THE YEAR THAT WAS - 2006
DECEMBER
BV xxn came back from US for holidays (12/20-30) in Shanghai and Lanzhou as Christmas kitty with plenty of gifts.
Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging early Saturday morning Bagdhad time (12/30). Saddam Hussein was sentenced (11/06) to death and convicted of crimes against humanity over the killings of 148 Shi'ite villagers from Dujail after a failed assassination bid in 1982. After nine months on the run, Hussein was captured in December 2003 by U.S. troops on an isolated farm near Tikrit, his hometown. He was hiding in an 8-foot hole and surrendered without a fight. His trial began in Oct. 2005.
Ban Ki-moon of South Korea was sworn in (12/14) as the secretary general of the United Nations. He replaced Kofi Annan.
NOVEMBER
Dr. Margaret F. C. Chan 陈冯富珍, an expert on SARS and avian influenza, was nominated by the executive board of the World Health Organization to be the agency's director general and is expected to be elected today (nov09) by a special session of the U.N. agency. SB116298032347916977
BT-CO-20061108-704822 Chan Wins Nomination To Head WHO
Democrats took over US Congress in Midterm Elections (11/07). Democrats picked up 27 seats in the House of Representatives, giving them a 230 seats to Republicans' 205. In the Senate, Democrats gained six seats, enough for a 51–49 majority. A day after a majority of American voters voiced their opposition to the war in Iraq, Donald Rumsfeld announced (11/08) his resignation as Secretary of Defense. President Bush nominated Robert Gates, the former chief of the CIA, as his successor. Testifying before the Senate Armed Forces Committee, Robert Gates said (12/05) that the U.S. is not winning the war in Iraq and a regional conflict may result if the chaos continues there. The committee unanimously approved his nomination.
OCTOBER
2006 Nobel Prize winners, their works and research, and a look back at past years' awardees.
KCNA says a "successful and safe" nuclear test was carried out on Monday (10/09). North Korea announced (10/03) it planned to conduct a nuclear test because of "the US daily increasing threat of a nuclear war and its vicious sanctions and pressure," and it has claimed to have nuclear weapons since early 2005 when it withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. This is the first time it is believed to have actually tested one.
SEPTEMBER
Japan's Cabinet secretary Shinzo Abe 安倍晋三 won an election (9/20) by the country's ruling Liberal Democratic Party to succeed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Mr Abe, who turns 52 this week, became Japan's youngest prime minister (9/26) and the first born after World War II. Mr Abe has pledged to rewrite the nation's US-drafted pacifist constitution, tighten already close ties with Washington, and strive to repair ties with China and South Korea, damaged by outgoing Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's annual visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine for war dead. Less than two weeks into his first term Abe went to BJ (10/08) and Seoul on fence-mending visit for the first leadership summit in five years that both hailed as a turning point in the relationship.
Stock in New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (EDU) soared 39% in its debut (9/7). The initial public offering of the provider of English-language training and test-preparation classes closed at .88 a share on the New York Stock Exchange, up .88 from its IPO price of a share. The company, based in Beijing, sold 7.5 million shares at a price above its expected range of to , which was set by underwriters Credit Suisse Group and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. New Oriental, which began operating in 1993, offers English classes for children and adults, and it also provides preparation for U.S. college-admissions tests such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL. It has been expanding in China, where English-language skills are considered important. It operates 25 schools and 111 learning centers; five years ago, it had just three schools and 23 learning centers.
'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin Dies (1962feb22 - 2006sept04) seconds after a stingray barb pierced his heart.
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General Sonthi Boonyaratglin signed a statement late on Tuesday (9/19) announcing that he had formed a "Council for Political Reform" and ousted controversial Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
China Tightens Media Controls, Restricts Foreign News Sales (9/10)
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Thousands of red-clad protesters thronged into downtown Taipei on Saturday (9/9), demanding that Chen Shui-bian resign over a series of alleged corruption scandals involving his family and inner circle. Protest leader Shih Ming-teh, a former chairman of DPP who spent 25 years in prison in the 1960s - 80s for challenging Taiwan's now-deposed martial law regime, kicked off the protest in the broad boulevard adjacent to the ornate Presidential Office Building. SB115787551421858756
Australian motor racing champion Peter Brock was killed (9/8) in an accident on the first day of the National Targa Rally in Western Australia. Mr Brock, age 61, retired from racing in the late 1990s and won the Bathurst 1000 nine times among a string of other trophies in the sport he dominated for decades.
MM nxx departed (8/26) for Sydney only to return to Lanzhou on Saturday 9/16, and then xxn left for LA to start a GIA program.
JULY
The alarming military clashes in the Middle East and the wrangling over Iran's and North Korea's nuclear defiance -- now intensified by Pyongyang's missile tests, which have exposed tensions between Japan and China -- heighten the significance of this weekend's G8 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia (7/15-17). SB115011900385477761 Global fears grew that Mideast fighting will spin out of control. Israel blasted Beirut's airport and other Lebanese targets while Hezbollah unleashed at least 100 rockets, one of which hit Haifa, 30 miles inside the border. SB115276617820005558 Kidnappings Spur Israeli Offensive Inside Lebanon (7/12) SB115268990160004434 Chronology SB115306760246608000 SB115270373247904506
Liu Xiang gave himself the perfect birthday present two days before he turned 23, when he smashed the world 110-meter hurdles record in Lausanne (7/11). The zippy Chinese airman clocked 12.88 seconds, shaving 0.03 seconds off the former record, securing his second big athletic success after winning gold at the Athens Olympics 2004. Tennis pair Zheng Jie and Yan Zi became the first-ever Chinese to win Grand Slam titles, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon women's doubles titles (7/9).
Russian security officials say the country's most wanted man, Chechen leader Shamil Basayev, who took responsibility for the 2004 Beslan school hostage massacre (which ended after three days with 375 people dead, including 186 children taken hostage), has died during a special forces operation in Ingushetia.
Italy (Gli Azzurri) won its fourth title after beating France (Les Bleus) 5-3 in a penalty shootout at the end of a drama-filled final which finished 1-1 at the end of extra time in World Cup Berlin (6/9-7/9). But the lasting image will be a vicious headbutt delivered by France's Zinedine Zidane (the retiring master better known as Zizou) to the chest of Italy's Marco Materazzi in the final. Zidane -- ejected in the 107th -- later apologized but said he had no regrets and blamed Materazzi for taunting him. It was the worst display in an ugly tournament, which set records for 345 yellow warning cards and 28 red ejection cards and, at times, outright brutality. Zidane's comeuppance? He was voted player of the tournament, there's a push to award him the Legion d'honneur, and a song titled "Coup de Boule" -- roughly, "head butt" -- has hit the French airwaves. SB115273647730904893
Kenneth Lay died of a heart attack, saving the Enron founder from a possible 20-year prison term and wiping his record clean for eternity. Lay, along with former Enron President Jeffrey Skilling, was convicted in May on conspiracy and fraud charges in the collapse of the energy titan. But because he never got the chance to appeal, he is legally cleared of the conviction. It also makes it tougher for the government to collect the .5 million it claims were the ill-gotten proceeds of his fraud. Lay always maintained he was not a crook and, says one legal expert, "he technically dies an innocent man." SB115210822917098397
North Korea test-fired (7/05) seven ballistic missiles, risking U.N. sanctions and escalating tensions in the region. Its long-range Taepodong 2 missile, which appeared aimed for a spot near Hawaii, misfired. But shorter-range launches were successful, getting the attention of Japan and other nervous neighbors. Six-party talks have achieved little so far, and North Korea -- controlled by the unpredictable Kim Jong Il -- has vowed to carry out more launches. Experts also say North Korea is supplying Iran with intermediate-range SS-N-6 ballistic missiles, a direct threat to Israel. SB115204584251197609
The Qing Zang (China-Tibet) Railway over the roof of the world officially opened (7/01). The Tanggula pass is the peak of what is now the world's highest railway, surpassing Peru's Lima-Huancayo line, which reaches 4,800 meters. The project has drawn controversy with critics arguing it will allow the national majority Han Chinese to flood in to Tibet, leading to the devastation of the local Tibetan culture, as well as accelerated environmental degradation of the pristine region.
JUNE
xxn graduates from GAA in Sydney after completing a program on practical diamond grading, jewellery sketches and design. XX bear parents visit xxn at Glebe and Old Toongabbie while MM nxx studies French at l'AF Shanghai until August.
Melbourne hosted the 18th edition of the Commonwealth Games (3/15 – 26)
JANUARY
CNY celebrations with LZP family (1/28-29).
Australian Open tennis (1/16-29)
2005
Kerry Packer died (12/)
BV xxn returned to Shanghai and stayed for a week (12/31).
BV xxn departed for Sydney (8/27).
NN nxx was robbed in Changchun and saved by XX (8/23).
(8/13)
Exploratory trip to Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne (7/).
Guiyang, Huangguoshu Falls, Qingyan (6/).
BV returned from LA (5/).
Bill advised of visa approval around CNY (2/)
2004
A 9.0 magnitude earthquake — the largest in 40 years — ruptured in the Indian Ocean, off the northwest coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and triggered the deadliest tsunami (12/26) in world history, so powerful that the waves caused loss of life on the coast of Africa and were even detected on the East Coast of the United States. More than 225,000 people died from the disaster, a half a million were injured, thousands still remain missing, and millions were left homeless.
NN flew to Guangzhou for SJTU EMBA program and practised Cantonese on the natives for the first time.
Last day at AmConGen (12/15)
BV returned to the US.
Treasure Island, FL.
2003
SARS
War in Iraq
2003dec13 Iraq's deposed leader Saddam Hussein is captured by American troops. The former dictator was found hiding in a hole near his hometown of Tikrit and surrendered without a fight.
2003apr09 The fall of Baghdad.
2003mar19 President Bush declared war on Iraq.
2002jan29 In President George W. Bush's state of the union speech, he identified Iraq, along with Iran and North Korea, as an "axis of evil."
Columbia Tragedy (02/01)
SB1044237720526217424 Future of Manned Flight in Doubt
SB1044109179815221304 NASA Shuttle Breaks Apart Over Texas Before Landing
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SB104412289560192304 NASA Statement Offers Details on Columbia Failure
2002
FIFA World Cup: Perennial soccer power Brazil became five-time champion after beating Germany 2-0 in Korea/Japan.
2001
9/11
First day at AmConGen (5/)
1999
Macau returned to Chinese sovereignty.
Joined (nov) DJ Shanghai.
1998
ECNU (7/3-4)
FIFA World Cup: France 3-0 Brazil in France.
1997
BFSU course ended.
HK returned to Chinese sovereignty.
1995
Joined (july) FAO Shanghai.
1994 Brazil 3-2 Italy in shootout after scoreless overtime period in the US World Cup.
1991jan16-17 The Persian Gulf War began when Operation Desert Storm launched by a US-led coalition of 32 countries under the leadership of U.S. Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf. Ground forces invaded (feb24–28) Kuwait and Iraq, vanquished the Iraqi army, and liberated Kuwait. President George H. W. Bush declared a cease-fire on the fourth day. 1990aug02 Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait. Saddam Hussein justified the attack by blaming Kuwait for falling oil prices that harmed the Iraqi economy.
1990 Germany 1-0 Argentina in Italy World Cup
1989 Junior high to senior high Fudan
1988aug20 Iran-Iraq war ended and an estimated 1.5 million died in the eight-year conflict that began 1980sept22. The main issue was control of the Shatt al Arab waterway, an essential resource providing for water and transportation that runs along the border of both countries.
1986 Argentina 3-2 Germany in Mexico World Cup
1984 Olympics in LA, Calif.
1982 FIFA Word Cup Italy 3-1 Germany in Spain World Cup
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