The year 2011, still ongoing at time of writing, has been dubbed 'the Year of the ASB' on AH.com for a collection of unlikely events that would have been greeted with derisive laughter if they had been suggested six months before. These include:

• The Arab Revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt etc and NATO intervention in Libya, all triggered by one man upset because he wasn't allowed to sell fruit.
• Americans actually getting out and protesting for workers' rights in Wisconsin.
• Osama Bin Laden successfully killed by Americans. Republicans praise Barack Obama.
• The Canadian election led to the NDP overtaking the Liberals to become the Official Opposition and the Bloc Quebecois was almost destroyed.
• Spontaneous youth riots across England for basically no reason
• Faster-then-light travel discovered to be possible.
• Saudi Arabia allows women to vote and stand in local elections.
• Mahmoud Ahmadinejad managing the stupendous feat of uniting Americans and the West and Al-Qaeda in condemnation against his claims that 9/11 was staged.
• Scientists invent a flying carpet.
• The Burmese junta starts to liberalise, not due to international pressure or internal revolution like the one attempted in 2008, but just because they feel like it.

It seems likely that more will be added as the year goes on.