Hafez al-Assad
Hafez al-Assad (6 October 1930 – 10 June 2000) was a Syrian politician who served as President of Syria from 1971 to 2000.
He was also Prime Minister from 1970 to 1971, as well as Regional Secretary of the Regional Command of the Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party and Secretary General of the National Command of the Ba'ath Party from 1970 to 2000.
Assad participated in the 1963 Syrian coup d'état which brought the Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party to power, and the new leadership appointed him Commander of the Syrian Air Force.
In 1966, Assad participated in a second coup, which toppled the traditional leaders of the Ba'ath Party and brought a radical military faction headed by Salah Jadid to power.
Assad was appointed defense minister by the new government.
Four years later, Assad initiated a third coup which ousted Jadid, and appointed himself as the undisputed leader of Syria.
Assad de-radicalised the Ba'ath government when he took power by giving more space to private property and by strengthening the country's foreign relations with countries which his predecessor had deemed reactionary.
He sided with the Soviet Union during the Cold War in turn for support against Israel, and, while he had forsaken the pan-Arab concept of unifying the Arab world into one Arab nation, he sought to make Syria the defender of Arab interests against Israel.
When he came to power, Assad organised state services along sectarian lines
(the Sunnis became the heads of political institutions, while the Alawites took control of the military, intelligence, and security apparatuses).
The formerly collegial powers of Ba'athist decision-making were curtailed, and were transferred to the Syrian presidency.
The Syrian government ceased to be a one-party system in the normal sense of the word, and was turned into a one-party state with a strong presidency.
To maintain this system, a cult of personality centered on Assad and his family was created by the president and Ba'ath party.
Having become the main source of initiative inside the Syrian government, Assad began looking for a successor.
His first choice was his brother Rifaat, but Rifaat attempted to seize power in 1983–84 when Hafez's health was in doubt.
Rifaat was subsequently exiled when Hafez's health recovered.
Hafez's next choice of successor was his eldest son, Bassel.
However Bassel died in a car accident in 1994, and Hafez turned to his third choice—his younger son Bashar, who at that time had no political experience.
This move was met with criticism within some quarters of the Syrian ruling class, but Assad persisted with his plan and demoted several officials who opposed this succession.
Hafez died in 2000 and Bashar succeeded him as President.
Jamil al-Assad
Jamil al- Assad( 1932 – 15 December 2004) was a younger brother of the late Syrian president Hafez al- Assad, and the uncle of present Syrian leader Bashar al- Assad.
He served in the Parliament of Syria, called the" majlis ash- sha'b" from 1971 until his death.
He was also commander of a minor militia.
Ali Sulayman al-Assad
Ali Sulayman al- Assad( 1875 – 1963), born Ali Sulayman al- Wahhish), was a leader of the Alawites in Latakia.
He was the father of former Syrian President Hafez al- Assad, and grandfather of current Syrian President Bashar al- Assad.
Bushra al-Assad
Bushra al-Assad  (born 24 October 1960) is the first child and only daughter of Hafez al-Assad, who was the president of Syria from 1971 to 2000.
She is the sister of current Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
She is the widow of Assef Shawkat, the deputy chief of staff of the Syrian Armed Forces and former head of the Syrian Military Intelligence, who was killed by the rebels on 18 July 2012.
As a result of the Syrian Civil War, in March 2012 she was placed on a list of Syrian government figures who were subject to European Union economic sanctions and travel bans.
On 28 September 2012, it was reported and confirmed by Gulf states that Bushra al-Assad had fled Syria with her five children to seek refuge in the United Arab Emirates.
In January 2013, Bushra al-Assad was joined by her mother Anisa Makhlouf in Dubai after she too fled Syria, but she later returned.
Thomas Scott (diver)
Thomas Scott( 1907- date of death unknown) was an English diver.
Dhu al-Himma Shalish
Dhu al- Himma Shalish is the first cousin of Syrian President Bashar al- Assad and head of presidential security.
He is part Bashar al- Assad's inner circle.
Anisa Makhlouf
Anisa( or Aniseh) Makhlouf( 1930 or 1934 – 6 February 2016) was the Syrian matriarch of the Al- Assad family, which has ruled the country since 1971.
The wife of the late President Hafez al- Assad, Makhlouf held the position of First Lady of Syria from 1971 until 2000.
Her five children include Bashar al- Assad, the President of Syria since 2000.
" The Economist" described Anisa Makhlouf as" a formidable figure" within the al- Assad family and the Ba'athist government.
A highly influential member of the government, she was one of the few people with whom Bashar al- Assad regularly consulted during the Syrian Civil War.
She is believed to have advocated for a heavy, military crackdown on Syrian protesters and rebels during the ongoing Civil War.
Makhlouf was born around 1929 or 1930 in Latakia, Syria, to the Makhloufs, an influential family from Bustan al- Basha, Latakia Governorate.
She married Hafez al- Assad, an officer of the Syrian Arab Air Force, in 1957.
They had five children: Bushra( b. 1960), Bassel al- Assad( 1962–1994), Bashar al- Assad( b. 1965), Majd al- Assad( 1966 – 2009), and Maher al- Assad( b. 1967).
Her marriage to Hafez al- Assad elevated the status and wealth of the Makhlouf family.
Anisa Makhlouf's relatives were awarded lucrative contracts within the country's banking, oil and telecommunication sectors.
One nephew, Rami Makhlouf, is believed to be the wealthiest man in Syria, with a net worth of US$ 5 billion, as of 2012.
Following the death of Bassel al- Assad in 1994, Makhlouf favoured Maher al- Assad, her youngest son and a Syrian general, as a possible successor for her husband.
Instead, Bashar al- Assad returned from London, joined the military, and succeeded his father as President of Syria in 2000.
Makhlouf is believed to have advocated for a harsh crackdown on protesters and rebels during the Arab Spring and Syrian Civil War.
In 2012, Makhlouf, as well as other members of the Al- Assad family, were sanctioned by the European Union amid the country's civil war and attacks on protesters by the Syrian government.
The EU sanctions included a travel ban and the freezing of her assets.
Prior to the travel ban, she had reportedly made frequent trips to Germany for medical treatments for an undisclosed illness.
Bassel al-Assad
Bassel al- Assad(" Bāssel al Assad"; 23 March 1962 – 21 January 1994) was a Syrian engineer, colonel, and politician who was the eldest son of President of Syria Hafez al- Assad and the older brother of( later) President Bashar al- Assad.
It was widely expected that he would succeed his father as President of Syria until he died in a car accident in 1994.
Theodred II (Bishop of Elmham)
Theodred II was a medieval Bishop of Elmham.
The date of Theodred's consecration unknown, but the date of his death was sometime between 995 and 997.
Etan Boritzer
Etan Boritzer( born 1950) is an American writer of children ’s literature who is best known for his book" What is God?" first published in 1989.
His best selling" What is?" illustrated children's book series on character education and difficult subjects for children is a popular teaching guide for parents, teachers and child- life professionals.
Boritzer gained national critical acclaim after" What is God?" was published in 1989 although the book has caused controversy from religious fundamentalists for its universalist views.
The other current books in the" What is?" series include
What is Love?,
What is Death?,
What is Beautiful?,
What is Funny?,
What is Right?,
What is Peace?,
What is Money?,
What is Dreaming?,
What is a Friend?,
What is True?,
What is a Family?,
What is a Feeling?"
The series is now also translated into 15 languages.
Boritzer was first published in 1963 at the age of 13 when he wrote an essay in his English class at Wade Junior High School in the Bronx, New York on the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
His essay was included in a special anthology by New York City public school children compiled and published by the New York City Department of Education.
Boritzer now lives in Venice, California and maintains his publishing office there also.
He has helped numerous other authors to get published through" How to Get Your Book Published!" programs.
Boritzer is also a yoga teacher who teaches regular classes locally and guest- teaches nationally.
He is also recognized nationally as an erudite speaker on" The Teachings of the Buddha."

Question: What is the date of death of Bushra Al-Assad's father?