News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Bush to Congress: Stand Up for Our Troops
Some House GOPers Back Iraq Measure
U.S. Insists Muqtada Al-Sadr Fled to Iran
Four U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq
Bush says confident Iran provided weapons in Iraq - Video
U.S. to take in more Iraqi refugees
Baghdad sweep meets little resistance

Operation Enduring Freedom
Taliban flee battle using children as shields: NATO

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Palestinian Terrorists Warn 'Hands Off Our Leader'
New Jihad: Usama Bin Laden vs. Big Oil (Now, THIS could get interesting...)
Mexico says oil installations secure after threat
Spain on edge as Madrid train bomb trial begins
Anti-Syrian Lebanese crowds honor slain Hariri - Video

Troops on Trial
Guilty plea by former Army translator

Other Military News
'They Went Too Far' - Playboy-posing drill sergeant 'disappointed in our system' after Air Force drops her from active duty

Worldwide Wackos
Chavez to Condoleezza Rice: I Miss You!
Iran envoy Larijani visits Saudi for nuclear talks
Two Koreas meet, Bush defends nuclear deal - Video
2 Koreas agree to resume stalled talks
Ex-aide says Rice misled Congress on Iran - Video

Politics / Government
That's No Joke! Al Franken to Run for Senate (Minnesota, be afraid...be very afraid)
Unionizing bill advances; Cheney threatens veto

Immigration / Border Control
NFL: Border Patrol Offsides
Nevada Town Repeals English-Only Law
Border Patrol agent shoots at immigrants

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Justice Scalia's Daughter Charged With DUI
Testimony Ends in CIA Leak Trial

Science / Medicine / Technology
FDA warn of salmonella in peanut butter
AIDS virus weakness detected

Mother Nature
Snowstorm closes schools, snarls travel
Winter storm cools U.S. Valentine's ardor - Video

News from My Neck of the Woods
Snowstorm wreaks havoc on sports events
Mom cat adopts rejected Rottweiler pup

Oddities
Belgian Valentines to squeak of love
Maltese Falcon stolen from restaurant

Other News of Note
Men Hard-Wired to Ignore Their Wives (Well, DUH - wonder how much they spent figuring out THIS revelation...coulda just asked any wife!)

Fox News
Anna Nicole Body Ruling Thursday
Study: Office Desks Loaded With Bacteria
State Farm to Stop Writing Policies in Miss.
Group: Hybrid Cars Too Quiet, Safety Threat
Coin Suggests Cleopatra Was No Beauty
Anne Frank's Dad Tried to Seek Refuge in U.S.

Reuters: Top News
Japanese whaling ship on fire off Antarctica
Anne Frank's family sought U.S. visa, letters show
Call for "neuroethics" as brain science races ahead
MySpace teen suit dismissed by Texas court
Nokia scraps plans for HSDPA notebook module with Intel
Singapore revamps its waterways in tourism drive
China's "last cave dwellers" refuse to leave
Methamphetamine use linked to heart condition
Fish oil unlikely to relieve depression
Murphy's run for Oscar sparks applause
Oil falls to $58 as fuel stocks weigh
Deere stock hits new high on outlook
Dollar falls to 6-week low vs euro after Bernanke
Gold rises near seven-month peak as dollar ails
Atlantic City plays second fiddle, again
Audio: Everybody's a critic!
Coddling your nest egg
Ex-Enron officials get probation after cooperating
Chrysler to cut 13,000 jobs, faces possible sale - Video
France's Areva wins $5 billion nuke deal
Baidu quarterly profit soars
Dell hires Solectron's Cannon to head new division
Retail sales flat but Fed positive on growth

AP World News
'Idol' announces the 24 semi-finalists
Celts end franchise-record losing streak
'Grammy Moment' winner is 'Idol' reject
Waltrip's crew chief, director suspended
Howard Stern engaged to model girlfriend
Cox: Aniston TV smooch is no 'big deal'
Mark Curry: Laughs kept him from suicide
Smith's body in morgue amid court fight
Calcium, vitamin D cut stress fractures
Crowds tie the knot at St. Louis Arch

Military.com
Troops Swap Valentines With Loved Ones
Lawmakers Clash Over Iraq
DT: Pocket-Sized Tank Killer
Advisors: Catfights and Astronuts
Op-ed: Distributed or Dumb?
You Decide Who Gets a Milbloggie
Kit Up! and Show Your Gear
Warfighter's Forum: Balad Hospital

CENTCOM: Press Releases
HELICOPTER DETERMINED TO BE DOWNED BY HOSTILE FIRE IN ANBAR
AL QAEDA NETWORK TARGETED; 27 SUSPECTED TERRORISTS DETAINED
COALITION FORCES THWART TWO IED BOMBING ATTEMPTS; 15 TERRORISTS ESTIMATED KILLED DURING OPERATIONS
MARINES, DJIBOUTIANS TRAIN SIDE-BY-SIDE DURING IMAGE NAUTILUS
CCCI CONVICTS 13 INSURGENTS

USJFCOM
JPADS continues to improve the way it delivers aerial drops to the warfighter - podcast


DefenseLink
Bush Will Protect U.S. Troops, Not Provoke War - Story
Pace: Iran Complicit in IED Attacks on Coalition
Caldwell: Iranian Influence a Force Protection Issue
President Says Baghdad Security Plan on Track - Story
Transcript: Remarks from Feb. 14 Press Conference
New Buildup of Baghdad Security Plan Starts
North Korea Agrees to Nuclear Disarmament - Story
Precision Important to Intelligence Analysis - Story
Navy, Marines Request Funding for Equipment - Story
Army Unit Slated for Afghanistan Duties in Spring - Story

More Headline News
U.S. Leaders: NATO Must Do More in Afghanistan
Gates, Pakistani President Discuss Border Issues
Petraeus Takes Command of Multinational Force
Air Still Safest Travel in Iraq, General Says

Military News
Active Military Meets January Recruiting Goals
Vietnam Hero to be Awarded Medal of Honor
Technology Helps Soldiers Stay Close to Family
Supplemental Funds Critical to Army Readiness

America Supports You
Military Channel Airs Troop Valentine Messages Today -Story
'VetFran' Helps with Franchises
Donation Gets Troops Moving
New Program Spotlights Team
War on Terror
Hostile Fire Caused Feb. 7 Crash - Story
Two Soldiers Die in Iraq
15 Terrorists Killed in Iraq
Taliban Leader Killed

Transformation
36th Ops Group Reactivates - Story
FCS Test Systems Hard to Let Go
Blood Program Web Site Gets New Look, Updated Content
Combat Systems Restructured

Face of Defense
Spouses Serve in Iraq
Sailor Earns Bronze Star
Songs Soothe Combat Soldiers

DefendAmerica
NEWS UPDATES
New Baghdad Security Plan Begins - Story
Stability & Security in Iraq Report (pdf)
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
U.S. Troops, Iraqis Celebrate Bridge Opening - Story
U.S. Marines Help Secure 'Smugglers Town' - Story
Organization Delivers Supplies to Iraqi Families - Story
Aircrew Aids Globemaster Carrying Injured - Story
Iraqis 'Get Answers' from Civil Affairs Marines - Story
Soldiers Work with Iraqis to Provide Medical Care - Story
Americans Unite with Socotra to Build Schools - Story

IN IRAQ
Engineers Build High School in Northern Baghdad
Army Engineers Help Build Potable Water Plant
Taji Unit Works to Keep Supplies on the Road
Residents Reap Benefits of New Petrol Station
Soldiers Secure Area as Doctors Treat Villagers
New Mayor Takes the Lead on Reconstruction
Iraqi, U.S. Soldiers Clean Up Streets of Baghdad
Reconstruction Team Opens New Bridge, Road

IN AFGHANISTAN
Zabul Provincial Hospital Welcomes Jordanians
Goodwill Missions Continue in Eastern Afghanistan
Senior Air Force Leaders Address Deployments

BACKGROUND
IRAQ
Renewal In Iraq
Iraq: Security, Stability
Fact Sheet: Progress and Work Ahead
Report: Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq
Multinational Force Iraq
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Weekly Reconstruction Report (PDF)
Iraq Reconstruction

Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Fact Sheet: Budget Request
Fact Sheet: Terror Plots Disrupted
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

Weather
Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Germany
Ansbach Aschaffenburg Berlin Berlin-Tempelhof Berlin/Schonefeld Bremerhaven
Darmstadt Frankfurt Frankfurt/Main Freiburg/Breisgau Garmisch
Garmisch-Partenkirchen Geilenkirchen Gelnhausen Giessen Kitzingen
Hanau Am Main Heidelberg Mainz Mannheim Nurnberg Stuttgart Trier
Wiesbaden Wurzburg

Gitmo

Guam
Agana Agana Heights Agat Andersen AFB Asan Barrigada

Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut
An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Japan
Kadena Air Base Okinawa Tokyo Yokohama

Philippines
Baler Radar Site Catanduanes Radar Site Manila

South Korea
Cheju Upper/Radar Chonju Chunchon Inch'on Kunsan Masan Mokp'o
Osan Pusan Seoul Suwon Taegu Taejon Tonghae Radar Site Ulsan Yosu

Today in History
0399 - Philosopher Socrates sentenced to death
1145 - Bernardo elected Pope Eugene III
1313 - Peace of Angleur
1386 - Duke Philip the Stout forms Council of Flanders
1563 - Russian troops occupy Polotsk Lithuania
1637 - Ferdinand III succeeds Ferdinand II as Holy Roman Emperor
1677 - King Charles II reports anti-French covenant with Netherlands
1689 - German Parliament declares war on France
1763 - Austria, Prussia & Saxony sign Peace of Hubertusburg
1764 - St. Louis founded as a French trading post by Pierre Laclade Ligue
1768 - 1st mustard manufactured in America advertised, Philadelphia
1775 - Angelo Braschi chosen as Pope Pius VI
1797 - Battle of Cape St. Vincent
1799 - 1st US printed ballots authorized, Pennsylvania
1804 - New Jersey becomes last northern state to abolish slavery
1842 - 1st adhesive postage stamps in US (private delivery company), New York NY
1851 - Black abolitionists invade Boston courtroom, rescuing a fugitive slave
1861 - Ft. Point completed & garrisoned (has never fired cannon in anger)
1862 - Grant's major assault on Ft Donelson, TN
1869 - Charges of Treason against Jefferson Davis are dropped
1870 - Ground broken for Northern Pacific Railway near Duluth, MN
1876 - Historic Elm at Boston blown down
1879 - Congress authorizes women lawyers to practice before the Supreme Court
1882 - 1st cargo of frozen meat leaves New Zealand for Britain, on SS Dunedin
1898 - USS Maine blows up in Havana harbor, cause unknown-258 sailors die
1900 - General French relieves Kimberley/Cecil Rhodes
1903 - 1st Teddy Bear introduced in America, made by Morris & Rose Michtom
1906 - British Labour Party organizes
1918 - 1st WWI US Army troop ship torpedoed & sunk by Germany, off Ireland
1919 - American Legion organizes in Paris
1922 - Marconi begins regular broadcasting transmissions from Essex
1926 - Contract air mail service begins in US
1931 - 1st Dracula movie released
1932 - 3rd Winter Olympics games close at Lake Placid, NY; Australia beat South Africa in cricket by an inn in 5 hours 53 minutes playing time
1933 - President-elect Franklin Roosevelt survives assassination attempt; Karl Radek praises invincible force of German communist party; Social-democratic newspaper "Vorwärts" banned again in Berlin
1936 - Hitler announces building of Volkswagens
1939 - German battleship Bismarck was launched
1942 - Singapore surrenders to the Japanese; German U-boat shells Antillian oil refinery; Japanese troops march into Palembang, South Sumatra
1943 - Women's camp Tamtui on Ambon (Moluccas) hit by allied air raid
1944 - 891 British bombers attack Berlin; Bombing & shooting at Monte Cassino convent Italy, begins
1948 - Mao Zedong's army occupies Yenan
1950 - Walt Disney's "Cinderella" released
1954 - 1st bevatron in operation-Berkeley, CA
1955 - 1st pilot plant to produce man-made diamonds announced
1956 - Urho Kekkonen appointed President of Finland
1957 - Andrei A Gromyko succeeds Dmitri Shepilov as Soviet foreign minister
1958 - Sjafroeddin Prawiranegara forms anti-government of Middle Sumatra
1959 - Antonio Segni forms Italian government
1961 - Entire US figure skating team of 18 dies in Belgian Sabena 707 crash
1965 - Canada replaces the Union Jack flag with the Maple Leaf
1967 - 1st anti-bootleg recording laws enacted; French Diadème 1-D satellite launches into Earth orbit
1970 - Nationalists disrupt UN session on Congo; Dominican DC-9 crashes into sea at Santo Domingo, killing 102
1971 - After 1200 years, Britain abandons 12-shilling system for decimal
1972 - President Velasco Ibarra of Ecuador deposed for 4th time
1973 - USSR launches Prognoz 3 to study sun (589/200,300 km)
1976 - 12th Winter Olympics games close at Innsbruck, Austria
1977 - Social-democrats win Danish parliamentary election
1978 - Escaped mass murderer Ted Bundy recaptured, Pensacola, FL; Zaire revises constitution
1981 - Rocket-powered ice sled attains 399 kph, Lake George, NY
1982 - Ocean Ranger oil-drilling platform lost off Newfoundland, 84 die
1984 - 500,000 Iranian soldiers move into Iraq
1985 - STS 51-E vehicle moves to launch pad
1986 - Ferdinand Marcos wins rigged Philippines presidential election
1989 - Israel attacks border strip Taba near Egypt; Soviet military occupation of Afghánistán ends
1991 - Freighter with dynamite explodes in Phang Nga, Thailand - 120 die
1991 Troy State sets NCAA Division II record with 103 points in 2nd half routing DeVry Institute 187-117
1992 - Jeffrey Dahmer found sane & guilty of killing 15 boys
1993 - Bombings by Mafia drug lords kill 14 in Bogotá, Colombia
1994 - US asks Aristide to adopt a peace plan from Haiti
1995 - Burundi premier Anatole Kanyenkiko, resigns; Population of People's Republic of China hits 1.2 billion

Birthdays
0037 - Claudius Drusus Germanicus Caesar Nero, Emperor of Rome (54-68)
1368 - Sigismund Nürnberg Germany, Holy Roman emperor (1410-37)
1483 - Babur, founder of Mughal dynasty in India (1526-30
1519 - Pedro Menéndez de Aviles, explored Florida - founded St Augustine FL
1650 - Anne Jules, Duke de Noailles marshal of France (Hugenot)
1710 - Louis XV, the Well-Beloved Versailles, King of France (1715-74)
1726 - Abraham Clark, farmer/lawyer, signed Declaration of Independence
1774 - W.G. Frederik, Prince of Orange
1795 - Charles Niellon, Belgian brigade general (10 day campaign)
1797 - Henry Engelhard Steinway, piano maker (Steinway)
1800 - Frederik W. Conrad, Dutch hydraulic engineer/railway pioneer
1803 - John Augustus Sutter, Swiss/US colonist of California gold rush fame (New Helvetia CA, Sutter Mill)
1820 - Susan Brownell Anthony, women's suffragette
1823 - Li Hung-Tshang, Chinese rebel leader/viceroy of Tsheli Canton
1834 - Sir William Preece, English electrical engineer, wireless pioneer
1835 - Alexander Stuart Webb, Union Major General
1845 - Elihu Root, US Secretary of State (1905-09)/Nobel Peace Prize (1912)
1858 - William Pickering Boston, astronomer (9th & 10th moons of Saturn)
1874 - Ernest H. Shackleton, explorer (Endurance, Antarctica)
1890 - Robert Ley German, chemist/MP (NSDAP)
1892 - James Forrestal, banker/minister of Navy
1894 - Oswaldo Aranha, lawyer/statesman (1st President of UN)
1899 - Lillian Disney, Mrs. Walt Disney
1911 - Leonard Woodcock labor leader (UAW)
1918 - Alan Arbus, actor (Dr. Sidney Freedman-MASH)
1923 - Justice Drake, British justice
1927 - William Bentley, diplomat
1929 - James Schlesinger, US Secretary of Defense (1973-75); Countess of Dysart
1932 - Adrian Swire British aircraft magnate (Cathay Pacific)
1935 - John R. Block, US Secretary of Agriculture (1981-86); Roger B. Chaffee, Lieutenant Commander USN/astronaut
1937 - Nicholas Bayne, diplomat
1937 - Terry Everett (Representative-AL)
1938 - Lord Justice Ward, British judge
1944 - Aleksandr A. Serebrov, cosmonaut (Soyuz T-7, T-8, TM-8, TM-17); Tineke Netelenbos, Dutch MP (PvdA)
1946 - Clare Short, British MP; John Greenway, British MP
1950 - Nikolai Sergeivich Grekov, cosmonaut
1953 - Derek Conway, British MP
1954 - Matt Groening, cartoonist (Life in Hell, Simpsons)

Passings
1145 - Lucius II [Gherardo Caccianemici], Italian Pope (1144-45)
1152 - Konrad III, Roman-German King (1138-1152), dies at about 58
1503 - Henry Deane, Archbishop of Canterbury (1501-03)
1568 - Hendrik van Brederode, Dutch noble (Compromise of Nobles), dies at 36
1637 - Ferdinand II, King of Bohemia/Hungary/German Emperor (1619-37), dies at 58
1818 - Charles XIII, King of Sweden (1809-18)/Norway (1814-18), dies at 69
1820 - William Ellery, US attorney (signed Declaration of Independence), dies at 92
1844 - Henry Addington Lord Sidmouth, British premier (1801-04), dies at 86
1865 - Nicholas Wiseman, 1st Archbishop of Westminster (1850-65)
1928 - Hubert H. Asquith, premier Great-Britain (1908-16), dies at 75
1933 - Anton J. Cermak (Mayor-Chicago), assassinated in Miami
1939 - Henri Jaspar, premier of Belgium (1926-31), dies at 68
1959 - Owen W. Richardson, English physicist (Nobel 1928), dies at 69
1965 - Nat King Cole, singer (Unforgettable, Mona Lisa), dies at 45
1966 - Camillo Torres, Colombian priest/guerrilla fighter, dies
1967 - William C. Bullitt, 1st US ambassador in USSR, dies at 76
1979 - Mehdi Rahimi, Iranian General/military Governor of Tehran, executed
1984 - Leamon Hunt, US director-General in Sinai, killed by communists
1994 - Andrei Tsjikatilo [Rostov Ripper], Russian mass murdered, executed
1995 - Joseph Ortiz, French-Algerian extremist/rebel, dies at 77
1995 - Sahnoun Jawhari, Tunisian Annahda-leader, dies at 40 in jail
1996 - Bruno Ferenc Straub Hungarian statesman, dies
1996 - McLean Stevenson, actor (MASH, Hello Larry), dies at 66
1998 - Martha Gelhorn, female war correspondent, dies at 89

Reported Missing in Action
1966
Mauterer, Oscar, USAF (VA); A1E shot down, KIA, body not recovered

1968
Carpenter, Joe V., USAF (KY); F4D shot down (w/Writer), released August, 1968 - deceased, October, 1982

Writer, Lawrence D., USAF (WA); F4D shot down (w/Carpenter), released by DRV March, 1973 - alive and well as of 1998

1969
Niedecken, William Clinton, USN (TX); A7A shot down

Walsh, Richard A., USAF (MN); A1J shot down

1971
The following US Army personnel reported MIA when their CH47A was shot down. All presumed KIA, body not recovered:
Crear, Willis C. (AL); door gunner

Crone, Donald E. (CA); crewchief

Fivelson, Barry F. (IL); passenger

Leonard, Marvin M. (MI); pilot

Powers, John L. (ID); flight engineer

Taylor, James H. (CA); aircraft commander

Labels: Headlines, History