Weekend Watchdog: Feast of Thanksgiving sports
At Thanksgiving dinner, some brothers fight over the drumsticks. This Thanksgiving, two brothers will be fighting for NFL victory.
Jim Harbaugh brings his surprising 49ers across the country to face brother John’s Baltimore Ravens on the NFL Network game at 8 p.m. Jim’s 49ers have won eight straight, pulling away with the NFC West. John’s Ravens edged Cincinnati Sunday to pull into first place in the AFC North.
The first game of the day looks pretty good too – 10-0 Green Bay at Detroit on FOX. Prepare for plenty of clips from the 1962 Thanksgiving game. In between, the Cowboys host the Dolphins on CBS. Keep Leon Lett away from the ball.
Sunday, the Redskins head west to see if Washington state is a better venue than inside the Washington beltway. Kickoff against the Seahawks is 4 p.m.
CBS shows a doubleheader, with the Bills taking on the Jets at 1 p.m. and Eagles hosting the Patriots at 4:15 p.m. In primetime, the Steelers visit Kansas City on NBC. The Giants head to New Orleans Monday night on ESPN.
The ACC Coastal Division comes down to one game – Virginia Tech at Virginia on ABC at 3:30 p.m. Other areas of the country have the Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State, and in those areas Hokies-Cavs will be on ESPN2.
The college football weekend begins Thursday with the final meeting of Texas and Texas A&M as conference rivals. ESPN has kickoff at 8 p.m.
It’s a full day Friday, beginning at 11 a.m. on ESPN2 with South Florida hosting Louisville. Iowa closes its regular season against new conference foe Nebraska at noon on ABC, followed by Miami vs. Boston College.
CBS has the big game between Arkansas and LSU at 2:30 p.m. ESPN’s primetime doubleheader starts with the Backyard Brawl between Pittsburgh and West Virginia at 7 p.m., followed by California-Arizona State.
Comcast brings Conference USA action at noon, with Houston traveling to Tulsa.
Saturday, the ACC network has North Carolina State trying to become bowl eligible against Maryland at 12:30 p.m. Comcast brings Duke-North Carolina at 3 p.m.
CBS has the Iron Bowl matching Alabama and Auburn at 3:30 p.m., while NBC has the Bayou Classic between Southern and Grambling at 2:30 p.m.
ABC begins the day with Ohio State-Michigan, then heads west for Notre Dame’s game with Stanford at 8 p.m.
ESPN’s Saturday starts with Georgia at Georgia Tech at noon, then Penn State and Wisconsin battle for a berth in the first Big Ten championship game at 3:30 p.m. In primetime, Clemson faces South Carolina.
ESPN2 offers Rutgers vs. Connecticut at noon and Florida State taking on Florida at 7 p.m.
On FX, Iowa State goes for its second straight big upset at Oklahoma at noon. Versus heads west for Washington State at Washington at 7:30 p.m.
MASN has the Big East game of the week – Cincinnati at Syracuse – at noon before offering New Mexico State at Louisiana Tech at 4 p.m.
Comcast continues in the Conference USA Saturday, as Rice visits SMU at noon before Southern Cal plays UCLA at 10:30 p.m.
NBC offers NHL hockey on Friday, with the Red Wings visiting Boston. Comcast shows the Rangers’ trip to Washington Friday at 4 p.m. and visit to Buffalo Saturday at 7 p.m.
Feast Week features plenty of college basketball throughout the weekend. ESPN2 gets it going at noon Thursday with Texas Tech vs. Indiana State from the Old Spice Classic. Minnesota-DePaul follows, then it’s west for the 76 Classic – Villanova against UC-Riverside at 4:30 p.m.
It’s back to the Old Spice Classic at 7 p.m., with Wake Forest taking on Dayton followed by Arizona State-Fairfield. At 11:30 p.m., it’s back to the 76 Classic for Oklahoma’s game with Washington State.
Friday, ESPN has games from the Old Spice Classic starting at noon, and the final of the preseason NIT at 5 p.m. ESPN2 continues coverage from the Old Spice Classic, then North Carolina plays South Carolina in Las Vegas at 10 p.m. At midnight, there’s another game from the 76 Classic.
Saturday features another game from Las Vegas at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN2, and Sunday there’s two games from the Old Spice Classic starting at 4:30 p.m. before a final game from the 76 Classic at 9 p.m.
Versus offers action from the Battle 4 Atlantis Thursday, with Central Florida vs. College of Charleston at 2 p.m., then Florida State meeting Massachusetts. The two semifinals are on Friday, starting at 2 p. m., and the consolation and championship game are Saturday starting at 2 p.m.
MASN has the Great Alaska Shootout, starting Thursday at 10:30 p.m., with Central Michigan facing New Mexico State. The semifinals start Friday at 9:30 p.m., followed by the third place game Saturday at 9:30 p.m. and the championship at midnight.
In the lower 48 on MASN, Ohio takes on Louisville Friday at 7 p.m.
ESPN has women’s basketball Sunday, with Baylor visiting Tennesee at 2 p.m.
More at http://WeekendWatchdog.wordpress.com.
Giving Thanks
What are you most thankful for this Thanksgiving? That was the question we posed to several members of the Boys & Girls Club in Waynesboro this week.
“I’d have to say … well, my parents., because they’re very helpful. They care for me and all that … and my brother and my sister. They’re, like, there for me and stuff like that. I like how they’re always there for me. My mom and stepdad are always helping out with each other, making a team. We’re strong together. My family members, all together we’re strong,” said Tylik Mawyer, 12, a student at Kate Collins Middle School.
“I’m thankful for God because he’s the one that made all of us, and He’s the one that made this Boys & Girls Club. And I love the Boys & Girls Club,” said Rachel Obiro, 8, a student at Westwood Elementary School.
“I’m most thankful for my family … how my mom and dad love me, and how they take care of me and my little brother,” said Re’sun Stevenson, 9, a student at Wenonah Elementary.
“My family, and the people who give me the stuff for Thanksgiving. And my brothers. And my mom and my dad,” said Michaela Williams, 8, a student at Wenonah.
“I’m thankful for my family and my friends. And my three brothers and my sister,” said Shiona Hodgins, 9, also a student at Wenonah.
“Turkey! Turkey, stuffing and the rest of the food. Mostly my mom,” said Aalayah Hubbard, 8, a student at Berkeley Glenn Elementary.
More on the Club at www.AugustaBGClub.org.
David Reynolds: Win one for George
I do not wish to be the Grinch who stole Christmas. However, someone stole part of my Thanksgiving. It was bumped almost into October to make room for another holiday. I am sure that there is a good reason why Washington & Lee University decided to make the switch. In the meantime, let us take a second look at W&L’s revealing move – pushing its traditional American Thanksgiving dinner back a week to November 10, in order to make room on November 17 for a Mideastern dinner in celebration of a Muslim holiday.
That holiday is called Eid ul Adha. It is a festival to remember the prophet Ibrahiem’s willingness to sacrifice his son when God so ordered. Accordingly, the holiday is to remind the faithful of their own submission to God, and their own willingness to sacrifice anything to God’s wishes. During the festival, domestic animals, usually sheep, are sacrificed as a symbol of Ibraham’s sacrifice. The meat is distributed among family, friends and the poor. Each group receives the same share.
As for the other holiday, contrary to popular belief Thanksgiving did not originate with the Pilgrims anymore that Christmas comes from Santa Claus. Thanksgiving originated with a proclamation from the father of our country. President Washington’s decree set aside Thursday, November 26, 1789 as “A Day of Publick Thanksgiving and Prayer ” for the people of the United States. It states, “Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour . . . to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”
It appears that we have two religious holidays facing each other. And one blinked.
What’s going on here? And elsewhere on college campuses? Are we so scared – or quilt ridden – to push aside our once proud Judeo-Christian heritage in order to sacrifice it on an alter of sheep? Have we become sheep? Will Western civilization wither away because we are not willing to defend our way of life?
Let’s be clear here. There is no objection from this corner to celebrating a religious holiday by partaking of the dishes from another part of the world. W&L’s drive for diversity is fine – as long as it does not force others off the road.
Years ago I attended a family wedding held in a mosque in Upper Manhattan. It was a lovely ceremony in a beautiful building. But it was not in Lower Manhattan near Ground Zero. There was no Ground Zero. No one pushed their views in my face. So I saw no need to push back. That is why the vast majority of New Yorkers do not object to another mosque in their city, as long as certain sensitivities are observed, particularly those that respect the wishes of families who lost loved ones in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
If we are to observe the presence of God – from whatever perspective – should we not at the same time make certain that our proud national and community traditions continue to be observed?
Is that the end of the story? Not quite. In 1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving to the third Thursday of November in order to boost the depressed economy by extending the Christmas shopping season. After a storm of protest by American citizens across this great land, Roosevelt changed the holiday again in 1941 to the fourth Thursday in November, where it stands today.
Let the record show that while no storm is brewing, there is a protest of one to have Washington and Lee University return to its traditions and serve Thanksgiving dinner on its previous date. Make that a protest of two. I believe I have George’s proxy.
Column by David Reynolds
Tips for avoiding holiday weight gain
The average American gains several pounds in the six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. However, you can keep off extra holiday weight by observing a few simple tips provided courtesy Rockingham Memorial Hospital.
Many traditional holiday foods are loaded with fat and calories. To keep your weight manageable, substitute a lower-fat food. Or, if there’s a certain food you enjoy too much to give up, have a smaller portion and conserve calories by skipping something that’s not as important to you.
You should also exercise regularly. Get 30 minutes of moderate exercise most, if not all, days of the week. A sedentary lifestyle is one of the major contributors to holiday weight gain.
Here is more advice for cutting fat from your holiday diet:
- Eat white-meat turkey, which has fewer calories and less fat than dark meat. A 3-ounce serving of skinless turkey breast has 119 calories and 1 gram of fat. The same amount of dark meat has 142 calories and 5 grams of fat.
- Put gravy through a skimmer before serving, and you’ll cut the calories by 80 percent. That’s a substantial change: Holiday gravy that’s not skimmed contains 60 to 70 calories per tablespoon. A generous helping can add as many as 500 calories to your holiday dinner.
- Serve stuffing baked outside the turkey; it has half the calories of stuffing cooked inside the bird.
- Serve at least one item very low in calories and fat, such as a fresh fruit salad or steamed vegetables topped with lemon juice and herbs. A one-half cup serving of steamed green beans has only 15 calories and a trace of fat; a one-half cup serving of sautéed green beans has 50 calories and 6.6 grams of fat.
- Serve baked potatoes instead of candied sweet potatoes. A plain baked potato has 220 calories and just a trace of fat; one cup of candied sweet potatoes has 300 calories and 6 grams of fat.
- Don’t top vegetables with butter; instead, use nonfat yogurt or low-calorie sour cream. You’ll save an average of 100 calories and 10 grams of fat per tablespoon.
- Serve apple pie topped with vanilla frozen yogurt instead of pecan pie topped with whipped cream. Per slice, you’ll save 460 calories and 32 grams of fat.
- Substitute mustard for mayonnaise on your lunch-hour turkey sandwich. You’ll save 82 calories and 8 grams of fat.
- Pay attention to what you drink. Two mixed drinks can contain as much as 500 calories, one cup of eggnog, 380 calories. But two glasses of cider or white wine have only 300 calories.
*Content courtesy of StayWell Custom Communications
Jim Bishop: The ‘Hollowdaze’-some waiting required
Long ago, in a universe far, far away, a little country boy gazed longingly across the way to his neighbor’s unpretentious abode.
It was late October. Most foliage on stately backyard trees had largely lost their grip on their summertime sanctuary – except for the willow tree leaves that had turned a sickly yellow but held on for dear life. Twilight was stealing across suburban Fountainville, Pa., a giant fruitcake’s throw north of Doylestown, as temperatures dropped, a reminder that autumn would soon give way to winter.
Halloween was near, one of his favorite “holidays,” after the Fourth of July and of course, birthdays. (How that has since changed!).
But, the object of his obsession had not yet given any indication that the brightest and best day of the year, Christmas, was around the corner.
A close neighbor, Eddie Histand, had not yet strung up his outdoor Christmas lights, but it would happen before too long. He was always the first, and back then, only person in the neighborhood to throw the switch to a multi-colored display starting Thanksgiving night. This waiting period for yours truly was excruciating.
Likewise, during childhood years in my hometown of Doylestown, I couldn’t wait for the Christmas lights in town to come on for the first time. But, back in times of antiquity, one waited until about the second week of December before long strings of colored lights with a giant neon star in the center cast a celestial glow over the downtown area.
Meanwhile, there were other important events on the corporate agenda, like preparing for and celebrating Thanksgiving. It meant the Bishop family would pile into the ’57 Chevy and motor south to Glenside for feasting and rich fellowship. This was a taste of Big City life for me, although still suburbia.
As the calendar turned over to the last month of the year, more signs of Christmas came to light in my hometown – especially Foster’s Toy Store where kids reigned supreme and we Bishop siblings scoured the aisles, drooling over pre-computer chip gadgets and other merchandise, knowing that many of the alluring items would never make our wish lists.
Doc Brenneman’s pond froze to the point that we ice skated and played hockey before Christmas – imagine that! – with little thought given to the possibility of ending up in the icy brink.
Closer to the Big Day, our church youth group would pile into the back of a tractor-pulled hay wagon and do four-part acapella Christmas caroling on a frigid night around the community, then warm up with hot chocolate, maybe with donuts, afterward.
The times they kept a-changin’, and the sweet buy and buy came ever more to the fore. In various settings and forums, I quietly protested the trend to starting one’s Christmas shopping in air-conditioned comfort around Labor Day. Now, area radio stations serve up Christmas fare in the air 24-hours-a-day before Thanksgiving, the same seasonal songs repeated ad nauseum, while memorable melodies from my youth are rarely heard.
Autumn leaves have scarcely begun to drop when catalogs and circulars proclaiming glad tidings of great savings cram our mailboxes. Some retail stores open their doors at 3 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving. I feel sorry for employees who have to work such hours as much as I lament the fierce competition and consumer frenzy that seems to necessitate this move in the first place.
And now, the confession: In the spirit of my childhood neighbor, the young, expectant lad who is now a senior citizen placed electric candles in our windows several days before Thanksgiving. The best part: each one worked. A modest outdoor display, however, must wait awhile to be pulled out of storage.
More than ever, I savor this season of Advent and the spirit of waiting, of anticipation – while being more aware that for many this time of year is incredibly stressful for a host of reasons – even while watching expectantly for the bright and shining Star that will light our way in the darkness.
Now that is worth the wait.
Jim Bishop is public information officer at Eastern Mennonite University. He can be contacted at bishopj@emu.edu.
David Reynolds: Thanksgiving 2010
Tomorrow is truly an American holiday. It is one of the few which remains faithful to its origins. The Pilgrims started something that, hopefully, we will never finish.
Thanksgiving 2010 will be like the hundreds of other Thanksgiving’s before. It is always a peaceful day. So, peace is on my “Thank You” list. However, it is not first. Freedom always comes first.
And what about those days before tomorrow? Did you know that “9/11″ happened 3,363 days ago? That’s a big number. A bigger and better number than the one we use for emergencies.
How did you live each one of those days? As each was your last? A few did. They have no regrets. I did not. So I have a few regrets, but too few to mention.
Besides freedom and peace what am I most grateful for? That’s easy. Each morning not finding my name on the obituary page. Too many departed friends have left to go to on to another paradise. Yet, I have never received a report back. Is it because they can’t tell the difference?
Yes, death is a reminder of how good it is to be alive. But being alive is not always easy. I have been working at it for 27,549 days. One day I will get the hang of it. In the meantime I am enjoying the work. I trust that you are, too.
One way to look at life is to think of the start of each day as “third and long.” The odds may be against you, but you are still in the game. And being in the game is all that counts.
Another way to figure out this greatest of all games is to consider life as a glorious struggle, an investment that pays dividends. That means you never sell yourself short. Or your country.
This corner of our great nation suits me just fine. I can better appreciate the beauty of the Great Valley of Virginia having come from the coalfields of Pennsylvania.
However, don’t do what I just did. When you mention our valley remember others live elsewhere. It is hard to compare any two spots on the map when the perspective of any spot changes the moment you leave. Nonetheless, we believe that this corner of the earth is special, from the back roads of Rockbridge where we learn to wave to I-81 where we learn to pray.
Yet it is not the land, but the people, which make us special. Sure they slip up sometimes. They put that toy next to their ear. Still they have time to look up from their cellphones and send a smile instead of a text message. I am grateful for small blessings.
I have another beef: The annual Thanksgiving dinner at Washington & Lee University got bumped. It got pushed back a week. On its traditional date no turkey was served. Instead there was a Mideast dinner with all the trimmings. It was in honor of Eid ul Adha, a holiday in Muslin countries. (More on this next month.)
Back to more pleasant business. People here don’t judge your past because they don’t know it. I could have robbed banks in my previous life and no one would know. Or care. However, I did not. I did something worse. I helped to spend your money. Now in my current life I can’t miss a Rotary meeting without the whole club knowing it. I like it both ways.
Then there are those among us who have proven that Thomas Wolf was wrong. You can go home again. Take Charlie, for example. Earlier this month he came home. Back to Buena Vista. A few hundred of his closest friends were there to greet him. For ninety minutes, the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies rambled and told stories. They loved it. And him. The talk was not about baseball, except to the extent that baseball imitates life. It was not one of those phony inspirational talks staged in big city hotel ballrooms. This was real. And so was Charlie. He came from a real town. After his talk there was only one question: How can one successfully manage and gain respect from twenty-five young prima donna, talented multimillionaires without having Charlie Manuel’s wisdom and rapport?
It is all amazing. How sweet it is. That’s it for Thanksgiving 2010. Before you sit down for dinner tomorrow, think of everybody you have ever loved, whether they are seated at the table or not. Remember their faces. You will have seen the face of God. As for those who say that God is dead, consider what President Eisenhower once said, “How can he be when I just spoke with him this morning.”
Column by David Reynolds
Sally Jones: Taxes and Thanksgiving
“Cut My Taxes!” Americans have heard this cry for years – and we’ve heard it shouted angrily in recent months. We hear that we pay too much in taxes, that government makes poor use of our money, and that our prosperity would rise if only taxes would fall.
But in reality our taxes have fallen steadily in recent years. In 2001 and 2003 Congress passed temporary tax cuts which will expire at the end of 2010. We must now decide what good or bad has come of that experiment and what tax law we want for the future.
Most of us recognize that one size doesn’t really fit all – and this holds true for income tax rates. Maintaining a lower level of taxation for the vast majority of Americans makes sense in today’s hard times. But why should we do the same for the tiny percentage of citizens – a minority to which I gratefully belong – whose annual earnings exceed $250,000? The American people borrowed $700 billion to give people like me a tax cut over the last decade. Why should they borrow an additional $700 billion to extend the tax breaks?
Congress should let our tax cuts expire for the sake of the country, especially in this economy. Who would lose by this step toward tax fairness? Only those among us who can afford such a loss. Who would gain? All Americans – including those few of us who would pay more taxes.
We cannot sustain our nation – not its defense; not its essential infrastructure such as roads, rails, bridges, dams and communications; not its economic place in the world; not the health and education of its people; not its ability to respond to natural disasters such as earthquake, flood or hurricane; not the protections we expect it to provide against man-made disasters, toxins (domestic and imported), buccaneering corporations or hazardous products – without securing for our government the funding it must have to accomplish all of these things.
Recognizing our shared responsibility – in the present instance by payment of taxes – we might live up to the example of earlier generations who left for us a remarkable system of institutions and infrastructure. By abandoning that responsibility, we would betray both our predecessors and our descendants, and we would gain nothing but a temporary self-indulgence, at a price that will impose itself on present and future generations.
Do we bear any collective responsibility? I think so. Consider the example of the season.
On Thanksgiving Day most of us will gather with family or friends or both. We will sit down to tables crowded with the various dishes that speak to us of this special occasion, and indulge ourselves more than we usually do. However much or little else we feel thankful for on that day, we will heartily thank the one or more cooks who toiled in the kitchen to prepare this dinner for us.
We thank the cooks because we have seen their effort first hand. But how many others have contributed to make our feasts possible – others whom we never think about or credit? Who taught our cooks their skills or created our recipes? Who grew, harvested, preserved or transported the foods? Who built our ovens, plumbed our kitchens, and made our utensils, dishes and tables?
Those of us with high incomes ought to ask similar questions about the plenty we enjoy daily. We could hardly enjoy our success without assistance we hardly notice: the infrastructure that allows businesses to grow and prosper, the law enforcement that protect patents and copyrights, and the productiveness and purchasing power of publicly-educated fellow citizens. Without national investments – supported by our taxes – no wealth would be sustained in this country and those at the top would not have the extraordinary lives they have today. Let us remember to be grateful.
Let’s make sure those outside of the top two percent of Americans can live and thrive. Unless we foster prosperity for our country and for every citizen, all of us will suffer the consequences of living in a society of the ailing, the untrained and inefficient, and the unruly. Let’s pay the taxes – those of us who can afford them – to sustain the America that has offered opportunity since its founding. Unless we restore strength to its economy, institutions, and structures, our country will decline – and everyone’s prospects with it.
Sally Jones is a member of a high-income household in Minneapolis who supports Wealth For The Common Good and its goal of promoting shared prosperity and fair taxation.
AAA forecasts increase in Thanksgiving weekend travel
AAA today projected the number of Americans traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday will increase 11.4 percent from 2009, with approximately 42.2 million travelers taking a trip at least 50 miles away from home.
Last year, 37.9 million Americans traveled during the Thanksgiving holiday. The 2010 Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as Wednesday, Nov. 24 to Sunday, Nov. 28.
“While Americans remain cautious with household budgets and discretionary spending amidst high levels of unemployment, many are in a better financial position this Thanksgiving than a year ago,” said AAA president and CEO Robert L. Darbelnet. “This improvement, along with a strong desire to spend time with friends and family, is expected to propel a significant increase in Thanksgiving travel.”
The forecasted double-digit increase in Thanksgiving holiday travel would signify an important upturn in travel volume for the holiday after a year of negligible growth in 2009 (0.2 percent) and two years after a historic 25.2 percent decline in travel in 2008. While the forecast for an 11.4 percent increase in Thanksgiving travel is significant, the increase in the number of travelers by 4.3 million is less than half of the volume lost from 2007 through 2009. Moreover, this year’s expected 42.2 million travelers remain almost 30 percent below the 2005 peak of 58.6 million travelers.
This year’s projected increase in holiday travel appears to be the result of modestly improved economic conditions since last year, including an increase in gross domestic product, real disposable personal income and household net worth combined with a decrease in consumer debt. While job growth has been minimal and unemployment remains high, the unemployment rate has remained stable, which is an improvement from 2008 and 2009 when job losses were mounting each quarter.
AAA has forecast an increase in travel for each of the travel holidays this year. In addition to the forecast, AAA travel agents are continuing to report strong increases in the number of travelers making advanced reservations. Hotel, car and vacation package reservations for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday are up more than 10 percent compared to last year.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Giving thanks for our veterans and the freedoms they defend
Column by Bob Goodlatte
www.goodlatte.house.gov
On Nov. 9, 1989 the world watched as a wall in Berlin, Germany crumbled to the ground in one of the greatest triumphs of freedom in history. Twenty years later, we mark the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the victory of freedom over communist oppression.
It is fitting that while we observe this anniversary of the spread of democracy and freedom that we also pay tribute to our nation’s veterans, many of whom served in Berlin and other parts of Germany. America was founded on the principles of liberty, opportunity and justice for all, and we recognize the men and women of our armed forces who have valiantly defended these values throughout our nation’s history. Continue reading “Giving thanks for our veterans and the freedoms they defend” »
The giving of thanks
Column by David Cox
Some old-timers will remember Emily Penick Pearse, a doyenne among other things among Lee Chapel docents. As such, she once met a monk named David Steindl-Rast who happened to be a noted author on matters spiritual. One of his books was called, Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer. His explanation indicated to me why this feast of Thanksgiving is so important: It draws us out of ourselves and into a larger scope, all based upon gratitude. Continue reading “The giving of thanks” »
Being grateful
Column by David Reynolds
Tomorrow is truly an American holiday. It is one of the few which remains faithful to its origins. Thanksgiving 2009 will be like Thanksgiving 2008 and all the other Thanksgiving’s before it.
Thanksgiving is always a peaceful day. So, peace is on my “Thank you” list. Did you know that “9/11″ happened 2,998 days ago? Did you live each one of those days as if it were your last? Some did. They have no regrets. I have a few, but too few to mention. Continue reading “Being grateful” »
Kathleen Rogers: Green your Thanksgiving meal
Posted by afp on November 23, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Here are some ways we suggest you celebrate. After all, the first Thanksgiving was a celebration of a bountiful harvest.
1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
• Try to use as much reusable dinnerware as possible. Many times, people have more people over than the usual dinner and that can mean not enough plates and forks. If it isn’t possible to use reusable dinnerware, encourage people to reuse their plates when going for that second helping of mashed potatoes and peas (Don’t lie, we all know you are going for it). Have an easy way for your guests to recycle their waste, be it plastic, glass, aluminum or paper. Have separate bins or baskets next to the trash so that no one has to make a trip around the dining area before looking for that perfect place to crash after the meal.
• Make your food and scraps help with your next big meal by composting them. Starting from the food preparation to that last bit of mashed potatoes left on your plate from when your eyes were bigger than your stomach, collect the scraps and start a compost bin.
• At the end of the meal, send your guests home with leftovers in the containers that you purchased some of your ingredients in, such as butter tubs, cranberry boxes or any other empty container with a lid.
2. Buy Locally Grown Food.
Purchase produce and baked goods from local farms and small businesses. By purchasing locally, you are reducing the carbon footprint of your food by limiting its transportation. You also are supporting the local economy and giving a homegrown feel to the celebration, especially with heirloom produce. And there is no smell better than that of walking into a bakery and picking out a fresh loaf of bread direct from the oven.
3. Buy Organic.
While on the subject of food, purchasing organic produce and meat is an easy way to green your Thanksgiving meal. Chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers not only leech into the surrounding environment where they are used, but also can have negative effects on human health, if not properly washed. If you are looking for a meat option for your Thanksgiving meal, purchase meat raised without antibiotics or artificial hormones, and while at it, since for many it isn’t Thanksgiving without turkey, make sure your poultry is free-range. Remember, the first turkeys were all free range! While at it, serve organic and fair-trade coffee. and chocolate as your post meal, pre-food coma pick-me-up.
4. Go Meatless.
OK, before you stop reading and seek me out as a blasphemer, many people don’t have turkey on Thanksgiving. If you don’t want to stray too far from tradition, think about making a turkey alternative, from using tofu seasoned around stuffing to an alternative dish completely, (I know people that celebrate with stuffed shells or a nut loaf).
5. Make Your Own Eco-Friendly Decorations.
Use newspaper or brown bags to make placemats or paper turkeys. Use the twine that the produce may have come in to tie napkins around silverware. Collect leaves from the yard to make a fall-themed centerpiece, or flowers from the garden for a bouquet.
6. Celebrate Close-to-Home or Travel Green.
The days surrounding Thanksgiving see some of the highest traffic of the year. If possible, celebrate with friends and family close to home and invite your neighbors into your celebration; that is what started this tradition in the first place, right?
7. Travel Green.
If you must go over the river and through the woods, try to make your travel as green as possible. Make sure your car is in good condition, full tires, carpool when possible and avoid peak travel times to reduce idling in traffic, wasting gas and releasing unnecessary emissions. If you are flying to your destination, consider purchasing carbon credits to offset the emissions from your flight. The typical long haul flight produces nearly four tons of carbon dioxide.
Turn Black Friday into Green Friday. The day after Thanksgiving can be a warzone at shopping malls, but don’t forget about your local boutiques and products. Pay attention to where your purchases originate. Many products give back to local communities as well as donate to environmental causes. If the product is not domestic, make sure that the country of origin has sound environmental practices. If you are not set on shopping, stay home and start a new tradition, like planting a garden, do a family service project, create a family act of green, or recycle old toys at a local charity for other families to enjoy.
Traditionally when we think of Thanksgiving, we think of oranges, reds and browns, but green goes with everything. When coming together with your family and friends, as everyone reflects on what they are thankful for, remember that the first Thanksgiving was to celebrate surviving in a new land; a strange, beautiful place that sustained a new life for one group and had been a long time home to another. The earth is our home and we should always be thankful for what it provides. As we move into this holiday season and New Year, we should all show how thankful we are for this planet and the home it provides by giving back to it as much as it has given us.
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