Here are some of the latest developments in the scandal at Penn State, where former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky has been charged with sexually abusing young boys for more than a decade (he says he's innocent) and head coach Joe Paterno has been fired after coming under withering criticism for not having done more to investigate the allegations:

There's so much that can be said about this day's date.

The arrival of Nov. 11, 2011, or 11-11-11, brings with it:

-- "Nigel Tufnel Day." Spinal Tap fans know: 11 is "one louder."

-- All Songs Considered's 11 songs you can turn up to 11.

Angry that her daughter was eliminated from a 4-H competition, Jeannie Groat of upstate New York protested, using the F-word. According to the Walton Reporter, she was charged with disorderly conduct and sentenced to 15 days in jail. Even prosecutors say they didn't ask for such a harsh penalty. Another judge blocked the jail time.

The Corduroy Appreciation Club loves Friday's date, 11/11/11, because of its visual likeness to corduroy wales. To get into a party Friday night in New York, you must wear at least three items made of corduroy.

Karl Marlantes is the author of What It Is Like To Go To War.

I returned to America in October of 1969 after 13 months as a Marine in Vietnam. While I was there, I would comfort myself by imagining all the girls I ever knew hugging me in a huge warm group embrace. Somehow, I thought something similar would be waiting for me when I came home.

Suzanne Opton is the author of Soldier/Many Wars.

When the war in Iraq began, I worried there would be a draft. What if my son was called? How would he ever recover from going to war?

I decided that I wanted to meet the young men and women who voluntarily sign up. I began at Fort Drum in upstate New York where I photographed soldiers between tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. There was little conversation as I asked each soldier to adopt a vulnerable, intimate position, and lay his or her head on a table. I did not give these images captions.

Before we move on to the day's news, serious and silly, we want to pause for a moment to note that it's Veterans Day.

As President Obama's declaration states, on this day Americans "pay tribute to our veterans, to the fallen, and to their families." And, the proclamation adds, "to honor their contributions to our Nation, let us strive with renewed determination to keep the promises we have made to all who have answered our country's call."

Florida Tea Party activists helped push presidential candidate Herman Cain to the head of the GOP pack at the state Republican straw poll in September. Since then, a series of women have come forward with sexual harassment allegations against him. Cain's campaign has raised $90 million since Oct. 1 — more than double the amount raised in the previous 9 months.

This year's Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Clybourne Park" takes place on Chicago's Northwest Side on two distinct afternoons: one in 1959, the other in 2009. Inspired by the Groundbreaking drama, "A Raisin in the Sun," "Clybourne Park" highlights the politics of race and gentrification.

Michigan is expected to be a battleground in next year's presidential election. The state has a double-digit jobless rate but also has an auto industry that's being revived after getting federal help in 2009. President Obama points to that as a success story. But Republican candidates maintain the bailout was a bad idea. Among them, former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney — a Michigan native whose father once ran a car company.