By VIRGINIA LINN, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

For 15 years, memorabilia relating to Andy Griffith and his role in the fictitious Mayberry have been displayed in various locations in Mount Airy, N.C., the small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains where the actor-singer was born 83 years ago.

Robyn Gioia, a fifth-grade teacher in Florida who wrote "America's REAL First Thanksgiving," offers this recipe for cocido. Pronounced "co-SEED-o," the dish is a traditional Spanish stew that historians believe was served at the first Thanksgiving on Sept. 8, 1565, in St. Augustine, based on information in the log of the Spanish explorers' ship.

Robyn Gioia, a fifth-grade teacher at Bolles School, a private school north of St. Augustine, Fla., has a mission: Spread the word about the nation's first Thanksgiving.

And as a teacher, the logical way is to start with the children.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - Forget the turkey, the silly Pilgrim hats and the buckles.

Forget Plymouth Rock and 1621.

If you want to know about the real first Thanksgiving on American soil, travel 1,200 miles south and more than 50 years earlier to a grassy spot on the Matanzas River in North Florida.

What, Mad worry?
Alfred E. Neuman and the Usual Gang of Idiots are keeping stiff upper lips as they mark a bittersweet occasion.
Mad magazine's landmark 500th issue hits newsstands Tuesday -- the same day the 57-year-old monthly publication goes quarterly.
The usual gang of suspects is the reason: bad economy, drop in advertising, changing demographics.

One of the great modern mysteries is one that plagues almost every household: the missing sock in the dryer.

GIVERNY, France -- "It took me some time to understand my water lilies. And then, suddenly, I had the revelation of the magic of my pond ..."-- Claude Monet

Say you're browsing the toy aisle of your local discounter. You see a Polly Pocket mini doll set car you're interested in buying but see -- of course -- that it was made in China.