from Writer's Almanac (American Public Media, Garrison Keillor):
June 28 is the birthday of Helen Keller, born in Tuscumbia, Alabama (1880). As a toddler, she became sick with an illness that left her both blind and deaf. She became a difficult child, until her 20-year-old teacher, Anne Sullivan, managed to communicate the letters for “water” while running water from the pump on the little girl’s hand. It was a breakthrough, and on that day alone, Keller learned 30 words.
Keller was very bright—she went on to Radcliffe College, where she became a popular lecturer and began sharing her story and advocating for others with disabilities. [ excerpt of entire entry ]
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Thursday, June 25, 2015
21st Century virtues of discipline, sacrifice, and patience (White House dinner)
from White House dot-gov :
The Iftar is the evening meal after sunset that concludes the daily fasting during the month of Ramadan. Observers around the world gather with families, loved ones, and communities to break their fast together. For observers, the Iftar dinner and Ramadan are a time to reflect on humanity and to reaffirm commitments to helping the less fortunate. This year, Ramadan, which follows the lunar calendar, is taking place during the longest days of the year.
Monday June 22 night's celebration was President Obama's seventh Iftar dinner at the White House. This year, in addition to inviting members of the diplomatic corps, White House staff, and elected officials, there was a special focus on young leaders and women helping communities across the nation.
Speaking at the dinner, President Obama said that the annual Iftar was a reminder that "whatever our faith, we're all one family."
President Obama recognized several young Muslim Americans who were making an impact here in the U.S. and around the world. He applauded Samantha Elauf, who was determined to defend her right to wear a hijab on the job. She took her case all the way to the Supreme Court and won. He cheered Zaid Ahmed, a 16-year-old who founded Redefy, a website that pushes back against harmful stereotypes. He recognized 27 year old Wai Wai Nu, a former political prisoner who is working on human rights issues for the Rohingya and equal rights for women.
The President also spoke of the inherent freedoms in America that bind us together -- including freedom of religion. He reflected on the way Americans of all faiths rallied around the community in Chapel Hill when three young Muslims were murdered earlier this year, and said that all of these stories remind us that our obligation to care for one another extends beyond our immediate communities and borders. The President reminded us that the challenges we face daily as a people demand the same qualities that observers summon every day during Ramadan -- sacrifice, discipline, and patience.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/06/23/president-obama-hosts-ramadan-iftar-dinner-white-house
The Iftar is the evening meal after sunset that concludes the daily fasting during the month of Ramadan. Observers around the world gather with families, loved ones, and communities to break their fast together. For observers, the Iftar dinner and Ramadan are a time to reflect on humanity and to reaffirm commitments to helping the less fortunate. This year, Ramadan, which follows the lunar calendar, is taking place during the longest days of the year.
Monday June 22 night's celebration was President Obama's seventh Iftar dinner at the White House. This year, in addition to inviting members of the diplomatic corps, White House staff, and elected officials, there was a special focus on young leaders and women helping communities across the nation.
Speaking at the dinner, President Obama said that the annual Iftar was a reminder that "whatever our faith, we're all one family."
"Our Iftar is also a reminder of the freedoms that bind us together as Americans, including the freedom of religion -- that inviolable right to practice our faiths freely."
— President Obama
President Obama recognized several young Muslim Americans who were making an impact here in the U.S. and around the world. He applauded Samantha Elauf, who was determined to defend her right to wear a hijab on the job. She took her case all the way to the Supreme Court and won. He cheered Zaid Ahmed, a 16-year-old who founded Redefy, a website that pushes back against harmful stereotypes. He recognized 27 year old Wai Wai Nu, a former political prisoner who is working on human rights issues for the Rohingya and equal rights for women.
The President also spoke of the inherent freedoms in America that bind us together -- including freedom of religion. He reflected on the way Americans of all faiths rallied around the community in Chapel Hill when three young Muslims were murdered earlier this year, and said that all of these stories remind us that our obligation to care for one another extends beyond our immediate communities and borders. The President reminded us that the challenges we face daily as a people demand the same qualities that observers summon every day during Ramadan -- sacrifice, discipline, and patience.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/06/23/president-obama-hosts-ramadan-iftar-dinner-white-house
Pen Name was George Orwell; birth name was Eric Arthur Blair (born on this date)
Date of Birth | 25 June 1903, Motihari, Bihar, British India [now India] |
Date of Death | 21 January 1950, London, England, UK (tuberculosis) |
| Birth Name | Eric Arthur Blair FROM: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000567/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm |
Custer at Little Big Horn, MT (on this date in 1876)
Noted at NY TIMES dot-com:
ON THIS DAY
On
June 25, 1876, Lt. Col. George A. Custer and his 7th Cavalry were wiped out by
Sioux and Cheyenne Indians in the Battle of Little Big Horn in Montana.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
June 26 Lecture on Theology, Evolution, Human Flourishing (Notre Dame Center) - 5:15 p.m.
Event sponsored at University of Notre Dame, IN "TALES OF THE EX-APES" :
Lecture, Q&A, and light reception, free and open to the public! In this talk, Dr. Jonathan Marks, professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, will explore the emergence of the imaginary -- the universe of metaphors, possible futures, symbolic meanings, remote ancestors, spirits, magic, and most importantly, stories -- as a crucial element in human evolution.
A theological response will be given by Robert Song (Durham University, UK) and Thomas Tweed (University of Notre Dame).
This lecture is offered by Notre Dame's newly ratified Center for Theology, Science, and Human Flourishing (contact mmarvin@nd.edu). The talk is made possible in part by funds from the John Templeton Foundation and the Henkels Lecture Fund, Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, College of Arts and Letters, University of Notre Dame.
Friday June 26, 2015 from 5:15 - 6:15 p.m. in Room 210-214 of McKenna Hall, Notre Dame
A theological response will be given by Robert Song (Durham University, UK) and Thomas Tweed (University of Notre Dame).
This lecture is offered by Notre Dame's newly ratified Center for Theology, Science, and Human Flourishing (contact mmarvin@nd.edu). The talk is made possible in part by funds from the John Templeton Foundation and the Henkels Lecture Fund, Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, College of Arts and Letters, University of Notre Dame.
Friday June 26, 2015 from 5:15 - 6:15 p.m. in Room 210-214 of McKenna Hall, Notre Dame
"Lincoln and the Press" (June 30 presentation) - South Bend Museum hosts Harold Holzer, scholar-author
posted at Studebaker National Museum website:
($20 admission, or $15 for Museum members).
Spend a special evening exploring Harold Holzer’s new book, Lincoln and the Power of the Press: The War for Public Opinion. As a renowned author and Lincoln historian, Holzer will share fresh insights on the long-ignored intersection of press and politics during the age of Abraham Lincoln.
The evening begins with a cash bar reception and an opportunity to explore the museum's exhibition: “Lincoln’s Final Journey / A Nation Mourns.” Next, we gather in the Wiekamp Auditorium for Holzer’s engaging and informative presentation, followed by a book signing.
http://www.studebakermuseum.org/p/whats-happening/events/
Presentation, “Harold Holzer: Lincoln and the Press—In Life and Death”
Tuesday, June 30, 2015 @ 5:30 p.m. in the Wiekamp Auditorium($20 admission, or $15 for Museum members).
Spend a special evening exploring Harold Holzer’s new book, Lincoln and the Power of the Press: The War for Public Opinion. As a renowned author and Lincoln historian, Holzer will share fresh insights on the long-ignored intersection of press and politics during the age of Abraham Lincoln.
The evening begins with a cash bar reception and an opportunity to explore the museum's exhibition: “Lincoln’s Final Journey / A Nation Mourns.” Next, we gather in the Wiekamp Auditorium for Holzer’s engaging and informative presentation, followed by a book signing.
http://www.studebakermuseum.org/p/whats-happening/events/
Abstaining from food for a limited period as a spiritual discipline (Fasting) - weekend media presentation "Humankind"
from HUMAN MEDIA dot-org (David Freudberg writer-producer, NPR, Humankind program):
We consider the surprising power of simply abstaining from food for a limited period as a spiritual discipline. There is a mystery to this practice, which can break the normal rhythms of our lives and lead to a rich contemplative experience. It also sensitizes fasters to the plight of people who suffer from malnutrition, a population estimated at 800 million by the United Nations. Fasting is found in many traditions including Judaism (Yom Kippur) Islam (Ramadan) and Christianity (Lent) as well as Native American traditions and aspects of Buddhism. Participants report a calming and clearing of the mind and an opportunity to connect with a higher presence. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Mohandas Gandhi, Cesar Chavez, Dorothy Day all observed periods of fasting. Author Carole Garibaldi Rogers comments that fasting is “counter-cultural” in our society of relentless consumption. But it can yield health benefits, when properly practiced, and grant a respite for self-reflection.
Program #226: http://www.humanmedia.org/catalog/program.php?products_id=386
We consider the surprising power of simply abstaining from food for a limited period as a spiritual discipline. There is a mystery to this practice, which can break the normal rhythms of our lives and lead to a rich contemplative experience. It also sensitizes fasters to the plight of people who suffer from malnutrition, a population estimated at 800 million by the United Nations. Fasting is found in many traditions including Judaism (Yom Kippur) Islam (Ramadan) and Christianity (Lent) as well as Native American traditions and aspects of Buddhism. Participants report a calming and clearing of the mind and an opportunity to connect with a higher presence. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Mohandas Gandhi, Cesar Chavez, Dorothy Day all observed periods of fasting. Author Carole Garibaldi Rogers comments that fasting is “counter-cultural” in our society of relentless consumption. But it can yield health benefits, when properly practiced, and grant a respite for self-reflection.
Program #226: http://www.humanmedia.org/catalog/program.php?products_id=386
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
St. John's Eve (June 22, 2015)
from Writer's Almanac (American Public Media: Garrison Keillor):
June 22 is Midsummer Night’s Eve, also called St. John’s Eve. St. John is the patron saint of beekeepers. It’s a time when the hives are full of honey. The full moon that occurs this month was called the Mead Moon, because honey was fermented to make mead, and that’s where the word “honeymoon” comes from. It is a time for lovers. An old Swedish proverb says, “Midsummer Night is not long but it sets many cradles rocking.”
http://writersalmanac.org/
June 22 is Midsummer Night’s Eve, also called St. John’s Eve. St. John is the patron saint of beekeepers. It’s a time when the hives are full of honey. The full moon that occurs this month was called the Mead Moon, because honey was fermented to make mead, and that’s where the word “honeymoon” comes from. It is a time for lovers. An old Swedish proverb says, “Midsummer Night is not long but it sets many cradles rocking.”
http://writersalmanac.org/
Two options for June 27 Bike Ride - Tour of N. Indiana heritage - history sites
Help at http://visitsouthbend.com/ and http://www.wndu.com/featuredlinks
June 27, 2015 for a great cycling event that will allow you to enjoy a route that highlights some of South Bend’s influential titans of industry! The ride will take you on South Bend, IN streets to ten stops along the Studebaker Bendix Heritage Trail including:
The Studebaker Bendix Heritage Trail Bike Ride is a FREE event! Bike Michiana Coalition is asking for a $10 donation the day of the ride. All donations go towards purchasing helmets for Bicycle Safety Classes for local 3rd grade students. The amount of Bicycle Safety Classes offered depends on donations that allow Bike Michiana Coalition to purchase helmets for the classes.
More information about the Studebaker Bendix Heritage Trail can be found at http://visitsouthbend.com/studebaker-bendix-heritage-trail-bike-ride/
June 27, 2015 for a great cycling event that will allow you to enjoy a route that highlights some of South Bend’s influential titans of industry! The ride will take you on South Bend, IN streets to ten stops along the Studebaker Bendix Heritage Trail including:
• The original Studebaker blacksmith shop site
• Various churches and home sites of the Studebaker family
• The former Bendix Corporation headquarters
• The former Studebaker Clubhouse at Bendix Woods County Park
• Ride the three-mile former Studebaker Proving Grounds Track adjacent to Bendix Woods, courtesy of Navistar, Inc.
Several of the sites will be open for tours during the ride as well as afterward. The Studebaker Bendix Heritage Trail Bike Ride has two different routes; the Urban Ride, which is 11.4 miles long with nine stops, as well as the Full Ride, which is 38 miles long with ten stops.• Various churches and home sites of the Studebaker family
• The former Bendix Corporation headquarters
• The former Studebaker Clubhouse at Bendix Woods County Park
• Ride the three-mile former Studebaker Proving Grounds Track adjacent to Bendix Woods, courtesy of Navistar, Inc.
The Studebaker Bendix Heritage Trail Bike Ride is a FREE event! Bike Michiana Coalition is asking for a $10 donation the day of the ride. All donations go towards purchasing helmets for Bicycle Safety Classes for local 3rd grade students. The amount of Bicycle Safety Classes offered depends on donations that allow Bike Michiana Coalition to purchase helmets for the classes.
More information about the Studebaker Bendix Heritage Trail can be found at http://visitsouthbend.com/studebaker-bendix-heritage-trail-bike-ride/
Monday, June 22, 2015
Meriwether Lewis - Corps of Discovery expedition (1804-6) - 200 plant specimens collected - Lecture
07/11/2015
Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail (Illinois)
General public program, 3 P.M. - 4 P.M. Free Admission.
http://www.nps.gov/findapark/event-listing.htm?eventID=27070
Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail (Illinois)
Lewis & Clark Speaker Series
Neal Ratzlaff, a retired radiologist, with a life long interest in natural history speaks of the plants of the Expedition. Over 200 of the plant specimens Lewis collected survive today - where are they, how have they been preserved, and what can we learn from them?General public program, 3 P.M. - 4 P.M. Free Admission.
http://www.nps.gov/findapark/event-listing.htm?eventID=27070
Prof. editor Origen's PERI ARCHON (2015): Institute of Church Life, Notre Dame, Thursday June 25, 2015 [10:30 a.m. - Noon]
Lecture: "The Challenges of Editing Origen's De principiis"
Presented by Father Samuel Fernández Eyzaguirre, professor of theology at the Pontifical Catholic University, Chile.
Father Samuel Fernández Eyzaguirre is a priest of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile. He completed his doctorate in 1997 in the Augustinianum in Rome. In addition to directing dissertations on Patristic topics, he has taught Trinity and Christology at the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical Catholic University Chile and has served as Dean of the Faculty. He was the editor of the unpublished works of St. Alberto Hurtado, one of the few saints in modern history who was also an academic. His new edition and translation of Origen's Peri archon has just been published as Sobre los principios (Madrid: Ciudad Nueva, 2015).
Lunch will be served immediately following. RSVP to Susan Coyne at scoyne1@nd.edu.
Room 300, Geddes Hall, University of Notre Dame.
Father Samuel Fernández Eyzaguirre is a priest of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile. He completed his doctorate in 1997 in the Augustinianum in Rome. In addition to directing dissertations on Patristic topics, he has taught Trinity and Christology at the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical Catholic University Chile and has served as Dean of the Faculty. He was the editor of the unpublished works of St. Alberto Hurtado, one of the few saints in modern history who was also an academic. His new edition and translation of Origen's Peri archon has just been published as Sobre los principios (Madrid: Ciudad Nueva, 2015).
Lunch will be served immediately following. RSVP to Susan Coyne at scoyne1@nd.edu.
Room 300, Geddes Hall, University of Notre Dame.
Enhanced Risk for Severe Weather -- June 22, 2015 (Meteorologist)
From Michigan Live! dot-com:
There is an "enhanced risk" for severe thunderstorms Monday afternoon and evening, according to the National Weather Service.
Several rounds of storms in the Kalamazoo area are likely with the first coming mid-afternoon, NWS warns. Damaging winds are the main risk, NWS says, but large hail and an isolated tornado are also possible.
Frequent lightning and heavy downpours are also expected. The counties of Kalamazoo, Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Calhoun, Cass, St. Joseph, and Van Buren are all at risk for severe weather.
There is an "enhanced risk" for severe thunderstorms Monday afternoon and evening, according to the National Weather Service.
Several rounds of storms in the Kalamazoo area are likely with the first coming mid-afternoon, NWS warns. Damaging winds are the main risk, NWS says, but large hail and an isolated tornado are also possible.
Frequent lightning and heavy downpours are also expected. The counties of Kalamazoo, Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Calhoun, Cass, St. Joseph, and Van Buren are all at risk for severe weather.
Farmers' Market (Friday, June 26) Lakeland Med. Center (Niles, MI hospital parking lot)
Niles Lakeland Farmers
Market
When Friday, June 26, 2015 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Description The farmers market will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Friday in the Lakeland Hospital-Niles parking lot off Broadway Avenue. Browse through a selection of fresh produce and natural, homemade goods from local farmers and vendors.
FDR legislation that impacted millions after W.W. II
Writer's Almanac (American Public Media: Garrison Keillor):
On June 22 in 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, popularly known as the GI Bill of Rights.
Economists in the ’40s were predicting a postwar depression, and politicians were terrified of the idea of nine million unemployed veterans wandering the country. So they wrote the GI Bill to guarantee unemployment benefits for a year. A congressional committee threw in the idea that veterans should get money to go to college, although even the supporters of the bill didn’t think that many GIs would really want to go — but about a million veterans applied for the money within the first year after the war. Professors at the time said the veterans were the most serious students they’d ever seen.
Prior to World War II, only 53,000 Americans held college degrees. By 1947, veterans accounted for half of the nation’s college enrollment, which swelled to 500,000 by 1950.
On June 22 in 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, popularly known as the GI Bill of Rights.
Economists in the ’40s were predicting a postwar depression, and politicians were terrified of the idea of nine million unemployed veterans wandering the country. So they wrote the GI Bill to guarantee unemployment benefits for a year. A congressional committee threw in the idea that veterans should get money to go to college, although even the supporters of the bill didn’t think that many GIs would really want to go — but about a million veterans applied for the money within the first year after the war. Professors at the time said the veterans were the most serious students they’d ever seen.
Prior to World War II, only 53,000 Americans held college degrees. By 1947, veterans accounted for half of the nation’s college enrollment, which swelled to 500,000 by 1950.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
The Divine Dignity of Every Created Being -- Pope Francis and Francis of Assisi
(June 2015 encyclical):
"Laudato Si, " the title Pope Francis chose for his encyclical on the environment, comes from a hymn of praise by St. Francis of Assisi that emphasizes being in harmony with God, with other creatures and with other human beings, said the head of the Franciscan order.
Sitting under towering trees, surrounded by potted flowers and herbs in the garden of the Franciscan headquarters in Rome, U.S. Fr. Michael Perry, minister general of the Order of Friars Minor, sang the medieval Italian words "laudato si'" (praised be you) and recited the English translation of St. Francis' "Canticle of the Creatures."
The hymn praises God and the reflection of God's glory in "Brother Sun" and "Sister Moon," "Brother Fire" and "Sister Water," and "our sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs."
The canticle is incomplete, though, without St. Francis' praise of human beings "who give pardon," bear infirmity and live in peace, Perry told Catholic News Service Friday June 19, 2015. Also essential is St. Francis' embrace of "Sister Bodily Death" as the portal to eternal life.
As airplanes flew overhead, birds chirped, butterflies flitted around the garden, and the occasional ambulance siren sounded, the Franciscan minister general Michael Perry said St. Francis of Assisi, over the course of his life, came to recognize that "God was present everywhere and in everything."
[excerpt of Nat. Catholic Reporter article: June 21, 2015]: http://ncronline.org/blogs/eco-catholic/franciscan-encyclical-title-affirms-all-creatures-have-common-creator
Sitting under towering trees, surrounded by potted flowers and herbs in the garden of the Franciscan headquarters in Rome, U.S. Fr. Michael Perry, minister general of the Order of Friars Minor, sang the medieval Italian words "laudato si'" (praised be you) and recited the English translation of St. Francis' "Canticle of the Creatures."
The hymn praises God and the reflection of God's glory in "Brother Sun" and "Sister Moon," "Brother Fire" and "Sister Water," and "our sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs."
The canticle is incomplete, though, without St. Francis' praise of human beings "who give pardon," bear infirmity and live in peace, Perry told Catholic News Service Friday June 19, 2015. Also essential is St. Francis' embrace of "Sister Bodily Death" as the portal to eternal life.
As airplanes flew overhead, birds chirped, butterflies flitted around the garden, and the occasional ambulance siren sounded, the Franciscan minister general Michael Perry said St. Francis of Assisi, over the course of his life, came to recognize that "God was present everywhere and in everything."
[excerpt of Nat. Catholic Reporter article: June 21, 2015]: http://ncronline.org/blogs/eco-catholic/franciscan-encyclical-title-affirms-all-creatures-have-common-creator
Friday, June 19, 2015
An episcopal message to the AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Council of Bishops - June 18, 2015
Dear Bishop Bryant and colleague African Methodist Episcopal Bishops,
Grace and Peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ, the Savior of our broken world.
Your sisters and brothers in the Council of Bishops and congregations of The United Methodist Church are in prayer with and for you in the wake of the racist murders and hateful violence at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. May the Holy Spirit endow you with a full measure of love, wisdom and courage as you lead the Church and witness to the world in this consequential time.
We join in mourning the tragic loss of Rev. Clementa Pinckney, and the other victims who were meeting with prayers offered to the One who is our hope. We are all now a part of a global prayer meeting for these families and all families and communities deeply wounded by racism and violence.
We unite voices in proclaiming, "If God is for us, who can be against us? ... Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... No! In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us!" (Romans 8)
As other recent events of violence and racism have compelled us to do, again we call on United Methodists and all people of good will to support the victims of this and all acts of violence, to work to end racism and hatred, to seek peace with justice, and to live the prayer that our Lord gave us, that God's "kingdom come, (and) will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
We go forward with Wesley's assurance that "Best of all God is with us."
the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church is reaching out to their colleague bishops in the African Methodist Episcopal Church with a message of prayer and healing.
http://www.igrc.org/blogpostsdetail/1387408
Grace and Peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ, the Savior of our broken world.
Your sisters and brothers in the Council of Bishops and congregations of The United Methodist Church are in prayer with and for you in the wake of the racist murders and hateful violence at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. May the Holy Spirit endow you with a full measure of love, wisdom and courage as you lead the Church and witness to the world in this consequential time.
We join in mourning the tragic loss of Rev. Clementa Pinckney, and the other victims who were meeting with prayers offered to the One who is our hope. We are all now a part of a global prayer meeting for these families and all families and communities deeply wounded by racism and violence.
We unite voices in proclaiming, "If God is for us, who can be against us? ... Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... No! In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us!" (Romans 8)
As other recent events of violence and racism have compelled us to do, again we call on United Methodists and all people of good will to support the victims of this and all acts of violence, to work to end racism and hatred, to seek peace with justice, and to live the prayer that our Lord gave us, that God's "kingdom come, (and) will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
We go forward with Wesley's assurance that "Best of all God is with us."
the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church is reaching out to their colleague bishops in the African Methodist Episcopal Church with a message of prayer and healing.
http://www.igrc.org/blogpostsdetail/1387408
What is Juneteenth?
from home page (Juneteenth dot-com):
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond.
Today Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. It is a day, a week, and in some areas a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics and family gatherings. It is a time for reflection and rejoicing. It is a time for assessment, self-improvement and for planning the future. Its growing popularity signifies a level of maturity and dignity in America long over due. In cities across the country, people of all races, nationalities and religions are joining hands to truthfully acknowledge a period in our history that shaped and continues to influence our society today. Sensitized to the conditions and experiences of others, only then can we make significant and lasting improvements in our society.
On this date 75 years ago - Prime Minister of U.K. "Finest Hour" speech on Battle of Britain versus Hilter and Nazism (excerpt)
from WinstonChurchill dot-org:
I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, "This was their finest hour."
http://www.winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/1940-the-finest-hour/their-finest-hour
I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, "This was their finest hour."
http://www.winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/1940-the-finest-hour/their-finest-hour
Thursday, June 18, 2015
To Plant a Tree in the Luther Garden (Wittenberg, Germany) -- 17-member delegation
Why Martin Luther matters to United Methodists
Those are just two similarities in the life stories of John Wesley, Methodism’s founder, and Martin Luther, arguably the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation.
Without Luther, it’s quite possible no Wesleyan movement would have arisen two centuries later.
In fact, hearing Luther’s preface to Romans helped spur Wesley’s spiritual awakening on the night of May 24, 1738.
“About a quarter before nine, while the leader was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed,” Wesley wrote in his diary in 1738. “I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation … .”
A group of 17 United Methodists visited Luther’s home of Wittenberg to further explore the connections between Luther and Wesley and celebrate the ecumenical ties among today’s Lutherans and Wesleyans.
The United Methodist group included six bishops from Germany, Zimbabwe, the Philippines, and the United States, as well as four staff members from the bishops’ Office of Christian Unity and Interreligious Religious Relationships, the denomination’s ecumenical arm.
At the invitation of the Lutheran World Federation, the United Methodists also helped plant a tree in the new Luther Garden — part of the preparations for the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in October 2017.
“We are convinced we have one root, and Martin Luther brought this to the attention of the Christians in his time,” Germany Area Bishop Rosemarie Wenner preached during the tree-planting service. “That one root is Jesus Christ the Lord.”
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Sighting of black bear first since Christmas, 1868 (June 15 near Michigan City, IN)
from HARBOR COUNTRY news:
NEW CARLISLE, Ind. — A black bear recently caught on video at a bird feeder near Hartford and later reported everywhere from Royalton and Oronoko townships in Michigan to just over the state line in Indiana between New Carlisle and Galien was reportedly seen near Michigan City, Ind., on Monday, June 15, 2015.
Wildlife biologists with the Indiana DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife said the bear had turned west, based on evidence collected over the weekend of June 13-14 and reported sightings Monday near Michigan City.
"Definitely a bear track," DNR wildlife biologist Budd Veverka said after examining photographs of paw prints found near Springville, a small community just north of the Indiana Toll Road in La Porte County. "No doubt. And it continues to follow the predicted path based on the terrain."
Already constituting the first confirmed black bear in Berrien County since just before Christmas 1868, when one was reported by the Niles Republican newspaper, as having been chased by hunters through the then undrained swamps of Lake and Weesaw townships, the ursine traveler also has made history in the Hoosier state.
According to the book Mammals of Indiana by John O. Whitaker, Jr., and Russell E. Mumford, the last confirmed report of a resident wild black bear in Indiana was in 1850. Whitaker and Mumford report a bear sighting in northwest Indiana in 1871 but note it was forced south from Michigan to escape a series of fires known historically as the Great Michigan Fire.
The black bear, a young male, has been tracked from near Muskegon by Michigan DNR officials. Indiana DNR officials predict the bear will eventually make its way back north to Michigan, and members of the DNR organizations from both states are working together to track the bear's movements.
http://www.harborcountry-news.com/articles/2015/06/17/news/doc557c24a830b93039074468.txt
NEW CARLISLE, Ind. — A black bear recently caught on video at a bird feeder near Hartford and later reported everywhere from Royalton and Oronoko townships in Michigan to just over the state line in Indiana between New Carlisle and Galien was reportedly seen near Michigan City, Ind., on Monday, June 15, 2015.
Wildlife biologists with the Indiana DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife said the bear had turned west, based on evidence collected over the weekend of June 13-14 and reported sightings Monday near Michigan City.
"Definitely a bear track," DNR wildlife biologist Budd Veverka said after examining photographs of paw prints found near Springville, a small community just north of the Indiana Toll Road in La Porte County. "No doubt. And it continues to follow the predicted path based on the terrain."
Already constituting the first confirmed black bear in Berrien County since just before Christmas 1868, when one was reported by the Niles Republican newspaper, as having been chased by hunters through the then undrained swamps of Lake and Weesaw townships, the ursine traveler also has made history in the Hoosier state.
The black bear, a young male, has been tracked from near Muskegon by Michigan DNR officials. Indiana DNR officials predict the bear will eventually make its way back north to Michigan, and members of the DNR organizations from both states are working together to track the bear's movements.
http://www.harborcountry-news.com/articles/2015/06/17/news/doc557c24a830b93039074468.txt
Tropical Storm Bill (Texas - June 16, 2015)
HOUSTON — Tropical Storm Bill smashing into the beleaguered Texas coast Tuesday with heavy rains and 60 mph winds before weakening as it moved across the state.
Severe flooding and possible tornadoes are still possible for the next two days, forecasters said.
The storm made landfall at about 11:45 a.m. CT on southern Matagorda Island, Texas, according to the National Hurricane Center.
As of 4 p.m. CT, winds had dropped to 50 mph and the storm was located 25 miles west of Port O'Connor, Texas. It was moving to the north-northwest at 9 mph, with tropical-storm winds extending up to 150 miles to the northeast and east.
"The biggest takeaways from this storm is heavy rains for two or three days, flash flooding and river flooding," National Weather Service meteorologist Victor Murphy told USA TODAY. The region will see 6-10 inches of rain, and "there will be some areas that get more," he said.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2015/06/16/tropical-storm-bill-heads-for-texas-coast/28791653/
Severe flooding and possible tornadoes are still possible for the next two days, forecasters said.
The storm made landfall at about 11:45 a.m. CT on southern Matagorda Island, Texas, according to the National Hurricane Center.
As of 4 p.m. CT, winds had dropped to 50 mph and the storm was located 25 miles west of Port O'Connor, Texas. It was moving to the north-northwest at 9 mph, with tropical-storm winds extending up to 150 miles to the northeast and east.
"The biggest takeaways from this storm is heavy rains for two or three days, flash flooding and river flooding," National Weather Service meteorologist Victor Murphy told USA TODAY. The region will see 6-10 inches of rain, and "there will be some areas that get more," he said.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2015/06/16/tropical-storm-bill-heads-for-texas-coast/28791653/
Fifth Century ancient church discovered by highway constructon between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem (June 2015)
from "Israel Today" (online magazine):
A Byzantine church dating to the 5th century AD was discovered this month along Highway 1 connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The site is situated near the Arab village of Abu Ghosh and the Messianic moshav of Yad Hashmonah.
According to archaeologists, the church was part of a rest stop on the route between Jerusalem and the coastal region. During the excavations, a chapel featuring a white mosaic and a small baptismal in the shape of a cross was found. Red plaster chips scattered around the floor indicated frescoed walls.
Nearby living quarters and storage facilities contained ceramic tiles, beautifully-preserved oil lamps and other objects belonging to the church.
Annette Nagar, an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority, noted that this was the third church that had been discovered along this ancient route, the other two being located in Kiryat Ye’arim and Emmaus.
A Byzantine church dating to the 5th century AD was discovered this month along Highway 1 connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The site is situated near the Arab village of Abu Ghosh and the Messianic moshav of Yad Hashmonah.
According to archaeologists, the church was part of a rest stop on the route between Jerusalem and the coastal region. During the excavations, a chapel featuring a white mosaic and a small baptismal in the shape of a cross was found. Red plaster chips scattered around the floor indicated frescoed walls.
Nearby living quarters and storage facilities contained ceramic tiles, beautifully-preserved oil lamps and other objects belonging to the church.
Annette Nagar, an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority, noted that this was the third church that had been discovered along this ancient route, the other two being located in Kiryat Ye’arim and Emmaus.
June 19 - 21 (Passing Crescent Moon and Planetary conjunctions in time for Summer Solstice)
from AMAZING SKY -- June Moon passes the Planets:
This weekend watch for the waxing crescent Moon passing the “evening stars” of Venus and Jupiter.
On Friday, June 19 look west to see the crescent Moon a binocular field below bright Venus in the evening twilight.
The next night, Saturday, June 20, the Moon appears a little higher and below Jupiter.
On Sunday, June 21, the day of the summer solstice, look for the crescent Moon to the left of the star Regulus in Leo.
Venus and Jupiter are getting closer to each other each night, as they edge toward a very close conjunction on June 30 when they will appear just over a Moon diameter apart in the evening sky.
http://amazingsky.net/2015/06/15/heads-up-june-moon-passes-the-planets/
This weekend watch for the waxing crescent Moon passing the “evening stars” of Venus and Jupiter.
On Friday, June 19 look west to see the crescent Moon a binocular field below bright Venus in the evening twilight.
The next night, Saturday, June 20, the Moon appears a little higher and below Jupiter.
On Sunday, June 21, the day of the summer solstice, look for the crescent Moon to the left of the star Regulus in Leo.
Venus and Jupiter are getting closer to each other each night, as they edge toward a very close conjunction on June 30 when they will appear just over a Moon diameter apart in the evening sky.
http://amazingsky.net/2015/06/15/heads-up-june-moon-passes-the-planets/
U.S. Births up 1 percent stopping "baby Recession" -- CDC report (June 17, 2015)
It appears the baby recession really is over: Preliminary figures show U.S. births were up last year for the first time in seven years.
About 53,000 more babies were born in 2014 than the year before — a 1 percent increase. Births were up for nearly every racial and ethnic group, and there were improvements in several other key measures. Teen births hit another historic low and there were fewer cesarean sections and preterm deliveries.
"It looks like perhaps we're seeing the turnaround that many experts have been anticipating," said Gretchen Livingston, a birth trends expert at Pew Research Center. She was not involved in the report.
The nation has been in a baby recession since 2007 — a decline in births that experts have blamed mainly on the nation's economy. It looked like it might have ended in 2013, with preliminary figures showing the number of births rising slightly.
http://www.mlive.com/news/us-world/index.ssf/2015/06/us_births_up_after_years_of_de.html#incart_more_news
About 53,000 more babies were born in 2014 than the year before — a 1 percent increase. Births were up for nearly every racial and ethnic group, and there were improvements in several other key measures. Teen births hit another historic low and there were fewer cesarean sections and preterm deliveries.
"It looks like perhaps we're seeing the turnaround that many experts have been anticipating," said Gretchen Livingston, a birth trends expert at Pew Research Center. She was not involved in the report.
The nation has been in a baby recession since 2007 — a decline in births that experts have blamed mainly on the nation's economy. It looked like it might have ended in 2013, with preliminary figures showing the number of births rising slightly.
http://www.mlive.com/news/us-world/index.ssf/2015/06/us_births_up_after_years_of_de.html#incart_more_news
Observance of Ramadan in Lansing, MI (U.S.A.) -- June 17 - July 17, 2015
Ramadan Kareem ! Happy Ramadan !
Thursday, June 18 is the 1st day of fasting of Ramadan,
insha Allah
Taraweeh Prayers will commence after Isha prayers at 11:10 pm Wednesday, June 17 |  |
| This year we will have 29 days of fasting. Eid-Al-Fitr will be
celebrated on Friday July 17, insha Allah.
_______________________________________________________________________________
http://www.lansingislam.com/ramadan1.htm [Islamic Society of Greater Lansing Ramadan 1436]
| |
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Youth Suicide Prevention event (May 18, 2015) -- 5K run-Walk, South Bend, IN
South Bend, Ind. -- Suicide is the third leading cause of death for teenagers behind accidents and homicides.
This week, a very visible event will help educate the community on suicide prevention.
The Paint the Town Yellow 5K walk and fun run is taking place on Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 6 p.m. from the Eastbank Emporium on Niles Avenue through Howard Park in South Bend, IN.
The cost is $25 for adults, $15 for students. There will be prizes for people who wear the most yellow. Yard signs are also available for people to offer support for loved ones lost to suicide.
www.wndu.com/
This week, a very visible event will help educate the community on suicide prevention.
The Paint the Town Yellow 5K walk and fun run is taking place on Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 6 p.m. from the Eastbank Emporium on Niles Avenue through Howard Park in South Bend, IN.
The cost is $25 for adults, $15 for students. There will be prizes for people who wear the most yellow. Yard signs are also available for people to offer support for loved ones lost to suicide.
www.wndu.com/
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Reception to welcome Cecilia T. Kadzamira ("Mother of the Nation" honorific title in Malawi)
A reception to welcome MAMA CECILIA KADZAMIRA to South Bend, Indiana (First Presbyterian Church, 333 W. Colfax Avenue) on Tuesday June 16, 2015 -- an open house in the Church Social Hall -- [entrance from Parking at back doors - entrances of that downtown Church building]
This event is hosted by her nieces Chrissy and Beatrice Kadzamira and the Mission Committee (Malawi Matters, INC. of the First Presbyterian Church, South Bend).
Time is 6 - 8 p.m. Eastern Time Zone. Further information from the church office (574) - 272 - 5759.
This event is hosted by her nieces Chrissy and Beatrice Kadzamira and the Mission Committee (Malawi Matters, INC. of the First Presbyterian Church, South Bend).
Time is 6 - 8 p.m. Eastern Time Zone. Further information from the church office (574) - 272 - 5759.
Flag Day 2015 - Fourth of July 2015 observance
from Writer's Almanac dot-org website:
Today is Flag Day. It was on June 14, 1777, that the Second Continental Congress approved the Stars and Stripes as the flag of the United States, with a star for each state and 13 red and white stripes to commemorate the original 13 colonies.
Information from Four Flags Area Chamber of Commerce:
NILES, MI
The Niles, Michigan Annual Fourth of July Fireworks Display
Sponsored by: the Four Flags Area Chamber of Commerce
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Apple Festival Fairgrounds at 17th Street and Lake Street
Starts at dusk
Admission: Free show and parking - donations accepted
Today is Flag Day. It was on June 14, 1777, that the Second Continental Congress approved the Stars and Stripes as the flag of the United States, with a star for each state and 13 red and white stripes to commemorate the original 13 colonies.
Information from Four Flags Area Chamber of Commerce:
NILES, MI
The Niles, Michigan Annual Fourth of July Fireworks Display
Sponsored by: the Four Flags Area Chamber of Commerce
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Apple Festival Fairgrounds at 17th Street and Lake Street
Starts at dusk
Admission: Free show and parking - donations accepted
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Neshnabe and French Colonial Architecture (Lecture seres at Niles, Michigan, USA) - Wed. June 17 / 24, 2015 from 7 - 8 p.m. Eastern
further details at Niles District Library dot-net:
June 17 Lecture: by Kevin Finney, Executive Director of the Jijak Foundation, Gun Lake Band of Potawatomi “Neshnabe Architecture”
June 24 Dr. Michael S. Nassaney, Department of Anthropology, Western Michigan University “French Colonial Architecture”
2015 Summer Archaeology Lecture Series "Seeking Shelter from the Storm: Architecture in Archaeological Perspective"
June 17 Lecture: by Kevin Finney, Executive Director of the Jijak Foundation, Gun Lake Band of Potawatomi “Neshnabe Architecture”
June 24 Dr. Michael S. Nassaney, Department of Anthropology, Western Michigan University “French Colonial Architecture”
2015 Summer Archaeology Lecture Series "Seeking Shelter from the Storm: Architecture in Archaeological Perspective"
NOAA clarifies that May 1 - 31, 2015 was wettest month on record for United States (ended drought in Southern Plains States)
May was wettest month on record for contiguous US
Devastating floods end multiyear drought in Southern Plains
The May contiguous U.S. average temperature was 60.8°F, 0.6°F above the 20th century average, near the median value in the 121-year record. Much of the East Coast and Northwest were warmer than average, particularly the Northeast where four states were record warm. Below-average temperatures were observed across the central U.S. The spring (March-May) contiguous U.S average temperature was 53.2°F, 2.2°F above the 20th century average, and the 11th warmest on record.
The May precipitation total for the contiguous U.S. was 4.36 inches, 1.45 inches above average. This was the wettest May on record, and the wettest month of any month, in the 121-years of record keeping. For the spring season, the contiguous U.S. precipitation total was 9.33 inches, 1.39 inches above average, and the 11th wettest on record.
This analysis of U.S. temperature and precipitation is based on data back to January 1895, resulting in 121 years of data.
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/summary-info/national/201505
Child Protection Policies ("Safe Sanctuaries") -
from UMC dot-org:
The Safe Sanctuaries Web site offers FAQS, a sample policy, resources, and information to help local churches develop policies.
Some conferences have child protection policies and sexual ethics guidelines online. Many also offer child abuse and sexual harassment prevention training.
Visit the Sexual Ethics Web site for tools for individuals and local churches regarding sexual misconduct.
www.umsexualethics.org/
Where can I find information about child protection policies?
Some conferences have child protection policies and sexual ethics guidelines online. Many also offer child abuse and sexual harassment prevention training.
Visit the Sexual Ethics Web site for tools for individuals and local churches regarding sexual misconduct.
www.umsexualethics.org/
James Billington (Librarian of Congress) - effective Jan. 1, 2016
James Billington, the librarian of Congress who has led the world's largest library for nearly three decades and brought it into the digital age, announced Wednesday that he will step down at year's end.
The Library of Congress said Billington, 86, will retire on Jan. 1, 2015. He notified President Barack Obama of his plans, and the post will be filled by a presidential nomination with Senate confirmation.
Billington was just the 13th librarian since 1800. The library is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution. It was formed largely based on Thomas Jefferson's collection of books to begin building a national library. It now holds a vast collection of research materials, historical resources, and cultural treasures.
"Leading this great institution alongside all of you for nearly three decades has been the honor and joy of my 42 years of public service in Washington, D.C.," Billington told the library's staff in a video announcement.
Since Billington joined the library in 1987, the collection has nearly doubled in size to 160 million items. It includes the personal manuscripts of Rosa Parks, Irving Berlin, Jackie Robinson, Steven Sondheim and others. The library also operates as a nonpartisan research organization for Congress and runs the nation's Copyright Office.
Billington is credited with leading the library into the digital age, making research materials and legislative databases available online. The library also built a massive audio-visual conservation center in a Virginia bunker to preserve the nation's great movies and sound recordings. Billington also initiated lifetime achievement awards in music and writing and created the National Book Festival with former first lady Laura Bush.
Article at http://abcnews.go.com/
Leadership Question "Set": offered at Online Column by Robert Harris
Doing these interviews really works. The key to using the 11 questions below or your variations of them is to be relaxed and curious. Trust your instincts, relax, and enjoy the conversation!
- Tell me about a time when you felt especially proud of some members or leaders of your congregation, when you felt they were really following Christ. What makes this incident stand out in your mind?
- Whom do you especially respect as leaders? Why do you hold them in high regard?
- Tell me why you’re glad you are a member of this congregation. Why did you join this congregation instead of another one?
- How has being part of this congregation helped you and members of your family grow in faith? Please give me some examples of experiences or classes that made a difference. How did you change?
- Tell me a story about when congregation members resolved a conflict or difference effectively. What do you think the congregation learned from this experience? How effectively do leaders and members handle differences now?
- What have you especially valued about your pastors and other congregational staff? (Be specific.) Do any sermons, initiatives, or attributes of your previous pastors come to mind?
- Tell me about a time when you were disappointed with members or leaders. What happened?
- Complete this sentence: “God is calling this congregation to be …”
- What do you think God wants your congregation to emphasize in the next three to five years?
- What else do I need to know in order to thrive in this congregation and community?
- Do you have any other concerns or suggestions?
Friday, June 5, 2015
Sunday of All Saints (June 7, 2015) - First Sunday of Pentecost Orthodox - Greek Orth. Website
The first Sunday after the Feast of Holy Pentecost is observed by the Orthodox Church as the Sunday of All Saints. This day has been designated as a commemoration of all of the Saints, all the Righteous, the Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Shepherds, Teachers, and Holy Monastics, both men and women alike, known and unknown, who have been added to the choirs of the Saints and shall be added, from the time of Adam until the end of the world, who have been perfected in piety and have glorified God by their holy lives.
http://www.goarch.org/special/listen_learn_share/allsaints/index_html
http://www.goarch.org/special/listen_learn_share/allsaints/index_html
Pre-Columbian Architecture (Lecture June 10, 2015) - Niles (Michigan) District Library -- GVSU Professor
2015 Summer Archaeology Lecture Series "Seeking Shelter from the Storm: Architecture in Archaeological Perspective"
June 10: Dr. Jan Brashler, Department of Anthropology, Grand Valley State University “Structures for the Living and the Dead: The Archaeology of Pre-Columbian Architecture in Michigan”
When 7:00 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Where Niles District Library, 620 East Main Street, Niles, MI 49120
June 10: Dr. Jan Brashler, Department of Anthropology, Grand Valley State University “Structures for the Living and the Dead: The Archaeology of Pre-Columbian Architecture in Michigan”
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Astronomer Guy Consolmagno: "Would you baptize an extraterrestrial?" (June 16, 2015)
Brother Guy Consolmagno, S.J. astronomer and president of the Vatican Observatory, will speak on his career in science and faith at 7 p.m. June 16, 2015 (Tuesday) in the University of Notre Dame’s Jordan Hall of Science.
Brother Consolmagno, nicknamed “the Pope’s astronomer,” earned advanced degrees in planetary science from M.I.T. and the University of Arizona before his 1991 assignment as astronomer in the Vatican Observatory, where he is also curator of the Vatican Meteorite Collection, one of the world’s largest.
Brother Consolmagno’s lecture, “Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial?” will concern this and similar questions addressed to him in emails and letters he receives in the course of his work.
Brother Consolmagno’s astronomical research concerns on the relationships between meteorites and asteroids, and the origin and evolution of small bodies in the solar system. The author of numerous articles in scientific journals and six popular books on astronomy, he has spoken widely on the complementarity of religion and science. The lecture, sponsored by Notre Dame’s Institute for Church Life, is open to the public for a $9 admission fee.
http://news.nd.edu/news/58258-brother-guy-consolmagno-popes-astronomer-to-speak-at-notre-dame/
Brother Consolmagno, nicknamed “the Pope’s astronomer,” earned advanced degrees in planetary science from M.I.T. and the University of Arizona before his 1991 assignment as astronomer in the Vatican Observatory, where he is also curator of the Vatican Meteorite Collection, one of the world’s largest.
Brother Consolmagno’s lecture, “Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial?” will concern this and similar questions addressed to him in emails and letters he receives in the course of his work.
Brother Consolmagno’s astronomical research concerns on the relationships between meteorites and asteroids, and the origin and evolution of small bodies in the solar system. The author of numerous articles in scientific journals and six popular books on astronomy, he has spoken widely on the complementarity of religion and science. The lecture, sponsored by Notre Dame’s Institute for Church Life, is open to the public for a $9 admission fee.
http://news.nd.edu/news/58258-brother-guy-consolmagno-popes-astronomer-to-speak-at-notre-dame/
Strawberry Celebration (weekend of June 19 - 21, 2015)
Posted at St. Joseph, MI website (stjoetoday.com) :
Piggott's Farm Market & Bakery Strawberry Celebration Weekend!
06/19/2015
Join us to celebrate the Michigan Strawberry Season! We will have fresh local strawberries available as well as fresh baked strawberry-rhubarb pie, strawberry donuts, and we will be sampling all of our Michigan strawberry preserves! Also, don't miss your chance to win a free flat of strawberries! One winner will be chosen at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday June 21, 2015 from all of the entries throughout the weekend! Need not be present to win.
http://www.piggottsfarmmarket.com/
http://www.piggottsfarmmarket.com/
Alternative - Blues - Rock - Jazz Music Concert - June 6, 2015 (Niles, MI District Library)
Saturday, June 6th, 2015 from 3:30-5:00 p.m.
The Eastside Connections Garage Band is opening for Elephant Rescue!
"A smokey jambalaya of thunderous funk, heavy blues, ruckus rock 'n roll served with a side of jazz"; Elephant Rescue is a alternative blues rock trio from Niles, MI. They play original music with influences ranging from New Orleans, Swamp Blues, Alt Rock, and African Roots." www.elephantrescuemusic.com
The ECS Garage Band is an afterschool program for budding guitarists coordinated by teacher Greg Prather and parent volunteer Dave Dale.
This family-friendly acoustic concert will be indoor picnic style, so bring a blanket or lawn chairs! The Rotunda door on Cedar Street will be open for after-hours entry.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
The assassination of Robert Kennedy by Sirhan Sirhan -- on this date in history
Shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968, U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. He died the next day. Sirhan Sirhan was arrested and convicted of the murder. To mark the 44th Anniversary of the assassination, the National Law Enforcement Museum hosted a panel discussion on Sirhan and the impact of the assassination on the nation. Participating are former Los Angeles police officer Arturo Placencia, who arrested Sirhan, Evan Thomas, author of Robert Kennedy: His Life, and Steven Hughes, a Special Agent in the Dignitary Protection Division of the U.S. Secret Service.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Creation out of nothing -- 2015 Conference - free with prior registration
Sunday, July 5 - Wednesday, July 8, 2015
McKenna Hall, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
Creation out of Nothing: Origins and Contemporary Significance
http://icl.nd.edu/conferences/
Underground Railroad "Wax Museum" -- URSCC group at Portage, MI Elementary School
Groups represented are Freedom Seekers, Free Black Families, Quaker Abolitionists, Civil War Soldiers, Kentucky Raid, Rural Schools and Connecting Lines
Fourth and Fifth graders from Sam Adams Elementary in Cassopolis will present their UGRR Wax Museum on Tuesday, May 19, 2015 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. This group focuses on Cass County UGRR characters, including many of the Quaker and free black families that settled in the area. Some of the students are 5th generation descendants of the characters they portray.
Fourth and Fifth graders from Sam Adams Elementary in Cassopolis will present their UGRR Wax Museum on Tuesday, May 19, 2015 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. This group focuses on Cass County UGRR characters, including many of the Quaker and free black families that settled in the area. Some of the students are 5th generation descendants of the characters they portray.
Fourth graders from Angling Elementary in Portage present The UGRR Wax Museum--Cass County and Beyond, on Tuesday, June 2, 2015 from 10:30 a.m. -noon. Their teacher, Stacey Bonine, along with her late mother in law, Mary Anne Bonine, conceived the idea of the UGRR Wax Museum and brought it to the Bonine House in 2012. This performance includes UGRR characters throughout Michigan.
https://www.urscc.org/ugrr--wax-museum-.html
https://www.urscc.org/ugrr--wax-museum-.html
June 2, 1865 (150 years ago on this date)
from Writer's Almanac (American Public Media: Garrison Keillor):
It was on this day in 1865 that the Civil War came to a formal end. Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of Confederate forces west of the Mississippi, surrendered, and the last Confederate army ceased to exist. The war that cost 620,000 American lives was over.
It was on this day in 1865 that the Civil War came to a formal end. Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of Confederate forces west of the Mississippi, surrendered, and the last Confederate army ceased to exist. The war that cost 620,000 American lives was over.
When is the feast of Saint Sophia? (post-Pentecost in Greek Orthodox calendar)
When is the feast day of Saint Sophia?
The name of our cathedral is a translation of “Hagia Sophia” (Agia Sofia), which means Holy Wisdom. In the words of Saint Paul,For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Cor 1.23-25)
By tradition the feast day of churches of the Holy Wisdom is the Monday following Pentecost, the Monday of the Holy Spirit.
http://www.saintsophiadc.com/about/faqs/
On this date in History (1953): Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
Monday, June 1, 2015
Lincoln and the Press: (H. Holzer presentation): June 30, 2015 - Studebaker National Museum, South Bend, IN
Location:
Studebaker National Museum, 201 S. Chapin St., South Bend, Indiana.
“Harold Holzer: Lincoln and the Press—In Life and Death” is a special presentation that will take place at the Studebaker National Museum at 7 p.m. on June 30, 2015.
Harold Holzer, nationally noted Lincoln author and former chair of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation, will give an engaging presentation on his new book, Lincoln and the Power of the Press: The War for Public Opinion. If you believe our media is biased now, wait until you learn what it was like during the Civil War!
This special evening is only $10 for members of the Museum and $12.50 for non-members. Admission includes to our latest special exhibition, "Lincoln's Final Journey: A Nation Mourns."
Harold Holzer, nationally noted Lincoln author and former chair of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation, will give an engaging presentation on his new book, Lincoln and the Power of the Press: The War for Public Opinion. If you believe our media is biased now, wait until you learn what it was like during the Civil War!
This special evening is only $10 for members of the Museum and $12.50 for non-members. Admission includes to our latest special exhibition, "Lincoln's Final Journey: A Nation Mourns."
Tuesday 06/30/2015 - 7:00 p.m.
June 12, 2015 - American Red Cross Blood Drive (Niles Community Churches, Michigan)
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