Archive for May 2007
History of Pentecost
PENTECOST The Feast of Pentecost is taken from the Greek word πεντηκόστη which means “the 50th,” referring to the fiftieth day after Passover and Easter. In the Jewish calendar, this would coincide with the harvest festival Shavuot the “Feast of Weeks.” In the Christian calendar, Passover played a part in a number of visits Jesus…
Read MoreHistory of Memorial Day: Why We Fight
WHY WE FIGHT The world is different than it was even a few years ago as we celebrate Memorial Day. We now are fighting a war, and we now remember why we fight. The History Channel re-runs the HBO series “Band of Brothers,” the adaptation of the Stephen Ambrose book about a company of men…
Read MoreHistory of Memorial Day
MEMORIAL DAY The city of Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, an American village on the National Historic Register, claims to be the birthplace of Memorial Day, as do some 24 other towns in America. But Boalsburg’s claim goes back to a practice at the end of the Civil War. It does have an local museum, and a history…
Read MoreHistory of Spider-Man
HISTORY OF SPIDER-MAN There is something about being first in line for the midnight showing of the premiere of a summer blockbuster, not to mention that I was probably the oldest person in the theater. The Experience: A young friend of mine insured our place at the front of the line by camping out since…
Read MoreHistory of Cinco de Mayo
CINCO DE MAYO Cinco de Mayo is frequently regarded as the Mexican equivalent of the United States 4th of July. This is incorrect. In actuality, it is the equivalent of the “5th of May” in the Spanish language. Another misconception is that this has something to do with Mayonnaise. That too is a bum spread,…
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