Happy Thanksgiving from LAPX

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The staff of the Los Angeles Post-Examiner would like to wish everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

If you’re traveling, be safe. If you’re spending the day with family and friends, try not to argue a lot. You will argue of course, especially this year. One side of the table will be for one side of the political divide and the other side won’t.

Those who are staying home to cook for the entire clan, don’t be afraid to ask for — and accept — help. Be grateful for the people that brings the cranberries, mashed potatoes and pies. More pie is a good thing. To a certain extent of course. Our resident health writer, Ron Irwin has some useful tips about over indulging on Thanksgiving.

For those who will be alone: there are places you can go to enjoy a communal meal — or if you’re able: help provide a Thanksgiving meal to the less fortunate in society. Start with the Midnight Mission, one of the best organizations of its kind anywhere. The homeless, the poor, are all welcome today for a Thanksgiving meal from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Union Station Homeless Services will offer Dinner in the Park, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Central Park. They have been doing this for 45 years so they have a lot of experience.

Of course there are three NFL football games on TV today, all of which have playoff considerations. The less … interesting … game: the 5-5 Pittsburgh Steelers at the 5-5 Indianapolis Colts. The Steelers are tied for first place in the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens, so there’s a better than good chance they can make the playoffs. The Colts are just a game behind the Houston Texans. So this game will have playoff implications, at least as far as the first round goes. This is the last game of the day and starts at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time — right around the time most people will be having Thanksgiving dinner. If you can, take a tray to a TV table and leaving the political arguments to everyone else.

The first game of the day has already started: The Minnesota Vikings at the Detroit Lions. The two teams share the lead in the NFC North with records of 6-4. Detroit is the club that started the NFL Thanksgiving tradition in the 1930s. They were defeated by the Chicago Bears in that first game, but to day the Lions have a chance to win against the resurgent Vikings team that lost four-in-a-row before winning last Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Lions, on the other hand, started a two-game winning streak by beating the Vikings in Minnesota. This could be the most important game of the day.

The second game today features the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas has been playing on Thanksgiving Day since their inception in 1961. So they are used to these short weeks. You may not like the Dallas Cowboys, but they are the best team in the league right now. There only loss of the season was at home, against the New York Giants. Presumably the Cowboys and their QB Dak Prescott have since learned how to manage the clock since then. Win or lose, Dallas will still be the best team in the NFL. If Washington wins, they make a case for a wild card berth.

Whatever your plans for today, enjoy it and don’t forget to be thankful. If you’re reading this then you probably have a roof over your head and will most likely get fed today, whether it’s at a Thanksgiving feast or not. For most Native Americans this is a day of sadness. Their land and culture had nearly been wiped out by European invaders. Think about that as you sit down to eat that big meal today.

To all the people fighting the good fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline — the unarmed people being attacked by police and hired thugs for protecting their water and land — LAPX is most thankful for you.
Don’t give up.