February 20th - Today is the 51st day of the year, with only 314 days remaining in 2006.

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

Presidents' Day
President Nixon is frequently identified as the party responsible for changing Washington's Birthday into President's Day and fostering the notion that it is a day for commemorating all U.S. Presidents, a feat he supposedly achieved by issuing a proclamation on 21 February 1971 which declared the third Monday in February to be a "holiday set aside to honor all presidents, even myself." Evidence of this proclamation remains elusive, however. Presidential records indicate that Nixon merely issued an Executive Order (11582) on 11 February 1971 defining the third Monday of February as a holiday, and the announcement of that Executive Order identified the day as "Washington's Birthday."


"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.


From the Home Office in Wahoo, Nebraska, it's the Top Ten List for November 9, 2000
TOP TEN WAYS THE UNITED STATES WOULD BE DIFFERENT WITHOUT A PRESIDENT
10. Supreme Court justice selected by being 100th caller to Z-100
9. "Hail to the Chief" only played for winner of Pillsbury Bake-off
8. Instead of going to Iowa and New Hampshire every four years, no one would go to Iowa and New Hampshire ever
7. With no presidential fitness test, kids would be even fatter and lazier
6. White House interns would be reduced to having sex with each other
5. More time on news for banter between anchor and fat weatherman
4. The position of vice president would be even more insignificant
3. Entire country would operate as inefficiently as the state of Florida
2. Only her friends, family and an occasional guy from T.G.I. Friday's would know the name "Monica Lewinsky"
1. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue would be the grandest Blockbuster Video ever
©MMV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.


ACTING -
1914 John Daly, Johannesburg South Africa, newscaster/TV game show host (What's My Line) [D: 02/24/91]
1927 Sidney Poitier, Miami FL, actor (Lilies of the Field, Guess Who's Coming To Dinner)
1929 Amanda Blake, (Beverly Neill), Buffalo NY, actress (Miss Kitty-Gunsmoke) [D: 08/16/89]
1946 Sandy Duncan, Henderson TX, actress (Hogan Family, Funny Face)
1947 Jennifer O'Neill, Rio de Janeiro Brazil, actress (Summer of '42)
1947 Peter Strauss, Croton-on-Hudson NY, actor (Rich Man Poor Man, The Jericho Mile)
1954 Anthony Stewart Head, London England, actor (Giles-Buffy Vampire Slayer)
1955 Allen Kelsey Grammer, St. Thomas U.S. Virgin Isld, actor (Cheers, Frasier)

ARTISTIC -
1924 Gloria Vanderbilt, NYC, artist/actress/socialite/multimillion dollar heiress
1925 Robert Altman, Kansas City MO, director (Nashville, MASH)
1926 Richard Matheson, Allendale NJ, author/screenwriter (Duel, What Dreams May Come)
1949 Ivana Trump, Gottwaldov Czech Republic, model/former Mrs Donald Trump
1966 Cindy Crawford, DeKalb IL, supermodel/actress (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit)

HISTORIC -
1887 Vincent Massey, Toronto Ontario, 18th Governor General of Canada [D: 12/30/67]
1954 Patty Hearst, San Mateo CA, newspaper heiress/famous kidnap hostage (Tanya)

MUSIC -
1937 Nancy Wilson, Chillicothe OH, jazz singer (How Glad I Am)
1941 Buffy Sainte-Marie, Cree reserve Saskatchewan, folksinger/composer (Universal Soldier)
1946 J(ohn) Geils, NYC, rock guitarist/vocalist (J Geils Band-Centerfold)
1967 Kurt Cobain, Aberdeen WA, rock vocalist (Nirvana- Smells Like Teen Spirit) [D: 04/05/94]
1975 Brian Littrell, Lexington KY, singer (Backstreet Boys-Quit Playing Games (With My Heart))

SPORTS -
1934 Bobby Unser, Colorado Springs CO, auto racer (1968, 75, 81 Indianapolis 500) International Motorsports HoF '90
1963 Charles Wade Barkley, Leeds AL, NBA power forward (76ers, Suns) 1992 US Dream Team


1792 The Postal Service Act, establishing the United States Post Office Department, is signed by President George Washington.
1873 The University of California opens its first medical school in San Francisco.
1933 House of Representatives completes congressional action to repeal Prohibition.
1931 California gets the go-ahead by the U.S. Congress to build the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
1943 Phil Wrigley and B Rickey charter All-American Girls Softball League.
1944 Batman and Robin comic strip premieres in newspapers.
1952 The film The African Queen opens at the Capitol Theatre in New York City.
1962 While aboard Friendship 7, John Glenn orbits the earth three times in 4 hours, 55 minutes, becoming the first American to orbit the earth.
1963 Willie Mays (San Francisco Giants) signs a record $100,000 per year contract.
1975 Margaret Thatcher elected leader of British Conservative Party.
1992 Ross Perot says he'll run for President on Larry King Show.
2005 Spain becomes the first country to vote in a referendum on ratification of the proposed Constitution of the European Union, passing it by a substantial margin, but on a low turnout.
MORE EVENTS

SOURCE: Earth Calendar
Heritage Day - Canada
President's Day - United States of America
Family Day (Alberta only) - Canada


PRESIDENTIAL BOOKS
The history of the Presidency of the United States has been a popular topic of many academics and amateurs alike. We, as a country, have been indeed very fortunate to have the various Presidential libraries as a repository for the invaluable records of in depth research. Future historians will be able to study at the Gerald Ford Library; the Jimmy Carter Library; the Ronald Reagan Library, the Bill Clinton Adult Bookstore and the George W Bush coloring book collection.


"Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards. If you disgrace yourself you can always write a book." - Ronald Reagan


CABINET MAKER: President. (Wicked-Good Dictionary)

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