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Nov 1 Rival economic-political philosophies square off four days before the U.S. presidential elections. The Republicans, including John McCain, want to reduce taxes for business people. This, they believe, would create more jobs. Democrats accuse Republicans of "trickle down economics." They believe that the economy would fare better with tax levels for wealthy financiers and investors returned to what they were before the presidency of George W. Bush. Democrats tend to be concerned about a distribution of wealth that has long favored those with great wealth and that has returned to the levels that existed before the Great Depression. Obama says his economic plan will benefit working people which, in turn, will benefit investors as, he says, it did during the Clinton administration -- a trickle up theory. And Obama plans to create jobs by government spending for infrastructure and new sources of energy. John McCain describes Obama's plans as "redistributing the wealth" and as "tax and spend."

Nov 3 In the last day of the campaign, candidate Obama continues to associate McCain's economic philosophy with that of President Bush. McCain continues to describe himself as the wealth creator and Obama as the wealth destroyer. Television interviews give evidence that McCain calling Obama the wealth distributor creates fear among at least a few people that Obama would take some of their meager but hard-earned wealth and give to people who are not working. And Republican campaign ads include Reverend Wright's "God damn America" clip that questions Obama's judgment and patriotism and calls him "too radical and too risky." Tomorrow will tell a little something about these campaign choices.

Nov 4 Obama wins and speaks of working together with Republicans to solve the nation's problems. He congratulates his supporters for producing change, and they chant one of Obama's slogans: "Yes we can."

Nov 5 Abroad, Obama's success is greeted with widespread cheer. As reported in the Washington Post, Saudi journalist Samir says it means "the U.S. has won the war on terror" and that "people here are starting to believe in the U.S. again." A new respect for the U.S. Constitution and democracy is expressed. Also reported in the Washington Post, from Tokyo Joichi Ito, globetrotting Japanese blogger-journalist, says that under Bush the U.S. looked stupid and that by electing Obama it "looks open, diversity embracing, humble and intelligent." President Sarkozy of France tells Obama, "At a time when we must face huge challenges together, your election has raised enormous hope in France, in Europe and beyond." But among some Palestinians and Israelis are doubts and fears.

Nov 5 Afghan President Hamid Karzai complains again to the United States that air strikes are counterproductive. He complains about civilian deaths in a bombing on November 3 in Kandahar Province.

Nov 6 According to Gallup polling, McCain did well with regular church-goers and non-Hispanic white males, both groups 56 to 44 percent. Obama did well among women, again 56 to 44, and those with postgraduate degrees, 64 to 31, and the 18 to 29 year-olds, 61 to 39 percent.

Nov 7 It is reported in the New York Times that in China "The three engines of growth -- exports, investment and consumption -- have all slowed down." From China, the China Daily reports that the Chinese government is preparing a stimulus package that injects capital into long-term infrastructure projects: the construction of railways, ports and energy resources.

Nov 8 In Indonesia, three Islamic militants are executed by firing squad for the 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202 people. They have been described as eager to be martyrs for their dream of a South East Asian caliphate. A tiny minority of radicals have been gathering at the various home villages of the three condemned men to pay their their respects.

Nov 8 In New Zealand the right-of-center National Party takes advantage of economically bad times and in elections defeats the Labour Party. Prime Minister Helen Clark, in office for nine years, will step down.

Nov 9 The size of China's stimulus plan is revealed to be 586 billion dollars and will include a tax cut.

Nov 9 Columnist Nicholas Kristoff writes of the U.S. having elected "an Ivy League-educated law professor who has favorite philosophers and poets." Kristoff hopes that "someday soon our leaders no longer will have to shuffle in shame when they’re caught with brains in their heads."

Nov 9 An article in The New York Times by Sarah Lyall describes Icelanders as stunned by "the plummeting" of their currency and "the first wave of layoffs." The shocking failure of Iceland's banks she describes as having followed Icelandic bankers "roaming the world and aggressively seizing business, pumping debt into a soufflé of a system." She quotes an Icelander as saying of the banks, “they’re the ones who ruined our reputation.”

Nov 9 Anita Snow for the Associated Press quotes the Cuban Communist leader Armando Hart: "We have before us the immense challenge of how to face a new chapter in the cultural struggle against the enemy." Hart was referring to what might happen should Cuba's communists no longer have a hostile United States government to point to as a threat.

Nov 11 In Somalia, radical Islamists in power in the port city Kismayo, are reported to have alienated people because of the death of a thirteen-year-old girl, Asha Ibrahim Dhuhulow. She had been raped by soldiers and then charged with adultery by a court. She was buried up to her neck. She pleaded for her life and was then stoned to death.

Nov 12 Uruguay's Senate and Lower House have voted to decriminalize abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, arguing that it will reduce the number of women dying from illegal abortions and that it will advance the rights of women. The Roman Catholic Church in Uruguay has warned legislators who voted for the bill that they could face ex-communication.

Nov 12 In Dubai the boom in housing appears to be over, according to the Wall Street Journal. The end of easy credit has scared away buyers, "especially local and international property speculators who have helped fan years of price increases."

Nov 13 Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin says of President-elect Barack Obama, "If he governs with the skill and grace and greatness of which he is capable, we're going to be just fine." During the campaign she complained of Obama having palled "around with terrorists who would target their own country," and she accused him of having a "a left-wing agenda packaged and prettied up to look mainstream.''

Nov 14 Peter Mansoor, a retired colonel who had been General Petraeus's selected executive officer, tells Charlie Rose that while in Iraq in 2003 officers were having a hard time communicating to policymakers that the war they were fighting was different from what the planners imagined -- contrary to the principle of at least giving a hearing to the opinions of frontline commanders.

Nov 15 A new group of twenty nations (G20) meets for an economic summit in the U.S. capital. It is said to be the most important such meeting since Bretton Woods in 1944. They agree to begin reshaping financial institutions, to reform worldwide regulatory and accounting rules, and they agree to each country submitting to regular reviews by the International Monetary Fund.

Nov 15 President Bush and some other "conservatives" are unenthusiastic about the U.S. economy coming under global supervision. France's President Sarkozy speaks of difficulty in persuading Bush to hold today's summit. After the conference, President Bush speaks of positive results and assures the nation that he is a "free market person."

Nov 18 On National Public Radio, Bill Ayers is interviewed by Terry Gross. Candidate Palin called him a terrorist who targeted his own country. Ayers tells Terry Gross that he has no regrets for having opposed the war in Vietnam. He says that he and his fellow Weather Underground were targeting only property while civilians were being targeted and slaughtered in the war he was trying to stop. He says his tactics were naive and that he believes in doubt: "When you act you have a responsibility to doubt ... You act, you doubt; you act, you doubt. Without doubt you become dogmatic and shrill and stupid. Without action you become cynical and passive and a victim of history, and that should never happen."

Nov 18 Somali pirates are believed to have anchored their seized Saudi oil tanker off the coast of Somalia. Somali pirates have had been receiving ransom money from shipping companies and living well, in big houses, with new cars and beautiful women.

Nov 19 For the BBC, Martin Plaut writes about an alliance between Islamist hardliners, known as the Shabab, and Somali pirates. The Shabab hold points "all along the Somali coast." They "have a degree of control over several pirate groups and provide operating funds and specialist weapons in return for a share of the ransoms being paid to free the ships and crew."

Nov 21 The French left-of-center party is described by one of their leaders, Bertrand Delanoe, as "gravely ill." The center-right party is healthy and in power. It supports a larger role for government in the economy than has been supported by conservatives in the United States, and President Sarkozy supports more regulation than has President Bush. French people have not been buying on credit so much as people in the United States because of government regulatory limits on borrowing.

Nov 21 Somali Islamists turn against Somali pirates, criticizing them for having targeted ships from Islamic nations.

Nov 22 A major culprit in this year's economic meltdown is being publicized. It is credit rating agencies in the United States. They were playing a new game. According to the New York Times back on April 27, "Their profits surged, Moody's in particular: it went public, saw its stock increase sixfold and its earnings grow by 900 percent." Credit rating agencies are private companies in the business of labeling risk. An AAA rating is highly prized. It was in these agency's interest to rate new residential mortgage packages with ratings suitable for investors -- investments that proved faulty.

Nov 23 According to a U.S. intelligence study, described by Scott Shane in The New York Times, al-Qaeda's “unachievable strategic objectives, inability to attract broad-based support and self-destructive actions” are leading to the group's decay. “The appeal of terrorism is waning,” said the report.

Nov 24 Swiss are angry with their country's largest bank, the Union Bank of Switzerland, UBS, which is seeking a bailout by the Swiss government. UBS lost money in the US sub-prime mortgage market.

Nov 24 In Sweden, Rolf Wolff, dean of the school of business at Gothenburg University, has calls on the government to nationalize Volvo and Saab -- to keep Sweden in the auto industry. The Swedish government is waiting to see what happens with the U.S. parent companies of Volvo and Saab, Ford and GM, before deciding on financial support for the two companies.

Nov 25 National Geographic reports that oceans are becoming acidic ten times faster than previously predicted. The increasing acidity is described as unbalancing ecosystems "and could trigger a dramatic shift in coastal species and jeopardize shellfish stocks."

Nov 26 Oil rises from around $50.77 per barrel to $52.50. Russia is talking about joining Opec, and Opec is talking about cutting production, which helps them protect their supply levels, but it raises prices. The decline in crude oil prices from more than $130 a barrel in May broke a speculation bubble in oil, and an economic downturn has reduced demand. Saudi Arabia wanted the decline in prices, but regarding prices some people still demonize Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, an oil industry leader in Dubai predicts oil to rise to $80 per barrel as early as 2010.

Nov 26 In South Korea a popular actress, Ok So-ri, is being prosecuted on a 50-year-old anti-adultery law -- which carries a maximum jail sentence of two years. Her husband is seeking the maximum punishment. She claims that her marriage is loveless. The law was created in the belief that adultery damages the social order.

Nov 27 In Britain, six weeks ago the government announced up to 50 billion pounds (87 billion dollars) in cash to troubled banks, in order for the banks to keep credit flowing. The banks are unwilling or afraid of lending even to worthy borrowers. In want of credit, small businesses are shutting down and the economic crisis grows. (See PBS NewsHour November 26.)

Nov 27 In Iraq's 275-member of parliament, of the 198 who are present 149 vote in favor of US troops pulling back from Iraqi streets by mid-2009 and leaving entirely by the end of 2011. Iraq's government hails the vote as a prelude to full sovereignty for their country. Those opposed want the U.S. to leave sooner.

Nov 28 In Nigeria the mostly Christian-backed governing party, the People's Democratic Party, is declared to have won the state elections in Plateau State. With claims that the elections had been rigged, Muslims from the Hausa community attack Christians, and Christians fight back. Mosques and churches are set afire. The rampaging kills at least 238 people.

Nov 29 The attack in Mumbai that began on the 26th ends with at least 195 dead and 295 injured. Among the dead is the anti-terrorist squad chief Hemant Karkare, who led the charge against the attackers. Just as the 9/11 attack in New York City was a follow up on an a previous attack, the latest attack in Mumbai may be a follow up on a terrorist assault in Mumbai in 2006 that killed nearly 200. That assault was by a group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen. Just as the 9/11 attack was against buildings with symbolic significance to too were the attacks in Mumbai -- at the Taj Mahal Hotel, near the Taj Mahal, in India's great financial center. And an attack was made against a Jewish center, where attackers murdered six hostages before they were annihilated.

Nov 30 It is reported (on Huffingtonpost.com, Nov 29) that Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox News and other media, "absolutely despises Bill O’Reilly," his evening commentator, and that Fox News chief, Roger Ailes, also despises O'Reilly. It is suggested that O'Reilly continues with Fox News because he continues to produce viewers.

Dec 1 The recent attacks in Mumbai are believed by experts to have been the work of ten soldiers belonging to the much greater army of Lashkar-e-Taiba (Army of the Righteous), another group with origins in the war against the Russians in Afghanistan. Their objective is political: to end Indian rule in Kashmir, and it includes restoration of Islamic rule in parts of South Asia, Russia and China. They are responsible for the 2006 attack in Mumbai that killed 211. They planned to kill 5,000 in their latest attack in Mumbai, targeting U.S. and British tourists, and Jews. They have participated publicly in charity drives, and they collect funds internationally designated for terrorist activities.

Dec 1 In Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, around forty soldiers disgusted at having to wait hours in line at a bank go on a rampage and are joined by civilians, and they loot shops. Police look on in amusement before the rampage is finally quelled. Zimbabwe is suffering a cholera epidemic. People are wondering whether the military support, which makes Mugabe's power possible, is beginning to crumble.

Dec 1 MacroHistory's chart for the U.S. federal government's gross national debt for December 1 shows it at 74 percent of GDP - a very rough estimate.

Dec 3 India's military has been seeking permission to attack the Lashkar-e-Taiba (Army of the Righteous) complex near Lahore in Pakistan, not far from India's border. India's government is requesting Pakistan's government to take strong action, including handing to them 20 militants and the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed. The complex, known as the Markaz-e-Taiba (Holy Center), has mosques and, it is said, madrassas with more than 3000 students.

Dec 3 The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) calls off its protests and its shutting down airports after a court bans Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from politics. PAD drew its support from the middle and upper classes. They were opposed by less educated and rural elements who accepted the government's description of events.

Dec 4 A report from Sweden describes a new study indicating that exposure to mobile phone radiation worsens the short-term memory of rats.

Dec 5 The expected decline or demise of Somali piracy is unfolding. Seventeen days ago an Indian ship sank a Somali pirate boat. Today a Danish warship, the HDMS Absalon, part of a NATO task force, destroys a boatload of "suspected" Somali pirates and takes seven of them prisoner.

Dec 6 Some are saying that one of the mistakes that contributed to the Great Depression was the federal government doing too little during the Hoover presidency after the stock market crash. Talk abounds today about not knowing what government action will work. Not expected is government spending that compares with what ended the depression at the beginning of World War II. But President-elect Obama announces his plan to spend on building infrastructure on a scale not seen in the U.S. since the building of the highway system in the 1950s.

Dec 6 Dutch authorities announce details of their plan to close half of Amsterdam's brothels, sex shops and marijuana cafes in an effort to drive organised crime from the city center.

Dec 7 The BBC reports that Thailand's PAD movement, which closed down airports recently, had the kind of support that assured its success: support from the army and entrepreneurs, including, it is believed, two banks, and support of the queen and therefore the monarchy. The opposition Democratic Party now says it has enough parliamentary support to form a government.

Dec 8 Fareed Zakaria in a Washington Post article describes Pakistan's army as the real power in that country, with President Asif Ali Zardari changing to timidity in the face of the army's response to the attack against Mumbai. "Whether the Pakistani military was involved in the Mumbai attacks," Zakaria writes, "remains unclear." He writes of the attackers having been trained by men with titles such as colonel and major and as using communications channels in their operation that are known intelligence services (ISI) channels. A former head of Pakistan's intelligence, General Hamid Gul, told Zakaria in an interview that aired yesterday that Zionists and U.S. "neo-cons" had been the force behind the 9/11 attacks.

Dec 9 Public opinion in Egypt remains hardline. Newspapers and politicians are pressuring their nation's top Muslim cleric, Sheikh Tantawi, to resign. Their grievance: at an interfaith conference in New York in November Shekikh Tantawi shook the hand of Israel's President, Shimon Peres.

Dec 10 In Greece, a policeman having killed a 15-year-old, Alexandros Grigoropoulos, has left the country in rebellion against its government, in streets across the country and today in a general strike. In Zimbabwe the economy has collapsed and with dysfunction has come a cholera outbreak with death numbers climbing toward 800. But rather than Zimbabwe in rebellion and defying military authority, people are passively starving or fleeing to a neighboring country.

Dec 10 The columnist Thomas L. Friedman writes of a new "business model" applied to creating mobility that was invented recently in Silicon Valley. He reports that it is being acquired in Denmark and Israel, and no doubt soon elsewhere and that it will make a bailout of Detroit automakers similar to "pouring billions of dollars into improving typewriters on the eve of the birth of the PC and the Internet."

Dec 11 Pakistan puts the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, under house arrest. (See Dec 3.)

Dec 11 Zimbabwe's "President" Mugabe says "I am happy to say our doctors have been assisted by others, and WHO (World Health Organization] and they have now arrested cholera." He adds that there is no more reason to invade Zimbabwe than to invade Britain for its mad cow disease.

Dec 12 In Zimbabwe, Mugabe's Information Minister, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, describes the cholera outbreak as a "genocidal onslaught on the people of Zimbabwe by the British".

Dec 13 India's navy captures 23 pirates in Gulf of Aden.

Dec 14 Andrisson Manyere, an accredited freelance journalist, is abducted from his home in Harare Zimbabwe.

Dec 15 In Thailand, a vote in parliament, 235 to 198, makes opposition leader, Abhisit Vejjajiva, the new prime minister - the fifth in a little more than two years. Abhisit is leader of the Democrat Party, a right-of-center and pro-monarchy party. Abhisit speaks against corruption, favors measures described as populist and has been an opponent of military rule, including the military coup in 2006.

Dec 16 Last month some Republicans were talking about future appeals to the electorate by adhering to principles and maintaining integrity. Today a fellow Republican, Newt Gingrich, complains about a Republican National Committee (RNC) web ad that falsely associates President-elect Obama with the embattled governor of Illinois, Blagojevich. Gingrich accuses the RNC of "engaging in the sort of negative, attack politics that the voters rejected in the 2006 and 2008 election cycles." Meanwhile, a Gallup poll indicates that 25 percent of Americans assume that Obama's staff is "Illegally tied to Blagojevich."

Dec 16 Somali pirates capture two more ships, one a Indonesian tugboat contracted to French oil company and the other a Turkish cargo ship. Meanwhile the UN Security Council unanimously approves resolution allowing countries to pursue Somali pirates on land as well as at sea.

Dec 17 In South Korea, the popular 40-year-old actress Ok So-ri receives a suspended prison sentence of eight months for adultery. The man associated with Ms Ok, a well-known singer, receives a six-month suspended term. The BBC reports that, "according to a survey carried out last year, nearly 68% of South Korean men and 12% of women confess to having sex outside marriage."

Dec 19 The economic crisis brings attention to a book with philosophical pretentions that has impressed celebrity writers such as David Brooks and Fareed Zakaria. The book is Black Swan: the Impact of the Highly Improbable. It is a takeoff on the commonly acknowledged induction fallacy but, some believe, overdone and with distortions. Recent remarks supporting the book suggest that today's economic crisis was a random event incapable of being foreseen rather than the result of bad policy and of mismanagement with consequences that should have been foreseen.

Dec 19 Japan's government forecasts zero GDP growth for 2009. Hopes are that its strong fiscal stimulus measures will keep the GDP from declining into negative territory.

Dec 20 In Mali, Tuaregs attack an army base. They signed a peace agreement with the Mali government in July, but they say they want more negotiations, more resources directed their way and more autonomy. The Tuaregs are largely camel riding pastoral people whose territory was divided in the 1960s with the creation of independent nations. What had been their territory is now part of Niger, Mali, Algeria, Libya and Burkina Faso. Their total population is estimated at 5.2 million. Desertification and prohibitions on nomadism have been an aggravation. Some have been forced to abandon herding and are seeking jobs in towns and cities.

Dec 23 In Uganda, two women who were arrested in 2005 for lesbianism are awarded $7,000 in damages. The presiding judge describes their rights as having been infringed up.

Dec 23 Pope Benedict XVI says, "Rain forests deserve, yes, our protection but the human being... does not deserve it less." He speaks of protecting " the nature of man against its manipulation...The Church speaks of the human being as man and woman, and asks that this order is respected." Transsexuals are offended.

Dec 23 Guinea's president, Lansana Conte, dies. The army maintains order and promises the creation of a consultative council of civilian and military chiefs. Lasana Conte was not a popular ruler - despite having won three elections. He was dependant on military support.

Dec 24 In Guinea, an army officer, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara is declared president of an interim administration that will rule for two years. Looking happy and kind as he convoys through the streets, thousands cheer him. But government officials look for help from the international community, complaining that they still have power that is being usurped illegally.

Dec 25 At army barracks in Guinea, Captain Camara meets with government officials and tells them he that he will not be one of the candidates for president in December 2010. He tells the government officials, "You can go back to business. Let us just avoid armed conflict, which would drag our country into fratricidal war." Prime Minister Ahmed Tidiane Souare agrees and tells Camara, "We are at your complete disposal." Camara describes his purpose as restoring order to the country and ridding the country of corruption. Local radio reports Camara as saying that already "people who are starting to show up with bags of money to try to corrupt us ... They've tried to give money to our wives and cars to our children."

Dec 26 In China two Chinese men appear in court in handcuffs, their heads bowed. They were executives of the Sanlu Group, a company owned partly by New Zealanders. It sold milk with the chemical Melamine. It was a disastrous tactic. The company stopped production on September 12 and has filed for bankruptcy. Four other executives are also changed and will be appear at court in coming days.

Dec 26 In China it is announced that the Central Commission of Discipline Inspection (CCDI) has for the year ending in November disciplined nearly 5,000 officials above the county-chief level -- officials involved in "corruption, bribery, acting against [the] public interest and other breaches of discipline or the law."

Dec 27 The cease fire between Hamas and Israel, agreed to in June, expired a few days ago. It was not renewed, and rocket attacks on Israel launched from Gaza have continued. Israeli F-16 bombers strike key targets across the Gaza Strip, killing at least 225 people according to local medics. Israel is claiming its right to self-defense. Hamas vows revenge attacks and fires Qassam rockets into Israel.

Dec 29 Israel continues its military operations in Gaza. Their strategy is to eliminate Hamas as a political force in Gaza in order to stop attacks from there into Israel. Some Israelis have concluded that striking militarily merely to teach Hamas a lesson is futile and therefore dumb. In Egypt and elsewhere, anti-Israeli demonstrators work at their analysis and accuse Israel of terrorism.

Dec 30 Members of the Lord's Resistance Army have fled from Uganda into the Democratic Republic of Congo. There, according to the BBC, since Christmas they have killed more than 400 people, and they are trying to advance their reputation for righteousness by cutting off lips as a warning not to speak ill of the Lord's army.

Dec 30 Hamas announces that it will continue firing rockets "until Israel ends its aggression." In the dark of night a Hamas rocket-firing crew with a pickup truck exposes itself to Israeli high tech spotting devices. Boom! The crew is obliterated. And the Israelis know that the number of crews that Hamas can field is limited.

Dec 31 In a televised speech from an undisclosed location in Gaza, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh announces that "Victory is near, God willing, and it is closer than people think." Regarding a truce, he speaks as one might when heading for a military victory. He offers the Israelis no assurances regarding their security. He says that first "Zionist aggression must end without any conditions."