History: Flashback on February 22

February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar

Oldest Historical Event: 1371 – Robert II became King of Scotland, beginning the Stuart dynasty.

       Robert II (early 1316 – 19 April 1390) became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar. (The marriage of princess Marjorie took place in 1315, making Robert's probable birth date early in 1316.)

Recent Historical Event: 2006 – At least six men stage Britain's biggest robbery ever, stealing £53m (about $92.5 million or 78€ million) from a Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent.

       The Securitas depot robbery was the largest cash robbery in British history, that took place on the evening of 21 February 2006 from 18:30 UTC until the early hours of 22 February. Several men abducted and threatened the family of the manager, tied up fourteen staff members and stole £53,116,760 (about US$92.5 million at the time of the robbery) in bank notes from a Securitas Cash Management Ltd depot in Vale Road, Tonbridge, Kent.

Oldest Recorded Birth: 1040 – Rashi, French rabbi (d. 1105).

      Shlomo Yitzhaki (Hebrew: רבי שלמה יצחקי‎) (February 22, 1040 – July 13, 1105), better known by the acronym Rashi (Hebrew: רש"י‎, RAbbi SHlomo Itzhaki), was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of the first comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). He is considered the "father" of all commentaries that followed on the Talmud (i.e., the Baalei Tosafot) and the Tanakh (i.e., Ramban, Ibn Ezra, Ohr HaChaim, et al.).

^{Recent Recorded Birth:} 1990 – Luca Profeta, Italian footballer.
     
      Born in Milan, Lombardy, Profeta spent his youth career at Internazionale, as first as a midfielder. He played from Giovanissimi Regionali B Team to Allievi Nazionali Team (2006–07 season). In January 2008, he was loaned to Pro Sesto along with Fabio Perissinotto, rejoining Inter team-mate Andrea Bavena, Cristiano Biraghi, Samuele Beretta, Marco Buonanno, Nicolò De Cesare, Mattia Dell'Aera, Domenico Maiese, Marco Puntoriere and Davide Tremolada. He then spent 2 seasons with Serie D club Colognese. In 2009–10 season he played 27 times.

Oldest Recorded Death: 965 – Otto, Duke of Burgundy (b. 944)
    
       Otto of Paris (944 – February 22, 965) was duke of Burgundy from 956 to his death. Otto was son of Hugh the Great, count of Paris by his wife Hedwige of Saxony, sister of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, and was brother of king Hugh I of France. He became duke through his wife Liutgarde of Chalon, heiress of Burgundy. He had no known descendants.

Recent Recorded Death: 2007 – George Jellicoe, Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords & Special Boat Service veteran
  
      George Patrick John Rushworth Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe, KBE, DSO, MC, PC, FRS (4 April 1918 – 22 February 2007) was a British politician and statesman, diplomat and businessman. Jellicoe was the only son but sixth and youngest child of First World War naval commander, commander at the Battle of Jutland, Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe by his wife Florence Gwendoline (died 1964), second daughter of Sir Charles Cayzer, 1st Baronet of Gartmore, Perthshire. George Jellicoe was one of the longest-serving parliamentarians in the world, being a member of the House of Lords for 68 years (1939–2007).

Holidays and Observances:

     Celebrity Day (Church of Scientology): The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and propagation of Scientology. Every Church of Scientology is separately incorporated and has its own local board of directors and executives responsible for its own activities and well-being, both corporate and ecclesiastical. The first Scientology church was incorporated in December 1953 in Camden, New Jersey, by American science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard. The church has been the subject of much controversy. The church's world headquarters are located in the Gold Base, unincorporated Riverside County, California.

     Washington's Birthday: Titled Washington's Birthday, a federal h honoring George Washington was originally implemented by an Act of Congress in 1880 for government offices in the District of Columbia (20 Stat. 277) and expanded in 1885 to include all federal offices (23 Stat. 516). As the first federal holiday to honor an American citizen, the holiday was celebrated on Washington's actual birthday, February 22. On January 1, 1971, the federal holiday was shifted to the third Monday in February by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. This date places it between February 15 and 21, which makes the name "Washington's Birthday" in some sense a misnomer, since it never lands on Washington's actual birthday, February 22.

      World Thinking Day: World Thinking Day, or just Thinking Day, is celebrated annually on February 22 by all Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world. It is a day when Girl Guides and Girl Scouts think about the meaning of Guiding and Scouting, its global impact and most importanly, about all of their "sisters" in all the countries of the world. Each year the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts sets a theme - an important international issue, as well as focus countries. The troops use it as an opportunity to study and appreciate other countries and cultures, and equally increase awareness and sensitivity on global concerns. Donations are collected for the Thinking Day Fund which supports projects to help Guides and Scouts around the world. February 22 was chosen as it was the birthday of Scouting founder Robert Baden-Powell and of Olave Baden-Powell, his wife and World Chief Guide.

      Independence Day: Representative government came about in 1924 (with universal suffrage from 1953). From 1958 to 1962 the island was a member of the Federation of the West Indies. Finally, on February 22, 1979, Saint Lucia became an independent state of the Commonwealth of Nations. The island nation celebrates this every year with a public holiday. It is also a member of La Francophonie.

News Flash: Deadly quake strikes New Zealand

     A 6.3-magnitude earthquake ripped through Christchurch, New Zealand, on Tuesday afternoon, causing multiple fatalities as it toppled buildings onto buses, buckled streets and damaged cathedrals, authorities said.

    New Zealand Police announced a large-scale evacuation of the central city was under way on the agency's website. According to the news release, the earthquake killed an undetermined number of people at various locations around the city, including passengers on two buses crushed by buildings that had fallen on them.
Laura Campbell told CNN she was at work at the bottom of a six-story building when the earthquake struck. She described seeing "windows blowing out, bricks falling down, people screaming, the whole nine yards."
"It was bloody serious," said Campbell, who was trying to walk home. "I'm worried about what I'm going to find down the road."

     The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck just before 1 p.m. Tuesday (7 p.m. Monday ET), and a 5.6-magnitude aftershock struck about 15 minutes later.

     The New Zealand Herald reported that phone lines in the area were out, roads were cracked -- in some cases lifted as much as a meter (1 yard) -- and water mains had burst, flooding several streets.

     New Zealand's transit authority told TVNZ that it had been unable to reach its staff in Christchurch and at the Lyttleton Tunnel, which is near the epicenter.

     Christchurch police told TVNZ that the city's 106-year-old Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament was badly damaged, and a Herald reporter said that half the building had collapsed.TVNZ reported that the 147-year-old Christchurch Cathedral's spire had toppled, Christchurch Hospital was being evacuated and the airport was closed.

     "The airport is currently closed until further notice," an airport employee told CNN.All planes headed for the airport were being diverted, and no planes are allowed to take off. No one was injured at the airport, he said. The employee did not give his name and wanted to clear the phone line to continue emergency work.
The quake caused significant damage to several older buildings, the Herald reporter said.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said he would attend an emergency Cabinet meeting in Wellington and then fly to Christchurch if conditions allow.

     Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker told Radio New Zealand that the rumbling tossed him across the room, that he knew of injuries in the city council building and has heard unconfirmed reports of serious injuries.
"That was, in the city central anyway, as violent as the one that happened on the 4th of September," he said.
Parker added that streets were jammed as people tried to get out of the city, and he urged people to avoid the water supply.

     "We've been through this before this once, we now need to think what we did at that time," he said.
Southern New Zealand has been plagued by a series of quakes since September, when the area was shaken by a 7.1-magnitude temblor that New Zealand authorities said was the most damaging quake to hit the region since 1931. The earthquake struck in the predawn hours of September 4. Authorities said the deserted streets at that time likely kept injuries to a minimum.

     There were no deaths from that earthquake.

     Both the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and the Anglican Christchurch Cathedral were undergoing repairs after being badly damaged by the September quake.The quake struck in the "worst possible location," Kevin Fenaughty, data center manager for GNS Science, told the Herald.

     "It's a nightmare," he said. "A lot of people were just getting back on their feet after the original quake."

TVNZ also reported that its newsroom in Christchurch was badly damaged.

Tuesday Headlines: Palace: No concessions to China for reprieve

     MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang clarified yesterday that no concessions were given to China for the latter’s grant of a reprieve to three overseas Filipino workers facing execution for drug trafficking.

    Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Vice President Jejomar Binay had categorically denied offering concessions to China after securing postponement of the execution of Ramon Credo, 42; Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, 32; and Elizabeth Batain, 38. The three were scheduled for execution this week.

Binay announced the development Friday after meeting with Dai Bongguo, state councilor; Wang Shengjun, president of the Supreme People’s Court; and Zhang Zhijun, executive vice minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

     Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos, who was with Binay on his Beijing trip, said the meeting was not behind closed doors and no concession could have been given without the public getting the information. “We gave no concessions to them. It was a gesture of goodwill and friendship as also enunciated by their diplomatic officials here,” Lacierda said. For its part, the Chinese embassy in Manila said China only “gave consideration” to the Philippines’ request. “China received the request and as friendly neighbor the Chinese side gave consideration,” said Sun Yi, political officer and spokesman of the Chinese embassy.

Lacierda also downplayed concerns over the possibility of the Philippines becoming hostage to China as a result of the issue.

    “We have, again, stated that no concessions were made. In fact, that was a request from this government and based on the joint statement, they postponed the execution within the scope of Chinese laws. That is something that they would have to define, we are not familiar with Chinese laws. But definitely, again, we are saying categorically that no concessions were given to the Chinese government. It was a gesture of friendship,” Lacierda said.

     Lacierda also said the fact that the Philippines was able to secure a postponement of the execution should belie claims that the government was weak.

    “Since the Flor Contemplacion case, our policy has been to protect our overseas contract workers – that’s the policy that we have here in the Philippines and that’s a good policy because we have plenty of overseas contract workers who we are required to protect. Now, the diplomatic intervention can only come in once the sentence is issued. Before that, you cannot interfere in the judicial proceedings – that’s the same thing that happened in China,” Lacierda said.

    Contemplacion was a Filipina domestic helper executed in Singapore in 1995 for murder. Her execution strained relations between Singapore and the Philippines. The Ramos government also faced severe criticisms for failing to stop the execution.