian Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act is passed, making Canada the first country to incorporate the Rome Statue of the Internat. Criminal Court into its nat. laws. On June 25 the U.S. Navy resumes shelling exercises at Vieques Island in Puerto Rico. On June 26 Hillary Clinton's "closest friend", political science prof. Diane Divers Blair (b. 1938), wife of futures trader Jim Blair, chief counsel at Tyson Foods Inc. during Cattlegate dies, leaving the Hillary Papers, incl. correspondence, diaries, interviews, strategy memos, and accounts of conversations with the Clintons from the mid-1970s, which are donated to the U. of Ark.; they are closed to the public until Mar. 9, 2010. On June 26 the U.S. Supreme (Rehnquist) Court rules 5-4 in Apprendi v. N.J. that the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial as forced on, er, incorporated against the states via the 14th Amendment prohibits judges from enhancing criminal sentences beyond statutory maximums based on facts other than those decided by the jury beyond a reasonable doubt. On June 28 the U.S. Supreme (Rehnquist) Court rules 6-3 in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale that a private org. is allowed under certain criteria to exclude people from membership based on sexual orientation through their First Amendment right to freedom of association in spite of state anti-discrimination laws. On June 28 the U.S. Supreme (Rehnquist) Court rules 5-4 in Stenberg v. Carhart ito invalidate a Neb. law outlawing partial-birth abortions as violating the Due Process Clause because it didn't allow exception for the health of the woman; Justice Antonin Scalia dissents, with the soundbyte: "I am optimistic enough to believe that, one day, Stenberg v. Carhart will be assigned its rightful place in the history of this Court's jurisprudence beside Korematsu and Dred Scott. The method of killing a human child... proscribed by this statute is so horrible that the most clinical description of it evokes a shudder of revulsion." On June 28 U.S. Supreme (Rehnquist) Court rules 6-3 in Mitchell v. Helms that loans can be made to religious schools for computers and other secular instructional equipment - if Al-Qaida can have it? On June 30 the U.S. claims that Iraq resumed its missile program. On June 30 the Roskilde Tragedy at the Roskilde Festival near Copenhagen, Denmark sees fans riot during a performance by the group Pearl Jam, killing nine and injuring 26. In June Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador sign a free trade agreement with Mexico. In June the World Bank agrees to loan Chad $200M to build a $3.7B oil pipeline to Cameroon, to be paid by estimated oil revenues of $80M a year over the next 30 years; to quiet fears of you know what, the World Bank forces Chad to agree to spend 80% of the revenues on social services, becoming a world first; too bad, by 2005 Transparency Internat. lists Hanging Chad as the world's most corrupt country, and in 2006 dictator Idriss Deby proves it by reneging on his deal and using the money to finance his military to keep his grip, causing the loan to be suspended and Chad's bank accounts to be frozen. In June the Cotonou Agreement is signed in Cotonou, Benin, replacing the Lome IV Convention of 1989-99, and set to run for 20 years as the cornerstone of European trade with the 71 developing ACP (African, Caribbean, and Pacific) nations. In June George Richard "Rick" Wagoner Jr. (1953-) becomes CEO of GM (until Mar. 29, 2009). In June Toronto, Canada-based Naked News debuts on the Internet, featuring naked female reporters. In the summer intense wildfires roast the U.S. West. In the summer the U.S. military intelligence unit Able Danger identifies Mohammed Atta and three other 9/11 hijackers as likely members of an Al-Qaida cell operating in the U.S., and recommends that the info. be shared with the FBI, but the recommendation is rejected; he was an imposter, as proved by his father claiming that he is still alive a year after 9/11? On July 2 6'7" cowboy-boot-loving former Coca-Cola exec Vicente Fox Quesada (1942-) of the Nat. Action Party (PAN) is elected pres. of Mexico, defeating PRI candidate Francisco Labastida Ochoa Magana (AKA Memo) (1942-) by a landslide, becoming the first defeat for the ruling PRI Party since 1929, although PAN fails to win a majority in the chamber of deputies or senate; on Dec. 1 he is sworn-in (until Nov. 30, 2006), becoming the first peaceful transfer of power in Mexico's history, and the largest internal transformation since the 1910 Mexican Rev.; he did it even though PAN's link to the Roman Catholic Church and his 1996 proposal to privatize state oil co. Pemex made him a lot of enemies. On July 6 U.S. gen. Tommy Ray Franks (1945-) succeeds Gen. Anthony Zinny as cmdr. of the U.S. Central Command (until July 7, 2003), overseeing a 25-country region incl. the Middle East, and going on to lead the attack on the Taliban in Afghanistan the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. On July 10 a leaking petroleum pipeline explodes in S Nigeria, killing 250 villagers who were scavenging gasoline. On July 11-25 the 2000 Camp David Summit between Pres. Clinton, Yasir Arafat, and Ehud Barak sees Barak propose turning 92% of the West Bank into a Palestinian state, with Palestinian sovereignty over the Christian and Muslim quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem, but no agreement is reached after Arafat utters the soundbyte that the PLO's demands for sovereignty in East Jerusalem "not only refer to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Temple Mount mosques, and the Armenian quarter, but it is Jerusalem in its entirety, entirety, entirety", incl. the Western Wall, which he calls the Al-Buraq Wall, insisting that there never had been any Jewish temples on the Temple Mount; after the talks fail, Arafat responds by pumping up local violence, since all along all he wanted was the destruction of Israel, not the creation of a Palestinian state?; on Aug. 9, 2001 Robert Malley (1963-), special asst. to Pres. Clinton for Arab-Israeli Affairs, and Hussein Agha pub. Camp David: The Tragedy of Errors, which blames Barak not Arafat for the failure of the summit; Malley later becomes a favorite adviser of Pres. Obama - home depot, you can do it, we can help? On July 14 Palestinian activist Hanan Ashrawi gives an interview to NPR's "Morning Edition", uttering the soundbyte: "The more you maintain settlements in the West Bank, the more areas of friction you have... You are creating not only a situation of volatility, you are creating an apartheid system: two sets of people on the same land subject to two sets of law, with Israeli extraterritoriality in the West Bank." On July 14 a Fla. jury rules that big tobacco cos. are guilty of racketeering and fraud for deliberately deceiving the public about the effects of smoking, and must pay a shocking $145B to settle hundreds of thousands of health claims; their appeal is denied on May 22, 2009, and they must quit using labels such as "light", "mild", or "low tar" on their packaging; the cos. incl. Philip Morris, Altria, R.J. Reynolds, Brown and Williamson, British Am. Tobacco., and Lorillard Tobacco (acquired in 1971 by Loews Corp. of theater fame); Liggett Group was excluded from the ruling because it came clean and fessed up in the 1990s. On July 15 PM Sheikh Hasina completes her 5-year term as PM of Bangladesh, becoming the first leader to do so since independence in 1974, and former chief justice (2000-1) Latifur Rahman (1936-) becomes interim chief adviser of Bangladesh (until Oct. 10, 2001). In mid-July Canadian press lord Kenneth R. Thomson (1923-2006) sells his 49 U.S. newspapers for $2.44B to invest in electronic info. services, acquiring rights to database content so he can charge Internet users - if only surfers paid for info? On July 17 a consortium of corps. in Germany awards 10B DM to victims of the Nazi slave labor program. On July 18 Alex Salmond resigns as leader of the Scottish Nat. Party. On July 18 in England police launch a murder investigation after the body of a girl found near Pulborough, Sussex is confirmed to be that of Sarah Evelyn Isobel Payne (1992-2000), who was reported missing on July 1; on July 22 News of the World urges its readers to sign a petition for Sarah's Law, giving parents the right to know whether a convicted pedophile is living in their area; on Aug. 3 rioting erupts on the Paulsgrove estate in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England in a block of flats allegedly housing a convicted you know what. On July 19 a fire in a nursing home in Costa Rica kills 17 of 14 patients. On July 20 the British Terrorism Act of 2000 is passed, superseding the 1989 Prevention of Terrorism and 1996 North Ireland Emergency Provisions Act with more permanent powers, resulting in 750 arrests and 22 convictions by Oct. 2005. On July 21 Russian pres. Vladimir Putin meets with North Korean pres. Kim Jong-il, and the latter pledges to discontinue his long-range missile program in exchange for help in sending satellites into space - thank you for being stupid? On July 21 former U.S. Sen. (R-Mo.) John C. Danforth, special council for a team of 38 investigators and 16 attys. releases the Danforth Report on Waco, clearing U.S. atty.-gen. Janet Reno and the FBI of any wrongdoing in connection with the deaths of 76 Branch Davidians at Waco, Tex. in Apr. 1993 after a 10-mo. investigation, and claims there was no conspiracy or coverup, concluding "The blame rests squarely on the shoulders of David Koresh" - or, dead men tell no tales? On July 21-23 the 26th Annual G-8 Summit is held, discussing AIDS, the "digital divide", and how to halve world poverty by 2015. On July 25 Air France Flight 4590, a supersonic Concorde crashes into a hotel in Gonesse outside Paris just after takeoff from Charles de Gaulle Airport, killing all 109 aboard and four in the hotel after a titanium strip that fell from a Continental jet that took off earlier slashes a tire and does other damage during takeoff, causing all Concorde flights to be suspended and Air France to sue Continental Airlines; in 2005 France begins prosecuting Henri Perrier, father of the Concorde program for manslaughter and involuntary injury. On July 26 U.S. District judge Marilyn Hall Petel (1938-) rules in A&M Records Inc. v. Napster Inc. that Web-based Napster Inc. (founded 1999) has been violating copyrights of record cos., publishers and artists by distributing their songs free over the Internet; since the order doesn't take effect until July 29, guess what millions of Internet users rush to do, while lucky Napster gets another judge to issue a stay long enough for it to sign a deal on Oct. 31 with German media giant Bertelsmann that will let it charge a fee for its service and distribute part of it as royalties to record cos., inaugurating a new age for music. On July 27 Resolution 1310 is approved by the U.N., confirming that Israel has "withdrawn its forces from Lebanon in accordance with Resolution 425". On July 27 the U.S. Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, protecting prisoners who wish to worship, and giving churches a way to avoid burdensome zoning law restrictions; too bad, when Obama becomes U.S. pres. the Dept. of Justice begins using it to force mosque construction against community wishes. On July 29 Hollywood star Brad Pitt marries Hollywood star Jennifer Joanna Aniston (1969-), becoming known as Branifer; Jeff Buckley's music is used at their wedding; the public thinks they're the ideal married couple and should live happily together forever, but it only lasts until 2005. On July 30 Hugo Chavez is reelected as pres. of Venezuela with 59% of the vote (until ?). On July 31 CanWest Global Communications, founded by Liberal Social Dem. Israel Harold "Izzy" Asper (1932-2003) announces in Montreal that it is buying Hollinger Internat. from Conrad Moffat Black, Baron Black of Crossharbour (1944-) for $2.36B, giving it control of around 100 newspapers plus the Web site Canada.com; Black retains ownership of the Chicago Sun-Times, London Daily Telegraph and Jerusalem Post plus 50% of the Toronto-based National Post; Asper and his sons Leonard and David are known for making editors of their papers support Israel and PM Chretien, and for running U.S. sitcoms on their TV stations; too bad, Black is convicted in 2007 on U.S. charges of mail and wire fraud and gets 78 mo. - Jewish media conspiracy jokes here? On July 31-Aug. 3 the 2000 Repub. Nat. Convention in Philadelphia, Penn. selects Tex. gov. George Walker Bush for pres. and Dick Cheney for vice-pres.; Bush calls himself a "compassionate conservative", who will be "united, not a divider", and proposes privatizing Social Security; Cheney started out supervising Bush's search for VP, then decided he was the best man for the job; on Aug. 14-17 the 2000 Dem. Nat. Convention in Los Angeles, Calif. selects vice-pres. Al Gore for pres. and Conn. Sen. (since 1989) Joseph Isadore Lieberman (1942-) (who calls himself "Joementum") for vice-pres., becoming the first Jewish candidate for the job; Lieberman was the first U.S. Sen. to speak out against Clinton's immorality in 1998; in debates with Gore, Bush issues the soundbyte "I just don't think it's the role of the United States to walk into a country and say, 'We do it this way, so should you'... If we're an arrogant nation they'll resent us. I don't think our troops ought to be used for what's called nation building." - change your mind later? In July Stockwell Burt Day Jr. (1950-) of the new (Jan.) right-wing Canadian Alliance Party becomes leader of the Canadian opposition, becoming known for his evangelical Bible-thumping Creationist views and opposition to rights for you guessed it and gun registration, and promises to reduce taxes, but is defeated on Nov. 27 after a 36-day "snap election" by Liberal Party PM Jean Chretien in a landslide V for a 3rd 5-year term after he preempts Day by announcing the largest tax cut in Canadian history. In July Yusuf Islam (1948-), the singer formerly known as Cat Stevens is deported back to Britain hours after arriving from Jerusalem, the Israeli govt. claiming that he had donated tens of thousands of dollars to Hamas during a 1988 visit; he denies it, but apparently ends up on the U.S. no-fly list. In July voters in Ivory Coast overwhelmingly approve a draft constitution, which permits only those of "pure Ivoirian" stock (99-44/100 pure?) to run for pres., excluding 40% of the pop., who are illegal immigrants, mainly Muslims from Burkina Faso; in Oct. dictator Gen. Robert Guei is defeated by civilian opposition leader (non-Muslim) Laurent Gbagbo (1945-), but both claim a V, causing a popular rising which causes Guei to flee the country, and on Oct. 26 Gbagbo becomes pres. (until Apr. 11, 2011), although supporters of another opposition leader Alassane Dramane Ouattara (1942-) (a Muslim whose parents illegally immigrated from Burkina Faso) are angry because he was exluded from the election for not having pure Ivory blood, and after bloody protests he is finally granted full citizenship in June, 2002. In July the Four Dan Actresses are coined by the Guangzhou Daily, the four most bankable mainland Chinese actresses, incl. Xu Jinglei (1974-), Zhou Xun (1974-), Zhao Wei (1976-), and Zhang Ziyi (1979). On Aug. 3 notorious 50-something Indian Robin Hood bandit Koose Muniswamy Veerappan (1952-2004), known for slaughtering elephants for their ivory and killing dozens of police kidnaps 72-y.-o. film star Rajkumar (1929-2006) at his country house near the village of Gajanur in Tamil Nadu along with two of his associates, and demands the release of 50 comrades from prison; he releases Rajkumar on Nov. 14 and is finally killed by police in 2004. On Aug. 5 Pres. Clinton vetoes legislation that would have eliminated the "marriage penalty", which in some cases requires married couples to pay higher federal income taxes than single persons earning the same amount, causing Repubs. to vow to use his veto against the candidacy of vice-pres. Al Gore; Clinton explains that the measure favors the rich, who are the bad guys, so that's why he vetoed it, but then explains that they will actually benefit more from lowering the nat. debt, and hence now they're the good guys and that's why he vetoed it. On Aug. 9 the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. begins a year-long recall of 6.5M radial 15 in. ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT tires which were original equipment on Ford Explorers and were linked to sudden tread explosions; all were made at their Decatur, Ill. plant; Ford had previously recalled the tires in Saudi Arabia and Venezuela; on Sept. 28 Ford announces that it will equip its Explorer SUVs with Michelin tires and negotiate with other makers to provide tires for various Ford models. On Aug. 12 the 5-y.-o. Russian sub Kursk (K-141) sinks in the 300-ft.-deep Barents Sea, killing all 118 aboard after the Russians stall in accepting British and Norwegian rescue offers, and blame it on the lack of pressurized escape chambers, hurting the prestige of new Russian pres. Vladimir Putin. On Aug. 12 Hillary holds the Hollywood Farewell Gala Salute to Pres. William Jefferson Clinton in Los Angeles, Calif., featuring performers incl. Cher, raising her over $1M; too bad, she is accused of understating the fundraiser's costs, and accepting donations from convicted felon Peter Franklin Paul (1948-), former partner of "Spider-Man" creator Stan Lee, raising allegations that he is trying to get her hubby Bill Clinton to pardon him; after several years of legal wrangling she slithers out of it snakey clean. On Aug. 14 Tsar Nicholas II and several members of his family are canonized by the synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. On Aug. 14 the animated TV series Dora the Explorer debuts on Nickelodeon cable TV network (until ?), about a bilingual Latina, who helps viewers learn both English and Spanish, featuring the voice of Caitlin Sanchez (1996-), who in 2010 sues them, claiming they cheated her out of royalties. On Aug. 14 the quiz show The Weakest Link debuts on BBC-TV for 1,693 episodes (until Mar. 31, 2012), hosted by Anne Josephine Robinson (1944-). On Aug. 15-18 dozens of North and South Korean families are reunited in Seoul. On Aug. 27 1,772-ft. Ostankino Tower in Moscow catches fire, killing three. On Aug. 28 the U.S. Nat. Institutes of Health (NIH) rules issues rules permitting federally financed researchers to work on human embryonic stem cells under strict regulations, pissing-off right-to-lifers, although privately funded stem-cell research has been going on for years. In Aug. U.S. Pres. Clinton delivers $1.3B in aid to help Colombia fight drug traffickers, incl. combat helis and military training - he read "Clear and Present Danger"? In Aug. an investigative commission in Uruguay begins looking into the disappearances of 160 people during the military dictatorship of 1973-84 - get your shovels? In Aug. exiled minister Abdulkassim Salat Hassan (1941-) is elected pres. of Somalia in a peace conference in Djibouti; he returns to Mogadishu in Oct., but Mohammad Farah Aidid's son Hussein doesn't recognize his election, and his power is limited to the city. On Sept. 2 Pres. Clinton gives orders to release 1M barrels a day for 30 days from the U.S. Strategic Oil Reserve to help needy Americans in cold weather; meanwhile OPEC celebrates its 40th anniv. in a meeting in Caracas at the end of Sept., and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela calls for higher oil prices to force developed countries to aid less developed ones like his, but Saudi Arabia counters by offering to increase production to keep prices affordable. On Sept. 3 Pope John Paul II beatifies pope (1958-63) John XXIII (1881-1963); too bad, he also sneaks in pope (1846-78) Pius IX (1792-1878) (the one who started the dogma of Papal Infallibility and worked against democracy), to the outrage of many, incl. the Jewish Anti-Defense League (ADL), who won't let anybody forget that he was responsible for the abduction and forced Catholicization of a 6-y.-o. Jewish child in 1858. On Sept. 4 Iraq violates Saudi airspace with its planes for the first time in 10 years in an obvious attempt to provoke a U.S. response. On Sept. 5 Mark Bailey is sentenced to 10 years of probation and ordered to attend twice-weekly counseling for sending threatening letters to actress Brooke Shields. On Sept. 6 the Taliban captures the Northern Alliance HQ of Taloqan, Afghanistan, and on Sept. 7 requests the U.N. to recognize it as the official Afghan govt.; the U.N. Security Council responds on Dec. 19 by voting 13-0-2 (China, Malaysia) for Resolution 1333 to recall all resolutions on Afghanistan, tighten diplomatic sanctions, and impose an arms embargo, repeating its demands for extradition of Osama bin Laden - french me a fry, bring me a nut, kashmir me, I won't comply? On Sept. 6 Bofors, the last wholly Swedish-owned arms manufacturer is sold to United Defense of the U.S. On Sept. 6-8 the Millennium Summit is held at the U.N. in New York City by 150 world leaders from 188 member states in the largest-ever gathering of heads of states of govt. (until ?); on Sept. 7 the U.N. Security Council votes 15-0-0 for Resolution 1318, endorsing the U.N. Millennium Declaration, which is endorsed by the U.N. Gen. Assembly on Sept. 8, stressing the observance of internat. human rights and humanitarian laws under the U.N. Charter and other treaties, citing the ancient Olympic Truce; - spare seat for JC, or Socrates? On Sept. 7-14 in Britain protests over the cost of gasoline blockade refineries. On Sept. 8 Albania officially joins the World Trade Org. (WTO). On Sept. 10 Cats folds after 7.4K performances. On Sept. 13 Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho Lee, AKA the "Atom Spy" is freed after 9 mo. in priz after he pleads guilty to one of 59 felony charges. On Sept. 15-Oct. 1 the XXVII (27th) Summer Olympic Games ("the Complete Olympics" - NBC-TV) are held in Sydney, Australia on the 200th anniv. of the city's namesake Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney (1733-1800), with 10K athletes from 199 countries, plus 21K journalists; Aussie singer Olivia Newton-John sings in the opening ceremonies; the Peacock Network (NBC) airs 441.5 hours of coverage, incl. 162.5 hours of medal air time; the U.S. wins 97 medals (39 gold), the Russians 88 (32 gold), the Chinese 59 (28 gold); Australian aborigine runner Cathy Freeman (1973-) wins the 400m sprint, pleasing the crowd; Marion Jones (1975-) of the U.S. wins three golds and two bronzes; too bad, on Oct. 8, 2007 she returns them after admitting to steroid use; U.S. wrestler Rulon Gardner (1971-) upsets "Russian Bear" Alexander Karelin (1967-), who had gone undefeated in internat. competition since 1987; Australian swimmer Ian James "Thorpedo" "Thorpey" Thorpe (1982-) wins three gold and two silver medals, becoming the most successful athlete of the games; Anthony Lee "Tony" Ervin (1981-), the first African-Am. to make the U.S. swimming team wins gold in the 50m freestyle, and silver in the 4x100 freestyle relay. On Sept. 16 Ukrainian journalist Georgiy Ruslanovich Gongadze (b. 1969) is last seen alive; on Nov. 28 Ukrainian politician Oleksander Oleksandrovich Moroz (1944-) touches off the Cassette Scandal, publicly accusing pres. Leonid Kuchma of involvement in his murder. On Sept. 19 a Cuban Antonov An-2 is hijacked after takeoff from Pinar del Rio, and crashes into the sea W of Cuba - don't ask don't tell? On Sept. 20 the 6-year Whitewater investigation of the Cleaner than Clorox Clintons ends with no indictments - and a loud flush? On Sept. 22 gay Rutgers U. student Tyler Clementi (b. 1992) jumps to his death from the George Washington Bridge after a sexual encounter with a man in his dorm room is streamed on the Internet by his roommate Dharun Ravi and hallmate Molly Wei. On Sept. 23 Burmese democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is again placed under house arrest by the Burmese govt.; on Dec. 7 U.S. Pres. Clinton awards her the Pres. Medal of Freedom. On Sept. 23 the long-lost villa and love nest of the first cent. Roman poet Ovid (-43 to 17) is discovered on the banks of the Tiber river not far from the Milvian Bridge in Rome. On Sept. 24 Swiss voters reject a plan to limit the number of foreigners in Switzerland to 18% of the pop., becoming the 4th referendum of its kind since 1970 to fail. On Sept. 24 Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein receives a special copy of the Quran written in his own blood, commissioned in 1997 to thank Allah for having escaped unharmed from "a life full of dangers, during which I lost a lot of blood". On Sept. 24-28 after 12 years of rule by Slobodan Milosevic, during which the per capita income has slid by 90% and inflation has gone out of control, elections in Yugoslavia give a V to opposition leader (law prof.) Vojislav Kostunica (1944-), (pr. coast-oo-NEET-suh) but Milosevic denies the results, claiming only a 48% mandate for his opponent, and scheduling an Oct. 8 runoff election, causing a nationwide uprising, with workers going on strike and 1M protesters storming Belgrade, which his pigs fight with tear gas, while stupidly letting them take over the state broadcasting offices and set fire to the parliament bldg.; on Oct. 5 the supreme court declares Kostunica the winner, and after his pigs tell him to stuff it, on Oct. 7 Slobby Dan resigns, and Kostunica is sworn-in as pres., causing the U.S. and EU to begin lifting economic sanctions; on Oct. 28 elections in Kosovo give a V to moderates in municipal posts and to the reformist Dem. League of Kosovo (LDK) in parliament. On Sept. 26 Danish voters reject the Euro by 53.1% as it falls to new lows, despite a vigorous campaign by PM Nyrup Rasmussen, who claims that clinging to the kroner will isolate it from the European Community. On Sept. 26 the "grime bucket" Greek Express Samina Ferry sinks off the coast of the island of Paros, killing 80 of 500 passengers. On Sept. 26 15K protest globalization in Prague, Czech. during the IMF and World Bank summits. On Sept. 28 the U.S. FDA approves the French abortion pill Mifepristone (Mifeprex), AKA RU-486 for use as an abortifacient (goo for up to 49 days after beginning of last menstrual cycle) after giving conditional approval in 1996; in Nov. physicians begin prescribing the pills under strict regs; on Aug. 24, 2006 approval is given to Barr Pharmaceuticals to sell the morning-after-pill (Plan B) (quadruple dose of the birth control pill) to women over 18 without a prescription. On Sept. 28 Israeli hardliner leader Ariel Sharon visits Al-Aqsa Mosque (Sharam al Sharif) (Harem esh-Sharif) (Jewish Temple Mount) with 1K security police in an unannounced political stunt, pissing-off Palestinians, who stone him, then start the Al-Aqsa Intifada (Oslo War), resulting in 5K killed, incl. Israeli soldiers Yossi Avrahami and Vadim Nurzhitz lynched in Ramallah on Oct. 12, after which their bodies are tossed to the crowds, who tear them apart and eat their organs, causing Israeli retaliatory strikes; on Oct. 16-17 Pres. Clinton, Ehud Barak, and Yassir Arafat meet in Sharm El-Sheik seaside resort in Egypt and agree to stop the violence, but Arafat can't deliver, and violence continues; the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades are founded, which is funded by Fatah as they commit dozens of suicide bombings, led by Zakara Muhammad Abdelrahman Zubeidi (Zubaidi) (1976-), who had an affair with Jewish Israeli Tali Fahima (1976-), who was imprisoned in 2005 for her contacts with him, and released in Jan. 2007, after which in mid-2007 he renounced militancy and went into theater, causing her to call him a "whore of the Shin Bet security service", after which she converted to Islam in June 2010. On Sept. 28 Tanya Rider (1933-) is found in her Honda Element near Renton, Wash. after she slid off the road and sat there injured and immobilized for eight days while zillions of cars drive by. On Sept. 28 the video New Trends in Arab Anti-Semitism was presented to the U.N. Human Rights Commission, cataloging the horrible anti-Semitism in the Muslim world. On Sept. 29 the Long Kesh (Maze) Prison in Northern Ireland is closed. On Sept. 30 (3:00 p.m.) (Rosh Hashanah) the Muhammad al-Durrah Incident (Hoax) allegedly happens, after which French TV network France 2 runs a tape dubbed by French Jewish activist Charles Enderlin (1945-) accusing Israeli forces of killing 12-y.-o. Palestinian boy Mohammed al-Dura (1988-) while cowering in his father's arms at the Netzarim Junction S of Gaza City, becoming a cause celebre for Palestinians and helping fuel the Second Intifada; it is later revealed as a staged hoax by French Jewish media analyst Philippe Karsenty (1966-), causing him to be successfully sued for defamation by the network even though the Israeli govt., which initially accepts responsibility reverses its stand in Sept. 2007; the boy was never killed, or was killed by Palestinians by accident or for propaganda purposes? In Sept. Chase Manhattan pays $36B for the 139-y.-o. J.P. Morgan investment banking house, and changes its name to J. P. Morgan Chase. On Oct. 2 demonstrators take over the state-controlled TV station in Belgrade, Serbia. On Oct. 2 Britain finally begins enforcing their 1998 Human Rights Act after Scotland beats them to it earlier in the year. On Oct. 5 beleaguered Serbian pres. Slobodan Milosevic leaves office after the withdrawal of Russian support. On Oct. 5 Amy Sherman-Palladino's comedy-drama series Gilmore Girls debuts on the WB for 153 episodes (until May 15, 2007 after switching to the CW in 2006), set in everybody-loves-it Stars Hollow, Conn. (based on Washington, Conn.) 30 min. from Hartford, Conn., starring Lauren Helen Graham (1967-) as single mother Lorelai Gilmore, and Kimberly Alexis Bledel (1981-) as her daughter Lorelai (Rory); Melissa Ann McCarthy (1970-) plays Sookie St. James. On Oct. 6 the last Mini Cooper is produced in Longbridge, England. On Oct. 6 the procedural forensics crime TV drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation debuts on CBS-TV for 337 episodes (until Sept. 27, 2015), starring William Louis Petersen (1953-) as Gil Grissom, head of a Las Vegas, Nev. police unit that incl. Mary Marg Helgenberger (1958-) (as Catherine Willows), George Coleman Eads III (1967-) (Nick Stokes), Gary Dourdan (Gary Robert Durdin) (1966-) (as Warrick Brown), Jorja-An "Jorja" Fox (1968-) (as Sara Sidle), and Paul Guilfoyle (1949-) (as Capt. James "Jim" Brass), solving crimes from grisly evidence; the series finale is titled "Immortality"; too bad, its violence and sexual content pisses-off the Parents Television Council, and its inaccurate portrayal of CSI work pisses-off real investigators, which doesn't keep the show from building an audience of 73.8M viewers in 2009. On Oct. 7 grand duke (since 1964) Jean retires, and his eldest son Henri (1955-) becomes grand duke of Luxembourg (until ?). On Oct. 7 The District debuts on CBS-TV for 89 episodes (until May 1, 2004), starring Craig T. Nelson as former New York City deputy police commissioner Jack Maple, Lynn Thigpen as Ella Mae Farmer, David O'Hara as detective Danny McGregor, and Roger Aaron Brown as deputy chief Joe Noland. On Oct. 8 That's Life debuts on CBS-TV (until Jan. 26, 2003), starring "Who wants to be a millionaire the old fashioned way?" Ellen Burstyn, Heather Paige Kent, and Paul Sorvino. On Oct. 9 the cable TV Food Network, owned by Shaw Media and Scripps Networks Interactive, based in Toronto, Canada debuts (until ?), replacing Fine Living Network (founded 2002). On Oct. 10 the U.S. Permanent Normalized Trade with China Act is signed by Pres. Clinton, endorsing permanent normalized trade status for the People's Repub. of China (PRC), paving the way for its entry into the World Trade Org. (WTO), pissing-off U.S. labor unions but tickling multinational cos. pink; the Senate approved it on Sept. 9 by 83-15 after adding provisions to safeguard sacred cow Taiwan and protect the low-paid Chinese workers. On Oct. 11 a 250M gal. coal sludge spill by Martin County Coal Co. in W. Va. buries lawns more than 6 ft. deep in black slurry, kills fish, and contaminates drinking water, becoming a greater environmental disaster than the Exxon Valdez oil spill. On Oct. 12 (11:18 a.m.) (Thur.) suicide bombers in an explosives-laden boat ram the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole while refueling in Aden, Yemen, blowing a 40'x60' hole in the port side and killing 17 U.S. sailors and injuring 39; it is later pinned on Al-Qaida; in 2002 UAE arrests suspected Saudi-born mastermind Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri (1965-) and turns him over to the U.S.; in Mar. 2007 Walid bin Attash (1979-) confesses to planning the attack along with the two 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Africa, and claims torture by U.S. interrogators; in 2003 Pat Roberts, chmn. of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee tells the CIA they have no objections to detroying videotapes of brutal interrogations, which only comes out on Feb. 22, 2010; too bad, by late 2009 every man arrested or convicted in connection with the attack is either pardoned or escapes from prison; between now and 2010 the U.S. State Dept. awards 1,011 special "diversity visas" allowing Yemenis to immigrate to the U.S. - did it just get hot in here? On Oct. 21 15 Arab leaders convene in Cairo, Egypt for their first summit in four years; after talk of not breaking ties with Israel, the Libyan delegation walks out. On Oct. 22 The Mainichi Shinbun newspaper exposes Japanese archeologist Shinichi Fujimura (1950-) as a fraud after a smoking gun photo is taken showing him burying artifacts, embarrassing Japanese archeologists who had based their treatises on his findings. On Oct. 23 Madeleine Albright holds talks with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il. On Oct. 23 Sunni Muslim former PM (1992-8) Rafik Baha El Deen Hariri (1944-2005) becomes PM #43 of Lebanon (until Oct. 20, 2004). On Oct. 23 Glasgow-born Michael John Martin (1945-) of the Labour Party becomes speaker of the British House of Commons (until June 21, 2009). On Oct. 26 the New York Yankees (AL) (mgr. Joe Torre) defeat the New York Mets (NL) (mgr. Bobby Valentine) 4-1 to win the Ninety-Sixth (96th) "Subway" World Series, making three straight for the Yankees, four in five years, and their 26th WS title. On Oct. 26 Pakistani authorities announce the finding of an ancient mummy of a Persian princess in the province of Balochistan; Iran, Pakistan, and the Taliban all claim the mummy until Pakistan announces it is a forgery on Apr. 17, 2001. On Oct. 27 the U.S. Drug Addiction Treatment Act, sponsored by Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) and Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.) is signed by Pres. Clinton, treating heroin addiction as a disease, and backing use of methadone alternatives buprenorphine (a partial opiate producing minimum mood alteration) and buprenorphine-naloxone (ditto with an opiate blocker), which go on to win FDA approval in Sept. 2002; now the longtime horrible sin is in the same category as diabetes and hypertension? On Oct. 30 Kyrgyzstan pres. Askar Akayev wins reelection with 75% of the vote in an election marred by allegations of fraud and corruption, and the country's claim to be the "centerpiece of central Asian democracy" is kaput? On Oct. 31 Singapore Airlines Flight 006 collides with construction equipment in the Chiang Kai-Shek Interat. Airport, killing 83. On Oct. 31 the U.N. Security Council unanimously approves Resolution 1325, calling for the adoption of a gender perspective incl. the special needs of women and girls during repatriation, resettlement, rehabilitation, reintegration, and post-conflict reconstruction, becoming their first resolution requiring parties in a conflict to respect women's rights. On Nov. 1 the U.N. Gen. Assembly unanimously approves Yugoslavia's application for U.N. membership. On Nov. 1 New York City MCC prison guard Louis Pepe (1947-) is ambushed in the cell of al-Qaida top aide Mamdouh Mahmud Salim and his cellmate, who stick a sharpened comb in his eye, blinding him and causing brain damage, dig a cross on his chest, then try to rape him before he is rescued. On Nov. 2 Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik (1975-) of Russia defeats world champ (since 1985) Garry Kasparov 8.5-6.5 (2-0 wins, 13 draws) to become world chess champ #14 (until 2007) at the Brain Games in London; meanwhile the discredited FIDE org. holds a rival championship. On Nov. 2 a Soyuz spacecraft carrying one U.S. and two Russian astronauts docks at the 80-ton $60 Internat. Space Station (ISS) 240 mi. above Earth to begin a 4-mo. mission to expand the leaky rat trap outpost. On Nov. 2 the pilot of a Singapore Airlines Boeing 747 uses the wrong runway for his takeoff from Taiwan in heavy rain and wind, hits construction materials and crashes, killing 82, although he survives; the runway lights are later blamed. On Nov. 3 widespread flooding occurs throughout England and Wales after days of heavy rain. On Nov. 4 Pres. Clinton vetoes an intelligence authorization bill containing a British Official Secrets Act-like provision making it a felony to leak govt. secrets, with prison terms of up to 3 years and fines of up to $1K, calling the wording "overbroad and may unnecessarily chill legitimate activities that are at the heart of a democracy". On Nov. 6 the U.S. Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act is signed by Pres. Clinton after clearing Congress in record time, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimating in Mar. that more than 380K subcutaneous injuries from contaminated sharps occur each year among U.S. health profs., and up to 800K worldwide, subjecting them to the risk of contracting HIV and hepatitis-C; the real reason is lobbying by Becton Dickinson & Co. of N.J., which has spent $500M developing "safety-engineered needles" that cost over twice as much as ordinary hypos? Can't prove it, but Bush stole the election? "George Bush" is an anagram for "He bugs Gore"? On Nov. 7 after $3B spent over four years on campaigning, the 2000 U.S. Pres. Election is the closest in decades, with the electoral vote so close (Gore 267, Bush 246, with 270 needed to win) on election night that Florida's 25 are fated to decide the winner; Tim Russert of NBC-TV introduces red-blue color-coding to electoral maps, with Repubs. colored red and Dems. blue, reversing the longstanding pattern of red for radicals and leftists and blue for conservative bluebloods; too bad, the use of a "butterfly ballot" confuses many voters, putting the nation on hold as Bush's slim lead in Fla. leads to an automatic recount, while a con game begins with the "hanging chad" problem (see the year 667 C.E.) with its butterfly ballots, and on Nov. 11 the Repubs. file a federal suit to block manual recount which might change Bush's lead to a Gore lead, forcing the election to be decided by the Repub.-controlled courts; Dems. force a manual recount in four counties, but it goes too slow, allowing millionaire Repub. Fla. secy. of state Katherine Harris (1957-) (whose beauty queen makeup becomes the butt of jokes on late-night TV) to set a Nov. 14 deadline for the recount, but she is overruled on Nov. 21 by the Fla. Supreme Court, which extends it to Nov. 26, on which day Harris (in her 15 min. of fame) certifies her boss, er, Bush as the winner by a 537-vote margin out of 6M votes cast, giving Fla.'s 25 electoral votes to Bush, along with the most interesting job in the world; on Nov. 22 Bush appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court to have the Fla. counting stopped in Bush v. Gore, argued by future U.S. solicitor gen. (2001-4) Theodore Bevry "Ted" Olson (1940-), which on Dec. 4 remands the case to the Fla. Supreme Court, headed by chief justice (since 1994) Charles T. Wells (1939-), which on Dec. 8 orders the recount to resume and to be completed by Dec. 10, since an 1887 federal law permits electors to be certified on Dec. 12 in time for the convening of the electoral college on Dec. 18; too bad, on Dec. 9 the U.S. Supreme Court votes 5-4 on partisan lines to order the recount stopped for lack of an objective standard after allowing audio recording of arguments before the justices for the first time ever (still forbidding cameras to see the fat wallets they're sitting on?); on Dec. 12 they rule 5-4 that the recount is unconstitutional, with chief justice Rehnquist sending an unsigned ruling at 10 p.m. to stop, giving Fla.'s electoral votes to Bush; dissenter John Paul Stevens issues the soundbyte: "Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year's presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the nation's confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the rule of law"; on Dec. 13 Bore, er, Gore, trying to think of the nation and not foul it up with indecision any longer issues the soundbyte: "While I strongly disagree with the court's decision, I accept it"; thanks to the Court, er, People, Texas Gov. George Walker Bush (1946-) and Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney (1941-) win over Dem. candidates Albert Arnold "Al" Gore Jr. (1948-) and Conn. Sen. Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman (1942-); Gore carries the West Coast (Calif., Wash.), the Upper Midwest (Iowa, Ill., Mich., Minn.), the Northeast (N.J., N.Y., Penn., Washington D.C.), and all of New England except N.H.; Bush carries the small-state "heartland"; 19K "unmarked" ballots are discarded in heavily Dem. Palm Beach County, throwing the election to Fla. Gov. Jeb Bush's bro'?; Ralph Nader of the Green Party (who claims that the two main parties are the same, so don't vote for either one, vote for him) gets 97K votes (3%), incl. enough votes to have given Gore N.H. and Fla., making him the winner, and pissing him off, along with many of Nader's own Nader's Raiders, esp. in retrospect; to add insult to injury, Bush officially receives 50,456,062 popular votes (47.9%) and 271 electoral votes to Gore's 50,996,582 popular (48.4%) and 266 electoral votes, becoming the 4th time (1824, 1876, 1888) that the winner of the popular vote loses the election; the voter participation rate is a bored 50.7%; Mo. has now picked the winner in 11 straight pres. elections, Ohio, Tenn. and Ky. in 10, La. and Ark. in 8; like with John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), a competent but uninspiring vice-pres. succeeds a charismatic pres., is defeated after one term by a liberal Southerner, then lives to see his near namesake son become pres. despite losing the popular vote to a populist from Tenn.; shell-shocked loser Abraham, er, AAG (Al A. Gore) begins growing a beard in Valencia, Spain; Hillary Rodham Clinton (1947-) becomes the first First Lady to run for and be elected to office (U.S. Dem. Sen. from N.Y.) (until ?), winning 55% of the vote; the Repubs. gain control of the White House, enjoying their first long run of govt. since the 1920s, and retain their narrow majority in the House of Reps., while Dems. secure 50 of the 100 U.S. Senate seats; meanwhile the slow decline in executive power is reversed bigtime since the Repubs. had the money and the packed judiciary ready to throw behind a Repub. pres. all the time? On Nov. 7 a criminal gang raids the Millennium Dome in London to steal the Millennium Star Diamond, but police surveillance catches them in the act. On Nov. 8 Amani Abeid Karume (1948-), son of former pres. (1964-72) Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume becomes pres. of Zanzibar (until ?). On Nov. 11 a cable car fire in an alpine tunnel in Kaprun, Austria kills 155 skiers and snowboarders. On Nov. 12-14 the 9th Islamic Summit Conference is held in Doha, Qatar, with over 4K participants from 55 member states, with the theme "Al-Aqsa Intifada". On Nov. 13 Philippine pres. (since 1998) Joseph Estrada is impeached for receiving gambling payoffs - a cupcake is a cupcake, right? On Nov. 15 the new state of Jharkhand in India is proclaimed, carving out the S Chhota Nagpur area from Bihar. On Nov. 16 Pres. Clinton becomes the first sitting U.S. pres. to visit Vietnam - where's the pretty boy sushi? On Nov. 17 a catastrophic landslide in Log pod Mangartom in NW Slovenia kills seven, and causes millions in damage, becoming one of Slovenia's worst disasters in a cent. On Nov. 25 the global warming talks at The Hague Conference meltdown over whether there is global warming, and whether it's anthropogenic (human-caused). On Nov. 25 Vienna unveils the Austrian Holocaust Memorial in the Judenplatz, designed by English sculptor Rachel Whiteread (1963-) to look like an inside-out library; Austrian Roman Catholic cardinal-archbishop (of Vienna) Christoph Schoenborn (1945-) acknowledges the Church's "culpability in the persecution of Jews" before and during the Nazi era. On Nov. 26 former Haitian pres. (1991, 1994-6) Jean-Bertrand Aristide (1953-) is relected after his Lavalas Party wins 17 of 18 senate seats at stake and 80% of the house seats in an election boycotted by all major parties and many of the 4M registered voters, with the U.S., EU and Canada refusing to monitor the elections; he takes office next Feb. 7 (until Feb. 29, 2004). On Nov. 27 Jean Chretien is re-elected as PM Canada, and his Liberal Party increases its majority in the House of Commons. On Nov. 28 the Netherlands becomes the first nation to legalize assisted suicide - just nuke the whole country and create some prime beachfront property for Germany? On Nov. 29 Gregory III Laham (1933-) becomes the Melkite Greek patriarch of Antioch (until ?), going on to stink himself up with statements that attacks on Christians in the Levant are part of a Zionist plot to discredit Islam. On Nov. 30 mad cow disease causes a big scare in Europe. In Nov. Neb. passes a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage; a federal judge strikes it down on 5-13-2005. In Nov. Janez Drnovsek is voted out of office after 8 years, and replaced by more conservative Andrej Bajuk (1943-) as PM of Slovenia (until 2004). In Nov. France talks Saddam Hussein of Iraq into defying the U.S. petrodollar hegemony and sell oil for food in euros instead of dollars - the real reason for the Mar. 2003 invasion? In Nov. after 10 years the U.S. govt. finishes chemical weapons disposal on 3.2K-acre Johnston (Kalama) Island (Atoll) 860 mi. SW of Honolulu, Hawaii (claimed by the U.S. since Mar. 19, 1858), turning it into a wildlife preserve. In Nov. the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Admin. (OSHA) issues a rule intended to protect employees from repetitive stress injuries (RSI), and estimates that compliance will cost industry only $4.5B the first year, although industry estimates place the cost as high as $125.8B the first year and $886.6B over 10 years. On Dec. 1 Priyanka Chopra (1982-) of India wins the Miss World Pageant in the Millennium Dome in London, going on to become one of India's top actresses. On Dec. 3 (Sun.) the Church of England adopts Common Worship, replacing the 1980 Alternative Service Book. On Dec. 4 Pres. Clinton issues Executive Order 13178 creating the 99.5K-sq.-mi. Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Reserve, protecting the coral reefs, atolls, submerged lagoons and marine life in an area as large as Fla.; the new reserve contains 70% of U.S. coral reefs; a public comment period begins in 2002, and Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle declares parts of it a state marine refuge in 2005, after which on June 15, 2006 Pres. George W. Bush signs Proclamation 8031, designating it a nat. monument. On Dec. 8 activists defend Operation Payback, which launched "hacktivist" attacks on MasterCArd to defend WikiLeaks. On Dec. 12 the U.N. (Palermo) Convention against Transnational Organized Crime is passed, with three supplementary Palermo Protocols covering trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, and trafficking in firearms, effective Sept. 29, 2003; by June 2016 it is adopted by 187 parties incl. 182 U.N. member states, the EU, the Vatican, the State of Palestine, and Cook Islands; members that have not ratified it incl. Iran, Japan, Repub. of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Palau, and Tuvalu. On Dec. 12 after dating bi porn star Tony Ward in 1990-1, followed by Vanilla Ice, Dennis Rodman, fitness trainer Carlos Leon, and Andy Bird (who tells all to the newspapers in 2000), Kabbalah-practicing Am. #1 female pop star Madonna Louise Ciccone (1958-) marries English "Sherlock Holmes", "Snatch", "Revolver" actor-writer-producer-dir. Guy Stuart Ritchie (1968-) (whose son Rocco she bore in Aug. 2000, then had baptized in a Presbyterian Church) in Skibo Castle in Dornoch, Scotland (until Dec. 2008); her daughter Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon (b. 1996) leads the procession. On Dec. 12 Amtrak's first Acela Express train leaves Union Station in Washington, D.C., arriving in Boston, Mass. in 6 hours 43 min., 12 min. behind schedule; billed as able to go 150 mph and shorten the ride between Washington and New York City by 15 min., it is held to 70-90 mph by the law of N.Y. and Conn., and can only achieve full speed on the 18-mi. stretch in R.I., and is still slower than France's Grande Vitesse, although it weighs half as much. On Dec. 12 GM announces that it will phase-out its Oldsmobile make within five years - not your father's Oldsmobile? On Dec. 13 the Texas Seven (Joseph Christopher Garcia, Randy Ethan Halprin, Larry James Harper, Patrick Henry Murphy Jr., Donald Keith Newbury, George Angel Rivas Jr., and Michael Anthony Rodriguez) escape from prison in Kenedy, Tex., and begin a crime spree, robbing a sports store in Irving, Tex. on Dec. 24 and killing rookie police officer Aubrey Hawkins (b. 1971); they are not apprehended until Jan. 21 in an RV park in Woodland, Colo. posing as Christian missionaries after a segment on the TV show "America's Most Wanted"; Larry James Harper commits suicide to avoid capture; on Apr. 23-24 the last two are apprehended at a Holiday Inn in Colorado Springs, Colo.; all are convicted of murder and sentenced to death in Tex. On Dec. 14 Dante Michael Siou is convicted of stalking actress Gwyneth Paltrow and sent to a high-security mental facility after a judge finds him insane - applesauce for brains? On Dec. 16 Bronx-born "55% Republican" Colin Powell is appointed secy. of state by pres.-elect Bush, becoming the first black to hold the position - good move to quiet all the grumbling by disenfranchised black Fla. Dem. voters? On Dec. 20 Pres. Clinton pocket-vetoes the Bankruptcy Reform Act, a cruel law written by credit card cos. and banks that would have made it far more difficult for debtors to obtain bankruptcy protection; never fear, they have big lobbying bucks available, and go on to get it passed under Pres. Bush. On Dec. 21 Pres. Clinton signs the U.S. Commodities Futures Modernization Act, backed by Alan Greenspan, which relegalizes bucket shops and stock market derivatives (side bets by people not owning stock), setting the Stock Market up for the 2008 Liquidity Crisis; "Basically, that law made pure bets, for the first time in Anglo-Saxon legal history, enforceable in court. I always joke that if Congress decided to legalize murder, they'd call the legislation the Homocide Modernization Act." (Lynn Stout) On Dec. 21 after George W. Bush resigns to become U.S. pres., Haskell, Tex.-born James Richard "Rick" Perry (1950-) becomes Repub. Tex. gov. #47 (until Jan. 20, 2015), becoming the longest-serving Tex. gov. (until ?). On Dec. 26 computer software tester Michael McDermott (1958-) (whose portrait bears a striking resemblance to "Rubeus Hagrid in Harry Potter" actor Robbie Coltrane (1950-)?) goes berserk at a Wakefield, Mass., Internet co. and kills seven co-workers with a semiautomatic rifle and shotgun. On Dec. 28 Montgomery Ward announces it's going out of business after 128 years, filing bankruptcy and closing its 250 stores and dismissing 28K employees. On Dec. 29 Israeli PM (since 1999) Ehud Barak resigns. On Dec. 29 Wichita, Kan.-born, Colo.-raised Gale Ann Norton (1954-), Colo's first female atty.-gen. (1991-9) and failed U.S. Repub. Sen. candidate (1996) is nominated by pres.-elect Bush for U.S. secy. of the interior. On Dec. 30 the Rizal Day Bombings see a series of bombs explode in several places in Manila, Philippines within a span of a few hours, killing 22 and injuring 100. On Dec. 30 the Clintons buy a $2.85M 5-bedroom colonial-style brick home on Whitehaven St. near Embassy Row in Washington, D.C., designating their Chappaqua, N.Y. home as their primary residence. On Dec. 31 the Millennium Dome in London closes its doors one year after opening - too bad, wait till next millennium On Dec. 31 Saddam Hussein presides over a military parade in Baghdad, dressed in a suit, tie and hat, and fires a rifle with one hand like "The Rifleman", which becomes his image-making move to gun-proud Americans? - like challenging cowboy Bush to a gunfight? Motiur Rahman Nazami (1943-) becomes leader of the far-right Islamist Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Party (until ?). U.S. Sen. (D-Hawaii) (1990-2013) Daniel Kahikina Akaka (1924-) (first U.S. Sen of Native Hawaiian ancestry) proposes the retro racial separatist (caca?) Akaka Bill (Native Hawaiian Govt. Reorg. Act), providing for federal recognition of Native Hawaiians similar to an Indian tribe, while prohibiting them from benefits available to federally-recognized Indian tribes incl. gaming, despite setting a precedent that could balkanize the U.S., and lack of support by Hawaiians; it doesn't pass until ?. The Durban AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa brings attention to the high costs of AIDS drugs and the need for whites, er, govts. to treat poor (black) people in Africa and elsewhere, proposing an internat. fund for the triple cocktail, but doctors counter that it would be too difficult to administer in rural Africa because of inaccessibility; meanwhile U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms of N.C. (AKA "Dr. No") battles against AIDS funding, saying, "I've never heard anybody suggest to the homosexuals: Stop what you're doing". Al-Awda (Palestinian Right to Return Coalition) is founded. Oil is discovered in Kazakhstan's portion of the Caspian Sea, where it has 1.2K mi. of coastline, becoming the largest oil find in 30 years. Netherlands legalizes prostitution, allowing hos to own windows in Amsterdam's Red Light District and pay taxes on their earnings; it also legalizes same-sex marriage. Pres. Bush signs a proclamation establishing 328K-acre Giant Sequoia Nat. Monument, home to 38 sequoia groves containing two-thirds of all sequoias, the world's largest trees, which can grow up to 270 ft. tall and 30 ft. in diam. Pierce's Disease is first discovered on grapevines in the U.S. Malaria deaths in the U.S. climb from a low of 1 in 1977 to 423 this year. Ever-increasing bacterial antibiotic resistance is causing concern in the medical community. The U.S. govt. begins providing billions of dollars to Colombia to spray its drug fields; the tactic backfires when growers begin invading nat. parks (Sierra Macarena et al.), which can't be sprayed because of protected plant species. Balding "pompad-over"-coiffed (poofy squirrel-do) Donald Trump considers a pres. bid with the Progressive Party, the switches to the Reform Party, losing to Pat Buchanan. 95-y.-o. Stanley Kunitz (1905-) becomes the 10th poet laureate of the U.S. - safe choice in case he doesn't work out? Louis Farrakhan and Imam W.D. Mohammed reconcile and call for unity among their groups. Colo. voters approve a constitutional amendment (Article XVIII) legalizing medical marijuana. A group of U.S. menswear retailers and manufactures start Dress-Up Thursdays to encourage employees to dump casual for business attire - the Clinton days are over, dudes? Starbucks opens an outlet in China's Forbidden City, causing a movement to get rid of it for messing up its image. The Nature Conservancy buys the uncolonized island of Palmyra, 960 mi. SW of Honolulu for $30M from the Fullard-Leos family. Fertility rates in European nations have been falling since 1970, and now Italy's is the lowest (1.2) in the world, so low that in 30-40 years the pop. could decrease by one-third. Vietnam opens the Vietnam Stock Exchange in Ho Chi Minh City, listing two cos. and two bonds; in 2005 it expands to Hanoi, and by 2006 trades 26 stocks and funds with a total capitalization of $3.5B. Beginning this year "ethnic plastic surgery" becomes popular in the U.S., with Asians getting their eyes fixed to look more Caucasian, blacks getting their noses fixed to look more Caucasian, etc.; a few white women get their booties implanted to look more bootylicious and black? The Millennium Seed Bank Project is begun by the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England to provide an insurance policy against extinction of plants in the wild. The U.S. bison (buffalo) pop. reaches 300K,, up from 20-30 in 1900 as bison ranches proliferate in the Great Plains states. The U.S.-Canada Atlantic salmon pop. falls to 350K, down from 1.5M in 1970; Aqua Bounty Farms applies to the U.S. FDA for permission to market genetically modified salmon that grow to market size in 18 instead of the usual 36 mo., causing critics to call them "Frankenfish" and worry about them escaping into the wild. The homosexual issue causes mass defections in the Episcopal Church, with six parishes leaving for the new homo-free Anglican Mission in the Americas by next year - different Easters, different Easter eggs? After trying since the late 1980s to get it introduced into Congress in vain, Harvey Francis Barnard (1941-2005) releases his NESARA (Nat. Economic Security and Recovery Act) proposal on the Internet, proposing to replace the income tax with a nat. sales tax, abolish compound interest on secured loans, and return to a bimetallic currency to reduce inflation to 0% and stabilize the economy, after which "Dove of Oneness" Shaini Candace Goodwin (1947-2010), former student of the Ramtha School of Enlightenment claims that the bill was passed in a secret Congressional session in Mar. 2000 and signed by Pres. Clinton, set to be implemented at 10 a.m. on 9/11/2001, and that all the computers and data were stored on the 2nd floor of the WTC and destroyed in the 9/11 attacks ordered by Pres. George W. Bush, who starts the Iraq War as a distraction; according to her, the bill actually passed cancels all personal debts, abolishes the IRS, declares world peace, and mandates new pres. and congressional elections, and is being covered-up by the govt. Elizabeth Taylor is made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II; "I have been a broad all my life and dame just automatically came next" (to Larry King). The New York Times carries the headline "Fed Head Not Dead", referring to little-seen Federal Reserve chmn. Alan Greenspan. Penetration of PCs in the U.S. exceeds half of all households. Sun Microsystems founder Bill Joy frets about possible dangers of nanotechnology in the Apr. issue of Wired mag. William Leonard Pickard (1945-) and Clyde Apperson (1955-) are arrested for running an LSD lab in an Atlas-E missile silo near Wamego, Kans., receiving long sentences, after which worldwide availability of LSD allegedly drops 90%. In this decade the Grasseater Gen. of Japanese males, who live with their mothers, wear makeup and tight-fitting clothes, and want no part of the corporate rat race of their fathers flourishes. Los Angeles 5'10" native Tyra Banks (1973-) hits the runways of Europe, becoming the first African-Am. model on the covers of both Sports Illustrated and GQ; she is named by GQ as their woman of the year. "Big Easy", "Sea of Love" actress Ellen Barkin (1954-) marries billionaire Revlon chmn. Ron Perelman (1943-) (ends 2006) - what destoyed her teeth and ruined her style, a marriage made in plastic card heaven? The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) in Palestine are set up by former Fatah member Jamal Abu Samhadana (1963-2006) (famous for the soundbyte "Jews are our enemy - I will pull the trigger whenever required"), with funding from Hezbollah to engage in terrorist and rocket attack; on June 8, 2006 he is assassinated by the Israelis. The U.S. suffers a record 52 shark attacks this year; 30 in 2004, 38 in 2005; world total in 2005 is 58, only four being fatal. Since the British prefer ale to beer, there are only about 500 breweries in the U.K., but thanks to the microbrewing rev. that number grows to 1,285 in 2015. Apollo Carreon Quiboloy (1950-) of the Philippines claims to be Jesus Christ, and busily recruits followers. The Great Gazoo is added to the cast of characters in Flintstones vitamins. SpongeBob SquarePants, created by Steven Hillenburg (1961-) makes his debut on the Nickelodeon cable TV channel, becoming a gay vehicle as rumors fly. The Rock's Backpages online library is founded by British journalist Barney Hoskyns (1959-). The $100K Canadian Griffin Poetry Prize is founded by Scott Griffin (1938-), becoming Canada's most generous poetry award; in 2010 it is doubled to $200K Canadian. Greg Glassman and Lauren Glassman found CrossFit Inc. to promote a gen. fitness exercise program, which is adopted by 6K+ gyms by 2013; in 2007 the first CrossFit Games are held, which is won by Rich Froning Jr. (1987-), who is awarded the title "Fittest Man on Earth". Bill Clinton games the George J. Mitchell Scholarship Fund (founded by Trina Vargo, a broker of the talks leading to the 1998 Good Friday Peace Agreement in Ireland) to get Chelsea Clinton's beau Jeremy Kane into an elite college. The lionfish pop. off the Atlantic coast of Fla. (native to the W Pacific Ocean) (first reported in the mid-1980s) becomes numerous, going on to spread N through the E seaboard, and S through the Gulf of Mexico (until ?). Divine Interventions, a co. offering Jackhammer Jesus and other holy dildos opens on the Web. The 77K-ton 14-story cruise ship Ocean Princess goes into service in Feb. for the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co. subsidiary Princess Cruises; it can accommodate 1,950 passengers in style and comfort, and has sonar to detect icebergs. Fortinet Inc. is founded by brothers Ken and Michael Xie to provide security firewalls; too bad, it gets into discrimination against sites based on their political content under the guise of protecting customers from discrimination, not just white supremacist sites but popular smart anti-Islamic sites incl. Bare Naked Islam. Original Gourmet Food Co. in Salem, N.H. is founded to manufacture gourmet lollipops. Sports: On Jan. 4 self-made Jewish-Am. billionaire (founder of Broadcast.com) Mark Cuban (1958-) buys the NBA Dallas Mavericks from H. Ross Perot Jr. for $285M; turning it arund from a 40% to a 69% winning percentage by 2010. On Jan. 9 Orlando, Fla. resident Tiger Woods wins the Mercedes Championship in Kapalua, Hawaii, matching Ben Hogan's 1945 11-streak, then wins the AT&T Pebble Beach Nat. Pro-Am. on Feb. 7, matching Hogan's 1948 record of six straight tour victories; too bad, on Feb. 13 he loses to Philip Albert "Phil" Mickelson (1970-) in La Jolla, Calif., and Mickelson goes on to win the Masters on Apr. 9, with Woods coming in 5th; Woods then wins the 100th U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, Calif. on June 18 by a record 15 strokes (his 12-under-par 272 total is also a record), becoming the first player to win back-to-back PGAs since the 1930s and to win all three major titles in one year since Ben Hogan in 1953. On Feb. 20 the 2000 (42nd) Daytona 500 is won by Dale Jarrett (3rd win); Dave Marcis fails to qualify for the first time since 1968. On Mar. 30 the 2000 America's Cup is retained by Team New Zealand in Black Magic near Auckland after Prada Challenge 2000 loses 0-5. On Apr. 17 Ubaldo Jimenez (1984-) pitches the first-ever no-hitter for the Colorado Rockies against the Atlanta Braves; on Apr. 20 Rockies pres. Keli McGregor (b. 1963) is found dead in a Salt Lake City, Utah hotel room. On May 28 the 2000 (84th) Indianapolis 500 is won by rival CART champion Juan Pablo Montoya Roldan (1975-) of Colombia, becoming the rookie to win since Graham Hill in 1966. On May 29 Randy Velarde (1962-) (2B) of the Oakland A's makes an unassisted triple play against the New York Yankees, becoming the 11th in ML history. On May 30-June 10 the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals see the New Jersey Devils defeat the Dallas Stars 4-2 in double OT, becoming their 2nd win; MVP is Devils defenceman Ronald Scott Stevens (1964-); after the 1999-2000 season the Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award, named for goalie (1960-77) Roger Allan Crozier (1942-96) is established by the NHL for the goaltender with the best save percentage during the regular season after playing 25+ games; the first award goes to Ed Belfour of the Dallas Stars; the last award (2006-7 season) goes to Niklas Backstrom of the Minnesota Wild. On June 7-19 the 2000 NBA Finals sees the Los Angeles Lakers (coach Phil Jackson) defeat the Indiana Pacers (coach Larry Bird) 4-2; on June 14 the Lakers defeat the Pacers 120-118 in OT to win Game 4, with Shaquille O'Neal scoring 36 points and 21 rebounds, and teammate Kobe Bryant scoring 28 points; on June 16 (Game 5) the Pacers rout the Lakers 120-87; on June 19 the Lakers capture their first title since 1988 in Game 6; Shaquille O'Neal of the Lakers is MVP; Bryant misses most of Game 2 and all of Game 3 because of an ailing left ankle. On June 8 undefeated 3-10 favorite Big Brown (2005-) becomes the first Triple Crown hopeful to finish last at the Belmont Stakes after winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes handily (winner 38-to-1 Da' Tara); it is later discovered that one of his shoes became bent soon after the start. On July 2 France defeats Italy 2-1 to win Euro 2000 with a golden goal. On June 26-July 9 the 2000 (114th) Wimbledon Championship sees Pete Sampras defeat Pat Rafter to win his 4th straight (last) Wimbledon single's title and 7th men's singles title; Venus Williams defeats Lindsay Davenport to win the women's singles title, becoming the first of five Wimbledon titles. On July 14-23 the 2000 U.S. Olympics Track & Field Trials in Sacramento, Calif. are the best-attended track trials in U.S. history (until ?); drugstore athletes Marion Jones and Michael Johnson emerge as stars. On July 23 Lance Armstrong wins France's Tour de France for a 2nd straight year. On Aug. 28-Sept. 10 the 2000 U.S. Open of Tennis sees defending champ Andre Agassi upset in the 2nd round by Amaud Clement, and defending champ Serena Williams upset in the quarter-finals by Lindsay Davenport, who loses in the final round to her older sister Venus Williams (1980-) of the U.S.; Marat Safin (1980-) easily defeats Sampras to become the first Russian U.S. Open singles winner. On Oct. 5 Dante Hall of the Kansas City Chiefs scores a 93-yard punt return for a TD against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. On Oct. 7 the Columbus Blue Jackets of Ohio play their first game as an NHL expansion team, becoming the city's first major league franchise since 1938 (the Columbus Athletic Supply of the Nat. Basketball League, later NBA). Yankees 3rd baseman Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" "A-Rod" Rodriguez (1975-) signs a 10-year, $252M deal, making him ML baseball's highest-paid player; if you add endorsements, Tiger Wood is the best paid athlete of all, making $112M this year. Penn State U. coach (English lit. major) Joe "Mount Joe Pa" Paterno (1927-), winner of two nat. championships begins a decline, ending in a 4-7 2004 season amid off-field incidents On Dec. 16 the day after Shaquille O'Neal's graduation (after he left early in 1992 after three years, then returned to fulfill a vow), LSU retires his jersey #33. The John Mackey Award for college football's most outstanding tight end is established; the first winner is Tim Stratton of Purdue U. The 3-day Weber Cup, named after Dick Weber is established as the 10-pin bowling equivalent of golf's Ryder Cup; the first tournament sees Team USA defeat Team Europe 18-11. The Prof. Bowlers Assoc. (PBA) (founded 1958) is purchased by former Microsoft execs Chris Peters, Rob Glaser, and Mike Slade, who move the co. HQ to Seattle, Wash. Pfizer's Viagra sponsors NASCAR driver Mike Bliss (#27) for Eel River Racing, switching next year to Mark Martin (#6) of Roush Racing, who finishes 2nd in points in 2002 and 4th in 2004 and 2005. Architecture: On May 12 the Tate Modern (Museum) opens in Southark, London across the Thames River from St. Paul's Cathedral in the former Bankside Power Plant after a $200M renovation by Swiss architects Jacques Herzog (1950-) and Pierre de Meuron (1950-); the old Tate Museum upriver is renamed Tate Britain and continues to display Gainsboroughs and Turners, while the 12-story-high lobby of the Tate Modern features modernist crap, er, art incl. the gigantic steel sculptures I Do, I Undo, and I Redo by spider-loving French sculptor Louise Josephine Bourgeois (1911-2010). On June 10 the 1,066-ft. (325m) Millennium Bridge in London, England (begun in 1998) between Southwark Bridge and Blackfiars Bridge near St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tate Modern Gallery opens, designed by modernist sculptor Sir Anthony Alfred Caro (1924-2013), the Arup Group, and Foster and Partners, becoming the first pedestrian crossing over the Thames River in C London for over a cent.; too bad, it soon becomes known as the Wobbly Bridge after it begins shaking under the traffic, and on June 13 it is shut down for almost two years to fix it, reopening in 2002. On July 1 25,738 ft. (7,845m) Oresund Bridge across the Oresund Strait between Sweden and Denmark opens, becoming the longest combo road-rail bridge in Europe, connecting Copenhagen and Malmo; sometimes the drivers get wet. The $4.3B 928-ft.-high 12,828-ft.-long Akashi Kaikyo Bridge opens, connecting Kobe and Awaji-shima Island in Japan, becoming the world's longest spanning suspension bridge (until ?); it is specially built to withstand earthquakes and 180 mph winds. The $800M cyberpunk Sony Center at the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, Germany opens, designed by German-Am. architect Helmut Jahn (1940-). The "blobitecture" Experience Music Project in Seattle, Wash., founded by Paul Allen of Microsoft opens, exploring pop music and sci-fi. The colorful Hundertwasser Bldg., AKA the Waldspirale (Wooden Spiral) in Darmstadt (begun 1998) is finished by Austrian architect Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser (1928-2000), with 105 apts. and onion domes. Nobel Prizes: Peace: Kim Dae-jung (1925-2009) (South Korea) [Sunshine Policy]; Lit.: Gao Xingjian (1940-) (China); Physics: Zhores Ivanovich Alferov (1930-) (Russia) and Herbert Kroemer (1928-) (U.S.) [heterostructures], and Jack St. Clair Kilby (1923-2005) (U.S.) [microchip tech.]; Chem: Alan Jay Heeger (1936-) (U.S.), Alan Graham MacDiarmid (1927-2007) (U.S.), and Hideki Shirakawa (1936-) (Japan) [conductive polymers]; Arvid Carlsson (1923-) (Sweden), Paul Greengard (1925-) (U.S.), and Eric Richard Kandel (1929-) (U.S.) [signal transduction in the nervous system]; Economics: James Joseph Heckman (1944-) (U.S.) [statistical analysis of household and individual behavior] and Daniel Little McFadden (1937-) (U.S.) [theory and methods for analyzing discrete choice]. Inventions: On Jan. 1 Baidu search engine is founded in Beijing, China by Robin Li (Li Yanhong) (1968-) and Eric Xu Yong (1964-), going on to become the 2nd largest search engine on Earth, with a 76% market share in the Chinese market; in Dec. 2007 it becomes the first Chinese co. to be listed in the NASDAQ-100. On Feb. 14 the NASA Shoemaker Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft becomes the first to orbit an asteroid, 433 Eros. On May 3 San Antonio, Tex. computer pioneer Datapoint files for bankruptcy. On May 4 young Philippine hackers launch the Love Bug (I Love You) Virus, which by displaying the message "I love you" and invites the recipient to call up an attachment, which sends itself to everyone on their Web mailing list then trashes and shuts down the recipient's computer, spreading to Asia, Europe, and the Americas, paralyzing communications; 70% of Germany's computers are infected; the British House of Commons shuts down its e-mail to stop the virus, and govt. offices in Washington, D.C. are infected; total damage is as high as $10B (e-bucks?). On June 19 the Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Duron low-priced x86-compatible microprocessor is released (until 2004). On Feb. 17 Microsoft releases Windows 2000 (W2K), followed on Sept. 14 by Windows Me (Millennium Ed.) - works like a giant screw going into the ground? In Mar. IBM announces that it will make all of its software and hardware work seamlessly with the free "open source" Linux computer operating system (introduced in 1993) in hopes of undermining the monopoly of Microsoft's Windows and Sun Microsystem's Solaris operating systems. On Apr. 3 IBM announces a polymer-based low-k dielectric for reducing crosstalk in microprocessors, boosting speed and performance by as much as 30%. In early Apr. the 20-vol. Oxford English Dictionary (OED) goes online as part of a 10-year $55M overhaul to add 600K new words and revise older entries; the paper ed. costs $550 and up per year, but the online vers. continues to be free. In 2000 Intel Corp. releases the Pentium 4 chip, which has 42M transistors, compared to 24M in the Pentium III (1999), 7.5M in the Pentium II (1997), and 3.1M in the Pentium chip (1993); it is discontinued in 2008. The Bluetooth Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and Bluetooth General Packet Radio System (GPRS) are developed, launching the wireless era of PCs. The pi4-workerbot is released, featuring finger-tip sensitivity. In Oct. Toppan Printing Co. Ltd. produces a 2x1.5x1 cm 16-page ed. of the book titled The Twelve Horary Signs - Chinese Zodiac, becoming the smallest book yet printed. On Nov. 14 Netscape Navigator 6.0 is launched after two years of open source development, creating a stable Mozilla Web browser; too bad, after being Microsoft-monopolized out of biz, vers. 9 becomes kaput on Feb. 1, 2008 - can I have it like that, you got it like that? Herbert Allen of Tex. invents the Rabbit Corkscrew, with 31 separate parts. Science: Low-cost (less than $100) DNA testing kits become available to the consumer from Family Tree DNA, causing a fad to discover family ancestry and distant family members; by 2019 the DNA testing cos. have 26M DNA profiles available, half from the U.S. On Jan. 14 studies using the Chandra X-Ray Observatory reveal that the pervasive X-ray background of the Universe is caused by black holes near the centers of most galaxies. In spring 2000 the Internat. Hydrographic Org. defines the Southern (Antarctic) (Austral) Ocean (20.327M sq km) as all water below 60 deg. S, making it the 4th biggest of the five oceans after the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian, and bigger than the Arctic. On Mar. 25 the U.S. launches IMAGE (Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration, becoming the first satellite dedicated to completely imaging Earth's magnetosphere. On Apr. 6 a very bright fireball with a magnitude of -17 (brighter than the full Moon) is observed, thought to have been made by a 660 lb. (300 kg) meteor; on July 14 the 3.86 lb. (1.75 kg) Neuschwantstein Meteorite fragment is recovered near and named for the famous German Neuschwanstein Castle. On May 1 the Am. Academy of Pediatrics issues its first guidelines for diagnosing ADD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) to prevent overmedication of youngsters who are merely rowdy with Ritalin. On May 9 an internat. team led by Harry Ostrer of NYU pub. an article in Proceedings of the Nat. Academy of Science reporting that Jews and Arabs have been found to be genetically identical. On June 26 (Mon.) at the White House Francis Sellers Collins (1950-), dir. of the Human Genome Project, and John Craig Venter (1946-), pres. of Celera Genomics Corp announce their separate First Drafts of the Human Genome, the epoch-making first sequencing (deciphering) of 95%-97% of the human genome, expected to revolutionize medicine, just in time for the 50th anniv. of the pub. of the double helix work by James D. Watson and Francis Crick, taking only 13 of 15 expected years, declaring that the human genome has 3.1B "letters" (chemical bases); Pres. Clinton calls it "the most wondrous map ever produced", comparing the HGP to the Manhattan and Apollo projects; the program has come in underbudget, and involved 1.6K scientists, and adding the religious soundbyte: "Today, we are learning the language in which God created life. We are gaining ever more awe for the complexity, the beauty and the wonder of God's most divine and sacred gift" after being put up to it be Collins, a theist; Collins and Venter continue their war to be the first to finish the sequencing; by the end of the decade a genome can be sequenced in a week; meanwhile insurance cos. and govt. agencies line up to find ways to get and use genetic makeups, while every Tom, Dick and Harry with a computer rushes to patent genes after roping them off like in the Okla. Land Rush? In June the U.S. Nat. Research Council concludes that Earth's surface temp is rising as a part of global warming, but that the lower atmosphere is not affected at this time. On Sept. 3 the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Cerro Paranal, Chile begins operation, consisting of four 8.2m (323 in.) mirrors, each with its own name (Antu, Kueyen, Melipal, and Yepun); they initially operate independently, but are linked with interferometry in 2001. On Sept. 6 Breanna Lynn Bartlett-Stewart is stillborn to Scott Stewart and Lisa Bartlett in Paragould, Ark., becoming the first stillbirth to be resolved by the Kleihauer-Betke Blood Test; the publicity causes a movement for a Stillbirth Remembrance Day for the 26K stillborns each year in the U.S. On Sept. 12 Miss Waldron's Red Colobus Monkey of West Africa becomes the first primate species to officially become extinct in this millennium as biologists give up their search; it becomes the first large primate to go extinct since 1800; the Pyrenean ibex wild mountain goat is declared extinct; in 2009 it is resurrected via cloning; the 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals and Plants lists 24% of mammals, 12% of birds, 30% of fishes, and 20% of amphibians on Earth as globally threatened with extinction. On Sept. 15 after Am. biologist Steven Austad is quoted in Scientific American as saying: "The first 150-year old person is probably alive right now", he and Am. aging expert Stuart Jay Olshansky (1954-) make their Big Lifespan Bet, putting $150 each into an investment fund, with the money and interest to go to the winner on Jan. 1, 2150 if he is of sound mind; they later stake another $150 each. On Oct. 9 the NASA High Energy Transient Explorer (HETE) II is launched by the U.S. in conjunction with France, Japan, and Italy to observe, report, and help locate gamma-ray bursters while it also surveys X-ray sources across the Universe. The superheavy synthetic radioactive element Livermorium (Lv) (#116) is discovered by the Lawrence Livermore Nat. Lab in Calif.; the name is adopted by IUPAC on May 30, 2012. Indian astrophysicist Abhas Mitra announces Eternally Collapsing Objects (ECOs) as an alternative to Black Holes. Scientists at the Dubna Inst. in Russia create element #116. After being hired by Bell Labs in 1997, German physicist Jan Hendrik Schoen (Schön) (1970-) begins pub. a series of papers proclaiming breakthroughs in semiconductor physics, receiving the Braunschweig Prize and other prizes before being exposed as a fraud in 2002, causing a scandal about the adequacy of peer review. The sunken ancient Egyptian port city of Thonis-Herakleion is discovered 7 km off the Egyptian shore in Aboukir Bay by an internat. mission led by Moroccan-born French archeologist Franck Goddio (1947-). Am. paleontologist John R. "Jack" Horner (1946-) of the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Mont. and his team discover five separate T-Rexes, increasing the world collection by 35% - which makes you wonder about what? Leonid Khriachtchev (1959-), Markku Rasanen et al. of the U. of Helsinki in Finland report the first known stable compound of the inert noble gas argon, Argon Fluorohydride (HArF) by shining UV light on frozen argon containing a small amount of hydrogen fluoride, proving that it's not really so inert. David R. Liu et al. at Harvard U. develop a method for producing specific organic compounds using single-stranded DNA as a catalyst; by 2003 they develop 65 related compounds with 65 different template DNA strands. Michael C. Malin (1950-) and Kenneth S. Edgett (1965-) of the U.S. pub. geologic evidence that liquid water has changed the surface of Mars, creating gullies on steep slopes. Michael R. Rampino et al. of New York U. find evidence that Earth's largest mass extinction, known as the Late Permian, occurred during a period of less than 8K years about 250M ago, killing 95% of all species in the oceans; Luann Becker of the U. of Washington in Seattle analyzes sediments at the Permian-Triassic Boundary and concludes that they had an extraterrestrial source, implying that the extinction was caused by a comet or asteroid impact. The first Molecular Map of the Ribosome (the cell's essential protein factory) is completed by ?. Jorg Richstein of the U. of Giessen in Germany uses a computer to verify to 1 in 400T the 1742 Christian Goldbach Conjecture that every even number greater than 2 is the sum of two primes - two more years I'll be done with school and making history because of you? An internat. team of biologists sequences the genome of a flowering plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, becoming the first flowering plant all of whose genes have been found. J. Craig Venter et al. pub. almost the entire genome of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. The potential first human ancestors to journey out of Africa are found in the Repub. of Georgia by C. Reid Ferring, Carl C. Swisher III et al. - Margaret Mitchell would call that poetic justice? Chemists at the Naval Research Lab. in Washington, D.C. produce samples of Octanitrocubane, a long-sought hydrocarbon derivative expected to be the most powerful non-nuclear explosive. A bigger fungus than the one in Crystal Falls, Mich. (2.2K acres in size) is discovered in E Ore. The first FDA-approved robot surgery, the removal of a gallbladder is performed in Richmond, Va. using the $1M da Vinci Surgical System by Intuitive Surgical; by 2012 3.1K units worldwide conduct 200K surgeries/year. Researchers from the U. of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, report that transplants of insulin-producing cells from cadavers into persons with Type I diabetes free patients from the need for insulin injections, although they must use immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of their lives - hook them up to a lightning machine and they'll turn into Frankensteins? French scientists report success in relieving babies of severe immune disorder (hereditary lack of T cells) through the use of gene therapy that infuses working copies of marrow stem cells into their bones; some recipients later develop a form of leukemia. Prize dairy cow Lauduc Broker Mandy, EX-95 2E, the first clone ever sold at a public auction is purchased for $82K at the 2000 World Dairy Expo. Richard Montgomery of the U. of Calif. Santa Cruz and Alain Chenciner of France produce an exact solution to the Three-Body Problem for Equal Masses, showing that they can orbit each other in a figure-8 pattern where each body in turn passes between the other two. Results from the 1998 BOOMERANG (Balloon Observations of Millimetric Extragalactic Radiation and Geophysical) experiment study of cosmic background radiation (CBR) reveal that the Universe is flat, not curved. The 100m x 100m Green Bank Radio Telescope, built to replace one that mysteriously collapsed in 1988 begins operation, becoming the world's largest fully steerable dish radio telescope. AMANDA (Antarctic Muon and Neutrino Detector Array) begins a large-scale conceptual test at the South Pole with nine strings of 302 photomultipliers, each buried from 1.3km-2.4km (4265-7875 ft.) deep in the ice to detect Cerenkov light radiation from muons produced by collision with high-energy neutrinos. The Cluster Mission sees Russia launch Cluster II and Salsa/Samba for the European Space Agency (ESA) on July 16, followed by Rumba/Tango on Aug. 9, which on Sept. 1 begin coordinated orbits to maintain stations at the vertices of a pyramid while orbiting in order to study interactions of Earth's magnetic field with the solar wind. Physicists at the DONUT (Direct Observation of NU Tau) detector announce they have obtained the first direct evidence of the elusive Tau Nneutrino, all four of them (the other flavors are electron and muon neutrinos); meanwhile researchers in Japan announce a shortfall in the number of muon neutrinos beamed from their Japanese Accelerator Facility (KEK) at the Super-Kamiokande Neutrino Telescope; 40 muon neutrinos were detected, 13 short of the expected number, with the missing ones presumed to have changed flavor. The Italian Nat. Research Council in Florence and the NEC Research Inst. in Princeton demonstrate that interference patterns can propagate faster than the speed of light. Nonfiction: Peter Ackroyd (1949-), London: The Biography. Fred Adams and Greg Laughlin, The Five Ages of the Universe; claims that we now understand the complete life story of the Universe from beginning to end. Mortimer Adler (1902-2001), How to Think About the Great Ideas: From the Great Books of Western Civilization; ed. Max Weismann. Francesco Alberoni (1929-), The Sources of Dreams (My Theories and My Life) (essays). Stephen Edward Ambrose (1936-2002), Nothing Like It in the World. Jonathan Ames (1964-), What's Not to Love? The Adventures of a Mildly Perverted Writer. Christopher Peter Andersen (1949-), The Day John Died; John F. Kennedy Jr.; George and Laura: Portrait of an American Marriage. Karen Armstrong (1944-), Islam: A Short History; claims it's not violent and backward; The Battle for God: Fundamentalism in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Lance Armstrong (1971-) (with Sally Jenkins), It's Not About the Bike (autobio.). Judyth Vary Baker, Me & Lee: How I Came to Know, Love and Lose Lee Harvey Oswald (Sept. 16); claims that he was trying to prevent JFK's assassination. Ian Graeme Barbour (1923-), When Science Meets Religion: Enemies, Strangers, or Partners?. John D. Barrow (1952-), The Book of Nothing: Vacuums, Voids, and the Latest Ideas About the Origins of the Universe. Jacques Barzun (1907-2012), From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life, 1500 to the Present; NYT bestseller, covering Western cultural history since 1500; "Arguably the best thinking man's bedside book ever written" (Peter Green, Times Lit. Supplement); his magnum opus - enjoy the ride from sugarland? Brandon Bays 1953-), The Journey: A Road Map to the Soul; bestseller in the U.K. The Beatles, The Beatles Anthology (Oct.) - the closest thing you'll get to a reunion tour? Lerone Bennett Jr. (1928-2018), Forced into Glory: Abraham Lincoln's White Dream (Feb. 1); claims that the Great Emancipator was a white racist; "[The] basic idea of the book is simple: Everything you think you know about Lincoln and race is wrong. Every schoolchild, for example, knows the story of 'the great emancipator' who freed Negroes with a stroke of the pen out of the goodness of his heart. The real Lincoln... was a conservative politician who said repeatedly that he believed in white supremacy. Not only that: He opposed the basic principle of the Emancipation Proclamation until his death and was literally forced - Count Adam Gurowski said he was literally whipped - 'into the glory of having issued the Emancipation Proclamation,' which Lincoln drafted in such a way that it did not in and of itself free a single slave"; dissed by most historians. Pierre Berton (1920-2004), Welcome to the 21st Century: More Absurdities from Our Time. Herbert P. Bix (1939-), Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan; claims he played an active role in bringing his country into WWII. Harold Bloom (1930-), How to Read and Why; in the new world where kiddies thinking reading means Harry Potter, hard works like Shakespeare are never read, and infinite info. is available free on the Internet, but no knowledge, is the traditional publishing biz doomed, and with it the author who tries to make a living by writing and influencing literate people with written words, and does that mean that we are headed towards a new Paradise or a new kind of Dark Ages? Howard Bloom (1943-), The Global Brain: The Evolution of Mass Mind from the Big Bang to the 21st Century. Anthony Bourdain (1956-), Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (Aug.); a NYT bestseller, making him a celeb.. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. James Bradley (1954-) (with Ron Powers), Flags Of Our Fathers; stories of the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima. Michael Brenson, Visionaries and Outcasts: The NEA, Congress, and the Place of Visual Arts in America; the wonderful Nat. Endowment for the Arts, founded 1965. Douglas Brinkley (1960-), Fear and Loathing in America: The Brutal Odyssey of an Outlaw Journalist, 1968-1976; Rosa Parks. David S. Broder (1929-), Democracy Derailed: Initiative Campaigns and the Power of Money. David Brooks (1961-), Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There; coins the term "bobo" (bourgeois bohemian), the affluent 90s info. age descendants of the yuppies. Harry Browne (1933-2006), The Great Libertarian Offer. Sylvia Browne (with Lindsay Harrison), Life On the Other Side. Zbigniew Brzezinski (1928-), The Geostrategic Triad: Living with China, Europe, and Russia; how the U.S. must balance the Eurasian power triangles of U.S.-Japan-China and U.S.-Europe-Russia. Peter Burke (1937-), A Social History of Knowledge: From Gutenberg to Diderot, followed in 2012 by A Social History of Knowledge Vol. 2: From the Encyclopedie to Wikipedia (2012). Augusten Burroughs (1965-), Running With Scissors (autobio.). Nicholas Carr, The Shallows: How the Internet Is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember (Sept.). James P. Carroll (1943-), Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews - A History; how the Nazi Holocaust really began with Constantine I the Great in 312; basis of a 2007 film. Stephen L. Carter, God's Name in Vain: How Religion Should and Should Not Be Involved in Politics; disses Pres. G.W. Bush's faith-based initiative - get the biggest selection and best savings? Deepak Chopra (1946-), Life After Death: The Burden of Proof; the "artificial boundary that separates the living from the departed" - but the place smells like rat droppings? Cherie Clark (1945-), After Sorrow Comes Joy: One Woman's Struggle to Bring Hope to Thousands of Children in Vietnam and India (autobio.). Andrei Codrescu (1946-), The Devil Never Sleeps and Other Essays. Richard A. Cohen (1952-), Coming Out Straight; claims to treat the "same-sex attachment disorder" of homosexuality with "bioenergetics", incl. smashing a tennis racket into a pillow while shouting the name of the person eliciting painful childhood memories, and cuddling to establish healthy non-sexual bonding. David Cope (1941-), New Directions in Music, 7th ed.; The Algorithmic Composer. Richard Ben Cramer (1950-), Joe DiMaggio: The Hero's Life; his image was fiction, but his "Louisville Slugger" ranked only second to the "big schtick" of Milton Berle? John C. Culver and John Hyde, American Dreamer: A Life of Henry A. Wallace; U.S. agriculture secy. (1933-40) and vice-pres. (1941-5) Henry Agard Wallace (1888-1965), founder of Pioneer Hi-Bred Corp. Ram Dass (1931-), Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing and Dying. Samuel R. Delany (1942-), 1984: Selected Letters. Cory Doctorow (1971-) and Karl Schroder (1962-), The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Science Fiction. Earl Doherty (1941-), The Jesus Puzzle; claims that the Apostle Paul never heard of the gospels or the gospel Jesus, who was made-up after his death from his own cloth, explaining the puzzle of why they took so long to write and why nobody outside the movement ever mentions Jesus in secular writings. Dinesh D'Souza (1961-), The Virtue of Prosperity. John Edward (1969-), What If God Were the Sun? Encyclopedia of Folklore of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (12 vols.) (June) (Belgium); financed by your gas purchases, er, Prince Khaled bin Sultan. Dave Eggers (1971-), A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius; a memoir about raising his orphaned brother. Albert Ellis (1913-2007), How to Stubbornly Refuse to Make Yourself Miserable About Anything: Yes, Anything. Albert Ellis (1913-2007) and Ted Crawford, Making Intimate Connections: Seven Guidelines for Great Relationships and Better Communication. Albert Ellis (1913-2007) and Marcia Grad Powers, The Secret of Overcoming Verbal Abuse: Getting Off the Emotional Roller Coaster and Regaining Control of Your Life. Joseph John Ellis (1943-), Founding Fathers: The Revolutionary Generation (Pulitzer Prize); George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Aaron Burr in the decade after the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Pepe Escobar, Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War; globalization is creating "stans" at war with each other, an undeclared global civil war AKA the Liquid War? Susan Estrich (1952-), Sex & Power; women's lib has levelled off without achieving true equality, but they now have enough power to finish the job but won't do it? Khaled Abou El Fadl (1963-), The Place of Tolerance in Islam; Pres. George W. Bush's commissioner on the U.S. Commission on Internat. Religious Freedom. Susan C. Faludi (1959-), Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man; most U.S. men now have little power, hence are unhappy and violence-prone, but shouldn't blame it on feminists, illegal aliens, or affirmative action? Niall Ferguson (1964), The Pity of War (Mar. 3); argues that Britain was as much to blame for the start of WWI as Germany, and that had it sacrificed Belgium and its Belgian waffles to them, the 1917 Bolshevik Rev. could have been prevented, Germany would have created a stable united European state, and Britain could have remained a superpower, ruling the seas while Germany ruled the continent; in other words, the white Euro race would have avoided suicide by working together to rule da world; moreover, there was little enthusiasm for the war in Britain in 1914, while at the end the war was prolonged not by clever manipulation of the media, but by British soldiers' pleasure in combat; he also claims that it wasn't the severity but the leniency of the conditions imposed on Germany at Versailles in 1919 that led inexorably to World War II, and that they should have collected more reparations to keep them from rearming to prevent another mass suicide; on Jan. 29, 1914 he gives an interview to BBC History Mag., in which he claims that Britain could have lived with a German V in WWI, and should have stayed out of it, calling their hasty unprepared intervention "the biggest error in modern history"; "Creating an army more or less from scratch and then sending it into combat against the Germans was a recipe for disastrous losses. And if one asks whether this was the best way for Britain to deal with the challenge posed by imperial Germany, my answer is no"; "Even if Germany had defeated France and Russia, it would have had a pretty massive challenge on its hands trying to run the new German-dominated Europe and would have remained significantly weaker than the British empire in naval and financial terms. Given the resources that Britain had available in 1914, a better strategy would have been to wait and deal with the German challenge later when Britain could respond on its own terms, taking advantage of its much greater naval and financial capability"; "The cost, let me emphasise, of the first world war to Britain was catastrophic, and it left the British empire at the end of it all in a much weakened state... It had accumulated a vast debt, the cost of which really limited Britain's military capability throughout the interwar period. Then there was the manpower loss – not just all those aristocratic officers, but the many, many, many skilled workers who died or were permanently incapacitated in the war"; "Arguments about honour of course resonate today as they resonated in 1914, but you can pay too high a price for upholding the notion of honour, and I think in the end Britain did." James Henry Fetzer (1940-), Murder in Dealey Plaza: What We Know Now That We Didn't Know Then. David Finkel, The Good Soldiers (Sept. 15); the true story of Bush's Iraq surge. Norman G. Finkelstein (1953-), The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering (London); how the U.S. Jewish establishment exploits the Holocause, er, Holocaust for political-financial gain and the promotion of Israel, corrupting history and Jewish culture; too bad, in 2007 Jewish Havard U. prof. Alan Dershowitz gets his tenure at DePaul U. denied, causing him to resign on Sept. 5, 2007; in 2008 he is officially banned from entry into Israel, moving to Sakarya U. in Turkey. Frances FitzGerald (1940-), Way Out There in the Blue: Reagan, Star Wars, and the End of the Cold War; disses the idea of defending the U.S. from ICBMs - with a half-caf decaf from Sonic? Antony Flew (1923-), Merely Mortal? Stephen Fox (1938-), Uncivil Liberties: Italian Americans Under Siege During World War II; America's Invisible Gulag: A Biography of German American Internment and Exclusion in World War II: Memory and History; replaced by "Fear Itself: Inside the FBI Roundup of German Americans During World War II". Jo Freeman (1945-), A Room at a Time: How Women Entered Party Politics. Aaron L. Friedberg, In the Shadow of the Garrison State: America's Anti-Statism and Its Cold War Grand Strategy. Marilyn French (1929-2009), Introduction: Almost Touching the Skies; Women's History of the World. Oded Galor (1956-) and David N. Weil, Population, Technology, and Growth: From the Malthusian Regime to the Demographic Transition and Beyond (Sept.). Jim Garrison (1951-), Civilization and the Transformation of Power. Barbara Garson (1941-), Money Makes the World Go Around: One Investor Tracks Her Cash Through the Global Economy, From Brooklyn to Bangkok and Back. Henry Louis Gates Jr. (1950-), The African American Century: How Black Americans Have Shaped Our Century. Sir Martin Gilbert (1936-2015), Never Again: A History of the Holocaust. Mark Girouard (1931-), Life in the French Country House. Malcolm Gladwell (1963-), The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference; sells 2M copies; coins the term "tipping point" for "the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point", "the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable"; examples incl. the popularity of Hush Puppies in the mid-1990s and the drop in the New York City crime rate in the late 1990s; the Law of the Few attributes the success of a social epidemic to connectors (Paul Revere), mavens (info. specialists), and salesmen (Peter Jennings). Adam Gopnik (1956-), Paris to the Moon; his visit to Paris for "The New Yorker" from 1995-2000, where he finds that Frogs aren't obsessed with physical fitness like North Americans. Mary Catherine Gordon (1949-), Seeing Through Places: Reflections on Geography and Identity. Amit Goswami, Science and Spirituality: A Quantum Integration. David Gould, Q School Confidential: Inside Golf's Cruelest Tournament; the PGA Tournament Training and Qualifying Program (founded 1965). Marshall Govindan, Kriya Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Siddhas. Robert Ranke Graves (1895-1985), Some Speculations on Literature, History, and Religion (posth.); ed. Patrick Quinn. Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002), The Lying Stones of Marrakech (essays). Ian Green, Print and Protestantism in Early Modern England. Raven Grimassi (1951-), The Encyclopedia of Wicca and Witchcraft. Stanislav Grof (1931-), Psychology of the Future: Lessions from Modern Consciousness Research. Hans Thomas Hakl, Unknown Sources: National Socialism and the Occult; tr. Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke (1953-2012). Victor Davis Hanson (1953-), The Land Was Everything: Letters from an American Farmer. Andrew Harvey (1952-), The Return of the Mother; The Way of Passion: A Celebration of Rumi. Richie Havens (1941-) (with Steve Davidowitz), They Can't Hide Us Anymore (autobio.). Shirley Hazzard (1931-), Greene on Capri: A Memoir. David Horovitz (1962-), A Little Too Close to God: The Thrills and Panic of a Life in Israel David Joel Horowitz (1939-), The Art of Political War and Other Radical Pursuits; The Politics of Bad Faith: The Radical Assault on America's Future. Michael Ignatieff (1947-), The Rights Revolution and Virtual War: Kosovo and Beyond. Maurice Isserman and Michael Kazin, America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s. Molly Ivins (1944-2007) (with Lou Dubose), Shrub: The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush. Susan Jacoby (1945-), Half-Jew: A Daughter's Search for Her Family's Buried Past. P.D. James (1920-), Time to Be in Earnest (autobio.). Randall Jarrell (1914-65), No Other Book: Selected Essays (posth). Philip Jenkins (1952-), Mystics and Messiahs: Cults and New Religions in American History. Chalmers Ashby Johnson (1931-), Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire; the CIA's fear that its 1953 operation to overthrow Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran might cause some blowback back home has come true with 9/11?; rev. in 2004. Dwayne Johnson (1972-) and Joe Layden, The Rock Says... (autobio.); NYT bestseller. Joyce Johnson (1935-), Door Wide Open: A Beat Love Affair in letters, 1957-1958. George Frost Kennan (1904-2005), An American Family: The Kennans, the First Three Generations; his dirt-poor Scottish family that emigrated in the early 18th cent. to Conn. and Mass; "The epitome of the backcountry family of the most remote northern fringes of New England life." Daniel Keyes (1927-), Algernon, Charlie and I: A Writer's Journey. Dean H. King, Patrick O'Brian: A Life Revealed (Mar. 15). Joyce King, Hate Crime: The Story of a Dragging in Jasper, Texas; the 1998 James Byrd Jr. incident. Stephen King (1947-), On Writing; how a job as a high school janitor where he saw tampon dispensers in the girls' bathroom inspired his breakthrough book "Carrie"; a collision with the windshield of a Dodge Caravan while walking down a country road in the summer of 1999 interrupted its composition? Jonathan Kozol (1936-), Ordinary Resurrections: Children in the Years of Hope. Karen V. Kukil (ed.), The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath. Maxine Kumin (1925-), Always Beginning: Essays on a Life in Poetry. Gavin Lambert (1924-2005), Mainly About Lindsay Anderson (autobio.). Bruce B. Lawrence, Shattering the Myth: Islam Beyond Violence (Apr. 10); claims that Islam is not monolithic or violent - if you're a Muslim? Nigella Lawson (1960-), How to Be a Domestic Goddess; bestseller; in 2006 she hosts Nigella Feasts on Food Network, going on to sell 3M cookbooks. Jane Leavy, Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy. Larry Levis (1946-96), The Gazer Within (posth.). David Levering Lewis (1936-), W.E.B. Du Bois: The Fight for Equality and the American Century, 1919-1963 (Pulitzer Prize); first to win Pulitzer Prizes for back-to-back vols. (1994). Bernard Lewis (1916-), A Middle East Mosaic: Fragments of Life, Letters and History. Robert Jay Lifton (1926-), Destroying the World to Save It: Aum Shinrikyo, Apocalyptic Violence, and the New Global Terrorism (Sept. 1). James Lovelock (1919-), Homage to Gaia: The Life of an Independent Scientist (autobio.). Gene Lyons and Joe Conason, The Hunting of the President: The Ten-Year Campaign to Destroy Bill and Hillary Clinton. Manning Marable (1950-2011), Let Nobody Turn Us Around. Mark Matousek (1957-), The Boy He Left Behind: A Man's Search for His Lost Father. Malachy McCourt (1931-), Singing My Him Song (autobio.). William S. McFeely (1930-), Proximity to Death; his opinions about the death penalty. A.B. McKillop of Carleton U., The Spinster & the Prophet: Florence Deeks, H.G. Wells, and the Mystery of the Purloined Past; bolsters her claims that H.G. Wells plagiarized her ms. to write "The Outline of History" (1920). Ian McLagan (1945-2014), All the Rage: A Riotous Romp Through Rock & Roll History (autobio.). J.R. McNeill, Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the Twentieth Century World; "Economic thought did not adjust to the changed conditions it helped to create; thereby it continued to legitimate, and indeed indirectly to cause, massive and rapid ecological change. The overarching priority of economic growth was easily the most important idea of the twentieth century." James Alan McPherson (1943-), A Region No Home (essays). George Monbiot (1963-), Captive State: The Corporate Takeover of Britain. Tim Moore (1964-), Continental Drifter: Taking the Low Road with the First Grand Tourist; retraces the steps of Englishman Thomas Coryat's 1608 tour of Europe, where he discovered the table fork - I'd rather be 1900? Robin Morgan (1941-), Saturday's Child: A Memoir. Sir John Mortimer (1923-2009), The Summer of a Dormouse: A Year of Growing Old Disgracefully (autobio.). George Lachmann Mosse (1918-98), Confronting History (autobio.) (posth.). Albert Murray (1916-), Trading Twelves; correspondence with his friend Ralph Ellison. David Nasaw (1945-), The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst. Mark Nepo (1951-), The Book of Awakening; Opra Winfrey selects it in 2010 as one of her Ultimate Favorite Things, making it a #1 NYT bestseller. Jack Newfield (1938-2004), Somebody's Gotta Tell It (autobio.); "Pick an issue. Study it. Figure out who the decision makers you want to influence are. Name the guilty men. Make alliances with experts. Combine activism with the writing. Create a constituency for reform. And don't stop till you have achieved some progress. This is what I mean by the Joe Frazier method. Keep coming forward. Be relentless. Don't stop moving your hands. Break the other guy's will." John Julius Norwich (1929-), Shakespeare's Kings: The Great Plays and the History of England in the Middle Ages, 1337-1485. Robert D. Novak (1931-2009), Completing the Revolution: A Vision for Victory in 2000 - didn't mention stealing it via the courts? Mancur Olson (1932-98), Power and Prosperity: Outgrowing Communist and Capitalist Dictatorships; the three types of govt. are tyranny, anarchy and democracy, with anarchy creating roving bandits, and tyranny creating stationary bandits who end up fostering some law and order and economic prosperity to get their cut, ending up paving the way for democracy. Stewart O'Nan (1961-), The Circus Fire. Peter S. Onuf (1945-), Jefferson's Empire: The Language of American Nationhood (Mar. 29). Bill O'Reilly (1949-), The O'Reilly Factor: The Good, the Bad, & the Completely Ridiculous in American Life; bestseller; Rush Limbaugh clone admires RFK, opposes the death penalty, and favors gun control and marijuana decriminalization. Stephen O'Shea, The Perfect Heresy: The Revolutionary Life and Death of the Medieval Cathars. Cynthia Ozick (1928-), Quarrel and Quandary (essays). Abraham Pais (1918-2000), The Genius of Science: A Portrait Gallery. Michael Parenti (1933-), To Kill a Nation: The Attack on Yugoslavia. James Petras and Henry Veltmeyer, The Dynamics of Social Change in Latin America. Nathaniel Philbrick (1956-), In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex (July); (Pulitzer Prize); the famous 1820 sinking. Walter Clarkson Pitman III (1931-) and William B.F. Ryan, Noah's Flood: The New Scientific Discoveries About the Event that Changed History; did the Great Flood of the shores of the Black Sea in 5600 B.C.E. inspire the Noah's Ark story? Sidney Poitier (1927-), The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography. Kenneth Pomeranz (1958-), The Great Divergence: China, Europe and the Making of the Modern World Economy; attempts to explain the Industrial Rev. in Europe as the product of coal and exports to the New World. Roy Porter (1946-2002), Enlightenment: Britain and the Creation of the Modern World (The Untold Story of the British Enlightenment). Samantha Power (1970-) (ed.), Realizing Human Rights; Moving from Inspiration to Impact. Reynolds Price (1933-), Feasting the Heart (essays); Learning a Trade: A Craftsman's Notebooks, 1955-1997. Robert David Putnam (1941-), Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community; strengthens his 1995 thesis. Diane Ravitch (1938-), City Schools: Lessons from New York; Left Back: A Century of Battles Over School Reform. Andrew Roberts (1963-), The House of Windsor. Gerard Roland (1954-), Transition and Economics: Politics, Markets and Firms (Mar. 1); about Transition Economics, the shift from a centrally-planned to a free market economy. Murray Newton Rothbard (1926-95), Irrepressible Rothbard: The Rothbard-Rockwell Report Essays of Murray N. Rothbard (posth.). Michael Ryan (1946-), A Difficult Grace: On Poet, Poetry, and Writing. Abdul Saleeb, Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross. Simon Schama (1945-), A History of Britain (3 vols.) (2000-2); basis of a 15-episode BBC-TV series that debuts on Sept. 30, 2000-June 18, 2002. Paul Scheffer, Multicultural Drama (Jan. 29); claims that multiculturalism has failed in the Netherlands, causing a firestorm of controversy. Orville Hickok Schell (1940-), Virtual Tibet: Searching for Shangri-La from the Himalayas to Hollywood. Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. (1917-2007), A Life in the Twentieth Century: Innocent Beginnings, 1917-1950 (autobio.). Chris Matthew Sciabarra, Total Freedom: Toward a Dialectical Libertarianism. Pete Seibert (1924-2002), Vail: Triumph of a Dream. Martin Seligman (1942-) and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1934-), Positive Psychology: An Introduction. Robert J. Shiller (1946-), Irrational Exuberance (Mar.); warns that the U.S. stock market had become a bubble, which happens in Mar., making him a hero; 2nd ed. in 2005. Steve Silberger, The Phenomenon of the Jews. Peter Singer (1946-), Writings on an Ethical Life. Huston Smith (with Jeffery Paine), Tales of Wonder: Adventures Chasing the Divine. Robert Sneden, Eye of the Storm: A Civil War Odyssey; the memoirs of Union Pvt. Robert Knox Sneden (d. 1918), found in 1994. Robert Sobel (1931-99), The Pursuit of Wealth: The Incredible Story of Money Throughout the Ages of Wealth; AMEX: A History of the American Stock Exchange; Thomas Watson Sr.: IBM and the Computer Revolution; The Great Boom 1950-2000: How a Generation of Americans Created the World's Most Prosperous Society (posth.). George Soros (1930-) and Mark Amadeus Notturno, Science and the Open Society: The Future of Karl Popper's Philosophy. Victor J. Stenger (1935-), Timeless Reality: Symmetry, Simplicity, and Multiple Universes. Jerry Stiller (1927-) and Anne Meara (1929), Married to Laughter: A Love Story Featuring Anne Meara (autobio.). Robert B. Stinnett, Day of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor. Mark Strand (1934-), The Weather of Words: Poetic Invention. Michael Sturmer (1938-), The German Empire, 1870-1918) (Nov. 14). Cass R. Sunstein (1954-), Behavioral Law and Economics. Kenneth R. Timmerman (1953-), Selling Out America: The American Spectator Investigations. Jeffrey Toobin, A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President; the Clinton sex scandals. Donald Trump (1946-), The America We Deserve (Jan.); a political manifesto in answer to critics who accuse him of running for pres. only for publicity, coming out as a moderate populist and outlining his dream of a country sans "racism, discrimination against women, or discrimination against people based on sexual orientation"; "The greatest threat to the American Dream is the idea that dreamers need close government scrutiny and control. Job one for us is to make sure the public sector does a limited job, and no more"; he predicts 9/11 and theorizes that it will be Osama bin Laden, with the soundbytes: "I am really convinced we're in danger of the sort of terrorist attacks that will make the bombing of the Trade Center look like kids playing with firecrackers. No sensible analyst rejects this possibility, and plenty of them, like me, are not wondering if but when it will happen"; “It’s time to get down to the hard business of preparing for what I believe is the real possibility that somewhere, sometime, a weapon of mass destruction will be carried into a major American city and detonated"; "One day we're told that a shadowy figure with no fixed address named Osama bin-Laden is public enemy number one, and U.S. jetfighters lay waste to this camp in Afghanistan. He escapes back under some rock, and a few news cycles later it's on to a new enemy and new crisis." Max Velmans, Understanding Consciousness; presents his theory of Reflexive Monism, that the Universe is psycho-physical. Doreen Virtue (1958-), Angel Visions; followed by "Angel Visions II" (2001). Rebecca Walker (1969-), Black, White and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self; daughter of writer Alice Walker (1944-). Michael Walzer (1935-) et al. (eds.), The Jewish Political Tradition, Vol. I: Authority. Ibn Warraq (1946-), The Quest for the Historical Muhammad. Benjamin J. Wattenberg (1933-), Theodore Caplow, and Louis Hicks, The First Measured Century: An Illustrated Guide to Trends in America 1900-2000. Jonathan Wells (1942-), Icons of Evolution: Why Much of What We Teach About Evolution Is Wrong. Cornel West (1953-) and Henry Louis Gates Jr., The African-American Century: How Black Americans Have Shaped Our Century; W.E.B. Du Bois et al. Stuart Wilde (1946-), Sixth Sense: Including the Secrets of the Etheric Subtle Body. Garry Wills (1934-), Papal Sin: Structures of Deceit; criticizes Pope Pius IX. Fred Alan Wolf (1934-), Mind into Matter: A New Alchemy of Science and Spirit. Howard Zinn (1922-2010), Howard Zinn on History; Howard Zinn on War. Art: Chuck Close (1940-), Self-Portrait (2000-1). Lucian Freud (1922-), Queen Elizabeth II (2000-2001); unflattering and gives her a 5 o'clock shadow? Sam Gilliam (1933-), Journey Home. Tsehai Johnson (1966-), Twelve Dildos on Hooks (ceramic). Brice Marden (1938-),The Propitious Garden of Plane Image Series; "The most profound abstract painter of the past four decades" (Peter Schjeldahl). Roberto Matta (1911-2002), N'ou's Autres. Larry Rivers (1923-2002), Rockwell's Artist on the Run; his interpretation of Norman Rockwell's 1930 "Girl Running with Wet Canvas". James Rosenquist (1933-), The Stowaway Peers Out at the Speed of Light. Music: 98 Degrees, Revelation (album #3) (last album) (Sept. 26) (#2 in the U.S.); incl. Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche). AC/DC, Stiff Upper Lip (album #15) (Feb. 28); incl. Stiff Upper Lip, Safe in New York City, Satellite Blues. Ryan Adams (1974-), Heartbreaker (album). Todo Buenos Aires (ballet); tango variations. Queens of the Stone Age, Rated R (album #2) (June 6) (#54 in the U.K.); Mark Lanegan on vocals; incl. The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret (#31 in the U.K.), Feel Good Hit of the Summer, Monsters in the Parasol, I Think I Lost My Headache (w/Mark Lanegan of Screaming Trees). Christina Aguilera (1980-), Mi Reflejo (album #2) (Sept. 12); sells 3.5M copies; incl. Pero Me Acuerdo De Ti, Falsas Esperanzas; My Kind of Christmas (album #3) (Oct. 24); sells 3M copies; incl. Christmas Time. a-ha, Minor Earth Major Sky (album #6) (July 17) (2M copies worldwide); incl. Minor Earth Major Sky. Dead or Alive, Fragile (album #7). Allman Brothers Band, Peakin' at the Beacon (album) (Nov. 14); recorded at the Beacon Theatre in New York City in Mar. America, Highway: 30 Years of America (album) (July). The Presidents of the United States of America, Lump (album) (Jan. 1); Freaked Out and Small (album #3) (Sept. 12); incl. Jupiter, Tiny Explosions, Last Girl on Earth. Apocalyptica, Cult (album #3) (Sept. 28); incl. Path, Romance, Pray! Joseph Arthur (1971-), Come to Where I'm From (album #2) (Apr. 11); incl. In the Sun, Chemical. Erykah Badu (1971-), Mama's Gun (album); incl. Bag Lady. Buju Banton (1973-), Unchained Spirit (album #6) (Aug. 22). Limp Bizkit, Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water (album #3) (Oct. 17); anus and semen?; sells 12M copies; incl. My Generation, Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle), Take a Look Around (theme song of M:I2), Boiler, My Way. Bjork (1965-), Selmasongs: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack Dancer in the Dark (album) (Sept. 18). Blink-182, The Mark, Tom and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back!) (album) (Nov. 7); incl. Man Overboard (#2 in the U.S.). Moody Blues, Hall of Fame (album) (Aug. 8). Joe Bonamassa (1977-), A New Day Yesterday (album) (debut) (Oct. 24); named after the 1969 Jethro Tull classic; incl. Miss You, Hate You, Cradle Rock. Backstreet Boys, For the Fans (album) (Aug. 28); Black & Blue (album #4) (Nov. 21) (#1 in the U.S., #13 in the U.K.) (9M copies); incl. Shape of My Heart, The Call, More Than That. Billy Bragg (1957-), Mermaid Avenue Vol. II (album #2) (May 30); vol. I in 1998. Toni Braxton (1967-), The Heat (album) (Apr. 25); incl. He Wasn't Man Enough, Just Be a Man About It, Spanish Guitar. Neko Case (1970-) and Her Boyfriends, Furnace Room Lullaby (album #2) (Feb. 22). Alice in Chains, Live (album) (Dec. 5). Tracy Chapman (1964-), Telling Stories (album #5) (Feb. 15); incl. Telling Stories. Kenny Chesney (1968-), Greatest Hits (album). Dixie Chicks, Fly (album). Michael Colgrass (1932-), Crossworlds. Judy Collins (1939-), All on a Wintry Night (album #29); Judy Collins Live at Wolf Trap (album #30). Sean "Diddy" Combs (1969-), Last Train to Paris (album #5) (Dec. 13) (#7 in the U.S.); incl. Angels, Hello Good Morning (w/T.l., Rick Ross), Loving You No More, Coming Home. Cracker, Garage d'Or (album #5) (Apr. 4); incl. Euro-Trash Girl. King Crimson, Heavy ConstruKction (album). Black Crowes, Live at the Greek (with Jimmy Page) (album); By Your Side (album); a flop? John LaChinna and George C. Wolfe, The Wild Party (musical) (Apr. 13) (Virginia Theater, New York); stars Mandy Patinkin, Toni Collette, Eartha Kitt. Coldplay, Parachutes (album) (debut) (July 10) (9M copies); from London, England, incl. Christopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin (1977-) (vocals), Guy Berryman (1977-) (bass), Jon Buckland (1977-) (guitar), and Will Champion (1978-) (drums); incl. Don't Panic, Shiver, Trouble, Yellow. Alice Cooper (1948-), Brutal Planet (album #21). Motley Crue, New Tattoo (album #8) (July 11); first with drummer Randy Castillo; incl. Hell on High Heels (#13 in the U.S.). The Cure, Bloodflowers (album # 11) (Feb. 15); incl. Out of This World, Maybe Someday. Death Cab for Cutie, We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes (album #2) (Mar. 21); incl. 405, Company Calls Epilogue; The Forbidden Love EP (Oct. 24). Dagda, Hibernia (album); incl. Criost Liom, Home Again in Eireann, Mise Liom Fein. Steely Dan, Two Against Nature (album) (Feb. 29); first since 1980; incl. Gaslighting Abbie, Cousin Dupree, Janie Runaway. D'Angelo (1974-), Voodoo (album); incl. Left & Right, Untitled (How Does It Feel). Craig Ashley David (1981-), Born To Do It (album) (debut) (Aug. 20); incl. Rewind, Fill Me In, Woman Trouble (with Robbie Craig), 7 Days, Walking Away, Rendezvous. Green Day, Warning (album #6) (Oct. 3) (#4 in the U.S., #4 in the U.K.) (3M copies); incl. Minority, Warning, Waiting, Macy's Day Parade. Grateful Dead, Dick's Picks Vol. 16 (album) (Mar.); recorded on Nov. 8, 1969 in San Francisco; Dick's Picks Vol. 17 (album) (Apr.); recorded on Sept. 15, 1991 in Boston; Dick's Picks Vol. 18 (album) (June); recorded on Feb. 3-5, 1978; View from the Vault, Vol. 1 (album) (June); Dick's Picks Vol. 19 (album) (Oct. 23); recorded on Oct. 19, 1973 in Oklahoma City; Ladies and Gentlemen... the Grateful Dead (4-CD set) (Oct.); recorded on Apr. 25-29, 1971 at the Fillmore East in New York City. Deftones, White Pony (album #3) (June 20) (best-selling; first with Frank Delgado; incl. Digital Bath, Elite, Change (in the House of Flies). Disturbed, The Sickness (album) (debut) (#29 in the U.S., #102 in the U.K.) (4M copies in the U.S.); features a sales-getting Parental advisory label; formerly Brawl; from Chicago, Ill., incl. David Michael Draiman (1973-) (vocals) (bald), Dan Donegan (1968-) (guitar), Steve "Fuzz" Kmak (1970-)/Marty O'Brien/John Moyer (bass), and Mike Wengren (1971-) (drums); incl. Voices, The Game, Stupify, and Down With the Sickness. Snoop Dogg (1971-), The Last Meal (album #5) (Dec. 19) (1M copies); last with No Limit Records. Dokken, Live from the Sun (album) (Apr. 18). Doobie Brothers, Sibling Rivalry (album #12) (Oct. 3). No Doubt, Return of Saturn (album #4) (Apr. 11); incl. Ex-Girlfriend, Simple Kind of Life, Bathwater, New. Duran Duran, Pop Trash (album #10) (June 19). Finger Eleven, The Greyest of Blue Skies (album #3) (July 25); brings them into the mainstream; incl. First Time, Drag You Down, Stay and Drown, Sick of It All. Alton Ellis (1938-2008), Change My Mind (album). Eminem (1972-), The Marshall Mathers LP (album); his real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III; sells 1.76M copies the first week; incl. The Way I Am, Stan, The Real Slim Shady; implies that Christian Arguilera gave head to Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit and Carson Daly, and says of his discoverer "Dr. Dre's dead, he's locked in my basement"; the success of a Gen-Zed white guy who acts black and spouts their anti-establishment homophobic misogynist pro-violence lyrics to a large white audience makes him the 21st cent. Elvis? Enya (1961-), A Day Without Rain (album #6) (Nov. 21); incl. Wild Child, Only Time; becomes the theme song for the 9/11 victims. Sunny Day Real Estate, The Rising Tide (album #4) (June 20); incl. Rain Song. Gloria Estefan (1957-), Alma Caribena (Caribeña) (album #9) (May 11); incl. No Me Dejes de Querer. Better Than Ezra, Artifakt (album). Faithless, Back to Mine (album) (Oct. 16). Violent Femmes, Freak Magnet (album). Elysian Fields, Queen of the Meadow (album #2); Bend Your Mind (EP). Fishbone, Fishbone and the Familyhood Nextperience Present: The Psychotic Friends Nuttwerx (album #6) (Mar. 21). Carlisle Floyd (1926-), Cold Sassy Tree (opera). Fuel, Something Like Human (album #2) (Sept. 19) (#17 in the U.S.) (2M copies); incl. Hemorrhage (in My Hands) (#30 in the U.S.). Nelly Furtado (1978-), Whoa, Nelly! (album) (debut) (Oct. 24) (#24 in the U.S., #2 in the U.K.) (6M copies); incl. I'm Like a Bird, Turn Off the Light, On the Radio (Remember the Days), Party's Just Begun (Again), Trynna Finda Way, Hey, Man! Secret Garden, Dreamcatcher (album). Billy Gilman (1988-), One Voice (album) (June 20) (debut); Classic Christmas (album); youngest singer to reach #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart (until ?). Indigo Girls, Retrospective (album). Spice Girls, Forever (album #3) (last album) (Nov. 6) (#2 in the U.K.) (5M copies); incl. Goodbye (#1 in the U.K.), Holler (#1 in the U.S.). Lamb of God, New American Gospel (album #2) (Sept. 26); incl. In the Absence of the Sacred. Godsmack, Awake (album #2) (Oct. 31) (#5 in the U.S.) (2M copies in the U.S.); incl. Vampires, Greed, Sick of Life, Awake, (the last two are used by the U.S. Navy in commercials). Guano Apes, Don't Give Me Names (album #2) (May 2) (100K copies); incl. Big in Japan (by Alphaville), No Speech, Living in a Lie, Dodel (Dödel) Up. Merle Haggard (1937-), I I Could Only Fly (album); his comeback. Nina Hagen (1955-), Return of the Mother (album #12) (Mar. 28). Roy Harper (1941-), The Green Man (album #20). Emmylou Harris (1947-), Red Dirt Girl (album). P.J. Harvey (1969-), Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (album #6) (Oct. 23) (#42 in the U.S., #23 in the U.K.); incl. This Is Love, Good Fortune, This Mess We're In (w/Thom Yorke), A Place Called Home, One Line, Beautiful Feeling. Jeff Healey (1966-2008), Get Me Some (album). Her Space Holiday, Home Is Where You Hang Yourelf (album). Janis Ian (1951-), God and the FBI (album); how the feds bugged her Jewish leftist parents. David Ippolito, It's Just Us (album #4). Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), A is for Allah (album). LL Cool J (1968-), G.O.A.T. (album) ("greatest of all time"); incl. Back Where I Belong (featuring Ja Rule). Pearl Jam, Binaural (album #6) (May 16) (#2 in the U.S., #5 in the U.K.), incl. Nothing As It Seems (#49 in the U.S., #22 in the U.K.). Jamelia (1981-), Drama (album) (debut) (June 26); incl. I Do, Money (first top-5 U.K.hit), Boy Next Door. Jay-Z (1969-), The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (album #5) (Oct. 31); sells 2M copies; incl. I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me, Change the Game (with Beanie Sigel and Memphis Bleek). We Were Promised Jetpacks, The Last Place You'll Look (EP); incl. A Far Cry, The Walls Are Wearing Thin. Elton John (1947-), The Round to El Dorado Soundtrack (album) (Mar. 14); Elton John One Night Only - The Greatest Hits (album) (Nov. 21). Bon Jovi, Crush (album #7) (June 13) (#9 in the U.S., #1 in the U.K.) (11M copies worldwide); incl. It's My Life, Say It Isn't So, Thank You for Loving Me. Juanes (1972-), Fijate Bien (album) (debut). R. Kelly (1967-), TP-2.com (album #4) (Nov. 7) (#1 in the U.S.); incl. The Greatest Sex, Strip for You, I Wish, Fiesta (w/Jay-Z), Feelin' On Your Booty. Ghostface Killah, Supreme Clientele (album) (Jan.). Diana Krall (1964-), When I Look in Your Eyes (album). Chiaki Kuriyama (1984-), Meteor's Tears (Ryuusei no Namida). Barenaked Ladies, Maroon (album #5) (Sept. 12) (#5 in the U.S., #1 in Canada); incl. Pinch Me (#15 in the U.S.), Too Little Too Late (#86 in the U.S.), Falling for the First Time. k.d. lang (1961-), Invincible Summer (album #4) (June 20). Ludacris (1977-), Incognegro (album) (debut); sells 50K copies from the trunk of his car; Back for the First Time (album) (Oct. 17) (#4 in the U.S. (3.1M copies); incl. What's Your Fantasy (w/Shawnna), Southern Hospitality (w/Pharrell). Rage Against the Machine, Renegades (album #4) (last) (Dec. 5). Madonna (1958-), Music (album #8) (Sept. 19) (#1 in the U.S. and U.K.) (15M copies); incl. Music, Don't Tell Me, What It Feels Like for Girl. Iron Maiden, Brave New World (album #12) (May 30); lead singer Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith return; incl. The Wicker Man, Out of the Silent Planet. Miriam Makeba (1932-), Homeland (album). Marilyn Manson, Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) (album #4) (Nov. 14); flops initially because it is meant as a reply to being blamed for the Apr. 20, 1999 Columbine H.S. Massacre, then goes on to sell 9M copies; incl. Disposable Teens, The Fight Song, The Nobodies. Bruno Mars (1985-), Doo-Wops & Hooligans (album) (debut) (Oct. 4); incl. Just the Way You Are (#1 in the U.S.), Grenade (#1 in the U.S. and U.K.), The Lazy Song. Ricky Martin (1971-), Sound Loaded (album #6) (Nov. 14) (8M copies); incl. Nobody Wants to Be Lonely, She Bangs; Chinese-Am. college student William Hung (1983-) performs it off-key on Am. Idol's 3rd season in early 2004, and is so bad he's good, becoming a cult hero. Paul McCartney (1942-), Liverpool Sound Collage (album) (Aug. 21); incl. Free Now (w/Super Furry Animals). Tim McGraw (1967-), Greatest Hits (album); sells 6M copies. Baha Men, Who Let the Dogs Out? (July 25) (#40 in the U.S., #2 in the U.K.); becomes popular for sporting events. Kylie Minogue (1968-), Light Years (album #7) (Sept. 25) (#2 in the U.K., #1 in Australia); incl. Spinning Around, On a Night Like This, Please Stay, Your Disco Needs You. Joni Mitchell (1943-), Both Sides Now (album #17) (Feb. 8). Van Morrison (1945-), The Skiffle Sessions - Live in Belfast 1998 (album) (Jan. 18); You Win Again (album #28) (Oct. 3). Motorhead, We Are Motorhead (Motörhead) (album #15) (May 16); incl. God Save the Queen (by the Sex Pistols). Modest Mouse, Building Nothing Out of Something (album) (Jan. 18); The Moon & Antarctica (album #3) (June 13) (#120 in the U.S.); title from the film "Blade Runner"; incl. Third Planet, Gravity Rides Everything, Dark Center of the Universe. Dropkick Murphy and The Business, Mob Mentality (album) (May 9). Anne Murray (1945-), What a Wonderful World. Vomito Negro, Musical Art Conjunct of Sound (album #12). Nelly (1974-), Country Grammar (album) (debut) (June 27) (#3 in the U.S.) (8.5M copies); incl. Country Grammar (Hot Shit) (#7 in the U.S.), E.I., Ride Wit Me (w/St. Lunatics) (#3 in the U.S.), Batter Up (w/St. Lunatics). The New Pornographers, Mass Romantic (album) (debut) (Nov. 21); from Vancouver, B.C., incl. Blaine Thurier, Todd Fancey, Neko Case, Carl Newman, Kurt Dahle, Kahtryn Calder, and John Collins; incl. Mass Romantic, Letter from an Occupant. Nickelback, The State (album #2) (Mar. 7) (1M copies); incl. Leader of Men, Old Enough, Breathe, Worthy to Say. Yannick Noah (1960-), Yannick Noah (album #2). Nonpoint, Statement (album) (debut) (Oct. 10) (#166 in the U.S.) (released by MCA Records); from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., incl. Elias Soriano (vocals), KB (bass), Zach Broderick (guitar), and Robb Rivera (drums); incl. Endure, What A Day. 'N Sync (*NSYNC), No Strings Attached (album #2) (Mar. 21); sells a record 1.1M copies in its first day and 2.41M copies in its 1st week, and goes on to sell over 100K copies a week for 26 straight weeks, causing Rolling Stone to call them "the biggest band in the world" next year; another V for boy band impresario Lou Pearlman of Backstreet Boys fame, and the end of the era of the "music hit"?; incl. No Strings Attached. Gary Numan (1958-), Pure (album #15) (Nov. 7). Laura Nyro (1947-97), Time and Love: The Essential Masters (album) (posth.) (Oct. 10); Live at Mountain Stage (album) (posth.) (Oct. 17). Oasis, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (album #4) (Feb. 28) (#1 in the U.K.); incl. Go Let It Out, Who Feels Love?, Sunday Morning Call, Where Did It All Go Wrong?, Fuckin' in the Bushes. Indian Ocean, Kandisa (album #3) (Mar.); their breakthrough album; incl. Kandisa, Khajuraho, Kaun. Sinead O'Connor (1966-), Faith and Courage (album #5) (June 13). Blue October, Consent to Treatment (album #2) (Aug. 15); incl. Retarded Disfigured Clown. The Offspring, Conspiracy of One (album #6) (Nov. 14); incl. Want You Bad. Midnight Oil, The Real Thing (album) (July 8); incl. The Real Thing. OutKast, Stankonia (album). Pantera, Reinventing the Steel (album #9) (Mar. 14) (#4 ini the U.S.); incl. Revolution Is My Name (#28 in the U.S.), Goddamn Electric, I'll Cast a Shadow. Linkin Park, Hybrid Theory (album) (debut) (Oct. 24) (#2 in the U.S.) (10M copies) (best-selling album of the decade); from Agoura Hills, Calif., incl. Chester Charles Bennington (1976-2017) (vocals), Michael Kenji "Mike" Shinoda (1977-), Bradford Phillip "Brad" Delson (1977-), Joseph "Joe" "Mr." Hahn (1977-) (turntables), Rob Bourson, Dave "Phoenix" Farrell, and Mark Wakefield; incl. Crawling, One Step Closer, Paper Cut, In the End. Black Eyed Peas, Bridging the Gap (album #2) (Sept. 26); incl. Request Line (with Macy gray). Phoenix, United (album) (debut) (June 8); from Versailles, France, incl. Thomas Mars, Deck D'Arcy, Christian Mazzalai, and Laurent Brancowitz; incl. Too Young. Pink (P!ink) (Alecia Beth Moore) (1979-), Can't Take Me Home (album) (debut) (Apr. 4) (#26 in the U.S.) (5M copies); incl. There You Go, Most Girls, You Make Me Sick. Placebo, Black Market Music (album #3) (Oct. 9); incl. Taste in Men, Slave to the Wage, Special K, Black-Eyed, Blue American. The Posies, In Case You Don't Feel Like Plugging In (album); At Least, At Last (album). Insane Clown Posse, Bizzar (album) (Oct. 31); Bizaar (album) (Oct. 31). Manic Street Preachers, The Masses Against the Classes (Jan. 10) (#1 in the U.K.). Dead Prez, Hip Hop. Radiohead, Kid A (album #4) (Oct. 2) (#1 in the U.S.). (Rolling Stone Mag. #1 album of the decade); incl. The National Anthem, Optimistic, Idioteque. Gerry Rafferty (1947-2011), Another World (album #9). Raspberries, Refreshed (album #5); first album since 1974. Ratt, Infestation (Apr. 20) (#30 in the U.S.); first album since 1999; first with guitarist Carlos Cavazo (1957-); incl. Best Of Me, Eat Me Up Alive. Juno Reactor, Shango (album #5) (Oct. 9); incl. Pistolero, Masters of the Universe. Lou Reed (1942-), Ecstasy (album #18) (Apr. 4); incl. Ecstasy; Paranoia Key of E. Lionel Richie (1949-), Renaissance (album #6) (Oct. 16). Kid Rock (1971-), History of Rock (album). Kenny Rogers, Buy Me a Rose; #1 selling country song by a singer over age 60 since 1944. Sade (1959-), Lovers Rock (album #5) (Nov. 14) (#3 in the U.S., #28 in the U.K. (4M copies); incl. By Your Side, King of Sorrow. Pharoah Sanders (1940-), Spirits (album). Scorpions, Moment of Glory (album #12) (Aug. 29); they play with the Berlin Philharmonic; incl. Moment of Glory (official anthem of EXPO 2000). Primal Scream, XTRMNTR (album #6) (Jan. 31); incl. Kill All Hippies, Swastika Eyes. Belle and Sebastian, Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant (album #4) (June 6). Pete Seeger (1919-2014), American Folk, Game and Activity Songs (album). Shaggy (1968-), Hot Shot (album); incl. It Wasn't Me (with RikRok); Angel (with Rayvon). Carly Simon (1945-), The Bedroom Tapes (album) (May 16). Paul Simon (1941-), You're the One. Sissel, All Good Things (album) (Nov.). Lynyrd Skynyrd, Christmas Time Again (album #10). Sleater-Kinney, All Hands on the Bad One (album #5) (May 2); incl. All Hands on the Bad One. Fatboy Slim (1963-), Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars (album #3) (Nov. 6); title from the Oscar Wilde quote "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars" by Lady Darlington in "Lady Windemere's Fan"; incl. Weapon of Choice (video stars Christopher Walken), Talking 'bout My Baby, Star 69 ("They know what is what, but they don't know what is what, they just strut, what the fuck?"), Sunset (Bird of Prey), Ya Mama. Patti Smith (1946-), Gung Ho (album #8) (Mar. 21); incl. Glitter in Their Eyes, New Party (official song for the 2000 Ralph Nader pres. campaign). Black Label Society, Stronger Than Death (album #2) (Apr. 18); incl. Counterfeit God. Collective Soul, Blender (album #5) (Oct. 10) (#22 in the U.S.); last with Atlantic Records; incl. Why, Pt. 2. Britney Spears (1981-), Oops!... I Did It Again (album). Jimmie Spheeris (1949-84), Spheeris (album) (posth.); finished hours before he was killed by a drunk driver in Santa Monica, Calif. Lewis Spratlan, Life is a Dream, Opera in Three Acts: Act II, Concert Version (Pulitzer Prize). Status Quo, Under the Influence (album #24) (Apr.). Steps, Buzz (album #3) (Oct. 25) (#4 in the U.K.); incl. Stomp (#1 in the U.K.), It's the Way You Make Me Feel (#2 in the U.K.). Ray Stevens (1939-), Osama - Yo' Mama (album); incl. Osama - Yo' Mama. Al Stewart (1945-), Down in the Cellar (album #16); about wine. Stratovarius, Infinite (album #8) (Feb. 28); incl. Hunting High and Low, A Million Light Years Away; 14 Diamonds (album) Sept. 19). The White Stripes, De Stijl (album #2) (June 20); incl. Hello Operator, Death Letter. Sugarbabes, One Touch (album) (debut) (Nov. 27) (#26 in the U.K.); from England, incl. Siobhan Emma Donaghy (1984-) (leaves in Aug. 2001), Mutya Buena (1985-) (leaves in Dec. 2005), and Keisha Kerreece Fayeanne Buchanan (1984-) (leaves in Sept. 2009); eventually changes to Heidi India Range (1983-), Amelle Berrabah (1984-), and Jade Almarie Louise Ewen (1988-); incl. Overload (#6 in the U.K.), New Year, Run for Cover, Soul Sound. Within Temptation, Mother Earth (album #2) (Dec. 4); incl. Mother Earth, Our Farewell, Ice Queen, Never-Ending Story. Suicidal Tendencies, Free Your Soul and Save My Mind (album #8) (Sept. 12); incl. Pop Songs. Therion, Deggial (album #12) (Jan. 31); incl. Eternal Return; The Early Chapters of Revelation (3-CD set) (Nov. 27). Melanie Thornton (1967-2001), Love How You Love Me (Nov. 6). Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, BTNHResurrection (album #4) (Feb. 29); incl. Resurrection (Paper, Paper), Change the World. TLC, FanMail (album). Randy Travis (1959-), Inspirational Journey (album). Matchbox Twenty, Mad Season (album #2) (May 23) (#3 in the U.S., #31 in the U.K.)); incl. Mad Season, Bent (#1 in the U.S.), If You're Gone (#4 in the U.S.). U2, All That You Can't Leave Behind (album #10) (Oct. 30) (#3 in the U.S., #1 in the U.K.) (12M copies); incl. Beautiful Day, Walk On, Elevation, Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of. Six Feet Under, Graveyard Classics (album) (Oct. 24); incl. TNT (by AC/DC). Various Artists, O Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack (Dec. 5) (#1 country) (#1 in the U.S.) (7.8M copies); produced by T-Bone Burnett; features Harry McClintock, Norman Blake, Emmylou Harris, John Hartford, the Stanley Brothers, the Fairfield Four, Alison Krauss et al., rekindling interest in bluegrass; incl. O Death by Dr. Ralph Stanley, I'll Fly Away by Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch, and Man of Constant Sorrow and Keep on the Sunny Side by The Whites, winning 2001 Grammy album of the year. Wallflowers, Breach (album) (Oct. 10); incl. Sleepwalker, Letters from the Wasteland, Hand Me Down, Babybird. Westlife, Coast to Coast (album #2) (Nov. 6) (#1 in the U.K.) (1.5M copies in the U.K.); incl. Against All Odds (by Phil Collins) (w/Mariah Carey) (#1 in the U.K.), My Love (#1 in the U.K.), What Makes A Man (#2 in the U.K.). Whigfield (1970-), Whigfield III (album #3). Wilco, Mermaid Avenue, Vol. II (album) (May 30). Wisin and Yandel, Los Reyes del Nuevo Milenio (album) (debut) (July 18); from Puerto Rico, incl. Yandel (Llandel Veguilla Malave Salazar) (1977-) and Wisin (Juan Luis Morena Luna) (1978). Wu-Tang Clan, The W (album #3) (Nov. 21) (#5 in the U.S.); incl. Gravel Pit. XTC, Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2) (album #13) (last album) (May 23). Trisha Yearwood (1964-), Real Live Woman (album). Lil' Zane (1982-), Young World: The Future (album) (debut) (Aug. 22); incl. Callin' Me (w/112). Movies: Allan A. Goldstein's 2001: A Space Travesty (Oct. 31) stars Leslie Nielsen as Marshal Richard "Dick" Dixon, who travels to Moon Base Vegan to investigate the cloning of the U.S. pres. Alexander Payne's About Schmidt (Dec. 13), based on the 1996 novel by Louis Begley stars Jack Nicholson as insurance actuary Warren R. Schmidt, in Omaha, Neb., who retires and decides to sponsor foster child Ndugu Umbo in Tanzania while his own life fades to black. Spike Jonze's Adaptation (Dec. 6), based on the 1998 nonfiction book "The Orchid Thief" by Susan Orlean stars Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, and Chris Cooper in a yarn about a S Fla. orchid fanatic who tries to clone the rare orchid Ghost Orchid and write a Hollywood script about it. Des McAnuff's The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (June 30) stars Jason Alexander, Rene Russo, and Robert De Niro lamely attempting to bring back the lame cartoon TV show. Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous (Sept. 13) (Columbia Pictures) stars Patrick Fugit (1982-) as 15-y.-o. William Miller, who gets to accompany rock band Stllwater and write a story for Rolling Stone mag.; also stars Billy Crudup (as Russell Hammond), Frances McDormand (as Elaine Miller), and Kate Hudson (as Penny Lane), who marries almost-famous Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes; f irst drama to have an authorized Led Zeppelin tune on its soundtrack after comedy "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982); best film of 2000 according to Roger Ebert; does $47M box office on a $60M budget. Mary Harron's American Psycho (Jan. 21) (Lionsgate Films), based on the Bret Easton Ellis novel stars Welsh-born English actor Christian Bale as New York City investment banking exec and psycho axe murderer Patrick Bateman, and Reese Witherspoon as his babe Evelyn Williams; "I am simply not there"; does $34.3M box office on a $7M budget. Noreaga Productions' The Arrivals is a multi-part flick by Muslims who try to prove that all prophets incl. Jesus (Isa) and especially Muhammad are from God and that Jesus Christ will return to help the Mahdi (Muslim Messiah) save true Muslims from the Antichrist Dajjal, along with evil Zionism and its Illuminati system, while the deceived Christians will call the Mahdi the Antichrist and fight him - can't wait until it happens for real, not? Chris D'Arienzo's Barry Munday (Mar. 13), based on the novel "Life is a Strange Place" by Frank Turner Hollon stars Patrick Wilson, who has his testicles removed after an attack and then finds himself accused of knocking up Jennifer Farley (Chloe Sevigny), whom he can't remember sleeping with; Judy Greer plays Jennifer's polar opposite sister Ginger. Roger Christian's Battlefield Earth (May 12), based on the 1982 L. Ron Hubbard novel is a Dutch angle stinker starring John Travolta as Terl the Psychlo, Barry Pepper as human Jonnie Goodboy Tyler, and Forest Whitaker as Psychlo Ker; grosses $29.7M on a $44M budget; "One of the worst films ever made." Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale (Dec. 16) (Toei Co.) debuts, based on the 1996 novel by Koushun Takami is about a future Japan called the Repub. of Greater East Asia where each h.s. class is forced to bloodily fight to the last student, popularizing the term "battle royale"; banned in several countries, making it more popular?; makes a fan of Quentin Tarantino; does $26M box office on a $4.5M budget; followed by "Battle Royale II: Requiem" (2003). Danny Boyle's The Beach (Feb. 11), based on the 1996 novel by Alex Garland stars Leonardo DiCaprio as 24-y.-o. Am. man Richard, who obtains a map of a paradise in the Gulf of Thailand, and finds it, only to discover that it has mucho problems incl. sharks and AK-47-toting native marijuana farmers; Tilda Swinton plays leader Sal; does $144.1M box office on a $50M budget. Julian Schnabel's Before Night Falls (Jan. 26) stars Javier Bardem as Cuban poet Reinaldo Renas (1943-90). Christopher Guest's Best in Show (Sept. 29). is a mockumentary about a top dog show. Ben Younger's Boiler Room stars Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, Ben Affleck et al. in a flick about high-pressure telephone con artists. Robert Iscove's Boys and Girls (June 16) (Miramax Films) stars Claire Forlani as Jennifer Burrows, and Freddie Prince Jr. as Ryan Walker, who meet at age 12, then again later in life, falling in love; "Opposites attack"; does $25.8M box office on a $35M budget. Robert Zemeckis' Cast Away (Dec. 22) (ImageMovers) (Playtone) (20th Cent. Fox) (DreamWorks Pictures), filmed on Monuriki Island in the Mamanuca Islands of Fiji stars Tom Hanks as marooned FedEx employee Chuck Noland, who plays Robinson Crusoe with a volleyball named Wilson for 1.5K days, then returns to the civilized world to find his wife Kelly Frears (Helen Hunt) married to another man; brings in $429.6M worldwide on a $90M budget; #2 movie of 2000 ($234M U.S. and $429.6M worldwide box office on a $90M budget). Lasse Hallstrom's Chocolat (Jan. 5) (Miramax Films), based on the 1999 Joanne Harris novel stars Juliette Binoche as young single mother Vianna Richer in the French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, who opens La Chocolaterie Maya during Lent, pissing-off the mayor Comte de Reynaud (Alfred Molina); also stars Victoire Thivisol as Vianne's daughter Anouk, Judi Dench as Armande Voizin, Carrie-Anne Moss as Armande's daughtger Caroline Clairmont, Lena Olin as Josephine, and Johnny Depp as Traveller Roux; does $152.7M box office on a $25M budget. Rod Lurie's The Contender (Oct. 13) (DreamWorks) is a political drama starring Jeff Bridges as Dem. U.S. Pres. jackson Evans, Christian Slater as Dem. Del. Rep. Reginald Webster, Gary Oldman as Repub. Ill. Rep. Sheldon Runyon, Joan Allen as Repub.-turned-Dem. Ohio Sen. Laine Billings Hanson, who's been nominated for vice-pres. to break the glass ceiling; "Sometimes you can assassinate a leader without firing a shot." David McNally's Coyote Ugly (Aug. 4) (Touchstone Pictures), produced by Jerry Bruckheimer based on the 1997 Elizabeth M. Gilbert story stars Piper Perabo as cute innocent struggling songwriter Violet "Jersey" Sanford, who makes ends meet at the Coyote Ugly stripper saloon while trying to fool her daddy Billene (John Goodman) and courting Aussie hunk Kevin O'Donnell (Adam Garcia); Tyra Banks plays Zoe; Maria Bello plays owner Lil; Izabello Miko plays Cammie; does $114M box office on a $45M budget. Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wo Hu Cang Long) (July 6) (Production Asia) (Sony Pictures) stars Yun-Fat Chow (Taiwan) and Michelle Yeoh (Malaysia), and introduces Beijing-born Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi (1979-) on wires; it goes on to become the top-grossing foreign language film to date ($213.5M on a $17M budget); Zhang later approaches Steven Spielberg about starring in his "Memoirs of a Geisha", giving him the only line in English she knew: "Hire me!" Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark (May 17) (Angel Films) stars Icelandic singer Bjork as blind Czech immigrant to Wash. State Selma Jezkova, who is convicted of murder and sings in the gallows, Catherine Deneuve as her friend Kathy Cvalda (Czech. "chubby"), Peter Stormae as her beau Jeff, David Morse as town policeman Bill Houston, and Cara Seymour as his wife Linda; Joel Grey plays Oldrich Novy; Siobhan Fallon plays prison guard Brenda; does $45.6M box office on a $12.5M budget. Steven Soderbergh's Erin Brockovich (Mar. 17) (Universal Pictures) stars Julia Roberts as a govt. whistleblower who "brought a small town to its feet and a huge corporation to its knees" by helping atty. Edward L. Masry (Albert Finney) sue Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) (Poison the Ground and Evade Justice?) in Hinkley, Calif. and win a record judgment; does $256M box office on a $51M budget; her first Oscar nod was for "Steel Magnolias", but who remembers?; "I just went out there and performed sexual favors. Six hundred and thirty-four blow jobs in five days. I'm really quite tired." James Wong's Final Destination (Mar. 17) (Hard Eight Pictures) (New Line Cinema) debuts, starring Devon Sawa as h.s. student Alex Browning, who boards Volee Airlines Flight 180 with his classmates for a senior trip to Paris, and is plagued by premonitions that the plane will explode in mid-air and kill everybody aboard, starting a fight that gets him and several others removed before takeoff, after which the plane explodes on takeoff, killing all remaining passengers, causing the FBI to suspect Alex; meanwhile the survivors all meet their deaths so that Death can even the score; does $112.9M box office on a $23M budget, spawning sequels incl. "Final Destination 2" (2003), "Final Destination 3" (2006), "The Final Destination" (2009), and "Final Destination 5" (2011). Gus Van Sant's Finding Forrester (Dec. 19) stars Sean Connery as William Forrester, a famous writer who takes black writing talent Rob Brown (Jamal Wallace) under his wing to assuage white guilt? Ridley Scott's Gladiator (May 5), based on the 1958 Daniel P. Mannix novel "Those About to Die" stars Russell Crowe as Roman Gen. Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is on the wrong side after Marcus Arelius dies in 180 C.E., ends up a lowly gladiator, and overcomes his chicken limbs to outfight every gladiator in Rome incl. a chained tiger, while emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) quakes in his purple toga, waiting for the inevitable overthrow attempt while doing what emperors do; #2 movie of 2000 ($216M U.S. and $460.5M global box office on a $103M budget); Connie Nielsen plays Commodus' scheming sister Lucilla, whom he has the hots for; animal trainer Randy Miller (1965-) wins the first-ever World Stunt Academy Award for his work with the "ferocious tigers" as Crowe's stunt double; too bad, on Apr. 22, 2008 his cousin Stephan Miller (1969-2008) is mauled to death by 700-lb. grizzly bear Rocky. James Ivory's and Ismail Merchant's The Golden Bowl (Sept. 13) (Lionsgate), based on the 1904 Henry James novel stars Jeremy Northam as Italian Prince Amerigo, who marries Maggie (Kate Beckinsale), daughter of U.S. billionaire Adam Verver (Nick Nolte), even though he really wants poor looker Charlotte Stant (Uma Thurman), but is hooked up by Maggie with her daddy; James Fox plays English col. Bob Assingham, and Anjelica Huston plays Fanny Assingham; does $5.7M box office on a $15M budget - meet Bob and Fanny Assingham? Dominic Sena's Gone in Sixty Seconds (June 9) stars Nicolas Cage as L.A. car thief Memphis Raines, who must steal 50 exotic cars in one night to save his brother Kip (Giovanni Ribisi) from Russian mob boss Raymond Calitri (Christopher Eccleston); also stars T.J. Cross as Mirror Man, and Angelina Jolie as Sara "Sway" Wayland; features the Moby song Flower ("Bring sally up/ And bring sally down/ Lift and squat/ Gotta tear the ground"). Michael Almereyda's Hamlet (Jan. 24), based on the Shakespeare play set in the modern surveillance society stars Ethan Hawke as film student Hamlet, Kyle MacLachlan as Denmark Corp. CEO Claudius, and Julia Stiles as Ophelia; does $2M box office. Stephen Frears' High Fidelity (Mar. 31) stars John Cusack as Rob, a record store owner who recounts his top five breakups. Paul Verhoeven's Hollow Man (Aug. 4) (Columbia Pictures), based on the 1897 H.G. Wells novel "The Invisible Man" stars Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Cane, a scientist who uses his serum to become invisible then slowly goes insane; also stars Elisabeth Shue as Dr. Linda McKay, and Josh Brolin as Dr. Matthew "Matt" Kensington; does $190.2M box office on a $95M budget. Ron Howard's How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Nov. 8) (Imagine Entertainment) (Universal Pictures), based on the 1957 Dr. Seuss children's book and narrated by Anthony Hopkins stars Jim Carrey as the Grinch, Taylor Momsen as Cindy Lou Who, and Jeffrey Tambor as Mayor Augustus May Who; Josh Ryan Evans plays the boy Grinch; does $345.1M box office on a $123M budget (#6 film of 2000). Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha's Ice Age (Mar. 15) is an animated flick set in 16K B.C.E., when animals could talk but humans couldn't; features the voices of John Leguizamo as Sid, Denis Leary as Diego, and Jack Black as Zeke. Hugh Hudson's I Dreamed of Africa (May 5), based on the book by Kuki Gallmann stars Kim Basinger as Kuki Gallmann, who survives a car crash, marries Paolo Gallmann (Vincent Perez), and moves to Kenya to start a cattle ranch, then leaves her alone for long periods to hunt and fish so she can face storms, lions, snakes, poachers and African tribes. Robert Redford's The Legend of Bagger Vance (Nov. 3), based on the 1995 book by Steven Pressfield stars Matt Damon as local Savannah, Ga. golf hero Rannulph Junuh (Matt Damon), who got messed up by WWI and lost his babe Adele Invergorden (Charlize Theron), until the Depression causes her to arrange a 1931 money match with him, Walter Hagen (Bruce Gill), and Bobby Jones (Joel Gretsch); too bad, he's lost his game, until mysterious caddy Bagger Vance (Will Smith) shows up; Jack Lemmon's final film; the whole thing is really about the Bhagavad Gita, with Vance as Bhagavan and Damon as Arunja? Volker Schlondorff's The Legend of Rita (Sept. 14) (Die Stille nach dem Schuss) stars Bibiana Beglau as a radical West German terrorist who tries to quit and settle in East Germany. Steven Brill's Little Nicky (Nov. 10) is an Adam Sandler vehicle, playing one of the three sons of Satan (Harvey Keitel) while accompanied by a talking bulldog and falling for mortal Patricia Arquette - snow's anywhere it's high? Amy Heckerling's Loser (July 21) stars Jason Biggs as a you know what, who gets the girl Dora Diamond (Mena Suvari). Gina Prince-Blythewood's Love & Basketball (Apr. 21), produced by Spike Lee is her dir. debut. Dominic Anciano and Ray Burdis' Love, Honour and Obey (Apr. 7) stars Johnny Lee Miller as a courier who asks his school friend Jude Law to help get him into the North London mob run by his uncle Ray Winstone, and ends up in a war with the South London mob. Sally Potter's The Man Who Cried (Sept. 22) stars Christina Ricci, who travels from Russia to the U.S. in search of her lost father Oleg Yankovsky, and falls for a gypsy on horseback. Robert De Niro's Meet the Parents (Oct. 6) stars Ben Stiller as male nurse Gaylord "Greg" Focker, who has to get through his fiance Dina's (Blythe Danner) nutty parents to marry her, esp. Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro); they get around censors by proving that there are really people named Focker in the phone book?; #7 movie of 2000 ($166M). Christopher Nolan's Memento (Oct. 11), based on the story "Memento Mori" by his brother Jonathan Nolan begins at the end and tells the story of Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) backwards, about a hunt for the man who killed his wife Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss) by a man who can't remember things so he writes them on his skin. The Farrelly Brothers' Me, Myself & Irene (June 23) stars Jim Carrey as nice guy cop Charlie Baileygates with a bad multiple personality disorder that turns him into Hank Evans; Renee Zellweger stars as his babe Irne P. Waters; Tony Cox stars as a hilarious black midget limo driver with a genius IQ. George Tillman Jr.'s Men of Honor (Nov. 10) tells the true story of Carl Brashear, the U.S. Navy's first black master diver in 1949, who has to get through Master Chief Sunday (Robert De Niro), who suprisingly turns into his best friend and advocate in a racist-but-forced-to-reform org. Donald Petrie's Miss Congeniality (Dec. 22) is a Sandra Bullock vehicle, as tomboy FBI agent Gracie Hart, who turns Eliza Doolittle with Michael Caine to go undercover at a beauty pageant, where dir. Candice Bergen and over-the-hill self-parodying TV host William Shatner provide a fakey conspiracy plot while she gets the guy, fellow FBI agent Benjamin Bratt; "Unpolished. Unkempt. Unleashed. Undercover." John Woo's Mission: Impossible II (M:i-2) (May 24) stars Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt again; #3 movie of 2000 ($215M). Brian De Palma's Mission to Mars (Mar. 10) stars Gary Sinise, Tom Robbins, Don Cheadle, Jerry O'Connell, and Connie Nielsen, who have a bad trip there followed by an alien-boosted one back. Joel Coen's and Ethan Coen's O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Dec. 22) (Touchstone Pictures), based on Homer's poem "The Odyssey", set in 1937 Mississippi and satirizing the 1941 Preston Sturges flick "Sullivan's Travels" stars George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson as escaped chained cons Everett Ulysses McGill, Pete Hogwallop, and Delmar O'Donnell, who are looking for a buried $1.2M bank heist loot before a flood washes it away, while singing with the Soggy Bottom Boys; John Goodman plays 1-eyed Bible salesman Daniel "Big Dan" Teague (Polyphemus), and Holly Hunter plays Penny (Penelope). Roland Emmerich's The Patriot (June 30) stars Mel Gibson as S.C. farmer Benjamin Martin, who votes against S.C. joining the Am. Rev. only to see his son Gabriel (Heath Ledger) join the rebels, bringing down mean British Col. William Tavington (Jason Isaacs) down on him hard enough to turn rebel himself, becoming known as the Ghost; Joely Richardson plays his sister-in-law Charlotte; Tom Wilkinson plays Lord Cornwallis. Wolfgang Petersen's The Perfect Storm (June 30), based on the book by Sebastian Junger about the fall 1991 North Atlantic incident with the Andrea Gail stars George Clooney as Bill Tyne, Mark Wahlberg as Bobby Shatford, Diane Lane as Christina Cotter, and John C. Reilly as Dale "Murph" Murphy; #6 movie of 2000 ($183M). David Twohy's Pitch Black (Feb. 18) stars Vin Diesel as dangerous con Richard B. Riddick, whose prison spaceship crashes on a desert planet, allowing him to escape until he sees the survivors attacked by alien creatures, causing him to turn hero; followed by "The Chronicles of Riddick" (2004). Steve Purcell's The Queens of Comedy (Jan. 27) stars Adele Givens, Laura Hayes, Mo'Nique and Sommore as black comedians playing themselves. Philip Kaufman's Quills (Dec. 15) stars Geoffrey Rush as the Marquis de Sade. Anthony Hoffman's Red Planet (Nov. 10) (Village Roadshow Pictures) (Warner Bros.) stars Carrie-Anne Moss as sex tease astronaut Cmdr. Kate Bowman going to terraforming Mars with Robby Gallagher (Val Kilmer), Lt. Ted Santen (Benjamin Bratt), Dr. Quinn Burchenal (Tom Sizemore), Dr. Bud Chantilas (Terence Stamp), and Chip Pettengil (Simon Baker), where a robot named AMEE goes badass on them and the lunatics take over the asylum; does $33.5M box office on an $80M budget. Howard Deutch's The Replacements (Aug. 11) about replacement players during an NFL strike who only have to win 3 of 4 to go to the playoffs stars Keanu Reeves as QB Shane Falco, Gene Hackman as the coach Jimmy McGinty, and Brooke Langton (real-life cheerleader for the Washington Sentinels) as Falco's cheerleader babe Annabelle Farrell. Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream (Oct. 27), based on the 1978 novel by Hubert Selby Jr. stars Jared Leto, Marlon Wayans, and Jennifer Connolly in an exploration of addiction; does $7.4M box office on a $4.5M budget; the first film by Thousands Words film co. William Friedkin's Rules of Engagement (Mar. 31) stars Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Hayes "Hodge" Hodges, who has to defend Marine Col. Terry L. Childers (Samuel L. Jackson) for ordering his troops to fire on civilians who stormed a U.S. embassy in some Muslim country, showing even Muslim girls wielding guns against infidels to make him look good. Keenen Ivory Wayans' Scary Movie (July 7) is a parady of 1990s films; #9 movie of 2000 ($157M in the U.S., grossing $278M worldwide on a $19M budget, becoming the highest-grossing film dir. by an African-Am. until ?; spawns sequels "Scary Movie 2" (2001) ("We lied"), "Scary Movie 3" (2003), Scary Movie 4 (2006); "No mercy. No shame. No sequel." Jonathan Glazer's Sexy Beast (Sept. 13) (Film Four) (Fox Searchlight Pictures) star Ray Winstone as safecracker Gary "Gal" Dove, who is released from priz after nine years and moves to Spain with his new ex-ho wife DeeDee Dove (Amanda Redman) to enjoy the retired life, only to be followed by London underworld recruiter Don Logan (Ben Kingsley), who drags him back into the mess along with crime lord Teddy Bass (Ian McShane) and bisexual banker Harry (James Fox); does £31.76M box office on a £4.M budget; Glazer's dir. debut. Guy Ritchie's Snatch (Aug. 23) (SKA Films) (Columbia Pictures) (Screen Gems) is an attempt to channel Quentin Tarantino with a Cockney accent, complete with an intricate double plot featuring numerous ironic plot twists, starring Benicio del Toro as gambler-thief Franky "Four-Fingers", who steals an 86-carat diamond in Antwerp and goes to London to see fence Doug "the Head" on behalf of New York City gangster Abraham Denovitz (Dennis Farina); meanwhile boxing promoter Turkish talks gangster Brick Top into putting boxer Gorgeous George in a match with One Punch Mickey "Pikey" O'Neill (Brad Pitt), who is paid to throw the fight but KOs his opponent with one punch; also Rade Serbedzija as arms dealer Boris "the Blade" Yurinov, and Vinnie Jones as bounty hunter Bullet-Tooth Tony; "Now, dicks have drive and clarity of vision, but they are not clever. They smell pussy and they want a piece of the action. And you thought you smelled some good old pussy, and have brought your two little mincey faggot balls along for a good old time. But you've got your parties muddled up. There's no pussy here, just a dose that'll make you wish you were born a woman. Like a prick, you are having second thoughts. You are shrinking, and your two little balls are shrinking with you. And the fact that you've got 'Replica' written down the side of your guns"; does $83.6M box office on a $10M budget. Maggie Greenwald's Songcatcher (Jan. 25) (Lionsgate Pictures) stars Janet McTeer as early 1900s Am. musicologist Lily Penleric (based on folklorist Olive Dame Campbell), who visits the Appalachians to collect folk songs, hooking up with stud musician Tom Bledsoe (Aidan Quinn); Steve Sutherland plays English folklorist Cecil Sharp; soundtrack features Fair and Tender Ladies by Rosanne Cash, Pretty Saro by Iris DeMent, Barbara Allen by Emmy Rossum, Barbara Allen by Emmylou Harris, Mary of the Wild Moor by Sara Evans, Wind and Rain by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, and The Cuckoo Bird by Deana Carter, Conversation with Death by Hazel Dickens; does $3M box office on a $1.8M budget. Clint Eastwood's Space Cowboys (Aug. 4) stars Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and James Garner as old fart NASA engineers called back for one last space mission to rescue an obsolete Russian satellite that only they can understand, after which it is revealed that they really don't but just want an excuse to go into space after their original astronaut hopes as part of Air Force project DAEDALUS were ruined in 1958 by the creation of NASA and its apenauts. Roger Donaldson's Thirteen Days (Dec. 25) (Beacon Pictures) (New Line Cinema), based on "The Kennedy Tapes: Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis" by Ernest May and Philip Zelikow stars Bruce Greenwood as Pres. Kennedy, Steven Culp as his brother Bobby, Dylan Baker as U.S. defense secy. Robert McNamara, and Kevin Costner as JFK's political adviser Kenneth Patrick "Kenny" O'Donnell; does $66.6M box office on an $80M budget. Corey Yuen's The Transporter (Oct. 11) stars Jason Statham as Frank Martin, a man whose job is to deliver packages without asking questions. Andre van Heerden's Tribulation (Jan. 14) stars Gary Busey as cop Tom Canboro, Margot Kidder as his sister Eileen, Joseph Ziegler and as his brother Calvin, who experience the End of Days complete with Antichrist Franco Maclousso (Nick Mancuso); Howie Mandel plays Tom's crazy brother-in-law Jason Quincy. Anh Hung Tran's The Vertical Ray of Sun (May 24) is a plotless visual feast about the Vietnamese summer. Robert Zemeckis' What Lies Beneath (July 21) stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford as a couple with a haunted house on their hands. Nancy Meyers' What Women Want (Dec. 15) stars hunk Mel Gibson as ad agency star Nick Marshall, who has an accident that lets him magically read women's minds, and uses it to steal the ideas of his new boss Darcy McGuire (Helen Hunt) and have perfect sex with Lola (Marisa Tomei); Alan Alda plays Dan Wanamaker; Bette Midler plays Gibson's pot-smoking therapist, who utters the soundbyte "You know, Freud died at age 83 still asking one question: What do women want?"; #5 movie of 2000 ($183M on a $70M budget). Marek Kanievska's Where the Money Is (May 31) stars Paul Newman, Linda Fiorentino, and Dermot Mulroney in a plot about a mobster faking a stroke to get out of priz, being found out by the nurse and her hubby, and planning a heist with them. Kathryn Bigelow's The Weight of Water (Sept. 90 (Lions Gate Films), based on the 1997 Anita Shreve notel stars Catherine McCormack as newspaper photographer Jean Janes, Sean Penn as her poet hubby Thomas, Josh Lucas as his brother Rich, and Elizabeth Hurley as his teasing topless girlfriend Adaline, who take their yacht to Smuttynose Island in the Gulf of Maine to investigate the 1873 Smuttynose murders of two immigrant women by Louis Wagner (Ciaran Hands), and come upon the truth about lone survivor Maren Hontvedt (Sarah Polley); big bomb, doing only $322K box office on a $16M budget. Bryan Singer's X-Men (July 14), based on the Marvel Comics series about a world where there's two kinds of people, normal and mutant, stars Patrick Stewart as X-Men leader Prof. Charles Xavier, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, James Marsden as Cyclops, Halle Berry as Storm, Anna Paquin as Rogue, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, and Ian McKellen and Ray Park as bad guys Magneto and Toad; #8 movie of 2000 ($157M). James Gray's The Yards (Oct. 12) (Miramax Films), about the commuter rail yards in Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn where contractors sabotage each other's work for the Transit Authority stars Mark Wahlberg as new parolee Leo Handler, Ellen Burstyn as his mother Val, Charlize Theron as his cousin Erica, Joaquin Phoenix as her beau Willie Gutierrez, and James Caan as Erica' stepfather Frank Olchin does $889K box office on a $24M budget. Edward Yang's Yi Yi (A One and a Two) (Sept. 20) stars Wu Nienjen and Jonathan Chang as members of a family in Taipei who ask life's hard questions. Kenneth Lonergan's You Can Count on Me (Nov. 16) stars Laura Linney as a single mom living in the Catskills, Matthew Broderick as her beau, and Mark Ruffalo as her wayward half-brother, who helps her son Rudy (Rory Culkin) come to terms. Plays: Peter Ackroyd (1949-), The Mystery of Charles Dickens (first play). David Auburn (1970-), Proof (Walter Kerr Theatre, New York) (Oct. 24) (917 perf.) (Pulitzer Prize); stars Mary-Louise Parker, Ben Shankman, and Larry Bryggman in a play about math whizzes Robert Llewelyn, his daughter Catherine, and his ex-student Harold "Hal" Dobbs at the U. of Chicago chasing a revolutionary new proof about prime numbers; filmed in 2005. Alan Ayckbourn (1939-), Virtual Reality; Whenever. The Pet Shop Boys and Jonathon Harvey, Closer to Heaven (musical) (May 31) (Arts Theatre, London). Howard Brenton (1942-), Kit's Play (Jerwood Theatre). Howard Brenton (1942-) and Tariq Ali (1943-), Snogging Ken (Almeida Theatre). Charles Busch (1954-), The Tale of the Allergist's Wife (Ethel Barrymore Theater, New York) (Nov. 2); stars Linda Lavin, Tony Roberts, and Michele Lee. Caryl Churchill (1938-), Far Away (Nov. 30) (Donmar Theatre, London); Harper, Joan, and Todd. Timothy Findley (1930-2002), Elizabeth Rex (Stratford Festival, Canada); Queen Elizabeth I hooks up with actor Ned Lownscroft, who specializes in women's roles, with Liz uttering the gag-me-with-a-spoon soundbyte "If you will teach me how to be a woman, I'll teach you how to be a man"; stars Diane D'Aquila and Brent Carver. Maria Irene Fornes (1930-), Letters from Cuba. Michael Frayn (1933-), Plays: Three. Christopher Fry (1907-2005), A Ringing of Bells (last play) (Bedford Modern School). Pam Gems (1925-), Garibaldi, Si! Rebecca Gilman, Boy Gets Girl (Goodman Theatre, Chicago); a blind date turns into a nightmare. Simon Gray (1936-2008), Japes (Mercury Theatre, London). John Guare (1938-), Lydie Breeze (May 15) (New York); stars Elizabeth Marvel, Boris McGiver, Bill Camp, Matt Servito, and Joanna P. Adler. Stephen Adly Guirgis, Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train (New York); dir. by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Davie Hare (1947-), My Zinc Bed (Sept. 14) (Royal Court Theatre, London); stars Steven Mackintosh, Tom Wilkinson, and Julia Ormond in a play about drug addiction and the need for love. Beth Henley (1952-), Family Week. Dusty Hughes, Helpless (Donmare Warehouse, London) (Mar. 2); the landslide victory of Tony Blair in 1997. Elton John (1947-), David Henry Hwang (1957-), Tim Rice (1944-), Linda Woolverton, and Robert Falls (1954-), Aida (The Timeless Love Story) (musical) (Mar. 23) (Palace Theatre, New York) (1,852 perf.); based on the 1871 Verdi opera, and a children's storybook version by Leontyne Price, acquired by the Walt Disney Co. in 1994 and originally intended for an animated feature film; stars Heather Headley (1974-) as Aida, Adam Pascal as Radames, and Shere Rene Scott as Amneris; features the song Written in the Stars, sung by Elton John and LeAnn Rimes (#2 in the U.S.). Charlotte Jones, In Flame (Bush Theatre, London). Arthur Kopit (1937-), Y2K. James Lapine (1949-), The Moment When. Torgny Lindgren, Light (Oct. 31) (Almeida Theatre, London). David Lindsay-Abaire, Wonder of the World (Theatre Club, Manhattan); stars Sarah Jessica Parker as a wife who leaves her husband and takes a bus to Niagara Falls. Brian Lipson, A Large Attendance in the Antechamber (Melbourne); about English eugenics founder Francis Galton. David Mamet (1947-), State and Main; S&M? Donald Margulies, Dinner with Friends (Pulitzer Prize). Frank McGuinness (1953-), Greta Garbo Came to Donegal (Tricycle Thetre, London). Mark Medoff (1940-), Tommy J and Sallyh. Charles L. Mee, Big Love (Louisville, Ky.); based on Aeschylus' "The Supplicants". Jason Miller (1939-2001), Barrymore's Ghost. Gary Mitchell, Force of Change (Nov. 8) (Royal Court Theatre, London). Jimmy Murphy, The Kings of the Kilburn High Road (Garter Lane Theatre, Waterford, Ireland). Richard Nelson, Madame Melville (Vaudeville Theatre, London); student Carl (Macaulay Culkin) hooks with with teacher Claudie (Irene Jacob). Nick Nicholas and Andrew Strader, Hamlet Prince of Denmark: The Restored Klingon Version (Feb.); yes, Shakespeare reaches the Klingon Empire ;) Joe Penhall, Blue/Orange (Nat. Theatre, London) (Apr.); stars Bill Nighy, Andrew Lincoln, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Austin Pendleton, Orson's Shadow (Steppenwolf Theate, Chicago) (Jan.); about Orson Welles; runs off-Broadway in 2005 for 349 perf. Harold Pinter (1930-2008), Remembrance of Things Past (Nat. Theatre, London) (Nov. 23); based on the 7-vol. Marcel Proust novel. Yasmina Reza, Conversations after a Burial (Sept. 13) (Almeida Theatre, London); stars Claire Bloom; trans. from the French by Christopher Hampton. Claudia Shear, Dirty Blonde (Helen Hayes Theater, New York) (May 1) (352 perf.); about Mae West. Donald R. Seawell brings the Royal Shakespeare Co.'s 10-hour epic Trojan War cycle Tantalus to Denver, Colo. with $8M of his own money, becoming the largest theater project in history; in 2002 Queen Elizabeth II confers the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire on him, and RSC pres. Prince Charles congratulates him. Judith Thompson, Perfect Pie (Tarragon Theatre, Toronto). Derek Walcott (1930-), Walker and the Ghost Dance. Wendy Wasserstein (1950-2006), Old Money (Nov. 9) (Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, New York); stars John Cullum, Mary Beth Hurt. Andrew Lloyd Webber (1948-) and Ben Elton, Beautiful Game (musical) (Cambridge Theatre, London) (Sept. 26). Guo Wejing, Diana Liao and Xu Ying, Poet Li Bai (opera) (July 6) (Central City Opera, Colo.); the Tang poet and his muse Poetry tussle with two competing muses who take on the bodily forms of Moon and Wine. Nick Whitby, To the Green Fields Beyond (Sept. 25) (Donmar Theatre, London); a WWI tank crew. Hugh Whitemore (1936-), God Only Knows (Nov.) (Vaudeville Theatre, London); stars Derek Jacobi. Timothy Williams and Andrew Sabiston (1965-), Napoleon the Musical (musical) (Shaftesbury Theatre, London) (Nov. 22). David Williamson (1942-), Up for Grabs; the sex-drenched dot com boomb internat. art market of the 1990s; the London West End version stars Madonna, guaranteeing a flop? August Wilson (1945-2005), Jitney (Sept. 19) (Union Square Theater, New York). David Henry Wilson (1937-), People in Cages. Lanford Wilson (1937-), Book of Days. Robert Wilson (1941-) and Tzimon Barto, Hot Water. Robert Wilson (1941-) and Lou Reed (1942-), POEtry. Poetry: John Ash (1948-), The Anatolikon. Andrei Codrescu (1946-), Selected Poetry. Billy Collins (1941-), Taking Off Emily Dickinson's Clothes. Stephen Dunn (1939-), Different Hours. George Fetherling (1949-), Madagasca. Jorie Graham (1950-), Swarm. Thom Gunn (1929-2004), Boss Cupid. Marilyn Hacker (1942-), Squares and Courtyards. Michael S. Harper (1938-), Songlinesin Michaeltree: New and Collected Poems. Seamus Heaney (1939-), Beowulf: A New Translation; modern retelling. Carolyn Kizer (1925-), Pro Femina. Bill Knott (1940-), Laugh at the End of the World: Collected Comic Poems 1969-1999. Ted Kooser (1939-), Winter Morning Walks: One Hundred Postcards to Jim Harrison. Stanley Jasspon Kunitz (1905-2006), Collected Poems; becomes U.S. poet laureate in Oct. Denise Levertov (1923-97), The Great Unknowing: Last Poems (posth.). Larry Levis (1946-96), The Selected Levis (posth.). Czeslaw Milosz (1911-2004), To It. Mary Oliver (1935-), The Leaf and the Cloud: A Poem. Grace Paley (1922-2007), Begin Again: Collected Poems. Robert Pinsky (1940-), Jersey Rain. Stanley Plumly (1939-), Now That My Father Lies Down Beside Me: New and Selected Poems, 1970-2000. Kathleen Raine (1908-2003), Collected Poems. Sonia Sanchez (1934-), Shake Loose My Skin. Peter Dale Scott (1929-), Mending the Darkness: A Poem for the Year 2000. Dave Smith (1942-), The Wick of Memory: New and Selected Poems, 1970-2000. Gerald Stern (1925-), Last Blue. Wislawa Szymborska (1923-2012), Moment. Henry S. Taylor (1942-), Brief Candles: 101 Clerihews. Donald Michael Thomas (1935-), Flight and Smoke. Judith Viorst (1931-), Suddenly Sixty; incl. "It's Harder to be Frisky Over Sixty". Derek Walcott (1930-), Tiepolo's Hound. Richard Wilbur (1921-2007), Mayflies: New Poems and Translations (Apr. 4); incl. "A Barred Owl", "At Moorditch"; "Crows' Nest", "The Pleasing, Anxious Being"; "For C." ("A passion joined to courtesy and art/ Which has the quality of something made/ Like a good fiddle, like the rose's scent,/ Like a rows window or the firmament"); Mayflies; "Watching those lifelong dancers of a day/ As night closed, I felt myself alone/ In a life too much my own./ More mortal in my separateness than they - / Unless, I thought, I had been called to be/ Not fly or star/ But one whose task is joyfully to see/ How fair the fiats of the caller are." Charles Kenneth Williams, Misgivings: My Father, My Mother, Myself. Charles Wright (1935-), Negative Blue. Jay Wright (1934-), Transfigurations: Collected Poems. Novels: Alice Adams (1926-99), After the War (posth.); 11th and last novel. Isabel Allende (1942-), Portrait in Sepia. Poul Anderson (1926-2001), Genesis. Kate Atkinson (1951-), Emotionally Weird. Margaret Atwood (1939-), The Blind Assassin (Booker Prize) (Hammett Prize); sisters Iris and Laura Chase of Southern Ont. and their sci-fi novelist friend Alex Thomas. Louis Auchincloss (1917-), Her Infinite Variety; a career woman in the early 20th cent. Trezza Azzopardi, The Hiding Place (first novel. Richard Bach (1936-), Out of My Mind. J.G. Ballard (1930-2009), Super-Cannes; sequel to "Cocaine Night" (1998). Super-Cannes. Melissa Bank, The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing; Jane Rosenthal. Russell Banks (1940-), The Angel on the Roof (short stories). Muriel Barbery (1969-), Une Gourmandise (first novel); English trans. "Gourmet Rhapsody" pub. in 2009. Julian Barnes (1946-), Love, Etc. Frederick Barthelme (1943-), The Law of Averages (short stories). Ann Beattie (1947-), Perfect Recall (short stories). Madison Smartt Bell, Master of the Crossroads; Toussaint L'Ouverture. Saul Bellow (1915-2005), Ravelstein; Abe Ravelstein AKA Allan Bloom. Wendell Berry (1934-), Jayber Crow. Maeve Binchy (1940-), Scarlet Feather. Marie-Claire Blais (1939-), The Exile and the Sacred Travellers. T. Coraghessan Boyle (1948-), A Friend of the Earth. Barbara Taylor Bradford (1933-), Where You Belong. David Jay Brown, Virus: The Alien Strain (May 9); a kissing-transmitted hallucinogenic virus unleashed by twisted ETs. Dan Brown (1964-), Angels and Demons; about how the Illuminati are real and out ta getchya, introducing Harvard U. prof. Robert Langdon; filmed in 2009. Rita Mae Brown (1944-), Loose Lips; Outfoxed; Sister Jane Arnold and her fox hunting club in Va. James Lee Burke (1936-), Purple Cane Road. Augusten Burroughs (1965-), Sellevision (first novel). Robert Olen Butler (1945-), Mr. Spaceman. Meg Cabot (1967-), The Princess Diaries (Oct.); first in a series; Mia Thermopolis; filmed in 2001 by Garry Marshall. Paul Carey, True History of the Kelly Gang. John le Carre (1931-), The Constant Gardener. Michael Chabon (1963-), The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Pulitzer Prize). Tracy Chevalier (1962-), Girl with a Pearl Earring; the 1665 Rembrandt painting. Deepak Chopra (1946-), The Angel is Near. Mary Higgins Clark (1927-), Before I Say Good-Bye. Mary Higgins Clark (1927-) and Carol Higgins Clark (1956-), The Christmas Thief. Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio (1940-), Ghosts in the Street (Fantômes dans la Rue); about Renault. Paul Coelho (1947-), The Devil and Miss Prym. Jackie Collins (1937-), Lethal Seduction; Madison Castelli. Evan S. Connell Jr. (1924-), Deus Lo Volt. Robin Cook (1940-), Abduction. Catherine Cookson (1906-98), A House Divided; Rosie of the River (posth.). Stephen Coonts (1946-), Hong Kong; Rear Adm. Jake Grafton #8. Mitch Cullin (1968-), Branches (verse novel); Tideland. Claire Davis, Winter Range (first novel). Kate DiCamillo (1964-), Because of Winn-Dixie. E.L. Doctorow (1931-), City of God. Roddy Doyle (1958-), The Dead Republic; #3 in the Last Roundup Trilogy (begun 1999). David Ebershoff, The Danish Girl; about Lili Elbe, one of the first to undergo sex reassignment surgery, Danish girl Gerda Wegener, and her wife Greta Waud from Pasadena, Calif. filmed in 2015. Howard Fast (1914-2003), Greenwich. Penelope Fitzgerald (1916-2000), The Means of Escape (short stories). Ken Follett (1949-), Code to Zero. Nicolas Freeling (1927-2003), The Janeites. Esther Freud (1963-), The Wild. Cornelia Funke (1958-), The Thief Lord; NYT bestseller. Alan Furst (1941-), Kingdom of Shadows; Night Soldiers #6. Barry Gifford (1946-), Wyoming. Elizabeth M. Gilbert (1969-), Stern Men. Bee Season. Rebecca Goldstein (1950-), Properties of Light. Joe Gores (1931-), Stakeout on Page Street and Other DKA Files. Lauren Groff (1978-), The Monsters of Templeton (first novel). Jane Hamilton (1957-), Disobedience. Peter Handke (1942-), Crossing the Sierra de Gredos. Everette Lynn Harris (1955-2009), Abide With Me; Not a Day Goes By; Money Can't Buy Me Love. Jim Harrison (1937-), The Beast God Forgot to Invent. Ken Haruf, Where You Once Belonged. Joseph Heller (1923-99), Portrait of an Artist, as an Old Man (posth.) (last novel); semi-autobio. novel about old fart writer Eugene Pota, who tries to write a final novel. George V. Higgins (1939-99), At End of Day (posth.). Alice Hoffman (1952-), The River King. Nick Hornby (ed.), Speaking with the Angel (short stories); proceeds donated to TreeHouse for autistic children in London. Michel Houellebecq (1958-), Lanzarote; Platform (Platforme). Josephine Humphreys (1945-), Nowhere Else on Earth. Raj Kamal Jha (1965-), The Blue Bedspread (first novel); brother-sister incest. Ha Jin (1956-), The Bridegroom (short stories). Molly Jong-Fast (1978-), Normal Girl (first novel); daughter of Erica Jong. Denis Johnson (1949-), The Name of the World. Kaylie Jones (1960-), Celeste Ascending (Apr.); Celeste deals with alcoholism. Ismail Kadare (1936-), Spring Flowers, Spring Frost. Thomas Keneally (1935-), Bettany's Book. Elias Khoury (1948-), Ra'ihat al-Sabun. Stephen King (1947-), Riding the Bullet (Mar. 14); The Plant (July). Matthew Kneale (1960-), English Passengers; in 1857 Rev. Geoffrey Wilson sets out for Tasmania to locate the Garden of Eden and prove Darwin's theory of evolution false - did you ever study Blackjack? Milan Kundera (1929-), Ignorance. Anne Lamott (1954-), Blue Shoe. Jeffrey Lent, In the Fall (first novel). Elmore Leonard (1925-2013), Pagan Babies. Jonathan Lethem (1964-), This Shape We're In. Yiyun Li, The Vagrants (first novel); 28-y.-o. counterrevolutionary Gu Shan is set for execution on Mar. 21, 1979. Mario Vargas Llosa (1936-), The Feast of the Goat. Steve Martin (1945-), Shopgirl (first novel) (Oct. 11); Vt.-raised Mirabelle Buttersfield sells expensive evening gloves at Nieman Marcus in Beverly Hill chases Seattle millionaire Ray Porter while being chased by slacker Jeremy; filmed in 2005. Armistead Jones Maupin Jr. (1944-), The Night Listener; roman a clef based about NYC gay radio host Gabriel Noone and an abused 14-y.-o. teenager, based on the real life story of Anthony Godby Johnson, author of the hoax book "A Rock and a Hard Place: One Boy's Triumphant Story"; filmed in 2006 starring Robin Williams. Colleen McCullough (1937-), Morgan's Run (Aug. 31); an English prisoner in an 18th cent. penal colony on Norfolk Island, Australia. Ian McEwan (1948-), Atonement; 13-y.-o. fledgling playwright Briony Tallis gets jealous of her older sister Cecilia and accuses her beau Robbie Turner of a crime he didn't commit, messing up all their lives; filmed in 2007. Larry McMurtry (1936-), Boone's Lick. Stanley Middleton (1919-2009), Small Change. Elsa Morante (1912-85), Forgotten Stories (posth.). David Morrell (1943-), Burnt Sienna. Mary McGarry Morris (1943-), Fiona Range. Joyce Carol Oates (1938-), Blonde; the inner life of Norma Jean Baker AKA Marilyn Monroe (1926-62). Edna O'Brien (1930-), In the Forest; Michen O'Kane. Michael Ondaatje (1943-), Anil's Ghost; Anil Tissera in the the 1980s-90s Sri Lankan war. Robert Brown Parker (1932-2010), Perish Twice; Sunny Randall #2; Hugger Mugger; Spenser #27. James Patterson (1947-), Along Came a Spider. Jayne Anne Phillips (1952-), MotherKind. Jodi Picoult (1966-), Plain Truth. Mark Jude Poirier, Goats; "Girls, ganga and goat-trekking"; filmed in 2011. Stanley Pottinger, A Slow Burning. Richard Powers (1957-), Plowing the Dark. Steven Pressfield (1943-), Tides of War: A Novel of Alcibiades and the Pelopponesian War. Francine Prose (1947-), Blue Angel; satire of PC Puritanism on campus. Philip Pullman (1946-), The Amber Spyglass; #3 of the Dark Materials trilogy. James Purdy (1914-2009), Moe's Villa and Other Stories. Mario Puzo (1920-99), Omerta; #4 and last in the Godfather saga. Anne Rice (1941-), Merrick; #7 in the Vampire Chronicles; vampires Louis, Lestat, and David meet witch Merrick Mayfair. Angelo Rinaldi (1940-), Tout ce que je Sais de Marie. Harold Robbins (1916-97), The Secret (posth.). Philip Roth (1933-2018), The Human Stain (May); bestseller about 65-y.-o. Nathan Zuckerman observing retired classics prof. Coleman Silk in 1998 during the Monica Lewinsky affair and PC-think in the Academy; filmed in 2003. J.K. Rowling (1965-), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (July 8); record U.S. first printing of 3.8M copies; causes the New York Times Book Review to set up a children's book bestseller list on July 16 to shunt her off? Willy Russell (1947-), The Wrong Boy (first novel); 19-y.-o. Raymond Marks from Manchester writes to his hero Morrissey. Rafael Sabatini (1875-1950), The Outlaws of Falkensteig (short stories) (posth.). Boualem Sansal (1949-), L'Enfant fou de l'Arbre Creux. Karl Schroeder (1962-), Ventus. Jeffrey Shaara (1952-), Gone for Soldiers; the U.S.-Mexican War of 1847-8. Jeffrey Shaara (1952-) and Michael Shaara (1928-88) (posth.), The Last Full Measure David Shannon, The Rain Came Down and How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball. Anne Rivers Siddons (1936-), Nora, Nora. Daniel Silva, The Kill Artist; art restoration slash secret agent Gabriel Allon. Dan Simmons (1948-), Darwin's Blade. Mona Simpson (1957-), Off Keck Road; three Midwest women. Jane Smiley (1949-), Horse Heaven. Zadie Smith (1975-), White Teeth (first novel); the racially-mixed new white-isn't-right England. Lemony Snicket (1970-), The Wide Window, The Miserable Mill, and The Austere Academy; illustrations by Bret Helquist. Susan Sontag (1933-2004), In America; 19th cent. Polish actress Helena Modjeska. Gary Soto (1952-), Nickel and Dime; Baseball in April. Muriel Spark (1918-2006), Aiding and Abetting. Nicholas Sparks (1965-), The Rescue (Sept.). Danielle Steel (1947-), The Wedding; The House on Hope Street; Journey. Neal Town Stephenson (1959-), Quicksilver; #1 in the Baroque Cycle. Ronald Sukenick (1932-2004), Narralogue: Truth in Fiction. Manil Suri, The Death of Vishnu. Donald Michael Thomas (1935-), Charlotte. Omar Tyree, For the Love of Money. Gore Vidal (1925-2012), The Golden Age; 7th and last in his Empire series. Richard Vinen, A History in Fragments: Europe in the Twentieth Century. Alan Wall, The School of Night; the Shakespeare authorship controversy. James Welch (1940-2003), The Heartsong of Charging Elk. Fay Weldon (1931-), Rhode Island Blues. Paul West (1930-), Cheops: A Cupboard for the Sun. Edmund White (1940-), The Married Man; gay-themed. T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-), Falling Off Point Mugu (how an airplane crash convolves with the crash of the mighty U.S.); Baby Boom Morticians (the ultimate end of U.S. Baby Boomers); Salvation Day: The Immortality Device (the truth about the Shroud of Turin); Rock and Roll Corerunner (the face of war in the 22nd cent.); The Ice Cream Man (an Am. ice cream truck driver's big summer). John Updike (1932-2009), Gertrude and Claudius; a prequel to Shakespeare's "Hamlet". Stuart Woods, L.A. Woods; NYT bestseller about ex-cop atty. Stone Barrington in Sin City L.A. Births: Am. "Make Me (Cry)", "Stay Together" singer-actress Noah Lindsey Cyrus on Jan. 8 in Nashville, Tenn.; daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus (1961-); sister of Trace Cyrus (1989-) and Miley Cyrus (1992-). Am. "Russell in Up" actor Jordan Nagai on Feb. 5 in Los Angeles, Calif. Am. "Zoey in Black-ish" actress (black) Yara Sayeh Shahidi on Feb. 10 in Minneapolis, Minn.; Iranian father, African-Am. mother; sister of Sayeed Shahidi (2003-); grows up in Calif. English "Bethany Britney Platt" in Coronation Street" actresses Amy and Emily Walton on Mar. 15. Canadian "Liesel Meminger in The Book Thief" actress Sophie Nelisse (Nélisse) on Mar. 27 in Windsor, Ont.; of French-Canadian descent; grows up in Montreal, Quebec. Am. soprano Jacqueline Marie "Jackie" Evancho on Apr. 9 in Pittsburgh, Penn. Am. 5'2" snowboarder Chloe Kim on Apr. 23 in Long Beach, Calif.; grows up in Torrance, Calif. South Korean immigrant parents. Am. environmental activist Xiuhtezcatl (pr. shu-TEZ-caht) Martinez (Roske-Martinez) on May 9. Canadian 5'7" tennis player (first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title, 2019) Bianca Vanessa Andreescu on June 16 in Mississauga, Ont. Am. 5'5" Olympic slopestyle snowboarder Redmond "Red Boy" Gerard on June 29 in Westlake, Ohio; first U.S. gold medalist in the 2018 Winter Olympics; first Olympic gold medalist born after 2000. Am. 6'7" basketball forward (New Orleans Pelicans #1, 2019-) Zion Lateef Williamson on July 6 in Salisbury, N.C.; educated at Duke U. Am. singer-songwriter Maya Bond on Aug. 5 in Osaka, Japan. Spanish royal brat (Roman Catholic) Victoria Federica de Todos los Santos de Marichalar y de Borbon (Borbón) on Sept. 9 in Madrid; granddaughter of Juan Carlos I of Spain; sister of Don Felipe de Marichalar y Borbon (1998-) and Pablo Urdangarin y de Borbon (2000-). Spanish royal brat Pablo Nicolas Urdangarin y de Borbon on Dec. 6 in Madrid; son of Infanta Cristina (1965-); grandson of Juan Carlos I of Spain. Saudi princess Salma bint Al Abdullah II on Sept. 26 in Amman, Jordan; daughter of Abdullah (1921-) and Queen Rania of Jordan. Am. transgender LGBT rights activist (black) Jazz Jennings on Oct. 6 in ?; born male. Deaths: Austrian actress ("Austria's first movie star") Liane Haid (b. 1895) on Nov. 28 in Bern, Switzerland. Am. thoroughbred owner-breeder Fred W. Hooper (b. 1897) on Aug. 4 in Ocala, Fla. (heart attack). Am. "You Are My Sunshine" singer-songwriter Jimmie Davis (b. 1899) on Nov. 5 - sunshine really worked? Am. Disney cartoonist Carl Barks (b. 1901) on Aug. 25 in Grants Pass, Ore. Ukrainian-born Am. constitutional scholar Raoul Berger (b. 1901). English romance novelist Dame Barbara Cartland (b. 1901) on May 21 in Hertfordshire; sold 750M-2B copies of 723 books in 36 languages, and leaves 160 unedited mss. at her 400-acre estate Camfield Place. Australian physicist Sir Mark Oliphant (b. 1901) on July 14 in Canberra. French film dir. Claude Autant-Lara (b. 1901) on Feb. 5 in Antibes, Alpes-Maritimes: "If a film does not have venom, it is worthless." French environmentalist Theodore Andre Monod (b. 1902) on Nov. 22 in Versailles. Tunisian pres. #1 (1957-87) Habib Bourguiba (b. 1903) on Apr. 6 in Monastir. Japanese empress Kojun (b. 1903) on June 16 in Fukiage Omiya Palace, Chiyoda, Tokyo. English medieval historian Sir Steven Runciman (b. 1903) on Nov. 1 in Radway, Warwickshire. Am. Washington Post ed. James Russell Wiggins (b. 1903) on Nov. 19 in Brooklin, Maine. English actor-singer Sir John Gielgud (b. 1904) on on May 21-22 in Wotton Underwood, Buckinghamshire. French physicist Louis Neel (b. 1904) on Nov. 17; 1970 Nobel Physics Prize. Italian composer-alpinist Toni Ortelli (b. 1904) on Mar. 3 in Schio. Am. film dir. Edward Bernds (b. 1905) on May 20 in Van Nuys, Calif. English novelist Anthony Powell (b. 1905) on Mar. 28 in Somerset. Am. dancer Elvera Sanchez Davis (b. 1905) on Sept. 2 in New York City. Lebanese PM (1952, 1953, 1960-1, 1970-3) Saeb Salam (b. 1905) on Jan. 21 in Geneva, Switzerland (exile) (heart attack). Am. celeb John Coolidge (b. 1906) on May 31 in Lebanon, N.H.; son of U.S. pres. Calvin Coolidge. Vietnamese PM (1955-87) Pham Van Dong (b. 1906) on Apr. 29 in Hanoi. Canadian-born Am. nuclear physicist Walter H. Zinn (b. 1906) on Feb. 14 in Clearwater, Fla. Am. writer L. Sprague de Camp (b. 1907) on Nov. 6 in Plano, Tex. English physician-entomologist Sir Cyril Astley Clarke (b. 1907) on Nov. 22. Am. Masters golf course architect Robert Trent Jones (b. 1907) on June 14 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; designed 350 courses in 45 states and 36 countries. East German Stasi spymaster Erich Mielke (b. 1907) on May 21 in Berlin. French novelist-diplomat Roger Peyrefitte (b. 1907) on Nov. 5; dies after copping out and receiving last rites. Austrian actress Paula Wessely (b. 1907) on May 11. U.S. Rep. (D-Okla.) (1947-77) Carl Albert (b. 1908) on Feb. 4 in McAlester, Okla. Romanian-born British WWII spymaster Vera Atkins (b. 1908) on June 24 in Hastings, Sussex. Am. sportswear designer Bonnie Cashin (b. 1908) on Feb. 3 in New York City. German-born French photographer Gisele Freund (b. 1908) on Mar. 31 in Paris. Am. novelist-ed. William Keepers Maxwell Jr. (b. 1908) on July 31 in New York City. Russian-born Am. singer Irra Petina (b. 1908) on Jan. 19 in Austin, Tex. Am. philosopher Willard Van Orman Quine (b. 1908) on Dec. 25 in Boston, Mass. Danish pianist-comedian Victor Borge (b. 1909) on Dec. 23 in Greenwich, Conn. Dutch Casimir Effect physicist Hendrik Casimir (b. 1909) on May 4 in Heeze. English archbishop of Canterbury (1974-) Donald Coggan (b. 1909) on May 17. Am. actor Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (b. 1909) on May 7 in New York City. Japanese WWII sub cmdr. Mochitsura Hashimoto (b. 1909) on Oct. 25 in Kyoto. Greek PM #70 (1973) Spyros Markezinis (b. 1909) on Jan. 4 in Athens. South African De Beers gold-diamond magnate Harry F. Oppenheimer (b. 1909) on Aug. 19 in Johannesburg. Am. "Love Story" songwriter Carl Sigman (b. 1909) on Sept. 26 in Manhasset, N.Y. Am. actress Claire Trevor (b. 1909) on Apr. 8 in Newport Beach, Calif. Am. journalism pioneer Robert Trout (b. 1909) on Nov. 14 in New York City. Am. Communist Party leader Gus Hall (b. 1910) on Oct. 13 in New York City; ran for U.S. pres. 4x, and served 8 years in priz - no deathbed repentance for moi? Am. entomologist Edward F. Knipling (b. 1910) on Mar. 17 in Arlington, Va. Danish queen consort (1947-72) Ingrid of Sweden (b. 1910) on Nov. 7 in Copenhagen. British children's writer Diana Ross (b. 1910) on May 4. Indian politician Chidambaram Subramaniam (b. 1910) on Nov. 7. Am. Columbia U. "NYT vs. Sullivan" law prof. Herbert Wechsler (b. 1910) on Apr. 26 in New York City. German Auschwitz Camp adjutant Karl-Friedrich Hocker (b. 1911) on Jan. 30 in Lubbecke. Am. composer Alan Hovhaness (b. 1911) on June 21; composed 70+ symphonies and 500+ total works. Am. "hillbilly songwriter" Zeke Manners (b. 1911) on Oct. 14 in Los Angeles, Calif. Am. stage producer David Merrick (b. 1911) on Apr. 25/26 in London. Polish "The Pianist" pianist-composer Wladyslaw Szpilman (b. 1911) on July 6 in Warsaw. Am. anthropologist Sherwood Washburn (b. 1911) on Apr. 16 in Berkeley, Calif. German-born Am. biochemist Konrad Emil Bloch (b. 1912) on Oct. 15 in Lexington, Mass.; 1964 Nobel Med. Prize. Am. environmentalist David Brower (b. 1912) on Nov. 5 in Berkeley, Calif. Am. "Gary Moore Show" TV personality Durward Kirby (b. 1912) on Mar. 15 in Ft. Myers, Fla. German gymnast Albert Schwarzmann (b. 1912) on Mar. 11 in Goslar. Am. playwright Samuel A. Taylor (b. 1912) on May 26 in Blue Hills, Maine (heart failure). Am. mobster Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo (b. 1913) on Aug. 23 in Springfield, Mo.; dies in prison. Am. composer Vivian Fine (b. 1913) on Mar. 20 in Bennington, Vt. Austrian-born Am. "Samson and Delilah" actress-inventor Hedy Lamarr (b. 1913) on Jan. 18-19 in Altamonte Springs (near Orlando), Fla.: "Any girl can be glamorous; all you have to do is stand still and look stupid"; "Films have a certain place in a certain time period; technology is forever"; "It is easier for women to succeed in business, the arts and politics in America than in Europe." Am. "The Rainmaker" playwright N. Richard Nash (b. 1913) on Dec. 11 in Manhattan, N.Y. Am. actress Eugenia Rawls (b. 1913) on Nov. 8 in Denver, Colo. Am. poet Karl Shapiro (b. 1913) on May 14 in New York City. Welsh poet Ronald Stuart Thomas (b. 1913) on Sept. 25. German U-boat capt. Hans-Dietrich von Tiesenhausen (b. 1913) on Aug. 17 in Vancouver, Canada. Am. actress Loretta Young (b. 1913) on Aug. 12 in Los Angeles, Calif. English "Obi-Wan Kenobe" actor Sir Alec Guinness (b. 1914) on Aug. 3 in Midhurst, West Sussex (liver cancer). Am. bandleader Tex Beneke (b. 1914) on May 30 in Costa Mesa, Calif. Am. NBA exec Haskell Cohen (b. 1914) on June 28 in Fort Lee, N.J. Am. psychologist Bertram Forer (b. 1914) on Apr. 6. Polish-Am. WWII hero Jan Karski (b. 1914) on July 13 in Washington, D.C. Am. "The Tennessee Waltz" singer'songwriter Pee Wee King (b. 1914) on Mar. 7 in Louisville, Ky. Am. singer Bob Lido (b. 1914) on Aug. 9 (stroke). English "Master and Commander" novelist Patrick O'Brian (b. 1914) on Jan. 2 in Dublin. Am. auto racer Lee Petty (b. 1914) on Apr. 5. Am. children's writer Beatrice Schenk de Regniers (b. 1914) on Mar. 1 in Washington, D.C. Am. Olympic track and field athlete Mack Robinson (b. 1914) on Mar. 12 in Pasadena, Calif. Am. country musician Cliff Bruner (b. 1915) on Aug. 25 in Texas City, Tex. Am. tennis player Don Budge (b. 1915) on Jan. 26 in Scranton, Penn. (auto accident on Dec. 14). Egyptian Gen. Mohamed Fawzi (b. 1915) on Feb. ? in Heliopolis, Cairo. French archeologist Antoine Guillaumont (b. 1915) on Aug. 25. Am. football end Larry Kelley (b. 1915) on June 27 in Highstown, N.J. (suicide); sold his 1936 Heisman Trophy at auction 6 mo. earlier for $328,100. Am. screenwriter Ring Lardner Jr. (b. 1915) on Nov. 1 in New York City; last surviving member of the 1947 Hollywood Ten. English soccer player Sir Stanley Matthews (b. 1915) on Feb. 23 in Stoke-on-Trent. English actor Hugh Paddick (b. 1915) on Nov. 11 in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. Am. Native Am. activist Helen Peterson (b. 1915) on July 10 in Vancouver, Wash. Am. statistician John Tukey (b. 1915) on July 26 in New Brunswick, N.J. (heart attack). English Mensa co-founder Lancelot Ware (b. 1915) on Aug. 15 in Surrey. Italian writer Giorgio Bassani (b. 1916) on Apr. 13 in Ferrara. English writer Penelope Fitzgerald (b. 1916) on Apr. 28. Am. actor-artist George Montgomery (b. 1916) on Dec. 12 in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Am. CIA spy Kermit Roosevelt Jr. (b. 1916) on June 8. Am. actress Fran Ryan (b. 1916) on Jan. 15 in Burbank, Calif. English meteorologist John Sawyer (b. 1916) on Sept. 19. Spanish playwright Antonio Buero Vallejo (b. 1916) on Apr. 20 in Madrid. Am. children's book illustrator Leonard Weisgard (b. 1916) on Jan. 14 in Glumso, Denmark. Am. poet Gwendolyn Brooks (b. 1917) on Dec. 3 in Chicago, Ill. Am. foreign affairs adviser (JFK, LBJ) Bill Bundy (b. 1917). U.S. ambassador Arthur Henry Davis Jr. (b. 1917) on Nov. 24 in Vienna, Va. Am. writer Sebastian de Grazia (b. 1917) on Dec. 31 in Princeton, N.J. Canadian Silicon Valley pioneer Richard Hodgson (b. 1917) on Mar. 4 in Barbados (auto accident). Am. gay novelist-activist William Dale Jennings (b. 1917) on May 11. English artist Anthony Robert Klitz (b. 1917) on Sept. 19 in Dublin. Mexican ballet choreographer Amalia Hernandez (b. 1917) on Nov. 5 in Mexico City. Am. painter Jacob Lawrence (b. 1917) on June 9. Am. TV producer John Newland (b. 1917) on Jan. 10 in Los Angeles, Calif. (stroke). English "George Banks in Mary Poppins" actor David Tomlinson (b. 1917) on June 24 in Westminster, London. Am. bandleader Si Zentner (b. 1917) on Jan. 31 in Las Vegas, Nev. Canadian hockey hall-of-fame player Sid Abel (b. 1918) on Feb. 8 in Farmington Hills, Mich. Dutch crystallographer Herman Bijvoet (b. 1918) on Mar. 29 in Niewengen. Italian-born Am. flamenco dancer Jose Greco (b. 1918) on Dec. 31 in Lancaster, Penn. (heart failure). Dutch-born Am. physicist Abraham Pais (b. 1918) on July 28 in Copenhagen. Am. "Peter Gunn" actor Craig Stevens (b. 1918) on May 10 in Los Angeles, Calif. (cancer). English Lava Lamp inventor Edward Craven Walker (b. 1918) on Aug. 15 in London. Am. jazz dancer-choreographer Peter Gennaro (b. 1919) on Sept. 28 in New York City. French writer Jacques Laurent (b. 1919) on Dec. 28 in Paris. Am. folk singer Ed McCurdy (b. 1919) on Mar. 23 Am. physicist William Aaron Nierenberg (b. 1919) on Sept. 10. Am. economist William N. Parker (b. 1919) on Apr. 29. Am. "Joey in Stalag 17" actor Robinson Stone (b. 1919) on May 11 in New York City. Canadian PM (1968-79, 1980-4) Pierre Elliott Trudeau (b. 1919) on Sept. 28. Am. physicist Joseph Weber (b. 1919) on Sept. 30 in Pittsburgh, Penn. (cancer). Am. food critic Craig Claiborne (b. 1920) on Jan. 22 in New York City. English "The Joy of Sex" physician Alex Comfort (b. 1920) on Mar. 26 near London - present company excepted? Hungarian-born Australian-Am. economist John Harsanyi (b. 1920) on Aug. 9 in Berkeley, Calif.; 1994 Nobel Economics Prize. German-born Am. "Col. Klink in Hogan's Heroes" actor Werner Klemperer (b. 1920) on Dec. 6 in New York City (cancer). Am. hall-of-fame baseball player-mgr. Bob Lemon (b. 1920) on Jan. 11 in Long Beach, Calif. Am. actor Walter Matthau (b. 1920) on July 1 in Santa Monica, Calif. (heart attack). Am. New York archbishop-cardinal (1984-2000) John O'Connor (b. 1920) on May 3 in Manhattan, N.Y. (brain cancer). Zimbabwe politician Ndabaningi Sithold (b. 1920) on Dec. 12 in Philadelphia, Penn. Am. adm. Elmo Zumwalt (b. 1920) on Jan. 2 in Durham, N.C. (lung cancer). Am. "Sgt. Whipple in Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." actor Buck Young (b. 1920) on Feb. 9 in Los Angeles, Calif. Am. comedian Steve Allen (b. 1921) on Oct. 30 in Los Angeles, Calif. (heart attack). Am. Broadway producer Alexander H. Cohen (b. 1920) on Apr. 22 in New York City; produced 101 Broadway shows. French "San-Antonio" crime novelist Frederic Dard (b. 1921) on June 6 in Bonnefontaine; pub. almost 300 books. Am. boxer Beau Jack (b. 1921) on Feb. 9. Am. liberal Repub. New York City mayor #103 (1966-73) John Lindsay (b. 1921) on Dec. 19 in Hilton Head Island, S.C. (pneumonia). Am. Nicholas Brothers tap dancer Harold Nicholas (b. 1921) on July 3 in New York (heart). Am. newpaper pub. James Cline Quayle (b. 1921) on July 7 in Sun City West, Ariz.; father of vice-pres. Dan Quayle. Canadian hockey player Maurice Richard (b. 1921) on May 27 in Montreal, Quebec; first non-politician honored with a state funeral in Quebec. English archbishop (of Canterbury) Robert Runcie (b. 1921) on July 11; officiated at the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana. Trinidadian calypsonian Lord Kitchener (b. 1922) on Feb. 11 in Champs Fleur; buried in Arima. French flautist Jean-Pierre Louis Rampal (b. 1922) on May 20 in Paris. Am. actor Jason Robards Jr. (b. 1922) on Dec. 27 in Bridgeport, Conn. (cancer). Am. "Peanuts" cartoonist Charles M. Schulz (b. 1922) on Feb. 12 in Santa Rosa, Calif. (colon cancer): "There is a difference between a philosophy and a bumper sticker." Czech Olympic runner Emil Zatopek (b. 1922) on Nov. 22 in Prague; dies from cancer contracted from working in a uranium mine as punishment for joining the 1968 Prague Spring. Am. sculptor and graphic artist Leonard Baskin (b. 1922) on June 3 in Northampton, Mass. (kidney disease). French screenwriter Leonardo Benvenuti (b. 1923) on Nov. 2 in Rome (heart attack). English Mini Cooper motorcar designer John Cooper (b. 1923) on Dec. 24 in Worthing, West Sussex (cancer). British political broadcaster Sir Robin Day (b. 1923) on Aug. 6. Argentine coronary bypass surgery pioneer Rene Favaloro (b. 1923) on July 29 in Buenos Aires (suicide). Am. "2nd Lt. Gil Hanley in Combat!" actor Rick Jason (b. 1923) on Oct. 16 in Moorpark, Calif. Trinidadian calypso songwriter Lord Kitchener (b. 1923) on Feb. 11 in Port of Spain. U.S. atty.-gen. #68 (1972-3) Richard Gordon Kleindienst (b. 1923) on Feb. 3 in Prescott, Ariz. (lung cancer). Irish-born British mystery writer Patricia Moyes (d. 1923) on Aug. 2 in Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands. Am. "The Mambo Kings" drummer-bandleader Tito Puente (b. 1923) on May 31 in New York City (heart failure); recorded almost 120 albums; the govt. of Puerto Rico declares three days of mourning. Am. physicist John Hamilton Reynolds (b. 1923) on Nov. 4 in Berkeley, Calif. Ukrainian-born Am. historian Adam Bruno Ulam (b. 1923) on Mar. 28 in Cambridge, Mass. (lung cancer). Am. "High Aldwin in Willow", "Gwildor in Masters of the Universe" 3'9" actor Billy Barty (b. 1924) on Dec. 23 in Glendale, Calif. (heart failure); no, he wasn't in "The Wizard of Oz" (1939). Am. poet Edgar Bowers (b. 1924) on Feb. 4 in San Francisco, Calif. Welsh computer scientist (co-inventor of packet switching) Donald Watts Davies (b. 1924) on May 28. Am. football player Lou Groza (b. 1924). Am. Dallas Cowboys football coach Tom Landry (b. 1924) on Feb. 12 in Dallas, Tex. (leukemia). Am. filmmaker Lionel Rogosin (b. 1924) on Dec. 8 in Los Angeles, Calif. French film dir. Claude Sautet (b. 1924) on July 22 in Paris (cancer). Dutch holistic writer Jack Schwarz (b. 1924) on Nov. 26. Am. painter George Segal (b. 1924) on June 9 in South Brunswick, N.J. (cancer). Japanese PM #74 (1987-9) Noboru Takeshita (b. 1924) on June 19 in Tokyo - he tooka his last shita? Am. poet Edgar Bowers (b. 1925) on Feb. 3 in San Francisco, Calif. (non-Hodgkins lymphoma). Am. "The Chocolate War" novelist Robert Cormier (b. 1925) on Nov. 2 in Boston, Mass. Am. E.F. Hutton CEO (1970-87) Robert M. Fomon (b. 1925) on May 31 in Palm Beach, Fla. (heart attack). Am. illustrator Edward St. John Gorey (b. 1925) on Apr. 15 in Yarmouth Port, Mass. Am. journalist Carl Thomas Rowan (b. 1925) on Sept. 23 in Washington, D.C. Am. actress-dancer Gwen Verdon (b. 1925) on Oct. 18 in Woodstock, Vt. Pakistani actress-singer Noor Jehan (b. 1926) on Dec. 23 in Karachi. Am. "Dr. Zhivago" singer-actress Julie London (b. 1926) on Oct. 18 in Encino, Calif. (stroke in 1995). Am. actress Jean Peters (b. 1926) on Oct. 13 in Carlsbad, Calif.: "My life with Howard Hughes was and shall remain a matter on which I will have no comment." Am. "Hercules" actor Steve Reeves (b. 1926) on May 1 in Escondido, Calif. (lymphoma). Russian opthalmologist Syavoslav Fyodorov (b. 1927) on June 2 in Moscow. English physics teacher Geoffrey E. Perry (b. 1927) on Jan. 18 in Bude. Canadian "Count Baltar in Battlestar Galactica" actor John Colicos (b. 1928) on Mar. 6 in Toronto, Ont. (heart attack). Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser (b. 1928) on Feb. 19; dies aboard the QEII. Am. "The Coasters" singer Will "Dub" Jones (b. 1928) on Jan. 16 in Long Beach, Calif. (diabetes). Am. "Livia in The Sopranos" actress Nancy Marchand (b. 1928) on June 18 in Stratford, Conn. (lung cancer). Am. football QB Tobin Rote (b. 1928) on June 27 in Saginaw, Mich. (heart attack). French film dir. Roger Vadim (b. 1928) on Feb. 11 in Paris (cancer). Austrian bass-baritone Walter Berry (b. 1929) on Oct. 27. French food critic Henri Gault (b. 1929) on July 9. Am. singer Jalacy "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins (b. 1929) on Feb. 12. Am. actor John Milford (b. 1929) on Aug. 14 in Santa Monica, Calif. Am. wrestling commentator Gordon Solie (b. 1929) on July 27. Am. radar scientist Peter Swerling (b. 1929) on Aug. 25 in Southern Calif. (cancer). Syrian pres. (1969-2000) Hafez al-Assad (b. 1930) on June 10 in Damascus (heart attack). Belgian-born Am. futurist FM-2030 (b. 1930) on July 8 in Scottsdale, Ariz. (pancreatic cancer); placed in cryonic suspension. Zambian PM (1978-81) Daniel Lisulo (b. 1930) on Aug. 21 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Bahamian PM (1967-92) Lynden O. Pindling (b. 1930) on Aug. 26 in Nassau (prostate cancer). English cricketer Brian Statham (b. 1930) on June 10 in Stockport, Cheshire. Am. jazz musician Nat Adderley (b. 1931) on Jan. 2 in Lakeland, Fla. (diabetes). Am. actor Richard Mulligan (b. 1932) on Sept. 26 in Los Angeles, Calif. (colon cancer). English-born Canadian biochemist Michael Smith (b. 1932) on Oct. 4 in Vancouver, B.C. (cancer); 1993 Nobel Chem. Prize. Soviet cosmonaut Yevgeny Khrunov (b. 1933) on May 19 in Moscow (heart attack). English crime boss Reginald Kray (b. 1933) on Oct. 1 in Norwich. Italian PM (1983-7) Bettino Craxi (b. 1934) on Jan. 19 in Hammamet, Tunisia (exile) (heart attack). Am. "Peggy Fair in Mannix" actress Gail Fisher (b. 1935) on Dec. 2 in Culver City, Calif.; first black actress to have a speaking part on a nat. U.S. TV ad (for All brand detergent). Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov (b. 1935) on Sept. 20 in Moscow. English evolutionary biologist William Donald Hamilton (b. 1936) on Mar. 7 in Oxford (malaria); fatally bitten by a mosquito in the DRC while seeking evidence to support his theory that the AIDS epidemic can be traced to contaminated polio vaccines; leaves money in his will to have his body taken to Brazil to be eaten by Coprophanaeus beetles, after which "I will buzz in the dusk like a huge bumble bee" (not carried out) - survival of the fittest joke here? Scottish politician Donald Dewar (b. 1937) on Oct. 11. Am. songwriter Jack Nitzsche (b. 1937) on Aug. 25 in Hollywood, Calif. (heart attack). Japanese PM (1998-2000) Keizo Obuchi (b. 1937) on May 14 (stroke). Am. sci-fi novelist John Thomas Sladek (b. 1937) on Mar. 10 in Minn. (pulmonary fibrosis). Am. "Disco Lady" singer Johnnie Taylor (b. 1937) on May 31 in Dallas, Tex. Am. "Maj. Frank Burns in M*A*S*H" actor Larry Linville (b. 1939) on Apr. 10 in New York City (cancer). Am. actor Lawrence Linville (b. 1940) on Apr. 10 in New York City. Am. R&B singer Bobby Sheen (b. 1941) on Nov. 23 in Los Angeles, Calif. (pneumonia). German-born English singer Heinz Burt (b. 1942) on Apr. 7 in Weston, Hampshire. English punk rock vocalist Ian Drury (b. 1942) on Mar. 27 in Hampstead, London (colorectal cancer). Am. rocker David "Lonesome Dave" Peverett (b. 1943) on Feb. 7 (cancer). Am. "Billie Jo in Petticoat Junction" actress Meredith MacRae (b. 1944) on July 14 in Manhattan Beach, Calif. (brain cancer). Am. "Jean", "Good Morning Starshine" singer Oliver (b. 1945) on Feb. 13 (cancer). Am. pychonaut-writer Terence McKenna (b. 1946) on Apr. 3 in San Rafael, Calif. (brain cancer). Japanese smart gell biophysicist Toyoichi Tanaka (b. 1946) on May 20 in Wellesley, Mass. (heart attack while playing tennis). Canadian illusionist Doug Henning (b. 1947) on Feb. 7 in Los Angeles, Calif. (liver cancer). Am. rocker Benjamin Orr (b. 1947) (The Cars) on Oct. 3 Atlanta, Ga. (pancreatic cancer). Am. environmentalist Marc Reisner (b. 1949) on July 21 in San Anselmo, Calif. (cancer). Am. "Ernest P. Worrell" actor Jim Varney (b. 1949) on Feb. 10 in White House, Tenn. (lung cancer). Irish motorcyclist Joey Dunlop (b. 1952) on July 2 in Tallinn, Estonia (motorcycle crash). Serbian crime boss Arkan (Zelijko Raznatovic) (b. 1952) on Jan. 15 in Belgrade (assassinated by Dobrosav Gavric). Am. "Turn the Beat Around" singer-actress Vicki Sue Robinson (b. 1954) on Apr. 27 in Wilton, Conn. (cancer). Am. Herbalife founder Mark R. Hughes (b. 1956) on May 21 in Malibu, Calif. (OD of alcohol and Doxepin). Israeli singer Ofra Haza (b. 1957) on Feb. 23 in Ramat Gan(AIDS) (from her husband?). English singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl (b. 1959) on Dec. 18 off Cozumel, Mexico; killed by a speedboat racing through water reserved for swimmers. Am. musician Dennis Danell (Social Distortion) (b. 1961) on Feb. 29. Am. NASCAR auto racer Tony Roper (b. 1964) on Oct. 13 (racing crash). Israeli rabbi Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane (b. 1966) on Dec. 31 near Ofra (assassinated). Am. wrestler Yokozuna (Rodney Anoa'i) (b. 1966) on Oct. 22. Am. football player Derrick Thomas, American football player (b. 1967) on Feb. 8. Ukrainian journalist Georgiy R. Gongadze (b. 1969) on Sept. 16 (murdered?). Am. NASCAR auto racer Kenny Irwin (b. 1969) on July 7. Am. 700 lb. rapper Big Pun (b. 1971) on Feb. 7 in White Plains, N.Y. (heart attack). Am. cyclist Nicole Reinhart (b. 1976) on Sept. 17 in Arlington, Mass. (bicycle accident). Am. auto racer Adam Petty (b. 1980) on May 12 in N.H. (auto crash).
2001 Doomsday Clock: 9 min. to midnight. Time Man of the Year: Rudolph Giuliani (1944-). This is the U.N. Internat. Year of Volunteers. Chinese Year: White (Golden) Snake (Year 4699) (Jan. 24) - Clinton is back? World pop.: China 1.27B, India 1.03B, U.S. 285M, Indonesia 206M, Brazil 172M, Pakistan 145M, Russia 144M, Bangladesh 134M, Japan 127M, Nigeria 127M, Mexico 100M. India belatedly decides to renounce its British colonial past by renaming its West Bengal city of Calcutta to Kolkata. 390K (0.9%) in England list their religion as Jedi. At the Labour Party Conference on Oct. 2, British PM Tony Blair utters the soundbyte: "The state of Africa is a scar on the conscience of the world"; meanwhile the African Economic Miracle begins, with GDP growing at 4.9%/year, reaching $1.6T in 2008. A billion isn't what it used to be, or, It's good to be a rich Republican in America? By the end of this year there are 497 world billionaires, down from 551 in 2000; 7K U.S. households have an income of $10M or higher, and pay less income tax than people making $400K; people earning $60K pay a larger share of their income in taxes than families making $25M; corporations pay only 16% of all U.S. federal taxes, compared to 60% in the 1950s. The prcentage of leftist faculty members at U.S. campuses begins to skyrocket, growing to 60^ by 2016. By the end of the year there are 445M people online worldwide, of which 119M (27%) are in the U.S. The U.N. World Pop. Report warns of disaster ahead if pop. growth cannot be controlled. In the last 35 cents. there have been only 227 years without some kind of war going on somewhere on Earth; 160M died in wars in the 20th cent. U.S. trade deficit: $389B. On Jan. 1 Washington defeats Purdue by 34-24 to win the 2001 Rose Bowl. On Jan. 1 Canada's new shotgun and rifle licensing law goes into effect, along with new warning labels on cigarettes - what, warning labels on shotguns didn't work? On Jan. 1 a car bomb wounds at least 40 people in Netanya, Israel. On Jan. 1 a fire in a cafe in Volendam, Netherlands kills 12 and injures 200. On Jan. 1 the Georgian-registered cargo ship Pati, carrying illegal immigrants wrecks off the coast of Turkey, killing 6. By Jan. 1, 2001 approx. 5% of the world's adult pop. are active Internet users; the total business-consumer commerce done on the Internet reaches $26B, up from $8B in 1998. On Jan. 2 Pres. Clinton meets with Yasser Arafat, and on Jan. 3 Arafat accepts "with reservations" a proposed peace settlement. On Jan. 2 pres.-elect George W. Bush chooses Mich. Sen. (since 1995) Edward Spencer Abraham (1952-) as energy secy. (until 2005), Linda Chavez (1947-) as labor secy. (first Hispanic female member of the U.S. cabinet) (until Jan. 9), and Dem. Norman Yoshio Mineta (1931-) (Clinton's commerce secy. since last July, the first Asian-Am. to serve in a pres. cabinet) (who lived in a Japanese internment camp in Wyo. in WWII, and became the first Asian-Am. mayor of San Jose, Calif. in 1971-5) as transportation secy. (until 2006), the only Dem. in Bush's cabinet. On Jan. 2 Ryaas Rasyid, admin. reform minister of Indonesia resigns in frustration over govt. inertia. On Jan. 3 in Prague 100K people gather in Wenceslas Square to support striking TV journalists. On Jan. 3 four Indian soldiers and two civilians are killed at the Pakistan-India border post of Arhayee Mandi. On Jan. 3 in Spain a commuter train hits a van near Lorca, killing 12 Ecuadoran farm workers. On Jan. 3 in Tanzania six armed men attack a ferry with 50 passengers in Lake Tanganyika, shooting three then making the male passengers jump into the lake, where dozens drown. On Jan. 3 in Turkey suicide bomber Gulteki Koc kills himself and two others in a police station in Istanbul. On Jan. 3 Framingham, Mass.-born Calif. state senator (1997-2000) Adam Bennett Schiff (1960-) becomes a Dem. U.S. rep. for Calif. (until ?), based in the Los Angeles area, going on to introduce House Resolution 106 on Oct. 11, 2007 recognizing the Armenian genocide, followed by a campaign finance reform amendment, and legislation to force the FAA to curb heli noise in Los Angeles County; in 2007 he joins the House Foreign Affairs Committee, working up to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; in 2014 Nancy Pelosi appoints him to the House Select Committee on Benghazi, which he turns into an investigation blocking committee?; in 2018 he goes on to become a thorn in Donald Trump's side with the fake news Russia-Trump investigation, causing Pres. Trump to call him "Sleazy Adam Schiff". On Jan. 3 the weekly Top 20 Countdown debuts on CMT (until Nov. 30, 2012); on May 28 the daily CMT Most Wanted Live debuts on CMT (until Apr. 3, 2004), broadcasting live from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn. On Jan. 4 in Indonesia rival villages clash on Lombok, killing nine; seven more are killed in North Sulawesi in fighting between rival villages. On Jan. 4 it is reported that Russia had moved nuclear warheads into storage areas at its Kaliningrad naval base over the past year; Russian authorities call the report a dangerous joke. On Jan. 4 in Sri Lanka the defense ministry announces that the 2000 civil war left 3,753 people dead, incl. 87 civilians. On Jan. 5 Pres. Clinton bans roads and most logging in 58.5M acres of federal forests in 38 states - what do we do with all these wanigans? On Jan. 5 U.S. Repub. agrees to share power in the Senate with Dems. on committees. On Jan. 5 India test-flies its first locally-developed jet fighter. On Jan. 6 the Episcopal Church and Evangelical Lutheran Church of Am. inaugurate an alliance to share clergy, churches and missionary work. On Jan. 6 in Somalia Rahanwein Resistance Army gunmen attack govt. forces escorting officials, killing nine near the village of Teiglow. On Jan. 6 in South Africa it is reported that cholera had recently sickened some 13K people in KwaZulu-Natal, killing at least 53. On Jan. 6 in Thailand telecom magnate Thaksin Shinawatra (1949-) and his Thais Love Thais (Thai Rak Thai) party wins 248 of 500 lower parliament seats in the election, and he becomes PM (until 2006). On Jan. 7 Pres. Clinton tells the people of Israel, "There is no choice for you but to divide this land into two states for two people". On Jan. 7 500 Turkish troops push 100 mi. into N Iraq in response to a call for help from the PUK, which is fighting the PKK; 10K Turkish troops have entered N Iraq since Dec. 20. On Jan. 7 in the Ivory Coast mutinous soldiers attack the broadcasting facilities and offices of the state TV and radio in Abidjan in a failed coup attempt. On Jan. 7 Russian pres. Vladimir Putin on the Ritz pledges to pay all of its Soviet-era internat. debts. On Jan. 8 Donna Bailey, paralyzed from a Ford Explorer rollover crash settles her lawsuit with Ford and Firestone for $20M along with the disclosure of internal memos and reports on tire safety and rollover issues. On Jan. 8 the Taliban orders the death penalty for anyone who converts from Islam to a different religion in Afghanistan; the same day they massacre 300 unarmed Shiite Hazaras in Yakaolang - pissing the Shiite out of Iran? On Jan. 8 it is reported that Britain is culling 20K-30K older cows per week in the mad cow crisis and that it will take two years to catch up with the backlog for rendering their remains to powder. On Jan. 8 Ken Burns' documentary miniseries Jazz debuts on PBS-TV for 10 episodes (until Jan. 31, 2001), chronicling the history of Am. jazz. On Jan. 9 Bush labor secy. nominee Linda Chavez (1947-) withdraws following reports that she housed an illegal immigrant and possibly paid her for house chores; on Jan. 11 Bush chooses Elaine Chao (1953-) (former head of the Peace Corps and United Way) as U.S. labor secy.; he also chooses Robert Bruce Zoellick (1953-) to be the U.S. trade rep. On Jan. 9 the U.S. Supreme Court limits the reach of federal law to protect wetlands. On Jan. 10 America Online (AOL) buys Time Warner for $106B, creating the world's largest media co.; the FCC approves the sale on Jan. 11; too bad, the rise of Google and loss of customers shrinks its stock worth from $20B in 2005 to $2B-$3B by 2009, incl. $1B invested in it by Google in 2005. On Jan. 10 China sends rats into orbit aboard its "sacred ship" Shenzhou II, powered by a Long March rocket; it returns on Jan. 16. On Jan. 10 Colombian soldiers rescue 56 hostages held by ELN guerrillas outside Barbosa. On Jan. 10 German chancellor Helmut Schroeder creates a new super-ministry for food, agriculture and consumer protection to combat mad cow disease. On Jan. 11 Unisys, Dell and Microsoft announce an agreement to jointly create an electronic voting system. On Jan. 11 the Chinese media report at least 27 people dead from a New Year's Day blizzard in inner Mongolia. On Jan. 11 Jiri Hodac resigns as the chief of public TV in the Czech Repub. as over 50K protesters demonstrate in Wenceslas Square for guarantees of politically independent TV. On Jan. 11 Israeli and Palestinian high-level peace talks resume as Israel lifts the blockade of the West Bank towns of Qalqilyah and Jenin and reopens the Palestinian airport in Gaza, along with travel from the West Bank to Jordan and from Gaza to Egypt; too bad, on June 24 Palestinian militants fire three homemade rockets into S Israel, causing Israel to reclose the border crossings into Gaza. On Jan. 13 a 7.6 earthquake near San Salvador, El Salvador kills 700 and causes $1B damage. On Jan. 13 the Palestine Authority executes two Palestinians convicted of collaborating with Israel, the first ever - it started with that Mogen David wine? On Jan. 14 Pres. Sampaio wins reelection in Portugal. On Jan. 14 news reports surface that power generators in Calif. are suspected of shutting down power plants to sell higher-priced natural gas, causing power shortages and high prices; on Jan. 17 Calif. Gov. Davis declares a state of emergency and orders the Dept. of Water Resources to buy and sell electricity. On Jan. 16 Dem. Repub. of Congo (DRC) pres. (since May 17, 1997) Laurent-Desire Kabila (b. 1939) is assassinated by one of his bodyguards, who is suspected of working for Rwanda, and is succeeded on Jan. 17 by his son Joseph Kabila Kabange (1971-) (until Jan. 24, 2019), becoming the first dem.-elected pres. of Congo; in 2011 he is elected for a 2nd term. On Jan. 16 Ecuadoran tanker Jessica runs aground on San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos Islands and begins leaking diesel - Charles Darwin rolls over in his grave? On Jan. 16 25-.y.-o. Palestinian terrorist (secular Muslim) Amna Jawad Ali Muna (1976-) lures horny 16-y.-o. Israeli Jew Ofir Rahum (b. 1984) to his death near Ramallah via an Internet cafe; she is released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit POW swap. On Jan. 17 the British House of Commons votes 387-174 to ban fox hunting; after loud protests they reverse themselves on Dec. 3, 2002, while tightening controls - men? Speaking of fox hunting? On Jan. 18 Rev. Jesse Jackson acknowledges that he fathered a daughter in 1999 after an extramarital affair with Karin Stanford, former head of the Rainbow/PUSH Washington office. On Jan. 18 Barack Obama gives an interview to Chicago Public Radio, where he openly discusses his desire to redistribute wealth, i.e., take it from those who earned or inherited it and hand it to those who didn't, praising the Supreme Court for being activist toward civil rights for blacks, then complaining "The Supreme Court never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth and sort of more basic issues of political and economic justice in this society. And to that extent, as radical as I think people tried to characterize the Warren Court, it wasn't that radical. It didn't break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution, as least as it's been interpreted, and Warren Court interpreted in the same way that, generally, the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties, says what the states can't do to you, says what the federal government can't do to you, but it doesn't say what the federal government or the state government must do on your behalf. And that hasn't shifted."; he adds "Maybe I'm showing my bias here as a legislator as well as a law professor. I'm not optimistic about bringing about major redistributive change through the courts. The institution just isn't structured that way."; his solution is ground-up community organizing? Speaking of fox hunting? On Jan. 19 Pres. Clinton admits that he misled prosecutors about his relationship with aide Monica Lewinsky, and strikes a deal with independent counsel Robert Ray to accept a 5-year suspension of his Ark. law license and pay a $25K fine. On Jan. 19. Pres. Clinton lifts U.S. economic sanctions against Yugoslavia. On Jan. 19 the U.S. and Israel sign an agreement to phase out economic aid by 2008; half the aid will be replaced by military aid, and $80M is pledged separately to a U.N. relief agency for Palestinian refugees. On Jan. 19 U.N. sanctions against Afghanistan begin following a 30-day deadline for the handover of Osama bin Laden by the Taliban; meanwhile Afghanistan has its worst drought in 30 years. On Jan. 19 Belgium agrees to decriminalize marijuana use. On Jan. 19 Indonesia extends a truce in Banda Aceh Province after talks with separatists in Switzerland; the province launches a new Sharia police that becomes very unpopular. On Jan. 19 in Mexico Joaquin Guzman Loera, AKA El Chapo (Sp. "shorty") (1954-) escapes from the maximum-security prison in Jalisco state; 78 people are implicated in helping him, incl. prison dir. Leonardo Beltran. On Jan. 19 Pres. Clinton agrees to a 5-year suspension of his Ark. law license, and resigns from the U.S. Supreme Court bar. I'm calling from the White House - can you get me free tickets to the Super Bowl? On Jan. 20 in his final hours in office Pres. Clinton issues 36 commutations and 140 pardons for billionaire fugitive Jewish financier Marc (Marcell David) Rich (Reich) (1934-2013), Susan McDougal, Patricia Hearst, Henry Cisneros, John Deutch, his brother Roger Clinton et al., causing the Pardongate mini-scandal; it is later revealed that Hillary Clinton's younger brother (failed Georgian hazelnut importer) Hugh Edwin "Hughie" Rodham (1950-) received $400K to help two felons, cocaine dealer Carlos Anibal Vignali and tax dodger (Gero Vita Internat. founder) Almon Glenn Braswell (1943-2006) win clemency; after leaving office, Bill Clinton becomes one of the most successful world leaders to transition to private life, with his counselor (since 1995) Douglas J. "Doug" Band (1972-) helping him in 2005 to found the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) as a project of the William J. Clinton Foundation, which goes on to raise $46B for 1.2K philanthropic projects impacting 200M in 150 countries by the end of the decade, by which time thanks to books, speaking fees, etc. the Clantoon Gang is Oprah rich, raking in $108M before taxes by 2008, even after taking $190K worth of china, flatware, rugs, TVs, sofas et al. with them when they leave the White House, after which they announce that they will return $28K in gifts and pay $86K. An actor yes, but a chimp in the White House? On Jan. 20 New Haven, Conn.-born pickup truck-riding Tex. ranch owner, oilman, Yale and Harvard grad., F-102 pilot, and former Texas gov. George Walker "Dubya" Bush (1946-) (Secret Service codename: Tumbler/Trailblazer) becomes the 43rd U.S. pres. (until Jan. 20, 2009) in the 63rd U.S. Pres. Inauguration in Washington, D.C. (2nd pres. son after J.Q. Adams to win the White House, and first pres. with an MBA degree), only this one goes two terms and becomes one of the most unpopular presidents in U.S. history; the first monkey pres.?; has and his daddy George H.W. Bush have a striking resemblance to British Queen Elizabeth II and/or Prince Charles?; Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney (1941-) (Secret Service codename: Angler) (whom Bush calls "Big Time") becomes the 46th U.S. vice-pres. (until 2009), the 2nd born in Neb. (first Gerald Ford); the inaug. theme is "Celebrating America's Spirit Together"; the 3rd time that the U.S. has six living presidents (Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr.); Bush is sworn-in on the same Bible used by the last "George" to be president, George Washington; First Lady is Laura Lane Welch Bush (1946-) (Secret Service codename: Tempo) (a smoker until her hubby was elected gov. of Texas?); First Dog is Scottish terrier Miss Beazley (2004-14) (father named Clinton); Lawrence Ari Fleischer (1960-) becomes White House press secy. #24 (until July 15, 2003); John David Ashcroft (1942-) (former member of the "Singing Senators" with Larry Craig et al.) becomes U.S. atty.-gen. #79 (until Feb. 3, 2005); on Jan. 22 Stephen John Hadley (1947-) becomes deputy U.S. nat. security adviser (until Jan. 26, 2005); Donald Henry Rumsfeld (1932-) becomes U.S. defense secy. #21 (until Dec. 18, 2006), the oldest (69), and earlier the youngest (43) (#13 under Pres. Ford in 1975-7). The second time since 1986 that people power has pushed a man out of the presidency in Manila and put a woman in On Jan. 20 as tens of thousands united by cell phone messages march on his residence, Philippine Pres. Joseph Estrada steps down, and vice-pres. (of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Dem. Party) Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (1947-), daughter of former pres. (1961-5) Diosdado Macapagal succeeds him as Philippines pres. #14 (until June 30, 2010). On Jan. 20 nine miners are killed and 15 injured in a gas explosion in the Donetsk coal region of Ukraine. On Jan. 22 Pres. Bush bans U.S. funding for overseas abortion counseling. On Jan. 22 police in Colorado Springs, Colo. catch four escaped Tex. convicts, while a 5th commits suicide; two more are caught two days later. On Jan. 22 in Britain the House of Lords pass legislation that effectively legalizes the creation of cloned human embryos. On Jan. 22 Japanese economics minister Fukushiro Nukaga resigns after a bribery scandal, and is succeeded by Taro Aso (1940-) (tear a hole in your what?), who becomes known for colorful comments, such as that he'd like to make Japan a place where rich Jews would like to live, that one day info. technology will replace paper with "floppies", and that Japan is the only country in the world with "one nation, one civilization, one language, one culture, and one race". On Jan. 22 Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin puts his domestic security agency in charge of the war effort in Chechnya - friendships never go out of style? On Jan. 22-27 Israel and Palestine officials meet in Taba, Egypt, but fail to reach a peace accord after Palestine Nat. Council chmn. Salim Za'anun says in Feb. that the PLO Covenant calling for Israel's destruction has never been changed, and in Mar. Faysal al-Husseini utters the soundbyte: "We may lose or win, but our eyes will continue to aspire to the strategic goal, namely, to Palestine from the river to the sea." On Jan. 23 U.S. energy secy. Spencer Abraham extends two federal emergency orders forcing suppliers to continue selling electricity and natural gas to Calif., which holds an auction on Jan. 24 for long-term electricity contracts. On Jan. 23 in China five people believed to be members of Falun Gong set themselves on fire in Tiananmen Square; one dies. On Jan. 23 in Egypt Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are suspended after Palestinian gunmen execute two Israelis (alleged Shin Bet security agents) in Tulkarem. On Jan. 25 RUTACA Airlines Flight 225 (DC-3) crashes, killing all 24 aboard. On Jan. 26 a 7.9 earthquake hits the vegetarian-dominated Indian state of Gujarat, killing 30K. On Jan. 26 the 198-ft. vessel Pamyat Merkuriya sinks in the Black Sea, killing 14. On Jan. 26 a U.N. panel criticizes Saudi Arabia for discriminating against women, harassing minors, and inflicting medieval punishments such as flogging and stoning. On Jan. 26 black teenager Benjamin Hermansen is stabbed to death in Holmlia, Norway; five Neo-Nazi Bootboys are arrested for it. On Jan. 27 Bill Gates pledges $100M for an AIDS vaccine - he must not have AIDS himself or it would have been $100 billion? On Jan. 27 (19:37 EST) the Okla. State U. Cowboys Basketball Team Plane Crash sees their Beechcraft Super King Air 200 crash in a field in a snowstorm en route home from Jefferson County Airport near Stasburg, Colo. 40 mi. E of Denver carrying two players and six broadcasters and coaching staff, killing 10 incl. the pilot and co-pilot, causing a memorial titled "Remember the Ten" to be erected in the Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla. On Jan. 27 riot police prevent 1K protesters from reaching the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland. On Jan. 27 the Iran news agency reports that three intel agents were sentenced to death and 12 others to life in prison for their roles in murdering dissident writers and intellectuals. On Jan. 27 federal agents unearth the bones of Austin, Tex.-based Am. Atheists leader Madalyn Murray O'Hair (b. 1924), her son Jon Garth Murray, and granddaughter Robin Murray O'Hair (all missing since 1995) at a 5K-acre S Tex. ranch in Camp Wood, Tex.; O'Hair's office mgr. David Roland Waters (1947-2003) receives 60 years for embezzlement, then makes an agreement with prosecutors to lead investigators to the bones, which are charred and buried about 2.5 ft. down near a grove of live oaks. On Jan. 28 Super Bowl XXXV (35) is held in Raymond Jones Stadium in Tampa, Fla.; NFL turf consultant George Toma (1929-) deploys inflatable snakes on the field when it is seeded 2 weeks earlier; the Baltimore Ravens (AFC) defeat the N.Y. Giants (NFC) 34-7 as three TDs are scored in a 36-sec. span in the 3rd quarter, starting with Ravens DB Duane Starks intercepting a Kerry Collins pass and returning it 49 yards for a TD, then Ron Dixon of the Giants running back the ensuing kickoff 97 yards, then Baltimore's Jermaine Lewis countering with an 84-yard kickoff return; Ravens LB (#52) Raymond Anthony "Ray" Lewis (1975-) is MVP. On Jan. 28 Pope John Paul II names five new cardinals and reveals the identities of two others from the former Soviet Union. On Jan. 28 weekend clashes in Zanzibar (Tanzania) kill at least 37 people as protesters demand new elections. On Jan. 29 born-again Baptist Pres. Bush signs an executive order creating a new White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. On Jan. 29 110 Afghan refugees freeze to death in camps near the W city of Herat. On Jan. 29 Judge Juan Guzman of Chile issues the first indictment of Chilean dictator Gen. August Pinochet on human rights charges; too bad, his claim of poor health keeps him from being tried - that's some bad cough, nucklehead? On Jan. 29 in Indonesia 10K protesters march in Jakarta over corruption scandals involving Pres. Wahid. On Jan. 29 demonstrators in Turin, Italy (the city where dogs must be walked three times a day?) clash with police following an agreement between France and Italy to establish a $10B high-speed rail line between Turin and Lyon. On Jan. 30 17K teachers, hospital workers and police march in Paris to demand pay increases. On Jan. 30 Turkish MP Mehmet Fevzi Sihanlioglu is beaten by fellow lawmakers in the Grand Nat. Assembly and dies of a heart attack. On Jan. 30-31 in the Netherlands a Scottish court convicts Libyan intel officer Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi of murder in the 1998 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and sentences him to life; a 2nd Libyan, Al-Amin Khalifa Fahima is acquitted, and Muammar Gaddafi claims that al-Megrahi is innocent. On Jan. 31 the U.S. Senate 75-24 confirms Gale Norton as the first female interior secy. (until 2006). In Jan. Canadian foreign affairs minister John Manley offers to second an Apr. 2000 offer from Canadian PM Jean Chrétien to resettle supposedly oppressed Palestinians in Canada, but PLO spokesman Ahmed Abdel Rahman rejects them, with the soundbyte: "We reject any kind of settlement of refugees in Arab countries, or in Canada", after which Manley is burned in effigy near the West Bank city of Nablus, and Hussum Khader, head of the largest Palestinian Fatah militia in Nablus utters the soundbyte: "If Canada is serious about resettlement you could expect military attacks in Ottawa or Montreal." In Jan.-Feb. more earthquakes ravage El Salvador, and over 1K die, and 1M are left homeless. In Jan. the Honduran Committee for the Defence of Human Rights charges that over 1K street children were murdered the previous year by death squads backed by police in Honduras, despite civilian rule. In Jan. an estimated 32M pilgrims attend the Hindu Kumbh festival in India. In early Feb. foot and mouth disease breaks out at Burnside farm, Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland, England; by Feb. 25 most of Britain has been declared contaminated and millions of head of cattle and sheep are destroyed in an effort to control it; crisis levels are reached by Mar. 23. On Feb. 6 right-winger (alleged war criminal) Ariel Sharon (1928-) of the Likud Party wins the election, and on Mar. 7 becomes PM of Israel (until Jan. 4, 2006). On Feb. 6 Philippine Labor Party leader (former Communist) Filemon "Ka Popoy" Lagman (b. 1953) is assassinated in Quezon City. On Feb. 6 Miami, Fla. businessman Konstaninos "Gus" Boulis (b. 1949), founder of the Miami Subs sandwich chain is shot to death in his car a few mo. after selling a fleet of casino boats (SunCruz Casinos) in Sept. 2000 to prominent Washington lobbyist Jack Off, er, Jack Abramoff (1959-) and his partner Adam Kidan, who are indicted in Aug. 2005 on federal fraud charges in the purchase; in Sept. 2005 Anthony "Big Tony" Moscatiello (1938-), Anthony "Little Tony" Ferrari (1947-), and James "Pudgy" Fiorillo (1977-) are arrested for the murder; on Mar. 29, 2006 Abramoff is sentenced to 5 years 10 mo.; on Sept. 4, 2008 he gets four more years for his corruption scheme on Capitol Hill, calling himself "a broken man". On Feb. 7 to prevent the city of Greenwood Village from annexing it, the city of Centennial, Colo. is formed from portions of unincorporated Arapahoe County, with its 100K pop. making it the largest incorporation in U.S. history (until ?); incorporated on a promise to keep city taxes at 1%, it grows to 2.5% by 2017. On Feb. 9 the submarine USS Greenville collides with and sinks the Ehime Maru, a Japanese high school fishing training boat in Oahu, Hawaii, killing nine and causing an internat. incident. On Feb. 16 a bus convoy carrying 250 Orthodox Christian Serbs to a religious ceremony in Kosovo is bombed in Podujevo as it crosses the Serbian border by Muslim Albanian extremists, killing seven and injuring 40+, causing cries of more ethnic cleansing, this time by the Muslims. Who can you trust? On Feb. 18 veteran white straight-laced FBI agent (Roman Catholic Opus Dei member who attends Mass daily and likes Internet porn) Robert Philip Hanssen (1944-) is arrested at Foxstone Park near his home in Vienna, Va. for spying for the Russians (for 22 years) after a massive spy hunt, and on Feb. 20 he is charged with spying; FBI dir. (since Sept. 1, 1993) Louis Freeh resigns on May 1 (effective June 25), and is replaced by Thomas J. Pickard (1950-) (both born on Jan. 6, 1950?) as acting dir. for 71 days on June 25-Sept. 4; on July 6 Hanssen pleads guilty to 15 counts of espionage in exchange for 15 life sentences without parole, and ends up in the Federal Supermax Prison in Florence, Colo., becoming the worst U.S. intel disaster in history (until ?). On Feb. 25 Am. business prof. Li Shaomin (1957-) is detained in Beijing and acused of spying for Taiwan along with five other Chinese scholars; on July 14 he is convicted and expelled one day after Beijing is awarded the 2008 Olympic Games. On Feb. 26 a U.N. tribunal convicts Bosnians Dario Kordic and Mario Cerkez of war crimes against Muslim civilians during the Bosnian War. On Feb. 27 Pres. George W. Bush delivers his (first) 2001 State of the Union Address, issuing a Spanish soundbyte "Juntos podemos" (together we can). In Feb. the Muslim Alliance of North Am. (MANA) is founded by African-Am. Muslim converts Siraj Wahhaj (Arab. "bright light") (Jeffrey Kearse) (1950-) and Ihsan Bagby, with the help of Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin (H. Rap Brown) (1943-); its goal is establishing Sharia in the U.S. On Mar. 4 "The X-Files" spinoff The Lone Gunmen debuts on Fox Network for 13 episodes (until June 1); episode #1 is about Scenario 12D, a U.S. govt. conspiracy to hijack a 727 airliner and fly it into the WTC then blame it on terrorists to gain support for a profitable war. On Mar. 5 15-y.-o. Charles Andrew "Andy" Williams (1986-) kills two students and wounds 13 others at Santana High School in Santee, Calif. near San Diego; he is sentenced to 50 years to life. On Mar. 7 Gen. Ariel Sharon (1928-2014) of the Likud Party becomes PM #11 of Israel (until Apr. 14, 2006). On Mar. 9 after placing ads looking for "a well-built 18 to 30-year-old to be slaughtered and then consumed", German cannibal Arwin Meiwes (1961-), AKA the Rotenburg Cannibal and the Butcher Master kills and eats Bernd Jurgen Brande, starting with his penis, recording it on videotape, and ends up convicted of manslaughter on Jan. 30, 2004 and sentenced to 8.5 years in priz, with cannibalism having no criminal statute against it, then retried and convicted on May 10, 2006 of murder and given a life sentence; he becomes a vegetarian in priz - to paraphrase Justice Stewart, I can't define cannibalism but I know it when I see it? On Mar. 11 U.S. astronauts Jim Voss (1949-) and Susan Jane Helms (1958-) spend 8 hr. 56 min. in a spacewalk, attempting to make room on the Internat. Space Station (ISS) for the 5-ton Italian Leonardo cargo module, becoming the longest spacewalk to date. On Mar. 13 a judge dismisses a lawsuit against dir. Oliver Stone claiming that his movie Natural Born Killers caused a young couple's violent crime spree (the first product liability lawsuit against a Hollywood movie); the appeal is dismissed on June 6, 2002. On Mar. 15 ethnic Albanians riot in Macedonia. On Mar. 21 the Taliban blows up the two 1,500-y.-o. Buddhas of Bamyan, one 125 ft. (world's tallest) and the other 115 ft. in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, 143 mi. NW of Kabul (on the ancient Silk Road); the region was once a center of Buddhism but now has 400K Persian-speaking education-loving mostly Shiite Hazaras, which the Taliban has been persecuting since 1996. On Mar. 23 after Russia takes out a $200M insurance policy against possible damages, Russia's 100-ton Mir space station ends its 15-year orbit around the Earth with a fiery plunge into the South Pacific. On Mar. 25 the 73rd Academy Awards are held in Los Angeles, and 242 films are eligible for consideration; the best picture Oscar for 2000 goes to DreamWorks and Universal for the much-computer-pumped Gladiator, along with the best actor award to Russell Crowe (as well-known Roman historical figure Maximus Decius Meridius, chicken legs and all?); best actress goes to Julia Roberts for Erin Brockovich, best dir. to Steven Soderbergh, and best supporting actor to Benicio Del Toro for Traffic, and best supporting actress to Marcia Gay Harden for Pollock. On Mar. 30 Pres. Bush, who pooh-poohs global warming abandons the Kyoto Protocol, pissing-off European leaders; not that China and India want to comply with it either, giving him a good excuse? In Mar. dictator-pres. Mathieu Kerekou (b. 1933) defeats former pres. Nicephore Soglo (b. 1934) again in elections. In Mar. Lao People's Rev. Party leader Bounnhang Vorachith (1937-) becomes PM dictator of Louse, er, Laos (until June 8, 2006) - who gives a chith? In Mar. an oil pipeline to transport oil from the Tengiz fields of Kazakhstan to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk opens. In Mar. the Black Spring (Kabylie) in Algeria sees violent demonstrations by Kabyle Berber activists against the govt., followed by the creation of the Mouvement pour l'Autonomie de la Kabylie (MAK), with aim of ending the Islamist regime and replacing it with a U.S.-style dem. repub.; co-founder Ferhat Mehenni (1951-) is a Kabyle Algerian Berber musician-politician who is becoming the Joan Baez of Algeria - in a country saturated with Islam, he's probably just whistling Dixie? On Apr. 2 a Chinese F-8 fighter jet collides with a U.S. EP-3 recon aircraft over internat. waters off China, causing an incident when the damaged U.S. plane is forced to land on the Chinese island of Hainan; the 24 crew members are detained for 11 days until the U.S. issues a formal statement of regret. On Apr. 2 at 9:51 p.m. GMT the largest solar flare recorded to date occurs. On Apr. 4 Palestinian activist Juliano Mer-Khamis (b. 1958), founder of the Freedom Theatre is assassinated in the Jenin refugee camp by another Palestinian. On Apr. 7 a white police officer shoots unarmed but fleeing black man Timothy Thomas in Cincinnati, Ohio, setting off race riots for several days. On Apr. 11 Ellis Park Stadium Disaster in Johannesburg, South Africa sees fans of the Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates stampede, killing 43. On Apr. 26 Junichiro Koizumi (1942-) becomes PM #86 of Japan (until Sept. 26, 2006); an "Elvis maniac", his brother Masaya once ran the Elvis fan club in Yokohoma and helped erect an Elvis statue in Tokyo in 1987. On Apr. 28 the Russians launch Soyuz TM-32, carrying cosmonauts Talgat Amangeldyuly Musabayev (1951-), Yuri Mikhailovich Baturin (1949-), and U.S. millionaire Dennis Anthony Tito (1940-), who pays $20M to become the first space tourist, visiting the ISS; on Oct. 21 Soyuz TM-33 blasts off, carrying cosmonauts Viktor Mikhailovich Afansyev (1948-), Claude Haignere (Haigneré) (1957-) of France, and Konstantin Mirovich Kozeyev (1967-); Soyuz TM-32 returns on Oct. 31 carrying Viktor Afanasyev, Claudie Haignere, and Konstantin Kozeyev; Soyuz TM-33 returns next May 5 with Yuri Gidzenko, Roberto Vittori, and Mark Shuttleworth. On Apr. 30 the Mitchell Report by U.S. Sen. (D-Maine) (Senate majority leader in 1989-95) George John Mitchell Jr. (1933-), who was sent to study Arab violence in Palestine to get the peace process back on track after the 2000 Camp David Summit recommends a cessation of all violence a full-scale effort by the Palestinian Authority to prevent terrorism, a freeze on Israeli settlement activity, and resumption of negotiations; neither the Israelis nor Palestinians implement his recommendations, and on Jan. 22, 2009 Mitchell is named special envoy for the Middle East. On Apr. 30 bodacious chic Chandra Ann Levy (b. 1977) mysteriously disappears in Washington, D.C. after leaving a health club near her apt.; on July 5 her aunt tattles on her romantic affair with Calif. Dem. Rep. Gary Adrian Condit (1948-), and his nervous actions end up ruining his career; meanwhile on May 22, 2002 her skeletal remains are found in Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C., and on Apr. 22, 2009 El Salvadoran illegal immigrant Ingmar A. Guandique (1982-), who had been convicted of assaulting two other women in the park is charged with her murder, and convicted on Nov. 22, 2010 and sentenced to 60 years in prison; in June 2015 he is granted a new trial, and on July 28, 2016 prosecutors drop the case in exchange for deportation. In Apr. Al-Qaida operative (British convert to Islam) Dhiren Barot (1971-) shoots grainy camcorder pics of the World Trade Center, Wall St. and Broad St., with the sound of a mimicked explosion in the background, then splices it into a copy of the movie "Die Hard With a Vengeance"; on Nov. 7, 2006 he is sentenced to life priz in a British court. In Apr. the Lackawanna (Buffalo) Six, a group of Yemeni-Ams. from Lackawanna, N.Y. go to train in terrorist methods in Afghanistan, and briefly meet with Osama bin Laden; after they return they are arrested in Sept. 2002 and forced to plead guilty to providing material support to al-Qaida under the threat of being declared enemy combatants, and convicted in Dec. 2003; in J uly 2009 it is revealed that vice.-pres. Dick Cheney et al. argued to Pres. Bush that they should be arrested by the military not civilian law enforcement. In Apr. the Internat. Museum of Muslim Cultures in Jackson, Miss. is founded, becoming the first Islamic history museum in the U.S. On May 1 former KKK man Thomas E. Blanton Jr. is convicted of the 1963 murder of four black girls in Birmingham, Ala. On May 6 Pope John Paul II becomes the first Roman pope to enter a mosque, in Damascus, Syria, where he says that religious conviction is never a justification for violence - what planet is he from? On May 8 Jewish teenies Yaakov "Koby" Mandell and Yosef Ishrahan are brutally murdered outside the Tekoa settlement in the West Bank, with their blood smeared on the walls of a cave; since Mandell was a U.S. citizen, causing the Koby Mandell Act to be passed in 2004, establishing the Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism to pursue terrorists who attack U.S. citizens in foreign countries; it should be applied to halt aid to the Palestinian Authority because Mahmoud Abbas allegedly paid for the murder of Am.-Israeli athlete David Berger at the 1972 Munich Olympics? On May 9 a stampede at a soccer match in Accra, Ghana kills 126, becoming Africa's worst soccer disaster. On May 12 the Hamas and Fatah factions in Gaza begin a week of infighting, killing 50, while Hamas launches 4K+ rockets into Israel, causing Israeli airstrikes in retaliation; on May 18 a Palestinian suicide bomber kills five and wounds more than 100 in a Netanya shopping mall, causing Israeli warplanes to retaliate by bombing the West Bank as well as Gaza Strip; and on May 19 the Gaza factions reach a truce to take on the common foe as Israel launches its fifth day of airstrikes, showing their style by mutually releasing captives after shooting them in the legs. On May 15 the CSX 888 (Crazy Eights) Incident in Ohio sees runaway locomotive #888 run 66 mi. for two hours up to 51 S from Walbridge (near Toledo) to Kenton until a crew in another locomotive catches up to it and couples to it; filmed in 2010 as "Unstoppable" starring Denzel Washington. On May 21 the Earth Liberation Front burns the Center for Urban Horticulture at the U. of Wash., causing $1.5M-$4.1M in damages; five are arrested, of which four plead guilty and the 5th commits suicide in prison while awaiting trial. On May 21 the TV series Xena: Warrior Princess (debuted Sept. 4, 1995) comes to a end after six seasons of Xena being riddled with arrows, decapitated, hanged, and cremated; producer-husband Rob Tapert hints that resurrection is possible for reunion specials. On May 21 $9.99-$22.99 Bratz fashion dolls are introduced by ex-Mattel employee Carter Bryant, starting with four 10-in. models, Yasmin, Cloe, Jade, and Sasha, followed in 2015 by Raya, featuring almond-shaped eyes, eyeshadow, and lush glossy lips; starting out slow, they sell $2B in 2005, capturing 40% of the fashion doll market vs. 60% for Barbie; the ad slogan is: "The girls with a passion for fashion!"; too bad, in Dec. 2006 the Nat. Labor Committee announces that factory workers in China churn them out for only 17 cents a doll while working 94.5 hours/week at 50 cents/hour. On May 23 after losing five fingers a year earlier, 16-y.-o. Sherpa Temba Tsheri (1985-) becomes the youngest person to climb Mount Everest (until ?). On May 25 U.S. Vt. Rep. James Merrill "Jim" Jeffords (1934-) switches political parties from Repub. to Dem., throwing control of the U.S. Senate to the Dems. on June 6 by a super-slim 50-49-1 majority; "I have changed my party label but I have not changed my beliefs" - like two big snakes wrestling? On May 26 the Africa Union (AU) is founded in Addis Ababa to replace the Org. of African Unity (OAU) (founded on May 25, 1963), growing to 54 members, every African country except Morocco. On May 29 four followers of Osama bin Laden (1957-2011) are found guilty of charges stemming from the 1988 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. On May 31 the Eurasia Party is founded by Russian Communist activist Alexander (Aleksandr) Dugin (1962-) to head an "anti-American revolution" by hooking up with China, Islam, and anti-Am. forces in W Europe, Africa, and Latin Am.; it is registered next June 21; Vladimir Putin becomes a supporter? In May Texas Gov. (2000-) Rick Perry (1950-) signs the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act, which former gov. George W. Bush had refused to sign; on Apr. 3 it is introduced into the U.S. House of Reps. by Rep. John Conyers. In May Adnan Gulshair Muhammad el-Shukrijumah (El'Shukri-jumah)(d. 2014) disappears from his home in Miramar, Fla. after receiving flight training with the 9/11 hijackers, going on to groom himself to become the next Mohamed Atta; in July he is charged by the U.S. govt. with masterminding a bomb plot to attack three New York City subways along with a shopping center in Manchester, England; his sister is Aidah el-Shukri AKA Umm Taibah (Mother of Taibah). On June 1 the Dolphinarium Discotheque Massacre in Tel Aviv, Israel sees a Hamas terrorist suicide bomber detonate outside the nightclub, killing 21 incl. 16 teenagers, most girls, whose families had recently immigrated from the former Soviet Union. On June 1 (9:00 p.m. local time) the Nepalese Royal Family Massacre in the royal palace in Kathmandu, Nepal sees Prince Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (b. 1971) named king after he shoots most (10) of his family to death at a royal dinner in Bhaktapur Palace in Kathmandu, incl. his father King Birendra and mother Queen Aishwarya, then then tries to commit suicide but botches it and only ends up in a coma; too bad, he dies anyway on June 4, and his uncle Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (1947-) becomes the last king of Nepal (until May 28, 2008). On June 3 a bomb set by Harkat-ul-Jihad Al-Islami Islamists at a Christian church during Mass in Baniarchar Village in Gopalgani District, Bangladesh (62 mi. S of Dhaka) kills 10 and maims dozens; until 2010 a dispute with another Christian group is suspected. On June 3 the drama series Six Feet Under debuts on HBO for 63 episodes (until Aug. 21, 2005), about the Fisher family of LA, who run a funeral home, with an ensemble cast incl. Peter William Krause as dir. Nathaniel Samuel "Nate" Fisher Jr., and Michael Carlyle Hall (1971-) as his brother David Fisher. On June 4 anti-Fujimori leader Alejandro Celestino Toledo Manrique (1946-) wins the pres. election in Peru over moderate former pres. Alan Garcia, and is sworn-in on July 28 as pres. #46 of Peru (until July 28, 2006). On June 6 the Summer of the Shark begins with a shark attack on 8-y.-o. Jessie Arbogast in Santa Rose Island, followed by 76 more attacks and five deaths, turning into sensationalist publicity after a July 4 weekend attack on 8-y.-o. Jessie Arbogast, ending with the 9/11 attacks; in 2000 there were 85 attacks and 12 deaths, but no big publicity. On June 6 former pres. Bill Clinton (1946-), with no worries any more except between his legs starts spending the summer hanging out at sporting events, starting with the French Open on June 6, where he watches Andre Agassi in a semifinal, then the Belmont Stakes on June 9 with Hillary, calling it "the fairest test in the Triple Crown", then the NBA playoffs on June 10, then the Wimbledon on July 7, sitting next to Margaret Thatcher; a trip to Argentina causes him to miss the July 10 All-Star baseball game; he usually picks up his binoculars only when the cheerleaders come out? On June 7 Pres. Bush signs the 2001 U.S. Tax Cut Bill, cutting taxes by $1.35T over 11 years, the largest tax cut in 20 years, exacerbating the systematic return of income inequality; it also phases out the estate tax, but expires at the end of 2010 - after 9/11 and the U.S.-Iraq War, you can kiss that money goodbye twice over? A poodle wins the Westminster Kennel Show again? On June 8 "the art of leadership is saying no not yes" PM (since May 2, 1997) Tony Blair (1953-) becomes the first Labour Party PM of Great Britain to be reelected to a full term of office; too bad, he later can't say no to backing Bush's history-challenged decision to blitzkrieg Iraq, becoming known as "Bush's poodle", dragging him down with an Albatross around his neck and aging him at jet speed as Iraq goes bad, worse, and worser? On June 8 Iranian pres. (since 1997) Mohammad Khatani is reelected in a landslide (until Aug. 2, 2005). On June 11 Timothy McVeigh (b. 1968) is executed at the federal penitentiary in Terra Haute, Ind. On June 111 the U.S. Supreme (Rehnquist) Court rules 5-4 in Kyllo v. U.S. to prohibit the use of a FLIR (forward looking infrared) thermal imaging device by police on a home without a warrant. On June 12 Pres. Bush announces in Madrid his intention of building a U.S. Ballistic Missile Shield; on June 18 Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin warns that any such attempt would cause Russia to upgrade its strategic arsenal with multiple warheads - this ain't like a pillow fight, Pootie-Poot? On June 12 Bozo the Clown tapes his last show in Chicago, Ill., ending his career which began in 1946. On June 16 a U.S.-Russian summit is held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, becoming the first meeting between U.S. pres. George W. Bush and Russian pres. Vladimir Putin, after which Bush utters the soundbyte: "I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straight forward and trustworthy and we had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul. He's a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country and I appreciate very much the frank dialogue and that's the beginning of a very constructive relationship"; Putin warns Pres. Bush and Condi Rice of a coming attack on their homeland, which they pooh-pooh; in her 2011 memoir "No Higher Honour", Rice writes the soundbyte about the meeting: "Putin suddenly raised the problem of Pakistan. He excoriated the Pervez Musharraf regime for its support of extremists and for the connections of the Pakistani army and intelligence services to the Taliban and al Qaeda. Those extremists were all being funded by Saudi Arabia, he said, and it was only a matter of time until it resulted in a major catastrophe... Putin, though, was right. The Taliban and al-Qaida were time bombs that would explode on September 11, 2001... I was taken aback by Putin's alarm and vehemence." On June 19 Syria evacuates Beirut after decades of occupation. On June 19 thousands receive payment from the $4.5B German fund for Nazi-era slavery after years of legal squabbling. The Devil Made Me Do It Defense is alive and well in Bush's Bible-thumping Texas? On June 20 Andrea Yates (nee Andrea Pia Kennedy) (1964-) of Houston, Tex. drowns her five children (6-mo.-o. Mary, 2-y.-o. Luke, 3-y.-o. Paul, 5-y.-o. John and 7-y.-o. Noah) in the bathtub; in 2002 she is found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life, but an appeal court throws out the conviction because of erroneous testimony from a prosecution pshrink, and a new trial results in her acquittal on July 26, 2006 on grounds of insanity, and she is committed to Vernon State Mental Hospital, moving to a low security mental hospital in Kerrville, Tex. in Jan. 2007; she had told psychiatrists that she was ordered by Satan to kill them. On June 24 Israeli politician Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech at the Jewish Agency Assembly Plenary Meeting in Israel, saying that the Palestinians are to blame for the conflict in the Middle East, not Israel, which only acts in self-defense, and calling for a war on terrorism. On June 28 the U.S. Appeals Court overrules the breakup of the Microsoft monopoly and rebukes District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson; concessions are announced by Microsoft on July 12; on Sept. 6 the Bush admin. announces that it will no longer seek the breakup of the Microsoft monopoly - who got paid-off? On June 29 "Butcher of the Balkans", former Yugoslav pres. Slobodan Milosevic is imprisoned at The Hague to await a war crimes trial for presiding over four wars costing 250K lives. On June 30 U.S. vice-pres. Dick Cheney receives a pacemaker and defibrillator to remedy his abormal heart rate; all plans for succeeding Bush in 2008 are kaput. In June the Anglican Mission in Am. holds a nat. ordinary of clergy, led by conservative primates from Singapore and Rwanda, causing the archbishop of Canterbury to warn that they are causing disunity in the church. In June Taliban leader Mullah Omar gives an interview to journalist Arnaud de Borchgrave in which he says that Osama bin Laden had given a written pledge to him not to use his base in Afghanistan to launch any attacks against the U.S.; the 9/11 attack starts a split? On July 1 the Internat. Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague is established; it prosecutes only Africans until ? On July 3 a Russian airliner crashes in Siberia, killing 143. On July 5 Pres. Bush selects Robert Swan Mueller III (1944-) to head the troubled FBI; the next day former FBI agent Robert P. Hanssen pleads guilty to passing secrets to the Russians, avoiding the death penalty; on July 17 a check reveals the loss or theft of hundreds of firearms and laptop computers at the FBI; on Sept. 4 Mueller is sworn-in as FBI dir. #12 (until ?); Thomas J. Pickard retires from the FBI in Nov. - do I get a week to get settled in? On July 10 four firefighters fighting the Thirtymile Fire are trapped in the Chewuch River Canyon near Winthrop, Wash., and die when the blaze sweeps over them as they set up fire shelters on a rocky slope; in Dec. 2006 their boss Ellreese N. Daniels is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter by federal prosecutors for failing to order them out of harm's way, but ends up pleading guilty to two misdemeanors on Apr. 29, 2008 after firefighters get pissed-off at the implications. On July 13 Beijing, China (pop. 17M) is awarded the 2008 XXIX Summer Olympic Games - a new event is announced, tank spanking? On July 13 11K-ft. Mt. Etna in NE Sicily erupts, and again on July 26, the worst since 1992. On July 13 the computer worm Code Red hits the Internet, exploiting one of the zillion flaws in Microsoft software to spread, becoming the first network worm; actually, the flaw had a software patch available, but many sysops hadn't installed it yet, so give these good Samaritans a hand? On July 16 Russia and China sign a 21-year friendship treaty uniting them in their opposition to the proposed U.S. missile shield. On July 23 178 nations (sans the U.S.) reach an agreement on climate, rescuing but diluting the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. On July 23 Megawati (Sans. "she who had a rain cloud [when she was born]") Sukarnoputri (1947-), daughter of former pres. Sukarno becomes the first female pres. of Indonesia (until Oct. 20, 2004), also the first pres. born after independence. On July 24 Simeon Borisov Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1937-) becomes PM #48 of Bulgaria (until Aug. 17, 2005), the only living person to have held the title of tsar (Simeon II in 1943-6). On July 25 Alexander Emerich "Alex" Jones (1974-) predicts 9/11 on his TV show? On July 26 China releases U.S.-based female scholar Gao Zhan (1960-), who had been sentenced to ten years on trumped-up espionage charges. On July 31 John Milo Reese hijacks a plan at Fla. Keys Marathon Airport, claiming to have a plan to kidnap Fidel Castro by delivering a pizza to him; after crashing on a Cuban beach, he is returned to the U.S. and sentenced to 6 mo. In July retired U.S. Army Reserve Col. George Trofimoff (1927-), the highest ranking U.S. military officer ever accused of spying is convicted in Tampa, Fla. of spying for the Soviets between 1969-94 from an Army interrogation center in Nuremberg, Germany, receiving a life sentence. In July the 2001 Paris Embassy Attack Plot sees 36-y.-o. French Algerian Djamel Beghal (1965-) arrested at Dubai Internat. Airport en route to Europe, then confess to the details, causing a French govt. inquiry to begin on Sept. 10; on Sept. 13 four more men are arrested in Rotterdam, along with two more in Brussels, and several more on Sept. 21, incl. Algerians Mohammed Berkous and Kamel Daoudi (1974-); on Mar. 16, 2005 six French Algerian men are convicted. In July several al-Qaida members are arrested by Yemeni police near the U.S. embassy in Sana'a, Yemen while planning the murder of the ambassador. In July the New York Port Authority, which decided to privatize it in 1998, leases the World Trade Center (WTC) to Silverstein Properties. On Aug. 1 the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act is first introduced in the U.S. Senate; it passes in ?. On Aug. 1 the U.S. House of Reps. votes to ban all human cloning; on Aug. 9 Pres. Bush says he will allow federal funding of stem cell research on existing stem cell lines, but not permit any new ones to be created; he also announces creation of the President's Council on Bioethics; one of his unofficial advisers is Canadian-born Lutheran-turned-Roman Catholic priest Richard John Neuhaus (1936-2009), whom he calls "Father Richard". On Aug. 1 335-lb. black Minn. Vikings offensive lineman Korey Damont Stringer (b. 1974) collapses at training camp in Mankato, Minn., then dies in the hospital of heart failure caused by heatstroke - three miles of toilet paper saved? On Aug. 6 Pres. Bush receives a pres. brief titled Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S. - receives but not reads? On Aug. 9 (2 p.m.) a Hamas suicide bombing at the busy Sbarro Restaurant in Jerusalem,, killing 15 and injuring 130; the bomber is Ezziddin Al-Masri; Jordanian driver Ahlam Tamimi (1981-), gets 16 life sentences, and is released in the Oct. 2011 Gilad Shalit POW exchange; co-conspirator Mohammad Daghlas is also released. On Aug. 10 Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on its record 30th mission (since 1984), delivering the NASA Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module and a new crew to the Internat. Space Station (ISS). On Aug. 13 a peace agreement is signed between the Macedonian govt. and rebels, ending 6 mo. of fighting. On Aug. 14 elderly couple hijacks a plane to Cuba, but it crashes in the sea off the coast of Fla. and they drown. On Aug. 16 Zacarias Moussaoui (1968-) is arrested on an immigration violations (overstaying a 90-day U.S. visa) outside a hotel in Eagen, Minn.; FBI special agent Harry Samit breaks the news to his superiors that the Muslim jihad raghead had purchased flight simulator lessons, but they ignore him, and on Sept. 10 barely grant his request to deport him to France so that his belongings can be searched by French authorities. On Aug. 22 the U.S. budget surplus dwindles, causing Bush's tax cut to be singled out as retro. On Aug. 31-Sept. 8 the World Conference Against Racism (Durban I) in Durban, South Africa issues a Report on the Slave Trade, calling slavery a "crime against humanity" and demanding apologies and reparations; it recognizes Islamophobia (not Islamophilia?) as a form of prejudice; too bad, under chmn. Mary Robinson of Ireland it goes on to condemn Israel for racism and apartheid, causing the U.S. to walk out, with U.S. state secy. Colin Powell uttering the soundbyte: "I know that you do not combat racism by conferences that produce declarations containing hateful language, some of which is a throwback to the days of Zionism equals racism, or supports the idea that we have made too much of the Holocaust, or suggests that apartheid exists in Israel, or that singles out only one country in the world, Israel, for censure and abuse"; too bad, in Nov. 2010 Pres. Obama awards Robinson the Medal of Freedom. In Aug. dem. elections are held in East Timor; the U.N. promises to hand over the reins of power to the new dem. govt. on Feb. 20, 2002. In Aug. France's highest court issues a ruling that a boy born after his mother contracted German measles had a right not to be born - put me back in? In late Aug. the family of Abdulaziz al-Hijji flees their 3.3K sq. ft. home in Sarasota, Fla. sans furniture, later being found to have "many connections to individuals associated with the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001". On Sept. 1 Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud (Turki al-Faisal) (1945-), son of the late King Faisal suddenly resigns as the Saudis' spymaster after 24 years; this action later makes him suspect of knowing of the 9/11 plot, but he pays off, er, is cleared and goes on to become Saudi ambassador to the U.S. On Sept. 1 the U.S. Postal Service issues its first Muslim Eid Stamp. On Sept. 2 Am. journalist Eric S. Margolis (1947-) utters the soundbyte: "America's strategic and economic interests in the Mideast and Muslim world are being threatened by the agony in Palestine, which inevitably invites terrorist attacks against US citizens and property." On Sept. 7 559,493 people in 2,171 schools all over the U.K. begin jumping up and down at precisely 11:00 a.m. for 1 min. to celebrate the launch of U.K. Science Year; the number of participants is raised to 569,069 when disabled pupils drop objects on the ground or hit it with their fists. On Sept. 9 Afghan anti-Taliban Northern Alliance Group leader ("the Lion of Panjshir") Ahmad Shah Massoud (b. 1953) is assassinated in Takhar Province by two Tunisian-born Belgian al-Qaida members incl. Abdessatar Dahmane (Dahmane Abd al-Sattar) (-2011), who pose as journalists, and are promptly killed; Dahmane's Moroccan-born Belgian wife Malika El Aroud (1959-) marries Tunisian-born al-Qaida member Moez Garsalloui (1967-); in June 2007 they are convicted in Switzerland of running a number of al-Qaida propaganda Web sites. On Sept. 9 Walla Walla, Wash.-born Muslim convert Hamza Yusuf Hanson (1960-) (formerly Mark Hanson), 1996 founder of Zaytuna Inst. in Berkeley, Calif. utters the soundbyte: "This country (America) unfortunately has a great, a great tribulation coming to it, and much of it is already here, yet people are too illiterate to read the writing on the wall", which gets him investigated by the FBI after 9/11. On Sept. 9-10 British maj. Charles Ingram (1965-) wins the million-pound question on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", after which he is accused of cheating by having his wife Diana cough at the correct answer (about the word "googol"), and later convicted, ruining his life. On Sept. 10 Qatar native Khalid Rashid Ali al-Mari (al-Muri) (al-Murri) (1975-), along with his wife and five children move to Peoria, Ill.; in Dec. he is arrested by the feds as a suspected enemy combatant on U.S. soil, and they claim to find credit card numbers on his laptop computer along with evidence linking him to Al-Qaida, moving him out of the criminal justice system into indefinite military detention, causing a federal court action alleging violation of his civil rights. A freebie for Al-Qaida? On Sept. 10 Joseph P. "Joe" Nacchio (1949-), CEO of Colo.-based communication co. Qwest (1997-2002) announces plans to cut 4K jobs after admitting that earnings for the year are expected to be $500M less than he had previously claimed; after the overstated revenue proves to be $2.5B and Nacchio makes $101M from massive stock sales, he is fired next June, and after the stock dips to a low of $.99 a share he ends up getting criminally charged by the U.S. govt.; if he had only waited one day to make his announcement, he could have slithered free by blaming it all on Al-Qaida? On Sept. 10 U.S. defense secy. Donald Rumsfield mentions in a press conference that $2.3T in transactions cannot be tracked through the antiquated equipment in the Pentagon; this is later twisted as a revelation that $2.5T in cash is mysteriously missing, and that the 9/11 attacks were done to divert an investigation. On Sept. 10 (the eve of 9/11) according to FBI translator Sibel Edmonds, the CIA maintains "intimate relations" with Osama bin Laden for operations in C Asia, incl. Xingjiang, China; he visited the U.S. under the alias Tim Osman?; it's just a folk myth?
2001-Pt. 2 On Sept. 11, 2001 (Tues.) Pres. George W. Bush is targeted in an assassination plot by al-Qaida On Sept. 11 (Tues.) the New York Times pub. a story about ex-Weatherman radical William Charles "Bill" Ayers (1944-), quoting him as saying "I don't regret setting bombs. I feel we didn't do enough." On Sept. 11 (Tues.) the 9/11 Attacks see the New York City skyline changed after 19 lowdown cowardly stinking crazed Satan-controlled Muslim raghead jihad terrorist scumbags (incl. 15 Saudis) hijack four U.S. commercial airliners and take over the unprotected cabins, using flying lessons given them in the U.S. to steer and crash into the twin towers of the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City (dedicated in Apr. 1973), and also the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.; Am. Airlines Flight 11 (Boeing 767) from Boston to Los Angeles hits the North Tower at 8:46:26 a.m. with a direct hit that disables all the elevators; actor Tony Perkins' wife Berinthia "Berry" Berenson-Perkins (b. 1948) is on Flight 11; United Airlines Flight 175 (Boeing 767) from Boston to Los Angeles hits the South Tower at 9:02:54 a.m. at an angle, permitting people to escape; Flight 175 has a mysterious pod attached to the undercarriage, indicating that the whole show is really being run by the govt. and the plane was unmanned and remotely-controlled?; Am. Airlines Flight 77 from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles hits the SW face of the Pentagon at 9:43 a.m. on the 60th anniv. of its groundbreaking; it was really a U.S.-launched missile, and was covered-up?; Pres. Bush had a meeting scheduled with affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood after he arrived back at the White House; Pres. Bush first informs the nation of "an apparent terrorist attack on our country" at 9:30 from the school; at 9:45 a.m. the FAA grounds all civilian domestic and internat. flights to-from the U.S., although an El Al (Boeing 747) flight is allowed to take from JFK Airport to Tel Aviv at 4:11 p.m.; commercial flights resume on Sept. 13, followed by private flights on Sept. 14; on Sept. 20 a flight containing Bin Laden family members is allowed to leave the U.S., carrying four Americans; on Sept. 11 NBC-TV commentator Tom Brokaw answers a speculation by Matt Laurer with "This is war. This is a declaration and execution of an attack on the United States", later chanting "War! War!"; "When I saw the second airplane hit, I knew jihad has come to America" (Nonie Darwish); the South Tower implodes at 9:59:04 a.m., followed by the North Tower at 10:28:31 a.m., after the jet fuel ignites tons of paper, which causes internal temps as high as 2K F; Pres. Bush is informed of the South Tower crash at 9:07 a.m. by White House chief of staff (2001-6) Andrew Hill "Andy" Card Jr. (1947-) while visiting with 2nd grade (mainly black) students at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Fla., and turns red, but stays with the kids, reading aloud from the children's story The Pet Goat (by Siegfried Engelmann and Elaine C. Bruner) with them; British-born former U.S. Army officer Cyril Richard "Rick" Rescoria (b. 1939), vice-pres. of security at Morgan Stanley (scheduled for retirement at year's end) dies after helping 2.7K coworkers to safety; after rushing in to help not knowing about the impending collapse; 343 firefighters die in the Twin Towers, and firefighter (Argentine native) Sergio Gabrial Villanueva (b. 1968) becomes a hero; Hollywood actor Steven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi (1957-) (a former NYC firefighter) quietly returns to Engine Co. 55 and works 12-hour shifts, trying to avoid publicity; two Port Authority of N.Y. and N.J. police officers survive the towers' collapse and are rescued from the rubble after 22 hours; 300K are evacuated by boat in lower Manhattan after hundreds of craft answer a Coast Guard call for help "From All Available Boats" and converge on the West Side; meanwhile United Air Lines Flight 93 from Newark, N.J. to San Francisco, Calif. carrying 37 passengers and seven crew is hijacked by Beirut, Lebanon-born pilot (al-Qaida member) Ziad Samir Jarrah (1975-2001) and three Saudi Arabia-born muscle men Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Nami (1977-2001), Ahmed Ibrahim al-Haznawi (1980-2001), and Saeed Abdallah Ali Sulayman al-Ghamdi (1979-2001), crashing at 10:03 a.m. near Shanksville in Somerset County, Penn. (60 mi. SE of Pittsburgh and 150 mi. NW of Washington, D.C.) after the 33 all-American passengers are first cowed by a fake body bomb then fight back against the four ragheads instead of cowering like sheep, and kick the surprised terrorists butts, although too late to prevent the crash; Flight 93 passenger Todd Morgan Beamer (b. 1968) becomes a U.S. hero when he quarterbacks the makeshift anti-raghead team with the all-American words "Let's roll!", which are heard on his cellphone; his sad-proud wife Lisa later founds the charity Heroic Choices; the Flight 93 Nat. Memorial is established on Sept. 24, 2002, and dedicated on Sept. 10, 2011; 2,976 are killed in the 9/11 attacks, incl. 2,605 in New York City (215 blacks incl. 136 men and 79 women), 125 at the Pentagon (incl. 55 military personnel), and 246 on the four planes, with 24 listed as missing, becoming the most Americans lost on U.S. soil since the Sept. 17, 1862 Battle of Antietam, and the greatest single-day civilian loss of life in the U.S. since the May 31, 1889 Johnstown Penn. Flood; Time mag. pub. a 9/11 tragedy issue with a cover photo by Lyle Owerko; many Palestinians openly celebrate the attackon the Great Satan U.S.; Iraqi pres. Saddam Hussein utters the soundbyte: "The American cowboys are reaping the fruit of their crimes against humanity"; the govts. of Cuba, Iran, Libya, and North Korea join a worldwide chorus denouncing the attacks; Arab leaders denouncing the attacks incl. King Hussein of Jordan, Egyptian pres. Hosni Mubarak, and Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri; some Muslims around the world express sympathy for the 9/11 victims, incl. a moment of silence at a World Cup match between Bahrain and Iran on Sept. 14, and a candlelight vigil by Palestinians in Jerusalem on Sept. 15 along with another in Tehran; on Sept. 14 Ireland holds a nat. day of mourning, becoming the only country other than the U.S. and Israel to do so; the Taliban in Afghanistan condemns the attacks but denies that Osama bin Laden is behind them; bin Laden also denies involvement, claiming that there is a govt. within the govt. of the U.S. that wants to turn the 21st cent. into a cent. of conflict between Islam and Christianity, suggesting U.S. Jews and intel agencies, but later admits responsibility in an Oct. 29, 2004 video; the mastermind was mechanical engineering-trained Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (1964-); the economic repercussions cost the U.S. economy $1T (same as Bush's June 7 tax cut); 40K workers work at "The Pile" at Ground Zero for the next 8 mo., removing 1M tons of rubble, and 69% of them later develop permanent lung problems known as "WTC Cough"; NASA astronaut Frank Culbertson films the smoking WTC from space; New York Fire Dept. chaplain (Roman Catholic Franciscan friar) Father Mychal (Michael) Fallon Judge (b. 1933) dies at the WTC, becoming the "Saint of 9/11" ("God is going to make the headlines some day rather than the Devil, so don't give up"); St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at 130 Liberty St. is destroyed, and the govt. stalls in rebuilding it until ?; St. Paul's Chapel at 209 Broadway facing Church St. opposite the E side of the WTC, where new U.S. pres. #1 George Washington prayed after his first inauguration on Apr. 30, 1789 is not harmed, and the syacmore tree in its courtyard becomes known as the 9/11 Sycamore, with a memorial later built for it (Isaiah 9:10); at 8:30 p.m. Pres. Bush gives a great Red-Blooded Am. Cowboy Speech from the White House, with the soundbyte "Make no mistake about it, the U.S. will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts"; the U.S. launches into a new kind of war, the Global War on Terror (Terrorism) (ends ?); Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaida org. are immediately suspected and become the world's most-wanted criminals, despite of a lack of hard evidence; Egyptian-born 9/11 ringleader ("Emir of the WTC Attack") Mohamed Mohamed Atta (b. 1968) (Mohamed Attacker?) (who created the jihad cell in Hamburg, Germany in the late 1990s, incl. three of the four pilots) is found to have met in Prague with an Iraqi spy, throwing suspicions on Saddam Hussein, and New York City-born U.S. nat. security adviser Richard N. Perle (1941-) allegedly either blames the 9/11 attack on Iraq or wants retaliation to incl. them; Pres. Bush activates the "shadow govt." of 75-150 top officials working 90-day shifts in underground bunkers on the East Coast; the Five Dancing Israelis incident starts with a woman named Maria claiming to see a white van with five men in it filming the burning Twin Towers, allegedly with shouts of joy, who are alleged to be Israeli Mossad agents, although they are interviewed and deny dancing etc., causing conspiracy theorists to claim 9/11 was a Mossad operation; New York City Mayor Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani (1944-) leads the city in a heroic manner after the attacks, earning the title "America's Mayor", and calling the deaths "worse than anyone could bear"; "Vanity Fair" ed. Graydon Carter comments "I think it's the end of the age of irony"; British Queen Elizabeth II comments "Grief is the price we pay for love"; Russian pres. Vladimir Putin orders a massive expansion of intel-gathering efforts in North Am. and W Europe; a folded $20 U.S. bill shows the Twin Towers burning?; Algerian-born British airline pilot Lotfi Raissi becomes the first person accused of participating in the 9/11 attack, and is held for five mo. in Belmarsh hi-security prison in London, then put through nine years of hell until being cleared on Apr. 23, 2010; the 20-ft. Ground Zero Cross, a fortuitous configuration of fallen I-beams draws memorial messages and becomes a religious monument; Alicia Esteve Head, who is in Spain on 9/11 arrives in the U.S. in 2003 and pretends to be 9/11 Twin Towers survivor Tania Head, becoming er, head of the survivors' network until she is exposed in 2007, becoming the subject of the 2012 book The Woman Who Wasn't There: The True Story of an Incredible Deception by Robin Gaby Fisher; ; meanwhile by 2003 a joke translation of Quran 9:11 begins circulating: "For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced, for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; and there was peace"; later conspiracy theorists begin exposing the 9/11 attacks as really perpetrated by the U.S. govt. to give them a pretext to destroy the last bastions of the Bill of Rights in the name of homeland security and give them a coverstory to invade the Middle East at will to secure oil, and point to a giant 9/11 conspiracy and coverup, incl. the framing of Muslim terrorists, who allegedly could never have accurately flown the airliners into the WTC, the fact that no fighters were scrambled to accept any of them, the fact that Osama bin Laden et al. were originally trained by the U.S., the problem that eight of those named on the FBI's list of 19 names later turn up alive and well living in different countries, and the evidences of the deliberate demolition of WTC Bldg. 7, which hadn't been struck by an airplane; later civil engineers prove WTC Bldg. 7 was in free-fall for 2.5 sec., pointing to planted explosives; others claim to rebut conspiracy allegations; did the U.S. govt murder its own people to make a power grab, then stage a coverup, stay tuned?; in Aug. 2009 a group of law enforcement officers and others who participated in the 9/11 rescue and cleanup develop immune system cancer and other health problems; by 2010 3K WTC survivors are still experienced long-term PTSD; on Mar. 11, 2010 they reach a $657.5M settlement; Saudi princess Haifa bint Faisal, wife of U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia Prince Bandar bin Sultan is later discovered to have donated money via a conduit to two of the 9/11 hijackers; the CIA is plagued by guilt and panic amid rumors of a coming 2nd wave of attacks, with some analysts working around the clock with their children sleeping on the floor, causing them to get the White House to authorize enhanced interrogation techniques (EITs) incl. waterboarding, sensory deprivation, and prolonged stress positions. The massive attack on the U.S. Bill of Rights doesn't take long to begin, starting with patsy Arab-Americans? On Sept. 11 Pakistani-born Muslim Am. New York City police cadet Mohammad Salman Hamdani (b. 1978) sees the smoke coming from the WTC and rushes to aid the victims, and is reported missing, causing him to be suspected of being involved in the attack, after which Congress declares him a hero, although he is omitted from the 9/11 memorial list of first responders because he was only a cadet. On Sept. 11 Egyptian-born Am. radiologist Basem M.F. Hussein (1965-) is arrested and his apt. searched by police after the property mgr. calls claiming to see Arabic lit., an airplane flight manual, a CD jacket showing an exploding airplane and chemical residue; after he proves that the CD was a flight simulator game, that it did not depict an exploding airplane, that the Arabic lit. was the Quran, and the chemical residue household dust, a federal jury in Pittsburgh awards him $850K in compensatory and $1.6M in punitive damages on Sept. 23, 2005; on Nov. 3 the U.S. govt. agrees to pay $1.26M to five Muslim men detained for months without charges - send the check to Osama? On Sept. 11 Detroit, Mich. restaurant owner Noureddine "Dean" Hachem is accused of his waiters cheering 9/11, which he denies; while he is suing for defamation, he is indicted for running an internat. auto theft ring, with the money being funneled to Hezbollah; he is convicted and imprisoned. Us Americans, we're living longer than ever? He wants to start World War III? On Sept. 11, 2001 (9/11) after watching the 9/11 news on TV and getting freaked, T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-) of Denver, Colo. shelves his numerous other careers as computer programmer, engineer, fiction writer et al., and begins full-time work on T.L. Winslow's Great Track of Time, placing it on the World Wide Web on his Web site www.tlwinslow.com, where it first becomes accessible on Google on Oct. 29, until it receives over 100K hits and takes too much time and expense, pulling the plug in May 2003 and continuing to work on it for pub. by traditional channels, then putting it back up in Aug. 2013 after searching in vain for an agent, publisher, or investor to help it reach the millions, only to get far fewer hits because of the gaming of the search engines by millions of spam sites, which put his site at the bottom of the list; done totally outside academia, the smug closed establishment gives him no credit, reputation, or even notice until ?, allowing him to totally take over the field of history and launch the Historyscoping Rev. on his little ole desktop PC connected to the Internet with an iffy personal income and iffy living conditions, with increasing medical problems rendering him unable to even work at part-time jobs, ending up on govt. assistance; by the time his students storm the Bastille and become the establishment, he's ??? years old?; if you build it they will come? On Sept. 11 despite the 9/11 attacks, the Doomsday Clock is kept at 9 min. before midnight. On Sept. 11 Saudi Arabian-born ex-Muslim Brigitte Gabriel founds the Am. Congress for Truth to inform Americans about the threat of radical Islam, becoming the largest such org. in the U.S.
2001-Pt. 3 On Sept. 12 the Dow Jones Index drops by 7.12%. On Sept. 12 Pres. Bush stages a photo opp with members of the Nat. Security Team, issuing the soundbyte: "The deliberate and deadly attacks which were carried out yesterday against our country were more than acts of terror. They were acts of war." On Sept. 12 the NATO allies vote in favor of the Washington Treaty's first-ever invocation of the Article 5 collecive defense guarantee. On Sept. 12 the U.N. Security Council votes 15-0-0 for Resolution 1368, condemning the 9/11 attacks and expressing readiness to take the necessary steps to respond to terrorism, recognizing the right of individual and collective self-defense. On Sept. 13 Pres. Bush meets with Saudi Prince Bandar on the Truman Balcony at the White House. On Sept. 13 Buckingham Palace plays The Star-Spangled Banner for the first time ever during the Changing of the Guard (until ?) to please 5K Am. bystanders. On Sept. 13 Tunisian-born German soccer player Nizar Trabelsi (1970-) is arrested for working with Osama bin Laden to stage a suicide attack at a U.S. military installation in Europe. On Sept. 13 the Parisian daily Le Monde pub. an editorial with the title: "We Are All Americans" (Nous sommes tous Americains), with the soundbyte: "How can we not feel, as we have in the gravest moments of our history, but profoundly in solidarity with this people and this country, the United States, with whom we are so close and to whom we owe our liberty, and therefore our solidarity." On Sept. 14 the U.S. House of Reps. votes to authorize a military response to the 9/11 attack; the only dissenting vote is Barbara Jean Lee (1946-) (D-Wyo.); Kyrgyzstan permits multi-nat. troops from the U.S. and seven other nations to be stationed to fight against the Taliban. On Sept. 14 Pres. Bush gives a Bullhorn Speech at Ground Zero on the ruins of the World Trade Center, which many see as characterizing his first term with his lackadaisical response to the nat. emergency; his take on Shakespeare's Henry IV's St. Crispin's Day Speech (Henry IV, Act IV, Scene iii.18-67)? On Sept. 15 white supremacist self-declared "Arab slayer" Mark Stroman (1970-) gets revenge for 9/11 by gunning down Muslim Pakistani immigrant Waqar Hasan (b. 1945) in a Dallas convenience store, and shooting Muslim Bangladeshi immigrant Rais Bhuiyan in the face, blinding one eye, which doesn't stop him from IDing him in court; later Bhuiyan starts a campaign to save him from execution. On Sept. 15 Am. Sikh Balbir Singh Sodhi is shot 5x in the back and murdered at the corner of the Mesa Star Chevron gas station in Ariz. by Frank Roque, who shoots at and misses a Lebanese-Am. clerk at another gas station, then drives to his old home (occupied by an Arab family) and fires several more shots; he receives a death sentence, which is reduced to life. On Sept. 15 in The New Yorker, New York activist Susan Sontag (1933-2004) puts in her two cents worth on the 9/11 attack: "Where is the acknowledgment that this was not a 'cowardly' attack on 'civilization' or 'liberty' or 'humanity' or 'the free world' but an attack on the world's self-proclaimed superpower, undertaken as a consequence of specific American alliances and actions?" On Sept. 15 four loaded barges and a tugboat strike the Queen Isabella Causeway, the only bridge to South Padre Island, Tex., killing eight. On Sept. 16 Osama bin Laden denies involvement in the 9/11 attacks, saying: "I would like to assure the world that I did not plan the recent attacks, which seems to have been planned by people for personal reasons"; on Sept. 28 he adds "I have already said that I am not involved in the September 11 attacks in the United States. As a Muslim, I try my best to avoid telling a lie. I had no knowledge of these attacks, nor do I consider the killing of innocent women, children and other human beings as an appreciable act. Islam strictly forbids causing harm to innocent women, children and other people. Such a practice is forbidden even in the course of battle... The United States should try to trace the perpetrators of these attacks within itself, the people who are a part of the U.S. system but are dissenting against it, or those who are working for some other system, persons who want to make the present century a century of conflict between Islam and Christianity so that their own civilization, nation, country, or ideology can survive. They may be anyone, from Russia to Israel and from India to Serbia. In the U.S. itself, there are dozens of well-organized and well-equipped groups capable of causing large-scale destruction. Then you cannot forget the American Jews, who have been annoyed with President Bush ever since the Florida elections and who want to avenge him... Then there are intelligence agencies in the U.S., which require billions of dollars worth of funds from Congress and the government every year... They needed an enemy... Is it not that there exists a government within the government in the United Sates? That secret government must be asked who carried out the attacks"; on Dec. 26 he adds that the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan is "a vicious campaign based on mere suspicion". On Sept. 16 Philly-born ex-Muslim black minister Rev. Jeremiah Alvesta "Jerry" Wright Jr. (1941-) of the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Ill. gives his Chickens Come Home to Roost speech, quoting U.S. ambassador to Iraq (1977-80) Edward L. Peck, who told Fox News "We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought back into our own front yards: America's chickens are coming home to roost", then pointing out that Malcolm X originally said the chickens statement; too bad, when Barack Obama runs for U.S. pres. in 2008, Wright's speech is dug up and quoted out of context to make him into the originator. On Sept. 17 Pres. George W. Bush gives a Speech on Islam at a mosque in Washington, D.C., telling Am. Muslims that they should feel safe, with the soundbyte "Islam is peace." On Sept. 18 Pres. Bush signs the U.S. Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists Act (Public Law 107-40), giving the U.S. pres. broad open-ended authority to use military force on the streets of the U.S. under the excuse of protecting citizens from terrorists - such a law might be great to use to round-up Muslims, but it could also be used by a Muslim-controlled pres. to round up non-Muslims, I've already got my bags packed? On Sept. 18 Pres. Bush signs the U.S. Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists Act (AUMF) (Public Law 107-40), invoking the U.S. War Powers Resolution to authorize U.S. armed forces to be used against those who "planned, authorized, committed or aided" the 9/11 attacks with all "necessary and appropriate force"; in 2013 after it is revealed that the act might stay in effect for decades, and could be used by a Muslim-controlled U.S. pres. against non-Muslim citizens, Sen. Angus King utters the soundbyte: "You guys have essentially rewritten the Constitution today." On Sept. 18 Pres. Bush signs the U.S. Nat. Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS), requiring special registration for thousands of Arab and Muslim men in an attempt to uncover immigration violations and terror links; it is discontinued in Apr. 2011 after 84K voluntarily register and 14K are deported; meanwhile the Belgium-based SWIFT European Bank Transfer Consortium gives U.S. authorities access to Euro financial data to track terrorists, which is kept secret until 2006, angering Euro legislators, who seek to restrict the data sharing for privacy reasons. On Sept. 18 a letter containing anthrax spores is mailed to NBC-TV in New York City, starting a nationwide anthrax scare, esp. after more are sent to various govt. officials; on Oct. 5 several die after handling letters; U.S. bioweapons expert Dr. Steven Jay Hatfill (1953-) is identified by the U.S. govt. as a "person of interest", and suffers FBI raids and persecution until he is belatedly cleared in 2008 in favor of fellow scientist Bruce Ivins (1946-2008) - hat fill equals envelope fill until heads you lose brucellosis I vins? On Sept. 19 after being appointed by Pres. George W. Bush in Feb. and being ratified by the Senate on Sept. 15, London, England-born diplomat John Dimitri Negroponte (1939-) (U.S. ambassador to Mexico, 1989-93) becomes U.S. U.N. ambassador #23 (until June 23, 2004), after which on June 29 he succeeds L. Paul Bremer as U.S. ambassador to Iraq (until Mar. 17, 2005) before becoming dir. #1 of nat. intelligence on Apr. 21, 2005 (until Feb. 13, 2007), controlling a $40B budget. On Sept. 20 U.S. Gen. Wesley Clark meets with U.S. defense secy. Donald Rumsfeld in the Pentagon, and is told that the decision has been made to go to war with Iraq. On Sept. 22 the U.S. lifts its sanctions on India and Pakistan (in place since May, 1998); Japan follows suit on Oct. 26. On Sept. 23 Pres. Bush signs Executive Order 13224, freezing assets of 27 U.S. entities alleged connected to terrorism, incl. the Global Relief Foundation, Benevolence Internat. Foundation, and Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development; on Dec. 8, 2011 the convictions of the five jihadists behind the foundation are upheld the U.S. Court of Appeals. On Sept. 24 Calif. artists R.J. Waldron, Eric Noda, and Thomas Hanley paint a 35-ft. U.S.flag on a concrete wall near I-680 in Sunol, Calif. about 40 mi. SE of San Francisco; in 2010 Caltrans removes it after declaring it graffiti. Yoo-hoo, peek-a-boo, I see you? On Sept. 25 the Yoo Memorandum by Korean-Am. U.S. asst. atty.-gen. John Choon Yoo (1967-) contends that "the Constitution vests the President with the plenary authority, as Commander-in-Chief and the sole organ of the Nation in its foreign relations, to use military force abroad", and that Congress cannot "place any limits on the President's determinations as to any terrorist threat, the amount of military force to be used in response, or the method, timing, and nature of the response", incl. torture, bitch-slapping and drugging al-Qaida POWs; by 2005 autopsies of POWs dying in U.S. custody in Iraq and Afghanistan list strangulation, asphyxiation, and blunt force injuries as causes of death; the memo is not released to the public until Apr. 1, 2008. On Sept. 26 after efforts by conservative backer Grover Glenn Norquist (1956-), Pres. Bush meets with 15 Muslim leaders at the White House who allegedly reject terrorism, although many are suspect of supporting it against Israel; after telling the press that real Islam doesn't support al-Qaida's doctrines, Bush utters the soundbyte "The teachings of Islam are teachings of peace and good"; on Apr. 2, 2005 Norquist marries Kuwaiti-born Palestinian Muslim Samah Alrayyes, who works for the U.S. Agency for Internat. Development (USAID) as an Arab and Muslim outreach specialist; after some Muslims who befriended Norquist end up indicted for terrorist activities, incl. Abdurahman Alamoudi, Norquist still doesn't drop his support for the Islam as religion of peace cause (until ?). On Sept. 26 (9/11 + 5 = bad omen?) Star Trek: Enterprise debuts on UPN-TV for 98 episodes (until May 13, 2005), starring Scott Stewart Bakula (1954-) as Capt. Jonathan Archer of Earth's first Warp 5 starship Enterprise in the year 2151, his father having designed the engine, Jolene Blalock (1975-) as Vulcan T'Pol, Connor Trinneer (1969-) as aquaphobic chief engineer Charles "Trip" Tucker III, Dominic Keating (1962-) as armory officer Malcolm Reed, Linda Park (1978-) as communications officer Hosi Sato, John Billingsley (1960-) as chief medical officer Dr. Phlox, and Anthony T. Montgomery (197-1) as helmsman Ensign Travis Mayweather. On Sept. 28 after a 5-min. meeting, the U.N. Security Council votes 15-0-0 for Resolution 1373, responding to 9/11 by calling on all member states to ratify all existing internat. conventions on terrorism, share intel, and restrict immigration, establishing a terrorism committee to monitor compliance; too bad, the term "terrorism" isn't defined, and only al-Qaida and the Taliban are put on the sanctions list. On Sept. 28 Pres. George W. Bush utters the soundbyte: "There are thousands of Muslims who proudly call themselves Americans, and they know what I know, that the Muslim faith is based upon peace and love and compassion" - but only for other Muslims? On Sept. 29 Am. actress Sharon Stone (1958-) has a brain aneurysm at age 43, later making a full recovery - if Ahnuld couldn't take her? On Sept. 30 the J.J. Abrams action-spy series Alias debuts on ABC-TV for 105 episodes (until May 22, 2006), starring Jennifer Anne Garner (1972-) as CIA agent Sydney Bristow, who poses as an operative for the SD-6 global criminal org., and struggles to hide her career from her family and friends while tracking down artifacts created by Renaissance-era genius Milo Rambaldi (1444-96). In Sept. the Tipton Three, three 20-something British Muslims who went to Afghanistan on a lark and attended a wedding cross into Pakistan, eventually getting arrested in the company of Taliban fighters, and end up in the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, where they are interrogated and mistreated, finally being released in 2004 with no apologies. On Oct. 1 Mademoiselle mag. announces that it will cease pub. after 66 years, citing a weak advertising climate caused by 9/11. On Oct. 1, 2001 the sitcom According to Jim debuts on ABC-TV for 182 episodes (until June 2, 2009), starring James Adam "Jim" Belushi (1954-) (brother of the late John Belush) as James "Jim" Orenthal, a lovable surburban father of three who likes blues music, the Chicago Bears, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bulls, and Chicago Blackhawks, and gets into trouble continually because of his laziness. On Oct. 2 the medical comedy series Scrubs debuts on NBC-TV for 182 episodes (until Mar. 17, 2010), set at Sacred Heart Teaching Hospital and based on the daydreams of Dr. John "J.D." Dorian, played by Zachary Israel "Zach" Braff (1975-). On Oct. 3 According to Jim debuts on ABC-TV for 182 episodes (until June 2, 2009), starring James Adam "Jim" Belushi (1954-) as surbuban blues fan father of fiveJames "Jim" Orenthal (no last name), whose laziness causes the humor. On Oct. 6 the Society of Prof. Journalists in Seattle, Wash. pub. the PC "Diversity Guidelines", incl. portraying "Muslims, Arabs, Middle Eastern and South Asian Americans in the richness of their diverse experiences", and not using "inflammatory" language. The Bush Empire Strikes Back? On Oct. 7 (anniv. of the 1777 2nd Battle of Saratoga, the 1780 Battle of King's Mountain, and the 1918 Relief of the Lost Battalion) after the Taliban refuses to hand over Osama bin Laden, citing lack of evidence despite admitting to harboring a fugitive from justice, the first U.S. military counterattack against Osama bin Laden begins, with a massive daily bombing campaign against Taliban and al-Qaida terrorist camps in Afghanistan, aided by the CIA's elite Special Activities Div. and British forces, overthrowing Taliban control of Afghanistan with minimal U.S. force loss and no conventional military forces; the U.S. communicates with anti-Taliban Iran before and after the invasion for the 1st time since the 1985-6 Iran-Contra Affair; on Oct. 14 the Taliban offers to discuss handling bin Laden over to a neutral country, but maintains the evidence requirement, and is rejected; on Nov. 12 (night) the Taliban retreats S from Kabul, and by Nov. 13 they withdraw Jalalabad, followed by their last city stronghold of Kandahar in early Dec; on Nov. 15 they release eight Western aid workers after 3 mo. in captivity; the horrible Sharia imposed by the Taliban in Afghanistan relaxes, only to begin to rebound in 2003, with police looking the other way; meanwhile Am. philosopher Noam Chomsky later calls the Afghan invasion "one of the most immoral acts in modern history". On Oct. 8 Pres. Bush creates the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, with former (1995-2001) Penn. gov. Thomas Joseph "Tom" Ridge (1945-) as acting dir. (until Jan. 24, 2003), becoming the biggest federal govt. reorg. since the 1940s, subsuming every govt. agency from the Secret Service to the Coast Guard in an effort to protect the "critical infrastructure"; they set up the Web site Ready.gov for the public, with the motto "Prepare. Plan. Stay Informed"; too bad, by 2010 the intel apparatus balloons to 1,271 govt. orgs. and 1,931 private cos. working in 10K locations around the U.S., with 854K granted top secret security clearances, becoming a secret govt. that could threaten the freedom of its own people; by 2010 its surface yearly budget is $75B, which doesn't incl. domestic counter-terrorism and military programs. On Oct. 9 Pres. Bush's approval rating reaches a high of 92%. On Oct. 9 New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani announces that the city is rejecting a $10M donation for disaster relief from Saudi prince Al-Walid bin Talal after he suggests that U.S. policies in the Middle East contributed to the 9/11 attacks with a note telling the city to "reexamine its policies in the Middle East and adopt a more balanced stance to the Palestinian cause", and "must address some of the issues that led to such a criminal attack", causing Giuliani to reply "I entirely reject that statement. There is no moral equivalent for this act. There is no justification for it. The people who did it lost any right to ask for justification for it when they slaughtered 4,000 or 5,000 innocent people"; Talal goes on to donate money for Islamic centers at U.S. univs., which are gratefully accepted by liberal academia, and embarrass other Saudi royals with claims that his Lebanese heritage puts him in a position for negotiations, along with his obscene flaunting of his wealth incl. a private Boeing 747. On Oct. 10 former PM (1991-6) Khaleda Zia (1945-), wife of assassinated pres. Zia ur-Rahman becomes PM #12 of Bangladesh (until Oct. 29, 2006). On Oct. 16 Smallville debuts on The WB for 218 episodes (until May 13, 2011), based on the DC Comics Superman char., starring Thomas John Patrick "Tom" Welling (1977-) as teenie Clark Kent growing up in Smallville, Kan. - just what America needs right after 9/11? On Oct. 19/20 violence in the West Bank sees eight Palestinians killed and 12 wounded; on Oct. 20 (night) an Israeli heli fire two missiles at a bldg. in Bathlehem after spotting armed Palestinians on the roof, wounding eight, five criticaly. On Oct. 23 the IRA announces that it has begun to dismantle its weapons arsenal. On Oct. 24 the U.S. House by 357-66 passes the U.S. Patriot Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act) "to deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world"; it passes the U.S. Senate on Oct. 25 by 98-1; it incl. a sunset provision under which 15 of the law's provisions expire at the end of 2005; Pres. George W. Bush signs it on Oct. 26; a controversial provision allows govt. access to library and bookstore records, causing fears that it could let them target innocent patriots as terrorists based on what books they check out or buy; in 2010 the FBI is revealed to improperly open investigations into Greenpeace and other anti-war and animal rights groups after 9/11. On Oct. 28 Muslim gunmen with AK-47s attack a Protestant church in Bahawalpur, Punjab, killing 16 and injuring six. In Oct. the Palestinians begin firing Qassam steel artillery rockets (range 3 mi.) into Israeli settlements, followed on Feb. 10, 2002 by Israel itself, incl. the S Israeli city of Sderot on Mar. 5, with some reaching the far edge of Ashkelon; 1K rockets are launched in 2006, 1.75K in 2008, killing 22 Israelis by 2010. As the U.S. zeroes in on Osama bin Laden, he turns into the new Elvis, sans sightings in Vegas? In Oct. Tayseer Alouni of Al Jazeera interviews Osama bin Laden, becoming the last reputable person who claims to see him until ?; after this only audio and video tapes emanating by somebody claiming to be him come from somewhere, some showing him with a short broad nose, others with a Semitic aquiline nose; a Dec. 2001 video shows him wearing golden rings, which goes against Wahhabi customs. In Oct. Yemeni-born Muslim imam Anwar al-Awlaki (1971-) of the Dar al-Hijrah (Land of Migration) Mosque in Great Falls, Fairfax County, Va., where two 9/11 terrorists worshipped (who atended a luncheon at the Pentagon months after 9/11) is interviewed by Nat. Geographic, claiming that Muslims aren't radical or violent, with the soundbytes "We came here to build, not to destroy" and "We are the bridge between Americans and one billion Muslims worldwide." In Oct. Ahmad Sa'adat (Saadat) (Sadat) (1953-) becomes secy.-gen. of the Marxist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) (until ?); on Oct. 17 right-wing Israeli tourism minister Gen. Rehavam "Gandhi" Ze'evi (b. 1926) is assassinated in the Jerusalem Hyatt Hotel by the PFLP, and Sa'adat is blamed, causing him to take refuge in Yassir Arafat's PLO HQ in Muqata, causing Israel to siege it until an agreement between the U.S. and U.K. causes him to be handed over, after which he is tried then sentenced to 30 years in prison on Dec. 25, 2008, and imprisoned despite internat. pressure; in Dec. 2007 PFLP member Hamdi Quran confesses in court to the assassination, and is sentenced to life in prison; PFLP members Basel al-Asmar, Majdi Rahima Rimawi, and Ahad Olma are sentenced to 30-80 years. On Nov. 1 Pres. Bush signs Executive Order 13233, limiting access to the records of former U.S. presidents; it is partially struck down by the court in Oct. 2007, and pres. Barack Obama revokes it on Jan. 21, 2009. On Nov. 4 the Arizona Diamondbacks (NL) (mgr. Bob Brenly) defeat the New York Yankees (AL) (mgr. Joe Torre) 4-3 to win the Ninety-Seventh (97th) World Series when Luis Gonzalez' broken-bat single caps a 2-run 9th inning in Game 7; Pres. Bush throws the first pitch in Game 3, becoming the first U.S. pres. to visit Yankee Stadium during a WS; in Game 4 Lee Greenwood sings "God Bless the USA". On Nov. 6 taking advantage of the 9/11 buzz, 24 debuts on Fox Network for 204 episodes (until July 14, 2014), a 24-episode series in which each episode represents one hour in the day of the life of definitely-no-007 U.S. Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland (1966-), who fights terrorism and govt. bureaucracy; Dennis Dexter Haysbert (1954-) plays black U.S. pres. David Palmer, who gets assassinated and replaced by his equally black brother Wayne Palmer, played by D.B. (David Bryan) Woodside (1969-). On Nov. 8 King Abdullah II of Jordan gives a Speech on 9/11 to the British Parliament, promising support in the war against terrorism, and saying that Jordan recognizes Israel's right to exist but wants a 2-state solution with the right of return of displaced Palestinians. On Nov. 10 Colo.-born writer and LSD pioneer Ken Kesey (b. 1935), the link man between the 1950s Beat Generation and the 1960s Hippies Generation dies; "I was too young to be a beatnik and too old to be a hippie" - high to the end? On Nov. 10 Osama bin Laden poses for a photo with his adviser-successor Ayman al-Zawahri, which becomes famous. On Nov. 12 Am. Airlines Flight 587 plunges into a residential neighborhood in Queens, N.Y., killing 260 plus five on the ground - American Airlines, first into the Towers and first into the hood? On Nov. 13 Pres. Bush issues a Pres. Military Order on Detention, Treatment and Trial of Certain Non-Citizens in the War Against Terrorism, ordering captured al-Qaida terrorists to be tried by special military commissions, free of the restrictions imposed by the civilian courts; the Taliban is lumped in with al-Qaida; the military prison facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is established; initially a bunch of cages called Camp X-Ray, Halliburton gets a $155M contract to construct new facilities called Camp Delta, opened on Apr. 28, 2002. On Nov. 14 Pres. Bush issues the first ever U.S. Pres. Ramadan Greeting, going with his Islam history ignoramus attempts to define Islam as a religion of peace, along with prohibiting a person's religion from being used in airport security and encouraging more Saudi students to study in the U.S.; he even adds a Quran to the White House library. On Nov. 22 Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to send an e-mail apology over the Internet for injustices committed by Roman Catholic clergy in Pacific nations against aborigines. On Nov. 26 opposition candidate Ricardo Rodolfo Maduro Joest (1946-) (a Roman Catholic of Jewish descent) beats Liberal party candidate Rafael Pineda Ponce to become pres. of scandal-rocked Honduras next Jan. 27 (until Jan. 27, 2006), which has a 1-term law for presidents. On Nov. 27 Afghan factions create a post-Taliban govt. On Nov. 27 Liberal Party leader Anders Fogh Rasmussen (1953-) becomes PM #24 of Denmark (until Apr. 5, 2009), leading a center-right coalition with the Conservative People's Party, going on to limit immigration, freeze tax rates, and other "biggest reforms in 30 years". On Nov. 29 George Harrison (b. 1943) becomes the second Beatle to bite the dust and not make it to 64 when he dies of cancer in Los Angeles, Calif.; in July he had released a statement asking fans not to worry about reports that he was still battling it. On Nov. 30 Salt Lake City, Utah-born "Green River Killer" Gary Leon Ridgway (1949-) is arrested while leaving the Kenton truck factory in Renton, Wash. for murdering four women; he is convicted of 49 murders of women and girls in Wash. State in the 1980s-1990s, mainly hos and runaways, strangling them and dumping their bodies in wilderness areas in King County, often returning to have sex with them. In Nov. John Howard wins a 3rd term as PM of Australia (since 1996) as a result of his tough policy against illegal immigration, imprisoning refugees from Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq in camps, and rerouting boat people to camps in Papua New Guinea and Naura ("the Pacific solution"). In Nov. the Transportation Security Admin. (TSA) is established by the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security to screen passengers at airports; by the end of 2009 it spends $40B on aviation security, and still can't stop the 2009 Xmas Underwear Bomber? In Nov. an Italian woman has the first delivery of two simultaneous pregnancies, followed by #2 3 mo. later, becoming the first case of superfecundation in human medical history? In Nov. Pres. Bush signs an executive order making non-citizens serving in the U.S. military on active duty eligible for citizenship; on Nov. 13 he signs another executive order giving the U.S. intel community extensive orders to go after terrorists - jump the border, go to Iraq, lose a leg, get your papers? In Nov. the World Trade Org. (WTO) (founded 1994) holds its Doha Round in Doha, Qatar, with 141 nations meeting to discuss reduction of tarrifs and other world trade issues (ends ?). In Nov. the city council of Esperantina, Brazil passes a law making May 9 official Orgasm Day, to fight premature ejaculation - shouldn't it have been June 9? On Dec. 1 converted Muslim U.S. citizen John Philip Walker Lindh (1981-) ("the American Taliban") is captured in Aghanistan among Taliban forces and charged with conspiracy to kill Americans outside the U.S., and gets a 20-year sentence after agreeing to a plea bargain; he later goes by name Abu Sulayman Al-Irlandi ("the Irishman"); on Dec. 9 Kandahar, the last Taliban-controlled city falls, causing a Quetta Shura (leadership council) to be formed by the top Taliban leadership in the Balochistan province of Pakistan; Osama bin Laden remains at large as the Raghead Robin Hood of Fractured Medieval Space Age Islam; the U.S. blows its chance to capture or kill Osama bin Laden in the mountains of Tora Bora ("Black Cave") (50 mi. SE of Kabul at the W edge of the tribal areas) in Dec., after which he ends up in Abbattobad, Pakistan. Enron execs are caught laying, cheating and skilling? On Dec. 2 Houston, Tex.-based energy-trading co. Enron Corp. (originally called Enteron until they discovered it means "intestine"), known for making large contributions to both nat. political parties and being real close to the oil-co.-loving Bush admin. announces that it is filing for bankruptcy; with assets of $63B and 11K employees, it is the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history, and leaves the employees in the lurch even though the execs cash out $500M in stock while lying to Wall St. about the corpse, er, corp.'s health; the corp. HQ in Houston, Tex. is sold for $55.5M; the accounting firm of Arthur Anderson is later convicted of obstructing justice in an SEC investigation; the Creative Accounting Scandal is left to be mopped-up by Congress with the 2002 U.S. McCain-Feingold Act (campaign financing bill) and the 2002 U.S. Corporate Responsibility Act; 16 Enron execs plead guilty to criminal charges, and on July 7, 2004 Ph.D. (Economics) founder (CEO in 1982-2002) Kenneth Lee "Ken" Lay (1942-2006) and CEO (Feb. 12-Aug. 14, 2001) Jeffrey Keith "Jeff" Skilling (1953-) are charged with conspiracy and fraud (7 counts for Lay, 31 for Skilling, incl. insider trading); after spending $30M on their defense, their 2006 trial results on May 25 in 6 guilty counts for Lay (165 years possible) and 19 for Skilling (185 years possible); in a separate trial, Lay is found guilty on four counts of personal banking fraud; 3 mo. before his sentencing date he has a heart attack (coronary artery disease) and dies in his Pabst Ranch 20 mi. from Aspen, Colo. on July 5, 2006; too bad, on June 25, 2010 the U.S. Supreme Court guts the Honest Services Law (making it a crime "to deprive another of the intangible right of honest services"), one of the favorite tools of federal prosecutors for pursuing corrupt politicians corp. execs, casting doubt on the convictions. On Dec. 3 Israel confines Yasser Arafat to the West Bank town of Ramallah, condemns the Palestinian Authority as a "terror-supporting entity", then shows its logic by bombing Palestinian areas. On Dec. 4 the Richardson, Tex.-based Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (originally Occupied Land Fund) (founded 1989), largest Muslim charity in the U.S. is shut down by the Bush admin. as an enemy of the state and terrorist group, accusing it of funneling money to Hamas, with the Treasury Dept. freezing its assets; on Nov. 24, 2008 five HLF leaders are convicted on 108 counts, and given 15-65 year sentences. On Dec. 6 Newfoundland and Labrador becomes Canada's 10th province - perfect for a year that goes to the dogs? On Dec. 9 the Taliban govt. in Afghanistan collapses after 2 mo. of bomging by the U.S. combined with ground fighting by Northern Alliance troops; on Dec. 22 Hamid Karzai (1957-) is sworn-in as interim Afghan pres. On Dec. 12 Pres. Bush informs Congress of his decision to withdraw from the 1972 ABM Treaty; Congress allows it to lapse 6 mo. later on 6-13-2002. On Dec. 12 female genital mutiliation of minors is outlawed in Kenya. On Dec. 13 five gunmen attack the Indian Parliament, leaving 14 dead; the Pakistanis are blamed, and war looms; on Dec. 30 Pakistani authorities arrest militant Islamic Army of the Pure leader Hafiz Mohammed Saeed in an effort to avert war. On Dec. 13 Osama bin Laden (b. 1957) is killed, and his death is revealed in newspapers in Pakistan on Dec. 15, but the U.S. govt. covers it up to keep the war on Iraq and Afghanistan going?; the Bush family and the bin Laden family have been business partners since the 1990s? On Dec. 15 French intel officer Pierre-Henri Bunel (1952-) is convicted by a military tribunal for passing documents to Serbian col. Jovan Milanovic on future air strike sites, receiving a 5-year sentence; he is freed in the spring of 2002, claiming in 2004 that al-Qaida is a fictional org. created by Western intel, with the soundbyte: "The truth is, there is no Islamic army or terrorist group called Al-Qaida, and any informed intelligence officer knows this. But there is a propaganda campaign to make the public believe in the presence of an identified entity representing the Devil only in order to drive the TV watcher to accept a unified international leadership for a war against terrorism. The country behind this propaganda is the US and the lobbyists for the U.S. war on terrorism are only interested in making money." On Dec. 15 the Leaning Tower of Pisa is reopened after the leaning problem is partially rectified. On Dec. 19 millions try to find a message for their own troubles in the theater release of The Lord of the Rings, Part 1: The Fellowship of the Ring; lucky producer Saul Zaentz (1921-), who acquired the screen rights to LOTR in 1976 to produce an animated version, ends up collecting at least $168M after the trilogy grosses $2.9B; the book itself is repub. by Houghton Mifflin (hardback) and Del Rey/Ballantine (paperback), making the New York Times bestseller list. On Dec. 20 Pres. Fernando De La Rua of Argentina resigns after a week of riots over the poor economy. On Dec. 22 Bromley, London-born "Shoe Bomber" Richard Colvin Reid (1973-) (Muslim convert) is subdued by passengers aboard American Airlines Flight 63 en route from Paris to Miami when he attempts to detonate a shoe bomb containing blasting cap explosive PETN with matches; it lands safely in Boston; claiming he could have done the job right with a lighter, all lighters are banned on flights (until Aug. 4, 2007), causing 22K a day to be confiscated, costing $4M a year to dispose of. On Dec. 24 after a record snowless Nov., Buffalo, N.Y. is pounded by a record-breaking snowstorm. In Dec. the NYSE reaches a record high just 90 days after 9/11. In Dec. Iran begins supporting the insurgency of the Taliban in Afghanistan. In Dec. the Bush admin. orders the assets of the Holy Land Foundation (largest Muslim charity in the U.S.) seized for allegedly funding Hamas. In Dec. the Internat. Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS), established by the govt. of Canada pub. the report The Responsibility to Protect (R2P), defining a new concept justifying "humanitarian intervention" in states that are unwilling or unable to stop genocide, massive killings or other massive human rights violations. In Dec. Shiite Muslim Iranian pres. #4 (1989-97) Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (1934-) (richest person in Iran) gives a speech containing the doomsday soundbyte: "If one day the Islamic world [acquires nuclear weapons], then the imperialists' strategy will reach a standstill because the use of even one nuclear bomb inside Israel will destroy everything. However, it will only harm the Islamic world. It is not irrational to contemplate such an eventuality. Jews shall expect to be once again scattered and wandering around the globe the day when this appendix is extracted from the region and the Muslim world." In Dec. the Muslim Canadian Congress is founded in Toronto by liberal Pakistani-born Muslim Tarek Fatah (1949-) to lobby Muslims for "separation of religion and state in all matters of public policy", going on to oppose imposition of Sharia and support same-sex marriage laws; on Aug. 20, 2006 several members split to form the Canadian Muslim Union. In Dec. Gov. Ahnuld is hospitalized with several broken ribs after a motorcycle accident. Kyrgyzstan Pres. Askar Akayev jails vice-pres. Felix Sharshenbayevich Kulov (1948-) for challenging him for the presidency. U.S. Rep. (D-Ohio) (since 1985) James Anthony Traficant Jr. (1941-) is indicted on racketeering charges, convicted and sentenced to eight years - with a name that sounds like Santo Trafficante, he was an easy V? Young Frenchman Herve (Hervé) Djamel Loiseau (b. 1973), member of the Tablighi Jamaat (Islamic Preaching Party) is killed fleeing the U.S. bombardment of Tora Bora in Afghanistan 50 mi. SE of Kabul. Canadian PM Jean Chretian announces that he will not seek a 4th term after his conflict with finance minister Paul Martin weakens the Liberal Party. In Burundi a peace plan incl. power sharing between Hutus and Tutsis begins, with a transitional govt. led by Tuttsi pres. Pierre Buyoya (until 2003). In Nigeria, more than a dozen northern states have by now introduced Islamic law, much to the chagrin of the Nigerian govt. and its large Christian pop.; bloody riots against U.S. involvement in Afghanistan compound the problem and by fall the country of 121M is on the verge of civil war. Dictator Idriss Deby is reelected in Chad - home of Little Deby Snack Cakes? Who Fidels while Rome burns? Cuban #2 Raul Castro, younger brother of Fidel and head of the armed forces grants a rare interview early in the year, and encourages the U.S. to make peace with Cuba while Fidel is still alive, saying that later, when he takes power, "it will be more difficult". China joins the World Trade Org. (WTO); the U.S. begins losing an avg. of 50K manufacturing jobs to it per month (until ?). U.S. ambassador Carlos Pasqual is declared persona non grata in Ukraine. The Defense of Freedom Medal is instituted by the U.S. after 9/11 as a civilian version of the Purple Heart. Search for Internat. Terrorist Entities Intelligence Group is founded by Iraqi-born Jew Rita Katz to monitor Muslim intel to prevent another 9/11. The Internat. Solidarity Movement (ISM) is founded by Palestinian activist Ghassan Andoni (1956-) et al. to encourage nonviolent protests against the Israeli military presence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Swedish-born Muslim-turned-Christian Ergun Michael/Mehmet "Butch" Caner (1966-) (Turkish father, Swedish mother) uses 9/11 to raise his stock with Am. Baptists, becoming pres. of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (founded by Rev. Jerry Falwell) in 2005, tripling student enrollment; he's really a stealth Muslim jihadist? Rand Corp. convenes Transition 2001, a panel of 54 bipartisan U.S. leaders in foreign and defense policy to forge an agreement on the central tenets of U.S. nat. security policy and offer recommendations to new U.S. pres. George W. Bush. Pres. Bush requires all West Wing staffers to wear suits and ties, dumping the jeans and T-shirts worn during the Clinton admin. Canada legalizes medical marijuana for the terminally and chronically ill. The salary of the U.S. pres. is raised from $200K to $400K plus a $50K non-taxable expense allowance. The Red Cross raises a record $1.1B to aid victims of the 9/11 attacks, but stinks itself up when it reserves $200M to "prepare for future crises", causing pres. Bernadine Healy to resign, and the money to be returned to the Sept. 11 Liberty Fund. Chevron and Texaco merge to form the 2nd largest oil co. in the U.S. Hewlett-Packard (HP) acquires Compaq in an effort to compete against Dell Computer; HP CEO Cara Carleton "Carly" Fiorina (1954-) is ousted on Feb. 9, 2005 after nearly six years, and the merger is declared a disaster. William Clay "Bill" Ford Jr. (1957-), great-grandson of founder Henry Ford becomes CEO of Ford Motor Co., turning it from losing $5.45B this year to a profit of $3.5B in 2004. Rev. Billy Graham receives an honorary British knighthood. Intel Corp. coins the term "patent trolls" after being sued for defamation for calling some of them "patent extortionists"; meanwhile patent infrigement suits double from 1988 to 2.4K, many by companies consisting of little more than a few trolls, er, lawyers who purchased patents out of bankruptcies. Over 4M U.S. 25-to-34-year-olds live still with parents. A survey finds that 30% of gay black men in the U.S. from ages 23-29 are infected with HIV; nearly 50% of all gay men in their 20s engage in unprotected anal "bareback" sex - there's nothing wrong with it? This year the European Union graduates more scientists and engineers than the U.S., and Asia about as many as the U.S.; only 61% of the U.S. degrees are awarded to U.S.-born students, down from 77% in 1966. The Earth will be visited this year by the Muons of Planet Myton from the Pleiades, according to the Unarius Academy of Science in El Cajon, Calif. - maybe their spaceship broke down? The nonpartisan William J. Clinton Foundation is founded by ex-U.S. pres. Bill Clinton "to alleviate poverty, improve global health, strengthen economies, and protect the environment"; it turns into a criminal racket to enrich Bill and Hillary in return for handing out govt. favors? Iraqi nutcase Saddam Hussein's directorate of gen. security reports to him that the TV series "Pokemon" is an Israeli plot to contaminate the minds of Iraqi youths, and that the title is Hebrew for "I'm Jewish"; meanwhile a committee of Saudi clerics issue a fatwa against the Pokeman card game for gambling and polytheism; in 2016 they reissue it for the viral mobile game Pokemon Go. The Forum Against Islamophobia and Racism (FAIR) is founded in London, England. After 9/11, the Interfaith Amigos, incl. Pastor Don Mackenzie, Rabbi Ted Falcon, and Sheikh Jamal Rahman are formed for interfaith understanding. Monaco Princess Caroline's hubby Prince Ernst August of Hanover (1954-) is fined by a German court for kicking a paparazzi in the butt and beating the owner of a hotel in Kenya. French novelist Michel Houellebecq (1956-) gives an interview in which he calls Islam "the stupidest religion", and is hauled into court for inciting racial hatred, but charges are dismissed. Post-Adjudication Risk Management (PARM) program to give heightened security scrutiny to employees who were born oversees or have relatives or friends there. The mainly Muslim Students for Justice in Palestine is founded at UCB in Calif., spawning chapters across the U.S. Am. journalist Alison Weir founds If Americans Knew to tell the story of the alleged coverup of Israeli atrocities. After 9/11 a large segment of the reading public seemingly gives up on fiction, flocking to nonfiction works, esp. about Islam, the Middle East, Iraq, and U.S. politics. Verasun Energy is founded, becoming a leading supplier of ethanol - a poor long-range idea of using food for fuel, which can force agonizing choices? Information gets cheaper and cheaper, but knowledge still is worth what you pay for it? The Dot-Com Boom (Bubble) (begun 1997) falls on its face, with thousands of cos. (little more than air and a Web site) going under; meanwhile on Jan. 15 winner site Wikipedia is founded by Ala.-born Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales (1966-) and Wash.-born Lawrence Mark "Larry" Sanger (1968-) as a user-generated encyclopedia with articles of varying quality contributed by anon. volunteers, reaching 1M articles in English by Mar. 2006; too bad, there is little control of the contributors or content, those who are talked about in the articles have a habit of sneaking in and fluffing the wording, and since contributors aren't paid, it threatens to kill the literary market, all causing a nightmare in QA; in Nov. 2005 a wave of controversy is caused by the discovery that someone had rewritten their article on Tenn. pub. John Siegenthaler Sr., allleging that he had been implicated in the Kennedy assassinations; in Dec. 2005 Nature pub. an article comparing it to Encyclopaedia Britannica, finding it to be nearly as accurate, causing the latter to shoot back in Mar. 2006 that their article is wrong and full of inaccuracies; in 2007 Sanger says "It has bothered me that I helped to get a project started that people are misusing", announcing plans for a new online encyclopedia called Citizendium (launched on Mar. 25, 2007), adding "gentle expert oversight" and requiring contributors to ID themselves, which slowly grinds to a crawl; meanwhile the poorly-designed source code is propagated throughout the Internet, causing alternative user-content products to spring up; too bad, Wiki cedes too much power to editors, who accumulate special privileges then hijack Wiki pages and actively keep them from improvement, incl. the Laura Branigan bio. page, which for years was taken over by a clique of editors who knowingly promulgated a false birthdate of 1957 for her instead of the real one of 1952 to please their fan club, cutting off access to any editors who tried to correct it, while the top mgt. did nothing - no more encyclopedia salesmen at our doors? The German Bernacer (Germán Bernácer) Prize is established to recognize economic research by European economists under age 40. John Hopkins U. begins pub. the World Shakespeare Bibliography Online, covering the years 1961-2009, containing 120K+ annotated entries. The Web site You're the Man Now Dog is founded by Max Goldberg, named after a line by Sean Connery from the 2000 film "Finding Forrester". Conservative Peter Gordon MacKay (1965-) of Nova Scotia is voted Canada's sexiest MP by the Ottawa Hill Times for the first of seven times in a row; in 2006 rumors fly that he has a crush on Condoleezza Rice. The Apollo Alliance is founded by the far-left Tides Center under Dan Carol to work for green jobs and a green economy, which goes on to help create the U.S. Am. Recovery and Revinestment Act of 2009 (Obama Stimulus). The militant Islamist group Boko Haram ("West Education is Forbidden or a Sin") is founded in Kanamma, N Nigeria by Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf (1970-2009), who is known for believing that the Earth is flat. Palestinian-born British Muslim Azzam (Azam) Tamimi (1955-) calls the U.S. War on Terror in response to 9/11 a war on Islam that will backfire; he also says that Palestinians will never accept a permanent state of Israel and that the U.S. or Germany should let the Jews set up one on their territory instead. The start of the big breeders vs. retirees war of the 21st cent.? The Zickert Case begins in the cul-de-sac development of Highlands Ranch, Colo. (S of Denver), where two retirees go nuts with all the kids playing roller hockey in their cul-de-sac, and install surveillance cameras in an effort to get the sheriff's dept. to prosecute them, causing pro-hockey residents to successfully counter by lobbying county commissioners to designate their block a "play street" in 2003. Actress Anne Heche breaks up with lezzie lover Ellen DeGeneres and goes on to marry male cameraman Coleman "Coley" Laffoon (1973-), bearing two children before leaving him in 2006 for James Tupper (1965-), her co-star on ABC-TV's Men in Trees. Vonage (Voice-Over-Net-Age) is founded in Jan. in Edison, N.J. to provide telephone service via a broadband connection, with the trademark "The Broadband Phone Company", later changed to "Sounds Good" and "Crazy Generous". Creative Commons in San Francisco, Calif. is founded by Lawrence Lessig (1961-), releasing its first Creative Commons Licenses in Dec. 2002 in an attempt to allow a lessing, er, lower the leasing, er, permit authors of creative works to provide them to the public on the Internet without losing all their rights - your what, tin roof busted? Avante-garde German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen utters the soundbyte that the events of 9/11 are "the greatest work of art imaginable for the whole cosmos". French Parisian philosopher Jean Baudrillard pub. the essay "The Spirit of Terrorism" in the Nov. issue of Le Monde, about 9/11, with the soundbyte that the U.S. is an "unbearable power" that elicits violent reactions around the world, and that the "terrorist imagination... inhabits us all... It was almost they who did it, but we who wanted it." The 18th cent. Ground Zero Mystery Ship is unearthed in the remains of the WTC. Canadian Web site Ashley Madison starts up to provide an online dating service for adulterers, with the motto "Life is short. Have an affair", reaching 39M customers by 2015. Australian Web site Abby Winters starts up, showing a future where every young woman is a happy guilt-free uninhibited naked active lesbian; are thousands of years of male supremacist religious control really about over?; when will Australian schools for girls start teaching them girl-girl sex as part of the curriculum?; men are how far from becoming obsolete, stay tuned while putting your quarters in the slot? - a new meaning to Down Under? Architecture: The World Trade Center is extensively remodeled by a Saudi co. :) On Jan. 10 after a fight by the Nat. Org. on Disability a bronze lifesize Statue of Franklin Delano Roosevelt In A Wheelchair, by Robert Graham (first statue showing a world leader in a wheelchair) is dedicated in Washington, D.C. by Pres. Clinton; an example of a govt. coverup, only two photos of him in a wheelchair exist? On June 28 the 9-story 8.5M DM Gehry Tower in Hanover, Germany opens, featuring a prominent twist in its outer facade and a ferroconcrete core. Sports: On Feb. 18 the 2001 (43rd) Daytona 500 is won by Michael Curtis Waltrip (1963-), brother of Darrell Waltrip; Dale Earnhardt Jr. comes in 2nd, and Rusty Wallace comes in 3rd; on lap 173 Robby Gordon hits Ward Burton, causing an 18-car wreck that flips Tony Stewart's car down the backstretch; on lap 200 1998 winner Dale Earnhardt Sr. loses control of his car and collides head-on with the wall, killing him, becoming the 4th NASCAR driver to be killed in 9 mo. since Adam Petty in May 2000, causing a fan outcry resulting in safety improvements. On Mar. 6 Shaquille O'Neal scores 61 points at the Staples Center in Los Angeles against the Clippers. On Apr. 2 Tiger Woods wins his 4th consecutive pro golf major, becoming the first to win the grand slam of golf. On Apr. 8 African-Am. pitcher Carsten Charles "CC" Sabathia (1980-) becomes the first baseball player born in the 1980s to make a ML debut, for the Cleveland Indians. In Apr. the NFL bans players from wearing Do-rags and bandanas underneath their helmets except for medical reasons. In Apr. after league bowling (which peaked in the 1980s at 80% of their business) drops, AMF Bowling Inc. of Richmond, Va., owner of 500 bowling centers with 18K employees files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, causing it to turn to Customer Relationship Mgt. (CRM) software from Applix Inc. of Westboro, Mass. to cut costs, helping them survive long enough for Code Hennessey and Simmons Capital of Chicago, Ill. to buy them in 2004 for $670M; in 2005 they merge with Italian-based Qubica Worldwide to form QubicaAMF Worldwide, selling the rights to their bowling balls in 2007 to 900 Global; too bad, in Nov. 2012 after league bowling tanks at 20%, they file for bankruptcy again, merging in 2013 with New York City-based upscale (no league bowling) co. Bowlmor (Strike Holdings LLC) (founded 1997), giving a combined 7.5K employees, 276 bowling centers, and $450M in annual revenue, attempting to revive league bowling, growing to 315 centers by 2015, with an avg. of 40 lanes per center compared to the U.S. avg. of 21 lanes. On May 26-June 9 the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals sees the Colorado Avalanche defeat the New Jersey Devils 4-3, becoming their 2nd win; the first Finals since 1989 where #1 seeds meet; former Boston Bruins star (#77) (1979-2000) Raymond Jean "Ray" Bourque (1960-) of the Avalanche wins his only Stanley Cup in his final NHL game; MVP is Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy. On May 27 the 2001 (85th) Indianapolis 500 is won by rookie Helio Castroneves (1975-) of Brazil. On June 18 6'11" Kwame James Brown (1982-) of Glynn Academy in Brunswick, Ga. is drafted by the Washington Wizards (#5), becoming the first high schooler to be drafted #1 overall in the NBA draft. On June 6-15 the 2001 NBA Finals sees the Los Angeles Lakers (coach Phil Jackson) defeat the Philadelphia 76ers (coach Larry Brown) by 4-1; the 76ers take game 1 107-101 in OT; Shaquille O'Neal of the Lakers is MVP. On Aug. 7 the Chicago Cubs defeat the Colo. Rockies 5-4; in the bottom of the 6th inning, plate umpire Angel Hernandez calls 3rd baseman Ron Coomer out in a play at home plate, after which Chicago Bears defensive lineman Steve Mongo McMichael takes the microphone in the 7th inning stretch, uttering the soundbyte: "Don't worry, I'll have some speaks with that home plate umpire after the game", causing him to become the first "entertainer" ejected from an MLB game (until ?), and the first ejected for his words rather than actions (until ?) On Sept. 17 ML play resumes; Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully gives a pre-game speech at Dodger Stadium; Jack Buck gives a moving speech and poem; the Colorado Choir sings the Nat. Anthem in Coors Field; the Nat. Anthem and "God Bless America" are added to the 7th inning stretch at Comiskey Park; the Nat. Anthem is sung by the Lindsey Wilson College Singers in Cinergy Field; on Sept. 21 Shea Stadium holds a 9/11 Remembrance Spectacular, featuring Diana Ross singing "God Bless America", Marc Anthony signing the Nat. Anthem, and the NYPD Pipers and USMC Battalion playing Irish bagpipes; in the 8th inning a homer by Mike Piazza gives the Yankees a 3-2 lead; on Sept. 25 Irish Tenor Ronan Tynan sings God Bless America in a patriotic tribute to the heroes of 9/11. On Oct. 7 drug-assisted left fielder Barry Bonds (1964-) of the San Francisco Giants hits his 73rd homer, setting the single-season record and breaking Mark McGwire's 3-y.-o. drug-assisted record - yawn? On Oct. 21 Denver Broncos (NFL) offensive tackle Matt Lepsis puts a cut (below the knee) block on San Diego Chargers defensive end (and former Bronco) Maa Tunavasa, ending his playing career; NFL Players Assoc. pres. Gene Upshaw calls on the league to ban cut blocks, but he is ignored, and Broncos and other teams' offensive linemen continue to break defensive linemens' legs so their teams can score more points. On Nov. 3 after being traded from the Portland Trail Blazers, 6'8" shooting guard Steven Delano "Steve" Smith (1969-) (#8) of the San Antonio Spurs ties the NBA record for most 3-pointers in a game without a miss, going 8 for 8 and finishing with 36 points in a 106-90 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. On Nov. 16 the 8-team NBA Development League (NBA D-League) (NBDL) plays its first game at the BI-LO Center in Greenville, S.C., with the Greenville Groove hosting the North Charleston Lowgators; in 2005 it expands to 15 teams, becoming a true minor league farm system for the NBA; in 2014 it expands to 18 teams; by then 33% of NBA players Cal Ripken Jr. retires from ML baseball after 21 seasons. The first World Rafting Championships held in North Am. are held in W. Va., which attracts more than 250K whitewater tourists each year. Va.-born Michael Dwayne Vick (1980-) leaves Virginia Tech after his sophomore year, and is drafted #1 overall by the Atlanta Falcons, who sign him to a $135M multi-year contract, biggest in NFL history (ends 2008); he makes his NFL debut on Sept. 9 in San Francisco, Calif., leading the Falcons to a 24-16 win. Slamball, invented by Mason Gordon and played on four trampolines plays its first exhibition series in Los Angeles, Calif., featuring the Los Angeles Rumble vs. the Chicago Mob, debuting in 2002 on the Nat. Network (Spike TV) with a 6-team league incl. draft pick #1 Robert Wilson, with former NBA All-Star player Reggie Theus as commentator; the league dissolves in 2003, then reopens for one more season in 2008. Nobel Prizes: Peace: United Nations (U.N.) and Kofi Atta Annan (1938-) (Ghana) ["for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world"]; Lit.: Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul (1932-) (U.K.); Physics: Wolfgang Ketterle (1957-) (Germany), Eric Allin Cornell (1961-) and Carl Edwin Wieman (1951-) (U.S.) [Bose-Einstein condensate]; Chem.: William Standish Knowles (1917-2012) (U.S.) and Ryoji Noyori (1938-) (Japan) [chirally catalyzed hydrogenation reactions], and Karl Barry Sharpless (1941-) (U.S.) [chirally catalyzed oxidation reactions]; Medicine: Leland Harrison "Lee" Hartwell (1939-) (U.S.), Sir Richard Timothy "Tim" Hunt (1943-) (U.K.), and Sir Paul Maxime Nurse (1949-) (U.K.) [cell cycle]; Economics: George Arthur Akerlof (1940-) (U.S.), Andrew Michael Spence (1943-) (U.S.), and Joseph Eugene Stiglitz (1943-) (U.S.) [assymetric info.]; in 2009 Stiglitz calls for a new global currency. Inventions: By this year the avg. desktop PC has 29GB of storage, and the laptop has 17.5 GB. In Jan. the Apple Titanium PowerBook laptop is released, with a 15.2-in.-wide screen display, 400 MHz PowerPC processor, 128MB of RAM, and 10GB hard drive, all for $2,599, launching a rev. for widescreen laptops for the masses. On June 11 Google Earth is released by Keyhole Inc. in Mountain View, Calif., partially funded by the CIA; in 2004 it is acquired by Google, giving Internet users a way to view the Earth in enormous detail for free, revolutionizing the Internet; in 2006 they add historical maps, and in 2008 they add an ancient Roman layer. In June Intel Corp. releases the 64-bit Itanium chip, which has a staggering 220M transistors. On Aug. 24 Microsoft releases the Microsoft XP (Whistler) Operating System. On Nov. 10 Apple releases the iPod personal MP3 player, with 5GB Ram, "1,000 songs in your pocket", backed by digital music downloading service iTunes (announced on Jan. 9), changing the lifestyles of millions, and selling 67M units in 5 years, with 1.5B songs downloaded from their Web site; the 10 billionth song is downloaded on Feb. 24, 2010. On Dec. 2 the 12.5 mph 24 mi. range Segway Human/Personal Transporter (HT/PT) (original names Ginger and IT) a revolutionary new personal gyroscooter is unveiled by Am. inventor Dean L. Kamen (1951-), son of a comic book illustrator; in 2009 Jimi Heselden (1938-2010) of Britain buys him out, then is killed when his out-of-control Segway drives over a cliff - add a seat and a parachute? On Dec. 19 the VeriChip, a rice grain-sized chip that can be injected under a human's skin is announced; the FDA later announces that it won't regulate it. On Dec. 31 the world's first practical Magnetic Refrigerator is announced by scientists at Ames Lab. Science: On Jan. 10 astronomers report the discovery of a giant planetlike object more than 17x the size of Jupiter orbiting a Sun-like star in the constellation Serpens, 123 l.y. away - the Serpens people are coming? On Jan. 11 researchers in Ore. announce the first genetically altered primate, a rhesus monkey named ANDi, having a jellyfish gene for fluorescence spliced into its DNA - it glows in the dark? On Jan. 26 scientists announce that they have decoded the Rice Genome, which becomes the first major crop plant to have its genome decoded. In Apr. Cosmos 1, a solar-sail vehicle with eight sails, funded by Carl Sagan's widow Ann Druyan et al. is launched from a sub in the Barents Sea atop a Russian ICBM, where it deploys its wings at 260 mi. alt. then returns to Earth. On July 3 AbioCor, the first self-contained artificial heart is implanted in 59-y.-o. Robert L. Tools (1942-2001) in Louisville, Ky.; he dies on Nov. 30 after 151 days. On Sept. 7 the first remote surgery (telesurgery) is completed by French surgeon Jacques Marescaux (1948-) in New York City, who performs a cholecystectomy on a 68-y.-o. female patient in Strasbourg, France over redundant fiberoptic lines provided by France Telecom, using a $975K ZEUS Robotic Surgical System by Computer Motion. On Sept. 22 the Deep Space 1 unmanned spacecraft (launched Oct. 24, 1998) images 5-mi.-long Comet Borrelly, which reflects only 3% of the sunlight received by its surface (10% as much as Earth reflects). In Oct. fertility researchers Jerry Hall and Yang-Ling Feng announce a method for parthogenesis, a way for women to have female babies without the need for sperm, making an all-female society possible in principle - isn't Jack in jail? In Nov. scientists announce the first cloned primate, a rhesus monkey - does this one glow too? On Nov. 25 Advanced Cell Technology of Mass. announces that it has cloned the first human, even though the experiment was stopped in the embryo stage (it also involved parthenogenesis?); on Nov. 26 the Raelian org. Clonaid (run by followers of Raelian Movement founder Claude Vorilhon) announces that it had cloned embryos before them. On Nov. 27 scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope announce the detection of the first star other than the Sun with an orbiting planet with a gas atmosphere, in the constellation Pegasus 150 l.y. away from Earth. On Nov. 28 the European Southern Observatory's Paranal Observatory discovers a black hole 14x the mass of the Sun about 40K l.y. from Earth, becoming the heaviest discovered to date - does that make it our brother? Guillermo Gonzales of the U.S. pub. a theory that the Solar System is in the Galactic Habitable Zone, a narrow ring on the midplane of the Milky Way that is the only region where the conditions for life can exist; further, that the Earth is in an ideal place for the discovery of natural laws and the structure of the Milky Way Galaxy and the Universe. South African physicist Neil Geoffrey Turok (1958-) of Cambridge U. and Paul Joseph Steinhardt (1952-) of Princeton U. propose the Cyclic Model of the Universe, AKA the Ekpyrotic Universe (Gk. "conflagration"), in which it was created by the cyclical trillion-year collision of two Universes that were attracted toward each other by the leaking of gravity out of one of them; the past is filled with endlessly repeating cycles of evolution of new Universes, and we're just lucky to be in this one?; instead of a Big Bang, there is a Big Bounce. In 2001 the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is pub., summarizing the predominant scientific opinion on climate change, concluding that the global avg. surface temp has risen 0.6C +/-0.2 C since the late 19th cent., and 0.17C/decade in 1971-2001, with the soundbyte: "There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities" esp. greenhouse gases methane and CO2, predicting a temp increase of 1.4C-5.8C between 1990 an 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions continue, accompanied by sea level rise and an increase in some types of extreme weather, becoming more negative as warming increases; it also incl. the soundbyte: "The climate system is a coupled non-linear chaotic system, and therefore the long-term prediction of future climate states is not possible"; leaders of the IPCC Working Group incl. chmn. Sir Robert Tony Watson (1948-), co-chmn. Welsh evangelical Christian scientist Sir John Theodore Houghton (1931-) and Sir John Francis Brake Mitchell (1948-) of Hadley Centre (lead author of the Second Assessment Report); in May a joint statement of support is issued by the science academies of Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, the Caribbean, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, Sweden, and U.K.: "We recognise the IPCC as the world's most reliable source of information on climate change and its causes, and we endorse its method of achieving consensus"; critics incl. Am. atmospheric physicist Richard Siegmund Lindzen (1940-), lead author of Ch. 7 "Physical Climate Processes and Feedbacks", who calls it "climate alarmism", uttering the soundbyte: "Why do we need to deconstruct global warming? Simply because it has been an issue that has been routinely treated with misinformation and sophistry abetted by constant repetition, institutional endorsements, and widespread ignorance even (perhaps especially) among the educated.... To a great extent, global warming has been merely a device for implementing broader agendas"; another critic is English-born Am. physicist Freeman John Dyson (1923-), who acknowledges that CO2 drives global warming but doubts that existing climate simulation models are accurate enough "to describe the real world we live in", pointing in 2009 out that "What has happened in the past 10 years is that the discrepancies between what's observed and what's predicted have become much stronger. It's clear now the models are wrong, but it wasn't so clear 10 years ago", suggesting that China and India should choose to burn coal and get rich instead of staying poor, noting that "the main effect of carbon dioxide... is to make the planet greender, feeding the growth of green plans of al kinds, increasing the fertility of farms and fields and fields", suggesting that planting 1T trees could remove all excess CO2 in the atmosphere. By this year astronomers have discovered 30 suspected black holes in space, but the evidence remains circumstantial. British scientists discover that sheep have the ability to remember and recognize up to 50 faces, incl. their shepherd's; could this prove they have consciousness? - ask a Scot? The rare marine bacterium Lomaiviticin Aglycon is discovered to have anti-cancer properties. Nonfiction: Francesco Alberoni (1929-), Hope. Stephen E. Ambrose, The Wild Blue. Susan Athey (1970-) and Kyle Bagwell (1961-), Optimal Collusion with Private Information; exposes how open auctions with a lenient dispute mechanism can result in legal disputes followed by settlements that are rife with collusion, e.g., when winners share a portion of their spoils with losers who cooperate with them in the bidding, recommending the use of sealed bids, which is widely adopted; in 2007 Athey becomes the first female winner of the John Bates Clark Medal, going on to become the chief economist for Microsoft Corp. Andrew G. Atkeson, Rethinking Multiple Equilibria in Macroeconomic Modeling: Comment; proves that when a theory of prices is introduced, a multiplicity of equilibria may return. William "Bill" Ayers (1944-), Fugitive Days: A Memoir (Sept. 10); Weatherman org. co-founder and hubby of Bernardine Dohrn reminisces about the good old days before going straight and working with Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley to reform the city's schools, not apologizing for the bombs and violence; an interview with the New York Times is printed right after 9/11, making for a great historic coincidence, with Ayers being showed a photo of him stepping on a U.S. flag, and replying "What a country - it makes me want to puke", adding "I don't regret setting bombs. I feel we didn't do enough." Ihsan Bagby, The Mosque in America: A National Portrait. James Bamford (1946-), Body of Secrets: Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret National Security Agency. Amiri Baraka (1934-2014), Somebody Blew Up America; "Who knew the World Trade Center was gonna get bombed/ Who told 4000 Israeli workers at the Twin Towers/ To stay home that day/ Why did [Ariel] Sharon stay away?/... Who know why Five Israelis was filming the explosion/ And cracking they sides at the notion"; blames the Israelis for 9/11, getting the ADL on his case, after which N.J. gov. Jim McGreevey tries to remove him from his post as poet laureate of N.J., finally abolishing the title, which his hometown of Newark counters by naming him poet laureate of their public schools. Gary S. Becker (1930-) and Kevin M. Murphy (1958-), Social Economics: Market Behavior in a Social Environment; incl. the social environment and standard goods and services in extended utility functions, allowing analysis of how the social environment is determined by the interactions of individuals. Daniel J. Benor (1941-), Spiritual Healing: Scientific Validation of a Healing Revolution (2 vols.) (2001, 2004). Ben Bernanke (1953-) and Mark Gertler (1951-), Should Central Banks Respond to Movements in Asset Prices?; argues that the Federal Reserve should limit its policies to targeting inflation and price stability while avoiding the more aggressive approach of managing asset price bubbles such as the Dot-Com Bubble of 1997-2000. Michael R. Beschloss (1955-), Reaching for Glory: Lyndon Johnson's Secret White House Tapes, 1964-1965; he wanted them to be sealed until 2023; sequel to "Taking Charge" (1997). Christiane Bird, Neither East Nor West: One Woman's Journey through the Islamic Republic of Iran. Franz Bludorf and Graznya Fosar, Vernetzte Intelligenz; summarizes the results of Russian biophysicist Pyotr Garjajev, who claims that the 90% called "junk DNA" might explain clairvoyance, intuition, auras et al., claiming that DNA is a "biological Internet". David Bodanis, E=MC2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation. Anthony Bourdain (1956-), A Cook's Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal (Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines); NYT bestseller; on ? A Cook's Tour debuts on Food Network for 35 episodes (until ?, 2002). Tom Brown Jr. (1950-), Grandfather: A Native American's Lifelong Search for Truth and Harmony with Nature. Tom Brown Jr. (1950-), and William Owen, The Search. James MacGregor Burns (1918-2014) and Susan Dunn, The Three Roosevelts: Patrician Leaders Who Transformed America; Theodore, Franklin, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Thomas Cahill (1940-), Desire of the Everlasting Hills: The World Before and After Jesus. Vincent J. Cannato, The Ungovernable City; New York City mayor (1966-73) John Lindsay. Dolores Cannon (1931-), The Convoluted Universe (4 vols.) (2001, 2005, 2008, 2012). Norman F. Cantor (1929-2004), In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World It Made; NYT bestseller. George Carlin (1937-2008), Napalm and Silly Putty. James Carroll (1943-), Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews - A History; disses the claim that Christian anti-Semitism caused the Holocaust. Jimmy Carter (1924-), An Hour Before Daylight: Memoirs of a Rural Boyhood. Warren Christopher, Chances of a Lifetime. Mary Higgins Clark (1927-), Kitchen Privileges, A Memoir. David Cope (1941-), Virtual Music: Computer Synthesis of Musical Style. Andrei Codrescu (1946-), An Involuntary Genius in America's Shoes (And What Happened Afterwards). Evan S. Connell Jr. (1924-), The Aztec Treasure House: New and Selected Essays. Theodore Dalrymple (1949-), Life at the Bottom: The Worldview that Makes the Underclass. David Brion Davis (1927-), Challenging the Boundaries of Slavery. Ahmet Davutoglu (1959-), Strategic Depth; calls for an expanded role for Turkey in world affairs incl. membership in the EU, and predicts a belt of Sunni Muslim Brotherhood-ruled regimes in Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, and Libya that will be subservient to the emerging Turkish Empire; too bad, Syrian pres. Bashar al-Assad doesn't roll over, and Egypt ousts the Muslim Brotherhood. Eliot Deutsch, Persons and Valuable Worlds. William G. Dever, What Did the Biblical Writers Know and When Did they Know It? Joan Didion (1934-), Political Fictions. Carl Djerassi (1923-), This Man's Pill: Reflections on the 50th Birthday of the Pill; developer of Enovid (approved 1960) tells all. Peter Ferdinand Drucker (1909-2005) and Peter Senge, Leading in a Time of Change: What It Will Take to Lead Tomorrow. Betty Jean Eadie (1942-), Embraced by the Light: Prayers and Devotions for Daily Living (Oct. 25). William Easterly (1957-), The Elusive Quest for Growth: Economists' Adventures and Misadventures in the Tropics (July 1); disses foreign aid to Third World countries esp. debt relief for failing to produce sustainable growth. John Edward (1969-), Crossing Over: The Stories Behind the Stories; a shameless psychic fraud is glad to sell it to you? Barbara Ehrenreich (1941-), Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America; bestseller on the low-wage working poor segment of the U.S. after she took a series of service jobs incognito; those who wear WWJD (What would Jesus do) bracelets are lousy tippers? Albert Ellis (1913-2007), Feeling Better, Getting Better, Staying Better: Profound Self-Help Therapy for Your Emotions; Overcoming Destructive Beliefs, Feelings, and Behaviors: New Directions for Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. Albert Ellis (1913-2007) et al., Counseling and Psychotherapy with Religious Persons: A Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Approach. Jason Epstein (1928-), Book Business: Publishing Past, Present and Future. Khaled Abou El Fadl (1963-), Rebellion and Violence in Islamic Law. Oriana Fallaci (1929-2006), The Rage and the Pride (La Rabbia e l'Orgoglio) (Dec.); sells 1.5M copies; expose of Islam as out to destroy the West while Westerners wallow in apathy. Don Edward Fehrenbacher (1920-97) (ed. Ward M. Mcafee), The Slaveholding Republic: An Account of the United States Government's Relations to Slavery (posth.) (last book); argues against the view that the U.S. Constitution was a pro-slavery document, and shows how Pres. Lincoln's approach to emancipation quickly evolved into a "Republican revolution" that ended the anomaly of the U.S. as a "slaveholding republic". Charles H. Ferguson, High Stakes, No Prisoners: A Winner's Tale of Greed and Glory in the Internet Wars (Jan.). Niall Ferguson (1964-), The Cash Nexus: Money and Power in the Modern World, 1700-2000; argues that the saying "money makes the world go 'round" is wrong because it's all about non-economic motivations in the end, incl. sex, violence, and power. George Fetherling (1949-), The Book of Assassins. Robert Finch (1943-), Death of a Hornet and Other Cape Cod Essays. Antwone Fisher (1959-), Finding Fish (autobio.); after he becomes a security guard at Sony Pictures Studios, his story turns on producer Todd Black. Frances FitzGerald (1940-) and Mary Cross, Vietnam: Spirits of the Earth (Nov. 9); lush picture book of modern Vietnam. Thomas Fleming, The New Dealers' War: FDR and the War Within World War II. George P. Fletcher, Our Secret Constitution: How Lincoln Redefined American Democracy; how the 1787 U.S. Constitution was subverted by the U.S. Civil War into a "second constitution". Antony Flew (1923-), Equality in Liberty and Justice. Mick Foley (1965-), Foley Is Good: And the Real World is Faker than Wrestling; sequel to "Have a Nice Day!". Charles Henri Ford (1913-2002), Water From a Bucket: A Diary, 1948-1957. Paula Fox (1923-), Borrowed Finery (autobio.); the writer grandmother of Courtney Love (1964-). Sir Martin Gilbert (1936-2015), From the Ends of the Earth: The Jews in the Twentieth Century. Francoise Giroud (1916-2003), Profession Journaliste (autobio.); One Can't Be Happy all the Time. Bernard Goldberg (1945-), Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News; CBS News reporter who was fired for mentioning the existence of liberal bias in the media in 1996; duh, U.S. Jews are not a monolithic bloc? Albert Goldman (1927-94), Freakshow: Misadventures in the Counterculture, 1959-1971 (essays) (posth.). Annette Gordon-Reed (1958-), Vernon Can Read!; a memoir of civil rights activist Vernon Jordan, which he co-wrote. Amit Goswami, Physics of the Soul: The Quantum Book of Living, Dying, Reincarnation and Immortality. Simon Gray (1936-2008), Enter a Fox (autobio.). Pyotr Garjajev does research into DNA, discovering that the 90% called "junk DNA" might explain clairvoyance, intuition, auras et al., claiming that DNA is a Biological Internet, Robert Greene (1959-) and Joost Elffers, The Art of Seduction. Steven Macon Greer (1955-), Disclosure: Military and Government Witnesses Reveal the Greatest Secrets in Modern History. David Halberstam (1934-2007), War in a Time of Peace: Bush, Clinton, and the Generals; how Clinton liked domestic issues and the economy and didn't like to commit the U.S. abroad. Victor Davis Hanson (1953-), Bonfire of the Humanities: Rescuing the Classics in an Impoverished Age. Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise of Western People (Why the West Has Won: Carnage and Culture from Salamis to Vietnam); traces the military dominance of Western civilization to the ancient Greeks and their consensual govt. and individualism after they kicked the weak effeminate Asiatic Persians' butts, although he never 'gets' why the Romans kicked their butts? Stephen Hawking (1942-), The Universe in a Nutshell - proof that modern cosmology has gone nuts? Julie Hecht, Was This Man a Genius? Talks With Andy Kaufman. Arthur Herman, How the Scots Invented the World. Don Hewitt (1922-2009), Tell Me a Story: 50 Years and 60 Minutes in Television (autobio.). Laura Hillenbrand (1967-), Seabiscuit: An American Legend. Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011), The Trial of Henry Kissinger; accuses him of being a war criminal. Philip Hoare (1958-), Spike Island: The Memory of a Military Hospital. Noel Ignatiev, The Making and Unmaking of Whiteness (essays). Jonathan Israel (1946-), Radical Enlightenment: Philosophy and the Making of Modernity, 1650-1750; claims that Baruch Spinoza is the backbone of the Radical Euro Enlightenment, which led to the modern liberal-dem. state. Philip Jenkins (1952-), Beyond Tolerance: Child Pornography on the Internet. Haynes Johnson (1931-), The Best of Times: America in the Clinton Years. J.D.F. Jones, Teller of Many Tales: The Lives of Laurens van der Post; disses Prince Charles' mentor for knocking up a 14-y.-o. girl in 1952. Sebastian Junger (1962-), Fire; his Nov. 2000 visit to Afghanistan. Ward Just (1935-), Lowell Limpett and Two Stories. Ryszard Kapuscinski (1932-2007), The Shadow of the Sun; his experiences in Africa since 1957. Bill Kaysing (1922-2005), Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon? (Feb. 15). Morton Keller (1929-) and P. Keller, Making Harvard Modern. David I. Kertzer (1948-), The Popes Against the Jews: The Vatican's Role in the Rise of Modern Anti-Semitism; claims that several popes actively contributed to the rise of Euro anti-Semitism leading to the Holocaust, generating a firestorm of controversy. Jamaica Kincaid (1949-), My Garden (May 15). Dean H. King, In Search of Patrick O'Brian; "Master and Commander" author Patrick O'Brian (1914-2000). Nancy Koehn (1959-), Brand New: How Entrepreneurs Earned Consumers' Trust from Wedgwood to Dell. Deborah Copaken Kogan, Shutterbabe: Adventures in Love and War. Wendy Kopp (1967-), One Day, All Children: The Unlikely Triumph of Teach for America and What I Learned Along the Way. Paul Krugman (1953-), Anthony J. Venables (1953-), and Fujita Masahisa (1943-), The Spatial Economy: Cities, Regions, and International Trade; which becomes a std. work on the New Economic Geography. Joseph Levine, Purple Haze: The Puzzle of Consciousness. Bernard Lewis (1916-), The Muslim Discovery of Europe; Music of a Distant Drum: Classical Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Hebrew Poems. Michael Lewis (1960-), Next: The Future Just Happened. Life Magazine, One Nation: America Remembers September 11, 2001. David Limbaugh (1952-), Absolute Power: The Legacy of Corruption in the Clinton-Reno Justice Department (Mar.). Seymour Martin Lipset (1922-2006), It Didn't Happen Here: Why Socialism Failed in the United States - wait till Obama has his shot? Penelope Lively (1933-), A House Unlocked. Dave Longaberger (1934-99), Longaberger; made a fortune in handcrafted maple wood baskets and turned philanthropist. Graham Lord (1943-), Arthur Lowe. Margaret MacMillan (1943-), Peacemakers: The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and Its Attempt to End War (Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World); asks the question: Was the Great War "an unmitigated catastrophe in a sea of mud", or "about something", concluding: "It is condescending and wrong to think they were hoodwinked"; in Jan. 2014 she warns that WWI can happen again, with the soundbyte: "While history does not repeat itself precisely, the Middle East today bears a worrying resemblance to the Balkans then." William Manchester (1922-2004), No End Save Victory: Perspectives on World War II. Harvey Mansfield Jr. (1932-), A Student's Guide to Political Philosophy. Peter Mayle (1939-), French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork and Corkscrew. David McCullough (1933-), John Adams (May 22) (Pulitzer Prize); "The problem with Adams is that most Americans know nothing about him." Larry McMurtry (1936-), Sacagawea's Nickname (essays). Louis Menand (1952-), The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America (Pulitzer Prize) (Parkman Prize); the main figures in the philosophy of Pragmatism incl. William James, John Dewey, Charles Sanders Peirce, and Olive Wendell Holmes J. Gavin Menzies (1937-), 1421: The Year China Discovered The World (America); retired British sub cmdr. claims that Chinese Adm. Zheng He discovered America but that evil Mandarins covered it up. Jack Miles (1942-), Christ: A Crisis in the Life of God; God becomes human not to establish justice in this world but to defer it to the world to come? Nancy Milford (1938-), Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay [1892-1950]. Judith Miller, Stephen Engelberg, and William J. Broad, Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War. Ray Monk, Bertrand Russell: 1921-1970, The Ghost of Madness. Eric Henry Monkkonen (1942-2005), Murder in New York City; documents New York City's eternally higher violence than Euro cities using a database of 1.7K cases over 200 years, concluding that most murderers are men, and that murders are most often committed in the heat of passion after an argument; "Usually, the motives are the need to assert manliness, power or territory." Raymond Moody (1944-) and Dianne Arcangel, Life After Loss: Conquering Grief and Finding Hope. Sheridan Morley (1941-2007), John Gielgud: The Authorized Biography; British actor Sir John Gielgud (1904-2000). Edmund Morris (1940-), Theodore Rex; sequel to "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" (1979). Joseph Murray (1919-2012), Surgery of the Soul: Reflections on a Curious Career (autobio.). Paul J. Nahin, Time Machines: Time Travel in Physics, Metaphysics and Science - now you can feel dry and confident even when nobody else does? Thomas H. Naylor, John de Graaf, and David Wann, Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic. "A painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more." John Nichols (1940-), An American Child Supreme: The Education of a Liberation Ecologist (June 9). Jerri Nielsen (with Maryanne Vollers), Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival. Christiane Northrup, The Wisdom of Menopause. Robert Nozick (1938-2002), Invariances. Robert G. Ogg, Day of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor; "Seaman Z", first mentioned in John Toland's 1982 book "Day of Infamy" tells all about helping the U.S. Navy track the Japanese fleet all the way to Pearl Harbor, thus FDR knew about the attack in advance and let it happen to bulldog the U.S. into WWII. Bill O'Reilly (1949-), The No-Spin Zone: Confrontations with the Powerful and Famous in America. Peter S. Onuf (1945-) and Leonard Sadosky, Jeffersonian America (Oct. 18); tries to explain the persistent orientation of the early U.S. towards the Atlantic coast and W frontier. Suze Orman (1951-), The Road to Wealth. P.J. O'Rourke (1947-), The CEO of the Sofa. Malika Oufkir, Stolen Lives; daughter of Moroccan Gen. Mohammed Oufkir, adopted by King Mohammed V at age 5, lives a fairy tale life until her daddy attempts to assassinate the king in Aug. 1972. Robert Pastor (1947-), Towards a North American Community: Lessons from the Old World for the New; blueprint for a North Am. Union, with new Amero currency. James Petras and Henry Veltmeyer, Globalization Unmasked: Imperialism in the 21st Century. Katha Pollitt (1949-), Subject to Debate: Sense and Dissents on Women, Politics and Culture. Roy Porter (1946-2002), Bodies Politic: Disease, Death, and Doctors in Britain, 1650-1900. Ahmed Rashid, Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia (Mar. 1). John Rawls (1921-2002), Justice as Fairness: A Restatement. Bob Reiss (1951-), The Coming Storm: Extreme Weather and Our Terrifying Future (Sept. 5); attempts to freak-out readers with climate alarmism; "Bob Reiss shows how a series of freakish and colossally destructive weather events awakened... people to... a changing climate" (Eugene Linden); "The layman's guide to global warming... fair, urgent and deeply unsettling" (Ted Conover) - good timing on the publication date? Andrew Roberts (1963-), Napoleon and Wellington: The Battle of Waterloo - And the Great Comanders Who Fought It. Sir Ken Robinson (1950-), Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative. Barry Rubin, The Transformation of Palestinian Politics: From Revolution to State-Building (Nov. 30). Oliver Wolf Sacks (1933-), Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood (autobio.). William A. Schabas (1950-), Cambodia: Was It Really Genocide? Susan Schulten, The Geographical Imagination in America, 1880-1950. Maria Shriver (1955-), What's Wrong With Timmy?. Neil Asher Silberman, The Bible Unearthed: Archeology's New vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts; claims that there's no archeological evidence to substantiate the stories in the Hebrew Bible, and that the stories themselves were created in the 7th cent. B.C.E.; David and Solomon were "tribal chieftains ruling from a small hill town, with a modest palace and royal shrine". Peter Singer (1946-) and Helga Kuhse, Unsactivying Human Life: Essays on Ethics. Mark Skousen (1947-), The Making of Modern Economics: The Lives and Ideas of the Great Thinkers; 2nd ed. 2009. Andrew Solomon (1963-), The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression (Pulitzer Prize); his daddy Howard Solomon runs Forest Labs, known for selling anti-depressants, and guess what, he advocates their use. George Soros (1930-), Open Society: Reforming Global Capitalism. Gary Soto (1952-), The Effects of Knut Hamsun on a Fresno Boy (autobio.). Craig Stanford, The Hunting Apes: Meat Eating and the Origins of Human Behavior. George Steiner (1929-), Grammars of Creation (autobio.). Cass R. Sunstein (1954-), Designing Democracy: What Constitutions Do; The Vote: Bush, Gore & the Supreme Court. Nassim Nicholas Taleb (1960-), Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets; why people mistake blind luck for skill and tend to explain random outcomes as if they were non-random; pt. 1 of "Incerto", incl. "The Black Swan" (2007), "The Bed of Procrustes" (2010), "Antifragile" (2012), "Skin in the Game" (2018). Emmanuel Todd (1951-), After the Empire: The Breakdown of the American Order; known for predicting the fall of the Soviet Union in 1976, he predicts the fall of the U.S. as the sole superpower, and the emergence of a multipolar world incl. Europe, Japan, and Russia. Jeffrey Toobin, Too Close to Call: The Thirty-Six-Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election. Ike Turner (1931-2007), Takin' Back My Name (autobio.); "Sure, I've slapped Tina... There have been times when I punched her to the ground without thinking. But I have never beat her." Neil deGrasse Tyson (1958-), Holy Wars: An Astrophysicist Ponders the God Question (Skeptical Inquirer, Sept. 2001). Michael Walzer (1935-), Exilic Politics in the Hebrew Bible; War, Politics, and Morality. Wendy Wasserstein (1950-2006), Shiksa Goddess (essays). Brian Weiss (1944-), Messages from the Masters: Tapping into the Power of Love (Apr. 1). Jack Welch (with John A. Byrne), Jack: Straight from the Gut. John Edgar Wideman (1941-), Hoop Roots: Basketball, Race and Love (autobio.). Ken Wilber (1949-), A Theory of Everything: An Integral Vision for Business, Politics, Science, and Spirituality. Brian Glyn Williams, The Crimean Tatars: The Diaspora Experience and the Forging of a Nation (first book). Alan Wolfe, Moral Freedom: The Search for Virtue in a World of Choice; "The day of shared moral standards is gone. Never in history has there been more a sense that people can't rely on traditions and institutions to guide them, morally." Robert Wright (1957-), Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny; biological and cultural evolution are shaped and directed by God, er, "non-zero-sumness". Bat Ye'or, Islam and Dhimmitude: Where Civilizations Collide; the mass migration of intolerant Muslims to Europe and the big problems it's causing. Philip D. Zelikow (1954-), American Military Strategy: Memos to a President. Tukufu Zuberi (1959-), Thicker Than Blood: An Essay on How Racial Statistics Lie. Art: Eve Marie Drewelowe, Swinging Saplings. Pamela Joseph, Decades of Influence (2001-6); used cutting boards adorned with wood-burned facsimiles of vintage images of magic acts? Steve Martin (1945-), Kindly Lent Their Owner: The Private Collection of Steve Martin. Philip Pearlstein (1924-), Two Nude Females with Luna Park Lion. Larry Rivers (1923-2002), Fashion Model Seated. Music: 311, From Chaos (album #6) (June 19) (#10 in the U.S.); incl. You Wouldn't Believe, I'll Be Here Awhile, Amber. Aaliyah (1979-2001), Aaliyah (album #3) (last album) (July 17) (#1 in the U.S., #5 in the U.K.); she dies on Aug. 25, boosting sales to 13M copies; incl. We Need a Resolution (w/Timbaland), Rock the Boat, More Than a Woman, I Refuse, I Care 4 U. Ryan Adams (1974-), Gold (album); incl. New York, New York; the video is shot on Sept. 7, 2001 with the WTC Twin Towers in the background, and is played on MTV following the attacks. Aerosmith, Just Push Play (album #13) (Mar. 9) (#2 in the U.S., #7 in the U.K.); incl. Just Push Play, Jaded, Fly Away from Here. Afroman (1974-), Because I Got High; "I was gonna pay my child suport, but then I got high... I was gonna eat your pussy too, but then I got high, now I'm jackin' off and I know why, because I got high, because I got high, because I got high"; big hit, featured on the Howard Stern Show - welcome to the NWO? Christina Aguilera (1980-), Just Be Free (album) (Aug. 21); incl. Just Be Free. Amon Amarth, The Crusher (album #3) (May 8); incl. A Fury Divine, The Sound of Eight Hooves. America, The Complete Greatest Hits (album) (Aug.); its 17 top 100 singles since 1971. Dead or Alive, Unbreakable (album). Tori Amos (1963-), Strange Little Girls (album #6) (Sept. 18) (#4 in the U.S., #16 in the U.K.); incl. Strange Little Girl, 97 Bonnie and Clyde (by Eminem), Happiness is a Warm Gun (by the Beatles) (#4 in the U.S.). India.Arie (1975-), Acoustic Soul (album) (debut) (Mar. 27) (#10 in the U.S.) (5M copies); incl. Video, Brown Skin, Strength, Courage and Wisdom, Ready for Love. Marcia Ball (1949-), Presumed Innocent (album). Beatallica, A Garage Dayz Nite (EP) (debut); from the U.S., incl. Jaymz Lennfield, Grg Hammetson, Krk Hammetson, Kliff McBurtney, and Ringo Larz; incl. A Garage Dayz Nite, Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band, The Thing That Should Not Let It Be. Beck (1970-), Midnite Vultures. Bjork (1965-), Vespertine (album #5) (Aug. 27); wears the swan dress designed by Marjan Pejoski that she wore at the 2001 Academy Awards on the cover; incl. Hidden Place, Cocoon, Pagan Poetry. Mary J. Blige (1971-), No More Drama (album #5) (Aug. 28) (#2 in the U.S., #4 in the U.K.); sells 6.5M copies (incl. 3.2M in the U.S.); incl. No More Drama (#15 in the U.S., #9 in the U.K.), Family Affair (#1 in the U.S., #8 in the U.K.), Rainy Dayz (w/Ja Rule) (#12 in the U.S., #17 in the U.K.). Blink-182, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (album #4) (June 12) (#1 in the U.S., #4 in the U.K.) (4.5M copies); incl. The Rock Show (#71 in the U.S.), Stay Together for the Kids, First Date, Anthem Part Two. Backstreet Boys, The Hits - Chapter One (album) (Oct. 30) (3.5M copies); incl. Drowning (#4 in the U.K.). Michelle Branch (1983-), The Spirit Room (album) (debut) (Aug. 14) (#28 in the U.S.) (4M copies); incl. Everywhere (#12 in the U.S.) (used in Chase Bank commercials), All You Wanted (#6 in the U.S.), Goodbye to You (#21 in the U.S.), You Get Me (theme song for MTV reality series "Sorority Life"). Garth Brooks (1962-), Scarecrow (album #10) (Nov. 13); calls it his final album. Buckcherry, Time Bomb (album #2) (Mar. 27); incl. Ridin'. Echo and the Bunnymen, Flowers (album #9) (Feb. 16) (#56 in the U.S.); incl. It's Alright, Make Me Shine. Bush, Golden State (album #4) (Oct. 23); last with Nigel Pulsford and Dave Parsons; last album until 2011; incl. The People That We Love, Headful of Ghosts, Inflatable. Cake, Comfort Eagle (album #4) (July 21) (#13 in the U.S.) (500K copies); incl. Short Skirt/Long Jacket ("I want a girl with a mind like a diamond./ I want a girl who knows what's best./ I want a girl with shoes that cut and eyes that burn like cigarettes./ I want a girl with the right allocation, who's fast, and thorough, and sharp as a tack"). Mariah Carey (1970-), Glitter Soundtrack (album) (Sept. 11) (#7 in the U.S., #10 in the U.K.) (3M copies); her only release on Virgin; Greatest Hits (double album) (Dec. 4). Fallin'. Patrick Cassidy, Vide Cor Meum (See My Heart); based on Dante's "La Vita Nuova" ch. 3, sonnet "A ciascun'alma presa"; used in the film "Hannibal" (2001) and the film "Kingdom of Heaven" (2005). Peter Cetera (1944-), Another Perfect World (album #7) (Mar. 27); incl. Perfect World, It's Only Love (by John Lennon and Paul McCartney). Alice in Chains, Greatest Hits (album). Tracy Chapman (1964-), Collection (album). Cher (1946-), Living Proof (album) (Nov. 19); sells 8M; incl. Living Proof, The Music's No Good Without You. Leonard Cohen (1934-), Ten New Songs (album) (Oct. 9); incl. Boogie Street, In My Secret Life. Shawn Colvin (1956-), Whole New You (album #5) (Mar. 27). Sean Combs (Diddy and the Bad Boy Family) (1969-), The Saga Continues... (album #3) (July 10) (#2 in the U.S.); incl. The Saga Continues. Harry Connick Jr. (1967-), Songs I Heard (album). Coolio (1963-), Coolio.com (album) (Apr. 18); Fantastic Voyage (album) (July 17). Alice Cooper (1948-), Dragontown (album #22). John Corigliano (1938-), Symphony No. 2 for String Orchestra (Pulitzer Prize). Elvis Costello (1954-), The Very Best of Elvis Costello (album) (Sept. 21). Elvis Costello (1954-) and Anne Sofie von Otter (1955-), For the Stars (album) (Apr. 10); incl. For No One, Like an Angel Passing Through My Room. The Cranberries, Wake Up and Smell the Coffee (album #5) (Oct. 22) (1.3M copies); incl. Analyse. Creed, Weathered (album #3) (Nov. 20) ((#22 in the U.S.) (6M copies); first with bassist Mark Tremonti; incl. Weathered, + My Sacrifice, Bullets, One Last Breath, Hide, Don't Stop Dancing; they disband in 2004-2009. King Crimson, Vrooom Vrooom (album) (Nov. 13). Black Crowes, Lions (album); incl. Lickin, Soul Singing. Death Cab for Cutie, The Photo Album (album #3) (Oct. 9); incl. A Movie Script Ending, We Laugh Indoors, I Was a Kaleidoscope. Dagda, Barbarian (album). The Damned, Grave Disorder (album #9) (Aug. 21); incl. W (about the 2002 U.S. election), Absinthe. Goo Goo Dolls, What I Learned About Ego, Opinion, Art & Commerce (album) (July 17). System of a Down, Toxicity (album #2) (Sept. 4); released a week before 9/11, it sells 6M copies; incl. Chop Suey!, Toxicity, Aerials. D12, Devil's Night (album); the Dirty Dozen, led by Eminem; incl. Purple Pills, Shit On You, Fight Music. Grateful Dead, Dick's Picks Vol. 20 (album) (Jan. 23); recorded in Sept., 1971; Dick's Picks Vol. 21 (album) (Mar. 20); recorded on Nov. 1, 1985 in Richmond, Va.; Dick's Picks Vol. 22 (album) (June); recorded on Feb. 23-24, 1968 in Kings Beach, Calif.; View from the Vault, Vol. 2 (3-CD set) (June); Nightfall of Diamonds (double album) (Sept. 25); recorded on Oct. 16, 1989 at Meadowlands Arena in N.J.; Dick's Picks Vol. 23 (album) (Oct.); recorded on Sept. 17, 1972 in Baltimore, Md. No Doubt, Rock Steady (album #5) (Dec. 11); incl. Hey Baby, Hella Good, Underneath It All, Running. Dr. Dre (1965-), Bitch Please II (album). As I Lay Dying, Beneath the Encasing of Ashes (album) (debut) (June 12); from San Diego, Calif., incl. 6'3 Christian Tim Lambesis (1980-) (vocals), Nick Hipa (guitar), Phil Sgrosso (guitar), Josh Gilbert (bass), and Jordan Mancino (drums); incl. Beneath the Encasing of Ashes. Bob Dylan (1941-), Love and Theft (album #31) (Sept. 11); incl. Mississippi, Bye and Bye, High Water (for Charley Patton). Alton Ellis (1938-2008), More Alton Ellis (album); Live with Aspo: Workin' on a Groovy Thing (album). Melissa Etheridge (1961-), Skin (album) (July 10); incl. I Want to Be in Love. Eve (1978-), Scorpion (album #2) (Mar. 6); incl. Who's That Girl?, Let Me Blow Your Mind (with Gwen Stefani). Better Than Ezra, Closer (album #5) (Aug. 7) (#110 in the U.S.); incl. Extra Ordinary (with DJ Swamp), A Lifetime. Fear Factory, Digimortal (album #5) (last album) (Apr. 24); incl. Linchpin. Faithless, Outrospective (album) (June 18); incl. We Come 1, One Step Too Far, Muhammad Ali, Tarantula; The Bedroom Sessions (album) (Aug.). Kool and the Gang, Gangland (album #23) (Aug. 28). Garbage, Beautiful Garbage (beautifulgarbage) (album #3) (Sept. 27); bad timing kills it?; incl. Androgyny. Jerry Garcia Band, Don't Let Go (album #4) (Jan. 23); Shining Star (album #5) (Mar. 21); incl. Shining Star. Bee Gees, This Is Where I Came In (album #20) (Apr. 24); final album with Maurice Gibb; incl. This Is Where I Came In, Wedding Day; Their Greatest Hits: The Record (album #21) (Nov. 12). Debbie Gibson (1970-), M.Y.O.B. (album #7) (Mar.). The Go-Go's God Bless the Go-Go's (album #4) (May 15) (#57 in the U.S.); first album since 1984; incl. Unforgiven, Automatic Rainy Day. Macy Gray (1967-), The Id (album) (Sept. 17); released a week after 9/11, it flops in the U.S. but does good in the U.K.; incl. Sweet Baby, Sexual Revolution. 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, Bastard Life or Clarity (album #2) (Sept. 18); incl. Sail Those Same Oceans, Things Have Got to Change. Nina Hagen (1955-), The Return of the Mother (album) (Feb.); Total Eclipse/Die Schwarze Witwe (with Marc Almond). Herbie Hancock (1940-), Future2Future (album #42). Her Space Holiday, Manic Expressive (album). Hoobastank, Hoobastank (album) (Nov. 20) (debut); from Agoura Hills, Calif., incl. Douglas Robb (vocals), Dan Estrin (guitar), Chriss Hesse (drums), and Markku Lappalainen (bass); incl. Crawling in the Dark, Running Away, Remember Me. Incubus, Morning View (albm #4) (Oct. 23) (#2 in the U.S.) (3.6M copies); incl. Wish You Were Here (#2 in the U.S.), Warning (#3 in the U.S.), Nice to Know You (#9 in the U.S.), Circles (#31 in the U.S.). Isley Brothers, Eternal (album); incl. Contagious (w/R. Kelly). Janet Jackson (1966-), All for You (album #7) (Apr. 24) (#1 in the U.S. and U.K.) (9M copies, incl. 3M in the U.S.); incl. Doesn't Really Matter, All for You, Someone to Call My Lover, Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You) (w/Missy Elliott), Come On Get Up, Would You Mind (eliminated from a clean version of the album). Michael Jackson (1958-2009), Invincible (album #10) (last album) (Oct. 30) (#1 in the U.S. and U.K.) (13M copies) (first original release since 1991); incl. You Rock My World, Cry, Butterflies. Millie Jackson (1944-), Not for Church Folk! (album #25). Mick Jagger (1943-), Goddess in the Doorway (album #4) (Nov. 19); Jamiroquai, A Funk Odyssey (album #5) (Sept. 3); incl. Little L, Corner of the Earth, Love Foolosophy, Main Vein. Jay-Z (1969-), The Blueprint (album #6) (Sept. 11); sells 2M copies; incl. Takeover, Girls, Girls, Girls, Jigga That Nigga. Flotsam and Jetsam, My God (album #8) (May 22). Jimmy Eat World, Bleed American (album #4) (July 18); their breakthrough album; bad timing causes them to change the title to Jimmy Eat World, and the title track to "Salt Sweat Sugar" after 9/11); incl. Bleed American, The Middle, Sweetness, A Praise Chorus. Elton John (1947-), Songs from the West Coast (album #27) (Oct. 1); incl. American Triangle, Birds, This Train Doesn't Stop There Anymore. Jack Hody Johnson (1975-), Brushfire Fairytales (album) (debut) (Feb. 1) (1M copies); incl. Flake, Drink the Water. Richard Joo, Fantasies and Delusions (album); classical piano music written by Billy Joel. Journey, Arrival (album) (Apr. 3); first with Steve Augeri replacing Steve Perry, and Deen Castronovo replacing Steve Smith. Alicia Keys (1981-), Songs in A Minor (album) (debut) (June 5) (#1 in the U.S., #6 in the U.K.) (12M copies); incl. Fallin', A Woman's Worth, How Come You Don't Call Me, Girlfriend. Rilo Kiley, Take-Offs and Landings (album #2) (July 3); incl. Science vs. Romance. Korn, All Mixed Up (album). Diana Krall (1964-), The Look of Love; Diana Krall - Live in Paris (album); incl. Just the Way You Are, A Case of You. Alison Krauss and the Union Station, O Brother, Where Art Thou? (album). k.d. lang (1961-), Live by Request (album) (Aug. 14). Cyndi Lauper (1953-), Shine; not released until May 3, 2004; incl. Shine. Human League, Secrets (album) (Aug. 6); incl. All I Ever Wanted, Love Me Madly? Julian Lennon (1963-), Everything Changes (album #6). Huey Lewis (1950-) and the News, Plan B (album #8) (May 1). Murphy's Law, The Party's Over (album #8) (May 22). Jennifer Lopez (1969-), J.Lo (album #2) (Jan. 23) (#1 in the U.S.) (8M copies); incl. Love Don't Cost a Thing (#3 in the U.S., #1 in the U.K.), Play, Ain't It Funny (w/Ja Rule), I'm Real (w/Ja Rule). Ludacris (1977-), Word of Mouf (album #2) (Nov. 27) (#3 in the U.S.) (3.6M copies); incl. Rollout (My Business), Area Codes, Move Bitch, Saturday (Ooh Ooh!) (w/Sleepy Brown). Yo-Yo Ma, Vivaldi's Cello (album). Madonna (1958-), GHV2 (album) (Nov. 12) (#7 in the U.S., #2 in the U.K.) (7M copies). Bob Marley (1945-81) and the Wailers, One Love: The Very Best of Bob Marley & the Wailers (album). Dave Matthews Band, Everyday (album). Maxwell (1973-), Now (album #3) (Aug. 14). John Mayer (1977-), Room for Squares (album) (debut) (June 5/Sept. 18) (#9 in the U.S.) (4.3M copies); incl. Your Body is a Wonderland, No Such Thing, Why Georgia. Paul McCartney (1942-), Wingspan: Hits and History (album) (May 7); Driving Rain (album #12) (Nov. 12) (#26 in the U.S., #46 in the U.K.); first after hooking up with Heather Mills; incl. From a Lover to a Friend. Reba McEntire (1955-), Greatest Hits Vol. 3: I'm a Survivor (album #27) (Oct. 23); incl. I'm a Survivor (theme from her sitcom "Reba"). Tim McGraw (1967-), Set This Circus Down (album) (Apr.); incl. Grown Men Don't Cry, Angry All the Time, The Cowboy in Me, Unbroken. Megadeth, The World Needs a Hero (album #9) (May 15) (#16 in the U.S.); last with Jimmy DeGrasso; incl. Moto Psycho, Return to Hangar. John Mellencamp (1951-), Cuttin' Heads (album). Natalie Merchant (1963-), Motherland (album #3) (Nov. 13); incl. This House is On Fire, Just Can't Last. Kylie Minogue (1968-), Fever (album #8) (Oct. 1) (#3 in the U.S., #1 in the U.K., #1 in Australia); incl. Can't Get You Out of My Head (#7 in the U.S., #1 in the U.K.), In Your Eyes (#3 in the U.K.), Love At First Sight (#23 in the U.S., #2 in the U.K.), Come Into My World (#91 in the U.S., #8 in the U.K.). Depeche Mode, Exciter (album #10) (May 14); incl. Dream On, I Feel Loved, Freelove, Goodnight Lovers. Moonspell, Darkness and Hope (album #5); incl. Nocturna. Modest Mouse, Sad Sappy Sucker (Chokin on a Mouthful of Lost Thoughts) (album) (Apr. 24); incl. Birds vs. Worms; Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks (EP) (Sept. 25). Smash Mouth, Smash Mouth (album #3) (Nov. 27); new drummer Michael Urbano (1960-); incl. Holiday In My Head, Pacific Coast Party. Puddle of Mudd, Come Clean (Aug. 28) (5M copies); produced by Fred Durst; from Kansas City, Mo.; incl. Wesley Reid Scantlin (vocals), Paul James Phillips (guitar), Douglas John Ardito (bass), and Greg David Upchurch (drums); incl. Control, Blurry, Drift and Die, She Hates Me. Dropkick Murphys, Sing Loud, Sing Proud! (album #3) (Feb. 6); last with Rick Barton and first with James Lynch of The Ducky Boys; incl. Rocky Road to Dublin. The National, The National (album) (debut) (Oct. 30); from Brooklyn, N.Y.; incl. Matt Berninger (1971-) (vocals), Aaron Dessner (piano), Bryce Dessner (guitar), Scott Devendorf (bass), Bryan Devendorf (drums), and Padma Newsome (keyboard). Nickelback, Silver Side Up (album #3) (Sept. 11) (#2 in the U.S., #1 in the U.K.) (10M copies); incl. How You Remind Me (#1 in the U.S.), Too Bad, Never Again, Woke Up This Morning. 'N Sync (*NSYNC), Celebrity (album #3) (last album) (July 24) (#1 in the U.S.); #2 in 1st week sales (1,879,955 copies) after their first album; sells 10M copies worldwide; incl. Pop, Girlfriend, Gone. Laura Nyro (1947-97), Angel in the Dark (album #10) (last album) (posth.). New Order, Get Ready (album #7) (Aug. 27) (#41 in the U.S., #6 in the U.K.); first album since 1993; cover features German actress Nicolette Krebitz; incl. Crystal, 60 Miles an Hour, Someone Like You. Ozzy Osbourne (1948-), Down to Earth (album) (Oct. 21). Brad Paisley (1972-), Part II (album) (May 29); incl. Two People Fell in Love, Wrapped Around, I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song), I Wish You'd Stay. Katy Perry (1984-), Katy Hudson (album) (debut) (Oct. 23); Christian music. Stone Temple Pilots, Shangri-La Dee Da (album #5) (June 19); incl. Days of the Week, Hollywood Bitch; next album in 2010. Pink (1979-), M!ssundaztood (album #2) (Oct. 9) (#6 in the U.S., #2 in the U.K.) (13M copies); incl. Get the Party Started (#10 in the U.S.), Don't Let Me Get Me (#8 in the U.S.), Just Like a Pill (#10 in the U.S.), Family Portrait (#20 in the U.S.). Jean-Luc Ponty (1942-), Life Enigma (album). Iggy Pop (1947-), Beat 'Em Up (album) (June 18). Manic Street Preachers, Know Your Enemy (album #6) (Mar. 19) (#2 in the U.K.); incl. Found That Soul, So Why So Sad, Ocean Spray, Let Robeson Sing. Prince (1958-), The Rainbow Children (album) (Nov. 20); first album after his conversion to the Jehovah's Witnesses; incl. "Rainbow Children", "The Work, Pt. 1"; One Nite Alone (album); incl. A Case of U. Deep Purple, Time Time Around: Live in Tokyo (album). Faster Pussycat, Between the Valley of the Ultra Pussy (album) (May 15). Queensryche, Live Evolution (album) (Sept. 25). Radiohead, Amnesiac (album #5) (June 4); incl. I Might Be Wrong, Pyramid Song, Knives Out. Rammstein, Mutter (album #3) (Apr. 2); incl. Mutter (Mother), Mein Herz Brennt (My Heart Burns), Links 2-3-4, Sonne; Ich Will (I Want) (Sept. 10); released the day before 9/11, the music video ends up getting banned in the U.S. by many stations, making it more popular? Eddi Reader (1959-), Simple Soul (album #5); Driftwood (album #6). R.E.M., Reveal (album #12) (May 14); incl. Imitation of Life, I'll Take the Rain, All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star). Busta Rhymes (1972-), Genesis (album #5) (Nov. 27) (#11 in the U.S.); incl. Break Ya Neck. Kid Rock (1971-), Cocky (album). Roxette, Room Service (album) (Apr. 3); incl. The Centre of the Heart. Run-D.M.C., Crown Royal (album #7) (last album) (Apr. 3). Scorpions, Acoustica (album #13) (May 14). Shakira (1977-), Laundry Service (album #3) (Nov. 13) (#3 in the U.S., #2 in the U.K.); sells 13M copies, making her the #1 Colombian artist of all time; incl. Underneath Your Clothes (#9 in the U.S.), Objection (Tango), The One. Duncan Sheik, Phantom Moon (album). Jessica Simpson (1980-), Irresistible (album #2) (May 25) (#6 in the U.S., #103 in the U.K.) ("Mariah Carey meets Britney Spears" - Simpson); incl. Irresistible, A Little Bit. Slayer, God Hates Us All (album #9) (Sept. 11) (#28 in the U.S.); last with Ralph Bostaph; incl. Disciple. Black Label Society, Alcohol Fueled Brewtality Live!! +5 (album) (Jan. 16). Britney Spears (1981-), Britney (album) (Nov.). Chicks on Speed, Chick On Speed Will Save Us All (album) (debut); founded in 1997 in Munich, Germany; incl. Melissa Logan, Kisi Moorse, and Alex Murray-Leslie; incl. Warm Leatherette, Glamour Girl, The Floating Pyramid Over Frankfurt That The Taxi Driver Saw When He Was Landing, Kaltes Klares Wasser, Euro Trash Girl; preceded by the unofficial album "The Unreleases" (2000), and followed by the unofficial album "The rereleases of The Un-Releases" (2000). Regina Spektor (1980-), 11:11: (album) (debut) (July 9). Spiderbait, The Flight of Wally Funk (album #5) (Oct. 1); incl. Four on the Floor, Outta My Head. Staind, Break the Cycle (album #3) (May 22) (#1 in the U.S. and U.K.) (7M copies); incl. Fade, Outside, It's Been Awhile, For You. Steps, Gold: Greatest Hits (album #4) (Oct. 15) (#1 in the U.K.); incl. Chain Reaction (by Diana Ross) (#2 in the U.K.), Words Are Not Enough (#5 in the U.K.). Rod Stewart (1945-), Human (album #19) (Mar. 12); incl. Run Back Into Your Arms, I Can't Deny It, Don't Come Around Here; The Story So Far: The Very Best of Rod Stewart (double album) (Nov. 13). Stratovarius, Intermission (album) (June 26). White Stripes, White Blood Cells (album #3) (July 3); their breakthrough; sells 500K copies; incl. Fell in Love with a Girl, Hotel Yorba, Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground, We're Going to Be Friends. The Strokes, Is This It (album) (debut) (July 30) (#33 in the U.S., #2 in the U.K.); from New York City, incl. Julian Fernando Casablancas (1978-) (vocals), Nicholas "Nick" Valensi (1981-) (guitar), Albert Hammond Jr. (1980-) (guitar), Nikolai Fraiture (1978-) (bass), and Fabrizio Moretti (1980-) (drums); Rolling Stone mag.'s #2 album of the decade; incl. Hard to Explain (#27 in the U.S., #16 in the U.K.), Last Nite (#5 in the U.S., #14 in the U.K.), Someday (#17 in the U.S., #27 in the U.K.). Supertramp, Is Everybody Listening? (album) (Nov. 6); recorded at Hammersmith Odeon, London on Mar. 9, 1975. Plain White T's, Come on Over (album) (debut); Tom Higgenson, Dave Tirio, Mike Retondo, De'Mar Hamilton, Tim Lopez. Testament, First Strike Still Deadly (album #9) (Oct. 23). Therion, Secret of the Runes (album #13) (Oct. 8); Bells of Doom (album). Melanie Thornton (1967-2001), Ready to Fly (album) (solo debut) (May 7); incl. Heartbeat (Apr. 9); Makin' Oooh Oooh (Talking About Love) (Sept. 3); Wonderful Dream (Holidays are Coming) (Nov. 26); too bad, she dies in a plane crash in Switzerland. Seven Mary Three, The Economy of Sound (album #5) (June 5) (#178 in the U.S.); incl. Wait, Sleepwalking. Tool, Lateralus (album #3) (May 15) (#1 in the U.S.); incl. Lateralus, Schism, Parabola. Train, Drops of Jupiter (album #2) (Mar. 27) (#6 in the U.S.); incl. Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me), She's on Fire, Something More. Cheap Trick, Silver (album). Shania Twain (1965-), The Complete Limelight Sessions (album) (Oct. 23). Six Feet Under, True Carnage (album #4) (Aug. 7); incl. The Day the Dead Walked, One Bullet Left, Sick and Twisted. Usher (1978-), 8701 (album #3) (Aug. 7) (#4 in the U.S., #1 in the U.K.) (8M copies); incl. Pop Ya Collar, U Remind Me, U Got It Bad, U Don't Have to Call, U-Turn. Vangelis (1943-), Mythodea: Music for the NASA Mission: 2001 Mars Odyssey (album). Suzanne Vega (1959-), Songs in Red and Gray (album #6) (Sept. 25); last with A&M Records. En Vogue, Masterpiece Theatre (album) (May 23); incl. Riddle. Jennifer Warnes (1947-), The Well (album #8). Warrant, Under the Influence (album #6); incl. Face, Subhuman. Weezer, Weezer (Green Album) (album #3) (May 15) (#4 in the U.S., #31 in the U.K.); incl. Hash Pipe (#21 in the U.K.), Island in the Sun (#31 in the U.K.), Photograph. Westlife, World of Our Own (album #3) (Nov. 12); incl. Queen of My Heart (#1 in the U.K.), World of Our Own (#1 in the U.K.), Bop Bop Baby (#5 in the U.K., Uptown Girl (by Billy Joel) (#1 in the U.K.). Wisin and Yandel, De Nuevos a Viejos (album #2) (Jan. 1). Chely Wright (1970-), Never Love You Enough (album #5) (Sept. 25); incl. Never Love You Enough, Jezebel. Wu-Tang Clan, Iron Flag (album #4) (Dec. 18) (#32 in the U.S.). Trisha Yearwood (1964-), Inside Out (album). Yes, Magnification (album #17) (Sept. 11); incl. Magnification. Rob Zombie (1965-), The Sinister Urge (album); incl. Never Gonna Stop (The Red Red Kroovy). Movies: Steve Beck's Thirteen (THIR13EN) Ghosts (Oct. 26) (Dark Castle Entertainment) (Warner Bros. Pictures), a remake of the 1960 William Castle film stars F. Murray Abraham as ghost hunter Cyrus Kriticos, Matthew Lillard as his asst. Dennis Rafkin, and Tony Shalhoub as Cyrus' nephew Arthur Kriticos, who inherits his father's haunted mansion, where he gets trapped with 13 you know whats along with his daughter Kathy (Shannon Elizabeth); does $68.4M box office on a $42M budget. Ronny Yu's The 51st State (Formula 51) (Dec. 7) (Momentum Pictures) (Alliance Atlantis) stars Samuel L. Jackson as Am. chemist Elmo McElroy, who invents the hot new drug POS 51 and tries to score a once-in-a-lifetime drug deal in Liverpool until things go wrong; Meat Loaf plays drug lord The Lizard; does $14.4M box office on a $27M budget. Charles Shyer's The Affair of the Necklace (Nov. 30) stars Hilary Swank as Jeanne St. Remy de Valois, Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Louis de Rohan, Adrien Brody as Count Nicolas de la Motte, and Joely Richardson as Marie Antoinette in a dramatization of the 1785 Diamond Necklace Affair. Steven Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence (June 29) (Amblin Entertainment) (Warner Bros.), based on the story "Super-Toys Last All Summer Long" by Brian Aldiss stars Haley Joel Osment as David, a boy android uniquely programmed with the ability to love; also stars Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, Brendan Gleeson, and William Hurt; dedicated to Stanley Kubrick; does $235.9M box office on a $100M budget. David Frankel's and Tom Hanks' Band of Brothers (Sept. 9-Nov. 4), a TV miniseries about Easy Co. of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Div. based on the 1992 book by Stephen Ambrose debuts in Normandy on guess what, June 6, followed by Sept. 9 in the U.S. - bad timing? Ron Howard's A Beautiful Mind (Dec. 21) (Imagine Entertainment) (Universal Pictures), based on the 1998 book by Sylvia Nasar stars Russell Crowe as schizophrenic Princeton U. mathematician John Nash, who marries student Alicia (Jennifer Connelly) and fakes it for years until he is found out, which doesn't stop him from winning the 1994 Nobel Econ. Prize for helping invent game theory; features Ed Harris as imaginary secret agent William Parcher, Paul Bettany as imaginary friend Charles Herman; does $313M box office on a $58M budget; "Perhaps it is good to have a beautiful mind, but a greater gift is to discover a beautiful heart." John Moore's Behind Enemy Lines (Nov. 31) stars Owen Wilson as Navy aviator Lt. Chris Burnett, who is shot down behind you know what, and is rescued by Adm. Leslie McMahon Reigart (Gene Hackman). Ted Demme's Blow (Apr. 6), based on a true story stars Johnny Depp as George Jung, a Calif. surfer boy who founded the U.S. cocaine market in the 1970s without seemingly realizing how dangerous it was. Jonas McCord's The Body (Jan. 5) stars Antonio Banderas as a Roman Catholic priest sent by the Vatican to investigate a tomb discovered in Jerusalem by pretty starlet, er, archeologist (Olivia Williams) that contains the bones of a crucified man behind a clay wall in a rich man's tomb; told to prove it isn't Jesus Christ, he ends up proving it is, while the Vatican plots (with Israeli govt. help) to blow it all up; after Palestinian terrorists steal the bones, there is a hilarious scene where the leader runs around with Jesus-in-a-bag as Israeli commandos close in. Sharon Maguire's Bridget Jones's Diary (Apr. 13) (Universal Pictures), based on the 1996 Helen Fielding novel stars Renee Zellweger as 32-y.-o. single Jones (who gains 20 lbs. for the role), Colin Firth as her boss Daniel Cleaver, and Hugh Grant as Mark Darcy, whom Bridget overhears telling his mother that she is "a verbally incontinent spinster who smokes like a chimney, drinks like a fish, and dresses like her mother", causing her to try to turn her life around, starting a you know what and discovering that he's her "true love"; does $282M box office on a $25M budget. Blair Hayes' Bubble Boy (Aug. 24) stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Jimmy Livingston, a boy born without an immune system who lives in a plastic bubble. Lawrence Guterman's Cats and Dogs (July 4) from Warner Brothers is flick about the secret cat-dog war, using real cats and dogs. Peter Bogdanovich's The Cat's Meow (Aug. 3) (Lionsgate), based on the book by Steven Peros about the mysterious death of film dir. Thomas H. Ince (Cary Elwes) in Nov. 1924 aboard the yacht of William Randolph Hearst (Edward Herrmann) features Kirsten Dunst as Hearst's babe Marion Davies, Eddie Izzard as Charlie Chaplin, and Jennifer Tilly as Louella Parsons, who witnesses Hearst do it and blackmails him into a lifetime syndication contract for her gossip column; does $3.6M box office on a $7M budget. Woody Allen's The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (Aug. 24) (DreamWorks Pictures) is a screwball comedy set in Oct. 1940 starring Allen (after Tom Hanks and Jack Nicholson turn it down) as aging nerdy New York City insurance investigator C.W. Biggs of North Coast Fidelity and Casualty Insurance Co., who is hypnotized at the Rainbow Room along with efficiency expert Betty Ann Fitzgerald (Helen Hunt) by Voltan (David Ogden Stiers), who implants codewords in their minds that allow him to use them to stage jewel robberies and not remember it; Charlize Theron plays Laura Kensington; Dan Aykroyd plays Briggs' boss and Betty's lover Chris Magruder; Wallace Shawn plays George Bond; Elizabeth Berkley plays Jill; a 1940s film noir in color instead of B&W?; the set bldg. was too expensive, making retakes too expensive?; Allen's worst movie?; features the song "In a Persian Market" by Wilbur de Paris; does $18.9M box office on a $33M budget. Guillermo del Toro's The Devil's Backbone (Apr. 20) (El Espinazo del Diablo) (Canal+ Espana) (Sony Pictures Classics), produced by Pedro Almodovar is a Gothic horror film set in 1939 Spain, starring Federico Luppi and Marisa Paredes as orphanage operators Casares and Carmen, which is a front to hide gold for the Repub. loyalists, which is haunted by the ghost of the child Santi; does $6.5M box office on a $4.5M budget; followed by "Pan's Labyrinth" (2006). Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko (Jan. 19) stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a suburban Va. teenie who is visited by giant rabbit Frank and told that the world will end in 28 days 6 hours 42 min. 12 sec., and finds that a jet engine has crashed into his bedroom; Maggie Gyllenhaal plays his sister Elizabeth. Jean-Jacques Annaud's Enemy at the Gates (Mar. 16) stars Jude Law as Soviet top sniper Vassily Zaitsev at Stalingrad in WWII, who is targeted by Nazi sniper Maj. Konig (Ed Harris), while Tania Chernova (Rachel Weisz) keeps Vassily warm; Bob Hoskins plays Nikita Khrushchev, and Joseph Fiennes plays Vassily's political commissar comrade, who publicizes him for the war effort. Eric Hannah's Extreme Days (Mar. 5) stars Dante Basco, Ryan Browning, A.J. Buckley, and Derek Hamilton as lifelong buddies who take a road trip. Jean-Pierre Jeunet's The Fabulous Life of Amelie Poulain (Apr. 25) stars Audrey Tautou in a flick about how cool Parisian life is, like cracking creme brulee with a teaspoon and trying to guess that 15 couples in Paris are having an orgasm at a given moment? Rob Cohen's The Fast and the Furious (June 22) (Universal Pictures) is a brainless but fascinating street hot rod flick starring Vin Diesel as truck hijacker and street racer Dominic Toretto, and Paul Walker as undercover LAPD cop Brian O'Conner; Michelle Rodriguez plays Diesel's babe Leticia "Letty" Ortiza; "I owe you a 10-sec. car"; does $207.3M box office on a $38M budget; spawns sequels incl. "2 Fast 2 Furious" (2003), "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" (2006), "Fast & Furious" (2009), "Fast Five" (2011), "Fast & Furious 6" (2013), "Furious 7" (2015), "The Fate of the Furious" (2017). The Hughes Brothers' From Hell (Oct. 19) (20th Cent. Fox), based on the Alan Moore graphic novel by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell about the Jack the Ripper murders in 1888 London stars Johnny Depp as Inspector Frederick Abberline, and Heather Graham as young ho Mary Kelly; does $75M box office on a $35M budget. Terry Zwigoff's Ghost World (Oct. 18) stars Thora Birch as Enid and Scarlett Johansson as Rebecca, two high school grads who play a mean prank on middle-aged geek Seymour (Steve Buscemi). Vondie Curtis-Hall's Glitter (Sept. 11) stars Mariah Carey as mixed race nightclub singer Billie Frank, really herself. Chris Columbus' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Nov. 4) (Warner Bros.), based on the 1997 J.K. Rowling novel is a box office smash with the kiddie set; stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, John Cleese as Nearly Headless Nick, Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid, Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick, Richard Griffiths as Vernon Dursley, Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore, Ian Hart as Quirinus Quirrell, John Hurt as Mr. Ollivander, Alan Rickman (after Tim Roth turns it down for "Planet of the Apes") as Severus Snape, Fiona Shaw as Petunia Dursley, Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall, and Julie Walters as Molly Weasley; the #1 movie of 2001 ($318M U.S. and $974.8M worldwide box office on a $125M budget; followed by "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (2002), "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004), "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (2005), "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (2007), "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (2009), and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" (2010/2011). Robert Altman's Gosford Park (Nov. 7) (Shepperton Studios) (Capitol Films) (USA Films), is an Agathie Christie-style whodunit set in 1932 in a wealthy English estate, written by Julian Fellowes, starring Maggie Smith, Kelly Macdonald, Jeremy Northam, Bob Balaban, Ryan Philippe, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Michael Gambon; music by Patrick Doyle; does $87.8M box office on a $19.8M budget. Ridley Scott's Hannibal (Feb. 9) (Dino De Laurentiis Co.) (Scott Free Productions) (MGM) (Universal Pictures), based on the 1999 Thomas Harris novel (sequel to the 1991 film "The Silence of the Lambs"), written by David Mamet and Steven Zaillian stars Anthony Hopkins as big brain serial killer Hannibal Lecter, Jullian Moore as FBI agent Clarice Starling, unrecognizable Gary Oldman as self-disfigured millionaire Mason Verger, Ray Liotta as Justice Dept. official Paul Krendler, and Giancarlo Giannini as Italian cop Rinaldo Pazzi; features the song Vide Cor Meum (See My Heart) by Irish composer Patrick Cassidy; does $351.6M box office on a $87M budget; bon appetit? John Cameron Mitchell's Hedwig and the Angry Inch (July 27), "an anatomically incorrect rock odyssey" stars the dir. as Hedwig slash Hansel Robinson, a transsexual punk rocker from East Berlin who tours the U.S. as she tells her life story about her botched operation "with a scar running down it like a sideways grimace on an eyeless face" - no, I don't want to look? Winrich Kolbe's Ice Planet stars Wes Studi as Cmdr. Noah Trager of the Earth military base on Io, which is under attack by the ET Zedoni, causing him and his space cadets to escape on the Magellan research vessel to a you know what in an unknown part of the Universe; in 2005 a pilot is released for a TV series starring Michael Ironside. Gary Fleder's Impostor (Dec. 4), based on a 1953 short story by Philip K. Dick debuts stars Gary Sinise, Madeleine Stowe, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Tony Shalhoub, about an attack on Earth in 2079 by aliens from Alpha Centauri, who send replicants to infiltrate the Earth govt.; does $8M box office on a $40M budget. Todd Field's In the Bedroom (Jan. 11) stars Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek as Maine couple Matt and Ruth Fowler, whose son Frank (Nick Stahl) dates older single mother Natalie Strout (Marisa Tomei), whose ex-hubby Richard (William Mapother) doesn't like it. Wong Kar-Wai's In the Mood for Love (Feb. 26) stars Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung as apt. house neighbors in Hong Kong who hook up. Werner Herzog's Invincible, based on the life of Polish Jewish strongman Zishe Breitbart in Nazi Germany stars real-life strongman Jouko Ahola, and Tim Roth as clairvoyant Erik Jan Hanussen. Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (Aug. 24) stars Jason Mewes as Jay, and Kevin Smith as Bob, who decide to wreck the movie adaptation of their comic "Bluntman and Chronic". Victor Salva's Jeepers Creepers (Aug. 31) (Am. Zoetrope) (United Artists) stars Jonathan Breck as the mysterious winged black Creeper, who sleeps for 23 years then feeds for 23 days on people; does $59.2M box office, spawning sequels incl. "Jeepers Creepers 2" (2003), "Jeepers Creepers 3" (2017). John A. Davis' Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (Dec. 21) is an animated flick starring the voice of Debi Derryberry as Jimmy Isaac Neutron, who builds an interstellar space fleet to rescue abducted adults from aliens. Joe Johnston's Jurassic Park III (July 18) stars Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant, who is hornswaggled by Paul and Amanda Kirby (William H. Macy and Tea Leoni) into going to dinosaur-plagued Isla Sorna to find their lost son; #9 movie of 2001 ($180M). Iain Softley's K-PAX (Oct. 26), based on the novel by Gene Brewer stars Kevin Spacey as Robert Porter, a man claiming to be Prot, an ET from Lyra, causing him to be committed to the Psychiatric Inst. of Manhattan, where Dr. Mark Powell (Jeff Bridges) attempts to cure him, while he wins over the other inmates with a promise to take one of them with him on July 27; "Be prepared for anything." James Mangold's Kate and Leopold (Dec. 25) stars Huge Actman, er, Hugh Jackman as Prince Leopold, 3rd Duke of Albany, who accidentally follows time traveler Stuart Besser (Liev Schreiber) to 2001 from 1876, and falls in love with New York City career girl Kate McKay (Meg Ryan); does $76M box office on a $48M budget. Ray Lawrence's Lantana (July 8) stars Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, and Barbara Hershey in a tale of adultery and an unsolved murder in Sydney. Robert Luketic's Legally Blonde (July 13), based on the Amanda Brown novel is a vehicle for Reese Witherspoon, who cheerleads her way into Harvard Law School to become a Supreme Court justice, er, to get back her boyfriend. Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Dec. 19), based on the J.R.R. Tolkien trilogy does a good job of bring it alive after decades of failed attempts, starring Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins, Sean Astin as Sam Gangee, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Christopher Lee as Saruman, and Sean Bean as Boromir; #2 movie of 2001 ($315M). Lea Pool's Lost and Delirious (July 20), based on the Susan Swan novel stars Piper Perabo as Pauline "Paulie" Oster, and Jessica Pare as Victoria "Tori" Moller, who get into lezzy sex at a posh boarding school. George Hickenlooper's The Man From Elysian Fields (Sept. 13) stars Andy Garcia, Mick Jagger, James Colburn, Julianna Margulies, and Olivia Williams in a flick about a writer who proves his own statement that great novels are really suicide notes by joining a male escort service to pay the bills and meeting a dying Ernest Hemingway clone, who asks him to co-write his last big novel. Joel Coen's B&W The Man Who Wasn't There (May 13) (Working Title Films) (Gramercy Pictures) is a crime noir set in 1949 starring Billy Bob Thornton as barber Ed Crane, who gets sold on a screen to invest in the newfangled dry-cleaning biz and ends up losing his wife Doris (Frances McDormand) and going to death row after his expensive shyster lawyer Freddy Riedenschneider (Tony Shalhoub) leaves him defenseless; last film distributed by Gramercy Pictures until 2015; does $18.9M box office on a $20M budget. Brian Trenchard-Smith's Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 (Sept. 21) stars Michael York and Michael Biehn in a flick about the Apocalypse - good timing? Marc Forster's Monster's Ball (Nov. 11) (Lions Gate Films) stars Billy Bob Thornton as prison guard Hank Grotowski, son of racist Buck (Peter Boyle), who falls in love with brown sugar Leticia Musgrove (Halle Berry), wife of death row inmate Lawrence (Sean "P. Diddy" Combs), and questions his upbringing; does $44.9M box office on a $4M budget. Pete Docter's and David Silverman's computer-animated film Monsters, Inc. (Nov. 2) from Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios is the first animated feature film to reach the $100M gross mark at the U.S. box office, just nine days after its release; #4 movie of 2001 ($256M). David Lynch's Mulholland Dr. (Oct. 12) stars Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Ann Miller, and Den Hedaya in a surrealistic flick about a female amnesiac searching for her identity in LA and getting into a lesbian affair. Stephen Sommers' The Mummy Returns (May 4) stars Brendan Fraser as Richard "Rick" O'Connell, who takes on the mummy of high priest Imhotel (Arnold Vosloo); #6 movie of 2001 ($202M). David Atkins' Novocaine (Nov. 23) stars Steve Martin as dentist Frank Sangster, who becomes a murder suspect after patient Laura Dern seduces him into prescribing drugs for her. Tim Blake Nelson's O (Aug. 31) debuts after being held for two years because of the Apr. 1999 Columbine H.S. Massacre; based on Shakespeare's "Othello"; stars Mekhi Phifer as black h.s. basketball star Odin James (OJ), Julia Stiles as white dean's daughter Desi, and Josh Hartnett as the coach's steroid-addicted son Hugo; does $19.2M box office. Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven (Dec. 7), a remake of the 1960 film stars George Clooney as Danny Ocean, whose team incl. Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), Frank Catton (Bernie Mac), and Virgil Malloy (Casey Affleck); #8 movie of 2001 ($180M). Alejandro Amenabar's The Others (Aug. 10) (Warner Sogefilms), partly based on Henry James' 1898 haunted house horror novella "The Turn of the Screw" stars Nicole Kidman as Grace Stewart who looks after her two photosensitive children Anne and Nicholas in 1945 Channel Islands, and Fionnula Flanagan as old servant Bertha Mills; does $209.9M box office on a $17M budget. Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor (May 21) (Touchstone Pictures), produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and written by Randall Wallace intertwines a silly unbelievable love story a la Titanic between Ben Affleck (Capt. Rafe McCawley) and Kate Beckinsale (Nurse Lt. Evelyn Johnson McCawley) with the big sneak attack; Alec Baldwin almost saves it with critics as Lt. Col. James Doolittle, which doesn't stop it from being a box office smash; #7 movie of 2001 ($199M box office U.S. and $449.2M worldwide on a $140M budget). Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes (July 27) (The Zanuck Co.) (20th Cent. Fox), a remake of the 1968 movie stars Mark Wahlberg as human Capt. Leo Davidson, Tim Roth as chimp Gen. Thade, Michael Clarke Duncan as gorilla Col. Attar, and Helena Bonham Carter as chimp Ari; does $362M box office on a $100M budget; #10 movie of 2001 ($180M); the ending actually precludes a sequel? Sean Penn's The Pledge (Jan. 19), based on a 1958 novel by Friedrich Durrenmatt and the 1958 film "It Happened in Broad Daylight" stars Jack Nicholson as retired police det. Jerry Black, who tries to find a serial pedophile child murderer using his babe Lori's (Robin Wright Penn) daughter Chrissy; the killer has a porcupine hanger in his car, the only clue. Ed Harris' Pollock (May 18) stars Ed Harris as splash-artist Jackson Pollock. Louis C.K.'s blaxploitation comedy flick Pootie Tang (June 29) stars Chris Rock as a ghetto folk hero and ladies' man with a 95-cent Piggly Wiggly magic belt; a dud at the box office, it later becomes a comedy cult classic. Anne Hathaway's The Princess Diaries (Aug. 3) stars Julie Andrews as the queen of Genovia, and Mandy Moore as a U.S. cheerleader who becomes her princess after much tutoring. Erik Skjoldbjaerg's Prozac Nation (Sept. 8), based on the Elizabeth Wurtzel novel stars Christina Ricci as a woman struggling with depressing during her freshman year at Harvard; after its world debut in Toronto, it is released in Norway in 2003, and ends up on Starz! channel in Mar. 2005. Penny Marshall's Riding in Cars with Boys (Oct. 19) stars Drew Barrymore as a single mother who aspires to be a writer, drops a son at age 15, then goes through a failed marriage with the druggie dad. Stephen Herek's Rock Star (Sept. 7) stars Mark Wahlberg as Chris "Izzy" Cole, who becomes a you know what. Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums (Dec. 14) about an estranged family of child prodigies who reunite over a terminal illness stars Gene Hackman as Royal (daddy), Anjelica Huston as Etheline (mommy), Ben Stiller as Chas (math genius), Gwyneth Paltrow as Margot (adopted) (budding Shakespeare), and Luke Wilson as Richie (tennis prodigy); does $71.4M box office on a $21M budget. Brett Ratner's Rush Hour 2 (Aug. 3) stars Jackie Chan as Chief Inspector Lee, and Chris Tucker as Det. James Carter; #5 movie of 2001 ($226M). Dennis Dugan's Saving Silverman (Feb. 9) stars Steven Zahn and Jack Black as a pair of buddies conspiring to save their best friend Darren Silverman (Jason Biggs) from marrying the wrong woman... was that Amanda Peet or Amanda Detmer? Frank Oz's The Score (July 13) stars Robert De Niro as an aging thief who is talked into one last heist by young Edward Norton, and ends it with a double twist. Billy Morrissette's Scotland, PA (Jan. 22) based on Shakespeare's "Macbeth" set in 1975 Duncan's Cafe in Penn. stars James LeGros as Joe "Mac" McBeth, Maura Tierney as Path McBeth, Christopher Walken as Lt. Ernie McDuff, James Rebhorn as cafe owner Norm Duncan, and Kevin Corrigan as fry cook Anthony "Banko" Banconi; features songs by Bad Company. Andrew Adamson's and Vicky Jenson's Shrek (May 18), based on the book by William Steig is a giant animated hit, starring the voice of Mike Myers as big green ogre Shrek, Eddie Murphy as Donkey, Cameron Diaz as Princes Fiona, and John Lithgow as evil Lord Farquaad; #3 movie of 2001 ($268M). Dominic Sena'a Swordfish (June 8) stars John Travolta as renegade counter-terrorist Gabriel Shear, and Hugh Jackman as the world's greatest hacker Stanley Jobson; Halley Berry plays Ginger Knowles; Sam Shepard plays Sen. James Reisman; claims that Thomas Jefferson personally shot somebody on the White House lawn for treason. Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums (Dec. 14) stars Gene Hackman as Royal Tenenbaum, patriarch of an eccentric dysfunctional family of failed child prodigies, incl. Chas (Ben Stiller), Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), and Richie (Luke Wilson), who fakes cancer to effect a family reunion; Anjelica Houston plays Royal's ex-wife Etheline; written by Owen Wilson, who plays Eli Cash; Bill Murray plays writer Raleigh St. Clair. John Boorman's The Tailor of Panama (Feb. 11) (Columbia Pictures), based on the 1996 John Le Carre spy novel stars Pierce Brosnan as MI6 spy Andrew "Andy" Osnard, Geoffrey Rush as tailor Harold "Harry" Pendel, and Jamie Lee Curtis as his wife Louisa in an absurd plot about the days when the Panama Canal changed hands, but not really, Pendel made it all up; does $28M box office on a $21M budget. Maria Ripoll's Tortilla Soup (June 9) stars Hector Elizondo et al. in a yarn that tries to stimulate your appetite. Steven Soderbergh's Traffic (Jan. 5), an ensemble cast flick about the DEA vs. the drug lords of Tijuana stars Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, who get engaged during filming; he plays a conservative federal judge who becomes the drug czar while his lily-white wayward daughter Erika ("What is this like, free base?") Christensen becomes a coke-shooting ho pumped by black pushers; co-stars Benicio Del Toro as Javier Rodriguez Rodriguez, an honest Mexican cop caught in the corruption, and Don Cheadle as honest federal agent Montel Gordon, who loses his partner Luis Guzman to U.S. drug lord Steven Bauer. Antoine Fuqua's Training Day (Oct. 5) stars Denzel Washington as corrupt cop Alonzo, who breaks in rookie cop Jake (Ethan Hawke), introducing him to theft, murder, and coverup, which he decides he didn't sign up for. Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky (Dec. 14) stars Tom Cruise as David Aames, who finds life turning into an 1872 Monet painting with Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz, only to discover it's all a software-driven "lucid dream". Sara Sugarman's Very Annie Mary (May 25) stars Rachel Griffith as a Welsh opera singer whose tyrannical father Jonathan Pryce keeps her down until he suffers a stroke. DJ Pooh's The Wash (Nov. 14) stars Dr. Dre, Anthony Albano, Tic et al. in a black car wash flick. Adam Shanksman's The Wedding Planner (Jan. 26) stars Jennifer Lopez as Mary Fiore the you know what. David Wain's Wet Hot American Summer (July 27), about Aug. 18, 1981, the last day of Camp Firewood summer camp in Waterville, Maine stars Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, and Michael Showalter, and is the film debut of Bradley Cooper; does only $295K box office on a $1.8M budget, but becomes a cult hit. Leszek Burzynski's Wooly Boys stars Peter Fonda as N.D. sheep rancher A.J. "Stoney" Stoneman, who visits the big city and gets in an adventure with his teenage computer whiz grandson Charles (Joseph Mazzello). Ben Stiller's Zoolander (Sept. 28) stars Stiller as Derek Zoolander, a clueless fashion model brainwashed to kill the PM of Malaysia. Plays: Trey Anthony, Da Kink in My Hair (Toronto); Novelette, owner of Letty's Hair Salon. David Auburn, Proof (Pulitzer Prize). Alan Ayckbourn (1939-), Damsels in Distress; a trilogy, incl. GamePlan; FlatSpin; RulePlay. Glen Berger, Underneath the Lintel; the Libraran tries to trace who returned a book that is 113 years overdue. Wendell Berry (1934-), Sonata at Payne Hollow. Mel Brooks (1926-) and Thomas Meehan (1929-), The Producers (musical) (St. James Theatre, New York) (Apr. 19) (2,502 perf.); based on the 1968 film, starrings Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick; on May 7 it is nominated for a record 15 Tony Awards, and later wins 12, beating the previous record of 10 for Hello, Dolly! in 1964. Per Olov Enquist (1934-), Lewi's Journey (Lewis Resa). Amy Freed, The Beard of Avon (Costa Mesa, Calif.); William Shakespeare hikes out on his wife Anne Hathaway, goes to London, meets Edward de Vere, and agrees to be his front. Jeremy Gable, A Mile a Minute. John Guare (1938-), Chaucer in Rome. Christopher Hampton (1946-) and Don Black, Dracula, The Musical. David Henry Hwang (1957-), Jade Flowerpots and Bound Feet (Joseph Papp Theater, New York) (Nov. 5); a white woman passes herself off as black to sell a book. Ha Jin (1956-), Wreckage. Charlotte Jones, Humble Boy (Nat. Theatre, London) (Aug. 9). Ward Just (1935-), Lowell Limpett. Matani Koki, Vamp Show (Parco Theatre, Tokyo); based on the 1997 German musical "Tanz der Vampire". Tony Kushner (1956-), Homebody/Kabul (Dec. 19) (New York). Suzan-Lori Parks (1963-), Topdog/Underdog (Pulitzer Prize) (New York); black bro's Lincoln and Booth, played by Don Cheadle and Jeffrey Wright. Hamish McColl, Sean Foley, and Eddie Braben, The Play What I Wrote. Anne Nelson, The Guys (Flea Theater, New York) (Dec. 4); reporter Joan (played by Sigourney Weaver) helps FDNY capt. Nick (Bill Murray) write obits for fallen firefighters from 9/11. Peter Parnell (1963-), QED (Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles); about physicist Richard Feynman, played by Alan Alda. Sarah Phelps, Modern Dance for Beginners (June 5). David Rabe (1940-), The Dog Problem (Atlantic Theater, New York) (May 6). Charles Ross, One Man Star Wars Trilogy (Toronto) (Jan.) Ruben Santiago-Hudson (1956-), Lackawanna Blues (Joseph Papp Theater, New York) (Apr. 14); autobio. play starring the author as 20 different chars. from his past; features Miss Rachel AKA Nanny. John Patrick Shanley (1950-), Cellini; how Italian sculptor Benvenuto Cellini made "Perseus with the Head of Medusa". Neil Simon (1927-), 45 Seconds from Broadway (Richard Rodgers Theater, New York) (Nov. 11) (73 perf.); Manhattan's Edison Hotel, home to struggling theater people. Simon Stephens (1971-), Herons; 14-y.-o. aimless teenie Billy. Tom Stoppard (1937-), The Coast of Utopia; trilogy about a group of friends during the reign of Nicholas I of Russia, incl. Mikhail Bakunin, Ivan Turgenev, Vissarion Belinsky, and Alexander Herzen. Elaine Stritch (1926-), Elaine Stritch at Liberty (Public Theater, New York) (Feb. 21). Melanie Tait (1980-), The Vegemite Tales (Curtain's Up, London). Michael Weller (1942-), What the Night is For (Comedy Theatre, London); stars Gillian Anderson and Roger Allam. Robert Wilson (1941-), Persephone. Petr Zelenka (1967-), Tales of Common Insanity (Prague). Poetry: Elizabeth Alexander (1962-), Antebellum Dream Book. Nanni Balestrini (1935-), Elettra, Operapoesia. Robert Bly (1926-), The Night Abraham Called to the Stars. Billy Collins (1941-), Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems. Robert Creeley (1926-2005), Just in Time: Poems 1984-1994. Michael Crummey (1965-), Emergency Roadside Assistance. Edward Dorn (1929-99), Chemo Sabe (posth.). Mark Doty (1944-), Source. Norman Dubie (1945-), The Mercy Seat: Collected and New Poems, 1967-2001. Alan Dugan (1923-2003), Poems Seven: New and Complete Poetry. Stephen Dunn (1939-), Different Hours (Pulitzer Prize). Thomas Sayers Ellis, The Genuine Negro Hero. Seamus Heaney (1939-), Electric Light. Anthony Hecht (1923-2004), The Darkness and the Light: Poems; "Like the elderly and frail/ Who've lasted through the night,/ Cold brows and silent lips,/ For whom the rising light Entails their own eclipse,/ Brightening as they fail." Carolyn Kizer (1925-), Cool, Calm & Collected: Poems 1960-2000). Maxine Kumin (1925-), The Long Marriage. W.S. Merwin (1927-), The Pupil. Robert Pinsky (1940-), Samurai Song. Sonia Sanchez (1934-), Ash; Bum Rush the Page: A Def Poetry Jam. Charles Simic (1938-), Night Picnic. Wislawa Szymborska (1923-2012), Rhymes for Big Kids. C.K. Williams (1936-), Love about Love. Novels: Catherine Aird (1930-), Little Knell. Isabel Allende (1942-), Portrait in Sepia. Poul Anderson (1926-2001), Mother of Kings. Michael Andrew, A Trial of Innocents. Gilad Atzmon (1963-), A Guide to the Perplexed (first novel); Israel is replaced by a Palestinian state in 2012 after "the unthinking Chosen" who "cling to clods of earth that don't belong to them" are defeated, and their propaganda that "argues that the Holocaust is invoked as a kind of reflexive propaganda designed to shield the Zionist state from responsibility for any transgression against Palestinians" exploded. Beryl Bainbridge (1934-), According to Queeney; Samuel Johnson as told by Queeney Thrale. Clive Barker (1952-), Coldheart Canyon: A Hollywood Ghost Story; Tortured Souls. Pat Barker (1943-), Border Crossing. Marie-Claire Blais (1939-), Dans la Foudre et la Lumiere (Thunder and Light). Christian Book (Bök) (1966-), Eunoia; univocalic novel where each chapter uses only a single vowel. Pierre Bourgeade (1927-2009), L'Eternel Mirage; En Avant Les Singes!; Gab Save the Di. Kay Boyle (1902-92), Process (posth.); written in 1925. T. Coraghessan Boyle (1948-), After the Plague (short stories). Barbara Taylor Bradford (1933-), The Triumph of Katie Byrne. Ann Brashares (1967-), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants; best friends Lena Kaligaris, Tibby Rollins, Bridget Vreeland, and Carmen Lowell spend their first summer apart when a pair of magical jeans comes into their lives; first in a series. Anita Brookner (1928-), The Bay of Angels. Geraldine Brooks (1955-), Year of Wonders. James Lee Burke (1936-), Bitterroot; Billy Bob Holland #3. Pat Cadigan (1953-), Dervish is Digital; sequel to "Tea from an Empty Cup" (1998). John le Carre (1931-), The Constant Gardener; British diplomat Justin Quayle of Nairobi, Kenya discovers that his activist wife Tessa was killed, and searches for the reason, uncoveing an internat. conspiracy; filmed in 2005. Raymond Carver (1938-58), Call If You Need Me (posth.) (short stories). Tom Clancy (1947-), The Bear and the Dragon. Alison Clement, Pretty Is as Pretty Does (first novel). Harlan Coben, Tell No One. Paul Coelho (1947-), Fathers, Sons and Grandsons. Jackie Collins (1937-), Hollywood Wives: The New Generation. Michael Connelly, Void Moon. Robin Cook (1940-), Shock. Stephen Coonts (1946-), America; Rear Adm. Jake Grafton #9. Robert Cormier (1925-2000), The Rag and Bone Shop (posth.); 7-y.-o. Alicia Bartlett is murdered with a rock, and 12-y.-o. Jason Dorrant is the suspect. Jim Crace (1946-), The Devil's Larder. Justin Cronin, Mary and O'Neil. Michael Crummey (1965-), River Thieves (first novel). Mitch Cullin, The Cosmology of Bing. Clive Cussler (1931-), Valhalla Rising; Dirk Pitt #16. Marie Darrieussecq (1969-), A Brief Stay with the Living; gets into the heads of a family of four. Don DeLillo (1936-), The Body Artist; a woman uses Zen to heal from the death of her husband. Helen DeWitt (1958-), The Last Samurai. Kate DiCamillo, The Tiger Rising. Jude Devereaux (1947-), The Summerhouse. Margaret Drabble (1939-), The Peppered Moth; Bessle's pigmentation changes according to the environment. Mark Dunn (1956-), Ella Minnow Pea: A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable. Tony Earley, Jim the Boy (June); Jim Glass grows up in the 1930s in the shade of three kindly uncles, his widowed mother, and Aliceville, in the hills of N.C. Barbara Ehrenreich, Nickled and Dimed. James Ellroy (1948-), The Cold Six Thousand; American Underworld Trilogy #2. Leif Enger, Peace Like a River. Louise Erdrich (1954-), The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse; "Is there a good piano in hell?" Nicholas Evans, The Smoke Jumper; Julia Bishop, Ed Tully, and the tragedy on the Snake River in Mont. Sebastian Faulks (1953-), On Green Dolphin Street; title comes from the 1947 movie and theme song. Ken Follett (1949-), Jackdaws. Richard Ford (1944-), A Multitude of Sins. Frederick Forsyth (1938-), The Veteran (short stories). Jonathan Franzen (1959-), The Corrections; bestseller; Prof. Chip Lambert gets caught sleeping with a student and is fired, then tries to cover it up to his parents Alfred and Enid at a Christmas party. Carlos Fuentes (1928-2012), The Years with Laura Diaz. Alan Glynn (1960-), The Dark Fields (Limitless) (first novel); smart drug MDT-48 turns NYC writer Eddie Spinola into a flawed genius; filmed in 2011 starring Bradley Cooper. Herbert Gold (1924-), Haiti - Best Nightmare on Earth. Paul A. Gompers and Josh Lerner, The Money of Invention: How Venture Capital Creates New Wealth. Allegra Goodman (1967-), Paradise Park. Philippa Gregory (1954-), The Other Boleyn Girl; bestseller about Mary Boleyn, sister of Anne Boleyn; filmed in 2008; #1 in the Tudor Court Series. Barry Hannah (1942-), Yonder Stands Your Orphan; title taken from Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue". Russell Hoban (1925-), Amaryllis Night and Day. Alice Hoffman (1952-), Aquamarine; Blue Diary. Nick Hornby (1957-), How to Be Good. Michel Houellebecq (1956-), Platform; 40-y.-o. male arts administrator Michel Renault tells about his romance, along with sex tourism, and disses Islam. Susan Isaacs (1943-), Long Time No See. P.D. James (1920-), Death in Holy Orders; Adam Dalgliesh #11. Ha Jin (1956-), The Crazed. Quincy Jones (1933-) and Peggy Lipton Jones (1946-), Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones. Stephen King (1947-), Dreamcatcher; written in longhand? Sophie Kinsella, Confessions of a Shopaholic; Becky Bloomwood; instant chick lit hit? Dean Koontz (1945-), From the Corner of His Eye. William Kowalski (1970-), Somewhere South of Here. Pascal Laine (1942-), Demiers Jours Avant Fermeture. Dominique Lapierre (1931-) and Javier Moro, Five Past Midnight in Bhopal (Il Etait Minuit Cinq a Bhopal). Brad Leithauser (1953-), A Few Corrections. Elmore Leonard (1925-2013), Fire in the Hole. Elinor Lipman (1950-), The Dearly Departed. Gregory Maguire (1954-), Lost (Oct. 2); Am. writer Winifred Rudge travels to London to visit distant cousin John Comestor, who is a relative of the man who inspired Charles Dicken's char. Ebenezer Scrooge, and discovers that he has vanished and his apt. is haunted. Paule Marshall (1929-), The Fisher King. Yann Martel (1963-), Life of Pi (Sept.); based on "Max and the Cats" by Moacyr Scliar; Indian Pondicherry boy Piscine "Pi" Molitor Patel, son of a zookeeper survives 227 days in the Pacific Ocean in a 26-ft. lifeboat with a zebra, orangutan, hyena, and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, who eats the other animals, then flees to the jungle when they reach the coast of Mexico; the story will make you believe in God?; filmed in 2012 by Ang Lee. Francine Matthews (Stephanie Barron, author of the Jane Austen mysteries), Cutout. Terry McMillan (1951-), A Day Late and a Dollar Short; or, how bad it is to be an African-Am. family? Sue Miller (1943-), The World Below. Anchee Min (1957-), Becoming Madame Mao. Willie Morris (1934-99), Taps (posth.) (last novel); 16-y.-o. narrator Swayze Barksdale of Fisk's Landing, Miss. at the start of the Korean War. Sir John Mortimer (1923-2009), Rumpole Rests His Case. Nicholas Mosley (1923-), The Hesperides Tree. Alice Munro (1931-), Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage (short stories) V.S. Naipaul (1932-), Half a Life: Searching for Identity in Limbo; William Somerset Chandran Naipaul asks "Why is my middle name Somerset?" John Nichols (1940-), The Voice of the Butterfly. Francois Nourissier (1927-), A Defaut de Genie Joyce Carol Oates (1938-), Middle Age: A Romance. Stewart O'Nan (1961-), Everyday People. Peter Orner, Esther Stories (short stories). Chuck Palahniuk (1962-), Choke; Victor makes a living by pretending to choke in expensive restaurants, attends sex addict support groups hoping to get laid, and visits his Alzheimer's-stricken mother pretending to be different people to find out how she really feels about him, but makes up for it by also pretending to be the person that did people wrong and promising to make up for it. Orhan Pamuk (1952-), My Name is Red. Christopher Paolini (1983-), Eragon (first novel); first in Inheritance trilogy ("Eldest", "Brisingr"); filmed in 2006. Sara Paretsky (1947-), Total Recall; V.I. Warshawski #10. Robert Brown Parker (1932-2010), Gunman's Rhapsody; Potshot; Spenser #28; Death in Paradise; Jesse Stone #3. James Patterson (1947-), Violets Are Blue. Jodi Picoult (1966-), Salem Falls; Jack St. Bride; a ripoff of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible"? Anne Rice (1941-), Blood and Gold; #8 in the Vampire Chronicles; Marius de Romanus and Thorne. Thomas E. Ricks (1955-), A Soldier's Duty (first novel). Rick Riordan, The Devil Went Down to Austin. Alain Robbe-Grillet (1922-2008), La Reprise. Philip Roth (1933-), The Dying Animal (May). Richard Russo (1949-), Empire Falls (Pulitzer Prize). Rafael Sabatini (1875-1950), The Camisade and Other Stories of the French Revolution (posth.). Jose Saramago (1922-2010), The Cave (A Caverna). David Schickler (1969-), Kissing in Manhattan (first novel); interlocking stories about residents of the Preemption apt. bldg. in Manhattan's Upper West Side. Jeffrey Shaara (1952-), Rise to Rebellion; 1770-6 Am. Robert Shapiro, Misconception; O.J.'s atty. turns novelist? Sidney Sheldon (1917-2007), The Sky is Falling (July 1); anchorwoman Dana Evans. Anita Shreve (1946-), The Last Time They Met. Alan Sillitoe (1928-2010), Birthday. Claude Simon (1913-2005), Le Tramway (The Trolley). Gary Soto (1952-), Poetry Lover. Elizabeth Spencer (1921-), The Southern Woman (short stories). Nicholas Sparks (1965-), A Bend in the Road (Sept.). Dana Spiotta, Lightning Field (first novel). Danielle Steel (1947-), Lone Eagle; Leap of Faith; The Kiss. Whitley Strieber (1945-), The Last Vampire. Amy Tan (1952-), The Bonesetter's Daughter (Feb.); Ruth Young loses her voice for the 9th time in nine years. Whitney Terrell, The Huntsman (first novel). Anne Tyler (1941-), Back When We Were Grownups; a middle-aged woman widowed at 26; "Once upon a time there was a woman who discovered that she had turned into the wrong person." Jeff VanderMeer (1968-), City of Saints and Madmen: The Book of Amergris. Salley Vickers, Miss Garnet's Angel. Fay Weldon (1931-), The Bulgari Connection. Irvine Welsh (1958-), Glue. Thomas Wharton, Salamander (May). Stephen White (1951-), The Program; Kirsten's hubby is hit by drug lord Ernesto Castro and enters the federal Witness Security (Protection) Program, which is the deadliest place of all? Colson Whitehead, John Henry Days. Jack Williamson, Terraforming Earth; by the writer who coined the word "terraforming" in his Seetee stories in the 1940s. T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-), Salvation Day II: The Fire of Michael. Births: Am. "Bruce Wayne in Gotham" actor (Jewish) David Mazouz on Feb. 19 in Los Angeles, Calif. Am. "Bad Guy", "Wish You Were Gay", "Bury a Friend", "When the Party's Over" singer-songwriter (female) (vegan) Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell on Dec. 18 in Los Angeles, Calif.; of Scottish and Irish descent; grows up in Highland Park, L.A. Deaths: Italian mountain climber Count Ardito Desio (b. 1897) on Dec. 12 in Rome. Irish-born British Royal Ballet founder (1931) Dame Ninette de Valois (b. 1898) on Mar. 8 in Barnes, London. German Gen. Wilhelm Mohnke (b. 1911) on Aug. 6 in Hamburg. Am. Great Books program founder Mortimer Adler (b. 1902) on June 28 in Palo Calto, Calif. Am. Dem. politician Mike Mansfield (b. 1903) on Oct. 5. Hungarian violinist Zoltan Szekely (b. 1903) on Oct. 5 in Canada. Am. psychologist Ernest Hilgard (b. 1904) on Oct. 22 in Palo Alto, Calif. Am. actress Peggy Converse (b. 1905) on Mar. 2 in Los Angeles, Calif. English-born Am. New York City mayor #104 (1974-7) Abraham Beame (b. 1906) on Feb. 10 in New York City (open heart surgery). English composer David Heneker (b. 1906) on Jan. 30 in Wales. Am. author-aviator Anne Morrow Lindbergh (b. 1906). Indian novelist R.K. Narayan (b. 1906) on May 13 in Madras (Chennai). Senegalese pres. #1 (1960-80) Leopold Sedar Senghor (b. 1906) on Dec. 20 in Verson, France. Am. "What's My Line?" TV panelist Arlene Francis (b. 1907) on May 31 in San Francisco, Calif. Am. writer-artist Tom Lea (b. 1907) on Jan. 29 in El Paso, Tex. Am. bowler Joe Norris (b. 1907) on Feb. 19 in San Diego, Calif. (pneumonia). Am. Harvard U. pres. #24 (1953-71) Nathan Marsh Pusey (b. 1907) on Nov. 14. Australian #1 cricketer Sir Donald George Bradman (b. 1908) on Feb. 25 in Adelaide. Am. "Sangaree" novelist Frank Slaughter (b. 1908) on May 17; sold 60M copies. French-Polish "Foundling of the Louvre" painter Balthus (b. 1909) on Feb. 18 in Rossiniere, Switzerland; dies where had taken to calling himself "Comte de Rola". Polish "House of Dolls" writer Yehiel De-Nur (b. 1909) on July 17 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Am. engraver Frank Gasparro (b. 1909) on Sept. 29. Austrian-born British art historian Sir Ernst Gombrich (b. 1909) on Nov. 3 in London. English actor Jack Gwillim (b. 1909) on July 2 in Los Angeles, Calif. Am. actress Ann Sothern (b. 1909) on Mar. 15 in Ketchum, Idaho. Am. writer Eudora Welty (b. 1909) on July 23: "Out of love you can speak with straight fury." Am. "Peg Riley in The Life of Riley" actress Rosemary DeCamp (b. 1910) on Feb. 20 in Newport Beach, Calif. (pneumonia). Am. cartoonist Bill Hanna (b. 1910) on Mar. 22 in North Hollywood, Calif. Austrian Christian Conservative politician Josef Klaus (b. 1910) on July 26 in Vienna. Chinese economist ("Father of Taiwan's Economic Miracle") Li Kwoh-Ting (b. 1910) on May 31. Am. St. Louis U. pres. (1949-74) Rev. Paul Clark Reinert (b. 1910) on July 22 in St. Louis, Mo. Am. animated film producer John Sutherland (b. 1910) on Feb. 17 in Van Nuys, Calif. English conservative Christian leader Mary Whitehouse (b. 1910) on Nov. 23 in Colchester, Essex. Am. Creationist physicist Thomas G. Barnes (b. 1911) on Oct. 21 in El Paso, Tex. English historian and oenophile Sir John Plumb (b. 1911) on Oct. 21; spent his entire academic career at Christ's College, Cambridge U. Am. labor leader Leonard Woodcock (b. 1911) on Jan. 16 in Ann Arbor, Mich. English surgeon Sir Michael Woodruff (b. 1911) on Mar. 10 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Brazilian novelist Jorge Amado (b. 1912) on Aug. 6 in Salvador. English newspaper publisher David Astor (b. 1912) on Dec. 7 in London. Am. actor-comedian Foster Brooks (b. 1912) on Dec. 20 in Encino, Calif. (heart failure). Am. "Sentimental Journey" bandleader Les Brown Sr. (b. 1912) on Jan. 4. Am. singer Perry Como (b. 1912) on May 12 in Jupiter Inlet Colony, Fla. Am. Roy Roger's wife (1947-98) Dale Evans (b. 1912) on Feb. 7 in Apple Valley, Calif. (heart failure). Swedish-born German actress Kristina Soderbaum (b. 1912) on Feb. 12 in Hitzacker, Germany. French "Lili" actor Jean-Pierre Aumont (b. 1911) on Jan. 30 in Gassin (heart attack). Am. psychic Ruth Montgomery (b. 1912) on June 10. English historian Sir Richard William Southern (b. 1912) on Feb. 6 in Oxford. English "The Seekers" producer George H. Brown (b. 1913) on Jan. 3 in New York City; father of Tina Brown (1953-) after he divorced wife (1941-53) Maureen O'Hara (1920-). Am. radio-TV producer John Guedel (b. 1913) on Dec. 14 in Los Angeles, Calif. Am. Hewlett-Packard co-founder William Redington Hewlett (b. 1913) on Jan. 12 in Palo Alto, Calif. Am. producer-dir. Stanley Kramer (b. 1913) on Feb. 19 in Los Angeles, Calif. Am. Slim Jim meat snack inventor Adolph Levis (b. 1913) on Mar. 20. Am. harmonica player Larry Adler (b. 1914) on Aug. 7. Portuguese pres. #15 (1974-6) Gen. Francisco da Costa Gomes (b. 1914) on July 31 in Lisbon. Polish lit. critic Jan Kott (b. 1914) on Dec. 23 in Santa Monica, Calif. German Luftwaffe Gen. Dietrich Peltz (b. 1914) on Aug. 10 in Munich. French "La Mer" (Beyond the Sea) "chanson francais" singer Charles Trenet (b. 1914) in Creteil. Am. "Uncle Martin in My Favorite Martian" actor Ray Walston (b. 1914) on Jan. 1 in Beverly Hills, Calif. (lupus); first celeb to die in the 21st cent. Am. chef Justin Wilson (b. 1914) on Sept. 5 in Baton Rouge, La. Russian-born Jewish Zionist activist Peter Bergson (Hillel Kook) (b. 1915) on Aug. 18 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Finnish "Moomins" artist-novelist Tove Jansson (b. 1915) on June 27 in Helsinki. South Korean Hyundai founder Chung Ju-yung (b. 1915) on Mar. 21 in Seoul. Am. neuroscientist John Cunningham Lilly (b. 1915) on Sept. 30 in Los Angeles, Calif. Am. "Que Sera, Sera" songwriter Jay Livingston (b. 1915) on Oct. 17 in Los Angeles, Calif. Am. "Masters and Johnson" sex researcher William H. Masters (b. 1915) on Feb. 16 in Tucson, Ariz. Am. jazz musician Flip Phillips (b. 1915) on Aug. 17 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Am. physicist Clifford Shull (b. 1915) on Mar. 31; 1994 Nobel Physics Prize. English "Doctor" dir. Ralph Philip Thomas (b. 1915) on Mar. 17 in London. Am. pole vaulter Dutch Warmerdam (b. 1915) on Nov. 13 in Fresno, Calif. (Alzheimer's). Am. "Buchanan Rides Alone" dir. Budd Boetticher (b. 1916) on Nov. 29 in Ramona, Calif. English spiritualist Rosemary Brown (b. 1916) on Nov. 16. Am. psychologist Lee Cronbach (b. 1916) on Oct. 1. Canadian hockey hall-of-fame player Woody Dumart (b. 1916) on Oct. 19 in Boston, Mass. Kiwi anthropologist Derek Freeman (b. 1916) on July 6 in Canberra, Australia (heart failure). Mexican "Zorba the Greek" actor Anthony Quinn (b. 1916) on June 3. Am. Calvinist theologian Rousas John Rushdoony (b. 1916) on Feb. 8 in Vallecito, Calif. Am. father of information theory Claude Shannon (b. 1916) on Feb. 24. Am. economist-psychologist (pioneer in AI) Herbert Alexander Simon (b. 1916) on Feb. 9 in Pittsburgh, Penn.; 1978 Nobel Econ. Prize. Am. mob boss Tony Giacalone (b. 1919) on Feb. 23 in Detroit, Mich. (heart failure). Am. athlete-announcer Marty Glickman (b. 1917) on Jan. 3. Am. Washington Post pub. Katharine Graham (b. 1917) on July 17. Am. blues musician John Lee Hooker (b. 1917) on June 21. Am. "The Harrad Experiment" novelist Robert Henry Rimmer (b. 1917) on Aug. 1 in Quincy, Mass. Am. movie producer Samuel Z. Arkoff (b. 1918) on Sept. 16 in Burbank, Calif. Canadian physicist Bertram Brockhouse (b. 1918) on Oct. 13 in Hamilton, Ont.; 1994 Nobel Physics Prize. Am. "The Law and Mrs. Jones" screenwriter Sy Gomberg (b. 1918) on Feb. 11 in Brentwood, Calif. (heart attack). Am. jazz impresario Norman Granz (b. 1918) on Nov. 22 in Geneva, Switzerland. Am. comedian Imogene Coca (b. 1918) on June 2 in Westport, Conn. (Alzheimer's). Am. baseball player-mgr. William Rigney (b. 1918) on Feb. 20 in Walnut Creek, Calif. Am. chemist Donald J. Cram (b. 1919) on June 17 in Palm Desert, Calif.; 1987 Nobel Chem. Prize. Am. actress Kathleen Freeman (b. 1919) on Aug. 23 in New York City (lung cancer). Am. actress Eileen Heckart (b. 1919) on Dec. 31 in Norwalk, Conn. (lung cancer). Am. "Cliff's Notes" publisher Cliff Hillegass (b. 1919). Am. movie critic Pauline Kael (b. 1919) on Sept. 3 in Great Barrington, Mass.: "What this generation was bred to at television's knees was not wisdom, but cynicism." Dutch physicist Dirk Polder (b. 1919) on Mar. 18 in Iran. Dutch PM #36 (1971-3) Barend Willem Biesheuvel (b. 1920) on Apr. 29 in Haarlem. Am. country musician Billy Byrd (b. 1920) on Aug. 7 in Nashville, Tenn. Am. "Dennis the Menace" cartoonist Hank Ketcham (b. 1920) on June 1 in Carmel, Calif. Austrian ecologist Otto Buchsbaum (b. 1920) on Aug. 5. Russian climatologist Mikhail Budyko (b. 1920) on Dec. 10 in St. Petersburg. German-born Am. composer-songwriter Albert Hague (b. 1920) on Nov. 12 in Marina del Rey, Calif. (cancer). Am. jazzman John Aaron Lewis (b. 1920) on Mar. 29 in New York City (prostate cancer). Am. spymaster-columnist Cord Meyer (b. 1920) on Mar. 13 (cancer). Ukrainian-born Am. violinist Isaac Stern (b. 1920) on Sept. 22 in New York City. French Club Med founder Gilbert Trigano (b. 1920) on Feb. 4 in Paris. Am. journalist Rowland Evans Jr. (b. 1921) on Mar. 23 (cancer). English Manchester Baby mathematician Tom Kilburn (b. 1921) on Jan. 17 in Manchester (abdominal surgery). Am. composer-arranger Arturo "Chico" O'Farrill (b. 1921) on June 27 in New York City. Welsh singer Harry Secombe (b. 1921) on Apr. 11 in Surrey, England (prostate cancer). Am. oceanographer Robert E. Stevenson (b. 1921) on Aug. 12 in Kauai, Hawaii (cancer). Soviet physicist Nikolai G. Basov (b. 1922) on July 1; 1964 Nobel Physics Prize. Am. journalist Edith Efron (b. 1922) on Apr. 20. English "Mr. Belvedere" actor Christopher Hewitt (b. 1922) on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles, Calif. (diabetes). Am. civil rights leader Rev. Leon Sullivan (b. 1922) on Apr. 24 in Scottsdale, Ariz. (leukemia). Am. sci-fi writer Gordon R. Dickson (b. 1923) on Jan. 31. Am. New Thought writer Stuart Grayson (b. 1923) on July 12 in New York City. South Vietnamese pres. (1965-75) Nguyen Van Thieu (b. 1923) on Sept. 29 in Foxborough, Mass.: "You ran away and left us to do the job that you could not do"; "To live without freedom is to have already died." Irish-Am. actor-producer Charles B. FitzSimons (b. 1924) on Feb. 14 in Los Angeles, Calif. (liver failure); brother of Maureen O'Hara (1920-). Am. "Archie Bunker" actor Carroll O'Connor (b. 1924) on July 21. English art critic Anthony David Bernard Sylvester (b. 1924) on June 19 in London. Am. "Mister Roberts", "Save the Tiger" actor ("the white-collar Job") Jack Lemmon (b. 1925) on June 28 in Los Angeles, Calif. (cancer). Am. journalist Carl Rowan (b. 1925). Am. "narrator in To Kill a Mockingbird" actress Kim Stanley (b. 1925) on Aug. 20 in Santa Fe, N.M. (uterine cancer). Am. poet Archie Randolph Ammons (b. 1926) on Feb. 25. Am. sci-fi writer Poul Anderson (b. 1926) on July 31 in Orinda, Calif. (cancer). Canadian playwright John Herbert Brundage (b. 1926) on June 22 in Toronto, Ont. Am. sociologist Richard A. Cloward (b. 1926) on Aug. 20. English singer Ronnie Hilton (b. 1926) on Feb. 21 in Hailsham, East Sussex. English poet Elizabeth Jennings (b. 1926) on Oct. 26 in Oxford. Am. "A Separate Peace" novelist John Knowles (b. 1926) on Nov. 30. English actor Reginald Marsh (b. 1926) on Feb. 9 in Ryde, Isle of Wight. English "Sleuth", "The Wicker Man" playwright-novelist Anthony Shaffer (b. 1926) on Nov. 6. Israeli right-wing politician Gen. Rehavam Ze'evi (b. 1926) on Oct. 17 in Hadassah Medical Center (assassinated by the PFLP and Hamdi Quran). Am. mob boss Constenze Valenti (b. 1926) on Feb. 23 in Victor, N.Y. Am. "On the Wings of a Dove" country songwriter Bob Ferguson (b. 1927) on July 22 in Jackson, Miss. (cancer). Am. "Whiplash" jazz composer Hank Levy (b. 1927) on Sept. 18 in Parkville, Md. Am. "The Bourne Identity" thriller novelist Robert Ludlum (b. 1927) on Mar. 12 in Naples, Fla. (subdural hematoma); sold 290M+ copies of 25 thriller novels. Am. Hindu guru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (b. 1927) on Nov. 12 in Kapaa, Hawaii. Am. basketball coach Al McGuire (B. 1928) on Jan. 26 in Milwaukee, Wisc. English-born Irish Provisional IRA leader Sean Mac Stiofain (b. 1928) on Mya 18 in Navan, County Meath. Am. "Agatha Chumley in Magnum, P.I." actress Gillian Dobb (b. 1929) on Mar. 31 in Lancaster, Penn. Am. "Serpico" writer Peter Maas (b. 1929) on Aug. 23 in New York City. Am. country musician Grady Martin (b. 1929) on Dec. 3 in Lewisburg, Tenn. Am. beatnik poet Gregory Corso (b. 1930) on Jan. 17. Am. basketball player Walter Dukes (b. 1930) on Feb. ? in Detroit, Mich.; found dead in his apt. on Mar. 14. Am. "Grady Wilson in Sanford and Son" actor Whitman Mayo (b. 1930) on May 22 in Atlanta, Ga. Am. basketball player-coach Larry Costello (b. 1931) on Dec. 13 in Fort Myers, Fla. Am. pool player "Fast" Eddie Parker (b. 1931) on Feb. 2 in Brownsville Tex. (heart attack); dies at the U.S. Classic Billiard Eight-Ball Showdown. Canadian writer Mordecai Richler (b. 1931) on July 3 in Montreal. Am. sportswriter Dick Schaap (b. 1931) on Dec. 21 in Manhattan, N.Y. Am. novelist Don Berry (b. 1932). Am. "Pete McCoy in Adventures in Paradise" actor-writer Gardner McKay (b. 1932) on Nov. 21 in Honolulu, Hawaii (prostate cancer). Am. trash talk TV host Morton Downey Jr. (b. 1933) on Mar. 12 in Los Angeles, Calif. Am. "The Oracle in The Matrix" actress Gloria Foster (b. 1933) on Sept. 29 in New York City (diabetes). Polish-born Israeli chemist-writer Israel Shahak (b. 1933) on July 2 in Jerusalem (diabetes). Dutch "cosmic bushwhacker" writer Johan Henri Quanjer (b. 1934) on Feb. 13. Am. sports journalist Dick Schaap (b. 1934) on Dec. 21 in New York City. Am. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" writer Ken Kesey (b. 1935) on Nov. 10 in Eugene, Ore. Am. Bob Dylan's tour mgr. Victor Maymudes (b. 1935) on Jan. 27 in Santa Monica, Calif. (cerebral aneurysm). Am. "Mama and Papas" singer John Phillips (b. 1935) on Mar. 18 in Los Angeles, Calif. Am. basketball player Guy Rodgers (b. 1935) on Feb. 19 in Los Angeles, Calif. Am. serial murderer Henry Lee Lucas (b. 1936) on Mar. 12 in Huntsville, Tex. (heart failure). Am. folk singer-songwriter Fred Neil (b. 1936) on July 7 in Summerland Key, Fla. Am. "voice of Garfield" actor Lorenzo Music (b. 1937) on Aug. 4 in Los Angeles, Calif. (cancer). Am. bowling star Earl Anthony (b. 1938) on Aug. 14 in New Berlin, Wisc. Am. "The Bad News Bears", "Fletch", "The Candidate" dir. Michael Ritchie (b. 1938) on Apr. 16 in New York City; purchased Marilyn Monroe's Brentwood suicide cottage in 1994 for $995K. Am. guitarist John Fahey (b. 1939) on Feb. 22 in Salem, Ore. Dem. Repub. of Congo (DRC) pres. (1997-2001) Laurent-Desire Kabila (b. 1939) on Jan. 16 in Kinshasha; assassinated by bodyguard Rashidi Muzele, who is killed while attempting to flee; he works for Rwanda? Am. "Father Karras in The Exorcist" actor-playwright Jason Miller (b. 1939) on May 13 in Scranton, Penn. (heart attack). Am. economist Sherwin Rosen (b. 1938) on Mar. 17 in South Side, Chicago, Ill. Am. baseball hall-of-fame player Willie Stargell (b. 1940) on Apr. 9 in Wilmington, N.C.; 475 homers and 1,540 RBI. Am. folk musician Sandy Bull (b. 1941) on Apr. 11 in Nashville, Tenn. (lung cancer). Am. environmental scientist Donella Meadows (b. 1941) on Feb. 20 in Hanover, N.H. Bavarian-born Am. car sunroof creator Heinz Prechter (b. 1942) on July 6 in Grosse Ile, Mich. (suicide by hanging). Am. conspiracy theorist Bill Cooper (b. 1943) on Nov. 5 in Eagar, Ariz. (KIA). English ex-Beatle George Harrison (b. 1943) on Nov. 29 (cancer). Am. actress Deborah Walley (b. 1943) on May 10 in Sedona, Ariz. (esophageal cancer). Am. singer Mimi Baez Farina (b. 1945) on July 18 in Mill Valley, Calif. (cancer). Afghan anti-Taliban leader Ahmad Shah Massoud (b. 1953) on Sept. 9 in Takhar Province (assassinated). Am. photographer Berry Berenson (b. 1948) on Sept. 11 (killed in AA Flight 11). Am. "Modern Art of Chinese Cooking" chef Barbara Tropp (b. 1948) on Oct. 26 (ovarian cancer). Am. "gay biker in Village People" singer Glenn M. Hughes (b. 1950) on Mar. 4 in New York City (pneumonia from AIDS). Am. football player Harvey Banks Martin (b. 1950) on Dec. 24 (pancreatic cancer). Am. race car driver Dale Earnhardt Sr. (b. 1951) on Feb. 18 (killed in race). Czech rocker Milan Hlavsa (b. 1951) on Jan. 5 (lung cancer). Am. "An American Family" singer-writer Lance Loud (b. 1951) on Dec. 21 in Los Angeles, Calif. (AIDS). British "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" author Douglas Adams (b. 1952) on May 12. Philippine rev. socialist leader Filemon Lagman (b. 1953) on Feb. 6 in Quezon City (assassinated). Am. "Mary Bradford in Eight is Enough" actress Lani O'Grady (b. 1954) on Sept. 25 in Valencia, Calif. (OD). Am. Robert Blake's wife (since 2001) Bonnie Lee Bakley (b. 1956) on May 4 in Studio City, Calif. (murdered). Am. "Run-D.M.C." hip hop artist Jam-Master Jay (b. 1965) on Oct. 30 in Jamaica, Queens, N.Y. Am. "Sweet Dreams", "Be My Lover" singer Melanie Thornton (b. 1967) on Nov. 24 in Zurich, Switzerland (plane crash). Am. terrorist Timothy McVeigh (b. 1968) on June 11 in Terra Haute, Ind. (executed); his last meal is 2 pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Am. intern Chandra Ann Levy (b. 1977) on May ? in Rock Creek Park, Washington, D.C. (murdered). Am. singer Aaliyah (b. 1979) on Aug. 25 in Marsh Harbour, Abaco Island, Bahamas (plane crash) - the musician's curse?
2002 Doomsday Clock: 7 min. to midnight - back to the 1947 start level? Chinese Year: Black Horse (Feb. 12) (lunar year 4699). Time Persons of the Year: The Whistleblowers (Cynthia Cooper, Coleen Rowley, Sherron Watkins). This is the U.N. Internat. Year for Cultural Heritage, Ecotourism, and Mountains - cultural sabotage, terrorism, and mountainous catastrophes? The Dawn of the Digital Age sees digital storage capacity overtake analog. Between 1998 and this year the U.S. Nat. Climate Data Center lists 17 weather-related events doing over $1B in damage each. The U.S. admits 1M legal immigrants this year; 422 of them settle in Mont. There are no commercial airline fatalities in the U.S. this year. By this year there are 7 scientific researchers or engineers per 1K pop. in the U.S.; in China there are only 0.6. On Jan. 1 11-0 Miami defeats 11-1 Nebraska by 37-14 to win the 2002 Rose Bowl. On Jan. 1 the eurodollar (euro) replaces nat. currencies in a dozen countries of Europe (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain) as 15B euro banknotes and 50B euro coins (with a value of over 664B euros) are put into circulation, becoming the largest currency introduction in history. On Jan. 1 Boston, Mass.-born billionaire Jewish Dem.-turned-Repub. financier Michael Rubens "Mike" Bloomberg (1942-) becomes mayor #108 of New York City (until Dec. 31, 2013), succeeding 9/11 hero mayor Rudy Giuliani. On Jan. 1 the U.N. strengthens its 1996 Habitat Agenda by creating a full-fledged U.N. program. On Jan. 1 Nancy Sonnenfeld, wife of Kurt Sonnenfeld (1963-), a videographer for the U.S. Federal Emergency Mgt. Agency (FEMA), who took footage of the ruins of the WTC in 2001 is shot to death in Congress Park, Colo.; he is charged with her murder, then the charges are dismissed in June after a suicide note is found; too bad, after he moves to Argentina and releases a demo tape of Ground Zero to the press, he is arrested again on the allegation that jail inmates came forward claiming he confessed in jail, causing him to seek asylum in Argentina, bcoming a poster boy for conspiracy theorists after he claims the U.S. govt. is framing him because he has video evidence that they knew in advance about 9/11 and took precautions to preserve "certain things that the authorities there considered irreplaceable or invaluable... For example, certain things were missing that could only have been removed with a truck. Yet after the first plane hit... everything in Manhattan collapsed and no one could have gotten near the towers to do that." On Jan. 2 Eduardo Alberto Duhalde (1941-) (whose portrait bears a striking resemblance to actor Joe Pesci (1943-)?) becomes pres. #53 of Argentina (until May 25, 2003). On Jan. 2 Levy Patrick Mwanawasa (1948-2008), hand-picked successor of Frederick Chiluba is sworn-in as pres. #3 of Zambia (until Aug. 19, 2008) among allegations of fraud, but in June he accuses his former boss of stealing millions while in office, and gets him arrested and charged next Feb.; meanwhile, despite looming famine he refuses to accept food donations, calling them "poison" - me wanna watch ya white honkeys? On Jan. 3 the Israelis capture Karine-A, a Palestine Authority-owned freighter loaded with 50 tons of weapons incl. rockets in the Red Sea; after Yasser Arafat lies to Pres. Bush that he had nothing to do with it, and is found out, Bush refuses to have anything to do with him again? On Jan. 11 the U.S. begins putting Taliban and Al-Qaida prisoners in a special maximum security prison in Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo), Cuba (until ?). On Jan. 15 Britain is declared free of hoof and mouth disease after 10M head of livestock have been destroyed. On Jan. 15 11-term U.S. Rep. (D-Calif.) (since June 2, 1987) Nancy Patricia Pelosi (nee D'Alesandro) (1940-) from San Francisco, Calif. becomes the first woman to lead a major party in Congress after being elected as the House minority whip (until Jan. 3, 2003); her father Thomas Ludwig John D'Alesandro Jr. (1903-87) was a Md. rep. for 10 years (1939-47), and 3-term mayor #39 of Baltimore (1947-59). On Jan. 16 a graduate student kills a dean, a prof. and a student at the Appalachian School of Law in Va. On Jan. 17 Warwick, R.I.-born U.S. fighter pilot (guaranteed future gen.) col. Martha Elizabeth McSally (196-), the first U.S. woman to fly in combat since the 1991 lifting of prohibitions sues the U.S. Defense Dept. for making her dress in degrading Muslim garb when off-duty in Saudi Arabia; too bad, after failing to make gen., she retires on May 6, 2010, and becomes a U.S. Repub. rep. from Ariz. on Jan. 3, 2015 (until ?). On Jan. 18 Israel confines Yasser Arafat to a Ramallah office complex, like a rat in a cage. On Jan. 18 defrocked priest John J. Geoghan (1935-2003), after being accused of sex abuse by 130+ people in his 30-year career is convicted of child molestation for grabbing a 10-y.-o. boy's butt in a swimming pool, and the Church's role in the coverup causes nat. outrage in the U.S., and leads to the fall of Boston archbishop Bernard Cardinal Law; on Aug. 23, 2003 Geoghan is stomped and strangled to death in his cell by white supremacist Joseph Druce and another inmate; Druce was given life without parole earlier for killing a man for making a sexual pass at him - good choice of cellmates? On Jan. 23 U.S. Wall Street Journal reporter (a Jew) Daniel Pearl (b. 1963) is kidnapped in Karachi, Pakistan, then confirmed dead in Pakistan on Feb. 21 (killed on Feb. 1, and found in a shallow grave cut into 10 pieces) after a massive manhunt by Pakistan authorities is sparked by the personal intervention of U.S. secy. of state Colin Powell; four Islamic militants are later convicted; suspected 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (1964-) is not charged, but on Mar. 10, 2007 he boasts of beheading the Zionist Mossad-CIA spy at a military hearing in Guantanamo Bay, uttering the soundbyte: "I decapitated with my blessed right hand the head of the American Jew Daniel Pearl in the city of Karachi, Pakistan... There are pictures of me on the Internet holding his head"; he then spoils the juicy confession by claiming credit for 30 other attacks and plots, some of which never occurred; a grisly video showing Khalid saving himself by using a knife on an infidel is uploaded to the Internet to show the wonderful work Islam is doing for the butcher profession?; the FBI tries unsuccessfully to get the video banned from the Internet, just making it more popular? On Jan. 24 Kenneth L. Lay, chmn of the bankrupt Enron Corp. resigns after the the co. comes under federal investigation for financial hanky-panky. On Jan. 25 White House counsel Alberto Gonzales signs a memorandum which states that the "new paradigm" of the new war on terror "renders obsolete" the Geneva Conventions' "strict limitations on questioning of enemy prisoners and renders quaint some of its provisions". On Jan. 27 the first known female suicide bomber in the Middle East kills one and wounds 150 in Jerusalem in a long string of Palestinian suicide bombings going on this year. On Jan. 29 (9:15 p.m.) Pres Bush delivers his first 2002 State of the Union Address, addressing the effects of the 9/11 attacks and his plans to prevent future attacks, calling Iran, Iraq, and North Korea the "Axis of Evil", using the term "weapons of mass destruction" (WMD), and saying that the war on terrorism is "just beginning". On Jan. 30 Japan closes its last coal mine, and begins importing coal (until ?). On Jan. 31 the Larsen B Ice Shelf in the Antarctic begins disintegrating, eventually collapsing into the Weddell Sea, becoming the largest series of Larsen Ice Shelf losses in decades. In Jan. a high-level intel assessment by the Bush admin. concludes that the sale of uranium from Niger to Iraq was "unlikely" because of a host of obstacles; this report doesn't stop Pres. Bush from claiming that it happened in his 2003 State of the Union Address. In Jan. Philip Morris changes its stinking name to the less recognizable Altira after the investment co. Altira Group unsuccessfully sues them - alternate irritant? In Jan. Operation Gibraltar to uncover an al-Qaida plot in Morocco to attack NATO warships in Gibraltar results in several arrests. On Feb. 3 (after NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue cancels a week's slate of games after 9/11, pushing the season back) Super Bowl XXXVI (36) is held in New Orleans, La.; the halftime show features U2; the underdog New England Patriots (AFC) (coach Bill Belichick) defeat the St. Louis Rams (NFC) (coach Mike Martz) (QB Kurt Warner) by 20-17 for their first SB title, capped by a 48-yard field goal by 6'0" Adam Matthew "Mr. Clutch" Vinatieri (1972-) (#4) as time expires; 2nd-year Patriots QB (#12) (6th round draft pick, who replaced Drew Bledsoe after an injury) Thomas Edward "Tom Terrific" Brady Jr. (1977-) is MVP. On Feb. 3 a video tape is released showing popular 35-y.-o. black R&B singer R. (Robert Sylvester) Kelly (1967-) having sex with a 14-y.-o. daughter of an associate and urinating on her, causing him to be indicted on 21 counts of child porno; his atty. files 20 motions to delay the trial, which begins on May 9, 2007, and results in acquittal on June 13, 2008. On Feb. 4 Father Jose Mantero becomes the first gay priest to come out in Spain - don't hand me the host until you wash your fingers? On Feb. 6 Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her 50th anniv. as monarch of Great Britain - and she'll never let funny-ears get it? On Feb. 12 the trial of Slobodan Milosevic on charges of crimes against humanity opens at The Hague. On Feb. 12 an Iran Airtour Tu-154 crashes in the mountains of W Iran near Khorramabad, killing all 119 aboard; on Sept. 1, 2006 another of their planes crashes in Mashhad in NE Iran, killing 29 of 148 aboard. On Feb. 13 mixed-up Am. Muslim John Walker Lindh is charged with supporting terrorism. On Feb. 14 the emirate of Bahrain becomes a kingdom, with emir (since Mar. 6, 1999) Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (1950-) as king #1 (until ?). On Feb. 20 a gas cooking cylinder explodes on a crowded passenger train near Ayyat, Egypt, killing 361, becoming Egypt's worst train disaster (until ?). On Feb. 22 Angolan Christian rebel leader and founder of UNITA, Dr. Jonas Mahleiro Savimbi (1934-) is assassinated by govt. forces. On Feb. 22 the Sri Lankan govt. and the Tamil Tigers sign a ceasefire agreement. On Feb. 26 Saudi crown prince Abdullah (1924-) offers full normalization with all Arab nations if Israel will withdraw completely from the West Bank and Gaza; Pres. Bush welcomes the offer; the Arab League approves the plan on Mar. 28. On Feb. 26 masked Muslim gunmen attack the Shiite Shah-i-Najaf Mosque in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, killing 11. On Feb. 27 the U.K. approves human cloning - after all, they already cloned Paul McCartney? On Feb. 28 Indian Muslim extremists set fire to a train of Hindus near Godhra returning from the Ayodhya holy site, where a Muslim mosque had been destroyed by Hindu extremists in 1992 in order to build a Hindu temple, killing 58; by Mar. 3 three days of Hindu-Muslim violence leave 400 dead in W India's Gujarat state, the home state of nonviolence advocate Mahatma Gandhi. In Feb. the investment banking co. of Lehman Brothers in New York City reinstates "business-appropriate" clothing; casual wear continues to be prevalent in the U.S. workplace, but men start to abandon the "dot-bomb" image of relaxed dress. In Feb. the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (originally the U.S. Global Change Research Program) is established under the U.S. Global Change Research Act of 1990 to coordinate and integrate research on global warming, issuing 21 Synthesis and Assessment Products (SAPs), along with three Nat. Climate Assessment Reports starting in 2000, followed by 2009 and 2014. On Mar. 2 Operation Anaconda, designed to mop-up remaining Taliban forces in E Afghanistan is launched, killing 500 of 1K Taliban fighters, and later declared a success by U.S. officials. On Mar. 3 Switzerland finally votes to join the U.N., becoming member #191: in June it follows with an overwhelming vote to end their 66-y.-o. Roman Catholic-inspired anti-abortion law. On Mar. 6 the Monica Lewinsky case against ex-pres. Clinton is dropped by independent counsel Robert William Ray (1960-) - who blew it? On Mar. 10 relatives of strongman Gen. Ne Win are accused of plotting to overthrow the govt. of Burma and sacked; "illegal use of a modem" is punishable by 15 years in prison in this after-shave country. On Mar. 12 the crime drama series The Shield debuts on FX Network for 88 episodes (until Nov. 25, 2008), based on the 1990s LAPD Rampart CRASH Scandal, set in the Farmington district of LA ("The Farm), where a converted church called "the Barn" is used as the HQ of the corrupt 4-man anti-gang Strike Team, led by Vic Mackey, played by bald actor Michael Charles Chiklis (1963-); its success attracts film stars Glenn Close (season 4) and Forest Whitaker (seasons 5-6). On Mar. 13 Pres. Robert Mugabwe wins reelection in Zimbabwe over challenger Morgan Richard Tsvangirai in a rigged election. On Mar. 13 Pres. Bush utters the soundbyte "I don't know where Osama is, I really don't care, it's not that important, it's not our priority." On Mar. 13 (Wed.) Court TV airs its first original movie Guilt by Association, starring Mercedes Ruehl, about the injustice of the U.S. mandatory minimum sentencing laws. On Mar. 14 the accounting firm of Arthur Andersen is indicted on a single count of obstruction of justice in the destruction of documents related to the Enron case; it is convicted on June 15. On Mar. 17 two Lashkar-e-Jhangvi members bomb the Internat. Protestant Church in Islamabad, Pakistan during a church service, killing five and injuring 40. On Mar. 21 Pope John Paul II sends a letter to priests lamenting the pedophile sex scandals stinking up the Church's name around the world; on Apr. 15 he summons U.S. Catholic bishops to Rome to discuss the problem of priestly pedophilia - pass the latest issue of Playchoirboy? On Mar. 21 Calif. atty. Marjorie Knoller is found guilty of implied-malice second-degree murder in the Jan. 26, 2001 mauling death of college lacrosse coach Diane Alexis Whipple (1968-2001) in San Francisco, Calif. by her two big Presa Canario dogs, becoming an unprecedented verdict; she was present during the attack, while her atty. hubby Robert Noel wasn't; the dogs were owned by imprisoned Aryan Brotherhood leader Paul Schneider, adding implied malice to the prosecution?; on June 17 an appeals judge reduces the conviction to manslaughter. On Mar. 24 the 74th Academy Awards in Los Angeles are hosted by Whoopi Goldberg (2nd time), who opens dressed in feathers and dangling from the roof of the Kodiak Theatre on a gold swing; 248 films are eligible for consideration; the best picture Oscar for 2001 goes to A Beautiful Mind (starring the previous year's best actor winner Russell Crowe), along with best dir. to Ron Howard, and best supporting actress to Jennifer Connelly; Denzel Washington (1954-) and Halle Berry (1966-) make Oscar history by becoming the first African-Ams. to win simultaneous best actor and actress awards for Training Day and Monster's Ball, respectively; Berry becomes the first African-Am. best actress winner (until ?), and knows it, breaking the 45-sec. speech limit, going for over 4 min.; best supporting actor goes to Jim Broadbent for Iris; a new category, best animated feature is added, won by Shrek; efforts to lobby-in a best stunt coordinator award are still ineffective. On Mar. 25 a 6.1 earthquake in the Hindu Kush in Afghanistan kills 1K and leaves several thousand homeless; it was secretly caused by the U.S. using earthquake weapon technology? On Mar. 27 the U.S. McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 prohibits nat. political parties in the U.S. from accepting "soft money" (large, unlimited contributions), and raises the amount of "hard money" that individuals can contribute directly to federal candidates from $1K to $2K; the bill had been blocked in Congress in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2001; on June 26, 2008 the U.S. Supreme Court by 5-4 strikes down the Millionaire Amendment. On Mar. 27 the Passover Massacre suicide bombing at the Park Hotel in Netanya, Israel by Hamas kills 30 and injures 140 Israeli civilians; on Mar. 28 after New York Times journalist (Jewish) Thomas Friedman (1953-) meets with Saudi crown pince Abdullah in Feb. and urges him to make peace, the 2002 Arab League Summit is held in Beirut, Lebanon; it is not attended by PLO leader Yasser Arafat because the Israelis keep him under house arrest in Ramallah; the Arab (Saudi) Peace Initiative is proposed, calling for normalizing relations between the Arab world and Israel after a complete withdrawal from the occupied territories incl. East Jerusalem, and a "just settlement" of the Palestinian refugee problem based on U.N. Resolution 194; too bad, Israeli PM Ariel Sharon calls it a "non-starter" because it would replace U.N. Resolutions 242 and 338, which call for bilateral negotiations, and the Palestinian Authority is split, and it hangs in the air until ?; on Mar. 29 never-forgiving Israel mounts Operation Defensive Wall (Shield) in the West Bank (ends May 3), arresting Palestinian leaders and imprisoning Yasser Arafat (whom they declare an enemy) in his Mukata Compound in Ramallah; an atrocity is alleged at the Jenin refugee camp; militants take over the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem; Arafat is released; meanwhile between Mar. 29 and Apr. 21 14 Muslim suicide bombers kill dozens of Israeli civilians and wound hundreds more; on Apr. 14 Marwan Barghouti is arrested for terrorism and murder, protesting his innocence and claiming that Israeli courts have no jurisdiction, and is convicted on May 20, 2004 of three terrorist attacks that killed five, receiving five life sentences plus 40 years, after which there are internat. calls for his release. In Mar. the All Dulles Area Muslim Society in Herndon, Va. is raided by federal agents, who find the "Grove Street Addresses" of 100 interlocking Muslim orgs. that they accuse of providing material support for terrorism; after the raid, the mosque's imam Mohammed Magid hosts a community meeting attended by extremists, which doesn't get him banned but actually invited to speak at Ronald Reagan's 2004 funeral; he later is pushed as an example of moderate Islam by the Obama admin. In Mar. the Davis-Besse Nuclear Reactor in Ohio comes close to a catastrophic meltdown due to corrosion problems; 430 nuclear reactors around the world supply about 16% of world electricity. In Mar. Pres. Bush asks Oprah Winfrey to head a delegation of feminists to Afghanistan to help women reenter society; she declines, citing her show schedule, causing the delegation to be cancelled. On Apr. 1 after becoming the first country to legalize same-sex marriage (2000), the Netherlands becomes the world's first country to legalize euthanasia; on May 16 Belgium becomes #2. On Apr. 2 Israel PM Arien Sharon calls for the exile of Yaser Arafat. On Apr. 2-May 10 the Siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem sees Israeli defense forces siege dozens of Palestinian militants after occupying Bethlehem as part of Operation Defensive Shield who hold the 200 monks hostage, finally giving up and being deported to the Gaza Strip and Europe. On Apr. 4 the Angolan govt. and UNITA rebels sign a ceasefire, ending 30 years of civil war. On Apr. 4 the FBI gives a judge a document which reveals "many connections" between a Saudi family and "individuals associated with the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001", who own a house in Sarasota, Fla. visited by the hijackers, then gets it classified for nat. security reasons until 2013. On Apr. 11 the Internat. Criminal Court (ICC), created by the Rome Treaty of 1998 wins U.N. ratification, with the U.S. refusing to go along; on July 1 it opens its doors in The Hague to hear cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide; it only prosecutes Africans until ? On Apr. 11 a suicide bomber blallahs (detonates) a truck at a crowded synagogue on the island of Djerba, Tunisia, killing 18; the first terrorist attack since 9/11? On Apr. 12 Venezuelan pres. Hugo Chavez resigns after violent protests, and is succeeded by Pedro Carmona Estanga (1941-), but returns to power on Apr. 14. On Apr. 14 the world was supposed to end one-half second before midnight (Israel time), according to prophet Mike Keller. On Apr. 15 (Mon.) a Nat. Solidarity Rally for Israel is held in Washington, D.C., organized by Jewish leader Malcolm Hoenlein (1942-), and attended by thousands; Elie Wiesel utters the soundbyte: "There is no sacred cause that justifies suicide bombings." On Apr. 15 an Air China 767 crashes in a residential area near the airport in Pusan, South Korea in dense fog, killing 128 of 155 passengers and 11 crew. On Apr. 16 the U.S. Supreme Court by 6-3 rules that the 1996 U.S. Child Pornography Prevention Act is too broad, striking down two provisions and permitting computer-generated simulation of child sex by real adults or fictional children, with Anthony M. Kennedy writing the soundbyte: "Congress may pass valid laws to protect children from abuse, and it has. The prospect of crime, however, by itself does not justify laws suppressing protected speech"; the stark differences in philosophies between liberals and conservatives over victimless crime laws are laid bare with this as well as their revulsion at burning replicas of govt. flags owned by private citizens? On Apr. 17 two U.S. pilot drop a 500 lb. bomb near Kandahar, Afghanistan where Canadians are conducting a live fire exercise, killing four, becoming the first friendly fire deaths of Canadians in Afghanistan. On Apr. 18 the British High Court allows pharmacies to dispense the morning-after pill without a doctor's prescription. On Apr. 23 the "last year of the dark cycle, a time of returning negative karma" ends according to Elizabeth Clare Prophet. On Apr. 25 Russia launches Soyuz TM-34, carrying cosmonauts Yuri Pavlovich Gidzenko (1962-), Roberto Vittori (1964-) of Italy, and white South African software millionaire Mark Richard Shuttleworth (1973-), who becomes the 2nd space tourist and 1st (white) African in space after he pays $20M for the privilege; on Oct. 30 Soyuz TMA-1 blasts off, carrying cosmonauts Sergei Viktorovich Zalyotin (1962-), Frank, Viscount De Winne (1961-) of Belgium (2nd Belgian in space), and Yuri Valentinovich Lonchakov (1965-); Soyuz TM-34 returns on Nov. 10 with Sergei Zalyotin, Frank De Winne, and Yuri Lonchakov; Soyuz TMA-1 returns next May 4 with Mikolai Budarin, Kenneth Bowersox, and Donald Pettit. On Apr. 26 Mexican-born Boston archbishop (since 1984) Cardinal Bernard Francis Law (1931-), under pressure to resign over the sexual abuse scandal rocking the U.S. Roman Catholic Church, reports that he is taking a position at the Vatican in June so he can avoid giving a deposition in a lawsuit against his archdiocese; on Dec. 13 he resigns; Law's aide Sister Catherine E. Mulkerrin (1936-2008) is instrumental in exposing the abuse- the more the Church changes, the more it says the same? It's April again, and the school rage shooters are back? On Apr. 26 19-y.-o. Robert Steinhauser (Steinhäuser) (b. 1982) shoots and kills 13 teachers, two students and a policeman before killing himself at the Gutenberg Gymnasium in Erfurt, Germany. On Apr. 29 U.S. Pres. Bush and Vice-pres. Cheney meet with the Sept. 11 Commission behind closed doors - ? In Apr. Dutch PM Wim Kok resigns after a report is released concluding that Dutch U.N. troops failed to prevent a massacre of Bosnian Muslims by Bosnian Serbs in a U.N. safe haven near Srebrenica in 1995, saying "The internat. community is big and anonymous. We are taking the consequences of the internat. community's failure in Srebrenica". In Apr. U.S. gen. Tommy Franks flies into Britain for top secret talks about an invasion of Iraq with defense secy. (1999-2005) Geoffrey William "Geoff" Hoon (1953-) 11 mo. before the real invasion, which doesn't become public until Oct. 2010. On May 5 tainted right-wing French pres. (since May 17, 1995) Jacques Rene Chirac (1932-) wins reelection in a landslide victory over far-right candidate Marion Anne Perrine "Marine" Le Pen (1968-) in France; the winning election slogan: "Vote for the Crook, not the Fascist"; Chirac survives an assassination attempt by far-right wannabe-Jackal student Maxime Brunerie on July 14 at the Paris Bastille Day Parade, who shoots at him; meanwhile his wife (since 1956) Bernadette Therese Marie Chirac (1933-) keeps asking her playboy hubby's chaffeur, "Where is he tonight?" On May 6 gay anti-Islamic anti-immigration right-wing populist Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn (b. 1948) is assassinated by animal rights activist Volkert van der Graaf nine days before nat. elections in which he was expected to lead one of the country's largest parties, becoming the first assassination in the Netherlands since 1672; Volkert is sentenced to 18 years in prison; on May 16 the Christian Dems. return to power in the Netherlands, with Jan Pieter (Peter) Balkenende Jr. (1956-) becoming PM on July 22 (until Oct. 14, 2010) and forming a coalition with Fortuyn's party and going on to form four cabinets. On May 6 Burmese dem. leader Aunt, er, Aung San Suu Kyi (1945-) is released from house arrest after 19 mo. by the repressive military-run govt. On May 6 fervent Christian Marc Ravalomanana (1949-) becomes pres. #4 of Madagascar (until ?). On May 7 a China Northern MD82 en route from Beijing crashes 20km (12.5 mi.) off the coast of Dalian, China, killing all 103 passengers and nine crew. On May 7 Muslim religious scholar Ghulam Murtaza Malik is killed along with his driver and a policeman in Iqbal, Lahore by two gunmen. On May 8 Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Puerto Rican descent Muslim convert Jose Padilla (Abdullah al-Muhajir) (1970-) is arrested in Chicago, Ill. and tdeclared an illegal enemy combatant on June 9 by Pres. Bush for allegedly aiding a radioactive dirty bomb attack on the U.S.; after pressure from civil liberties groups, that charge is dropped and he is transferred to a Miami, Fla. jail on criminal conspiracy charges; he is found guilty on Aug. 16, 2007 by a federal jury, then sentenced on Jan. 22, 2008 to 208 mo. (17 years 4 mo.) in priz, which is increased to 21 years. On May 9 the U.S. Dept. of Education reveals that more than half of U.S. high school seniors do not even have a basic grasp of their own country's history - somebody ought to write a better textbook? On May 10 UPS columnist Georgie Anne Geyer (1935-) pub. a column in the Chicago Tribune titled "Now Isn't the Time for Bush League Movies", claiming that Israeli PM Ariel Sharon told his cabinet "I control America", which is later proved to come from Palestinian press but otherwise unconfirmed, causing a CT retraction. On May 13 the U.S. and Russia sign a landmark START III Agreement to cut their nuclear arsenals by up to two-thirds over the next 10 years. On May 13 the presidents of Russia and Kazakhstan sign an agreement dividing three major Caspian Sea oil and natural gas fields. In May Mohammad Zahir Shah (1914-), former Pashtun king of Afghanistan who abdicated in 1973 returns from exile; meanwhile U.S.-backed interim leader Hamid Karzai (also a Pashtun) gains popular support, plus grudging acceptance from former Northern Alliance leaders, who are Tajik. On May 19 Ahmad Tejan Kabbah wins reelection as pres. of Sierra Leone in a landslide over Ernest Karoma. On May 20 East Timor (modern-day pop. 1.1M) gains independence from Indonesia, becoming a brand new nation; on May 23 the U.N. Security Council adopts Resolution 1414 without vote to admit East Timor. On May 20-30 U.S. treasury secy. Paul O'Neill and U2 singer Bono visit Africa together to tsk tsk about all the problems. On May 21 Australian scientists announce the first biologically-engineered instant wheat that doesn't have to be milled before being eaten. On May 21 Kashmiri leader Abdul Ghani Lone is assassinated. On May 21 FBI atty. Coleen Rowley writes a letter to the FBI dir. criticizing the FBI for thwarting anti-terrorist efforts. On May 25 a China Airlines Boeing 747 crashes into the Taiwan Strait, killing 225. On May 25 a train accident in Muama, Mozambique kills 192 and injures dozens. On May 26 Harvard-educated law-and-order candidate Alvaro Uribe Velez (1952-) is elected, and on Aug. 7 he is sworn-in as pres. #39 of Colombia (until Aug. 7, 2010); on leaving office he becomes vice-chmn. fo the U.N. panel investigating the Gaza Freedom Flotilla raid. On May 28 Russia does the formerly unthinkable and officially becomes NATO's ally as a "junior partner". In May U. of Wisc. student Lucas John "Luke" Helder (1981-) decides to plant pipe bombs in mailboxes across the U.S. in a smiley face shape, planting 18 bombs over 3.2K mi. in his black Honda Accord while wearing a Kurt Cobain t-shirt until he is caught; six are injured in in Neb., Colo., Tex., Ill., and Iowa; in Apr. 2004 he is found incompetent to stand trial and incarcerated in the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, Minn. In May Rosie O'Donnell gives up her daytime TV show (begun 1996), announcing that she's a lesbian and wants time to raise four children with her lez partner Kelli Carpenter - if you can imagine it, they'll create a TV show for it? On June 2 The Wire debuts on HBO for 60 episodes (until Mar. 9, 2008), created by police reporter David Simon and set in Baltimore, Md., portraying the drug scene through the eyes of the drug dealers and law enforcement, using unknown mainly black actors and real-life Baltimore figures for realism. On June 8 after winning elections handily, Amadou Toumani Toure (Touré) (1948-) becomes pres. of Mali (until Mar. 22, 2012). On June 8-July 2 the Hayman Fire devastates parts of the Colo. Front Range, destroying 138K acres, incl. 133 homes and 466 bldgs., and causing 8K to be evacuated; it misses Denver but fills the sky with smoke; U.S. Forest Service worker Terry Lynn Barton (1964-) is later convicted and spends six years in federal prison in Ft. Worth, Tex., claiming she was burning papers outlining a separation agreement with her ex in a campground fire ring and it sparked out of control. On June 11 ex-Beatle Paul McCartney (b. 1942) marries Heather Anne Mills (1968-) (an anti-mine vegetarian activist who lost part of her left leg in 1993 after being hit by a police motorbike) at Castle Leslie in Glaslough, Ireland; they separate on May 17, 2006, then divorce on Feb. 18, 2008. On June 11 (Tue.) American Idol, based on the British show "Pop Idol" debuts on Fox-TV for 555 episodes (until Apr. 7, 2016), going on to save sagging pop music sales and generate megabucks for its founders Simon Fuller (1960-) and Simon Philip Cowell (1959-); judges incl. Paula Julie Abdul (1962-) and Randy Darius Jackson (1956-); Ryan John Seacrest (1974-) becomes host in 2002; all the marketable stars are women until ?. On June 13 interim leader Hamid Karzai is elected pres. of Afghanistan (until ?). On June 13 the U.S. abandons its 31-y.-o. ABM treaty. On June 14 a Nat. Conference of U.S. Bishops recommends zero tolerance for priests who abuse children; on Oct. 18 the Vatican calls for them to soften their hard, sticky stand. On June 15 the Social Dems. retain power in the Czech Repub., and on July 15 Vladimir Spidla becomes PM of Czech. Repub. (untl Aug. 4, 2004). On June 15 Hollywood actors Charlie Sheen (1965-) and Denise Richards (1971-) marry; in Mar. 2005 after having son Sam J Sheen (2004-) she files for divorce while pregnant with his child Lola Rose Sheen (2005-), claiming he's still hot for hookers, then lures Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi away from Heather Locklear. One June 16 Israel is begun of the Fence, a 217-mile-long barrier between Israel and the West Bank. On June 20 the U.S. Supreme (Rehnquist) Court rules 6-3 in Atkins v. Va. that the U.S. Constitution bars the execution of mentally retarded (intellectually disabled) offenders, but permits states to define who is and is not intellectually disabled; Justice Antonin Scalia dissents, writing that it would not have been considered cruel and unusual punishment to execute a midly mentally retarded convict in 1791, and that the Court had failed to find any nat. consensus against the practice. On June 21-23 the first Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is held in Manchester, Tenn. On June 24 the first sperm bank for lesbians is launched in the U.K. - baggies, not bags? On June 24 Pres. Bush delivers his Speech on the Israeli-Palestinian Settlement, calling for a democratic Palestinian state run by new leadership, anybody but Yasser Arafat, but only after they abandon terror and implement democratic reforms, causing First Lady Barbara Bush to refer to her hubby as the "first Jewish president"; it incl. the soundbyte: "It is untenable for Israeli citizens to live in terror. It is untenable for Palestinians to live in squalor and occupation. And the current situation offers no prospect that life will improve. Israeli citizens will continue to be victimized by terrorists, and so Israel will continue to defend herself. In the situation the Palestinian people will grow more and more miserable. My vision is two states, living side by side in peace and security. There is simply no way to achieve that peace until all parties fight terror. Yet, at this critical moment, if all parties will break with the past and set out on a new path, we can overcome the darkness with the light of hope. Peace requires a new and different Palestinian leadership, so that a Palestinian state can be born." On June 24 a train accident near Msagali, Tanzania kills 200. On June 26 a U.S. appeals court shocks the nation with a ruling that the Pledge of Allegiance cannot be recited in public schools because it contains the phrase "one nation under God". On June 27 former Pres. Clinton receives a multicolored bracelet as a gift from Colombian children, and vows to never take it off, to remind him "that the oldest democracy in Latin America now has 35% of its land under the control of narco-traffickers and terrorists"; during his Sept. 2004 heart surgery, doctors tape over it. On June 27 the U.S. Supreme (Rehnquist) Court rules 5-4 in Board of Education v. Earls that public schools may engage in random mandatory drug testing for students participating in extracurricular activities, extending the ruling in Vernonia School District 47J v. Acton (1995). On June 27 the U.S. Supreme (Rehnquist) Court rules 5-4 in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris that school tuition vouchers do not violate the Establishment Clause. In June Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio is fired, and Dick Notebaert (1948-) replaces him (until June, 2007), changing the slogan from "Ride the Light" to "Spirit of Service", and releasing it from bankruptcy, cutting its $26B debt in half. This summer is marked by extreme weather worldwide, incl. floods in Europe and Asia, and a widespread drought in the U.S., sparking massive wildfires in the Am. West; a week-long flood in Tex. causes Canyon Lake to spill over into the Guadalupe Valley, carving a new canyon in three days - giving Creationists a magic moment? On July 1 a Russian passenger airliner collides over S Germany with a Boeing 757 cargo plane, killing all 71 aboard both planes. On July 4 Egyptian-Am. Muslim limo driver Hesham Mohamed Hadayet (b. 1961) opens fire on two Israelis at an El Al ticket counter at LAX, killing them and wounding four others before a security guard kills him; the U.S. concludes that he did it to influence U.S. govt. policy in favor of the Palestinians, making him a terrorist. On July 5 Beantown's "Splendid Splinter" Ted Williams (b. 1918) dies; later it is revealed that his body was sent by his relatives to Alcor for cryonics storage. On July 9 the African Union (AU) (UA) is established as a successor to the Org. of African Unity (OAU), with 53 African member states incl. Libya; the HQ is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In July an Iranian court gives Mohammed Khordadian a 10-year suspended prison sentence for dancing in public in Calif., and giving Iranian traditional dance lessons; the charge is "enticing and inciting the nation's youth to corruption"; TV footage had been sent to Iran, and his videos had been sold there. On July 10 the U.S. Congress votes to arm airline pilots. On July 20 Alex Sanchez becomes the first Mexican illegal immigrant granted political asylum in the U.S., after which he founds Homies Unidos to work to prevent violence in Latin Am. gangs; too bad, in June 2009 Sanchez is indicted on federal RICO charges after they accuse him of using the group as a cover, causing Latino groups to call it a frameup and govt. repression of pro-immigrant activists. On July 12 Pres. Bush announces the first U.S. budget deficit in four years. On July 12 Andy Breckman's comedy-drama mystery series Monk debuts on USA Network for 125 episodes (until Dec. 4, 2009), starring Anthony Marcus "Tony" Shaloub (1953-) as OCD-suffering ex-cop detective Adrian Monk in San Francisco, Calif., and ("Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs") Frank Theodore "Ted" Levine (1957-) as Capt. Leland Stottlemeyer; in seasons 1-3 Elizabeth Natalie "Bitty" Schram (1968-) plays Monk's asst. Sharona Fleming, followed by Traylor Elizabeth Howard (1966-) as Sharon Carter. On July 15 John Walker Lindh pleads guilty to avoid a death sentence. On July 16 the IRA issues an apology to the families of civilians killed during 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland. On July 21 WorldCom files the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history, declaring assets of $107B; on July 31 WorldCom execs Scott D. Sullivan (1962-) and David Myers (1958-) are charged with fraud for overstating revenue by $3.8B; on Mar. 15, 2005 CEO Bernard John "Bernie" Ebbers (1941-) is found guilty of orchestrating a record $11B fraud; Sullivan gets 5 years, and Myers gets a year and a day. On July 22 Denver, Colo.-born Muslim convert Earnest James Ujaama (James Thompson) (1966-) of Seattle, Wash. is arrested at his grandmother's home in Denver, Colo.; in Apr. 2003 he pleads guilty to conspiring to deliver computer software and cash to Taliban officials in Afghanistan, and receives two years in prison; he allegedly wanted to establish a terrorist training camp on a ranch near Bly, Oregon. On July 24 the U.N. Security Council adopts Resolution 1426 without vote to admit Switzerland. On July 25 after a July 10 speech by Pres. Bush on corporate malfeasance, Congress passes the U.S. Corporate Responsibility Act, defining stiff penalties for corporate execs who commit fraud; on July 30 Pres. Bush sign the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act, requiring CEOs to personally certify their books, with a possible criminal penalty of 20 years in prison - that'll stop the problem, right Bernie Madoff? On July 27 Canadian-born Pakistani descent Muslim Omar Ahmed Khadr (1986-) is captured after a 4-hour firefight in Ayub Kheyl, Afghanistan after killing U.S. soldiers, becoming the youngest inmate at Gitmo, and getting latched onto by the U.N. and Western liberals as a child soldier, resulting in the Obama admin. accepting a plea bargain in Oct. 2010 that lets him walk in as little as a year. On July 28 nine coal miners trapped in the flooded Quecreek Mine in Somerset, Penn. are rescued after 77 hours underground. On July 30 Rwanda and Congo end their 4-y.-o. African World War (begun 1998) that involved the armies of six nations, after 2.5M are killed; Rwanda promises to withdraw its 35K troops from the Congolese border, and Congo agrees to disarm thousands of Hutu militiamen. On July 31 in Mexico City Pope John Paul II canonizes St. Juan Diego (1474-1548), the Church's first Indian saint. In July Luis Grass Rodriguez attempts to reach Fla. in a seagoing 1951 Chevy pickup, but is sent back to Cuba; he tries again next Feb. On Aug. 2 Taiwan Pres. Chen Shui-bian says that his country is separate from China, despite the latter's insistence that it will never be independent from the mainland. On Aug. 4 millionaire former pres. Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada (1930-) again becomes pres. of poor landlocked Bolivia (until 2003). On Aug. 6 U.S. security experts speak at a panel hosted by the Nixon Center and the Center for Immigration studies, and claim that the millions of illegal Mexican aliens in the U.S. endanger nat. security by creating a demand for false ID documents and smuggling networks that could potentially assist terrorists. On Aug. 8 white farmers in Zimbabwe are ordered to leave their property so that dictator-pres. Robert Mugabwe can hand them to his black friends, who don't know how to run them, resulting in mass famine. On Aug. 9 Muslims throw a grenade into a chapel owned by a Christian hospital in Taxila in N Punjab (15 mi. W of Islamabad), Pakistan, killing four women, incl. two nurses and a paramedic, and wounding 25 men and women. On Aug. 9 Am. actor Charleston Heston announces that he is suffering from Alzheimer's and is retiring from public life; he dies in 2008 - Ben-Who? On Aug. 15 13 days after the Hollywood film Signs debuts in theaters the most elaborate crop circle yet is reported by Crabwood Farm House near Winchester, Hampshire, U.K., consisting of a picture of an extraterrestrial and what appears to be a CD-ROM with raised dots indicating "let's talk" type info.? On Aug. 15 thieves rob the Charles Dickens Museum in Bloomsbury in broad daylight, stealing first eds. of his work A Christmas Carol. On Aug. 17 a U.S. District Court rules that tobacco cos. can no longer use terms such as "low tar", "light", "ultra light", "mild" or "natural" beginning on Jan. 1, 2007. On Aug. 16 Palestinian terrorist (Fatah or Abu Nadal Org. founder) Abu Nidal (Sabri Khalil al-Banna) dies of 1-4 gunshot wounds, allegedly by suicide, but maybe by orders of Saddam Hussein. On Aug. 19 an Islamic appeal court in Nigeria approves a stoning sentence for Amina Lawal (1973-) for having extramarital sex, while the father of her child is not prosecuted, causing an internat. outcry, and several contestants to pull out of the Miss World beauty contest in Nigeria; on Sept. 23, 2003 her conviction is overturned after her lawyers argue that a 5-year interval between conception and pregnancy is possible. On Aug. 21 the cable TV Fine Living Network, owned by Scripps Network Interactive debuts (until May 31 2010), based in Los Angeles, Calif., moving in 2005 to Knoxville, Tenn. In Aug. an Iranian opposition group reveals the existence of an Iranian gas centrifuge uranium enrichment plant in Natanz, Iran; the Iranian govt. claims that they only want to build nuclear power plants over the next 20 years to give them 6GW of electric power. In Aug. a Muslim group in Denmark puts out a $30K bounty for the murder of several prominent Danish Jews; Denmark has 200K Muslim immigrants and only 6K Jews. On Sept. 5 a car bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan kills 30 and wounds 167. On Sept. 8 U.S. nat. security adviser Condoleezza Rice (1954-) tells Wolf Blitzer: "There will always be some uncertainty about how quickly he [Saddam Hussein] can acquire nuclear weapons, but we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud"; on Sept. 10 she tells reporters that "We do know that [Saddam Hussein] is actively pursuing a nuclear weapon." On Sept. 9 scientifically-trained Driss Jettou (1945-) becomes PM of Morocco (until Sept. 19, 2007). On Sept. 11 the U.S. Congress meets in the restored Federal Hall in New York City to commemorate 9/11. On Sept. 12 Pres. Bush gives an Address to the U.N., hinting loudly that it's time for a regime change in Iraq. On Sept. 12 Tyco Internat. Corp. execs Leo Dennis Kozlowski (1946-) (CEO) and Mark H. Swartz (CFO) are indicted for a "cookie-jar reserve" stock fraud scheme. On Sept. 17 U.S. interior secy. Gale Norton is found guilty of four counts of civil contempt by a federal judge who held she committed "a fraud on the court" by withholding evidence in a dispute over trust accounts for Amerindians; she gets the ruling overturned on appeal. On Sept. 17 after an earlier version by Colin Powell's senior aide Richard Haass is rejected by Condoleezza Rice as not "bold" enough, U. of Va. prof. Philip D. Zelikow (1954-) releases Overview of U.S. Nat. Security Strategy Following 9/11; on Nov. 27 the Nat. Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission) is set up "to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks", incl. responses and preparedness, comprised of five Dems. and five Repubs., chaired by N.J. gov. Thomas Kean (ends Aug. 21, 2004); Zelikow is appointed exec dir., uttering the soundbyte "Why should Iraq attack America or use nuclear weapons against us? I'll tell you what I think the real threat (is) and actually has been since 1990 - it's the threat against Israel." On Sept. 19 a military coup in Ivory Coast by former pres. Gen. Robert Guei fails, and Guei is killed, but fighting continues until next July. On Sept. 20 Joss Whedon's space Western Firefly debuts on Fox-TV for 14 episodes (until Dec. 20), set in the year 2517 after the renegade crew of Firefly-class spaceship Serenity arrive in a new star system; "Nine people looking into the blackness of space and seeing nine different things"; filmed in 2005 as "Serenity". On Sept. 22 Gov. Gray Davis of Calif. signs the first state law in the U.S. backing stem cell research, which the Bush admin. placed federal funding restrictions on in 2001 after caving-in to the Roman Catholic Church and evangelicals. On Sept. 24-25 the Akshardham Temple Attack in Gandhinagar in Gujarat state in W India sees the temple stormed by heavily armed Islamic terrorists, killing 29 and wounding 79 of 600 devotees, incl. 1 policeman and 1 commando. On Sept. 25 Muslim gunmen attack the Christian Inst. for Peace and Justice welfare org. in Karachi, Pakistan, killing six and injuring four. On Sept. 26 the police procedural drama series Without a Trace debuts on CBS-TV for 160 episodes (until May 19, 2009), about the Missing Persons Unit (MPU) of the FBI in New York City, starring Australian actor Anthony M. LaPaglia (1959-) as Jack Malone, and Australian actress Poppy Montgomery (Poppy Petal Emma Elizabeth Deveraux Donahue) (1972-) as Samantha Spade. On Sept. 30 a dockworker strike on the W coast of the U.S. over possible replacement by robots begins, bringing back shades of the Luddities. In Sept. Pres. Bush announces the Bush Doctrine of pre-emption in support of democracy - his ancestor George Washington rolls over in his grave? In Sept. the 1.1K-mi. Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan Pipeline through oil-rich trillionaire Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey begins. In Sept. Pres. Bush's top economic adviser Lawrence B. Lindsey shocks the press with the revelation that the cost of the Iraq War might reach $200B, causing other aides to rebuke him and Bush to fire him 3 mo. later and replace him on Dec. 12 with Stephen Friedman (1937-); by 2006 the war actually costs over $300B? On Oct. 1 the U.S. Northern Command is established at Peterson Air Force Base in Colo. Springs, Colo. to set a min. std. for U.S. military bases, with security levels ranging from normal to alpha to delta, being initially set at alpha. On Oct. 2 French oil tanker Limburg is attacked by al-Qaida with an explosives-laden boat in the Gulf of Aden, killing one sailor and causing the ship to spill 100K barrels of oil, causing the main Yemen port of Aden to be avoided by internat. shipping for several mo. On Oct. 2 after preliminary shootings on Feb. 16-Sept. 26, the Beltway (D.C.) Snipers, Baltimore, Md.-born U.S. Army vet (Nation of Islam convert) John Allen Muhammad (1960-2009) and his Muslim-convert "son", Kingston-Jamaica-born Am. teenager Lee Boyd (John Lee) Malvo (1985-) begin terrorizing the U.S. East Coast from their blue 1990 Chevrolet Caprice sedan, finally being arrested on Oct. 24 at a W Md. rest stop after killing 17 and injuring 10 in gas stations and parking lots with sniper rifles as part of a jihad; on May 23, 2006 Malvo testifies in a 2nd trial in Rockville, Md. that Muhammad had plans to used the $10M federal govt. ransom to set up a Canadian terrorist training camp for 140 homeless black kids, and planned to kill six random people a day for 30 days and then kill kids and pigs, er, police with explosives in Baltimore, then blow up the funeral of the police officer(s); after the Oct. 9 shooting of Dean Myers in Manassas, Va., Muhammad gets upset that the quota is not being met?; Malvo is sentenced to six consecutive life sentences without parole, and Muhammad to death; on Nov. 10, 2009 Muhammad is executed by lethal injection at Greensville Correctional Center in Va. On Oct. 2 the anti-war group Code Pink: Women for Peace is founded by Jodie Evans (1954-), who goes on to introduce Barack Obama to the liberal Hollyweird community that provides seed money for his pres. run. On Oct. 3 the case of John M.J. Madey v. Duke U. is decided by the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, ending the 170-y.-o. practice of allowing scientists to freely borrow patented technologies for limited use in basic research not aimed at commercial use. On Oct. 6 British Conservative Party chair Theresa May gives a speech to a party conference in Bournemouth about rebuilding it. On Oct. 7 Pres. Bush requests the U.S. Senate to give him sweeping military authority to go after Sodamn Insane, saying "We know that Iraq and the al-Qaida terrorist network share a common enemy: the United States of America. We know that Iraq and al-Qaida have had high-level contacts that go back a decade"; he adds "We've learned that Iraq has trained al-Qaida members in bomb-making and poisons and deadly gasses.... Alliance with terrorists could allow the Iraqi regime to attack America without leaving any fingerprints." On Oct. 9 Vt. Sen. Bernie Sanders gives a Speech on Iraq on a nearly empty U.S. Senate floor, accurately predicting that a U.S. invasion "could be extremely expensive" and could result in "uninended consequences" incl. a civil war, takeover by Islamist extremists, and increased danger to Israel. On Oct. 9 after 12 years on death row, Rochester, Mich.-born Aileen Carol Wuornos (nee Pittman) (b. 1956), a prostitute who killed seven johns in 1989-90 and claimed self-defense becomes the 3rd woman to be executed in Fla., predicting that she will somehow come back?; filmed in 2003 as "Monster" starring Charlize Theron - the wuornos turns? On Oct. 9 the Dow Jones Industrial Avg. reaches its lowest point since 9/11, closing at 7,286.27, and trading as low as 7,181.47 the next day before beginning a slow climb back. On Oct. 10 U.S. Sen. (D-N.Y.) Hillary Clinton gives a speech on the Senate floor, with the soundbyte: "In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists incl. Al Qaeda members, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons. Should he succeed in that endeavor, he could alter the political and security landscape of the Middle East, which as we know all too well affects American security"; on Oct. 11 the U.S. Senate votes 77-23 to pass the U.S. Iraq War Resolution, giving Pres. Bush sweeping authority to use military force in Iraq; he signs it on Oct. 16; her vote later comes back to haunt Hillary in the 2008 pres. campaign - and this bird you cannot change, Lord knows, I cant change, bye, bye, baby it's been a sweet love? On Oct. 10 Anwar al-Awlaki (1971-2011) arrives in the U.S. on Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 35 from Riyadh, and is detained by U.S. authorities on a 2002 arrest warrant for passport fraud, but after the Saudis pull strings, Denver U.S. atty. David M. Gaouette gets the arrest warrant canceled, outraging the Joint Terrorism Task Force in San Diego, Calif., and he soon leaves the U.S. for Yemen, after which the U.S. loses track of him, and he goes radical, preaching the destruction of the infidel U.S.; in 2008 he issues a fatwa calling on Muslims to kill U.S. soldiers in Iraq, followed in Jan. 2009 by the manifesto "44 Ways to Support Jihad". On Oct. 12 a bomb rocks two nightclubs in Kuta, Bali, killing 202, many of them foreign tourists, and injuring 209, becoming the 2nd terrorist attack since 9/11; it is later pinned on Islamic terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah, and on Nov. 8, 2008 Indonesia executes three for it. On Oct. 12 the first Freethought Day is celebrated in Sacramento in commemoration of the end of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. On Oct. 14 the Northern Ireland govt. is suspended in protest of a suspected IRA spy ring. On Oct. 15 Paris-born former Am. ImClone exec Samuel D. "Sam" Waksal (1947-) (son of Holocaust survivor parents) pleads guilty to charges of fraud and perjury. On Oct. 15 a Soyuz-U carrying the E.S.A. Foton-M1 satellite explodes on launch in Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Arkhangelsk Oblast 500 mi. N of Moscow (120 mi. S of Arkhangelsk), killing one. On Oct. 16 North Korea admits to developing nukes, pissing-off da world. In Oct. 19-27 the Anaheim Angels ("Halos") (AL), mgr. Michael Lorri "Mike" Scioscia (1958-) (former catcher for the Dodgers) defeat the San Francisco Giants (NL), mgr. Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker Jr. (1949-) by 4-3 in the 2002 (98th) World Series; first appearance for the Angels in 42 years; Baker becomes the 2nd black WS team mgr. (first 1992). On Oct. 21 the U.S. Sudan Peace Act, sponsored by Colo. rep. (R-Colo.) (1999-2009) Tom Tancredo (1945-) is passed 359-8 by the House of Reps. and unanimously by the Senate, saying "A viable, comprehensive, and internationally sponsored peace process, protected from manipulation, presents the best chance for a permanent resolution of the war, protection of human rights, and a self-sustaining Sudan"; in 2009 the U.S. aids South Sudanese independence with $1B in annual aid. On Oct. 23 dozens of Chechen rebels storm a theater in Moscow and take 800 hostages, holding them for days until an early morning raid by Russian special forces troops on Oct. 26 kills most of the rebels (41) plus 129 hostages. On Oct. 25 liberal U.S. Sen. (D-Minn.) (since Jan. 3, 1991) Paul David Wellstone (b. 1944) is killed in a plane crash in N Minn. 11 days before the election. On Oct. 27 despite worrying U.S. politicos, Henry Hyde (chmn. of the House Internat. Relations Committee) saying that "Castro, Chavez and Lula da Silva could constitute an axis of evil in the Americas", Luiz Inacio (Inácio) Lula da Silva (1945-) (AKA Lula) is elected to a 4-year term, and is sworn in next Jan. 1 (until Jan. 1, 2011), going on to become one of Time mag.s 100 most influential people in the world in 2010, leaving a legacy of Lulism On Oct. 28 (8:30 a.m.) a U. of Ariz. College of Nursing student kills three profs. and himself. On Oct. 29 in response to the 2000 U.S. pres. election hanging chad scandal, Pres. Bush signs the U.S. Help America Vote Act, which offers states money to get new voting machines in the hope of making counting votes easier. On Oct. 30 Mt. Etna erupts again. On Oct. 30 midlevel Am. pop stars Jessica Simpson (1980-) (a self-proclaimed virgin) and Nick Lachey (1973-) (98 Degrees) are married, and become Hollywood superstars on MTV's Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica for the next three seasons (Aug. 19, 2003 - Mar. 30, 2005) (41 episodes), chronicling their lives in a new Calif. home, and showing dippy-blonde Simpson confusing Chicken of the Sea brand tuna with, er, chicken, and refusing Buffalo wings because "I don't eat buffalo"; they announce their separation on Nov. 23, 2005 right after the Dec.-Jan. issue of Teen People, in which they deny breakup rumors, and the Oct. 17 issue of US Weekly, which carries the headline "Split!", with the soundbyte "This is the mutual decision of two people with an enormous amount of respect and admiration for each other." In Oct. a Roman Catholic-Protestant admin. for Northern Ireland falls apart after exposure of longtime Sinn Fein official Denis Martin Donaldson (1950-2006) as a spy on the payroll of the British secret service. In Oct. liberal R.I. Sen. (1999-2007) Lincoln Davenport Chafee (1953-) (pr. CHAY-fee) becomes the only Repub. senator to vote against the Bush admin.; he later endorses Barack Obama's use of force in Iraq. In Oct. the Portland Seven terrorist ring of Muslims is arrested by the FBI before they can join al-Qaida in Afghanistan. In Oct. a Nat. Intelligence Estimate provided to Pres. Bush by the State Dept. says that "Baghdad has chemical and biological weapons as well as missiles with ranges in excess of U.N. restrictions", and that "Most agencies assess that Baghdad started reconstituting its nuclear program about the time inspectors departed - Dec. 1998"; "If left unchecked, it probably will have a nuclear weapon during this decade"; also, Iraq has "expanded its chemical and biological infrastructure under the cover of civilian production", and renewed production of mustard and sarin gas, and that Iraqi missiles might threaten the "U.S. homeland". On Nov. 1 federal judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly hands the monopolistic Microsoft Corp. an enormous victory, endorsing nearly all of its antitrust settlement with the Justice Dept. and rejecting harsher penalties sought by nine states, leaving the monopoly free to fester - creating a Dark Ages for the software industry, which is why TLW quit? On Nov. 4 the CIA kills six Al-Qaida members in Yemen. On Nov. 5 the 2002 U.S. Midterm Election gives the Repubs. control of both houses of Congress, reversing a trend going back to 1952 for the party of 1st-term presidents to lose seats in Congress in the midterm election. On Nov. 6 the clergy-controlled Iranian govt. arrests Hashem Aghajari and sentences him to death for preaching a Muslim form of Protestantism and Humanism - too late for a Luther in that hole? On Nov. 8 the U.N. Security Council unanimously approves Resolution 1441, ordering Saddam Hussein to surrender all WMD and permit U.N. weapons inspectors or face "serious consequences" incl. war; on Nov. 9 the Pentagon announces that it is planning to send a force of up to 250K troops to Iraq; the Iraqi Parliament unanimously rejects the resolution on Nov. 12, but reverses itself and accepts the U.N. resolution on Nov. 13, permitting weapons inspectors into the country on Nov. 18. On Nov. 10 the the Fox Network TV series Futurama debuts the episode Crimes of the Hot, spoofing the topic of global warming, featuring guest star Al Gore as his own preserved head in a jar; despite how ridiculous it makes the subject, the environmentalists take it seriously, nominating it for an Environmental Media Award, and losing to the "I Never Promised You an Organic Garden" episode of King of the Hill; Gore's daughter Kristin is one of the writers. On Nov. 11 a Cuban An-2 aircraft is hijacked to Key West, Fla. On Nov. 12 a sudden rash of tornadoes kills dozens in at least six U.S. states. On Nov. 13 U.N. secy.-gen. Kofi Annan gives a speech at the U. of Md., denouncing Israel for expropriating Arab land, denouncing Israel for expropriating Arab land and calling for it to give up nearly all of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 and live side-by-side with a fairy tale peaceful Palestinian state; on the same day prominent Israeli rabbi Rav Leor says that Jewish law supports the annihilation of all non-Jews in Israel; on the same day Egyptian pres. Hosni Mubarak calls for the U.N. to require Israel as well as Iraq to surrender all WMDs and submit to U.N. weapons inspection. On Nov. 14 Jiang Zemin retires as Chinese gen. secy., and on Nov. 15 Hu Jintao (1942-) is appointed gen. secy. of the Communist Party of China (until ?); some believe he will be the one to bring political liberty to darkest China, but instead he turns out to be more authoritarian than Jiang Zemin? On Nov. 19 the Transportation Security Admin. (TSA) takes over airport screening in the U.S.; by the end of 2005 it confiscates more than 30M prohibited items from carry-on bags, almost all of them irrelevant? On Nov. 20 pop superstar Michael Jackson (1958-2009) briefly dangles his newborn son Prince Michael II (AKA Blanket) over a 4th-story balcony railing in his hotel room in the Hotel Adlon Berlin with one arm, playing into the hands of the media, causing him to apologize, calling it "a terrible mistake". On Nov. 20-23 Muslim-Christian riots rock Nigeria after the Miss World beauty pageant moves from Abuja, Nigeria to London, and Lagos newspaper This Day suggests that the prophet Muhammad would have approved of it, causing it to deny responsibility. On Nov. 22 the U.S. EPA relaxes the U.S. Clean Air Act. On Nov. 23 the blog Metaphysical Elders is founded, launching the Mormon Blogosphere, incl. Inquiry (Aug. 19, 2003), Mormon Momma (Jan. 1, 2003), and Times & Seasons: An Onymous Mormon Blog, founded in 2003 by Nathan Bryan "Nate" Oman (1975-), who becomes known as "the Godfather of the Mormon Bloggernacle" after Kaimi Wenger pub. "The Nameless Mormon Blogosphere" on Mar. 23, 2004, causing Christopher Bradford to suggest the name "Bloggernacle". On Nov. 25 Pres. Bush signs the U.S. Homeland Security Act, establishing the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) with 170K employees consolidated from 22 federal agencies, and a $40B budget, headed by dir. #1 Thomas Joseph "Tom" Ridge (1945-) (Jan. 24, 2003 to Feb. 1, 2005), a monumental reorg. of the U.S. govt. that has Christian Millennium Feverists tsk-tsking; the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) is changed to the more PC U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). On Nov. 27 Saddam Hussein relents under a U.N. threat of "serious consequences" and allows U.N. weapons experts back into Iraq. On Nov. 28 a suicide bomber destroys an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa, Kenya, killing 13, becoming the 3rd terrorist attack since 9/11. On Nov. 30 Toronto-born child Jeffrey Baldwin (b. 1997) dies of septic shock after years of mistreatment by his grandparents Elva Bottineau and Norman Kidman, who had been given custody after his parents were accused of abuse, causing a change in Canadian child custody laws. In Nov. two SA-7 shoulder-fired heat-seeking missiles narrowly miss an Israeli passenger jet after takeoff from Mombasa, Kenya, stirring fears that pump up the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security's Counter-Man Portable Air Defense Systems program, based on a laser mounted on planes that can disrupt the seeker sensor. In Nov. Pope John Paul II declares 16th cent. martyr Thomas More (1478-1535) of England the patron saint of politicians for sticking to Catholicism and not bowing to attempts to make him kiss heretical king Henry VIII's fat butt. In Nov. the first cases of the killer pneumonia virus SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) surface in Guangdong Province, China, but officials cover it up for months before it infects 8,098 in 26 countries, killing 774, then mysteriously dies out by the end of 2003; in 2005 the Chinese horseshoe bat is identified as the carrier of the coronavirus family; bats also carry the Nipah and Hendra viruses, which cause encephalitis and respiratory disease; the Chinese mag. Caijing (founded 1998) pushes the govt. into action by aggressive reporting; too bad, founder Hu Shuli departs in Nov. 2009. In Nov. the 12K-delegate World Summit on the Information Society in Tunisia adjourns after failing to wrest control of the Internet from U.S.-based private ICANN (Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers) (established 1988); they agree to meet next year. In Nov. Iranian student activist Amir-Abbas Fakhravar (1975-) is sentenced to eight years in notorious Evin Prison for pub. the article "This Place Is Not A Ditch", which criticizes Ayatollah Khameini; after years of white torture he is freed and arrives in the U.S. from Dubai in Apr. 2006, meeting with Pres. Bush et al.; his friends inside and outside Iran go on to lead the 2009 Iranian demonstrations. On Dec. 1 Worlds AIDS Day raises awareness that 40M people around the world are infected with AIDS (HIV), of which 5M new cases were reported in the past year; 3.1M died in the past year. On Dec. 2 noted Welsh-born gay-friendly bearded poet Rowan Douglas Williams (1950-) becomes archbishop #104 of Canterbury, England (until Dec. 31, 2012), his intellectual credentials contrasting with the working-class background of his predecessor George Carey in an obvious attempt to keep some intellectuals in the Anglican Church; he is pro-life but against teaching creationism in schools. On Dec. 5 incoming Senate majority leader Chester Trent Lott Sr. (1941-) spoils the party for the Repubs. by putting his foot in his mouth with racist comments at the 100th birthday celebration of J. Strom Thurmond that the U.S. "wouldn't have had all these problems over the years" if he had won the 1948 pres. election (he was a segregationist at the time); on Dec. 20 after the PC police come out in force, he resigns as majority leader; the remarks are first reported by a blogger on the Internet, scooping the major media; Thurmond's retirement speech incl. the immortal soundbyte: "I love all of you, and especially your wives"; on Dec. 23 Tenn. surgeon Bill Frist(1952-) is unanimously elected as the new Repub. Senate majority leader, taking office on Jan. 3 (until Jan. 3, 2007). On Dec. 6 10 Palestinians, incl. two U.N. employees are killed by Israeli forces in a Gaza Strip refugee camp as they search for a fugitive militant. On Dec. 6 the animated series Codename: Kids Next Door, created by Tom Warburton debuts on Cartoon Network for 78 episodes (until Jan. 21, 2008), about five kids (Numbuh 1, Numbuh 2, etc.) operating from a hi-tech treehouse fighting bad guys with advanced 2x4 technology. On Dec. 9 United Airlines files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, becoming the largest-ever by an airline (until ?) - it's time to fly? On Dec. 20, 2002 as a reaction to the Taliban's destruction of Buddha statues in Bamiyan, Afghanistan in 2001 the 57th Session of the U.N. Gen. Assembly adopts U.N. Gen. Assembly Resolution 57/249, proclaiming the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, to be held each May 21 to promote diversity and harmonious living. On Dec. 22 PM (since 1992) Janez Drnovsek (1950-2008) becomes pres. #2 of Slovenia (until Dec. 23, 2007). On Dec. 25 authorities launch a massive search for La Loma, Calif. resident Laci Denise Peterson (nee Rocha) (b. 1975), an 8-mo.-pregnant woman who disappeared while allegedly walking her dog in N Calif. on Christmas Eve. On Dec. 27 the U.S.-backed Gas Pipeline Framework Agreement to build a $7.6B natural gas pipeline from Turkmenistan through S Afghanistan into Pakistan and India is signed by Turkmenistan and Afghanistan; too bad, the Taliban takes over S Afghanistan, causing the plan to be stalled. On Dec. 29 after an indecisive election, Natasa Micic (1965-) of the Dem. Party of Serbia becomes acting pres. of Serbia (until Jan. 27, 2004), going on to renege on calling another election within 60 days, then using the assassination of Zoran Dindic on Mar. 12, 2003 as an excuse to declare a state of emergency until May, then stalling until the next Feb. - you had me at indecisive? On Dec. 30 after a landslide V (62%), former vice-pres. (1978-88) Mwai Kibaki (Emilio Stanley) (1931-), 1991 founder of the Dem. Party (DP), who affiliated with several other parties to form the Nat. Alliance Party of Kenya (NAK), then allies that with the Liberal Dem. Party (DP) to form the Nat. Rainbow Coalition (NARC) becomes pres. #3 of Kenya (until Apr. 9, 2013). In Dec. Egyptian diplomat Osama Al-Baz (1930-2013) responds to the Egyptian TV series Horseman without a Horse by pub. a series of articles in Al Ahram denouncing anti-Semitism. In Dec. former Green Beret bodyguard-nurse Ted Maher (1958-) is sentenced to 10 years in Monaco for causing the fire and smoke-inhalation death on Dec. 3, 1999 in his Monaco penthouse apt. of billionaire Syrian Brazilian Jewish banker Edmond Safra (1932-99), who had Parkinson's disease, claiming he only set a small fire in a wastebasket so it would trigger the alarm and he could rescue to score browning points with him; he is convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison; Safra's widow Lily inherits $4B; on Jan. 22, 2003 Maher escapes and is captured in Nice in seven hours, and tried in 2005 on escape charges, receiving 9 more mo.; in Oct. 2007 he is released after serving eight years. After Pres. Bush becomes the first Repub. pres. in decades to focus on education (his librarian wife Laura pushing him on?), and promising to fight the "soft bigotry of low expectations", the U.S. Education Reform (No Child Left Behind) Act is passed by Congress, mandating annual nat. testing of students in grades 3-8 in reading and math on a single standardized test starting in the 2005-6 school year, setting a 12-year timetable for closing the chronic gaps among students of different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds, and increasing funding for schools in poverty areas; in practice nobody improves scores and nothing is achieved but waste of time and money? Pres. Bush signs a 10-year $173.5B farm bill, AKA The Great Pig-Out which lavishes taxpayer subsidies on wealthy growers in S.D., Iowa, Mo. et al.; since 1995 more than two-thirds of subsidies go to 10% of farms; next year 129 farms each receive a subsidy of over $1M, while the bottom 80% of farms receive an avg. of $1,789. The center-right Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party is founded in France by merging the Gaullist-conservative Rally for the Repub., the conservative-liberal Liberal Dem. Party, the Christian Dems. of the centrist Union for French Democracy (UDF), the liberal Radical Party, and the centrist Popular Party for French Democracy, combining the four major French political traditions. After motorized drills proliferate, causing the water table to drop too far, Yemen outlaws them, which only causes them to proliferate more. Pakistan-born scientist Ashraf Choudhary (1949-) of the Labour Party becomes the first Muslim MP in New Zealand (until ?). The term "freedom deficit" is coined by a group of Arab scholars for the 2002 UNDP Arab Human Development Report. The New York Times pub. a 2K-page U.S. Army Report on POW Torture and Abuse at Bagram Prison (AKA Bagram Collection Point) in Afghanistan, detailing the beating deaths of two civilian Afghan POWs in 2002; seven soldiers are charged. Harvard U. economist Jeffrey David Sachs (1954-) becomes dir. (until 2006) of the U.N. Millennium Project Development Goals, which consists of eight internat.-sanctioned objectives to reduce extreme poverty, hunger, and disease by 2015. The Nigerian Email Scam (419 Fraud) flourishes during this decade, bringing in $950M in 2006 alone, with the scammer "yahoozies" calling the stupid white American marks "mugus" (big fools); the Yahoozee Song becomes a Nigerian hit; it takes until Oct. 2009 for Project Eagle Claw in Nigeria to actually shut down Web sites and make arrests; after all, by then nobody is biting? The U.S. Senate approves the storage of radioactive waste inside Nevada's Yucca Mountain Site, which is slated to open in 2010. The CIA establishes a secret prison at Stare Kiejkuty 180km N of Warsaw, Poland (until 2005), allegedly torturing prisoners. The European Brain Council (EBC) is founded in Brussels, Belgium. The biennial Fischer Black Prize is established for the best contributions to the theory and practice of finance by an economist under age 40; the first award goes to Indian-born Raghuram Govinda Rajan (1963-) in 2003. The Inst. for the Study of Labor in Bonn, Germany awards the first IZA Prize in Labor Economics to Polish-born Am. economist Jacob Mincer (1922-2006) of Columbia U.; in 2010 it awards the prize to Francine Dee Blau (1946-) of Cornell U. (first woman). Thanks to the Internet, the percentage of U.S. mothers of infants who work outside the home drops to 55% from a record 59% in 1998, becoming the first decline since 1976. Billionaire Marvin Davis attempts to buy the assets of Vivendi Universal, incl. Universal Studios for $15B, but the offer is rejected. Walt Disney Co., owner of ABC courts David Letterman to move his late night show from CBS, replacing their Nightline, but he declines out of respect for the professionalism of back-stabbed Ted Koppel (1940-), known for his interviews with Miss Piggy? Lisa Marie Presley has a 108-day marriage to actor Nicolas Cage; her first hubby was bass player Danny Keough (1988), with whom she had two children; #2 was Michael Jackson (1994-6); she aborted an engagement to Hawaiian musician John Oszajca in ?. After actor Jon Voight and his estranged daughter Angelina Jolie (who blames him for cheating on her mother Marcheline Bertrand) had been reconciled for 2 years, he blows it by telling a TV interviewer that she has "serious emotional problems"; she legally drops her surname Voight. The first No Pants Day is held in New York City, where particpants take off their pants in a subway car and try to act normal. Israel was supposed to be nuked sometime this year, according to Net Prophet Sollog. Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) (originally the Indian Muslim Council - USA) is founded in the U.S. The Nat. Iranian-Am. Council is founded in Washington, D.C. by Iranian-born Zoroastrian Trita Parsi (1974-). America West pilots Thomas Cloyd and Christopher Hughes are arrested for operating a jetliner while intoxicated; on July 21, 2005 Hughes receives 2.5 years and a $5K fine, plus 1.5 years of community service. The Colombian Regulation and Risk Assessment Committee (CRER) is established to investigate threats to journalists and others from drug cartels. The 2002 Arab Human Development Report is pub., caliming that only about 300 books are trans. each year into Arab for 400M people; in 2010 it's still only 3K. An epidemic of coral bleaching caused by high sea temps hits the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The Hessell-Tiltman Prize is established by the English PEN for the best work of nonfiction history for the period up to and incl. WWII, with lit. merit more important than academic value; the first award goes to Margaret Olwen MacMillan (1943-) for Peacemakers: The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and Its Attempt to End War (Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World) (2001). The Russian Tea Room in New York City (founded 1927) closes on July 28 after declaring bankruptcy; it reopens on Nov. 1, 2006. Am. photographer Richard Avedon (1923-2004) is proclaimed "world's most famous photographer" by The New York Times. After Will Young wins the British show Pop Idol, American Idol, created by Simon Fuller debuts on Fox TV network, making "mean" British judge Simon Phillip "Utterly Horrendous" Cowell (1959-) a zillionaire, and launches the singing career of first winner Kelly Brianne Clarkson (1982-) of Tex.; Justin Guarini (Justin Eldrin Bell) (1978-) is runner-up. The Sound of Music is first shown on TV in Austria; it has never been shown in theaters there; it is performed on stage in 2005. A 1933 U.S. Double Eagle coin is auctioned off by Sotheby's for $7.59M, the highest price ever paid for a coin; believed to have once been owned by King Farouk of Egypt, the dealer is forced to split the proceeds with the U.S. Mint. The CIA sends a veteran officer to assist the NYPD in setting up spying programs on Muslims, which later pisses-off the Muslim community. As a response to g, U.S. Navy ships begin flying flags with the 17th cent. motto "Don't Tread on Me". The original 76-y.-o. Hass avocado plant (planted in 1926) dies in La Havre Heights, Calif. Restaurant mag. is founded in the U.K. by William Reed Business Media (until ?), reaching a circ. of 16.6K in 2011-12, becoming known for its annual World's 50 Best Restaurants list, based on the votes of 837 experts; the top restaurant (2002-6, 2009) is elBulli (French bulldogs) in Roses, Catalonia, Spain (founded 1961; closes on July 30, 2011), followed by in 2010-11, 2012, 2014 by Noma (Danish "nordisk" + "mad" = Nordic food) in Copenhagen, Denmark, founded in 2003 by Copenhagen-born chef Rene (René) Redzepi (1977-) and Nykobing Falster-born chef Claus Meyer (1963-), who together in 2004 found New Nordic (Danish) Cuisine. Joseph Frederick is suspended from his high school in Juneau, Alaska for 10 days for displaying a banner reading "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" across the street from the school as the Winter Olympics torch relay passes, causing him to sue for violating his free speech rights; after the case makes it to the U.S. Supreme Court, and U.S. Dept. of Justice atty. Edwin Kneedler backs the gestapo, er, school principal Deborah More and school suptd. Peggy Cowan, the latter saying that "This is an important question about how the First Amendment applies to pro-drug messages in an educational setting" (setting?), the court rules ?-? that ?. The first annual Tribeca Film Festival, founded in response to 9/11 by actor Robert De Niro, his producer Jane Rosenthal, and her hubby Craig Hatkoff opens in the neighborhood N of the WTC, featuring heartwarming comedies incl. About a Boy; by 2006 it takes on 9/11 itself, starting with United 93, then moves to post-9/11 issues incl. Iraq and Afghanistan; in 2009 it moves to Doha, Qatar. Kyrgyzstan permits the U.S. to build a large airbase outside the capital city of Bishkek (formerly Frunze). The New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society begins managing the S Mondulkiri province of Cambodia, formerly home of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and by 2007 brings back 42 threatened species in the new Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area, incl. the black-shanked douc, gaur horned cattle, muntjac deer, banteng ox, wild pig, tigers, elephants, ibises, vultures, eagles, Germain's peacock-pheasants, and hornbills. Am. "sexiest astrophysicist alive" Neil deGrasse Tyson coins the term "Manhattanhenge" to describe the two days each year (May 28, July 12/13) in which the evening sun aligns with the E-W cross streets of Manhattan. John McCain of Ariz. becomes the first U.S. Sen. to host Saturday Night Live. This is That Productions is founded in New York City by Anne Caey, Ted Hope, and Diana Victor, going on to release 16 films in its first sisx years, incl. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004). N.D. becomes the 50th U.S. state to produce its own wine. The last Camaro Z28 rolls off the assembly line, a bright rally red convertible. True Religion Brand Jeans debuts in Los Angeles, Calif. in the winter, becoming a hit with Hollyweird stars; by 2010 it has 900 boutiques and stores in 50 countries. Green Flash Brewing Co. is founded in Vista, Calif. by Mike and Lisa Hinkley to specialize in India Pale Ales, hiring brewmaster Chuck Silva in 2004 and moving in June 2011 to San Diego, Calif., expanding in Mar. 2013 to Virginia Beach, Va., producing 100K barrels/year, becoming the 41st largest craft brewery in the U.S. Two Buck Chuck (Charles Shaw brand) Calif. wines are introduced by Trader Joe's grocery stores in Calif. at $1.99/bottle, going on to sell 800M bottles. Sports: On Jan. 6 (final game of the 2001 season) Giants defensive end (#92) (1993-2007) Michael Anthony Strahan (1971-) gets a half-sack on Green Bay Packers QB Brett Favre for a season record 22.5 sacks (until ?); too bad, many believe that Favre laid down for his friend with the Packers ahead by nine points, haunting him for life? On Feb. 8-24 the XIX (19th) Winter Olympic Games are held in Salt Lake City, Utah, with 2,399 athletes (1,513 men, 886 women) from 78 nations competing in 78 events in seven sports; the U.S. wins a record 34 medals, and Germany a record 35; the indoor Peaks Ice Arena in Provo, Utah is used as an ice hockey practice venue; Canada, led by half-white half-black Jarome Athur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla (Yoruba "big tree") (1977-) wins the men's hockey gold medal, followed by the U.S., Russia and Sweden (tie); Iginla joins the Dallas Stars in 1995, becoming capt. of the Calgary Flames, setting a team record for goals, points, and games played, scoring 50 goals in two separate seasons, and 30 goals in 11 straight seasons; on Feb. 19 Ala.-born U.S. bobsledder Vonetta Flowers (1973-) becomes the first black athlete to win a gold medal at a Winter Olympic Games; Seattle-born short-track speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno (1982-) wins gold in the 1.5Km when judges disqualify South Korean Dong-Sung Kim; America's most popular figure skater Michelle Kwan (1980-) ends up with a silver behind surprise winner Sarah Elizabeth Hughes (1985-) of the U.S. - first Tara, then Sarah? On Feb. 17 the 2002 (44th) Daytona 500 is won by John Edward "Ward" Burton III (1961-), brother of Jeff Burton; rookie Jimmie Johnson wins the pole, and fellow rookie Kevin Harvick qualifies 2nd, becoming the first time the field is led by two rookies; the last race for Dave Marcis. On Feb. 25 Venus Williams (1980-) becomes the first black U.S. pro tennis player to be ranked #1 since Arthur Ashe in 1975. On Apr. 1 Maryland U. defeats Indiana U. 64-52 to win the NCAA basketball championship. On May 26 Helio Castroneves (1975-) of Brazil wins the 2002 (86th) Indianapolis 500, his 2nd straight win, first time since Al Unser in 1971. On June 2 the Sacramento Kings lose 112-106 to the Los Angeles Lakers in OT of Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, becoming the best season Sacramento fans have seen to date. On June 4-13 the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals see the Detroit Red Wings defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1; MVP is 6'1" Swedish-born defenceman Erik Nicklas Lidström (1970-), becoming the first European player named playoffs MVP. On June 5-12 the 2002 NBA Finals sees the Los Angeles Lakers (coach Phil Jackson) defeat the New Jersey Nets (coach Byron Scott) by 4-0; Shaquille O'Neal of the Lakers is MVP. On June 8 the Mike Tyson-Lennox Lewis Bout in Memphis, Tenn. sees Tyson KOd in round 8 in front of a bevy of gay-lesbian Tyson fans. On June 26 7'6" Yao Ming (1980-), who played for the Shanghai Sharks for five seasons (MVP of the Chinese Basketball Assoc. in 2000-1 and played center for the Chinese Nat. Team at the FIBA World Championships is drafted by the Houston Rockets of the NBA, coming to Houston in Oct., becoming the first #1 overall pick to never college ball in the U.S. On Aug. 9 outfielder Barry Lamar Bonds (1964-) of the San Francisco Giants hits his 600th homer, becoming the 4th player in ML history to do it (Hank Aaron was the last in 1971). On Sept. 8 the "Texas Super Bowl" (Paul Tagliabue) sees the new NFL Houston Texans defeat the Dallas Cowboys 19-10, becoming the 2nd expansion team to start 1-0 after the 1961 Vikings (against the Bears). On Sept. 11 all ML baseball ballparks observe a moment of silence to honor the victims of 9/11; starting this year the patriotic song "God Bless America" is performed at ML All-Star Games and playoff games, as well as Opening Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Sept. 11. On Nov. 25 New York City-born Yale U. grad Theo Nathaniel Epstein (1973-) becomes the youngest GM in MLB history when he is hired by the Boston Red Sox at age 28, going on to help them win their first WS championship in 86 years in 2004, and another in 2007; on Oct. 21, 2011 he becomes pres. of the Chicago Cubs, who win their first WS championship in 108 years in 2016, causing him to be picked #1 for Fortune mag.'s 2017 World's Greatest Leaders List. The 17th FIFA World Cup of Soccer. Pratyush Buddiga (1989-) wins the 74th Scripps Nat. Spelling Bee with "prospicience" (foresight), becoming the 7th winner from Colo. Se Ri Pak (1977-) of South Korea becomes the youngest woman to win four golf majors. After the New York Yankees defeat them in the 2001 postseason, and they lose star players Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi, and Jason Isringhausen to free agency, Oakland Athletics gen. mgr. (since 1998) William Lamar "Billy" Beane III (1962-) tries the new Sabermetrics (coined by Bill James after the Society for Am. Baseball Research) approach to player scouting, which selects them based on on-base percentage (OBP) rather than scout evaluations, hiring submarine pitcher Chad Bradford, aging outfielder David Justice, and injured 1B player Scott Hatteberg, trading away Carlos Pena to make room for him; after winning 19 in a row, they lead the Kansas City Royals by 11-0 after inning 3, only to see them tie the score at 11-11 until Hatteberg homers, making it 20 in a row; too bad, after sweeping the Minnesota Twins in the playoffs, they are swept by the Detroit Tigers in the AL Championship Series, but the other ML teams see the light and scramble to adopt his system, causing the Boston Red Sox to offer him a record $12.5M salary to become their gen. mgr., which he turns down, after which the Red Sox wins the 2004 World Series; the A's reach the playoffs 5x in eight seasons, with winning records each year. Architecture: 9/11 or no 9/11, they're not taking away Yankee football? On May 11 $325M Gillette Stadium in Foxborough (near Boston), Mass. opens on May 11 as the new home of the NFL New England Patriots; on July 28 $430M Qwest Field in Seattle, Wash. opens as the new home of the NFL Seattle Seahawks; in June 2011 it becomes CenturyLink Field; on Aug. 24 $352M Reliant Stadium in Houston, Tex. opens as the new home of the NFL Houston Texans; on Mar. 19, 2014 it is renamed the NRG Stadium after Reliant Energy's parent co. NRG Energy; on Aug. 24 $500M Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. opens as the new home of the NFL Detroit Lions. The 1,503-ft.-long 315-ft.-high 23-ft.-wide arch Alqueva Dam in S Portugal (begun 1995) is completed, damming the Guadiana River and creating the largest reservoir in W Europe (97 sq. mi.); it reaches full level in 2010. Nobel Prizes: Peace: James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Jr. (1924-) (U.S.) [for his work "to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development"]; Lit.: Imre Kertesz (Kertész) (1929-) (Hungary); Physics: Raymond Davis Jr. (1914-2006) (U.S.) and Masatoshi Koshiba (1926-) (Japan) [detection of cosmic neutrinos], and Riccardo Giacconi (1931-) (U.S.) [X-ray astronomy]; Chem.: John Bennett Fenn (1917-2010) (U.S.) [electrospray ionization technique] and Koichi Tanaka (1959-) (Japan) [mass spectrometry of biological macromolecules], Kurt Wuthrich (Wüthrich) (1938-) (Switzerland) [3-D structure of biological macromolecules]; Med.: Sydney Brenner (1927-2019) (South Africa), and Sir John Edward Sulston (1942-) (U.K.), and Howard Robert Horvitz (1947-) (U.S.) [use of roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans for genetic analysis]; Econ.: Daniel Kahneman (1934-) (Israel) [Prospect Theory], and Vernon Lomax Smith (1927-) (U.S.) [empirical economic analysis]. Inventions: On May 4 the NASA Boeing Aqua (EOS PM-1) satellite is launched from Vanderberg AFB, settling into a Sun-synchronous orbit with several other satellites to measure water on the Earth's surface and atmosphere, becoming the 2nd major component of the Earth Observing System (EOS) after Terra (EOS AM-1) (launched in 1999) (clouds, water, ice, land surface, carbon monoxide, aerosols) and Aura (EOS CH-1) (launched July 15, 2004) (climate, air quality, ozone layer). In June Space X (Space Exploration Technologies Corp.) is founded in Hawthorne, Calif. by PayPal and Tesla Motors billionaire Elon Musk to send spacecraft to Mars and colonize it, going on to develop the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 reusable launch vehicles, and the Dragon spacecraft; in 2008 the Falcon 1 becomes the first privately-funded liquid-propelled rocket to reach Earth orbit. In June NASA scientists test Indian-born Sun-Gazer (Breatharian) Hira Ratan Manek (Hirachand) (HRM) (1937-) of Winter Fark, Fla., who claims he lived only on liquids and sunlight for eight years, verifying that he survived 130 days on water plus one hour of staring at the sun at sunset, claiming to "eat through his eyes"; sun-gazers make several startling claims about the sunlight enlarging their pineal glands and curing diseases; too bad, HRM is later caught eating, lying, then admitting it. On Sept. 20 the Tor (The Onion Router) anonymity network is released, becoming a favorite avenue of the Dark Web. On Dec. 28 LinkedIn business-employment-oriented social networking Web site is founded in Mountain View, Calif. by Reid Garrett Hoffman (1967-) and partners from PayPal and Socialnet.com, launching on May 5 and reaching 106M active members by Apr. 2017 after being acquired by Microsoft on Dec. 8, 2016 for $26.6B; "When I graduated from Stanford my plan was to become a professor and public intellectual. That is not about quoting Kant. It's about holding up a lens to society and asking 'who are we?' and 'who should we be, as individuals and a society?' But I realised academics write books that 50 or 60 people read and I wanted more impact." (Hoffman) The U.S. FDA approves the atypical antipsychotic drug Aripiprazole (brand name Ability), developed by Otsuka of Japan for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder; sales reach $6.9B in 2013. The Cadillac CTS mid-size luxury line is introduced, designed by Wayne K. Cherry (1937-) and Kip Wasenko. After going on a surfing trip to Australia and wanting an affordable action camera system, GoPro Inc. (originally Woodman Labs Inc.) is founded by Nicholas D. "Nick" Woodman (1974-) to manufacture action cameras. The Roomba autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner, designed by Helen Greiner et al. is introduced by iRobot, selling 10M units by Feb. 2014. The $299 TiVo Series 2 is released, with a 60GB hard drive that records 60 hours of video; prices later slide to $149. Science: In Feb. researchers in Texas announce that they are the first to successfully clone a domestic cat. The Mar. 21 issue of Nature reports the discovery in China of Lisoceratops, a dog-sized horned dinosaur that may be a cousin to the Triceratops. In Apr. the Earth Simulator supercomputer in Kanagawa, Japan achieves a computing speed of 35.61 teraflops, over 5x as fast as IBM's ASCI White at Lawrence Livermore Labs. On May 28 NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft discovers enormous quantities of ice on Mars. As of July 1 1B personal computers (PCs) have been sold worldwide. In July scientists at Australian Nat. U. prove that the Second Law of Thermodynamics can be violated by nanomachines? In July scientists at the State U. of New York build a polio virus in the lab using public gene databases, becoming the first known infectious agent manufactured in a lab from scratch. In July French anthropologist Michel Brunet announces the discovery in Chad of a 6-7 M-y.-o. skull of a flat-faced hominid nicknamed Toumai ("hope of life"). In Aug. Swedish biologist Svante Paabo (Päabo) (1955-) pub. the discovery of the FOXP2 "language gene". In Aug. researchers report new evidence confirming the existence of ancient bacteria on Mars. In Aug. the first functioning penis (of a rabbit) is grown in a lab from cells at Harvard Medical School - the first artificial playboy bunny? In the fall the world's first carbon nanotube factory opens in Tokyo. In the fall the Rosetta Project produces its first Rosetta disk containing 1.4K of the world's 7K languages on a 3-in. nickel disk for future preservation. On Oct. 9 scientists at the Joint Inst. for Nuclear Research (JINR) and Lawrence Livermore Nat. Lab announce the discovery of the new element (a halogen) Ununoctium (Uuo) (#118). On Dec. 26 Clonaid announces the birth of 7 lb. Eve, the world's first cloned baby human. Michael Hall improves the Heisenberg quantum uncertainty relation to an equation rather than an inequality. Manhattan, N.Y.-born psychiatrist William S. Breitbart (1951-) develops Meaning-Centered Therapy for patients near the end of life, letting them rely on their spiritual beliefs. The Human Genome Project pub. its first major analysis of blood samples from 52 world pops. converted into 1K cell lines, showing that the subjects' genomes fall into five major clusters corresponding to their continent of origin and therefore their race, and that all coalesce to a single root ancestral pop. that began to migrate from NE Africa 50K years ago. The synthetic unstable radioactive chemical element Oganesson (Og) (#118) is discovered at the Joint Inst. for Nuclear Research (JINR) near Moscow by a joint team of Am. and Russian scientists, named after nuclear physicist Yuri Tsolakovich Oganessian (1933-). The Yukagir Mammoth is discovered in the permafrost in Siberia; its head is still covered with skin and tufts of hair. Textile expert Mechthild Flury-Lemberg claims that the Shroud of Turin has a herringbone weave common in the 1st cent. C.E. Middle East. Scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Inst. discover mouthless worms who live in dead whale skeletons and feed off bacteria who eat their bones, causing biologists to create the new species Osedax, (Lat. "bone-eating") and theorize that they existed before whales and fed on dino bones; males live inside the bodies of the females, never developing past the larval stage. Mary Leitao proposes the name Morgellons Disease (Syndrome) for the infectious condition characterized by finding fibers on or under the skin along with skin lesions. Nonfiction: Peter Ackroyd (1949-), Albion: The Origins of the English Imagination. Francesco Alberoni (1929-), The Art of Commanding. Maya Angelou (1928-), A Song Flung Up to Heaven (autobio.). Jonathan Ames (1964-), My Less Than Secret Life: A Diary, Fiction, Essays. Jose Arguelles (1939-2011), Time and the Technosphere: The Law of Time in Human Affairs; proposes a 13-moon 28-day calendar to "get the human race back on course". Karen Armstrong (1944-), Faith After September 11. Isaac Asimov (1920-92), It's Been a Good Life (autobio.) (posth.); ed. by Janet Asimov. Rick Atkinson (1952-), An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 (Pulitzer Prize); Liberation Trilogy #1. Lisa Beamer (with Ken Abraham), Let's Roll!. Ian Graeme Barbour (1923-), Nature, Human Nature, and God. Francis Beckwith, Carl Mosser, and Paul Owen (eds.), The New Mormon Challenge (Feb. 26); claims that the LDS Church has turned into a slick proselytizing machine making 300K converts/year, threatening to become the first world religion since Islam (265M members by 2080), and that its scholars have achieved academic respectability, attempting to meet them head-on with new research and scholarship challenging their doctrines and making the case for historical Christianity. Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon, The Age of Sacred Terror (Oct. 1); U.S. Nat. Security Council dirs. of counterterrorism claim that Osama bin Laden isn't at the root of Muslim terrorism but merely a branch; they sign the book contract before 9/11? Ira Berlin (1941-), Generations of Captivity: A History of Slaves in the United States. Michael R. Beschloss (1955-), The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1941-1945; bestseller. Jeremy Black, The World in the Twentieth Century. William Bloom (1948-), Feeling Safe: How to Be Strong and Positive in a Changing World (Oct. 24). Richard Blow, American Son. Asa Briggs (1921-) and Peter Burke (1937-), A Social History of the Media: From Gutenberg to the Internet. Douglas Brinkley (1960-) and Stephen Ambrose (1936-2002), The Mississippi and the Making of a Nation. David Brock (1962-), Blinded by the Right. Peter Brown (1935-), Poverty and Leadership in the Later Roman Empire. Ergun Caner (1966-) and Emil Caner, Unveiling Islam: An Insider's Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs. Norman F. Cantor (1929-2004), Inventing Norman Cantor: Confessions of a Medievalist (autobio.); laments the transformation of U.S. academia in the 2nd half of the 20th cent. from British-style humanism to French postmodernism. Fritjof Capra (1939-), The Hidden Connections: A Science for Sustainable Living. Philip Caputo (1941-), Ghosts of Tsavo: Stalking the Mythic Lions of East Africa; Means of Escape: A War Correspondent's Memoir of Life and Death in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Vietnam. Robert Allan Caro (1935-), Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson (Pulitzer Prize). Gerald Celente (1946-), What Zizi Gave Honeyboy: A True Story About Love, Wisdom, and the Soul of America. Ha-Joon Chang (1963-), Kicking Away the Ladder: Development Strategy in Historical Perspective (Sept. 1); claims that developed countries climb to the top then you know what to keep developing countries down. Phyllis Chesler (1940-), Woman's Inhumanity to Woman; Women of the Wall: Claiming Sacred Ground at Judaism's Holy Site; the 1989 lawsuit by Women of the Wall to allow women to pray at the Wailing Wall (Kotel) in Jerusalem. Tom Clancy (1947-2013), Carl Stiner, and Tony Koltz, Shadow Warriors: Inside the Special Forces. Kurt Cobain (1967-94), Journals (posth.). Robert Cohen and Reginald E. Zelnik, The Free Speech Movement: Reflections on Berkeley in the 1960s. Andrew Cooke, On His Majesty's Secret Service: Sidney Reilly; incl. a report by Grigory Fedulyev claiming he was one of four men who shot Reilly in the woods near Moscow on Nov. 5, 1925. Tony Cornell (1924-2010), Investigating the Paranormal (June); his magnum opus after 50 years of research, which finds that it's mostly bunk; "I take the view that the most nonsensical aspect of much of the physical phenomena in the seance room is the implicit notion that the discarnate resort to such ludicrous, absurd, and facile physical effects to prove that there is life after death. If, as claimed, life in the next world is more advanced than that on earth, one might be forgiven to expect proof of a more intelligent type than what appears acceptable to both the dead and the living, night after night, in the seance room. The shaking of tables and banging of tambourines, the creation of cold breezes and touches, trumpets cavorting and prancing about the room banging the heads of the sitters, and all the other antics that go on in the dark say little for the proficiency of the alleged discarnate visitors. If the "spirits" have been capable of such a momentous feat as surviving bodily death transcending time and manipulating matter in this world while existing in another dimension of time and space – why do they not materialize in the seance room something really worth the effort?" Patricia Cornwell (1956-), Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper - Case Closed; claims he's sicko violent artist Walter Sickert (1860-1942). Ann Coulter (1961-), Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right. Richard Ben Cramer (1950-), What Do You Think of Ted Williams Now? A Remembrance. Clive Cussler (1931-), The Sea Hunters II: Diving the World's Seas for Famous Shipwrecks. William Dalrymple, White Mughals. Raymond Fredric Dasmann (1919-2002), Called by the Wild. Vince Deloria Jr. (1933-2005), Evolution, Creationism, and Other Modern Myths: A Critical Inquiry. Thomas Michael Disch (1940-2008), The Castle of Perseverance: Job Opportunities in Contemporary Poetry. Arthur J. Dommen, The Indochinese Experience of the French and the Americans: Nationalism and Communism in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam (Jan. 1); history of Vietnam since 1858. Michael Drosnin, The Bible Code II; claims that ETs left the code in a steel obelisk buried near the Dead Sea. Peter Ferdinand Drucker (1909-2005), a href="http://google.com">Managing in the Next Society. Dinesh D'Souza (1961-), Letters to a Young Conservative. Daniel Ellsberg (1931-), Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers. Steven Emerson (1953-), American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us. Joseph Epstein (1937-), Snobbery: The American Version. Michael J. Fox (1961-), Lucky Man: A Memoir (autobio). Jonathan Franzen (1959-), How to Be Alone (essays); incl. Perchance to Dream: In the Age of Images a Reason to Write Novels (first pub. in Harper's Mag., Apr. 1996). Marilyn French (1929-2009), From Eve to Dawn: A History of Women (3 vols.). Francis Fukuyama (1952-), Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution; calls Transhumanism the world's most dangerous idea. John Lewis Gaddis (1941-), Philip H. Gordon, Ernest R. May, and Jonathan Rosenberg (eds.), The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past. Peter Gay (1923-2015), Schnitlzer's Century; a definitive work on the social history of the 19th cent. from the defeat of Napoleon to 1914. Elizabeth M. Gilbert (1969-), The Last American Man; naturalist Eustace Conway (1961-). Sir Martin Gilbert (1936-2015), The Twentieth Century: A Short History; Letters to Auntie Fori: The 5,000-Year History of the Jewish People and Their Faith; The Righteous: The Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust. Rudolph W. Giuliani (1944-) (with Ken Kurson), Leadership. Edward Glaeser and Andrei Schleifer, The Curley Effect; about 4x (1914-50) Boston mayor James Michael Curley, known for "increasing the relative size of one's political base through distortionary, wealth-reducing policies"; "Counterintuitively, making a city poorer leads to political success for the engineers of that impoverishment." (Forbes mag.) - Obama got the message? Daniel Goldhagen (1959-), A Moral Reckoning. Ernst Gombrich (1909-2001), The Preference for the Primitive: Episodes in the History of Western Taste and Art (May 16) (posth.). Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke (1953-2012), Black Sun: Aryan Cults, Esoteric Nazism, and the Politics of Identity. Jan Goodwin, Price of Honor: Muslim Women Lift the Veil of Silence on the Islamic World (Dec. 31). Annette Gordon-Reed (1958-), Race on Trial: Law and Justice in American History. Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002), I Have Landed: The End of a Beginning in Natural History (10th and last vol. of essays from Nat. History mag. since 1977); The Structure of Evolutionary Theory; his magnum opus, explaining his theory of punctuated evolution, which claims that there are long stretches where evolution doesn't happen, followed by short stages where it pops in and out while we're not looking, like a stage magician?; pisses-off many evolutionists, who want to believe it's a natural law that's happening all the time, and not another set of black holes on the GTT. Norman Arthur Graebner (1915-2010), A Twentieth-Century Odyssey: Memoir of a Life in Academe (autobio.). David Halberstam (1934-2007), Firehouse: New Insights into Unimaginable Loss. Graham Hancock (1950-) and Santha Faiia, Fingerprints of the Gods: The Quest Continues. Peter Handke (1942-), Spoken and Written: About Books, Images and Films 1992-2000. Victor Davis Hanson (1953-), An Autumn of War: What America Learned from September 11 and the War on Terrorism. Jim Harrison (1937-), Off to the Side: A Memoir. Riaz Hassan, Faithlines: Muslim Conceptions of Islam and Society; concludes that Muslim states with Islamic govts. end up with little trust in religious leaders, and that it is best to keep faithlines separate from "the faultlines of the political terrain"; "You can have power or trust, but not both." Stephen Hawking (1942-) et al., The Future of Spacetime; essays on time travel. David R. Hawkins (1927-2012), Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior; pushes Applied Kinesiology (AK), a pseudo-science claiming that the extended arm can be used as a lie detector with a dowsing maneuver applied by the tester, and in addition a spiritual scale of absolute truth can be based on it, with Christ maxing the scale out at 1000, which some criticize as threatening to found a new fundamentalist cult, esp. when Hawkins rates himself at 999.8; rev. ed. pub. on May 15, 2012. Patricia Heaton (1958-), Motherhood and Hollywood: How to Get a Job Like Mine (autobio.). Chris Hedges (1956-), War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning (Sept. 3); "The rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug, one I ingested for many years." Carolyn Heilbrun (1926-), When Men Were the Only Models We Had (autobio.). Michel Henry (1922-2002), Paroles du Christ. Arthur Herman, How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World & Everything in It (Sept. 24); James Watt, Adam Smith, Andrew Carnegie, Arthur Conan Doyle, William "Braveheart" Wallace, James Bond - like I've been telling you for years? Dorothy Hewett (1923-2002), The Empty Room (autobio.) (posth.). Edward Hoagland (1932-), Compass Points. Benjamin Hoff (1946-), The House on the Point. Randall G. Holcombe, From Liberty to Democracy: The Transformation of American Government. David Joel Horowitz (1939-), How to Beat the Democrats and Other Subversive Ideas; Uncivil Wars: The Controversy Over Reparations for Slavery. A.E. Hotchner (1920-), The Day I Fired Alan Ladd and Other World War II Adventures. Tristram Hunt (1974-), The English Civil War at First Hand (first book). Sherman A. Jackson, On the Boundaries of Theological Tolerance in Islam: Abu Hamid al-Ghazali's Faysal al-Tafriqa. Michael F. Jacobson, Restaurant Confidential (May 6). Philip Jenkins (1952-), The Next Christendom: The Rise of Global Christianity. David Cay Johnston (1948-), Pefectly Legal - The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super-Rich - and Cheat Everyone Else. Efraim Karsh (1953-), The Iran-Iraq War, 1980-1988; The Arab-Israeli Conflict: The Palestine War 1948. Michael T. Kaufman, Soros: The Life and Times of a Messianic Billionaire. Sir John Keegan (1934-), Winston Churchill. Martin Kramer (1954-), Ivory Towers on Sand: The Failure of Middle Eastern Studies in America; Western Arab scholars are apologists for radical Islam not purveyors of knowledge about Islam that "came under a take-no-prisoners assault, which rejected the idea of objective standards, disguised the vice of politicization as the virtue of commitment, and replaced proficiency with ideology", pushing the Marxist narrative of Western colonial and imperial crimes. Matthias Kuentzel, Jihad and Jew Hatred: Islamism, Nazism and the Roots of 9/11; how the Nazis propagandized Arabs in the 1930s-40s to become more rabid anti-Semites with a sophisticated theory of a Jewish conspiracy to rule the world and destroy Islam, tracing from Hassan Al-Banna and Haj Amin al-Husseini to Sayyid Qutb, al-Qaida, and the Hamburg Cell. Stanley I. Kutler (ed.), Dictionary of Am. History (10 vols.). Jean-Jacques Laffont (1947-2004) and David Martimort, The Theory of Incentives: The Principal-Agent Model; discusses the Principal-Agent Problem. Wally Lamb (1950-), Couldn't Keep It To Myself: Testimonies from Our Imprisoned Sisters. Frances Moore Lappe (1944-), Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet. Joseph E. LeDoux (1949-), Synaptic Self: How Our Brains Become Who We Are. Derek Leebaert, The Fifty-Year Wound: The True Price of America's Cold War Victory. Mel Levine, A Mind at a Time. Bernard Lewis (1916-), What Went Wrong: Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response (Jan.); used as the main intellectual ammo by the Bush admin. to justify invading Iraq, AKA the Lewis Doctrine (an attempt to impose the secular Muslim Kemal Ataturk model), which doesn't help Bush's image in the Middle East because Lewis is a Zionist Jew. Hal Lindsey (1929-), The Everlasting Hatred: The Roots of Jihad (July); are Islamic fundamentalists an aberrant group or the true followers of 7th cent. prophet Muhmmad? Michelle Malkin (1970-), Invasion: How America Still Welcomes Terrorists, Criminals, and Other Foreign Menaces. Thomas Mallon, Mrs. Paine's Garage and the Murder of John F. Kennedy. Peter Mandler (1958-), History and National Life (Dec.); denies that history is only about finding out who we are and where we come from, and is less directly "useful", but also richer than that. Manning Marable (1950-2011) et al., Freedom: A Photographic History of the African American Struggle. Ali al-Amin Mazrui (1933-), Africanity Redefined: Collected Essays (2 vols.); The Titan of Tanzania: Julius K. Nyere's Legacy; Black Reparations in the Era of Globalization. John McPhee (1931-), The Founding Fish. John McEnroe (with James Kaplan), You Cannot Be Serious. Gavin Menzies, 1421: The Year China Discovered Amerca; bestseller claiming that Chinese adm. Zheng He beat Columbus to it, visiting Cuba and Rhode Island. Fergus Millar (1935-), The Roman Republic in Political Thought; claims that the early rather than late Roman Repub. most influenced later political thought; Rome, the Greek World, and the East (essays) (3 vols.); ed. by Hannah M. Cotton and Guy M. Rogers; how Greco-Roman culture impacted the peoples of the E Mediterranean, influencing the development of Christianity, Rabbinical Judaism, and Islam. Eric Henry Monkkonen (1942-2005), Crime, Justice, History (essays). Michael Moore (1954-), Stupid White Men. Edmund Sears Morgan (1916-2013), Benjamin Franklin; NYT bestseller; explodes the myth of "a comfortable old gentleman staring out at the world over his half-glasses with benevolent comprehension of everything in it", revealing his true mindset; "With a wisdom about himself that comes only to the great of heart, Franklin knew how to value himself and what he did without mistaking himself for something more than one man among many. His special brand of self-respect required him to honor his fellow men and women no less than himself." Richard Ward Morris (1939-2003), The Big Questions: Probing the Promise and Limits of Science. Arnold A. Offner, Another Such Victory; the revisionist school of the historiography of Truman's foreign policy. Michael B. Oren (1955-), Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East (first book). Michael Parenti (1933-), The Terrorism Trap: September 11 and Beyond. Joseph Chilton Pearce (1926-), The Crack in the Cosmic Egg: New Constructs of Mind and Reality; The Biology of Transcendence: A Blueprint of the Human Spirit; "Culture is the enemy of biology." Carlota Perez (1939-), Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital: The Dynamics of Bubbles and Golden Ages; claims techno-economic paradigm shifts in five past technological revolutions; "So during this period, financial capital generates a powerful magnet to attract investment into the new areas, hence accelerating the hold of the paradigm on what becomes the 'new economy'... In a world of capital gains, real estate bubbles and foreign adventures with money, all notion of the real value of anything is lost. Uncontrollable asset inflation sets in while debt mounts at a reckless rhythm; much of it to enter the casino." Ralph Peters (1952-), Beyond Terror: Strategy in a Changing World. Kevin Phillips (1940-), Wealth and Democracy: A Political History of the American Rich. Daniel Pinchbeck (1966-), Breaking Open the Head: A Psychedelic Journey into the Heart of Contemporary Shamanism. Steven Pinker (1954-), The Blank State: The Modern Denial of Human Nature; bestseller arguing against tabula rasa models of the social sciences, claiming that human behavior is shaped by Darwinian evolution. Robert Pinsky (1940-), Democracy, Culture, and the Voice of Poetry. Daniel Pipes (1949-), Militant Islam Reaches America; In the Path of God: Islam and Political Power; Muslim Immigrants in the United States; Harvard-educated pro-Israel Jewish historian, who warned about al-Qaida planning attacks on the U.S. 4 mo. before 9/11 begins piping on the Muslim threat to the U.S., claiming that Saudia Arabia is a "rival" to the U.S. and should be sued by 9/11 families for compensation, advocating that Muslims in U.S. govt. positions be treated as security risks, and asserting that U.S. mosques are militant breeding grounds; he later backs the U.S. Iraq War, claiming that winning it will reduce not increase terrorism, and also claims that Barack Obama is an apostate Muslim subject to execution; meanwhile he founds the Web site Campus Watch, causing a filibuster in the U.S. Senate led by Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) against his nomination by Pres. Bush to the board of the U.S. Inst. of Peace. Roy Porter (1946-2002), Madness: A Brief History. Samantha Power (1970-), "A Problem from Hell": America and the Age of Genocide (Pulitzer Prize); argues for interentionism in cases of genocide. Susan Powter (1958-), The Politics of Stupid. Reg Presley (1941-), Wild Things They Don't Tell Us (Oct.); frontman for The Troggs is into crop circle research. Dennis Michael Quinn (1944-), Elder Statesman: A Biography of J. Reuben Clark. Janice G. Raymond (1943-), Sex Trafficking in the United States: Links Between International and Domestic Sex Industries. Howard Rheingold (1947-), Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution (Oct. 15). Richard Rhodes (1937-), Masters of Death: The SS-Einsatzgruppen and the Invention of the Holocaust. Richard Rodriguez (1944-), Brown: The Last Discovery of America (autobio.). David M. Rohl (1950-), The Lost Testament: From Eden to Exile - The Epic History of the People of the Bible. John Ross (1938-2011), Mexico in Focus: A Guide to the People, Politics, and Culture; The War Against Oblivion: The Zapatista Chronicles. Barry Rubin (1950-2014), Istanbul Intrigues; The Tragedy of the Middle East; Islamic Fundamentalism in Egyptian Politics. Peter Russell (1946-), From Science to God: A Physicist's Journey into the Mystery of Consciousness. Kamal Salibi (1929-2011), A Bird on an Oak Tree. Michael Savage (1942-), The Savage Nation. Ilyasah Shabazz (1962-), Growing Up X: A Memoir by the Daughter of Malcolm X (autobio.); daughter #3 of Malcolm X (1925-65). Anthony Shaffer (1926-2001), So What Did You Expect? (autobio.) (posth.). Peter Singer (1946-), One World: The Ethics of Globalization. Zecharia Sitchin (1920-2010), The Lost Book of Eniki: Memoirs and Prophecies of an Extraterrestrial God; humans were genetically engineered by the Annunaki from Planet X? Quentin Skinner (1940-), Visions of Politics (3 vols.). Jane Idleman Smith and Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, The Islamic Understanding of Death and Resurrection. George Soros (1930-), George Soros on Globalization. Thomas Sowell (1930-), A Personal Odyssey; Controversial Essays; The Einstein Syndrome: Bright Children Who Talk Late. Robert Spencer (1962-), The Politically-Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades); "Am I calling for a war between Christianity and Islam? Certainly not. What I am calling for is a general recognition that we are already in a war. …What we are fighting today is not precisely a 'war on terror'. Terror is a tactic, not an opponent. To wage a 'war on terror' is like waging a 'war on bombs': it focuses on a tool of the enemy rather than the enemy itself. A refusal to identify the enemy is extremely dangerous"; Islam Unveiled: Disturbing Questions About the World's Fastest Growing Faith (Nov. 25); how the Western PC mantra about Muslim terrorists being "fundamentalists" is moose hockey because the goal of Islam has always been the absolute domination of the world, along with the belief that "anyone who renounces Islam deserves to die", plus "the fundamental cause of jihad is to terminate Paganism", therefore "this would mean that jihad must continue as long as there are unbelievers". Joseph Stiglitz (1943-), Globalization and Its Discontents; blames the IMF for funding developing economics which don't develop. Harry G. Summers Jr. (1932-99), On Strategy: The Vietnam War in Context (posth.). Cass R. Sunstein (1954-), The Cost-Benefit State; Risk and Reason; Republic.com; Free Markets and Social Justice. Terry Teachout, The Skeptic: A Life of H.L. Mencken. Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013), Statecraft: Strategies for a Changing World, "Actually, President Bush was quite right to reject the Kyoto protocol... Kyoto was an anti-growth, anti-capitalist, anti-American project which no American leader alert to his country's national interests could have supported." (Ch. 11) Marlo Thomas (1937-) (ed.), The Right Words at the Right Time; 108 famous people tell about the words that changed their lives. Kenneth R. Timmerman (1953-), Shakedown: Exposing the Real Jesse Jackson; bestseller (200K copies) accusing Rev. Jesse Jackson of criminal connections and extortion of businesses. Colm Toibin (1955-), Love in a Dark Time: Gay Lives from Wilde to Almodovar - dark as in beso negro? Tevi Troy (1967-), Intellectuals and the American Presidency: Philosophers, Jesters, or Technicians?. Charlotte A. Twight, Dependent on D.C.: The Rise of Federal Control Over the Lives of Ordinary Americans. United Nations, World Atlas of Biodiversity. Joseph Wambaugh (1937-), Fire Lover: A True Story; Los Angeles "Pillow Pyro" arsonist John Leonard Orr (1949-). Ibn Warraq (1946-) (ed.), What the Koran Really Says: Language, Text and Commentary. Rick Warren (1954-), The Purpose-Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For?; a 40-day plan; the Five Purposes: You Were Planned for God's Pleasure, You Were Formed for God's Family, You Were Created to Become Like Christ, You Were Shaped for Serving God, You Were Made for a Mission; the five Global Goliaths: spiritual emptiness, egocentric leadership, extreme poverty, pandemic disease, illiteracy/poor education. Brian Weiss (1944-), Mirrors of Time: Using Regression for Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Healing (Feb. 1). Fay Weldon (1931-), Auto de Fay (autobio.). Stuart Wilde (1946-) and Brook Claussen, Wilde Unplugged: A Dictionary of Life. Oliver Eaton Williamson (1932-), The Theory of the Firm as Governance Structure: From Choice to Contract. Garry Wills (1934-), Why I Am a Catholic; Mr. Jefferson's University; James Madison. Andrew Norman Wilson (1950-), The Victorians; sells 150K copies. Edward Osborne Wilson (1929-), The Future of Life. Robert Anton Wilson (1932-2007), TSOG: The Thing That Ate the Constitution; the Tsarist Occupation Govt. of the U.S., beginning with George H.W. Bush. Rosalind Wiseman, Queen Bees and Wannabees: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence; basis of the 2004 movie "Mean Girls". Fred Alan Wolf (1934-), Matter into Feeling: A New Alchemy of Science and Spirit. Stephen Wolfram (1959-), A New Kind of Science (May 14); claims that simple digital programs not equations are needed to do science because the Universe is ultimately digital - a resounding thud is heard? Bob Woodward (1943-), Bush At War: Inside the Bush White House. Toby Young (1963-), How to Lose Friends & Alienate People: A Memoir; "England's heterosexual Truman Capote" and his 5-year attempt to make a career in the U.S. at Vanity Fair and Hollyweird. Cecily von Ziegesar (1970-), Gossip Girl; first in a series about girls at a fancy Manhattan prep school. Howard Zinn (1922-2010), Terrorism and War. Zondervan Pub. House (a div. of Harper-Collins), Today's New International Version Bible; an update to the 1978 New International Version, with 50K changes made by 15 Biblical scholars; in Jan. 2005 Rolling Stone mag. rejects an ad for it, but reverses itself in the face of criticism. Art: Lucian Freud (1922-), Naked Portrait of Pregnant Supermodel Kate Moss; auctioned for $6.5M at Christie's Internat. in London in Feb. 2005. Andy Goldsworthy (1956-), Townhead Burn, Dumfriesshire, 25 November 2002 (photographs). Roberto Matta (1911-2002), Post History Chicken Flowers; La Dulce Acqua Vita; La Source du Calme (last work). Sigmar Polke (1941-), The Hunt for the Taliban and Al-Qaida. Daniel Richter (1962-), Dog Planet; 9' x 11.5'. Music: Ryan Adams (1974-), Demolition (album). Queens of the Stone Age, Songs for the Deaf (album #3) (Aug. 27)(#17 in the U.S., #4 in the U.K.) (986K copies); Dave Grohl plays drums; incl. Go With the Flow (#116 in the U.S., #21 in the U.K.), No One Knows (#51 in the U.S., #15 in the U.K.), First It Giveth (#33 in the U.K.). Christina Aguilera (1980-), Stripped (album #4) (Oct. 26) (#2 in the U.S., #2 in the U.K.) (10M copies); criticized for being too dirty, making it more popular?; incl. Impossible (w/Alicia Keys), Dirrty (w/Reggie "Redman" Noble) (#1 in the U.K.), Beautiful (#2 in the U.S.) ("one of the best pop sings ever written" - Simon Cowell"). a-ha, Lifelines (album #7) (Apr. 2); sells 1.5M copies; incl. Lifelines, Forever Not Yours, Did Anyone Approach You? Gregg Allman (1947-), No Stranger to the Dark: The Best of Gregg Allman (album). Amon Amarth, Versus the World (album #4) (Nov. 18); incl. Versus the World, Across the Rainbow Bridge, Thousand Years of Oppression. America, Holiday Harmony (album #15) (Oct. 1); their first Xmas album; The Grand Cayman Concert (album) (Nov. 9); performed in the home of former bandmate Dan Peek by the duo of Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell. Tori Amos (1963-), Scarlet's Walk (album #7) (Oct. 28) (#7 in the U.S., #26 in the U.K.); incl. A Sorta Fairytale (#11 in the U.S., #41 in the U.K.). India.Arie (1975-), Voyage to India (album #2) (Sept. 24) (#6 in the U.S., #82 in the U.K.); sells 2M copies; incl. Little Things, Can I Walk With You, The Truth, Get It Together. Joseph Arthur (1971-), Redemption's Son (album #3) (Nov. 26); incl. Redemption's Son, Honey and the Moon. Ashanti (1980-), Ashanti (album) (debut) (Apr. 2) (#1 in the U.S., #3 in the U.K.) (6M copies, incl. 3M in the U.S., and a record 503K in its 1st week); incl. Foolish (#1 in the U.S.), Happy (w/Ja Rule) (#8 in the U.S.), Baby (#15 in the U.S.), Unfoolish (w/Biggie), Dreams; first female with three top-10 Billboard Hot 100 songs. John David Ashcroft (1942-), Let the Eagle Soar; by U.S. atty.-gen. #79 (2001-5). Audioslave, Audioslave (album) (debut) (3M copies); composed of former members of Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine, incl. Chris Cornell (lead vocals, guitar), Tom Morello (guitar), Tim Commerford (bass), Brad Wilks (drums); incl. Like a Stone, Cochise, Show Me How to Live, I Am the Highway, What You Are. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Will the Circle Be Unbroken Vol. 3 (album #3); first in 1972, 2nd in 1989. Beck (1970-), Sea Change (album). Belle and Sebastian, Storytelling (album #5) (June 3). Tony Bennett (1926-) and k.d. lang (1961-), A Wonderful World (labum, er, album) (Nov. 2); incl. La Vie en Rose, Exactly Like You, What a Wonderful World. Joe Bonamassa (1977-), So, It's Like That (album #2) (Aug. 13); incl. Pain and Sorrow. Boston, Corporate America (album #5) (Aug. 27). David Bowie (1947-), Heathen (album) (June 11); incl. Heathen, Slow Burn, Afraid, A Better Future. Pet Shop Boys, Release (album) (Apr. 1); sells 800K copies; incl. Home and Dry, I Get Along, London. Billy Bragg (1957-) and The Blokes, England, Half-English (album #6) (Mar. 5); against xenophobia in England; incl. St. Monday, Take Down the Union Jack (#22 in the U.K.). Laura Branigan (1952-2004), The Essentials: Laura Branigan (album). Henry Brant (1913-2008), Ice Field (Pulitzer Prize). Toni Braxton (1967-), More Than a Woman (album) (Nov.); incl. Hit the Freeway (w/Loon). Jackson Browne (1948-), The Naked Ride Home (album #2) (#36 in the U.S.) (Sept. 24); incl. The Night Inside Me. Jimmy Buffett (1946-), Far Side of the World (album #25) (Mar. 19). Chris de Burgh (1948-), Timing is Everything (album #13) (Oct. 8); incl. Timing is Everything. The Caesars, Jerk It Out; AKA Caesars Palace, Twelve Caesars; from Sweden, incl. Joakim Åhlund, César Vidal, David Lindquist, and Nino Keller. Cam'ron (1974-), Come Home with Me (album); incl. Oh Boy and Hey Ma. Mariah Carey (1970-), Charmbracelet (album #9) (Dec. 3); 1st album on the Island Records label; incl. Through the Rain, Boy (I Need You), The One. Vanessa Carlton (1980-), Be Not Nobody (album) (debut); incl. A Thousand Miles. Neko Case (1970-) and Her Boyfriends, Blacklisted (album #3) (Aug. 20). Soft Cell, Cruelty Without Beauty (album #4) (Oct. 8); last album in 1984. Tracy Chapman (1964-), Let It Rain (album #6) (Oct. 15) (#25 in th4e U.S.); incl. Let It Rain. Kenny Chesney (1968-), No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems (album) (Apr. 23); incl. No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems, Young, The Good Stuff. Dixie Chicks, Home (album #3); incl. White Trash Wedding, Top of the World. Biffy Clyro, Blackened Sky (album) (debut) (Mar. 10) (#78 in the U.K.); formerly Screwfish; from Kilmarnock, Scotland, incl. Simon Alexander Neil (1979-) (vocals), James Roberto Johnston (1980-) (bass) and twin brother Ben Hamilton Johnston (1980-) (drums); incl. 27, 57, Justboy, Joy Discovery Invention. Joe Cocker (1944-2014), Respect Yourself (album #18) (July 16). Coldplay, A Rush of Blood to the Head (album #2) (Aug. 26) (#5 in the U.S., #1 in the U.K.); sells 13M copies; incl. Clocks, God Put a Smile Upon Your Face, In My Place, The Scientist. Phil Collins (1951-), Testify (album) (Nov. 12); incl. Can't Stop Living You. Coolio (1963-), El Cool Magnifico (album #4) (Oct. 15); a flop. Elvis Costello (1954-), When I Was Cruel (album #20) (Apr. 23). Elvis Costello (1954-) and the Imposters, Cruel Smile (Oct. 1). Cracker, Forever (album #6) (Jan. 29); incl. Shine. King Crimson, Ladies of the Road (album) (Nov. 12). Counting Crows, Hard Candy (album #4) (June 7) (#5 in the U.S., #9 in the U.K.); incl. Hard Candy, American Girls (#24 in the U.S., #33 in the U.K.) Big Yellow Taxi (w/Vanessa Carlton) (hidden track) (#16 in the U.K.). Death Cab for Cutie, The Stability EP (album) (Feb. 19); last with drummer Michael Schorr. Craig Ashley David (1981-), Slicker Than Your Average (album) (Nov. 19); incl. Slicker Than Your Average, Rise & Fall (with Sting). The Grateful Dead, Dick's Picks Vol. 24 (album) (Feb. 11); recorded on Mar. 23, 1974 in Daly City, Calif.; Dick's Picks Vol. 25 (album) (July 20); recorded on May 10-11, 1978; View from the Vault, Vol. 3 (album) (Aug.); Dick's Picks Vol. 26 (album) (Oct.); recorded on Apr. 26-27, 1969. Celine Dion (1968-), A New Day Has Come (album #7) (Mar. 22); first album of original material since 1999; incl. A New Day Has Come. Disturbed, Believe (album #2) (Sept. 17, 2002) (#1 in the U.S., #41 in the U.K.); incl. Prayer, Remember, Liberate. Snoop Dogg (1971-), Paid the Cost to Be da Boss (album #6) (Nov. 26) (1.3M copies); incl. From the Chuuuch to da Palace (w/Pharrell), Beautiful (w/Pharrell). Dokken, Long Way Home (album #8) (Apr. 23). Goo Goo Dolls, Gutterflower (album #7) (Apr. 9) (#4 in the U.S.); incl. Here Is Gone (#3 in the U.S.), Big Machine, Sympathy. System of a Down, Steal This Album! (album #3) (Nov. 26); incl. Innervision,
