NAACP: Washington Bureau The 115th Congress will be sworn into service on January 3, 2017, and is scheduled to run for two years until the end of the year in 2018. As a result of the 2016 election, the 115th Congress will be one of the most diverse ever, including an historically high number of African Americans. Specifically, beginning in 2017 there will be a record 51 African Americans in the Congress: 3 in the US Senate (including only the second African American woman in history), and 47 in the US House of Representatives. This means that African Americans will represent just under 10% of the entire Congress.

News from Anne Becker: So, at this time, I especially am glad to let you know about the International Poetry Reading that I’ve organized for the Takoma Park Third Thursday series, November 17, 7:30pm, at the Community Center, 7500 Maple Ave. Poets Martha Sanchez Lowery, Zeina Azzam, Yermiyahu Ahron Taub, Konstantin Kulokov and Danuta E. Kosk-Kosicka will present a multi-lingual, multi-cultural perspective in order to enlarge the world we live in. We’ll hear English, Spanish, Arabic, Yiddish, Russian and Polish, in one evening, in one room.

The New York Times To our readers, When the biggest political story of the year reached a dramatic and unexpected climax late Tuesday night, our newsroom turned on a dime and did what it has done for nearly two years — cover the 2016 election with agility and creativity. After such an erratic and unpredictable election there are inevitable questions: Did Donald Trump’s sheer unconventionality lead us and other news outlets to underestimate his support among American voters? What forces and strains in America drove this divisive election and outcome? Most important, how will a president who remains a largely enigmatic figure actually govern when he takes office? As we reflect on this week’s momentous result, and the months of reporting and polling that preceded it, we aim to rededicate ourselves to the fundamental mission of Times journalism. That is to report America and the world honestly, without fear or favor, striving always to understand and reflect all political perspectives and life experiences in the stories that we bring to you. It is also to hold power to account, impartially and unflinchingly. We believe we reported on both candidates fairly during the presidential campaign. You can rely on The New York Times to bring the same fairness, the same level of scrutiny, the same independence to our coverage of the new president and his team. We cannot deliver the independent, original journalism for which we are known without the loyalty of our subscribers. We want to take this opportunity, on behalf of all Times journalists, to thank you for that loyalty. Sincerely, Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr.

I will turn 66 this month. I’ve been writing and publishing for forty years. During this period I’ve also defined myself as a literary activist. My concern has not only been with language and how it’s used but also with the things men and women carry everyday. We carry our cultural memories and the history of who we are, the changes we encounter and the dreamers we wish to be. At the center of each artist’s heart must be the roots of civility and compassion for his fellow human being, as well as a concern for mountains, lakes and trees. The artist should create out of passion and love. The artist should be forgiving as well as fierce. The recent presidential election will force many of us to the barricades during the next few years. Why? Our nation is divided. Who Speaks for America? I always felt a poem, a play or a novel could engage and pull a person into conversation with a neighbor or stranger. Culture can be a soft pillow for hard politics. Good citizenship should promote beauty; there is nothing more beautiful than people coming together to work and build. The USDAC is a young organization doing just that. When artists and cultural workers embrace and unite it creates a different type of global warming. The USDAC cares about cultural rights and democracy. Everyone especially our children or groups that are marginalized must have access to the resources needed to create. Inside schools, business areas and even prisons, everyone should be able to sing, dance and write. There is no way, for example, we can tackle the serious problems of mental illness in our society without turning to the arts. We should no longer push our elderly into a corner when they can be reclaiming their bodies by dancing in the center of a room and enjoying the motion of living. It’s art which makes us aware of our mortality and pushes us to create things for the unborn. There are paintings that are just as important as laws. There are musical compositions that can be medical cures just waiting to be heard. What I like about USDAC is its diversity of voices and disciplines. I see many of the people involved with this organizations and its activities as being guardians of America’s future. The barricades we uphold and defend are constructed out of light and love. It’s time we place our imagination on the line.

New books came in the mail yesterday: Life in Suspension by Helene Cardona. Dreaming My Animal Selves by Helene Cardona. Born on Third Base by Chuck Collins.

Today is election day. It's a turning point for our nation. Embracing darkness or light has much to do with what we fear. We fear the other - the stranger - the language we don't understand. Our faith seems so human at times - so filled with cracks of misunderstanding and hatred. We fail too often at doing right - doing good. We take the road too often taken. We need to be explorers. What do you wish to discover? Ask yourself if you will ever be a pilgrim, a planter, a person happy to take care of the soul's garden.

I'll try and get back to blogging on a more regular basis starting in November. A new cycle. 66 on the 20th. How many more years left? It has been a disappointing year in regards to my last book. 1 review. There must be less sales. I have to keep pushing ahead. I'm moving more toward erasure - family as well as friends. I'll try to give away much more items in 2017. No need to be going out as much as I've been doing. Each visit to a cafe is money out of my pocket. No need to do anymore networking. I'm amazed of how many people I just don't hear from anymore. Conversations followed by silence. The biggest lie anyone can make in life is claiming they love another person.