December 1 is World AIDS Day -- coverage for ABC News Sunday politics show

World AIDS Day (Dec. 1, 2013) Interview by ABC News anchor, host of This Week George Stephanopoulos In our “Sunday Spotlight,” U2 lead singer Bono, co-founder of ONE and the RED campaign, reflects on the progress battling HIV/AIDS on this Sunday’s World AIDS Day. Plus, Americans gathered around the television screens this Thanksgiving for the latest NFL showdowns, with growing concerns over the impact of concussions on the game of football. Our special panel tackles that debate, with ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser, USA Today columnist and ABC News consultant Christine Brennan, ESPN investigative reporter Mark Fainaru-Wada, co-author of League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truth, and former Buffalo Bills offensive lineman and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Joe DeLamielleure. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/11/coming-up-on-this-week-health-care-deadline-challenges-abroad/

Abolitionist House (Underground Railroad site, SW Michigan) - Holiday Weekend - Dec. 6 - 8, 2013

Christmas at the Bonine House Set for December 6. 7, 8, 2013 The Underground Railroad Society of Cass County (URSCC) announces the “2nd Annual Christmas at the Bonine House” December 6,7, 8. Friday and Saturday hours are 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday hours are Noon to 6 p.m. The historic James E. Bonine House, at the corner of Penn Road and M-60 Highway in Vandalia, Michigan will be decorated from top to bottom in Christmas finery, each room adopted by URSCC members and friends. Santa will be visiting the lovely home all weekend, and this year features a live outdoor nativity. Call 269-646-0401 for more information on this lovely family event. Admission is free but donations are welcome. Web information at www.urscc.org/

The Pilgrims and the Maccabees -- dates have conicided

from Press Office -- whitehouse dot-gov : . . . . . . . . . Statement by the President on Hanukkah Michelle and I send warm wishes to all those celebrating Hanukkah. For the first time since the late 1800s – and for the last time until some 70,000 years from now – the first day of Hanukkah falls on Thanksgiving. It’s an event so rare some have even coined it “Thanksgivukkah.” As we gather with loved ones around the turkey, the menorah, or both, we celebrate some fortunate timing and give thanks for miracles both great and small. Like the Pilgrims, the Maccabees at the center of the Hanukkah story made tremendous sacrifices so they could practice their religion in peace. In the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, they reclaimed their historic homeland. But the true miracle of Hanukkah was what came after those victories almost 2200 years ago – the Jewish Temple was cleansed and consecrated, and the oil that was sufficient for only one day lasted for eight. As the first Hanukkah candle is lit on Wednesday November 27, 2013, we are reminded that our task is not only to secure the blessing of freedom, but to make the most of that blessing once it is secure. In that spirit Michelle and I look forward to joining members of the Jewish community in America, in the State of Israel, and around the world as we work together to build a future that is bright and full of hope. From my family to yours, Chag Sameach. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/11/27/statement-president-hanukkah

Thirty-foot gold menorah lit in Washington, D.C. -- First Night of Hanukkah 2013

from press coverage posted at ABC NEWS dot-go, dot-com - - - . . . Michael Froman, the U.S. Trade Representative, joined members of the Jewish community, congressmen and foreign dignitaries for an annual celebration to light the National Chanukah Menorah Wednesday evening, November 27, 2013. The 30-foot gold menorah is located on the lawn known as the Ellipse, just south of the White House, adjacent to the National Mall. “The story of Chanukah is a timeless one,” Froman said. “It is a story of right over might, of people fighting for freedom, a struggle seen today as people struggle to celebrate their faith.” Froman likened the holiday to “the miracle of falling in love, of doing everything you can for your family, of devoting yourself to service of your community, your country.” The Jewish holiday, Chanukah, marks the re-dedication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. A small group of rebels known as the Maccabees won control of the temple, only to discover they only had enough oil to keep it lit one night. But the oil lasted eight nights, which Jews considered a miracle. Chanukah, or the Festival of Lights, is celebrated for eight nights. For the first time since 1888, the first day of Chanukah falls on Thanksgiving, an event so rare it will not happen again for approximately another 80,000 years. “Some have even coined it ‘Thanksgivukkah,’” President Obama wrote in a statement read by Rabbi Levi Shemtov, executive vice president of the American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad), at the event. “As the first Chanukah candles are lit, we are reminded that our task is not only to secure the blessing of freedom, but to make the most of that blessing once it is secured. In that spirit, Michelle and I look forward to joining members of the Jewish community in America, the state of Israel and around the world as we work together to build a future that is bright and full of hope,” Obama added in his statement. The White House first lit a public menorah in 1979. President Jimmy Carter attended the ceremony. Ronald Reagan is credited with naming it the National Menorah. In the U.S. the first public menorah was in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, in 1974. There are now over 15,000 public menorahs in 82 countries and all 50 states. Despite persistent rain and near-freezing temperatures, approximately 300 people attended the outdoor event. “Look at how many people have braved the weather to help us mark this occasion,” Shemtov remarked. His organization funds the event each year through its National Menorah Council. The festive event included music from Grammy Award-winning violinist, Miri Ben-Ari, and the U.S. Air Force Band. “I would not miss this for the world,” Ben-Ari told the crowd. “I have the Macabee spirit with me.” Ben-Ari, who is originally from Israel, dedicated her music “to all Jewish people in the world, wherever they are.” A 7-foot dreidel greeted children as well as men in historic Macabee costumes. Rabbi Levi Shemtov told the performers that although it was cold, “the Macabees had it tougher when they had to retake our temple.” At sundown, a forklift hoisted up Froman, Shemtov and his father, Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, to light the menorah’s first candle. The guests cheered. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/11/its-thanksgivukkah-the-national-menorah-is-lit/

Leading off the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade are Snoopy and Woodstock

Internet information posted by Pressroom Macy's Inc. dot-com: The beagle’s clinched the title, no question about it, as Snoopy, the world’s most famous companion with a wildly imaginative, supremely confident, canine master of disguise personality, prepares for his return to the 87th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Thursday, November 28, 2013 the newest Snoopy balloon took flight along with his pal Woodstock marking another record-setting stint in the holiday spectacle. The Charles M. Schulz classic comic character soared in his 37th Macy’s Parade, cementing Snoopy’s long-standing record for most appearances and most balloon versions, seven in total since the 1960s. “Seeing Snoopy take to the sky for his record breaking 37th flight is truly an incredible thrill,” said Amy Kule, executive producer of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “As the many millions of Macy’s Parade fans know, Snoopy and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade are synonymous and this seventh iteration of this magnificent beagle and his rascally friend Woodstock will carve an indelible image in the sky as he has ever since the late 1960s.” “When the holiday season arrives, fans around the world immediately think of Peanuts,” said Leigh Anne Brodsky, managing director of Peanuts Worldwide and Iconix Entertainment. “The classic television specials are treasures for fans of all ages, and of course Thanksgiving would not be the same without Snoopy in the Macy’s Parade.” Snoopy returned to the sky over New York City for a holiday trip with his pal Woodstock perched on his head. Gliding down Manhattan, Snoopy and Woodstock delighted more than 3.5 million spectators and more than 50 million television viewers nationwide. Designed by the artists of Macy’s Parade Studio in collaboration with the PEANUTS team, the newest Snoopy and Woodstock balloon giants surely lived up to the incredible high-flying legacy of their predecessors. Snoopy debuted in the 1968 Macy’s Parade and has been a crowd favorite ever since. Over the years, Snoopy has taken on a variety of roles from an Astronaut (1969-1977) to an Ice Skater (1986-1987). From 1988 to 1994 he appeared as Ice Skater Snoopy along with his pal Woodstock. From 1999 to 2001 he partied down Manhattan as Millennium Snoopy. His last Macy’s Parade incarnation saw Snoopy return as the Flying Ace (1968, 1978-1985, 2006-2011), hunting down the dreaded Red Baron. http://pressroom.macysinc.com/press.aspx?catid=0&pcatid=0&mkid=360&pid=15745

Thanksgiving Day Menu (1600 Pennsylvania Avenue): Turkey, Ham, Six kinds of pie for favorite dessert

from Obama Food-o-rama -- Google Blog (Nov. 25, 2013): When President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama welcome family and friends on Thursday for their Thanksgiving feast, like many Americans they will serve beloved favorites that have been enjoyed year after year. The White House chefs have been sharing their recipes since 2009, so it's now possible for home chefs to cook the First Family's holiday menu, including the star of the show, turkey. Executive Chef Cris Comerford's recipes for the garlic and brown sugar-brined White House Thyme-roasted Turkey and for White House Turkey Gravy are reprinted below, with links to recipes for Thanksgiving side dishes as well as the desserts created by Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses. The grand finish to the holiday meal is six different kinds of pie, the President's favorite dessert. White House Kale Salad Turkey is not the only meat on the Obama Thanksgiving menu: The President and First Lady annually serve Honey Baked Ham. They also serve two kinds of stuffing: Cornbread Stuffing and Oyster Stuffing. Sides are Macaroni and Cheese, Sweet Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, Kale Salad, and Dinner Rolls. Kale is currently growing in Mrs. Obama's Kitchen Garden. Pumpkin Pie, Sweet Potato Pie, Huckleberry Pie, Apple Pie, Cherry Pie, and Banana Cream Pie have all been served each year since 2009. The White House Thanksgiving recipes are ucomplicated, and the First Family's celebration tends to be equally unfussy. Last year they dined in the Blue Room, with the feast set up on a self-serve buffet in the Cross Hall. Mrs. Obama's brother, Craig Robinson, head coach of the men's basketball team at Oregon State University, and some of his players were the special guests. POTUS pardons Cobbler in '12 The White House turkey recipe calls for a 20-pounder for 16 guests, which is about half the weight of the young Minnesota tom President Obama will pardon this Wednesday during a Rose Garden ceremony, where he will "reflect upon the time-honored traditions of Thanksgiving, and wish American families a safe and healthy holiday," the White House said. Day-ahead prep time for the turkey recipe is needed: It must be soaked in the brine in the refrigerator for at least twelve hours before roasting. A five-gallon food-grade bucket is called for, unless a brining bag is used. >The recipe for White House Whipped Sweet Potatoes uses cinnamon, cumin, chili powder, and cloves to create a unique flavor. >The recipe for White House Kale Salad includes fennel, radish, jalapeno peppers, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and a red wine vinaigrette. >The recipe for White House Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese is a healthy Let's Move! version of the dish, included in Mrs. Obama's book American Grown. >The recipe for White House Sweet Potatoes and Greens was created by Assistant Chef Sam Kass. >The recipe for White House Green Beans with Almonds included in American Grown is the closest recipe to the Obamas' Thanksgiving casserole. >Pastry Chef Yosses has not shared his recipe for Dinner Rolls, but his White House Sweet Potato Quick Bread is perfect for Thanksgiving. >The recipe for White House Huckleberry Pie uses blueberries, too. Frozen berries are fine. >The recipe for White House Apple Pie has a double crust that uses both butter and lard. >The recipe for White House Sweet Potato Pie has a honey meringue topping, an homage to Mrs. Obama's beehive, the first to be on the grounds. http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-white-house-recipes-for-president.html

Thanksgivukkah 2013: when Jewish holiday and American home-based day of feasting coincide

from WSJ -- Wall Street Journal article http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304176904579112022682954300 ________________________________________ To the dismay of traditionalists, the holiday season seems to shift earlier every year, with retailers selling Christmas decorations well before Halloween. But this year, the season will get a legitimate jump-start of sorts—at least for millions of American Jews. In other words, make way for Thanksgivukkah. In a rare convergence of the calendar, Thanksgiving and the first day of Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights that typically commences close to Christmas, fall on the same date in 2013: Nov. 28. And Thanksgivukkah has become a bold platform for expression, with creations ranging from sweet-potato latkes to the "Menurkey." Nine-year-old Asher Weintraub was inspired by this year's rare confluence of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving. His invention? The Menurkey, a turkey-shaped menorah. Photo: Keith Bedford. The reason for the fuss: It is a holiday mashup that has happened only once before—in 1888—according to those who track the Jewish calendar. And it is one that isn't set to happen again for potentially another 70,000-plus years. While Hanukkah, which commemorates a Jewish military victory over Greek forces in the second century B.C. and the miracle of a day's worth of lamp oil lasting for eight, is technically a minor holiday on the Jewish calendar, it has become increasingly prominent in the past century as part of the broader seasonal push. A few see commercial opportunities in Thanksgivukkah as well. Dana Gitell, a community specialist with Boston-based elder-care provider Hebrew SeniorLife, has started a Thanksgivukkah Facebook page and is promoting a line of Thanksgivukkah commemorative items, including a T-shirt done in a Woodstock rock-festival motif with the catchphrase "8 Days of Light, Liberty and Latkes." (Latkes are the potato pancakes typically served throughout Hanukkah.)

Lake Effect Snow Warning (Wednesday Nov. 27, 2013) -- Berrien County, Michigan

from National Weather Service announcement (Weather dot-com): HAZARDOUS WEATHER... * TIMING... LAKE EFFECT SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS EVENING (Wed. Nov. 26, 2013) AND INTENSIFY SIGNIFICANTLY LATE TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. LAKE EFFECT SNOW WILL RAPIDLY DECREASE IN INTENSITY AND COVERAGE WEDNESDAY NIGHT. * SNOW ACCUMULATIONS... 6 TO 12 INCHES EXPECTED... WITH SNOWFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR. LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE IF BANDS PERSIST ACROSS FAR SOUTHWEST BERRIEN COUNTY INTO NORTHERN LA PORTE COUNTY. * OTHER IMPACTS... NORTHWEST WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WILL LEAD TO AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING.

Minnesota Turkey to be pardoned at White House Ceremony (Thanksgiving 2013) -- from Google Blog News

from Obama Food-o-Rama -- blogspot dot-com: A tom from Badger, Minnesota, will be offered a holiday pardon from President Barack Obama next Wednesday, Nov. 27 during the 2013 National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation. The bird has been raised by fourth-generation turkey farmer John Burkel, current Chairman of the National Turkey Federation, which annually orchestrates the ritual. The White House tradition, started in 1947, is now in its 66th year. A second tom will also receive clemency from President Obama; an alternate always accompanies the principal to the White House, in case anything should go awry. The toms hatched on July 8th, and are part of a six-member Presidential Flock that Burkel has honed from a group of eighty original contenders, said Lara Durben, a spokesman for the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association (MTGA). Burkel annually raises approximately 70,000 turkey hens for Northern Pride, Inc., a grower-owned turkey processing facility in Thief River Falls, founded in 1989. The White House honor is big news for the tiny town of Badger, population 375 in the 2010 census and located in the farthest reaches of rural Minnesota in Roseau County, just miles from the Canadian border. But offering Presidents fine young toms is now a longstanding tradition for the North Star State, the nation's largest turkey producer. Burkel and his turkeys will be the twelfth team of Minnesotans honored with a White House visit. http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2013/11/president-obama-to-be-presented-with.html

JFK New Frontier Awards -- given to Gabbard, Best on Nov. 25 (50th Anniversary of JFK Funeral)

story posted at POLITICO dot-com (Nov. 25, 2013): The 2013 John F. Kennedy New Frontier Awards will be presented to a leader on veterans’ issues and the founder of an online charity. Kennedy’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, will present the annual awards Monday to Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, one of the first two female combat veterans to serve in Congress, and Charles Best, founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org, a charity that connects donors with public school teachers to meet teaching needs. The ceremony will take place at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. The awards will be presented on the 50th anniversary of the state funeral services for President Kennedy. The awards honor Americans under 40 who are changing their communities and the country with their commitment to public service. Gabbard, 32, was elected to Congress in 2012. After enlisting in the Hawaii Army National Guard in 2003, she served in the Middle East. ALSO -- wwwjfklibrary.org/ ___________________________________ http://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/tulsi-gabbard-to-receive-jfk-award-100320.html#ixzz2lfhHneSJ

For Justice, For Peace, and For President John Fitzgerald Kennedy himself

from ND . edu / News: On the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the University of Notre Dame will ring bells and offer Mass in his memory. The bells of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart will toll in tribute to the president at 2 p.m. EST Friday (Nov. 22, 2013), the time of his death on Nov. 22, 1963. Masses at the Basilica at 11:30 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. will be offered for justice and peace and will include an intercession for him.

Presidential Medal of Freedom (to civilians) -- for 2013 given at Smithsonian Institute

from http:// obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/ Established by President John F. Kennedy, the medal is the nation's highest civilian honor. The White House released the guest list of sixty Medal recipients (past winners & 2013 awardees reprinted below. The 7:00 p.m. dinner was held at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Guests included some of the 16 2013 Medal recipients President Obama honored on Wednesday morning (Nov. 20, 2013) during a White House ceremony: Oprah Winfrey, Gloria Steinem, Ernie Banks, Patricia Wald, C.T. Vivian, Dr. Daniel Kahneman, Dr. Mario Molina, Richard Lugar, President Bill Clinton, Arturo Sandoval, and Ben Bradlee. Other guests included previous recipients Hank Aaron, Aretha Franklin, Dolores Huerta, Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., Norman H. Podhoretz, Jean Kennedy Smith, Norman H. Podhoretz, and Alan Greenspan. Jack Schlossberg, Kennedy's 20-year-old grandson, introduced President Obama before his remarks. Earlier in the day he joined the President and Mrs. Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Clinton at Kennedy's gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery for a wreath ceremony.The dinner was followed by a performance by jazz great Sandoval. After defecting from Cuba to the US during the Cold War, "Arturo is an American citizen and one of the most celebrated trumpet players in the world," President Obama said during the ceremony. Medal recipients today not attending the dinner were Loretta Lynn, Sally Ride (posthumous), Sen. Daniel Inouye (posthumous), and Dean Smith. On display at the museum in a special exhibit are the printed design drawings for the Presidential Medal of Freedom, created by the Institute of Heraldry, U.S. Army, for the review of President and Mrs. Kennedy, as well as Executive Order 11085, establishing the Presidential Medal of Freedom, signed by President Kennedy on February 22, 1963. The White House list of the recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom who are expected to attend the Nov. 20, 2013 state dinner: Mr. Hank Aaron Mr. Ernie Banks Mr. Ben Bradlee The Honorable Paul Bremer The Honorable Nancy Brinker Mr. Vinton Cerf General Wesley Clark, USA (Ret.) The Honorable Bill Clinton The Honorable William T Coleman, Jr. Dr. Francis Collins Ms. Ruth Colvin The Honorable Ryan Crocker Mr. John Doar Ms. Marian Wright Edelman Dr. Anthony Fauci Dr. Norman C. Francis Ms. Aretha Franklin Professor Hanna Holborn Gray The Honorable Alan Greenspan Dr. Pedro Jose Greer, Jr. Dr. David Hamburg Dr. Donald Henderson Ms. Frances Hesselbein The Honorable John Howard Ms. Delores Huerta Mrs. Irene Hirano Inouye (On Behalf of the Honorable Daniel Inouye) Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr. Mr. Robert Kahn Dr. Daniel Kahneman The Honorable Henry Kissinger Mrs. Gerda W Klein The Honorable John Lewis Captain James Lovell, Jr., USN (Ret.) Reverend Joseph Lowery The Honorable Richard Lugar Ms. Sylvia Mendez The Honorable Robert Michel The Honorable George Mitchell Dr. Mario Molina Elsa Morejon (On Behalf of Dr. Oscar Biscet) General Richard Myers, USAF (Ret.) Mr. Walter Naegle (On Behalf of Bayard Rustin) Dr. Tam O'Shaughnessy (On Behalf of Dr. Sally Ride) Mr. Norman H. Podhoretz The Honorable Cruz Reynoso The Rt. Hon. the Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, KT, GCMG Mr. David Rockefeller, Sr. Ms. Janet Rowley Mr. William F Russell Mr. Arturo Sandoval The Honorable Laurence Silberman Honorable Jean Kennedy Smith Ms. Linnea Smith (On Behalf of Dean Smith) Ms. Gloria Steinem Mr. John Sweeney Rev. C.T. Vivian The Honorable Patricia Wald The Honorable William H. Webster Ms. Oprah Winfrey Mr. Muhammad Yunus

Gettysburg and New Proposition of American Politics: Rooney Center special lecture, Notre Dame, IN

All workshops will be from 12:00 noon until 1:15 p.m., unless otherwise noted All workshops will take place at 119 O’Shaughnessy Hall, unless otherwise noted Lunch is provided Friday, November 22, 2013 President Matthew Holland (Utah Valley University) “Gettysburg and the New Proposition of American Politics” 119 O'Shaughnessy Hall (Center requests R.S.V.P.) telephone = 574.631.5351 email = amdemoc @ nd.edu website is http://rooneycenter.nd.edu/ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did Mitt Romney's Mormonism cost him the 2012 Presidential election? -- ND Faculty / Scholar lecture -- Nov. 23, 2013

from ONLINE Calendar -- ND dot-edu -- Saturday Scholar Series: "Did Mitt Romney's Mormonism Cost Him the White House?: Stained Glass Ceilings and American Politics" Where: Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame campus; See: http://al.nd.edu/about/the-faculty/saturday-scholars/ -- David Campbell, professor, Department of Political Science; director, Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy -- Vincent Phillip Muñoz, Tocqueville Associate Professor of Religion and Public Life, Department of Political Science; concurrent associate professor of law Snite Museum of Art, Annenberg Auditorium You are invited to experience an intimate discussion with Notre Dame's most engaging faculty speakers on some of the most pressing and fascinating issues of our times.

Church Bells to toll; Flags at half-mast across Dallas, TX

from www.visitdallas.com -- Texas Visitors Center / Conventions The 50th: Honoring The Memory Of President John F. Kennedy« Back November 22, 2013 11:45 a.m. Dealey Plaza 411 Elm St. Dallas, TX 75202 Admission: By invitation; Live stream of the event at free downtown locations will be available On November 22, 2013, Dallas citizens will honor the life, leadership and legacy of President John F. Kennedy. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 11:45 a.m. with church bells tolling throughout the city, followed by a moment of silence.

Coverage of Afghanistan's Loya Jirga (Nov. 21, 2013) -- Bilateral Task for 2,500 Afghan Citizens

from "STARS and STRIPES" Military online edition (Nov. 20, 2013): Despite the backroom dealings and negotiations of the past few weeks, nothing is certain about the fate of a security agreement between the United States and Afghanistan that will have major implications for the future of a country America invaded 12 years ago. A disparate group of local leaders, politicians, lawyers, businessmen and others gathers Thursday to pass judgment on the agreement, without which all international troops will almost certainly leave the country at the end of 2014. The 2,500 leaders from around Afghanistan are participating in a Loya Jirga, or meeting of elders, which will rule on, among other issues, whether the U.S. can retain sole legal jurisdiction over its troops in Afghanistan. Without that stipulation, the U.S. will not keep a military presence in the country. A similar dispute about immunity for U.S. troops between Washington and Baghdad two years ago derailed plans to keep a residual force in Iraq. No other NATO nations are likely to stay in Afghanistan either, as the alliance sees the U.S. agreement as a precondition for its own status of forces agreement with Afghanistan. Afghan President Hamid Karzai could have approved the security agreement outright but instead convened the jirga. The body’s decisions are nonbinding and must be ratified by the Afghan parliament, but its deliberations carry weight in Afghan society. Some analysts see the convening of the Loya Jirga as cover for Karzai to make an unpopular decision — though whether that decision will be to keep international troops or jettison them is something experts disagree on. “If it’s like the last one, (this jirga) will be theater, it will be drama,” said Kate Clark, an analyst with the Kabul-based Afghanistan Analysts Network. The main issue the jirga will be debating is legal jurisdiction. Currently, if American troops are accused of crimes in Afghanistan, the U.S. has a right to try them in American courts, rather than put them through the Afghan legal system. This has been the main sticking point in negotiations between Washington and Kabul over an agreement to keep a small training force in Afghanistan past the end of 2014, the deadline for all foreign combat troops to leave Afghanistan. It’s an issue that’s been controversial in Afghanistan, even sparking an anti-Loya Jirga conference last week that drew an estimated 3,000 people and included chants of “Death to America” and calls for an outright rejection of further foreign troop presence in Afghanistan. “The fundamental aim of our association is that we are against American military bases in Afghanistan after 2014 because it is not fruitful for Afghanistan,” Mohammad Hassan Hakiyar, who organized the event said. “It would cause continued war in the country, cause more political and cultural problems.” Those attending the jirga seem split on the jurisdiction issue, with some complaining that certain practices legal in America are against the law in Afghanistan and others noting the U.S. is asking for the same terms it has with other countries where U.S. troops are stationed. “In those countries where those troops are based, legal immunity is not a big issue, because if any soldier commits any crime, the American government prosecutes him or her under their own law,” said Ghulam Sakhi Baghlani, governor of Kunduz province and a member of the jirga. Participants in the jirga say it is not a fait accompli that the council will agree to the U.S. jurisdiction demand. “I don’t think that a decision is already made and that the jirga is only symbolic, because thousands of people are coming from across the country and spending their time here in the capital — it’s a real discussion,” said Mohammad Omar Nangyalai, a jirga participant and member of parliament representing Kandahar province. The decision to convene the jirga sprang out of meetings between Karzai and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in October. The two came to broad agreement on a security pact that would allow a small contingent of U.S. troops to stay in Afghanistan past 2014 to assist with training as well as intelligence and air support. But Karzai insisted that the Loya Jirga must have the final say. Karzai likely convened the Loya Jirga in hopes of achieving his goals without being seen as dictating the path Afghanistan should take, said Ahmad Majidyar, a senior research associate at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative Washington think tank. Karzai wants a limited American presence “on his terms,” Majidyar said. “But he did not want to leave a legacy in which, in the future, people say he paved the way for the long-term presence of American troops.” As the wrangling continues, both sides appear overconfident, Majidyar said: Afghan officials seem to assume that the United States is desperate to retain a toehold in Afghanistan, while American negotiators seem too sure of the persuasive power of foreign aid.

After the 2 p.m. delivery of Gettysburg "few brief remarks" -- (from Abraham Lincoln ONLINE):

The LINCOLN LOG dot-org ______________________________________________________________________________________ President Lincoln decides to hear address by Lt. Gov.-elect Charles Anderson (Pa.) at 4:30 P.M. in Presbyterian Church. Meets "old John Burns, the soldier of 1812, and the only man in Gettysburg who volunteered to defend it." Burns accompanies him and Secretary of State Seward to hear Anderson speak. President's special train leaves Gettysburg about 7 P.M. and arrives in Washington at 1:10 A.M. on Friday. Washington Chronicle, 21 November 1863. Lincoln returns from Gettysburg with a mild form of smallpox (varioloid) and remains under half quarantine in White House for nearly three weeks. Bates, Diary, 30 November 1863; Welles, Diary, Dec. http://www.thelincolnlog.org/ThisDay.aspx The Lincoln Log: A Daily Chronology of the Life of Abraham Lincoln incorporates Lincoln Day-by-Day: A Chronology, compiled by the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission with the cooperation and support of the Abraham Lincoln Association and published by the Government Printing Office in 1960. The text presented here includes all entries from that publication, with corrections and additions by the Papers of Abraham Lincoln, a project of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

Two Minutes Remarks at National Cemetery -- preceded by 2+hour Keynote

from "Writer's Almanac" (American Public Media, Garrison Keillor) -- November 19 is the date in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was four and a half months after the devastating battle (July 1-3, 1863), and it was a foggy, cold morning. Lincoln arrived about 10 a.m. Around noon, the sun came out as the crowds gathered on a hill overlooking the battlefield. A military band played, a local preacher offered a long prayer, and the headlining orator, Edward Everett, spoke for more than two hours. Everett described the Battle of Gettysburg in great detail, and he brought the audience to tears more than once. When Everett finished, Lincoln spoke. Now considered one of the greatest speeches in American history, the Gettysburg Address ran for just over two minutes, fewer than 300 words, and only 10 sentences. It was so brief, in fact, that many of the 15,000 people that attended the ceremony didn't even realize that the president had spoken, because a photographer setting up his camera had momentarily distracted them. The next day, Everett told Lincoln, "I wish that I could flatter myself that I had come as near to the central idea of the occasion in two hours as you did in two minutes." There are several versions of the speech, and five different manuscript copies; they're all slightly different, so there's some argument about which is the "authentic" version. Lincoln gave copies to both of his private secretaries, and the other three versions were re-written by the president some time after he made the speech. The Bliss Copy, named for Colonel Alexander Bliss, is the only copy that was signed and dated by Lincoln, and it's generally accepted as the official version for that reason. The Bliss text, below, is inscribed on the Lincoln Memorial: "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. "Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. "But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Criticism and Compliments (for Nov. 19, 1863 "few brief remarks): PA Center for the Book web article-posting

from Pennsylvania Center for the Book PSU dot-edu (online article): The length and content of the speech contrasted sharply with that of Everett, and the audience did not seem to know how to respond. Amid the muted reaction, Lincoln reportedly returned to his seat and told his bodyguard, "That speech won't scour. It is a flat failure." Some historians, however, dismiss that account as myth, citing the bodyguard's reputation for inaccuracies. Regardless, the reactions were undeniably mixed. Some were stunned by the "inappropriate" brevity. Historian Garry Wills wrote that "myth tells of a poor photographer making leisurely arrangements to take Lincoln's picture, expecting him to be there for some time." Everett, however, was impressed, sending Lincoln a note the next day. "I should be glad," he wrote, "if I should flatter myself that I came as close in the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes." Newspapers, which at the time generally catered to certain political audiences, portrayed the event in different lights. Some harped on the brevity. Others remarked on the elegance and heartfelt emotion of the carefully chosen words. The Chicago Tribune, for example, lauded Lincoln's address, saying, "The dedicatory remarks by President Lincoln will live among the annals of man." Cross-town rival the Chicago Times took another tack, saying, "The cheeks of every American must tingle with shame as he reads the silly, flat, and dishwatery utterances." Abraham LincolnBoth the criticisms and compliments revolved around the differences in style between Everett and Lincoln. Everett was a master of changing the tone of his voice to suit his needs. Lincoln, on the others hand, had a high, Kentucky accent that was quite unlike how his voice is portrayed in popular culture today. What he lacked in voice modulation, he made up for in carrying power and audibility. His delivery was emphatic, drawing interruptive applause five times. The content of the rhetoric diverged as much as the speaking styles. "Everett succeeded with his audience by being thoroughly immersed in the details of the event he was celebrating," Garry Wills writes in Lincoln at Gettysburg. "Lincoln eschews all local emphasis. His speech hovers far above the carnage." Lincoln never even mentioned slavery or sides. He went beyond the historical circumstances to a higher plane, evoking the ideals of equality promoted in the Declaration of Independence. Although Lincoln was not as outspoken for true racial equality as some of his contemporaries, he realized the necessity of guaranteeing basic levels of self-governance and self-possession. Equality, he reasoned, could not be denied if the United States were to live by its founding principles. Each newspaper's take on this reasoning certainly influenced how its coverage. The publications also offered varying accounts of what exactly Lincoln said. Civil War historian Gabor Boritt compiled 30 pages of discrepancies for his book The Gettysburg Gospel. Most of the differences are small and understandable; some of them occurred because of reporters' impatience. The Centralia Sentinel, for example, recorded the "Four Score and seven years ago" introduction as simply "Ninety years ago." Some newspapers inserted religious spin and additions. Although Lincoln had indeed grown more religious and the Gettysburg Address contained some Biblical allusions, he relied much more heavily on lawyerly speech, according to Garry Wills. The speech was more classical than it was religious. . . http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/GettysburgAddress.html •Wills, Garry. Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1992.

An Evening at the David Wills mansion, Gettysburg, PA (Nov. 18 sesquicentennial)

from website of Museum - Mansion (www.davidwillshouse.org ): A National Park Service museum dedicated to the memory of President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and the remarkable recovery of a town devastated by war. The David Wills House features five museum galleries and two recreated rooms, the David Wills Law Office and the Lincoln Bedroom. The museum will guide you through the days, weeks and months after the battle of Gettysburg. It illustrates President Lincoln’s historic visit to the devastated town, the immortal words of the Gettysburg Address and the legacy of hope and healing that they brought, and continue to bring, to our nation. No visit to Gettysburg is complete without a visit to the David Wills House. SPECIAL EVENT: November 18, 2013 An Evening at the David Wills House Visit the place where President Abraham Lincoln, orator Edward Everett and numerous other dignitaries spent the evening 150 years ago on November 18, 1863, when the Wills hosted 38 guests at their home the night before the Soldiers’ National Cemetery dedication ceremony. Tour David Wills’ office, where he oversaw the creation and dedication of Soldiers’ National Cemetery, and the room where Lincoln finished his now immortal Gettysburg Address the night before delivering “a few appropriate remarks.”

Hazardous High Wind Event (Sunday Nov. 17, 2013) -- SW Michigan, N. Indiana Weather Service

as posted at WEATHER dot-com for Niles, Michigan 49120 HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM EST MONDAY... HAZARDOUS WEATHER... * SOUTHERLY WINDS OF 25 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH WILL SHIFT TO WEST WITH GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. * HIGHER GUSTS AND SIGNIFICANT WIND DAMAGE WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH THE AREA TODAY. IMPACTS... * POWER OUTAGES POSSIBLE. * DAMAGE TO TREES POSSIBLE. * DRIVING WILL BE DIFFICULT... ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES SUCH AS SEMI-TRUCKS. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A HIGH WIND WARNING MEANS A HAZARDOUS HIGH WIND EVENT IS EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF AT LEAST 40 MPH OR GUSTS OF 58 MPH OR MORE CAN LEAD TO PROPERTY DAMAGE.

Weekend of Nov. 22 (50th Anniversary of Dallas shooting) and 23 - 24 (JFK Library events); Moment of Silence (2 p.m.)

from JFK Library dot-org online announcement of nationally broadcast Memorial Tribute (1:30 p.m.) A Nation Remembers: A Tribute to President John F. Kennedy November 22, 2013 1:30 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. ET On November 22, 2013, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library will present a televised and webcast musical tribute to President John F. Kennedy, featuring performances in the Library's glass pavilion, a space which Jacqueline Kennedy envisioned as a place for reflection. Additionally, there will be a selection of excerpts read from President Kennedy's most historic speeches, and a moment of silence at 2:00 p.m. ET, when the President's death was announced to the nation 50 years ago. In an effort to allow anyone in the world to join this remembrance, this event will be exclusively for an online audience. There will be no physical audience during these performances – simply the backdrop of the sea that the President loved so dearly as the ceremony is webcasted live at www.jfklibrary.org. Weekend Film Series November 23, 2013 – November 24, 2013 As part of our anniversary programming, throughout the weekend of November 23-24, 2013, the Kennedy Library will offer special film showings for museum visitors. A full schedule of films will be made available here prior to the weekend.

Old South Church, Boston opts to sell at auction its copy of Bay Psalm Book (November 2013)

from NY TIMES coverage by Reporter James Barron (Nov. 16 online edition) David N. Redden recited the opening of the 23rd Psalm the way he had memorized it as a child: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.” Then he opened a weathered little book and read the version it contained: “The Lord to mee a ∫hepheard is, want therefore ∫hall not I. Hee in the fold∫ of tender-gra∫∫e, doth cau∫e mee downe to lie.” Those lines were in a volume published in Massachusetts in 1640 that amounted to the Puritans’ religious and cultural manifesto. It was the first book printed in the colonies, and the first book printed in English in the New World. The locksmith who ran the hand-operated press turned out roughly 1,700 copies. The one in Mr. Redden’s hands is one of only 11 known to exist. Mr. Redden, who is the chairman of Sotheby’s books department and has auctioned copies of Magna Carta and the Declaration of Independence, among other historic and valuable documents, will sell that copy on Nov. 26, 2013. Sotheby’s expects it to go for $15 million to $30 million, which would make it the most expensive book ever sold at auction — more expensive than a copy of John James Audubon’s “The Birds of America” that sold in December 2010 for $11.54 million (equivalent to $12.39 million in 2013 dollars), the current record. That beat the $7.5 million ($10.77 million today) paid for a copy of Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales” at Christie’s in London in 1998, and the $6.16 million ($8.14 million today) paid for Shakespeare’s First Folio at Christie’s in New York in 2001. But the Bay Psalm Book, as it is known, has a special place in bibliophiles’ hearts, so much so that Michael Inman, the curator of rare books at the New York Public Library, said the auction was “likely” to set a record, even though the Bay Psalm Book was “not a particularly attractive book” and was “rather shoddily done.” (The library owns one of the other 10 copies.) “It’s what that book symbolizes,” Mr. Inman said. “These 11 copies symbolize the introduction of printing into the British colonies, which was reflective of the importance placed on reading and education by the Puritans and the concept of freely available information, freedom of expression, freedom of the press. All that fed into the revolutionary impulse that gave rise to the United States.” In its way, experts say, the Bay Psalm Book laid the groundwork for famous texts of the Revolution like Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense.” It followed the first Gutenberg Bibles by more than a century and a half, and it was plagued by spelling problems. The word “psalm,” which is supposed to appear in capital letters at the top of each page, is spelled that way on the left-hand pages, but on the right-hand pages and on the title page, there is an “e” on the end: “The WHOLE Booke of Psalmes Faithfully TRANSLATED into ENGLISH Metre.” The volume also has a subtitle, as important to a religious book in the 17th century as to a 21st-century best-seller: “Whereunto is prefixed a di∫cour∫e declaring not only the lawfullne∫∫, but al∫o the nece∫∫ity of the heavenly Ordinance of ∫inging ∫cripture P∫alme∫ in the Churche∫ of God.” The other copies are all held in libraries or museums. The Library of Congress has one. So does Harvard. So does Yale. And one copy made its way to the place the Puritans had fled — to England, and the Bodleian Library at Oxford University. The copy being sold by Sotheby’s, which the auction house will display in New York on Monday, belongs to Old South Church in Boston, whose long history includes the baptism of Benjamin Franklin when he was a day old. Old South became known as a meeting place for angry colonists before the Boston Tea Party and, more recently, as the church at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The church’s historian, Jeff D. Makholm, resigned from Old South’s leadership in January, several weeks after the congregation voted to sell the book, one of two copies of the Bay Psalm Book that it owns. (Both were part of a collection that the church’s deacons placed in the Boston Public Library in 1866. The other copy is not being sold.) Dr. Makholm had argued that auctioning the Bay Psalm Book to pay for work on the church’s building would “break the hearts” of members’ forebears. “I believe that once a group like that has formed a decision and made it to go forward,” he said this week in a telephone interview, “those of us who disagree, just like those who disagree in Congress — like Tip O’Neill, my congressman, used to say, we go on and we don’t criticize the decision.” He said he hoped the Bay Psalm Book would sell for enough money that the church would not have to go ahead with a plan to sell the silver cups and chalices it once used for communions and baptisms. They have been on loan to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for more than 100 years. The Rev. Nancy S. Taylor, the church’s senior minister and chief executive, said of the decision to sell the Bay Psalm Book, “There was one loud voice against it, our church historian.” The congregation’s vote authorizing the sale was 271 in favor to 34 opposed, far more than the two-thirds necessary. “What you call ‘the controversy’ was a couple of people in that 34 who were very, very vocal,” she said. “The members were pretty clear and I would say are quite unified. They voted it’s not mission-critical to our ministries.” She said the church needed about $7 million for deferred maintenance projects that would be financed from its $23 million endowment. She said the endowment would be replenished with money from the sale. “Our back is not against the wall,” she said. “The Bay Psalm Book is the last stage in a multistep process to put us on the path to sustainability.” The Bay Psalm Book was printed on a press that had been sent over with 240 pounds of paper and one case of type. Like Mr. Inman, Mr. Redden said the workmanship was amateurish — it was, after all, the first book published in the colonies and only the third item to come off the press. “They were kind of learning on the job,” Mr. Redden said, and some of the pages were bound in the wrong order. At the bottom of one, someone wrote, “Turn back a leaf.”

Mozart Coronation Mass (Nov. 22, 2013) with Orchestra -- Friday evening performance with massed choirs

from ND Announcements (www.nd.edu): The University of Notre Dame Office of Campus Ministry will host a special musical celebration at 8 p.m. Nov. 22, 2013 (Friday) in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, on University of Notre Dame campus to honor the conclusion of the worldwide Year of Faith. The Notre Dame Liturgical Choir, Folk Choir and Women’s Liturgical Choir will each perform an individual piece of sacred music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart before coming together to sing the Mozart Coronation Mass with orchestra. “This Year of Faith has been an opportunity for us to focus our faith and deepen our relationships with Jesus Christ,” said Rev. James King, C.S.C., director of Campus Ministry. “Specifically, the Year of Faith served as a call for us to pray harder, listen more intently and live with hearts open to God. This concert is an opportunity for us to celebrate our faith and acknowledge our relationships with Christ and the Church.” The Year of Faith began on Oct. 11, 2012, the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council and the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and will end on Nov. 24, 2013 (Sunday), which coincides with the Solemnity of Christ the King and the end of the Church year. more information and photographs at this URL: http://news.nd.edu/news/44233-notre-dame-campus-ministry-to-host-mozart-festival-at-conclusion-of-year-of-faith/

The Power and Practice of Compassion (Tibetan Buddhist Sand Mandala construction and display)

The University of Notre Dame’s Ruth M. Hillebrand Center for Compassionate Care in Medicine, the College of Science and the Harper Cancer Research Institute will host Arjia Rinpoche, director of the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center in Bloomington, Ind., and seven Tibetan Buddhist monks from Labrang Tashi Kyil Monastery in Dehra Dun, India, for the construction of a peace sand mandala and a presentation on compassion from Nov. 18-21, 2013 (Monday-Thursday). The monks have been touring the United States to give teachings on Buddhism, to educate the public about the culture and religion of Tibet and to raise funds for their monastery. The monks will be ending their U.S. tour at the University of Notre Dame. Rinpoche has been raising funds for the Children’s Cancer Care Treatment Center adjacent to the Maternity Hospital in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The painting with colored sands is considered the most unique and exquisite of all artistic traditions of Buddhism. This Tibetan art form is called dul-tson-kyil-khor, which means “mandala of colored powders.” The sand mandala represents many things, including the cycle of life — creation, beauty of existence and its impermanence, and finally, the return to the natural world for creation again. At 9:30 a.m. Monday (Nov. 18), an opening ceremony will be held in the Jordan Hall of Science Reading Room with the seven monks to consecrate the site of the mandala with chants, music and mantra recitation. The monks will be constructing the mandala from Monday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. The campus community and public are welcome to visit and watch the progress of the sand mandala throughout the four days. The construction process will also be streamed live on the College of Science website. At 4:30 p.m. Thursday (Nov. 21), the mandala will be dismantled with a closing ceremony in the Jordan Hall of Science Reading Room, which will include sweeping up the colored sands to symbolize the impermanence of all that exists. A portion of the sand will be given to the guests and the remainder carried in a procession by the monks to a flowing body of water, where it will be ceremonially poured to disperse the healing energies of the mandala throughout the world. In addition to the creation of the sand mandala, Rinpoche and the monks will give a presentation called, “The Power and Practice of Compassion: Taking in Harshness and Giving out Kindness,” at 7 p.m. Wednesday (Nov. 20) in DeBartolo Hall, Room 102. Rinpoche, a prominent Buddhist teacher and lama who escaped from China in 1998, will give a talk on the practice of cultivating compassion, followed by a moving ceremony conducted by the monks to mark this occasion. The evening will be facilitated by Dominic Vachon, director of the Hillebrand Center, and Jan-Li Lin, visiting assistant professor of mathematics. “In our teaching and research on compassionate care in medicine, one of the major issues we run into is how physicians, nurses and other helping professionals deal with discouragement in encountering suffering or dealing with difficult patients,” said Vachon. “Buddhism is one of a number of religious traditions that really deal with this issue. We are excited to have Arjia Rinpoche and the Tibetan monks discuss their insights about cultivating compassion and to be a catalyst for others to reflect on how they are compassionate in their helping work.” The campus community and public are invited and encouraged to attend all events with the Buddhist monks and Rinpoche. These events are co-sponsored by the Department of Art, Art History and Design, the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Studies, the Office of Information Technologies and the Snite Museum of Art. http://news.nd.edu/news/44352-tibetan-buddhist-monks-to-construct-peace-sand-mandala-at-notre-dame/

House legislation on Food Allergies and "Epipen" for Schools across nation (November 2013)

from coverage in Obama Food-o-rama (http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/ ) Many schools across the nation will soon will be safer for children with severe food allergies and asthma. On Wednesday during an Oval Office ceremony attended by key Congressional sponsors and advocates, President Barack Obama signed into law H.R. 2094, the "School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act." (Above, the ceremony) The Act "will save children's lives," and signing it had personal meaning, the President noted at the ceremony: First Daughter Malia, 15, is allergic to peanuts, he said. The first federal law of its kind, the measure provides a funding incentive to states that enact laws allowing school personnel to stock emergency supplies of epinephrine and administer it to children without a prescription. The first line of treatment for anaphylaxis, the life-threating allergic response, epinephrine is typically delivered with an EpiPen or other similar device. "I just want to thank all of the outstanding legislators who are here and advocates," President Obama said. "This is something that will save children’s lives. Some people may know that Malia actually has a peanut allergy. She doesn’t have asthma, but obviously making sure that EpiPens are available in case of emergency in schools is something that every parent can understand." The prevalence of food allergies among children increased 18% during 1997–2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with allergic reactions to food the most common cause of anaphylaxis in community settings. About 1 in 20 children suffer food allergies, according to a recent survey, and in 2006, about 88% of schools had one or more students with a food allergy. And children with food allergies are two to four times more likely to have asthma or other allergic conditions than those without food allergies, CDC reports. About 25% of anaphylaxis cases reported at schools occur in children with no prior history of food allergy, the agency says. Anaphylaxis can also be caused by a reaction to insect bites, to latex, and to medication. It causes breathing passages to narrow, blood pressure to drop, and can lead to rapid unconsciousness and death if not immediately treated. The law changes the Children’s Asthma Treatment Grants Program and other federal asthma programs, and authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to give funding preferences to states for asthma-treatment grants if they maintain an emergency supply of epinephrine (EpiPens); if they permit trained personnel of the school to administer epinephrine; and if they develop a plan for ensuring trained personnel are available to administer epinephrine during all hours of the school day, Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett explained on the White House blog. "And, thanks to the bipartisan work of the folks behind us and the advocacy communities that have been pushing this so hard, we’re going to be giving states a lot more incentives to make sure that that happens," President Obama said. "So I want to congratulate all of you." The measure had bipartisan support, and before heading to the President's desk was approved by the House on July 30, 2013, and then by the Senate on Oct. 31, 2013. It passed by unanimous consent in both chambers. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) co-sponsored the House bill along with Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn). Both were at the President's signing ceremony.

Thoreau and the Irish: Lecture on American Transcendentalism & Transatlantic Romanticism (Nov. 15, 2013) Notre Dame, IN

from www.nd.edu (Irish Studies Department event): "'As you are brothers of mine': Thoreau and the Irish” Time: Friday November 15, 2013, 3:00 P.M. - 4:30 P.M. Location: 424 Flanner Hall, Notre Dame Campus, Notre Dame, IN Laura Walls, William P. and Hazel B. White Professor of English and Graduate Program in History and Philosophy of Science, University of Notre Dame presents "'As you are brothers of mine’: Thoreau and the Irish” on Friday, November 15th at 3:00 PM in 424 Flanner. Professor Walls specializes in American Transcendentalism—especially Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, transatlantic romanticism, literature and science, and environmental literature and ecocriticism.

"The Mass and Theater: Othello and Sacrifice" - Lecture, Andrews University, Nov. 14, 2013

from Publicity -- South Bend Tribune, South Bend, IN Andrews University (Berrien Springs, MI) invited Regina Schwartz to deliver the John O. Waller Lectureship on the Arts at 7 p.m. on Thursday Nov. 14 in Newbold Auditorium in Buller Hall. More information about this topic on William Shakespeare's play and the Theology of the Eucharist in the early 17th century from the English Department of the Seventh-Day Adventist higher ed. institution at www.andrews.edu Admission is open to the public.

Birthday of Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, North Africa (A.D. 354)

from "Writer's Almanac" (American Public Media, Garrison Keillor): November 13 is the birthday of the Doctor of the Church, Augustine of Hippo, born in Tagaste, Numidia (354), a part of North Africa that is now Algeria. Augustine argued that no one could possibly be free from sin, because sinfulness is the very nature of humans. He developed the idea of original sin, saying that all humans are born sinful because all humans are descended from Adam and Eve, who committed the first sins. Augustine used himself as an example of sinfulness by writing The Confessions (c. 400), one of the first memoirs of Western literature. In that book, he described all the sins he had committed in the years of his life before his conversion, everything from crying over a fictional character in a poem, to stealing pears from a neighbor's tree, to his sexual fantasies and exploits. He wrote, "Lord, how loathsome I was in Thy sight. [Lust] stormed confusedly within me. ... The torrent of my fornications tossed and swelled and boiled and ran over." He believed that people could never hope to be innocent, and so their only hope lay in God's forgiveness. His ideas about sin became the doctrine of the Catholic Church. It is because of him that many Christian churches still baptize infants, to cleanse them of the sin they have inherited from their ancestors.

Breakfast with America's oldest veteran: 107-year-old soldier from Texas

as reported at ABC News dot-com: AMONG THE GUESTS AT THE WHITE HOUSE is the nation's oldest known World War II veteran - 107-year-old Richard Overton of Austin, Texas, who served with the Army's 188th Aviation Engineer Battalion in the Pacific, according to USA Today. Overton was in his 30's when he volunteered in 1942. USA Today's Greg Toppo notes that when Overton was visiting Washington last summer as part of a Honor Flight group, he wondered aloud what it would take to meet President Obama and the Honor Flight organizers laid the groundwork. The centenarian still lives in the house he built after the war, and says he begins each day with a "tablespoon" of whiskey in his coffee and smokes a dozen cigars a day.

10th Assembly of World Council of Churches (Busan, Korea) -- first was in 1948

from http://wcc2013.info/ Join the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace” is the title of the Message of the 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC). The assembly in Busan, Republic of Korea, was convened on 30 October 2013 and drew to a close on 8 November 2013. An assembly, the highest governing body of the WCC, is held once every seven to eight years to endorse policies, review projects and point the future direction of the organization. The “Message” of a WCC assembly is meant to report the spirit of the event as well as common commitments of representatives from 345 member churches, related religious bodies and partner organizations. It reflects the theme of an assembly, adopted beforehand by the WCC central committee. The theme of the Busan assembly was this brief prayer: “God of life, lead us to justice and peace.” The original WCC assembly at Amsterdam in 1948 sent a message to the churches and the world that included the phrase “We intend to stay together.” The Message of 2013 affirms, in the context of the churches’ invitation to the pilgrimage of justice and peace, “We intend to move together.” Describing their time in Busan and other parts of the country, participants in the 10th Assembly offered this affirmation: “We share our experience of the search for unity in Korea as a sign of hope in the world. This is not the only land where people live divided, in poverty and richness, happiness and violence, welfare and war. We are not allowed to close our eyes to harsh realities or to rest our hands from God’s transforming work. As a fellowship, the World Council of Churches stands in solidarity with the people and the churches in the Korean peninsula, and with all who strive for justice and peace.”

Origin of "Armistice Day" (presently Veterans Day - annually on Nov. 11 at 11th hour)

from Writer's Almanac (American Public Media, Garrison Keillor): November 11 is Veterans Day, honoring Americans who have served their country in the armed forces. November 11 was originally called Armistice Day because it was on this date in 1918 the Allies and Germany signed an armistice agreement to end hostilities on the Western Front of the First World War. By late summer 1918, the war had become unpopular among the German people, and it was also becoming increasingly clear that the military would not be able to hold out much longer against Allied offensives. In early October, at the urging of his cabinet, Chancellor Max von Baden sent a telegraph to American President Woodrow Wilson. The chancellor requested a cease-fire agreement between Germany and the Allies, based on Wilson's Fourteen Points address from the previous January. But Wilson refused to negotiate with a Germany that was not democratic, and didn't put much stock in von Baden's assurances that he was moving the country in that direction, especially after a German U-boat sank the Leinster, a British mail ship, killing some 520 civilians. Wilson angrily said he would let the European commanders end the war on their own terms, but that they would not negotiate while Kaiser Wilhelm remained in power. Wilhelm abdicated and fled the country on November 10, and the new civilian government quickly said they would sign an armistice agreement on whatever terms the Allies put forward. Under the terms of the armistice, Germany was forced to evacuate all of its occupied territories on the Western Front and elsewhere within two weeks, and Allied forces occupied the left bank of the Rhine. The German military was essentially gutted of its supplies, equipment, and ammunition. In addition, Germany had to agree to accept all the blame — and pay all the reparations — for the war. German leaders felt humiliated by what they viewed as overly punitive conditions, but the country was in no position to do anything but agree to the terms. France's representatives, however, made it clear they thought that the terms of the armistice and the subsequent Treaty of Versailles were too lenient. The armistice was signed outside Paris at 6 a.m. in the railway carriage of Allied commander Ferdinand Foch, and the cease-fire took effect five hours later: at "the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month."

Monday (Veterans Day 2013) - Nov. 11 Lake Effect Snow Watch, 7 p.m. for 24 hours

issued by National Weather Service (www.weather.com/ ) LAKE EFFECT SNOW WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY EVENING (Nov. 11) THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING (Nov. 12)... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTHERN INDIANA HAS ISSUED A LAKE EFFECT SNOW WATCH for BERRIEN COUNTY, Michigan... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING. HAZARDOUS WEATHER... * LAKE EFFECT SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP MONDAY NIGHT. AN INTENSE SINGLE BAND IS POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT. THIS BAND COULD PRODUCE 1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW PER HOUR WITH SNOWFALL TOTALS OF 3 TO 7 INCHES POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA. LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE IF THE BAND BECOMES STATIONARY FOR SEVERAL HOURS. * NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF 10 TO 20 MPH MAY LEAD TO SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING. IMPACTS... * ROADS WILL BECOME SNOW COVERED... SLICK AND HAZARDOUS IN LOCATIONS THAT SEE THE SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS. * VISIBILITIES COULD BE REDUCED TO NEAR ZERO WITHIN AN INTENSE SNOW BAND. THESE BANDS ARE OFTEN VERY NARROW AND DRIVERS ALONG THE TOLL ROAD AND INTERSTATE 94 MAY EXPERIENCE VERY RAPID REDUCTIONS IN VISIBILITIES AND RAPIDLY DETERIORATING DRIVING CONDITIONS.

Dr. Martin Luther born on this date in 1483: 550th anniversary of Reformer's birth

from "Writer's Almanac" (American Public Media: Garrison Keillor): On November 10 ia the birthday of theologian Martin Luther, born in Eisleben, Saxony (1483), which is now located in Germany. He's best known as the man who sparked the Protestant Reformation, but he was also an extraordinarily productive writer. Between the years of 1516 to 1546, he published an article on religion every other week, totaling more than 60,000 pages. It has been estimated that during his writing life, his published writings made up 20 percent of all the literature being published in Germany at the time. In addition to his own writing, Luther spent much of his late life working on a translation of the Bible into German. There had been a few German translations before his, but they were purely literal translations. He wanted to appeal to average people, and he tried to use words that would be understood by common Germans. He said, "[The translator] must ask the mother at home, children in the street, the common man in the marketplace, and look them in the mouth, and listen to how they speak, then translate accordingly." Toward the end of his life, Luther began to regret how many books he had written. He said, "The multitude of books is a great evil. There is no limit to this fever for writing. ... I wish that all my books were consigned to perpetual oblivion." Today, most of Luther's writings are only read by theologians, but his words survive in his popular hymns. He knew that many people couldn't read, and he believed hymns could communicate ideas more broadly. He also just loved music. He said, "My heart, which is so full to overflowing, has often been solaced and refreshed by music when sick and weary." His hymns are sung in churches throughout the world. Martin Luther said, "God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars."

75th Anniversary of Kristallnacht (part of NAZI intimidation of German and Austrian society, esp. Jewish storeholders and powerless individuals)

from online site POLITICO dot-com (posted Saturday Nov. 9, 2013) Germans across the country on Saturday commemorated the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht — the night of broken glass — during which the Nazis staged a wave of attacks on Jews in Germany and Austria. On Nov. 9, 1938, hundreds of synagogues were burned, numerous homes and Jewish-owned stores were ransacked, some 1,000 people were killed and more than 30,000 Jews were sent to concentration camps. The attacks marked the beginning of the state-organized, violent persecution of Jews which ended in the murder of six million European Jews by the end of the Third Reich in 1945. Germans in many cities and towns held candle-light vigils, listened to Jewish survivors share memories, and met at Jewish cemeteries to remember the victims of Kristallnacht during Saturday's commemorations. Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/germany-night-of-broken-glass-2013-99619.html#ixzz2kBSJ9rEk

How will the Supreme Court rule?

from "Plain English" blog by Amy Howe of SCOTUS Blog dot-com (posted Saturday Nov. 9, 2013) Wednesday Nov. 6, 2013 in Town of Greece v. Galloway, the U.S. Supreme Court Justices heard oral arguments in a lawsuit brought by two residents who argue that the town council’s practice of beginning its meetings with a prayer violates the Constitution. A court of appeals had ruled that although prayers are permissible, these suggested that the town was endorsing Christianity. When the hearing was over, it looked like the prayers would survive. If that happens, though, a win for the town may have less to do with the Justices’ strong convictions that the prayers are on firm constitutional ground than with their sense that a ruling allowing the prayers to continue would create fewer challenges for the courts than the alternatives. Let’s talk about the oral argument in Plain English. First up on Wednesday was attorney Thomas Hungar, who argued on the town’s behalf in support of the prayers. He quickly ran into a question from Justice Elena Kagan, who asked him whether the Constitution would allow an emphatically Christian prayer at the beginning of a Supreme Court session. Hungar responded that it would not. The difference, he explained, was that the town’s case involved exactly the same kind of prayer before a legislative session that the Supreme Court approved thirty years ago in a case called Marsh v. Chambers, which itself relied on a long history of prayer in legislatures (not courts) across the country. That answer did not satisfy Kagan or Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, as both pushed Hungar to explain why the same prayer might be constitutional in Congress but not across the street at the Court; Ginsburg also asked whether the town can even rely on historical practice to justify the prayers when the town council also takes on administrative tasks – like zoning applications – and therefore isn’t just a legislative body. And Chief Justice John Roberts asked Hungar to clarify whether the historical prayer practice could be extended to justify new practices in the future. Some of the Justices also seemed unmoved by Hungar’s repeated assertions that the town’s prayer practice had more going for it than just history. Justice Kennedy told Hungar that, although his argument had “some force to it,” that argument essentially boiled down to “we’ve always done it this way. . . . [I]t seems to me that your argument begins and ends there.” As he had done the day before in Bond v. United States, the challenge to a Pennsylvania woman’s conviction on chemical weapons charges for attempting to poison a romantic rival, Justice Breyer seemed to be casting about for a middle ground that would resolve this case without requiring the Court to make broader rulings on the meaning of the Constitution. He asked Hungar, for example, whether the case could be sorted out by the town agreeing to “mak[e] a good faith effort to try to include other[]” faiths. But Hungar was unwilling to give on that point, telling Breyer that, “as a practical matter, that has already happened here.” Arguing on behalf of the United States in favor of the town, Principal Deputy Solicitor General Ian Gershengorn also emphasized the long history of legislative prayer, but he then quickly moved on to describe what the United States regarded as an additional flaw in the lower court’s decision striking down the town’s prayer practice: it would require courts to review individual prayers to determine whether they were too sectarian. Justice Ginsburg questioned the premise of that argument, though, noting that under the government’s own test, which looks to whether the prayers either proselytized or denounced other religions, courts would have to do something similar anyway. Gershengorn too would return to the history of legislative prayer, in response to comments by Justice Kagan asking him whether the kind of prayer at issue in this case is inconsistent with the general principle that Americans participate in government as Americans, rather than as members of a particular religion. If history played a starring role in the first half-hour or so of the argument, theology took over the second half, when University of Virginia law professor Douglas Laycock (an expert on the intersection of law and religion) argued on behalf of Susan Galloway and Linda Stephens, the town residents who object to the prayers. For Laycock, it was an easy case: the town should have a policy that provides the clergy who offer the prayers with guidelines on how to avoid overly Christian prayers and, at the same time, prevent residents who attend the meetings from feeling coerced into participating. But that led to a cascading series of questions from some of the Court’s more conservative Justices, who focused on what they saw as the many flaws in Laycock’s argument. First, Justice Alito immediately challenged him to provide an example of a prayer that would be acceptable to a variety of faiths, from Christians to Wiccans and Bah’ai. Laycock suggested that prayers “to the almighty” or “the creator” might do so, but that response prompted Alito to ask whether such prayers would pass muster with religions that believe in more than one god. The Chief Justice then raised yet another concern: who determines whether the prayers are sufficiently sectarian to violate the Constitution, and should that person do so before or after the prayers take place? When Laycock responded that the clergy would be provided with instructions to guide their prayers, Justice Kennedy then suggested (disapprovingly) that the result would be “the government . . . editing the content of prayers.” And Justice Scalia added that Laycock’s proposed solution would create its own set of problems by prohibiting citizens who are religious from seeking spiritual guidance before the meetings. Toward the end of the argument, Justice Kagan asked a question that seemed to capture the real issues before the Court, as well as the possible conundrum that the Court faced. She suggested, and Laycock agreed, that the actual question was whether the Constitution allows prayers like the ones in this case, which were very important to most members of the community but to which some members of the community object. But, she continued, when the Court gets involved in disputes over hot-button topics like prayer, “it seems to make the problem worse rather than better.” And here, the Court’s misgivings about the residents’ argument apparently outweigh the Justices’ concerns about relying so heavily on history to justify the prayers. So, as Kagan hinted, the Court could try to avoid making the problem worse by issuing a limited decision that simply allows prayers like the ones in this case based on its decision in Marsh and historical practice, leaving bigger constitutional questions for another day. http://www.scotusblog.com/2013/11/will-history-prevail-on-prayer-in-plain-english-with-audio-links/#more-171809

First Library in American founded ON this DATE in HISTORY: Philadelphia, PA (then a British colony)

from Writer's Almanac (American Public Media: Garrison Keillor): On November 8, 1731, a group of young men in Philadelphia pooled their money to set up the first library in America. The idea for a library came about when Benjamin Franklin started a club with about 50 friends so they could debate about politics, morality, and the natural sciences. The group was called the Club of Mutual Improvement. When they disagreed about a topic, they liked to consult books. But books were expensive in those days, so they combined their resources to found a subscription library. They called it the Philadelphia Library Company. The rule was that any "civil gentleman" could browse through the volumes, but only subscribers were allowed to borrow them. The library expanded over the years. Later it moved to Carpenter's Hall, the building where the First Continental Congress met in 1774. Franklin said that after the library opened, "reading became fashionable, and our people, having no public amusements to divert their attention from study, became better acquainted with books."

Death and Rebirth in the Civil War (forthcoming Documentary) -- Gettysburg National Park

from NATIONAL PARK SERVICE (www.nps.gov) THESE HONORED DEAD: DEATH and REBIRTH in the CIVIL WAR Join the Gettysburg Foundation, Gettysburg National Military Park and Gettysburg College for a panel discussion with acclaimed filmmaker Ric Burns, director of Death and the Civil War, and Dr. Drew Gilpin Faust author of This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War, on which the documentary is based. Q & A will follow; event moderated by Admiral Mike Mullen. Date: Monday, November 18, 2013 Place: Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center Book and DVD Signing: 5:00 to 5:45 p.m. Panel Discussion: 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. http://www.nps.gov/gett/planyourvisit/150th-anniversary-events-2013.htm

JFK -- documentary Public Television (two-night coverage): Nov. 11 and 12, 2013

from PBS dot-org ___________________________ AMERICAN EXPERIENCE (check local listings) Coming November 11 & 12, 2013 -- Forever enshrined in myth by an assassin's bullet, Kennedy's presidency long defied objective appraisal. Recent assessments have revealed an administration long on promise and vigor, and somewhat lacking in tangible accomplishment. His proposals for a tax cut and civil rights legislation, however, promised significant gains in the months before his assassination. While maturation, as evidenced in the handling of the Cuban missile crisis, was apparent, the potential legacy of the New Frontier will forever be left to speculation.

Aquinas, Natural Law, and Liberal Education (Lecture Nov. 11 at St. Mary's College, IN)

from Publicity release at stmarys dot-edu The 2013 McMahon Aquinas Lecture "Natural Law and the Eclipse of Liberal Education" Professor Thomas Hibbs 7:00 p.m., Monday, November 11, 2013 Student Center Lounge Admission is free; Members of the public, as well as the Saint Mary's community, are cordially invited to attend these lectures. In this lecture, Professor Hibbs will consider recent literature on the crisis in higher education, particularly as it concerns the loss of any sense of a unified end of, or inherent purpose in, university education. He will offer a Catholic response that focuses on a broadly Thomistic account of human nature. Thomas Hibbs is Dean of the Honors College and Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Culture at Baylor University. He has written numerous scholarly books on Thomas Aquinas and on popular culture, and is a prolific commentator on film, culture, and higher education in the popular media. https://www.saintmarys.edu/mcmahon-aquinas-chair/lecture

Tuesday Nov. 5, 2013 -- beginning of month of Muharram (Islamic New Year)

from Religion and Ethics Newsweekly (PBS programming) November Muharram (Islamic) The month of Muharram marks the beginning of the Islamic liturgical year. The first day of the month, al-Hijra, remembers the migration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. It also marks the beginning of the ten-day Shi’ite Remembrance of Muharram, a period of intense grief and mourning of the martyrdom of Hussein, the son of Ali and grandson of Muhammad. from www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/multifaith-calendar

Beginning Nov. 3 -- Diwali (Religion and Ethics PBS definition - highlight)

NOVEMBER 3 Diwali (Hindu) Also called Deepavali, “Festival of Lights”, it celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. from www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/multifaith-calendar

Favorite son of Illinois elected on this date in 1860 (Abraham Lincoln)

from Writer's Almanac (American Public Media, Garrison Keillor): November 6 was the day in 1860 that Abraham Lincoln was elected to his first term as president of the United States. Before that, Lincoln's only experience in national politics had been a single term as a congressional representative and two unsuccessful runs for senator. He had only one year of formal schooling and no administrative experience. Newspapers called him a "third-rate Western lawyer." He was nominated for president largely on the basis of the series of debates he'd had with Stephen A. Douglas in the Senate race of 1858. Lincoln lost the election for senator, but on the basis of his national prominence, he became a presidential candidate for the election of 1860. There were three other men who might have gotten the Republican nomination that year, all of whom were better known, better educated, and more experienced than Lincoln. Lincoln only had the upper hand because he was from the swing state of Illinois. It also helped that the Republican Convention was held in Chicago that year. Lincoln's campaign operatives arranged it so that Illinois railroads would offer special rates for train rides to the convention, thereby flooding it with Lincoln supporters. Once he got the nomination, Lincoln lay low until the election. His strategy was to let the opposition tear itself apart without stirring up any controversy of his own. And the strategy worked. Lincoln's main rival for the presidency was his former senatorial rival Stephen A. Douglas, who was running as a Democrat. But the Southern Democrats broke off and nominated their own candidate, John C. Breckinridge. Lincoln wound up winning only 40 percent of the popular vote, but he won in the Electoral College, even though he didn't receive a single electoral vote from a Southern state. The Southern states took his election as a sign that slavery would be abolished, and before he even had a chance to take the oath of office, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas all seceded from the Union. By the time Lincoln was getting ready to leave Springfield for Washington, there had been multiple threats on his life. Before he left Illinois, he told a group of journalists, "Well, boys, your troubles are over now; mine have just begun."

Other races (ELECTION DAY 2013) besides NJ and VA govenor's race and Mayors of Boston & New York City

from ABC NEWS e-newsletter summation (www.abcnews.com ) Six states have a total of 31 ballot measures. In Washington State, voters will decide whether to require the labeling of foods made with "genetically modified organisms." New Jersey voters have a $1-per-hour minimum wage hike on the ballot, while New Yorkers will vote on whether to expand casino gambling. In Colorado, voters will weigh in on whether to impose two new taxes on recreational marijuana sales - a proposal that will be closely watched as other states consider legalization based on the premise that it will raise money for public services. DOWN BALLOT: In Alabama, the runoff for the Republican nomination in a House special election is an early test of the GOP establishment's efforts to stave off tea party challenges. Bradley Byrne, a former state senator and gubernatorial candidate, has the backing of the National Rifle Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the previous occupant of the House seat. He's running against Dean Young, a tea party favorite with strong socially conservative views. (The Republican will almost certainly win the December 2013 general election regardless of who wins the primary.)

National Bison Day (invitation from Intertribal Buffalo Council) - Nov. 2, 2013

from Intertribal Buffalo Council website main page (http://itbcbuffalo.com/ All that was announce is free and open to the public. If you would like to participate in the chili cook-off, contact the Webmaster! National Bison Day Celebration Saturday November 2, 2013 Museum of the American Bison TENTATIVE SCHEDULE TIME SPEAKER 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. When Buffalo Attack: Myths and truths about coming face to face with a buffalo Dr. Trudy Ecoffey, Wildlife Biologist 10:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Capturing bison in their natural habitat – stunning buffalo video from Dan Licht, Pronghorn Productions 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon Behind the Scenes: The Buffalo at Custer State Park – Chad Kremer, Bison Manager 12:00 noon to 1:15 p.m. BUFFALO CHILI COOK-OFF 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Restoring Buffalo in Indian Country – Jim Stone, InterTribal Buffalo Council 2:00 – 2:30 p.m. 100 years of Buffalo in South Dakota Parks - Tom Farell, Wind Cave National Park 2:45 – 3:45 p.m. “Buffalo for the Broken Hearted” - Dan O’Brien, Author/Bison Rancher 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Post-conference reception for speakers and guests Also: Kids activities, scavenger hunt, feather painting demonstration, traditional Native American Dancers.

Guantanamo Bay Prison (60_MINUTES, Nov. 3 prime-time coverage)

Preview and some information at CBS NEWS dot-com Preview: Guantanamo http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50158280n Lesley Stahl gets unprecedented access to the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, facility where the accused 9/11 terrorists will face trial in the biggest war crimes tribunal since Nuremberg (WW II). Watch Stahl's report on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time

American Experience (PBS): WAR OF THE WORLDS (check local listing - schedule)

from PBS dot-org -- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/worlds/ Shortly after 8 p.m. on the Halloween Eve, 1938, the voice of a panicked radio announcer broke in with a news bulletin reporting strange explosions taking place on the planet Mars, followed minutes later by a report that Martians had landed in the tiny town of Grovers Mill, New Jersey. Although most listeners understood that the program was a radio drama, the next day's headlines reported that thousands of others plunged into panic, convinced that America was under a deadly Martian attack. It turned out to be H.G. Wells' classic The War of the Worlds, performed by 23-year-old Orson Welles and fellow voice-actors.

Fruitvale Station -- feature film about killing of L.A. youth

Publicity and times for showings at VICKERS THEATRE, Three Oaks, MI -- website at www.vickerstheatre.com/ FRUITVALE STATION 1 hour 20 minutes R Drama 11/01 Fri 9:00 pm 11/02 Sat 3:30, 9:00 pm 11/03 Sun 3:30 pm All times Eastern Time Zone SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL winner -- Winner of both the Grand Jury Prize for dramatic feature and the Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, director Ryan Coogler's FRUITVALE STATION follows the true story of Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan), a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who wakes up on the morning of December 31, 2008 and feels something in the air. Not sure what it is, he takes it as a sign to get a head start on his resolutions: being a better son to his mother (Octavia Spencer), whose birthday falls on New Year's Eve, being a better partner to his girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz), who he hasn't been completely honest with as of late, and being a better father to Tatiana (Ariana Neal), their beautiful four year-old daughter. Crossing paths with friends, family, and strangers, Oscar starts out well, but as the day goes on, he realizes that change is not going to come easily. His resolve takes a tragic turn, however, when BART officers shoot him in cold blood at the Fruitvale subway stop on New Year's Day. Oscar's life and tragic death would shake the Bay Area - and the entire nation - to its very core.

"War of the Worlds" (1938 radio play) -- 75th Anniversary Re-Enactment at Three Oaks, Michigan

from "On The Water" -- publication of Leader Media (www.OffTheWater.com) -- Nov. 1 - 7 issue 8 p.m. at Acorn Theater by Harbor Arts Company, 107 Generations Drive, Three Oaks, MI 49128 -- phone 269-756-3879 Online reservation ($15 includes Dinner theater) Join the Acorn management for the 75th Anniversary re-enactment of the 1938 Orson Welles Mercury Radio Theatre play that caused widespread panic along America's East Coast on the October night of its iairing. It was an adaptation of the H.G. Wells Fictional story of the Martian Invasion of New Jersey with spacecraft. from Theater's website: The Martians are invading!! Intended to be a hoax, this is the classic Orson Welles radio script reenacted just as it was done first in 1938, when it caused a wide spread, real life panic on the east coast when it aired. Presented by Harbor Arts. War of the Worlds Dinner Option $15, reservation only.

On this date in History 601 years ago - Nov. 1, 1512

from the Writer's Almanac (American Public Media, Garrison Keillor): Today is All Saints' Day, and Pope Julius II chose this day in 1512 to display Michelangelo's paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel for the first time. It took Michelangelo four years to complete the paintings that decorate the ceiling of the chapel. The paintings are of scenes from the Old Testament, including the famous center section, "The Creation of Adam." The chapel itself was built about 25 years earlier, and various Renaissance painters were commissioned to paint frescos on the walls. Michelangelo was 33 years old at the time, and he tried to point out to the pope that he was a sculptor, and not really a painter, but the pope wouldn't listen. Michelangelo used his skills as a sculptor to make the two-dimensional ceiling look like a series of three-dimensional scenes — a technique that was relatively new at the time. It took him four years to finish the job, between 1508 and 1512. He worked from a scaffold 60 feet above the floor, and he covered about 10,000 square feet of surface. Every day, fresh plaster was laid over a part of the ceiling and Michelangelo had to finish painting before the plaster dried. The German writer Wolfgang von Goethe wrote, "We cannot know what a human being can achieve until we have seen [the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel]."