U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nicholas Spinks, from the 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, looks over the area of a vehicle born improvised explosive device that went off without hitting its target in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 27, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway


U.S. Army Sgt. Jeremy Munds, from the 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, looks over a map of the city to get to the next location in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 27, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway


U.S. Army Pfc. Nicholas Gray, from the 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, scans the area while moving to the next location in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 27, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway


U.S. Army 1st. Lt. John Ortegon, from the 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, talks with Iraqi police while on a patrol in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 27, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway


U.S. Army Sgt. Drudge inspects his troop's dog tags, ID cards, weapons and equipment during a pre-combat check at Forward Operating Base Warrior in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2007. Drudge is assigned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Maria J. Bare


An Iraqi woman sells bread to motorists in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Maria J. Bare


U.S. Army soldiers from Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, deliver fortification materials to an Iraqi police check point in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Maria J. Bare


An Iraqi army Humvee patrols the streets of Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Maria J. Bare


Iraqi children wave to a passing Iraqi and U.S. Army mounted patrol in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Maria J. Bare


More photo essays at DefendAmerica

TRAINING CENTER — Airmen and soldiers take part in a route clearance training scenario, Jan. 22, at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif. Soldiers and airmen are trained in a number of different scenarios that will help better prepare them for duty in Iraq. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Dennis J. Henry Jr.

News of Note
Super Bowl!
Indiana Goes Colts Crazy for Super Bowl; Company Offers 3-Day Weekend, Free Beer
Workers Told 'Kick Back After Bowl' - PICS
Countdown begins for Super Bowl coaches
Super Bowl: Soldiers and Da' Bears

Operation Iraqi Freedom
Report: Little U.S. Control in Iraq - Text (pdf) (The report also warns about the consequences of withdrawal)
Bill Clinton: Bush's Iraq Plan Won't Work (Like he'd know what would)
Car bombings kill four in Iraq's Kirkuk
At least 38 killed in Baghdad blast
Vietnam Vets to Vote on Surge
Corpsmen, Marines Save Lives in Al Anbar

Operation Enduring Freedom
NATO vows to kick Taliban out of truce village


Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
U.S. files charges against 3 Guantanamo inmates
S.Arabia arrests 10 in crackdown on terror funding
U.S. to support up to 10,000 extra Abbas troops
Palestinian clashes wound 5 before ceasefire talks

Troops on Trial
Judge says Katrina victims can sue Army Engineers (You've GOT to be %$^@&*%$#-ing kidding me!)

Other Military News
Bush seeks $130 billion for U.S. Army
Bush seeks $100 billion for wars in 2007

Worldwide Wackos
Non-aligned envoys in Iran to see nuclear sites
North Korea must act to scrap nuclear weapons: U.S.

Politics / Government
Tough Crowd, Tough Questions
Hispanic Dem Caucus Leader Quits Over Ethnic Slurs
Bush to address House Democratic meeting
Romney says Sen. Clinton 'timid' on Iran
Clinton promises to end war if elected
Congress to renew FDA tobacco authority fight

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
5 New York Teens Arrested for Plowing Themselves Through Fences
Florida Technical School Student Angry Over Lack of Black History Classes Stabs 3 With Screwdriver
Judge rejects O.J. Simpson book lawsuit
Modern-Day Bonnie and Clyde
Court rules in favor of cursing man
4 hate-crime beating teens get probation

U.N. News
U.S. urges "global discussion" on UN warming report

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
Viacom demands YouTube remove videos

Science / Medicine / Nature
Florida Digs OutFrom Deadly Storms
At Least 19 Killed in Deadly Florida Storms
19 confirmed dead; 500 properties wrecked - PHOTOS
'You Want to Help' - Fla. governor tours tornado-ravaged state - PHOTOS
18 Cranes Flown in From Wisconsin Killed in Storm
Rescue teams resume work in central Fla.
Dangerous Waters
Indonesia floods leave 100,000 homeless
Britain's Top Woman Paraglider Attacked by Eagles Mid-Flight
Study: Ugly Endangered Species Get Ignored
Can Giant Balls Plug Erupting Volcano?
Report: 'No Question' on Warming - Speakout!
AEI think tank sought critique of climate report
Warming report builds support for action
Ky. aquarium hopes 2 sharks will mate
Northern fur seal pup estimates decline
Texas Gov. orders anti-cancer vaccine
Endangered cranes killed in Fla. storms

News from My Neck of the Woods
Three Killed in Mass. Plane Crash
Turner CEO: 'Sorry' for Boston Terror Scare

Oddities
Dutch Gym Plans 'Naked Sunday' to Appease Avid Nudists
4-Year-Old Girl Kept From Pre-School for Pink Hair
New Jersey City Pays Dead Man $130,000 a Year
Florida Woman Who Faked Death Couldn't Miss the Memorial Service
Doctor gives stripper a hand -- literally
My wife smokes -- I want an annulment
Joey Chestnut downs a record 182 wings

Other News of Note
'Hero' Dog Rescues Crash Victim

Fox News
12-Year-Old Found Hanged Might Have Been Playing 'Choking Game'
Britney Spears: From Pop Star to Star of David
Fire Destroys Apartment of Convicted Defendant in Coca-Cola Secrets Theft Trial
Paris Hilton Apparently Heard Using N-Word in Video

Reuters: Top News
Bird flu outbreak on English farm is H5N1
On-line editing tools nurture new video makers
High-powered debate shows Syria's economic problems
Flagship India car plant bulldozes farmers' hopes
Most women view "morning after pills" favorably
Adolescents at risk from poor diet, inactivity
Farrah Fawcett declares victory over cancer
Earnings, data in spotlight for stocks
Dow eases as jobs data suggest no Fed cut yet
Seattle Genetics grabs investor notice
Oil jumps 3 percent on political tensions, U.S. cold
Transports' new high could be market's bull signal
Investing in the environment
Political risk could return to haunt stocks
Pluto's fate sends shiver through toyland
Goldman seeks more middle-market deals
Dell faces investor lawsuit over Intel pact
Key dealer says Ford not "defending" truck franchise
Google execs to get up to $1.5 mln more in bonuses
Harmony to pay Rio for Hidden Valley royalty

AP World News
David Lee Roth back as Van Halen singer
Black NFL fans confront welcome quandary
Crash spurs concerns about older drivers
Giants send letter to fans about Bonds
Anne Heche's husband files for divorce
Margera turns wedding into new MTV show
Stocks end mixed on lackluster jobs data
Packers QB Favre to return for 17th year

Military.com
Def Tech: Iraq's Re-arm
Op-ed: War and the People
Blog: Tantrum Town
Advisors: Adoption and the Military
Podcast: A Real MNF Brief

CENTCOM: News Releases
BATAAN TRANSITS SUEZ CANAL, ENTERS U.S. 5TH FLEET
IRAQI POLICEMEN RECOGNIZED FOR SACRIFICE, DEDICATION
EMERGENCY RESPONSE UNIT COMPOUND IN RAMADI ATTACKED BY SVBIED
MORTAR ATTACK ON WESTERN BAGHDAD SCHOOL

USJFCOM
USJFCOM sends second rotation to support CENTCOM - podcast
USJFCOM begins Integrated Battle Command Experiment Series - podcast
USJFCOM, others evaluate individual augmentee process - podcast

Department of Defense
Iraq Situation 'Winnable,' Multi-National Force Official Says - Story
Rear Adm. Mark I. Fox biography
Transcript: Conference Call (pdf)

ON THE GROUND
Aspen Road to Connect Southern Iraq with Kuwait - Story
U.S. and Iraqi Officials Work To Reopen Factories - Story
Corps Sergeant Major Thanks Troops at Q-West - Story
U.S. Soldiers Work With Iraqis To Stop Corruption - Story
Soldiers Travel Iraq's Most Dangerous Routes - Story

IN IRAQ
Sergeants Show Iraqis How to Run the 'Yard'
Former Small-town Doc Treats Troops in Iraq
Rugged Terrain No Challenge for Riggers
'Instincts Over Feelings' Neutralize Enemy
Army Destroys Insurgent Stronghold in Diyala
Iraqi, Coalition Soldiers Destroy Training Site
Iraqi Village Builds Women’s Center

IN AFGHANISTAN
Female Medics Earn Respect from Afghan Army

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

* If you're deployed, and want to see your location's weather listed here, please email me!

Today in History
1377 - Cardinal Robert of Geneva (anti-pope Clemens VII) starts term; Mass execution of population of Cesena Italy
1576 - Henry of Navarre (future Henry IV) escapes from Paris
1591 - German monarchy forms Protestant Union of Torgau
1653 - Cardinal Mazarin returns to Paris from exile
1660 - General Moncks army reaches London
1690 - 1st paper money in America issued (colony of Massachusetts)
1740 - Charles de Bourbon, King of Naples, invites Jews to return to Sicily
1752 - Dutch States-General forbid export of windmills
1781 - Dutch West Indies island of St Eustatia taken by the British
1783 - Spain recognizes US independence
1809 - Territory of Illinois organizes (including present-day Wisconsin)
1836 - Whig Party holds its 1st national convention (Albany NY)
1855 - Wisconsin Supreme Court declares US Fugitive Slave Law unconstitutional
1860 - Thomas Clemson takes office as 1st US superintendent of agriculture
1864 - Sherman's march through Georgia
1865 - Hampton Roads Peace Conference, Lincoln & Stephens reach an impasse
1867 - Prince Mutsuhito, 14, becomes Emperor Meiji of Japan (1867-1912)
1870 - 15th Amendment (Black suffrage) passed
1887 - To avoid disputed national elections, Congress creates Electoral Count Act
1892 - Russia closes down Yeshiva of Volozhin
1894 - 1st US steel sailing vessel, Dirigo, launched, Bath, ME
1901 - Dutch troops under General Van Heutsz conquer Batu Ilië on Sumatra
1903 - Frederick Lugard occupies Kano West Africa
1908 - Supreme Court rules a union boycott violates Sherman Antitrust Act
1913 - 16th Amendment, federal income tax, ratified
1915 - Turkish & German army reach Suez Canal
1916 - Canada's original Parliament building, in Ottawa, burns down
1917 - US liner Housatonic sunk by German sub & diplomatic relations severed
1919 - League of Nations 1st meeting (Paris); Socialist conference convenes (Berne Switzerland)
1924 - Alexei Ryko elected as President of People's commission (succeeds Lenin)
1927 - Uprising against regime of General Carmona in Portugal
1929 - Revolutionary Socialist Party forms in Amsterdam
1930 - William Howard Taft, resigns as chief justice for health reasons; Vietnamese Communistic Party forms
1933 - German minister Göring bans social-democratic newspaper Vorwärts
1941 - Supreme Court upheld Federal Wage & Hour law, sets minimum wages & maximum hours
1942 - 1st Japanese air raid on Java
1943 - 4 chaplains drown after giving up their life jackets to others
1945 - Almost 1000 Flying Fortresses drop 3000 ton bombs on Berlin
1950 - Nuclear physicist Klaus Fuchs arrested on spy charges
1959 - American Airlines Electra crashes in New York's East River, killing 65
1962 - President Kennedy bans all trade with Cuba except for food & drugs
1965 - Orbiting Solar Observatory 2 launches into Earth orbit (552/636 km); 105 USAF cadets resigned for cheating on exams
1966 - 1st operational weather satellite, ESSA-1 launched (US); 1st soft landing on the Moon (Soviet Luna 9)
1969 - The Palestine National Congress appoints Yasser Arafat head of PLO
1973 - President Nixon signs Endangered Species Act into law
1979 - "YMCA" by Village People peaks at #2 on pop singles chart
1981 - Gro Harlem Brundtland elected premier of Norway
1984 - 10th Space Shuttle Mission (41B)-Challenger 4 launched; 1st baby conceived by embryo transplant born in Long Beach CA
1986 - President Reagan announces formation of Committee on Challenger Accident
1989 - Military coup overthrows Alfredo Stroessner, dictator of Paraguay
1993 - Federal trial of 4 police officers charged with civil rights violations in videotaped beating of Rodney King begins in Los Angeles CA
1994 - President Bill Clinton lifts US trade embargo against Vietnam; STS-60 (Discovery) launches into orbit
1995 - STS 63 (Discovery 19), launches into orbit
1998 - US military plane clips cable car lines in northern Italy, kills 20

Birthdays
1368 - Charles VI, King of France (1380-1422)
1805 - Otto T. Freiherr von Manteuffel, premier of Prussia
1807 - Joseph E. Johnston, Confederate General, Commander, Army of Tennessee
1811 - Horace Greeley, editor ("Go west, young man")
1817 - Samuel Ryan Curtis, Union Major General
1824 - George Thomas "Tige" Anderson, Confederate Brigadier General; Nathan George "Shanks" Evans, Confederate Brigadier General
1830 - Robert Cecil, Marquess of Salisbury, British PM (1885-1902)
1831 - Cyrus Ballou Comstock, Union Brevet Major General
1851 - Johannes B. van Heutsz, Lieutenant-General/Governor-General Dutch East Indies
1889 - Risto Ryti, Finnish premier/president
1891 - Jan Donner Dutch minister of Justice (1926-33)
1894 - Juan Negrín, PM of the Spanish Republic (1936-39); Norman Rockwell US, artist/illustrator (Sat Evening Post covers)
1904 - Charlie "Pretty Boy" Floyd, FBI Most Wanted criminal
1912 - Jacques Soustelle, French minister of information
1922 - Bill Chappell, Jr. (Representative-FL)
1926 - J. Roy Rowland (Representative-GA)
1933 - Paul S. Sarbanes (Senator-MD)
1938 - Vladimir Grigoryevich Fartushny, cosmonaut
1939 - Vladimir Yevgenyevich Preobrazhensky, cosmonaut
1940 - Jim Hartz, newscaster (NBC-TV, Innovations); Fran Tarkenton Richmond VA, NFL quarterback (New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings)
1952 - Jack Fields (Representative-TX)

Passings
0474 - Leo I, Byzantine Emperor (457-74), dies
0865 - Ansgar/Anscharius/Oskar, German 1st (arch)bishop of Hamburg/saint, dies
1399 - John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster/King of Castile & León, dies at 58
1451 - Murad II, sultan of Turkey (1421-51), dies
1889 - Belle Starr, US female gangster, murdered at 40
1902 - Isaac Fransen van der Putten Dutch PM (1866), dies
1922 - Christiaan R. de Wet, South African Boer General, dies at 67
1924 - Woodrow Wilson, 28th US President (1913-21), dies at his home in Washington at 67
1945 - Roland Freisler, German Nazi judge (July 20th plotter case), dies
1947 - Marc A "Pete" Mitscher, US Lieutenant-Admiral (WWII-Task Force 58), dies at 60 1950 - Karl Seitz, President of Austria, dies at 80
1959 - Rockers "The Big Bopper" (Jiles Perry Richardson - Chantilly Lace - age 28), Buddy Holly ("That'll Be the Day - age 22), and Richie Valens ("Donna" / "La Bamba" - age 17) die in a plane crash in Iowa
1961 - Viscount Dunrossil, Governor-General of Australia (1959-61), dies at 67
1969 - Eduardo C. Mondlane, President of Mozambique, murdered
1997 - William Geoffrey Biddle, bomb disposal expert, dies at 79
1998 - Karla Faye Tucker, murderer, executed at 38

Reported Missing in Action
1966
The following USAF personnel reported MIA when their C123C disappeared while on a mission over the border of Laos:
Brown, Wilbur R. (NC); pilot

Carter, James L. (CA); crew

Parsley, Edward M. (WV); crew

Waller, Therman M. (AR); crew

The following USN personnel also reported MIA this day in 1966, when their RAC was shot down:
Coffee, Gerald L. "Jerry" (CA); pilot, released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Commander - alive and well as of 1998

Hanson, Robert T. (OH); navigator, remains returned - ID'd February, 1989

1967
Johnson, August D., USNR (TX); jumped overboard to avoid grenade thrown in to PBR51, believed drowned

1968
Anderson, John T., US Army (NY); released by PRG March, 1973 - deceased

Cayer, Marc, Civilian - International Voluntary Service (Canada); captured in Hue during the Tet Offensive, released February, 1973 - alive as of 1999

Deering, John A., USMC (TN); released by PRG March, 1973 - alive as of 1998

Di Bernardo, James V., USMC (NY); released by PRG March, 1973 - retired as a Major - alive as of 1998

Dierling, Edward A., US Army; escaped February, 1968

Daves, Gary L., Civilian; captured in Hue during the Tet Offensive - released by PRG March, 1973

Ettmueller, Harry L., US Army (NJ); released by PRG March, 1973 - alive and well as of 1999

Gouin, Donat J., US Army - Armed Forces TV (KY); captured in Hue, released by PRG - alive as of 1998

Hayhurst, Robert A., US Army (WI); escaped February, 1968

Johns, Vernon, US Army (MD); remains ID'd April, 1991

Wiggins, Wallace Luttrell, USAF (CA); F102 shot down - remains returned August, 1978

Wilson, Marion E., US Army (OH); APC hit by RPG - KIA, body not recovered

1971
Gotner, Norbert A., USAF (KS); F4D shot down (w/Standerwick), released March, 1973 - retired as a Lt. Colonel - alive as of 1998

Standerwick, Robert, Sr., USAF (KS); F4D shot down (w/Gotner)

1973
Stringham, William, USN (CA); drowned