Requiem service (Nov. 2: 6:30 p.m. Evensong): National Cathedral

www.cathedral.org/

All Souls Requiem

Wednesday, November 2, 2016 | 7:30 p.m.

Join us for the Commemoration of All Faithful Departed: All Souls Requiem, remembering at this Holy Eucharist those who have passed from this world. The Choir of Men and Girls will sing the service set to the music of Maurice Duruflé’s moving Requiem. All are welcome.
3101 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20016

Bishop Gudziak (Ukrainian Catholic - Byzantine Rite Eastern) - "Ukraine, Democratic Revolution, Challenges" (lecture 11/1/2016)

Bishop Borys Gudziak, president of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine, and a leader of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, will present the Keeley Vatican Lecture at noon Tuesday (Nov. 1, 2016) in McKenna Hall’s lower level, campus of University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN.
Sponsored by the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, Bishop Gudziak’s lecture, titled “Ukraine, Democratic Revolution, and the Challenges of a Catholic University,” is free and open to the public.
A. James McAdams, director of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, describes Bishop Gudziak as “a major figure in the Eastern Catholic Church who has demonstrated that it is possible to create a vibrant Catholic community in a country previously ruled by a dictatorship.”
Bishop Gudziak was born in the United States to Ukrainian parents. After earning dual degrees in philosophy and biology at Syracuse University, he studied theology and ecclesiastical sciences at the Pontificia Università Urbaniana and went on to earn his Ph.D. in Slavic and Byzantine cultural history from Harvard University in 1992. He then moved permanently to Lviv, where he was ordained in 1998, joined a commission for the revival of the Lviv Theological Academy, founded a new Institute of Church History and became the rector (and later president) of the Ukrainian Catholic University.
Gudziak has been a prominent leader in higher education in Ukraine after years of communist regime. An important voice in the Orange Revolution (2004-2005), which occurred in response to a controversial election decided in favor of Viktor Yanukovych, Gudziak also played a key role in Ukraine’s peaceful demonstrations in the Maidan of Kiev in 2013.
McAdams notes that Gudziak “has presented Ukrainian citizens with a vivid image of how to live with integrity and honor in a country still struggling with the vestiges of communism. He exhibited extraordinary leadership in the founding of the Ukrainian Catholic University and has inspired a generation of Ukrainian students and scholars.”
In 2013, Pope Benedict XVI elevated Bishop Gudziak to the Paris Eparchy of Saint Volodymyr the Great, the territorial diocese for the Ukrainian Catholic Church in France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Germany. The Ukrainian Catholic Church is a Byzantine Rite Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See.

What was "before Halloween / All Hallows"? Samhain (Writer's Almanac article)

from American Public Media (Garrison Keillor, host)
Today is All Hallows’ Eve, or Halloween. It’s believed to originate in the Celtic festival of Samhain, a pre-Christian festival held around November 1 to mark the end of summer and the beginning of winter. It was the biggest holiday of the Celtic year: a combination of harvest festival, New Year’s Eve, and community meeting. Animals were brought in from the pasture and made secure for the coming winter, and some of them were slaughtered to provide salted meat for the winter. It was also a time of year when the veil between living and dead was particularly porous, so the spirits of the dearly departed were more easily able to return to their earthly homes. And it meant that other otherworldly creatures — like fairies, leprechauns, and other tricksters — were more likely to be among us. But even though ghosties and ghoulies wandered among the living during Samhain, the supernatural wasn’t the main focus of the holiday the way it is for Halloween.
As the Christian Church grew, Samhain blended with a Christian holiday known as All Saints’ Day, All Hallows’ Day, or Hallowmas, which was originally observed in May but later moved to November 1. It was a time for believers to honor and remember those who had passed on to heaven. This blending was not coincidental. Early Christian leaders told their missionaries that if they wanted to convert pagans to Christianity, they shouldn’t waste time on trying to suppress their rituals and practices, but rather they should consecrate those practices to Christ and incorporate them wherever possible. This had the effect of establishing Christianity among the pagans — but it also preserved many of the pagan practices instead of quashing them. So Samhain and All Saints’ Day rituals influenced each other and eventually merged, and that is when we begin to see the traditions that we associate with Halloween today.
One such tradition was the practice of “souling,” common in Britain and Ireland in the Middle Ages. Poor people would go door to door on Hallowmas and offer to pray for the souls of the family’s dead relatives, in exchange for an offering of food. It mingled with the practice of “mumming”: dressing up in costumes and performing wacky antics in exchange for food and drink, and eventually trick-or-treating became a traditional part of Halloween.

Beecher City, IL Trick-or-Treat hours (Oct. 31, 2016) plus other nearby communities

from XFM -- 97.9 radio website

Altamont- Trick-or-treat hours from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31.

Beecher City- Trick-or-treat hours from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31.

Dieterich- Trick-or-treat hours from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31.


City of Effingham, IL trick-or-treat hours from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31.
The Effingham Performance Center will host their 2nd annual Trunk or Treat on Monday, October 31st from 6:00p.m. until 8:00p.m. This event will take place in the south parking lot of the Effingham Performance Center located at 1325 Outer Belt W Effingham, IL 62401.

Flora- Trick-or-treat hours from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31.

Louisville- Trick-or-treat hours from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31.
Montrose- Trick-or-treat hours from 6 to 8 p.m., Monday, Oct. 31


St. Elmo- Trick-or-treat hours from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31.
Stewardson- Trick-or-treat hours 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31.

Halloween Parade winners - Centenary UM Church Youth (Effingham, IL)

look at the winners in Sunday's Effingham Sunrise Rotary Halloween Parade:
BUSINESS:
1st--HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital
2nd--Washington Savings Bank
3rd--Heartland Family Dental

ORGANIZATION:
1st--Effingham County (IL) Right-to-Life
2nd--Effingham County Humane Society
3rd--First Presbyterian Church

YOUTH:
1st--Centenary United Methodist Church
2nd--First Church of God
3rd--St. John's Lutheran Church

JUNIOR HIGH BAND WINNER:
Newton (IL) St. Thomas (parochial school)

HIGH SCHOOL BAND WINNER:
Teutopolis (IL)

www.979xfm.com/ NEWS Section

Author Ken Corley - Library appearance - talk (new book titled THROW_OUT_THE_WATER)

Author Ken Corley of Springfield, IL at Shelbyville Public Library (IL)
Saturday, October 29, 2016 10:00 A.M. - 12:00 Noon
Shelbyville native Kevin Corley will be back in his hometown on October 29th with his new book, “Throw Out The Water.” The follow-up to his first book, “Sixteen Tons,” focuses on the Christian County, IL coal mine war from 1933 to 1937 in which there were bombings, gunfights, and unsolved murders. He’ll be at the Shelbyville Public Library to meet and greet.

http://jg-tc.com/calendar/author-ken-corley-at-shelbyville-public-library/event_c47a7e96-918c-11e6-976c-47b807c0aa3b.html

Chicago Sports Teams - IL Secretary of State License Plates can support Public Schools Statewide - October, 2016

from IL Secretary of State website:

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White is encouraging Chicago Cubs fans to support their World Series-bound team and public education by purchasing Cubs license plates for their vehicles. “With the team advancing to the World Series for the first time in 71 years, this is a great time to get a Cubs license plate,” White said. “It’s a win-win situation. Chicago Cubs fans can memorialize this historic moment and public school students across the state will benefit from the purchase.” The Chicago Blackhawks were the first Chicago sports team to unveil a team license plate in October 2010, followed by the Cubs, Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox. The Chicago Sports Team Series License Plates have raised more than $4.75 million to support public schools statewide. The Cubs license plates have raised more than $700,000 dollars for public education. Twenty-five dollars from each license plate sale and renewal goes to the Professional Sports Teams Education Fund and is earmarked for the Common School Fund, which supports public schools throughout the state of Illinois.

The number of license plates sold for each team is as follows:
•Chicago Cubs 6,733
•Chicago Blackhawks 20,418
•Chicago Bears 7,409 •Chicago Bulls 2,941
•Chicago White Sox 11,642

Fans can order random number, personalized or vanity license plates. The cost to purchase random number plates for a currently titled vehicle with valid Illinois registration is $69. Pricing varies for vanity and personalized license plates. The public can order vanity and personalized plates by visiting www.cyberdriveillinois.com and clicking on the “Pick-A-Plate” icon.

Happy National Pumpkin Day -- 26th October annually

from Norfolk, VA Television reporter's posting / story:

October 26 is right in the midst of pumpkin frenzy. It’s the perfect time to carve that Halloween Jack-O-Lantern and you’re probably surrounded by pumpkin spice everything!

Here are a few fun facts about pumpkins to share with your friends:

• The United States produces 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins, with Illinois producing more than any other state. In fact, the self-proclaimed pumpkin capital of the world is Morton, Illinois.
• The word pumpkin originates from the word pepon, which means “large melon” in Greek.
• The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake.
• The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,140 pounds.
• Pumpkins are a member of the gourd family, which includes cucumbers, honeydew melons, cantaloupe, watermelons and zucchini. These plants are native to Central America and Mexico, but now grow on six continents.

Corn Harvest nearly completed (week of Oct. 26, 2016) - Report by U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

www.wandtv.com/ News:

USDA: Corn, soybean harvest nearly finished in Illinois

Springfield, Ill. (Associated Press report) - Federal agriculture officials say the corn and soybean harvest is almost finished in Illinois.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said this week the corn harvest in the state is 83 percent complete. That's compared to 91 percent complete the same time last year. However on the five-year average, the corn harvest by this time of the season was 77 percent complete.
The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service also says winter wheat planting is getting well underway in Illinois. So far 68 percent of the crop has been planted and 38 percent of it has emerged.
Illinois' pasture and range conditions rated 70 percent at good to excellent condition.
http://www.wandtv.com/story/33484778/usda-corn-soybean-harvest-nearly-finished-in-illinois

THANKS for October 1 - 31 support of this blog by Pageviews -- Statistics published by Google on
the last day of the month are =

Pageviews today

179

Corn Harvest nearly completed (week of Oct. 26, 2016) - Report by U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

www.wandtv.com/ News:

USDA: Corn, soybean harvest nearly finished in Illinois

Springfield, Ill. (Associated Press report) - Federal agriculture officials say the corn and soybean harvest is almost finished in Illinois.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said this week the corn harvest in the state is 83 percent complete. That's compared to 91 percent complete the same time last year. However on the five-year average, the corn harvest by this time of the season was 77 percent complete.
The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service also says winter wheat planting is getting well underway in Illinois. So far 68 percent of the crop has been planted and 38 percent of it has emerged.
Illinois' pasture and range conditions rated 70 percent at good to excellent condition.
http://www.wandtv.com/story/33484778/usda-corn-soybean-harvest-nearly-finished-in-illinois

THANKS for October 1 - 31 support of this blog by Pageviews -- Statistics published by Google on
the last day of the month are =

Pageviews today

203

On this date -- 1769 observation by John Wesley, A.M.

from John Wesley's JOURNAL -- 24 October 1769
"This evening there was such an Aurora Borealis as I never saw before: the colors, both the white, the flame-color, and the scarlet, were so exceeding strong and beautiful.  But they were Awe - ful, too; so that abundance of people were frighted into many good resolutions."

Meet the Calligrapher / Artist behind the "St. John's Bible" (fully illuminated)

from ND dot-edu websites =

Ancient Techniques in a Modern World: A lecture by Donald Jackson

Wednesday October 26, 2016, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Andrews Auditorium in Geddes Hall, Notre Dame Campus

Explore the sacred text and art of the St. John's Bible with Donald Jackson, the calligrapher who dared to create a fully illuminated Bible for the modern age.
The McGrath Institute for Church Life is bringing the St. John's Bible Heritage Edition to Notre Dame. Beginning in January, view the rich beauty of the Bible and attend lectures, interactive events and more.
http://calendar.nd.edu/events/cal/week/CAL-2c9360a9-2e48cb33-012e-593bdd9b-00006e46calendar@nd.edu/35_All+Events/CAL-2c9360a9-57c238b7-0157-c49938d7-00003be1calendar@nd.edu

2016 Halloween (local hours and date) - Cowden IL 62422

from Lake Shelbyville website announcement -- Events / Halloween.html :

Friday Oct. 28 6 - 8 p.m.

Cowden's Trick or Treat Night. Please remember to only go to houses with the porch light on. Make sure your parents check your treats before consuming

http://www.lakeshelbyville.com/events/halloween.htm

A day for 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration equals Invention of Electric Light Bulb

from NY TIMES List-serv:

ON THIS DAY

On October 21, 1879, Thomas Edison

invented a workable electric light

at his laboratory in Menlo Park, N.J.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Theodore Roosevelt (born on Oct. 27, 1858)!

Born 1858 - Died 1919

Roosevelt's youth differed sharply from that of the log cabin presidents. He was born in New York City in 1858 into a wealthy family, but he too struggled against ill health and in his triumph became an advocate of the strenuous life.
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/bios/theodore-roosevelt?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=Teddy%20Roosevelt%20Bio

Leaving the presidency in 1909, Roosevelt went on an African safari, then jumped back into politics. In 1912 he ran for president on the Progressive Party ticket. To reporters he once remarked that he felt as fit as a "bull moose," the nickname of his new party.
While campaigning in Milwaukee, he was shot in the chest by a fanatic. Roosevelt soon recovered, but his words at that time remained applicable at the time of his death in 1919: "No man has had a happier life than I have led; a happier life in every way."

from "White House History" website -- TR served as President from 1901 - 1909 -- initially from succeeding when Wm McKinley was assassinated following their election in Nov. 1900 as President - Vice President (Republican Party) but from his own election in 1904.

Sonnet 73 (Shakespeare)

cited today in "Writer's Almanac" (American Public Media website):
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see’st the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west;
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire,
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire
Consumed with that which it was nourish’ d by.
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

“Sonnet 73: That Time of Year Thou Mayst in Me Behold” by William Shakespeare. Public Domain.

On this date in 1739: John Wesley preaches at Cardiff

from John Wesley's JOURNAL (19 October 1739 entry)
"At four I preached at the Shire Hall of Cardiff again, where many gentry, I found, were present.  Such freedom of speech I have seldom had, as was given me in explaining those words: 'The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Romans 14:17 KJV).' At six almost the whole town (I was informed) came together; to whom I explained the six last beatitudes; but my heart was so enlarged, I knew not how to give over, so that we continued three hours."

Who was Luke the Evangelist? Today is his feast day / martyrdom anniversary

from Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America website dot-org:
Excerpt of much longer article =
Luke was one of the Seventy Disciples that the Lord Jesus Christ sent before Him, two by two, to announce salvation in the towns and villages. Luke was in Jerusalem at the time of the life-giving Passion and, on Easter morning, walked with Cleopas (whose feast day is October 30) towards the village of Emmaus, distraught at the loss of the Master. But sadness was turned into unspeakable joy when Christ, whom they were unable to recognize when He joined them on the way, revealed to them in the breaking of bread that He was really and truly risen (Luke 24:35). After the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, Luke remained for a time in Jerusalem where there were already disciples. Some say that on his way back to Antioch he stopped to preach the Good News at Sebaste in Samaria, where he obtained the relic of the right hand of the Holy Forerunner (i.e. John the Baptizer), which he took as a precious trophy to his own city. It was, therefore, at Antioch where he met Saint Paul in the course of his second missionary journey and accompanied him thence to proclaim salvation in Greece.
But another tradition says that Luke did not know the Lord during His earthly sojourn, and that he met Saint Paul while working as a physician at Thebes in Boeotia during the reign of Claudius (c. 42 AD). The Apostle’s fiery words convinced him of he Truth that he had vainly sought in the wisdom of this world for so many years. Without hesitation, he gave up all that he had and his profession in physical medicine to follow Paul and become the beloved physician (Colossians 4:14) of souls.
He went with the Apostle in his journeys from Troas to Philippi, where Paul left him to nurture the newly born Church. Luke remained in Macedonia for some years and, when Paul visited Philippi again during his third journey (AD 58), he sent him to Corinth to receive the collection made by the faithful there for the needs of the poor at Jerusalem. They went together to the Holy City, strengthening the Churches on their way. When Paul was arrested in Jerusalem and transferred to Caesarea, Luke remained with him. He accompanied Paul to Rome and describes their difficult and eventful voyage at the end of the Acts of the Apostles (chapters 27-28).
Luke wrote his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles at Rome in obedience to Paul, dedicating the Acts to Theophilus, the Governor of Achaia, who was a convert. In his Gospel, Luke adds details which are not found in the first two evangelists: in telling of the Savior’s life, he especially stresses His mercy and compassion for sinful humanity that He has come to visit as a Physician (Luke 4:23; 5:31). And in the Acts, after telling of all that happened in the foundation of the Church at Jerusalem, he gives most attention to the work of his master, Saint Paul, who labored more abundantly than all the other Apostles in spreading the glad tidings of salvation.
After two years of imprisonment in Rome, Paul was released and immediately resumed his traveling ministry, followed by his faithful disciple Luke. But Nero launched his furious persecution of the Christians in Rome soon after, and Paul returned to the city at the risk of his life to strengthen the faithful there. He was arrested, put in chains, and held in far worse conditions than before. Luke remained steadfastly faithful to his master while others forsook him ( I Timothy 4:11), and he was probably present at Saint Paul’s martyrdom, although he left no written testimony to the fact.
After the glorious death of the Apostle of the Gentiles, Luke made his way back to Achaia, preaching the Gospel in Italy, Dalmatia and Macedonia. It is said that, in his old age, amid great tribulations, he also evangelized the idolaters in Egypt. He is supposed to have gone as far as the remote Thebaid and to have consecrated Saint Abile, the second Bishop of Alexandria.
On his return to Greece, Luke became Bishop of Thebes in Boeotia; he ordained priests and deacons, established churches and healed the sick in soul and body by his prayer. The idolaters arrested him there when he was eighty-four years old. They flayed him alive and crucified him on an olive tree.

Notable anniversary from 1968 Summer Olympic Games (held in Mexico City) - athletes' defiance on medals stand

from NY TIMES list-serv:

ON THIS DAY

On October 18, 1968, the United States Olympic

Committee suspended two black athletes,

Tommie Smith and John Carlos, for giving

a "black power" salute as a protest during

a victory ceremony in Mexico City.

Happy 90th Birthday to Chuck Berry (rock-n-roll legend) -- from editor - blogger Timothy Shaw (Monday Oct. 17)

Thanks for viewing my blog - appreciation of Cultural and Historical moments - Viewers who show up on # of Pageviews today (10/17/16)  - 145

Pageviews yesterday

120

Happy 75th Birthday to Paul Simon (singer - lyricist - performer)

from Writer's Almanac (American Public Media):

Thursday October 13 is the birthday of singer and songwriter Paul Simon, born in Newark, New Jersey (1941). Simon and Garfunkel recorded their first folk album, Wednesday Morning, 3 AM, in 1964, but it only sold a few thousand copies. They figured their career was probably over, but, unbeknown to Simon and Garfunkel, their record label had added electric guitars to the song “The Sounds of Silence” and released it as a single. They had just moved back in with their parents and were sitting in Simon’s car, wondering what to do next, when they heard the song come on the radio, and the DJ said it had gone to No. 1. Simon turned to Garfunkel and said, “That Simon and Garfunkel, they must be having a great time.”

Date of YOM KIPPUR for this year and season

Yom Kippur (Hebrew: יוֹם כִּפּוּר or יום הכיפורים), Also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services. Yom Kippur completes the annual period known in Judaism as the High Holy Days (or sometimes "the Days of Awe").

Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Tues, 11 October 2016.

Corn harvest for 2016 is 62% completed (Oct. 12 news article / survey of State of Illinois)

http://www.thexradio.com/news/78-local-news/24907-illinois-corn-harvest-ahead-of-schedule-soybean-harvest-behind

Farmers are ahead of pace for corn harvest in Illinois after combining nearly one-fifth (19 percent) of the crop last week.
Corn harvest as of Tuesday (Oct. 11, 2016) was 62 percent complete statewide, 11 percent ahead of the five-year average.
“A productive harvest week allowed us to finish corn and prepare for soybeans,” said Steve Ayers, a CropWatcher from Champaign (Champaign County).
Nationwide, corn harvest on Tuesday was 35 percent complete, 3 percent behind the average pace. Corn harvest progress was at just 14 percent in Minnesota, 19 percent in Iowa, 23 percent in Nebraska and 38 percent in Indiana.
Meanwhile, soybean harvest remains slightly behind schedule due to scattered rain in recent weeks along with reports of green patches still in some fields.
“Producers are trying to get into bean fields, which are not completely cooperative with harvest intentions,” said Todd Easton, a CropWatcher from Charleston (Coles County).
Beans harvest as of Tuesday was 39 percent complete in Illinois, 7 percent behind the average pace, and 44 percent complete nationwide, 3 points off the average pace.

On this day in history (Lunar Mission in 1968)

from NY TIMES dot-com list serv:
On Oct. 11, 1968, Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission,
was launched with astronauts Wally Schirra, Donn Fulton Eisele
and R. Walter Cunningham aboard.

Mid-American Motor Works concert (Effingham, IL) - Luke Bryan Concert October 15, 2016 - 15,000 in attendance [estimate]

http://www.lukebryan.com/tour.html

Chairs & blankets are allowed in designated areas • No coolers allowed • No backpacks • No outside food or drink • No fireworks or weapons of any kind • No animals other than service animals • No video cameras or professional lens cameras • No re-entry
No glass containers on grounds • Tickets must be presented for access to parking areas
Is this a family friendly event?
This is a family friendly event with adequate security, but please be aware that alcohol will be sold at the event which is general admission and that your discretion should be used before bringing young children to the show.
If I cannot drive home, can I leave my car?
No. Plans will need to be made on your behalf in advance of the show to get you and your car home after the show ends. Please drink responsibly.
What if my car gets stuck/or I lock my keys in my car?
There may be a wrecker service on site to help with car issues (Charges will apply according to the company). If there is not a wrecker service on site, please contact your local wrecker service.

Since 1946, the National School Lunch Program (October 2016)

A Presidential Proclamation (whitehouse dot-gov):
Seventy years ago, President Harry Truman signed the National School Lunch Act, declaring "Nothing is more important in our national life than the welfare of our children, and proper nourishment comes first in attaining this welfare." This Act created the National School Lunch Program and provided lunch to 7 million children in its first year -- today, more than 30 million children depend on it each day. As we observe the 70th anniversary of this program, we recommit to ensuring access to proper nutrition throughout the school day for all our young people so that they may pursue their education and chase their dreams.
Since the beginning of my Administration, I have worked to build on the legacy of the National School Lunch Program. In 2010, the Congress passed and I signed into law the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which increased the number of students who could get subsidized or free school meals and improved the quality of school meals. For children from low-income households, meals provided by the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program may be their only reliable source of nutrition throughout the day. We are working to increase access for more children, including by using Medicaid data to automatically connect eligible students in need to free or reduced-priced meals.
During the school year, nearly 22 million children receive free and reduced-price school meals. When school is out for the summer, well over 2 million children rely on the Summer Food Service Program for nourishment. However, too many kids still lack access to adequate nutrition during the summer months, which is why I proposed investing $12 billion in my latest budget to provide supplemental summer food benefits to children who receive free and subsidized school meals during the academic year.
We must also work to give children greater access to nutritious foods and empower them to make healthy choices. Too many young people are obese or overweight and remain at risk for health problems like diabetes or heart disease later in life. First Lady Michelle Obama has championed efforts to build healthy futures for all children, particularly through the Let's Move! initiative, which has worked to provide healthier meals in our schools and ensure every family has access to healthy, affordable food. The Department of Agriculture updated school nutrition standards to make sure all school meals and snacks meet science-based nutrition criteria, and almost all schools participating in the National School Lunch Program are meeting these standards.
In order for our children to join the most prepared and educated workforce in the world, we must remember the connection between what our kids eat and how well they perform in school. During National School Lunch Week, let us reaffirm our dedication to helping America's daughters and sons succeed by guaranteeing they have access to the healthy meals they need. Let us express our gratitude for the school nutrition professionals, educators, and administrators who are helping deliver the promise of a bright future to schoolchildren across America each day.
The Congress, by joint resolution of October 9, 1962 (Public Law 87-780), as amended, has designated the week beginning on the second Sunday in October each year as "National School Lunch Week" and has requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this week.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 9 through October 15, 2016, as National School Lunch Week. I call upon all Americans to join the dedicated individuals who administer the National School Lunch Program in appropriate activities that support the health and well-being of our Nation's children.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/10/08/presidential-proclamation-national-school-lunch-week-2016

Prayer as Action LECTURE (Oct. 13) - Hesburgh Center, Univ. of Notre Dame, IN

Featuring

Tanya Schwarz

Kroc Institute Visiting Research Fellow
What are the meanings and roles of prayer for transnational faith-based organizations working in areas of peacebuilding, broadly defined? In international relations, and political science, more broadly, religious expression and practice are often assumed to be outside the realm of consequential and legitimate political action. In analyzing the meanings and roles of prayer for three faith-based peacebuilding organizations—Religions for Peace, International Justice Mission, and the Taizé Community—Schwarz uncovers how and why religious practices are included in the internal everyday activities of such organizations as well as in their transnational projects with local communities, other organizations, and governments. She demonstrates that, contrary to dominant assumptions about religious practice, prayer has a range of meanings and roles that are political, public, and part of peacebuilding “work.” Schwarz argues that practices like prayer cannot easily be categorized according to common analytical dichotomies of religious-secular, private-public, life-work, primary-peripheral, rational-emotional, and spiritual-physical, which are often relied on in international relations and development scholarship, as well as in governmental funding requirements for NGOs. Moreover, her examination of prayer shows how such dichotomous frameworks can neglect the critical roles that prayer and other practices can play in, among other areas, post-conflict reintegration projects, inter-religious bridge building, and psychological health.

What's behind the increase in maternal deaths in America (2016)?

FROM Diane Rehm Show (call-in weekday show on NPR - WAMU):
What’s Behind The Increase In Maternal Deaths In The U.S.?     

While the rate at which women die during pregnancy or childbirth has fallen in many nations, maternal deaths have been rising in the U.S. over the last fifteen years, according to several new studies. But the mortality rate differs depending on the state. It doubled in Texas from 2000 to 2014, but decreased in California. A look at what’s behind the increase in U.S. maternal mortality rates.

Guests for Oct. 12, 2016

• Dr. Catherine Spong acting director, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health; obstetrician/gynecologist specializing in maternal-fetal medicine
• Marian MacDorman maternal and child health researcher, Maryland Population Research Center, University of Maryland
• Dr. Lisa Hollier chair, Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force for the state of Texas; medical director, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; specialist in maternal fetal medicine
• Yvonne Gutierrez executive director, Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, the policy and advocacy arm of Planned Parenthood in Texas.

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2016-10-12/whats-behind-increase-in-the-u-s-maternal-death-rate

Vice President who resigned (on this date in history 1973)

ON THIS DAY

On October 10, 1973, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew

pleaded no contest to one count of federal income

tax evasion and resigned his office.

Church marks its 142nd birthday -- oops, we're really 175 years old

from IGRC dot-org web article (IL Great Rivers Annual Conference website archive):

Mt. Vernon UMC celebrates 142 years of ministry

published 9/26/2016

Mt. Vernon UMC, located in east central Champaign County, marked its 142nd anniversary of the dedication of its building Aug. 14, 2016. However, members recently found old records that date the congregation back 175 years. The first service of the Methodist Episcopal Church was held in Hezekiah Phillippe’s log home in 1841. Those early pioneers met in each other’s homes until 1874, when the current building was erected on land donated by the Phillippe family; their descendants are still members.

Harvest Supper - Cowden IL 62422

Friday October 7, 2016 beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Cowden Community Building - handicap accessible - plenty of seating

Great Food - Local home cooks / bakers / church recipes in longstanding traditions

Ham - Turkey & Noodles - Dressing
Mashed Potatoes - Corn - Green Beans
Beverage - Pie / Cake desserts

Freewill offering -- Cowden United Methodist congregation workers -

phone 217-783-2108 or 217-820-3061 for further details.

Diane Rehm call-in discussion on Millennial Voter trends

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have spent the past few weeks targeting different demographics of voters. One group both have struggled to reach: young voters under the age of 35. Polls show that millennials are about 31 percent of the electorate. And more than half identify as independent. To them, what counts more than party affiliation: How trustworthy a candidate is, and where they fall on the issues. Diane and a panel talk about results from a 2016 IPSOS/Diane Rehm Show poll, and hear from young voters and what’s driving them to vote—or not—this year.

Guests for Oct. 6, 2016 - second hour of the call-in show (weekdays)

• Clifford Young                           president, Ipsos Public Affairs, a firm that leads opinion polling for Thomson Reuters; adjunct professor, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies; lecturer, Columbia University School of International Affairs and the University of São Paulo             
• Juana Summers         editor, CNN Politics
• Sarah Audelo            Millennial Vote Director, Hillary Clinton; former Political and Field Director, Rock The Vote; former policy director, Generation Progress, Center for American Progress
• Evan Siegfried          Political commentator; president, Somm Consulting, a public affairs firm based in New York City. He's the author of "GOP GPS:How to Find the Millennials and Urban Voters the Republican Party Needs to Survive."

                                            

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Voting deadline Shelby County, IL - Nov. General Election 2016

from news coverage of Shelbyville Daily - Union dot-com:

Those wanting to vote in the upcoming General Election 2016 have until Oct. 11 (Tuesday) to register.
Anyone who has had a name or address change or will be 18 years of age by Nov. 8 needs to register by Oct. 11. This is the registration deadline to be able to vote at the polling places. Anyone who has not voted in recent elections is encouraged to have their registration status checked with the County Clerk's Office.
"There will not be voter registration at the polling places because Shelby County does not meet the population guidelines," said Shelby County Clerk Jessica Fox.

An injunction by a federal judge Tuesday (Sept. 27, 2016) halted poll site registration in highly populated areas of the state, calling the law unconstitutional.
"The injunction doesn't really affect us." Fox said.
Registration may be done at the County Clerk's Office or online at www.elections.il.gov. To register, applicants must present two forms of identification, one of which must show correct physical address.
Registration may be done at the State of Illinois Driver's Licenses facility only if there needs to be a change of information on the license.
Beginning Oct. 12, qualified voters may register and vote at the County Clerk's Office as part of the Grace Period voting. Grace Period voters must vote at the same time as registration and will only cast their ballot at the County Clerk's Office during regular office hours.
Absentee voting requests may be made through Nov. 3. Voters must be correctly registered to submit a request.
http://www.shelbyvilledailyunion.com/news/local_news/time-running-short-for-voter-registration/article_2e9a1047-3549-5f57-9462-8b894cb24ea6.html

Balloon Glow & Cookout - Saturday Oct. 8, 2016

Shelby County Airport, outside of Shelbyville, IL
4 - 9 p.m.
Balloonfest admission is free / donations appreciated
Sponsor Touchstone Energy - Shelby Electric co-op

4 - 6:45 p.m. Inflatables - bounce houses for kids
4 - 9 Tethered Balloon rides - $10 per person to benefit local charities

Monday until 10 a.m. - Central Illinois

from National Weather Service website:
DENSE FOG ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 A.M. CDT THIS MORNING...

* VISIBILITY... 1/4 MILE OR LESS.

* IMPACTS... EXPECT HAZARDOUS DRIVING DUE TO LOW VISIBILITY AND RAPID CHANGES IN VISIBILITY OVER SHORT DISTANCES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A DENSE FOG ADVISORY MEANS VISIBILITIES WILL FREQUENTLY BE REDUCED TO LESS THAN ONE QUARTER MILE. IF DRIVING... SLOW DOWN... USE YOUR HEADLIGHTS... AND LEAVE PLENTY OF DISTANCE AHEAD OF YOU.

Jewish New Year (Sunday - Mon. - Tues.)

Upcoming Jewish Holiday  http://www.chabad.org/holidays/default_cdo/jewish/holidays.htm

Rosh Hashanah

Begins sunset of  Sunday, October 2, 2016

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. It is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, and a day of judgment and coronation of Lord GOD as king.

MORE: from "Clergy Corner" (Champaign IL News-Gazette column by Jeff D'Alessio) =
2nd to 4th: New Year's arrives two months early for the Jewish community. For the uninitiated, Rosh Hashanah is a time for self-reflection, not shed-20-pounds resolutions, says SINAI TEMPLE (Champaign, IL) Rabbi Alan Cook: "When we examine our deeds, wherever we feel that we've missed the mark in any way, we engage in the act of teshuvah, which refers to repentance but literally means 'returning.' We try to turn back to a proper path, to do what God expects of us and what we expect of ourselves."
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2016-09-30/clergy-corner-sept-30-2016.html