News of Note
Superbowl XLII
Super Bowl: Perfect Story, Perfect Ending? - PHOTOS
Giants stand between Patriots and the history books
Patriots, NFL deny new spying allegation
Redskins' Green, Monk elected to Hall

Operation Iraqi Freedom
Iraq issues new law giving Baathists jobs back
Troops Connect Iraqi Children with Government Medical Program
Infantry Regiment Clears Routes near Al Duraiya, Disrupts Insurgent Networks
National Police Take the Lead, Teach Colleagues Lifesaver Skills
Teamwork Returns Life to Doura
Mortar attack on Sons of Iraq checkpoint kills female bystander
Extremists, Coalition Forces continue skirmish outside Sadr City
Baghdad welcomes hundreds of new Iraqi Police

Operation Enduring Freedom
Troops Degrade Enemy Operations

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Bhutto Book: Bin Laden's Son Killed Me - VIDEO
Official: Egypt Will Not Tolerate Another Border Breach
Officials: At Least 11 Killed in Sri Lanka Bombing
Colombia gives OK to new rebel hostage release
Ten Kurdish rebels killed in clashes in Turkey

Fallen Heroes
Death photo of war reporter Pyle found
End-of-Tour Ceremony Honors Casualties

Religion of Peace??
Family Offers Teen Up for Sex
Report: Female Muslim Medics Don't Follow Hygiene Rules

Politics / Government
Too Close to Call
Huckabee: 'I Won't Quit'
Clinton, Obama in dead heat ahead of big vote
Candidates get a little help from their friends
Romney wins Maine caucuses
Candidates address young voters
George W. Bush: Fighting to the Finish
Clintons address black voters' concerns
Putin's man takes chance to stress continuity
Stronger turnout in Serbia's crossroads election - Video
Israeli Defense Minister Says He Won't Resign Over War
Some non-Christians feel left out of election
Little seen simple in race and politics in south
In campaign detour, Romney mourns Mormon leader

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
The Devil Made Him Do It?
Teen Charged With Murder in Death of Parents, Brothers in Suburban Baltimore Home
Lawsuit Alleges Restaurant Owner Strip-Searched Black Employees for Missing Money
Dutch Student Says He Lied About Role in Holloway Disappearance; Mother Says Hope is Gone
'Deadbeat Dad' Runs for Office in Chicago
Portuguese Police Admit They Were 'Too Hasty' in Naming McCanns Suspects in Madeleine's Disappearance
Police Search for Gunman Who Killed Five Women in Illinois Clothing Store
Officer Suspended After Gunfight With Another Cop in Georgia Street
Teen Charged With Murder in Death of Parents, Brothers in Suburban Baltimore Home
Texas Baby Murder Suspect Arrested in Pennsylvania

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
Parolee charged in Mo. editor's killing

Science / Medicine and Health / Watching the Web
Americans go to Mexico for a cheaper perfect smile
WHO reports Tamiflu-resistant flu in U.S., Canada
Bezeq launches porn-free "kosher phone" service
GM unveils hybrid pickups

Mother Nature
Officials: Rwanda Earthquake Kills at Least 21
Indonesian floods displace thousands - Video
Amazon research raises tough questions

News from My Neck of the Woods
Sen. John Kerry's Sister Mugged in Downtown New York
Decades-Old Photograph Helps Solve Mystery of New York Man's Drowning 15 Years Later

Oddities
Carnival float driver runs over brother

Other News of Note
Developing: Chad Rebels: We Have Taken Town of Adre
Kenya Opposition Urges Union to Send Peacekeepers

Fox News
Chinese Cops Seize Hundreds of Racy Photos of Celebs
British Store Halts Sale of 'Lolita' Children's Beds
Hong Kong Police Seize Hundreds of Racy Photos Showing Chinese Stars
Pop Tarts: Kate Hudson's Bikini Woes

Reuters
Chad's president fights back
Berlusconi's mother dies at 97
Space ships and castles clog Rio as Carnival rolls - Video
Liza Minnelli steals Red Dress show at Fashion Week
Major progress reported in writers talks
"No Country" takes Hollywood producers' top prize
Yahoo says it needs time to mull Microsoft offer - Video
Rio Tinto's chief waits for richer BHP offer
Response to subprime swayed by rules, peers
Buffett may be big beneficiary of Swiss Re: report
Yahoos fear loss of fun-loving culture
"French" solution better in any SocGen bid: Gueant
Intel poised for growth: Barron's
More than earnings in focus when HMOs post results
Recession looms but Yahoo bid stirs optimism
Wall St rises on tech bid; best week since March '03 - Video
Manufacturing expands in January: ISM report
Anheuser shares rise on report of merger talks
Oil drops on signs of economic weakness
Mixed data leaves dollar up vs euro, sterling - Video
January's wild ride in stocks no fit of imagination
Exxon and Chevron earnings soar on record oil prices
U.S. airline shares jump on drop in oil price

AP World News
Writers Guild, 4 NY filmmakers settle
'Hannah' holds box-office sway with $29M
Tiger wins Dubai with spectacular charge
Will more jobless benefits aid economy?
Investigators question bank executives
Rio dances samba until dawn at carnival
Project to save crash victims memorial

CENTCOM: News Releases

USJFCOM
Joint fires team, Army training center leaps forward with joint integrated training
Learn more about the Joint Fires Integration and Interoperability Team
Joint Deployment Training Center revs up for the future - podcast
Learn more about JDTC
USJFCOM readies for Noble Resolve 08 - podcast
More about Noble Resolve

Multi-National Force-Iraq
82nd Medics teach Iraqi police combat life saving skills

DefenseLink
TOP NEWS
Gates: Suicide Bombings May Show Desperation
Secretary Meets with Soldiers, Spouses at Fort Campbell
Officials Label Guard-Reserve Report ‘Fundamentally Flawed’
Iraq Ground Conditions to Determine Redeployments
Bush: U.S. Will Prevail
Terrorists' Tactics Signal NATO’s Success

AFGHANISTAN NEWS
Forces Find Weapons Underground
Forces Assist Snow-Bound Village
Forces Distribute Supplies at Center

IRAQ NEWS
Coalition, Iraqi Forces Kill, Detain Terrorists
Attacks Down to Two-Year Low
Trainers Focus on ‘Force Enablers’

MILITARY NEWS
Defense Authorization Act Empowers Guard
Service Leaders Report Recruiting Success
‘Screaming Eagles’ Prepare for Spring Deployment

FACE OF DEFENSE
Helicopter Pilot Lauded for Bravery in Battle

WHY WE SERVE
Why We Serve: Soldier Chooses Military Service as Way of Life

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
SemperComm Award Honors Morale Efforts

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

Labels: Headlines, History