Who was Father Edward Sorin -- founder of American leading university in N. Indiana -- University of Notre Dame (born 1814) ?

Announcement of Bicentennial activities and commemorations at the University at Notre Dame, IN (Near South Bend-Mishawaka): The University of Notre Dame will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of its founder, Rev. Edward Sorin, C.S.C., on Feb. 6, 2014 (Thursday) with a Mass at 5:15 p.m. in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Campus. Rev. Robert Loughery, C.S.C., rector of Sorin Hall, will preside at the Mass and give the homily. The founder of Notre Dame was born Feb. 6, 1814, in Ahuillé, Mayenne, a small village in northwestern France. Ordained to the priesthood in 1838, he led a band of seven members of a newly formed religious order, the Congregation of Holy Cross, to what was then mission territory on the Indiana frontier three years later. On Nov. 26, 1842, when he arrived at what is now the campus of Notre Dame, Father Sorin was 28 years old. The only shelter then standing on the 524-acre site was, Father Sorin wrote in his journal, “an old log cabin, 24 × 40 feet, the ground floor of which answered as a room for a priest, and the story above for a chapel for the Catholics of South Bend and the neighborhood, although it was open to all the winds.” Undaunted by the cabin’s dilapidation, Father Sorin envisioned there what he soon began to build and to call “L’Université de Notre Dame du Lac” (the University of Our Lady of the Lake), insisting that the new school would become “one of the most powerful means for doing good in this country.” The confidence of that pledge was tested on April 23, 1879, when a massive fire destroyed the Main Building and virtually the entire fledgling university. In what would become an iconic moment of Notre Dame’s history, Father Sorin addressed the stunned survivors of the catastrophe who had gathered a few days later in Sacred Heart Church. “I came here as a young man and dreamed of building a great university in honor of Our Lady,” he told them. “But I built it too small, and she had to burn it to the ground to make the point. So, tomorrow, as soon as the bricks cool, we will rebuild it, bigger and better than ever.” The University, rebuilt, bigger, and better, reopened four months later. The Log Chapel, a century-old replica of the cabin Father Sorin first saw here, will be open from 3 to 10 p.m. Feb. 6 and tours of the building will be given at 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9 p.m. On the evening of Feb. 6, the Notre Dame dining halls will serve 19th-century French cuisine, including birthday cake, in honor of Father Sorin’s birthplace. During the years of his presidency at Notre Dame, Father Sorin discouraged public celebrations of his birthday but did allow a public celebration of the feast of his patron, St. Edward the Confessor, on Oct. 13. In accordance with that spirit, Notre Dame’s celebration of Father Sorin’s bicentennial will include numerous other events, particularly in October, to commemorate Father Sorin’s life, ministry and vision. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ NEWS FROM Vatican City -- the offices of Pope Francis -- ___________________________________________________________________________ On Thursday (Jan. 30), in an audience with members of Notre Dame’s board of trustees, Pope Francis praised the University’s founder, saying that “the vision which guided Father Edward Sorin and the first religious of the Congregation of Holy Cross in establishing the University of Notre Dame du Lac remains, in the changed circumstances of the 21st century, central to the University’s distinctive identity and its service to the Church and American society.”

Among the 23 guests of First Lady Michelle Obama and "Second Lady" Jill Biden are two "hero-survivors" (BOSTON STRONG) from Boston Marathon Bombings 2013

from a list of Obama - Biden administration publicity descriptive paragraphs (www.obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/): Carlos Arredondo and Jeff Bauman (Boston, MA) Survivors of the Boston Marathon Bombing Carlos Arredondo and Jeff Bauman are forever linked due to the attacks on the 117th Boston Marathon. In what has become an iconic image from the day in April of 2013, Carlos – wearing his white Cowboy hat – was captured rushing a badly injured Jeff away from the bombing to safety, thereby becoming two of the faces of ‘Boston Strong.’ From his intensive care hospital bed, Jeff played a vital role in identifying the bombers. After losing both legs in the attack, he is battling back, describing himself as a quick healer and stronger now than he was before the attack. Jeff, 27, and Carlos, 53 and a Gold Star Father, have become close friends.

When does a snowstorm become a blizzard? (Meteorologist Q/A at Old Farmer's Almanac)

Question of Day (Jan. 28, 2014) -- posted at www.almanac.com/ -- Please give me the meteorological requirements for a snowstorm to be classified as a blizzard. Answer: A blizzard is a winter storm characterized by high winds, low temperatures, and driving snow for a period of at least three hours. Visibility will often be reduced to less than a mile. According to the official definition given in 1958 by the U.S. Weather Bureau, the winds must be at least 35 miles per hour, and the temperature must be 20 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.

Friday March 7, 2014 - Lecture by Dalai Lama -- at National Cathedral and at Web Site

from Washington, D.C. National Cathedral (www.nationalcathedral.org/): Live webcast from home page » Tickets: $40-$55. Buy tickets now -- weblink provided at home page Washington National Cathedral and the Office of Tibet will welcome His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the National Cathedral on Friday morning, March 7, 2014. This is the Dalai Lama’s fourth visit to National Cathedral. Through a talk entitled, “Beyond Religion: Ethics for the Whole World,” the Dalai Lama will share his vision and path to leading an ethical, happy, and spiritual life and offer a road map to building a more compassionate and peaceful world. The program will also include a conversation between His Holiness and Cathedral Dean Gary Hall about the pursuit of peace. A question and answer session with the public will conclude the program.

All 154 Sonnets by William Shakespeare (Feb. 14, 2014)

from ARTS & LETTERS events (www.nd.edu): SonnetFest 2014 11:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M. Great Hall, O'Shaughnessy Hall, University of Notre Dame campus Celebrate Valentine’s Day with the fifth annual SonnetFest. Spend a moment or an hour enjoying readings of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets by members of the Notre Dame and Michiana communities. Interested in reading? Contact Scott Jackson at scottjackson@nd.edu. Light refreshments will be served.… http://al.nd.edu/events/2014/2/

Ephrem the Syrian and Greek Empire (Prof. Joseph Amar) - Feb. 4 lecture 6 p.m. - open to public

from LECTURES & Events (www.nd.edu) : "Blessed is the Man who has not Tasted the Poison of the Greeks. Ephrem the Syrian and the Greek Roman Empire" Where: Notre Dame Conference Center (McKenna Hall) Professor Joseph Amar of the Classics department, Univeristy of Notre Dame, will be giving a talk on Tuesday, February 4, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. in 210 McKenna Hall. This is a continuation of the yearlong interdisciplinary colloquium in honor of our late colleague and friend, Sabine MacCormack, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Professor of Arts and Letters. Reception to follow in the East Lounge. All are welcome. http://classics.nd.edu/

On this date in history (tragic fire in Apollo - Saturn rocket) -- death of three U.S. astronauts on launch pad

from NASA History posting -- www.nasa.gov -- On January 27, 1967, tragedy struck the Apollo program when a flash fire occurred in command module 012 during a launch pad test of the Apollo/Saturn space vehicle being prepared for the first piloted flight, the AS-204 mission. Three astronauts, Lt. Col. Virgil I. Grissom, a veteran of Mercury and Gemini missions; Lt. Col. Edward H. White, the astronaut who had performed the first United States extravehicular activity during the Gemini program; and Roger B. Chaffee, an astronaut preparing for his first space flight, died in this tragic accident. A seven-member board, under the direction of the NASA Langley Research Center Director, Dr. Floyd L. Thompson, conducted a comprehensive investigation to pinpoint the cause of the fire. The final report, completed in April 1967 was subsequently submitted to the NASA Administrator. The report presented the results of the investigation and made specific recommendations that led to major design and engineering modifications, and revisions to test planning, test discipline, manufacturing processes and procedures, and quality control. With these changes, the overall safety of the command and service module and the lunar module was increased substantially. The AS-204 mission was redesignated Apollo I in honor of the crew.

Wind Chill Warning (Berrien County,MI) - area K-12 schools closed; also colleges (Ancilla, Bethel, Lake Michigan, SW Mich., WMU - Kalamaz

from National Weather Service bulletin (Jan. 27, 2014): DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS ARE IMMINENT Monday 7 a.m. THROUGH WEDNESDAY Noon. FROSTBITE OF EXPOSED SKIN CAN OCCUR IN A MATTER OF MINUTES IN THESE CONDITIONS. HYPOTHERMIA OR EVEN DEATH IS POSSIBLE WITH PROLONGED EXPOSURE OR FOR THOSE NOT PROPERLY DRESSED FOR THE COLD. * TRAVEL WILL BE HAZARDOUS THROUGH TODAY DUE TO LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS AND BLOWING SNOW AND DRIFTING SNOW CAUSING REDUCED VISIBILITIES. WHITE OUT CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WIND CHILL WARNING MEANS THE COMBINATION OF VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL VALUES. THIS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA OR DEATH IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. SNOW SHOWERS AND BLOWING SNOW WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES AT TIMES. USE CAUTION IF YOU ARE TRAVELING... ESPECIALLY IN OPEN AREAS. SOME ROADS MAY BE IMPASSABLE DUE TO DRIFTING SNOW. &&

"Kick Hunger Challenge" -- more than just for fans of Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks

from Sunday MAGAZINE: Parade -- Jan. 26, 2014 issue "Even if your team isn't in the Super Bowl this February, it can still be a contender in a more important fight: the KICK HUNGER CHALLENGE. This friendly competition pits NFL teams against one another to see which can raise the most money for local food banks. Contribute to your team's effort and 100 percent of the donations goes straight to the nonprofit. At magazine publication date, the Seattle Seahawks were leading the entire pack, having raised over $25,000 for "Food Lifeline." Put your team on top with a donation during January - February 2014! Go to http://support.tasteofthenfl.com/

A significant "Liberation Day" (Feb. 1) -- Anniversary of 1865 resolution that led to 13th Amendment by Lincoln

from "Why is February 1 designated as National Freedom Day?" [ http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2012/01/why-is-feb-1-designated-as-national-freedom-day/ ] _____________________________ It was on Feb. 1, 1865, that President Abraham Lincoln signed a joint congressional resolution proposing a 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would abolish slavery. But any good civics student knows that the process for amending the Constitution was by no means complete. Congress (not the president) sends amendments to the states for ratification, and the states must finalize any proposed changes. The requisite number of states did not ratify the 13th Amendment until Dec. 6, 1865, an event that set off an explosion of celebrations in the North. John Greenleaf Whittier’s once-famous poem “Laos Deo!” immortalized the spirit of the times: “IT is done! / Clang of bell and roar of gun / Send the tidings up and down …. / Fling the joy from town to town!” Lincoln himself appeared to acknowledge the special nature of Feb. 1 when he placed an otherwise superfluous signature on the joint resolution. He had called the proposed amendment “a king’s cure” to the challenge of ending slavery and clearly wanted to bear witness to the transformation that was being wrought by the bloody Civil War. Though he did not live to see ratification, Lincoln’s contributions as military emancipator and advocate for constitutional abolition deserve commemoration.

Happy 73rd Birthday to Neil Diamond (b. 1941)!

posted at Rolling Stone dot-com NEWS: Fri, Jan 24, 2014 _____ 73rd birthday Neil Diamond! Happy 73rd birthday Neil Diamond! http://rollingstone.tumblr.com/post/74391919260/happy-birthday-neil-diamond

Eighth day of the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2014" (January 18 - 25) - devotional material from W.C.C.

from Oikoumene dot-org -- World Council of Churches online posted material: DAY 8 Together... we proclaim the gospel Isaiah 61:1-4 The spirit of the Lord God has sent me to bring good news Psalm 145:1-7 One generation shall laud your works to another 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 For I handed on to you what I in turn had received Luke 4:14-21 Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing Three points for reflection Together we proclaim anew the good news prophesied in Isaiah, fulfilled in our Lord Jesus, preached by the Apostle Paul, and received by the Church. Facing honestly the differences we have and the labels of denomination we embrace, we must never lose sight of the common mandate we have in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul is sent “to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power” (1 Cor 1:17). The path to unity is to be found in the power of the cross. The Gospel we proclaim is made tangible and relevant to us as we bear witness to the work of Jesus Christ in our own lives and the life of the Christian community. Questions ƒ In what ways is the “gospel” you have received bound up with its cultural and historic transmission ? ƒ Has that been an obstacle to unity? ƒ How would our fuller unity in Christ make us better witnesses to the gospel we have received? http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/wcc-commissions/faith-and-order-commission/xi-week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity/2014

Lawrence Schiffman, DSS Scholar, Yeshiva University, Lecture on "Sabbath and Dead Sea Scrolls" Berrien Springs, MI Jan. 26, 2014

from Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI Agenda (www.andrews.edu) : The Horn Lectureship Series Presents: The Sabbath in the Dead Sea Scrolls Guest Presenter: Dr. Lawrence Schiffman, Vice Provost of Yeshiva University Sunday, January 26, 2014, at 7 p.m. in the Seminary Chapel Free and open to the public Co-curricular credit available Dr. Schiffman is one of the leading experts in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Judaism of Late Antiquity, Jewish Law, and Talmudic Literature. Sponsored by the Horn Museum, the Institute of Archaeology, and the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. Contact: Jacob Moody horncurator@andrews.edu 269-471-6180

Notre Dame's Log Chapel (commemoration of 200th birthday of Edward Sorin, founder) - Feb. 6, 2014

details from Campus Ministry of ND -- www.nd.edu website: Log Chapel Tour Time: Thursday February 6, 2014, 3:00 P.M. - 10:00 P.M. Location: Log Chapel To commemorate what would have been University of Notre Dame founder Edward Sorin's 200th birthday, Campus Ministry is inviting guests to visit the Log Chapel. The Log Chapel will be open from 3 to 10 p.m. on Feb. 6 and tours will be given at 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9 p.m. Visitors may stop by at their convenience or they may take a guided tour. All are welcome to attend.

Theology, Colonialism, Non-conformism in Uganda -- lecture (free) at Notre Dame Hesburgh Center Jan. 28, 2014 12:30 p.m.(Campus Closing -- event to be re-scheduled)

from ND Lectures and Conferences section of nd dot-edu website: "Theology, Medicine, and Christian Nonconformism in Colonial Uganda" - to be delivered by Prof. Derek Peterson (visiting fellow) on Tuesday, January 28, 2014 from 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. @ C-103 Hesburgh Center, Campus of Notre Dame University Derek Peterson, Ph.D. Kellogg Institute Visiting Fellow, part of the University's institutes; Professor of History and of Afroamerican and African Studies at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Richard Nixon - 40 years later -- History Professor Tim Moore (LMC adjunct) lecture on Feb. 15, 2014 - 9 a.m.

as publicized in NILES Daily Star article (online at www.nilesstar.com) : Faced with impeachment, Richard M. Nixon resigned the presidency 40 years ago. Lake Michigan College history instructor Tim Moore says that the resignation and the Watergate scandal were a touchstone and have had long term effects on the U.S. political system. , 1105 Foundation Drive, Niles, MI 49120. The teaching professor will present a free lecture on the subject from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Lake Michigan College Bertrand Crossing Campus in room 116. Pre-registration is available at the "One-Stop" Student Center (room 101). “The long-term effects of Watergate have been positive and negative,” said Moore. “On the positive side, for example, the media are much more likely to scrutinize political candidates and officeholders at every level of government than they were before Nixon’s presidency. So the media have served as a vital watchdog over our governments. On the negative side, however, reporters feel obligated to be the first to expose some type of wrongdoing, even acts that pale in comparison to Nixon’s abuse of power.” Moore will present more insights into the Watergate scandal that brought down Nixon’s presidency, including the role the media played, in this one-session community education course.

Super Bowl Sunday - library fundraiser (Niles, Michigan District Library) - Feb. 2, Noon to 3:30 p.m.

from Library main web page announced details (www.nileslibrary.com ) Super Bowl Sunday Book Sale The Friends of Niles District Library at 620 E. Main Street, Niles, MICHIGAN 49120 will hold their annual Super Bowl Sunday Book sale on February 2, 2014 from noon to 3:30 p.m. All books are just twenty-five cents for everyone! There are thousands of titles to chose from. This year we have lots of children's books, cookbooks, and gardening books. The sale may be cancelled in case of heavy snow, so check online and with local television stations (South Bend, Elkhart, Mishawaka, IN) for updates.

Other facts to know about Dr. King (1929 - 1968): from "Day of Service" web connection

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a vital figure of the modern era and a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement. His lectures and dialogues stirred the concern and sparked the conscience of a generation. His charismatic leadership inspired men and women, young and old, in this nation and around the world. Following in the footsteps of his father, in February 1948, at the age of 19, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. entered the Christian ministry and was ordained at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. In 1954, upon completion of graduate studies at Boston University, he accepted a call to serve at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. While there, he was an instrumental leader in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, made famous by the nonviolent resistance and arrest of Rosa Parks. He resigned this position in 1959 to move back to Atlanta to direct the activities of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. From 1960 until his death in 1968, he also served as co-pastor with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Dr. King was arrested 30 times for his participation in civil rights activities. While Dr. King preached about justice, empowerment, love and peace, in the final months of his life, his attention was turned to fighting poverty. Sadly, more Americans live in poverty today than during Dr. King's lifetime. Forty-seven million Americans currently fall below the poverty line. Dr. King was shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee and died on April 4, 1968. He had gone to Memphis to help lead sanitation workers in a protest against low wages and intolerable working conditions. __________ http://mlkday.gov/about/serveonkingday.php

"No Shots Fired" -- what did Bernice A. King mean (Huffington Post signed welcome & invitation) - Jan. 20, 2014

from the youngest daughter of Dr. and Mrs. King -- Bernice -- exec. director of the KING CENTER, Atlanta, GA: the 2014 King Holiday Observance with the theme, Remember! Celebrate! Act! King's Legacy of Peace for Our World. This theme also pays homage to the fact that, this year, we will commemorate the 50th anniversary of both my father receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, as well as the enactment of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. With the theme of peace in mind, we launched our five-year "Choose Nonviolence" campaign. As part of the campaign, our goal is to expose, encourage, educate, engage and empower one million current, emerging and next-generation leaders to embrace Dr. King's leadership philosophy. This will be done through social media, dialogues, summits, marketing campaigns and a global leadership initiative. On the national holiday today, The King Center is calling for a moratorium on violence. Specifically, we are asking that there be no shots fired -- no shooting off at the mouth with our tongue, no shooting off physically with our fists and no shooting off of any type of gun! Just for one day -- on the King Holiday -- in recognition of my father, and as TIME magazine has said, one of our nation's Founding Fathers, let us honor the memory of one of the world's most highly regarded nonviolent proponents of peace on his holiday, with no shots fired. Instead, we ask that people engage in something positive and uplifting in service to humanity. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bernice-a-king/kings-legacy-of-peace-for-our-world_b_4629523.html

Out of 10 nominated titles (2013 "Best Picture" category), two share a tie as Co-winner -- details from EW (Entertainment Weekly posting)

at ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY posted announcement (www.ew.com): story by Josh Rottenberg of the online magazine (EW) One of the most up-in-the-air Academy Award races in memory just got even more unpredictable. For the first time in its 25-year history, the Producers Guild Awards —generally considered the most reliable predictor of which film will take home the Best Picture Oscar— ended in a tie. Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity and Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave shared the group’s prize for Best Picture at Sunday night’s ceremony. The other Best Picture nominees were American Hustle, Blue Jasmine, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Her, Nebraska, Saving Mr. Banks, and The Wolf of Wall Street. In 17 out of the past 24 years—and each of the last six—the Best Picture winner at the Producers Guild Awards has gone on to win the Best Picture Oscar. Well, so much for that. With the unpredecented tie at the Producers Guild and Saturday night’s Best Ensemble win for American Hustle at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, it’s anyone’s guess which film has the advantage at this point as we head toward Oscar night on March 2, 2014. http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/01/20/gravity-12-years-a-slave-win-producers-guild-awards/

Performances of "Letter from Birmingham Jail" -- David Greer and HartBeat Ensemble (for Jan. 20, 2014 commemoration) - Glastonbury, CT

"Letter from Birmingham Jail" and its relevance in 2014 (fifty years since its writing in April 1963): “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote these words in his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail, his response to an open letter from eight white clergy from Alabama urging him to halt nonviolent demonstrations against segregation in Birmingham, citing them as “unwise and untimely”. King felt compelled to respond, and his letter tells why the black community could wait no longer. The time was April, 1963. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Letter from Birmingham Jail, a landmark in the civil rights movement and the literature of social justice. The Glastonbury Martin Luther King Community Initiative proudly highlights this powerful and prophetic letter by bringing together performances by Tony-nominated producer, playwright, actor and choreographer, David Greer; and HartBeat Ensemble, a CT-based performance company creating theatrical presentations based on contemporary issues. Mr. Greer’s performance provides an intimate and emotionally dynamic portrayal of Dr.King as he delivers excerpts of the Letter. HartBeat will explore the continued relevance of the Letter for today, and invite the audience to respond to the issues raised by Dr. King. The performance incorporates a 2013 response to the Letter by Christian Churches Together USA. Deacon Arthur Miller, Director of the Office of Black Catholic Ministries for the Archdiocese of Hartford, will also join us to provide a historical backdrop to the events of 1963 Birmingham. Our program will also include choral selections performed by Glastonbury High School Madrigals. SAVE THE DATE! We hope you will join us for this free community program. Glastonbury’s 13th Annual MLK Celebration: Monday, January 20, 2014 at 7pm at Smith Middle School 216 Addison Rd, Glastonbury, Connecticut, USA For further information contact: Glastonbury Martin Luther King Community Initiative 860-643-0473 or 860-633-8284

The King Center (Atlanta, GA) -- annual service of commemoration -- Third Monday January

from WWW. THEKINGCENTER dot-org posting for 2014: The Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Commemorative Service is the hallmark of the King Holiday Observance. The church service is held on the Federal Holiday at Ebenezer Baptist Church located near The King Center. The service is an ecumenical endeavor, engaging members of various religious traditions, and state national and international governments. On this day The King Center encourages the world to engage in volunteer service in tribute to the work and life of Dr. King. Commemorative Service Programs, Previous Keynote and Special Remarks Speakers 2014 Keynote Speaker: Rev. Raphael Warnock, Senior Pastor Ebenezer Church.

How to observe Lincoln's Birthday and the 150th anniversary of 1864 -- a critical year in America's Civil War era! (A. Lincoln Organization)

from Abraham Lincoln Association (Springfield, Illinois, USA): The Abraham Lincoln Association Benjamin P. Thomas Lincoln Symposium Year of Decision: 1864 February 11 and 12, 2014 _________________________________ February 11, 2014 Edwards Place Reception Dedication of Restored Lincoln Courting Couch February 11, 2014 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. Edwards Place 700 North Fourth Street, Springfield Free shuttle running between President Lincoln Hotel and Edward’s Place. First shuttle leaves Hotel at 5:00 p.m. Last one leaves Edward’s Place at 6:30. Cash Bar and Hor des orvers Free and open to all ALA members Keynote Address February 11, 2014 7:00 p.m. House of Representatives, Old State Capitol State Historic Site Bruce Levine , J. G. Randall Distinguished Professor of History and Professor of African American Studies, The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Fall of the House of Dixie: 1864 and the Beginning of the End Free and open to the public February 12, 2014 Benjamin P. Thomas Symposium 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. House of Representatives, Old State Capitol Year of Decision: 1864 Participants: John F. Marszalek, Giles Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Mississippi Sate University Director and Mentor of Distinguished Scholars, Executive Director and Managing Editor, Ulysses S. Grant Association Douglas L. Wilson, George A. Lawrence Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus: Co-Director Lincoln Studies Center Knox College Free and open to the public ************ Dr. Thomas F. Schwartz Luncheon and Lecture February 12, 2014 1:00-2:00 p.m. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Kate Masur Northwestern University "Personal and Political: William Slade and Elizabeth Keckly in Lincoln’s White House" http://www.abrahamlincolnassociation.org/events.aspx

Lake Effect Snow forecast possibility -- Monday Jan. 20

As much as 12 inches of new snow could fall overnight from January 20 - 21, 2014. There is a Weather Advisory / Watch.

Writing and attaining a "final draft" -- how did the 16th President get his words in documents / speeches just right?

from www. abrahamlincolnonline dot-org (author's comments re: Lincoln's Sword, 2006 book by History Professor Douglas Wilson): Lincoln was an aural thinker, more than a visual thinker. He was aware of that and told people that. What I think is interesting is that he always wanted somebody to listen while he read his final drafts aloud. No matter what the document, he said he needed a real listener present. It wasn't the same as reading it aloud to himself. In all the examples of Lincoln reading something he has written, the work is usually finished, but this is his way of making sure. He reads it to a real listener. If you or I wanted a committee to endorse something, we would distribute copies for everybody to read before the meeting, and then we would talk about it. Lincoln could have done that, but he rarely did. Instead, he would say to his Cabinet, "Now I want to read you this." And he'd read it. It was important for him to hear it as he presented it. There were often occasions when he would say to his Cabinet, "I'm not asking for your criticism, I've already made up my mind, but I want you to hear this." Part of what I think that we haven't fully understood before is that he was saying, at least in part, I have to read it to you in order to communicate. The Leonard Swett example is almost unbelievable. Swett told this story to all of his friends. Lincoln sent a telegram to Swett in Illinois and said, "I need to see you." Swett, who was used to doing errands for Lincoln, and understood that he was a person Lincoln could trust, packed his bags and went to Washington. Lincoln asked Swett to listen as he read from letters and position papers and then laid out, in his own words, various arguments both for and against issuing a policy of emancipation. Swett was an old friend and close confidant, and he was surely expecting Lincoln to say, "Now, what do you think?" But he didn't. Instead, when he finished he said, "Tell all the folks 'hello' when you get back to Bloomington, and I really thank you for coming." He asked Swett to come to Washington simply to listen. This and many of circumstances lead one to conclude that Lincoln really did have to hear these things and he needed to say them aloud and he needed a live audience. That's the way he worked. That's why he's always reading his drafts to somebody, and if he can't find anybody else, he reads it to a clerk in his office. http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/books/wilson.htm

Winter Storm Warning -- Wind Chill Warning -- Saturday 7 p.m. continuing to Monday, January 6, 2014

from National Weather service (more details at WWW. Weather. COM ): HAZARDOUS WEATHER... * SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO EXPAND SOUTHEAST LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. 2 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED BY SUNDAY MORNING WITH THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS OVER BERRIEN COUNTY. BY SUNDAY EVENING... STORM TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 10 TO 14 INCHES ARE EXPECTED... WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS NEAR THE LAKE AS SOME LAKE ENHANCEMENT OCCURS. * GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS OF 10 TO 20 MPH WILL DEVELOP SUNDAY AND INCREASE TO BETWEEN 20 AND 30 MPH SUNDAY EVENING. THIS WILL CAUSE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. * TEMPERATURES WILL DROP DRASTICALLY SUNDAY NIGHT WITH LOWS BETWEEN 5 BELOW AND 15 BELOW ZERO. DEADLY WIND CHILLS BETWEEN 30 BELOW AND 45 BELOW ZERO CAN BE EXPECTED SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. IMPACTS... * ROADS WILL BE SNOW COVERED... SLICK AND HAZARDOUS. TRAVEL CONDITIONS WILL RAPIDLY DETERIORATE... ESPECIALLY SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. SIGNIFICANT DRIFTING SNOW WILL CAUSE ROADWAYS TO BECOME PARTIALLY OR FULLY IMPASSABLE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. * VISIBILITIES WILL BE REDUCED TO ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS IN HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW. * FROST BITE AND HYPOTHERMIA WILL OCCUR IN A MATTER OF MINUTES WITH THESE EXPECTED WIND CHILLS. DEATH WILL ALSO OCCUR IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL... KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT... FOOD... AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY. A WIND CHILL WARNING MEANS THE COMBINATION OF VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL VALUES. THIS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA OR DEATH IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.

40 years of the "Endangered Species Act" United States federal law -- discussed on radio forum (PRI)

Broadcast January 3, 2014 on affiliated National Public Radio stations -- 2 p.m. Eastern Time Full weblinks and further information at www.sciencefriday.com/ ___________________ The Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973, nearly unopposed. Conservation biologist Joe Roman and environmental historian Peter Alagona discuss how effective the Act has been in the last forty years and what steps could be taken for greater success in the future. Produced by Alexa Lim, Associate Producer Guests Joe Roman Author, Listed: Dispatches From America’s Endangered Species Act McCurdy Visiting Scholar Duke University Marine Laboratory Burlington, Vermont Fellow, Gund Institue for Ecological Economics University of Vermont Peter Alagona Associate Professor, History, Geography and Environmental Studies Author, “After the Grizzly: Endangered Species and the Politics of Place in California” (University of California Press, 2013) University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, California

Benefit Bake Sale -- following sudden death of 12-year-old Brandywine Middle School student (Dec. 31, 2013) -- Jan. 4 at 8 a.m.

The eighth grader, Adrian Matteo Chiquito, died of fatal injuries following the auto's impact with a tree from high speeds on a snow-covered road less than a mile from the house where he and another boy had left while others were sleeping. Friends and parents of the two Middle school students will raise funds for the funeral expenses at the Brandywine Middle School (1700 Bell Road, Niles, MI) with a Benefit Bake Sale from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturday January 4, 2013. There will also be a Candlelight Vigil for Chiquito at 7 p.m. Saturday also at the Middle School. For further information, see the posting at www.youcaring.com/memorialfundraiser.

On this date in history -- Jan. 3, 1959 -- the United States admits a territory as a state

from HISTORY dot-com -- On This Date section of website: On January 3, 1959, President Eisenhower signs a special proclamation admitting the territory of Alaska into the Union as the 49th and largest state. The European discovery of Alaska came in 1741, when a Russian expedition led by Danish navigator Vitus Bering sighted the Alaskan mainland. Russian hunters were soon making incursions into Alaska, and the native Aleut population suffered greatly after being exposed to foreign diseases. In 1784, Grigory Shelikhov established the first permanent Russian colony in Alaska on Kodiak Island. In the early 19th century, Russian settlements spread down the west coast of North America, with the southernmost fort located near Bodega Bay in California. Russian activity in the New World declined in the 1820s, and the British and Americans were granted trading rights in Alaska after a few minor diplomatic conflicts. In the 1860s, a nearly bankrupt Russia decided to offer Alaska for sale to the United States, which earlier had expressed interest in such a purchase. On March 30, 1867, Secretary of State William H. Seward signed a treaty with Russia for the purchase of Alaska for $7.2 million. Despite the bargain price of roughly two cents an acre, the Alaskan purchase was ridiculed in Congress and in the press as "Seward's folly," "Seward's icebox," and President Andrew Johnson's "polar bear garden." Nevertheless, the Senate ratified purchase of the tremendous landmass, one-fifth the size of the rest of the United States. Despite a slow start in settlement by Americans from the continental United States, the discovery of gold in 1898 brought a rapid influx of people to the territory. Alaska, rich in natural resources, has been contributing to American prosperity ever since.

Lake Effect Snow Advisory -- Berrien County, Michigan (Southwest area of state near Lake Michigan) - Jan.3, 2014

Issued at 3:39 p.m. Eastern Time by National Weather service -- from online article at www.weather.com/ A BAND OF HEAVY LAKE EFFECT SNOW IS FORECAST TO PIVOT INTO FAR NORTHWEST INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN THIS EVENING BEFORE WEAKENING LATER TONIGHT. ________________ SNOWFALL RATES AROUND 2 INCHES PER HOUR WITHIN THIS SNOW BAND WILL BE POSSIBLE... MAKING TRAVEL VERY DANGEROUS WITH NEAR ZERO VISIBILITIES POSSIBLE AT TIMES. SNOWFALL TOTALS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED... WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTHWEST LA PORTE COUNTY IN INDIANA AND FAR SOUTHWEST BERRIEN COUNTY IN MICHIGAN. _______________ IN ADDITION... WIND CHILLS ARE EXPECTED TO DROP TO AROUND 15 BELOW FROM LATE THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING ACROSS FAR NORTHEAST INDIANA... .SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN... AND NORTHWEST OHIO.

Marc Chagall exhibit (through Feb. 2, 2014) -- New York City's Jewish Museum: Love, War, Exile

from Museum's Online announcement -- www.jewishmuseum dot-org: Chagall: Love, War, and Exile, for the first time in the U.S., explores a significant but neglected period in the artist’s career from the rise of fascism in the 1930s through 1948, years spent in Paris and then in exile to New York. Marc Chagall (1887–1985), one of the foremost modernists of the 20th century, created his unique style by drawing on elements from richly colored folk art motifs, the Russian Christian icon tradition, Cubism, and Surrealism. Beginning with the evocative paintings from his years in France, the exhibition illuminates an artist deeply responsive to the suffering inflicted by war—often expressed with Christian imagery—and to his own personal losses and intimate sorrows. The exhibition includes 31 paintings and 22 works on paper, as well as selected letters, poems, photos, and ephemera. Escaping the hardships of Soviet life following the Revolution, Chagall moved to Paris with his wife, Bella, and daughter, Ida. During this productive period, Chagall assimilated the French artistic tradition, creating a series of portrait-like flower paintings, vibrant in color and texture. Chagall’s exile from Russia also inspired work based on memories of his childhood and of the Bolshevik Revolution. Chagall depicted a cathedral that dominated the town of Vitebsk, and drew on a remembered storehouse of symbols meaningful to both Jews and Christians, presaging the Christian imagery—in particular the Crucifixion—in work to come. Like many Eastern European Jews who had fled to France, Chagall’s world was threatened by Nazism. In 1941, with an invitation from Alfred Barr of the Museum of Modern Art, he and Bella escaped to New York City. With the onset of the war and this second exile in New York, themes of violence and disruption characterize Chagall’s work. The most prevalent image Chagall used during World War II was of Jesus and the Crucifixion. For Chagall, the Crucifixion was a symbol for all the victims of persecution, a metaphor for the horrors of war, and an appeal to conscience that equated the martyrdom of Jesus with the suffering of the Jewish people and the Holocaust. While other Jewish artists depicted the crucified Jesus, for Chagall it became a frequent theme. Unlike his years in Paris, Chagall was never completely comfortable during his wartime exile in New York. The artist felt disconnected from the places he understood best – Russia and Paris. This feeling of alienation was compounded by a devastating personal tragedy—the sudden death of his wife, Bella, in September 1944. Chagall soon established a new relationship with Virginia Haggard McNeil, moving with her to High Falls in upstate New York. His work from this time often expresses a tension—between the memory of Bella and the new presence of Virginia—resulting in fraught but revealing compositions. Gradually, as the artist emerged from his sadness, and the horrors of war receded, the work from this period begins to reflect the more familiar Chagall, expressed in joy-filled paintings replete with intense color and levitating figures. Chagall: Love, War, and Exile is organized by Susan Tumarkin Goodman, Senior Curator Emerita at The Jewish Museum. A fully illustrated, 148-page catalogue featuring 72 color reproductions, 27 black and white illustrations, and eleven of Chagall’s rarely seen poems will be co-published with Yale University Press. - See more at: http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/exhibitions/chagall-love-war-exile#sthash.RpLKnC9X.dpuf

Brooklyn is site of NY City Mayor's inauguration (1/1/14)

from WALL STREET JOURNAL coverage (reporter was Michael Howard Saul) of the city ceremony (www.wsj.com) : Mr. de Blasio's speech echoed the rallying cry of the mayor's campaign—that New York is marked by income inequality. "Today we commit to a new progressive direction in New York. And that same progressive impulse has written our city's history. It's in our DNA," he said. Mr. de Blasio was sworn in by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman shortly after midnight, outside his home in Park Slope, Brooklyn, as his wife, Chirlane McCray, and the couple's teenage children, Chiara and Dante, stood nearby. The de Blasios are New York City's first interracial First Family; Mr. de Blasio is white, and Ms. McCray is black. After reciting the oath, Mr. De Blasio signed the city clerk's register and paid his $9 filing fee. "I want to say to all of you how grateful we are. From the beginning this has been our family together reaching out to the people of the city to make a change. . ." "To everyone," he added," "this is a beginning of a road we will travel together. I want to wish everyone a very, very happy new year. Many great things ahead for all of us." Mr. de Blasio's decision to be sworn in at his Brooklyn row house underscored that he is the first mayor elected from outside Manhattan in four decades. The last non-Manhattan mayor was Abraham Beame, also of Brooklyn, who took office in 1974 and was sworn in at his vacation home in Queens. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304137304579292431198637454

Happy Birthday -- to those who have no official record of birth -- Afghanistan and other war-torn societies (Wash. Post feature article)

featured in online version of the national periodical - newspaper (Jan. 1, 2014): Journalist is Kevin Sieff -- Dateline Kabul, Afghanistan: The first day of January isn’t celebrated as New Year’s Day in Afghanistan. But since the American invasion, it’s become a new kind of holiday — a de facto birthday for thousands of Afghans who don’t know when they were born. During protracted wars in the 1980s and ’90s, the government didn’t have a system in place to register births. Because identification cards and driver’s licenses weren’t standard in this impoverished nation, families saw no reason to record the exact dates. Government paperwork asked only for an approximate birthday on the Islamic calendar. But when the United States and its NATO allies arrived, they brought with them a flurry of job opportunities, visa applications and Web sites that all required a specific birthday on the Roman calendar. “Those of us who don’t know when we were born selected January 1st,” said a U.S. Army interpreter named Tariq, who first wrote the date on his job application with the military and would repeat it when he applied for a visa, and whenever anyone asked. “It was very easy to remember.” Like many Afghans, Tariq, who requested that his last name not be used to avoid Taliban threats, has only a vague sense of his birthday, which occurred during the country's collapse into civil war in the early 1990s. The question of birthdays has arisen with even greater frequency as Internet access has become more widespread, with 3G networks advertised in the country’s major cities. Urban Afghans were quick to create accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Gmail, all of which ask for the registrant’s date of birth. In the digital age, the collective birthday has become something of an inside joke here, as young Afghans send each other messages to celebrate. “Happy birthday to 30 friends . . . whose birthdays are tomorrow on the first of January,” Barat Ali Batoor, an Afghan refugee in Australia, wrote on Facebook. “In two days, it’s every Afghan’s birthday,” Mohammad Hassanzai, an Afghan living in London, tweeted Monday. “I have been using the 1st of January for every online registration and social network site,” said Nazer Hussain, 23, a recent university graduate who rattled off a list of Web sites he signed up for using his fake birthday. “In the past, people weren’t well-educated enough to keep a record of birthdays.” Some worry that the lack of official birth registration — a problem that persists today, particularly in rural parts of the country — could have serious implications. “Birth registration is instrumental in safeguarding other human rights because it provides the official ‘proof’ of a child’s existence,” said a 2007 U.N. report on the topic. It listed Afghanistan as one of the 10 countries with the largest numbers of unregistered children. The birth records are useful in reuniting families after conflicts or natural disasters, as well as in helping children apply for refugee status. And in the absence of a census, institutionalized birth registration can offer an estimate of the country’s population. “In Afghanistan, even though national legislation requires registration of children at birth, 23 years of conflict decimated both the administrative mechanisms and the social institutions that support them,” the U.N. report said. Afghanistan isn’t the only war-torn nation whose citizens have chosen Jan. 1 as a makeshift birthday. In Vietnam, Somalia, and Sudan, many birth dates weren’t recorded during years of unrest and institutional upheaval. When residents applied for visas or refu­gee status, thousands chose the first of the year — or, in some cases, the U.S. State Department chose it for them. The department has bestowed that birthday upon more than 200,000 refugees since the Vietnam War, according to several estimates.

End of 2013 -- what was the "Word of the Year"? (Merriam Webster dictionary techies)

found at Dictionary dot-com; While the Oxford University Press honored "selfies" as its 2013 Word of the Year, celebrating those quickly snapped self-portraits, Merriam-Webster is taking a more academic approach to its annual linguistic spotlight. The dictionary has declared "science" its 2013 Word of the Year. The honor is based on increased interest as measured by the number of people looking up a word over time. If you haven't looked it up online, here's how Merriam-Webster defines science: "knowledge about or study of the natural world based on facts learned through experiments and observation." Science, according to Merriam-Webster Editor-at-Large Peter Sokolowski, is the word behind the news in 2013. http://www.livescience.com/41649-science-word-of-the-year.html

Winter Storm Warning (Jan. 1 - 2, 2014): National Weather Service for Southwest Michigan counties

Winter Storm Warning for Berrien and Cass counties, Michigan until 4 p.m. January 2, 2014 Further details are forthcoming.