Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Traditionally, it is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general. While perhaps religious in origin, Thanksgiving is now primarily identified as a secular holiday.
The date and location of the first Thanksgiving celebration is a topic of modest contention. The traditional "first Thanksgiving" is the celebration that occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621. The Plymouth celebration occurred early in the history of what would become one of the original thirteen colonies that became the United States. The celebration became an important part of the American myth by the 1800s.This Thanksgiving, modeled after celebrations that were commonplace in contemporary Europe, is generally regarded as America's first. Elementary school teacher Robyn Gioia has argued that the earliest attested "thanksgiving" celebration in what is now the United States was celebrated by the Spanish on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida.Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and on the second Monday of October in Canada. Thanksgiving dinner is held on this day, usually as a gathering of family members and friendsVeteran actor Johnny Delgado succumbed to lymphoma or cancer of the lymph nodes on Thursday, Nov. 19, at 1:20 p.m. He was 61.
He is survived by his wife Laurice Guillen and his two daughters, Anna and Ina Feleo.
Delgado, real name Juan Marasigan Feleo, was diagnosed with what was initially thought as colon cancer in 2008. The result of an overlooked biopsy test corrected the findings to lymphoma.
In February 2009, the late actor was reported to have been responding positively to treatments. He last appeared on the ABS-CBN teleserye, “May Bukas Pa,” as Tatay Ben, a kidnapper who enslaves his victims to beg for money in the streets.
The award-winning actor's most acclaimed performances include the film, “Tanging Yaman,” and the teleserye, “Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay.”
As of this writing, details about his funeral service are yet to be announced.
LAS VEGAS – Manny Pacquiao's speed and power were way too much for Miguel Cotto's heart.
Pacquiao put on yet another dominating performance Saturday night, knocking down Cotto twice and turning his face into a bloody mess before finally stopping him at 55 seconds of the 12th round.
The Filipino star used his blazing speed and power from both hands to win his seventh title in seven weight classes and cement his stature as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Cotto took such a beating that his face was a river of red from the fury of Pacquiao's punches but he refused to quit even as his corner tried to throw in the towel after the 11th round.
The fight was billed as a 145-pound classic, and in the early rounds it didn't disappoint. The two went after each other with a vengeance and Cotto more than held his own as they traded punches in the center of the ring.
Pacquiao dropped Cotto with a right hand early in the third round, but he wasn't badly hurt and came back to finish the round strong. But after Pacquiao put Cotto on the canvas with a big left hand as Cotto was advancing forward late in the fourth round, the Puerto Rican was never the same again.
"Our plan was not to hurry but to take our time," Pacquiao said. "It was a hard fight tonight and I needed time to test his power."
Cotto fought gamely but in the later rounds he was just trying to survive as blood flowed down his face and Pacquiao kept coming after him relentlessly. It looked as if his corner was trying to stop the fight after the 11th round, but Cotto went back out to take even more punishment before a final flurry along the ropes prompted referee Kenny Bayless to call the fight to an end.
Cotto's face was swollen, blood was flowing from his nose and his cuts, and he simply couldn't stop Pacquiao from bouncing inside and throwing both hands at will.
"I didn't know from where the punches were coming," Cotto said. "Manny Pacquiao is one of the best boxers I ever fought."
Pacquiao, coming off of spectacular wins over Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, added another one against Cotto, who had lost only once and held the WBO version of the welterweight title. Pacquiao did it in trademark fashion, throwing punches in flurries and from all angles until Cotto began to slow down and then pursuing him relentlessly until the fight finally ended.
The fight will likely set up an even bigger fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr., and many in the soldout crowd at the MGM Grand arena began chanting "We want Floyd! We want Floyd" after the fight ended.
"I want to see him fight Mayweather," trainer Freddie Roach said.
Mayweather may have second thoughts after Pacquiao did what no fighter has done before and win a belt in a seventh weight class. More impressive, though, is how he has fought, dismantling opponents despite moving up consistently from 106 pounds to the 144 he weighed for the fight.
The welterweight ranks will be the last ones Pacquiao conquers, though. He said he will not move up any more in weight.
"This is the last weight division for me," Pacquiao said. "It's history for me and more importantly a Filipino did it.
He was so dominant in the later rounds that Cotto was fighting backward most of the way, simply trying to survive. Pacquiao was credited with landing almost twice as many punches — 336-172 — as Cotto.
Pacquiao earned a minimum $13 million, while Cotto got $7 million
Pacquiao was favored, largely off his last two performances in which he forced De La Hoya to quit on his stool and then knocked out Hatton with a huge left hook in the second round. Some in boxing, including Roach, thought Cotto had been slowed by his devastating loss last year to Antonio Margarito and would be further slowed by having to come in 2 pounds lower than his normal weight.
Nov. 1st - In the Philippines, we usually go to the grave of our loved ones to light up candles, give flowers and spend some time with them. But since I can't do that this year, I decided to just light up candles here in our room (like what I did last year) to follow the tradition and to remember my loved ones who are in heaven now :)
