It is the tradition of this column every year at this time to relate the story of Thanksgiving. For source material, I rely on the accounts of William Bradford, governor of the Plymouth Bay Colony for 30 years between 1621 and 1656. Bradford's history "Of Plimoth Plantation" first was published in 1856. ...more

November 22, 2007

Americans believe that Thanksgiving celebrates a bountiful harvest, but that is not so. ...more

November 14, 2007

Back in the days when man first ventured out of the caves and celebrated the occasion by giving thanks to the Great Spirit the people vowed that the preparation time for their holidays would be limited to some reasonable amount of time. Like perhaps the cycle of one moon, which many eons later was called a month and many eons after that they were given a name: As in October which is what the moon cycle before the one when thanks was given to the Great Spirit and out of which our country's first displaced inhabitants evolved. And many eons after that first giving of thanks the Great Spirit returned the recognition of his people by rewarding them with a special gift of his own. A man-child. The appearance of this gift held such significance for the people that they name a day after it. They called it Christmas. Now when the two things are considered – limiting preparations to no more than on a lunar cycle and the acceptance of the gift of the Great Spirit – it would appear that the preparations for Christmas should occur at the earliest around the time that the feast of thanksgiving is celebrated. And for many years this is how it came to pass. ...more

October 20, 2007

Thanksgiving is only five weeks away, and bowlers who want to escape their relatives or attempt to work up an appetite for the day's feast can do so at Hudson Bowl. ...more

October 17, 2007

Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, began Wednesday night with the sighting of the new moon. It's the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, and is observed by prayer, fasting and charity. ...more

September 13, 2007