Happy Birthday, J.K. Rowling (children's author and novelist)!

from WRITER's ALMANAC (American Public Media: Garrison Keillor)

July 31 is
the birthday of the British author of the "Harry Potter" series: J.K. Rowling, born in Yate, England near Bristol, in 1965. She was born Joanne, with no middle name; when the time came to publish her first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997), her publishers wanted initials rather than her first and last name. She needed a middle initial, so she took her grandmother's name: Kathleen. She studied French in college, and after college she went to work for Amnesty International as a secretary. She was on a train coming home to London from a weekend looking at flats in Manchester in 1990, when she suddenly got the idea for a novel. "I was looking out of the window at some cows, I believe and I just thought: 'Boy doesn't know he's a wizard — goes off to wizard school,'" she said in an interview with Stephen Fry. "I have no idea where it came from. I think the idea was floating along the train and looking for someone, and my mind was vacant enough, so it decided to zoom in there." She found a publisher in 1996, and was paid an advance of £1,500, about $2,500. Six more books followed. Her rags-to-riches story is legendary: In five years' time, she went from being on public assistance to being a multimillionaire. She's now one of the richest women in Britain, even richer than the queen, and Forbes magazine estimates her net worth at 1 billion U.S. dollars.
Her readings are wildly popular now, and people come to them in costume, but that was not always the case. At her first reading, attendance was so sparse that the bookstore had to have their employees fill some of the seats. She appeared a few years ago at the Royal Albert Hall, and told the audience, "This is the nearest I'll ever get to being a Beatle, hearing you all shouting. It was very nice. I see myself as the George Harrison."
She's often asked to give advice to aspiring young writers, and her answer is always the same: "Read as much as you possibly can. Nothing will help you as much as reading and you'll go through a phase where you will imitate your favourite writers and that's fine because that's a learning experience too."

changes for SUPREME COURT (SCOTUS) and public access - web interface

from SCOTUS BLOG article (July 30, 2017):

Supreme Court unveils new website

By Andrew Hamm on July 30, 2017 at 3:13 pm

Late Friday evening (July 29) the Supreme Court released a new version of its website (www.supremecourt.gov).
The court’s Public Information Office boasts that the site update includes “a more consistent menu structure, a more interactive calendar, faster access through Quick Links, improved page load times, and reduced page scrolling.” For example, instead of indicating only that the court will hear oral argument on a given day, the updated calendar provides case names for each argument day, with links to the docket entries and the questions at issue in each case.
The homepage also provides access to transcripts, audio and other case information. In a tweet, Orin Kerr suggested that a new case-citation system, which lists internet sources cited in opinions, represents “a good effort to fight linkrot.” In 2013, Jonathan Zittrain, Kendra Albert and Lawrence Lessig released results of a study indicating that half the links in Supreme Court opinions no longer work.
Judging from the Twitter reactions of multiple Supreme Court practitioners and commentators, the most appealing element of the update – what John Elwood called a “tantalizing glimpse” – may be the light at the end of this newly-opened tunnel. According to the PIO, “the improvements will better support future digitization and the addition of electronic filing, and will enhance mobile access to information on the site.”

Thanks for reading and visiting thie Blog on GOOGLE BLOGGER

Today is July 30 -- big traffic yesterday (Saturday 7/29/2017)

Page views yesterday

228. Page views (Thursday August 3) - 154

"Problem Solvers" Caucus (Bipartisan House of Repr. members): July 29, 2017

from article posted online at Michigan LIVE! dot-com:

By Lauren Gibbons (journalist)

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, who voted on the House version of a bill to repeal Obamacare after offering an $8 billion amendment to address his concerns about preexisting conditions, has joined a bipartisan group of House members to look at ways to stabilize the existing health care system.
Upton, R-St. Joseph, said in a Friday statement that he looks forward to "being a constructive, bipartisan partner" in efforts to stabilize insurance markets, lowering premiums, protecting those with pre-existing conditions and safeguarding states with Medicaid expansion.
"The path forward to fixing the healthcare mess is seeking bipartisan, common-sense common-ground," he said. "I have joined with nearly 50 members of both parties as part of the bipartisan "Problem Solvers"  caucus to purse these goals."
In May, Upton ultimately joined the majority of his Republican colleagues in voting for the American Health Care Act, the House's plan to repeal and replace Obamacare.
The former chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee initially expressed concerns the House plan did not give enough protections to those with pre-existing conditions, but changed his mind after House members adopted an $8 billion amendment for those with pre-existing conditions in states that sought waivers under the Republican health care plan.

http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/07/us_rep_fred_upton_joins_bipart.html#incart_river_home

Archeology and Communities: Past and Present

August 2017 at Niles, MI Downtown District Library

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Lecture

Wednesday, August 2, 7:00-8:30 pm

"Archaeology and Communities, Past and Present" presented by Dr. Dean Anderson, Archaeologist representing the state of Michigan.

620 E, Main Street, Niles, MI 49120

(269)-683-8545

Urban Adventure Games: run, swim, bike, slide, scavenger hunt

www.urbanadventuresgames.com/race-info

Saturday July 29, 2017 morning (four hours)

The Urban Adventure Games is a thrilling, zany, action-packed exploratory race. Participants pair up in teams of two to embark on this “scavenger hunt on steroids”. Racing around the city, participants will run, bike, slide, climb, swim and do so much more on their way to a number of checkpoints spread across Downtown South Bend, Mishawaka, and the Notre Dame area. Name of the game is to make it to all checkpoints and complete all tasks in the least amount of time.

Volume description (Vol. 32: Health, Healing, & Medicine: John Wesley) - Abingdon Press

ISBN: 9781501859014

This volume (#32) is part of The Bicentennial Edition of the Works of John Wesley, dedicated to providing a complete and accurate published collection of the writings of John Wesley.
From the beginning of his ministry John Wesley was committed to nurturing in his own life and in the communities he served “health of body and of soul.” This volume provides a window into his concern for “health of body” by collecting all of his writings related to health and wellness. These range from his best-selling home guide to health care, the Primitive Physic, through his recommendation of electrical-shock therapy, to his concern for nervous disorders. The volume will be of keen interest to all who are committed to recovering Wesley’s holistic understanding of salvation and ministry in the present church, as well as to those seeking a better understanding of medical care in the eighteenth century.
John Wesley published a collection of advice for preserving health and treating diseases, and his Primitive Physick, went through twenty-three editions in Wesley’s lifetime—among the highest number of anything that he published—and stayed in print (and use!) continuously into the 1880s. Those who are aware of this collection, and have glanced at a few of his prescriptions for ailments tend to dismiss it in bemusement.

Far from being an amusing avocation, John Wesley’s interest in health and healing was a central dimension of his ministry and of the mission of early Methodism. Moreover, when considered in its historical context, Wesley’s precedent provides a model of the concern for holistic health and healing that is instructive for his present ecclesial heirs.

As a primary record of one of the founders of the Wesleyan/Methodist movement, John Wesley’s Medical Writings are crucial to an understanding of the beginnings of that movement, its reflection of the context from which it emerged, and its lasting impact on English and American Methodism and the broader culture.  It is likewise absolutely essential for anyone in any of the potential reader groups listed above who wants to understand the context and sensibility around issues of bodily health and Christian salvation out of which Wesleyan theology, worship, spirituality, hymnody, and conferencing emerged. For a church or movement that declares salvation and wholeness as works of divine presence impacting embodied life in the real world, Wesley’s reflections on human health are not just relics of a pre-medical age but reveal a deeper sensibility about spiritual health pertinent to the Church’s ongoing commitment to flesh and blood human health and flourishing in the real world.

http://www.abingdonpress.com/product/9781501859014#.WXn8OLpFy6g

Beatriz at Dinner (Feature film) - Vickers Theatre Three Oaks, MI -- Friday July 27 - Mon. 7/31/2017

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5929750/?ref_=nv_sr_2
A holistic medicine practitioner attends a wealthy client's dinner party after her car breaks down.

R-rated on uncomfortable / comedic confrontation  between antagonists : 93 minutes 6:15 p.m. showings.

Vickers Theater is located 6 N. Elm Street, Three Oaks, Michigan USA

July 24 - Happy 120th Birthday -- Aviatrix A. Earhart!

from WRITER'S ALMANAC (American Public Media, Garrison Keillor):
July 24 is
the birthday of the famous aviator Amelia Earhart, born in Atchison, Kansas (1897). She was a tomboy. Her parents let her wear pants when she was growing up, even though it was not acceptable yet for women to do so. She spent her childhood hiking, fishing, and exploring caves. She built a small wooden roller coaster in her backyard and practiced riding on it without falling off.
She had been studying medicine when she went to her first air show in California, and it was then that she decided to become a pilot. She was the first person to fly from California to Hawaii, and she tried to fly around the circumference of the globe. She was photogenic and well-spoken, so the aviation industry used her as a symbol to improve its image and to reassure women that flying was safe. Unfortunately, on her second attempt to fly around the globe she disappeared in the central Pacific, somewhere near the international dateline.

Quad City Baseball (Stadium in Davenport, IA) -- Satuday July 22, 2017

Great Lakes Loons at Quad Cities River Bandits Tickets (Baseball Team) 

Date: Saturday July 22, 2017 at 6:35 PM
Location: Modern Woodmen Park - Davenport, Iowa

Salute to Motown's groups (Temptations, Four Tops, Spinners, Stylistics) - July 23 (Freedom Hill, MI Amphitheatre)

www.palacenet.com/

The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Spinners and The Stylistics

Andiamo Restaurants, Mix 92.3 and Motown Museum Presents A Salute To The Legends of Motown

Jul 23 , 2017Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill

Andiamo Restaurants, Mix 92.3, The Motown Museum and the UAW Present A Salute To The Legends of Motown featuring The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Spinners and The Stylistics at Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill on Sunday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m. This is a rare opportunity to see all four legendary groups on the same night!  Watch the Temptations and The Four Tops in a Battle of the Bands as they share the stage and perform their Motown hits together.
Tickets at $125.50, $79.50 and $59.50 in the Crest Ford pavilion and $25.50 on the Kroger lawn go on sale this Saturday, April 8 at 10 a.m. at Livenation.com, The Palace Ticket Store and all Ticketmaster locations. Tickets may also be charged by phone to American Express, Discover, Visa and MasterCard by calling 800.745.3000.
The Temptations were born in Detroit in 1961, a marriage of members of the Distants and the Primes, and signed to Motown.  “Dream Come True” became the group’s first chart hit, peaking at #22 R&B in 1962.  In 1965, “My Girl” became their first #1 pop and R&B hit, and their first signature song.  They hit no. 1 R&B again with “Get Ready” in 1966. In 1972, “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” hit #1 pop and won two Grammys. In total, The Temptations can claim 43 Top 10 R&B singles (14 #1) and 17 pop Top 10s (four #1).  In 1989, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Temptations’ new millennium success has included the Grammy-winning Ear-Resistable (2000) as well as Awesome (2001) and Legacy (2004).  Reflections, released in 2006, received a Grammy nomination for their version of Marvin Gaye’s “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You).” Their latest album was 2010’s Still Here. Otis Williams, the only original member still living, continues to perform with The Temptations’ line up consisting of Terry Weeks, Ron Tyson, Joe Herndon and Bruce Williamson.
The Four Tops were founded in Detroit, Michigan as The Four Aims. Lead singer Levi Stubbs and groupmates Abdul “Duke” Fakir, Renaldo “Obie” Benson and Lawrence Payton remained together for over four decades, having gone from 1953 until 1997 without a single change in personnel. Their hit singles included two Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits, “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” and “Reach Out I’ll Be There.”
When Motown left Detroit in 1972 to move to Los Angeles, California, the Tops stayed in Detroit, where they continued to have charting singles into the late-1970s. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. Fakir is the only surviving founding member of the original group and is joined by Ronnie McNeir, Lawrence Payton, Jr. and Harold Bonhart.
The Spinners were formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1954.  Most often thought of as a Motown recording act, the classic group sound of legendary R&B recording artists The Spinners has never lost its universal appeal.  Throughout the years they have sold millions of records and topped both the Pop and R&B charts with smash hits, including “I’ll Be Around,” “Could It Be I'm Falling in Love?,” “Then Came You,” “Games People Play,” “The Rubberband Man” “Working My Way Back to You” and “Cupid.”  Today, original member Henry Fambrough is joined onstage by lead singer Charlton Washington, Marvin Taylor, Ronnie Moss and Jessie Peck.
The Stylistics was formed in Philadelphia, PA in 1966.  Herbert Murrell and Airrion Love are the remaining original members of The Stylistics.  Friends since junior high school, Herb and Airrion have managed to keep their institution of `70s music alive. They scored 12 straight top ten R&B hits, including “You Are Everything,” “Betcha by Golly, Wow,” “I’m Stone in Love with You,” “Break Up to Make Up” and “You Make Me Feel Brand New.” The current lineup of the Stylistics also includes Eban Brown and Jason Sharp.

Andiamo Restaurants, Mix 92.3 and Motown Museum Presents A Salute To The Legends of Motown featuring The Temptations and The Four Tops with special guests The Spinners and The Stylistics at Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill

Animal Emergencies -- Pet information sharing (Elkhart IN Central Park) - July 22, 2017, 4 - 8 p.m.

ELKHART — The Pillars of Elkhart presents the seventh annual “Dog Daze of Summer” from 4 to 8 p.m. in Central Park in downtown Elkhart, IN.

The event features music, local food vendors, pet-related vendors, a beer garden for people 21 and older, and a new Doggy Costume Contest with three categories: Best Owner/Dog Duo. Best Dressed and Most Creative. Dogs will be available for adoption.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their dogs as long as they are up-to-date on rabies vaccinations and other shots and on a leash. Pools of water will be provided for the dogs to cool off in.

A portion of the proceeds goes to Nature’s Way Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation.

Admission is $5.

For more information, visit facebook.com/pillarsofelkhart

John Wesley's medical writings (Volume in WORKS Series) - Abingdon Press - can pre-order

Hello, readers of this GOOGLE Blog --

The co-editor of Volume 32 (Prof. Randy L. Maddox) communicated with me from his DUKE Divinity school email account that the sale date (shipped to those who pre-order) is sometime in next year.
ISBN: 9781501859014
 -- Should be an important addition to the existing volumes to date!

FROM Tim Shaw -- 2 p.m. Eastern 21 July 2017

July 1967 riots (Michigan cities) -- Michigan Live! analysis and photo-essay

A city -- and state -- in disarray

By Lauren Gibbons

On July 23, 1967, a police raid at an unlicensed bar at the corner of 12th Street in Detroit erupted into a five-day civil disturbance that ended with 43 people dead, 1,189 injured, more than 7,200 arrests and hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. 

The riot in Detroit was the largest in a series of civil disorders that broke out during the "long hot summer" of 1967, when simmering racial tensions and frustration erupted into protests, demonstrations and disturbances of varying sizes in more than 120 cities nationwide. The Detroit riot is still considered one of the most destructive insurrections in U.S. history.

The underlying issues that sparked the events in Detroit that summer were present throughout Michigan, and as the state's largest city burned, many of Michigan's other urban areas also faced various forms of unrest. 

http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/07/how_other_cities_in_michigan_r.html#incart_river_home

Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT -- SW Michigan and S. Bend performances (ND Touring Performers) - July 2017

(End of July 2017 - next six weeks)

Saturday, July 22 | 7:00pm | Chris Wilson Pavilion | Potawatomi Park, South Bend, IN
– Sunday, July 23 | 7;00pm | Encore Performing Arts | Plymouth, IN
– Friday, July 28 | 7:00pm | Shakespeare in the Streets | Fremont Park, South Bend, IN
– Saturday, July 29 | 7:00pm | Krasl Art Center | St. Joseph, MI
– Sunday, July 30 | 7:00pm | Goshen Theater | Goshen, IN
– Friday, Aug 4 | 7:00pm | Fernwood Botanical Garden | Niles, MI
– Saturday, Aug 5 | 6:30pm | Dewey Cannon Park | Three Oaks, MI

As a part of Shakespeare at Notre Dame, the NDSF began producing theatrical events in 2000 and has grown in size every year since then. Each year the festival includes a professionally mounted Professional Company production, traveling performances by the Touring Company, the community-oriented ShakeScenes program, and numerous special events including guest artists, lectures and presentations.
The Professional Company is made up of professional actors from all over the country, the Touring Company, and a handful of community actors who put on a main stage performance every year at the Debartolo Performing Arts Center.

https://visitsouthbend.com/shaking-things-up-with-shakespeare/

Niles, Michigan BURN Run Fundraiser weekend (July 22 - 23)

Niles Burn Run 2017
Event Date/Time	Saturday, July 22, 2017 - Sunday, July 23, 2017
Host	Niles Burn Run Inc
Event Type	Benefit - Charity
Event Description	The Niles Burn run is a 2-day event to benefit the Great Lakes Burn Camp Saturday: Car / Bike Show Saturday Night: Live Music featuring PS Dump Your Boyfriend Sunday: Escorted Ride, kick stands up at noon
Location	Riverfront Park - Niles Michigan
Address	1701 Pucker St Dr
City	Niles
State	MICHIGAN
Zip	49120

Children of Eden - Musical July 28 - 29 at Dowagiac, MI SW Michigan Com. College

Music and Theatre departments of Southwestern Michigan Community College --

From musical theatre greats Stephen Schwartz and John Caird comes a joyous and inspirational musical about parents, children and faith...not to mention centuries of unresolved family business!
Adam, Eve, Noah and the "Father" who created them deal with the headstrong, cataclysmic actions of their respective children. The show ultimately delivers a bittersweet but inspiring message: that "the hardest part of love...is letting go."
General Admission: $10
Seniors and Students 18 and Under: $5
SMC Students with ID: Free ticket at the door, if available
https://www.swmich.edu/children-of-eden

County Fair (166th year) - Cassopolis, Michigan USA

The 166th annual Cass County Fair returns to Cassopolis, Michigan on Sunday, July 30 through Saturday, August 5, 2017. Grandstand entertainment features Caroline Kole, who has been on a two-year international tour with Reba McIntire, SJO Super Cross Championship Series, along with the demolition derby, super-stock and street-legal truck pulls, rodeo events and monster trucks. Free must-see events include horse pulls, fireworks, daily grounds entertainment and hundreds of 4-H, Open Class, and commercial exhibits. The fair is open Sunday through Saturday, 11 am to 11 pm.

https://discovercasscounty.com/event-pro/2017-cass-county-fair/

Intersection of Theology and Ecology (evening at Ohio Seminary Hill Farm) - July 19

Join us Wednesday, July 19, 2017 from 6:30-8 p.m., to celebrate theology, ecology and good food for all. This special event will benefit Seminary Hill Farm and MTSO's groundbreaking work at the intersection of ecology and theology. We'll gather at 6:30 p.m. to:

• Enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres with ingredients fresh from Seminary Hill Farm and other local providers.
• Take a guided farm tour led by the people who grow your food.
• Learn about MTSO's broad commitment to ecotheology.
• Hear plans for growth and new partnerships.
• Listen to live music by guitarist John Morgan.

A farm grows...

MTSO founded Seminary Hill Farm in late 2013 with a vision for growing good food for those on the school's campus and beyond. The farm has expanded every year, both in production and its reach. It shares food and expertise with those who don't have reliable access to a healthy, affordable diet. Thanks to the farm's community-supported agriculture program and its participation in farmers' markets, families are eating fresh, organic fruits and vegetables just hours after they're picked. Some of Columbus's finest restaurants are proudly serving Seminary Hill Farm produce, herbs and spices to discerning diners.

...at a school committed to the care of the earth

Seminary Hill Farm is part of MTSO's broad and abiding commitment to stewardship of the planet. Courses integrating theology, ecology and social justice inform and inspire future religious leaders. A solar array helps power the main academic building, and geothermal wells heat and cool it. Thanks to these endeavors and many more, MTSO is a leading voice among seminaries in the area of environmental justice.

Methodist Theological School in Ohio3081 Columbus Pike, Delaware, OH 43015Phone: 740-363-1146

What makes July 14 a holiday / Bastile Day?

from Writer's Almanac (American Public Media: Garrison Keillor):

July 14 in 1789 was the day when an angry French mob stormed the Bastille prison in Paris, an event that launched the French Revolution. The Bastille was a medieval fortress, built in the 14th century, with eight towers, each 80 feet tall. It was used as a prison, and it had a reputation as a place where political prisoners and enemies of the royal family would rot away in miserable dungeons without a proper trial. By 1789, under the rein of Louis XVI, the Bastille didn't have many prisoners, and the conditions were relatively comfortable — some wealthy prisoners even brought their own servants. Nonetheless, regular people considered the Bastille a symbol of royal oppression.
In June, the National Assembly had formed, a political body representing the common people of France. Rumors flew that King Louis XVI was trying to overthrow the National Assembly. At the same time, Parisians were starving, and the nation was on the brink of economic collapse.

A few days before the storming of the Bastille, King Louis XVI abruptly dismissed his Minister of Finance, a man who had wide popular support. Angry citizens took to the streets — there was widespread looting, with food and weapons stolen. They gathered thousands of guns but needed gunpowder, and the Bastille was known to contain a large store of ammunition. By midmorning, thousands of people had gathered outside the Bastille, demanding gunpowder and the release of prisoners. They soon grew tired of negotiating and attacked. The fighting lasted several hours.

Almost 100 attackers were killed and just one guard. But the mob was successful, and flooded into the prison. There turned out to be only seven prisoners to liberate: four forgers, two lunatics, and an aristocrat accused of incest. The mob killed the governor of the Bastille and paraded around the city with his head on a pike.
When King Louis XVI returned that evening from a day of hunting, one of his noblemen recounted the day's events at the Bastille. Louis is said to have asked, "So this is a revolt?" to which his duke replied: "No, Sire, this is a revolution!"

Flash Flood Watch - July 12 - 13, 2017

FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTHERN INDIANA HAS ISSUED A * FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN INDIANA, SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN, AND NORTHWEST OHIO, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS, IN NORTHERN INDIANA, ALLEN IN, DE KALB, ELKHART, KOSCIUSKO, LA PORTE, LAGRANGE, MARSHALL, NOBLE, ST. JOSEPH IN, STARKE, STEUBEN, AND WHITLEY. IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN, BERRIEN, BRANCH, CASS MI, HILLSDALE, AND ST. JOSEPH MI. IN NORTHWEST OHIO, ALLEN OH, DEFIANCE, FULTON OH, HENRY, PAULDING, PUTNAM, VAN WERT, AND WILLIAMS. * THROUGH LATE TONIGHT * ONE OR MORE ROUNDS OF THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED INTO LATE TONIGHT ALONG AND NORTH OF ROUTE 30. SOME LOCATIONS COULD SEE 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON WITH ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL LIKELY TONIGHT. LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE.

Born on this date -- Thoreau (July 12) -- 200 years ago

from WRITER's ALMANAC (American Public Media: Garrison Keillor):

July 12 is the birthday of Henry David Thoreau, born David Henry Thoreau in Concord, Massachusetts (1817). He went to Harvard, but he didn't like it very much, nor did he enjoy his later job as a schoolteacher. He seemed destined for a career in his father's pencil factory, and in fact, he came up with a better way to bind graphite and clay, which saved his father money. But in 1844, Thoreau's friend Ralph Waldo Emerson bought land on the shore of Walden Pond, a 61-acre pond, surrounded by woods, and Thoreau decided to build a cabin there. It was only two miles from the village of Concord, and he had frequent visitors. During the two years he lived there, Thoreau kept a journal that he later published as Walden, or Life in the Woods (1854). In the conclusion to Walden, Thoreau wrote, "I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

Candlelight vigil (Courthouse shooting one year ago) - July 11, 2017 St. Joseph, Michigan

from LEADER Publications online article  = www.leaderpub.com/

July 11 marks one year since the death of law enforcement personnel  Ronald Kienzle and Joseph Zangaro, who were victims of the Berrien County Courthouse shooting.

To honor them, FOP Blossomland Lodge 100 and Berrien County Strong-Community in Action will host a candlelight vigil at 8:30 p.m.  Tuesday, July 11, at the Berrien County Courthouse, 811 Port St., St. Joseph, Michigan.

Kienzle, was a bailiff and Zangaro was a security guard at the Berrien County Courthouse. They were shot and killed by Larry Gordon, an inmate who disarmed an officer on July 11, 2016.

The vigil will include a memorial walk. Once the walkers reach the memorial, a short service and candlelight vigil will follow.

Candles will be available, but participants are advised to bring their own.

July 10 is a Rainy Monday - Meteorologist Michigan Live!

A large area of rain with non-severe thundershowers is currently moving through southwest Lower Michigan and will likely continue across southeast Lower this morning. Then we may see a quick flare-up of thunderstorms late today in far southern Lower.
In northern Lower and the U.P., the farther north you are, the more sunshine you will see.www.mlive.com/

Monday Storms - July 10, 2017 6.a.m. Eastern

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHWESTERN CASS AND SOUTHEASTERN BERRIEN COUNTIES... AT 557 AM EDT, A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED OVER BERRIEN SPRINGS, OR NEAR BUCHANAN, MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. WINDS IN EXCESS OF 30 MPH AND DIME SIZE HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... DOWAGIAC, BUCHANAN, BERRIEN SPRINGS, POKAGON, EAU CLAIRE, MAGICIAN LAKE, DEWEY LAKE, LA GRANGE, SUMNERVILLE, INDIAN LAKE AND SANDY BEACH. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 10 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE.

[posted at Weather Channel - www.weather.com ]

Archaeological Series (Fort St. Joseph, Niles, Michigan U.S.A.) - July 12, 2017

From Niles District library website =

Book Signing: "Sheltering New France" Wednesday, July 12, 7:00-7:30 pm  Prior to the 7:30pm lecture, Dr. Michael Nassaney will be signing copies of the third installment in the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Booklet Series, "Sheltering New France," which showcases the buildings that Native Americans and French colonists constructed. Copies are available for $10 each.

The Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Lecture Series  Wednesday, July 12, 7:30-8:30 pm  Dr. Jonathan Bush, Professor of English at Western Michigan University, will present "Conversations and Collaborations; Objectives, and Obligations: Building and Sustaining Meaningful University Community Partnerships in Context." This program is free and open to the public.

Happy Birthday, Robert Heinlein!

from Writer's Almanac (American Public Media, Garrison Keillor):

July 7 is the birthday of science fiction writer Robert Heinlein, born in Butler, Missouri (1907). He wrote over 50 novels and collections of short stories over a span of four decades. He’s best known for his novel Stranger in a Strange Land (1961), a cult classic about a boy who is born during the first manned mission to Mars. He’s raised by Martians, then returns to Earth, starts a church, and preaches free love.
Heinlein began writing in the mid-1930s, while he was recovering from an accident from his days in the Navy. He started out writing novels for young adults, but they were so advanced that they were usually published outside the U.S. as novels for adults. Heinlein once said, “Kids want tough books, chewy books — not pap.”
He called his books “speculative fiction” rather than “science fiction,” in the tradition of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. He tried to write about events that could actually happen, taking into consideration everything we know about the natural laws of the universe. He wrote about things like atomic bombs, cloning, and gay marriage years before they became realities. Not all of his predictions came true, though. In 1952, he wrote an article called “Life in 2000 A.D.,” in which he predicted that we would have cures for cancer, the common cold, and tooth decay; there would be men who had visited all parts of the solar system; and new technology would make all existing houses obsolete.
Heinlein said: “Being intelligent is not a felony. But most societies evaluate it as at least a misdemeanor.”

Underground Railroad Days (July 8 - 9, 2017) - Vandalia, Michigan (Cass Cty.)

from local newspaper (Cassopolis VIGILANT , Leader Publications):

at 7 p.m. Friday, July 7, at Ross-Beatty High School Auditorium. The URSCC will debut the documentary “The Kentucky Raid” by local filmmaker Sally Conner. The documentary tells the story of Kentucky slave catchers storming Quaker farms to take back slaves in August 1847, the reaction of local townspeople and the ensuing trial in Cassopolis. The presentation will be free. On July 8-9, the Village of Vandalia will sponsor sales booths and family activities. A soul food dinner will be available for $10. There will also be a community church service hosted on the morning of Sunday, July 9. URSCC is anchored in Milo Barnes Park across the street from the village hall. On Saturday and Sunday, there will also be guided tours of Kentucky Raid sites, presentations about various aspects of the Underground Railroad in the Vandalia Youth Center and entertainment at the “Ramptown Cabin” in the park. The 102nd Colored Troops will stage a Living History encampment, giving a glimpse of their role in the Civil War. All these activities will be located next to the Vandalia Village Hall on M-60. The Victorian Bonine House, home of Underground Railroad stationmasters James E. and Sarah Bogue Bonine, at M-60 and Penn Road and the carriage house across the street where freedom seekers were sheltered, will be open for tours. Parking, admission and Underground Railroad tours are free, though donations are appreciated.
http://www.leaderpub.com/2017/05/25/underground-railroad-days-july-7-9/

Strong Thunderstorm - July 7 - Friday early a.m.

from WEATHER Channel (www.weather.com):

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN LA PORTE AND SOUTHWESTERN BERRIEN COUNTIES... AT 748 AM EDT/648 AM CDT/, A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR LONG BEACH, OR NEAR MICHIGAN CITY, MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH AND DIME SIZE HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... MICHIGAN CITY, LA PORTE, TRAIL CREEK, NEW BUFFALO, NEW CARLISLE, THREE OAKS, LONG BEACH, POTTAWATTAMIE PARK, GALIEN, MICHIANA SHORES, GRAND BEACH, MICHIANA, BYRON, UNION PIER, HUDSON LAKE, POTTAWATTOMIE PARK, STILLWELL, ROLLING PRARIE, HESSTON AND SPRINGVILLE. THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING HIGHWAYS... INTERSTATE 80 IN INDIANA BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 47 AND 61. INTERSTATE 94 IN INDIANA BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 39 AND 45. INTERSTATE 94 IN MICHIGAN BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 0 AND 6. TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM, AND MAY CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS.

Christian-Muslim Dialogue (Fall 2017 dialogue - lecture)

EVENT at Notre Dame, Campus annual lecture

Thursday September 14, 2017, 7:00 p.m.                       

Location: Geddes Hall, campus

The annual Rev. Bernie Clark, C.S.C. Lecture on Catholic social tradition was created by the Center for Social Concerns in 2009 in order to highlight the issues and themes within the Catholic social tradition, and to inspire students to live out Fr. Bernie's message of promoting social justice. This event honors Fr. Bernie, who died young but influenced students with his life lesson of the "Theory of Enough."
The endowed lecture this year will be a dialogue between Scott Alexander,Ph.D., associate professor of Islamic Studies and director of the Catholic-Muslim Studies Program at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and Imam Hassan Al-Qazwini, a leading Islamic religious figure from Dearborn, Michigan, on how peace and justice can be achieved through interfaith dialogue between two of the world's leading faith traditions.
Location: Geddes Hall, Andrew Auditorium
Contact
Center for Social Concerns
(574) 631-5293
http://socialconcerns.nd.edu/

Jazz Ambassadors (July 6, 2017 concert) - Univ. of Notre Dame, IN 7:30 p.m.

Event -- see www.nd.edu/

Concert (free admission): Jazz Ambassadors

of the U.S. Army's Field Band

Time: Thursday, July 6, 2017, 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Location: Irish Green (south of DeBartolo Performing Arts Center), Campus

The Jazz Ambassadors—America's Big Band is the official touring big band of the United States Army. This 19-member ensemble, formed in 1969, has received great acclaim both at home and abroad performing America's original art form, jazz. A favorite of our outdoor concerts in years past, relax with an evening of big band swing, bebop, Latin, contemporary jazz, standards, popular tunes, Dixieland, vocals, and patriotic selections.

Google "Employee #16" born on this date (July 5)

July 5 is the birthday of American technology executive Susan Wojcicki, born in
Santa Clara County, California (1968). You might not know her name, but if you like to watch cat videos on YouTube, she’s the person to thank: she convinced her employer, Google, to buy the home video startup. Wojcicki has been called “the most important person in advertising” and “the most powerful woman on the internet.” She’s now the CEO of YouTube. Her name is pronounced “Whoa-JIT-ski.”
She was a pregnant Stanford alum when she decided to rent out the garage of her house in Menlo Park, California, to two Stanford students, Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Back then, what we call “Google” today was known as “Backrub,” and it was Brin and Page’s senior project. They’d figured out a way to design a search engine that used links to determine the importance of individual pages on the internet.
No one really knew how the project was going to take off, but Brin and Page paid Wojcicki $1,700.00 a month to use her garage and the three of them stayed up late eating pizza, playing pingpong, and perfecting their product. Wojcicki became the first marketing manager at Google; she was known as “Google Employee #16.” And those little ads on personal blogs and websites? Wojcicki created those, too, and called the idea “AdSense,” and it took off, allowing blog and site owners to make money by displaying Google ads.
Susan Wojcicki helped design the first “Google Doodles,” those quirky little alterations of the Google logo that change according to holidays, birthdays, and international events. Doodles have honored artist Andy Warhol and singers Freddie Mercury and Ella Fitzgerald.
Wojcicki grew up on the Stanford campus; her father was a physics professor. There were always professors and thinkers at her house, arguing and talking about ideas. She credits her upbringing for her success, saying: “We had all these amazing people around us. [...] Their goal wasn’t to become famous or make money, it was to do something that was meaningful for the world because they had a passion, they found something interesting, and they cared about it. I mean, it could be ants or it could be math or it could be earthquakes or classical Latin literature.”

from Writer's Almanac (American Public Media: Garrison Keillor) http://writersalmanac.org/

July 2 - Good Samaritan watches struggling swimmer, rescues him

from MICHIGAN Live! dot-com

A Good Samaritan rescued a Kalamazoo man from nearly drowning in Lake Michigan Sunday. 
South Haven Area Emergency Services, South Haven Police and Van Buren County Sheriff's deputies responded to South Beach in South Haven around 5 p.m. Sunday, July 2, 2017 to a possible drowning with CPR in progress, according to South Haven Emergency Services..
There, they found a 33-year-old Kalamazoo man with a pulse with shallow respirations who was not responding to officers. After a few minutes he was able to respond and was taken to Bronson South Haven.
The man told police he was trying to swim out to get some swim toys and began to struggle. A bystander saw him go under the water and not resurface, and pulled him to the surface and to shore.

The Second Day

Thanks, Readers and visitors to this Google BLOGGER collection - anthology!

Yesterday was July 2 -- the second half of the year (July 1 - Dec. 31 began on Saturday) -

Page views yesterday

119 PAGE VIEWS (Monday July 10, 2017 were 109 July 11 (Tuesday) was this many _ _ _ Page views        130

Happy 100th birthday to JFK -- Concert -- July 2, 2017

Serenade!
A JFK 100 Celebration at Holy Trinity Catholic in Washington, DC
Sunday, July 2, 2017, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT
Free

Description

WASHINGTON, D.C. | Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church
Date: SUNDAY, JULY 2
Time: 8 p.m.
Lineup: Latvian Voices (Latvia); Escolania de Montserrat (Catalonia-Spain)

Location

Holy Trinity Church
3513 N St NW
Washington, DC 20007

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/serenade-a-jfk-100-celebration-at-holy-trinity-catholic-in-washington-dc-tickets-33098733202?utm-medium=discovery&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&aff=estw&utm-source=tw&utm-term=listing

What is a "nerd fest"? -- Niles, Michigan July 8, 2017

Niles NerdFest

Saturday, July 8, 2017 10:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. 

Join us for a celebration of all the eclectic things that delight your inner (or outer) nerd! This day of geekery includes, but it not limited to: comic books, a cosplay contest, game demos and tournaments, movies and snacks, sharing your favorite fandoms with others, learning about life in another time with the Society for Creative Anachronism and a midsummer, afterhours, Heroes vs. Villains themed Nerf Battle! *This event was previously known as Niles District Library Comic Con.* 

District Library, 620 E. Main Street, Niles, MI 49120