Information Resource Center (IRC) Berlin

December 2006

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In this issue:

Christmas and the Holiday Season

Christmas, the birthday of Jesus Christ, is the most widely celebrated religious holiday in the United States. The spiritual message of Christmas is peace, good will and understanding. That message is underlined in religious services and numerous charitable and volunteer activities... As America has grown more diverse, however, the traditional greeting "Merry Christmas" is often replaced with "Happy Holidays." Members of the Jewish and Muslim religions generally, for example, do not celebrate Christmas. To some extent, non-Christian holidays celebrated at roughly the same time of year -- most prominently New Year’s celebrations, the Jewish Hanukkah and the African-American Kwanzaa -- blend into a broader holiday season.

Religion in the United States: Separation of Church & State

Court decisions about the celebration of Christmas are based in part on the separation between church and state in the United States... Central to the discussion of religion in the U.S. is the difference between allowing the exercise of a religion and forcing someone to practice a set of beliefs that a person does not subscribe to.

World AIDS Day – December 1

The number of people living with HIV/AIDS climbed in 2006, the 25th year since first detection of the virus, according to an annual survey of the epidemic conducted by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The update is released each year prior to the observance of World AIDS Day on December 1.

International Day of People with a Disability - December 3

The International Day of People with a Disability, as designated by the United Nations in 1992, is celebrated every year on December 3 to mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. Negotiations are currently underway concerning an International Convention on the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities. The convention was presented in August 2005 and the U.N. General Assembly is expected to approve the convention unanimously in mid-December 2006.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a civil rights law passed in 1990 that bars discrimination by employers, business owners or the public sector, represented a national consensus to protect the full and equal civil rights of Americans with physical or mental impairments. In the U.S. and elsewhere, efforts were made for many years to "rehabilitate" the disabled. By the 1970s, however, many physically and developmentally challenged Americans argued instead that society should remove barriers preventing them from participating more fully in civic life. Many national legislatures and international courts have used the ADA as a touchstone.

Human Rights Day – December 10

Established in 1950, Human Rights Day commemorates the United Nation’s adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948.

Bill of Rights Day – December 15

Every year on December 15, the United States celebrates the anniversary of the adoption of the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights comprises the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. It was adopted on December 15, 1791. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion, speech, and the press, and the rights of peaceful assembly and petition. Other amendments guarantee the rights of the people to form a "well-regulated militia," to keep and bear arms, the rights to private property, fair treatment for accused criminals, protection from unreasonable search and seizure, freedom from self-incrimination, a speedy and impartial jury trial, and representation by counsel.

Midterm Election Results – 110th Congress

U.S. Democrats won a major congressional victory in the midterm elections on November 7. Democrats have been the minority party in the 435-member House of Representatives since 1994. Democrats also gained control of the 100-member U.S. Senate and seized governorships previously held by Republicans. The 110th Congress will convene in January 2007.

Democratic control of the House means Democrats will set the congressional agenda. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi was elected unanimously as the first woman to hold the powerful post of Speaker of the House in January. She says Democrats want to bring integrity and civility to Congress, and she held out the offer of cooperation to President Bush. The Democratic Party’s House agenda has been published as "The First 100 Hours."

Even though Democrats will be in the majority in the 110th Congress in January, they will have limited ability to control defense and foreign policy issues. Under the U.S. Constitution, the president commands the armed forces and oversees diplomacy with other nations. But in the aftermath of the Republican Party's electoral defeats in Congress, President Bush has signaled a willingness to look at another way forward in Iraq. "I am open to any ideas that will help us achieve our goals of defeating the terrorists, and ensuring that Iraq's democratic government succeeds," Bush said. An upcoming report by the Iraq Study Commission, headed by former Secretary of State James Baker, will be a key to charting a new course.

What are Americans reading this Christmas?

In December 2005, retail sales at U.S. department stores jumped by 47% compared to November. Book stores increased sales by an average of 96%. Find out about bestseller lists, authors, genres, book reviews, electronic texts, book news, independent publishers and bookstores, literary and alternative periodicals and zines, weblogs broadly covering the world of arts, publishing, and libraries.