Columbus Day occurs in the North-East around the peak of fall, when colors are at it’s finest. It’s a celebration of Christopher’s Discovery of North America, which would eventually lead to it’s mass colonisation by many Europeans seeking a new life and the seemingless inexhaustible new resources under-tapped and under-utilised by the native peoples.
Many different areas have different celebrations for Columbus Day. In New York State, it is a state holiday where most local and state agencies are closed, and there are big parades in major ciites, but in most other areas the holiday gets little special attention. Most private sector employers, and SUNY does not close for the holiday.
While the Christopher Columbus’s legacy is controversial due to his brutal tactics and those who followed him, he did forever change our world by his popularisation of the North America as a land of endless resources. Population growth and advanced technologies exploited many of these resources to capacity and beyond, and in doing so created a prosperous nation which forever would go on to change the world.
Today is Labor Day, the day we celebrate the many works done by organised labor, from the great construction projects of our day, to the people who clean the floors in the offices, to the people who work at the grocery stores.
Most people either get Labor Day off as a paid holiday or are compensated extra for working on Labor Day. Regardless, it’s a day to celebrate their labor and to celebrate ours. We all do productive things to make our world a better place, even if we can’t always see the important role of our own person actions in the grand scheme of things.
Enjoy your holiday, be safe, and look forward to getting back to work tomorrow.
Today is December 25th, which is known around many households as Christmas. A truly wonderful celebration of Christ’s birth and time for families to come together once again. Many of us have wonderful holiday traditions this year, and enjoy feasts with the family. It truly is a great time.
In this holiday season don’t forget Christ and the natural world that sustains us all. Spend sometime observing the beauty of the simplicity of Christ’s birth in a hay manger in a cow stall. Go out and feel that cold winter air and think how it must have felt that cold winter night some 2009 years ago today. Take in a deep breath, and realize your taking in the same air that Jesus once did centuries earlier.
Happy Thanksgiving! Make the most of it, enjoy your turkey and everything else.
— Andy
Many of your fellow neighboors are struggling to get by this thanksgiving. We are in one of the worst recessions in decades, with many parts of the market failing in ways that have not occurred since the thirties. Many people have lost their jobs and will not be having such a marry thanksgiving this year.
While some people will go in deep humility to the local food banks or be able to enjoy the holiday with family, knowing that one is without work and a victim of the current recessions must be painful. To know that one will likely be searching for a job for quite some time, and any job they get probably will pay less and not fully utilize their skills.
Others will have to work this thanksgiving and will not be home to be with their families. Those people while in many cases essential to our livelihood, won’t be able to enjoy the turkey at home this special day. Make sure when you pass them by not to forget to thank them too for their hard work and all they do for our society.
Eat your turkey. Have a good holiday. Just remember all those who aren’t having such a good one about now.
