Apple Festival - Niles, MI - weather woes (Thursday - Friday Sept. 29-30) 2011

from coverage posted online at NILES STAR dot-com -- local newspaper

Despite what has been described as the worst damage the Four Flags Area Flag Festival has ever experienced, officials are adamant the show will go on.
Wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour toppled tents, chairs and tables throughout the festival grounds early Friday.
According to honorary Apple Festival board member Mike Hubbard, who arrived on site at 5:30 a.m., the majority of the damage didn’t occur until later.
Board President Craig Crocker said seeing the 80-by-100-foot entertainment tent blown over was the biggest surprise.
“The tent people said this is the first time a tent like this has been brought down,” he said.
Crocker said he has seen snow, rain and wind pelt the festival before, but “never where it took down everything like this.”
If winds subside Friday evening as forecasted, the tent will be put up for the Centerville concert. If the winds continue, a bandshell would be erected, Hubbard said.
Apple Festival volunteers took down the Apple Products tent, as well as some other tents, due to safety concerns.
Most festival vendors not located in tents sustained little damage, except for some signs and awnings.
One point of concern was the Skerbeck Shows carnival. Crocker explained that the rides sustained no damage; only an awning was torn. The carnival follows inspection standards from the State of Indiana, where it is based, and some of the taller rides also have wind barriers.
The carnival was scheduled to open at 3 p.m. Friday.
Crocker said about 100 volunteers had been working since dawn to fix the damage, which he called “a little disappointing” to deal with.
“We’ve got an excellent group of volunteers,” he said. “We will do what we can do to get it up and running.”
Exceptional Citizens’ Day — a designated time for handicapped and senior citizens — was canceled at the festival Friday. Some taller rides were also shut down Thursday night due to the storm.
Niles Fire Chief Larry Lamb, whose department runs first aid and fire safety demonstrations under a tent at the festival in addition to assisting with Exceptional Citizens’ Day, said Friday he wasn’t overly concerned about the wind damage.
“Niles people are pretty resilient,” he said.

http://www.nilesstar.com/2011/09/30/the-show-must-go-on/

On this date in History - (A.D. 1452) - Gutenberg begins work on Bible Printing

from the Writer's Almanac (List Serv from Garrison Keillor, Minnesota Public Radio):

On September 30 in 1452, the first section of the Gutenberg Bible was finished in Mainz, Germany, by the printer Johannes Gutenberg. Little is known of Gutenberg's early history or his personal life except that he was born around the year 1400, the youngest son of a wealthy merchant, but from the time of the appearance of his beautiful Bibles he has left an indelible mark on human culture.
Ancient books had primarily been written on scrolls, though an innovation in the second century A.D. -- that of the codex, a sheaf of pages bound at one edge -- gave us the familiar book form we recognize today. Early codices were produced by hand by monks in scriptoriums, working with pen and ink, copying manuscripts one page at a time so that even a small book would take months to complete and a book the size of the Bible, rich with color and illuminations, would take years.
Gutenberg's genius was to separate each element of the beautiful, calligraphic blackletter script commonly used by the scribes into its most basic components -- lower case and capital letters, punctuation, and the connected ligatures that were standard in Medieval calligraphy -- nearly 300 different shapes that were then each cast in quantity and assembled to form words, lines, and full pages of text.
He also invented a printing press to use his type, researching and refining his equipment and processes over the course of several years. In 1440, Gutenberg wrote and printed copies of his own mysteriously titled book, Kunst und Aventur [Art and Enterprise], releasing his printing ideas to the public. And by 1450, his movable-type printing press was certainly in operation.
It is unclear when Gutenberg conceived of his Bible project, though he was clearly in production by 1452. He probably produced about 180 copies -- 145 that were printed on handmade paper imported from Italy and the remainder on more luxurious and expensive vellum. Once complete, the Bibles were sold as folded sheets, the owners responsible for having them bound and decorated, so that each surviving copy has its own unique features like illumination, dashes of color, marks of ownership, and notes and marginalia.
Only four dozen Gutenberg Bibles remain, and of these only 21 are complete, but what Gutenberg created went far beyond the reach of those volumes. By beginning the European printing revolution, he forever changed how knowledge was spread, democratized learning, and allowed for thoughts and ideas to be widely disseminated throughout the known world. In his time, Gutenberg's contemporaries called this "the art of multiplying books," and it was a major catalyst for the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution, and even the Protestant Reformation. In 1997, Time magazine named Johannes Gutenberg "Man of the Millennium" and dubbed his movable type as the most important invention of a thousand years. His name is commemorated by Project Gutenberg, a group of volunteers working to digitize and archive cultural and literary works, while making them open and free to the public. His name was even placed in the skies as the planetoid Gutemberga.

More Details on Oct. 18 Lecture (Notre Dame Professor = Randall Zachman)

Randall Zachman will help mark the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible by sharing insights on the lives of those who set out to write a new version of the Bible to meet the needs of a king and his subjects. His presentation will also look at the impact of vernacular translations on contemporary culture.

This Michigan Avenue Forum, sponsored by Fourth Presbyterian Church, will take place at the Newberry Library, where attendees will be able to view two editions of the King James Bible, a first issue and a second issue, from the library’s permanent collection. To complement the King James, previous English translations, including the Coverdale Bible published in 1539 and the first officially approved Bible printed in English, will also be on view.

Randall Zachman is Professor of Reformation Studies at the University of Notre Dame and has taught several previous courses in the Academy for Faith and Life.
http://event.uchicago.edu/maincampus/detail.php?guid=CAL-402882f8-324433e9-0132-5a657a7e-00000166eventscalendar@uchicago.edu

Registration is requested for this free event.
To register, please contact Deanna Fedaj (312.573.3364)

KJV at 400 years LECTURE - Randall Zachman - Chicago, IL - Oct. 18, Free

As noted at the KJ Bible Trust International Events website:

Tuesday, 18 October 2011

Time: 7pm

Location: Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street, Chicago, Illinois, United States

Organisation: The Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago

Topic: Bible

Website: http://www.fourthchurch.org/kjv.html

Details:

The King James Bible at 400:
Celebrating the 400th Anniversary of the King James Bible

Sponsored by the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago

Randall Zachman, Professor of Reformation at the University of Notre Dame, will share insights into the lives of the scholars engaged by King James to examine the original Greek and Hebrew texts of the Bible in order to provide a new translation responsive to the political and religious culture of the day. Who were these men and what role did King James play in shaping the message and meaning of the Bible? What influence did previous English translations, such as Tyndale, Coverdale, the Great Bible, and the Geneva Bible, have on the new translation? And as contemporary readers of the Bible, what does a translator’s role mean for our own interpretations of biblical texts? What impact do vernacular translations have on contemporary culture?
There wil also be opportunity to view two editions of the King James Bible, a first issue and a second issue, from the library’s permanent collection. To complement the King James, previous English translations, including the Coverdale Bible published in 1539 and the first officially approved Bible printed in English, will also be on view.
This event is free, but registration is requested.

Jewish New Year -- will you be included in the "Book of Life" for Year 5772?

from WASHINGTON POST dot-com column by Yonah Bookstein

Rosh Hashanah, an ancient holiday described in the Torah (Hebrew Bible), is observed on the first two days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei and is a commemoration of the Big Bang which fashioned the universe, our planet, and ultimately Adam and Eve. Rosh Hashanah is the anniversary of humanity experiencing the world.
While you might think that Jews party like it’s 5772 — yes, that is the year on the Hebrew Calendar — don’t look for all night bashes as you are more likely to find your Jewish friends in synagogue or at their parent’s house. Many Jews, who would otherwise not be caught dead in a synagogue, somehow find their way there on Rosh Hashanah. Jews believe that on that day, God judges the world and decides, “who will live and who will die...” We ask God for forgiveness and pray to be inscribed in the “Book of Life” for a sweet and healthy New Year. And, really, who wants to miss out on that?
Rosh Hashanah inaugurates a time of reflection called the aseret yamei teshuva, ten days of penitence. We believe that while we can find forgiveness for sins committed against the Boss,  it is left to to us to seek out and apologize to people we have wronged in the previous year. The aseret yamei teshuva end on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, when God’s decree for the coming year is sealed, and the final version of our contract issued.
There are three ways to avoid being left out of that Book of Life even if one has not behaved well: repentance (teshuva), prayer (tefillah), and charity (tzedakah). Consequently, Jews give a lot of charity and spend a lot of time in prayer, or at least in synagogue. We humble ourselves as we start the process of asking forgiveness. Teshuva is a process of getting our community and ourselves back on track, out of bad habits and into living meaningful and righteous lives.
The most famous symbol of the holiday, the Shofar, is sounded in synagogues on Rosh Hashanah, and is critical to our obligations on Rosh Hashanah. It’s not an ancient trumpet for the likes of Wynton Marsalis, rather the Shofar is serious business and fashioned from a ram’s horn. The blasts of the Shofar are likened both to the wordless cries of the humanity speaking to God, and a wake-up call to the soul which transcends rational explanation.
Some of our other cherished customs include: dipping challah and apples into honey and eating honey cake to symbolize our wish for a sweet new year; consuming  huge meals with too many courses, calories, and cousins; tossing bread crumbs into living waters during a ceremony called “Tashlich” to symbolically cast away our sins; and renewing synagogue memberships.

ArtPrize Competition entry: "President Gerald Ford" bust -- September 2011 entry

Fiberglass Resin President Ford Click image to view a larger version

Sunti Pichetchaiyakul

Artist bio Sunti Pichetchaiyakul, specializing in bronze portraiture and fiberglass resin sculptures, is renowned throughout Asia for revolutionizing the definition of realistic sculpture. Born in Thailand, where being called an artist is considered an honor, and where young talent goes unacknowledged, Sunti worked laboriously as a Fine Art graduate for a chance to be recognized in Thailand's art community. Yet, his world's fastest quick sculpting skills (having been filmed by television stations from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan), as well as his super-realistic fiberglass resin sculptures, allowed Sunti to capture the hearts of his people and become regarded as a master of duplicating faces. In 2008, Sunti left his distinction behind and relocated to Bigfork, Montana with hopes of success as a sculptor in the Western World. Sunti is quickly developing a reputation for his bronze 'Legends of the Americas' collection with realism that makes the medium look like skin. Visit www.suntiworldart.com.

About the work
Title: President Gerald Ford Visits ArtPrize
Art form: 3-D
Medium: Fiberglass Resin & Bronze
Year created: 2011
Description of work: After finishing in the Top 25 in 2010 with his super-realistic fiberglass resin "Grandfather Monk Luan," Sunti returns to ArtPrize this year with an exhibit that commemorates an American legend, beloved by the people of Grand Rapids - President Gerald R. Ford. Demonstrating his forte in the mediums of fiberglass resin and bronze, Sunti captures the personality and physical likeness of the 38th President of the United States, working from dozens of black and white photographs by David Hume Kennerly. While Mrs. Betty Ford gave Sunti permission to create this entry, she was unable to see the finished work. As a tribute to the "Fighting First Lady" and "1974 Woman of the Year," Sunti will be sculpting Mrs. Betty Ford in clay each day during the show.

http://artprize.org/artists/public-profile/5124

Artist information
Sunti Pichetchaiyakul
Thailand /, Montana

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Israel Museum & Google launch joint effort for Dead Sea Scrolls digitization PROJECT

September 2011

The Israel Museum welcomes you to the Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Project, allowing users to examine and explore these most ancient manuscripts from Second Temple times at a level of detail never before possible. Developed in partnership with Google, the new website gives users access to searchable, fast-loading, high-resolution images of the scrolls, as well as short explanatory videos and background information on the texts and their history. The Dead Sea Scrolls, which include the oldest known biblical manuscripts in existence, offer critical insight into Jewish society in the Land of Israel during the Second Temple Period, the time of the birth of Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism. Five complete scrolls from the Israel Museum have been digitized for the project at this stage and are now accessible online.
"We are privileged to house in the Israel Museum's Shrine of the Book the best preserved and most complete Dead Sea Scrolls ever discovered," said James S. Snyder, Anne and Jerome Fisher Director of the Israel Museum. "They are of paramount importance among the touchstones of monotheistic world heritage, and they represent unique highlights of our Museum's encyclopedic holdings. Now, through our partnership with Google, we are able to bring these treasures to the broadest possible public."
The five Dead Sea Scrolls that have been digitized thus far include the Great Isaiah Scroll, the Community Rule Scroll, the Commentary on Habakkuk Scroll, the Temple Scroll, and the War Scroll, with search queries on Google.com sending users directly to the online scrolls. All five scrolls can be magnified so that users may examine texts in exacting detail. Details invisible to the naked eye are made visible through ultra-high resolution digital photography by photographer Ardon Bar-Hama– at 1,200 mega pixels each, these images are almost two hundred times higher in resolution than those produced by a standard camera. Each picture utilized UV-protected flash tubes with an exposure of 1/4000th of a second to minimize damage to the fragile manuscripts. In addition, the Great Isaiah Scroll may be searched by column, chapter, and verse, and is accompanied by an English translation tool and by an option for users to submit translations of verses in their own languages.
"The Dead Sea Scrolls Project with the Israel Museum enriches and preserves an important part of world heritage by making it accessible to all on the internet," said Professor Yossi Matias, Managing Director of Google’s R&D Center in Israel. "Having been involved in similar projects in the past, including the Google Art Project, Yad Vashem Holocaust Collection, and the Prado Museum in Madrid, we have seen how people around the world can enhance their knowledge and understanding of key historical events by accessing documents and collections online. We hope one day to make all existing knowledge in historical archives and collections available to all, including putting additional Dead Sea Scroll documents online."
The Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Project is funded by George Blumenthal and the Center for Online Judaic Studies, which first envisioned the project in order to make these manuscripts widely accessible and to create an innovative resource for scholars and the public alike. Dr. Adolfo D. Roitman, Lizbeth and George Krupp Curator of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Head of the Shrine of the Book, and Dr. Susan Hazan, Curator of New Media and Head of the Museum's Internet Office, directed the project for the Israel Museum, working in collaboration with Eyal Fink, Technical Lead, and Eyal Miller, New Business Development Manager, at Google's R&D Center in Israel.

http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/project

Kalamazoo Oil Clean-up River Pipeline (Sept. 2011 update)

from Michigan NEWS agency update (Monday - Sept. 26 report)

In a report submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday, Enbridge increased its estimate of how much it will cost to clean up the company’s Kalamazoo River oil spill.

The Kalamazoo Gazette reports that the company has revised its cleanup estimate from $585 million to $700 million.
Enbridge spokeswoman Terri Larson told the Gazette that costs have increased due to a need for additional testing, continual reassessments, shoreline cleanup and more operations to recover submerged oil.
In July, 2010 more than 800,000 gallons of tar sands crude spilled into the Kalamazoo River system through a rupture in the Enbridge pipeline that runs from Griffith, Indiana to Sarnia, Ontario.
More than 30 miles of the Kalamazoo River have been closed to the public since then, and Enbridge has missed a deadline set by federal regulators for removing oil from the river.
“Capturing and cleaning up this heavy oil is a unique challenge,” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 Director Susan Hedman said during a July press briefing on the cleanup. “No one at the EPA can remember dealing with this much submerged oil in a river.”
http://michiganmessenger.com/52794/enbridge-raises-estimate-of-oil-spill-cleanup-costs

How to observe Michael-mas (September 29 annual "feast day")

from the WRITER's ALMANAC daily list serv (Garrison Keillor, Minnesota Public Radio):

In the Christian world, today is Michaelmas, feast day of the archangel Michael, which was a very important day in times past, falling near the equinox and so marking the fast darkening of the days in the northern world, the boundary of what was and what is to be. Today was the end of the harvest and the time for farm folk to calculate how many animals they could afford to feed through the winter and which would be sold or slaughtered. It was the end of the fishing season, the beginning of hunting, the time to pick apples and make cider.
Today was a day for settling rents and accounts, which farmers often paid for with a brace of birds from the flocks hatched that spring. Geese were given to the poor and their plucked down sold for the filling of mattresses and pillows.
Michaelmas was the time of the traditional printer's celebration, the wayzgoose, the day on which printers broke from their work to form the last of their pulp into paper with which to cover their open windows against the coming cold -- the original solution for those who could not afford glass yet had more than nothing -- and the advent of days spent working by candlelight.
In the past, the traditional Michaelmas meal would have been a roast stubble goose -- the large gray geese that many of us only get to admire at our local state and county fairs. Today, when most poultry comes from the grocery store in parts and wrapped in plastic, a roast goose can be a difficult luxury to obtain, but any homey, unfussy meal is a fine substitute -- especially with a posy of Michaelmas daisies or purple asters on the table.
In folklore, it is said that when Michael cast the Devil from Heaven, the fallen angel landed on a patch of blackberry brambles and so returns this day every year to spit upon the plant that tortured him. For this reason, blackberries would not be eaten after today, and so folks would gather them in masses on Michaelmas to put into pies and crumbles and preserves. And they would bake St. Michael's bannocks, a large, flat scone of oats and barley and rye, baked on a hot griddle and then eaten with butter or honey or a pot of blackberry preserves.
Whether you recognize Michaelmas or not, you can still greet what comes with the symbols of today: gloves, for open-handedness and generosity; and ginger to keep you warm and well in the coming cold.

A Day for Multilingualism

from Writer's Almanac (Garrison Keillor, Minnesota Public Radio):

September 26 is the official European Day of Languages, which is a yearly event begun in 2001 to celebrate human language, encourage language learning, and bring attention to the importance of being multilingual in a polyglot world. On this day, everyone, young or old, is encouraged to take up a language or take special pride in his or her existing language skills.
There are about 225 indigenous languages in Europe, which may sound like a lot but is only 3 percent of the world's total. Children's events, television and radio programs, languages classes and conferences are organized across Europe. In past years, schoolchildren in Croatia created European flags and wrote "Hello" and "I love you" in dozens of tongues while older students sang "Brother John" in German, English, and French. At a German university, a diverse group of volunteer tutors held a 90-minute crash course in half a dozen languages, like a kind of native-tongue speed-dating, groups of participants spending just 15 minutes immersed in each dialect until the room was filled with Hungarian introductions, French Christmas songs, and discussions of Italian football scores.

Results at Mackinac Island, Michigan (GOP Leadership Bi-ennial Conf.) 1 p.m. Reporting by Politico

Posted at Politico dot-com -- reporter is Jonathan Martin

On Sunday September 25, 2011 Mitt Romney cruised to victory in the Mackinac straw poll, easily besting Rick Perry among the Michigan Republicans who gathered for the weekend conference.
Romney took 51 percent of the vote and Perry 17 percent. Herman Cain won 9 percent to come in third and Ron Paul finished in fourth with 8 percent.
The two GOP front-runners were the only candidates who attended the gathering.

Neither had an active campaign to win the balloting, though Romney, a Michigan native, had a strong presence on the island and spent much of Saturday wooing attendees.
Romney also won the same straw poll in 2007.
The poll, sponsored by The Hotline, also included a question on their preferences for the party’s vice-presidential slot. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was the top vote-getter, with 23 percent, followed by Cain (14 percent), Newt Gingrich (13) and Michele Bachmann (12).

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/64356.html#ixzz1YzdH6A5k

14 sites associated with the Nobel Prize Laureate (around Oxford, Mississippi)

Web information is posted by Ole Miss dot-edu for those interested in William Faulkner and his family:

ROWAN OAK -- The home most associated with the author :

The house Faulkner bought in 1930. Built originally in 1848 by a Colonel Robert R. Sheegog for his wife (and known as the "Sheegog place" and later, "the old Bailey Place" when Faulkner bought it), Faulkner renovated the house and made it his home for the rest of his life. He named it "Rowan Oak" after the legend of Rowan tree recorded in Sir James Frazer's The Golden Bough; according to the story, Scottish peasants placed a cross of Rowan wood over their thresholds to ward off evil spirits and give the occupants a place of refuge, privacy, and peace.

Today it is a museum operated by the University of Mississippi English Department.

http://www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/faulkner/wfsites.html

Today is Birthday of William Faulkner (b. 1897) - Oxford, Mississippi

from the Writer's Almanac (Garrison Keillor, Minnesota Public Radio):

September 25 is the birthday of William Faulkner, born William Cuthbert Falkner in New Albany, Mississippi (1897). Faulkner was named for his great-grandfather, a Civil War colonel who'd been killed in a duel, but the family name he inherited was indeed Falkner, spelled with no "u." He permanently adopted the additional vowel when applying for the Canadian Royal Air Force, believing it made his name look British. Having already been rejected by the U.S. Army Air Corps because of his height of only five feet six inches, he also lied about his birthplace, for good measure, and adopted a phony British accent.
Like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Faulkner was still in training when the First World War ended. This didn't stop him from returning home to Oxford, Mississippi, the town where he'd grown up, sporting an officer's uniform and claiming to have a silver plate in his head. He went to Ole Miss for a few semesters as a war veteran, even though he'd never finished high school, but dropped out of that, too.
It was, perhaps, one of the last times Faulkner pretended to be something other than what he was. Of the 19 novels he eventually wrote, 18 were set in the South; 14 of those were set in a fictionalized version of Oxford, the town that he strayed from but always returned to. Many of his characters and their exploits were based on his real-life neighbors and family members -- like his great-grandfather.
As much as the rest of the world would always associate Faulkner with the American South, the South didn't always appreciate his representation; Oxford residents alternated between being angered by recognizable depictions in his fiction and disappointed when they weren't included. But it might have been Faulkner's stance on segregation that stirred up the most trouble. He condemned it, putting him at odds even with his own brother, but he also rejected the idea of federal intervention on the issue, putting him at odds with nearly everyone else. The South, he argued, needed time to get used to the idea of integration. When W.E.B. Du Bois challenged Faulkner to a debate on the topic in 1956, Faulkner declined, saying, "I do not believe there is a debatable point between us. We both agree in advance that the position you will take is right morally, legally, and ethically." Faulkner believed that a slow and moderate approach to integration was simply a matter of practicality.
He said, in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech: "I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance. The poet's, the writer's duty is to write about these things. ... The poet's voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail."
He also said: "It is my ambition to be, as a private individual, abolished and voided from history, leaving it markless, no refuse save the printed books; I wish I had had enough sense to see ahead thirty years ago and, like some of the Elizabethans, not signed them. It is my aim, and every effort bent, that the sum and history of my life, which in the same sentence is my obit and epitaph too, shall be them both: he made the books, and he died." His obituaries, when they were written upon his death in 1962, were substantially longer. The epitaph on his grave doesn't mention his books. It reads simply, "Belove'd/ Go With God."

What is the Future of the Peace Corps (founded September 22, 1961)? Event in Washington, D.C.

from WEBSITE for PEACE CORPS --

The Future of Peace Corps Saturday, September 24, 2011 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

How will the Peace Corps community continue to grow and strive for a world of peace and prosperity for the next 50 years? A panel of thought leaders and global figures will discuss their experience with the Peace Corps and discuss pressing topics with the community at the National Theater in Washington, DC, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20004. The second session will feature competitive proposals for a global community project. A select group of pre-screened projects will be presented to the audience for review and questions. The audience will vote for the most deserving project and that project will be awarded with a grant that day.

Moderator:

Bill Moyers

Bill Moyers – first deputy director of the Peace Corps, leading American journalist and public commentator

Panelists:

Atiku Abubakar

Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai

Atiku Abubakar – former Vice President of Nigeria (1999-2007) and Founder of the American University of Nigeria
Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai – former Finance Minister and 2009 Presidential Candidate in Afghanistan
Alejandro Toledo – former President of Peru.

"Stone Soup" - an acted-out story by Britannia Society -- 10:30 a.m. September 24, 2011

from NILES LIBRARY dot-com publicity (Niles District Library website, Niles, Michigan)

Beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday September 24, 2011 the Britannia Society of the Niles District Library will perform Stone Soup. This old tale takes place when three hungry British soldiers come to a French town where all the food has been hidden. They set out to make soup of water and stones and soon all the town enjoys a feast. Stone Soup may be served to the audience so you will not want to miss this “tasty” story!  The event is free and open to the public.

AP: Dead satellite (bus-sized) fell to earth in Pacific Ocean at 1 a.m. Eastern

from AP Story posted at San Francisco Chronicle (online newspaper website SF Gate):

NASA's dead six-ton satellite fell to Earth early Saturday morning, starting its fiery death plunge somewhere over the vast Pacific Ocean.
Details were still sketchy, but the U.S. Air Force's Joint Space Operations Center and NASA say that the bus-sized satellite first penetrated Earth's atmosphere somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. That doesn't necessarily mean it all fell into the sea. NASA's calculations had predicted that the former climate research satellite would fall over a 500-mile swath.
The two government agencies say the 35-foot satellite fell sometime between 11:23 p.m. EDT and 1:09 a.m. EDT. NASA said it didn't know the precise time or location yet.
Some 26 pieces of the satellite — representing 1,200 pounds of heavy metal — were expected to rain down somewhere. The biggest surviving chunk should be no more than 300 pounds.
The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite is the biggest NASA spacecraft to crash back to Earth, uncontrolled, since the post-Apollo 75-ton Skylab space station and the more than 10-ton Pegasus 2 satellite, both in 1979.
Russia's 135-ton Mir space station slammed through the atmosphere in 2001, but it was a controlled dive into the Pacific.
Before UARS fell, no one had ever been hit by falling space junk and NASA expected that not to change. NASA put the chances that somebody somewhere on Earth would get hurt at 1-in-3,200. But any one person's odds of being struck were estimated at 1-in-22 trillion, given there are 7 billion people on the planet.

Today is the birthday of F. Scott Fitzgerald

from The Writer's Almanac (Garrison Keillor, Minnesota Public Radio):

September 24 is the birthday of F. Scott Fitzgerald, born Francis Scott Fitzgerald in St. Paul, Minnesota (1896). The son of a would-be furniture manufacturer who never quite made it big in business, Fitzgerald grew up feeling like a "poor boy in a rich town," in spite of his middle-class upbringing. This impression was only strengthened when he attended Princeton, paid for by an aunt, where he was enthralled by the leisure class, tried out and was cut from the football team, and fell in love with a beautiful young socialite who would marry a wealthy business associate of her father's. By the time Fitzgerald dropped out of college and entered the Army -- wearing a Brooks Brothers-tailored uniform -- it was little wonder he called the autobiographical novel he was writing The Romantic Egotist.
Fitzgerald's time at an officer training camp in Alabama didn't turn out as he'd hoped, either; the war ended before he ever made it to Europe, his book was rejected, and when he failed to make it big in New York City, his new debutante girlfriend, Zelda Sayre, called off their engagement.
Fitzgerald was probably much like most young men of his generation who dreamed of being a football star, the war hero, the wealthy big shot, the guy who gets the girl, but for a few things: he had talent, drive, and an unshakeable faith that he could translate all that familiar yearning into something new ... something that would get him, at least, the wealth and fame and the girl. His revised book, This Side of Paradise, got him all that and more when it was published. Requests for his writing came pouring in, Zelda married him, and the couple -- a Midwesterner and a Southerner -- became the quintessential New York couple, the epitome of the Jazz Age, a term Fitzgerald himself coined. And although they eventually died separated, she in a mental hospital, he in debt and obscurity, Fitzgerald's two greatest regrets remained, for the rest of his life, having failed to serve overseas and play Princeton football.
He said, "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function."
And his daughter, "Scottie" Fitzgerald, said about her parents, "People who live entirely by the fertility of their imaginations are fascinating, brilliant and often charming, but they should be sat next to at dinner parties, not lived with."

National Hunting and Fishing Day 2011 (Proclamation)

from WHITE HOUSE dot-gov -- a Proclamation by Pres. Barack Obama

On vast plains and through dense forests, along rocky riverbanks and atop tranquil lakes, Americans of every age and background cherish their connection to the great outdoors.  As we mark National Hunting and Fishing Day, we are reminded of the uniquely American idea that each of us has an equal share in the land around us and an equal responsibility to protect it.
America's hunters and anglers directly experience the endless beauty and reward of our Nation's bounty.  We have long depended on this land to sustain us, from our Native American ancestors and the settlers on the Eastern Seaboard to the sportsmen and women of today.  Fishing and hunting are traditions that span untold lengths of time, enabling important bonds to the land and between generations to form.  Sportsmen also develop unique connections to the land they enjoy, and hunters and fishermen were some of our first conservationists.  These relationships are preserved and passed on with pride, along with a deep and abiding respect for nature.
Today, we continue the essential work of conserving and sustaining our precious environment.  Our landscapes are not only a source of pleasure, but a valuable resource for our local economies and the livelihood of many across America.  Last year, after an unprecedented public engagement effort, with input from across our country, my Administration launched the America's Great Outdoors Initiative.  Through this initiative, we are working to meet the unique challenges of environmental stewardship in the 21st century and create community-based solutions for conservation.
As part of the America's Great Outdoors Initiative, we recently established the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation to assist with promoting outdoor recreational activities for American families on public lands.  By coordinating with State, local, and tribal governments, and other stakeholders, the Council aims to connect our families, and especially our youth, to the rugged beauty of the natural wonders our Nation's hunters and anglers know so well.
Protecting the conservation legacy of our past is the responsibility of all Americans.  Working together, we can preserve the wonder of nature while building a future where all Americans are able to enjoy and share in her bounty.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 24, 2011, as National Hunting and Fishing Day.  I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate programs and activities.

Today is the Birthday of "The Boss" (Springsteen born 1949)

from WASHINGTON POST dot-com chat-discussion hosted by Chris Cillizza

.

Happy Birthday Boss

Today(Friday September 23) is Bruce Springsteen's 62nd birthday and apparently the E Street Band is going to meet up in a few weeks to discuss whether the band should go forward without the dearly departed Big Man, Clarence Clemons.

• Chris Cillizza :

Thanks for mentioning.
And, RIP Big Man.

 

 

Car-Free Day (blog tells about Thursday 9/22/2011): "Doctor Gridlock"

from Washingtonpost dot-com -- "Car-Free Day"

Almost 11,000 people have pledged to leave their cars at home or to carpool on Thursday during the annual Car-Free Day sponsored by Commuter Connections, the regional transportation program coordinated by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
The event, however, is international in scope. According to organizers, the day includes celebrations in 1,500 cities in 40 countries. Area residents can take the pledge by signing up online.
Local events will include free bus rides on connectors and shuttles in Frederick County and morning prize drawings and giveaways at Bethesda, Friendship Heights, Silver Spring and Twinbrook Metro stations;
Commuter Connections also is encouraging participants to join in the Capital Bikeshare Birthday Bash. The event celebrating the one-year anniversary of the regional cycling program is from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Yards Park, on the Anacostia River near Nationals Park. There will be live music, moon bounces, food, games and prizes.
People can take the car-free — or car-lite — pledge at www.carfreemetrodc.com.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/post/car-free-day-rolls-in-on-thursday/2011/09/21/gIQAsm7ElK_blog.html?hpid=z5

Friday September 23 this year, 5 a.m. Eastern

from List Serv sent to me by Almanac dot-com (Old Farmer's Almanac online)

Autumn’s Arrival

September 23—Autumnal Equinox
Fall begins at 5:05 A.M. EDT. The autumnal equinox is defined as the point at which the Sun appears to cross the celestial equator from north to south. The word equinox means “equal night”: Night and day are about the same length of time. In addition to the equal hours of daylight and darkness, the equinox is a time when the Sun’s apparent motion undergoes the most rapid change. Around the time of the equinox, variations in the position on the horizon where the Sun rises and sets can be noticed by alert observers from one day to the next.

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal freed from Prison in IRAN (held since 2009)

www.npr.org/ BREAKING NEWS: (Afternoon, September 21, 2011)

12:20 p.m. ET: The BBC reports that "the two men, both 29, left the prison compound just minutes after their Iranian attorney, Masoud Shafiei, said he had finished the paperwork for their release, obtaining the signatures of two judges on a bail-for-freedom deal. He told AFP news agency the bail funds had been provided by the state of Oman, a U.S. Gulf ally which has good relations with Iran

National Farm Safety & Health Week (White House Proclamation: Sept. 18 - 24, 2011)

from WHITE HOUSE dot-gov

A PROCLAMATION

The food, fiber, and fuel generated by our agricultural sector are vital to America's 21st-century economy.  Farmers represent the best of the American dream -- passing on proud traditions of hard work and commitment to their children.  This week, we celebrate farmers' contributions to the fabric of our Nation as they cultivate the products that sustain us, serve as stewards of our environment, and stand as the backbone of communities across our country.
The self-discipline and determination of farm communities have allowed them to persevere through drought, storms, and hard times, always emerging strong and vibrant.  Each day, our farmers, ranchers, and agricultural workers face multiple dangers.  They work with heavy machinery, livestock, and toxic materials, and in potentially dangerous environments like grain elevators and processing facilities.  Physically demanding and all-encompassing, farm work requires the resourcefulness and grit that has been essential to our Nation's success.  This week, we pay tribute to the tremendous work ethic of America's farmers, and encourage safe farm practices for all.
Supporting farmers, ranchers, and growers is critical to creating and sustaining a thriving economy.  My Administration has worked to create new markets for these products, and to provide assistance to farms, supporting jobs across our country.  We continue to work to make capital more accessible and help aspiring young farmers buy land.  Farms are critical to achieving our goal of doubling our exports, and American agricultural exports are now worth over $100 billion a year.  They are also the source of biofuels that will help lead us to energy independence.  My Administration is working to speed the development of next-generation biofuels, and their production will benefit farmers, rural communities, and Americans across our country.
As the fall harvest begins, I encourage farm and ranch families to embrace safe farming practices and to participate in farm safety and health programs.  Communities and neighbors can support local farmers by understanding the risks involved with farm work and the role everyone can play in preventing and responding to accidents.  We are grateful for the fruits of every farmer's labor, and we honor their tireless dedication to the well-being of their families and our Nation.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 18 through September 24, 2011, as National Farm Safety and Health Week.  I call upon the agencies, organizations, businesses, and extension services that serve America's agricultural workers to strengthen their commitment to promoting farm safety and health programs.  I also urge Americans to honor our agricultural heritage and express appreciation to our farmers, ranchers, and farm-workers for their remarkable contributions to our Nation.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/09/16/presidential-proclamation-national-farm-safety-and-health-week-2011

Today is the birthday of H.G. Wells and Stephen King

from Writer's Almanac (Minnesota Public Radio by Garrison Keillor):

Today (September 21) is the birthday of writer H.G. Wells, born Herbert George Wells in Bromley, England (1866). Although popularly known as one of the fathers of modern science fiction, having published classics such as The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, and The War of the Worlds within the first few years of his writing career, Wells went on to publish dozens of novels, story collections, and books of nonfiction, most of which were not explicitly sci-fi. Most, however, dealt in some way with Wells' interest in biology, his strong belief in socialism, or his vision for the future of mankind. Indeed, much of what was fantastic and fictional when he conceived it came to pass, like his predictions that airplanes would someday be used to wage war and advanced transportation would lead to an explosion of suburbs. Some of his ideas might have even helped inspire real-life innovation: In the '30s, he argued that there needed to be an encyclopedia that was constantly reviewed and updated and would be accessible to all people -- something he might have recognized in the ethos of Wikipedia. And in 1914, his novel The World Set Free described bombs that would explode repeatedly, based on their radioactivity, an idea that inspired the conception and pursuit of the nuclear chain reaction.
Wells died just before his 80th birthday, having lived long enough to see much of the future he'd imagined. In the preface to the 1921 edition of The War in the Air, the book in which he'd predicted, in 1908, a world war and the use of modern warfare, he warned the reader to note how right he'd been. Twenty years later, in the 1941 edition, he followed up, writing, "Is there anything to add to that preface now? Nothing except my epitaph. That, when the time comes, will manifestly have to be: 'I told you so. You damned fools.'"

It's the birthday of horror writer Stephen King, born in Portland, Maine (1947). King learned to write, he's said, after a satirical newspaper he wrote lampooning his high school teachers got him into trouble. The guidance counselor arranged for him to work at a local paper as a way to put his creativity to more productive use; it was there that he wrote a sports feature and realized, watching the editor mark up his copy with a big black pen, that he could really write ... and that he could learn to make his writing better. When he assured the editor that he wouldn't make the same mistakes again, the editor laughed, saying, "If that's true, you'll never have to work again. You can do this for a living."
King nearly proved the editor right. After graduating from college, he worked in an industrial laundry for a year, then got a job teaching high school English. It was only two years later that he learned that the sale of the paperback rights for his first novel, Carrie, was so big he could afford to write full-time.
Today, King is the author of more than 50 worldwide best sellers, including a nonfiction book about writing called On Writing. His most recent, Full Dark, No Stars, is a collection of four stories. This fall he will publish 11/22/63: A Novel, about Kennedy's assassination.
King said, "Alone. Yes, that's the key word, the most awful word in the English tongue. Murder doesn't hold a candle to it and hell is only a poor synonym."
And he said, "The road to hell is paved with adverbs."

Today is the Birthday of George R.R. Martin ("the American Tolkien")

from Writer's Almanac (Garrison Keillor at Minnesota Public Radio):

September 20 is the birthday of the sci-fi and fantasy writer George R.R. Martin, born in Bayonne, New Jersey (1948). Named as one of Time magazine's "100 most influential people in the world" in 2011 and dubbed the "American Tolkien," Martin is most famous for his best-selling series A Song of Ice and Fire. The epic fantasy series of seven planned novels -- only five of which have been published so far -- was recently adapted for HBO's drama Game of Thrones, which was also the title of the first volume in Martin's series. The television show, which debuted this spring, was such an instant critical and commercial success that it was renewed for a second season immediately following its premiere.
Martin, a former writer on The Twilight Zone and Beauty and the Beast, got his start selling monster stories to kids in his neighborhood.

Three Days this week are "Ember Days" -- Old Farmer's Almanac explanation

http://www.almanac.com/  part of list serv and most recent weblink :

September 21, 23, 24—Ember DaysFolklore has it that the weather on each of these three days foretells the weather for three successive months; that is, Wednesday, September 21, forecasts the weather for October; Friday, September 23, for November; and Saturday, September 24, for December.

End of this week - UARS will hit the earth (Wash. Post good news - bad news coverage)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ REPORTER Joel Achenbach

It’s the biggest piece of NASA space junk to fall to Earth in more than 30 years. It should create a light show. The satellite will partially burn up during reentry and, by NASA’s calculation, break into about 100 pieces, creating fireballs that should be visible even in daytime.
An estimated 26 of those pieces will survive the re-entry burn and will spray themselves in a linear debris field 500 miles long. The largest chunk should weigh about 300 pounds.
As the Friday-ish crash gets closer, NASA will refine its estimate of timing and location, but the fudge factor will remain high.
“There are too many variations on solar activity which affect the atmosphere, the drag on the vehicle,” said Nicholas Johnson, chief scientist for orbital debris at NASA. He said that when NASA estimates that the satellite is two hours away from hitting Earth, there will still be a margin of error of 25 minutes.
“That equates to plus or minus 5,000 miles. That’s a lot of real estate,” he said.
The good news is that UARS will probably splatter into the open ocean, because Earth is a water planet. And humans, for all their sprawl, occupy a very limited portion of its surface.
NASA did a calculation of the odds that someone would be struck by UARS debris. It’s very unlikely: about a 1-in-3,200 chance that one person somewhere in the world would be hit. That’s not the odds for any specific person (say, a reader of this story), but for the entire human population, which is about 7 billion.
Used fuel tanks and rocket bodies fall to Earth frequently, Johnson said, “and in over 50 years of these things coming back around the world, no one has ever been hurt. There has never been any significant property damage.”
The satellite was launched on the space shuttle Discovery in 1991 and spent 14 years studying the atmosphere as part of an effort to understand, among other things, the human influence on climate change. It measured chemicals that damage the ozone layer, aerosols from Mount Pinatubo and changes in solar radiation that affect the upper atmosphere.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/nasa-satellite-expected-to-hit-earth-this-week/2011/09/18/gIQARnpVdK_story.html?hpid=z3

Birthday of Foucault - - (September 18)

from Writer's Almanac (G. Keillor):

September 18 was the birthday of Jean-Bernard-Leon Foucault (1819), born in Paris. He was trained in medicine, but became interested in physics. He developed a method for measuring the speed of light and discovered that light travels more slowly through water than it does through the air. He also invented a gyroscope. But he's best known for the pendulum that bears his name. He assembled it in 1851, a 62-pound iron ball swinging from a wire 220 feet long. He suspended it inside the dome of the Pantheon in Paris. He used it to prove that the Earth rotates on its axis. Once the pendulum is set in motion, it always swings along the same axis, but its position changes relative to the position of the Earth. As the Earth rotates counterclockwise, the pendulum appears to move in a clockwise direction. His pendulum caused a sensation among scientists and laypeople alike, and soon cities throughout Europe and America had suspended their own versions. You can still see them today in many science museums; sometimes a ring of dominoes is set up around the perimeter of the circle so you can see them being knocked down as the world turns.

(Minnesota Public Radio daily newsletter - online)

Constitution Week (Sept. 17 - 23) - Presidential Proclamation

from http://www.whitehouse.gov/ Proclamations

A PROCLAMATION

In the summer of 1787, delegates from the States gathered in Philadelphia to build a new framework for our young republic.  Our Constitution's Framers represented diverse backgrounds, and on key issues, they were divided.  Yet despite their differences, they courageously joined together in common purpose to create "a more perfect Union."  After 4 months of fierce debate and hard-fought compromise, the delegates signed the Constitution of the United States.
For more than two centuries, the Constitution has presided as the supreme law of the land, keeping our leaders true to America's highest ideals and guaranteeing the fundamental rights that make our country a beacon of hope to all peoples seeking freedom and justice.  Together with the Bill of Rights, our Constitution is the backbone of our government and the basis of our liberties.  Even while retaining its structure, our founding document has grown with our Nation's conscience, amended over the years to extend America's promise to citizens of every race, gender, and creed.
Americans are defined not by bloodlines or allegiance to any one leader or faith, but by our shared ideals of liberty, equality, and justice under the law.  We are a Nation of immigrants, built and sustained by people who have brought their talents, drive, and entrepreneurial spirit to our shores.  Generations of newcomers have journeyed to this land because they believed in what our country stands for.
Every year, thousands of candidates for citizenship commemorate Constitution Day and Citizenship Day by becoming American citizens.  These men and women have respected our laws and learned our history, and some have served in our military.  Today, we invite them to join us in writing the next great chapter of the American story.
In signing the Constitution, the Framers provided a model of American leadership for generations to come.  Through controversy and division, they built a lasting structure of government that began with the words, "We the People."  This week, as we celebrate our Founders' timeless vision, we resolve to stay true to their spirit of patriotism and unity.
In remembrance of the signing of the Constitution and in recognition of the Americans who strive to uphold the duties and responsibilities of citizenship, the Congress, by joint resolution of February 29, 1952 (36 U.S.C. 106), designated September 17 as "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day," and by joint resolution of August 2, 1956 (36 U.S.C. 108), requested that the President proclaim the week beginning September 17 and ending September 23 of each year as "Constitution Week."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 17, 2011, as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, and September 17 through September 23, 2011, as Constitution Week.  I encourage Federal, State, and local officials, as well as leaders of civic, social, and educational organizations, to conduct ceremonies and programs that bring together community members to reflect on the importance of active citizenship, recognize the enduring strength of our Constitution, and reaffirm our commitment to the rights and obligations of citizenship in this great Nation.

George Washington's Farewell Address: remembered and forgotten (1796)

from Writer's Almanac (Garrison Keillor, Minn. Public Radio):

On September 19 in 1796, President George Washington's farewell address was printed in the Daily American Advertiser as an open letter to American citizens. The most famous of all his "speeches," it was never actually spoken; a week after its publication in this Philadelphia newspaper, it was reprinted in papers all over the country.
The address was a collaborative effort that took Washington months to finalize, incorporating the notes that James Madison had prepared four years prior when Washington intended to retire after his first term, as well as numerous edits from Alexander Hamilton and a critique from John Jay. Madison, Hamilton, and Jay were accustomed to writing collectively; together they had published the Federalist Papers, 85 newspaper articles published throughout the 13 states to introduce and explain their proposal for a Constitution.
Now only eight years old, the Constitution was in danger, Washington feared, of falling prey to the whims of popular sentiment. In 6,086 words, his address seeks to encourage the nation to respect and maintain the Constitution, warning that a party system -- not yet the governmental standard operating procedure -- would reduce the nation to infighting. He urged Americans to relinquish their personal or geographical interests for the good of the national interest, warning that "designing men" would try to distract them from their larger common views by highlighting their smaller, local differences. "You cannot shield yourselves too much against the jealousies and heartburnings which spring from these misrepresentations; they tend to render alien to each other those who ought to be bound together by fraternal affection," he wrote.
Washington also feared interference by foreign governments, and as such extolled the benefits of a stable public credit to be used sparingly, recommending avoiding debt by "cultivating peace" and "by vigorous exertion in time of peace to discharge the debts which unavoidable wars may have occasioned." Although he conceded that "the execution of these maxims" -- or, in layman's terms, balancing the budget -- was the responsibility of the government, Washington wagged a finger at individual citizens too, reminding them that "it is essential that you should practically bear in mind that towards the payment of debts there must be revenue; that to have revenue there must be taxes; that no taxes can be devised which are not more or less inconvenient and unpleasant ..."

A week after infamous "Nixon Pardon" then-President Ford announced Amnesty for Vietnam draft avoiders / deserters

On the date of Sept. 16, 1974 -- story in NY Times (front page coverage of the national impact):

Washington, Sept. 16--President Ford offered conditional amnesty today to thousands of Vietnam era draft evaders and military deserters who agree to work for up to two years in public service jobs.
"My sincere hope," he said in a statement, "is that this is a constructive step toward calmer and cooler appreciation of our individual rights and responsibilities and our common purpose as a nation whose future is always more important than its past."
In announcing his "earned re-entry" program, the President also established a nine-member Presidential clemency board to review the cases of those already convicted or punished for desertion or draft evasion.
Mr. Ford designated Charles E. Goodell, a former Republican Senator from New York and an early critic of United States involvement in the Vietnam war, as chairman of the clemency board.
Among others named to the clemency board was the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, president of the University of Notre Dame, who has called for unconditional amnesty.
Effective Immediately
The amnesty program became effective immediately when President Ford signed a Presidential proclamation and two Executive orders just before noon in the Cabinet Room of the White House. Earlier, he explained details of the program to Congressional leaders of both parties. No Congressional action is needed.
In his proclamation, the President declared that "desertion in time of war is a major, serious offense," and that draft evasion "is also a serious offense." Such actions, he said, need not "be condoned."
"Yet," he continued, "reconciliation calls for an act of mercy to bind the nation's wounds and to heal the scars of divisiveness."
President Ford denied tonight at his news conference that the amnesty plan was in any substantial way linked to his unconditional pardon of former President Richard M. Nixon on Sept. 8--an action that has created widespread controversy throughout the nation.
Asked at his news conference tonight why he had granted only a conditional amnesty to draft evaders while granting a full pardon to Mr. Nixon, the President replied:
"Well, the only connection between those two cases is the effort that I made in the one to heal the wounds involving charges against Mr. Nixon and my honest and conscientious effort to heal the wounds for those who had deserted military service or dodged the draft."
Mr. Ford said that, in the case of Mr. Nixon, "you have a President who was forced to resign because of circumstances involving his Administration and he has been shamed and disgraced by that resignation."
Under the program, draft evaders or deserters who have not been convicted or punished have until next Jan. 31 to turn themselves in to the authorities, reaffirm their allegiance to the United States and agree to spend up to two years in public service jobs, such as hospital attendants or conservation.
The United States Attorney or military service head would decide the length of alternative service to be performed by each individual. The President set no minimum period of service, but he said that the maximum two-year requirement could be "reduced" for "mitigating circumstances," such as family hardship.
Placement of persons in public service jobs would be administered by the director of the Selective Service System, Byron V. Pepitone. He said today that applicants would be encouraged to find their own jobs, subject to approval by his agency.
For those already convicted or punished for desertion or draft evasion, the new Presidential clemency board will review cases on an individual basis. Priority will be given to those now in prison, and officials said that their confinement would be suspended as soon as possible.
Federal officials gave varying estimates of the number of deserters and evaders potentially eligible under the program. The estimates ranged from 28,000 to 50,000 or more.
Some officials said that 15,500 draft evaders would be eligible for clemency. Of these, 8,700 have already been convicted and 4,350 are under indictment, 4,060 are listed as fugitives, 3,000 of them in Canada. There are 130 persons now serving prison sentences for draft evasion.
Officials also said that 660 deserters were serving prison sentences or awaiting trial, and about 12,500 others were still at large, with about 1,500 of these now living in Canada.
Deputy Attorney General Laurence Silberman said today that those agreeing to participate in the plan should be prepared to serve the full 24 months of public service employment, although "mitigating circumstances" might lessen the term of service.
He said that those who failed to live up the agreement would be subject to prosecution for the original charge of draft evasion or desertion.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0916.html#article

On this date in history (1620) -- Mayflower embarked for New World

On September 16 in 1620, the Mayflower set sail for America. The 90-foot ship was chartered by a group of merchants known as "the London Adventurers," and it carried 102 settlers -- about half of them religious separatists -- to the New World. There were supposed to have been two ships to carry the settlers, but the Mayflower's sister ship, the Speedwell, proved to be unseaworthy, and eventually the Mayflower had to carry on without her, taking on some of her passengers. They were bound for a tract of land set aside for them in the colony of Virginia, which at that time was very much larger than our current state; the Mayflower's tract was along the Hudson River in what is now New York. Because their departure was delayed, they hit bad weather and were blown off course, making landfall on Cape Cod instead. Only about half of the original passengers survived the first winter, but none of them took the opportunity to return to England when the Mayflower departed in the spring.
FROM Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac (Minn. Public Radio list serv) - daily blog-program

Dakota Meyer visits the White House (Medal of Honor winner)

from OBAMA Food-o-rama blog (Wednesday Sept. 14, 2011)

President Obama chatted over beers with Dakota Meyer on the patio outside of the Oval Office today, according to Press Secretary Jay Carney. The White House posted a photo of the meeting to the official Flickr. Tomorrow afternoon, the President will present Meyer with the Medal of Honor during a ceremony at the White House. The 23-year-old former Marine Corps Sergeant, from Greensburg, Kentucky, is a combat veteran from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Meyer is the first Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and also the first Marine to receive the Medal since the Vietnam War. He is being honored for one particular action of "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity" in the Ganjgal Valley in eastern Afghanistan on Sept 8, 2009 that occurred when he was 21 years old and a corporal.

Carney wrote on Twitter that the President’s staff called Meyer during the weekend in preparation for the ceremony.

"Meyer asked the staffer if he could have a beer with the President. POTUS invited Dakota to come by the White House this afternoon," Carney tweeted. He also tweeted a brief recap of Meyer's acts of extraordinary courage.

PHOTO Viewable at http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2011/09/presidential-beer-for-medal-of-honor.html

Shane Bauer & Josh Fattal -- to be released from Iranian Prison -- Week of Sept. 12, 2011

EXCLUSIVE reporting from Tehran -- www. washingtonpost.com Correspondent (Thomas Erdbrink)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he intends to release two Americans who have been jailed on charges of espionage for two years and grant them a “unilateral pardon.”
“I am helping to arrange for their release in a couple of days so they will be able to return home,” Ahmadinejad told The Washington Post in an hour-long interview Tuesday September 12, 2011 at his office in Tehran, Iran's capital city. “This is of course going to be a unilateral humanitarian gesture.”

The Americans, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, both 29, were arrested along with another American while they were hiking along the Iran-Iraq border two years ago. In August, they were sentenced to eight years in prison.

The other American, Sarah Shourd, was released in September 2010 after posting $500,000 bail.
Asked if Bauer and Fattal would definitely be released this week, Ahmadinejad said: “I hope so. I hope I will do that.”
The president’s decisions are subject to review by clerical authorities in the Islamic Republic.
Masoud Shafii, a lawyer representing the hikers, said he had been told by court officials that each of them would have to pay $500,000 in bail, as Shourd had to do.
“Basically if they don’t pay their bail, they won’t be freed,” Shafii said. “I don’t know who arranged this, the court or the president. The judiciary has said that everything is being done according to their procedures.”
Ahmadinejad said Bauer and Fattal will be “free to choose” how they return to the United States.
“It is a unilateral pardon,” of the hikers, he said.
nov 10 2009
Bauer, Fattal and Shourd were hiking in the mountains of Iraq’s northern Kurdish region on July 31, 2009, when, according to their families, they strayed across the border accidentally. Authorities in Tehran confirmed three days later that the three had been arrested, and an Iranian Arabic-language television network quoted police sources as saying they were “CIA agents.”
Bauer and Shourd were freelance journalists who were living together in Damascus, Syria, where Shourd also taught English and was studying Arabic, friends and relatives said. Fattal is a friend of Bauer’s who was visiting the Middle East to explore his father’s roots in Iraq. All three graduated from the University of California at Berkeley.
Bauer, an Arabic speaker from Minnesota who graduated from Berkeley in 2007 with a degree in Arabic and peace and conflict studies, was a Middle East correspondent for New American Media and has written for publications including the Nation magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Los Angeles Times and Slate.com. Shourd has written for Brave New Traveler, an online travel magazine. At the time of her arrest, she had identified herself on the magazine’s Web site as a “teacher-activist-writer from California currently based in the Middle East.”
Iran’s foreign minister said in December 2009 that the three would be put on trial. The announcement came shortly after Iran demanded the release of 11 Iranians who it claimed were being held by the United States — a possible signal that Tehran sought to use the Americans as bargaining chips.
Iran accused the United States of kidnapping a nuclear scientist, a top military official and a businessman while they were traveling abroad.
Iranian officials were particularly upset about the case of Amir Hossein Ardebili, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to plotting to ship U.S. military technology to Iran, including advanced missile guidance and fighter plane components.
In May 2010, the mothers of the three Americans were allowed to meet with their children in Tehran for the first time since they were arrested. The hikers had complained to diplomats about isolation and depression while being held in Evin prison.
But Iran’s intelligence minister, Heidar Moslehi, reiterated his accusations during the visit that the three were on an espionage mission. And he repeated demands for the release of Iranians allegedly abducted by the United States.

Correspondent Thomas Erdbrink in Tehran and staff writer William Branigin in Washington contributed to this report.

U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan under armed attack (Tuesday 13 September)

as updated in NEWS article at www.politico.com/

The U.S. embassy in Afghanistan came under attack on Tuesday by Taliban fighters equipped with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades, according to reports.
Taliban militants began firing on the American facility in Kabul on Tuesday afternoon, local time. There were no immediate reports of embassy casualties, said the Associated Press.
Mohammed Zahir, head of the Kabul Crime Investigation Unit, told the AP that a large group of gunmen are shooting from positions in a tall office building under construction near the embassy.
Zahir later told the UK’s Daily Telegraph that there were five men involved in the attacks. Two of the attackers have been arrested by Afghan forces, while three are still fighting - according to the TELEGRAPH.
A Taliban spokesman has already taken responsibility for the assault, saying they were targeting American government buildings in the area, according to the CNN and the BBC. The spokesman also said that the militants were armed with suicide vests and RPGs.
The coalition forces also have their headqarters located near the US embassy.
A Western military source told Al-Arabiya English that NATO’s International Security Assistance Force headquarters was one of the targets. “ISAF HQ is under attack at the moment,” the source said.
The American Embassy in central Kabul is currently in “duck and cover mode,” CNN said, but there are no reports that U.S. forces are firing back at the Taliban.
Meanwhile, there are ongoing explosions in Kabul, according to reports. Blasts and gunfire were heard throughout the Wazir Akbar Khan area, which is home to the American and other embassies, said the AP. Light weapons fire and grenades are being used, reports CNN and Reuters.
One Taliban spokesman said that the targets were Afghan government buildings, not the American embassy. “The primary targets of the attackers are the intelligence agency building and a ministry,” a Taliban spokesman told Reuters by phone from an undisclosed location.
The attack in Kabul follows a large truck bomb explosion near a NATO base in Central Afghanistan on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Four Afghan civilians were killed and 77 U.S. troops were wounded in that attack.

Letter to Mrs. Lydia Bixby from Abraham Lincoln (1864) read at 9:03 a.m. at 9/11 Memorial dedication on Sept. 11, 2011

Dear Madam,
          I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you're the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle.

         I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming.  But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.

        I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

        Yours very sincerely and respectfully, Abraham Lincoln.

God is our refuge and strength (Psalm 46): read at 8:46 a.m. Eastern Time Zone 9/11/2011

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore, we will not fear though the earth be removed: and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled; though the mountains shake with its swelling.

There is a river, whose streams shall make glad the city of God: the holy place of the tabernacle of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved.  God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved, He uttered his voice, the earth melted.

The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth.  He makes wars cease unto the end of the erath.  He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in sunder; he burns the chariot in fire.

Be stil, and know that I am God!  I will be exalted among the nations!  I will be exalted in the earth!

The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.

A day to remember -- 8 a.m. Eastern Time September 11 -- broadcast dedication & concert

LIVE at 8:30am ET from New York City,  the memorial ceremony at the World Trade Center site.  President Obama, former President Bush, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and former Governor George Pataki are all expected to attend.
Following the New York memorial, until 8pm ET on C‑SPAN, we will draw from archival footage and interviews to bring you memories of that day from Bush Administration officials, congressional leaders, military pilots and others. And we’ll hear viewers share their memories of September 11 and its aftermath over the phone, by e-mail and Twitter.
The weekend of 9/11 events culminates tonight on C‑SPAN with the Kennedy Center's "Concert of Hope."  The concert will feature readings and reflections between pieces of music.  Pres. Obama and the first lady are expected to attend with the President making remarks during the program.

How will West Michigan (Grand Rapids) groups observe 9/11 weekend? (M. Live website)

www.mlive.com/

GRAND RAPIDS - People in West Michigan have not forgotten about Sept. 11. From honoring every single victim with an American flag to joining various religious leaders in one room to climbing 110 flights of stairs, locals are finding a way - any way - to commemorate the day.
If you haven’t chosen a way to remember those who risked and lost their lives 10 years ago, you have plenty of options. . .
Down the street, more than a dozen local religious, community and educational institutions have teamed up for an interfaith event called “Honor and Remember” from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in various parts of downtown on Sept. 11. Christian, Islamic and Jewish communities will unite and pray for local emergency rescue workers.
”It’s important to continually raise up this anniversary because it opened a new era of understanding and dialogue in religion,” said the Rev. Anne Weirich, of Westminster Presbyterian Church. “It really honors those whose lives were lost and those who serve us in great danger. We need to demonstrate we all strive for peace and a way to confront a tragedy with something positive.”
The Boy Scout Salute kicks off the interfaith day at the Gerald R. Ford Museum. The interfaith service will take place at 2 p.m. at Cathedral Square before the blessing of emergency vehicles. The crowd will head back to the museum as a memorial walk after the service to honor heroes and light candles as the sun sets.
To honor every single victim killed in the attacks an American flag will be erected across three acres of the Cannonsburg Ski Area from Sept. 8 to 13. The site will be open to the public 24 hours a day and students will be assembling the memorial from 8 a.m. to noon this Friday. There is a weekend filled with commemorating events, including four moments of silence for every plane that crashed a decade ago.
”I am looking forward to seeing the school children come out to set the flags up,” said project chair Sue Bodenner. “It was an important event in our country’s history and the government created Patriotic Day because of that so it’s a real opportunity to raise awareness on what it means to be a united country.”

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/09/stair_climbs_to_services_how_w.html