Columbus Day probably has nothing to do with Columbus. It probably has to do with the way that Italian-Americans were considered scum. Apparently somebody has to be the scum of our society, so that people who don't think clearly can have an object for their ill-defined hostility.

At one time it was the Irish, another time the Polish, for a long time the blacks, and now, in this enlightened age, prejudice seems to be shifting from the blacks to the obese. Such progress!

Back to Italians. I just read a historical novel which seemed carefully researched. It was set in 1906. There was a fine woman (Isabella) who was the widow of a member of New Yorks's uppity '400' social set, and at one point Isabella said:

"Teddy's family didn't want him to marry me, you know."

"Whyever not?"

"My mother was Italian."

So when Columbus Day comes, set aside all the angst about Christopher Columbus and celebrate something Italian. (At our house we are going to celebrate by eating meatballs with fennel and bowtie pasta.)

Or find some Italian folkmusic online and play it. (Try the ingeb.de site.) If nothing else, put some Vivaldi on the stereo. It's a holiday; have a good time.

Spaw: loved your new name for Columbus, Ohio.