Someday Is Now: ART EXHIBITION (2015)

Someday is Now: The Art of Corita Kent

June 14, 2015 – November 1, 2015

Someday is Now: The Art of Corita Kent is the first full-scale exhibition to survey the entire career of pioneering artist and designer Corita Kent (1918–1986). For over three decades, Corita experimented in printmaking, producing a groundbreaking body of work that combines faith, activism, and teaching with messages of acceptance and hope. A Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Corita taught in the art department at Immaculate Heart College (IHC) in Los Angeles from 1947 through 1968. At IHC, she developed her vibrant, Pop-inspired prints from the 1960s, mining a variety of secular and religious sources and using the populist printmaking medium to pose philosophical questions about racism, war, poverty, and religion. Her work was widely recognized for its revolutionary impact and remains an iconic symbol of that period in American history. As a teacher, Corita inspired her students to discover new ways of experiencing the world by seeking out revelation in everyday events. Bringing together artwork from Corita’s entire career, this exhibition reveals the impassioned energy of this artist, educator, and activist.
http://pmcaonline.org/exhibitions/someday-is-now-the-art-of-corita-kent/
Pasadena Museum of California Art website (August 31 accessed)

In two years, will people be asked "Where we you when you were told of Princess Diana's death?"

from NYTIMES dot-com -- On this date. . .

ON THIS DAY

On August 31, 1997, Britain's Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris at 36.

Two days only (Aug. 29 - 30): Michiana Renaissance Fest (Downtown Mishawaka's Kamm Island)

from Main Page (www.michianrenfest.com/ )
Come one! Come all to the 5th Annual Michiana Renaissance Festival, located on Kamm Island Park in Downtown Mishawaka, IN. Each day is filled with fun and educational things to see and do for the whole family!

The Michiana Renaissance Festival has 4 different re-enactment areas: Medieval/Renaissance, the Golden Age of Piracy, the Time of the Vikings, and Fairytale Storyland. Each area has exclusive exhibits, shows and vendors.

World Religions (September - November 2015): Sikhism

from 123newyear dot-com (Calendar page):
Tuesday, September 1, 2015, Phalia Parkash Guru Granth Sahib – On this the day the Holy Scripture of Guru Granth Sahib became the Guru of the Sikhs eternally as nominated by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, thereby ending the human line of Gurus for the Sikhs.

Friday, October 9, 2015, Birthday of Guru Ram Das (Nanakshahi calendar) – This is the birth anniversary of Guru Ram Das, the fourth Guru of the Sikhs. He is remembered for organizing the Sikh society. He also composed the four hymns that are the pillars of the Sikh Wedding Rites.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015, Bandi Chhor Divas (Deewali) – This is the day that commemorates the release of Guru Hargobind, the Sixth Sikh Guru, and fifty two of his companions, from the prison. They were fighting for their rights and against the oppression that the Mughal Emperors subjected them to.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015, Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib – This is the day when Guru Tegh Bahadur welcomed martyrdom rather than embracing conversion to another religion as was being forced by the then Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb. This is the day that upholds the right of every human being to follow the religion of her/ his choice. From this day onwards the Sikhs have always championed the cause of being tolerant towards every faith.

Wednesday, November 25, Guru Nanak Jayanti – This day is to commemorate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, who was the first Guru of the Sikhs. He is the one who is credited for shaping Sikhism. This day is considered to be of utmost importance by the Sikhs and also a very auspicious one for them.

Historical re-enactors portray Black Jack Logan, H. Tubman // Native American dancers (Kahok dancers of Collinsville, IL) -- September 5, 2015 at Greenville, IL

Greenville's Bicentennial celebration on September 5 and 6 will feature a variety of activities and performances for historians of all ages.
Two of Illinois' most respected historic re-enactors---Kathryn Harris and Brian "Fox" Ellis---will perform Saturday, September 5, 2015 on the south grounds of the Bond County Courthouse. Both programs are free.
Brian "Fox" Ellis has toured the world over the past 35 years playing dozens of famous names from American history. Ellis will actually be in Greenville the day prior to the Bicentennial celebration to perform a program on Abraham Lincoln at local schools. On Saturday, September 5 he will perform as Black Jack Logan, a Civil War hero and U.S. Senator from Illinois who was a key figure in Memorial Day becoming a national holiday. The program is at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Kathryn Harris, who recently retired as Library Services Director at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, will portray Harriet Tubman, legendary Underground Railroad conductor, at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Harris' program on Ms. Tubman is a nod to the efforts of abolitionists in Greenville and Bond County prior to the Civil War.
When Greenville was founded on the bluff overlooking Shoal Creek in 1815 by George Davidson, Native American Indians resided in the county. The Bicentennial will celebrate this heritage with free performances at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. September 5 on the courthouse grounds by the Kahok Dancers. Based in Collinsville, this interpretive dance group specializes in Native American story dancing. They often perform at the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.
http://www.greenville200.com/news.html

Do "Iron Chefs" use cast-iron skillets in competition? Yes, in Greenville, IL Bicentennial (September 5 - 6, 2015)

Iron Chefs Demonstrating Their Talents at Bicentennial

As part of the Greenville Illinois Bicentennial celebration [www.greenville200.com ] , an Iron Chef Demonstration will be a source of old style cooking and timeless fun. Participants will be honoring Greenville's pioneers while showcasing their skills in outdoor, cast iron cooking.
The cook-off will be held on the grass lot next to Central Christian Church, 205 South Prairie, on both September 5 and 6 during Bicentennial festivities. Awards will be presented for Best Food, Best Presentation, Best Meal, and Best Homegrown Meal. All cooking must be done outside with wood and/or charcoal – no propane allowed.
Best Food will be for the best single item cooked. Best Presentation will not only include presentation of the food but presentations of the cooks (period clothing welcome). Best Meal will be for a full meal which may be done on one pan or multiple pans – all cast iron. Best Homegrown Meal must include foods all grown in Bond County, including the deer, pork, or beef.
Registration is free but required so a proper number of fire pits can be made available for the pioneer cooks. All are welcome, though special recognition will be given to home grown entries. Contestants may set up as early as needed. For any questions or to register, contact Tom Plog at tomplog@msn.com - - - - -
http://www.greenville200.com/news.html

Pioneer Church Service (a part of "Tri-County Fair" - Pana, Illinois): Sunday 9/6/2015 at 8:30 a.m.

Saturday, September 5th, 2015

• Judging – Beef —  9:00 a.m.
• Jr. Entries accepted in Ag. Bldg. —  8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
• Western Horse Show (arena) — 10:00 a.m.
• Jr. Dept Judging in Ag. Bldg. —  1:00 p.m.
• Thoroughbred Racing — 1:30 p.m.
• Carnival (unlimited rides $16) — 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. &  6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
• Truck Pulls — 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, September 6th

• Judging – Swine — 8:00 a.m.
• Pioneer Church Service, Guild Grounds —  8:30 a.m.
• Harness Racing — 1:30 p.m.
• Carnival (unlimited rides $16) — 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. & 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
• Mud Drags — 7:00 p.m.

Monday, September 7th (LABOR DAY)

• Labor Day Parade Downtown Pana — 10:00 a.m.
• Carnival (unlimited rides $16) — 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. & 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
• Harness Racing — 1:30 p.m.

A day to memorialize the martyrdom - death of John the Baptist (August 29 annually)

Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias,
the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,
“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers,
his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee.
Herodias’ own daughter came in
and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
“Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.”
He even swore many things to her,
“I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom.”
She went out and said to her mother,
“What shall I ask for?”
She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”
The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request,
“I want you to give me at once
on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders
to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/082914.cfm

71 years ago on This Date in History (following D-Day invasion of Normandy beaches, France)

ON THIS DAY

On August 25, 1944, Paris was liberated by Allied forces after four years of Nazi occupation.

Today is a food holiday for WAFFLES !

from FOOD dot-com (August 24, 2015):

National Waffle Day

Photo by puppitypup

Belgian Waffles

The ancient Greeks are said to have been the first waffle bakers — they cooked flat cakes between two metal plates held over burning embers.

• Belgian Waffles
• Smoked Chicken & Cheddar Buttermilk Waffles
• Banana Waffles With Toasted Pecans
• Buttermilk Waffles

Summer 1992 -- point of crisis for FEMA and the George H.W. Bush Administration

On this date in History:
On August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew smashed into Florida, causing record damage; the storm was blamed for 55 deaths in Florida, Louisiana and the Bahamas.

On this date, what was President T.R. (Teddy Roosevelt) doing?

from NY TIMES e-newsletter (daily):

ON THIS DAY

On August 22, 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt became the first United States chief executive to take a public automobile ride.

Hawaii Statehood (on this date in History)

ON THIS DAY

On August 21, 1959, President Eisenhower signed an executive order proclaiming Hawaii the 50th state of the union.

September 1 as Day of Prayer -- focus for the ENVIRONMENT (2015)

from PBS dot-org (Religion and Ethics Newsweekly):

Pope Designates Day of Prayer for the Environment

August 14, 2015

This week (mid-August 2015) Pope Francis said he will designate September 1st as the “World Day for the Prayer for the Care of Creation.” With this move, the Catholic Church joins the Orthodox Church in observing the day of prayer for the environment. The National Council of Churches welcomed the pope’s announcement as a sign of “Christian unity” and called for more churches to join in.

Cultural figure (Music's "King") died on this date in 1977 at age 42

ON THIS DAY

On August 16, 1977, the singer Elvis Presley died at Graceland Mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, at age 42.

The independence of India and Pakistan from British colonial rule (On This Date in history)

On Aug. 15, 1947, India and Pakistan became independent after some 200 years of British rule.

NYTIMES dot-com e-newsletter on August 15, 2015.

Translator living in Cologne, Germany was first to Print a book in English languagge (1475)

Happy Birthday to William Caxton!  He was born in Kent, England (in 1422). He was a wealthy trader and merchant, and also a part-time linguist and translator. He was living in Cologne, Germany, when he translated a book about the history of Troy.
The printing press had been invented about 25 years earlier, but it had only recently started to spread beyond Germany. Caxton realized that the new technology of printing would make the job of distributing his book a lot easier. So instead of copying the book by hand, he printed The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye in 1475.
He eventually went back to England, where he established the first English printing press. He printed all the available English literature, including Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (c. 1478). For a long time, people in England called printed books Caxtons.
[from Writer's Almanac dot-org (American Public Media, Garrison Keillor)]

Reminder to all of us who are "Left-handers"

Today is Left-Hander's Day!

Everything Almanac

August 13, 2015

 

August 13 is Left-Handers Day! If you or the lefties in your life feel excluded, forgotten, or even mistreated year-round due to your left-handedness, today is the RIGHT (haha!) day to celebrate being a lefty!

100th Anniversary of "The Road Not Taken" -- poem by Robert Frost

As noted at Diane Rehm Show website (http://drshow.org) - NPR sponsored call-in daily show:
Thursday, Aug 20, 2015 • 11 a.m. (ET)

The 100th Anniversary of Robert Frost’s Poem, “The Road Not Taken”

On the 100th anniversary of the publication of Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken," a discussion about why the poem and poet are well-loved but misunderstood.

Six books on President Obama's Summer Vacation Reading List (August 2015) - Washington Post article

'All That Is,' by James Salter;

'All the Light We Cannot See,' by Anthony Doerr;

'The Sixth Extinction,' by Elizabeth Kolbert;

'The Lowland,' by Jhumpa Lahiri;

'Between the World and Me,' by Ta-Nehisi Coates;

'Washington: A Life,' by Ron Chernow.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/08/13/president-obama-assigned-himself-52-hours-of-reading-on-vacation/

Please pray for former POTUS: Jimmy Carter -- cartercenter.org

from NY TIMES coverage of his health condition (details being released to public):
(August 13, 2015)
Former President Jimmy Carter announced on Wednesday that he had been given a diagnosis of a spreading cancer that was detected by recent liver surgery.

“I will be rearranging my schedule as necessary so I can undergo treatment,” Mr. Carter, 90, said in a statement. “A more complete public statement will be made when facts are known, possibly next week.”

The announcement, which revealed few details about Mr. Carter’s condition, came nine days after doctors at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta performed an elective procedure that removed “a small mass” from his liver. At the time, the former president’s office said that “the prognosis is excellent for a full recovery.

 

Mr. Carter, who left the White House in 1981 and has enjoyed the longest post-presidency in American history, has an extensive family history of cancer. His father and three siblings all died of pancreatic cancer, a disease that was also found in his mother. Mr. Carter gave no indication on Wednesday whether his pancreas had been affected, and his spokeswoman declined to elaborate beyond the former president’s three-sentence statement.

A great storyteller -- born on this day

August 11 is the birthday of short-story writer Andre Dubus, born in Lake Charles, Louisiana (1936). He wrote stories about regular people like bartenders, mechanics, and waitresses in collections such as The Cage Keeper and Other Stories (1989) and Dancing After Hours (1996). In 1986, after publishing several books of short stories, Dubus stopped to help a woman and a man stranded on the side of the highway, and he was hit by a passing car. He saved the woman’s life by throwing her out of the way, but he lost one of his legs and spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair. He said, “Some of my characters now feel more grateful about simple things — breathing, buying groceries, sunlight — because I do.” He also said, “We don’t have to live great lives, we just have to understand and survive the ones we’ve got.”
from Writer's Almanac (American Public Media: Garrison Keillor) / / /

Taking DISCIPLE BIBLE STUDY into Prisons (statewide effort of United Methodist Conference leaders)

from IGRC (Illinois Great Rivers Conference Communications director Paul Black):
Training for people interested in leading DISCIPLE Bible Study in their local church and/or taking the Bible Study into prisons and jails will be held Saturday August 15, 2015.

The training will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Crossroads of Faith UMC in the Northern Illinois Conference (UMC). For more information, contact the church at 630-759-5400.

A continental breakfast will be at 8:30 a.m. with the morning session running from 9 a.m. to noon and the afternoon session from 12:45 p.m. to 3 p.m.

This workshop will equip you with the tools to facilitate the teaching of DISCIPLE Bible Study in both the local church and within the prison context.  We will teach you many of the do's and don'ts involved in both prison ministry and the teaching of DISCIPLE Bible Study. 

Who are "indigenous people"? -- International Day (CWS Twitter Page) - August 9, 2015

Today is International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples! Gregorio Galarza is a Guarani indigenous man from Kapiguasuti, Bolivia. He and his neighbors started small gardens with CWS support, supplementing their corn-based diet with nutritious vegetables and fruits. -- www.cws.org/

Perseid Meteor Showers to cap on August 12 - 13 (2015 peak will be "moonless")

from CNN dot-com (August 8, 2015 online article):

A moonless evening could give stargazers a fantastic light show next week.

The annual Perseid meteor shower, which is known for being among the brightest of meteor showers, is happening near the tail end of summer.

The major meteor shower will be visible in the Northern Hemisphere.

"If you see one meteor shower this year, make it August's Perseids or December's Geminids," NASA says. "The Perseids feature fast and bright meteors that frequently leave trains, and in 2015 there will be no moonlight to upstage the shower."

 

The best part about the showing is that it will happen a day before the new moon, meaning the night skies will be dark and perfect for meteor spotting. Under clear and dark skies, observers could expect to see up to 100 shooting stars an hour.

Astronomy experts say that those conditions have not been available since 2010.

Stargazers, campers or simply astronomy lovers will not need any additional equipment like a telescope to see the meteor shower. These fiery streaks of light should be visible to the naked eye that evening. But going to a rural area, away from urban spaces that are filled with light pollution, will increase the chances of seeing the Perseid meteor shower.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/08/world/perseid-meteor-shower-2015/

Joint Prayer for Peaceful Resolution of Korean Peninsula (August 9, 2015)

Material provided by General Board of Church & Society (United Methodist agency):
The “2015 Sunday Prayer for the Peaceful Reunification of the Korean Peninsula” follows:

South and North Koreas’ joint prayer for peaceful reunification

Lord who oversees our history!

This year, we face the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan. On the day when we passed beyond the bitter persecution of the Japanese colonial era, our people sang a song of liberation. The song from our deep hearts flowed down like a stream of tears from everywhere South/North, North/South, Pyongyang/Seoul and Seoul/Pyongyang. Today, the roar of that day echoes through our hearts. However, we have been living with as much hatred as in the Japanese colonial era with our hostile divided state. Oh Lord have mercy on us!

Lord of Comfort!

It’s been 70 years since we were divided. Although the Jews, who were taken captive to Babylon, returned to their home freely as prophesied; we are living without embracing the hope of Reunification that we had expected would come soon. Now all land routes, railroads and seaways are blocked despite having traveled them more freely under Japanese colonial era. We live in nothing but an unfree situation in which bugs, animals, seeds, and the fruit of trees also are confined in South and North / North and South. Oh Lord, let the liberation of that day live in our hearts again. Let us prepare our song in a chorus of reunification from all over the world.

Lord of Peace!

Like the unchanging sky and land, strong nations surrounding this land have been continually pressuring us, the same as it had ever been, for 70 years. We, sometimes, expected them to come in the role of a mediator of peace; however, militarily and economically they have considered their own advantage first. Recently a military alliance between the U.S. and Japan has been strengthened, and an alliance between China and Russia has stabilized. They fan the flame of crisis by perpetually competing in an arms race by promoting exclusive military cooperation agreements. The way that our people can survive by ourselves is to hold exchanges, to communicate with each other, and to be reconciled, cooperating together; however, we are foolishly reinforcing our dividing wall even more. Oh Lord, change our minds and help us to repent of our sin.

Lord of Mercy!

Waiting for 70 years, we hope the complete peace of the Lord will be manifest in this world. We eagerly wish that our history of conflict and fighting which has been recurring for 70 years will soon be over. Brother and sister shared one same blood; our people, who (traditionally) wore the white garments, expect to recover our high dignity through beautiful union and peaceful reunification in East Asia and the world. We are dreaming that news of reconciliation will ripple through the East Sea and South Sea all around us, and that the news of peace be a great wind gusting out to Eurasia passing over Mt. Baekdu and to the Pacific Ocean passing over Jeju Island. Oh Lord, please fulfill our hopes without fail.

Lord who makes one!

At This moment when South and North / North and South are praying for reunification with one heart, make us into apostles of peace. Just like Jesus’ disciples, who became messengers of reconciliation after overcoming all fear, let all of us who were called as Christians be able to fulfill the duties of “the ministry of reconciliation.”

We pray in Jesus name, the one who achieved victory over death on the Cross, was resurrected, and gave us eternal life. Amen.

National Council of Churches in Korea                Korean Christian Federation Central Committee

 

http://umc-gbcs.org/faith-in-action/joint-prayer-for-peaceful-reunification-of-korean-peninsula

Report -- One U.S. soldier killed today (reported at 8 a.m. Eastern Time by Pentagon) -- in Afghanistan

Reported in Twitter by ABC NEWS dot-com:
U.S. officials say one American service member was killed in last night's attack on Camp Integrity in Kabul.  Eight Afghan contractors also killed.
http://abcnews.go.com/politics

On this date in American cultural and civic history (August 8, 1974)

On Aug. 8, 1974, President Richard Nixon announced he would resign following damaging revelations in the Watergate scandal.

Happy 72nd Birthday, Garrison Keillor!

The celebrated author and musician continues to be a main draw for American Public Media (Minnesota Public Radio).
Garrison Keillor was born Gary Edward Keillor on August 7, 1942, in Anoka, a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. He was one of six children in the family. His father was of English, as well as Welsh and German, descent, and his paternal grandfather was Canadian. His maternal grandparents were Scottish immigrants.

Keillor graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor's degree in English in 1966. There he began his broadcasting career on the student-operated radio station, named Radio K. In 1969 he began writing for The New Yorker. On July 6, 1974 he started "A Prairie Home Companion" in a St. Paul college theatre before an audience of twelve people. In 1987, he moved to New York where, in 1989, he started "The American Radio Company", which after four seasons returned to the name "A Prairie Home Companion" in 1993, and is again based in Minnesota. From 1996-2001 Keillor authored an advice column, titled "Mr. Blue", on Salon.com. He resigned after having a heart surgery in 2001. Since June of 2005 Garrison Keillor has been a syndicated newspaper columnist at Salon.com.

Garrison Keillor is a prolific author with over 100 of written or recorded works. He is also a storyteller, performance artist, radio host and comedian. He published eleven books, including three books for children. He is married to Jenny Lind Nilsson, a violinist in the Minnesota Opera Orchestra, with whom he has a daughter. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his wife and daughter, and owns a Manhattan apartment. (main page BIOGRAPHY at Internet Movie DataBase dot-com)
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0445087/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

Prayer Concern - Episcopal Leader (Jonathan Keaton)

August 6, 2015 --- He is on a medical and renewal leave (story detail in Aug. 6 -- National UM News Service story / online article):
http://www.umc.org/news-and-media/conference-sues-breakaway-church-over-assets

FIRST PARAGRAPH of online article:
The Illinois Great Rivers Conference filed a lawsuit Aug. 6, 2015 seeking to keep property now used by a breakaway congregation.

Exactly 8:15 a.m. Local Time on August 6, 1945 -- conclusion of World War II (Pacific Theater, Japan)

from Writer's Almanac dot-org (American Public Media, Garrison Keillor):
Seventy years ago today, in 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The American B-29 bomber Enola Gay released the bomb, which was nicknamed “Little Boy,” at 8:16 in the morning, local time. Sixty-two thousand buildings were destroyed by the blast, which was equivalent to more than 12,000 tons of TNT. Eighty thousand people were killed on impact, and 35,000 died over the next week of their injuries or radiation poisoning. Sixty thousand more died over the next year. The bomb exploded over a hospital, and 90 percent of the city’s doctors were killed in the blast. It was the beginning of the end of World War II; Germany had already surrendered and Japan would follow after the U.S. dropped a second bomb on Nagasaki three days later.
A year later, The New Yorker devoted an entire issue to the publication of an article by John Hersey. The article, called simply “Hiroshima,” followed the lives of six survivors of the blast. The magazine’s founder and editor Harold Ross wrote to E.B. White: “Hersey has written thirty thousand words on the bombing of Hiroshima [...] one hell of a story, and we are wondering what to do about it [...] [William Shawn, managing editor] wants to wake people up, and says we are the people with a chance to do it, and probably the only people that will do it, if it is done.”
“Hiroshima” begins: “At exactly fifteen minutes past eight in the morning, on August 6th, 1945, Japanese time, at the moment when the atomic bomb flashed above Hiroshima, Miss Toshiko Sasaki, a clerk in the personnel department at the East Asia Tin Works, had just sat down at her place in the plant office and was turning her head to speak to the girl at the next desk.”

Parade Float entries sought -- Saturday August 22, 2015 (details / registration that day only)

If you are interested in entering a float in the Cowden (IL) PIONEER DAYS parade :
-The parade will start on Saturday, August 22, 2015 at 10 a.m. by the Cowden Medical Center.
-There will be no pre-registration. Entries should arrive by 9:30 a.m. and there will be a group of people in charge of getting the necessary information and placing you in line.
-Prizes will be awarded!
https://www.facebook.com/CowdenPioneerDays

Volume on John Wesley's Letters (forthcoming in JOHN_WESLEY_WORKS series) - October this year

I had asked the Associate Editor of the important Church History / Doctrine / Methodism series via e-mail to him at Duke Divinity School (Duke University, Durham, NC) about the Nov. 2015 announced title that would be sold and distributed by Abingdon Press (United Methodist Publishing House):

Dear Timothy,

 

We have just completed galley corrections on volume 27 and it will be out by October.

I am afraid that the volume on Social – Economic Issues is a way down our current list of appearing volumes. The volume to appear next year will likely by the Oxford Diaries volume. I would not expect the Social-Economic volume to be published for at least 4-5 years given the current line up ahead of it.

 

Grace and peace,

Randy.

Trilateral agreement on Nuclear Testing (52 years ago today)

from NY TIMES dot-com:
On August 5, 1963, the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union signed a treaty in Moscow banning nuclear tests in the atmosphere, outer space, and underwater.

What does V.I.M. stand for? Event sponsored in Central Illinois - August 22, 2015

VIM Team Leadership Training

Peoria First UMC will be hosting a UM Volunteers in Mission Team Leadership Training, Aug. 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This training is open to all churches.  

 

Cost for the training is $35 per person for class materials and lunch (payable at the door). Contact Dan Philips by email or by calling 309-673-3641.

 

This six-hour training equips individuals to lead national and international teams to approved United Methodist project sites. It touches on what constitutes an UMVIM team, team duties, trips for travel and fundraising, timeline for organizing a team, forms and insurance needs.

High School Staffing -- Cowden-Herrick (Illinois) District Math Teacher - Algreba to Calculus

COWDEN-HERRICK C.U.S.D. #3A IS NOW HIRING:

A HIGH SCHOOL MATH TEACHER
Start Date will be MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2015
Certified Algebra I & II, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Calculus

APPLICATION DEADLINE IS JULY 17, 2015

Send resume, letter of interest, transcripts, and copy of certification information to:

Mr. Darrell Gordon, Supt.
Cowden-Herrick CUSD 3A,
PO Box 188,
Cowden, IL 62422

Who was Pierre Charles L'Enfant?

from CBS Sunday Morning "Almanac" - www.cbsnews.com/
August 2, 1754, 261 years ago today ... the day Pierre Charles L'Enfant was born in Paris.
Highly-educated, he traveled to America in 1777 and served as a civil engineer in the Revolutionary Army.
In 1791 President Washington commissioned him to plan the new capital city that was to rise on the banks of the Potomac River.
L'Enfant's design called for a rectangular street grid, intersected by a series of diagonal avenues named for the states.

The "dotted line" rendition of Pierre Charles L'Enfant's design of Federal City, dated 1791.

Library of Congress

He gave Congress a home on top of what came to be known as Capitol Hill -- while on the other side of town he placed the official home for the President, just north of the broad, park-like Mall.
L'Enfant died in 1825 at the age of 70, but his design for Washington, D.C., lived on, though with a few encroachments -- among them, a railroad station right in the middle of the Mall (the very station where President James Garfield would be assassinated in 1881).
To improve matters, Congress in 1901 created the McMillan Commission, a professional body that largely restored the Mall to L'Enfant's original design, and which also developed the riverbank land that later became home to the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials.
Today, Washington, D.C.'s layout is still basically as L'Enfant envisioned it, with the National Mall serving as center stage for Fourth of July celebrations and other grand occasions.

Chess Tournament (August 8, 2015) - Niles District Library (Niles, MI)

Entry into this tournament (August 8, 10 a.m.) is free for all and only a USCF membership is required.  All players have to keep "score" of their games and follow the USCF tournament rules. The time controls will be G/40.  If you have any questions, contact the tournament director, Marty Klubeck, at klubeck.1@nd.edu.

www.nileslibrary.net/

What to write about? -- quotation from Writer's Almanac (August 1, 2015)

“Good writing is always about things that are important to you, things that are scary to you, things that eat you up.” —John Edgar Wideman.
www.writersalmanac.org/

Blog Postings now number 3,000 ( http://faithfor2008.blogspot.com/ )

TO: Avid Reader
Thanks for paying attention to this small part of the World Wide Web.  I began blogging on Dec. 16, 2007 in a not very regular manner but now try to be disciplined and to post at least 30 times per month.  Please let me know if any of the paragraphs or mini-essays have helped you.  Grace and Peace in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ -- from Timothy J. Shaw [ trs5678@gmail.com ]

Happy Birthday, Herman Melville!

from Writer's Almanac (American Public Media, Garrison Keillor):
August 1 is the birthday of the man who said, "It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation." That's the novelist and poet Herman Melville, born in New York City (1819). His father died when Melville was 12, leaving the family almost penniless. As a young man, he tried working first as a banker, then a teacher. When he was 26, he went to sea and ended up deserting his post on a ship in the South Pacific, living for several months with the Typee natives. He wrote a popular account of this experience called Typees: A Peep Into Polynesian Life (1846).
After his years at sea, Melville married and settled down in the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, where he befriended his neighbor, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and began to experiment writing allegorical novels that were not well received. Moby-Dick came out in 1851, and was soon followed by Pierre and The Confidence Man. None were critical successes. He eventually accepted a job as a customs inspector in New York, where he quietly worked for the next 20 years, gaining a reputation for his honesty amid the expected bribery.
When he died of a heart attack at the age of 72, his obituary in the local New York Times was just four lines. It wasn't until the 1920s, when British university students became interested in his nautical tales, that Melville was rediscovered and his works were put back into print.

8 a.m. This Morning (Central Time Zone)

Second Annual "Caring for Cowden" (Shelby County, IL - USA)
Gently used clothing, furniture, appliances, and more donated items will be available free of charge to anyone in the area who needs them.  All items are in good condition.  Hours are 8 a.m. to Noon.
The giveaway will be held in the Fellowship Hall of First Christian Church, 404 E. Locust St., Cowden, IL 62422.  No appointment is necessary.  Contact Pastor Nate Harper or church official at 217-783-2194 or 217-783-2192.