He219
02-15-2004, 05:49 PM
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NO POLLS in this thread!
;)
Today's Pic's:
Jerusalem Enjoys Rare Snow Storm
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ABU DIS, WEST BANK - FEBRUARY 15: An Israeli border policeman react to the falling snow as he questions Palestinians after they crossed an unfinished portion of Israel's security barrier February 15, 2004 that separates in two the West Bank Palestinian village of Abu Dis and cuts it off from east Jerusalem, West Bank. The region was covered with about 9 cm of snow after a rare snowstorm. (Photo by David Silverman/***** Images)
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ABU DIS, WEST BANK - FEBRUARY 15: An Israeli border policeman question a Palestinian man during a snowfall after he crossed an unfinished portion of Israel's security barrier February 15, 2004 that separates in two the West Bank Palestinian village of Abu Dis and cuts it off from east Jerusalem, West Bank. The region was covered with about 9 cm of snow after a rare snowstorm. (Photo by David Silverman/***** Images)
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A Palestinian man walks with his donkeys over a snow-covered mountain road on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Nablus, February 15, 2004. A heavy snow storm swept over West Bank cities overnight on Sunday, causing severe traffic problems. *******/Abed Omar Qusini
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A man walks in front of the Damascus Gate entrance to Jerusalem's Old City. Snowstorms shuttered schools and businesses in the Middle East and left one man dead in Lebanon, while many Jordanians called the weather a blessing for their water-starved country.(AFP/Pedro Ugarte)
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The Snow Load was not a good thing for this building in Moscow:
:(
RIP
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General view of the swimming complex with collapsed roof in Moscow, February 15, 2004. Rescuers used their bare hands to search for survivors on Sunday after the glass roof of the swimming complex collapsed, killing at least 24 people and injuring more than 100 in a hail of glass and concrete. *******/Alexander Natruskin
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Rescue workers clear the rubble of the collapsed roof of a popular swimming complex in Moscow, February 15, 2004. Cries under the debris spurred on rescuers at the water park where a snow-laden glass dome caved in, killing at least 26 people and injuring more than 100 under hail of glass shards and broken concrete. (Viktor Korotayev/*******)
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A rescue worker carries away a swimmer from the rubble after a glass roof at a popular Moscow swimming complex collapsed under the weight of snow, February 14, 2004. At least seven people were killed and about 60 others injured, emergencies officials said on Saturday. (BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE) *******/******* TV
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An Emergency Situations Ministry helicopter lands in front of Transvaal park in Moscow, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004. Rescue workers with search dogs picked through rubble and pumped warm air Sunday into the ruins of an indoor water park whose roof crashed down on hundreds of people, hoping to find survivors a day after the collapse that killed at least 26 and injured more than 100 others. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)
15th anniversary of the end of Soviet invasion of Afghanistan:
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The last commander of Soviet troops in Afghanistan (news - web sites), Boris Gromov, lays a wreath in Moscow. Somber-faced army veterans laid wreaths at the Kremlin's wall to mark the 15th anniversary of the end of the disastrous Soviet invasion of Afghanistan that cost the lives of 15,000 soldiers.(AFP/File/Maxim Marmur)
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A convoy of Soviet Army vehicles cross a bridge at the Soviet-Afghan border, May 1988. Fifteen years ago, the Soviet Union ended its last war, a disastrous 10-year invasion of Afghanistan (news - web sites) that claimed the lives of at least 15,000 soldiers and fuelled the rise of radical Islamic extremists such as Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s Al-Qaeda terror network.(AFP/File/Vitaly Armand)
Meanwhile, in Afghanistan:
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Afghan boys watch as a Soviet era rocket launcher drives through the narrow Panjshir Valley as part of an ongoing effort to demilitarise some of the unruly factions which have contributed to over 20 years of war Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004 in Panshir, about 100 km (60 miles) north of Kabul, Afghanistan (news - web sites). (AP Photo/Ed Wray)
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An Afghan woman walks past a Soviet-made tank before it is re-deployed from the Panjshir Valley to a weapons cantonment site where it will become the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense, outside Kabul February 15, 2004. *******/Ahmad Masood
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An Afghan soldier prepares to move a Soviet-made Lona surface-to-surface missile before it is re-deployed from the Panjshir Valley to a weapons cantonment site where it will become the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense, in Jabul Saraj district north of Kabul, February 15, 2004. The weapons redeployment includes tanks, surface-to-surface missiles, and multiple rocket-launching systems. *******/Ahmad Masood
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Afghan soldiers work on a Soviet-made Lona surface-to-surface missile before it is redeployed to a weapons cantonment site where it will become the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense, in the Panjshir Valley, approximately 100 kms (62 miles) north of Kabul February 14, 2004. The weapons redeployment, which is scheduled to begin February 15, will include tanks, surface-to-surface missiles, and multiple rocket-launching systems. *******/Bob Strong
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An Afghan man rides past Canadian troops working with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) as their armored vehicles get caught in an afternoon traffic jam in Kabul, February 15, 2004. Canada currently has 2,000 troops in the 5,700-strong ISAF force, the largest contingent in the peacekeeping operation that NATO runs in Kabul. *******/Bob Strong
Budapest's Hero's Square:
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MA, what does that mean?
MA member of the nep-nazi goup 'Blood and Honour' commemorate the 'Day of Pride' in Budapest's Hero's Square February 14, 2004. On February 14, 1945, Waffen SS units broke the Soviet siege of Buda fleeing back towards Germany. *******/Laszlo Balogh
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Punks.
Neo-nazi group 'Blood and Honour' commemorate the Day of Pride in Budapest's Hero's Square February 14, 2004. On February 14, 1945 Waffen SS units broke the Soviet siege of Buda fleeing back towards Germany. *******/Laszlo Balogh
Some authentic background info:
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PzKpfw VI Tiger IIs, sPzAbt Feldherrnhalle, Budapest, spring 1945. Kampfgruppe Freiherr Von Rosen, 3rd Company Heavy Tank Battalion 503, preparing to move out from the Tisza bridgehead to counter Soviet pressure on German forces attacking to the northwest at Debrecen during the first battles to defend the Hungarian capital of Budapest.
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The Siege of Budapest: the Nadir in Hungarian History (http://www.international.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=3793).
Istvan Deak, Seth Low Professor Emeritus of History, Columbia University, in a talk sponsored by the Center for European & Eurasian Studies, presented a rich and detailed first-hand account of the siege of Budapest in November 1944-February 1945 and discussed the fate of the Jewish population of Hungary and the only major ghetto to survive World War II.
The siege of Budapest and Europe's only major surviving ghetto, November 1944-February 1945, is an extraordinary tale that has yet to be told in great detail in any language other than Hungarian. Istvan Deak, at that time a boy of 18 in Budapest and today Emeritus Professor of History at Columbia University, is in a unique position to tell it, and he did so on Thursday May 1st for a crowd of a around 50 UCLA faculty, students, and members of the community.
The story is of a metropolis and its nearly one million inhabitants, including at least 120,000 Jewish survivors, and it has all of the elements of a great drama or film: extraordinary heroism, extraordinary cowardice, good people, horrid people, insanely murderous Hungarian Nazis and wildly destructive and rapacious Soviet soldiers, rape, banditry, and indescribable suffering, not only in the Jewish ghetto but also in the caves underneath the Royal Castle in Buda where thousands of wounded German and Hungarian soldiers either rotted alive or were burned to death. There was fierce fighting between German and Soviet soldiers for control of every block and building in the city, down to a ruined bathroom or a gutted cinema. The siege of Budapest was perhaps not the most dramatic of sieges, not as devastating as Warsaw in 1939 and again in 1944, Stalingrad in 1942-43, or Leningrad in 1941-43, but it was terrible enough. Nothing akin to it has ever been experienced in Western Europe.
In 1941, Budapest was a city of about 1,165,000 inhabitants. During the war, thousands fled to the West, while thousands of men were on military duty or were doing labor service. The city's population also swelled with refugees from the East, especially from Transylvania. By the time of the siege in 1944-45, there were less than a million people in the Hungarian capital, literally all living in cellars, aside from the nearly 80,000 German and Hungarian soldiers who fought the Soviet advance. A third of these soldiers were killed and the rest would end up in Soviet captivity along with numerous civilians. Of the Jewish population in the country as a whole, some 825,000 had been identified as Jews by law in 1944, and of these 453,000 were deported until the Summer when the policy was halted in the face of international pressure. The rest awaited a different fate. At least 120,000 Jews survived the siege: around 80,000 in the only remaining ghetto in Europe; another 20,000 living in houses protected by neutral countries like Sweden; and another 20,000 hidden by Christian families. This was less than the 200,000 Jews in Budapest before the war, but not an insignificant number.
The Soviet army had Budapest surrounded on Christmas Eve 1944. Up to that point the city had survived the war largely intact. There had been some bombing by American forces in the summer of 1944, but it had been directed at industrial areas and the railroads. During the siege, there was shelling, but no heavy artillery. There was no food, electricity, gas or water, but because Budapest was still quite old fashioned in many respects, the people managed with wells, wood, coal and private baking for the duration of the siege. The conditions in the ghetto were much worse, with no food being delivered at all after December 24, 1944. Pest, on one side of the Danube, was liberated by Soviet troops first, on January 14, 1945, while Buda held out for another month against the Soviet advance. The taking of the Royal Castle and the caves beneath it was a massacre, with only some 700 escaping the fighting.
When it was over, in 1945 the population of Budapest had dwindled to 833,000 some 28% less than in 1941. Of this number almost 50% more women than men had survived the war. Only 25% of the buildings were intact, but at the same time less than 4% had been completely destroyed.
The Soviets picked up where the Germans left off. The expulsion of minority populations began with the Jews and then the Germans. The end of World War II was also the end of minority life in East Central Europe.
North Korea:
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A national meeting is held to celebrate the birthday of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, in Pyongyang February 15, 2004. Kim Jong-il did not attend the meeting. JAPAN OUT *******/Korea News Service
Iraq:
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Iraqi policemen stand guard on the roof of the police station in Falluja, some 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, February 15, 2004. The death toll from a raid by anti-American insurgents on Iraqi security posts in Falluja has risen to 27, hospital sources said on Sunday. Scores of gunmen stormed a police station and two other buildings, freeing prisoners in the latest spectacular assault on forces key to the transfer of power in Iraq. *******/Ali Jasim
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Two Iraqi policemen stand guard on the roof of the police station in the town of Falluja, some 50 km (30 miles) west from the Iraqi capital Baghdad, February 15, 2004. The death toll from a raid by anti-American insurgents on Iraqi security posts in the restive town west of Baghdad has risen to 27, hospital sources said on Sunday. Scores of gunmen stormed a police station and two other buildings in Falluja, freeing prisoners, in the latest spectacular assault on forces key to the transfer of power in Iraq. *******/Ali Jasim
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An Iraqi policeman holds an ARP-7 rocket propelled grenade as he stands guard on the roof of the police station in the town of Falluja, some 50 km (30 miles) west from the Iraqi capital Baghdad, February 15, 2004. The death toll from a raid by anti-American insurgents on Iraqi security posts in the restive town has risen to 27, hospital sources said on Sunday. Scores of gunmen stormed a police station and two other buildings in Falluja, freeing prisoners, in the latest spectacular assault on forces key to the transfer of power in Iraq. *******/Akram Saleh
Graphic Image! (http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20040215/capt.bag11402151546.iraq_bag114.jpg)
Iraqi policemen stand near a truck containing the bodies of guerrilla fighters at a Fallujah police station Sunday Feb. 15, 2004. The men were killed, according to Iraqi police, when they and dozens of guerrilla fighters attacked the police station killing 25 people on Saturday. Police claimed foreigners, either Arabs or Iranians, were involved and that two of four attackers killed in the battle had Lebanese identification papers, but a U.S. military officer in Baghdad said the attack's sophistication pointed to former members of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s military. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
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U.S. governor of Iraq (news - web sites) Paul Bremer (L) arrives for the opening of the new Ministry of Human Rights in Baghdad February 14, 2004. *******/Peter Andrews
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The U.S. administrator for Iraq (news - web sites), Paul Bremer, seen in this image from television during a broadcast interview from Baghdad by George Stephanopolous on ABC's 'This Week' Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004, said he believed fighters from outside Iraq took part in the deadly daylight attack on a police station in Fallujah. He said the attack Saturday by dozens of gunmen was 'sophisticated' and appeared to be 'well organized.' (AP Photo/ABC)
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US soldiers close the highway leading to the city of Fallujah, 50 kms west of Baghdad, following an attack on a sports utility vehicle (SUV) that was riddled with bullets on the western edge of Baghdad.(AFP/Karim Sahib)
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A U.S. military tank guards the road next to flaming SUV in Baghdad Sunday Feb. 15, 2004. Gunmen opened fire on a U.S. convoy on a Baghdad highway, setting one of the vehicles ablaze, and witnesses said three foreigners were hurt. The convoy of a military Humvee and two SUVs, the sort used by American civilians and officials in Iraq (news - web sites), was on a highway in western Baghdad when the gunmen attacked hitting one of the SUVs. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
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An Iraqi fire fighter extinguishes a burning SUV in Baghdad Sunday Feb. 15, 2004. Gunmen opened fire on a U.S. convoy on a Baghdad highway, setting one of the vehicles ablaze, and witnesses said three foreigners were hurt. The convoy of a military Humvee and two SUVs, the sort used by American civilians and officials in Iraq (news - web sites), was on a highway in western Baghdad when the gunmen attacked hitting one of the SUVs. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
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Japanese soldiers shower at a Dutch military camp where they take up quarters in Samawa, southern Iraq (news - web sites), February 15, 2004. The first deployment of Japanese troops to a war zone since World War Two is expected to total some 1,000 from the army, air force and navy for an humanitarian mission to rebuild Iraq. *******/Shuzo Shikano/Pool
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Members of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force share a light moment in a tent in a Dutch military camp on the outskirts of Samawa, southern Iraq (news - web sites), February 15, 2004.
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A Dutch soldier serves a Japanese soldier at the mess at the Dutch military camp where the Japanese soldiers took up quarters, in Samawa, southern Iraq (news - web sites), February 15, 2004. The first deployment of Japanese troops to a war zone since World War Two is expected to total some 1,000 from the army, air force and navy for an humanitarian mission to rebuild Iraq. *******/Shuzo Shikano/Pool
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A Japanese soldier lies on a bed at a Dutch military camp where the soldiers took up quarters, in Samawa, southern Iraq (news - web sites), February 15, 2004. The first deployment of Japanese troops to a war zone since World War Two is expected to total some 1,000 from the army, air force and navy for an humanitarian mission to rebuild Iraq. *******/Shuzo Shikano/Pool
:lol:
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A Japanese armoured vehicle escorts a truck in Samawa, southern Iraq (news - web sites), February 15, 2004. The first deployment of Japanese troops to a war zone since World War Two is expected to total some 1,000 from the army, air force and navy for an humanitarian mission to rebuild Iraq. *******/Kimimasa Mayama
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Japanese soldiers on an armored vehicle guard a convoy in Samawa, southern Iraq (news - web sites), February 15, 2004. The first deployment of Japanese troops to a war zone since World War Two is expected to total some 1,000 from the army, air force and navy for an humanitarian mission to rebuild Iraq. *******/Kimimasa Mayama
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A Japanese solider stands on guard outside the Dutch military base in Samawa, southern Iraq, February 14, 2004. The first deployment of Japanese troops to a war zone since World War Two is expected to total almost 1,000. *******/Kimimasa Mayama
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US forces patrol the streets of Baghdad, Iraq (news - web sites) in their humvees amid the first sandstorm of the year which shrouded the capital in a yellow haze Sunday Feb. 15, 2004. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
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As a sandstorm moves in over central Iraq (news - web sites), U.S. soldiers man a checkpoint near the Iraqi Police Academy complex, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
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As a sandstorm moves in over central Iraq (news - web sites), a plainclothed officer keeps watch from the roof of the Iraqi Police Academy complex, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
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Pictured shortly after his arrest, Mohammed Zimam Abdul Razaq, a former Iraqi Baath Party chairman who was one of 11 fugitives still at large from the U.S. military's list of the 55 most wanted members of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s regime, sits inside an office of the Iraqi Interior Ministry, in Baghdad, Iraq (news - web sites), Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004. Iraqi police on Sunday arrested Abdul Razaq at one of his homes in a suburb of Baghdad, Deputy Interior Minister Ahmed Kadhum Ibrahim told journalists. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Haiti:
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Haitian police take cover along with civilians behind a lottery stand, during a confrontation between supporters of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and opposition demonstrators, in Port-au-Prince, February 15, 2004. The revolt against Aristide, who is mid-way through a second term as president, came on top of months of protests against what critics condemn as corruption and mismanagement. At least 34 people have been killed in the violence during almost daily protests in the poorest country in the Americas. *******/Daniel Aguilar
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Haitian police detain a student for throwing rocks during a protest in Port-au-Prince, February 15, 2004. The Haitian political opposition's first march since an armed revolt erupted 10 days ago disintegrated when students exchanged volleys of rocks with supporters of embattled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. (Daniel Aguilar/*******)
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A police officer runs to take position during an opposition march in Port-au-Prince, Haiti Sunday, Feb.15, 2004. Defying government loyalists, more than 1,000 protesters demonstrated against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Sunday. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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An group of protesters are detained by the police after an opposition march in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004. Defying government loyalists, more than 1,000 protesters demonstrated against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Sunday as exiled paramilitary forces joined rebels in a bloody uprising that has killed some 50 people. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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A child cries after police led him away to safety with his father, third from right, after a crowd accused the man of being an Aristide supporter during an opposition march in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004. The man, unidentified, denied the allegation. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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Members of the Gonaives Resistance Front, remove the statue of General Alexandre Petion from the main square of Gonaives, Haiti, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004. The rebels removed the statue because it was put in place for the Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. (AP Photo/Walter Astrada)
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Former military and paramilitary leaders who were ousted in the 1994 US invasion of Haiti returned (http://article.wn.com/link/WNAT52E9E42E75D708BCF709BFCBC93981B0?source=templategenerator&template=worldphotos/viewphoto.txt) from exile in the Dominican Republic over the weekend to join a 10-day-old revolt aimed at toppling President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. (Stephen Chernin/***** Images)
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Castro speech lambastes Bush and U.S. economy (http://article.wn.com/link/WNATDA9E06DB3002EDAC9DABC74AEB4D6DA5?source=templategenerator&template=worldphotos/photo.txt) - America's economy hangs by a thread while Cuba -- after four decades under a US economic blockade -- continues to offer free health care and boasts an infant mortalityrate lower than its northern neighbor, President Fidel Castroasserted early Saturday.In a 41/2-hour speech to economists, Castro alsotook shots at President Bush, saying he "couldn't debate a Cuban9th-grader(***** Images)
:lol:
Subic Bay:
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U.S. Marines Arrive at Philippines Base (http://article.wn.com/link/WNATE80840A397B22D7C99DAE22F62073D67?source=templategenerator&template=worldphotos/photo.txt) - SUBIC, Philippines Feb. 15— A contingent of 600 US Marines disembarked Sunday at the site of a former American naval base to take part in combat exercises intended to help the Philippines fight Muslim and communist insurgencies and guard against terror attacks(***** Images)
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American troops carry their belongings on arrival at the former American naval base at Subic Bay, north of Manila, February 15, 2004 for annual military exercises with Filipino troops. About 700 U.S. marines and sailors arrived on Sunday to participate in a two-week-long exercise from February 23, aimed at bolstering the cooperation between the two countries in fighting conventional wars and terrorism. *******/Romeo Ranoco
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American troops carry a rack of firearms upon arrival at the former American naval base at Subic Bay, north of Manila, February 15, 2004 to take part in annual military exercise with Filipino troops. About 700 U.S. marines and sailors arrived on Sunday to participate in a two-week-long exercise from February 23, aimed at bolstering the cooperation between the two countries in fighting conventional wars and terrorism. *******/Romeo Ranoco
The Home Front:
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U.S. President George W. Bush, accompanied by first lady Laura Bush, waves from the Marine One helicopter as they depart from the White House, February 15, 2004. The president and first lady are on their way to attend the Daytona 500 NASCAR race in Daytona Beach, Florida. *******/Mannie Garcia
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Secret Service police officers prepare to take their positions on top of a concession stand Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004, at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. U.S. President George W. Bush (news - web sites) will be attending the Daytona 500 race. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
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Secret Service police unpack and check their weapons atop a concession stand near the finish line at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. prior to the arrival of U.S. President George W. Bush (news - web sites), Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
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Air Force One carrying United States President George W. Bush (news - web sites) flys over the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004. The President was there to watch the Daytona 500.(AP Photo/Terry Renna)
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Air Force One lands at the Daytona International Airport as secret service police scan the area above a concession stand near the finish line at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Sunday, Feb., 15, 2004. The president was there to watch the Nextel Cup Daytona 500. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
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*speaking southern twang* Hody-ho, those ain't no NASCARs ..
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DAYTONA BEACH, UNITED STATES: US President George W. Bush (L) greets drivers and pit crews at the 46th Annual Daytona 500 NASCAR race in Daytona Beach, Florida. Bush had the honor of starting the race with the traditional ".....Gentlemen, start your engines!" AFP PHOTO/Paul J. RICHARDS (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/***** Images)
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President Bush (news - web sites), left, is presented with a #43 hat from fromer NASCAR (news - web sites) champion Ricard Petty, right, at Daytona 500 NASCAR race, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004 in Daytona Beach, Fla. To the far right is actor Ben Affleck driver of the offical pace car. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
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Elsewhere:
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A Titan-4B rocket lifts off its launching pad from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida February 14, 2004. The Defense Support Program satellite will give the U.S. military an early warning of incoming missile attacks. *******/Karl Ronstrom
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Larger (http://www.cjtfhoa.centcom.mil/photos/lg-1414561422004.jpg)
Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, "The Old Guard," Bravo Company watch as C-4 explosives detonate during a training exercise on a range in rural Djibouti. Bravo Co. is deployed to the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
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Members of the Royal 22nd Regiment from Valcartier, Quebec, await the start of a parade signifying the Transfer of Command Authority from the Third Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment Battalion Group (3 RCR Bn Gp), to the Third Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment Battalion Group (3 R22ndR Bn Gp). The Royal 22nd Regiment, from Valcartier, Quebec, will complete the second half of Canada's year-long commitment to ISAF, which will end in late summer 2004. The 3 RCR Bn Gp have been in Kabul since early August 2003.
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LGen Rick Hillier, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), speaks with Sgt Gaétan Cyr of the Third Battalion Royal 22nd Regiment Battalion Group, during a parade marking the formal transfer of command authority from the Third Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment Battalion Group (3 RCR Bn Gp) to the Third Battalion Royal 22nd Regiment Battalion Group (3 R22ndR Bn Gp). The Royal 22nd Regiment, from Valcartier, Quebec, will complete the second half of Canada's year-long commitment to ISAF, which will end in late summer 2004. The 3 RCR Bn Gp have been in Kabul since early August 2003.
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LCol Don Denne (left), Commanding Officer of the Third Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment Battalion Group (3 RCR Bn Gp), congratulates LCol Stéphane Roy, Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment Battalion Group (3 R22ndR Bn Gp), as Lt Gen Rick Hillier, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) looks on. The 3 RCR Bn Gp was relieved by the 3 R22ndR Bn Gp after completing six months in Kabul. The Royal 22nd Regiment, from Valcartier, Quebec, will complete the second half of Canada's year-long commitment to ISAF, which will end in late summer 2004. The 3 RCR Bn Gp have been in Kabul since early August 2003.
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LCol Don Denne (Left) and CWO Dan Bradley, Commanding Officer and Regimental Sergeant Major of the Third Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment Battalion Group unviel a plaque in memory of Cpl Jamie Murphy who was killed in Kabul by a suicide bomber on 27 Jan 2004. The plaque will be affixed to a monument at Camp Julien dedicated to all Canadian soldiers who gave their life in the service of peace in Afghanistan.
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Terrell Owens, free agent wide receiver, experienced firing an M240G on his trip to the 3rd Marine Regiment Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainer, Feb. 3, where he participated with Marines against a simulated artic assault. Owens arrived at the island of Oahu to attend the Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium, Feb. 8.
To Finish:
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Skiers are pulled by horses in this skijoering White Turf horse racing event in St. Moritz, Switzerland, February 15, 2004. The men and their horses race over the frozen lake of the mountain resort of St. Moritz. *******/Ruben Sprich
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Enough kissing & stuff! Valentine's is over.
;)
Edit: Extended through Feb. 16
NO POLLS in this thread!
;)
Today's Pic's:
Jerusalem Enjoys Rare Snow Storm
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ABU DIS, WEST BANK - FEBRUARY 15: An Israeli border policeman react to the falling snow as he questions Palestinians after they crossed an unfinished portion of Israel's security barrier February 15, 2004 that separates in two the West Bank Palestinian village of Abu Dis and cuts it off from east Jerusalem, West Bank. The region was covered with about 9 cm of snow after a rare snowstorm. (Photo by David Silverman/***** Images)
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ABU DIS, WEST BANK - FEBRUARY 15: An Israeli border policeman question a Palestinian man during a snowfall after he crossed an unfinished portion of Israel's security barrier February 15, 2004 that separates in two the West Bank Palestinian village of Abu Dis and cuts it off from east Jerusalem, West Bank. The region was covered with about 9 cm of snow after a rare snowstorm. (Photo by David Silverman/***** Images)
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A Palestinian man walks with his donkeys over a snow-covered mountain road on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Nablus, February 15, 2004. A heavy snow storm swept over West Bank cities overnight on Sunday, causing severe traffic problems. *******/Abed Omar Qusini
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A man walks in front of the Damascus Gate entrance to Jerusalem's Old City. Snowstorms shuttered schools and businesses in the Middle East and left one man dead in Lebanon, while many Jordanians called the weather a blessing for their water-starved country.(AFP/Pedro Ugarte)
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The Snow Load was not a good thing for this building in Moscow:
:(
RIP
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General view of the swimming complex with collapsed roof in Moscow, February 15, 2004. Rescuers used their bare hands to search for survivors on Sunday after the glass roof of the swimming complex collapsed, killing at least 24 people and injuring more than 100 in a hail of glass and concrete. *******/Alexander Natruskin
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Rescue workers clear the rubble of the collapsed roof of a popular swimming complex in Moscow, February 15, 2004. Cries under the debris spurred on rescuers at the water park where a snow-laden glass dome caved in, killing at least 26 people and injuring more than 100 under hail of glass shards and broken concrete. (Viktor Korotayev/*******)
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A rescue worker carries away a swimmer from the rubble after a glass roof at a popular Moscow swimming complex collapsed under the weight of snow, February 14, 2004. At least seven people were killed and about 60 others injured, emergencies officials said on Saturday. (BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE) *******/******* TV
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An Emergency Situations Ministry helicopter lands in front of Transvaal park in Moscow, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004. Rescue workers with search dogs picked through rubble and pumped warm air Sunday into the ruins of an indoor water park whose roof crashed down on hundreds of people, hoping to find survivors a day after the collapse that killed at least 26 and injured more than 100 others. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)
15th anniversary of the end of Soviet invasion of Afghanistan:
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The last commander of Soviet troops in Afghanistan (news - web sites), Boris Gromov, lays a wreath in Moscow. Somber-faced army veterans laid wreaths at the Kremlin's wall to mark the 15th anniversary of the end of the disastrous Soviet invasion of Afghanistan that cost the lives of 15,000 soldiers.(AFP/File/Maxim Marmur)
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A convoy of Soviet Army vehicles cross a bridge at the Soviet-Afghan border, May 1988. Fifteen years ago, the Soviet Union ended its last war, a disastrous 10-year invasion of Afghanistan (news - web sites) that claimed the lives of at least 15,000 soldiers and fuelled the rise of radical Islamic extremists such as Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s Al-Qaeda terror network.(AFP/File/Vitaly Armand)
Meanwhile, in Afghanistan:
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Afghan boys watch as a Soviet era rocket launcher drives through the narrow Panjshir Valley as part of an ongoing effort to demilitarise some of the unruly factions which have contributed to over 20 years of war Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004 in Panshir, about 100 km (60 miles) north of Kabul, Afghanistan (news - web sites). (AP Photo/Ed Wray)
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An Afghan woman walks past a Soviet-made tank before it is re-deployed from the Panjshir Valley to a weapons cantonment site where it will become the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense, outside Kabul February 15, 2004. *******/Ahmad Masood
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An Afghan soldier prepares to move a Soviet-made Lona surface-to-surface missile before it is re-deployed from the Panjshir Valley to a weapons cantonment site where it will become the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense, in Jabul Saraj district north of Kabul, February 15, 2004. The weapons redeployment includes tanks, surface-to-surface missiles, and multiple rocket-launching systems. *******/Ahmad Masood
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Afghan soldiers work on a Soviet-made Lona surface-to-surface missile before it is redeployed to a weapons cantonment site where it will become the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense, in the Panjshir Valley, approximately 100 kms (62 miles) north of Kabul February 14, 2004. The weapons redeployment, which is scheduled to begin February 15, will include tanks, surface-to-surface missiles, and multiple rocket-launching systems. *******/Bob Strong
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An Afghan man rides past Canadian troops working with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) as their armored vehicles get caught in an afternoon traffic jam in Kabul, February 15, 2004. Canada currently has 2,000 troops in the 5,700-strong ISAF force, the largest contingent in the peacekeeping operation that NATO runs in Kabul. *******/Bob Strong
Budapest's Hero's Square:
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MA, what does that mean?
MA member of the nep-nazi goup 'Blood and Honour' commemorate the 'Day of Pride' in Budapest's Hero's Square February 14, 2004. On February 14, 1945, Waffen SS units broke the Soviet siege of Buda fleeing back towards Germany. *******/Laszlo Balogh
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Punks.
Neo-nazi group 'Blood and Honour' commemorate the Day of Pride in Budapest's Hero's Square February 14, 2004. On February 14, 1945 Waffen SS units broke the Soviet siege of Buda fleeing back towards Germany. *******/Laszlo Balogh
Some authentic background info:
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PzKpfw VI Tiger IIs, sPzAbt Feldherrnhalle, Budapest, spring 1945. Kampfgruppe Freiherr Von Rosen, 3rd Company Heavy Tank Battalion 503, preparing to move out from the Tisza bridgehead to counter Soviet pressure on German forces attacking to the northwest at Debrecen during the first battles to defend the Hungarian capital of Budapest.
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The Siege of Budapest: the Nadir in Hungarian History (http://www.international.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=3793).
Istvan Deak, Seth Low Professor Emeritus of History, Columbia University, in a talk sponsored by the Center for European & Eurasian Studies, presented a rich and detailed first-hand account of the siege of Budapest in November 1944-February 1945 and discussed the fate of the Jewish population of Hungary and the only major ghetto to survive World War II.
The siege of Budapest and Europe's only major surviving ghetto, November 1944-February 1945, is an extraordinary tale that has yet to be told in great detail in any language other than Hungarian. Istvan Deak, at that time a boy of 18 in Budapest and today Emeritus Professor of History at Columbia University, is in a unique position to tell it, and he did so on Thursday May 1st for a crowd of a around 50 UCLA faculty, students, and members of the community.
The story is of a metropolis and its nearly one million inhabitants, including at least 120,000 Jewish survivors, and it has all of the elements of a great drama or film: extraordinary heroism, extraordinary cowardice, good people, horrid people, insanely murderous Hungarian Nazis and wildly destructive and rapacious Soviet soldiers, rape, banditry, and indescribable suffering, not only in the Jewish ghetto but also in the caves underneath the Royal Castle in Buda where thousands of wounded German and Hungarian soldiers either rotted alive or were burned to death. There was fierce fighting between German and Soviet soldiers for control of every block and building in the city, down to a ruined bathroom or a gutted cinema. The siege of Budapest was perhaps not the most dramatic of sieges, not as devastating as Warsaw in 1939 and again in 1944, Stalingrad in 1942-43, or Leningrad in 1941-43, but it was terrible enough. Nothing akin to it has ever been experienced in Western Europe.
In 1941, Budapest was a city of about 1,165,000 inhabitants. During the war, thousands fled to the West, while thousands of men were on military duty or were doing labor service. The city's population also swelled with refugees from the East, especially from Transylvania. By the time of the siege in 1944-45, there were less than a million people in the Hungarian capital, literally all living in cellars, aside from the nearly 80,000 German and Hungarian soldiers who fought the Soviet advance. A third of these soldiers were killed and the rest would end up in Soviet captivity along with numerous civilians. Of the Jewish population in the country as a whole, some 825,000 had been identified as Jews by law in 1944, and of these 453,000 were deported until the Summer when the policy was halted in the face of international pressure. The rest awaited a different fate. At least 120,000 Jews survived the siege: around 80,000 in the only remaining ghetto in Europe; another 20,000 living in houses protected by neutral countries like Sweden; and another 20,000 hidden by Christian families. This was less than the 200,000 Jews in Budapest before the war, but not an insignificant number.
The Soviet army had Budapest surrounded on Christmas Eve 1944. Up to that point the city had survived the war largely intact. There had been some bombing by American forces in the summer of 1944, but it had been directed at industrial areas and the railroads. During the siege, there was shelling, but no heavy artillery. There was no food, electricity, gas or water, but because Budapest was still quite old fashioned in many respects, the people managed with wells, wood, coal and private baking for the duration of the siege. The conditions in the ghetto were much worse, with no food being delivered at all after December 24, 1944. Pest, on one side of the Danube, was liberated by Soviet troops first, on January 14, 1945, while Buda held out for another month against the Soviet advance. The taking of the Royal Castle and the caves beneath it was a massacre, with only some 700 escaping the fighting.
When it was over, in 1945 the population of Budapest had dwindled to 833,000 some 28% less than in 1941. Of this number almost 50% more women than men had survived the war. Only 25% of the buildings were intact, but at the same time less than 4% had been completely destroyed.
The Soviets picked up where the Germans left off. The expulsion of minority populations began with the Jews and then the Germans. The end of World War II was also the end of minority life in East Central Europe.
North Korea:
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A national meeting is held to celebrate the birthday of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, in Pyongyang February 15, 2004. Kim Jong-il did not attend the meeting. JAPAN OUT *******/Korea News Service
Iraq:
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Iraqi policemen stand guard on the roof of the police station in Falluja, some 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, February 15, 2004. The death toll from a raid by anti-American insurgents on Iraqi security posts in Falluja has risen to 27, hospital sources said on Sunday. Scores of gunmen stormed a police station and two other buildings, freeing prisoners in the latest spectacular assault on forces key to the transfer of power in Iraq. *******/Ali Jasim
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Two Iraqi policemen stand guard on the roof of the police station in the town of Falluja, some 50 km (30 miles) west from the Iraqi capital Baghdad, February 15, 2004. The death toll from a raid by anti-American insurgents on Iraqi security posts in the restive town west of Baghdad has risen to 27, hospital sources said on Sunday. Scores of gunmen stormed a police station and two other buildings in Falluja, freeing prisoners, in the latest spectacular assault on forces key to the transfer of power in Iraq. *******/Ali Jasim
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An Iraqi policeman holds an ARP-7 rocket propelled grenade as he stands guard on the roof of the police station in the town of Falluja, some 50 km (30 miles) west from the Iraqi capital Baghdad, February 15, 2004. The death toll from a raid by anti-American insurgents on Iraqi security posts in the restive town has risen to 27, hospital sources said on Sunday. Scores of gunmen stormed a police station and two other buildings in Falluja, freeing prisoners, in the latest spectacular assault on forces key to the transfer of power in Iraq. *******/Akram Saleh
Graphic Image! (http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20040215/capt.bag11402151546.iraq_bag114.jpg)
Iraqi policemen stand near a truck containing the bodies of guerrilla fighters at a Fallujah police station Sunday Feb. 15, 2004. The men were killed, according to Iraqi police, when they and dozens of guerrilla fighters attacked the police station killing 25 people on Saturday. Police claimed foreigners, either Arabs or Iranians, were involved and that two of four attackers killed in the battle had Lebanese identification papers, but a U.S. military officer in Baghdad said the attack's sophistication pointed to former members of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s military. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
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U.S. governor of Iraq (news - web sites) Paul Bremer (L) arrives for the opening of the new Ministry of Human Rights in Baghdad February 14, 2004. *******/Peter Andrews
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The U.S. administrator for Iraq (news - web sites), Paul Bremer, seen in this image from television during a broadcast interview from Baghdad by George Stephanopolous on ABC's 'This Week' Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004, said he believed fighters from outside Iraq took part in the deadly daylight attack on a police station in Fallujah. He said the attack Saturday by dozens of gunmen was 'sophisticated' and appeared to be 'well organized.' (AP Photo/ABC)
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US soldiers close the highway leading to the city of Fallujah, 50 kms west of Baghdad, following an attack on a sports utility vehicle (SUV) that was riddled with bullets on the western edge of Baghdad.(AFP/Karim Sahib)
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A U.S. military tank guards the road next to flaming SUV in Baghdad Sunday Feb. 15, 2004. Gunmen opened fire on a U.S. convoy on a Baghdad highway, setting one of the vehicles ablaze, and witnesses said three foreigners were hurt. The convoy of a military Humvee and two SUVs, the sort used by American civilians and officials in Iraq (news - web sites), was on a highway in western Baghdad when the gunmen attacked hitting one of the SUVs. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
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An Iraqi fire fighter extinguishes a burning SUV in Baghdad Sunday Feb. 15, 2004. Gunmen opened fire on a U.S. convoy on a Baghdad highway, setting one of the vehicles ablaze, and witnesses said three foreigners were hurt. The convoy of a military Humvee and two SUVs, the sort used by American civilians and officials in Iraq (news - web sites), was on a highway in western Baghdad when the gunmen attacked hitting one of the SUVs. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
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Japanese soldiers shower at a Dutch military camp where they take up quarters in Samawa, southern Iraq (news - web sites), February 15, 2004. The first deployment of Japanese troops to a war zone since World War Two is expected to total some 1,000 from the army, air force and navy for an humanitarian mission to rebuild Iraq. *******/Shuzo Shikano/Pool
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Members of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force share a light moment in a tent in a Dutch military camp on the outskirts of Samawa, southern Iraq (news - web sites), February 15, 2004.
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A Dutch soldier serves a Japanese soldier at the mess at the Dutch military camp where the Japanese soldiers took up quarters, in Samawa, southern Iraq (news - web sites), February 15, 2004. The first deployment of Japanese troops to a war zone since World War Two is expected to total some 1,000 from the army, air force and navy for an humanitarian mission to rebuild Iraq. *******/Shuzo Shikano/Pool
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A Japanese soldier lies on a bed at a Dutch military camp where the soldiers took up quarters, in Samawa, southern Iraq (news - web sites), February 15, 2004. The first deployment of Japanese troops to a war zone since World War Two is expected to total some 1,000 from the army, air force and navy for an humanitarian mission to rebuild Iraq. *******/Shuzo Shikano/Pool
:lol:
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A Japanese armoured vehicle escorts a truck in Samawa, southern Iraq (news - web sites), February 15, 2004. The first deployment of Japanese troops to a war zone since World War Two is expected to total some 1,000 from the army, air force and navy for an humanitarian mission to rebuild Iraq. *******/Kimimasa Mayama
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Japanese soldiers on an armored vehicle guard a convoy in Samawa, southern Iraq (news - web sites), February 15, 2004. The first deployment of Japanese troops to a war zone since World War Two is expected to total some 1,000 from the army, air force and navy for an humanitarian mission to rebuild Iraq. *******/Kimimasa Mayama
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A Japanese solider stands on guard outside the Dutch military base in Samawa, southern Iraq, February 14, 2004. The first deployment of Japanese troops to a war zone since World War Two is expected to total almost 1,000. *******/Kimimasa Mayama
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US forces patrol the streets of Baghdad, Iraq (news - web sites) in their humvees amid the first sandstorm of the year which shrouded the capital in a yellow haze Sunday Feb. 15, 2004. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
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As a sandstorm moves in over central Iraq (news - web sites), U.S. soldiers man a checkpoint near the Iraqi Police Academy complex, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
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As a sandstorm moves in over central Iraq (news - web sites), a plainclothed officer keeps watch from the roof of the Iraqi Police Academy complex, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
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Pictured shortly after his arrest, Mohammed Zimam Abdul Razaq, a former Iraqi Baath Party chairman who was one of 11 fugitives still at large from the U.S. military's list of the 55 most wanted members of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s regime, sits inside an office of the Iraqi Interior Ministry, in Baghdad, Iraq (news - web sites), Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004. Iraqi police on Sunday arrested Abdul Razaq at one of his homes in a suburb of Baghdad, Deputy Interior Minister Ahmed Kadhum Ibrahim told journalists. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Haiti:
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Haitian police take cover along with civilians behind a lottery stand, during a confrontation between supporters of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and opposition demonstrators, in Port-au-Prince, February 15, 2004. The revolt against Aristide, who is mid-way through a second term as president, came on top of months of protests against what critics condemn as corruption and mismanagement. At least 34 people have been killed in the violence during almost daily protests in the poorest country in the Americas. *******/Daniel Aguilar
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Haitian police detain a student for throwing rocks during a protest in Port-au-Prince, February 15, 2004. The Haitian political opposition's first march since an armed revolt erupted 10 days ago disintegrated when students exchanged volleys of rocks with supporters of embattled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. (Daniel Aguilar/*******)
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A police officer runs to take position during an opposition march in Port-au-Prince, Haiti Sunday, Feb.15, 2004. Defying government loyalists, more than 1,000 protesters demonstrated against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Sunday. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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An group of protesters are detained by the police after an opposition march in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004. Defying government loyalists, more than 1,000 protesters demonstrated against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Sunday as exiled paramilitary forces joined rebels in a bloody uprising that has killed some 50 people. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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A child cries after police led him away to safety with his father, third from right, after a crowd accused the man of being an Aristide supporter during an opposition march in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004. The man, unidentified, denied the allegation. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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Members of the Gonaives Resistance Front, remove the statue of General Alexandre Petion from the main square of Gonaives, Haiti, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004. The rebels removed the statue because it was put in place for the Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. (AP Photo/Walter Astrada)
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Former military and paramilitary leaders who were ousted in the 1994 US invasion of Haiti returned (http://article.wn.com/link/WNAT52E9E42E75D708BCF709BFCBC93981B0?source=templategenerator&template=worldphotos/viewphoto.txt) from exile in the Dominican Republic over the weekend to join a 10-day-old revolt aimed at toppling President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. (Stephen Chernin/***** Images)
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Castro speech lambastes Bush and U.S. economy (http://article.wn.com/link/WNATDA9E06DB3002EDAC9DABC74AEB4D6DA5?source=templategenerator&template=worldphotos/photo.txt) - America's economy hangs by a thread while Cuba -- after four decades under a US economic blockade -- continues to offer free health care and boasts an infant mortalityrate lower than its northern neighbor, President Fidel Castroasserted early Saturday.In a 41/2-hour speech to economists, Castro alsotook shots at President Bush, saying he "couldn't debate a Cuban9th-grader(***** Images)
:lol:
Subic Bay:
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U.S. Marines Arrive at Philippines Base (http://article.wn.com/link/WNATE80840A397B22D7C99DAE22F62073D67?source=templategenerator&template=worldphotos/photo.txt) - SUBIC, Philippines Feb. 15— A contingent of 600 US Marines disembarked Sunday at the site of a former American naval base to take part in combat exercises intended to help the Philippines fight Muslim and communist insurgencies and guard against terror attacks(***** Images)
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American troops carry their belongings on arrival at the former American naval base at Subic Bay, north of Manila, February 15, 2004 for annual military exercises with Filipino troops. About 700 U.S. marines and sailors arrived on Sunday to participate in a two-week-long exercise from February 23, aimed at bolstering the cooperation between the two countries in fighting conventional wars and terrorism. *******/Romeo Ranoco
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American troops carry a rack of firearms upon arrival at the former American naval base at Subic Bay, north of Manila, February 15, 2004 to take part in annual military exercise with Filipino troops. About 700 U.S. marines and sailors arrived on Sunday to participate in a two-week-long exercise from February 23, aimed at bolstering the cooperation between the two countries in fighting conventional wars and terrorism. *******/Romeo Ranoco
The Home Front:
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U.S. President George W. Bush, accompanied by first lady Laura Bush, waves from the Marine One helicopter as they depart from the White House, February 15, 2004. The president and first lady are on their way to attend the Daytona 500 NASCAR race in Daytona Beach, Florida. *******/Mannie Garcia
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Secret Service police officers prepare to take their positions on top of a concession stand Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004, at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. U.S. President George W. Bush (news - web sites) will be attending the Daytona 500 race. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
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Secret Service police unpack and check their weapons atop a concession stand near the finish line at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. prior to the arrival of U.S. President George W. Bush (news - web sites), Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
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Air Force One carrying United States President George W. Bush (news - web sites) flys over the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004. The President was there to watch the Daytona 500.(AP Photo/Terry Renna)
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Air Force One lands at the Daytona International Airport as secret service police scan the area above a concession stand near the finish line at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Sunday, Feb., 15, 2004. The president was there to watch the Nextel Cup Daytona 500. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
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*speaking southern twang* Hody-ho, those ain't no NASCARs ..
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DAYTONA BEACH, UNITED STATES: US President George W. Bush (L) greets drivers and pit crews at the 46th Annual Daytona 500 NASCAR race in Daytona Beach, Florida. Bush had the honor of starting the race with the traditional ".....Gentlemen, start your engines!" AFP PHOTO/Paul J. RICHARDS (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/***** Images)
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President Bush (news - web sites), left, is presented with a #43 hat from fromer NASCAR (news - web sites) champion Ricard Petty, right, at Daytona 500 NASCAR race, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004 in Daytona Beach, Fla. To the far right is actor Ben Affleck driver of the offical pace car. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
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Elsewhere:
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A Titan-4B rocket lifts off its launching pad from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida February 14, 2004. The Defense Support Program satellite will give the U.S. military an early warning of incoming missile attacks. *******/Karl Ronstrom
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Larger (http://www.cjtfhoa.centcom.mil/photos/lg-1414561422004.jpg)
Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, "The Old Guard," Bravo Company watch as C-4 explosives detonate during a training exercise on a range in rural Djibouti. Bravo Co. is deployed to the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
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Members of the Royal 22nd Regiment from Valcartier, Quebec, await the start of a parade signifying the Transfer of Command Authority from the Third Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment Battalion Group (3 RCR Bn Gp), to the Third Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment Battalion Group (3 R22ndR Bn Gp). The Royal 22nd Regiment, from Valcartier, Quebec, will complete the second half of Canada's year-long commitment to ISAF, which will end in late summer 2004. The 3 RCR Bn Gp have been in Kabul since early August 2003.
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LGen Rick Hillier, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), speaks with Sgt Gaétan Cyr of the Third Battalion Royal 22nd Regiment Battalion Group, during a parade marking the formal transfer of command authority from the Third Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment Battalion Group (3 RCR Bn Gp) to the Third Battalion Royal 22nd Regiment Battalion Group (3 R22ndR Bn Gp). The Royal 22nd Regiment, from Valcartier, Quebec, will complete the second half of Canada's year-long commitment to ISAF, which will end in late summer 2004. The 3 RCR Bn Gp have been in Kabul since early August 2003.
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LCol Don Denne (left), Commanding Officer of the Third Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment Battalion Group (3 RCR Bn Gp), congratulates LCol Stéphane Roy, Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment Battalion Group (3 R22ndR Bn Gp), as Lt Gen Rick Hillier, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) looks on. The 3 RCR Bn Gp was relieved by the 3 R22ndR Bn Gp after completing six months in Kabul. The Royal 22nd Regiment, from Valcartier, Quebec, will complete the second half of Canada's year-long commitment to ISAF, which will end in late summer 2004. The 3 RCR Bn Gp have been in Kabul since early August 2003.
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LCol Don Denne (Left) and CWO Dan Bradley, Commanding Officer and Regimental Sergeant Major of the Third Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment Battalion Group unviel a plaque in memory of Cpl Jamie Murphy who was killed in Kabul by a suicide bomber on 27 Jan 2004. The plaque will be affixed to a monument at Camp Julien dedicated to all Canadian soldiers who gave their life in the service of peace in Afghanistan.
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Terrell Owens, free agent wide receiver, experienced firing an M240G on his trip to the 3rd Marine Regiment Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainer, Feb. 3, where he participated with Marines against a simulated artic assault. Owens arrived at the island of Oahu to attend the Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium, Feb. 8.
To Finish:
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Skiers are pulled by horses in this skijoering White Turf horse racing event in St. Moritz, Switzerland, February 15, 2004. The men and their horses race over the frozen lake of the mountain resort of St. Moritz. *******/Ruben Sprich
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Enough kissing & stuff! Valentine's is over.
;)
Edit: Extended through Feb. 16