26th Annual "Science Fair" -- Science Alive on February 3, 2018

Event Type: Family Program
Date: 2/3/2018
Start Time: 10:00 AM
End Time: 4:00 PM

Description:

 Enjoy all things science at the 26th Annual Science Alive.

Explore interactive exhibits, hands-on presentations, and awesome

activities with over 40 local science-related organizations!

Library: St. Joseph County Public Library, 304 S. Main St., South Bend, IN
46601
http://sjcpl.in.us

Three Lunar Viewing phenomena -- all on January 31, 2018 -- Super Moon and Eclipse / Blood Moon

from Old Farmer's Almanac online - www.almanac.com/

“Super Blue Blood Moon Eclipse” is the description many Web sites are giving for the full Moon coming up. So, what does this mean? A Moon that’s super-big? One that’s blue? One that’s blood red? Maybe a combination of blue and red! A purple Supermoon? 

1. A supermoon occurs when the Moon is closest to Earth during its orbit, and theoretically larger than average.
2. A Blue Moon is the popular name for a second full Moon in the same calendar month.
3. A”Blood Moon” refers to the Moon’s hue on the night of a total lunar eclipse; it normally turns a coppery red.

Put ‘em all together and that’s what you’ve got.   

January 31 is also the grand finale of a trilogy of Supermoons that have been taking place since early December.

“Supermoon” is a new term. No one used it until a few years ago. Instead, the Moon’s closest approach to Earth—full or otherwise—was called a Perigean Moon. The problem is that even the very closest Moon does not look any larger than your average normal Full Moon. The size difference is too small for the naked eye to detect. But, okay, call it super.

https://www.almanac.com/blog/astronomy/astronomy/supermoon-blue-moon-and-lunar-eclipse-january-31

Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser - Jan. 31, 2018 - Tanglewood Trace, Mishawaka, IN

"Tanglewood invites you to attend a SPAGHETTI DINNER -- fundraiser for

Alzheimer's and Dementia Services of Northern Indiana at Tanglewood Trace

930 Tanglewood Lane, Mishawaka IN 46545

Villas, Independent, Assisted Living -- donation is $10 for each dinner.

TanglewoodTraceALC.com/

February - March "Winter Days at Potawatomi Zoo, South Bend, IN" -- 2018

Posted at Zoo Website:

Come visit Potawatomi Zoo during our Winter Days while the Zoo is closed for the season

and see what your animal friends are up to during the snowy chilly months.

The Zoo opens for several scheduled Saturdays beginning December 16th, 

so visitors can experience the Zoo in the off season. The zoo will be open from Noon-3pm** on these days. (**last admission sold 1/2 hour prior to close)

Admission is $5.50 per person, two and under are free. Potawatomi Zoological Society members are free.

Train and Carousel rides are $2.00 per person, weather permitting

Sundays this upcoming season are:

February 3rd : Noon - 3 pm

February 17th : Noon - 3 pm

March 3rd : Noon - 3 pm

https://www.potawatomizoo.org/events/winter-days-at-potawatomi-zoo

Happy Birthday Fiona (hippo born Jan. 24, 2017 at Cincinatti Zoo, Ohio, USA)

YouTube video posted that features well-wisher tourists and Mayor Of Cincinatti who read Proclamation on the date January 24, 2018 :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNVU3k0xoCg

POTUS 45 and FLOTUS Melania -- to host France's Prime Minister and Mrs. Macron (expected April 24)

CBS Report (posted Tues. afternoon - Jan. 23, 2:30 p.m. Eastern) --- www.cbsnews.com/

French President Emmanuel Macron has been invited to the White House for his first state visit of the Trump administration, according to diplomatic sources, CBS News' Margaret Brennan reports. 

The visit is scheduled for the end of April, and will entail a white tie dinner and a speech to Congress. One source said the state dinner, Mr. Trump's first since taking office, will be Apr. 24.

Macron and President Trump are scheduled to meet in Davos, Switzerland, this week, during the World Economic Forum.

Jan. 25, 2018 posting -- update information with ATLANTIC dot-com (Atlantic Monthly online)

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/01/trumps-best-friend-in-europe/551384/
In addition to a red-carpet welcome (complete with a 21-gun salute), Macron can also expect an elaborate state dinner organized by the first lady and an invitation to address Congress.

Fog Advisory -- Jan. 21, 2018 until 11 p.m. -- also Jan. 24 Weather Statement on Travel

Berrien County, Michigan
DENSE FOG ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM EST THIS EVENING... * TIMING... THROUGH THIS EVENING. * VISIBILITY... AROUND ONE QUARTER OF A MILE OR LESS. * IMPACTS... THE DENSE FOG COMBINED WITH WET ROAD SURFACES AND DARK CONDITIONS AFTER SUNSET WILL MAKE TRAVEL HAZARDOUS. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A DENSE FOG ADVISORY MEANS VISIBILITIES WILL FREQUENTLY BE REDUCED TO A QUARTER OF ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS.

for Berrien County Michigan (Southwest Michigan) -- Wed. Jan. 24, 2018

• 7:12 a.m. EST, Wed Jan 24
... SLICK ROADS POSSIBLE THIS MORNING...
AREAS OF FREEZING DRIZZLE MAY RESULT IN SLICK SPOTS
ON AREA ROADS THIS MORNING. BE ALERT FOR POTENTIAL
SLICK SPOTS. REDUCE YOUR SPEED AND ALLOW EXTRA TIME
TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION.

Dense Fog Advisory -- Jan. 21, 2018 until early afternoon

DENSE FOG ADVISORY IN EFFECT IN BERRIEN COUNTY UNTIL 1 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTHERN INDIANA HAS ISSUED A DENSE FOG ADVISORY... WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON. HAZARDOUS WEATHER... * AREAS OF DENSE FOG WITH VISIBILITIES ONE QUARTER OF A MILE OR LESS. IMPACTS... * MOTORISTS SHOULD EXPECT SUDDEN REDUCTIONS IN VISIBILITY.

Norovirus outbreak closes Davenport University campus, Michigan

Davenport University will be closing its W.A. Lettinga Campus Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018 through Sunday, Jan. 21, due to a norovirus outbreak, according to school officials. 

Students started reporting their illnesses over the weekend at the campus at 6191 Kraft Ave. SE in Caledonia Township, the university said in a statement Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018.

Robin Luymes, the university's executive director of communications, said Davenport University had been working with Kent County Health Department, which is advising the university on how to proceed.

Luymes said the virus has mostly been contained to students on campus, and that closing campus will potentially protect students, faculty and staff who commute there. In essence, they are trying to take all protective measures and limiting interaction between individuals, he said. 

More than 700 students live on campus and more than 3,000 students attend classes there, he said.

The university said it will increase the frequency of its building cleaning to prevent the virus from spreading. 

Normal campus operations will restart on Monday, Jan. 22. 

"On First Principles by Origen of Alexandria" : important 21st century translation - new edition by John Behr (Oxford Univ. Press, 2018)

Amazon will sell this for $180 -- release date is February 7, 2018

Product details

• Series: Oxford Early Christian Texts
• Hardcover: 800 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (February 7, 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199684022

On First Principles by Origen of Alexandria, written around 220-230 AD, is one of the most important and contentious works of early Christianity. It provoked controversy when written, provoked further debate when translated into Latin by Rufinus in the fourth century, and was the subject, together with its author, of condemnation in the sixth century. As a result, the work no longer survives intact in the original Greek. We only have the complete work in the Latin translation of Rufinus, and a few extensive passages preserved in Greek by being excerpted into the Philokalia of Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianzus.

John Behr provides a new edition and translation of one of the most important texts from early Christianity. He includes an invaluable introduction, which provides a clear structure of the work with significant implications for how the text is to be read and for understanding the character of theology in the early Christian tradition.

https://global.oup.com/academic/content/series/o/oxford-early-christian-texts-oect/?cc=us&lang=en&

Jan. 16 - 7 a.m. Wed. 1/17/2018 Winter Storm Watch - Berrien and Cass Counties Michigan

HEAVY LAKE EFFECT SNOW IS POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT (Monday Jan. 15th) INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES, WITH LOCALIZED AMOUNTS UP TO 8 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTHWESTERN MOST PORTIONS OF THE COUNTY. PLAN ON SLIPPERY ROAD CONDITIONS.
* WHERE... BERRIEN COUNTY.
* WHEN... FOR THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY, UNTIL 1 AM EST TUESDAY. FOR THE WINTER STORM WATCH, FROM 1 AM EST TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS... BE PREPARED FOR REDUCED VISIBILITIES AT TIMES. SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN VISIBILITY ARE POSSIBLE. THERE IS STILL UNCERTAINTY WITH REGARDS TO WHERE AN INTENSE LAKE EFFECT SNOW BAND WILL DEVELOP BETWEEN LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. THIS BAND COULD HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS AND DISRUPT TRAVEL ALONG INTERSTATE 94. BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE.

posted by National Weather Service -- Monday 1/15/2018 afternoon

Third Monday in January 2018 -- Advisory - Berrien County, Michigan USA

from National Weather Service (issued 10 p.m. Sunday Jan. 14, 2018)

* WHAT... SNOW OCCURRING. PLAN ON SLIPPERY ROAD CONDITIONS, INCLUDING DURING THE MORNING COMMUTE ON MONDAY Jan. 15, 2018. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS
OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED.
* WHERE... PORTIONS OF NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN (Berrien and Cass counties) .
* WHEN... UNTIL 7 PM EST /6 PM CST/ MONDAY.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS... BE PREPARED FOR REDUCED VISIBILITIES AT TIMES. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES.

Winter Weather Advisory -- difficult travel conditions Friday January 12, 2017

from Weather dot-com (National Weather Service):
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM EST THIS EVENING TO 1 PM EST FRIDAY...
* WHAT... MIXED PRECIPITATION EXPECTED. THE COMBINATION OF SNOW AND ICE WILL RESULT IN DIFFICULT TRAVEL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING DURING THE MORNING COMMUTE ON FRIDAY. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO TWO INCHES AND ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO ONE TENTH OF AN INCH ARE EXPECTED.
* WHERE... PORTIONS OF NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN.
* WHEN... FROM 10 PM EST THIS EVENING TO 1 PM EST FRIDAY.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS... BE PREPARED FOR REDUCED VISIBILITIES AT TIMES. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW, SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES, AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

Dense Fog Advisory - Jan. 10, 2018

Weather Channel Online (www.weather.com):
DENSE FOG ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EST THIS EVENING... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTHERN INDIANA HAS ISSUED A DENSE FOG ADVISORY... WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EST THIS EVENING. HAZARDOUS WEATHER... * AREAS OF DENSE FOG WITH VISIBILITIES OF A QUARTER OF A MILE OR LESS. IMPACTS... * MOTORISTS SHOULD EXPECT SUDDEN REDUCTIONS IN VISIBILITY.

Will POTUS 45 have a complete Physical / Cognitive Assessment Exam on Jan. 12, 2018? Unclear

The president is to fly by helicopter Friday to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside Washington in Bethesda, Maryland, for the exam.

There is no requirement for a president to have a physical, but modern officeholders undergo them regularly and release a doctor's report stating that they are "fit for duty."

Trump will not undergo a psychiatric exam, the White House said. Officials did not address a different type of screening, assessments of cognitive status that examine neurologic functions including memory. Cognitive assessments aren't routine in standard physicals, although they recently became covered in Medicare's annual wellness visits for seniors.

part of online article 1/10/2018 -- WSBT dot-com/ (South Bend, IN) TV news website

Reclaiming the Dream (Jan. 15, 2018) - events at South Bend, IN for MLK Birthday Holiday

http://www.wndu.com/content/news/Martin-Luther-King-Jr-Day-celebrations-around-South-Bend--410847355.html

Upcoming weekend Weather -- Berrien County, MI -- January 12 - 14, 2018

from Weather Channel (National Weather Service):
POTENTIAL WINTER STORM LATE FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... A PERIOD OF ACTIVE WINTER WEATHER IS EXPECTED FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY. RAIN IS EXPECTED TO TRANSITION TO A WINTRY MIX OF FREEZING RAIN, SLEET, AND SNOW EARLY FRIDAY MORNING INTO BEFORE CHANGING TO ALL SNOW FRIDAY AFTERNOON. SOME ICE ACCUMULATION AND SLICK ROADWAYS ARE POSSIBLE DURING THIS PERIOD. SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MINOR THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON WITH A FEW INCHES OF SNOW POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF ROUTE 24. A STRONGER STORM SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY WITH A POTENTIAL OF SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN EXCESS OF 6 INCHES. SOME UNCERTAINTY REMAINS REGARDING THE EXACT TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM, BUT AT THIS TIME THE GREATEST POTENTIAL OF SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS APPEARS TO BE ROUGHLY SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM LITCHFIELD, MI TO LOGANSPORT, IN FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY EVENING. IN ADDITION, THERE IS A POTENTIAL OF GUSTY NORTH WINDS ACCOMPANYING THE STORM RESULTING IN BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AND SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED VISIBILITIES. SMALL CHANGES IN FORECAST STORM TRACK WILL DRAMATICALLY CHANGE FORECAST SNOWFALL AMOUNTS. ANYONE PLANNING TRAVEL ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES AND OHIO VALLEY REGION SHOULD STAY UPDATED ON LATER FORECASTS AS CONFIDENCE IN THE TRACK OF THIS STORM INCREASES OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. MUCH COLDER AIR WILL MOVE BACK INTO THE REGION SATURDAY NIGHT BEHIND THIS SYSTEM WITH INCREASING CHANCES OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING.

Winter Weather Advisory (Mon. Jan. 8, 2018) until 9 a.m.

from Weather Channel (National Weather Service announcement):
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM EST THIS MORNING (Jan. 18, 2018)...
* WHAT... SNOW, POSSIBLY MIXED WITH FREEZING DRIZZLE. THE SNOW AND ICE WILL RESULT IN DIFFICULT TRAVEL CONDITIONS THROUGH THE MORNING COMMUTE. ADDITIONAL WET SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO ONE INCH AND LIGHT ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED.
* WHERE... PORTIONS OF NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN.
* WHEN... UNTIL 9 AM EST /8 AM CST/ THIS MORNING. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... UNTREATED ROADS WILL BE VERY SLIPPERY DUE TO THE ICE AND SNOW. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW, SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES, AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

January 2018 State Dinner (USA TODAY article on FLOTUS Melania Trump): 3 January 2018

Melania Trump did not carry out a traditional FLOTUS duty in her first year — planning and hosting a state dinner at the White House, a major diplomatic and social undertaking, and the first time in decades an administration did not hold such an important event during its first year. 

 The White House says the administration hopes to schedule a dinner "early" in 2018; neither Mrs. Trump nor White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders has said which foreign country will be the first to be fêted. But Trump and her social secretary, Anna Cristina "Rickie" Lloyd, are experienced party planners: Trump organized her own wedding to Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in 2005, a million-dollar affair with more than 350 guests.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2018/01/03/we-see-more-first-lady-melania-trump-2018-more-than-2017/984008001/

"Will first lady Melania take a higher profile in 2018 ?" article posted online written by

Maria Puente [Jan. 3, 2018]

Hunter Ice Festival - Jan. 19 - 20- 21, 2018 at Niles, Michigan Downtown (Berrien County)

Come see Aaric Kendall, Danny Bloss,  and team will turn Niles into an
Icy ~ Artsy FUN Winter Wonderland.

Monday, January 15
Ice arrives, corner of Front and Main St.
Thank You To XPO Logistics for the use of their Refrigerated Trucks!

Tuesday, January 16 Carving begins, corner of Front and Main Street

Friday, January 19
4pm-8pm – Psi Iota Xi Warming Center

5pm-8pm – Hunter Ice Cream Booth – south side of Main between Front & 2nd St

5pm – Sponsored sculptures placed throughout downtown

7:30pm (approx.) – Fire and Ice at the Riverfront Park

Saturday, January 20

9am-4pm – Multi-Block sculptures carved LIVE throughout downtown

10am-8pm – Psi Iota Xi Warming Center including the Psi Iota Xi Family Craft Activities

11am-8pm - Hunter Ice Cream Booth – south side of Main between Front & 2nd St

10am-7pm – Shelf Life Book Store Open @ 223 N 4nd Street

7:30 pm (approx.) – Carving at the Amphitheater in Riverfront Park

All Day – Interactive Ice Park on Main

 Sunday, January 21
11am-4pm – Psi Iota Xi Warming Center including the Psi Iota Xi Family Craft Activities

11am-4pm - Hunter Ice Cream Booth – south side of Main between Front and 2nd Street

11am-5pm – Shelf Life Book Store 223 N 4nd Street

12pm-3pm – Children’s Activities on Main

12pm-3pm – “Chili Crawl” – Chili Cook-off.

4:00pm – “People’s Choice” Chili Cook-Off Awards, Psi Iota Xi Warming Center