|
Valentine's Day is on February 14th, and the history of the mysterious saint is unclear. Some believe he was a priest from the third century who continued to perform wedding ceremonies after Claudius II outlawed marriage, while others believe St. Valentine helped persecuted Christians escape from Roman prisons. In any event, the opportunity to make romantic advances via cards, flowers, candy and gifts has been taking place in the Americas since the early 1700s.
An independent investigation of the UN-sponsored Oil-for-Food program finds that Benon Sevan, who headed the program, defrauded the charter by helping associates to secure contracts to sell Iraqi oil. On February 4th, the UN suspends Sevan and another official of the program, Joseph Stephanides. Meanwhile, on February 7th, President Bush releases a budget proposal, which costs $2.57 trillion. The budget is designed to reduce deficits by increasing spending on national security and defense spending while reducing allocations to education, agriculture, human services, health care and transportation.
Groundhog's Day is on February 2, and the famous Punxsutawney Phil comes out of his burrow in search of his shadow. Legend says an early spring is on the way if he doesn't see his shadow, while six more weeks of winter is to be expected if he does.
On February 9th, a previously classified report indicates that the Federal Aviation Administration had received warnings, prior to September 11th of 2001, about terrorist plans to hijack airplanes. The report contains specific information about terrorist attacks, including plans by al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden to hijack airliners and conduct suicide bombings.
On February 10th, North Korea admits it has nuclear weapons via a formal declaration. North Korea also says it will refuse to entertain talks of disarmament.
February 16th finds the Kyoto Protocol going into effect, which is a treaty requiring 35 industrialized nations to reduce greenhouse gasses, including carbon dioxide. The United States, which produces the largest amount of such gasses, continues to refuse to sign the treaty.
For movie fans, the 77th Annual Academy Awards airs on the 29th of February, and includes appearances by Johnny Depp, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Salma Hayek, Al Pacino, Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts and many others.
George Bush delivers his State of the Union address on February 2nd and shares a proposal for the reform of Social Security. He also reassures the world that he intends to be vigilant in the fight against terrorism and extends a commitment to stay in Iraq until a stable democracy is in power.
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Will Smith's romantic comedy, "Hitch" is released on February 11th.
Here are some links for February:
-
The White House: State of the Union - Read the speech delivered by President Bush on February 2, 2005. Also features multimedia clips from the event and a wealth of news about the administration.
|