The Jewish High Holy Days begin at sundown tonight with Rosh Hashana and conclude in nine days with Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. This beginning of a new year is a time of spiritual reflection and prayer for Jews, who will pay special attention to reading the Torah, the Hebrew Scriptures' first five books, most of which is believed by traditionalists to have been written by Moses according to God's instructions. Above, Rabbi Lazer Rivkin of Tampa, regional director of Chabad of Central Florida, looks at a Torah printed on deerskin or goatskin, likely from Turkey and about 125 years old. This holy text is part of a collection of antique scrolls from around the world in the Torah Museum, founded by scholar David First of Riverview. To learn more about the museum, read the Faith & Values page in Saturday's Tribune. ...more

September 18, 2009

Do you love plain cheese or lots of meat, what you choose might tell us about you. ...more

March 17, 2009

It's only been a week since the defeat, but the battle lines have already been drawn in the fight over the future of conservatism. ...more

November 14, 2008

Owing to deadline constraints on certain corners of the dinosaur media, as this is written, procrastinators and traditionalists still are streaming to their designated voting stations. ...more

November 5, 2008

If you want to test the power of brand imagery on the consumer, walk into any well-stocked wine shop. ...more

May 20, 2008

The first unconventional or non-traditional funeral we can remember attending was about 15 years ago. When we walked through the doors of the Catholic Church where it was being held, we were greeted by the familiar sounds of a Jimmy Buffett ballad. We knew the deceased well. The song and the artist were definitely his favorites. Many other Buffett singles could be heard preceding and immediately following the funeral liturgy. And the celebration at the family's home afterwards continued with a Margaritaville theme. What we didn't realize at the time was; that particular funeral and a few others like it were forerunners of things to come for aging boomers, their families and friends, funeral directors, and clergy of all denominations. As the New York Times said in July 2006, regarding The Boomer's Funeral, "It's My Funeral and I'll Serve Ice Cream If I Want To," – times and funerals have changed. ...more

November 9, 2007

Shooter Jennings will make his Grand Ole Opry debut this week, a performance he hopes will kick off a smoother relationship with the historical country music show than his father had. ...more

September 23, 2007