February 19th - Today is the 50th day of the year, with only 315 days remaining in 2006.

February Flowers - Violet, Primrose
February Birthstone - Amethyst (Sincerity)

Pisces (Feb 19 - Mar 19) - 12th sign of the Zodiac
For thousands of years, this faint zodiacal constellation has been seen either as one or two fish. In Greco-Roman mythology, Aphrodite and her son Heros were being pursued by the monster Typhon. In order to escape him, they turned themselves into fish, swimming to safety. The pair tied their tails together to insure that they wouldn't be parted during their escape.


"Universal Time" (UT) which is sometimes referred to, now colloquially, as "Greenwich Mean Time" (GMT)
FULL MOON - Feb 13   4:44 a.m.
LAST QUARTER - Feb 21   7:17 a.m.
NEW MOON - Feb 28   0:32 a.m.
FIRST QUARTER - Mar 6   8:15 p.m.


RULING PLANET: Neptune, god of peace, love and spaciness.
ELEMENT: Water (emotional sensitivity)
QUADRUPLICITY: Mutable (versatility)
POLARITY: Negative / Feminine (receptive or introvert)
SYMBOL: The Fish is the sign of the dreamer.
COLOR OF CHOICE: Soft Sea Green
STARSTONE: Moonstone
BODY PART: Pisces rules the feet.
KEY PHRASE: "I believe."
* On the downside: Dishonesty, Martyrdom and Indecisiveness in most affairs.
* Your good qualities include: Sensitivity to the needs of others and Idealism
* Your life's work: Learning to use your creative imagination to the benefit of others, not just self.


ACTING -
1924 Lee Marvin, NYC, actor (Paint Your Wagon, Cat Ballou) [D: 08/29/87]
1951 Stephen Nichols, Cincinnati OH, soap actor ("Patch"-Days of Our Lives, Stefan-Gen Hosp)
1955 Jeff Daniels, Athens GA, actor (Arachnophobia, Dumb & Dumber)
1966 Justine Bateman, Rye NY, actress (Mallory-Family Ties)

ARTISTIC -
1917 (Lula) Carson McCullers, Columbus GA, novelist (Heart Is a Lonely Hunter) [D: 09/29/67]
1930 John Frankenheimer, NYC, director (Birdman of Alcatraz, Grand Prix) [D: 07/06/2002]

HISTORIC -
1946 Karen Silkwood, Longview TX, labor union activist/chem tech at plutonium plant
1960 Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Buckingham Palace, London

MUSIC -
1940 William "Smokey" Robinson Jr., Detroit MI, singer (& the Miracles-The Tracks of My Tears)
1943 Lou Christie, Glenwillard PA, singer-songwriter (Two Faces Have I)
1963 Seal, Paddington England, vocalist/songwriter (Kiss by a Rose)

SCIENCE -
1473 Nicolaus Copernicus, Poland, discovered the Earth revolves around sun. [D: 05/24/1543]
1932 Joseph P Kerwin, Oak Park IL, Captain Med Corps USN/astronaut (Skylab 2)
1948 Byron K Lichtenburg, Stroudsburg PA, astronaut (STS 9, STS 45)
1952 Rudolfo Neri-Vela, Guerrero Mexico, PhD/astronaut (STS-61-B)
1956 George David Low, Cleveland OH, astronaut (STS 32, STS 43)

SPORTS -
1916 Eddie Arcaro, Cincinnati OH, jockey (1958 Racing HoF, 2 triple crowns) [D: 11/04/97]
1942 Paul Krause, Flint MI, NFL (Redskins, Vikings) All-NFL x4/Pro Bowl x8/HoF 1998


1674 England and the Netherlands sign the Peace of Westminster, ending the Third Anglo-Dutch War. A provision of the agreement transfers the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam to England, which renamed it New York.
1807 Vice President Aaron Burr arrested in Alabama for treason; later found innocent.
1847 The Donner Party is rescued. It is noted that some of the survivors seem to be remarkably well-fed considering their ordeal.
1859 Dan Sickles is acquitted of murder on grounds of temporary insanity first time this defense is successfully used.
1878 Thomas Alva Edison patents the gramophone (phonograph).
1881 Kansas becomes first state to prohibit all alcoholic beverages.
1906 W K Kellogg and Charles D Bolin incorporate Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company, Battle Creek MI.
1913 Prizes are included in Cracker Jack candy boxes for the first time.
1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the executive order 9066, allowing the United States military to relocate Japanese-Americans to Japanese internment camps.
1984 Twin brothers Phil and Steve Mahre took first and second place in the slalom.
1985 Artificial heart patient William J. Schroeder becomes the first such patient to leave hospital.
1986 USSR launches Mir space station into Earth orbit.
MORE EVENTS

SOURCE: Earth Calendar
National Democracy Day - Nepal
National Flag Day - Turkmenistan


HUMOR SCOPE (http://humorscope.com)
The Humorscope has been called "uncannily accurate" by at least one person. I construct forecasts each day, using precise planetary positions, a custom-made analog computer, and ancient Norwegian meditation techniques. Or at least, that's what I would do if I had more time. Currently, I mostly just spin a carrot.

Aries (March 21 - April 19) - A man with a large machine will enter your house, and make you totally miserable.

Taurus (April 20 - May 20) - You will tell a total stranger that you're "sick and tired of salad", today. The stranger will recoil in shock and horror.

Gemini (May 21 - June 20) - You've been trying to sell your car, and it just isn't going anywhere. Sometimes it helps if you have a name for your vehicle, to give it more character. I call mine the "Millennium Falcon." My passengers often become irritated at being called "Chewie", though.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22) - This is an excellent day to dare. Dare to eat a peach. Dare to wear your trousers rolled, and walk along the beach. Dare to be different. That sort of thing.

Leo (July 23 - August 22) - You will be in an extremely stuffy meeting today, which will seem to last forever. You will be able to liven things up a smidge by putting a few small feathers in your hand, and then "coughing" them out.

Virgo (August 23 - September 22) - The world will be dim and grey, and cold. Carrion crows will caw at you from the edges of the world, and deep cold water will rush by in rivers without names. Ahead, on the peak of a mountain, is a glimmering golden light. Either that, or you'll get gum stuck to your shoe. (Sometimes these things are hard to read.)

Libra (September 22 - October 22) - Later this week you'll feel much like Scarlet O'Hara did, when she said, "I'll never be hungry again!"

Scorpio (October 23 - November 21) - You'll find a penny when you are out for a walk. Surprisingly, it will be the key to a wonderful change in your life. The trick is just to figure out what you can do with a penny, these days.

Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21) - Good time to invest in flowers and a card. Sometimes no occasion is the best occasion. Just like sometimes no disfiguring disease is the best disfiguring disease, I guess.

Capricorn (December 22 - January 20) - Good time to wear WAY too much cologne. Well actually, that's generally not a problem for people who wear cologne. Usually, they have no sense of smell. (Oh come on - you think they'd do that on purpose??)

Aquarius (January 21 - February 18) - You will have an enormously exciting day, today, compared to your usual day. You will find the prize in the cereal box.

Pisces (February 19 - March 20) - You will be attacked by a man wielding a ham sandwich. Fortunately, you will remember your self-defense lessons, and should be able to drive him off using a bunch of celery.

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