USO Canteen FReeper Style~ Sunday Chapel, Prayers for The Military - February 16 2003

USO Canteen Chaplin grantswank

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

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Welcome to The Canteen Chapel

Although we are always aware
that the Canteen is operating
in Cyberspace, we want the troops
and anyone who is on the receiving end
of prayers at the Canteen,
to know that these prayers are very real.

I hope the troops and Canteeners
alike, will view this Canteen Chapel,
as a place where you might go in times of
trouble or times of joy to be with your God.

"Come unto me all ye who are weary and
burdened,and I shall give you rest." (Matt: 11:28).

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The Chaplain's Corner

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J. Grant Swank, Jr.,
Pastor, New Hope Church

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THE GIFT OF LONELINESS

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I live in Maine’s Lakes Region neighborhood where some neighbors come and go. There are those here in the summers; then they disappear for the winters.

There are others who are in small dwellings for a few months--summer or winter--and then they are gone.

My wife and I take welcome gifts to these new people. But sometimes we are not there to give them farewell gifts for they slip away without notice.

Then there are some steady neighbors whom we know to be lonely in that they have no one close to them. An elderly gentleman, for instance, rarely leaves his home because his life has practically imploded with aloneness. A younger woman leaves her home only to go to the store because she has no close relatives.

I have often wondered about the lonely hearts around me in this strikingly beautiful Lakes Region environs. Do these people find any solace in the God who has painted our outdoors? In their loneliness, can they ever discover God crafting a gift of loneliness?

If you think about it in the light of God's Word, loneliness can be one of the most precious and yet misunderstood gifts from heaven.

When one is lonely, one often cries out for fellowship--connection--somebody to care. Where is everybody? Why am I left here all alone? Who can hear me?

Where am I going to end up? Why doesn't anyone out there answer me?

Asking all those questions is normal and all right.

But one must go on beyond that questioning if one is to discover loneliness as a divine gift.

So. . .the obvious question is this: How can I understand loneliness as a present from God? Is this attempt neurotic thinking or wishful musing? Or is this truth yet to be experienced?

Hopefully for you it is truth yet to be experienced.

Loneliness is a divine opportunity when one considers the reverse situation, that is, surrounded daily--every moment--by all kinds of peoples and voices and noises and clamors. That would be suffocating.

However, to come upon pockets of loneliness is the chance to contemplate God. If one were elbowed on every hand by others, then one could become used to such an environs to the extent that that environs would become one's deity. Such would be most unfortunate.

However, when loneliness comes to sit alongside us, then we can choose to think on God. He waits in the silence. Scripture reminds us: "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)

But we do not like the quiet. (There were other ages that did in fact honor life's quiet; but today's noise infested sphere proclaims quiet to be sickness). We have sounds to the right and left of us, even when we are dropping off to sleep as well as when we awaken. Sounds must be there or we cry out that we have been robbed.

Yet quiet is one of the pleasant rooms in which God rests. He is there. He waits for you there. The Psalmist knew that and so he wrote: "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up." (Psalm 27:10)

God has promised His own: "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5)

Consequently, when you come upon the loneliness, you come upon the chance to open a door to God. Move then beyond the lonely emotion to the holy communication with God. He will talk with you once you wind down, quiet your soul and wait upon His Spirit.

In the Lakes Region area, we have invited various persons into our home in order to introduce them to God’s quiet. In this, we have discovered that their loneliness has become realized as a divine gift.

Yet realistically though these friends have found companionship in our home fellowship, they still must deal with their own pockets of loneliness. Such is one of life’s givens. However, these friends have shared that discovering pockets of loneliness as divine presents has become personal reality. For this they are grateful.

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Click on banner above to listen to this song.

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Our Canteen Chaplain,Grant Swank,is pastor 
of the New Hope Church. He has pastored for 
40+ years, ministering in Calgary, Alberta;
Indianapolis; Kansas City; Manchester CT; 
Akron OH; Fishkill NY; Walpole MA and presently 
in Maine. 

Grant also finds ministry in writing for various 
Protestant and Catholic publications, including 
CHRISTIANITY TODAY, DECISION and THE PRIEST. 

Presently, Grant is providing columns for 
websites such as CHALCEDON, INTELLECTUAL.
CONSERVATIVE, 
MENSNEWSDAILY, MICHNEWS and WOUNDEDSHEPHERDS. 

He also writes a weekly column, "Lakes 
Religion," for the PORTLAND PRESS HERALD 
newspaper, Portland ME. 

He and his wife, Priscilla, have traveled 
extensively, including the Middle East, Europe 
and South America. The Swanks have three adult 
children: Crystal, Jay and 
Heidi Jo.

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Touch the photo to hear Michael Anthony sing:
"The Lord's Prayer"

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A Prayer for the United States

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Translation:

He who gives victory to kings and dominion to
princes, whose reign is a reign for all eternity,
who saved David, his Servant, from the evil sword,
who made a road through the sea and a path through
mighty waters, may He bless, guard, protect,
aid, exalt, make great and raise on high
The President of the United States George W. Bush

May the King of all Kings in his mercy, keep him
alive and guard him from every distress, grief and
trouble.May he lead nations beneath his feet and
cause his enemies to fall down before him, and may
he have success in all that he shall undertake. May
the King of all kings in his mercy, place compassion
into his heart and into the hearts of all his
advisers and ministers, to deal kindly with us and
with all of Israel. In his days and in our days may
Judah be redeemed and Israel dwell securely, and may
the redeemer come to Zion, may this be His will, and
let us say, Amen.

Thank you Alouette

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Music from Israel

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A Sabbath Song..........May the Temple Be Built

Shalom Medley .........He That Keeps Israel

On The Sabbath Day ...........They Will Rejoice in Thy Kingdom

(You will need Windows Media Player for these songs)

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George W. Bush: A President of Faith

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A Man of Prayer

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A reporter on CNN was asked

"What did George W. Bush do
on his first morning as president-elect?"

This was Tony Clark's answer:

"He attended a prayer service with family,
friends and staff members."

George W Bush's priorities were established
on the first day of his Presidency.

The President Takes His Faith to Work

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President George W. Bush looks over to Thomas Martello, 6,
during the signing ceremony of the Victims of Terrorism
Tax Relief Act in the East Room Jan. 23.

"We're joined today by families who have lost loved ones
in the great acts of evil," said the President.
"As you draw on faith and personal strength to cope with your grief,
I hope you'll also find comfort in the knowledge that
your nation stands with you and prays for you.
We mourn those whom we've lost, and we face the future together."

The President Lives his Faith

President Bush says he prays every day
in all kinds of situations,
and has been seen to quietly bow his head and pray
before news conferences and important meetings.
"I pray for guidance. I do not pray for earthly things
but for heavenly things, for wisdom
and patience and understanding."

"For strength and support, Bush turns to
the same things that have sustained
him for two decades: his faith and his family . . .
Bush prays and reads the Bible every day.
These days, aides say, they often spot
a Bible on his desk in the Oval Office.
In conversation or meetings, he often refers to
passages of Scripture that he has just read."

"There are prayers that help us last
through the day, or endure the night.
There are prayers of friends and strangers
that give us strength for the journey.
And there are prayers that yield
our will to a will greater than our own."

George W. Bush September 14, 2001
National Day of Prayer and Remembrance.

Listen to President George W Bush
in an Inspiring Song by Russ Lee

Don't miss this.

I'm Going To Live What I Believe

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Music for a Sunday

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Eternal Father (organ)....Joyful We Adore Thee (organ)

The Hallelujah Chorus ...... Ave Maria (Kiri Te Kawana)

How Great Thou Art (Elvis).....Just A Closer Walk (Anne Murray)......

Church in the Wildwood (Charlie Pride).....Faith Like That (Anchormen)

In The Garden (Loretta Lynn).......Our God is an Awesome God (Carman)

Take My Hand (Mahalia Jackson).....We Shall Behold Him (The Ruppes)

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The Children's Corner

Click on child in prayer, to hear Veggie Tunes
(this is over half an hour of music)

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Jesus Loves Me

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Hymns of the Military

Army Hymn: "God of Our Fathers"

Navy Hymn: "Eternal Father Strong to Save"

Air Force Hymn: "Lord Guard and Guide the Men Who Fly"

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We, at the Canteen, offer these prayers 
to those serving their country 
today. God Bless you all.

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Psalm 59:1,16&17
(Patti Vaillant)

"Deliver me from mine enemies,O my God:
Defend me from them that rise up against me.
But I will sing of thy power;yes I will sing
aloud of thy mercy in the morning; for thou
hast been my defence and refuge in the day
of my trouble. Unto thee, O my strength will
I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of 
my mercy."

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Our Prayer
(Celine Dion/Andrea Bocelli)

I pray you'll be our eyes, 
And watch us where we go.
And help us to be wise 
In times when we don't know.

Let this be our prayer, 
When we lose our way.
Lead us to a place, 
Guide us with your grace
To a place where we'll be safe. 

I pray we'll find your light,
And hold it in our hearts
When stars go out each night,
Remind us where you are.. 

Let this be our prayer
When shadows fill our day
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace 
Give us faith so we'll be safe.

We ask that life be kind
And watch us from above.
We hope each soul will find
Another soul to love.

Let this be our prayer,
Just like every child,
Needs to find a place, 
Guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we'll be safe.

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[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

From the men in the Military and the Canteen

[Peach]

To our brave men and women in the military: We love you. Because of your dedication and sacrifice, each and every one of us feels safe and for that, we are deeply grateful. Blessings for you and your family and our prayers for your safe and speedy return home. We fly our flag proudly because of you!

[aomagrat]

Today's classic warship, USS Intrepid

USS Intrepid, a 64-ton ketch, was originally built in France in 1798 for use in Napoleon's Egyptian campaign. Subsequently sold to Tripoli and named Mastico, she participated in the capture of USS Philadelphia on 31 October 1803 and was herself captured by USS Enterprise while en route to Constantinople, Turkey, on 23 December of that year.

Taken into the U.S. Navy early in 1804 and renamed Intrepid, the ketch was placed under the command of Lieutenant Stephen Decatur and assigned a risky, but essential task: the destruction of the captured Philadelphia, whose presence in enemy hands threatened the U.S. Naval position in the Mediterranean. On the night of 16 February 1804, Decatur and his men sailed Intrepid into Tripoli harbor, boarded the ex-American frigate and set her afire. While the attackers made good their escape, the Philadelphia was consumed by the flames and sank. Not until the Philadephia had been boarded and blown up did the Bashaw's shore batteries open up on what had been thought to be a friendly blockade runner. The Intrepid escaped, having perpetrated, according to British Admiral Lord Nelson, "the most bold and daring act of the age."

Following this action, Intrepid was inactive for some months, but during the summer of 1804 she was employed as a hospital and supply vessel, supporting the ongoing campaign against Tripoli. Tripoli was a seaport of stone walls and gaunt fortifications, bristling with land batteries and a swarm of armed Arab feluccas. To shatter its castle and town and wipe out the shipping it contained, Commodore Preble called for the Intrepid. One hundred barrels of powder and one hundred and fifty fixed shells were packed into the little ship, and slow-burning fuses were led to the magazines so that the three officers and ten seamen (volunteers from Constitution and Nautilus) might make good their escape in two fast rowboats once the Intrepid had penetrated to the midst of the anchored enemy fleet.

Under sail the evening of 4th September 1804, the Intrepid, under the command of Lieutenant Richard Somers, stood into fog-shrouded Tripoli Harbor with a leading breeze from the east. Officers of the squadron which had accompanied her part way and which was to await the crew's return heard a volley of shots, wild shouts. Apparently intercepted by the enemy while entering the harbor, she was destroyed in a violent explosion. There was a deep-throated blast as the powder ship let go. Of Intrepid there was no trace. Somers and his dozen volunteer officers and men perished with her.

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin', everybody !

33 degree on this Sunday morning...

Have a cup while you FReep !

For those who prefer hot chocolate.....

[MeekOneGOP]

degreeS

[grantswank]

good lord's day morn to you, tonk.

chap grant

A day in life's pressed anguished plea
Is heaven blest when loved upon
By God's own face, while lifted up
From earth's dark crust to glory's dawn.

<//><

[grantswank]

the loneliness seasons try our souls. those seasons, for the believer, lead us closer to the lord who made the darkness as well as the light. in that, we can then help others who find themselves in the darkness of loneliness.

thanks so much for your encouraging note.

chap grant

<//><

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Todays transportation for you and the Girlz.

[Soaring Feather]

Good Morning Troops

Canteen Crew!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

God Bless America and her Military!

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Thank You for your prayers for the men and women who serve.
God Bless You

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Thanks for the daily US Navy historic Ship pics.
God Bless You

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Thanks for the daily US Navy historic Ship pics.
God Bless You

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Thank you for your daily visits to honor the military.
God Bless You

[MeekOneGOP]

Here is an excerpt from an article posted last night on Tony Blairs speech on Iraq Friday...

Tony Blair: The price of my conviction

But there are also consequences of 'stop the war'. There will be no march for the victims of Saddam, no protests about the thousands of children that die needlessly every year under his rule, no righteous anger over the torture chambers which if he is left in power, will remain in being.

I rejoice that we live in a country where peaceful protest is a natural part of our democratic process. But I ask the marchers to understand this.

I do not seek unpopularity as a badge of honour. But sometimes it is the price of leadership and the cost of conviction.

If there are 500,000 on the [Stop the War] march, that is still less than the number of people whose deaths Saddam has been responsible for. If there are one million, that is still less than the number of people who died in the wars he started.

So if the result of peace is Saddam staying in power, not disarmed, then I tell you there are consequences paid in blood for that decision too. But these victims will never be seen, never feature on our TV screens or inspire millions to take to the streets. But they will exist none the less.

President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair of England walk out to address the media in Cross Hall at the White House Nov. 7. "We've got no better friend in the world than Great Britain," said the President during his remarks. White House photo by Paul Morse.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on February 16:
1075 Ordericus Vitalis French monk/historian/poet
1497 Philipp Melanchthon Germany, Protestant reformer (Augsburgse Confessie)
1514 Rhäticus [Rheticus] Austrian astronomer/mathematician
1519 Gaspard de Coligny Huguenot leader/French Admiral
1620 Frederick William Great Elector, founder of Brandenburg-Prussia
1669 Arnold Boonen Dutch portrait painter
1684 Bohuslav Matej Czernohorsky Czechoslovakian monk/composer
1698 Pierre Bouguer French mathematician (heliometer)
1709 Charles Avison composer
1740 Giambattista Bodoni Saluzzo Italy, printer/typeface designer
1746 Johann Heinse German Sturm und Drang novelist/art critic
1774 Pierre Rode composer
1787 Andreas Schelfhout Dutch painter/etcher/lithographer
1788 Juan van Halen Dutch/Spanish officer/adventurer
1790 Chretien Urhan composer
1807 Lysander Cutler Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1866
1812 Henry Wilson (R) 18th Vice-President (1873-75)
1813 Joseph Reid Anderson Brigadier General (Confederate Army) died in 1892
1813 Semyon Stepanovich Gulak-Artemovsky composer
1821 Heinrich Barth Hamburg Germany, geographer/explorer (Central Africa)
1822 Francis Galton Birmingham England, anthropologist & geneticist
1822 James Patton Anderson Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1872
1823 Brigadier General John D Imboden organized 1st Virginia Partisan Rangers
1826 Franz von Holstein composer
1826 Joseph V von Scheffel German writer (Gaudeamus)
1831 Nikolai Leskow writer
1832 Camille Armand Jules Marie de Polignac Major General (Confederate Army)
1834 Ernst Heinrich Haeckel Potsdam Germany, biologist (Causes of Evolution)
1836 Benjamin Edward Woolf Dutch composer
1838 Arnoldus Pannevis South African ship's doctor/linguist
1838 Henry Adams Boston MA, US historian, writer (Education of Henry Adams)
1847 Ludwig Philipp Scharwenka German composer (Album polonaise)
1848 Hugo de Vries Dutch botanist (How species emerge)
1850 Octave Mirbeau France, writer (Journal of a Lady's Maid)
1852 Charles Taze Russell founded Jehovah's Witnesses
1852 William Scarborough Macon GA, linguist/author (Birds of Aristophanes)
1854 Oscar Fetras composer
1856 Willem Kes Dutch violinist/composer/conductor (Parkorkest Amsterdam)
1858 Laurence "Lon" Myers US, track star (top US miler)
1866 William "Sliding Billy" Hamilton New Jersey, hall of fame baseball player
1866 Johann Strauss Austria, composer (Waltz King)
1866 Vyacheslav I Ivanov Russian philosopher/classical/poet
1868 Wilhelm Schmidt German anthropologist/linguist (Anthropos)
1876 George Macauley Trevelyan England, historian (Giuseppe Garibaldi)
1878 Selim Palmgren Finnish pianist/composer/conductor (Peter Schlemihl)
1881 Maurits H E Uyldert Dutch poet/writer (Youth of a Poet)
1884 Robert Flaherty Michigan, father of documentary film (Nanook of the North)
1886 Van Wyck Brooks New Jersey, literary historian/writer (Ordeal of Mark Twain)
1886 Andrew Ducat cricketer (Test for England 1921 (3 & 2) Soccer International)
1890 Semyon Semyonovich Bogatiryov composer
1893 Ivor Armstrong Richards England, literary critic
1896 Alexander Brailowsky Russia, pianist (Chopin)
1896 Charles A L Panzéra French baritone (L'horizon Chimérique)
1898 Katharine Cornell actress (Barretts of Wimpole St)
1900 Albert Maurice Hackett playwright/screenwriter
1901 Chester Morris New York NY, actor (Diagnosis Unknown)
1901 Wayne King Savannah IL, saxophonist/bandleader (the Waltz King)
1903 Edgar Bergen Chicago IL, ventriloquist (Charlie McCarthy)
1904 Ellis Achong cricketer (West Indian SLA, 8 wickets in 6 Tests)
1904 George F Kennan Milwaukee WI, US ambassador (to Moscow)
1905 Jose Munoz Molleda composer
1905 Lord Franks British ambassador (to US)
1906 Vera Menchik Moscow, 1st official women's world chess champion (1927)
1906 Jeffrey Lynn actor (Tony Rome, Butterfield 8, Up Front)
1907 Anghélos Terzakis Greece, writer (Without God)
1907 Fernando Previtali composer
1907 Henri van Albada Belgian sculptor (Charles V)
1909 Hugh Beaumont Lawrence KS, actor (Ward Cleaver-Leave it to Beaver)
1909 Jeffrey Lynn Auburn MA, actor (My Son Jeep, The Roaring Twenties)
1910 Michael Milne-Watson CEO (BUPA)
1910 Miguel Bernal Jiminez composer
1911 Hal Porter Australia, writer (Tilted Cross, Paper Chase)
1912 Del Sharbutt Cleburne TX, TV announcer (Your Hit Parade)
1912 Arthur Crook British editor (Times Literary Supplement)
1912 Bob Tadema Sporry Dutch (female) author
1912 Machito "Frank Grillo" Florida, bandleader (created salsa music)
1912 Maitland Mackie Lord Lieutenant (Aberdeenshire)
1914 Jimmy Wakely Mineola AR, country singer (5 Star Jubilee)
1914 J Tobin British anaesthetist
1916 William Ballard Doggett jazz musician
1918 Károly earl Khuen-Héderváry Hungarian Governor/premier (1910-12)
1920 Lee Russell Cleveland OH, singer (Vincent Lopez)
1920 Patty Andrews Minneapolis MN, singer (Andrews Sisters)
1920 Hubert van Herreweghen Flemish writer/journalist
1921 Jean Behra auto racer
1922 Geraint Evans British opera vocalist (Knaben Wunderhorn)
1922 Paul van't Veer Dutch journalist/writer (Het Vrije Volk)
1924 James Swaffield Director-General (Swaffield & Clerk to the GLC)
1924 Peter Webster British High Court Judge
1925 David Emms director (London Goodenough Trust for Overseas Graduates)
1925 Per Bailey director (Gatwick & Stansted Airports)
1926 John Schlesinger London England, film director (Midnight Cowboy, Darling)
1926 Jack Levy mechanical engineer
1926 Vera-Ellen [Westmeyr Rohe], Cincinnati OH, actress/dancer (Wonder Man)
1929 Peter Porter Australian/British author/poet (Chair of Babel)
1930 Peggy King Greensburg PA, singer/actress (George Gobel Show)
1930 F G R Cuming painter
1930 Ricou Browning Florida, director/actor (Thunderball)
1931 A Kolleritsch writer
1931 Gamini Goonesena cricket leg-spinner (all-rounder for Ceylon, Notts)
1931 George E Sangmeister (Representative-D-IL)
1931 Ken Takakura [Goichi Oda], Kita Japan, actor (A Story of the Antarctic)
1932 Gretchen Wyler Bartlesville OK, actress (Silk Stockings)
1932 A Appelfeld writer
1932 Nand Baert Belgian radio/TV-host
1932 Otis Blackwell composer/singer
1934 Austin "Ted" Taylor US gospel/R&B-singer (Be Ever Wonderful)
1934 Marlene Bauer Hagge Eureka SD, LPGA golfer (1950 Woman Athlete of the Year)
1935 Brian Bedford England, actor (Anthony-Coronet Blue)
1935 Sonny Bono Detroit MI, singer (Sonny & Cher, Mayor-R-Palm Springs CA)
1935 Robin Clark chemist (FRS)
1937 Paul Bailey novelist
1937 Valentin Vasilyevich Bondarenko cosmonaut
1938 Barry Primus New York NY, actor (Sergeant McKenna-Cagney & Lacey, Boxcar Bertha)
1938 John Corigliano New York NY, composer (Fern Hill, Ghosts of Versailles)
1939 David Griffiths portrait painter
1939 Harold Kalin singer
1940 Karoli Ruth Needles painter
1941 Vitali Kuznetsov USSR, judo (Olympics-silver-1972)
1942 Gabriel Brncic composer
1942 Kim Chong-Il [Yura], President of North-Korea (1994- )
1943 Anthony Dowell London, ballet dancer (Royal Ballet)
1943 J D Moore headmaster (St Dunstan's College)
1943 James Beaton British GC
1944 Richard Ford US author (Sportswriter)
1946 Aleksandr Shaparenko USSR, 1K kayak (Olympics-gold-1972)
1946 Ian Lavender British actor (Stupid Boy in Dad's Army)
1946 J R Farndon British consultant surgeon
1949 Dorus Vrede Surinam poet (Otobanda; the Other Bank)
1950 William Katt Los Angeles CA, actor (Greatest American Hero, 1st Love)
1950 Peter Hain British MP
1953 George Martin NFL defensive back (New York Giants)
1953 Andre St Lauren NHLer
1953 Mike Ford New York NY, Canadian Tour golfer (1976 Port Jefferson Open)
1954 David Lombardo rocker
1954 Iain [Menzies] Banks UK, sci-fi author (Wasp Factory)
1954 Michael Holding cricket fast bowler (Whispering Death-Awesome for West Indies)
1955 Guy Gallo New Orleans LA, writer (Under the Volcano)
1955 Jeff Clayton US jazz saxophonist/composer (Groove Shop)
1956 James Ingram singer (On the Wings of Love)
1957 LeVar Burton Landstuhl Germany, (Roots, Star Trek Next Generation)
1958 Lisa Loring actress (As the World Turns, Wednesday-Addams Family)
1958 Herb Williams NBA center (Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks)
1958 Ice-T rap singer/actor (New Jack City, Tank Girl, Crazy Six)
1958 John Paul Morse Marshall MI, PGA golfer (1995 United Airlines)
1959 John P McEnroe tennis player (US Open 1979-81, 84 Wimbledon 1981, 83, 84)
1959 Kelly Tripuka Glenn Ridge NJ, NBA forward (Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz)
1961 Andy Taylor Dolver-Hampton England, rock guitarist (Duran Duran-Hungry Like the Wolf)
1962 Alexa Kenin New York NY, actress (Mousie-Coed Fever)
1962 Tony Kiley rocker (Blow Monkeys-Wicked Ways)
1964 Mark Price NBA guard (Cleveland Caveliers)
1966 Eric Uptagrafft Spokane WA, prone rifle (Olympics-1996)
1967 Robert Massey NFL cornerback (Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions)
1968 Cecil Gray NFL tackle (Arizona Cardinals)
1968 Erik Regtop Dutch soccer player (SC Heerenveen)
1969 Claude Lambert Montréal Québec Canada, boxer (Olympics-96)
1969 Fermin Cacho Barcelona Spain, 1500 meter (Olympics-2 gold-92, 96)
1969 Tim Costo US baseball infielder (Cincinnati Reds)
1970 Saskia Linssen Venlo Holland, playmate (June 1991)
1971 Anthony Abrams NFL defensive tackle (Kansas City Chiefs)
1971 Chi Kredell Long Beach CA, water polo driver (Olympics-96)
1971 Larry Jones NFL running back (Washington Redskins)
1971 Marco Sas Dutch soccer player (NAC)
1971 Mike Hubbard Lynchburg VA, catcher (Chicago Cubs)
1971 Shivanthini Dharmasiri Miss Sri Lanka-Universe (1996)
1971 Van Tuinei defensive end (San Diego Chargers)
1972 Jerome Bettis running back (Pittsburgh Steelers)
1973 Cathy Freeman Mackay Australia, 100 meter/200 meter/400 meter (Olympics-silver-92, 96)
1973 James Young Australian water polo player (Olympics-96)
1974 Kimberly Dawn Whipany Oklahoma, rocker (PC Quest-Can You See)
1974 Jevon Langford defensive end (Cincinnati Bengals)
1974 Kathy McCormack ice hockey forward (Canada, Olympics-silver-98)
1975 Casey Barrett Montréal Québec Canada, 200 meter Butterfly (Olympics-96)
1975 Marty Murray Deloraine, NHL center (Calgary Flames)
1977 Alexei Morozov NHL forward (Team Russia Olympics-silver-1998, Pittsburgh)
1977 Trina Jackson 4X200 meter freestyle swimmer (Olympics-gold-96)
1978 Caroline Hunt Chicago IL, rhythmic gymnast (US team-96)
1979 Emma Louise DeSilets Miss Washington Teen-USA (1997)
1985 Larry Ward actor (Frank Ragan-Dakotas), dies at 69
1998 Mr Jefferson Virginia, 1st cloned calf
2335 Geordi La Forge character on Star Trek Next Generation

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Deaths which occurred on February 16:
0309 Pamphilus van Caesarea Palestinian scholar/martyr, beheaded
0923 Abu Dja'far Mohammed Djarir al-Tabari Islamic historian, dies at 83
1247 Hendrik Raspe [Papenking], count of Thüringen, dies
1279 Afonso III King of Portugal (1248-79), dies
1391 Johannes V Palaeologus Emperor of Byzantium (1341-91), dies
1538 Everhard/Erardus van de Mark prince-bishop of Liege, dies at 65
1600 Giordano Bruno burned at stake
1653 Johannes Schultz composer, dies at 70
1754 Richard Mead physician, dies
1779 William Boyce English organist/composer (Cathedral Music), dies
1791 Richard earl d'Alton Austria General of S Netherlands, commits suicide at 58
1799 Charles Theoby ruler (Palts & Bayern), dies at 74
1803 Jan V clav Stich Bohemian composer, dies at 56
1823 Johann Gottfried Schict composer, dies at 69
1825 George Gerson composer, dies at 34
1829 François-Joseph Gossec Belgian/French composer (Messe of Morts), dies at 95
1834 Lionel Lukin life boat pioneer, dies
1851 Anne Nagell van Ampsen Dutch politician, dies at 95
1857 Auguste-Gaspard-Louis Desnoyers French engraver, dies at 77
1857 Elisha Kent Kane Arctic explorer (Kane Basin), dies at 37
1858 Georg F Creuzer German philological/historian, dies at 86
1864 Vaclav Jindrich Veit composer, dies at 58
1892 Henry Walter Bates naturalist/explorer (South America), dies
1899 François Félix Faure President of France (1895-99), dies at 57
1900 George Labram US mine engineer in South Africa, dies in battle
1907 Giosué Carducci poet (Nobel 1906), dies
1910 Albert Heinrich Zabel composer, dies at 75
1912 Edgar Evans British explorer (Antarctica), dies
1915 Emil Waldteufel [Charles Levy], French composer (Estudiantina), dies
1916 [Gerard] Jan Ligthart Dutch educator (Ot & Sien), dies at 57
1916 Jeltje de Bosch Kemper Dutch feminist, dies at 79
1931 Dirk Schäfer Dutch pianist/composer (Klavier), dies at 57
1933 Archie Jackson cricketer (of TB, Australia bat too briefly average 47.4), dies
1934 Eduard Bagritsky [Dzjubin], Russian poet/journalist, dies at 38
1936 Tommy Ward South African cricket wicket keeper (23 Tests), electrocuted
1938 Otto zur Linde German author (Lieder of the Leids), dies at 64
1939 Jura Soyfer writer, dies at 26
1944 Edmund von Borck composer, dies at 37
1945 Billy Frank cricketer (Test South Africa vs England 1896, 5 & 2, 1-52), dies
1945 Rudolf Värnlund Swedish playwright (Upproret), dies at 45
1950 David Denton cricketer (England batsman in 11 Tests 1905-10), dies
1951 Henri Velge 1st chairman (Belgian Council of State), dies at 65
1952 Knut [Pedersen] Hamsun Norwegian writer (Wanders, Nobel 1920), dies
1957 Leslie Hore-Belisha [Lord Halifax], British Minister of Transport, dies at 63
1963 Laszlo Lajtha composer, dies at 70
1966 Hendrik W Tilanus artillery officer/leader (CHU 1939-63), dies at 81
1967 Smiley Burnette cowboy (Charlie-Petticoat Junction), dies at 55
1968 Healey Willan composer, dies at 87
1973 Pieter Van der Bijl cricketer (outstanding South African bat in 1938-39), dies
1979 Louise Allbritton actress (Celia-Stage Door), dies at 58
1979 William Gargan actor (New Adventures of Martin Kane), dies at 73
1979 Nematullah Nassiri Iran General/head of Savak, executed
1981 Howard Hanson composer, dies at 84
1984 Ken Williams TV announcer (Video Village), dies at 69
1985 Larry Ward actor (Frank Ragan-Dakotas), dies at 69
1986 Howard Da Silva Cleveland OH, actor (Ben Franklin-1776), dies at 76
1987 Dmitri Borisovich Kabalevsky composer, dies at 82
1990 Keith Haring artist/cartoonist (brilliant baby), dies of AIDs at 31
1991 Enrique B Varela commandant Nicaragua contra's, dies
1992 Abbas Musawi leader of Hezbollah, assassinated
1992 Angela Carter British novelist (Magic Toyshop), dies of cancer at 51
1992 George Mann MacBeth Scottish journalist/poet (A War Quartet), dies
1992 Janio Quadros President of Brazil (1961), dies
1992 Winand J Borgerhoff Mulder court judge Amsterdam (squatters), dies at 78
1993 Donald Phelps dies of AIDS at 61
1993 Richard Salant news president (CBS-60 Minutes), dies at 78
1995 John Everett Allen US businessman, dies at 91
1995 Martin Soames traveller, dies at 91
1996 Brownie McGhee blues guitarist, dies at 81
1996 Charles McCorquodale art historian, dies at 47
1996 Edmund G "Pat" Brown politician, dies at 90
1996 Kenneth Robinson politician/businessman, dies at 84
1996 MacLean Stevenson actor (MASH), dies of heart attack at 66
1996 Roger Bowen actor (MASH, Main Event, What about Bob), dies at 62
1996 Susan Bosence textile designer, dies at 82
1996 Walter Brown "Brownie" McGhee blues singer/guitarist, dies at 80
1998 Martha Gellhorn war reporter (Reuthers), dies at 89

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On this day...
0374 9th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet
0600 Pope Gregory the Great decrees saying "God bless You" is the correct response to a sneeze
1349 Jews are expelled from Burgsdorf Switzerland
1486 Diet of Frankfort
1512 Battle at Valeggio French troops beat Venetianen
1559 Pope Paul IV calls for deposition of sovereigns supporting heresy
1641 English king Charles I accept Triennial Act
1655 Dutch Grand Pensionary advisor Johan de Witt marries Wendela Bicker
1659 1st known check (£400) (on display at Westminster Abbey)
1666 Netherlands & Brandenburg sign treaty
1677 Earl of Shaftesbury arrested/confined in London Tower
1741 Benjamin Franklin's General Magazine (2nd US Magazine) begins publishing
1742 Earl of Wilmington becomes British premier
1751 1st publication of Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Church Yard"
1760 Native American hostages killed in Ft Prince George SC
1771 Messier presents his original list of 45 M-objects to French Academy
1777 Messier adds M53 to his catalog (globular cluster in Coma Berenice)
1804 Lieutenant Stephen Decatur raids Tripoli Harbor & burns Navy frigate "Philadelphia" after pirates seized it
1824 Athenaeum founded
1832 HMS Beagle/Charles Darwin reaches St-Pauls (1ºN, 29ºW)
1838 Kentucky passes law permitting women to attend school under conditions
1840 American Charles Wilkes discovers Shackleton Ice Shelf, Antarctica
1846 Battle of Sobraon ends 1st Sikh War in India
1854 Franz Liszts symphony "Orpheus" premieres
1857 Gallaudet College (National Deaf Mute college) forms (Washington DC)
1860 Dutch Rochussen/Van Bosse government resigns
1862 Ft Donelson captured by General Grant (1,400 confederates surrender)
1864 Battle of Mobile, AL - operations by Union Army
1868 Benevolent & Protective Order of the Elks founded in New York
1878 Silver dollar became US legal tender
1880 American Society of Mechanical Engineers founded, New York NY
1883 "Ladies Home Journal" begins publication
1887 1st newspaper convention (Rochester NY)
1887 Eduard Douwes Dekker writes his last text (Lf8-c5)
1892 The opera "Werther" is produced (Vienna)
1894 British troops occupy Ilorin, Gold Coast
1899 Pelham Warner scores 132 on Test Cricket debut (England vs South Africa Johannesburg)
1900 1st Chinese daily newspaper in US publishes 1st issue (Chung Sai Yat Po-San Francisco)
1900 Stanley Cup Montréal Shamrocks beat Winnipeg Victorias, 3 games to 1
1903 -59º F (-51º C), Pokegama Dam MN (state record)
1905 1st US Esperanto club organizes in Boston
1909 1st subway car with side doors goes into service (New York NY)
1909 Serbia mobilizes against Austria-Hungary
1912 VSV soccer team forms in Ijmuiden
1913 President Taft agrees not to intervene in Mexico
1914 1st airplane flight from to Los Angeles from San Francisco
1915 Frank Home Run Baker, 28, announces retirement following a contract dispute with Connie Mack; He sits out 1915 season
1916 Russian troops conquer Erzurum Armenia
1917 1st synagogue in 425 years opens in Madrid
1918 Lithuania declares independence from Russia & Germany (National Day)
1923 Howard Carter finds Pharoah Tutankhamen
1923 Allies accept Latvia's occupation of Memel territory
1923 US female Figure Skating championship won by Theresa Weld Blanchard
1923 US male Figure Skating championship won by Sherwin Badger
1926 Suzanne Lenglen defeats Helen Wills in Tennis at Cannes France
1927 Noël Coward's "Marquise" premieres in London
1927 US restores diplomatic relations with Turkey
1929 KID-AM in Idaho Falls ID begins radio transmissions
1931 Extreme right wing Svinhufvud becomes President of Finland
1932 1st patent issued for a tree, to James Markham for a peach tree
1933 Catholic newspaper Germania warns against Nazis/communists
1933 England regains the Ashes, thanks to bodyline tactics
1936 4th Winter Olympics games close at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
1936 Spanish Frente Popular (People's Front) wins elections
1937 DuPont Corp patents nylon, developed by employee Wallace H Carothers
1937 Jean Anouilh's "Le Voyageur Sans Baggage" premieres in Paris
1938 US Federal Crop Insurance program authorized
1940 British search plane finds German Altmark off Norway
1942 German submarines attack Aruba oil refinery
1943 -32º F (-36º C), Falls Village CT (state record)
1943 British premier Winston Churchill gets pneumonia
1943 Red army conquers Kharkov
1943 Sign on Munich facade "Out with Hitler! Long live freedom!" done by "White Rose" student group, caught on 2/18, beheaded on 2/22
1943 Withdrawing Africa Corps reaches Mareth-line in North-Africa
1945 US forces land on Corregidor, complete conquest on March 3
1945 Venezuela declares war on Nazi-Germany
1946 1st commercially designed helicopter tested, Bridgeport CT
1946 "Duchess Misbehaves" closes at Adelphi Theater NYC after 5 performances
1947 Morton Gould's 3rd Symphony, premieres
1948 Miranda, famous moon of Uranus, photographed for 1st time
1948 1st newsreel telecast, "20th Century Fox-Movietone News" shown on NBC
1950 Longest-running prime-time game show, "What's My Line" begins on CBS
1950 Writers fail to elect anyone to Baseball's Hall of Fame
1951 NYC passes bill prohibiting racism in city-assisted housing
1951 San Francisco City Hall dome fire
1952 Hall of Famer Honus Wagner, 77, retires; Pirates retire his #33
1952 Ian Craig makes New South Wales cricket debut aged 16 years 249 days (New South Wales record)
1954 WNEM TV channel 5 in Bay City MI (NBC) begins broadcasting
1956 Britain abolishes the death penalty
1958 Betsy Rawls wins LPGA St Petersburg Golf Open
1959 Fidel Castro named himself Cuba's premier after overthrowing Batista
1959 Leonard Spigelgass' "Majority of One" premieres in New York NY
1960 US nuclear submarine USS Triton set off on underwater round-world trip
1961 1st all-solid-propellant rocket put in orbit, Wallops Island VA
1961 China uses it's 1st nuclear reactor
1961 US satellite Explorer 9 is launched
1962 Darius Milhaud's 12th Symphony, premieres
1962 US Open Tennis Jimmy Bostwick defeats brother Pete to win
1963 1st round-trip swim of Strait of Messina, Italy (Mary Revell of US)
1963 Beatles top British rock charts with "Please, Please Me"
1963 C & A Building in Amsterdam burns down
1964 Beatles' 2nd appearance on "Ed Sullivan Show"
1964 "Foxy" opens at Ziegfeld Theater NYC for 72 performances
1965 "Baker Street" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 313 performances
1965 Pegasus 1 launched to detect micro-meteors
1966 Bob Cowper makes 307 vs England at the MCG, 727 minute s, 20 fours
1966 End of Wally Grout's Test Cricket career, 187 dismissals as Australia WK
1966 France performs underground nuclear test at Ecker Algeria
1967 Red Ruffing selected to Hall of Fame
1968 Beatles George Harrison & John Lennon & wives fly to India for transcendental meditation study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
1968 Country's 1st 911 phone system went into service in Haleyville AL
1968 Elvis Presley receives gold record for "How Great Thou Art"
1970 Joe Frazier KOs Jimmy Ellis in 5 for undisputed heavyweight boxing crown
1972 1st NBA to score 30,000 points (Wilt Chamberlain in 940 games)
1972 German mass murderers "Three of Breda" freed
1972 Test Cricket debut of Lawrence Rowe West Indies vs New Zealand Kingston, 214 & 100
1972 Wilt Chamberlain hit 30,000 point mark during a game with Phoenix Suns
1973 West Indies vs Australia at Kingston, 1st time since 1955 without Sobers
1975 Washington Capitals 1st NHL shutout, beating Kansas City Scouts 3-0
1977 USSR performs nuclear test at Sary Shagan USSR
1978 1st Computer Bulletin Board System (Ward & Randy's CBBS, Chicago)
1979 George Harrison releases "Blow Away"
1979 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1980 Continuous traffic jam extends 176 km north of Lyons, France
1980 Eric Heiden skates 5k in 7 02.29 (Olympics Record)
1982 Assembled STS-3 vehicle moves from Vandenberg AFB to launch pad
1982 Lee Majors & Farrah Fawcett Majors divorce
1982 Agatha Barbara elected as 1st female President of Malta
1984 Bill Johnson becomes 1st American to win Olympics downhill skiing gold
1984 New Jersey Devils 1st OT goal, Jan Ludvig beats Hartford Whalers 6-5
1985 Largest NBA crowd to date, 43,816, sees Philadelphia at Detroit
1985 New Jersey Devils score their fastest hat trick in 42 seconds
1985 Livingston Bramble defeats Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini to win WBA champion
1986 Mário Soares (Socialist) elected Portugal's 1st civilian president
1986 "Uptown... It's Hot!" closes at Lunt-Fontanne NYC after 24 performances
1986 French air force bombs Ouadi Doum airport in Chad
1986 Hein Vergeer becomes world champion skater
1986 Karlstad skates world record 10 km (14:12.14)
1987 John Demjanjuk, accused of being "Ivan the Terrible" trial begins
1988 1st documented combat action by US military advisors in El Salvador
1989 Egypt, Iraq, Jordan & North Yemen form common market
1989 Jane Fonda & Tom Hayden separate after 16 years of marriage
1989 Roger Clemens, Red Sox pitcher signs record $7.5M-3 year contract
1989 Orel Hershiser, Dodger pitcher signs $7.9M-3 year contract
1989 William Hayden becomes governor-General of Australia
1991 Dutch PPR, Political Party Radicals, disbands
1991 US female Figure Skating championship won by Tonya Harding
1992 Former silver Goodyear blimps are now painted yellow & blue
1992 Los Angeles Lakers retire Magic Johnson's #32 uniform
1993 Sandra Völker swims world record 50 meter backstroke (28.33 seconds)
1994 6.5 earthquake strikes SE Sumatra, kills 200
1994 Johann Olav Koss skates world record 1500 meter (1:51.29)
1994 Premier Alfonso Bustamente ends government in Peru
1996 Gary Kirsten scores 188 for South Africa vs UAE at Rawalpindi
1997 At age 25, Jeff Gordon is youngest winner in Daytona 500 history
1997 GTE Suncoast Senior Golf Classic
1997 Paul Stankowski wins Hawaiian Golf Open
1997 Terry-Jo Myers wins LPGA Los Angeles Women's Championship
1998 Tellabs Inc acquires Coherent Communications Systems for $670 million

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Lithuania : Independence Day (1918)
US : Presidents' Day (formerly Washington's Birthday)-legal holiday - - - - - ( Monday )
China : Chinese New Year-The Year of the Hare/Rabbit (1999/4697)

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Religious Observances
Christian : Feast of St Elias
Christian : Feast of St Juliana of Nicomedia
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Gregory X, pope (1271-76)
Christian : 1st Sunday in Lent

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Religious History
1741 English revivalist George Whitefield advised in a letter: 'Use the world, but let it be as though you used it not.'
1801 In Baltimore, the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Church officially separated from its parent, the Methodist Episcopal Church. The denomination later became part of the AME Church, reconstituted in 1816 under Richard Allen. It held its first national conference in 1821.
1865 English clergyman Sabine Baring-Gould, 31, first published the hymn, "Now the Day is Over." It was based on the text of Prov 3:24: 'When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid...and thy sleep shall be sweet.'
1911 William P. Merrill, 44, first published his hymn, "Rise Up, O Men of God," in the Presbyterian periodical, "The Continent."
1916 Under the leadership of Henrietta Szold, 52, the Hadassah Study Circle at New York's Temple Emanuel reconstituted itself. Szold afterward made this sisterhood of U.S. Jewish women a nationwide Zionist organization. Szold herself headed the group until 1926.

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Thought for the day :
"America is a vast conspiracy to make you happy."

[MeekOneGOP]

Churchill Speech – Finest Hour

[MeekOneGOP]

Thank YOU, sir, for making a place for me to come too...