May 11-17  National Hospital Week

Members of the American Hospital Association sponsor events at local facilities across the nation to promote awareness of their role in heath care. The celebration of National Hospital Week began in 1921 when a magazine editor suggested that more information about hospitals might alleviate public fears about them. See:

http://www.nationalhospitalweek.com/hospitalweek/

May 13-15  Israel's 60th Birthday Jubilee

The state of Israel will mark its 60th anniversary. President Bush will attend the celebration (see item below). From its inception May 14, 1948, Israel's population has grown from fewer than 850,000 to more than six million. Security will be particularly tight as Middle East tensions remain high.

May 13-18  President Bush Visits the Middle East

The president will make his second trip this year to the Middle East in an attempt to advance the Israel-Palestinian peace process. Few observers expect much to come of the Bush foray; the White House has acknowledged that a significant breakthrough is unlikely. Bush will attend Israel's 60th birthday jubilee May 13 to 15, but has no plans to officially mark a corresponding event - the 60th anniversary of the Palestinians' flight from their homes.

May 14-25  61st Cannes Film Festival

Count on Cannes to offer a strong line-up of the world's leading auteurs. This year's festival opens with Fernando Mereilles' "Blindness,"starring Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Danny Glover and Gael García Bernal. See:

http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en.html

May 16-20  National Rifle Association Convention

The NRA's election-year convention in Louisville, Ky., will provide much fodder for talk-show hosts and political campaigns. See:

http://nraam.com/

May 17  Preakness Stakes

This will be the 133rd running of the Preakness Stakes, the second
leg of horse racing's Triple Crown, at Pimlico Race Course in
Baltimore. See:

http://www.preakness.com/

May 17-22  Digestive Disease Week Conference

This conference in San Diego, Calif., is an excellent opportunity for the media to learn about advances in gastroenterology, hepatology (liver diseases), endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. The conference is jointly sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT). See:

http://www.ddw.org

May 19  Index of Leading Economic Indicators

The Conference Board will release its index for April. The measure, based on reports of certain types of business activity, is designed to forecast economic conditions three to six months ahead. Following five consecutive monthly declines, the index rose slightly in March.

May 19 - June 1  "Click It or Ticket" Mobilization

Starting one week before and running one week after the Memorial Day holiday, the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration conducts an advertising campaign to build awareness of seat belts. The slogan is "Click It or Ticket." Deaths continue to occur at disproportionately high rates among drivers and passengers not wearing seat belts. During this campaign, thousands of law enforcement agencies in communities across the country will be actively enforcing state safety belt laws. See:

http://www.buckleupamerica.org

May 20  Presidential Primaries in Kentucky, Oregon

The marathon contest for the Democratic presidential nomination
brings the media spotlight to Kentucky and Oregon.

May 24-26  Memorial Day Weekend

The unofficial start of the summer travel season will be accompanied by record-setting gas prices. Nevertheless, many Americans will accept the pain of the $90 fill-up and head out for the holiday. Media outlets will be seeking experts on holiday travel, especially those with projections and predictions on numbers of travelers.

May 25  Phoenix Spacecraft to Land on Mars

The Phoenix Mars Lander's 10-month, 423-million-mile space journey is scheduled to culminate in a landing on an icy area of the Red Planet that researchers believe holds the best chance of supporting life.
Phoenix's instruments will analyze the water and soil for evidence about climate cycles and investigate whether the environment there has been favorable for microbial life. This Mars mission is the first to be led by a public university - the University of Arizona. See:

http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/

May 25  National Missing Children's Day

On this date in 1979, 6-year-old Etan Patz disappeared on his way to school in New York City. The case has never been solved. Etan's abduction became the catalyst for the Missing Children's Act of 1982, the first federal law to address the national tragedy of missing children. In 1983, President Reagan proclaimed May 25 as National Missing Children's Day. One year later, the Missing Children's Assistance Act launched a federal Missing and Exploited Children's Program. And in 2003, a comprehensive child protection package known as the PROTECT Act / AMBER Alert Laws was enacted. The media will seek to bolster their coverage of this observance with the latest research news and expert commentary. See:

http://www.ncmec.org

May 25  Indianapolis 500

Indy serves as a national day of fantasy for everyone who spends Monday through Friday stuck in freeway traffic. Gentlemen, start your engines. See:

http://www.indy500.com/

May 25-31  Hurricane Preparedness Week

During this week, the National Hurricane Center emphasizes education and preparation in advance of the new storm season, which begins June 1. Experts are again forecasting a busy season of intense storms in the Atlantic basin, although the past two seasons have been milder than expected. See:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/intro.shtml

May 26  Memorial Day (Federal Holiday)

Again this year, casualties from the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will attract media attention at events commemorating Memorial Day.

May 27  Consumer Confidence Index

The Conference Board will release its monthly Consumer Confidence
Index for May. Consumer confidence has fallen to a 35-year-low as prices climb and the employment situation deteriorates.

May 27  National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Awards

The National Cartoonists Society will present the 62nd annual Reuben awards at the group's annual meeting in New Orleans. News media give the most attention to the award for best editorial cartoons; this year's nominees iaree Gary Brookins (Richmond, Va. Times-Dispatch), Mike Ramirez (Investor's Business Daily) and Bill Schorr (syndicated). See:

http://www.reuben.org

May 28-30  Society for Prevention Research Annual Meeting

Researchers will present the latest findings of their work on prevention science at this meeting in San Francisco. The organization includes scientists, practitioners, advocates, administrators and policymakers who are concerned with the prevention of social, physical and mental health problems and the promotion of health, safety and well-being. See:

http://www.preventionresearch.org

May 29  Gross Domestic Product and Corporate Profits

The Bureau of Economic Analysis will release the second of its three increasingly refined estimates of the Gross Domestic Product for the first quarter of 2008. It will also release its estimate of corporate profits for the first quarter.

May 29-30  81st Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee

In light of the long national decline in spelling ability, this event one day may have to be canceled for lack of contestants, but not yet. Another group of precocious youngsters will compete this year in Washington, D.C. See:

http://www.spellingbee.com/

May 29 - June 1  BookExpo America

This major trade show, formerly known as the American Booksellers Association Convention & Trade Exhibit, takes place this year in Los Angeles. The convention brings together the largest number of booksellers across the country and showcases new titles and new technology affecting the publishing business. The event normally generates stories on readership and literacy, trends in book publishing, the plight of independent booksellers, and the overall state of the publishing industry. See:

http://www.bookexpoamerica.com

May 31  World No Tobacco Day

Around the world, about five million people die every year as a result of tobacco-related illnesses. Tobacco will eventually kill half of those who smoke today -- about 650 million people. The World Health Organization has sponsored World No Tobacco Day annually since 1988 to call attention to the huge impact of tobacco use on health. This year, the WHO is spotlighting the danger to young people: Child and adolescent experimentation can easily lead to a lifetime of tobacco dependence. See:

http://www.who.int/tobacco/wntd/2008/en/index.html